China, Pakistan hold conference to boost economic and technological cooperation 21:23, September 05, 2025 By Wu Chaolan, Huang Kechao ( People's Daily Online The 2nd China-Pakistan Business to Business Investment Conference opens in Beijing, capital of China on Sept. 4, 2025. (People's Daily Online/ Xu Jingwen) The 2nd China-Pakistan Business to Business Investment Conference opened in Beijing, capital of China on Sept. 4, 2025, bringing together wide-ranging senior officials and entrepreneurs from both countries. Under the theme of carving out a new path for the second phase of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and seeking mutually beneficial investment opportunities in prioritized sectors, such as construction, electrical vehicles, solar panels and financial technologies, the event was recognized as one of the largest business forums between the two countries in recent years. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the conference, unveiling a new vision for PakistanChina economic cooperation. "Pakistan is looking forward to upgrading CPEC to the 2.0 version, featuring bilateral cooperation in "5Es;" exports, e-Pakistan and innovations, energy and infrastructure, environment and climate change and equity and empowerment," he said. Looking back on the history of China-Pakistan cooperation, he highlighted that China's remarkable economic leap and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have created shared opportunities for developing countries. Referring to CPEC agreement signed in 2015, Sharif credited the first phase of CPEC with transforming Pakistan's energy and infrastructure landscape. "We used to face up to 20 hours of power outages daily, but today, Pakistan has become energy self-sufficient. That is the turning point," he noted. Sharif hailed the conference as a reflection of the iron-clad brotherhood between Pakistan and China, reaffirming that the two nations enjoy an unmatched friendship "higher than the Himalayas, deeper than the deepest oceans, sweeter than honey and stronger than steel." "In face of uncertainties and economic downward pressure, Pakistan would resolutely promote China-Pakistan cooperation in business and investment by offering more preferential policies," he added. Ren Hongbin, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), addresses the 2nd China-Pakistan Business to Business Investment Conference in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 4, 2025. (People's Daily Online/ Xu Jingwen) Ren Hongbin, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), praised the close ties between China and Pakistan. He stressed that the two countries share broad business interests and tremendous potential for cooperation. With the principle of win-win cooperation, CCPIT will continue to support more Chinese enterprises in expanding business and investment in Pakistan. Representatives of enterprises from China and Pakistan sign memorandums of understanding for cooperation at the 2nd China-Pakistan Business to Business Investment Conference in Beijing, capital of China, on Sept. 4, 2025. (People's Daily Online/Wu Chaolan) At the conference, participating enterprises from both sides signed cooperation agreements that cover key sectors including agriculture, electric vehicles, solar energy, iron and steel, petrochemicals, and healthcare. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Wu Chengliang) Chinese embassy in Afghanistan hands over emergency humanitarian cash aid Xinhua) 11:37, September 06, 2025 Bao Xuhui (L), charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Afghanistan, meets with President of the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) Dilawar and hands over 200,000 U.S. dollars in emergency humanitarian cash assistance provided by the Red Cross Society of China to support Afghanistan's earthquake relief efforts, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ang) KABUL, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Bao Xuhui, charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Afghanistan, met with President of the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) Dilawar on Friday and handed over 200,000 U.S. dollars in emergency humanitarian cash assistance provided by the Red Cross Society of China to support Afghanistan's earthquake relief efforts. Bao conveyed China's deep condolences over the victims of the earthquake and sincere sympathy to the bereaved families and the injured. He noted that the Chinese government has decided to provide 50 million yuan (about 7.04 million U.S. dollars) in emergency humanitarian aid for Afghanistan's quake relief, while the Red Cross Society of China has extended 200,000 U.S. dollars in emergency cash assistance. In addition, the Chinese embassy, Chinese enterprises, and the Overseas Chinese Association in Afghanistan have made donations in cash, reflecting China's profound friendship with the Afghan government and people. Bao expressed confidence that, under the leadership of the Afghan government, the people in quake-hit areas will overcome difficulties and rebuild their homes at an early date. Dilawar briefed Bao on the disaster situation and ARCS's emergency response. He said that adversity reveals true friendship, and China's sympathy and assistance constitute strong support and help for the Afghan people in the disaster areas. He expressed appreciation and stressed that all the donated funds will be used for rescue and reconstruction work in the quake-affected areas. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Kou Jie) 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 South Korea has launched all-out efforts after US immigration officials arrested hundreds of its nationals in a major raid at a Hyundai-LG battery plant site in Georgia, prompting Seoul to set up a taskforce and summon top officials. The photograph shows special agents with Homeland Security Investigations leading a worker away from a workplace raid in Ohio in 2018, part of a string of such operations during the first Donald Trump administration. (Photo: Immigration and Customs Enforcement)/Representational South Koreas president, Lee Jae Myung, has ordered all-out efforts after US immigration authorities arrested hundreds of South Korean nationals during a raid at a Hyundai-LG battery factory site in Georgia. Foreign minister Cho Hyun said a taskforce has been set up and that he felt a heavy responsibility over the incident, adding he would travel to Washington if necessary. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed about 475 arrests in what officials described as the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of the Department of Homeland Security. A South Korean outlet earlier reported the figure could be higher, around 560. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The raid has rattled LG Energy Solution (LGES), which suspended overseas travel for staff and ordered employees in the US to return home after 47 of its workers were detained. The company said an executive will head to the US on Sunday. The factory, a joint venture between Hyundai and LGES, is a $4.3bn project to produce batteries for Hyundai, Kia and Genesis electric vehicles. Hyundai stressed that none of the detained were directly employed by the automaker and that its EV production was not affected. DHS said the workers were undocumented, either crossing illegally or overstaying visas, and are being held at ICEs Folkston facility in Georgia. The arrests risk straining USSouth Korea ties at a time when Seoul has pledged billions in investment under a broader trade deal. As Pakistan knocks on the doors of the Asian Development Bank to fund its Karachi-Rohri railway project, heres why China halted the funding for its so-called all-weather friend Cracks between Pakistan and China became more apparent after reports emerged that Beijing has withdrawn funding for the Karachi-Rohri railway project , a key part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. According to The Economic Times, China cited financial and security concerns for its move. In light of this, Pakistan is now seeking funds for the Asian Development Bank to salvage the project. It is pertinent to note that Chinas decision also follows its frustration over unpaid debts to Chinese power companies. However, the key concern for Beijing remains security issues for Chinese nationals working on numerous infrastructure projects in Pakistan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Chinas decision not to finance the Karachi-Rohri railway segment being built under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) reflects that its all-weather friendship with Pakistan is notwithstanding. The change in the ties between the two nations is also coming at a time when China is mending its ties with India. Chinas withdrawal left Pakistan short of money According to The Economic Times, the Chinese authorities expressed frustration over Pakistans unpaid debts, particularly $1.5 billion owed to Chinese power companies. Moreover, since 2021, several Chinese nationals working on BRI projects in Pakistan have been killed by separatist and terrorist groups operating in the country. The Karachi-Rohri section of Main Line 1 Railway was previously expected to receive $2 billion from China. However, it had been left unfunded, leaving Pakistan to knock on the doors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), seeking urgent funds to salvage the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), sources told The Economic Times. China also expressed concern over the security of its nationals in Pakistan while speaking to the countrys Field Marshal Asim Munir. Earlier this year, Beijing sought permission to deploy its military for the protection of its nationals in Pakistan. Source told The Economic Times that Pakistans loan request to the Asian Development Bank involves upgrading 480 kilometres of the Karachi-Rohri railway segment. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $6.7 billion, covering the entire 1,726-kilometre stretch from Karachi to Peshawar. The railway network is considered central to the CPEC and will be used for transporting goods as well as minerals extracted in the mineral-rich Balochistan province. The cracks between China and Pakistan are also coming at a time when Islamabad is improving its relations with the United States. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Earlier, Pakistan had indicated that it would offer the US opportunities in Balochistans mining sector. However, the USs commercial or security presence in Balochistan may impact Chinas wide-ranging interests in the province, a source told ET. Under the BRI, China has announced that it will invest more than $50 billion in Pakistan. In light of this, Gwadar Port has been constructed, and plans for a naval base are currently underway. On Thursday, Pakistans energy ministry announced that ADB had approved a $130 million loan for the countrys energy sector. Apart from this, Pakistan has also sought assistance from international partners, including the ADB, to improve its energy infrastructure by modernising its transmission system and promoting renewables. Several thousand Washington DC residents on Saturday marched to demand US President Donald Trump end the deployment of National Guard troops patrolling the capital citys streets. Demonstrators march toward the White House during the We Are All D.C. protest against National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., US, on September 6, 2025. (Reuters) Several thousand people took to the streets of Washington D.C. on Saturday, demanding that US President Donald Trump end the deployment of National Guard troops patrolling the capital. According to Reuters, the demonstration, held under the banner We Are All D.C., drew undocumented immigrants and pro-Palestinian supporters among others. The report further added that protesters carried placards reading Trump must go now, Free DC, and Resist Tyranny, while chanting slogans denouncing the president. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Im here to protest the occupation of D.C., participant Alex Laufer told Reuters. Were opposing the authoritarian regime, and we need to get the federal police and the National Guard off our streets. Trump ordered the deployment last month, citing rising crime and the need to re-establish law, order, and public safety. He also placed the citys Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal authority and dispatched federal law enforcement personnel, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. However, Justice Department figures show violent crime in 2024 fell to its lowest level in three decades in Washington, a federal district governed by Congress. The National Guard serves as a militia that answers to the governors of the 50 states except when called into federal service. The D.C. National Guard reports directly to the president. What theyre trying to do in D.C. is what theyre trying to do with other dictatorships, said Casey, who declined to give his last name. Theyre testing D.C., and if people tolerate it enough, theyre gonna do it to more and more areas. So we have to stop it while we still can. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD More than 2,000 troops, including from six Republican-led states, are patrolling the city. It is unclear when their mission will end, though the Army this week extended orders for the DC National Guard through November 30. Washington D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb on Thursday filed a lawsuit for courts to block the troop deployment, arguing that it was unconstitutional and violated multiple federal laws. But some residents have welcomed the National Guard and called for the troops to be deployed in the less affluent parts of the city where crime is rampant. The National Guard has been mostly visible in downtown and tourist areas. Washington D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser has praised Trumps surge of federal law enforcement personnel into the city, but hoped that the National Guards mission would end soon. Bowser said there had been a sharp decline in crime, including carjackings since the surge. The mayor this week signed an order requiring the city to coordinate with federal law enforcement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies During US President Donald Trumps first term in the White House, an explosive report suggested that American Navy Seals shot and killed several North Korean civilians in a botched covert mission US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during a meeting at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, in Panmunjom, South Korea, June 30, 2019. File image/ Reuters During US President Donald Trumps first term in the White House, an explosive report suggested that American Navy Seals shot and killed several North Korean civilians in a botched covert mission. According to the report by The New York Times, the operation aimed at planting a listening device in the nuclear-armed country during high-stakes diplomatic negotiations in 2019. Citing anonymous sources, including current and former military officials, the NYT reported that it was Trump who approved the operation during his first stint in the White House. Trumps approval came while he was engaged in historic talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un . STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The plan was to fix the blind spot in US intelligence and allow the country to intercept the North Korean leaders communications, potentially giving Trump an advantage ahead of the summit between the two leaders in 2019. But what ended up happening Things unravelled when the detachment of Navy Seals came across North Korean civilians who were reportedly diving to collect shellfish. According to the NYT report, the American forces opened fire, killing all those on the small fishing vessel. Eventually, there was no specification of the number of casualties. Neither the US nor the North Korean government made the botched operation public. Interestingly, before approving the plan, the White House had been concerned that even a small military action against North Korea could provoke a catastrophic retaliation. According to the NYT, a classified Pentagon review on the matter later concluded that the killings were justified under the rules of engagement. The Seals were dispatched to North Korean waters in a nuclear-powered submarine, and then deployed in two mini-subs in frigid waters to reach the shore. A group of eight Seals was then supposed to sneak past North Korean border forces, install the device, and then escape undetected. However, the operation was disrupted by the attack on the civilians, and the Seals were eventually forced to leave without installing the device. The American news outlet also revealed that the plan was based on a similar 2005 operation approved by then-US President George W Bush . US President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order to rename the Department of Defence as the Department of War, reverting to the bodys original name until 1947 US President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order to rename the Department of Defence as the Department of War . The move was a callback to the original name of the department from 1789 to 1947. However, there is a catch. The directive issued by the Trump administration will make the Department of War the secondary title of the body. This was seen as a way to get around the need for congressional approval to formally name the federal agency. We won the first world war, we won the second world war, we won everything before that and in between, Trump said at the signing in the Oval Office. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And then we decided to go woke and we changed the name to the Department of Defence," he furthered. Even before Trump signed the document, his administration had already begun implementing the symbolic changes. Visitors to the Pentagons defense.gov website are now automatically redirected to war.gov. The move also came after a deadly US Navy airstrike killed 11 people on a small boat in international waters. The American military justified its strike by arguing that the action was against a drug vessel operated by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua . However, some legal experts questioned whether the strikes were lawful under international law. What happened to the anti-war persona? The combination of recent aggressive military action and symbolic rebranding goes in contrast with Trumps repeated claims to be the anti-war president . During his 2024 US Presidential Election campaign, Trump pledged to end conflict around the world and prevent new wars from erupting. Not only this, he has been gunning for a Nobel Peace Prize, claiming that he has resolved at least six conflicts around the world. While signing the executive order, Trump said that his focus on strength and trade has improved Americas position in the world. He argued that the original name better reflects military victories and honestly represents what the department does. Hence, the rebranding of the department is reversing the 1947 name change that was made as part of postwar reforms that emphasised defence over warfare. While Trump was changing the name of the Pentagon, seven US warships and one nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine were reported to be heading for the Caribbean following Mondays strike. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, it is important to note that congressional approval would ultimately be required for any permanent name change. In light of this, House member Greg Steube from Florida and Senator Mike Lee from Utah, both Republican congressmen, have introduced legislation to make the switch official. Were going to go on offence, not just on defence. Maximum lethality, not tepid legality. Violent effect, not politically correct, the Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth , said in the Oval Office. Were going to raise up warriors, not just defenders. So this war department, Mr President, just like America is back," he added. Vietnams coffee industry is experiencing a breakthrough year, with exports setting new records in both volume and value. Coffee exports in the first eight months of 2025 reached 1.2 million tonnes, worth $6.42 billion, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. This represents an 8.7% rise in volume and a remarkable 59.1% increase in value compared to the same period last year. With this momentum, export earnings can approach $8 billion in the 20242025 crop year, far surpassing the record $5.6 billion of 2024. A farmer harvests coffee beans in Gia Lai Province, December 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hoa Industry leaders attributed the growth not only to higher global prices but also to Vietnams strategy of upgrading quality, expanding specialty coffee, adopting sustainability certification, and meeting international standards. These shifts have helped Vietnamese coffee strengthen its global position and reduce pricing risks. The average export price stood at $5,580 per tonne, up 46.4% year-on-year. Germany, Italy, and Spain remained top buyers, while exports to Mexico surged over 90-fold. Despite modest growth, shipments to China rose 11.7%. Experts noted that longstanding investments in processing technology and supply chain transparency have lifted the competitiveness of Vietnamese Robusta, making it a preferred choice for roasters worldwide. Enterprises are also moving into higher-value segments such as specialty and processed coffee, supported by free trade agreements including EVFTA, UKVFTA, and CPTPP. Private firms have emerged as a driving force. Vinh Hiep Company of Gia Lai province posted over $750 million in exports and expects to surpass $1 billion this year, accounting for more than 12% of national coffee exports. Meanwhile, Phuc Sinh Group stressed that Vietnamese Robusta, once considered low-priced, is now commanding some of the highest prices globally thanks to advanced processing, modern roasting systems, and expansion into instant and specialty lines. Vietnam currently cultivates around 732,000 hectares of coffee, with an average yield of 2.9 tonnes per hectare. Advanced farming models can reach up to 5 tonnes per hectare. Gold breaks another record, rising 60% for the year Gold jewelry seen at a shop in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran Vietnam gold price reached another record Saturday morning, having risen 60.8% so far this year, outpacing global rates. Saigon Jewelry Company gold bar went up 0.74% to VND135.4 million (US$5,128.79) per tael. Gold ring rose 0.77% to VND130.2 million per tael. A tael equals 37.5 grams or 1.2 ounces. Vietnams gold price has been among the best investment assets so far this year after starting January at VND84.2 million per tael. Its gain far exceeds the 37% jump of global bullion price in the same period. Globally gold's powerful rally took on fresh legs on Friday, with prices just cents away from $3,600 per ounce, as weak U.S. jobs data further raised expectations for bullion-supportive Federal Reserve rate cuts, Reuters reported. Spot gold was up 1.4% at $3,596.55 per ounce, having hit a record $3,599.89 earlier. The metal is now on track for its strongest weekly gain in nearly four months. U.S. gold futures for December delivery settled 1.3% higher at $3,653.30. Bullions surge this year was driven by U.S. dollar weakness, central bank buying, a softening monetary policy backdrop and wider geopolitical and economic uncertainty. 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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 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. The forecast route of a potential tropical storm in the East Sea. Graphics by Vietnam Disasters Monitoring System A tropical depression formed in the northeastern part of the East Sea on Friday evening and is forecast to strengthen into a storm by Saturday, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. At 7 a.m. on Saturday, the depression was moving northwest at a speed of 10-15 kph, with maximum winds reaching 61 kph. By 7 p.m., the depression could intensify into a storm, located about 530 km northeast of the Paracel Islands, according to the forecast cenetr. The storm's winds will strengthen to 62-74 kph, with the system continuing its northwest movement at around 10 kph, potentially gaining strength further. By 7 p.m. on Sunday, the storm will be in the northern part of the East Sea, with winds reaching 75-88 kph, maintaining its current direction. The Hong Kong Meteorological Observatory has forecast that the storm could peak at around 105 kph on Saturday before moving into mainland China. The weakening system may bring rain to northern mountainous provinces. On Friday, Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development urged coastal provinces from Quang Ninh to Quang Ngai to closely monitor the situation, issue warnings to ships, and prepare rescue teams. Since the beginning of the year, six storms have occurred in the East Sea. The most recent, Storm Nongfa, made landfall in Ha Tinh and Quang Tri in central Vietnam with weak intensity on Aug. 30, causing minimal damage. Prior to that, Typhoon Kajiki struck Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh on Aug. 25, causing nine deaths, 77 injuries, and extensive damage to over 38,600 homes, with 510 houses collapsing. The total economic damage was approximately VND2.9 trillion (US$109.8 million). The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting predicts that 5-7 more storms or tropical depressions will form in the East Sea by the end of the year, with 2-3 of them potentially affecting Vietnam's mainland, mainly from central provinces to the south. An illustration of the expected trajectory of Storm Tapah on the South China Sea as of 4 p.m., Sept. 6, 2025. Photo courtesy of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting A tropical depression in the South China Sea has strengthened into Storm Tapah, forecast to hit China's Guangdong Province on Sept. 8 and bring heavy rains to northern Vietnam's mountains. At 4 p.m. on Saturday, Tapah lay centered over the northeastern South China Sea, which Vietnam calls the East Sea, with sustained winds of around 74 kph and gusts up to 102 kph. The storm was moving northwest at 15 kph, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. By late Sunday, when about 420 km northeast of the Paracel Islands, Tapah is forecast to intensify with sustained winds of 75102 kph and gusts up to 133 kph, though its forward speed may slow slightly. By Monday at 4 p.m., the storm is expected to be about 110 km south-southeast of Hong Kong, packing winds of 89102 kph and gusts up to 149 kph. It is likely to strengthen further before making landfall in Guangdong. The Japan Meteorological Agency expects Tapah to peak at around 72 kph before weakening over land, with its remnants drifting westward and affecting Vietnams northern provinces. Hong Kongs forecasters, however, project maximum winds of 90 kph, with weakened impacts later reaching Ha Giang, Cao Bang and Lang Son in Vietnam's northern highlands. The storm is already stirring up dangerous seas. The northeastern South China Sea is forecast to see winds of 5074 kph, with areas near Tapah's center reaching 89102 kph and gusts up to 149 kph. Waves may reach 35 meters high, posing risks to vessels. Vietnam's agriculture ministry has ordered coastal provinces from Quang Ninh to Dak Lak to monitor the storm closely, track vessels and prepare rescue forces. Tapah is the seventh storm in the South China Sea this year. The most recent, Storm Nongfa, made landfall in Ha TinhQuang Tri, while Storm Kajiki struck Thanh HoaHa Tinh on Aug. 25, leaving nine people dead or missing, 77 injured, and causing economic losses estimated at VND2.9 trillion ($114 million). Meteorologists warn that 57 more storms or tropical depressions may form in the South China Sea before year's end, with 23 likely to hit Vietnam directly. Early cold fronts could worsen flooding in the coming months. Contracts Contracts For Sept. 5, 2025 ARMY Boeing, Mesa, Arizona, was awarded a $343,988,969 modification (P00033) to a contract (W58RGZ-21-C-0015) to exercise options for remanufactured aircraft and associated support. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $3,430,883,832. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2027. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Mike Hooks LLC, Westlake, Louisiana, was awarded a $49,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the rental of a cutterhead pipeline dredge with attendant plant and operators for maintenance dredging. Bids were solicited via the web with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 4, 2026. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, is the contracting activity (W91278-25-D-A034). Granite Construction Co., Watsonville, California, was awarded a $39,330,400 firm-fixed-price contract for levee and floodwall construction. Work will be performed in Watsonville, California, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 11, 2027. Fiscal 2022 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds in the amount of $39,330,400 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco District, is the contracting activity (W912P7-25-C-A018). Caterpillar Inc., Irving, Texas, was awarded a $24,890,967 modification (P00016) to contract (W91CRB-20-D-0005) for the purchase of Caterpillar spare parts. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $34,627,913. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2025. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. 4K Global - ACC MP LLC, Martinez, Georgia, was awarded a $9,618,269 firm-fixed-price contract for arms room construction. Bids were solicited via the web with two received. Work will be performed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 20, 2027. Fiscal 2025 military construction, defense-wide funds in the amount of $9,618,269 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District, is the contracting activity (W912PM-25-C-0036). Aleut Construction LLC,* Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $9,377,998 firm-fixed-price contract for the repair and renovation. Bids were solicited via the web with seven received. Work will be performed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2027. Fiscal 2025 military construction, Army funds in the amount of $9,377,998 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, is the contracting activity (W912HN-25-C-4004). Galvion LTD, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was awarded a $9,150,000 firm-fixed-price contract for protective personnel equipment helmets. Bids were solicited via the web with one received. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 24, 2026. Fiscal 2025 Foreign Military Sales (Chile) funds in the amount of $9,150,000 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91CRB-25-C-A012). TeamGov Inc.,* Hyattsville, Maryland, was awarded a $7,839,980 firm-fixed-price contract for comprehensive equipment maintenance. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $35,691,300. Bids were solicited via the web with four received. Work will be performed in Aberdeen, Adelphi, Fort Detrick, and Fort Meade, Maryland; Natick, Massachusetts; Warren, Michigan; Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey; Brooklyn, Fort Drum, Watervliet, and West Point, New York; Columbus, Ohio; Carlisle, Pennsylvania; and Fort Belvoir, Fort Gregg-Adams, Fort Myer, Fort Walker, and Radford, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 4, 2026. Fiscal 2024 operation and maintenance, Corps of Engineers, civil funds in the amount of $6,897,715 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville Engineer and Support Center, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-25-F-0343). NAVY Raytheon Co., Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $205,113,738 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-24-C-5406) for the procurement of MK 15 Close-In Weapon Systems upgrades, conversions, overhauls, and related equipment. Work will be performed in Louisville, Kentucky (34%); El Segundo, California (10%); Tucson, Arizona (5%); Andover, Massachusetts (4%); Colchester, Vermont (3%); Mason, Ohio (3%); Grand Rapids, Michigan (2%); Tempe, Arizona (2%); Palo Alto, California (2%); Norcross, Georgia (2%); San Diego, California (2%); Ottobrunn Germany (2%); Joplin, Missouri (1%); Hauppauge, New York (1%); Grantsburg, Wisconsin (1%); Exeter, New Hampshire (1%); Pomona, California (1%); Galena, Kansas (1%); and various other locations each with less than 1% (23%), and is expected to be completed by January 2029. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $66,109,126 (32%); fiscal 2025 other procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $63,000,000 (31%); fiscal 2024 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $29,752,620 (15%); fiscal 2025 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $16,844,270 (8%); fiscal 2025 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $14,500,000 (7%); fiscal 2025 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $14,000,000 (6%); and fiscal 2025 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $657,790 (1%), will be obligated at time of award, and funds in the amount of $66,109,126 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Space, Littleton, Colorado, is being awarded a $132,599,818 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification (P00103) under contract N00030-19-C-0025. This effort will support systems engineering and development and testing for Conventional Prompt Strike. Work will be performed in Denver, Colorado (44%); Courtland, Sunnyvale, California (16%); Alabama (12%); Pittsfield, Massachuestts (7%); Sunnyvale, California (5%); Cambridge, Massachusetts (5%); Huntsville, Alabama (3%); Magna, Utah (2%); Washington, D.C. (1%); Simsbury, Connecticut (1%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (1%); and various other locations (3%). Work under this contract is expected to be completed on Dec. 31, 2025. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test and Evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $25,000,000 will be obligated upon award. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was awarded as a sole source acquisition pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 3204(a)(1) and was previously synopsized on the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) online portal. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is being awarded a not-to-exceed $96,723,000 ceiling delivery order (N00383-25-F-YY2V) under a previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00383-22-G-YY01) for the repair of outer wing panels used on the F/A-18 E/F aircraft. The delivery order does not include an option provision. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida (90%); and St. Louis, Missouri (10%). Work will be completed by December 2030. Fiscal 2025 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $47,394,270 will be obligated at the time of award, and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One company was solicited for this sole-source requirement pursuant to the authority set forth in 10 U.S. Code 3204 (a)(1), with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity. Mission Systems Wimborne Limited, Wimborne, Dorset, United Kingdom, is being awarded a $14,261,389 firm-fixed-price, undefinitized contract action for the repair of 19 air refueling probes in support of V-22 aircraft. All work will be performed in Davenport, Iowa, and will be completed by November 2026. Fiscal 2025 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $6,988,081 will be obligated at the time of award and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Subsequent task orders will be funded with appropriate fiscal year working capital funds (Navy) at the time of their issuance. One company was solicited for this non-competitive requirement pursuant to the authority set forth in 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00383-25-C-B017). Metron Inc., Reston, Virginia, is being awarded a $9,281,811 cost-plus-fixed fee and cost only contract for the development of combat system signal processing, tracking algorithms, tools, and display technologies for undersea warfare systems including the undersea warfare decision support system and advanced processing and capability builds for surface ship and submarine systems. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $49,364,035. Work will be performed in Reston, Virginia (95%); and Portland, Oregon (5%), and is expected to be completed by September 2026. If all options are exercised, work will continue through September 2030. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test and engineering (Navy) funding in the amount of $960,000 (88%); and fiscal 2025 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $132,103 (12%); will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the SAM.gov website with 28 offers received. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-25-C-5243). AIR FORCE Illumination Works LLC, Beavercreek, Ohio, was awarded a ceiling of $97,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity for digital transformation for industrial modernization. This contract provides for a hybrid approach to integrative solutions for the Industrial Internet of Things Enterprise Platforms, Data Analytics as a Service, Solution Factory, and Positive Inventory Control Fusion. Work will be performed at Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex, Ogden Air Logistics Complex, Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, and associated geographical separated units, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2036. This contract is a sole source Small Business Innovation Research Phase III acquisition. No fiscal limitations working capital funds in the amount of $4,889,109 are being obligated at time of award under the initial task order (FA810025FB013). The Enterprise Contracting Section, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (FA810025DB005). U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND SSA Conventional Inc., Seattle, Washington (HTC71125DE119), has been awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a face value of $26,257,687. This contract provides Stevedoring and Related Terminal Services (S&RTS) in the Pacific Northwest. The locations of performance are ports in Portland, Oregon; and Tacoma, Everett, Olympia, and Grays Harbor, Washington. The base period of performance is from Oct. 1, 2025, through Sep. 30, 2030. Working capital funds (Transportation) will be obligated for fiscal 2025. The U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES Koniag IT Systems LLC, Anchorage, Alaska, has been awarded a firm-fixed-price contract (HQ0034-25-C-E074). The amount of this action is $13,895,193. operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $8,025,290 are being obligated at the time of the award. The cumulative total of the contract is $83,268,014. The purpose of this contract is to provide expertise, personnel, equipment, materials, and other items to support analytical activities, acquire tools, and pilot activities necessary to provide for meaningful business intelligence capabilities, and to integrate the analytical capability with an existing web-based SharePoint portal, and to document the requirements to establish a cost-efficient and sustainable analytics environment for the Department's business data. The work will be performed in on-site government facilities predominantly in the Pentagon, Mark Center, Crystal City, Rosslyn, and Ft. Belvoir. The estimated contract completion date is March 31, 2028. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting authority. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Collins Aerospace, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been awarded a maximum $15,845,775 firm-fixed-price, definitive contract for F-15E flat panel multipurpose displays. 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 three-year four-month contract with no option periods. The performance completion date is Jan. 31, 2029. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency, Aviation, Warner Robins, Georgia (SPRWA1-25-C-0004). (Awarded on August 28, 2025) RTX Corp., doing business as Pratt and Whitney, East Hartford, Connecticut, has been awarded a maximum $11,065,040 firm-fixed-price delivery order (SPE4A6-25-F-371Y) against a five-year basic ordering agreement (SPE4A1-21-G-0001) for blade compressor rotors. This was a sole-source acquisition in using justification 10 U.S. Code 3204 (a)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 (a)(2). The delivery order completion date is July 22, 2026. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Richmond, Virginia. CORRECTION: Carter Enterprises LLC,** Brooklyn, New York, (SPE1C1-25-D-0053) for $11,254,960 was announced with an incorrect award date. The correct award date is Sept. 3, 2025. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. *Small business **Small business in historically underutilized business zones https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4295801/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Araghchi: 'Iran will continue to support Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation' Iran Press TV Thursday, 04 September 2025 10:22 PM Iran's foreign minister has reaffirmed the country's commitment to supporting the Palestinian people's legitimate resistance against Israeli occupation until their rights are fully restored. Abbas Araghchi made these comments on Thursday during a meeting with Hamas's political bureau members in Doha, Qatar. He also met with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, where discussions focused on strengthening Iran-Qatar bilateral relations and addressing regional and international developments, particularly the ongoing genocide committed by the Israeli regime in occupied Palestine. Araghchi highlighted the urgent need for regional countries and the international community to take concerted action to halt the genocide, prosecute those responsible, and confront the warmongering and hegemony of the Israeli regime. He pointed to the escalation of violence in Gaza and the West Bank, including the imposition of hunger on the innocent people of Gaza and the killing of women and children at food distribution lines. He noted that mass protests around the world against these atrocities demonstrate a growing global awareness of the crisis in occupied Palestine. Araghchi called for a coordinated effort among Islamic nations to end the genocide in Gaza, deliver humanitarian aid to those affected, and hold Israeli leaders accountable for their actions. In response, Khalil al-Hayya, a Hamas leader in Gaza, praised Iran's support for the Palestinian cause, asserting that Israel's crimes will not diminish the Palestinians' resolve to resist and defend their rights. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel starts building mock Lebanese village to train forces against Hezbollah Iran Press TV Thursday, 04 September 2025 7:37 PM The Israeli army has begun constructing a facility in the occupied Golan that resembles a Lebanese village, where Israeli soldiers would get training for a possible future war with Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement. Media outlets quoting military sources reported Thursday that Israel inaugurated a new training base dubbed "Little Lebanon" on the ruins of the abandoned Syrian village of Zaoura in the occupied northwestern Golan Heights. The facility, which is modeled after a Shia village in south Lebanon, has a mock Hezbollah command and features high-rises, fortified buildings, tunnels, and surveillance cameras. It will be large enough to accommodate tanks and allow soldiers to conduct live-fire exercises in simulated urban warfare. It allows soldiers and tanks to conduct live-fire exercises in simulated urban warfare. The training ground even replicates terrain details like bushes, boulders, and elevated structures that dominate rugged landscapes in south Lebanon, the reports said Lt. Col. Zohar, a senior Israeli army official, openly admitted that the base was designed using lessons from battles against the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement. "We learned from the fighters we maneuvered against to better prepare for the next campaign." Israel has previously built a similar facility called "Mali" at an army base in Tze'elim to simulate urban combat against the Gaza-based Hamas resistance movement. Unlike the army's "Little Gaza" in Tse'elim, which bans live ammunition, "Little Lebanon" allows full-scale fire, bulldozers, and explosives. The report comes as the Israeli regime has intensified its aerial assaults on southern Lebanon in recent weeks despite an existing ceasefire. The attacks come amid ongoing violations across various parts of Lebanon, despite the ceasefire announced on November 27, 2024. Hezbollah, itself, has, meanwhile, vowed not to lay down its arms, cautioning that the Israeli regime's managing to implement the disarmament scheme via the US would be followed by Tel Aviv's seeking to further expand its occupation. The secretary-general of the Hezbollah resistance movement, in a recent speech, called upon the Lebanese government to restore the Arab nation's sovereignty, emphasizing that his group will not lay down its arms and won't allow the Israeli enemy to freely attack and occupy Lebanon. He pointed to Washington's excessive interference in Lebanon's domestic affairs, arguing it is the party chiefly pushing for the disarmament of Hezbollah, irrespective of the fact that the resistance movement is protecting Lebanon's soil, security, and sovereignty with its arms. The Hezbollah chief then invited Lebanese officials to stop making mistakes, reminding them that the role of his resistance group is now more significant than ever. He stated that Hezbollah played a prominent role in the liberation of eastern Lebanon territories from the clutches of Daesh and other Takfiri terrorist groups. Since its inception in 1982, the movement has fended off countless incursions into the country by the Israeli regime, which has been occupying Shebaa Farms, a strip of land along Lebanon's border with the occupied Palestinian territories, since 1967. The defensive push has included the group's forcing the Israeli military to retreat during two full-scale wars against the nation in 2000 and 2006. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Gaza City occupation will not force Hamas into submission: Israeli army Iran Press TV Thursday, 04 September 2025 5:15 PM The Israeli army has expressed doubt over how effective the planned assault to occupy Gaza City will be in terms of forcing Hamas resistance into submission across the besieged Palestinian territory. Israel's broadcaster KAN on Thursday reported that an army representative addressed a closed-door panel of the Knesset's (parliament) war committee a day earlier. "Why would the occupation of Gaza City cause Hamas to budge at all? I did not say it would move Hamas; it is not certain at all. The city has symbolic significance," he told the committee. The army representative also informed the panel that around 800,000 Palestinians reside in Gaza City. The Israeli reports have also revealed heavy tensions between the Israeli regime and army chief Eyal Zamir, who went to great lengths pressing Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the danger the occupation plan poses to the captives held by resistance groups in the blockaded Palestinian territory. Zamir also told Netanyahu that the onslaught will put further unnecessary strain on Israeli troops. A recent Israeli military investigation has found a rise in suicides among its soldiers, with the majority of the cases being directly linked to the profound psychological trauma and exposure to extreme conditions experienced during the war in Gaza. The findings indicated that most suicides stemmed from prolonged exposure to combat, traumatic battlefield experiences, and the psychological toll of losing comrades. Despite attempts by the Israeli army to censor reports of suicides and the surrounding circumstances, evidence continues to emerge of a sharp increase in such cases. Media outlets have suggested that the actual number of suicides may be even higher than reported. The Israeli military is poised to advance on Gaza City, the largest urban center in the area, despite global appeals urging Israel to reassess this action due to concerns that it may result in substantial casualties and displace approximately one million Palestinians currently seeking refuge there. Zamir previously called on the regime to accept an exchange and ceasefire deal. Israel has rejected a new proposal to end its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip under a ceasefire deal with the Hamas resistance group, threatening to flatten Gaza City like other areas in the besieged Palestinian territory. On Wednesday, Hamas said it was willing "to enter into a comprehensive deal in which all enemy captives held by the resistance will be freed in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners held by the occupation." The resistance group also called for an agreement that stops the Israeli aggression in Gaza, ensures the withdrawal of all occupation forces from the territory, and reopens its crossings. The Tel Aviv regime dismissed the proposal on Wednesday, hours after Hamas stressed its readiness to enter a comprehensive deal. The Israeli regime's so-called "security cabinet" voted on August 8 for an illegal plan to occupy Gaza City and launch a ground assault there. Since then, about 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza City alone. Since Thursday morning, more than 60 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across the besieged territory, including 31 in Gaza City. According to the Palestinian health ministry, several people have lost their lives due to malnutrition in the past day. That brings the total number of starvation deaths to 370. Overall, the death toll from the genocide since October 2023 has topped 64,200. Around 161,600 people have been injured. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Netanyahu prevents French president from visiting Tel Aviv over Palestinian state recognition dispute Iran Press TV Thursday, 04 September 2025 2:43 PM Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a request from French President Emmanuel Macron to visit the occupied Palestinian territories, insisting that Paris must first drop its planned recognition of a Palestinian state later this month at the United Nations General Assembly. According to the Israeli public broadcaster KAN, Netanyahu conveyed a clear message to Macron: "Withdraw your decision to recognize a Palestinian state - then you can come." An Israeli official was quoted as saying, "We will not allow him to play both sides." Former French member of Parliament Meyer Habib told Israeli television that Macron had sent Netanyahu a message expressing his wish to visit, but Netanyahu conveyed that the French leader would only be welcome if he retracted his plan to recognize Palestine. Macron, however, stood firm, refused to step back and rejected the Tel Aviv regime's demand. At the end of July, Macron announced that France would recognize Palestinian statehood when world leaders meet for the UN General Assembly. France and Saudi Arabia will co-host the meeting on Palestinian recognition during the UNGA on September 22. Australia, Canada, France, and Britain have announced plans to recognize Palestine later this month, joining nearly 150 countries that already have. Israel and the United States have expressed strong disapproval of nations that are opting to recognize Palestine, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio labeling France's declaration as a "reckless decision" that "merely aids Hamas propaganda". Rubio has subsequently declared that the administration of US President Donald Trump will refuse and rescind visas for Palestinian officials prior to the UN General Assembly in New York. Far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich warned last year that a new illegal settlement would be constructed in the occupied West Bank for each nation that recognizes Palestine. Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, has urged nations to take action to halt Israel's genocidal war in Gaza, including by implementing sanctions and an arms embargo against the usurping Tel Aviv regime. At least 64,231 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and another 161,583 individuals have been injured in the brutal Israeli onslaught on Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the health ministry of Gaza. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant, citing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its war on the besieged coastal territory. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemeni forces target Israel's Ben Gurion airport with ballistic missile Iran Press TV Thursday, 04 September 2025 8:47 AM The Yemeni Armed Forces have carried out a new operation targeting Israel's Ben Gurion airport with a ballistic missile, the third operation against the regime within the past 24 hours in support of Palestine and in retaliation for the ongoing genocide and starvation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. In a statement on Thursday, the Yemeni forces said they used a "Zulfiqar" ballistic missile in the military operation targeting the airport in the occupied city of Yaffa, near Tel Aviv. The missile reached its target, and all Israeli and American interception systems failed to intercept it, they added. According to the statement, the operation sent millions of settlers to shelters and caused the suspension of the airport operations. The Yemeni forces also criticized the stance of some cowardly Arab and Muslim countries, along with the complicity and participation of others, which they said have encouraged the Israeli enemy to proceed with its brutal criminal plan of tightening the siege and expanding the aggression. This will only exacerbate the famine and increase the number of victims, they warned. The forces emphasized that all nations must take action and break all restrictions in fulfillment of their religious, moral, and humanitarian duties to end the Israeli regime's unprecedented crimes. "Everyone bears responsibility, and their duty will not be done until it is fulfilled," the statement pointed out. The Yemeni forces vowed to continue to support Gaza until the end of the aggression and siege against the Strip. The Yemeni Armed Forces on Wednesday conducted missile strikes on Tel Aviv, shutting down Ben Gurion Airport and sending settlers running to shelters. In a statement, the Yemeni military said it had carried out a qualitative, dual military operation using two ballistic missiles, one of which was a "Palestine-2" missile and the other was a "Zulfiqar" type. Yemeni Armed Forces began their campaign against Israel, attacking Israeli-linked ships as well as striking targets in the occupied territories in November 2023, a month after the usurping regime unleashed its genocide in Gaza. Yemen halted its attacks in January, when Israel accepted a Gaza ceasefire. Two months later, however, Israel unilaterally broke the Gaza truce and resumed its aggression, prompting the Yemeni forces to resume their operations in support of Palestinians. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel rejects truce deal, threatens to level Gaza City Iran Press TV Thursday, 04 September 2025 7:04 AM Israel has rejected a new proposal to end its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip under a ceasefire deal with the Hamas resistance group, threatening to flatten Gaza City like other areas in the besieged Palestinian territory. The Tel Aviv regime dismissed the proposal on Wednesday, hours after Hamas stressed its readiness to enter into a comprehensive deal, under which all Israeli captives would be freed, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian abductees. The resistance group also called for an agreement that stops the Israeli genocide in Gaza, ensures the withdrawal of all occupation forces from the territory, and reopens its crossings. The Israeli prime minister's office rejected the Hamas statement, saying, "This is more spin by Hamas that has nothing new." It further said that the Gaza offensive can end immediately "on the conditions set by the [Israeli] cabinet," which include the release of all captives, the disarmament of Hamas, and Tel Aviv's security control over Gaza. Similarly, Israeli minister of military affairs Israel Katz warned Hamas to either accept Israel's conditions or see Gaza City "become like Rafah and Beit Hanoun," which have been reduced to rubble. Meanwhile, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is again choosing to forsake the lives" of Israeli captives and soldiers "for his own sake" rather than seeking a deal to free those still being held in the Gaza Strip. The latest Gaza ceasefire proposal was presented by mediators and accepted by Hamas last month. It would have seen the release of 10 living and 18 dead captives, in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and some 1,000 abducted from Gaza, in addition to a 60-day truce, during which negotiations would be held for the release of the remaining 20 captives and a permanent end to the genocidal war. Israel unleashed its brutal Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023, after Hamas carried out its historic operation against the occupying entity in retaliation for the regime's intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people. The Israeli regime's "security cabinet" voted on August 8 for an illegal plan to occupy Gaza City and launch a ground assault there. Since then, about 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza City alone. Over the past nearly two years, Israel has killed at least 63,746 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 161,245 others across Gaza. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address OPERATION Valhalla Strike sharpens 891st MSFS defenders' readiness News | Sept. 4, 2025 By Senior Airman Kendra A. Ransum 891st Missile Security Forces Squadron MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- "Eight! Nine! One!" shouts Chief Master Sgt. Christopher Klein, 891st Missile Security Forces Squadron's (891MSFS) senior enlisted leader. "HELL YEAH!" shouted back over 200 voices, defenders' gear at the Airmen's feet, ready to tackle the day. That rallying cry set the tone for OPERATION Valhalla Strike, a weeklong training where the 891MSFS from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, traveled to Camp Ripley Training Center, Minnesota, Aug. 24-29, 2025. The advanced training focused on air base ground defense and nuclear security tactics the bread and butter of the squadron's mission. The training, called OPERATION Valhalla Strike, allowed the unit to complete requirements not possible at Minot AFB, including full-distance live-fire exercises. "Our mission is to provide armed security to the missile field, as well as provide armed responses to all of the launch facilities that are in the Minot area of responsibility and inside the missile field," said U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Maiszon Balboa, 891MSFS's Alpha Flight commander. "What we're doing here is a simulated, squad-level deployment where we come out, we do drills, training, everything that would prepare us for a base ground defense mission in a deployed environment." The crack of gunfire echoed across the woodland-covered ranges of central Minnesota as the defenders conducted intensive training at Camp Ripley to enhance their ground combat skills. Camp Ripley provided full-distance firing ranges which allowed defenders to hone their rifle marksmanship and machine gun proficiency, exceeding the capabilities of standard Air Force 25-meter training ranges. The 891MSFS is a squadron of more than 250 dedicated Airmen and civilians supporting the 91st Missile Wing's global deterrence mission by defending the United States with the world's premier combat-ready intercontinental ballistic missile force. They are responsible for providing protection of Minuteman III ICBMs and Minot AFB's missile alert facilities, covering an 8,500 square-mile area in central North Dakota. During OPERATION Valhalla Strike, defenders rotated through training blocks designed to sharpen every aspect of their skillset. On the ranges, the crack and thud of rounds came from M240 and M249 machine guns, the steady pop of the M4 carbine and the deep percussion of grenadiers training with 40mm systems. Partnership was also a theme. The 891MSFS trained alongside the 54th Helicopter Squadron, integrating air support with ground maneuvers. Rotor blades overhead and defenders advancing on the ground offered a vivid picture of how air and land forces can converge in combat to overwhelm an adversary. "Our goal is for each defender to leave Camp Ripley as a warrior that can shoot, move and communicate better than any adversary we may face in our area of responsibility," said U.S. Air Force Maj. G. Chase Abrams, 891MSFS commander. The squadron also practiced squad movement, close-quarters battle (CQB) and casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) procedures, integrating skills in realistic field scenarios. CQB and CASEVAC reinforced the 891MSFS' mission to defend the 91st Missile Wing's missile complex and respond to threats against nuclear security. The first three days built toward a full-day field training exercise on Aug. 28, which tested the unit across all mission sets. Security Forces Airmen conducted defensive operations, casualty care and coordinated maneuvers under simulated combat conditions. As buses pulled away from the Minnesota training grounds at week's end, the echoes of gunfire faded into the pines. What remained was something quieter but enduring: a squadron sharper, stronger and more unified, returning home ready to defend one of the most critical missions in the nation. "The skills we developed at Camp Ripley reinforce our ability to defeat potential adversaries at Minot," said Abrams. "Our proficiency makes our adversaries decide each morning when they wake up that today is not the day to test the United States of America." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Malaysia has urged the video-sharing platform TikTok to implement age verification for users after summoning the company's top management to demand faster action to curb harmful content. Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said he was "very dissatisfied" with TikTok's efforts to curb harmful content on its platform, but that it would be allowed to work with authorities to resolve the issue. TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Fahmi said authorities will also summon representatives of X and Meta platforms, the parent company of social media and messaging platforms Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, for similar discussions. Recently, Malaysia has stepped up scrutiny of social media companies after finding a sharp rise in harmful online content. In January, Malaysia adopted a new law that requires platforms and messaging services with more than 8 million users in Malaysia to obtain a license. Fahmi said authorities will not hesitate to penalize companies if necessary. Malaysia's definition of harmful content includes online gambling, scams, child pornography and grooming, cyberbullying and content related to race, religion and royalty. Massachusetts Guard Soldiers Return From NATO Support Mission in Poland By Senior Airman Julia Ahaesy, Massachusetts National Guard September 5, 2025 ZAGAN, Poland -- Soldiers of the Massachusetts Army National Guard's 1060th Transportation Company have returned from a deployment to Poland, where they played a critical role in supporting U.S. military logistics and NATO operations. Their efforts supported Operation European Assure, Deter and Reinforce, or EADR, a U.S. Army Europe and Africa, or USAREUR-AF, initiative aimed at strengthening NATO's eastern flank and deterring potential threats across the region. Operating from a forward operating site, the 1060th Transportation Company provided logistical support, with movements ranging from single-day deliveries to weeklong hauls across narrow routes and complex terrain. Capt. Jeffrey McNair, company commander and forward operating site commander during the mission, coordinated closely with other U.S. units and the Polish armed forces. Transitioning to a new battalion structure overseas presented challenges, but the team quickly adapted. "Everyone has been executing their duties with outstanding performance," McNair said. "Without my team's relentless effort, we would not achieve our mission success. From operations to maintenance to the truck platoons, every unit operates with precision and commitment, demonstrating exceptional proficiency in their roles." The unit includes mostly 88M motor transport operators, supported by 91B wheeled vehicle mechanics, 42A human resources specialists, 92A supply clerks, 74D chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear, or CBRN, specialists, and other logistics support personnel. While in Europe, the 1060th Transportation Company supported the Dynamic Employment of Forces to Europe for NATO Deterrence and Enhanced Readiness, or DEFENDER 25, exercise. The unit worked alongside the Polish Armed Forces, helping build mutual trust and improve coordination. The large-scale NATO exercise was designed to demonstrate readiness, strengthen deterrence and enhance interoperability among allied forces. The company played a key role in transporting essential supplies throughout the region. The mission highlights the National Guard's ability to integrate with international partners and contribute to collective defense, reinforcing NATO's posture on its eastern flank. "The Polish Armed Forces have been extremely helpful and easy to work with," McNair said. "They were quick to offer support with barriers, vehicle inspection mirrors and anything we needed for the exercise." Beyond daily logistics operations, the unit remained focused on safety and readiness through consistent driver and unit defense training. "The work we're doing here is extremely important," McNair said. "Being here keeps us in a proactive stance. We know the routes, we know the terrain and we're ready to respond. We're not scrambling if something happens. We're already here, already trained, already moving. Their job is critical. They're keeping the mission moving, and I couldn't ask for a better team." The mission also highlighted the National Guard's ability to blend military and civilian skills, adding depth to international partnerships and contributing to regional security. "Our team's efforts reflect the Nation's First unique strength in blending military expertise with civilian skills, fostering not just operational success but also meaningful partnerships," said 1060th Transportation Company First Sergeant Hector Vazquez. "Additionally, the dedication of my Soldiers - balancing civilian careers, families and deployment - underscores the Guard's vital role in global stability." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Parliamentary Assembly pre-election delegation urges inclusive and fair elections in the Republic of Moldova Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Strasbourg 5 September 2025 "The upcoming parliamentary elections will be decisive for Moldova's future and for Europe as a whole. In a polarised society and a tense geopolitical climate, the process must remain inclusive and fair for all citizens, at home and abroad," said Chris Said (Malta, EPP/CD), head of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe pre-election delegation, concluding a two-day visit to Chisinau on 3-4 September 2025. The four-member cross-party delegation met with the President of Moldova, the Speaker of Parliament, election candidates, members of the Central Election Commission (CEC), and heads of key institutions including the State Integrity Agency and the Audio-visual Council. They also held discussions with journalists, civil society organisations, international partners, and members of the Moldovan delegation to the Assembly. The delegation recognised the determination of the Moldovan authorities to organise credible elections despite immense pressures and threats of foreign interference, both analogue and digital, flagged to the delegation. It welcomed the existence of a competitive political landscape, legislative steps against electoral corruption, stronger regulation of party financing, the preparatory work of the CEC, and the active role of civil society in promoting transparency and accountability. At the same time, the delegation noted concerns that could undermine public confidence if left unaddressed. These include the misuse of administrative resources, the lack of a level playing field for all candidates, shortcomings in campaign finance transparency, and the sharp reduction in polling stations for voters residing on the left bank of the River Nistru, which risks disenfranchising many citizens. The delegation stressed that, in the face of a divided society and amid intense Russian attempts to influence the electoral process, the authorities have a special responsibility to guarantee pluralism, security and equal democratic space for all citizens. Ensuring an open and impartial environment for domestic and international observers will also be essential. It further underlined the importance of making out-of-country voting genuinely accessible. While the number of polling stations abroad has significantly increased, serious limitations remain in some countries due to security or other restrictions. The delegation noted that out-of-country voting is a sensitive issue, so it encouraged the authorities to explore practical solutions such as opening polling stations over two days and, for future elections, extending postal voting to all countries where significant communities of Moldovans reside. There is still time before election day to build confidence: ensuring the neutral behaviour of state institutions, strengthening campaign finance transparency, including online, providing clear and sufficient information to voters abroad, guaranteeing fair media coverage while sanctioning hate speech, and protecting journalists against attacks. The Assembly will return with a larger delegation to observe the elections in close co-operation with its international partners. The delegation calls on all political actors to conduct their campaigns responsibly and inclusively so that these elections reinforce Moldova's European path and meet the highest democratic standards. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address September 5, 2025 By Dale Greer, 123rd Airlift Wing Kentucky Air Guard Special Tactics Airmen Test Maritime Skill in Caribbean A squadron of special tactics airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard completed a grueling five-day exercise, Aug. 30, testing their ability to perform a broad spectrum of operations in a maritime environment while responding to an enemy threat. The airmen, including combat controllers, pararescuemen and special reconnaissance troops, operated from the island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, to conduct land, sea and air missions with fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft as part of Exercise Emerald Warrior 25.2, according to the special tactics officer who served as lead planner. "Our airmen exercised their unique skill sets to parachute into contested territory, establish airfield operations, control aircraft, respond to search and rescue scenarios, manage notional medical evacuations and conduct reconnaissance and targeting operations on a very tight timeline," the officer said. St. Croix and its neighboring islands provided an ideal training environment, he added. "Operations in the Caribbean simulate many of the geographical features our forces may encounter when deployed around the globe," he said. "Having to overcome the kinds of challenges presented here will make us a more lethal and effective force the next time we conduct littoral operations anywhere in the world." The St. Croix event was just one piece of Emerald Warrior, a large-scale special operations exercise staged in multiple locations by Air Force Special Operations Command to train special operations components, sister services, interagency and partner forces. The exercise simulates missions for a theater campaign to support combatant commanders operating in a volatile environment against strategic competitors. A key focus was an agile combat employment exercise, meant to advance the ability to project air power in complex, unfamiliar or contested environments while working from distributed locations with limited support, the officer said. The exercise, staged and executed by forces from the Louisville, Kentucky-based 123rd Airlift Wing, kicked off Aug. 26 when six special tactics airmen parachuted into the Caribbean Sea with an inflatable boat, 3 miles off the shore of St. Croix, from a Kentucky Air Guard C-130J Super Hercules. Eleven more combat controllers and pararescuemen then jumped directly into Henry E. Rohlsen Airport from the same aircraft, with both forces combining to take control of the airfield. Within minutes, the airmen had cleared the runways, established perimeter security and implemented air traffic control, allowing the C-130 to land and offload crucial assets. In another mission, spanning two days, a group of airmen traveled 75 nautical miles by boat to conduct reconnaissance and targeting operations on a nearby island held by simulated enemy forces. Two other scenarios tested the squadron's ability to conduct search and rescue operations and provide medical care in challenging environments. In the first event, six pararescuemen and combat controllers were tasked with finding survivors floating in life rafts on the open ocean after their plane crashed at sea. Over the course of a 32-hour scenario, the airmen located the victims while flying over the crash site in a C-130J, parachuted into the ocean with two inflatable boats, provided on-scene medical care and controlled medical evacuations via helicopter hoist operations. "This was a particularly demanding scenario designed to test both the rescue capabilities and the survival skills of our airmen on the open ocean," the planner said. Other training included exfil and infil operations on land and sea from UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, provided by the Mississippi Army National Guard's 185th Aviation Brigade, as well as a mass casualty exercise involving civilians wounded by an industrial accident. In that event, airmen were required to triage patients, provide battlefield medical care and control their evacuation via Black Hawk helicopters from the Virgin Islands Air National Guard Station. Such complex operations required coordination with numerous entities, the planner said, including the U.S. Coast Guard; the U.S. Virgin Islands Governor's Office, Police Department and Air National Guard; officials at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport; local marinas and dozens of area businesses. The exercise also relied on essential capabilities provided by the squadron's combat mission support team, including radio technicians, diving gear specialists, parachute riggers, vehicle maintenance troops and administrative specialists. "An exercise of this scope, which has been in the planning stage for over a year, would not have been successful without the combined efforts of everyone involved, from our combat support troops to the governor's office to local citizens who were so supportive of our efforts to ensure our nation's security." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address September 5, 2025 By Walter Ham, 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives Command Premier Army CBRNE Command Supports Ulchi Freedom Shield in South Korea The U.S. military's premier joint task force-capable chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosives formation participated in exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield 25 in South Korea, Aug. 18-28. Soldiers and Army civilians assigned to the 20th CBRNE Command's early entry command post exercised with 8th Army and Combined Forces Command units on the Korean Peninsula and employed capabilities from their home station located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. "It is always an honor to train together with our South Korean partners," said Army Brig. Gen. W Bochat, commanding general of the 20th CBRNE Command. "For more than seven decades, American soldiers have proudly defended liberty with our South Korean allies on freedom's frontier. This exercise is another chance to make one of the world's strongest alliances even stronger." Ulchi Freedom Shield 25 is a defense-oriented exercise, featuring live-fire, constructive and field training exercises that engage allied forces and governmental agencies. The training is focused on conducting all-domain operations. The annual exercise enhances the combined, joint, all-domain and interagency operating environment and the South Korea-U.S. alliance's response capabilities. Soldiers and Army civilians assigned to the 20th CBRNE Command deploy from 19 bases in 16 states to confront and defeat the world's most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and multinational operations. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground in northeast Maryland's science, technology and security corridor, the 20th CBRNE Command is home to the majority of the active-duty Army's CBRN specialists and explosive ordnance disposal technicians, as well as the 1st Global Field Medical Laboratory, CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity, weapons of mass destruction coordination teams and nuclear disablement teams. Members routinely deploy to South Korea for exercises, and the command also deploys a chemical company to support rotational forces during deployments to the Korean Peninsula. The Fort Hood, Texas-based 181st Chemical Company is serving in South Korea on a rotational deployment in support of the 23rd CBRN Battalion, 210th Fires Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division and 8th Army. During their second deployment to South Korea in three years, the 181st Chemical Company is serving near the Korean Demilitarized Zone, the world's most heavily guarded border. The 181st Chemical Company is part of the 2nd CBRN Battalion, 48th Chemical Brigade and 20th CBRNE Command. Army hazardous response companies conduct CBRN reconnaissance, surveillance and decontamination operations in support of conventional and special operations forces around the world and provide support to civil authorities across the nation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Two Minnesota Men Arrested for Funding and Directing Kidnappings, Bombings, and Killings Overseas Friday, September 5, 2025 For Immediate Release Office of Public Affairs A federal grand jury in Minnesota has returned an eight-count indictment charging naturalized U.S. citizens Benedict Nwana Kuah, 51, and Pascal Kikishy Wongbi, 52, with organizing, financing, and directing kidnappings, bombings, and killings in their native country, the Republic of Cameroon. Kuah and Wongbi were arrested this morning in the District of Minnesota and made their initial appearances this afternoon. Kuah and Wongbi are being held pending detention hearings scheduled for Sept 10 and 11, respectively. According to the indictment, the defendants held leadership roles in the self-styled Ambazonia Defense Forces (ADF), a separatist militia seeking to create an independent country in Cameroon. Together, they allegedly used their positions to raise money and finance the purchase of weapons, and directed their co-conspirators in Cameroon to kidnap, bomb, and kill civilians, government officials, and members of the security forces in order to intimidate the civilian population and coerce the Cameroonian Government into recognizing their legitimacy. "The defendants are charged with using the United States as a base of operations to finance and direct kidnappings, bombings, and killings in Cameroon," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "Their alleged conduct caused death, terror, and suffering among innocent civilians. The Criminal Division is committed to holding accountable those who seek refuge in the United States while spreading violence abroad." "Minnesota is not a launchpad for overseas violence," said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson for the District of Minnesota. "Operating from the comfort of their living rooms in Minnesota, these defendants caused violence and suffering half a world away. They ordered kidnappings, bombings, and murders. Their crimes are an affront to both American law and basic human decency. Cameroon is a safer place because of this prosecution." "The defendants were allegedly involved in planning, financing and directing violent attacks that harmed numerous civilians and government officials in the Republic of Cameroon, with targets including a market, an annual footrace, and a Youth Day celebration," said Assistant Director Donald Holstead of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division. "Although these violent acts occurred outside of U.S. borders, these charges should underscore that criminal actors cannot hide in the United States. The FBI does not condone violence and will work with our partners to ensure those who engage in, or direct criminal acts are held accountable for their actions." According to the indictment, beginning in 2017, the defendants sent thousands of dollars to co-conspirators in Cameroon for weapons and explosives and directed attacks that left civilians dead, injured, or taken hostage. In 2022, the fighters kidnapped a government official and broadcast propaganda videos about the abduction. In 2023, Kuah helped plan an improvised explosive device attack targeting a regional governor and later financed a bombing at the Mount Cameroon Race for Hope that injured 19 people. That same year, a commander appointed by Kuah murdered two unarmed civilians in a market square, while Wongbi appeared in a propaganda video threatening others with the same fate. In 2024, Kuah allegedly approved the funding and operational plan for a bombing at a Youth Day celebration that killed a 15-year-old girl and injured dozens of other children. The indictment further alleges that Kuah and Wongbi raised money online to support their operations, including campaigns branded as "The Takeover Fund" and "Operation 200AKs," which solicited donations for AK-47 rifles and explosives. Kuah appeared in multiple videos urging supporters to fund the purchase of weapons and ammunition for the fighters. The defendants are charged with conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim, and injure persons abroad, conspiracy to provide material support or resources, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. Kuah is also charged with three counts of providing material support or resources, conspiracy to commit hostage taking and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction outside the United States. If convicted, the defendants face a statutory maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The FBI's Minneapolis Field Office is investigating the case, with assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations. Trial Attorney Brian Morgan of the Justice Department's Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Roso for the District of Minnesota are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Trial Attorneys Michael Dittoe and Matthew Hracho of the Justice Department's National Security Division, HRSP Historian/Analyst Dr. Christopher Hayden, and the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Components: Criminal Division Criminal - Human Rights and Special Prosecution Section Criminal - Office of International Affairs Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) USAO - Minnesota Press Release Number: 25-915 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Finland to join New York declaration on peaceful settlement of question of Palestine and implementation of two-state solution Finnish Government Ministry for Foreign Affairs Publication date 5.9.2025 Type:Press release On 5 September, Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen decided, following discussions within Finland's state leadership, that Finland will join the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State solution, prepared under the leadership of France and Saudi Arabia. The declaration brings together broad international support to end the war in Gaza, release all hostages and strengthen the security of both Israelis and Palestinians. It outlines a step-by-step process leading to a permanent end to hostilities and to the achievement of a two-state solution in accordance with the UN resolutions. The declaration also calls on both the Israelis and Palestinians to resume direct negotiations. The declaration and the decision to join it are in line with the Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's Government and the Government Report on Finnish Foreign and Security Policy. According to the declaration, governance, law enforcement and security across all Palestinian territory must lie solely with the Palestinian Authority. Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons. The deployment of a temporary international stabilisation mission, to be mandated by the UN, would support transfer of internal security responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, monitor the ceasefire and provide security guarantees for Israel and Palestine. The document also calls for the Palestinian Authority to continue its reforms and hold elections, for measures combating radicalisation and hate speech, and for Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza, as part of the agreed arrangements. France and Saudi Arabia hosted a conference at the UN on 28-30 July to advance a two-state solution in the conflict between Israel and Palestine. At the end of the conference, France and Saudi Arabia invited UN Member States to join the declaration. The deadline for making the announcement to join is 5 September 2025. The declaration is available in full on the website of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France.Linkki toiselle sivustolle NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Finland's satellite procurement proceeds Finnish Ministry of Defence 05.09.2025 13:30 Finland's Minister of Defence Antti Hakkanen has authorised the Finnish Defence Forces to place an order for a satellite remote sensing system with the Finnish company Iceye Oy. The procurement is based on a letter of intent signed between the Ministry of Defence and Iceye Oy in June. It comprises satellites and related technical arrangements and equipment that enable the Finnish Defence Forces to develop its independent surveillance capability in space. By collaborating with a Finnish company, the Defence Forces can deploy the capability swiftly and develop it further later on. "This authorisation will set in motion the building of an independent space surveillance capability for Finland's defence. It is a historic first step for the development of our defence capability, and it also has wider importance for industry and technology," said Minister Hakkanen. Iceye satellites can collect images and monitor any location on earth in all weather and lighting conditions. The data generated by the satellites can also be used by other authorities. The overall value of the procurement without value added tax is about EUR 158 million. The procurement includes options that enable the Finnish Defence Forces to extend the satellites' lifecycle and to expand the system. The employment effect of the contract in Finland will be about 36 person-years. Inquiries: Antti Korpi, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Defence, tel. +358 295 140 252, and Ville Tuokko, Chief of Public Affairs, Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command, tel. +358 299 800 (switchboard). NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry Spokesperson's Remarks on Anutin Charnvirakul Being Elected as Thai Prime Minister Global Times By Ministry of Foreign Affairs Published: Sep 05, 2025 06:14 PM Q: On September 5, Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai party, was elected as Thailand's 32nd prime minister. What is China's comment on his election and what does China expect to achieve in its relations with Thailand? A: China congratulates Anutin Charnvirakul on being elected as Thai prime minister. China and Thailand are close friends and neighbors. The two countries like one family are as close as ever. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. China stands ready to work with Thailand to carry forward the traditional friendship, strengthen strategic communication, deepen practical cooperation, achieve greater progress in the building of the China-Thailand community with a shared future, and contribute to peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Northern Command Wraps Up Arctic Edge 2025 U.S. Northern Command Press Release | Sept. 5, 2025 U.S. Northern Command Public Affairs PETERSON SFB, Colo. -- U.S. Northern Command successfully concluded Arctic Edge 2025, a joint and combined multi-domain Field Training Exercise (FTX) conducted across Alaska from Aug. 1-31, 2025. The exercise demonstrated readiness, enhanced interoperability, and advanced capabilities in the Arctic region. AE25 included participation from USNORTHCOM forces, from Air Forces Northern, Army North, Naval Forces Northern, Marine Forces Northern, Special Operations Forces North, and Alaska Command. AE25 also included participation from allied nations including the UK and Denmark, and interagency partners such as the Alaska National Guard, FBI, U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA, Alaska State and local law enforcement, and Alaska Native communities. Key events during AE25 showcased the complexity and innovation required for Arctic operations. A joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal team conducted mine clearance operations at Port Mackenzie and Cook Inlet, overcoming extreme tidal changes, high currents, and limited visibility to capture critical observations for future EOD operations in the Alaska Theater of Operations. The team also recovered, transferred, and exploited a simulated foreign unmanned underwater vehicle. A joint U.S. Marine Corps/USCG team executed a simulated raid to seize Port Mackenzie, reestablishing force flow through the port, while the Army's 3rd Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) opened the unimproved port, conducting transit operations using austere facilities. Additional highlights included HIMARS Rapid Insertion (HIRAIN) missions, live-fire exercises, integrated air and missile defense engagements, and maritime security operations in the Bering Sea. These events provided invaluable training opportunities and strengthened USNORTHCOM's Arctic readiness. USNORTHCOM also conducted cross-combatant command coordination and shared a common operational picture with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, as Artic Edge ran concurrently with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command's Northern Edge 2025. Arctic Edge 2025 demonstrated the ability of engaged forces to assure, deter, and defend North America in an increasingly complex Arctic security environment. Lessons learned will inform future operations and strengthen Arctic readiness. -30- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Gaza: UN experts urge General Assembly to respond to famine and genocide Press releases Multiple Mechanisms 05 September 2025 GENEVA -- UN experts* today issued an urgent appeal for an emergency meeting of the UN General Assembly, warning that the international community must act immediately before the 17 September-deadline for demanding an end to Israel's occupation of Palestine, as genocide and a man-made famine unfold in Gaza. "Silence and inaction are not an option in the face of mass atrocities," the experts said. "Israel must immediately end its obstruction of safe, effective and dignified humanitarian assistance. But lifting these restrictions alone will not be enough to save Gaza's devastated population. What is urgently required is an end to Israel's siege and the declaration of an immediate ceasefire," the experts said. "At this critical moment, the world needs the General Assembly the highest body of the United Nations to take decisive leadership and act to prevent further catastrophe," they said. After the formal confirmation of famine by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the humanitarian emergency has reached intolerable proportions, with an entire population facing starvation under siege as the Israeli military advances into Gaza City, which is overcrowded with more than a million displaced Palestinians. Three hundred and sixty-one Palestinians have died due to malnutrition, including 130 children. Thirteen of them, including 3 children, have died in the past 24 hours. "The horrors of death by starvation will intensify if Israel is not stopped. Already, half a million people in Gaza are starving. Have State authorities become so numb to these numbers so desensitised, once again, to the systematic breaches of our collective moral and legal obligations?" the experts said. The famine in Gaza, deliberately engineered and perpetuated by Israel - and enabled by private and security actors - is an affront to humanity, the experts said. "A State responsible for creating genocidal conditions aimed at destroying Palestinians in Gaza as a group by also starving them cannot and shall not be entrusted to control access, distribution, or supervision of humanitarian aid," they said. They recalled that under international humanitarian law, occupying powers have binding obligations to guarantee the survival of the population under their control. "This is precisely what Israel is not doing," they said. "The deliberate obstruction of food, water, medicine, shelter and other relief - compounded by deadly attacks on civilians, including women and children, gathering at aid distribution points, and repeated forced displacement - has transformed hunger into a weapon of war," they said. Israel must be held accountable and not be given further excuses to escape accountability, the experts said. They noted that more than 2,000 Palestinians have been killed at distribution sites - 70 % in the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation areas- in recent months, often in incidents involving indiscriminate or targeted fire. Several Palestinians have been forcibly disappeared from the distribution sites. "This reality shows that existing mechanisms have utterly failed, and reliance on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation constitutes a blatant violation of article 59 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and involved international crimes." "The General Assembly must act without delay to stop the machinery of death," they said. The experts called on the General Assembly to convene an emergency meeting to: Call on Member states to act under "uniting for peace" in line with General Assembly resolution 377 V and recommend a peace operation. Demand the opening of all the crossings to unrestricted humanitarian access under direct UN oversight. Demand the immediate suspension of failed or dangerous mechanisms, including those that have led to widespread killings at aid distribution points. Call on Member States with ports in the Mediterranean Sea to urgently deploy emergency navies carrying humanitarian aid. Request the authorisation of UN-led international humanitarian convoys with full UN authority to coordinate and supervise all crossings into Gaza. Demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire and the release of arbitrarily detained Palestinians and Israelis alike. "The situation in Gaza is intolerable and unconscionable," the experts said. "The General Assembly must uphold the duty of the United Nations to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians, end the violence, and guarantee that life-saving assistance reaches the people of Gaza without obstruction or delay. Anything less makes the international community complicit in these grave violations." The experts: Francesca Albanese , Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories, occupied since 1967 , Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories, occupied since 1967 Gina Romero , Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association; , Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association; Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Michael Fakhri, Special Rapporteur on the right to food Special Rapporteur on the right to food Nicolas Levrat , Special Rapporteur on minority issues , Special Rapporteur on minority issues Paula Gaviria Betancur , Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons , Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons Pedro Arrojo Agudo , Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights to safe drinking water and sanitation , Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights to safe drinking water and sanitation Siobhan Mullally , Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children , Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children Heba Hagrass, Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities Tomoya Obokata, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences George Katrougalos, Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order Claudia Flores (Chair), Ivana Krstic (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Haina Lu, and Laura Nyirinkindi, Working group on discrimination against women and girls Working group on discrimination against women and girls Jovana Jezdimirovic Ranito (Chair-Rapporteur), Ravindran Daniel, Michelle Small, Joana de Deus Pereira, Andres Macias Tolosa, Working Group on the use of mercenaries Working Group on the use of mercenaries Ashwini K.P. Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance Ben Saul , Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism , Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism Bina D'Costa (Chair), Barbara G. Reynolds, Isabelle Mamadou , Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent , Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent Carlos Duarte (Chair), Shalmali Guttal, Davit Hakobyan (vice-chair), Uche Ofodile (vice chair), Genevieve Savigny, Working Group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas Working Group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas Astrid Puentes Riano, Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment Mai Sato , Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran , Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression Balakrishnan Rajagopal , Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing; , Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing; Reem Alsalem , Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences , Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences Elisa Morgera, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change Farida Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on the right to education; Special Rapporteur on the right to education; Gabriella Citroni (Chair-Rapporteur), Grazyna Baranowska (Vice-Chair), Aua Balde, Ana Lorena Delgadillo Perez, and Mohammed Al-Obaidi, Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances Alexandra Xanthaki, Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights Surya Deva, Special Rapporteur on the right to development Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organization, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR. Country-specific observations and recommendations by the UN human rights mechanisms, including the special procedures, the treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review, can be found on the Universal Human Rights Index https://uhri.ohchr.org/en/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Murray Hiebert, an American journalist and leading Asia expert, has observed Vietnam's evolution from a war-torn nation to a dynamic global player over more than half a century, noting that the changes have occurred much more rapidly than he ever expected. Hiebert is a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C., where he previously served as deputy director of the Southeast Asia Program for six years. He is currently the Head of Research at the Bower Asia Policy Advisory Group and has maintained a long-standing connection with Vietnam for nearly five decades. He first visited Hanoi in 1976 at the age of 33, when he was a journalist. Even then, he could feel the immense challenges Vietnam faced in rebuilding after the war. Hiebert had served as a correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review across Southeast Asia and later as the Asia correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, closely following Vietnam's journey from isolation to global integration. In the early 1990s, Hiebert was based in Hanoi for the Far Eastern Economic Review, reporting on Vietnam's economic reforms and its opening to the world. He joined the Review's Bangkok bureau in 1986, covering political and economic developments in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. He has authored two books on Vietnam, "Chasing the Tigers" and "Vietnam Notebook". Murray Hiebert speaks during a working session with the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy in 2017. Photo by the Center for Strategic and International Studies In a recent interview with VnExpress, Hiebert reflected on Vietnam's integration and development, drawing on his extensive experience both as a foreign journalist based in Hanoi and as a leading expert on Southeast Asia. From your first visit to Vietnam to your most recent return, what changes have you observed? My first visit to Vietnam was in June 1976, just 13 months after the war ended. At that time, Hanoi was very poor, with many areas of Kham Thien Street still a wreck. Nothing worked very well. The lights didn't work very well and the electricity was unstable. The main form of transport was bicycles. Everybody else was on bicycles, and there must have been a million of them. There were only a few Soviet-made Ladas for government officials or diplomats. Food was scarce, and people were very poor, as their clothes were patched together and very simple, mostly black or gray. But I understood what had happened, given that Vietnam had just emerged from the war. Diplomats stayed in hotels like the Metropole, which was very run-down. They had their bedroom and office there. United Nations offices were in there. Some also stayed at the Thang Loi Hotel near the West Lake. Today, Vietnam has built up and rebuilt itself. Both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have completely transformed in terms of infrastructure, each with its own metro line. It's a totally different atmosphere. There's a lot of enthusiasm. The last time I visited in 2023, there were many cars and motorcycles, and a lot of very good restaurants. They could tell the road to modernization was going to be very hard and slow, but I think it happened faster than many people thought. So it's very different now, and you can see the confidence among officials and staff when you go into a government ministry. There's so much confidence, as many of them have received high-level education abroad. Actually, to think of where Vietnam was in 1975 and where it is in 2025, it's the difference between night and day, or Mars and Venus. In the 1990s, you were an Asia correspondent, covering Vietnam during its attempts to break free from isolation and integrate into the region. What memories stand out from that time? One interesting story is from around 1993-1994, when Scott Marciel, who was the first diplomat from the State Department to come to Hanoi. He was unable to transfer money through banks because there was a trade embargo and all the sanctions against Vietnam. He had to carry in himself all the cash he needed for food and transportation from Bangkok. That told the story of how isolated the U.S. and Vietnam were from each other at that timeso different from now, where we obviously can use credit cards or money transfer. In the early 1990s, Vietnam was opening up but was still under embargo. The Cambodia issue had just been resolved, and the conflict with China wasn't entirely settled. The U.S. was moving slowly to lift sanctions and normalize relations with Vietnam. Afterward, it really did take a while for Vietnam to integrate into ASEAN. Each of these steps was a long road, and you couldn't just snap your fingers and say, "Now we've normalized relations." There were many challenges, and it took time to actually establish trade and investment. It wasn't as easy as it may seem now. On paper, the formal agreements were in place, but the practicalities were a bumpy road. I was there in Hanoi when the embargo was lifted in 1994, and it was a big celebration. People were enthusiastic, seeing it as another step toward normalizing relations with the world. Coca-Cola even put up a big balloon, about four or five meters tall, in front of the Opera House. It was around that circle, and everyone passing by saw a giant Coke bottle. It was kind of funny. Because the normalization process was a bit slow and difficult, I thought U.S.-Vietnam relations would move slowly. The U.S. finally set up an embassy in 1995, but even after that, progress was slow. The 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis also slowed things down, as the ASEAN region was hit hard. There was a lot of concern about how the relationship would develop, which really slowed the process. It took some years before things started to take off. I'm not sure exactly when, but certainly by the 2000s, things began to move, and by the 2010s, diplomatic exchanges really picked up, with relations gaining momentum. The bilateral trade agreement had been signed, companies were coming in, and many U.S. businesses became more interested in Vietnam. Now, the two countries have upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. I wasn't sure when that would happenI certainly didn't expect it in 2023but it happened much more quickly than I thought. US ambassador to Vietnam Douglas Peterson delivers a statement to the press and a crowd of one hundred Vietnamese and Americans attending a welcoming ceremony held at Hanoi airport May 9, 1997. Peterson, a former Vietnam war veteran, is the first U.S. ambassador to Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Photo by AFP Looking back on Vietnam's journey from a nation under siege and embargo to being an active member of ASEAN and a strategic partner of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, what is your assessment? Among the great powers, there is a lot of tension, but Vietnam has managed to balance between these powers effectively. I was very surprised that it worked. Vietnam has been proactive in its relationships with major powers, especially with China, the U.S., and even European countries. Vietnam is very active in trying to build trade relations and expand its ties. This is a "multidirectional" foreign policy, and Vietnam's approach has been very well conceived and very well received. Vietnam's diplomatic achievements have truly surprised people, reflecting its strategic thinking and proactivity. In the places where I've lived and worked, they now look carefully at what Vietnam is doing. In Washington, it's quite a difficult place for an embassy to be noticed, but Vietnam is incredibly dynamic. Many people have shared with me, "Oh, I don't know how Vietnam has so many contacts on Capitol Hill and all the departments of the government." And I say, I don't know, they're just very active. "You guys sit in the embassy and wait for that sun to shine and the Vietnamese just get out there and walk on the pavement and go meet people and they see that also in economic terms." There's a lot of envy about how Vietnam has managed to grow so fast and have so many economic partners, many trade agreements, many more than their neighbors. Companies that go across Southeast Asia looking for where to invest often end up settling in Vietnam. Companies choose to invest in Vietnam partially because the Vietnamese are very good at recognizing what the company wants. While some other countries just wait, Vietnam doesn't let a company leave without trying every possible approach and convincing them to return to the negotiation table. It's economic diplomacy. Turk calls on the US to withdraw sanctions against Palestinian rights groups Press releases Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights 05 September 2025 GENEVA -- The sanctions imposed by the US Government on three prominent and well-respected Palestinian human rights groups are completely unacceptable and should be withdrawn, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said today. The US sanctions announced on Thursday target Al-Haq group, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, in relation to their support of the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory. These measures follow other sanctions imposed by the US Government in June on renowned Palestinian NGO Addameer. "For decades now, these NGOs have been performing vital human rights work, particularly on accountability for human rights violations," the High Commissioner said. "The sanctions will have a chilling effect not only on civil society in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, but potentially globally," he added. "The work of civil society in documenting violations and engaging with international accountability mechanisms is all the more important when international humanitarian and human rights laws are being violated systematically in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem," Turk said. He added that sanctions against such human rights NGOs "only deepen impunity, silence victims' voices and encourage a climate of continued commission of violations and international crimes". "Such attacks on NGOs working to promote the respect for human rights run directly counter to respect for the rule of law and other values which the US has long stood for and promoted," the High Commissioner said. "I urge the US Government to withdraw immediately these sanctions, as well as the ones imposed earlier on the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, and on multiple Judges and Prosecutors of the ICC." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address "A war of atrocities:" Sudan civilians deliberately targeted, UN Fact-Finding Mission reports international crimes on large-scale Press releases Independent investigation 05 September 2025 GENEVA -- Rival forces in Sudan are deliberately targeting the devastated nation's civilian population, committing atrocities including war crimes on a large scale, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan said in its latest report today. Some acts may also amount to the crimes against humanity, including persecution and extermination. The report to the UN Human Rights Council, "A War of Atrocities," found that both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were responsible not only for direct and large-scale attacks against civilians, but also for the extensive destruction of essential infrastructure for survival, including medical centres, markets, food and water systems, and displacement camps. The report also found that the RSF, during the siege of El Fasher and surrounding areas, committed myriad crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, enslavement, rape, sexual slavery, sexual violence, forced displacement and persecution on ethnic, gender and political grounds. The RSF and its allies used starvation as a method of warfare and deprived civilians of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, medicine and relief supplies - which may amount to the crime against humanity of extermination. "Our findings leave no room for doubt: civilians are paying the highest price in this war," said Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the Fact-Finding Mission. "Both sides have deliberately targeted civilians through attacks, summary executions, arbitrary detention, torture, and inhuman treatment in detention facilities, including denial of food, sanitation, and medical care. These are not accidental tragedies but deliberate strategies amounting to war crimes. The RSF has further committed crimes against humanity, including large-scale killings, sexual and gender-based violence, looting, and the destruction of livelihoodsat times rising to persecution and extermination." Civilians are being targeted based on their perceived affiliation with the other side. In El Fasher and surrounding areas, the RSF and its allies carried out large-scale killings of hundreds of civilians, intentionally directing attacks against non-Arab communities including the Zaghawa, Fur, Masalit, and Tunjur, and forcibly displacing populations. In Zamzam camp in April, between 300 and 1,500 civilians mostly women and children were massacred. In Gezira, the SAF and its allies targeted the Kanabi community after recapturing the town in January, killing dozens and forcing most residents to flee. Both parties failed to take sufficient measures to minimize the impact of airstrikes and artillery on civilians and civilian infrastructure. As a result, towns, villages, displacement camps, markets, hospitals and homes have been systematically destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, leaving 12.1 million people displaced and more than half the nation facing acute food insecurity. Only one in four health facilities remains functional in the worst-affected regions. Humanitarian assistance has been obstructed, convoys attacked, and aid workers targeted. Between April 2023 and April 2025, more than 84 Sudanese humanitarian workers were killed, while others were arbitrarily detained. The report found that both sides have arbitrarily arrested, detained and tortured civilians because of the victims' ethnicity, political opinion, profession or alleged collaboration with the opposing party. Detainees were frequently held without access to adequate food, sanitation or medical care. RSF detention centres were described by survivors as "slaughterhouses" where in some cases, detainees were beaten to death and summarily executed. Some were subjected to forced labour or held for ransom, with families forced to pay for their release. Sexual and gender-based violence, including rape, gang rape, forced marriage and sexual slavery was committed by RSF fighters. Women and girls from non-Arab communities, some as young as 12, were particularly targeted. SAF personnel and allied forces were also implicated in acts of sexualized torture in detention. "Behind every documented story is a shattered family, a displaced community, a survivor of unimaginable violence," said Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, an expert Member of the Fact-Finding Mission. "We have interviewed numerous civilians who have endured extreme trauma and suffered or witnessed killings, starvation, sexual violence, torture, and the destruction of essential services. The cycle of impunity has emboldened perpetrators for decades. Victims especially women and children, who bear the greatest burden deserve justice and reparations." The report outlined steps necessary for accountability, emphasizing that justice and protection cannot wait until a peace agreement is reached. Sudan's domestic institutions remain unwilling and unable genuinely to conduct credible investigations. Instead, they perpetuate selective justice, shield perpetrators through immunities and amnesties, and continue to deny survivors any real prospect of redress. "Our report not only exposes atrocities, it also lays out a roadmap for justice," said expert Member Mona Rishmawi. "The international community must act now to enforce the arms embargo, support justice by backing the International Criminal Court, establish an independent judicial mechanism for Sudan, use universal jurisdiction to hold perpetrators accountable, and ensure that those orchestrating atrocities face consequences, including targeted sanctions." "Every day of inaction leaves the Sudanese people under attack - their lives, communities, and survival at risk," Rishmawi said. "Accountability is not optional - it is a legal and moral imperative to protect civilians and prevent further atrocities." The Fact-Finding Mission called on the international community to impose targeted sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for international crimes. It also pressed for swift and coordinated action to cease hostilities, protect civilians, lift sieges, and halt ethnic targeting and sexual and gender-based violence. It urged all States, particularly those with influence on the parties, to abide by arms embargoes and refrain from providing them with material support and increase humanitarian assistance. "Sudan is living through one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and gravest hunger emergencies, with some of its population facing war crimes, persecution and extermination," Othman said. "The international community has the tools to act. Failure to do so would not only betray the Sudanese people it would betray the very foundations of international law." ENDS Read the full report here, and its Annex here. Background: The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan was established by the UN Human Rights Council in October 2023 through resolution A/HRC/RES/54/2, and its mandate was extended until October 2025 with resolution A/HRC/RES/57/2. Its key task is "to investigate and establish the facts, circumstances and root causes of all alleged human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, including those committed against refugees, and related crimes in the context of the ongoing armed conflict that began on 15 April 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, as well as other warring parties." The members of the Fact-Finding Mission were appointed by the President of the UN Human Rights Council; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights Office provides support to the Fact-Finding Mission, the members serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organization, including the UN. Any views or opinions presented herein are solely those of the mandated members. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DRC: UN report raises spectre of war crimes and crimes against humanity in North and South Kivu Press releases Multiple Mechanisms 05 September 2025 GENEVA -- All parties to the conflict in the Congolese provinces of North and South Kivu have committed serious violations of international humanitarian law that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to a UN Human Rights Office report published on Friday. It says that since late 2024, gross human rights violations have been committed by the M23, supported by the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF), as well as the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) and affiliated armed groups. The report was produced by the UN Human Rights Office's Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on the situation in North and South Kivu, as mandated by the UN Human Rights Council. "The findings of the FFM underscore the gravity and widespread nature of violations and abuses committed by all parties to the conflict, including acts that may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity," says the report. It documents the failure by all parties to adequately protect civilians in the conduct of hostilities, particularly during the takeover of Goma by M23 and RDF in late January, as well as attacks on schools and hospitals. The report says that the M23 armed group, "with training, material, intelligence, and operational support from the Rwanda Defence Forces", captured major cities in North and South Kivu. The group engaged in a campaign of intimidation and violent repression through a recurrent pattern of summary executions, torture, detention, enforced disappearances and forced recruitment targeting anyone "perceived as opposing the M23, regarded as a threat to its notion of order and security, or deemed fit to fight or serve the movement". M23 members also systematically carried out widespread sexual violence, mainly in the form of gang rape, and other forms of sexual violence, including sexual slavery. Women and girls were disproportionately targeted, but men, boys, and LGBT individuals were also victims of sexual violence, including in detention. "Rapes were repeated over prolonged periods, often in conjunction with additional acts of physical and psychological torture and other ill-treatment, with a manifest intent to degrade, punish, and break the dignity of victims," says the report. Hundreds of children were detained by M23, and young males forcibly recruited. The report exposes the enormous toll of the conflict on children of all ages. The report identifies daily violations across the entirety of the territory under the M23's control and "followed discernible, recurring patterns, indicating a high degree of organization, planning, and resource mobilization". Building from those conclusions, the FFM "has reasonable grounds to believe that M23 members may have committed (...) the crimes against humanity of murder, severe deprivation of liberty, torture, rape and sexual slavery (...), enforced disappearance, and deportation or forcible transfer of population," says the report. It also documents grave violations committed by the DRC Armed Forces (FARDC) and affiliated armed groups, such as Wazalendo. The FFM documented deliberate killings of civilians by FARDC after in-fighting with Wazalendo. The FFM identified a pattern of widespread use of sexual violence, mainly rape and gang rape against women and girls, and looting by members of FARDC and Wazalendo during their retreat from the frontlines in January and February. "Perpetrators operated in large groups and in multiple localities simultaneously, in a manner that reflected recurring patterns of rape and looting, rather than isolated acts," says the report. Wazalendo armed groups recruited children under the age of 15 and used them in hostilities, the report adds. These children were used in combat and in support roles, with girls also being used for sexual purposes. The report further finds that both DRC and Rwanda bear responsibility for their support to armed groups with known track records of serious abuses, and for failing to meet their obligations to take all measures to ensure respect for international humanitarian law and to protect civilians from serious harm. Specifically, the report stresses that Rwanda is responsible for violations directly committed by its armed forces on the territory of the DRC and notes that the FFM had received "credible allegations concerning the covert presence of RDF personnel within M23". The report also states that the DRC bears responsibility not only for the violations committed by its armed forces, but also by its affiliated armed groups "to the extent that their members acted under its direction or control". The report also expresses concern over the lack of focus on accountability and support for victims in the peace agreement signed between the DRC and Rwanda on June 27. "The atrocities described in this report are horrific," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. "It is heartbreaking and deeply frustrating to witness, once again, the dehumanisation of the civilian population by those in power who are failing in their responsibilities. "It is imperative to promptly and independently investigate all allegations of violations with a view to ensuring accountability and victims' right to truth, justice and reparations, especially guarantees of non-repetition. The swift implementation of the Commission of Inquiry mandated by the Human Rights Council to continue this vital work is essential. We owe no less to the untold number of victims." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DND chief calls for continued upgrade of 250th Pres'l Airlift Wing Philippine News Agency By Priam Nepomuceno September 5, 2025, 1:12 pm MANILA -- Noting its vital role in transporting the president of the Philippines and other important persons, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. called for the continued modernization and upgrade of the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing (PAW). A DND statement on Friday said Teodoro made the call during the celebration of the 250th PAW's 57th founding anniversary at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City where he was guest of honor. "The 250th Presidential Airlift Wing is not merely a transport unit, but a vital command and control adjunct of the President and his Cabinet -- ensuring that the executive function of government remains unhampered at all times," the DND statement quoted Teodoro as saying in his keynote message during the event Thursday. Citing lessons from global security developments, Teodoro emphasized the need for adaptation, modernization and investment in capabilities to secure safe, electronic warfare-proof, and fully connected airlift support for the commander-in-chief. He underscored the 250th PAW's crucial function in ensuring command and control continuity of the government during emergencies, crises, and national security contingencies. Teodoro hailed all personnel of the 250th PAW for their vital role in ensuring the safety, security and mobility of the President. He also conveyed President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.'s warm greetings and gratitude to the 250th PAW's officers, enlisted personnel and civilian workforce for their steadfast service in ensuring his safety and security. "The President, by the way, sends you his best wishes and his thanks for catering to his needs and security. And for keeping him safe and in one piece -- for three years now," the DND chief said. "We hope that you will continue to do so for all the presidents that you will serve." (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DND resolute in upholding PH sovereignty in WPS Philippine News Agency By Priam Nepomuceno September 5, 2025, 11:16 am MANILA -- Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Friday reiterated the agency's commitment to protecting Philippine sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). "As we observe this year's MANA Mo, the DND stands with our people in protecting our patrimony. In the face of attempts to undermine our sovereignty and territorial integrity, especially in the WPS, we remain resolute in our stand against coercion and manipulation," he said in his message for the observance of the "Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month" (MANA Mo) 2025 this September. With the Philippines having rich maritime territories, Teodoro said all Filipinos must unite and defend these to preserve the country's archipelagic way of life. "Let us be united in defending our Filipino way of life, proud of our heritage as an archipelagic nation, and determined to secure our maritime domain for generations yet to come," he added. He also said the richness of the Philippines' archipelagic terrain and the expanse of its ocean spaces "are indelible parts of our identity as a people." Proclamation No. 316, issued in 2017, declares September as "Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month" or MANA Mo. The proclamation is in line with Article XII, Section 2 of the Constitution, which stipulates that the State is mandated to protect the nation's marine wealth in its archipelagic waters, territorial sea, and exclusive economic zone, and reserve its use exclusively for Filipino citizens. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump ushers in 'Department of War'; Pentagon chief says US 'going on offense' Iran Press TV Friday, 05 September 2025 11:53 PM US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at changing the Pentagon's name into the "Department of War," with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth saying the country was assuming a more "offensive" global stance. Trump signed the order on Friday, seeking to restore a name that the department used to assume from 1789 until 1947. "It's a much more appropriate name, especially in light of where the world is right now," he said. Trump dismissed the current title as "woke" - namely too politically correct and not reflective of the department's actual function. 'We're just going to do it' He also underplayed any congressional objection to the new name, saying, "We're just going to do it." Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, who was standing beside Trump during the signing procedure, said, "We haven't won a major war since" the department's name changed from the "Department of War." "We're going to go on offense, not just on defense," he added. Critics rapped Hegseth for sidestepping the United States numerous instances of heavily aggressive and overwhelmingly deadly and destructive military intervention across the world, particularly since the mid-20th century. They cited the unprovoked onslaughts against Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, besides noting Washington's unstinting contribution to its regional proxies, including those sowing bloodshed and ruin across the West Asia region. Experts remind that, besides leaving an unnecessary trail of death and devastation, the involvements have been followed by chaotic aftermaths leading to rampant sectarian violence, especially across the region. Before signing the order, however, Trump said, "Restoring the name 'Department of War' will sharpen the focus of this Department on our national interest and signal to adversaries America's readiness to wage war to secure its interests." As a means of trying to justify its uncalled-for global aggression, the US has been unverifiably accusing the targeted countries of hosting "terrorism," "weapons of mass destruction," and non-conventional weapons among other things. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hamas: Only a 'heavy price' can halt the 'most heinous genocide' of modern times Iran Press TV Friday, 05 September 2025 9:33 PM The Gaza Strip's Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has strongly advised the international community to decisively face the Israeli regime with the true consequences of its now-700-day war of genocide on the coastal sliver. "If it (the regime) does not pay a heavy price, it will continue its crimes, indifferent to all international positions and protests," the group noted in a statement marking the 700th day of the genocide. Throughout the period, "the world has witnessed, in sound and image, the most heinous genocide known to contemporary history," it added. According to the movement, the international community's having sufficed so far to only issue statements of condemnation in the face of the barbaric assault "are no longer sufficient." "Deterrent punitive steps and measures against the Israeli occupation are necessary." Hamas denounced the brutal military onslaught as an act of "extermination" carried out by a "terrorist army" that was at "criminal" Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's beck and call. The war has claimed the lives of 64,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, besides leaving a long trail of missing people, either trapped under the rubble or subjected to forced disappearance. To maximize fatalities and suffering, the regime has also been deploying starvation as a weapon of war by almost entirely blocking entry of vital supplies into the coastal sliver. Hamas singled out for outright criticism the most serious escalation to be witnessed throughout the war so far, namely the regime's underway push to seize Gaza City, Gaza Strip's largest urban area that houses around one million Palestinians. It lamented Netanyahu's exhausting all his resources to evade an agreement that could both end the Gaza Strip's plight and lead to release of the regime's captives. The Israeli premier's drawn-out procrastination campaign comes despite the movement's having showed considerable flexibility, Hamas asserted. The movement lambasted the United States for "bearing responsibility for the continuation of genocidal crimes" through its provision of unprecedented political and military support for the regime. It, meanwhile, commended the instances of activism and acts of support that had been staged throughout the international community in favor of the war-hit Gazans. It especially hailed the Global Sumud Flotilla, the largest maritime mission of its kind in decades, which is travelling towards Gaza with the aim of breaking the regime's near-total siege on the territory. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 700 days of Israeli genocide: Gaza death toll tops 64,300 amid catastrophic hunger Iran Press TV Friday, 05 September 2025 6:28 PM More than 64,300 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip since October 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. In a statement released on Friday, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that 69 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, with 422 people injured, bringing the total number of injuries to 162,005 in the Israeli onslaught. The ministry further stated that nearly half of the deceased are children and women19,424 children and 10,138 womenwhile 15,000 people remain missing under rubble. The ministry also noted that six Palestinians were killed and over 190 others injured by Israeli army fire while attempting to access US-backed humanitarian aid in the last 24 hours. This brings the total number of Palestinians killed while seeking aid around US-run centers to 2,362, with over 17,434 others wounded since May 27. Hundreds of thousands more have been displaced amid widespread destruction and a deepening humanitarian crisis. The ministry reported that three more Palestinians died of malnutrition and starvation in the last 24 hours, bringing the famine-linked death toll since October 2023 to 376 people, including 134 children. Since March 2, the Israeli regime has completely closed all Gaza border crossings, pushing the territory's 2.1 million population into famine. A UN-backed food security assessment has confirmed famine in northern Gaza and expects it to spread further south by the end of this month. The ministry also stated that approximately 1.97 million people face acute food insecurity, including 641,000 at famine levels. "At least 370 people have died of malnutrition in 2025, two-thirds of them adults, as families waste away in tent camps and destroyed neighborhoods," the ministry said. The ministry reported that all of Gaza's 38 hospitals and 157 clinics have been targeted by Israeli forces during the aggression. "Only 16 hospitals remain partially functional. Bed occupancy has reached nearly 200%, with just 1,685 beds available todaydown from 3,560 in 2022for a population of 2.1 million." The Israeli genocidal war has now entered its 700th day, leaving the territory devastated and facing widespread famine. The ministry describes the situation as genocide, characterized by the systematic destruction of food, water, hospitals, and family life. Gaza's children, mothers, and future generations are being deliberately erased. A child is killed every 52 minutes due to Israel's genocidal war across the blockaded Palestinian territory, the ministry said. "19,063 children have been killed, including over 1,000 infants; 56,320 have been orphaned; and more than 40,000 have been injured." The ministry reported that maternal mortality has surged from 17 per 100,000 live births in 2022 to 145 in 2024. "8,990 mothers have been killed, 7,962 women of reproductive age have been killed, and over 3,300 forced abortions have occurred." Rights groups and humanitarian agencies warn that civilians are bearing the brunt of the Israeli genocide in Gaza, which has flattened entire neighborhoods and pushed Gaza into the severest phase of famine. Gaza's daily water share has been reduced from 84.6 liters per person before the war to just 5 liters today. More than half of all wells have been destroyed. On Friday, the Israeli military issued a statement claiming that a multi-story building it struck in Gaza City housed infrastructure belonging to the Hamas resistance movement. Israel has signaled plans to target additional high-rise buildings as its forces escalate their campaign to seize control of Gaza City. The Israeli occupation forces now claim control over 40 percent of the city and have intensified assaults on residential homes and refugee camps. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US threatens Lebanon with 'new Israeli war' if Hezbollah stays armed: Report Iran Press TV Friday, 05 September 2025 3:29 PM US pressure is growing on Lebanon after the administration of President Donald Trump issued a warning to Beirut regarding the potential for a renewed Israeli military campaign should the Lebanese government fail to promptly disarm the Hezbollah resistance movement. According to US officials cited by the New York Times, the primary risk associated with any delay or obstruction in the disarmament process is that Israel may determine it necessary to "finish the job" through further military operations. "Lebanon's leaders are running out of time to disarm Hezbollah before they risk losing US financial support, and even a renewed Israeli military campaign," officials cited by the NYT said. "Inaction or half measures could lead Congress to cut off America's roughly $150 million in annual funding for the Lebanese Armed Forces," one official said. In August, under heavy pressure from the US and Israel, Lebanon's government ordered the army to draw up a plan for disarming Hezbollah by the end of the year. Hezbollah and its political ally Amal back then announced that they would "treat the decision as if it did not exist" and accused the government of serving US diktats. US officials are now worried that "Lebanon's parliamentary government will flinch from a potential confrontation with Hezbollah," the NYT report said. The Lebanese government is set to discuss on Friday an army plan to disarm Hezbollah, which Hezbollah says to the hands of Israel and the United States. Hezbollah reiterated its opposition to the move on Wednesday, with its parliamentary bloc calling on Lebanese authorities to "reverse their... unpatriotic decision". David Wood, a senior Lebanon analyst at the International Crisis Group, said should the cabinet approve the plan, Hezbollah could consider other options like "imposing pressure on the Shia ministers to resign from the government" or "trying to organize mass protests". During the session, the army is likely to make clear the obstacles standing in the way of disarming Hezbollah by force. It reportedly will also not commit to any specific date by which the implementation should be complete. Lebanese army chief Rudolphe Haikal has reportedly threatened to resign if the country's troops are ordered to "spill Lebanese blood" by attempting to disarm the resistance movement by force. Al Akhbar, a Lebanese newspaper, said that Hezbollah and Amal ministers might refuse to discuss the army's plan on Friday. In an attempt to ease tensions, the speaker of parliament and head of the Amal movement, Nabih Berri, has called for discussions to be "a calm and consensual dialogue." The report comes as the Israeli regime has intensified its aerial assaults on southern Lebanon in recent weeks despite an existing ceasefire. The attacks come amid ongoing violations across various parts of Lebanon, despite the ceasefire announced on November 27, 2024. Israeli troops have also expanded their new occupation along the border in southern Lebanon, which they established during the ceasefire after failing in ground operations against Hezbollah. Hezbollah, itself, has, meanwhile, vowed not to lay down its arms, cautioning that the Israeli regime's managing to implement the disarmament scheme via the US would be followed by Tel Aviv's seeking to further expand its occupation. Secretary-general of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, in recent remarks, accused Lebanon's government of handing the country to Israel by pushing for its disarmament. Qassem also said Hezbollah and Amal had postponed a previous call for protest to allow room for discussion and "to make adjustments before we reach a confrontation that no one wants". However, he added, "if it is imposed on us, we will face it". Qassem, in an earlier speech, pointed to Washington's excessive interference in Lebanon's domestic affairs, arguing it is the party chiefly pushing for the disarmament of Hezbollah, irrespective of the fact that the resistance movement is protecting Lebanon's soil, security, and sovereignty with its arms. The Hezbollah chief then invited Lebanese officials to stop making mistakes, reminding them that the role of his resistance group is now more significant than ever. Since its inception in 1982, the movement has fended off countless incursions into the country by the Israeli regime, which has been occupying Shebaa Farms, a strip of land along Lebanon's border with the occupied Palestinian territories, since 1967. The defensive push has included the group's forcing the Israeli military to retreat during two full-scale wars against the nation in 2000 and 2006. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address South Sudan denies agreements to host displaced Palestinians Iran Press TV Friday, 05 September 2025 11:07 AM South Sudan has denied reaching agreements with Israel or the United States to host Palestinians displaced by the US-backed Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip. Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the regime was talking to a number of countries to host Gazans displaced by the war, including South Sudan, which last month welcomed the deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel. The African country called the meeting "the highest-level engagement" with an Israeli official thus far. However, Juba, which is itself struggling with a worrying uptick of violence, has denied reports that it would take Palestinians. On Thursday, Philip Jada Natana, director general for bilateral relations, confirmed that a memorandum of understanding had been signed with Israel. However, he clarified that it was mainly aimed at "developing agricultural capacity, investment and mining". "There was no talk of resettling Palestinians in South Sudan," he told reporters. In a weekly briefing, foreign ministry spokesperson Apuk Ayuel Mayen also clarified there was no deal with Washington over third-country migrants. "There is no discussions on that and there is no deal that has been signed," she said, emphasizing that the recent deportation of eight men from the United States, most of them from Asia and Latin America, to South Sudan in July was the result of "a single bilateral" engagement. South Sudan has struggled to recover from a civil war that broke out after independence and ended in 2018, killing nearly 400,000 people and plunging pockets of the country into famine. Analysts and diplomats warn that the youngest country in the world is on the brink of renewed civil war. The plans for the forced displacement of Gaza's population have drawn rejection from the Palestinians and international condemnation. Israel has launched a genocidal war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, after Palestinian resistance fighters waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the Zionist entity in response to the regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians. The regime's bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed more than 64,231 Palestinians, mostly women and children. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Some international flights should remain at HCMC airport after Long Thanh opens: analysts Both Tan Son Nhat and Long Thanh airports should handle both international and domestic flights instead of separating them to avoid the failures plaguing some foreign airports, experts say. Long Thanh International Airport is being built in Dong Nai Province at a cost of over VND336 trillion (US$12.7 billion) in three phases. Phase one is expected to be completed this year and begin operations in mid-2026 with a capacity of 25 million passengers annually. The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), the state-owned firm that operates all 22 commercial airports in Vietnam, has proposed two scenarios: moving all international flights to Long Thanh straightaway or shifting only long-haul international routes there and keeping short-haul flights at HCMC's Tan Son Nhat. The ACV points out that Tan Son Nhat has been overloaded for years with both its limited space, causing congestion and reducing service quality, while Long Thanh is designed for long-term capacity of up to 100 million passengers annually when all three phases are completed. Long Thanh airport's terminal under construction in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam, August 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Phuoc Tuan Even in its first phase, it can handle 25 million passengers with modern infrastructure, spacious terminals and automation enabling smooth passenger flow, it says. Its location is also better, separated as it is from residential areas, without night-flight restrictions and connected by highways and ring roads with metro lines planned in future. Shifting international flights to Long Thanh will ease pressure on Tan Son Nhat and improve domestic services, it says. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam and many international airlines largely agree with this argument, saying moving all international flights to Long Thanh will simplify management and optimize resources. But Ngo Viet Nam Son, an architect who has been involved in planning several international airports, says the two airports can operate independently, handling both international and domestic flights. He says if all international flights are moved to Long Thanh, the two airports will become interdependent: domestic passengers arriving at Tan Son Nhat will then have to travel an additional 40 km to connect, and vice versa. "When the transport system is not yet complete, this inconvenience could reduce the appeal of the new airport." He cites the example of Montreal, Canada. The city once built Mirabel Airport on a large scale and shifted all international flights there from Dorval Airport, 55 km away, but due to the long distance and poor connectivity, airlines were reluctant to operate from there. Authorities eventually had to move international routes back to Dorval and Mirabel is now used only for cargo transport. Son says airport construction must go hand in hand with transport projects, the most urgent being highways and ring roads. While metro and rail links between Ho Chi Minh City and Long Thanh are necessary, they require large budgets and a long time, and so priority should be given to key road projects that can be completed quicker, he says. Vietnam Airlines' proposal to keep some short-haul international flights at Tan Son Nhat and move long-haul and some domestic routes to Long Thanh is a reasonable plan, he says. Domestic passengers at Tan Son Nhat airport in HCMC. Photo VnExpress/Giang Anh Concurring, Phan Le Binh, chief representative of OCG Japan, which provides transport, urban development and environmental consultancy, says Tokyo's experience is also instructive. Haneda, 26 km from downtown, used to be the only airport in the Japanese capital. When it became overloaded, in 1978 the government built Narita Airport 75 km away and moved international flights there. Despite highway and metro connections, Narita's distance meant costly and time-consuming travel into Tokyo, affecting efficiency. After reviewing passenger and airline needs, Japan added a new runway at Haneda in 2010 to handle international flights again. Today both handle international and domestic flights with coordinated distribution, allowing the two airports to complement one another. "Operating international flights at two locations requires more staff and equipment and costs more, but Japan chose this for passenger convenience," Binh says, recommending that Vietnam should prioritize passenger convenience when dividing operations between the two airports, especially as Long ThanhHCMC connections remain limited. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thien Tong, former head of the aeronautical engineering department at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, says international flights should remain at Tan Son Nhat for at least a few more years, especially as the new T3 terminal built at a cost of VND11 trillion has increased the airport's capacity to 50 million passengers a year. "Only when connections are complete or Tan Son Nhat is too overloaded should flights gradually move to Long Thanh." He suggests moving all cargo, logistics and aviation services first to Long Thanh to ease pressure on Tan Son Nhat. He recommends following the international practice of letting separate companies manage airports. This contrasts with the current system where ACV is solely in charge. He argues this would give airports the independence to attract more airlines, enhance service, and improve efficiency. Venezuelan jets fly over US destroyer deployed near its coast Iran Press TV Friday, 05 September 2025 9:50 AM Two Venezuelan fighter jets have flown over a US Navy destroyer in the Caribbean, a move viewed as a show of force as Washington expands its provocative military presence in the region. According to reports, the jets buzzed over the guided-missile destroyer Jason Dunham. The US ship did not respond. The Pentagon later described the maneuver as "provocative" and said the aircraft attempted to interfere with what it called counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism operations. It further warned Caracas not to "pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere" in US military operations near Venezuelan borders. Caracas has long rejected such allegations, arguing that Washington is exaggerating drug-related claims to justify its military presence near Venezuelan waters. President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly insisted that the US deployment represents "the biggest threat in 100 years" to the continent and has warned that Venezuela will declare "a republic in arms" if attacked. The flyover came just two days after a US strike on a Venezuelan boat in the Caribbean killed 11 people. Washington claimed the vessel carried members of the Tren de Aragua gang and was transporting drugs. Maduro's government called the incident an "extrajudicial killing." Legal experts also questioned whether the attack met international standards of necessity and proportionality, as no evidence was offered that the US faced imminent danger, or even if the victims were armed. The episode unfolded against a backdrop of growing US naval activity in the region. In recent weeks, eight American ships, including the USS San Antonio, USS Iwo Jima, and USS Fort Lauderdale, have entered the Caribbean with more than 4,500 troops and thousands of missiles. Washington says the deployment is intended to curb Latin American drug cartels, yet critics question whether such a large-scale presence is proportionate to the stated goal. Maduro has suggested the build-up is designed to weaken or overthrow his government. Tensions between the two countries have steadily escalated. The Trump administration doubled a reward to $50 million in August for information leading to Maduro's arrest on alleged drug trafficking charges. It also moved nuclear-capable submarines and surveillance aircraft into the region. Venezuela and the US severed diplomatic ties in 2019 when Washington recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president. Sanctions followed, deepening the country's economic crisis. Maduro, however, won the elections last year and was sworn in for a third term. Caracas has responded to US measures by mobilizing millions of reservists, boosting maritime patrols, and suspending drone flights nationwide. Maduro maintains that his government seeks peace but warns that "blackmail and threats" will not force Venezuela into submission. While the Pentagon portrays Venezuelan maneuvers as hostile, Maduro's administration argues that it is Washington's military build-uprather than Caracas's defensive actionsthat risks destabilizing the region. Venezuela has also appealed to the United Nations to demand "the immediate cessation of the US military deployment in the Caribbean." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US imposes sanctions on Palestinian groups seeking war crimes investigation against Israel Iran Press TV Friday, 05 September 2025 2:44 AM The United States has announced sanctions against three Palestinian human rights organizations that requested the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Israel for genocide in Gaza. The sanctions were revealed through a notice on the US Treasury Department's website on Thursday. The affected organizations include the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Ramallah-based Al-Haq. The Treasury Department categorized these groups under designations related to the ICC. These groups submitted their request to the ICC in November 2023, urging an investigation into Israeli airstrikes on densely populated civilian areas in Gaza, as well as the ongoing siege of the territory and the displacement of its population. In a significant development a year later, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The sanctions come in the wake of previous actions taken by President Donald Trump's administration, which included sanctions against ICC judges and its chief prosecutor in response to the Israeli arrest warrants and a prior decision to investigate alleged war crimes by US forces in Afghanistan. The ICC, established in 2002, holds jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide among its 125 member countries. However, several nations, including the US, China, Russia, and Israel, do not recognize its authority. The US sanctions against the Palestinian groups were announced just days after the world's largest academic association of genocide scholars passed a resolution stating that legal criteria have been met to establish that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Craig Mokhiber, a former director of the New York office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, resigned in October 2023 in protest against the ongoing genocide in Gaza. He criticized the Trump administration's sanctions as a blatant attack on human rights defenders, asserting that the three organizationsAl Haq, Al Mezan, and PCHRare respected globally for their professionalism and commitment to human rights. "This is a global rampage threatening all human rights defenders," Mokhiber stated. "We must stand in solidarity with them, as well as with UN human rights rapporteur Francesca Albanese and the International Criminal Court. This is indeed a Spartacus moment for all of us." At least 64,231 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and another 161,583 individuals have been injured in the brutal Israeli onslaught on Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the health ministry of Gaza. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ranking Member Shaheen, Senator Tillis Send Bipartisan Letters to Meta, Alphabet Ahead of Moldovan Parliamentary Elections Senate Foreign Relations Committee Published: September 05, 2025 WASHINGTON -- Last week, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Thom Tillis (R-NC), who has helped lead engagement in the Moldova-North Carolina State Partnership Program, sent letters to Meta and Alphabet respectively urging them to devote sufficient resources to preventing Russian-backed disinformation and political financing from impacting Moldova's election integrity. "While we must be agnostic to the results of Moldova's elections, we cannot be indifferent to foreign powers' efforts to put their thumb on the scale for parties or candidates," wrote the Senators in their letter to Alphabet. "Where that interference endeavors to utilize U.S. based platforms, we must be proactive in our approach." "We urge you to do everything in your power to ensure that [sanctioned oligarch Ilan Shor] cannot continue to use your platforms to spread propaganda," wrote the Senators in their letter to Meta. The Senators cited warnings from Moldovan President Maia Sandu and reputable civil society groups, including WatchDog.MD, in expressing their concerns to the companies, as well as recognition by the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom of the grave threat posed by Russian actors' disinformation efforts to Moldova's democracy. Full text of the letters to Meta and Alphabet are available HERE and HERE and provided below. Dear Mr. Zuckerberg, We write to express our appreciation that Meta representatives met with the Moldovan Central Election Commission (CEC) in June ahead of the country's upcoming September 28 parliamentary elections. We urge you to remain engaged with the CEC and devote sufficient resources to prevent Russian-backed disinformation and political financing from accessing your platforms during the pre-election period in Moldova. President Maia Sandu has already warned that "the Russian Federation wants to control the Republic of Moldova" and has a plan to use online platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, to spread anti-democratic messages. Independent non-governmental organizations concur with her assessment, with premier civil society group WatchDog.MD identifying 146 anonymous Facebook pages affiliated with U.S.-sanctioned oligarch Ilan Shor, which he reportedly uses to purchase political advertisements. While those pages appear to be the most problematic, WatchDog.MD assesses that more than 2,000 Facebook pages are Kremlin backed. Unfortunately, in a small country, this type of campaign can have an outsized impact. Engagement during the pre-election period is critical to ensure that elections are not just free, but also fair. Russia's attempt at interference in Moldova's 2024 presidential election and referendum on European Union membership previewed the Kremlin tactics, which should inform our efforts ahead of the upcoming elections in September. Despite being sanctioned, Ilan Shor spent approximately $546,000 on Facebook ads between 2022 and 2024. We urge you to do everything in your power to ensure that he cannot continue to use your platforms to spread propaganda. While we must be agnostic to the results of Moldova's elections, we cannot be indifferent to foreign powers' efforts to put their thumb on the scale for parties or candidates. Moldova is on the cusp of European Union membership. Ultimately, whether to join the European Union will be a decision for the Moldovan people - but we must do our part to ensure that it is indeed for them to decide. The United States, Canada and the United Kingdom have all recognized the grave threat that Russian actors' disinformation efforts pose to Moldovan democracy. We urge Meta to use this moment to help ensure Moldova's elections remain free and fair. Dear Mr. Pichai, We write to express our appreciation that Google representatives took the time to meet with the Moldovan Central Election Commission (CEC) in June of this year ahead of the country's upcoming September 28 parliamentary elections. We urge you to remain engaged with the CEC and devote sufficient resources toward ensuring that Russian-backed disinformation and political financing cannot prosper during the pre-election period in Moldova. President Maia Sandu has already warned that "the Russian Federation wants to control the Republic of Moldova" and has a plan to use online platforms to spread anti-democratic messages. Independent non-governmental organizations concur with her assessment, with premier civil society group WatchDog.MD assessing that Russian actors have already launched "massive YouTube ad campaigns." As individuals who have run for office ourselves, we know that campaigns are not decided on Election Day. Engagement during the pre-election period is critical to ensure that elections are not just free, but also fair. Russia's attempt at interference in Moldova's 2024 presidential election and EU referendum gave the international community a preview into Kremlin tactics. We must not be caught off guard this year. While we must be agnostic to the results of Moldova's elections, we cannot be indifferent to foreign powers' efforts to put their thumb on the scale for parties or candidates. Where that interference endeavors to utilize U.S. based platforms, we must be proactive in our approach. Moldova is at a critical moment in its history - it is on the cusp of European Union membership. Ultimately, whether to join the European Union will be a decision for the Moldovan people - but we must do our part to ensure that it is indeed for them to decide. The United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom have all recognized the grave threat that Russian actors' disinformation efforts pose to Moldovan democracy. We urge Google to use this moment to help ensure that Moldova's elections remain free and fair. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Risch, Shaheen Urge Lebanon to Disarm Hezbollah Senate Foreign Relations Committee September 05, 2025 WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement regarding Lebanon's ongoing discussion on the disarmament of Hezbollah. "Lebanon deserves a free, prosperous, and secure future. That will only be possible if Lebanon is freed from the influence of Hezbollah and the Iranian regime. We recognize that Lebanon's government has made important progress in the past year, and we applaud the recent decision by Lebanon's Council of Ministers to approve disarming militias in Lebanon. "This commitment must be carried out to its full conclusion, including approving the Lebanese Armed Forces' disarmament plan for Hezbollah. We remain strongly supportive of President Joseph Aoun's and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's continued efforts and we stand ready to support Lebanon's success as its leaders fight for their country's sovereignty. Failure to approve and carry out the disarmament would only send Lebanon back into chaos, and we are prepared to work with the Trump Administration to ensure accountability for any who stand in the way of progress in Lebanon." ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi Arabia Condemns Repeated Statements by Israeli Occupation Prime Minister on Displacement of Palestinians from Their Land Saudi Press Agency Friday 13/03/1447 Riyadh, September 5, 2025, SPA -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's strongest condemnation of the repeated statements by the Israeli occupation prime minister regarding the displacement of Palestinians from their land, including through the Rafah border crossing, and the continued use of blockade and starvation to impose forced displacement, in flagrant violation of international laws, principles, and the most basic humanitarian standards. The ministry affirmed the Kingdom's full support for Egypt in this regard. The Kingdom stressed the necessity for the international community, especially the permanent members of the UN Security Council, to intervene to halt Israel's aggressive policies against the Palestinian people and their land. The Kingdom reiterated its rejection of any form of displacement, regardless of justification, and renewed its call to hold the occupation authorities accountable for genocide and grave violations against civilians. It further emphasized the urgent need to put an immediate end to such practices, provide protection for the Palestinian people, and fulfill their legitimate rights in establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital, as the path to ensuring the security and stability of the region. -- SPA 23:58 Local Time 20:58 GMT 0052 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York 5 September 2025 The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General. ** Briefings All right, good afternoon. A couple of things. First, after you are done with me, we are going to be joined by two guests; the first is Stephen Rodriguez, from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) who is the Resident Representative of UNDP in Afghanistan he just left Afghanistan and landed in the UAE (United Arab Emirates). He will brief us from there from Dubai. We will also be joined by Anatoly Balovnev, the UNDP Regional Area Manager in Afghanistan, who is briefing us from Jalalabad. They're obviously here to talk to you about the earthquake and the response. At 2 p.m., there will be a briefing on the first meeting of the Independent Scientific Panel on the Effects of Nuclear War, pursuant to the establishment of the Panel of this year. ** Secretary-General's Travel The Secretary-General is on his way back to New York from Papua New Guinea. Earlier today, he spoke to your colleagues in Port Moresby before leaving the country telling them that he felt gratitude and solidarity for the role played by Papua New Guinea today, especially as it relates to its contribution to address climate change. Papua New Guinea does not contribute to climate change, he said, adding that the country has a negative emissions record, due to its enormous carbon sink and that is the world's third largest rainforest, as well as the ocean. The international community, which benefits from the country's forests and oceans, must pay back, Mr. [Antonio] Guterres said. First, the international community needs to accept that there must be climate justice. Countries like Papua New Guinea must have all the support that was promised to address adaptation needs, to build resilience and to protect people and country against the devastating impact of climate change. Adding that there must also be justice in the way international financial institutions address the problems of development, Mr. Guterres reiterated his call for reforms of the international financial systems. The Secretary-General will be here in New York at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning and will be in the office on Monday. ** Cyprus Travel to announce, but not the Secretary-General. Maria Angela Holguin, who as you know the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General, is set to travel to Cyprus next week. There she will meet the Greek Cypriot leader, Nikos Christodoulides, on 12 September, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, on 15 September. She is also expected to engage with the representatives of the two leaders, among other Cypriot stakeholders. ** Occupied Palestinian Territory Moving to Gaza. Our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tell us that the ongoing offensive on Gaza City has further intensified today, increasing the damage to civilians and the facilities on which they depend to survive. Earlier today, Israeli forces attacked a high-rise building that they say was used to execute attacks against them. Initial information collected by OCHA indicates that tents sheltering displaced people were damaged nearby. We are also concerned by the announcement that more high-rise buildings will be attacked soon. These developments are forcing increasing numbers of people to flee, in a place where just about everyone has already been displaced, often many times, and where famine as you know has just been confirmed. Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that in the north, people are simply exhausted. They can't afford to move south, not only because displacement sites are overcrowded, but also because transport can cost up to $1,000. Between Wednesday and yesterday, our colleagues tracking population movements in Gaza recorded nearly 3,000 movements from the north to the south. That brings the total since 14 August to nearly 41,000. Meanwhile, OCHA also reports that in more parts of the Strip, Israeli authorities require any movement of humanitarian personnel to be coordinated with them in advance. On Wednesday and yesterday, our teams attempted to coordinate 29 such movements, but 19 of them were either denied outright or initially approved but then significantly delayed or otherwise impeded on the ground. Only nine of these movements were facilitated, and one had to be cancelled by the organizers. Despite the impediments, we were able to collect some fuel and supplies related to water, hygiene and sanitation from the Karim Abu Salem/Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings and transfer some other items within the Gaza Strip. Our teams were also repairing a road in Rafah that's needed to improve cargo flow in the south. And as we mentioned yesterday, they were able to assess the conditions and needs of displaced people in the North, which was vast. Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) distributed critical nutritional supplies to support hospitalized infants and patients at Al Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis. These included 4,900 units of infant and high-protein formula and 2,000 feeding components. To respond to famine and malnutrition adequately, humanitarians working in Gaza continue to call for scaled-up, sustained and safe access so that enough food and medicines can enter the Strip and reach those who need them. And we need sustained and unimpeded access directly to the north, and that of course includes Gaza City. Turning to the West Bank, where OCHA paints a pretty dire picture telling us that since January, more than 2,780 Palestinians there have been injured by Israeli forces or settlers that's a 39 per cent increase compared with the same period last year. This includes nearly 500 people injured by Israeli settlers that's a twofold rise over this same time frame in 2024. As of Monday, OCHA has also documented the demolition of more than 1,150 structures across the West Bank this year for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible for any Palestinian to obtain. That's a 44 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024. ** Afghanistan Turning to Afghanistan, our Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, said in a statement today that the devasting earthquake is the latest crisis to expose the cost of shrinking resources on vital humanitarian work. He noted that within hours of the earthquake, OCHA's pooled funds released $10 million to kickstart the response. The de facto authorities have quickly responded, and countries are generously providing relief supplies and critical initial funding. But this isn't enough, Mr. Fletcher warned, stressing that failing to rally resources now will mean deeper suffering and more lives lost. For its part, our colleagues at UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, dispatched $4.5 million worth of emergency relief items to Kunar and Jalalabad, including family tents, thermal blankets and jerrycans, gas cookers, solar lamps and tarpaulins, to assist some 5,600 households. At the moment though, UNHCR says that its stock in Afghanistan is quite low as the Agency have been assisting Afghans returning or forced to return from neighbouring countries, mostly Pakistan and Iran. Pending findings from the inter-agency assessment, UNHCR is assessing availability in its emergency stockpiles in the region, including in Uzbekistan, to meet further needs. You will hear a lot more about Afghanistan in just a few minutes from our guests. ** Haiti I also want to flag one more horrific situation in Haiti that we have been talking to you quite a bit. I have a rather very distressing note on the unimaginable situation that many women and girls live in, as gender-based violence in the country is reaching alarming levels. Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that between January and July of this year, more than 6,200 incidents were reported by service providers. Nearly half of them were rapes, with [75] per cent reportedly committed by [members of] armed groups. Adult women are the most impacted, but one in seven survivors is a child, a girl under 18. Furthermore, just over half of the incidents involved internally displaced people. Yet only a quarter of rape survivors were able to access medical care within the critical 72-hour window. Reasons for that vary between insecurity in the country, the stigma associated with gender-based violence, as well as weak referral systems and the lack of health facilities in many areas. In response, between January and July of this year, UN agencies and our humanitarian partners provided assistance as much as they could, such as medical care, psychosocial support, legal aid, dignity kits and emergency shelter. However, services remained heavily concentrated in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and in the Artibonite Department, where most of our partners are based, with other regions, including Centre and the Grand Sud, receiving unfortunately very limited support. To make things even more complicated, chronic underfunding, combined with severe access constraints, is leaving the vast majority of survivors without the care they need or the care they deserve. To give you an example of the funding gap, out of the $19 million required for prevention and response to gender-based violence in Haiti has been received to date I think you can buy a number of apartments in New York for $19 million we've only received 18 per cent, and that's just over $3 million. We can't stress enough that urgent support is needed to expand services to underserved areas and protect women and girls from these heinous crimes. ** Ukraine Turning to Ukraine, our Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator there, Mattias Schmale, strongly condemned in a statement an attack in the Chernihiv region that killed and injured humanitarian workers. Yesterday's missile strike on a humanitarian demining site in the Chernihiv Region killed two and injured eight deminers of the Danish Refugee Council. At the time of the attack, its teams were clearing landmines and explosive remnants of war in an area heavily contaminated since the start of the full-scale invasion by Russia into Ukraine. According to our partners, at least four other aid workers have been killed and 34 injured in Ukraine so far this year. Meanwhile, hostilities and attacks continue across the country, with several civilians killed and injured, according to authorities. The regions of Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson were most impacted, with significant damage to homes and civilian infrastructure. We, along with our humanitarian partners, mobilized emergency assistance across affected regions. ** Democratic Republic of the Congo Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where I can tell you that we, along with our humanitarian partners, are supporting the Government-led response following the declaration yesterday of a new Ebola outbreak in Kasai Province, in the country's centre-west. As of 4 September, preliminary figures from national authorities indicate 28 suspected cases; that includes 15 fatalities, including four frontline health workers. The numbers are provisional and expected to change as surveillance activities are scaled up. The impacted areas, particularly Bulape and Mweka health zones, previously experienced outbreaks in 2007, 2008 and 2011. A joint national rapid response team, supported by World Health Organization experts, has been deployed to Kasai Province to strengthen disease surveillance and response capacity. WHO is delivering more than two metric tons of essential supplies, including personal protective equipment, mobile laboratory equipment and medical items to support the immediate response. Also in the DRC and also a bleak picture, our colleagues at the UN Human Rights Office published a report today showing that all parties to the conflict in the Congolese provinces of North and South Kivu have committed serious violations of international humanitarian law that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The report, produced by the UN Human Rights Office's Fact-Finding Mission, says that since late 2024, gross human rights violations have been committed by the M23, supported by the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF), as well as the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) and affiliated armed groups. It documents the failure by all parties to adequately protect civilians in the conduct of hostilities, particularly during the takeover of Goma by M23 and RDF in late January, as well as attacks on schools and hospitals. The report further finds that both DRC and Rwanda bear responsibility for their support to armed groups with known track records of serious abuses. The report is online. ** India A quick update for you from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on the impact of severe flooding in northern India, which, if you will recall, the Secretary-General has expressed his deep sorrow, with Punjab State being one of the areas that is hardest hit. Dozens of people have reportedly been killed, with nearly 1,900 villages and more than 380,000 people said to be affected hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland have also been drowned. The Government of India is leading response efforts, but our country team stands ready to assist. ** Food Price Index Food Price Index, first Friday of the month, our friends in Rome at the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) tells us that the new report indicates that the benchmark of world food commodity prices remained largely unchanged in August. Increases in meat, sugar and vegetable oil prices offset declines in cereal and dairy quotations. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 130.1 points in August, marginally up from the revised July level of 130.0 points and 6.9 per cent higher than a year earlier. ** International Day of Air Quality International days to flag: Sunday will be the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. Nearly every person on Earth breathes air that is unsafe and causes health problems. In his message, the Secretary-General calls on citizens of this planet to take all the necessary steps today for clean, breathable air for all. And pegged to that, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released a report today tracing the complex interplay between air quality and climate, highlighting the role of tiny particles called aerosols in wildfires, winter fog, shipping emissions and urban pollution. The report notes that the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities that contribute to climate change are also sourcing pollution, like black carbon, nitrous oxide and ground-level ozone, which in turn aggravate climate change. Air quality and climate change must not be addressed in isolation; they must be addressed hand in hand. ** International Days Other international days. Today is the International Day of Charity (be nice to me). Observed every 5 September, the date was chosen to honour the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa. It's a global reminder of the importance of compassion and generosity. Also Sunday is the International Day of Police Cooperation. The Secretary-General reaffirms that if technology is used responsibly, it can strengthen the effectiveness, transparency, and accountability of police institutions around the world. And lastly, Sunday is World Duchenne Awareness Day. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a rare progressive disorder where muscles become weaker over time. This year's theme is "Family: the heart of care", and it highlights the role of family members for people living with this disorder. ** Financial Contributions Money today, which means questions. Two countries have paid their dues to the Regular Budget. This first country's capital city is the second-largest French speaking city in the world after Paris. [response from the crowd: "Kinshasa"] Who said Kinshasa? Good job. We thank our friends in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This second country is landlocked and is home to the world's largest artificial lake by volume, it's considered the world's largest artificial lake by volume in its water that it holds. It's in Africa. [responses from the crowd] It is Zimbabwe. Lake Kariba holds 185 cubic kilometres of water. We thank our friends in Harare as well for paying their dues. I will pay my dues now. ** Questions and Answers Spokesman : Dezhi? Question : You might already have said this in the beginning. I missed that part. Yesterday, US State Department listed three humanitarian group of Palestine on the sanction list. I know that the human rights chief, Volker Turk, has already expressed his opinion, said it's not acceptable. What is the opinion from the Secretary-General? Spokesman : We support, obviously, Mr. Turk and his position, and I think it is quite concerning that we see the increased use of these types of sanctions against NGOs (non-governmental organizations). Pam? Question : On the Haiti numbers, there was a report that came out just in February that there was a thousand per cent increase. What you're talking about is increase even since in the past... [cross talk] Spokesman : I mean, the numbers, I think, are pretty... this is just... [cross talk] Question : And any progress toward a multinational force or any kind of...? Spokesman : Well, I mean, the progress, you know, is the multinational security support forces on the ground what it needs is more support. And obviously, we're moving following the adoption by the Security Council of the resolution... [cross talk] Question : And is there any, I'm sorry. Identification of which gangs? Spokesman : No. I think it is all gangs. Correspondent : Thank you. Spokesman : Yep. Jordan? Question : Yes. Do you have any update on the communication between the UN and the host country on Palestinian visas? Spokesman : No. As I mentioned earlier this week, we're in touch with the State Department to try to get some clarification and obviously hopefully, a reversal of the decision based on their obligations under the [Headquarters] Agreement. Question : How many UN international staff in Gaza? And if you have number, can you compare the current number with the number was two years ago? Spokesman : The number is less. We've reduced our footprint, but we remain very present in Gaza. I'll try to get you a number. The footprint is constantly being adjusted based on the operational needs but also obviously taking into consideration the security of staff. I mean, yesterday we had our colleague, Tess Ingram, from UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), who is an international who's been in Gaza, and we've had quite a few international staff who remain in Gaza. Question : Allow me. It's a legal question, I think. I'm not sure if it's legal question or not. But you mentioned something about settlers' violence in West Bank against Palestinians. You gave very huge number of injured and deaths. Does the United Nation consider the action, violent action by settlers, as a terror act or what? Spokesman : All of this violence, all of the settlers involved in attacks on Palestinian civilians need to be held to account by the Israeli authorities, right? Those are crimes, and they need you to be held to account for committing those crimes. Alex, and then we'll come up here. Question : Thanks so much. I have a question on Yemen. There have been some reports that Yemeni Houthis are attempting to develop chemical weapons. Do you guys have any evidence of that? Spokesman : I'm not able to answer that question now. It doesn't mean others in the UN are not or may be able. I will check. We will check for you. Correspondent : Thank you. Spokesman : Yep. And then we'll go to Yvonne. Question : Min Lu from China Daily. The General Assembly today is considering multiple resolutions regarding the UN's cooperation with regional groups such as Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Can you tell us, what is the view of Secretary-General about the value of the United Nations working with regional groups like the SCO? Spokesman : Right. The Secretary-General, I think, since the beginning of his tenure has highlighted the need for increased cooperation between the United Nations and regional groups and subregional groups as a way of what he refers to, I think, as layered multilateralism. Often regional groups are very effective in dealing with regional issues within the framework of the UN Charter and international law. And I think that has been his message, whether it is regarding Asia, Africa, Latin America or Europe. Yvonne Murray? Question : Thank you, Steph. On his most recent trip to China this last week, Secretary-General said, he told the Chinese leader, Chairman Xi Jinping, that the support of China is an extremely important element to preserve for the UN. So, does that mean... does preserving China's support make it hard for the Secretary-General and other UN officials to speak out on China's human rights record? Spokesman : No. I think whether it's the Secretary-General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, other entities, the Secretary-General has spoken out on what he sees as human rights violations in many countries. Question : Okay. And yesterday, I asked you about specifically the Jimmy Lai case. Do you have any further comments? Spokesman : I would refer... I saw our colleagues in the Office for Human Rights, Mr. Turk's office commented, and we fully back and support his comments. Question : So, the Secretary-General supports the comments made by Volker Turk? Spokesman : That's correct. Correspondent : Okay. Thanks. Spokesman : Dennis, and then we'll go to Lenka. Sorry. Question : Thank you, Steph. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, there has been an exchange of letters between the Secretariat and the Russian Mission to the UN on Bucha. So, I have two questions on that. Spokesman : Recent letters? Or I mean, they've been exchanged in the past. I don't know, if they're...? Correspondent : I believe in the past. Spokesman : Okay. Question : So, my first question is, how does the SG respond to Russia's letter criticizing the UN's delayed and inadequate reply to the 2024 inquiry on the alleged Bucha staging? Spokesman : Look. I think the issue of Bucha has come up often, notably in bilateral meetings between the Secretary-General and Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov. I think the Secretary-General has answered and given our position, and I don't think it has changed in any way. Question : And sorry. The second one, will the Secretary-General publish Russia's appeal as official documents in the General Assembly and Security Council, as requested by the Russian Foreign Ministry? Spokesman : Any Member State that writes to the Secretary-General asking for a document to be circulated, that document is circulated. Lenka? Question : Thank you. Any new phone calls on Ukraine? Spokesman : None that I'm aware of. But if I become aware, I will let you know. Correspondent : Thank you. Spokesman : Ms. Saloomey. Question : Steph, I apologize. You may have touched on this earlier. So, if I missed it, I'm sorry. But can you comment on the targeting of buildings in Gaza and the... [cross talk] Spokesman : Yeah. I did. That was one of the first things I talked about. Correspondent : Okay. All right. I'll check. Thank you. Spokesman : Yes, sir. Please. Question : Given the US visa restrictions, is there a possibility that the high-level week of the General Assembly be held somewhere outside of US? Spokesman : No. I've not seen any credible movement on that. Question : Is there a process for this for...? Spokesman : I mean, Member States can decide to hold a meeting wherever they decide to hold it. That would be a decision of the General Assembly. But frankly, I have not seen any serious traction on that. All right. Jordan, then we need to go to our guests, who've been patiently waiting. Go ahead. Question : I have to follow up with him and on my first question because you said in the beginning of the week, you start communicating with the State Department on the visa issue. Spokesman : Correct. Question : And did you have any answer? Did you like, is there is a hope that they will allow at least the... [cross talk] Spokesman : I think that's a question you need to ask the US authorities. Question : No. But you communicating. You said, you... [cross talk] Spokesman : I understand. Question : Did you receive an answer? Spokesman : I understand what you're saying. I'm saying, I'm not going to communicate on whatever they may have told us. I think, if you want to find out the latest US position, you should speak to them. All right. I would ask you to stay for our guests. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Amid escalating attacks in Gaza, UN rights chief calls on US to withdraw sanctions against Palestinian rights groups 5 September 2025 - Sanctions imposed by the United States on three prominent and well-respected Palestinian human rights groups are "completely unacceptable and should be withdrawn", UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on Friday. The measures announced on Thursday target Al-Haq group, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, in relation to their support of the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, following other sanctions imposed by the US Government in June on renowned Palestinian non-governmental organization (NGO) Addameer. "For decades now, these NGOs have been performing vital human rights work, particularly on accountability for human rights violations," that is "all the more important when international humanitarian and human rights laws are being violated systematically in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem". Mr. Turk urged the US to immediately withdraw its sanctions "as well as the ones imposed earlier on the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, and on multiple Judges and Prosecutors of the ICC." He added that the sanctions will have a "chilling effect" not only on civil society in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, but potentially worldwide. Attacks, famine spread across Gaza The ongoing Israeli offensive to take full control of Gaza City further intensified on Friday, increasing civilian casualties and attacking facilities on which they depend to survive, the UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a press briefing at UN Headquarters. Earlier on Friday, Israeli forces attacked a high-rise building that they say was used to launch attacks against them, damaging tents sheltering displaced people nearby, according to initial information collected by the UN aid coordination office (OCHA). "Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that in the north, people are simply exhausted; they can't afford to move south, not only because displacement sites are overcrowded, but also because transport can cost up to $1,000," Mr. Dujarric said, announcing that nearly 41,000 people have been displaced from Gaza City since 14 August. 'Catastrophe Israel could have prevented': WHO chief Reminding that the offensive is running alongside the spread of famine, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was "a catastrophe that Israel could have prevented and could stop at any time." "Starvation of civilians as a method of war is a war crime that can never be tolerated. Doing so in one conflict risks legitimising its use in future conflicts." Since the conflict began in October 2023, at least 370 people have died from malnutrition in Gaza, including more than 300 just in the past two months, according to the UN health agency, which said the lack of food and clean water and cramped living conditions are leaving people with weakened immune systems. It's also exposing the population to more disease, with more than 100 cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, including 11 deaths, reported in the last month. "The most intolerable part of this man-made disaster is that it could be stopped right now," he said. "People are starving to death while the food that could save them sits on trucks a short distance away. And for what? The starvation of the people of Gaza will not make Israel safer, nor will it facilitate the release of the hostages." While WHO is doing the best it can to alleviate suffering in Gaza, supporting medical evacuations of over 7,640 patients, more than 15,000 others need urgent specialised care, including 3,800 children. More than 700 people have died while waiting for evacuations, Tedros said, calling for countries to "open their arms to these critically ill patients" and on Israel to allow people to be treated in the nearby West Bank and East Jerusalem. "Above all, we call on the Government of Israel to end this inhumane war," he said. "If it will not, I call on its allies to use their influence to stop it." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'A war of atrocities' - UN human rights investigators warn Sudanese civilians are paying the highest price 5 September 2025 - As the nearly 30-month-long conflict in Sudan between rival militaries grinds on, looting, burning, and shelling continues to destroy livelihoods and hope. "They burned everything," said one witness of a shelling attack in the Zamzam displacement camp in war-torn Darfur. "They claimed they only wanted to fight soldiers, but they punished the whole community." The war crimes and human rights violations perpetrated by all parties to the conflict between the military government and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia are documented in the latest report to the UN Human Rights Council, published by the UN's investigative body probing violations in Sudan, known as the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission (FFM). The report, 'A War of Atrocities" found that both the Sudanese army (SAF) and the RSF have directed large-scale attacks against civilians and vital infrastructure including medical centres, constituting serious violations of international law. Systematic human rights abuses "Our findings leave no room for doubt: civilians are paying the highest price in this war," said Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the FFM. According to the report, civilians are being targeted by both sides for their real or perceived affiliation with the opposing side. Executions, torture, and rape have become a daily horror for many communities in the war-torn country. The RSF intentionally directed attacks against non-Arab communities in the besieged Darfuri city of El Fasher and the surrounding region, increasing the toll on what the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, calls the world's fastest-growing displacement crisis. Around 12.1 million people have fallen victim to forced displacement as of July. More civilians were killed or fled after the SAF targeted the state of Gezira. Violence against women Many civilians interviewed for the report said that they had suffered sexual assault. One witness said that she, along with other women and underaged girls, was subjected to rape in an abandoned building. "Victims - especially women and children, who bear the greatest burden - deserve justice and reparations," said Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, one of the independent investigators. For women and girls in Sudan, receiving psychological or medical support is nearly impossible both because of the fear of retaliation from reporting violence and because of regular RSF and SAF attacks on hospitals. Risk for humanitarian workers Over 84 Sudanese humanitarian workers were killed, and more were arbitrarily detained between the start of war in April 2023 and April this year after intentional attacks and kidnappings. The FFM is also conducting an ongoing investigation on a drone attack against a joint World Food Programme and UNICEF convoy in June. Five humanitarian workers died in the attack while several others were injured. Meanwhile, humanitarian aid continues to be delayed or obstructed. A 'roadmap for justice' "Our report not only exposes atrocities, it also lays out a roadmap for justice," said FFM expert Mona Rishmawi. The warring parties, mediators, and civil society can all play a role in ending the conflict, as outlined in the report. Civil society initiatives, such as the Sudanese youth-led initiative "emergency rooms", are some of the ways in which local communities can begin to repair the fabric of basic human rights law across Sudan. The report also calls on the international community to enforce an arms embargo, back the International Criminal Court (ICC), and stop cooperating with any combatants or civilians suspected of war crimes, among other recommendations. "The international community has the tools to act. Failure to do so would not only betray the Sudanese people - it would betray the very foundations of international law," said Mr. Othman. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DR Congo crisis: Funding cuts curtail assistance to victims of sexual violence 5 September 2025 - Sexual violence is rife in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but urgently needed assistance for survivors has had to be halted as sweeping funding cuts bite, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, warned on Friday. The dramatic liquidity crisis currently impacting the UN and its global partners has already prevented a high-level human rights probe into the DRC emergency created in February from getting underway. According to testimonies gathered by OHCHR investigators into widespread violence in DRC's North and South Kivu since January, members of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel paramilitary group "systematically" carried out widespread sexual violence, including gang rape and sexual slavery. And as M23 fighters captured major cities in North and South Kivu including Goma, "women and girls were disproportionately targeted," explained OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani, in reference to a Fact-Finding Mission report into the DRC emergency for the Human Rights Council. "But men, boys, and LGBT individuals were also victims of sexual violence, including in detention." That report documents the failure by all parties to adequately protect civilians in the conduct of hostilities, particularly during the takeover of Goma by M23 and RDF in late January, as well as attacks on schools and hospitals. Loaded into trucks Information gathered by the Fact-Finding Mission indicated that hundreds of children were detained by M23 members this year - and that many were forcibly recruited to fight against government forces, the FARDC. "M23 detained thousands of civilians, primarily during cordon-and-search operations conducted almost daily since January," the mission's report explains. "Many of those detained - mostly able-bodied men and boys around 15 and older - were loaded into trucks and taken away. Relatives of detainees recounted searching for their loved ones going from one place of detention to another, but being chased away, threatened or beaten." The report to the Human Rights Council was intended to serve as a basis for a potential war crimes probe by another senior investigative body - a Commission of Inquiry - that the forum's 47 Member States created in February this year. But the cash crunch affecting the UN's human rights work has left the panel without adequate funding to carry out its mandate, Ms. Shamdasani told journalists in Geneva. Peace deal hopes shattered The report also expresses concern over the lack of focus on accountability and support for victims in the peace agreement signed between the DRC and Rwanda on 27 June. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, urged action and accountability following the publication of the report. "It is heartbreaking and deeply frustrating to witness, once again, the dehumanization of the civilian population by those in power who are failing in their responsibilities," he said. "The swift implementation of the Commission of Inquiry mandated by the Human Rights Council to continue this vital work is essential," he insisted. "We owe no less to the untold number of victims." All warring parties bear responsibility Responding to questions, Ms. Shamdasani noted that information featuring in the DRC report indicated that gross human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law had been committed by all parties to the conflict - "by the M23, supported by Rwandan Defense Forces, as well as Congolese Armed Forces and affiliated armed groups". She added that the M23 group, "with training, material, intelligence, and operational support from the Rwandan Defense Forces", captured major cities in North and South Kivu. Detained and tortured They then engaged in a campaign of intimidation and violent repression through a recurrent pattern of summary executions, torture and enforced disappearances and forced recruitment, such that there are "reasonable grounds" to believe that M23 fighters may have committed crimes against humanity, Ms. Shamdasani added. Rapes were repeated over prolonged periods, she said, often in conjunction with additional acts of physical and psychological torture and other ill-treatment, with the intent to degrade, punish and break the dignity of victims. "Hundreds of children were detained by M23, and young males forcibly recruited. The report exposes the enormous toll of the conflict on children of all ages," the OHCHR spokesperson added. The fact-finding mission report identifies daily violations across the entirety of the territory under the M23's control, indicating a high degree of organization, planning, and resource mobilization. The report also documents grave violations committed by the government FARDC forces and affiliated groups, such as the Wazalendo. It highlights a pattern of killing of civilians and the widespread use of sexual violence, mainly gang rape and rape against women and girls, and looting by members of the FARDC, and Wazalendo during their retreat from the front lines in January and February. "The report further finds that both DRC and Rwanda bear responsibility for their support to armed groups with known track records of serious abuses, and for failing to meet their obligations to take all measures to ensure respect for international humanitarian law and to protect civilians from serious harm," Ms. Shamdasani noted. Help for victims The UN human rights office supports victims of sexual and gender-based violence by focusing on their needs. The office also provides technical assistance and legal frameworks to countries to promote women's and girls' human rights, to prevent and protect them from gender-based violence. As part of their work, UN workers engage with school, religious and community leaders to challenge harmful gender norms about girls' education and their acceptable roles in society. They also lead discussions on the negative consequences of early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Today's top news: Afghanistan, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Ukraine, India UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Afghanistan UN Relief Chief says lives at risk after earthquake without urgent support Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said in a statement today that the devastating earthquake in Afghanistan is the latest crisis to expose the cost of shrinking resources on vital humanitarian work. He noted that within hours of the earthquake, the pooled funds of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released US$10 million to kickstart the response. The de facto authorities have quickly responded, and countries are generously providing relief supplies and critical initial funding. "But this isn't enough," Fletcher warned. "Failing to rally resources now will mean deeper suffering and more lives lost, with winter fast approaching. Donors have stepped up for the people of Afghanistan before - we need them to do so again." Meanwhile, OCHA says that aftershocks are causing further death and destruction, as well as hampering the response in the eastern region. Last night, two further earthquakes - magnitudes 5.6 and 5.2 - struck the same districts already impacted in Kunar Province, causing more casualties, including among aid and health workers deployed to support the response. Shelters and roads have also been damaged. The UN and its partners are responding, but road blockages resulting from last night's earthquakes have delayed deployments of teams and aid deliveries by truck convoys to the area. OCHA says that while the UN and its humanitarian partners are grateful for the generous support to the response, needs are rapidly increasing, and more funding is urgently needed*. *Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Afghanistan with urgent support. Occupied Palestinian Territory Gaza: Gaza city offensive intensifies OCHA says that the ongoing offensive on Gaza city has further intensified today, with unbearable impacts on civilians and the facilities they depend on to survive. Earlier today, Israeli forces attacked a high-rise building that they say was used to execute attacks against them. Initial information collected by OCHA indicates that tents sheltering displaced people were damaged nearby. OCHA is also concerned by the announcement that more high-rise buildings will be attacked soon. These developments are forcing increasing numbers of people to flee, in a place where just about everyone has already been displaced, often many times, and famine has just been confirmed. In the north, people are simply exhausted. They cannot afford to move south, not only because displacement sites are overcrowded, but also because transport can cost more than US$1,000. Between Wednesday and yesterday, partners tracking population movements in Gaza recorded nearly 3,000 movements from the north to the south - mostly from Gaza city. That brings the total since 14 August to nearly 41,000. Meanwhile, OCHA reports that in more and more parts of the Strip, Israeli authorities require any movement of humanitarian personnel to be coordinated with them in advance. On Wednesday and yesterday, humanitarian teams attempted to coordinate 29 such movements, but 19 of them were either denied outright or initially approved but then significantly delayed or otherwise impeded on the ground. Only nine were facilitated, and one had to be cancelled by the organizers. Despite the impediments, teams were able to collect some fuel and supplies related to water, sanitation and hygiene from Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings, and transfer some other items within the Gaza Strip. Humanitarians could also repair a road in Rafah that is needed to improve cargo flow in the south - and they were able to assess the conditions and needs of displaced people in North Gaza. Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) distributed critical nutritional supplies to support hospitalized infants and patients at Al Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis. These included 4,900 units of infant and high-protein formula and 2,000 feeding components. In a social media post, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that these supplies are vital for premature and hospitalized newborns who cannot be breastfed due to medical conditions, as well as for patients requiring specialized nutritional support. To respond to famine and malnutrition at scale, humanitarians working in Gaza continue to call for scaled-up, sustained and safe access - so that enough food and medicines can enter the Strip and reach those who need them. Sustained and unimpeded access directly to the north, including Gaza city, is also critically important. West Bank: Over 2,780 Palestinians injured by Israeli forces or settlers this year OCHA reports that since January, more than 2,780 Palestinians in the West Bank have been injured by Israeli forces or settlers - a 39 per cent increase compared with the same period last year. This includes nearly 500 people injured by Israeli settlers - a two-fold rise over this same timeframe in 2024. As of Monday, OCHA has also documented the demolition of more than 1,150 structures across the West Bank this year for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain. This is a 44 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024. As a result of these demolitions, nearly 1,300 Palestinians were displaced and more than 37,000 were otherwise affected. Democratic Republic of the Congo UN, partners support response to new Ebola outbreak The UN and its humanitarian partners are supporting the Government-led response following the declaration yesterday of a new Ebola outbreak in Kasai Province, in the centre-west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As of 4 September, preliminary figures from national authorities indicate 28 suspected cases and 15 fatalities, including among four front-line health workers. The numbers are provisional and expected to change as surveillance activities are scaled up. The affected areas, particularly Bulape and Mweka health zones, previously experienced outbreaks in 2007, 2008 and 2011. A joint national rapid response team - supported by WHO experts in epidemiology, infection prevention and control, laboratory services, and case management - has been deployed to Kasai Province to strengthen disease surveillance and response capacity. WHO is delivering more than 2 metric tons of essential supplies, including personal protective equipment, mobile laboratory equipment, and medical items to support the immediate response. Haiti Displacement compounds risk of gender-based violence OCHA warns that gender-based violence in Haiti has reached alarming levels. Between January and July of this year, more than 6,200 incidents were reported by service providers. Nearly half of them were rapes, with 75 per cent reportedly committed by members of armed groups. Adult women are the most affected, but one in seven survivors is a girl under 18. OCHA stresses that displacement is amplifying the risks: Just over half of the incidents involved internally displaced people. Yet only a quarter of rape survivors were able to access medical care within the critical 72-hour window due to insecurity, stigma, weak referral systems, and the lack of health facilities in remote areas. In response, 44 humanitarian partners - including UN agencies - have assisted nearly 20,000 people by providing medical care, psychosocial support, legal aid, dignity kits, emergency shelter, and case management between January and July of this year. However, services remain heavily concentrated in the capital Port-au-Prince and in the Artibonite Department, where most partners are based - with other regions, including Centre and the Grand Sud, receiving very limited support. OCHA stresses that chronic underfunding - combined with severe access constraints - is leaving the vast majority of survivors without life-saving care. Just 18 per cent out of the $19 million required for prevention and response to gender-based violence in Haiti has been received to date. Urgent support is needed to expand services to underserved areas and protect women and girls across the country. Ukraine Humanitarian workers killed in attack on demining site in Chernihiv region In a statement yesterday, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, strongly condemned an attack in the Chernihiv region that killed and injured humanitarian workers. Yesterday's missile strike on a humanitarian demining site in the Chernihiv region killed two and injured eight deminers from the Danish Refugee Council. At the time, its teams were clearing landmines and explosive remnants of war in an area heavily contaminated since the start of the full-scale invasion. According to partners, at least four other aid workers have been killed and 34 injured in Ukraine so far this year. Meanwhile, hostilities and attacks continue across the country. Between yesterday and the early hours of today, 10 civilians were killed and more than 20 injured, according to authorities. The regions of Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson were most affected, with significant damage to homes and civilian infrastructure, including a school. Evacuations from front-line regions continue. In the past 24 hours, more than 300 people - including around 100 children - were evacuated from the Donetsk region. Nearly 100 of them found temporary shelter at the Lozova Transit Centre in the Kharkiv region. The UN and its humanitarian partners mobilized emergency assistance across affected regions. They delivered materials for rapid repairs of damaged homes and provided cash and psychological services. India Floods affect hundreds of thousands of people in northern areas OCHA says severe flooding in northern India has had a devastating impact, with the state of Punjab one of the areas hardest hit. Dozens of people have reportedly been killed, with nearly 1,900 villages and more than 380,000 people said to be affected. The floodwaters have submerged hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland. The Government of India is leading response efforts - and the UN stands ready to support, should assistance be requested. Posted on 5 September 2025 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A MiG-29 fighter jet has been spotted over Ukraine bearing Ukrainian insignia but still painted in the camouflage of the Azerbaijani Air Force. This raises the question of how it ended up in Ukraine, as no official transfer between the two countries has been announced. For starters, we need to recall that, before russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, three Azerbaijani MiG-29s were undergoing overhaul at the Lviv State Aircraft Repair Plant in western Ukraine. Footage published merely a month before the invasion shows them on-site, far from being completed, but still with Azerbaijani roundels. The 2021 performance report from the Lviv State Aircraft Repair Plant, featuring Azerbaijani MiG-29 fighters When the russian forces marched in, the plant became a priority target for russian long-range strikes, as both Ukrainian and foreign aircraft were serviced there. It was speculated that the hangar housing the Azerbaijani fighters was destroyed. Yet, this new photo suggests at least one and possibly all three survived, were relocated to a safer place just before the attack or at some earlier point. Afterwards, they just stood idly or had their repairs quietly completed. MiG-29 fighter jet in Azerbaijani camo, now in service of the Ukrainian Air Force.As of February 24, 2022, three MiG-29s operated by the Azerbaijani Air Force have been undergoing repairs and modernization at the Lviv State Aircraft Repair Plant in western Ukraine.Their pic.twitter.com/lY2Xyahg2U Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) September 3, 2025 For over two years, no sign of a MiG-29 in Azerbaijani camouflage surfaced in Ukrainian service, until now. The sudden reappearance strongly suggests that Azerbaijan either formally transferred ownership of the jets or gave tacit approval for Ukraine to use them, given they could not realistically be returned during wartime anyway. This development also coincides with a sharp decline of Azerbaijanirussian relations recently. First, russia shot down an Azerbaijani civilian aircraft, then a wave of arrests of Azerbaijanis with a hint of political motive spread across russia, creating a rift between Baku and Moscow. This could have influenced the decision on letting Kyiv put these fighters to use. The Azerbaijani passenger plane shot down by russians at the crash site / In practical terms, Ukraine's Air Force may have gained up to three additional MiG-29s. While a modest reinforcement, it is still significant amid ongoing attrition. Archive photo: MiG-29 of the Azerbaijani Air Force at the Lviv Aircraft Repair Plant / Photo credit: Mykola Fedorkiv, Army Inform As of 2022, Azerbaijan's Air Force had 15 MiG-29s: 14 acquired in 20062007 and one MiG-29UB in 2009 interestingly, all purchased from Ukraine. Another notable detail is that in 2021, Azerbaijan also bought Israeli I-Derby ER air-to-air missiles for the fleet. UN Relief Chief says lives at risk without urgent support after Afghanistan quake UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Statement on Afghanistan by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (5 September 2025) The Afghanistan earthquake has caused massive devastation. Hundreds of thousands of people in remote areas already scarred by decades of conflict and displacement have lost their homes and livelihoods. Communities hit include those where people returning from Iran and Pakistan had only just begun to rebuild their lives. Explosive ordnance compounds the danger. This is the latest crisis to expose the cost of shrinking resources on vital humanitarian work. Massive funding cuts have already brought essential health and nutrition services for millions to a halt; grounded aircraft, which are often the only lifeline to remote communities; and forced aid agencies to reduce their footprint. Our teams are nevertheless active, led by Humanitarian Coordinator Indrika Ratwatte. Within hours of the earthquake, OCHA's pooled funds released US$10 million to kickstart the response to provide shelter, food, water, child protection, health and logistics support. The de facto authorities have quickly responded. Countries are generously providing relief supplies and critical initial funding. But this isn't enough. Failing to rally resources now will mean deeper suffering and more lives lost, with winter fast approaching. Donors have stepped up for the people of Afghanistan before - we need them to do so again. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address USS John Finn Departs Jakarta Following Port Visit to support Super Garuda Shield 25 US Navy 05 September 2025 From Lt. Victor Murkowski, Destroyer Squadron 15 Public Affairs The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn (DDG 113) departed Jakarta, Indonesia on August 29 after a 5-day port visit to conduct exercises in support of Super Garuda Shield 25. This port visit marked the start of John Finn's scheduled participation in the Indonesia-led Super Garuda Shield 2025, a combined joint multilateral military training exercise between the Indonesia National Armed Forces (TNI), the U.S military and participating allied and partner nations. Super Garuda Shield builds on prior bilateral exercises between U.S. forces and TNI through sharpening readiness and building interoperability between the participating nations to deter aggression and promote peace and stability within the Indo-Pacific region. "Super Garuda Shield is a special opportunity for us to build upon our already strong relationship with Indonesia," said Capt. Dave Huljack, commodore, DESRON 15. "This exercise serves as a way for all our nations to train together and work toward enhancing interoperability, maritime security and our commitment to a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region." While in port, the opening ceremony for Super Garuda Shield 25 was conducted involving the leadership triad from John Finn receiving a welcome from Indonesian naval leadership. Performances from the Cempaku Studio Dance and the Indonesian naval band were conducted to celebrate the arrival of John Finn and the start of Super Garuda Shield 25. John Finn's commanding officer, Cmdr. Daniel O'Neill, expressed his gratitude to the people of Jakarta. "A huge thank you to the people of Jakarta for the warm welcome and hospitality," said O'Neill. "Indonesia is a critical partner for the U.S. Navy and this port visit illustrates the value we place on our allies and partners. We look forward to continuing our long-standing friendship for many decades to come." Other participating nations in Super Garuda Shield 25 include Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, Netherlands, the Republic of Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. John Finn is forward-deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy's largest DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet's principal surface force. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address RESTORING THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF WAR Presidential Actions The White House September 5, 2025 By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose. On August 7, 1789, 236 years ago, President George Washington signed into law a bill establishing the United States Department of War to oversee the operation and maintenance of military and naval affairs. It was under this name that the Department of War, along with the later formed Department of the Navy, won the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II, inspiring awe and confidence in our Nation's military, and ensuring freedom and prosperity for all Americans. The Founders chose this name to signal our strength and resolve to the world. The name "Department of War," more than the current "Department of Defense," ensures peace through strength, as it demonstrates our ability and willingness to fight and win wars on behalf of our Nation at a moment's notice, not just to defend. This name sharpens the Department's focus on our own national interest and our adversaries' focus on our willingness and availability to wage war to secure what is ours. I have therefore determined that this Department should once again be known as the Department of War and the Secretary should be known as the Secretary of War. Sec . 2. Implementation. (a) The Secretary of Defense is authorized the use of this additional secondary title the Secretary of War and may be recognized by that title in official correspondence, public communications, ceremonial contexts, and non-statutory documents within the executive branch. (b) The Department of Defense and the Office of the Secretary of Defense may be referred to as the Department of War and the Office of the Secretary of War, respectively, in the contexts described in subsection (a) of this section. (c) The provisions of this section shall also apply, as appropriate, to subordinate officials within the Department of Defense, who may use corresponding secondary titles such as Deputy Secretary of War or Under Secretary of War in the contexts described in subsection (a) of this section. (d) All executive departments and agencies shall recognize and accommodate the use of such secondary titles in internal and external communications, provided that the use of such titles does not create confusion with respect to legal, statutory, or international obligations. (e) Statutory references to the Department of Defense, Secretary of Defense, and subordinate officers and components shall remain controlling until changed subsequently by the law. (f) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of War shall submit to the President, through the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, a notification for transmittal to the Congress of any office, executive department or agency, component, or command that begins using a secondary Department of War designation. (g) Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of War shall submit to the President, through the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, a recommendation on the actions required to permanently change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. This recommendation shall include the proposed legislative and executive actions necessary to accomplish this renaming. Sec. 3. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. (d) The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department of War. DONALD J. TRUMP THE WHITE HOUSE, September 5, 2025. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address STRENGTHENING EFFORTS TO PROTECT U.S. NATIONALS FROM WRONGFUL DETENTION ABROAD Presidential Actions Executive Orders September 5, 2025 By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 1741 et seq.) (Levinson Act), it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose. The United States must strengthen efforts to protect U.S. nationals from wrongful detention abroad. The United States Government is committed to using every tool available to curb this coercive tactic used by foreign adversaries and must hold such adversaries to account. No American should fear being taken as a political pawn by rogue states. Wrongful detentions are an affront to the rule of law and aim to undermine our leadership on the world stage. The United States will not tolerate these attacks on our sovereignty and U.S. nationals. Sec. 2. Designation. The Secretary of State may designate any foreign country the government of which directly engages in or provides support for the wrongful detention of a U.S. national as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention based on one or more of the following criteria: (a) the wrongful detention of a U.S. national occurs in the foreign country; (b) the government of the foreign country has failed to release a wrongfully detained U.S. national after having been notified by the United States that the detention has been determined wrongful by the Secretary of State; or (c) actions taken by the government of the foreign country indicate, based on the totality of the circumstances: (i) that the government is responsible for, complicit in, or materially supports the wrongful detention of a U.S. national; or (ii) a pattern in which the government is responsible for, complicit in, or materially supports the unjust or unlawful detention of third country nationals in which cases the United States has a national interest, using criteria similar to those used by the Department of State in wrongful detention determinations. Sec. 3. Responses. Upon designation of a foreign country as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention under section 2 of this order, the Secretary of State shall review existing authorities to respond to and deter the actions of a government of a foreign country as outlined in section 2 of this order and take steps to implement the following actions, as appropriate and to the extent consistent with law, including the Levinson Act, including: (a) imposing sanctions available under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); (b) making designations under section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024 (division F of Public Law 118-47; 8 U.S.C. 1182 note), as carried forward by the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2025 (division A of Public Law 119-4), or similar provisions in subsequent acts; (c) applying inadmissibility available under the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) and, as appropriate, coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security on the enforcement thereof; (d) imposing geographic travel restrictions prohibiting the use of a United States passport for travel to or through the designated country under 22 U.S.C. 211a, Executive Order 11295 of August 5, 1966 (Rules Governing the Granting, Issuing, and Verifying of United States Passports), and 22 C.F.R. 51.63(a)(3); (e) restricting assistance provided to the government of the country under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) or any other Federal law; and (f) restricting the export of certain goods to the country under the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.), the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4801 et seq.), or any other Federal law. Sec. 4. Termination of Designation. The Secretary of State may terminate the designation of a foreign country under section 2 of this order based on: (a) a determination by the Secretary of State that the government of the foreign country: (i) has released the U.S. nationals wrongfully detained within the territory of the foreign country; (ii) has demonstrated changes in leadership or policies with respect to wrongful detention; and (iii) has provided credible assurances that the government of the foreign country will not engage or be complicit in or support acts described in section 2 of this order; or (b) the discretion and direction of the President. Sec. 5. Definitions. For the purposes of this order: (a) the term "government" includes the government of a country; any political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof; any person owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by the foregoing; and any person who has acted or purported to act directly or indirectly for or on behalf of, any of the foregoing; (b) the term "person" refers to an individual or entity; (c) the term "entity" refers to a government or instrumentality of such government, partnership, association, trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization; (d) the term "wrongful detention" refers to the detention of a U.S. national the Secretary of State has determined to be unlawful or wrongful pursuant to the Levinson Act; and (e) the term "U.S. national" has the same meaning as "United States national" given in 22 U.S.C. 1741e(2). Sec. 6. Other Detaining Entities. To the extent permitted by applicable law, the provisions of this order referring to a foreign government shall also apply to an entity exercising control over most or all of the territory of a country, regardless of whether such entity has been recognized as the government of such country. Sec. 7. Rule of Construction. This order shall not be construed to impair or otherwise affect any lawfully authorized investigative, protective, information security, or intelligence activity of an officer, agent, or employee of the United States, or any person undertaking such activity or activities pursuant to a contract with the United States. Further, nothing in this order shall be construed to imply that every U.S. national detained in a foreign country designated under section 2 of this order should be or has been determined to be wrongfully detained under the Levinson Act. Sec. 8. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. (d) The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department of State. DONALD J. TRUMP THE WHITE HOUSE, September 5, 2025. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Strengthens Efforts to Protect U.S. Nationals from Wrongful Detention Abroad Fact Sheets The White House September 5, 2025 COUNTERING WRONGFUL DETENTIONS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to enhance efforts to protect U.S. nationals from wrongful detention abroad by authorizing robust responses against foreign governments engaging in such practices. The Order empowers the Secretary of State to designate any foreign country as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention based on their involvement in or support for wrongful detentions of U.S. nationals. It directs the Secretary of State to take appropriate actions with respect to designated countries, including sanctions, inadmissibility of nationals from those countries, travel restrictions, export controls, and other measures under existing laws, to deter and respond to wrongful detentions. The Order allows the Secretary of State to terminate a designation if the foreign government releases wrongfully detained U.S. nationals, has demonstrated changes in leadership or policies with respect to wrongful detention, and provides credible assurances against future violations. The Order also applies to entities controlling significant territory, even if not recognized as governments, to address non-state actors involved in wrongful detentions. SAFEGUARDING AMERICAN CITIZENS: President Trump is addressing the growing use of wrongful detentions by foreign adversaries as a coercive tactic to undermine U.S. sovereignty and leadership. Under the Biden Administration, our adversaries learned that they could take Americans as bargaining chips and that little to nothing would be done about it. Biden's weakness resulted in 24 more Americans taken captive than rescued in four years. Wrongful detentions violate the rule of law and exploit American citizens, with cases like Marc Fogel's detention in Russia lasting over three years. This Order gives the Secretary of State the ability to leverage existing tools against those adversaries to protect Americans abroad and proactively combat this coercive tactic. UPHOLDING AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY: President Trump is committed to bringing every American that is wrongfully detained abroad home. President Trump has consistently advocated for a strong, America First foreign policy that deters adversaries from targeting U.S. nationals. Since returning to office, President Trump and his Administration have secured the release of 72 detained Americans abroad, including: Marc Fogelan American teacher who was wrongfully detained in a Russian prison for yearsreturned home in February, making good on a promise President Trump made to Fogel's 95-year-old mother, Malphine. Ksenia Karelinaan American ballet dancer who was wrongfully detained in a Russian penal colony for 14 monthsreturned home in April. Keith Siegelan American held hostage by Hamas for 484 dayswas freed in February. George Glezmannan American held by the Taliban in Afghanistan for 836 dayswas freed in March, joining Americans Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, who were released on the night of President Trump's inauguration. Edan Alexandera U.S.-Israeli dual citizen who was held hostage by Hamas for 584 daysreturned home in July. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump Signs Order To Label Countries Wrongfully Holding US Citizens As Terror Sponsors By RFE/RL September 06, 2025 US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that could designate countries that have wrongfully detained US citizens as state sponsors of terrorism, including Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, and China. Senior administration officials in a briefing to reporters on September 5 said Washington would target countries holding wrongfully detained Americans as well as those that engage in "hostage diplomacy." "Like the State Sponsor of Terrorism determination, no nation should want to end up on this list," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. The order would impose punitive measures, including sanctions, on those Washington deems are wrongfully holding Americans. A second senior administration official told reporters punitive measures would be similar to those under the current Foreign Terrorist Organization designations, including penalties such as sanctions, export controls, and barring from US entry those determined to be associated with wrongful detentions. "Today, everything changes with regards to rogue regimes and regimes who think Americans can be treated as pawns," the second official told reporters. "We are drawing a very clear delineation today, a line in the sand. You will not use Americans as bargaining chips," said the official, speaking on condition pf anonymity. The officials told reporters the Trump administration had secured the return of 72 U.S. citizens, including those from Russia and Afghanistan. "We've gotten a lot of people out and we'll continue," President Donald Trump said on September 5. Under the policy, Washington would give notice to a country after deeming there had been a wrongful detention, the officials said. The countries would have a certain period of time to act before Washington imposed sanctions. One of the officials said Washington could choose to lift sanctions if it was determined that corrective measures were taking place. "In a case like Iran... or Russia, I think you will see a change here," the official said. US officials have said they believe Russia to be holding nine American citizens. Iran is believed to be holding eight. Russia is under US and European separate sanctions related to its full-scale, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Iran has been designated a State Sponsor of Terrorism by the United States and is also under a full slate of US sanctions. Global Reach, a nonprofit organization that works to secure release of US citizens held hostage or wrongfully detained in foreign countries, hailed the action. "This designation is something that will put real teeth behind the US government's efforts to bring home detained Americans and deter offending nations from engaging in 'hostage diplomacy,'" CEO Mickey Bergman said in a statement. With reporting by Reuters and AP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-hostage- terror-wrongfully-detained-russia-iran- afghanistan/33522913.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russo-Ukraine War - 05 September 2025 - Day 1290 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 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 in total, there have been 122 combat encounters since the beginning of this day. Ukrainian defenders are decisively intercepting the Russian attempts to advance deep into Ukrainian territory, giving him a fiery impression. Today, Russian troops launched two missile and 54 aviation strikes, using six missiles and dropping 79 controlled aviation bombs. In addition, 1,970 kamikaze drones were involved and carried out 3,565 shelling positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements. In the Northern Slobozhansky and Kursky directions, Ukrainian soldiers repel five assault actions of the Russian occupiers. In addition, the enemy launched 11 air strikes, dropping 29 controlled bombs, and carried out 169 shelling positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements, including four from reactive systems of arson-fire. In the South Slobozhansky direction, Russian forces attacked the positions of Ukrainian units near Vovchansk five times. In the Kupiansk direction, the Russian aggressor carried out offensive actions in the areas of the settlements of Kupiansk, Petropavlivka and Kolisnikivka. Ukrainian defenders have stopped six Russian attacks, so far one combat is being sharpened. In the Lyman direction, Russian invaders attacked 15 times the positions of Defense Forces near the settlements of Andriyivka, Druzhelyubivka, Kolodyazi, Drobisheve and towards Olgivka and Shandrigolovy. Fights do not subside in two locations. Twelve Russian assault actions were repelled by Ukrainian defenders in the Siversky direction - the Russian occupiers tried to advance near Grigorivka, Serebryanka, Dronivka, Fedorivka, Viymka and in the direction of Dibrova. Two Russian attacks repelled Ukrainian defenders in the area of Stupochok in the Kramators komu direction. In the Toretsky direction, the Russians 11 times went into offensive on the positions of Ukrainian units in the areas of Pleshiyivka, Rusiny Yar and Poltavka. Defense forces stopped all enemy attacks. In the Pokrovsky direction since the beginning of the day, the Russian occupiers tried 38 times to advance on the position of Ukrainian units. The Russian enemy attacked in the areas of settlements Shahove, Nikanorivka, Rodinske, Novoekonomicne, Mayak, Rubizhne, Suhiy Yar, Shevchenko, Ray, Pokrovsk, Kotline, Udacne, Dachne and in the direction of Filija and Novopavlivka. Four fighting clashes are still ongoing. According to preliminary data, today in this direction 132 Russian occupants were defecated, 80 of them - irrevocably. Ukrainian soldiers also destroyed nine cars, 19 unmanned aircraft, four special equipment units; one drone control point and two Russian cannons were damaged. In the Novopavlovsk direction, Russian forces 22 times tried to break through the defense of Ukrainian defenders in the areas of the settlements of Green Gai, Filiya, Piddubne, Oleksandrograd, Voskresenka, Temirivka, Shevchenko, Maliivka, Komyshuvakha. The fights are ongoing in four locations. In the direction of Gulyaipils komu, the Russian opponent did not carry out offensive actions. In the orihivs komu direction, the Defense Forces repelled one attack of the Russian zagarbnikiv towards stepnogirsk. The Russian enemy caused an aviation strike on the settlement of novoadriivka. Ukrainian soldiers repelled three Russian attacks in the Pridniprovsk direction. Lviv was hit by unkempt aviation missiles. In the rest of the destinations, there are no special changes. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Washington, D.C. sues Trump administration over National Guard deployment People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 15:15, September 05, 2025 WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Washington, D.C. has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the deployment of National Guard troops in the nation's capital, the district's Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced Thursday. "We are suing to block the unlawful deployment of National Guard troops to DC," Schwalb posted on social media platform X. "The forced military occupation of the District of Columbia violates our local autonomy and basic freedoms. It must end." The attorney general's office argues that the deployment violates the Home Rule Act which grants a local government (like a municipality or a district) the authority to govern itself, exercising powers of governance within its own administrative area. The lawsuit was filed less than one month after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 11 on deploying the National Guard to D.C. to help restore law and order and ensure public safety. Aside from the original 800 National Guard troops, six Republican-led states have supported the president's effort by sending additional personnel, bringing the total deployment in D.C. to over 2,000. The D.C. lawsuit follows a court victory by the Democratic-run U.S. state of California earlier this week. On Tuesday, District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco ruled that the Trump administration violated a 19th-century law barring the use of soldiers for civilian law enforcement when it deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June. Schwalb, a Democrat, noted that the National Guard deployment not only undermines public safety, but also hurts the district's economy by depressing key sectors such as restaurants, hotels and tourism. The Trump administration countered that the deployment has helped drive down violent crime in the district. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Buckley SFB supports Ulchi Freedom Shield 25 United States Space Force Published Sept. 4, 2025 By Staff Sgt. Danielle McBride Space Base Delta 2 Public Affairs BUCKLEY SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) -- The operations floor buzzed with activity as screens flashed exercise data and voices traded rapid updates across the room. Among the thousands participating in exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield 25, a select group of Airmen and Guardians from Buckley Space Force Base brought their expertise to South Korea for the combined, joint, all-domain exercise running Aug. 18-28. UFS25 is a defense-focused training event that strengthens the partnership between South Korea and the U.S., enhancing the alliance's combined defense posture through realistic, all-domain scenarios. The exercise spans land, sea, air, space, cyber and information operations, blending live-fire events with large-scale simulations. It also incorporates specialized training such as noncombatant evacuation operations and countering weapons of mass destruction, with participation from United Nations Command. Buckley SFB's presence is felt in subtle but critical ways. In one section of the air operations center, intelligence specialists worked alongside the Republic of Korea air force, building simulated threat reports and fusing disparate information into a clear picture for commanders. "Our primary focus was assisting the Seventh Air Force intelligence director in coordinating and completing requests for information from multiple sources, including senior U.S. and ROK leadership in the Combined Air Component Command," said 1st Lt. Darryl Hofstee, 566th Intelligence Squadron overhead collection manager. "Intel provides the critical assessments that allow commanders to make informed decisions in real time." Hofstee noted that while his work at Buckley SFB typically emphasizes tactical and operational impacts, UFS25 offered an invaluable opportunity to operate on a broader scale. He was able to expand his knowledge and see how U.S. Air Force senior leadership thinks during a conflict. "Experiencing that mix of tactical, operational and strategic decision-making has been extremely beneficial, and it's a perspective many don't get the chance to see," Hofstee added. Just across the hall, U.S. Space Force Guardians brought a space domain perspective into the fight. Sgt. Hannah Powers, 72nd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron Detachment 7, foreign instrumentation signals intelligence journeyman, worked in the Intelligence Cell as an analyst. Her role, along with many other Guardians, was to maintain space domain awareness over the Korean Peninsula and ensure commanders understood how events unfolding in orbit could impact operations on the ground. "Collaborating with Airmen, Guardians and ROK members, each bringing unique skill sets, has been incredible," Powers said. "The wealth of knowledge around the table is amazing, and the conversations we have to achieve our common goals show how powerful true integration can be." Far from being outside the operational fight, the first sergeant's role is woven directly into the fabric of the mission. Senior Master Sgt. Ryan McCammon, Space Base Delta 2 first sergeant, has been on the ground in South Korea for more than a month, helping to transform an empty stretch of land into what participants call "Tent City." Working with his team, he set up 26 tents and oversaw the creation of a safe, functional living environment for nearly 500 augmentees. For McCammon, the job goes far beyond accountability and schedules. He spends his days checking in with Airmen and Guardians while making sure the basics of rest, morale and well-being are taken care of. "Readiness isn't just about equipment and plans," he said. "It's about people." That people-first approach has meant everything from ensuring Airmen and Guardians understand local customs and courtesies as representatives of the U.S. Air Force, to collecting feedback and adjusting living conditions in real time. McCammon described it as building not just tents, but a culture of resilience, a space where individuals can reset, recharge, and be mentally ready for the mission ahead. While McCammon and his team focused on the human side of readiness, Buckley SFB's footprint extended into the information environment as well. Staff Sgt. Danielle McBride, Space Base Delta 2 public affairs craftsman, played a critical role in monitoring media across the peninsula, countering misinformation, and keeping senior leaders informed of how U.S. and ROK activities were being perceived. By maintaining awareness of the information domain, public affairs supported the exercise's larger goal of demonstrating alliance transparency and credibility to both partners and adversaries alike. Though just a handful among thousands, the Airmen and Guardians from Buckley SFB carried weight far beyond their numbers. Their contributions, from monitoring adversary movements, to building and sustaining the human foundation of the mission, reflected the diverse expertise required to execute a modern, all-domain exercise like UFS25. As the exercise concluded, each specialty fulfilled its mission, but it was the cohesion between them that showcased the strength of the U.S.-ROK alliance. For Buckley SFB's Airmen and Guardians, that unity was forged not only through advanced capabilities, but through leadership committed to ensuring the people behind the mission remain ready to carry it forward. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump Says He Believes Belarus To Release Hundreds Of Political Prisoners In 'Near Future' By RFE/RL September 06, 2025 US President Donald Trump, who surprised many by speaking to Belarus ruler Aleksandr Lukashenko by phone last month, said he believes the Eastern European nation will be releasing many of the hundreds of political prisoners it is holding. "I believe they're going to be releasing a lot of those 1,400," Trump told reporters on September 5, adding that it could happen "in the pretty near future." He did not offer details. The US president said on August 15 that he had made a phone call to the authoritarian Lukashenko just hours before his Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has close ties to the Belarusian leader. Trump at the time wrote on social media -- describing Lukashenko as "the highly respected President" -- that his conversation had focused on the release of political prisoners. For Lukashenko, long criticized and isolated by the West as a dictator and staunch Putin ally, Trump's call represented a diplomatic breakthrough. According to Valer Kavaleuski, head of an exiled think tank called the Euro-Atlantic Affairs Agency, Trump's emphasis on political prisoners was deeply symbolic. "Trump put the humanitarian issue, the release of political prisoners, at the very top of his message," Kavaleuski told RFE/RL "This highlights that humanitarian negotiations are convenient for both Minsk and Washington. They avoid difficult issues like geopolitics or the war in Ukraine, while appearing noble and dignified because they are about people's lives." Among those imprisoned in Belarus is RFE/RL journalist Ihar Losik, who was arrested in June 2020 in the lead up to the country's contested presidential election in August of that year. In its aftermath, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest the result, which was widely considered by international observers to have been rigged in Lukashenko's favor. Maryna Kasinerava of Dissidentby, which supports political prisoners, said the exact number of political prisoners in Belarus is not known. "The system has done everything to hide crimes against human rights, including closing court schedules," she said. The Belarusian Vyasna human rights center said that, as of September 6, it has documented 1,197 people in Belarus who are considered to be political prisoners. "Most of these people were targeted by politically motivated criminal prosecution in connection with the events that took place during and after the presidential election of August 2020," the group said. The country was rocked by massive protests over the disputed presidential election that saw long-time authoritarian ruler Lukashenko emerge with his sixth consecutive term. The opposition and Western governments say the vote was rigged. It led to a brutal crackdown by the Belarus authorities and mass arrests of people linked to the street protests. In the past five years, 8,532 people have faced politically motivated criminal charges, and 7,299 have been sentenced, Vyasna said. Rights defenders say the release of hundreds of political prisoners would be highly welcomed. But they underline that, unless repression ceases, such a move will be more of a tactical maneuver than a systemic change. With reporting by Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-trump- political-prisoners-lukashenko/33522903.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Kazakhstan discuss renewal of relations between two countries The Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Kazakhstan Andriy Sybiha and Murat Nurtleu discussed ways to develop cooperation and further contacts over the phone. "Building on the recent contacts between leaders of Ukraine and Kazakhstan, I had a substantive call with my Kazakh colleague Murat Nurtleu. We focused on the comprehensive renovation of our bilateral relations, ways to develop cooperation, and further contacts," Sybiha wrote on the social network X on Saturday. "I also informed my counterpart about Ukraines efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace," the Ukrainian foreign minister said. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun's Regular Press Conference on September 5, 2025 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: September 05, 2025 19:49 At the invitation of Premier of the State Council Li Qiang, Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro will pay an official visit to China from September 8 to 10. CCTV: To follow up on Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro's visit to China, could you share with us the program and China's expectations of the visit? What's China's comment on its current relations with Portugal? Guo Jiakun: This is Prime Minister Luis Montenegro's first visit to China. During the visit, President Xi Jinping will meet with him. Premier Li Qiang and Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee Zhao Leji will have talks and meet with him respectively. They will have in-depth exchanges of views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest. China and Portugal enjoy traditional friendship. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, the two sides have stayed committed to the strategic direction featuring mutual respect, openness and inclusiveness and joint effort, and achieved positive outcomes in exchange and cooperation in such areas as trade, green development, technology and culture, delivering tangibly for the two peoples. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-Portugal comprehensive strategic partnership. Through this visit, China stands ready to work with Portugal to deepen strategic mutual trust, enhance friendly exchanges, expand mutually beneficial cooperation through high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and advance the China-Portugal comprehensive strategic partnership. A recent derailment on a funicular railway in Lisbon resulted in multiple deaths and injuries. We mourn for the lives lost, and our hearts go out to the bereaved families. We wish the injured a speedy recovery. EFE: It's reported that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that her government is considering imposing tariffs on imports from countries that do not have trade agreements with Mexico, including China. What's China's comment? Guo Jiakun: I'm not familiar with the specifics. China-Mexico economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial and its fruits benefit the two peoples. China advocates a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization and opposes unilateralism and protectionism in any form and discriminatory and exclusive measures. We also firmly oppose setting restrictions on China and undermining China's legitimate rights and interests with all kinds of excuses under the coercion of others. We believe that relevant countries will uphold independence and properly handle relevant issues. The Australian: Victorian Premier from the State of Victoria in Australia Dan Andrews was a guest at the parade on Wednesday in Beijing. He shook hands with Chinese leader on the red carpet. There's been criticism in Australia about Mr. Andrews attending that event because it included President Vladimir Putin. What's the Chinese government's comment on the criticism of Mr. Andrews' attendance at the parade? Guo Jiakun: Leaders, former political dignitaries, high-level officials, foreign diplomatic envoys in China and international friends from many countries attended the commemorative events marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. It demonstrates their aspiration and determination to jointly protect historical memory and defend peace and justice. China sincerely hopes that all people in the world will learn from history, carry forward the common values of humanity, firmly defend international fairness and justice and jointly create a better future for humanity. Dragon TV: It's reported that on September 1 local time, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army led by Abdelwahid Mohamed Nour in western Sudan said in a statement that on August 31, a landslide struck a village in the Marra Mountains area in Central Darfur, Sudan, killing over 1,000 people. What's China's comment? Guo Jiakun: We noted the landslide in a village in the Marra Mountains area of western Sudan. China expresses condolences to the victims and sincere sympathies to the bereaved families. Bloomberg: South Africa's Defense Department has requested a postponement of joint exercises with the navies of Russia and China, which was supposed to happen in November. The reason why they're requesting this postponement is that it coincides with the G20 in Johannesburg. Can the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirm this request for postponement and offer any additional response or details? Guo Jiakun: I'd refer you to competent authorities for your specific question. China supports South Africa's G20 presidency. CGTN: We've learned that China agreed to join the New York Declaration, the outcome document of the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. What's your comment? Guo Jiakun: The Palestinian question is at the core of the Middle East issue, and to implement the two-State solution is the only viable solution to the question. China agreed to join the New York Declaration, which is in line with our consistent position on the question. The Palestinian question is now at a crucial juncture. We support all efforts that are conducive to the political settlement of the question. We will continue to work with the international community to make unremitting efforts towards the end of the fighting in Gaza, deescalation of the humanitarian crisis, implementation of the two-State solution, and the ultimate, comprehensive, just and lasting resolution of the Palestinian question. Reuters: According to a White House official, U.S. President Trump has said on a call with the "Coalition of the Willing" countries that "European leaders must place economic pressure on China for funding Russia's war efforts." How does China respond to this? Guo Jiakun: China upholds an objective and fair position on the Ukraine crisis. China did not start the Ukraine crisis, nor is China a party to it. We firmly oppose directing the issue at China and imposing so-called "economic pressure" on China. The Paper: In response to the Foreign Ministry spokesperson's remarks on the Philippines allowing the visit by head of the foreign affairs department of the Taiwan authorities, the Philippine defense minister Gilbert Teodoro said that China should not impose its red line on the Philippines and that it's the Philippines' sovereignty to accept Taiwan officials. Teodoro said no government official met with Lin Chia-lung and the Philippines is "committed to the one-China policy" but "China has no right to dictate." What's your comment? Guo Jiakun: China has stated its solemn position on the Philippines allowing the visit by head of the foreign affairs department of the Taiwan authorities. The Philippines has repeatedly adopted wrongful and provocative words and deeds on Taiwan-related issues, violated basic norms governing international relations and its commitment on Taiwan-related issues, and kept undermining its relations with China and trampling on China's red line. The Philippines will pay the price and all consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the Philippines. We noted that Philippine Defense Minister Gilbert Teodoro and other people made irresponsible remarks and deliberately made provocations on the Taiwan question and other China-related issues on multiple occasions. They blatantly challenged China's core interest, red line and bottom line. China never tolerates and firmly opposes such moves. Our message to the Philippines is that for anyone in the Philippines who tries to be a troublemaker on the Taiwan question, interferes in China's internal affairs, or undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, their action will only backfire. We urge those individuals to quit their theatrics and stop making provocations. The Australian: The Australian government on Wednesday didn't send any ministers to the parade of Beijing. The Australian ambassador in China was on the other side of the country in Guangzhou. What's the Chinese government's comment? Guo Jiakun: China held the commemorative events marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War to remember history, honor the fallen heroes, cherish peace and create a better future. The Chinese and Australian people have upheld justice and fought together in the World Anti-Fascist War. China stands ready to establish a right perception of history, jointly defend the outcomes of WWII victory and post-war international order and safeguard world peace and stability together with all peace-loving nations and peoples. AFP: The U.S. company Anthropic said it is blocking its AI services from Chinese-controlled companies due to security risks. What's the Foreign Ministry's comment? Guo Jiakun: I'm not familiar with the specifics. Let me stress that China opposes politicizing trade and sci-tech issues and using them as a weapon and a tool. Such practice does no one good. The Australian: The Australian navy joined a Canadian navy ship, a Philippine navy ship and a U.S. Navy ship for joint navigation in what the Australian government says "the Philippines' exclusive maritime zone" without saying what the Chinese state media called the South China Sea. What's the Chinese government's comment? Guo Jiakun: The spokesperson of the PLA Southern Theater Command made remarks on this issue. Relevant countries have conducted the so-called joint navigation in the South China Sea to flex muscle and stoke confrontation, which will only escalate tensions and destabilize the region. China is firmly resolved in defending its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests and upholding peace and stability in the South China Sea. We urge the relevant countries to stop forming small groupings and making trouble in the South China Sea and undermining regional peace and stability. AFP: The U.S. president plans to change the name of the Defense Department back to the Department of War as a secondary title. What's the ministry's comment? Guo Jiakun: This is the U.S.'s domestic affair. I will not make a comment. AFP: The U.S. president said he would soon slap tariffs on semiconductor companies not shifting production to America. What's the ministry's comment? Guo Jiakun: China's position on the tariff issue is consistent and clear. The Australian: The Australian ambassador or ministers weren't at the parade, but some Western countries turned up in 2015, sometimes at a leader level, certainly at an ambassador level or much higher. And 10 years on, they're not there. What's China's comment? Guo Jiakun: September 3 marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. It's also the day celebrated by all peace-loving countries and people, including the Chinese people. We hosted relevant events in order to remember history, honor the fallen heroes, cherish peace and create a better future. Bloomberg: I want to take stock today after we had very busy activities. We've had the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. We've had Chinese leader meeting with various leaders, including India's Mr. Modi, Russia's Putin and obviously Kim Jong-un from North Korea in addition with the parade this week. What I would like to ask you is if you could offer some words that would characterize these events from a Chinese perspective. People are using different words like historic, momentous or significant. How on the spectrum would you describe these events? And secondly, how should capitals, including and especially I would say Western capitals, view the events? What sort of signal or interpretation would you like for them to have? What is the message after these very significant events? Guo Jiakun: As regard to the SCO Summit in Tianjin and the events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, China released relevant readouts. Let me stress that as the rotating chair of the SCO in 2025, we successfully hosted the SCO Summit in Tianjin. When meeting the press after the summit, Foreign Minister Wang Yi shared information on the eight major outcomes. We stand ready to work with all the SCO member countries to usher the SCO into a new stage of high-quality development and uphold peace and development in the region. I just shared with you our purpose to host the commemorative events. Only by remembering history can we have a deeper understanding of the hard-won peace and create a better future for all humanity. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address North Korean leader vows to 'fully support' Russia as Putin hails 'special' ties Iran Press TV Thursday, 04 September 2025 6:10 PM North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has expressed readiness to "fully support" Russia, while Russian President Vladimir Putin called ties between the two countries "special". In a two-and-a-half-hour meeting in Beijing, Kim described his support for Russia as a "fraternal duty," vowing to do "everything I can to assist" Moscow, North Korea's official news agency KCNA reported Thursday. The two leaders met on the sidelines of a celebration marking 80 years since China's victory over Japan during World War II, discussing in detail long-term plans for partnership and reaffirming their "steadfast will" to elevate bilateral relations to a higher level. "Comrade Kim Jong-un and President Putin exchanged candid opinions on important international and regional issues," KCNA said. Putin "highly praised" North Korean soldiers fighting against Ukraine and emphasized that the two countries' relations are "special ones of trust, friendship, and alliance". Putin also invited Kim to visit Russia, the report said. In their first formal sit-down in six years, Kim also held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday, according to Chinese state media. Xi, Putin, and Kim took center stage at China's military parade the first such gathering of the three countries' leaders since the early days of the Cold War. China hosted the parade following the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, attended by dozens of heads of state and government, including from Iran, India, Turkey, Vietnam, Malaysia, Pakistan, Belarus, Serbia, and Slovakia. The countries form the face of an emerging bloc of countries determined to push back against Western hegemony and alter the global balance of power, particularly as US President Donald Trump upends American alliances and wages a trade war. Last year, Putin and Kim signed a mutual defense treaty, pledging that each side would come to the other's aid in the event of an armed conflict. In July, Kim met with Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov in North Korea's eastern coastal city of Wonsan, where the two sides held their second strategic dialogue and pledged further cooperation under the aforementioned partnership treaty. The unprecedented gathering of the world's emerging powers, along with China's display of its most advanced weaponry including long-range intercontinental missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads has intimidated Western policymakers, with Trump accusing the attendees of conspiracy. "Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America," Trump said on Wednesday, to which the Kremlin later dismissed the claims, asserting that "no one even had this in their thoughts." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Receives Congratulatory Message from Russian President Korean Central News Agency of DPRK Pyongyang, September 5 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un , president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, received a message of greeting from V. Putin, president of the Russian Federation, on Sept. 4. In the message, the Russian president extended the warmest congratulations to the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un on the occasion of the founding anniversary of the DPRK. Our country recognized the new Korean state before any other countries 77 years ago, the message said, adding: Since then, relations between Moscow and Pyongyang have honourably overcome the trials of the times. The heroic participation by your combat unit in liberating the territory of Kursk Region from aggressors is a clear symbol of Russia-DPRK friendship and mutual assistance. I am sure that we will as ever consolidate the comprehensive strategic partnership between our two countries with joint efforts. This fully meets the interests of the friendly peoples of Russia and the DPRK and will contribute to ensuring the security and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the whole of Northeast Asia. I wish you good health and success and all your compatriots peace and prosperity. With best regards. -0- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Receives Greetings from Iranian President Korean Central News Agency of DPRK Pyongyang, September 5 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un , president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, received a message of greeting from Masoud Pezeshkian, president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on Sept. 4. In the message, the Iranian president extended warm congratulations to the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un on the occasion of September 9, the founding anniversary of the DPRK. He expressed the belief that the relations between the two countries would further grow stronger in the future, too, thanks to the will of the leaders of the two countries to develop the bilateral relations. He wished Kim Jong Un good health and success in his work and the people of the dignified DPRK happiness and prosperity. -0- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Receives Congratulatory Message from General Secretary of C.C, CPV and President of SRV Korean Central News Agency of DPRK Pyongyang, September 5 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, on September 4 received a congratulatory message from To Lam, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and Luong Cuong, president of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV). In the message, on behalf of the Vietnamese party, the state and the people and on their own behalves they extended the warmest congratulations to the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un and, through him, to the WPK, the state and its people on the occasion of the 77th founding anniversary of the DPRK (September 9, 1948-September 9, 2025). Highly praising the fraternal WPK, the state and its people for achieving important successes over the past 77 years, and extending congratulations to them, the Vietnamese party, the state and its people are convinced that the fraternal DPRK people will continue to successfully accomplish the goals and tasks for the socio-economic development set forth at the Eighth Congress of the WPK under the leadership of the WPK headed by the respected General Secretary Kim Jong Un , president of the State Affairs, and thus open up a new origin of prosperity and development, the message said. The two countries have set 2025 marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as the "year of Vietnam-DPRK friendship", so this year has been of great significance for each country and in the history of bilateral relations, the message added They are pleased that the traditional relations of friendship between the two parties and the two countries are steadily developing and, in particular, an important progress is being made after the official goodwill visit of General Secretary Kim Jong Un , president of the State Affairs, to Vietnam in March 2019, the message said. The message said Vietnam wishes to contribute to the peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world by developing the cooperative relations between the two parties and the two countries in a more substantial and effective way in the interests of the people of each country together with the DPRK side, and it is ready for it. Availing themselves of this opportunity, they wish Kim Jong Un good health, the DPRK prosperity and the DPRK people happiness, extending friendly greetings to him. They expressed their hope to meet Kim Jong Un as soon as possible. -0- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Has Talks with Comrade Xi Jinping Korean Central News Agency of DPRK Pyongyang, September 5 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, had talks with Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and president of the People's Republic of China, at the Great Hall of the People in the afternoon on Sept. 4. The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un was warmly welcomed by Comrade Xi Jinping. Kim Jong Un exchanged greetings with delight with Xi Jinping and had a photo taken with him against the background of the national flags of the two countries. He expressed thanks to the Chinese party, government and people for having given special hospitality to the DPRK delegation with sincerity and congratulated them on their holding of excellent and splendid 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 as a grand political festival. He said that China showed its firm determination to defend world peace and clearly demonstrated its important international position and influence on this occasion. On behalf of the Chinese party, government and people, Xi Jinping warmly welcomed once again Kim Jong Un 's visit to the People's Republic of China and said that his participation in the 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 served as an important occasion of showing the firm will of the DPRK side to resolutely defend the outcome of the victory in the Second World War and of further developing the friendly and cooperative relations between the two parties and between the two countries. Xi Jinping said that China and the DPRK are good neighbors, good friends and good comrades who share the destiny and help each other. Noting that the Chinese party and government are attaching great importance to the traditional China-DPRK friendship, he expressed his willingness to successfully defend, consolidate and develop the China-DPRK relations. Noting that no matter how the international situation may change, this stand will not change, he said that as in the past, the Chinese side in the future, too, supports the DPRK in its struggle to steadily open up a new phase of the Korean-style socialist cause while taking the road of development suited to its actual conditions. Affirming that the friendly feelings between the DPRK and China can not change no matter how the international situation may change and it is the steadfast will of the WPK and the government of the DPRK to steadily develop the DPRK-China relations, Kim Jong Un said that the DPRK will as ever invariably support and encourage the stand and efforts of the Communist Party of China and the government of the People's Republic of China to defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and development interests of the state. At the talks, the top leaders of the two countries had an open-minded exchange of views on the issues of intensifying the high-level visits and strategic communication between the DPRK and the PRC and informed each other of the independent policy stands maintained by the parties and governments of the two countries in the field of external relations. They also referred to the issue of strengthening strategic cooperation and defending common interests in international and regional affairs. The talks proceeded in a warm and friendly atmosphere. That evening Xi Jinping hosted a reception for Kim Jong Un . -0- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Leaves Beijing for Home after Finishing His Visit to China Korean Central News Agency of DPRK Pyongyang, September 5 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, left Beijing by his private train in the evening of September 4 after finishing his visit to the People's Republic of China. Seen at the railway station were Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), member of the Secretariat and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and foreign minister, Yin Yong, mayor of Beijing, and other senior officials of the Chinese party and government and Wang Yajun, Chinese ambassador to the DPRK, who came there to see off the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un . Kim Jong Un exchanged farewells with leading officials of the Chinese party and government. Expressing thanks to the sincerity of the Chinese party and government for making the greatest effort in good faith for his successful visit, Kim Jong Un wished the PRC eternal prosperity and its people wellbeing. His private train left Beijing Railway Station amid the warm send-off by the Chinese comrades. Kim Jong Un 's visit to the PRC marked a historic occasion which further strengthened the political trust and strategic cooperation between the two parties and two countries and showed the invariability and invincibility of the DPRK-China friendly relations that were formed in the joint struggle for the victory of the socialist cause and overcame all sorts of trials and challenges. -0- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kim at Meeting With Xi Says North Korean-Chinese Friendship Unbreakable - State Media Sputnik News 20250905 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping that the friendship between the two countries will remain unbreakable, pledging continued support for the Chinese government, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday. Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Xi and Kim, along with other heads of state, attended ceremonial events to mark the 80th anniversary of China's victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War and the end of World War II. The leaders of Russia and North Korea attended a military parade at Tiananmen Square and a reception at the Great Hall of the People, after which they held bilateral talks. "Comrade Kim Jong Un affirmed that the friendly feelings between the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] and China cannot change no matter how the international situation may change. He said that it is the steadfast will of the WPK and the government of the DPRK to steadily develop the DPRK-China relations, and the DPRK will as ever invariably support and encourage the stand and efforts of the Communist Party of China and the government of the PRC [People's Republic of China] to defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and development interests of the state," the statement read. Kim thanked the party, the government and the people of China for the hospitality expressed for the Korean delegation and congratulated them on the successful holding of celebrations on the 80th anniversary of the victory, assuring Xi that the continuous development of Korean-Chinese relations is North Korean government's "steadfast will." Kim expressed his firm intention to continue supporting China's efforts to protect "sovereignty, territorial integrity and development interests of the state." Xi confirmed that the North Korean leader's participation in the celebrations held in Beijing was an important step in the development of cooperation between the two countries. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Commander: Iran's Air Force downed drones, repelled attacks in 12-day war with Israel Iran Press TV Thursday, 04 September 2025 6:46 PM The commander of Iran's Air Force says Iranian military personnel carried out continuous aerial operations during a recent 12-day war with Israel, including downing several drones and intercepting hostile aircraft. Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi, who heads the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF), said pilots, commanders, and technical staff conducted round-the-clock combat, reconnaissance, and air defense missions in response to the unprovoked aggression by Israel on June 13. "From the first minutes of the war imposed by the Zionist regime, pilots from Shahid Babayi Air Base in Isfahan and other bases carried out combat flights over Tehran and other strategic areas, successfully intercepting advanced enemy drones," Vahedi said during a speech in Tehran. He said the IRIAF responded to all requests from the country's integrated air defense network, and that fighter jets repeatedly confronted "enemy flight formations," preventing them from reaching their targets. The Iranian military employed its full air force capacity during the 12-day war. Vahedi said the Air Force conducted dozens of missions, some of which remain classified due to security concerns. "During the 12-day imposed war with the Zionist regime, the focus of commanders, pilots, and technical staff was on carrying out combat operations, as well as patrol, reconnaissance, and scramble flights against the enemy's manned and unmanned aircraft," he said. "The Air Force is fully prepared to defend Iran's airspace under any circumstances," he added. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New war room chief: Iranian forces stronger than ever after recent war Iran Press TV Thursday, 04 September 2025 7:22 PM Major General Ali Abdollahi, newly appointed commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, says Iran's Armed Forces are now "more prepared" and possess enhanced capabilities following the recent 12-day war with Israel and the US. General Abdollahi was appointed by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei after the martyrdom of Major General Gholam Ali Rashid and his successor Major General Ali Shadmani, both of whom were assassinated during Israeli strikes on Iran in June. The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters serves as the unified combatant command of Iran's armed forces. It functions under the General Staff and is responsible for planning and coordinating joint military operations among the branches of the Iranian military. In a statement marking the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) and the start of Unity Week an annual event promoting Sunni-Shia unity General Abdollahi emphasized the importance of national cohesion and religious solidarity. He praised the "sacred unity" displayed by Iranians during the recent war, saying it was key to thwarting the "hostile objectives of the Zionist enemy and the United States against the country". "The enemy is attempting to inflame the domestic atmosphere through psychological and media warfare, even as it grapples with internal, regional, and international challenges of its own," he said. Abdollahi added that Iran's armed forces are now in a stronger position than prior to the war. "The Armed Forces are better prepared than before the recent imposed war and possess greater and more advanced capabilities," he said. He reassured the public that there is no cause for concern about the nation's future, and emphasized the military's ongoing readiness. "The Armed Forces are always fully prepared to protect the country's sovereignty, national security, and the achievements of the Islamic Revolution," Abdollahi stated. On June 13, Israel launched a blatant and unprovoked aggression against Iran, triggering a 12-day war that killed at least 1,064 people in the country, including military commanders, nuclear scientists, and ordinary civilians. The United States also entered the war by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites in a grave violation of international law. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Revenues from taxes, fees and mandatory payments to the general and special funds of the state budget of Ukraine for the eight months of 2025 amounted to UAH 2.40 trillion, while cash expenditures - UAH 3.23 trillion, which is approximately 24.2% and 23.7% higher than the corresponding indicators for the eight months of 2024. According to the data of the State Treasury Service, published by the Ministry of Finance on its website, for the general fund, revenues increased by 20.4% - to UAH 1.71 trillion, while expenditures - by 19.4%, to UAH 2.50 trillion. At the same time, in August of this year, state budget revenues compared to August of last year decreased by 30.1%, to UAH 314.2 billion, including in the general fund - by 37.3%, to UAH 242.9 billion. This is due to significantly lower grant revenues - UAH 44 billion in August 2025 versus UAH 228.1 billion in August 2024. It is noted that after raising military levy from 1.5% to 5% and introducing the condition of a salary reservation of UAH 20,000 this year, personal income tax and military levy moved from fourth to second place in terms of revenues for the eight months of this year - UAH 230.9 billion versus UAH 134.5 billion last year. In addition, the main revenues were provided by VAT on goods imported into the customs territory of Ukraine - UAH 340.4 billion (for 8 months of 2024 - UAH 302.1 billion), corporate income tax - UAH 211.6 billion (UAH 195.3 billion), VAT on goods produced in Ukraine - UAH 206.5 billion for reimbursement of UAH 116.1 billion (UAH 175 billion for reimbursement of UAH 95.8 billion), excise tax - UAH 186.3 billion (UAH 129.6 billion). In addition, dividends and parts of the net profit of state-owned companies amounted to UAH 64.2 billion (UAH 66.5 billion), import and export duties - UAH 34.7 billion (UAH 31.6 billion), and subsoil royalty - UAH 27.4 billion (UAH 32.7 billion). The Ministry of Finance added that another UAH 84.2 billion (UAH 38.6 billion) was added to the budget by the National Bank's profit, and grants - UAH 254.9 billion (UAH 268.3 billion). In January-August 2025, social security tax revenues to pension and social insurance funds increased by 22.3% - to UAH 423.5 billion, including in August - by 21%, to UAH 54.1 billion. The Ministry of Finance also reported that within the framework of financing the general fund of the state budget, state borrowings to it for January-August 2025 amounted to UAH 1.24 trillion, or 106.1% of the plan, including UAH 345.5 billion received on the domestic market from the placement of government bonds (for 8 months of 2024 - UAH 318.4 billion), including UAH 78 billion in foreign currency - $ 1.24 billion and EUR 557.7 million. At the same time, UAH 152.5 billion was raised through the issue of military government bonds. According to the release, about $21.4 billion or UAH 889.8 billion was received from external sources, including about $13.3 billion within the framework of the ERA, with the total volume of this mechanism reaching $50 billion. In addition, Ukraine received another EUR6.14 billion from the EU under the Ukraine Facility concessional long-term loan, $960 million from the IMF and $260 million from the World Bank under the projects "Transforming Healthcare through Reform and Investments in Efficiency" (THRIVE), "Delivering Resilient Infrastructure in Vulnerable Environments" (DRIVE) and "Social Assistance System Modernization Project." Payments to repay the state debt for January-August 2025 amounted to UAH 404 billion, or 94.8% of the plan, service payments - UAH 233.3 billion, or 82.3% of the plan. Iran, IAEA to hold fresh round of talks to define new framework for cooperation: Envoy IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Sep 5, 2025 Tehran, IRNA -- Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna has announced that Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will soon hold a new round of talks to determine a revised framework for cooperation between the two sides. In an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Reza Najafi said on Friday that the upcoming discussions would build upon previous Iran-IAEA negotiations, aiming to define collaboration within the framework of the Iranian parliament's statute. In a related development, Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi met with Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and coordinator of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in Doha, Qatar, late Thursday. 9417 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran urges international community to condemn attacks on nuclear facilities IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Sep 5, 2025 New York, IRNA -- The United States and the Israeli regime carried out deliberate attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, all of which were under the supervision of the UN nuclear watchdog, Iran's UN envoy has stated. "These attacks strike at the very heart of the NPT," said Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, on Thursday. The full text of his speech follows: Mr. President, Allow me to begin by expressing my gratitude for convening this meeting. I would also like to join other delegations in commending Kazakhstan for its initiative in promoting the International Day against Nuclear Tests. The International Day against Nuclear Tests was established to remind the world of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear testing for human health, the environment, and international peace and security, consequences that leave enduring legacies for both humanity and nature for generations to come. As we honor the victims of past nuclear tests, we must also act to protect present and future generations from new forms of nuclear risk. Today, the dangers once associated with nuclear testing are re-emerging in another form, through deliberate attacks on safeguarded nuclear facilities. Dangers posed by nuclear tests are not confined to deliberate explosions alone; the threat or use of force against nuclear facilities entails equally grave risks. The recent reckless attacks by the Israeli regime and the United States against Iran's nuclear facilities highlight this urgent concern. These facilities, placed under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and devoted exclusively to peaceful purposes in accordance with Article IV of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), were deliberately targeted in blatant violation of international law, including the principles of the UN Charter. Such acts constitute a direct assault on the foundations of multilateralism, undermine the confidence in this armament and non-proliferation frameworks, and pose a grave threat to international peace and security. Equally alarming are the attacks launched by the Israeli regime against Iranian cities hosting IMS Stations. These unlawful actions jeopardize the safety and integrity of IMS facilities, endanger the lives of their technical personnel, and strike at the very infrastructure that underpins the global verification regime. By undermining the broader objectives of the CTBTO, they pose a serious obstacle to the advancement of the Treaty's entry into force. The international community must therefore unequivocally condemn these actions, demand accountability for those who violate international law, and strengthen legal protections for nuclear installations to ensure that the inviolability of peaceful nuclear facilities becomes an unshakable norm, making it clear to the perpetrators that they cannot enjoy impunity for such grave violations. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) embodies the international community's rejection of nuclear testing and its recognition of the catastrophic risks that nuclear explosions entail. Yet it would be a clear hypocrisy and double standard to condemn nuclear testing while turning a blind eye to actions that carry similar consequences. Moreover, these attacks strike at the very heart of the NPT, which rests on a delicate balance: non-nuclear-weapon States agree never to pursue nuclear weapons in exchange for two fundamental guaranteesthe right to develop peaceful nuclear energy without discrimination, and the commitment of nuclear-weapon States to pursue disarmament. By targeting safeguarded nuclear facilities, the perpetrators not only violate the inalienable rights of a sovereign State under Article IV, but also undermine the credibility of the NPT and the trust that underpins the Treaty. If peaceful nuclear facilities can no longer be considered safe from threat or use of force, what meaning remains in the guarantees the Treaty promises? Preserving the peaceful use of nuclear energy, protecting all nuclear facilities from threat or use of force, and advancing the total elimination of nuclear weapons are not separate objectives, they are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. By recommitting to these principles today, we affirm that the painful lessons of the past will not be forgotten and that humanity remains steadfast in its pursuit of a world free from nuclear weapons. The victims of nuclear tests remind us of the high cost of indifference. To remain silent now, in the face of new threats that risk repeating history in another form, would be to betray their memory. On this day, we must stand resolutely against all nuclear dangerswhether through tests, threats, or attacksand work tirelessly for a world in which nuclear energy serves only the advancement and dignity of humanity, never its destruction. I thank you, Mr. President. 9417 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Araghchi stresses diplomacy to resolve nuclear issue as new round of talks begins Iran Press TV Friday, 05 September 2025 1:52 PM Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the United Nations Security Council must endorse diplomatic efforts in addressing Tehran's nuclear program and put an end to Europe's "illegal" actions. Araghchi made the remark in separate phone talks on Friday with foreign ministers of Greece, Slovenia and Sierra Leon, George Gerapetritis, Tanja Fajon and Alhaji Timothy Musa Kabba, respectively, whose countries are members of the Security Council. Araghchi slammed the "unjustified, illegal and irresponsible" move by the European troika - Germany, France and Germany - in triggering the snapback process to reinstate Security Council sanctions against Tehran, warning that such measures would escalate tensions. Last week, the European trio triggered the so-called snapback mechanism in Resolution 2231 to restore all UN sanctions against Iran. They gave the Council 30 days to decide whether it would continue sanctions relief against Iran or allow it to lapse. Iran, Russia and China sent a letter to the UN, saying the snapback activation by the three European countries contravenes Resolution 2231 and is "legally and procedurally flawed". They also stressed that the United States' unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and Europe's failure to mitigate the consequences of Washington's move bar any use of the snapback mechanism against Iran. The Iranian foreign minister reiterated Tehran's full commitment to the path of diplomacy and called for the settlement of issues pertaining to the country's peaceful nuclear energy program through diplomatic channels. Araghchi said Iran is steadfast in defending its legitimate rights. The foreign ministers of Greece, Slovenia and Sierra Leon said their countries support diplomatic settlement of all international issues and called for the continuation of dialogue. At a Thursday meeting in the Qatari capital of Doha with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who is also the coordinator of the JCPOA Joint Commission, Araghchi called on the European Union to honor its obligations under the UN Resolution 2231, which endorsed the nuclear deal, and counter measures that endanger diplomacy. "It is expected that this body will fulfill its responsibility under the JCPOA and UN Security Council Resolution 2231 by playing a role in carrying out its duties and neutralizing moves against diplomacy," the top Iranian diplomat said. Iran, IAEA hold fresh talks in Vienna: Envoy Meanwhile, Iran's ambassador to United Nations organizations in the Austrian capital Vienna, Reza Najafi, said a new round of talks between an Iranian delegation and officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be held in the Austrian capital on Friday. "These negotiations will determine a new form of cooperation between Iran and the IAEA and will be held at a level of experts," he added. He noted that the negotiations will be held in the continuation of consultations between Iran and the UN nuclear agency on defining cooperation "within the framework of parliament's law under new conditions." On June 13, Israel launched a blatant and unprovoked act of aggression against Iran, assassinating many high-ranking military commanders, nuclear scientists, and killing hundreds of civilians. On June 22, the United States also entered the war and bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, in a clear violation of international law and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). On June 25, the Iranian Parliament unanimously passed a law mandating the government to suspend all cooperation with the IAEA. Under the law, the agency's inspectors will not be permitted to enter Iran unless the security of the country's nuclear facilities and that of peaceful nuclear activities is guaranteed. Any entry of IAEA inspectors is subject to the approval of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. Najafi said on August 22 that an Iranian delegation met with the IAEA deputy head in Vienna in the continuation of discussions held between the sides during a visit by the agency's official to Tehran earlier in August. "The parties made progress in this round of talks and it was agreed that discussions would continue to develop a protocol for interaction arrangements within the framework of the parliamentary law," he added. On August 11, Massimo Aparo, Deputy to Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, travelled to Tehran and held talks with Iranian officials about possible ways for interaction amid the new circumstances. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address No misunderstandings remain, Araghchi affirms after 'fruitful' Doha discussions Iran Press TV Friday, 05 September 2025 1:43 PM Iran's foreign minister said his recent talks with Qatari leaders were "very fruitful, serious and useful," highlighting progress in mending ties after tensions over Iran's missile strike on a US base in Qatar. Seyed Abbas Araghchi met in Doha with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, as well as Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister. The meetings followed Iran's June 23 missile operation, codenamed "Tidings of Victory", which struck Al Udeid Air Base in retaliation for US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. "In this meeting, I conveyed President Masoud Pezeshkian's oral message to the Emir of Qatar. It was a very important and influential encounter," Araghchi told Al Sharq in an interview to be published Sunday. He added that the discussions "completely resolved" misunderstandings that had emerged after the missile operation. The Iranian foreign minister said the talks also touched on broader regional stability. "We discussed ways to achieve regional stability, especially restarting dialogue among countries of the region to ensure security and cooperation in confronting the expansionism of the Israeli regime and its aggressions against neighboring states," he said. Araghchi stressed that bilateral relations remain strong. "Fortunately, there are no disputes between the two countries," he said. "The misunderstanding has been completely removed through this trip." He added that Iran's nuclear file was also reviewed in detail. "I explained the latest developments to the Emir of Qatar. Our friends in Qatar have always had valuable perspectives, and this time again we had useful consultations," he noted. During his visit to Doha, Araghchi also met Hamas political bureau members, where he reaffirmed Iran's support for the Palestinian people's "legitimate resistance against Israeli occupation." In a separate meeting in Doha, Araghchi held talks with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas about Iran's nuclear program. He urged the top EU diplomat to ensure Europe abides by its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, and counter US measures that threaten diplomacy. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran's envoy: US, Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear sites violate UN charter Iran Press TV Friday, 05 September 2025 8:36 AM Iran's Permanent Representative to the United Nations says the recent US-Israeli attacks on the country's peaceful nuclear sites violate the UN charter, urging the international community to hold violators of international law accountable. Amir Saeed Iravani made the remarks at the UN General Assembly, as it met on Thursday to commemorate and promote the International Day against Nuclear Tests. Noting that the occasion is aimed to remind the people of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear tests on humans, the environment and the international peace and security, the ambassador referred to new forms of nuclear risks, including deliberate attacks on nuclear facilities. "Dangers posed by nuclear tests are not confined to deliberate explosions alone; the threat or use of force against nuclear facilities entails equally grave risks." Iravani added that the recent "reckless" Israeli-US attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities, which operate under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and are devoted exclusively to peaceful purposes, bring attention to this urgent concern. The June attacks constitute "a blatant violation of international law, including the principles of the UN charter," and are considered "a direct assault on the foundations of multilateralism," he said. They also pose a "grave threat" to international peace and security and undermine trust in the nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime, the envoy stressed. Referring to Israeli attacks on Iranian cities hosting International Monitoring System (IMS) stations, Iravani said these "unlawful actions" are equally alarming, jeopardize the safety and integrity of those facilities, endanger the lives of their technical personnel, and strike at the very infrastructure that underpins the global verification regime. "The international community must therefore unequivocally condemn these actions, demand accountability for those who violate international law, and strengthen legal protections for nuclear installations," he stressed, noting that the perpetrators must know that they cannot enjoy impunity for such "grave violations." "It would be a clear hypocrisy and double standard to condemn nuclear testing while turning a blind eye to actions that carry similar consequences." The Iranian envoy emphasized that remaining silent on new nuclear risks would be a betrayal to the memory of the victims of nuclear tests. He warned that the attacks on safeguarded nuclear facilities not only violate the "inalienable" rights of a sovereign state, but also "undermine the credibility" of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the trust that underpins it. "If peaceful nuclear facilities can no longer be considered safe from threat or use of force, what meaning remains in the guarantees the Treaty promises?" Iravani wondered. On June 13, Israel launched a blatant and unprovoked aggression against Iran, triggering a 12-day war that killed at least 1,064 people in the country, including military commanders, nuclear scientists, and ordinary civilians. The United States also entered the war by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites in a grave violation of international law. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Enemy incapable of starting new war, says Iran's IRGC Iran Press TV Friday, 05 September 2025 6:30 AM A spokesperson for Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) says Israel and its allies lack the ability to launch a new war against Iran, and hence, are resorting to psychological operations. "The enemy cannot start a new war, but it wants to keep the country in a warlike atmosphere filled with worry and tension," said Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini on Thursday. "For this purpose, it pursues psychological operations. We are not the initiators of war, nor do we fear it. We tell the people of Iran not to worry; if war occurs, we hold the upper hand and possess a deterrent power that will make the enemy regret." The remarks came after the 12-day war that erupted on June 13, when Israel launched an unprovoked act of aggression, assassinating senior commanders, nuclear scientists, and killing hundreds of civilians. The United States also joined the war by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites in a clear violation of international law. 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. Naeini said Israel's security doctrine had collapsed during the war, saying the regime miscalculated Iran's strength and wrongly believed Iranians would capitulate after an initial strike. Instead, he said, "the people gave a crushing response to the delusional enemy." According to Naeini, the war demonstrated the unity of the Iranian nation, the strength of the armed forces, and the effectiveness of the country's leadership. He added that Iran emerged "more stable, cohesive, and powerful" after the 12-day US-Israeli aggression. "The enemy has shifted to economic and psychological warfare in revenge for the steadfastness of our people," he said. "But our armed forces are fully prepared for any threat at any level, with capabilities far greater than in the past." This war revealed that the Iranian people have a deep understanding of threats and will not compromise their identity, unity, or national interests under any circumstances, noted the spokesman. "The Zionist regime and the United States spent billions of dollars trying to defeat the Islamic Revolution and the Iranian nation, but they achieved no success," he added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran Looks To The East For Support By Kian Sharifi September 05, 2025 What You Need To Know Pezeshkian In China: Iran's pivot eastward came into sharper focus this week as President Masud Pezeshkian attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China and held extended talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tehran is trying to shore up support from Beijing and Moscow ahead of possible UN "snapback" sanctions -- a move that would reinstate strict arms embargoes and restrictions on missile-related activities. Will Women Be Granted The Right To Ride Motorcycles? For decades, women have been unable to obtain licenses, not due to an outright ban but because regulations only name men as eligible applicants. This gap has left female riders exposed to fines, confiscation, and harassment, while officials justified the exclusion under "Islamic values." A new government bill now seeks to amend licensing laws and extend permits to women. Unaccounted Enriched Uranium Likely Buried: Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said this week that there is "a general understanding" that Iran's 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium is likely still in underground facilities bombed by the United States in June. He told Reuters that the UN nuclear watchdog has had no indications to suggest the material was moved. Iran insists on keeping the location of the material secret. The Big Issue Eastern Friends? The SCO summit provided Pezeshkian with a high-visibility platform to push for a non-Western world order as Iran faces the prospect of intensified isolation. Meetings with Chinese and Russian leaders were top priorities, highlighting Tehran's desire for Eurasian partnerships to counter Western pressure and economic stricture. Russia, meanwhile, reaffirmed support for Iran at the UN level, jointly proposing a draft resolution with China aimed at delaying the snapback process. Why It Matters: Iran has signed sweeping strategic agreements with both China and Russia, but these partnerships are transactional, not ironclad alliances. Both Moscow and Beijing have benefitted -- cheap Iranian oil for China, Iranian drone technology for Russia -- in return for ambiguous pledges of support. Yet neither intervened militarily or broke sanction rules during recent crises, offering mostly rhetorical and diplomatic cover. In fact, former diplomat Mohammad Sadr claimed in an explosive interview last week that Russia had "provided Israel with intelligence about Iranian air defense centers" during the 12-day war in June. That allegation, along with other claims he made in the interview, got him a court summons in Tehran. If UN sanctions return, all member states -- including China and Russia -- will be legally bound to enforce the embargo on arms and missile technology. History and current signals show neither power is prepared to risk their global interests or defy UN Security Council decisions, especially in the sensitive realm of advanced weapon sales or missile cooperation. What's Being Said: Pezeshkian told reporters after returning from China that "very important, strategic, and vital decisions" were made in meetings with the presidents of China, Russia, and Turkey. He added that his meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin lasted nearly four hours and included discussions about regional issues and UN sanctions. "For China to turn SCO into a true bloc versus the West, it must bear the costs," argued Arman Mahmoudian, a researcher at the Florida-based Global and National Security Institute. That includes ignoring sanctions on Iran and Russia, he said, without which "a full-fledged anti-Western alliance won't materialize." Expert Opinion: Damon Golriz, a lecturer at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that China wants to use Iran to push back against US influence in the region, but for Tehran, this does not necessarily translate into significant economic benefits. "China will back the Islamic republic to advance its objectives, but that does not mean it will invest money for development in Iran," he said, arguing that Beijing is "cautious" in its approach toward Iran's clerical establishment because it's not very stable. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/farda-briefing-iran- russia-china-snapback-sanctions/33521764.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Satellite imagery shows intensified Israeli work at nuclear bomb site in Dimona Iran Press TV Thursday, 04 September 2025 2:10 PM Experts analyzing satellite imagery report that construction has intensified on a significant new building at a site central to Israel's nuclear weapons program, which they say could be a new reactor or a facility to assemble nuclear arms. The work at the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center near the city of Dimona will renew questions about Israel's widely believed status as the only entity possessing nuclear bombs in West Asia. This development could provoke international outcry, particularly as it follows the US-Israeli aggression against Iran's peaceful nuclear sites. On June 13, Israel launched a blatant and unprovoked act of aggression against Iran, assassinating numerous high-ranking military commanders, nuclear scientists, and ordinary civilians. More than a week later, the US joined the aggression by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites, an action which constitutes a grave violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Images taken July 5 by Planet Labs PBC show intensified construction at the site of the dig. Thick concrete retaining walls seem to be laid at the site, which appears to have multiple floors underground. Cranes loom overhead. A unanimous assessment from seven experts reviewing the imagery confirms the construction is linked to Israel's nuclear weapons program due to its location near the Dimona reactor, which lacks a civilian power plant. Three believed it was likely a new heavy water reactor for producing plutonium, while the other four suggested it could also be a facility for assembling nuclear weapons. Israel is widely believed to manufacture its nuclear weapons using a heavy water reactor, which produces plutonium for atomic bombs and tritium to boost their explosive yield. Both the Israeli regime and its staunchest ally, the US, declined to comment, adhering to Israel's policy of neither confirming nor denying the existence of its nuclear arsenal. Israel, which pursues a policy of deliberate ambiguity about its nuclear weapons, is estimated to possess 200 to 400 nuclear warheads in its arsenal, making it the sole possessor of non-conventional arms in West Asia. It has, however, refused to either allow inspections of its military nuclear facilities or sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) with the invariable support of Washington. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran: West's silence on Israel's expansion of Dimona eliminating non-proliferation credibility Iran Press TV Friday, 05 September 2025 6:39 PM Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the European troika (E3) and the United States are losing credibility on the issue of non-proliferation by keeping silence over Israel's intensified work at the Dimona nuclear reactor site. Araghchi made the remark in a post on his X account on Friday after experts analyzing satellite imagery report that construction has intensified on a significant new building at a site central to Israel's nuclear weapons program, which they say could be a new reactor or a facility to assemble nuclear arms. The work at the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center near the city of Dimona will renew questions about Israel's widely believed status as the only entity possessing nuclear bombs in West Asia. In his post, Araghchi reiterated Iran's continued warnings that the Western "hysteria" over nuclear proliferation in the West Asia region is "all fluff". "The issue, in their view, is not the existenceor expansionof atomic weapon arsenals. It is about who gets to advance scientifically, even with peaceful nuclear programs," the top Iranian diplomat wrote. It is not a surprise, he continued, that "there is deafening Western silence over the apparent expansion of the only nuclear weapons arsenal in our regionthe nukes in the hands of their genocidal ally." "The E3 (Britain, France and Germany) and the US may be in denial, but their silence is eliminating any credibility to utter anything about non-proliferation," Araghchi pointed out. Images taken on July 5 by Planet Labs PBC show intensified construction at the site of the dig. Thick concrete retaining walls seem to be laid at the site, which appears to have multiple floors underground. Cranes loom overhead. Israel is widely believed to manufacture its nuclear weapons using a heavy water reactor, which produces plutonium for atomic bombs and tritium to boost their explosive yield. Both the Israeli regime and its staunchest ally, the US, have declined to comment, adhering to Israel's policy of neither confirming nor denying the existence of its nuclear arsenal. Israel's major construction at the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center comes as the regime launched a blatant and unprovoked act of aggression against Iran on June 13, assassinating numerous high-ranking military commanders, nuclear scientists, and ordinary civilians. More than a week later, the US joined the aggression by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites, an action which constitutes a grave violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Israel is estimated to possess between 200 and 400 nuclear warheads, positioning it as sole possessor of non-conventional arms in West Asia. However, it has consistently declined to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and has not permitted international inspections of its nuclear facilities amid enduring diplomatic support of the United States. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The 12th Japan-Australia 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultations ("2+2") Ministry of Foregn Affairs of Japan September 5, 2025 On September 5, commencing at 10:40 a.m. for approximately 3 hour, Mr. IWAYA Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Mr. NAKATANI Gen, Minister of Defense of Japan, held the 12th Japan-Australia 2+2 Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting with the Hon. Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense of the Commonwealth of Australia and Senator the Hon. Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Australia in Tokyo. Following the consultations, a Joint Statement was issued. The overview of the meeting is as follows: 1. Overview At the outset, Minister IWAYA stated that Japan and Australia have the will and capability to play a leading role in realizing a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" (FOIP) and that the Japan-Australia security cooperation, as the central pillar of the coordination among like-minded countries, has become broader and more robust than ever before. He also expressed his desire to further strengthen Japan-Australia security cooperation to elevate the Special Strategic Partnership to a higher level, in light of the 50th anniversary in 2026 of the signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Japan and Australia. Minister NAKATANI stated that Japan and Australia being at the central pillar of the coordination among like-minded countries, Australia's selection of the upgraded "Mogami"-class frigate as Australia's future general-purpose frigates will elevate the bilateral defense cooperation to a higher level. He also shared his view that it was important to bring new values and benefits to the entire Indo-Pacific region by generating synergy through enhanced cooperation and collaboration among Japan and Australia's respective initiatives. 2. Bilateral Security Cooperation Japan and Australia shared a deep understanding of the increasingly severe strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific region and concurred on further developing cooperation to strengthen collective deterrence in line with the Japan-Australia Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation of 2022. They also concurred on enhancing discussions between their foreign and defense authorities to share strategic assessments and to consider possible contingencies that may affect their sovereignty and regional security interests. Operational Cooperation, Defense Industry, Advanced Technology, etc. Japan and Australia reaffirmed the importance of discussions on the scope, objectives, and forms (SOF) of cooperation, and they concurred on strategically and practically advancing this cooperation. They welcomed the progress in cooperation between their forces under the Japan-Australia Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) and concurred on promoting further operational cooperation and joint exercises. Japan and Australia welcomed the establishment of reciprocal liaison officer exchanges of each operations command with the commencement of the dispatch of an Australian liaison officer to the Japan Joint Operations Command (JJOC), and they concurred on further enhancing operational cooperation through these liaison officers. Japan and Australia welcomed the selection of the upgraded Japanese Mogami-class frigate as Australia's next general-purpose frigate, and they affirmed cooperation towards the steady progress of this, including contract conclusion. They also welcomed progress in cooperation under AUKUS "Pillar 2" regarding advanced capability projects, including experimentation with maritime autonomous systems, and concurred on continuing collaboration. Additionally, Japan and Australia welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation on Assisting Japanese and Australian Nationals Overseas, which was elaborated, taking into account the experience in cooperative evacuation of their nationals from New Caledonia in 2024. Economic Security Recognizing that economic security is crucial for their safety, prosperity, and resilience, Japan and Australia concurred on further strengthening collaboration in economic security, including through the utilization of the Japan-Australia Economic Security Dialogue. They also affirmed their commitment to enhancing specific cooperation in areas such as supply chain resilience, critical minerals, energy, and undersea cables. Strategic Communication, Cybersecurity, Information Security With the recognition that the information space is a new frontier of their cooperation, Japan and Australia welcomed the progress in bilateral cooperation on strategic communication and concurred on continuing to strengthen cooperation to counter foreign-manipulated information and narratives. Japan and Australia concurred on deepening cooperation with the National Cybersecurity Office established in the Cabinet Secretariat of Japan and Australian authorities, and on further enhancing bilateral cyber cooperation by utilizing frameworks such as cyber policy consultations. They also concurred on promoting cooperation between diplomatic authorities for information security and to accelerate consultations regarding the update of the Japan-Australia Information Security Agreement. 3. Addressing and Cooperation on Regional and International Issues Japan and Australia exchanged candid views on the security environment in the Indo-Pacific region and reaffirmed their continued contribution to regional and international peace and stability. Japan and Australia reaffirmed their strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the East China Sea and South China Sea and expressed serious concerns at the increase in scale and frequency of provocative activities by China in Japan's maritime and air domains. They also concurred on the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Japan and Australia reaffirmed that they would work closely together on issues regarding North Korea, including the nuclear and missile activities, the advancement of Russia-North Korean military cooperation as well as the abductions issues. Japan and Australia strongly condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine, shared deep concerns over the deteriorating situation in Myanmar, and expressed concerns about the Middle East, including the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza. Japan and Australia reaffirmed unwavering support for ASEAN centrality and unity, as well as peace and prosperity in Southeast Asia, and concurred on further strengthening initiatives contributing to the resilience and stability of Pacific Island countries. Furthermore, Japan and Australia concurred on further enhancing interoperability among Japan, the US, and Australia, and to strengthen networks among allies and like-minded countries, including Japan-Australia-India-U.S.(Quad), Japan-US-Australia-Philippines, the EU, NATO, and IP4. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Photo: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1862365591831354 The leader of the European Solidarity party, MP Petro Poroshenko called on Western allies to intensify diplomatic and military pressure on Russia in order to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire. Speaking at a high-level conference on European and global security in Cambridge, Poroshenko stressed the critical need for immediate action by the international coalition, the politician said on his Facebook page on Saturday. "Our call from Kyiv is as follows: we must stop losing Ukrainian people. We must stop losing Ukrainian territory. And we must stop losing time. We cannot wait any longer. An additional 50 days, an additional two weeks, an additional six months gives Putin the opportunity to kill Ukraine. This is our approach, and we expect the same approach from the coalition - "enough" means "enough." You must give Putin the opportunity to conclude a comprehensive ceasefire, and if not - Plan B," Poroshenko stressed. According to him, if diplomatic efforts do not bring results, Ukraine expects its partners to implement Plan B, which involves expanding military assistance, including the supply of long-range weapons and investments in the defense industry. "We will definitely not discuss the limitations of our Armed Forces, because this is the most effective and reliable source of security guarantees. Not only for Ukraine, but also for Europe, for the world," Poroshenko said. Separately, he appealed to Western leaders not to delay launching the ceasefire process, emphasizing that the window of opportunity in the context of Donald Trump's presidency is limited, but real. Poroshenko also confirmed the unchanging position of Ukraine on territorial integrity and the role of the Armed Forces as a key guarantor of security. "We will never give up. No matter what. Not in 2014, not in 2015, not in 2022, and, of course, definitely not today. The exchange of territories is not even discussed," he stressed. Concluding his speech, Poroshenko outlined Ukraine's vision of victory as the preservation of the nation, integration into the European Union and gaining membership in NATO. Japan-Australia Foreign Ministers' Working Dinner Ministry of Foregn Affairs of Japan September 5, 2025 On September 5, commencing at 6:25 p.m. for approximately 70 minutes, Mr. IWAYA Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a meeting (working dinner) with Senator the Hon. Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Australia, who is visiting Japan to attend the 12th Japan-Australia 2+2 Foreign and Defense Ministerial Consultations. The overview of the meeting is as follows: At the outset, Minister IWAYA, while reflecting upon the discussions held at today's "2+2" meeting, expressed his willingness to further advance the "Special Strategic Partnership" between Japan and Australia, and underscored the importance of continuing close communication at all levels. Foreign Minister Wong expressed her appreciation to Japan for hosting the "2+2" meeting and conveyed her determination to further strengthen Japan-Australia relations. From this perspective, the two ministers confirmed the importance of accelerating preparations for next year's events in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Japan and Australia, and enhancing cooperation and dialogue in the economic field as well as promoting people-to-people exchanges. They also affirmed their shared commitment to enhancing cooperation, based on the Memorandum of Cooperation between Japan and Australia on Assisting Japanese and Australia Nationals Overseas, signed earlier that day. The two ministers also exchanged candid views on regional and international affairs, including the situation in the Middle East and cooperation with Pacific Island countries, and affirmed their intention to continue close coordination. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia's Belousov Meets With Lybia's Chief of General Staff Haftar Sputnik News 20250905 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov met with the Chief of General Staff of the Libyan National Army Khaled Haftar to congratulate him on his appointment, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday. "Indeed, this is a recognition of your great contribution to strengthening the country's defense capabilities," Belousov said. The Russian minister congratulated Khaled Haftar's brother Saddam on his appointment as deputy commander of the Libyan National Army. In turn, Colonel General Khaled Haftar thanked Andrei Belousov for the warm welcome and wished him success in achieving his goals and objectives, the Russian Defense Ministry said. "This visit is very useful for us. We were able to assess the significant contribution of the Russian Federation to global stability," Haftar said. The Russian Defense Ministry added that during the talks, topical issues of Russian-Libyan relations were discussed. The parties also discussed key developments in North Africa. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Transcript of the Press Briefing by the Spokesperson on Friday 05th September 2025 Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Assalam-o-Alaikum, Welcome to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the invitation of His Excellency President Xi Jinping of China, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, His Excellency Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, led a delegation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State (CHS) and the SCO CHS Plus meeting in Tianjin, China, from August 31 to September 1, 2025. The SCO CHS Summit brought together Heads of State and Government from SCO member States, including Pakistan, Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The SCO CHS Plus meeting, was held in an expanded format, and included leaders from Mongolia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkiye, Egypt, the Maldives, Myanmar, Turkmenistan, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia, as well as the Secretary-General of the United Nations and heads of various regional and international organizations. At the SCO CHS Summit, Prime Minister Sharif presented Pakistan's perspectives on pressing regional and global issues, highlighting strategies to strengthen the SCO's role in fostering regional cooperation and stability. To ensure a lasting peace in South Asia, the PM called for a comprehensive and structured dialogue to discuss all outstanding disputes. Condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including state terrorism, the Prime Minister underlined that Pakistan had rendered great sacrifices in combatting terrorism for the regional and global stability. He mentioned that Pakistan had irrefutable evidence of foreign involvement in the Jaffar Express train hostage incident and numerous other terror attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. The Prime Minister unequivocally denounced Israel's inhuman military offensive against Gaza and called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. He condemned attack on Iran, a fellow SCO Member State. Reiterating the negative implications of instability in Afghanistan on the development of entire SCO region, Prime Minister Sharif called for engagement with Afghanistan in a meaningful manner. The Prime Minister highly praised SCO's vision of regional connectivity and economic integration and underscored Pakistan's strategic geographical location as an ideal trade and transit hub for the entire SCO region. He noted China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as a key initiative for achieving trans-regional economic and trade integration. On the sidelines of these Summit, the Prime Minister had important bilateral meetings with the Presidents of SCO member States and other invited guests including the President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Iran Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rohmon, and the President of Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. Issues of mutual interest and matters relating to further strengthening political, economic and trade relations were discussed by the leaders. During the meeting with the President of the Republic of Turkiye, H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, both leaders reviewed the current state of Pakistan-Turkiye relations and expressed satisfaction over the growing momentum in bilateral ties. They noted with appreciation the steady increase in high-level exchanges and cooperation across a broad spectrum, including political, economic, defense, and security domains. Prime Minister also held a meeting with H.E. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Prime Minister congratulated President Aliyev on the signing of the historic peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, marking a significant step towards lasting peace and stability in the South Caucasus. The two leaders reviewed full spectrum of bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, energy, connectivity, defence, education, and people-to-people exchanges and expressed satisfaction at the growing momentum in Pakistan-Azerbaijan relations. During the meeting with the President of Iran, the Prime Minister reaffirmed Pakistan's deep commitment to its historic and brotherly ties with neighbouring Iran, underlining the strong foundations of the relationship rooted in shared history, cultural heritage, and faith. Both leaders reviewed the state of bilateral cooperation across diverse sectors and expressed satisfaction with the positive momentum in Pakistan-Iran relations. The PM also had a meeting with H.E. Emomali Rahmon, President of Republic of Tajikistan. Both leaders expressed their satisfaction on the ongoing cooperation between Pakistan and Tajikistan in all areas of mutual interest. The two leaders agreed to enhance collaboration in diverse fields including trade and investment, connectivity, energy, regional security, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. PM met with President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. Recalling their last meeting in Astana in 2024, both leaders expressed great satisfaction on expanding cooperation and increasing momentum in bilateral relations over the course of past one year. Both leaders acknowledged that the relationship today is underpinned by mutual trust, respect and warmth between the two sides. During the visit the Prime Minister met the President of China Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. During his meeting with President Xi, the Prime Minister said that Pakistan took great pride in China's achievements and would always stand ready to work together with China in this great journey for common prosperity. The Prime Minister appreciated China's unflinching support to Pakistan's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and socio-economic development. He lauded the significance of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor as a flagship project of President Xi's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and reaffirmed the desire to continue working closely with China for the successful implementation of the next phase of upgraded CPEC, with its five new corridors. This would help both countries to build an even stronger Pakistan-China community with a shared future. In his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, PM expressed his deepest gratitude to the Chinese leadership and nation for their unflinching support to Pakistan. The Prime Minister reiterated Pakistan's support for President Xi Jinping's landmark initiatives to strengthen multilateralism, including the Global Governance Initiative, Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative as well as Global Civilization Initiative. Prime Minister participated in the B2B Investment Conference, where more than 300 Pakistani and 500 Chinese companies were in attendance. He identified agriculture, mines and minerals, textile, industrial sector and IT as priority areas for mutually beneficial economic collaboration. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif also participated in China's 80th Victory Day anniversary parade celebrating China's victory in World War II. In the parade, he was joined by other world leaders as well. Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar visited the Luban Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Exhibition Hall in Tianjin, where he was briefed on the operations of Luban Workshops and their existing cooperation with Pakistan. The Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister also had exchanges with the Chinese hosts on further deepening cooperation under the Luban Framework, with a focus on scaling up joint efforts in technical and vocational education in new and emerging industries. The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, 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 the 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. Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar received a call from EU High Representative/Vice President, Kaja Kallas. EU HR/VP conveyed condolences on the tragic loss of lives caused by the recent floods in Pakistan and expressed solidarity with the victims and their families. She also affirmed the EU's support for Pakistan's relief and recovery efforts. The DPM/FM thanked her for the expression of solidarity and support, underscoring Pakistan's vulnerability as one of the countries most severely impacted by the climate crisis. They expressed satisfaction at the growing momentum in Pakistan-EU engagements and reaffirmed their shared resolve to further strengthen cooperation across all areas of mutual interest, particularly climate action, building resilience, and sustainable recovery. Deputy Prime Minister / Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, called Acting Afghan FM Amir Khan Muttaqi to convey condolences on the tragic loss of lives, with thousands injured in recent earthquake in Afghanistan. He offered prayers for the victims and bereaved families, reaffirmed Pakistan's solidarity with the Afghan people, and assured readiness to extend all possible support as required by the Afghan side. Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, received a call from German Foreign Minister. The two leaders affirmed their resolve to further strengthen mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation, and underscored the importance of high-level contacts. They also exchanged views on regional issues. The 14th Round of Pakistan-Japan Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) were held in Islamabad on 04 September 2025. Pakistan side was led by Special Secretary (UN) Ambassador Nabeel Munir, while Senior Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan AKAHORI Takeshi led the Japanese side. The two sides reviewed the entire spectrum of Pakistan-Japan bilateral relationship and reaffirmed the commitment to further enhancing cooperation in trade and investment, development, people to people exchanges and education among other topics. The two sides also exchanged views on the regional peace and security situation in South Asia, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. Pakistan strongly condemns the deadly Israeli airstrikes on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, which claimed the lives of at least 21 individuals, including four journalists and a rescue worker. This unconscionable and heinous attack on a medical facility, as well as the continued targeting of civilians and journalists, represents a grave violation of international human rights and humanitarian law, as well as freedom of press. Pakistan expresses its full support for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Syria, and calls on the international community to prevent Israel from undermining the peace and stability of the entire region. A high-level delegation from the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) visited Pakistan from 24 to 28 August 2025, to review the country's progress as an Associate Member of CERN. During the visit, a team of five top experts from CERN met with the Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and toured various science and technology institutions. These included the National Centre for Physics (NCP), Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH), Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Oncology (INMOL), National Institute for Laser and Optronics (NILOP), among other advanced facilities. The purpose of these visits was to assess Pakistan's progress in the field of science and technology. I Thank you. * (Mateen Haider, G News): Thank you, Mr. Spokesperson, so entire Pakistan is facing floods, particularly Punjab, and our leadership has called upon international community to express solidarity, although Pakistan did not seek any help. But the reality is, there have been many statements by former Indian army Generals, officials that India is deliberately releasing water from its water reservoirs, so that it may harm Pakistan. Keeping in view this particular admission that India is using this water as an aggression against Pakistan, deliberately releasing there is no proper information being shared with Pakistan. So, in this situation, the situation that Punjab, KP and other provinces are facing, there is loss of billions of rupees. So, is Pakistan considering these old things, particularly the release of extraordinary water from Indian side at any international forum? (Zahid Farooq Malik, Daily Metro Watch): Sir, after one sided suspension of Indus Water Treaty, India has started informing through foreign office. In what capacity they are doing this? Because it was obligatory in IWT that they must have to inform before releasing water. Need your insights. (Amjad Ali, EFE Spanish News Agency): A day before yesterday, I was in Pasrur, and the Deputy Commissioner there was telling me that India informed Pakistan of releasing water on 26th and the area was already in half flood. So, what do you think? How much India is responsible for this scale, this much scale of devastation, damage and loss of lives? Spokesperson: This is about the details of how much volume of water has been released and when it was released. I am not in a position to comment on whether the water was stored in a certain manner, to be released at a certain time. But regarding the sharing of information about which Mr. Mateen has asked the question: Indian side has indeed shared some information about the floods in different rivers through diplomatic channels. However, it is not as detailed as it was in the past. Besides, the established channel of Indus Water Commissioner has not been used. In that context, we reiterate that India should fully comply with all the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty. (Anas Mallick, Capital TV): Two questions. Firstly, last week, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan and the German Foreign Minister spoke, and the German statement mentioned about, "the situation of Afghans in Pakistan". and that they take this matter very seriously, because, since it skipped the mention in the Pakistan statement, can you shed more light on this matter"? Number two, the Afghan Taliban's defense minister, two days ago, speaking to the BBC, has said, and I quote again, that "Pakistan security agencies are weak, and that they shift the blame for their own failures to stop the TTP and BLA's activities on Afghanistan". Your comments? (Shrouq Tariq, AFP): The UN also urged Pakistan to stop the deportation of Afghans. UN Geneva, I don't remember the body exactly, but I can share the statement with you. What's your reaction on that? Spokesperson: Regarding the telephonic conversation between the two ministers, we don't release the minutes of the meeting. As we said, there were a number of issues, on which views were exchanged. We pick up some of the elements which we shared in our social media post. So, one side mentioning or giving priority to one thing and other party to some other, this is not too big an issue. But what you highlighted is that the German side is saying that we take this matter seriously. We are actually encouraged by this. We hope that they take it seriously. There are large group of Afghans in Pakistan which the German side had committed to take them to Germany. A number of deadlines have passed. So, this statement from the German Foreign Ministry, that we take this matter seriously is very encouraging, and we hope this sentiment will be translated into action and the German side will take the Afghans who have been here, whose cases have been processed or are at different stages of processing, back to Germany. We have long-standing relations with Germany. We are willing to work on the basis of good faith and diplomatic goodwill, which is in abundance between the two countries. About Mullah Yaqoob's statement, it appears to be an exercise in irony. Whatever the statement issued from the other side, it cannot mask the seriousness of this issue, the enormity of the matter cannot be diminished by whatever number of statements you issue. I would want to reiterate that the sanctuaries enjoyed by terrorists, particularly the Fitna Al Khwarij in Afghanistan is a serious issue. It has been discussed with utmost seriousness at very senior levels of the state between the two countries. And it remains one issue which bedevils relations between two close neighbors, and which is the main impediment to the kind of relationship which should exist between our two countries, given the commonality of faith, culture, history, language. So, I would just reiterate that this remains a very serious issue which needs to be addressed by the Afghan side. Regarding what the UN is saying, I'm not entirely familiar with the statement. But what we are doing in case of Afghans, no country has been as generous a host as Pakistan. It has been over 50 years almost now. What we are saying is that people who have no documentation, they will be sent back. And this is what Pakistan is doing like any other country would be doing, including in Europe and other countries. It is our territory, we decide who stays in and similarly, any Afghan who wants to come, he's more than welcome with a valid visa. We have a very liberal visa regime for Afghan people. (Syeda Qurat ul Ain, Independent Urdu): So, recently the NCCIA has revealed that foreign nationals from Nepal, Sri Lanka and African countries, along with China, have been arrested, and they have been found to be involved in these cybercrime attacks or scams while being inside the country. So, has there been a communication from Pakistan to these countries or otherwise on the said issue? Spokesperson: No, I am not aware of it, and again, I will refer you to Ministry of Interior for details, but I will also try to gather information. I haven't seen the reporting on this. (Sumaira Khan, Samaa TV): Sir, I just wanted to know through a quick question that, did we establish, or the Afghan side establish any point of contact between the two countries, specifically after that alleged strike from Pakistan's side into Nangarhar, in general and there are also the names of Khost, Paktia, and Paktika. Because I'm not mentioning a specific area in Nangarhar as it is a big zone, so I would call it Nangarhar Zone. Spokesperson: Okay, so you are referring to the allegations of Pakistan attacking inside Afghanistan. Pakistan reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the security and well-being of its people. Our security forces and law enforcement agencies conduct targeted operations in border regions to safeguard our citizens from terrorist threats, particularly those posed by groups such as Fitna Al Khwarij. These operations are meticulously planned based on credible and actionable intelligence and executed with precision. Pakistan respects the sovereignty of Afghanistan and remains steadfast in its commitment to fostering dialogue and cooperation with our neighbor to address the shared challenge of terrorism. Pakistan has consistently prioritized diplomacy, even in the face of persistent threats emanating from terrorist hideouts and sanctuaries inside Afghanistan. We urge the Afghan authorities to ensure that their territory is not used as a launchpad for terrorist activities against Pakistan. Groups like Fitna Al-Khwarij represent a common threat to the peace and stability of our region, necessitating collective action to counter their malign influence. We remain dedicated to resolving challenges through dialogue and constructive engagement. Pakistan believes that both nations share a mutual interest in combating terrorism and restoring stability. We believe that Afghanistan should be able to reclaim its sovereignty and security and terror groups like Fitna Al Khwarij need to be combated robustly. Regarding point of contact, we have diplomatic relations. Embassies are functioning. There are multiple levels of contacts ongoing. This is an ongoing thing. There are regular exchanges between two neigbours. This is ongoing. (Azaz Syed, Geo News): Sir recently, we have seen the reports of earthquake in Afghanistan. There is a large scale of destruction over there. Have we offered any disciplined relief to Afghanistan? Spokesperson: Actually, some relief items have already been dispatched through overland route, and we are in touch. We will provide, as needed, more assistance to the Afghan brothers and sisters. (Naveed Siddiqui, Business Recorder): Sir, further elaboration of question of my colleague. UNHCR Chief has called on Pakistan to temporarily halt or pause the expulsion of Afghan refugees or Afghan nationals from Pakistan amid quake relief activities. Spokesperson: First of all, regarding this notion of expulsion of Afghans, I would say we have an overall policy and it is not targeting Afghans. Any person who is illegally in Pakistan will be sent back. It doesn't matter where he or she is from. There is no targeting of Afghans. This is the global norm, and this is our sovereign decision regarding who do we allow to enter or stay in our country. So, any person, who's illegal, we will repatriate that person. There were some other questions I received from my friends over the last two, three days about any change in visa policy or overall immigration rules relating to Afghans in the face of the earthquake. So, my answer to that is, Pakistan already has a liberalized visa regime for Afghan nationals. We are issuing large number of visas to Afghans under different categories, including visit, business, family, education and medical visas. For Afghanistan, we have a special visa category under which on arrival visa is granted for certain medical emergencies. So, what I want to emphasize, we already have a very liberalized visa regime in place. (Shaukat Piracha, Aaj TV): Prime Minister of Pakistan said that China should supervise or monitor any dialogue in South Asia, was there any response from China, as per appeal made by Prime Minister. And my second question is, Pakistan attended SCO Summit, and Prime Minister also attended the Victory Day parade. President Trump has taunted at this. He termed it a conspiracy against the United States. An event where we were partner, and we attended it, how do you comment upon the taunt that President Trump has issued? Thank you. Spokesperson: About your first question, as you would have noticed in the Foreign Ministry's press release of 01 September 2025 which highlighted that the Prime Minister, in his statement during the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting, stated that Pakistan preferred dialogue and diplomacy over confrontation. He called for a comprehensive and structured dialogue to discuss all outstanding issues for the sake of lasting peace in South Asia. All those countries which have an interest in the regional peace and stability would certainly be receptive to the Prime Minister's call. About the US position on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, this better be addressed to the US spokesman. What I can emphasize is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization over the years has demonstrated its vitality, its utility, its critical role in creating stability and common prosperity in the entire Eurasia. We pursued our membership in this important organization with great diligence. We remain grateful to all our friends who facilitated our accession to Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and we remain committed to robustly engage in its work in line with the principles and objectives of this organization. And you have to keep in view that the principles and objectives of this organization, are in sync with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Shanghai Cooperation Organization is not a cohort working against any country or countries. It is a vehicle for common prosperity, peace and stability. (Abdullah Momand, Dawn): As you mentioned about the liberalized visa regime and you mentioned that the visa regime has not changed. But since April, 2000 Afghan students who are studying here on Allama Iqbal scholarships are waiting for visa extension. But some of the officials told that after the visit of Mohsin Naqvi to Kabul, this visa extension process has been halted. Are you confirming that the students are not getting visa extensions who are on scholarship in Pakistan? And if I add it has also been claimed that some of the Foreign Office official has been arrested in this visa scandal. And the second question is that Germany has blamed that 2200 Afghans who were waiting for sanctuary in Germany have been deported by Pakistan. What is your comment on this? Thank you. Spokesperson: About the second question, I do not have the full details about numbers etc., but you as a journalist know very well deadlines which the German side agreed to. So, what I mean is we have done more than required on our part. But we hope, as Mr. Anas referred to in his questions the matter being taken seriously by Germany. We hope this seriousness will be translated into action, and that the German commitment with certain number of Afghans, will be expedited and we are willing to work with Germany because we have decades old relationship; on the basis of goodwill and mutual respect. We will see what we can do. But this cannot be an indefinite arrangement. Some countries including Germany, committed to take number of Afghans. We work with them but this cannot go on indefinitely. It is our sovereign right to decide who we allow into our country and for how long. We are willing to work with our friends with empathy and with mutual understanding. But it cannot be an open-ended arrangement. About the specific case, sir, you referred, I will have to check about it. (Muhammad Saleh Zaafir, The News): There is a reference in the SCO Communique about Pahalgam incident. I wish to know that how far is it in line with the position Pakistan has taken. And Indian Prime Minister while addressing the Council of the Head of the States of the SCO referred to the Jaffer Express incident. He tried to water down Jaffer Express and terrorism in Pakistan. I solicit your comments on that. And second is that during the Victory Day parade of China, they have shown their muscles and military power. There is a lot of anxiety and displeasure in New Delhi. I wish you know that, how do you view this disquiet of New Delhi, about this China's show of muscles and power. Thank you, sir. Spokesperson: About SCO communique, the language about the Pahalgam incident is obviously there with our concurrence. It is in sync with our declaratory position. Secondly, our position and the overall SCO's position is well articulated on the Jaffar Express. I will just stop at that. About the disquiet in Delhi, I cannot comment. This is a matter between two countries. But what I can say is, it is for India to reconsider its overall approach and take the high road to peace. (Khalid Mehmood, Express News): Shafqat Sahab, Prime Minister is going to attend UNGA session. Will there be any significant talks on the sidelines of the UNGA. Secondly, will there be any talks with the US President on the sidelines of UNGA? Spokesperson: The program is still evolving. We will keep you posted and we will brief you on that. (Khawaja Hamza Iqbal, Media Today): How is Pakistan balancing relations between major powers from shifting regional and global dynamics? Secondly, what key outcomes did Pakistan achieve at the recent SCO meeting in China, and how will they shape regional cooperation? Spokesperson: About the balancing, I can refer you to the principles of the Foreign Policy, starting from the Article 40 of the Constitution. And basically, our overall diplomatic approach is based on good faith and goodwill. And all our diplomatic relations are anchored in the Charter of the United Nations, which provides the blueprint for friendly relations between the members of the United Nation and similarly, they are also rooted on the fundamental principles of international law. So, we will pursue our interest guided by the principles of the charter. This is our foreign policy. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as I mentioned earlier, is a very important regional multilateral body. It is bringing countries in Eurasian landmass together. It has a very critical role to play, and we are very satisfied with the outcome. The recent Heads of States meeting and then in the expanded format meeting were very successful. The key message was of multilateralism, common prosperity, peace, security and development. (Allah Noor Wazir, Mashriq TV): A bomb blast in Quetta and a suicide attack in Bannu. Is India involved in these terrorist attacks? Were these terrorist attacks conducted under the supervision of India as Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also verified this fact that Bannu Suicide Attack was conducted with Indian involvement. If India is involved, then what plans Pakistan intends to execute to counter this? Spokesperson: I can make a broad point, which we have been highlighting. India's involvement in fanning terrorism in Pakistan is well documented and well known. About the specifics of these attacks, I do not have full information. We have shared sufficient information with our friends in international community. India is definitely involved in planning terrorism. And again, I would want to highlight that when this matter was not given sufficient attention, India became emboldened to undertake a global assassination campaign, trying to kill people in US or Canada and all those places. So this remains India's overall approach to its bilateral relations particularly in the region, and is a serious threat to peace and security. (Zahid Farooq Malik, Daily Metro Watch): What are the latest updates on nascent Pakistan - Armenia relationship, about embassies and diplomatic staff? Secondly, considering that liberation of Nagorno Karabagh or success of Operation Bunyan ul Marsoos, victory of both was celebrated by Azerbaijan, Turkiye and Pakistan. Did Pakistan take Turkiye and Azerbaijan into confidence before initiating diplomatic relations with Armenia? Spokesperson: About second part of your question, this was addressed by Deputy Prime Minister in his press briefing last week. He explained to you the consultations which went on and culminated in the forward movement on this. The DPM spoke to the Armenian Foreign Minister on telephone and formal diplomatic notes were exchanged in China on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit. And once diplomatic relations are established, then the two countries decide, what kind of diplomatic representation they would have, concurrent accreditation or resident embassies. This will come in due course. (Anwer Abbas, 24 News HD): Recently, there was an Israeli bombing in Yemen, and there were reports that incumbent government's Prime Minister and five to six ministers were killed during Israeli raid bombing. How do we see it? Do we condemn it? And alongside Gaza and Syria, where we normally condemn the aggression of Israel, what is our stance on Israeli aggression against Yemen? Thank you. Spokesperson: We have been making our position clear on the Israeli aggression against Yemen. We unequivocally condemn it, and this again demonstrates Israel's utter indifference to international law, humanitarian law, human rights law. Its indiscriminate and rogue actions have become a source of serious instability, chaos, and actually it is undertaking a genocide in Gaza. Overall, Israel remains a serious destabilizing factor. So, I would say: we univocally condemn the recent Israeli attack in Yemen. But I would also wish to highlight that Pakistan recognizes the Republic of Yemen and recognizes the Government headquartered in Aden with its chairman, Rashid al Alimi, as the President and Salem Saleh as the Prime Minister. (Sardar Shaukat, Islamabad Today): Thank you Shafqat Sahab. I have two questions. Firstly, recent floods have devastated areas of KPK and Punjab. How much Pakistan received foreign aid especially from United Nations, European Union and friendly countries? Secondly, after successful visit to China, Prime Minister is going to New York. What plans will Pakistan undertake to keep a balance in relationships between China and the United States? Spokesperson: I have already answered question of balance of diplomatic relationships. Pakistan as in the past and will continue to strive to maintain good relations according to its national interests and according to UN charter. Regarding your first question, we have not appealed for international aid but I will check and get back to you. (Noor Aimen Zahra, 365 News): Thank you, Sir. As President Trump is not becoming the part of QUAD Summit to be held in Dehli. Is this a message for the QUAD members and the rest of the world that America is not serious anymore in the QUAD Alliance? Spokesperson: Ma'am, I cannot comment on the US policy. This may be better addressed to the State Department. (Raziq Mehmood Bhatti, Kashmir Express): Thank you, Sir. Yasin Malik's punishment has been converted to death sentence. What is Pakistan's strategy to tackle this unjust and inhumane act? Spokesperson: This particular event is part of the larger Indian campaign of terror and indiscriminate killing and victimization of the Kashmiris which has been going on and Pakistan will continue to raise its voice, highlighting the Indian barbarity in Kashmir and the human rights violations. This is part of the larger pattern of unbridled killings and torture and denying the human rights to the Kashmiri people is part of that. (Mohammed M.A. Elakkad, Sputnik): Thank you, Excellency. During the meeting of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Shehbaz Sharif with the President Vladimir Putin, did Pakistan discuss its application for joining the BRICS in that meeting. And if so, what was the Russian response? Spokesperson: Broadly speaking, strong relations with Russia remain, as we have been explaining in our various press briefings, a very important priority of our foreign policy. We are satisfied with the positive trajectory and momentum of bilateral relations, which are becoming multifaceted and deep rooted. And of course, when the two heads of state / government meet at the summit level, all issues come under discussion. Without going into specifics about the content of the bilateral meeting, what I can state is that Pakistan is serious in pursuing its membership of the BRICS, and Russia has been supporting Pakistan's application. ** NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Meeting with Kamchatka Territory Governor Vladimir Solodov Completing his trip to the Far Eastern Federal District, the President had a working meeting with Kamchatka Territory Governor Vladimir Solodov. September 5, 2025 11:30 Russky Island, the Primorye Territory Vladimir Solodov opened his report with last month's powerful earthquake, which became a major challenge for the region. The President recalled earlier decisions to reinforce buildings and introduce new construction standards. The Governor confirmed that these measures had proved decisive: there were no fatalities. Not a single person lost their life, and only a handful suffered minor injuries, mainly while leaving buildings in haste. The entire system, from the Emergencies Ministry's Main Directorate to the regional rescue services, worked promptly and in full coordination. Even so, some 1,400 buildings sustained varying degrees of damage - about half of the housing stock in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Importantly, the load-bearing structures remained intact, so residents are not facing any immediate threat. The full scope of necessary repairs will be determined after inspections. Vladimir Solodov asked the President to support his proposal to provide assistance to residents whose apartments were badly damaged, even though the situation does not formally qualify as a federal emergency. He also requested a Presidential Executive Order to help coordinate the work of the Government and other agencies that must be involved, noting that the earthquake monitoring and tracking system, in place since 1993, is in need of renewal. The Governor further asked for assistance in restoring children's facilities that had been severely affected: schools, kindergartens and a children's clinic. The discussion also touched on the wider issue of major school renovations. The Governor noted that schools in the region are now decorated with images reflecting Kamchatka's history, such as ships, submarines and battles, so that children, as they run through the corridors, are reminded of the region's proud history and traditions. Healthcare was another topic raised, in particular the modernisation of primary care and the staffing of medical institutions. The President urged that this issue receive special attention. The Governor reported on a new targeted training programme for medical personnel, which has been in place for just a year but is already delivering results. Vladimir Solodov also reported on the rental housing construction programme, under which 887 apartments are currently being built in Kamchatka. Of these, 170 are earmarked for participants in the special military operation and for veterans. These are new-build apartments, fully furnished, equipped with basic appliances and offered at an affordable price, as two-thirds of the cost is subsidised by the budget. He also suggested expanding this programme, with a particular focus on veterans. The Governor expressed his gratitude for the support given in tackling the high cost of air travel from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Vladivostok. Today, a ticket costs 9,000 rubles, compared with 40,000-45,000 previously. Although the number of such tickets is still limited, Vladimir Solodov emphasised that this decision is of great significance for the people of Kamchatka. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Working meeting with Primorye Territory Governor Oleg Kozhemyako After the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum, Vladimir Putin held a working meeting with Primorye Territory Governor Oleg Kozhemyako. September 5, 2025 10:40 Russky Island, Primorye Territory Oleg Kozhemyako expressed his gratitude for the decisions announced by the President at the forum, noting that they will undoubtedly support the region's further development. The Governor reported that the region's GRP has reached 2.1 trillion rubles, marking a 13 percent increase. Investments in fixed capital are also rising, totalling 465 billion rubles. Large projects are underway in the chemical industry, as well as in transport and logistics. The United Shipbuilding Corporation, in collaboration with VTB Bank, is actively involved in construction, including land selection for a new shipyard. The Zvezda shipbuilding complex is also expanding, with more than 25 ships currently under construction. Oleg Kozhemyako mentioned the project to develop the Khasansky District as a resort and noted that few investors are willing to take the risk of building a year-round, world-class hotel in the Far East. He emphasised that such investors should be supported, particularly in the development of the electric power sector. Infrastructure development is also a key issue for housing construction. According to the Governor, the region plans to build 1.3 million square metres of housing. While infrastructure loans totalling around 10 billion rubles have been allocated, they are scheduled for disbursement in 2028, 2029, and 2030. Additionally, a bridge needs to be constructed. The Governor requested moving the deadlines for receiving these funds, and the President suggested reviewing the relevant documents. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mongolia Pledges Full Support for Power of Siberia 2 Gas Pipeline Project Sputnik News 20250905 VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Sputnik) - The government of Mongolia will provide comprehensive support to the creation of the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, Mongolian Prime Minister Gombojavyn Zandanshatar said on Friday. "I would like to responsibly declare from this rostrum the intention of the government of Mongolia to provide comprehensive support for the implementation of this mega-project," Zandanshatar said at the plenary session of Eastern Economic Forum (EEF). All technical and economic work, including research, on Power of Siberia 2 has been completed, the prime minister said, adding that the country is ready to begin the construction of the pipeline and has discussed its creation Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller. "Mongolia is not only a transit country, but Mongolia can also consume and purchase natural gas, connect large cities of Mongolia to this gas pipeline, that is, carry out gasification. This will help develop industry, combat environmental disasters, such as smog in Ulaanbaatar in winter, and bring new opportunities to the economy of Mongolia, and help solve pressing issues. This project will pump 50 billion cubic meters of gas annually," the official said, adding that Mongolia needs to discuss the possibility of buying gas via Power of Siberia 2. Speaking about the importance of the EEF, Zandanshatar said the forum is a key dialogue platform in the Asia-Pacific, addressing major issues in various development sectors. "The regular holding of the Eastern Economic Forum and discussions on its platform of critical issues in the development of international and regional economies and investments, infrastructure, energy, and the environment are of paramount importance for shaping the future directions of countries' development, making the forum a significant dialogue mechanism in the Asia-Pacific region," the prime minister said at the plenary session of Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), adding that the forum will remain a reputed platform for discussions. Zandanshatar also thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for the invitation to the forum. "Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, I thank you for the invitation to the Eastern Economic Forum, which is expanding its significance with each year," the prime minister said. The 10th edition of the Eastern Economic Forum is taking place in Russia's Vladivostok from September 3-6. Sputnik is the general media partner of the forum. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan's top China-policy official to visit U.S., deliver speech ROC Central News Agency 09/05/2025 07:13 PM Taipei, Sept. 5 (CNA) Chiu Chui-cheng (), head of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), will visit the United States from Sept. 6-14 and deliver a speech on cross-strait relations at a think tank in Washington, D.C., marking a rare public address in the U.S. by Taiwan's top official handling ties with China. The visit comes at the invitation of the Heritage Foundation, where Chiu will deliver a speech on Sept. 12 (U.S. Eastern Time) titled "Maintaining the Peaceful and Stable Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait is in Line with the Shared Interests of Taiwan and the United States," the MAC said in a news release issued Friday. The council said Chiu's speech will outline Taipei's assessment of the recent situation in the Taiwan Strait and the government's cross-strait policy. According to the foundation's description of the event, Chiu will "discuss the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, the threat China poses to Taiwan and the region, and what the current government in Taiwan is doing to maintain a peaceful status quo and strong ties with the United States." During the event, Chiu will also discuss with the foundation's Senior Research Fellow Steve Yates "how a free, secure, and prosperous Taiwan not only contributes to regional stability, but also makes America's position stronger on the world stage." In addition to the Sept. 12 speech, Chiu will also meet officials from the U.S. executive and legislative branches, as well as experts at think tanks and members of Taiwanese communities in the U.S., the MAC said. Chiu's meetings with the U.S. side will serve to "explain the government's cross-strait policy and encourage broader attention to Taiwan Strait issues," the council added. The MAC also confirmed with CNA that it will be Chiu's first visit to the U.S. since taking office in May last year. The last MAC head to visit the U.S. was Chen Ming-tong (), who served two terms before Chiu. Chen traveled to Washington in 2018 to deliver a speech at a seminar co-organized by the Heritage Foundation and the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy. (By Sunny Lai) Enditem/AW NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan ROC Ministry of National Defense 2025/09/05 PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan 1.Date 6 a.m. Sep. 4(Thu.) to 6 a.m. Sep. 5(Fri.) (UTC+8) 2.PLA activities 17 sorties of PLA aircraft, 9 PLAN ships, and 2 official ships operating around Taiwan were detected as of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 9 out of 17 sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed CAP aircraft, Navy ships, and coastal missile systems in response to detected activities. 1140905_PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan [Open a new window] 1140905_PLA air activities in the vicinity of Taiwan [Open a new window] NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address SSU detains another two propagandists of ruscism in Ukraine's frontline regions Security Service of Ukraine 17:00, 3 September 2025 The SSU Counterintelligence has detained two pro-kremlin agitators who were operating in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia. They justified russia's war crimes and were waiting for a complete occupation of Ukraine's eastern and southern regions. The perpetrators spread anti-Ukrainian posts in specialized Telegram channel groups. In Zaporizhzhia, a 60-year-old owner of a local law firm was detained for calling on the occupiers online to kill Ukrainians en masse and seize new territories of our state. During his arrest, the suspect tried to hide under a bed in his home. Another enemy agitator was uncovered in Kharkiv. He turned out to be a 54-year-old employee of a city printing company who publicly praised russian occupation forces and was waiting for the occupation of the frontline city. It was established that he published such posts in the enemy chat bot of Sergei Lebedev (known as 'Lokhmatyi'), who is hiding in Donetsk and works for the russian special services. A linguistic examination initiated by the SSU confirmed the facts of information and subversive activities by the agitators against Ukraine. Smartphones and computer equipment with evidence of the crime were seized during searches. SSU investigators notified the detainees of suspicion under two Articles of the CCU: 110.1, 110.2 (encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine); 436-2.2, 436-2.3 (justification, recognition as lawful, denial of russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, glorification of its participants). The suspects are in custody and face up to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property. The activities were carried out by the SSU Offices in Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions under the procedural supervision of the regional Prosecutor's Offices. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Denys Shmyhal met with defenders and visited defense industry enterprises in Zaporizhzhia operational area Ministry of Defence of Ukraine 4 September, 2025, 7:55 PM EEST The Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, together with his deputies, Lieutenant General Yevhen Moisiuk and Oksana Ferchuk, met with service members during an official working visit to the Zaporizhzhia operational area. "During our visit to the command posts of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade 'Zakarpattia' and the 118th Separate Mechanized Brigade, and the command post of Operational Command 'South', we gained insight into the organization of the brigades' units, their command and control system, and intelligence," said Denys Shmyhal. The Minister of Defence was briefed by the command on the current situation in the operational area of the Group of Forces 'South', the progress of assigned tasks, and the sustainment of units. He thanked the warriors for their courage and steadfastness in defending the homeland. "Our warriors continue to successfully repel enemy assaults and capture russian service members. Particular attention was given to the employment of unmanned systems and to the most pressing issues in this operational area requiring urgent resolution. Following the discussions, we defined priority areas for further efforts to bolster the capabilities of our Defence Forces and improve the execution of combat missions," added Denys Shmyhal. The Minister of Defence and his deputies also visited industrial enterprises in the Zaporizhzhia region engaged in fulfilling the defense order. Discussions covered further contracting, duplication of production facilities, and the construction of underground industrial sites to protect personnel, production, and finished products. The Minister of Defence of Ukraine thanked the employees for their work under extremely difficult conditions, amid constant russian missile and drone attacks. Additionally, the Minister of Defence held a meeting with the leadership of the Security and Defence Forces in the Zaporizhzhia region. He was briefed on the operational situation. Topics covered included enhancing the defense of the city and region, meeting urgent defense requirements, and coordinating air defense. "Another topic is the innovations at the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers (TRSSCs), including body cameras and the implementation of an electronic queue system beginning September 1. Next on the agenda is improving the operation of the hotline," added Denys Shmyhal. He reminded that violations of the video recording rules are subject to disciplinary liability. This measure is intended to enhance the protection of the rights of both parties. Also during his visit to the Zaporizhzhia region, the Minister of Defence personally assessed the work of the TRSSC Notification Group, which operated in coordination with the National Police. All personnel were equipped with body cameras and were recording the notification activities. "I spoke with the TRSSC staff about the challenges and particularities of working under a direct threat from the russian enemy. All TRSSC personnel are our veterans who directly participated in combat operations to defend Ukraine. Most of them were wounded," said Denys Shmyhal. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has once again stated that Russia is dragging out the war. "Russia continues to drag out this war, trying to make diplomacy a frank farce. And there must be a joint reaction to this: to the shelling and destruction, to ignoring diplomatic efforts and civilized dialogue. President Trump is absolutely right: to unblock diplomacy, effective restrictions on Russian oil and gas trade are needed," Zelenskyy's post on Telegram on Saturday reads. He once again emphasized the need to strengthen sanctions pressure and supply weapons to Ukraine. "Lasting peace requires effective and genuine security guarantees," the post reads. Zelenskyy reported that since the beginning of September alone, Russia has used over 1,300 strike UAVs, nearly 900 guided bombs, and up to 50 missiles of various types against Ukraine. During the first week of September, the enemy launched strikes on Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Kherson, Kyiv, Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Khmelnytsky, Zhytomyr, Volyn, Ivano-Frankivsk, Rivne, and Lviv regions. Explosions were heard in almost all regions of Ukraine. SSU and National Police detain eight organizers of mobilization evasion schemes Security Service of Ukraine 17:00, 4 September 2025 The Security Service and the National Police have blocked new schemes to evade mobilization. Eight organizers have been detained. For sums ranging from 3,500 to 15,000 USD, they helped men evade military service. In Kyiv, a lecturer at the Economic Sciences Department of one of Kyiv's universities was detained. For money, she arranged for evaders to enroll in fictitious postgraduate studies or work at the university. After enrolling in the educational institution, the 'clients' hoped to receive a deferral from service. To submit the certificates to the TRCs, the organizer involved an accomplice, a 28-year-old acquaintance who had 'connections' in the military registration and enlistment office. In Kropyvnytskyi, the law enforcement apprehended the secretary of the local military medical commission. She illegally issued conscripts a one-month deferral under the pretext of additional examination, allowing the draft dodgers to evade mobilization. In Cherkasy region, a 48-year-old businessman was detained for organizing a 'transfer' of potential conscripts to Moldova. According to the investigation, the draft evaders were first brought to a 'collection' point in Odesa, and then an unhindered border crossing was organized. In Lviv region, two more individuals were uncovered. They offered conscripts the opportunity to flee to the EU bypassing checkpoints. In Chernihiv region, two gymnasium directors, also local council deputies, were exposed for organizing a scheme of fictitious employment for draft dodgers. For money, they registered 'teachers' who did not actually go to work. The detainees have been notified of suspicion under several Articles of the CCU, according to the offences committed: 28.2, 114-1.1 (obstruction of the lawful activities of the AFU, during a special period, committed by a group, upon prior conspiracy); 332.3 (illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine, committed by an organized group); 368.1, 368.3 (acceptance of a proposal, promise or receipt of unlawful benefits in large amounts by an official); 369-2.3 (abuse of influence). The suspects are in custody and face up to 9 years' imprisonment with confiscation of property. The operations were carried out by the SSU and the National Police, under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor's Offices. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address SSU and National Police detain five enemy agents who carried out arsons and sabotage in Ukraine on russia's orders Security Service of Ukraine 13:00, 4 September 2025 The SSU Counterintelligence and the National Police have detained five accomplices of the aggressor state. They committed sabotage and prepared terrorist attacks in several regions of Ukraine. The perpetrators burned down energy facilities on Ukrainian railways and Defence Forces vehicles and attempted to plant explosives under a military off-road vehicle. The arsonists were recruited by the enemy while looking for 'easy money' on Telegram channels. In Lviv, two enemy agents were caught red-handed planting an improvised explosive device under the car of a Ukrainian soldier, which the russians planned to detonate remotely. According to the investigation, the terrorist attack was prepared by a 17-year-old young man from Dnipropetrovsk and his 16-year-old girlfriend from Cherkasy region, recruited by the ruscists. Following the instructions of the occupiers, the underage agents arrived in Lviv and picked up a backpack with an IED equipped with 4.5 kg of explosives and nuts from a cache. They then tracked the victim's car, left the bomb under it, and installed a remote-access camera opposite the car for the russian special services. In Kyiv, a 23-year-old local resident was detained for setting fire to a relay cabinet of a signalling device on the railway. Also in the capital, a 29-year-old resident was detained for setting fire to a service vehicle belonging to one of the AFU brigades and a military truck. In Volyn, a 14-year-old schoolboy from Kovel was detained for setting fire to a Ukrainian defence vehicle at the end of August. Based on the evidence, the perpetrators were notified of suspicion under several Articles of the CCU: 15.2, 258.2 (completed attempt to commit a terrorist act, upon prior conspiracy, by a group); 113.2 (sabotage, committed under martial law); 114-1.1 (obstruction of the lawful activities of the AFU); 194.2 (intentional damage to property by arson). The suspects face various terms of imprisonment, including life imprisonment with confiscation of property. The operations were carried out by the SSU regional offices in cooperation with the National Police under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor's Offices. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address SSU detains FSB agent who helped ruscists prepare offensive on Kostyantynivka Security Service of Ukraine 10:00, 4 September 2025 The SSU Military Counterintelligence has detained another agent of russia's federal security service in Donetsk oblast. The perpetrator helped ruscists plan new offensive operations against the Defence Forces positions near Kostiantynivka. The agent's main task was to collect and transmit the coordinates of Ukrainian troops, who are holding back numerous attacks by the occupiers and launching counterattacks against them. After receiving the geolocations, the enemy planned to attack Ukrainian defenders with the drones of russia's rubicon UAV unit. The adversary planned to create 'corridors' for the breakthrough assault groups in the direction of the city. The enemy accomplice turned out to be a 39-year-old engineer-technologist at a local enterprise who was looking to approach russian special services on Telegram channels. Following the occupiers' instructions, the asset walked in the frontline area and tracked the locations of Ukrainian defenders, marking the sites on Google Maps. The enemy's potential targets included long-range artillery batteries of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and reserve command posts of the National Guard's advanced units. For secrecy, the traitor had three smartphones, which he used separately to record coordinates and contact his handler in an anonymous chat. The SSU Military Counterintelligence detained the mole and took action to protect the positions of the Defence Forces. SSU investigators notified the detainee of suspicion under Article 111.2 of the CCU (high treason, committed under martial law). The suspect is in custody without bail and faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property. The operation was carried out by the SSU Office in Donetsk and Luhansk regions under the procedural supervision of Donetsk Region Prosecutor's Office. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Speech by President Antonio Costa at the Congress of Regional and Local Authorities in Uzhhorod (Ukraine) European Council / Council of the European Union European Council Speech 5 September 2025 15:00 It is a great honour to join the Congress of Regional and Local Authorities on the invitation of President Zelenskyy. This is my third visit to Ukraine in less than a year, but my very first time in Western Ukraine, in this very beautiful trans-Carpathian region. Ukrainian local and regional communities have shown incredible resilience and have inspired Europe in many ways. Despite Russia's unprovoked and brutal war, you have continued to provide essential services and kept your people safe. Your determination and creativity show the best of democracy and the European way of life. Your strength is crucial for Ukraine's future. To all Ukrainians from Zakarpattia to Donbass, from Sumy to Odesa, my message is clear: we are your closest friends and partners and you can count on our support. Russia's war continuously causes enormous suffering, destroying cities, displacing families, and damaging Ukraine's natural beauty. We are ready to do more, including through more sanctions and economic measures, to pressure Russia to stop this war. Any peace settlement must ensure Russia can no longer threaten Ukraine, Europe, or its neighbours. Together with partners we are committed to providing strong security guarantees to help prevent future attacks. As you know, yesterday in Paris, the Coalition of the Willing endorsed politically the plans made by our military chiefs to ensure strong and effective security guarantees for peace in Ukraine. And 26 different nations are fully committed to participate in these security guarantees with boots on the ground, air defence and defence of the sea. This is a clear commitment for our common future. Ukraine's future is in the European Union a project of peace and prosperity. Local authorities play an important role in this process. Decentralisation is a key pilar of European democracy. The multilevel government is essential to have an administration that is efficient, transparent and close to its citizens. Decentralisation reform that is giving more power to the local level is vital for moving closer to the EU. I encourage you to continue to strengthen local decision-making and build capacity at regional level. As a former mayor of my city, Lisbon, I can reassure you that much of the EU's laws and policies are carried out by local authorities. Ukraine's EU future, therefore, depends on active, engaged, and empowered local authorities. The EU will continue to support this through our flagship U-lead program for decentralisation. And we can never forget that an essential element of our prosperity is based on regional policy. Together, we will build a brighter future, a prosperous and resilient Ukraine. You can count on us. We stand firmly with Ukraine today and always. Now in war, in the future, in peace. And as a full member of the European Union. Thank you very much for your work. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime: Council imposes sanctions on two individuals over abuses in detention centres in Crimea European Council / Council of the European Union Council of the EU Press release 5 September 2025 14:23 The Council today adopted additional restrictive measures against Vadim Bulgakov and Aleksei Pikinunder the European Union's Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime. Bulgakov and Pikin are respectively the head and deputy head of the Directorate of the Russian Federal Penal Enforcement Service for the 'Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol', and therefore responsible for detainees and prisoners, in particular political prisoners, in Crimea. Under their leadership, widespread and systematic human rights violations in Crimean detention centres have been documented by the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights. In particular, the administrative practice of ill treatment and denial of medical care to political prisoners has repeatedly occurred at the Simferopol detention centre in Crimea and has affected, among others, human rights defenders Iryna Danylovych and Amet Suleymanov. As a consequence of today's decision, Bulgakov and Pikin are now subject to an asset freeze, and the provision of funds or economic resources, directly or indirectly, to them or for their benefit, is prohibited. Additionally, a travel ban to the EU applies to them. Since the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation in 2014, the human rights situation in the Crimean peninsula has significantly deteriorated. Residents of the peninsula face systematic restrictions on their fundamental freedoms, and serious human rights violations occur in Crimean detention centres, including torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of detainees. The EU does not recognise and continues to condemn the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation as a violation of international law. The relevant legal acts have been published in the Official Journal of the EU. Background The EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, established on 7 December 2020, enables the EU to target individuals, entities and bodies - including state and non-state actors - responsible for, involved in or associated with serious human rights violations and abuses worldwide. On 4 December 2023, the Council prolonged the framework for restrictive measures under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime for three years, until 8 December 2026. The listings under the regime expire and are reviewed every 12 months. The EU follows the developments in this domain closely and, as a result, ensures that the listings are kept under constant review. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Press remarks by President Antonio Costa following the meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy European Council / Council of the European Union European Council Statements and remarks 5 September 2025 12:25 Dear President Zelenskyy, dear Volodymyr. This is my third visit to Ukraine in less than a year, but my very first time in Western Ukraine, a region bordering the European Union. That means and that proves that we are so close that in the future this region will not be in the borders of the European Union anymore, but it will be a part of the European Union. Because Ukraine will be a full member of the European Union. We are here to participate in the congress of regional authorities. So please let me start by paying tribute to Ukrainian local communities. You are showing incredible resilience in the face of this awful war, and you are a true inspiration for us all. Europe has stood firmly with Ukraine against Russia's war of aggression since day 1, being a reliable and predictable partner. Together with our member states, the European Union is the largest contributor of any global donor. We are supporting Ukraine on defence, on economy, on energy grid, and institutions. The Ukrainian people, dear Volodymyr, have shown to the world the extraordinary courage when facing the Russian aggression. And you are fighting for a just and lasting peace. And this is our common goal: to achieve a just and lasting in peace in Ukraine. Many had high hopes related to the renewed diplomatic efforts over the summer and the meeting in Alaska. Ukraine, you personally, dear Volodymyr, and the European Union member states and all members of the Coalition of Willing have been supporting President Trump's efforts to open peace negotiations. You accepted President Trump proposal for peace negotiations. We are preparing security guarantees to ensure a just and lasting peace when peace comes. And we are fully committed to providing strong security guarantees to help preventing future attacks. Yesterday, in Paris, 26 countries plus the European Union committed to join forces to offer strong security guarantees to Ukraine through air, land, sea and the regeneration of Ukraine's forces. Yesterday, we demonstrated that the Coalition is not only willing, but it is able to deliver. In a nutshell - we are ready for the day after. But for that day to come, we must push Putin to the negotiating table. However, Russian bombs continue to hit Ukrainian cities, killing people, killing children, destroying cities and causing enormous suffering. Only more pressure can change this course and we are ready to do more. We are working with the United States and other like-minded partners to increase our pressure through further direct and secondary sanctions. More economic measures to push Russia to stop this war, to stop killing people, to stop destroying Ukraine. The work has already started in Brussels on the new sanctions package, and a European team is travelling to Washington DC to work with our American friends. We are also working together with you, together with Ukrainian people, towards our common future. Supporting Ukraine's reconstruction and its European Union's accession path. It is clear that Ukraine's full membership of the EU is not only the best security guarantee, it is also the most effective path for prosperity and for a better future for Ukrainian people. I want to stress here today how impressed we are with the reforms you have carried out while a war rages on your soil. This work must continue, and we are there to support you. We are supporting you in the war while it is continues. We will support you in your peace efforts, in future peace negotiations, and most importantly in our shared future as Ukrainian full membership of the European Union. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Instructors from the Estonian Defence Forces and the Estonian Defence League arrived in Poland to train Ukrainian military personnel Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Defence 5. September 2025, 17:47 As part of the Nordic and Baltic training initiative Legio, the Estonian Defence Forces have sent a team of up to 10 active duty and reserve military personnel, and members of the Estonian Defence League, to Poland to train Ukrainian soldiers. "The aim of training initiative Legio is to support the Ukrainians in their war against the aggressor in the best possible way, and in accordance with Ukraine's needs. Estonia is contributing with its active duty and reserve soldiers to support the maintenance and development of the combat capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is our opportunity and obligation as a reliable friend of Ukraine," said Captain Silver Kuldkepp, commander of the Estonian unit participating in the training initiative. Estonia is contributing with a team of up to 10 active duty and reserve service members, and members of the Estonian Defence League, who have volunteered to participate. The training focuses on improving soldiers' basic and combat skills, and is designed based on the requests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. One training cycle lasts for two months. "We are pleased to be in Poland from the very beginning, from the first rotation. Estonia's quick decision to participate has already been recognized here," added Captain Silver Kuldkepp. Estonia has previously participated in the UK-led training initiative Interflex, with currently its nineth rotation, as of 2024, conducting the training in the United Kingdom. As of September, this year, training initiative Interflex will be reorganized, and Estonia will end its contribution. Instead, Estonia will start contributing with instructors to training initiative Legio, carried out by the Nordic-Baltic cooperation format (NB8). Since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, Estonia has provided military training to approximately 2,000 Ukrainian troops. Based on the experience from training initiative Interflex, utilizing a team comprising of active duty service members, reservists, and members of the Estonian Defence League as instructors at training initiatives is effective and beneficial for all parties. Estonia decided to join the Norwegian-led and coordinated international training initiative Legio in June 2025. The aim of the training initiative is to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine through providing requested military training and equipment for a brigade-size unit. The training initiative is a joint effort between the Nordic and Baltic countries. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Lithuania condemns attacks carried out by Russia despite the international effort to end the war Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs Updated 2025-09-05 Today, on 4 September, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs handed a protest note to the charge d'affaires ad interim of the Russian Embassy over the ongoing shelling of Ukraine. Massive missile and combat drone attacks continue despite the international effort to halt Russia's aggression against Ukraine, including the call made by the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, of 1 September 2025 for a ceasefire leading to a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace. The largest recent attacks occurred on 30 August, when Russian forces fired 45 ballistic and cruise missiles and 535 drones, and on 3 September, when 24 cruise missiles and 502 drones were deployed. On 4 September, shelling of the city of Kostiantynivka resulted in the deaths of 8 civilians and damage to residential buildings and a hospital. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin warns foreign troops in Ukraine would be 'legitimate target' Iran Press TV Friday, 05 September 2025 10:14 AM Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that any foreign troops sent to Ukraine will be considered "legitimate targets" by Moscow as Western countries mull sending military forces to Ukraine. The warning came on Friday after an announcement by the "Coalition of the Willing". Made up mainly of EU nations, the coalition is a group of 31 countries providing military support to Kiev. They have pledged to send troops after a ceasefire. The coalition was announced in March this year. Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Putin stated, "Regarding possible military contingents in Ukraine if they appear in Ukraine today, they will be a legitimate target for the Russian military." He added, "If agreements are reached that lead to long-term peace, then I simply see no point in their presence on Ukrainian territory. That's all. Because if these agreements are reached, no one doubts that Russia will fulfil them in full." Putin emphasized that foreign military presence would be unnecessary if peace is achieved. "If decisions are reached that lead to long-term peace, then I simply do not see any sense in their presence on the territory of Ukraine, full stop," he said. He also renewed his invitation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for direct talks. "If someone genuinely wants to meet with us, we are ready. The best place for this is the capital of the Russian Federation, the hero city Moscow," he said. He pledged "one hundred percent" guarantees for the safety of any Ukrainian delegation. Putin's statement came in response to French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement on Thursday: "We have today 26 countries who have formally committed - some others have not yet taken a position - to deploy as a 'reassurance force' troops in Ukraine, or be present on the ground, in the sea, or in the air." Macron made this statement while standing beside Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader appeared amused by the announcement, saying, "I think that today, for the first time in a long time, this is the first such serious concrete step." On the same day, London also welcomed the coalition's plan. "The group had an unbreakable pledge to Ukraine, with [US] President [Donald] Trump's backing, and it was clear they now needed to go even further to apply pressure on Putin to secure a cessation of hostilities," the UK government said on its official website Russia launched its "special military operation" in Donbas in February 2023 with the aim of liberating, demilitarizing, and denazifying the Russian-speaking region. Moscow seeks to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and opposes the use of Ukraine by the West to build pressure against Russia. Russia also demands that Kiev surrender control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Generals Help Draft Plan to Deploy Over 10,000 European Troops in Ukraine - Reports Sputnik News 20250905 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - European army chiefs have drawn up a plan to potentially deploy more than 10,000 troops to Ukraine, with some US generals providing their input, the Wall Street Journal newspaper reported on Friday, citing a European diplomat. On Thursday, the Washington Post reported that Europe's vision of security guarantees for Ukraine involves stationing troops away from the front lines for demonstration and training purposes. According to the daily, European army chiefs produced a detailed deployment plan that would station an air component outside Ukraine to patrol its airspace. The diplomat said that the US head of NATO's Allied Command Operations was among the US top brass who contributed to the planning process. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that work on preparing security guarantees for Ukraine had been completed. The so-called coalition of the willing met in Paris on Thursday to thrash out details of security arrangements. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said previously that the presence of NATO allies' troops on Ukrainian soil under any flag and in any capacity, including as peacekeepers was a threat to Russia, and that Moscow would not accept it under any circumstances. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A large group of children was returned from the Russian occupation within the framework of the presidential program Bring Kids Back UA, said Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak. "Within the framework of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative of the president of Ukraine, a large group of Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories was saved. During the years of occupation, they survived oppression, coercion and imposition of Russian propaganda, and today they are safe and receive the necessary assistance in Ukraine," he wrote on Telegram. According to Yermak, among these children are sisters whom the occupation authorities tried to take to a boarding school after the death of their mother; children who were forced to sing the Russian anthem and participate in propaganda meetings with the Russian military; a teenager who, despite his health problems, was registered for military service, and his mother was humiliated for refusing to send her children to militarized activities. "Today, they are all receiving support: they are restoring their documents, undergoing psychological rehabilitation and receiving support to start a new free life. I thank Save Ukraine and all partners for their help in saving these children," said Yermak. Putin's Red Lines: Why Russia is Indispensable to Any Ukraine Security Deal Sputnik News 20250905 The Russian president's Ukraine-related comments at the Eastern Economic Forum signal that Moscow remains ready for substantive negotiations aimed at ending the crisis, but that no deal can be reached at the expense of Russia's security interests, says Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of research at the Russian Council on Foreign & Defense Policy. "First, the president made it unambiguously clear that any foreign troops that appear on Ukrainian territory will become a military target for Russia, and that the plans being discussed by Europe's so-called 'coalition of the willing' to deploy contingents on Ukrainian soil are categorically unacceptable to Russia," the observer explained. Second, such deployments would themselves be unnecessary if a comprehensive peace agreement could be reached, contradicting the core principle of Ukrainian neutrality demanded by Russia, as outlined in the 2022 draft peace deal inked in Istanbul. Third, Suslov says, Putin made it clear that "without Russia's participation, no format of security guarantees would be possible in principle." Zelensky, Europeans as Key Obstacle Putin's comments on Russia's readiness for contacts with Ukraine's leadership, but at the same time the nonstarter of an agreement on key issues with Zelensky, signals Moscow's continued position that Ukraine is not a sovereign or independent actor ready for serious talks and compromise. "The reason for this," Suslov says, is the European powers' role in keeping Ukraine in the fight, "and in effect forbidding it from seriously negotiating anything with Russia." So long as this state of affairs continues, Russia will have only two possibilities open to it: dialogue with the US on the Ukrainian crisis inflicting a military defeat on Ukrainian forces on the battlefield "The more catastrophic this defeat becomes, the less opportunity it will have to continue to sabotage the peace process, and the more inclined it will be to conduct substantive negotiations," Suslov says. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kiev Believes Hosting EU Troop Will Be Costly, Unreliable as Security Guarantee - Reports Sputnik News 20250905 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Kiev raised doubts about plans to station European troops in Ukraine, saying such deployments could be costly and may not provide a reliable security guarantee, the Military Times news portal reported, citing a Ukrainian official. On Thursday, the Washington Post reported that Europe's vision of security guarantees for Ukraine involves stationing troops away from the front lines for demonstration and training purposes. The unnamed Ukrainian official questioned whether European troops sent to Ukraine would "engage" if a possible attack occurred. Instead, the source suggested that the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI), an integrated air protection zone over Ukraine, would offer a stronger form of security guarantee. Launched by Germany in August 2022, the ESSI aims to bolster collective air defense capabilities. Fifteen countries Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, and the United Kingdom signed a declaration of intent in October 2022. Denmark and Sweden joined in February 2023, followed by Switzerland and Austria in July 2023. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that work on preparing security guarantees for Ukraine had been completed. The so-called coalition of the willing met in Paris on Thursday to thrash out details of security arrangements. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said previously that the presence of NATO allies' troops on Ukrainian soil under any flag and in any capacity, including as peacekeepers was a threat to Russia, and that Moscow would not accept it under any circumstances. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Forces Liberate Markovo and Fedorovka, Eliminate Thousands of Ukrainian Troops Sputnik News 20250905 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian forces took control of the settlements of Markovo and Fedorovka in the Donetsk People's Republic in past week, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday. "As a result of active and decisive actions by units of the Yug group of forces, the settlements of Fedorovka and Markovo in the Donetsk People's Republic have been liberated," the ministry said in its weekly report. Russia's Tsentr Battlegroup has eliminated up to 2,970 Ukrainian soldiers over the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry said. "The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to up to 2,970 servicepeople, four tanks, 27 armored fighting vehicles, 37 vehicles and 17 field artillery guns," the ministry said in a statement. Russia's Zapad group has eliminated more than 1,680 Ukrainian military personnel, while the Yug group has eliminated over 1,460 Ukrainian soldiers, the ministry said. Russia's Vostok group of forces eliminated over 1,590 Ukrainian soldiers in the past week. Kiev has also lost over 1,170 soldiers in battles with the Sever (North) group of forces, the ministry said, adding that Russia carried out one mass strike and four group ones on Ukrainian military infrastructure in the past week. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Security Guarantees Must Be Provided to Both Russia & Ukraine: Kremlin Sputnik News 20250905 Security guarantees must be provided to both Ukraine and Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview at the Eastern Economic Forum. "Of course, security guarantees must be provided to both Ukraine and us ... After all, what was one of the root causes of the conflict? When the foundations of security guarantees for our country began to be violated, when they began to drag Ukraine into NATO. And when NATO's military infrastructure began to move towards our borders. And of course, these guarantees must be provided to both us and the Ukrainians during the settlement process" Peskov said on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF). Other statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov: Putin-Trump conversation can be arranged very quickly. Foreign military contingents cannot provide security guarantees to Ukraine this would not suit Russia. The provisions of the agreements reached in Istanbul in 2022 contained all the necessary security guarantees. The security of one country cannot be ensured by the security of another. Putin spoke very highly of the effectiveness of the Russian negotiating team led by Vladimir Medinsky. The level of the Russian negotiating team with Ukraine is already quite high. There's a lot of work to be done before the meeting between Russia and Ukraine at a high or highest level. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund Board Meeting U.S. Department of the Treasury September 5, 2025 WASHINGTON -- On September 3, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent hosted the inaugural board meeting of the United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund ("the Fund"). The Board approved key items to operationalize the Fund, including nominating the Chair of the Board and adopting committee charters. The Board also discussed valuation protocols that will facilitate the crediting of preferred shares in the Fund to the United States for any military assistance it delivers to Ukraine, and the potential for the United States and Ukraine to make initial seed investments in the Fund. Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, the United States and Ukraine established the Fund to allow the United States to invest alongside Ukraine to facilitate Ukraine's recovery. The Fund will mobilize American talent, resources, and governance standards to improve Ukraine's investment climate. It will also work to ensure that no one who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from Ukraine's reconstruction. "The Fund will help unlock an abundant and secure economic future for Ukraineone built upon sound macroeconomic management and robust foreign investment," said Secretary Bessent. "I welcome this unprecedented opportunity for the United States to contribute directly to and benefit from Ukraine's economic development and prosperity. I look forward to the continued partnership between our two countries in the months and years ahead." "The United States and its international partners are working hard to secure a lasting peace for Ukraine. Included in that peace will be a significant reconstruction and recovery effort, of which the Reconstruction Investment Fund will be an important component. Through this economic partnership, we can and will make both our countries great again." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Andrii Sybiha held phone talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands David van Weel Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 05 September 2025 19:46 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha: "I had a substantive call with my new Dutch colleague, David van Weel. I congratulated him on his appointment and thanked for his personal efforts in scaling up support for Ukraine. I also expressed gratitude for the steadfast Dutch solidarity with Ukraine in the face of Russia's aggression. We discussed the importance of strong security guarantees for Ukraine, the need for tougher sanctions against Russia and accountability for its crime of aggression. We also coordinated further steps to speed up Ukraine's progress toward EU membership. I look forward to welcoming Minister van Weel to Kyiv." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Andrii Sybiha held a meeting with Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia Juraj Blanar Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 05 September 2025 19:29 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha: "On the sidelines of our leaders' meeting in Uzhhorod, I had a meaningful discussion with my Slovak colleague Juraj Blanar. We discussed a variety of issues on our bilateral agendathe implementation of mutually beneficial energy and infrastructure projects, particularly the establishment of a European-standard railroad connection from Uzhhorod to Slovakia and other EU countries. We also spoke about regional energy security and Slovakia's further support for Ukraine, including for Ukrainian children within the Civil Protection Shelter Coalition. Ukrainian-Slovak neighborliness is very important not only for our two nations, but also for Europe as a whole. We agreed that Ukraine's accession to the EU will benefit both of our countries and contribute to a lasting peace in Europe. I also shared with my Slovak counterpart Ukraine's vision for ending Russian aggression and underscored the importance of pressure on the aggressor, an immediate ceasefire, and security guarantees for Ukraine." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Andrii Sybiha welcomed Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard in Uzhhorod Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 05 September 2025 19:08 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha: "Today, I was pleased to welcome Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard in Uzhhorod for her first bilateral visit to Ukraine. We began with paying tribute to Ukraine's fallen heroes at the Uzhhorod cemetery. They gave their lives to defend our country from Russian aggression and protected our shared values of freedom and security for all of Europe. We had an in-depth discussion about further strengthening our bilateral cooperation, particularly in defense. We talked about investments in Ukrainian equipment and co-production. Our defense industries are among Europe's strongest, so working together can make a difference and strengthen European security. I thanked Sweden for 19 defense aid packages and other significant assistance to Ukraine, including 67 million in budgetary support through the EU's Ukraine Facility program. Sweden has set a strong example for other countries by being the first to make such a contribution. Sweden has also transferred three powerful gas turbines worth 95 million to Ukraine, which will help us diversify our energy generation. This is critical ahead of winter. Sweden is a leader in bolstering Ukraine's energy security through the Ukraine Energy Support Fund. We also talked about peace efforts, realistic ways to achieve peace, and having strong security guarantees for Ukraine, including EU accession as one of those security guarantees. Sweden is our historical partner and allytogether with all Nordic and Baltic states. We are tied by history, current challenges, and a common future in the transatlantic community." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Volodymyr Zelenskyy Met With Representatives of an American Enterprise Destroyed by a Russian Missile Strike President of Ukraine 5 September 2025 - 21:02 In Mukachevo, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with representatives of the American enterprise Flextronics, which was struck by a Russian missile on the morning of August 21. Anna Dragun, General Director of Flextronics Ukraine, noted that thanks to the air-raid alert and swift response, it was possible to evacuate all 600 employees in time. However, 17 people were injured, some of whom are still in hospital. "Our enterprise specializes exclusively in manufacturing civilian consumer goods, in particular coffee machines, and has never been involved in the production or supply of military equipment or defense-related products," she emphasized. According to Anna Dragun, the current priority is the support of employees and the restoration of production capacity. "Unfortunately, Russian missiles and drones strike across the entire country. But I am very grateful to everyone working here. It is crucial for us that American business is present in Ukraine. We will do everything to help you recover as quickly as possible," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy. U.S. Charge d'Affaires ad interim to Ukraine, Julie Davis, who also attended the meeting, thanked the President for his support. The Flextronics factory in Mukachevo is an enterprise with American investment. It manufactured household appliances, printer cartridges, LED lamps, and other consumer devices. As a result of two Russian missile strikes on the morning of August 21, the enterprise suspended its operations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The President Participated in the Opening of a New Railway Line - Part of the European Network Connecting Uzhhorod With Bratislava, Kosice, Budapest, and Vienna President of Ukraine 5 September 2025 - 19:49 The opening of the Uzhhorod-Chop section of the European-gauge railway took place at the Uzhhorod railway station. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated the railway workers and thanked them for this achievement. Thanks to this line, which is part of the European network, Uzhhorod has become the first regional center to be connected with Bratislava, Kosice, Budapest, and Vienna. "And this is just one of the initial steps in the actual integration of Ukraine's railway into the EU network. We thank everyone who worked for this result, for this project. This is a joint project with the European Union. And ahead of us are thousands of similar projects. Ukraine will be part of the European Union. Absolutely," the President said. The Head of State heard reports from Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine - Minister for Communities and Territories Development Oleksii Kuleba, and from the Chairman of Ukrzaliznytsia Oleksandr Pertsovskyi on the implementation of the flagship European-gauge railway project in our country. According to them, the length of this line is 22 kilometers, and much work still lies ahead. "It is extremely important that, even during the war and despite all challenges, we are implementing such unifying projects. First, we connected with the electricity network. And that was a very serious energy - in every sense of the word - project. And today we are uniting through such a logistics project. All that remains is to end the war and join the European Union. I believe these are the right steps forward. Thank you," said the President. Trains will run to Europe along the new line starting September 12. The European-gauge railway will then be extended to Lviv. Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed special gratitude to the railway workers, who continue to perform their work despite all Russian attacks. "During the war, this is probably a service. I know what difficult challenges exist across the country. And there are losses. My sincere condolences to all the families and loved ones of those killed. We deeply respect your work," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Photo: https://www.president.gov.ua/ President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the American Flex plant in Mukachevo, Zakarpattia region, destroyed by missiles. "Today, I talked with representatives of the enterprise on site - about the work of the plant, restoration. Unfortunately, Russian missiles and drones are hitting the entire country. But I am very grateful to everyone who works here. It is very important for us that American business is present in Ukraine. We will do everything possible to help the enterprise recover quickly," he wrote on Telegram. The president noted that the Flextronics plant in Mukachevo is an enterprise with American investments. It produced household appliances. "Russia launched a missile strike on it on the morning of August 21. The strike injured 17 people, some of whom are still in hospital," he wrote. As reported, on August 21, Russian occupiers launched a strike on the plant of the American company FLEX in the city of Mukachevo, Zakarpattia region. US President Donald Trump claims that he expressed dissatisfaction with the Russian missile strike on the plant of the American company FLEX during a conversation with Vladimir Putin. Slovakia Will Stand with Us and Other Partners in Work for Peace - Volodymyr Zelenskyy Following Meeting with Robert Fico President of Ukraine 5 September 2025 - 18:43 Slovakia will stand with Ukraine and other partners in the work for peace and is ready to define its position regarding security guarantees for our country. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following his meeting with Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico in Uzhhorod. The key topics of discussion were matters of principle for Ukraine and matters of principle for Slovakia: bilateral relations, efforts for peace, security guarantees, Europe's energy independence, and joint energy projects. In particular, an agreement was reached to hold a session of the intergovernmental commission in October. "The Prime Minister of Slovakia has been to Uzhhorod before, but this is our first meeting, right here, and it is important to maintain a pragmatic approach in our work, as we did today. It is also crucial that this continues at the level of ministers and our institutions, not only at the level of leaders," said the Head of State. Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed the Prime Minister about his conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump yesterday, as well as the work with the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing to advance peace and ensure security. Robert Fico shared information about his contacts in China. "We count on support for our peace efforts, and Robert assured me that Slovakia will stand with us and other partners in this work for peace," said the President of Ukraine. The discussion also touched on the topic of security guarantees for Ukraine. Slovakia is ready to define its position on this and is open to dialogue. "As a small country, Slovakia cannot play the leading role, but we support all initiatives that may lead to peace," added Robert Fico. Additionally, Slovakia is ready to cooperate with Ukraine in the Shelter Coalition format, primarily concerning schools and kindergartens. Ministers must ensure relevant results. Energy independence for Europe and cooperation between Ukraine and Slovakia on energy sustainability were also discussed: electricity imports for Ukraine and the export of Ukrainian energy resources through Slovak territory to third countries. The Prime Minister noted that such cooperation has great potential. "We also hear from the United States about the significant role energy independence - Europe's energy independence - plays for President Trump. This must be addressed, and it depends on everyone in Europe. Russian oil, just as Russian gas, has no future," emphasized the Ukrainian leader. Furthermore, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Robert Fico also discussed Ukraine's future EU membership. The President thanked Slovakia for its support of Ukraine on the path toward the European Union. Both sides share the view that Ukraine and Moldova must continue moving together toward EU membership. The Prime Minister of Slovakia also expressed gratitude to the Ukrainian state for its attitude toward the Slovak community and for ensuring its rights. The leaders agreed to continue developing cooperation in the fields of economy, energy, and infrastructure, as well as to maintain ongoing contact. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement by the President of Ukraine during a Joint Press Conference with the Prime Minister of Slovakia President of Ukraine 5 September 2025 - 17:57 Dear Prime Minister! Thank you for this visit! Dear journalists! Today, the Prime Minister of Slovakia is in Ukraine, and we have had a substantive discussion. It is important that we have this dialogue, and we will certainly continue it. The Prime Minister of Slovakia has been to Uzhhorod before, but this is our first meeting, right here, and it is important to maintain a pragmatic approach in our work, as we did today. It is also crucial that this continues at the level of ministers and our institutions, not only at the level of leaders. In particular, we agreed to hold a session of the intergovernmental commission in October. Today, we covered key topics - matters of principle for Ukraine and matters of principle for Slovakia. I informed the Prime Minister about our conversation yesterday with President Trump, as well as our work with the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing to advance peace and ensure Ukraine's security - and therefore the security of all our neighbors. Russian aggression and attempts to destabilize the lives of Ukraine and other countries never end with a single state. We must do everything to ensure that the negative pages of history are not repeated for Ukraine, Slovakia, or other Central European countries. The Prime Minister told me about his contacts in China. We have seen who was there, what was said, and how they behaved. It is important that Putin does not perceive such visits as an indulgence. Peace has no alternative, and we stand for peace. The war must be ended, and it is Russia - the only party that started this war and, unfortunately, continues to prolong it - that must end it. In Ukraine, we want peace. We count on support for our peace efforts, and Robert assured me that Slovakia will stand with us and other partners in this work for peace. We discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, and it is good that Slovakia is ready to define its position on this and is open to dialogue with us. Most of Europe is already engaged in guarantees, and we are working with partners. We believe it would be appropriate for Slovakia to also be part of the new security system. We also value Slovakia's readiness to cooperate with us in the Shelter Coalition format. Thank you for this support. This primarily concerns schools and kindergartens in Ukraine. We will be grateful for this support, and it is important that our ministers ensure relevant results. It is excellent that we have this meeting, this opportunity to discuss various international issues. We also hear from the United States about the significant role energy independence - Europe's energy independence - plays for President Trump. This must be addressed, and it depends on everyone in Europe. Russian oil, just as Russian gas, has no future. If America continues to be just as decisive, it will bring a real change to the situation and be a factor that guarantees that Russia will not continue its war. I want to note that Slovakia supports Ukraine on its path toward the European Union. Thank you for this support. It is highly significant for us. Negotiations are ongoing, and Ukraine deserves the opening of negotiation clusters. We see Ukraine's accession to the EU as part of our security guarantees, and this is positively received by European institutional leaders in European capitals, and we are strongly supported in Washington. This is important. Thank you, Prime Minister, for supporting Ukraine's EU path. We also share the view that Ukraine and Moldova must continue moving together toward EU membership. Equally important is that bilateral cooperation on economic and infrastructure matters here, in our region, strengthens our peoples and our countries. Today, ministers discussed cross-border traffic - it is important to increase the capacity of border checkpoints. We also value our cooperation on energy sustainability - this concerns electricity imports for Ukraine to meet the needs of our people during Russian missile and drone strikes. It also concerns the export of our energy resources through the Slovak territory to third countries. And the more we work together, the better it will be for all of Europe. I am confident in this. The principle for Ukraine is simple: we are ready to ensure energy stability for Slovakia and other partners, and to have joint projects. Our only principle: no Russian energy resources. And one more thing. Today, our railway workers achieved an important result - and I want to congratulate them - a new line, part of the European network, connecting Uzhhorod with Bratislava, Kosice, Budapest, and Vienna. And this is just one of the initial steps in the actual integration of Ukraine's railway into the EU network. We thank everyone who worked for this result, for this project. This is a joint project with the European Union. And ahead of us are thousands of similar projects. Ukraine will be part of the European Union. Absolutely. Thank you once again, Prime Minister, for your visit. Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Cooperation Programs with European Institutions Produce Concrete Results - Volodymyr Zelenskyy The participation of European Council President Antonio Costa and Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard in the Congress of Local and Regional Authori President of Ukraine 5 September 2025 - 16:31 The participation of European Council President Antonio Costa and Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard in the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities demonstrates how interconnected Ukraine's domestic matters already are with our country's relations with the European Union. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he opened the Congress session in Uzhhorod. The Head of State emphasized that Ukraine is de facto integrating into the European Union and is actively working to open negotiation clusters. "All our cooperation programs are functioning today - primarily in defense, energy, and budgetary sustainability - which are so important for supporting our people. I greatly value all assistance and cooperation at the community level, between cities. European institutions are also working directly with communities. We are deeply grateful for this support and assistance," the President noted. Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked every community that provides Ukraine with economic strength, contributing to the country's resilience and defense capability, and called on the Cabinet of Ministers to continue supporting the "Made in Ukraine" program. The President noted that this week he expects a proposal from Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko regarding effective military risk insurance for frontline communities. He also stressed the importance of continuing, this year, support for Ukrainian troops from communities at a level of no less than 15% of their budget revenues. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also thanked European friends who visit Ukrainian regions and see for themselves what Russia is doing and how important it is to maintain support for our country. Sufficient support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia are elements that provide pressure on the Russian Federation. "Europe is organized in such a way that the voices of communities often carry no less weight than the voices of states. That is why it is important for communities to remain active," the President said. He also called for full implementation of agreements with partners. Work within all coalitions must be meaningful and produce results. According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a concrete example is funding free school meals for all Ukrainian children. The program must operate in every school across the country. The President urged government officials to take a more active role in addressing these matters, particularly in providing schools with buses, shelters, and necessary equipment. The Head of State also highlighted the pace of construction of underground schools in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson - regions that need them. Particular attention was also paid by Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the integration of veterans into economic and social life. Veteran spaces, businesses, and the creation of jobs for veterans must be a priority for every community. "I strongly urge the Government and the Office team to coordinate this work with particular focus, and within a month, propose a comprehensive, unified platform with all opportunities for veterans, both at the central level - in relation to the state - and within communities," the President said. In his speech, Antonio Costa thanked Ukraine for the invitation and noted that this is already his third visit to the country. He highlighted the resilience of Ukrainian communities and assured the continuation of support from the European Union. "I want to emphasize today how impressed we are by the reforms you are implementing, even during the war, on your land. This work must continue, and we will be alongside you to assist. We will support you in your efforts for peace, in future negotiations, and most importantly - in our shared future: Ukraine as a full member of the European Union," said the President of the European Council. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Address by the President at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities President of Ukraine 5 September 2025 - 16:23 Distinguished guests, respected representatives of our communities, esteemed government officials! Dear Mr. President, dear Antonio, I am grateful that you are with us today! I deeply appreciate this visit and thank you for your support. I also know that today we are joined - though we haven't met yet - by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden. Welcome! The participation of our European friends in this event, in the work of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Ukraine, clearly demonstrates how interconnected these matters are: our Ukraine's domestic policy and our relations with the European Union. Ukraine is de facto integrating into the European Union. We are working to open clusters: achieving results and doing it together with the EU. All our cooperation programs are functioning today - primarily in defense, energy, and budgetary sustainability - which are so important for supporting our people. I greatly value all assistance and cooperation at the community level, between cities. European institutions are also working directly with communities. We are deeply grateful for this support and assistance - it is one of the ways to promote local development in Ukraine. Thank you for all of this. We are now in Zakarpattia, one of the country's key regions and one that currently forms an economic foundation for Ukraine. Relocated enterprises and our new businesses operate here. Today, together with President Costa, we visited some of these enterprises. The example of Zakarpattia, and other regions that are increasing Ukraine's industrial and social capacity during the war, demonstrates the strength of the Ukrainian people. We thank you - all the representatives who are here, everyone who is present offline and online. I thank you all. Special thanks to each community that gives Ukraine its economic strength. I urge the Ukrainian Government to continue actively supporting the "Made in Ukraine" program for our communities, which includes Ukrainian industrial parks, jobs across the country, energy modernization programs at the local level, alternative energy, initiatives to ease access to networks, and lending programs. We also expect the Government to propose effective military risk insurance for frontline communities - a report on this program by the Honorable Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko is expected this week. We are grateful to every community that supports our defense capabilities, with special thanks to those on the frontline. And I extend my special gratitude and deepest respect to all those living near the enemy and in frontline communities, who every day carry out their work, serve the state, help others, provide jobs, work in those jobs, and ensure that our country continues to live. I would like to personally thank and support every one of you. It is extremely important that, this year, Ukrainian communities continue supporting our troops, contributing no less than 15% of their revenues. This is a realistic target. I want to thank all our friends in Europe and in other parts of the world who come to Ukraine, who visit our regions, who really see firsthand - not just through reports - what Russia is actually doing and how important it is to maintain support for Ukraine at a sufficient level. It is precisely the sufficient level of support for Ukraine that provides one of the elements of pressure on Russia. The second element of pressure is sanctions against Russia. We are working together on both of these elements. We are grateful for the EU's sanctions pressure on Russia and, above all, for the alliance between Europe and the United States and their allied efforts to pressure Russia. We ask all of you - every community, every community leader - to be active in this, both at your own level - in sanctions - and in contacts with partners, other communities, with communities of the European Union. Always, please, promote the need to provide further support. Everyone can see that Russia does not stop its attacks. Everyone can see that the consequences of Russian strikes are most devastating, primarily for our ordinary cities and villages, for Ukrainian civilians. Europe is organized in such a way that the voices of communities often carry no less weight than the voices of states. That is why it is important for communities to remain active. And, in addition to such activity, please fully implement agreements with our partners. We ask you to do it. This is primarily a task for Ukraine's diplomatic team. We have many coalitions with partners. We have defense coalitions, coalitions that help protect lives. This includes, for example, the Shelter Coalition. Everything must be filled with substance and produce results - if a coalition is announced, it must be clear to people exactly what Ukraine has accomplished within that coalition. Many countries and communities are ready to help us. This must be directed effectively. A concrete example is funding for school meals for all our children. A program of such free meals must be available in all our Ukrainian schools for all our Ukrainian children. We discussed this today with colleagues and raised this topic with Antonio, and yesterday I spoke with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. We hope to ensure this program. But I would like to see greater leadership from government officials, first and foremost from our ministries: the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must also assist in implementing such programs. This concerns assistance to children, not only meals, but also providing our schools with buses, shelters, which I already mentioned, and necessary equipment. It is also important to note the pace of construction of underground schools in regions that need them - I want to thank communities and each region for their concrete successes. There have indeed been successes. These include the Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. And one more thing. I want to thank all of you who are doing real things to integrate veterans into economic and social life. This is strategic work. Every veteran space, veterans' businesses, and the creation of jobs for veterans - these must be priorities for every community. And it is important to have positive competition among communities in creating such opportunities, so that, by the end of the year, we can determine together which communities truly set an example in implementing veteran policy - the Heroes Policy. I strongly urge the Government and the Office team to coordinate this work with particular focus, and within a month, propose a comprehensive, unified platform with all opportunities for veterans, both at the central level - in relation to the state - and within communities. Programs for veterans, services, documents, opportunities in education and entrepreneurship, employment - everything must be integrated, everything must work for the benefit of our society and the development of Ukrainian communities. Thank you all for your work, for serving the state. Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President of Ukraine and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Discussed Joint Defense Projects and the Needs of Ukrainian Warriors President of Ukraine 5 September 2025 - 15:34 In Uzhhorod, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maria Malmer Stenergard, who visited our country for the second time since taking office. The Head of State expressed gratitude to the people of Sweden, the government, and the Prime Minister for supporting Ukraine from the very beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion. "We are very grateful for the 4 billion dollars of defense support this year. This is truly very significant assistance. The Prime Minister also told me that you will be among those leaders who decided to provide Ukraine with security guarantees. We greatly appreciate this, thank you," the President noted. During the meeting, the parties discussed in detail further support for Ukraine and the preparation of a new defense package. Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined the most pressing current needs of Ukrainian warriors. Special attention was devoted to the PURL initiative. The Head of State thanked Sweden for participating in this program and shared expectations for its development. In particular, the discussion touched upon the need to bolster the protection of Ukraine's skies. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Maria Malmer Stenergard also discussed the possibility of increasing investments in Ukrainian drone production and the prospects for joint defense projects. The parties agreed to work on this issue and take steps to enhance the capabilities of both states. The President thanked Sweden's Foreign Minister for her personal support of Ukraine and presented her with the Order of Princess Olga, 3rd class. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Security Guarantees, Ukraine's EU Membership, and Support for Ukraine's Resilience Programs: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Met with Antonio Costa President of Ukraine 5 September 2025 - 13:40 In Uzhhorod, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with President of the European Council Antonio Costa to align common positions and discuss the next steps. The Head of State expressed gratitude for the support and for the active involvement of the EU and European institutions in the development of security guarantees. The Presidents coordinated the next steps within the Coalition of the Willing and also discussed the opportunities under the SAFE initiative. "Ukraine must be a full participant, and the SAFE initiative can greatly boost defense capabilities in Ukraine and in other European countries. Our teams are working on this in detail," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Particular and detailed attention was devoted to Ukraine's future EU membership, which is both an economic and a geopolitical security guarantee. Ukraine's accession to the European Union is also supported by the United States, which believes that the security of everyone on the continent must be a common European cause. "Finally, we are hearing signals from Russia that they now acknowledge Ukraine's EU membership. It is regrettable that they are acknowledging reality with such a delay: since 2013, Russia has been inching toward this simple realization. But now some others - some of Russia's great friends in Europe - should also hear this: if even Putin does not object, then the position of some countries, such as Hungary, regarding clusters in the negotiations with Ukraine looks truly odd," the Head of State emphasized. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Antonio Costa also discussed reducing Russia's oil and gas revenues that finance the war, strengthening sanctions against Russia, and introducing tariffs on trade with those who assist the Russian Federation. "We are ready to do more. We are working with the United States and other partners to intensify our pressure through additional sanctions - both direct and secondary sanctions. Our European team is heading to Washington to work with our American friends," Antonio Costa said. In addition, the meeting addressed further support for Ukraine's resilience programs - in the areas of energy, reconstruction, and education. In particular, the discussion focused on assistance with providing free school meals for all Ukrainian children. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement by the President of Ukraine during a Joint Press Conference with the President of the European Council President of Ukraine 5 September 2025 - 13:15 Distinguished audience! Good afternoon. First of all, I would like to thank the esteemed President. Antonio, thank you, thank you very much for being here today, for coming to Zakarpattia to support Ukraine. We know your schedule is very busy. Yesterday we had many different meetings, but you found the time to support Ukraine, and I am very grateful for this visit, especially to this region. For us, it is very important. Today, we have a regional summit, and the fact that you are participating in this summit of our regions, our communities, is very significant for us. Distinguished audience here in Uzhhorod! Mr. President of the European Council! We have just had a very productive conversation. Yesterday, we were in Paris at the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, and we also spoke together with the President of the United States, as well as with other European leaders. It is evident that now there is a chance to move the situation toward greater security and greater shared results - for Ukraine and for Europe as a whole. First, I thank the European Union and European institutions for actively participating in the development of security guarantees. I want to emphasize: we are building a security system that will begin functioning during the war, remain in place after the war, and be fully deployed. Many details have already been worked out. Thirty-five countries are part of our Coalition of the Willing, and 26 of them are ready to participate in guaranteeing security. These are concrete contributions on land, in the air, at sea, in cyberspace, and also regarding the financing of our forces. In Ukraine, we also greatly value such European instruments as the SAFE initiative. Thank you very much, Antonio. Nineteen European countries have already joined the initiative. Today, we discussed with President Costa the opportunities this initiative offers. Ukraine must be a full participant, and the SAFE initiative can greatly boost defense capabilities in Ukraine and in other European countries. Our teams are working on this in detail. Second, it is crucial that everyone now sees Ukraine as part of the European Union. This is truly a major change. Ukraine's EU membership is a guarantee of security - both economic security and geopolitical security. I am grateful to everyone who sees the situation this way. Ukraine's membership in the EU is also supported by America, which believes that our security - the security of everyone on the continent - must be a common European cause. And finally, we are hearing signals from Russia that they now acknowledge Ukraine's EU membership. It is regrettable that they are acknowledging reality with such a delay: since 2013, Russia has been inching toward this simple realization. But now some others - some of Russia's great friends in Europe - should also hear this: if even Putin does not object, then the position of some countries, such as Hungary, regarding clusters in the negotiations with Ukraine looks truly odd. Yesterday in the conversation with President Trump, much attention was given to energy security - how to cut Russia's revenues. President Trump expressed dissatisfaction that Europeans continue to buy Russian oil and gas. And this concerns the policies of some European countries - Slovakia, Hungary, and possibly some other countries as well. Later today, I will raise this issue with the Prime Minister of Slovakia. We very much hope that other neighbors will also hear these signals. Today we discussed in detail with President Costa the developments in the membership negotiations and also coordinated our steps. I also want to thank Antonio and everyone in Europe who helps us strengthen our common sanctions policy. Sanctions against Russia, strong tariffs on trade with those who help Russia - all of this is really needed. We also need to prepare decisions on Russian assets - this is an instrument of long-term protection and recovery after Russia's strikes against our country. It is only fair that Russian assets become part of the price Russia pays for its aggression. And third. I am grateful for the EU's support of all our resilience programs. This includes programs in energy, reconstruction, and education for our children. The EU is ready to support one of the most sensitive social programs in Ukraine - the program of free school meals for all Ukrainian children. This is very important during wartime that Ukrainian children, regardless of circumstances or various difficult situations, can all receive free meals. We spoke about this recently, by the way, with Ursula von der Leyen, and we are working to make this happen. Thank you, Antonio. Thank you for your support. Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address It's Important That Security Guarantees Start Working Now - During the War, Not Only After It Ends - President at the Ambrosetti Forum President of Ukraine 5 September 2025 - 12:16 Building security infrastructure to push Russia toward peace, reducing Russia's revenues from energy exports, and supporting European business can influence Europe's collective security system. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in his address to the participants of the Ambrosetti International Economic Forum. The Head of State thanked the organizers for the invitation and the attention to Ukraine, adding that Ukrainians appreciate that people in Italy hear and support them. The President emphasized that Europe needs a new network of modern defense production - one in which countries support each other by producing defense means for themselves and for the whole of Europe. Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined three components that will affect Europe's collective security. According to him, the creation of a security system that will push Russia toward peace has already begun. He noted that the day before, in France, a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing was held, where the leaders of 35 countries discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, and 26 states expressed their readiness to make a real contribution. "These are strong countries, and Italy, of course, is one of them. President Trump confirmed - America is ready to take part. In the next few weeks, we'll talk with each country about what exactly they can do. And it's important that security guarantees start working now - during the war, not only after it ends," the President emphasized. The Head of State also said that during his conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders, they discussed in detail how to bring peace closer. According to him, President Trump expects a stronger Europe - with better coordination between Europe and the United States. At the same time, the American leader is very disappointed with the actions of some European countries, especially Hungary and Slovakia, which continue to buy Russian oil and help finance Russia's war machine. "America wants to seriously cut Russia's income from energy exports - and this is the right path. The less money Putin makes from oil, the less he can spend on war and on destabilizing other countries. Please keep this in mind - energy independence from Russia is also key to strong relations with the United States," the Head of State emphasized. Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to discuss this issue with President of the European Council Antonio Costa and Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico during meetings in Ukraine. "And it's important that Prime Minister Orban also hears these signals from the United States, directly from President Trump - the signal about Russian oil," the Head of State added. The President also emphasized the importance of supporting European business - industries, jobs, and Europe's place in global competition. "In Ukraine, we believe that the project of rebuilding our country after the war is a fundamental economic project for the whole of Europe. For us, Ukraine's EU membership and the reconstruction of Ukraine are also elements of security. Giorgia Meloni supports us in this. And I very much hope that Italy's participation will be truly strong and visible," the Head of State concluded. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Europe Needs a New Network of Modern Defense Production - Address by the President to the Participants of the Ambrosetti International Economic Forum President of Ukraine 5 September 2025 - 12:11 Dear participants of the Forum, dear Italy, I'm glad to be with you today, even online. Thank you for the invitation and for your attention to Ukraine, to our people. We really appreciate that people in Italy hear us, our people, and support us. This week is almost over and it was full of important events. Yesterday, we had a very successful, I think, meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris. Most of them were from Europe - all free European nations. But also were present partners from Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Italy has a very active role, and I thank Giorgia Meloni and her team. President Trump's Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, also attended. We also spoke with President Trump - it was one of those talks that can help shape future policy. And before the meetings in France, there was another one in Copenhagen. It was with the Nordic and Baltic countries - one of the strongest partnerships. They support our defense and help us develop our defense industry. Not only in Ukraine. Right now, we're building the first joint weapons plant in Denmark. It's a modern facility. This is a part of our defense strategy - to build weapons together, to modernize defense production in Europe, and to unite Europe in this work. It's crucial - for modern industry, strong jobs, and for Europe to stay competitive in the world. I hope that Italy will also join us in building these joint production projects. In fact Europe needs a new network of modern defense production - one where countries support each other by producing protection for themselves and for all of Europe. This will make Europe much stronger and more resilient. So, I want to share a few thoughts, just some things that will definitely affect our shared security. First - even though Russia is trying to keep this war going, we've already started building a security system that can push Russia toward peace. Of course, I can't share all the details now - many of them are very sensitive and military-related. But we are preparing strength - on the ground, in the air, and at sea - that, by simply working as planned, will pressure Russia to stop the war. For example, if we have enough systems to shoot down Russian missiles and drones, including Iranian drones, Russia will have fewer chances to keep fighting. The main tool of Russia's war is killing civilians in our cities - that's why we are working with our partners to get more and better air defense systems, and also modern fighter jets - to limit Russia's ability to attack. This will push them toward peace. And we really count on America's support in this, and our teams, both European and American, will be working on it. So, when we talk about security guarantees for Ukraine, there are 35 countries in the Coalition of the Willing and 26 of them are ready to help with real support for security. This is a big change. These are strong countries, and Italy, of course, is one of them. President Trump confirmed - America is ready to take part. In the next few weeks, we'll talk with each country about what exactly they can do. And it's important that security guarantees start working now - during the war, not only after it ends. Second point. Yesterday, we had a conversation with President Trump. European leaders were also on the call - including Giorgia Meloni, of course. We talked in detail about how to move the situation closer to peace. President Trump expects a stronger Europe - with better coordination between Europe and the United States. At the same time, he is very disappointed with some European countries, especially Hungary and Slovakia, because they continue to buy Russian oil. That means they are helping to fund Russia's war machine. America wants to seriously cut Russia's income from energy exports - and this is the right path. The less money Putin makes from oil, the less he can spend on war and on destabilizing other countries. Please keep this in mind - energy independence from Russia is also key to strong relations with the United States. Now in Ukraine I have meetings with Antonio Costa, the President of the European Council, and, by the way, with the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico - and we will talk about this as well. And it's important that Prime Minister Orban also hears these signals from the United States, directly from President Trump - the signal about Russian oil. And finally the third point. When we talk about peace - this is peace in Europe - about security and security guarantees, we also have to talk about supporting European business - our industries, our jobs, and our role in global competition. A strong Europe is a Europe that the world wants as an economic partner. This must remain unchanged. In Ukraine, we believe that the project of rebuilding our country after the war is a fundamental economic project for the whole of Europe. Recently, we were in Rome at the Conference on Ukraine's Recovery. Thank you so much! Thanks, Italy! What made that Conference strong was the presence of business - many companies took part. And I believe that rebuilding Ukraine should give growth and development to every European country. That is why we count so much on the participation of strong players like Italy and Italian business. Please, be active in this. For us, Ukraine's EU membership and the reconstruction of Ukraine are also elements of security. Giorgia Meloni supports us in this. And I very much hope that Italy's participation will be truly strong and visible. Thank you so much! Thanks, Italy! Thanks for this meeting, for the invitation. And I am ready to answer your questions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Following SSU investigation, guard of russian torture chamber that operated during Kherson's occupation sentenced to 14 years in prison Security Service of Ukraine 14:00, 5 September 2025 Based on evidence collected by the Security Service, another collaborator who worked for russia during the occupation of Kherson received a real prison sentence. The convicted individual was a local unemployed man who, after the community was captured, voluntarily joined russia's 'penal administration in Kherson region'. There, he was appointed as a guard at a russian torture chamber, which the invaders had set up in the then-captured Northern Penal Colony No. 90. As a 'security unit inspector', he controlled the perimeter and prison blocks where members of the resistance movement were held. People in the cells were systematically tortured: they were electrocuted, beaten with sticks, and kept in solitary confinement without food or water. During the torture, the ruscists tried to 'extract' information about other patriots who are resisting the occupiers in the temporarily occupied part of Ukraine. After Kherson's liberation, the traitor remained on the right bank of the region and did not leave his home for months, trying to evade justice. The SSU established his location and detained him near the city in February 2024. Based on the evidence collected by the SSU, the accused was found guilty under Article 111-1.7 of the CCU (collaboration). Given his cooperation with the investigation, the court sentenced him to 14 years in prison with confiscation of property. The investigation was carried out by the SSU Offices in Kherson and Zakarpattia regions under the procedural supervision of Zakarpattia Region Prosecutor's Office. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address On Saturday at 12:50, Polish protesters blocked traffic in front of the Medyka checkpoint (opposite the Ukrainian Shehyni), the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported. "The restrictions apply only to trucks and may last at least 6 hours. For cars and buses, traffic is unchanged," the border guards emphasized on Telegram on Saturday. "Some 681 trucks are registered in the queue to leave Ukraine, about 100 are waiting to enter, which are already in a specially equipped parking lot, nothing will prevent their registration," the report says. The protesters' action is taking place a kilometer from the Polish checkpoint. The State Border Guard Service will inform you about any changes or complications in traffic. A Toxic Trail Exposed: How Russia Makes Chemical Grenades And Uses Them Against Ukraine By Kyrylo Ovsyaniy, Valeriya Yegoshyna, Anna Myroniuk and Schemes September 06, 2025 The website of Russia's Scientific Research Institute for Applied Chemistry (NIIPH) features images of fireworks displays and one of the items it produces: sparklers in packages adorned with drawings of a holiday tree, a Santa Claus figure, and cute kids and critters. But the heavily Western-sanctioned institute in an old monastery town outside Moscow is a crucial link in a production and supply chain that puts toxic chemical grenades and other weapons in the hands of Russian forces fighting in the war against Ukraine. Reporting by Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, shows how Russia is churning out RG-Vo grenades and firing them at Ukrainian troops -- despite sanctions and a global convention that bans their use on the battlefield. The Schemes investigation also details links between Chinese firms and Russia's alleged deployment of incendiary weapons whose use in civilian areas is prohibited. Supplied with crucial components by Russian plants that have not been hit with punitive measures by the West over the war against Ukraine, NIIPH is making the RG-Vo, a type of toxic gas grenade experts say has been in frequent use by Russian forces since late 2023. The institute also imports raw materials from abroad, receiving red phosphorus from Chinese companies. Red phosphorus can be converted into white phosphorus, a potentially deadly weapon that Russian forces have been accused of using repeatedly since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Its use in populated areas is forbidden. Schemes also identified Russian units that have used the toxic grenades, which are usually delivered by drones and bear the Cyrillic letters RG-Vo stenciled on their side - apparently an abbreviation for "hand grenade - poisonous substance." They can contain toxic CS or CN tear gas - often used riot control agents (RCA) but prohibited "as a method of warfare" under the Chemical Weapons Convention, of which Russia and Ukraine are both parties. 'You Can't Breathe' But that's exactly what Russia has been doing during the full-scale invasion, according to Kyiv, its international backers, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) -- and to Ukrainian soldiers wounded in attacks intended to "smoke out" servicemen from their cover and expose them to withering fire. "We entered our positions, and the gas was released after about four or five days, Oleksandr Nyahu, a soldier whose unit came under attack this spring while defending Vodyane Druhe, a village in the Donetsk region near the embattled city of Pokrovsk. "It burns so badly. Your eyes water, your face starts to burn," Nyahu, one of several soldiers who were undergoing rehabilitation at a hospital in the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region after that attack, told Schemes. "You can't breathe in fully...you inhale and you start gagging and coughing." "This is their practice today: FPV drones and chemical weapons that are invisible," said a fellow serviceman, Ihor Kozarenko. "You cry, you belch - you have all the symptoms. But you still have to shoot back. No option." "This is a war crime -- to conduct combat operations using practically barbaric methods in the 21st century," Amil Omarov, the chief prosecutor in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, said of Russia's use of toxic chemicals to flush Ukrainian troops from cover. Toxic Playbook In May 2024, the United States said it determined that Russia "has used the chemical weapon chloropicrin against Ukrainian forces" and "has used riot control agents as a method of warfare in Ukraine," both violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention. A Russian blogger wrote, "Meet the RG-Vo. A very effective gas grenade." A Russian blogger wrote, "Meet the RG-Vo. A very effective gas grenade." "The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident, and is probably driven by Russian forces' desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield," the State Department said. "Russia's ongoing disregard for its obligations to the CWC comes from the same playbook as its operations to poison Aleksei Navalny and Sergei and Yulia Skripal with Novichok nerve agents." The near-fatal poisonings for former double-agent Skripal in Britain in 2018 and Kremlin opponent Navalny in Russia in 2020 drew horrified attention to what Western governments say is an undeclared Russian chemical weapons program. Russia has not acknowledged its use of chemical weapons in Ukraine. But later in May 2024, state-funded Russian channel RT posted a report on Telegram in which a military blogger points to what appears to be a discharged RG-Vo grenade - which he said was fired by Russian forces-- in an area of the Donetsk region where Moscow's troops had pushed Ukraine out in December 2023. That same month marked the first time Ukraine recorded Russia's first use of a new type of RG-Vo grenade against Ukrainian soldiers, Andriy Rudyk, a representative of the Center for Research on Captured and Advanced Weapons and Military Equipment, said at a press conference in January 2024. Also in late 2023, a Russian pro-war blogger introduced what he suggested was a new product of the Russian military industry to his audience: "Meet the RG-Vo. A very effective gas grenade," he wrote. Soon after that, photos of entire batches of the brand-new chemical grenades began to appear in online Russian military forums. At least six soldiers have been killed by gas from RG-Vo grenades, according to Major Alla Asaulenko, an officer in the medical service of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In August, the Security Service of Ukraine said Kyiv had recorded more than 10,000 Russian chemical attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. In July, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Russian forces "are increasingly using chemical weapons." "This shows that Russia wants to inflict as much pain and suffering on Ukraine as possible so that it surrenders, and this is unbearable, and that is why we are taking all these steps," Kallas said, referring to sanctions against people and organizations believed to be involved in the development and use of chemical weapons. 'An Easy Target' But sanctions imposed by the United States, the EU, the United Kingdom, and others haven't stopped the Scientific Research Institute for Applied Chemistry (NIIPH) from manufacturing RG-Vo grenades at a fast clip, Ukrainian officials say. "We see that the production rate is fairly high, because these gas grenades are used in such quantities along almost the entire line of combat contact," Colonel Artem Vlasyuk, a department head in the Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Directorate of the Ukrainian military's Support Forces Command, told Schemes. The Scientific Research Institute of Applied Chemistry (NIIPH) in Sergiyev Posad, Russia. The Scientific Research Institute of Applied Chemistry (NIIPH) in Sergiyev Posad, Russia. Founded in 1945, NIIPH now helps supply Russian forces with weapons for the biggest war in Europe since that year. Part of Rostec, the sprawling state military industry conglomerate, it is located in Sergiyev Posad, 70 kilometers northeast of Moscow. The institute's website mentions only its civilian products, such as sparklers and cartridges for sport shooting and hunting. But in 2020, its then-director, Nikolai Varyonykh, told a local TV channel the institute's priorities were "state orders" and the "creation of the most modern weapons for the Russian army." The RG-Vo grenades first used by Russian forces in Ukraine in December 2023 may be more harmful than previous versions, according to experts including Colonel Artem Vlasyuk, a department head in the Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Directorate of the Ukrainian military's Support Forces Command and Vitaliy Nikityuk, a department head at the Laboratory of Forensic and Military Research. They can contain toxic CS or CN gas. "A person who receives a dose from this gas grenade becomes disoriented, loses the ability to take any action - and becomes an easy target," Nikityuk said. The raft of sanctions on NIIPH include punishment meted out against it by the UK in July for supplying RG-Vo grenades to the military. However, Schemes determined that these measures didn't hit the institute hard because it obtained components of RG-Vo grenades inside Russia, from at least two enterprises that are not sanctioned by the West -- the Saransk Mechanical Plant and Eurocheminvest. The Saransk Mechanical Plant positions itself as a manufacturer of items such as bicycle trainers, outdoor furniture, and barbecue grills. But information obtained by Schemes from Russian tax databases shows that in 2024, NIIPH purchased two types of pyrotechnic moderators, which help initiate the explosion of the grenade, from the plant. Tax database information also showed that Eurocheminvest has sold two potential RG-Vo ingredients to NIIPH: Chloroform, which is used in CN gas, and acetone, which can be used in the production of CS gas. Neither Eurocheminvest nor the Saransk plant responded to requests for comment. The China Connection Also not under sanctions: Chinese companies from which Schemes found that NIIPH has purchased red phosphorus, which is often used to make white phosphorus - a substance that ignites upon exposure to oxygen and burns at about 800 C. "Its incendiary effects inflict death or cruel injuries that result in lifelong suffering," Human Rights Watch has written. Ukraine and others have accused Russia of using white phosphorus munitions repeatedly in its invasion, including in its unsuccessful drive toward Kyiv and in the months-long battles for Bakhmut and Mariupol in the Donetsk region. According to Russian customs data, NIIPH purchased red phosphorus worth over $1 million in 2022-23 -- a total of almost 100 tons, a quarter of all imports of this substance to Russia during that period and enough to fill two freight cars. The database information shows the red phosphorus was purchased from Yunnan Phosphorus, which it says represented the interests of another Chinese company, Dongguan Haofei. Neither company responded to requests from Schemes for comment. US and EU sanctions have banned direct supplies to Russian defense enterprises since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since 2024, Western sanctions have also specifically prohibited exports of red phosphorus to Russia. On The Battlefield In addition to information about production, Schemes obtained evidence of the use of RG-Vo grenades by two Russian units fighting in Ukraine, the 114th and 136th Separate Motor Rifle Brigades. "Here's the gas grenade we fired," a Russian military blogger says, pointing at a scene of soldiers' attack, in the video shown on Telegram by RT in May 2024. "And then our storm troopers went in." Communications this spring and summer between soldiers from the 136th brigade in the partially occupied Kharkiv region, obtained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) through its agent networks and provided to Schemes, include written references to "gas" and specifically to RG-Vo grenades. "Material we have received has allowed us to establish that...for six months, every day - this is a key point, every day -- they received an order and used with varying degrees of intensity exactly this means of destruction: a chemical grenade," an SBU investigator in the Kharkiv region said on condition of anonymity, speaking about the 136th brigade. "These are the specifics of the tactics they use during active offensive actions." In July, Ukraine's military intelligence agency posted what it said was a fragment of a radio intercept in which an unidentified Russian commander in Ukraine tells subordinates of a plan to kill a group of Ukrainian soldiers sheltering in a basement. "Now I will gas the [expletive] in the basement," the voice says. "If I can't do it [myself], finish them off after the gas, while they're [expletive] coughing with snot and spit and can't see a [expletive] thing - they'll have to be finished off quickly after that." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-china-ukraine-chemical- incendiary-weapons/33522890.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NEW YORK, Sept. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of common units of XPLR Infrastructure, LP f/k/a Nextera Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: XIFR, NEP) between September 27, 2023 and January 27, 2025, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), of the important September 8, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased XPLR common units 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 XPLR class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=43310 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. 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 8, 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 firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, throughout the Class Period, defendants made false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) XPLR was struggling to maintain its operations as a yieldco (i.e., a business that owns and operates fully-built and operational power generating projects, focused on delivering large cash distributions to investors); (2) defendants temporarily relieved this issue by entering into certain financing arrangements while downplaying the attendant risks; (3) XPLR could not resolve those financings before their maturity date without risking significant unitholder dilution; (4) as a result, defendants planned to halt cash distributions to investors and instead redirect those funds to, inter alia, resolve those financings; (5) as a result of all the foregoing, XPLRs yieldco business model and distribution growth rate was unsustainable; and (6) as a result, defendants public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the XPLR class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=43310 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. 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 investors 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 Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com SPRING HILL, Tenn., Sept. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- What makes a structured preschool schedule beneficial for young children? In a recent HelloNation article, Abigail Coghlan of Spring Hill Academy Preschool in Spring Hill, Tennessee, explains how consistency within the preschool environment provides children with the security they need to grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Her guidance emphasizes that structure in preschool is not about rigidity but about creating a steady rhythm children can trust. According to Coghlan, children thrive when they can rely on predictable daily activities. A structured preschool schedule often includes circle time, learning centers, outdoor play, snacks, and rest. These routines help children feel reassured and ready to learn, allowing them to focus on developing friendships, practicing new skills, and exploring creativity within a stable preschool environment. This consistency also strengthens relationships between teachers and students. In early childhood education, teachers act as trusted guides, and within a clear preschool structure, children feel safe enough to take risks, ask questions, and explore new ideas. Feeling secure enables them to develop confidence while also learning the basics of problem solving and independent thinking. One of the key benefits of a structured preschool schedule is the way it fosters academic readiness. When early lessons in literacy, counting, and following directions are built into everyday routines, children gain regular exposure to essential skills. This consistent practice ensures that by the time they reach kindergarten, they are comfortable in classroom settings and well-prepared for the academic expectations ahead. Structure also nurtures character development. Through routines that include cooperation, turn-taking, and respect, children learn habits that extend beyond the classroom. These daily activities reinforce patience, kindness, and responsibility. By making these values part of a childs everyday experience, the preschool environment ensures that they are carried into family life and future schooling. Parents sometimes worry that a preschool structure might limit creativity. Coghlan explains that the opposite is true. When children know what to expect in their day, they feel safe enough to try new things. Structured time for building, drawing, or dramatic play allows creativity to flourish within the preschool environment. Predictability provides the foundation for children to take creative risks without feeling uncertain. The benefits of a structured preschool schedule often extend beyond school hours. Parents observe that children adapt more easily at home, follow routines with less resistance, and apply problem solving strategies to everyday challenges. These carryover effects highlight the importance of consistency not only for academic readiness but also for building resilience and adaptability in different settings. By the time children transition into kindergarten, those who have experienced a steady preschool structure demonstrate strong social skills, a readiness to learn, and confidence in classroom routines. They adjust more smoothly to new expectations and bring with them the habits of focus, cooperation, and curiosity that will support long-term success in school. In early childhood education, structure is best understood as guidance rather than restriction. A thoughtful preschool environment blends learning with play in a balanced way. By maintaining predictable daily activities, children gain the reassurance they need to explore academics, creativity, and relationships with confidence. As Coghlan emphasizes, a structured preschool schedule equips children with the tools they need to thrive. Academic readiness, character development, and problem solving all grow naturally within a preschool environment that values consistency. Parents searching for ways to support their childs early growth can find practical guidance in her HelloNation feature, Why Structure Helps Kids Thrive in Preschool . About HelloNation HelloNation is a premier media platform that connects readers with trusted professionals and businesses across various industries. Through its innovative edvertising approach that blends educational content and storytelling, HelloNation delivers expert-driven articles that inform, inspire, and empower. Covering topics from home improvement and health to business strategy and lifestyle, HelloNation highlights leaders making a meaningful impact in their communities. Patrick McCabe info@hellonation.com www.hellonation.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3a74e824-3afc-4bf5-bf36-1388491c6146 CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Do you really need 20% down to buy a home? Many buyers in Charlotte still believe they must save that much before entering the market, but todays loan programs and assistance options prove otherwise. In an article featured in HelloNation , Carolina Buyers Agent founder Julie P. Tuggle explains why buyers often succeed with as little as 3 to 5% down, and how available programs make homeownership more accessible than many realize. The 20% standard originated decades ago when lenders required large down payments to reduce risk. While putting more money down can help buyers avoid private mortgage insurance (PMI), it is no longer the only path to ownership. Today, FHA, VA, USDA, and conventional loan programs provide buyers with flexible options. For many, entering the market earlier with a smaller down payment is more beneficial than waiting years to save the traditional amount. One of the biggest advantages of buying with less down is avoiding years of delay. Charlottes housing market has shown steady growth, and buyers who wait may find that homes become less affordable over time. By using programs that allow for 3 to 5% down, buyers can start building equity sooner, benefiting from both appreciation and loan repayment over time. There are trade-offs, as smaller down payments usually require PMI. PMI adds to the monthly mortgage cost, but as Tuggle explains, it can also be viewed as a tool. For a relatively small monthly fee, PMI gives buyers the ability to enter the market earlier, start building wealth, and stop paying rent. Once equity reaches 20%, PMI can often be removed, leaving the homeowner with an appreciated property. Loan options in Charlotte vary depending on the buyers situation. FHA loans are common among first-time buyers because of their lower down payment requirements and flexible credit standards. Conventional loans may also allow smaller down payments, though the terms for insurance may differ. VA loans provide an even greater advantage for eligible veterans and military families, with no down payment required and no PMI. USDA loans serve rural buyers, offering zero down payment options in qualifying areas near Charlotte. Down payment assistance programs add another layer of opportunity. In North Carolina, the NC Housing Finance Agency offers forgivable loans and grants to first-time buyers and qualifying families, covering part of the down payment or closing costs. Similar programs exist through Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte, giving households with steady income but limited savings the chance to bridge the gap. These options can be life-changing for buyers who are ready to move forward but need help with upfront costs. Charlottes real estate market adds urgency to this decision. With steady population growth and strong demand, homes across the metro area continue to hold and build value. For many buyers, the choice is clear: it is better to purchase sooner with a smaller down payment than to wait for years while prices rise. The full article, Myth vs. Fact You Dont Need 20% Down , features Julie P. Tuggle of Carolina Buyers Agent sharing insights on how todays mortgage programs and assistance options give Charlotte buyers more flexibility than ever before. About HelloNation HelloNation is a premier media platform that connects readers with trusted professionals and businesses across various industries. Through its innovative edvertising approach that blends educational content and storytelling, HelloNation delivers expert-driven articles that inform, inspire, and empower. Covering topics from home improvement and health to business strategy and lifestyle, HelloNation highlights leaders making a meaningful impact in their communities. Patrick McCabe info@hellonation.com www.hellonation.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/aa2f0156-2c2a-49f8-962a-4efd24349aaa New data demonstrate amivantamab combination significantly reduces common EGFR and MET resistance mutations seen with EGFR TKIs1 BEERSE, BELGIUM , Sept. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Janssen-Cilag International NV, a Johnson & Johnson company, today announced new analyses from the Phase 3 MARIPOSA study showing that first-line treatment with RYBREVANT (amivantamab) plus LAZCLUZE (lazertinib) significantly reduces the development of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)- and MET-driven resistance compared with osimertinib monotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with exon 19 deletion (ex19del) or L858R mutations (Poster Abstract PT1.03).1 These resistance data build on the combinations previously reported overall survival benefit for this chemotherapy-free regimen and underscore its potential to change the biology of the disease by reducing acquired resistance.1,2 Late-breaking results are being presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC). Resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) remains a common and major barrier to long-term disease control.3 This ongoing challenge underscores the need for next-generation strategies that can more effectively prevent the development of resistance mediated by EGFR and MET and extend survival for patients with EGFR-mutated advanced NSCLC. We now have a body of evidence that suggests TKI monotherapy is no longer enough for the majority of patients in the first-line treatment of EGFR-mutated lung cancer, said Professor Sanjay Popat*, FRCP, Ph.D., medical oncologist at the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research in the United Kingdom. The MARIPOSA results show that combining amivantamab with lazertinib is an important step forward, reducing EGFR- and MET-driven resistance seen with EGFR TKI monotherapy and giving patients a longer, stronger first response. Consistent with prior data presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2024 Congress, these updated analyses from the MARIPOSA study confirm that patients treated with amivantamab plus lazertinib were less likely to develop the two main types of resistance observed with osimertinib (MET amplification and secondary EGFR mutations) compared to those treated with osimertinib alone.1,4 MET amplifications occurred in three percent of patients on the combination versus 13 percent on osimertinib monotherapy (P=0.002), and secondary EGFR mutations (such as C797S) were significantly lower for amivantamab plus lazertinib versus osimertinib monotherapy (one percent vs eight percent; P=0.01).1 Acquired MET amplification led to early discontinuation in 23 percent of patients on osimertinib monotherapy within six months, compared with four percent on amivantamab plus lazertinib.1 Among patients who stayed on amivantamab for at least six months, rates of acquired resistance were infrequent, with two percent developing MET amplification and no EGFR C797S mutations observed.1 The analysis also found greater overall genetic diversity of resistance in patients treated with osimertinib monotherapy, particularly among patients with EGFR- and MET-based alterations.1 Amivantamab and lazertinib were purposefully combined to proactively address mechanisms of acquired resistance to EGFR TKIs, one of the greatest challenges and barriers to long-term disease control in EGFR-mutated NSCLC, said Henar Hevia, Ph.D., Senior Director, EMEA Therapy Area Head, Oncology, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine. These results add to the growing body of evidence for this innovative combination and reflect our dedication and commitment to advancing treatment options that not only help patients stay on therapy longer but also deliver meaningful outcomes in an area of critical need, bringing new hope to patients and their families. The safety profile of amivantamab plus lazertinib was consistent with the primary analysis and no new safety signals emerged with longer-term follow-up.2 The most common TEAEs of any grade that occurred were paronychia (69 percent), infusion-related reaction (65 percent), and rash (64 percent).2 Most key AEs occurred early in treatment.2 Other studies with amivantamab suggest that using preemptive or prophylactic measures can help lower the overall number and severity of skin reactions, infusion-related reactions and venous thromboembolic events.5,6,7,8 Choosing the first treatment for EGFR-mutated NSCLC is one of the most important decisions. It can influence how the disease progresses over time, said Joshua Bauml, M.D., Vice President, Lung Cancer Disease Area Leader, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine. These data show amivantamab plus lazertinib changes the biology of disease by blocking the resistance pathways cancers typically use to overcome treatment. By reducing resistance in the frontline, we can potentially extend survival and keep future treatment options open for patients. Amivantamab plus lazertinib was approved by the European Commission in December 2024 for patients with first-line common EGFR-mutated NSCLC based on the Phase 3 MARIPOSA study.9 About the MARIPOSA Study MARIPOSA (NCT04487080), which enrolled 1,074 patients, is a randomised, Phase 3 study evaluating amivantamab in combination with lazertinib versus osimertinib monotherapy and versus lazertinib alone in first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC with EGFR ex19del or exon 21 L858R substitution mutations.10 The primary endpoint of the study is progression-free survival (PFS) (using RECIST v1.1 guidelines) as assessed by BICR.10 Secondary endpoints include overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR), duration of response (DOR), second progression-free survival (PFS2) and intracranial PFS.10 The MARIPOSA study met its primary endpoint in October 2023, showing a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in PFS compared to osimertinib monotherapy.10,11 About Amivantamab Amivantamab is a fully-human EGFR-MET bispecific antibody that acts by targeting tumours with activating and resistance EGFR mutations and MET mutations and amplifications, and by harnessing the immune system.12,13,14,15 The European Commission (EC) has approved amivantamab in the following indications:15 Intravenous amivantamab: In combination with lazertinib for the first-line treatment of adult patients with advanced NSCLC with EGFR exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R substitution mutations. In combination with carboplatin and pemetrexed for the treatment of adult patients with advanced NSCLC with EGFR exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R substitution mutations, after failure of prior therapy including an EGFR TKI. In combination with carboplatin and pemetrexed, for the first-line treatment of adult patients with advanced NSCLC with activating EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations. As monotherapy for treatment of adult patients with advanced NSCLC with activating EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations, after failure of platinum-based therapy. Subcutaneous amivantamab: In combination with lazertinib for the firstline treatment of adult patients with advanced NSCLC with EGFR exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R substitution mutations. As monotherapy for treatment of adult patients with advanced NSCLC with activating EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations, after failure of platinumbased therapy. Subcutaneous (SC) amivantamab is co-formulated with recombinant human hyaluronidase PH20 (rHuPH20), Halozymes ENHANZE drug delivery technology.16 In May 2025, an application was submitted to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to extend the amivantamab marketing authorisation for additional subcutaneous dosing regimens, including.17 The use of an every-three-week (Q3W) SC amivantamab dosing regimen in combination with carboplatin and pemetrexed for the treatment of adult patients with advanced NSCLC with EGFR exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R substitution mutations, after failure of prior therapy including an EGFR TKI, and for the first-line treatment of adult patients with advanced NSCLC with activating EGFR Exon 20 insertion mutations. An every-four-week (Q4W) SC amivantamab dosing regimen, in combination with lazertinib for the first-line treatment of adult patients with advanced NSCLC with EGFR exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R substitution mutations, and as monotherapy for treatment of adult patients with advanced NSCLC with activating EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations after failure of platinum-based therapy. For a full list of adverse events and information on dosage and administration, contraindications and other precautions when using amivantamab, please refer to the Summary of Product Characteristics.15 In line with EU regulations for new medicines, amivantamab is subject to additional monitoring. About Lazertinib In 2018, Janssen Biotech, Inc., entered into a license and collaboration agreement with Yuhan Corporation for the development of lazertinib (marketed as LACLAZA in South Korea). Lazertinib is an oral, third-generation, brain-penetrant EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that targets both the T790M mutation and activating EGFR mutations whilst having less activity against wild-type EGFR.18 An analysis of the efficacy and safety of lazertinib from the Phase 3 study LASER301 was published in The Journal of Clinical Oncology in 2023.18 For a full list of adverse events and information on dosage and administration, contraindications and other precautions when using lazertinib, please refer to the Summary of Product Characteristics.19 In line with EU regulations for new medicines, lazertinib is subject to additional monitoring. About Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer In Europe, it is estimated that 484,306 people were diagnosed with lung cancer in 2022.20 NSCLC accounts for 85 percent of all lung cancer cases.21 Lung cancer is Europes biggest cancer killer, with more deaths than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.20 The main subtypes of NSCLC are adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and large cell carcinoma.21 Among the most common driver mutations in NSCLC are alterations in EGFR, which is a receptor tyrosine kinase controlling cell growth and division.21,22 EGFR mutations are present in 10 to 15 percent of Western patients with NSCLC with adenocarcinoma histology and occur in 40 to 50 percent of Asian patients.23,24,25,26 EGFR ex19del or EGFR exon 21 L858R mutations are the most common EGFR mutations.27 The five-year survival rate for patients with advanced NSCLC and EGFR mutations treated with EGFR TKIs is less than 20 percent and between 25-32 percent of patients receiving the current first-line standard of care, osimertinib, do not survive long enough to reach second-line treatment.28,29,30 About Johnson & Johnson At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at https://innovativemedicine.jnj.com/emea/. Follow us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/jnj-innovative-medicine-emea/. Janssen-Cilag International NV, Janssen Biotech, Inc. and Janssen-Cilag, S.A. are Johnson & Johnson companies. Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding product development and the potential benefits and treatment impact of amivantamab or lazertinib. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialise, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: challenges and uncertainties inherent in product research and development, including the uncertainty of clinical success and of obtaining regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges to patents; changes in behaviour and spending patterns of purchasers of health care products and services; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnsons most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including in the sections captioned Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Item 1A. Risk Factors, and in Johnson & Johnsons subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at http://www.sec.gov/, http://www.jnj.com/ or on request from Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments. Janssen-Cilag International NV, Inc. 2025. All rights reserved. *Professor Sanjay Popat, FRCP, Ph.D., has served as a consultant to Johnson & Johnson; he has not been paid for any media work. RECIST (v1.1) refers to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, which is a standard way to measure how well solid tumours respond to treatment and is based on whether tumours shrink, stay the same or get bigger. Source: Johnson & Johnson 1 Hayashi, H, et al. Mechanisms of Acquired Resistance to First-Line Amivantamab Plus Lazertinib Vs Osimertinib: Updated Analysis from MARIPOSA [IASLC abstract PT1.03]. Presented at: IASLC 2025 World Lung Conference on Lung Cancer; September 6-9, 2025; Barcelona, Spain. 2 Yang J, et al. Amivantamab Plus Lazertinib vs Osimertinib in First-line (1L) EGFR-mutant (EGFRm) Advanced NSCLC: Final Overall Survival (OS) from the Phase 3 MARIPOSA Study. 2025 European Lung Cancer Congress. March 26, 2025. 3 Tan CS, Kumarakulasinghe NB, Huang YQ, et al. Third-generation EGFR TKIs: current data and future directions. Mol Cancer. 2018;17:29. doi:10.1186/s12943-018-0778-0. 4 Besse B, et al. Presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress; September 1317, 2024; Barcelona, Spain. 5 Innovativemedicine.jnj.com. COCOON study meets primary endpoint demonstrating statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction in dermatologic reactions with easy-to-use prophylactic regimen for patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC. January 14, 2025. Accessed March 2025. 6 Spira AI, et al. Preventing Infusion-Related Reactions With Intravenous Amivantamab-Results From SKIPPirr, a Phase 2 Study: A Brief Report. J Thorac Oncol. 2025 Jan 24:S1556-0864(25)00051-6. 7 Leighl N, et al. PALOMA-3 Investigators. Subcutaneous Versus Intravenous Amivantamab, Both in Combination With Lazertinib, in Refractory Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Primary Results From the Phase III PALOMA-3 Study. J Clin Oncol. 2024 Oct 20;42(30):3593-3605. 8 Girard, et al. Preventing Moderate to Severe Dermatologic Adverse Events in First-line EGFR-mutant Advanced NSCLC Treated with Amivantamab Plus Lazertinib: Early Success of the COCOON Trial. 2025 European Lung Cancer Congress. March 27, 2025. 9 European Medicines Agency. Amivantamab Summary of Product Characteristics. January 2025. Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/rybrevant-epar-product-information_en.pdf. Accessed September 2025. 10 Cho BC, et al. Amivantamab Plus Lazertinib in Previously Untreated EGFR-Mutated Advanced NSCLC. The New England Journal of Medicine 2024. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2403614. Available at: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2403614. Accessed August 2025. 11 Innovativemedicine.jnj.com/EMEA. Landmark Phase 3 MARIPOSA Study Shows RYBREVANT(amivantamab) Plus Lazertinib Resulted in 30 Percent Reduction in Risk of Disease Progression or Death Compared to Osimertinib in Patients with EGFR-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Available at: https://innovativemedicine.jnj.com/emea/landmark-phase-3-mariposa-study-shows-rybrevantrvamivantamab-plus-lazertinib-resulted-30-percent. Accessed September 2025. 12 Moores SL, et al. A Novel Bispecific Antibody Targeting EGFR and cMet Is Effective against EGFR Inhibitor-Resistant Lung Tumors. Cancer Res 2016;76(13)(suppl 27216193):3942-3953. 13 Grugan KD, et al. Fc-mediated activity of EGFR x c-Met bispecific antibody JNJ-61186372 enhanced killing of lung cancer cells. Mabs. 2017;9(1):114-126. 14 Yun J, et al. Antitumor Activity of Amivantamab (JNJ-61186372), an EGFRMET Bispecific Antibody, in Diverse Models of EGFR Exon 20 InsertionDriven NSCLC. Cancer Discov. 2020;10(8):1194-1209. 15 European Medicines Agency. Amivantamab Summary of Product Characteristics. July 2025. Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/rybrevant-epar-product-information_en.pdf. Accessed September 2025. 16 Leighl NB et al. Subcutaneous Versus Intravenous Amivantamab, Both in Combination With Lazertinib, in Refractory Epidermal Growth Factor ReceptorMutated NonSmall Cell Lung Cancer: Primary Results From the Phase III PALOMA-3 Study. ASCO Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2024;42(3):3593-3605. 17 Innovativemedicine.jnj.com/EMEA. Johnson & Johnson submits application to the European Medicines Agency for additional subcutaneous RYBREVANT(amivantamab) dosing regimens to treat patients with EGFR-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Available at: https://innovativemedicine.jnj.com/emea/newsroom/johnson-johnson-submits-application-to-the-european-medicines-agency-for-additional-subcutaneous-rybrevant-amivantamab-dosing-regimens-to-treat-patients-with-egfr-mutated-advanced-non-small-cell-lung-cancer Accessed September 2025. 18 Cho, BC, et al. Lazertinib versus gefitinib as first-line treatment in patients with EGFR-mutated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: Results From LASER301. J Clin Oncol. 2023;41(26):4208-4217. 19 European Medicines Agency. Lazcluze. July 2025. Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/lazcluze. Accessed September 2025. 20 Global Cancer Observatory. Cancer Today. Available at: https://gco.iarc.who.int/media/globocan/factsheets/populations/908-europe-fact-sheet.pdf. Accessed September 2025. 21 Zappa C, et al. Non-small cell lung cancer: current treatment and future advances. Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2016;5(3):288300. 22 Wee P & Wang Z. Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Cell Proliferation Signaling Pathways. Cancers. 2017;9(12):52. 23 Pennell NA, et al. A phase II trial of adjuvant erlotinib in patients with resected epidermal growth factor receptor-mutant non-small cell lung cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2019;37(2):97-104. 24 Burnett H, et al. Epidemiological and clinical burden of EGFR exon 20 insertion in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic literature review. Abstract presented at: World Conference on Lung Cancer Annual Meeting (Singapore); January 29, 2021. 25 Zhang YL, et al. The prevalence of EGFR mutation in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Oncotarget. 2016;7(48):78985- 78993. 26 Midha A, et al. EGFR mutation incidence in non-small-cell lung cancer of adenocarcinoma histology: a systematic review and global map by ethnicity. Am J Cancer Res. 2015;5(9):2892-2911. 27 American Lung Association. EGFR and Lung Cancer. Available at: https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/lung-cancer/symptomsdiagnosis/biomarker-testing/egfr. Accessed September 2025. 28 Lin JJ, et al. Five-Year Survival in EGFR-Mutant Metastatic Lung Adenocarcinoma Treated with EGFR-TKIs. J Thorac Oncol. 2016;11(4):556-65. 29 Nieva J, et al. A real-world (rw) observational study of long-term survival (LTS) and treatment patterns after first-line (1L) osimertinib in patients (pts) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation-positive (m) advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Ann Oncol. 2023;34, S774. 30 Girard N, et al. Mortality among EGFR-mutated advanced NSCLC patients after frontline osimertinib treatment: A real-world, US attrition analysis. J Thorac Oncol. 2023;18(4), S51-52. CP-539990 September 2025 FOR EUROPEAN MEDICAL AND TRADE MEDIA ONLY SPRUCE GROVE, Alberta, Sept. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, victims of crashes involving alcohol, cannabis and/or other drugs will be honoured at MADD Canadas annual Memorial Monument Ceremony. This year, five new names have been added to the Monument located at the Parkland RCMP Detachment in Spruce Grove, bringing the total number of victims to 74. Every year, hundreds of Canadians are killed, and thousands more are injured in alcohol, cannabis and/or other drug-related crashes. Behind these numbers are senseless and preventable tragedies that devastate families and communities. Todays ceremony is about honouring lives and acknowledging the deep wounds impaired driving crashes leave behind, said Tanya Hansen Pratt, National President of MADD Canada, whose mother, Beryl, was killed by an impaired driver in 1999. Its also about renewing our commitment to prevent further tragedies. No family should have to endure the pain of losing a loved one to impaired driving. During the ceremony, victims names will be read, candles will be lit in their honour, and attendees will have the opportunity to visit the Monument to place flowers in a quiet moment of remembrance. Families, friends, community members and special guests will be attending the ceremony today, including: MADD Canada Board Member for Alberta/Northwest Territories/Nunavut Region, Tracy Franklin; Calgary Police Service, Inspector Andy Woodward; RCMP Parkland Detachment, Sergeant Darrin Turnbull; Parkland County Mayor, Allan Gamble; Edmonton Police Service, Supt. Angela Kemp; MADD Canada Victim Services ManagerWestern Region, Gillian Phillips; MADD Calgary & Area Chapter President, Aaron Libby; and MADD Edmonton & Area Chapter Volunteer, Lynda McCullough. Since 2009, MADD Canada has established Memorial Monuments for victims of impaired driving in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario. Ceremonies are held each year to unveil new names added to the Monuments and to pay tribute to all victims. The Prince Edward Island Monument will be unveiled soon, and we are working towards establishing a similar monument in British Columbia. About MADD Canada MADD Canada (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) is a national, charitable organization that is committed to stopping impaired driving and supporting the victims of this violent crime. With volunteer-driven groups in close to 100 communities across Canada, MADD Canada aims to offer support services to victims, heighten awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and save lives and prevent injuries on our roads. For more information, visit www.madd.ca. For more information, contact: Arielle Nkongmeneck, MADD Canada Communications Manager, 1-800-665-6233 ext. 240 or ankongmeneck@madd.ca After decades of outreach and evidencenever refutedit is urgent to fund two 3D-CBS devices that could halve cancer deaths, and to support further press releases to inform taxpayers and decision-makers. No refutations from CERN, IEEE, CPRIT, PAS, or scientistsdespite press releases reaching over 300 million people worldwide. 3D-Flow & 3D-CBS can save billions of euro and halve cancer deaths. Immediate funding for the inventor to prove these benefits experimentally is urgent. DALLAS, Sept. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (In PDF https://bit.ly/3UCW8XE) The Crosetto Foundation for the Reduction of Cancer Deaths, a registered nonprofit with North Texas Giving Day (https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/1951), has earned the Gold Seal for Transparency from GuideStar.org for eight consecutive years (https://www.guidestar.org/profile/03-0544575). The Foundation urgently calls on the public to help expose and correct scientific and institutional inconsistenciesissues that anyone, with or without a scientific background, can understand through common sense and factual evidence. A $12 Billion Mistake On 20 June 2025, the CERN Council approved FPGA-based upgrades for ATLAS and CMS (https://bit.ly/4mDncCi) despite decades of evidence showing that Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) systems are incapable of filtering data from 8 billion events per second. Their architecture is fundamentally inadequate for the demands of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and its high-luminosity upgrade (HL-LHC). Technical and Financial Concerns FPGA architecture cannot effectively filter meaningful data from the LHC's 1.2 billion events per second, which results in the recording of garbage data that has already wasted over $4 billion in past decades. CERNs new 20-trillion-transistor, a 650 kW FPGA system built for the HL-LHC, will similarly fail to filter data from the projected 8 billion events per second. This failure will cost an additional $12 billion in the coming decade, primarily due to the HL-LHCs daily operational cost of $4 million, and the wasted time of thousands of scientists analyzing irrelevant information. A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link. Crosettos comprehensive 82-page article, submitted to CERN and IEEE on 14 April 2025 along with other detailed technical documents, provides scientific evidence supporting these claims (see pages 4649 of https://bit.ly/4oNUOyT). He emphasizes that while FPGAs are suitable for many applications, their architecture is inadequate for the ultra-high-speed data processing required by the LHC's trigger system. Not Against CERN or IEEE But to Save Them from Actions Harming Taxpayers Crosetto, a long-standing IEEE member and participant of IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium conferences since 1991, insists that his opposition is not an attack on CERN or IEEE but an effort to uphold scientific integrity. He has spent over 20 years working on experiments at CERN and is deeply invested in its success. The alternative, the 3D-Flow system, was recognized as a breakthrough invention in 1993 by a review panel at Fermilab. (https://bit.ly/41i4ace). The panels report confirmed that the 3D-Flow architecture can execute Level-2 Trigger algorithms at Level-1a capability impossible to achieve with FPGA architecture. Crosetto received $1 million to demonstrate its feasibility, which he successfully proved in a 45-page peer-reviewed article (https://bit.ly/45Mw6pM). To disprove the 3D-Flow invention, CERN and IEEE would have to overturn the 1993 Fermilab review panels findings. This is impossible: the concept can be understood even by high school students, has been proven in hardware in a 144-processor 3D-Flow prototype (https://bit.ly/43Rlk0s), and its feasibility has been confirmed by 59 industry quotes (https://bit.ly/4myTwpY). With current technology, the 3D-Flow system can perform >8,000 operations using just 6 kW, compared to CERNs FPGA system performing only 66 operations at 650 kW (See pages 34-44 and 70-76 of https://bit.ly/4oNUOyT). Despite this official recognition, influential scientists have consistently suppressed Crosettos workincluding presentations, articles, and fundingwhile promoting the less-effective FPGA architecture. This suppression continued as recently as 3 July 2025, when anonymous reviewers for the IEEE-NSS-MIC-RTSD Conference suppressed two of Crosettos papers (https://bit.ly/45K6BFz, https://bit.ly/41hKwgk) without explanation, even after he immediately requested one. Extending Benefits to Cancer Patients Crosettos inventions also apply to medical imaging. The 3D-CBS device (https://bit.ly/45U2Wqv), enabled by the 3D-Flow system, can detect tumors as small as 100 cancer cells in a safe, two-minute, whole-body test costing about 200well before tumors grow to 1,000,000 cells (1 mm of tissue), the detection threshold of CT, MRI, and mammography. This technology could halve premature cancer deaths (https://bit.ly/47eqiIh). To realize this benefit, Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelsonwho allocated $6 billion in public funds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7VJhz7easo) to CPRIT (Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas)should request CPRIT organize a public scientific comparison between Crosettos 3D-CBS invention and all other funded projects, and give Texans the chance to halve cancer mortality by funding the inventor to build two 3D-CBS devices to prove their efficacy. Similarly, the President of Italy, as head of the Italian Army, could allocate just 0.1% of the annual defense budget to enable Italian-American scientist Dario Crosetto to build two 3D-CBS devices, proving the potential to save 400 defense employees from premature cancer deaths every year (https://bit.ly/3QbTLt4). Other leading scientific and humanitarian institutions should take responsibility by appointing their experts to meet with Crosetto and address the most deadly and costly world calamity: cancer. This includes the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (PAS), which counts 86 Nobel Laureates among its membersmore than any other academy. Notably, the CERN Director-General is also a PAS Council Member, as is the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. (https://bit.ly/3qii6Dv). Crosettos concepts are accessible not only to scientists but also to students, journalists, politicians, and the general public. They are explained in a book he wrote in 2000 with Montessori teachers and illustrated by high school students in a public video (A classroom demonstration of the concept of the 3D-Flow architecture is shown at minute 4:28 of https://bit.ly/4oN7Xbx). For 32 years honest scientists have not been able to overcome the suppression of Crosettos work, therefore, it has become necessary to: Secure minimal funding for press releases to inform taxpayers and cancer patients. Pressure representatives to freeze CERN funding until transparency is implemented and a public scientific comparison is organized. Urge Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson to facilitate a meeting between Crosetto and CPRIT scientists who manage $6 billion in cancer research, and President of Italy Sergio Mattarella to facilitate a meeting with Italian healthcare officials to address the cancer burden which costs 20 billion per year. No Refutation Only Silence Despite informing CERN, IEEE, parliamentarians, and millions of people worldwide, no one has ever refuted Crosettos evidence. Silence cannot justify suppressing a solution that could save billions of euros and millions of lives. Documented Failures and Broader Concerns The CERN FPGA failures are part of a larger pattern of scientific inconsistencies at CERN, which have harmed taxpayers and slowed scientific progress. Examples include: 2010: CERNs Director of Research awarded himself first prize at the CERN Physics for Health workshop for a project that ultimately failed. CERNs Director of Research awarded himself first prize at the CERN Physics for Health workshop for a project that ultimately failed. 2011: The Neutrino Blunder. CERN claimed that neutrinos traveled faster than lighta claim later disproven. The error stemmed from poor experimental design and failure to apply fundamental principles of measurement accuracy (https://bit.ly/4ogjGPw, https://bit.ly/4mYC7H3). The Neutrino Blunder. CERN claimed that neutrinos traveled faster than lighta claim later disproven. The error stemmed from poor experimental design and failure to apply fundamental principles of measurement accuracy (https://bit.ly/4ogjGPw, https://bit.ly/4mYC7H3). 2012: The inefficiency of CERNs FPGA-based Level-1 Trigger has cost taxpayers more than $4 billion. Only 40 Higgs boson-like events were detected out of 100,000 generated by the LHC between 2010 and 2011. These 40 events were likely detected by chance, as shown by CERNs repeated attempts to build several FPGA systemsall of which failed. The inefficiency of CERNs FPGA-based Level-1 Trigger has cost taxpayers more than $4 billion. Only 40 Higgs boson-like events were detected out of 100,000 generated by the LHC between 2010 and 2011. These 40 events were likely detected by chance, as shown by CERNs repeated attempts to build several FPGA systemsall of which failed. 2016: CERN document CMS CR-2016/121 acknowledged that the upgraded Level-1 Trigger was ineffective and was dismissed in 2016. As a result, all FPGA Triggers were scrapped, including 4,000 CMS FPGA boards trashed that year. (https://cds.cern.ch/record/2194548/files/CR2016_121.pdf). CERN document CMS CR-2016/121 acknowledged that the upgraded Level-1 Trigger was ineffective and was dismissed in 2016. As a result, all FPGA Triggers were scrapped, including 4,000 CMS FPGA boards trashed that year. (https://cds.cern.ch/record/2194548/files/CR2016_121.pdf). 2019: The CERN-ATTRACT Misstep. The consortium, led by CERNs former Director of Research, funded WPETan implausible 350+ kg cancer-screening coat. ( http://bit.ly/ 2JWsxG2, https://bit.ly/3iydDp3) A Constructive Solution The way forward is to organize public scientific meetings: At an IEEE conference, bringing Crosetto face-to-face with FPGA system designers before thousands of scientists worldwide. At CERN, in a format similar to the Fermilab review of 14 December 1993, which recognized the breakthrough capability of 3D-Flow. Only through open comparison and discussion can CERN and IEEE uphold their missions and regain the publics trust. Efforts to Raise Awareness Crosetto has actively informed the scientific community, public officials, and the media about these concerns. A press release sent on 28 August 2025 reached a potential audience of over 116 million people and was published by nearly 600 media outlets (https://bit.ly/3UCW8XE). and was published by nearly (https://bit.ly/3UCW8XE). In just the last two months, press releases were published by over 3,000 media outlets reaching over 300 million people, and his technical documentation has been sent to thousands of scientists (https://bit.ly/3HtisQv). reaching and his technical documentation has been sent to thousands of scientists (https://bit.ly/3HtisQv). His inventions were officially validated by experts at Fermilab and at international public scientific reviews, and they are understandable not only to scientists but also to high school students. No one has ever refuted their advantages or benefits. Despite this, many of his detailed emails and letters to members of the European Parliament, scientific leaders, and government officials remain unanswered. The core concept of the 3D-Flow system and its application in the 3D-CBS device for cancer detection is accessible to non-scientists. Crosetto stresses that this makes it a matter of public interest and accountability. He has provided extensive documentation, including 66 bibliographic references, to support his claims. Outreach to Scientists, Politicians, and the Public To ensure transparency, Crosetto has invested decades in informing Members of the European Parliament, scientific leaders (IEEE, CERN), and the general public. The table below documents the reach, readership, and media placement of his most recent press releases and communications. Table Key: Lang.: Language (EN = English, FR = French, DE = German, IT = Italian) Language (EN = English, FR = French, DE = German, IT = Italian) MEPs: Members of the European Parliament Members of the European Parliament Sci.: Scientists, IEEE, CERN, Leaders Scientists, IEEE, CERN, Leaders Pub.: General Public, Media, Journalists General Public, Media, Journalists To: Recipients (Total Potential Reach / Known Unique Readers) + unknown readers Recipients (Total Potential Reach / Known Unique Readers) + unknown readers Total Potential Reach: M = million, K = thousand M = million, K = thousand Placed: Number of media outlets publishing (see thousands of links at https://bit.ly/3HtisQv) Date Lang. Link To Placed 08/29/2025 EN https://bit.ly/3UCW8XE Pub (116M/22K), MEPs (720/420), Sci (40/27) 597 07/15/2025 EN https://bit.ly/4m57FKZ Pub (87M/10K), MEPs (720/41), Sci (40/14) N/A 07/04/2025 FR https://bit.ly/4lfjnTe Pub (8.3M/2.5K) 421 07/04/2005 DE https://bit.ly/3TTV0yb Pub (11.3M/2.4K) 487 07/04/2025 IT https://bit.ly/4loi7go N/A <5 07/03/2025 EN https://bit.ly/44cIbVQ Pub (63.7M/2K), MEPs (720/448) 441 06/30/2025 EN https://bit.ly/3TMnDNI N/A N/A 06/30/2025 IT https://bit.ly/4nsvk9E N/A <5 06/23/2025 EN https://bit.ly/4era28b MEPs (720/423) N/A 06/23/2025 IT https://bit.ly/3T7G1R8 N/A <5 Call to Action There is an urgent need to: Fund two 3D-CBS prototypes to demonstrate the ability to halve cancer deaths. Freeze CERNs FPGA funding until a public scientific comparison is organized. Support outreach efforts so more taxpayers and leaders can be informed. To bring transparency and save millions of lives, the Crosetto Foundation must continue its vital work. Our mission is to halve premature cancer deaths by publishing press releases, engaging with key decision-makers, and funding the construction of two 3D-CBS prototypes to provide experimental proof. The Foundation is accredited to receive donations through North Texas Giving Day each year. This year the last day is September 18, 2025 (https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/1951). Contributions also support outreach campaigns ensuring that taxpayers, policymakers, and scientists are fully informed. The Crosetto Foundation has earned the GuideStar Gold Seal for Transparency for eight consecutive years, assuring donors of responsible and transparent stewardship. Please Donate Today Your donation supports transparency, saves taxpayer money, and helps prevent millions of premature cancer deaths. North Texas Giving Day ( before 18 September 2025): https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/1951 before 18 September 2025): https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/1951 Online: https://crosettofoundation.org/donate-now/ https://crosettofoundation.org/donate-now/ Zelle: If you have Zelle app on your phone or computer, send your donation directly to donate@crosettofoundation.org For donations from Italy: Bank: CRS Cassa di Risparmio di Savigliano CRS Cassa di Risparmio di Savigliano Account: Associazione Fondazione Crosetto - ODV - ONLUS Associazione Fondazione Crosetto - ODV - ONLUS IBAN: IT53E063054640000050129593 IT53E063054640000050129593 BIC: SARCIT2S Every contribution, no matter how small, helps us publish additional press releases, reach more decision-makers, and accelerate the funding for these life-saving devices. Final Note This fight is not against CERN or IEEE. It is to save them, along with billions in taxpayer funds and millions of human lives. Contact Jennifer Colburn Crosetto Foundation for the Reduction of Cancer Deaths DeSoto, Texas jcolburn@crosettofoundation.org https://crosettofoundation.org/ Blog: https://crosettofoundation.org/blog/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064846172129 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dariocrosetto/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dario-crosetto-4b69a1227/ X: https://x.com/crosettodario APPENDIXES: Callouts: Only transparency, accountability, and open dialogue can save CERN. Contact your representative to safeguard your tax money No favoritism on $6B to eradicate cancer, demand Nelson organize a public meeting between inventor Crosetto and CPRIT and let science truth emerge Donate $10+ to help fund outreach demanding a public comparison of Crosettos 3D-Flow & 3D-CBS inventions to CERNs costly, ineffective approach 3D-Flow using 6 kW executes >8,000 operations, meets 8B events/sec CERN HL-LHC needs until 2042, while CERN-FPGA ~66 operations at 650 kW does not No refutation from CERN, IEEE, CPRIT, or PAS: 3D-Flow & 3D-CBS can save billions and halve cancer deaths Despite reaching 300 million people, no refutation from institutions: urgently fund the inventor to prove 3D-Flow & 3D-CBS can halve cancer deaths >$4B wasted by CERN to date, and >$12B more will be wasted in the next decade unless the 20 June 2025 CERN Council funding approval is halted >39M lives lost prematurely to cancer, with millions more projecteddespite 3D-CBS, a cost-effective early detection invention available since 2000 Your contribution empowers transparency in science and supports the acceleration of life-saving innovations Crosettos 3D-CBS can detect tumors with <100 cancer cells at 200, 2-min safe whole-body test with the potential to save >260 lives/device/year Link to the previous, 3 July 2025 Press release: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/08/28/3140915/0/en/Urgent-Appeal-Freeze-CERN-Funding-Fund-Innovations-Suppressed-for-32-Years-That-Can-Save-Millions-of-Lives-and-Billions-of-Euros.html Within two hours of publication, the press release had already been picked up by 141 media outlets; within 8 hours, by 305; and after 10 hours, by 574reaching a potential audience of 112 million people and generating over 19,000 views, including more than 17,000 unique readers Contact list of key scientists and decision-makers The following is a list of scientists and leaders to whom this and other press releases have been sent. This communication is intended to inform key decision-makers and promote public discussion. We encourage anyone to contact these individuals to foster dialogue and cooperation in resolving inconsistencies that hinder scientific progress. Only publicly available contact information has been provided to protect their privacy. To: Japanese Scientific Leadership and colleagues: akira.yoshikawa.d8@tohoku.ac.jp; teiji.tominaga.a3@tohoku.ac.jp; kokusai-k@grp.tohoku.ac.jp; asugimoto@m.tohoku.ac.jp; hisyo@grp.tohoku.ac.jp; yamaya.taiga@qst.go.jp; takhshhr@komazawa-u.ac.jp; hiroyuki@ad.unc.edu; yasuo.arai@kek.jp; nomachi@rcnp.osaka-u.ac.jp; kurosawa@imr.tohoku.ac.jp; tadayuki.takahashi@ipmu.jp; info-toshokan@komazawa-u.ac.jp; kokusaicenter@komazawa-u.ac.jp ; naohito.saito@kek.jp; yutaka.ushiroda@kek.jp; takeshi.komatsubara@kek.jp; makoto.tomoto@kek.jp; director@rcnp.osaka-u.ac.jp; Furuhara@imr.tohoku.ac.jp; junichi.yokoyama@ipmu.jp; aihara@phys.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp; yukari.ito@ipmu.jp; mark.vagins@ipmu.jp; kifu@qst.go.jp; kanno@nirs.go.jp; To: IEEE Leadership, Kathleen A. Kramer, 2025 Pres. & CEO of IEEE, kramer@sandiego.edu Mary Ellen Randal 2025 IEEE President Elect, president@ieee.org; Tom Coughlin, 2024 President and CEO of IEEE, tomcoughlin@ieee.org Jose Moura, 2019 President and CEO of IEEE, moura@ece.cmu.edu John Verboncoeur, Editor for Physics of Plasma, Vice President IEEE Technical Activities, johnv@msu.edu,. Lorenzo Fabris, 2024 IEEE-NSS-MIC-RTSD Chair, fabrisl@ornl.gov, Ralf Engels, 2024 IEEE-NSS-MIC-RTSD Coord, r.engels@fz-juelich.de Anatoly Rozenfeld, 2018 IEEE-NSS-MIC-RTSD Chair; anatoly@uow.edu.au John Aarsvold, 2017 IEEE-NSS-MIC-RTSD Chair, jaarsvo@emory.edu Ralph James, 2003 IEEE-NSS-MIC-RTSD Chair, Ralph.James@srnl.doe.gov To: Distinguished Scientists, Esteemed Colleagues, Cc: Members of the European Parliament (MEPs); https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/full-list/all Cc: Parliamentarians of CERN Member States: https://secure.ipex.eu/IPEXL-WEB/parliaments/list_parliaments Cc: Parliamentarians of CERN Associated States, and Observer States; United States Representatives, https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative Cc: Pontifical Academy of Sciences: jvonbraun@uni-bonn.de; pas@pas.va; segreteria@humandevelopment.va; Cc: Hon. Jane Nelson, Texas Secretary of State, secretary@sos.texas.gov; Cc. Concerned Taxpayers GLOBE Newswire, 3 July 2025 in English https://bit.ly/44cIbVQ, reach 63.7 million; French https://bit.ly/4lfjnTe, reach 8.3 million; German https://bit.ly/3TTV0yb; reach 11.3 million; translated into Italian https://bit.ly/4loi7go, RAI https://bit.ly/3GJERbP, video 11 minute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwMnHRuWo4o. NEW YORK, Sept. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces an investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of investors in Unicoin Rights Certificates issued by Unicoin, Inc. f/k/a TransparentBusiness, Inc. resulting from allegations that Unicoin may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. SO WHAT: If you purchased Unicoin Rights Certificates you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=44368 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On May 27, 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) published a litigation release on the SECs website under the title Unicoin, Top Executives Charged in Offering Fraud That Raised More than $100 Million from Thousands of Investors. The announcement stated that on May 20, 2025, the SEC had charged Unicoin, Inc. and four of its top executives [. . .] for false and misleading statements in an offering of certificates that purportedly conveyed rights to receive crypto assets called Unicoin tokens and an offering of Unicoin, Inc.s common stock. 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. 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. 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 firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. 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 Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com Richardson, TX, Sept. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Picasso Print DTF, a trusted destination for Direct-to-Film (DTF) printing services, today announced a major growth milestone: the fulfilment of over 60,000 orders for 20,000 customers nationwide. At the same time, the company has implemented significant investments in technology and infrastructure to meet growing demand. Picasso Print DTF has expanded its production capacity by 130%, powered by cutting-edge DTF machinery that delivers more consistent, more efficient, and high-volume output than previous equipment. These upgrades not only enhance speed but also ensure uniform quality across every order from small custom batches to large-scale wholesale runs. Scaling Capacity to Support Growing Market The demand for custom apparel printing continues to rise as small businesses, crafters, and independent fashion entrepreneurs seek affordable, reliable alternatives to traditional screen printing and vinyl transfers. Picasso Print DTFs upgraded production facility is designed to address this growing demand, enabling higher-volume orders without sacrificing quality. The companys latest equipment investments also support expanded product offerings such as premium UV DTF transfers that bring additional customization opportunities to customers. These are engineered to deliver maximum vibrancy, durability, versatility across a wide variety of materials, opening new creative possibilities for apparel makers and accessory designers alike. Expanding our production capacity by 130% was not just about meeting demand it was about setting a new standard for what creators can expect in terms of speed, consistency, and quality, said Alp Dalkir, a representative for Picasso Print DTF. From urgent event runs to bulk wholesale orders, our goal is to deliver with speed and precision every time. Innovation with AI-Powered Tools In addition to hardware upgrades, the company is also modernizing customer experience through digital innovation. Picasso Print DTF recently introduced an AI-powered Gang Sheet Builder, an intuitive platform that allows customers to upload, arrange, and edit multiple designs on a single sheet for efficient production. This functionality simplifies the ordering process, reduces material waste, and helps small businesses lower costs while maximizing output. Complementing this launch is the companys 24/7 AI-powered customer support, which delivers prompt assistance for design, ordering, and troubleshooting questions. By integrating AI into its service model, Picasso Print DTF ensures that customers receive consistent, reliable support at any hour. Empowering Entrepreneurs Nationwide Picasso Print DTFs growth is closely tied to its commitment to empowering creators at every level of business. So beyond offering transfers, the company provides dropshipping services and a structured affiliate program, both of which enable entrepreneurs to generate income without the need for upfront inventory or large-scale infrastructure. 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Picasso Print DTFs combination of stronger output capacity, AI-driven tools, and streamlined workflows guarantee customers receive faster turnaround times and consistent quality even during peak sales week. Small businesses face immense pressure to perform during the holiday season, and production delays can make or break their year, Dalkir said. Weve invested heavily so our customers never have to worry about whether their transfers will arrive on time or meet expectations. A Commitment to the Future of Custom Printing Looking ahead, Picasso Print DTF is committed to staying at the forefront of apparel printing technology. The company plans to continue developing AI-driven tools that simplify design and production, expand product lines to serve new use cases, and strengthen programs that support creators through accessible pricing and revenue-generating opportunities. To learn more about Picasso Print DTF and to explore their custom DTFtransfers, UV DTF printing, and wholesale options, please visithttps://www.picassoprintdtf.com. About Picasso Print DTF Picasso Print DTF is a leading provider of premium Direct-to-Film (DTF) and UV DTF transfers, serving small businesses, fashion brands, and DIY creators nationwide. Established in 2021, the company combines cutting-edge technology, AI-powered tools, and nationwide shipping to deliver vibrant, durable prints with fast turnaround and user-friendly ordering. Media Contact Company Name: Picasso Print DTF Contact Person: Alp Dalkir Contact Number: +1 682-372-5186 Email: support@picassodtfprint.com Country: United States Website:https://www.picassoprintdtf.com The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) announced the exposure of a scheme to seize and further legalize 18 hectares of state-owned land with a market value of over UAH 160 million during a corporate conflict over a wholesale agricultural market in the suburbs. "The transaction involves a former MP of Ukraine from the Party of Regions and two persons controlled by him, a capital developer and a person controlled by her, as well as the former head of the regional department of the State Service of Ukraine for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre," NABU reported on Telegram on Saturday. The published information makes it possible to determine that the matter concerns former deputy of the Party of Regions of Ukraine Yuriy Ivaniuschenko and founder of one of the largest capital development companies Stolitsa Group Vlada Molchanova, as well as the conflict around the Stolychny market, which was confirmed to the agency by a source in law enforcement agencies. In an official publication, the NABU noted that everyone was notified of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 191 and Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. As the bureau informs, in the spring of 2021, during a corporate conflict between the former MP and the developer for control over the wholesale market of agricultural products in the suburbs of Kyiv, the latter had an intention to transfer the market's assets to controlled legal entities and individuals. "In order to carry out the criminal plan, officials of the Main Department of the State Service of Ukraine for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre in Kyiv region, contrary to the established procedure, made changes to the State Land Cadastre, which allowed the specified body to dispose of the land mass on which a wholesale market with an area of over 150 hectares is located. Subsequently, the specified land plot was leased to a company controlled by the developer," the report says. After that, the head of the company refused part of the leased land in favor of 9 pre-determined persons, who, on the basis of the order of the acting head of the Main Department of the State Service of Ukraine for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre in Kyiv region, in violation of the norms of land legislation, received ownership of 9 land plots with an area of 18 hectares. Subsequently, the specified land plots were sold to three companies associated with the developer on the basis of fictitious transactions. In the process of resolving the conflict, the developer and the former MP signed a memorandum on the joint use of the land plot, in particular for development. In September 2021, the former MP's proxy became one of the beneficiaries of the land plot owners' associations. Further disposal of the land plot was stopped by an arrest imposed at the request of SAPO prosecutors. The Earth Shattering Arrivals of Europeans and Railroads Shapeshifters and the Horse A Border Like No Other: Magic, Medicine and the Power to Stop Soldiers The Author as Careful Reader Most histories of the Indian Wars in the American West end with the Wounded Knee Massacre on Dec. 29, 1890, when U.S. troops of the Seventh Cavalry killed between 200 and 300 Lakota (Sioux) people, the majority of them women and children, most of whom had been disarmed, at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota, just one year into its statehood. The great Nebraska epic poet and historian John Neihardt (1881-1973) gives his Lakota seer Black Elk the last word I did not know then how much was ended. When I look back now from this high hill of my old age, I can still see the butchered women and children lying heaped and scattered all along the crooked gulch as plain as when I saw them with eyes still young. And I can see that something else died there in the bloody mud and was buried in the blizzard. A peoples dream died there. It was a beautiful dream.But thats not really the story, as Pekka Hamalainen reminds us in his magnificent new book,. The Lakota still exist. They are still a sovereign nation state embedded in the larger jurisdictions of the Dakotas and Montana. They still resist white encroachments, including cultural appropriations, and they are working strenuously to reinvigorate parts of their traditional culture. They existed as a nation long before the United States was born, but Hamalainen marks their takeoff point in 1776, when they left the lake country of the Midwest and moved out onto the Great Plains, while back in Philadelphia Mr. Jefferson was writing the birth certificate of another great American nation. The Lakota survived the great onslaught of the 19th century. And, as the last sentence of Hamalainens book declares, They will always find a place in the world because they know how to be fully in it, adapting to its shape while remaking it, again and again, after their own image.Hamalainens book is not a romantic and hand-wringing account of the impact of white civilization on the Lakota ( formerly known as the Sioux ) in the manner of Dee Browns ground-breaking 1970 book,, or Ralph K. Andrists 1964 lament,. Every page of Lakota America is an implicit rebuke to the widely held notion that American Indians should be seen as noble but doomed victims of American settler colonialism. Or as a prominent American historian has put it, part of a vast sad Greek tragedy. Hamalainen criticizes the many acts of historical misrepresentation that, over generations, have diminished the Lakota people as historical actors.Hamalainen addresses the Lakota as a sovereign nation, like Mexico or France, just as responsive to the dynamics of modernity as every other nation on earth. He sees the Lakota as a highly adaptive nation flexible, creative, resourceful expanding its inland empire right up to the moment when the U.S. government, employing steam locomotion, superior firepower, and what amounts to a starvation policy, finally crushed armed Lakota resistance at the end of the 1870s. It was only in 1875-76 that the Lakota realized that the wasicus [white people] had turned themselves into an existential threat. Lakotas had clashed with them again and again, but now they would be fighting for cultural survival.Hamalainen calls the Lakota shapeshifters. This unusual characterization has the benefit of reminding us that the Lakota cannot be understood without coming to terms with the deep and pervasive spirituality of their negotiation with the cosmos. As one Lakota spiritual leader said, the sacred is like rain; it falls everywhere but pools in certain places. That constant awareness of the Great Mystery (the wakhan) does not mean the Lakota were incapable of doing the hard, violent, geopolitically necessary things that strong and expanding nation states must do, especially in the face of a massive, unprecedented invasion of aliens from the east, but it means that the Lakota, like so many other Indigenous American groups, saw the world through lenses that white Europeans have no access to. This has led, and continues to lead, to enormous cross-cultural confusion and conflict.The arrival of Europeans on the eastern coast of North America in the 17th century, but also inward along the St. Lawrence River, touched off a ripple or domino effect that continued for two full centuries, until the reservation system and the designated Indian Territory of Oklahoma finally gelled out at the end of the 19th century. Actually, the metaphors of pond ripples and cascading dominoes dont begin to do justice to this incredibly complex story of response, hospitality, reaction, conflict, migration, war, accommodation, resistance, negotiation, adaptation, removal, resilience, dependency, kaleidoscopic alliances, cultural collapse and cultural renewal. The complexity of all of this is usually simplified into a story of the arms race that was touched off when European trading companies, including the Hudsons Bay Company and the North West Company, began supplying firearms to favored Native tribes closest to their North American warehouses. Thus, when Lewis and Clark met the Shoshoni along the continental divide in southwest Montana in August 1805, they recognized that the once-strong Shoshoni had been driven from the plains into the Rocky Mountains, reduced to a marginal refugee status, their leader Cameahwait with his ferce eyes and lank jaws grown meager for the want of food. The other standard trope true but superficial was once summarized by the Oglala leader Red Cloud, They made us many promises, more than I can remember, but they never kept but one; they promised to take our land, and they took it. Hamalainen wants us to know it was much more complicated than that. In the spirit of the distinctly modern iwastegla policy, Lakotas were gradually adjusting to a reality where coexistence with the wasicus was a fact of life. The Lakota word iwastegla means something like political philosophy. Throughout Lakota America, Hamalainen forces us to see the Lakota world partly through their own terminology, because such terms as tribe, band, medicine, shaman, and chief carry so much distorting cultural baggage.Hamalainen previously wrote a good book on the Comanche Empire , butis a bolder, more provocative, and more insightful contribution to American history. Hamalainen is Finnish, with a Ph.D. from the University of Helsinki. He is now the Rhodes Professor of American History at Oxford University. Thats a very long distance in several important ways from the Great Plains of the United States, but not being an American turns out to be an intellectual advantage. Like the French sociologist Alexis de Tocqueville, who visited the United States in 1831-32, Hamalainen is able to see things with eyes we simply dont possess, I suppose because we Americans are still, no matter how hard we try to liberate ourselves, soured in the brine of manifest destiny, and complicit in the conquest of the continent. I know I live on my own private property in the Mandan homeland in North Dakota, land taken by executive order, without consultation or compensation, 150 years ago. I have read enough and listened enough to know that much of what Anglo-Europeans have done since 1806 (or 1492 for that matter) has violated not only our sacred agreements with Indigenous Americans (the trail of broken treaties ), but also our own principles of due process, justice, contract and fair play. When we Americans discuss the history of our interactions with Indigenous Americans, we cannot help being defensive even when we dont wish to be. Thats why white historians invariably find themselves positing some form of inevitability for what happened, as if the cosmos endorsed the natural law that a more powerful and acquisitive people will inevitably subject and displace a comparatively weaker or less numerous people. It is easy to find evidence for such a view in the long warp of history. But those other incidents occurred far back in time when there was no means to publish a narrative of dissent or outrage, and the people who overwhelmed their weaker neighbors were not the enlightened United States of America, which pledged, in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 , that The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards the Indians; their land and property shall never be taken from them without their consent; and, in their property, rights, and liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed, unless in just and lawful wars authorized by Congress; but laws founded in justice and humanity, shall from time to time be made for preventing wrongs being done to them, and for preserving peace and friendship with them. If this were posted in the lobbies of the tribal headquarters of Americas 574 federally recognized Indian nations , it would be seen as some kind of joke.Hamalainen has a brilliant mind, bordering on genius, that can see things in a fresh, sometimes almost quirky, way, things that we take for granted. Take his description of the revolution the horse brought to the Lakota (ca. 1740):Just as steam power was fueling an accelerating industrial revolution in the United States, equine power ushered Lakotas into a new technological age. The horse was more than a tool or a bigger and more muscular dog; it was a means to access the immense pool of energy that spread out boundlesslyand seemingly uselesslyright under Lakotas feet: grass. Horses were magnificent, empowering creatures of spectacular strength but what really made them so useful for Lakotas lay in their stomachs. The dogs could tap grass energy only indirectly, by consuming the flesh of the herbivores their mastered procured for them, whereas horses harbored symbiotic bacteria in their large intestines that enabled them to digest enormous quantities of cellulose-rich grass.This is superb. If Alexander Pope defined wit as what oft was thought but never so well expressed, Hamalainen goes even farther to find a way to express insights that have never appeared in quite this way and at this level of historical clarity in any other book about the history of the American West. He characterizes Pine Ridge agent Valentine McGillycuddy as edgily passionate. He speaks of the legendary Oglala Crazy Horse as a strange man of introverted spirituality, single-mindedness, and dazzling performance, coupled with unassuming charisma that wound up being profoundly charismatic nevertheless. I think, however, that his calling Standing Rock agent James McLaughlin a ruthlessly effective assimilation crusader may be a little unfair to a complex individual who was at times a strong advocate for Native American rights, especially land rights, at Standing Rock.Hamalainen provides a fresh reading of the Medicine Line , the U.S.-Canadian border at the 49th parallel, established in 1818. The term Medicine Line is usually regarded as an ingenious Native commentary on the fact that the boundary does not follow the contour of a river or a continental divide or a great lake, something immediately recognizable, but rather an invisible and arbitrary line drawn with no regard for landscape. Hamalainen reads Medicine Line to also mean a border that seemed to stop U.S. troops like a spell. Thats a way of saying that the border prevented U.S. troops from following Sitting Bull and other Lakotas into Grandmothers Land [Queen Victoria] after the debacle of the Little Bighorn. Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce was making a sprint for the Medicine Line in 1877 when he was arrested by General Nelson Miles in northeastern Montana, just 40 miles from Grandmothers Land.belongs to the same school of Yuval Hararis. In both cases, we not only get an intellectual tour de force, but we actually get to witness great minds thinking out loud. Hamalainen explains why the slaughter of the American bison herd was not curtailed during the economic panic of 1873: a low-capital industry, hunting was largely immune to the panic. Then he adds: and the U.S. government did nothing to stop the slaughter. Most readers will never have stepped back before to consider what enterprises are immune to economic recessions.His understanding of the importance of the transcontinental railroads in the disruption of the Lakota world is worth the price of the book alone. Hamalainen reminds us that the railroads did not merely bisect the Lakota nation, enable the U.S. government to rush troops around lickety-split (6,000-7,000 army troops descended on the Pine Ridge Reservation in the weeks before the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890, for example), and facilitate the extraction of millions of tons of buffalo hides (thus destroying the keystone of the Lakota economy) in the only way such bulk could get to market in a cost-effective manner, but just as important the railroad lines laid down a necklace of settlements every 10 miles along their routes, first to refill the water tanks of steam locomotives, but with the inevitable accompaniment of hostels, cafes, saloons, sex workers and all the rest that followed in Frederick Jackson Turners frontier dynamics: the Masonic lodge, the jail, the courthouse, the churches, and the schoolmarm.Hamalainen has a genius for finding the perfect quotation, often never previously extracted from the extensive archives. On this subject, he quotes Secretary of Interior Jacob D. Cox s 1869 annual report:The completion of one of the great lines of railway to the Pacific coast has totally changed the conditions under which the civilized population of the country come in contact with the wild tribes. Instead of a slowly advancing tide of migration, making its gradual inroads upon the circumference of the great interior wilderness, the very center of the desert has been pierced. Every station upon the railway has become a nucleus for a civilized settlement.Hamalainen restores nuance and complexity to the lives and work of such leaders as Red Cloud Spotted Tail , and Gall , and resists the urge to dress them up as noble indigenes in the manner of Rousseau. He sees them as shrewd and resourceful leaders, capable of greatness and occasional blundering like the rest of us, each following his own path for the same purpose: Lakota survival, resistance to the conquest. The old notion that Red Cloud won the Powder River War of 1876 and then settled down as a Native accommodationist cannot survive a reading of this book. Spotted Tail has usually been regarded as even more accommodating than Red Cloud to the white world, but he gets off some of the best lines in. When he visited Washington, D.C., in 1875, he was subjected to a sumptuous White House dinner under massive chandeliers. Spotted Tail wryly observed, the white man has a great many more good things to eat and drink than they sent to the Indians. He said he would be happy to settle down and take up farming, as the agents insisted, if you will always treat me like this and let me live in as big [a] house. When officers of the government extolled Indian Territory in Oklahoma as a wonderful place for the Lakota to relocate, Spotted Tail said, I want nothing to do with it. I was not from there; but, if it is such a good country, you ought to send the white men now in our country there and let us alone.That the Lakota thought they could abort the completion of the Northern Pacifics transcontinental railway may seem naive in retrospect, but from a Lakota point of view it made perfect sense. The line had been stuck at the Missouri River at todays Bismarck, N.D., for nine years. The Lakota were able to disrupt and turn back the two military-escorted Northern Pacific line surveys in Montana in 1872 and then again in 1873. It was in 1872 that Sitting Bull strolled out into the no mans land between the U.S. and the Lakota armies, sat down well within rifle range, quietly smoked a pipe while bullets thucked into the earth all around him, then got up and strolled back to his people. From a white power point of view this was a foolish and futile gesture, but it gained Sitting Bull enormous prestige and added to his political capital among the Lakota. It was also one of the greatest gestures of defiance in the history of the American West. The panic of 1873 and the mismanagement of the Northern Pacific had more to do with the stalled construction than the Lakota, but they could not entirely know that. As Hamalainen summarizes the 1872-73 skirmishing, And then the wasicus vanished from the Yellowstone basin, their railroad seemingly abandoned . . . Lakotas appeared to have stopped U.S. expansion in its tracks.One of the best moments in the book begins with the words, That same year a Lakota boy had a vision in the Little Bighorn Valley. He was a sensitive child who heard voices and communicated with spirits. As soon as I started reading this passage, I reckoned Hamalainen was referring to Nicholas Black Elk , the subject of Neihardts marvelous but in some ways problematic book,. My initial response was to wonder why Hamalainen did not just name him right away. Then I recognized the authors disruptive purpose. By withholding the name Black Elk until the end of the passage, Hamalainen prevents us from dwelling on our cultural privileging of Black Elk one of the best-known and best-loved Indigenous Americans in U.S. history at the expense of his important 1873 vision. Himalayans historical strategy is to pull us as far away from our mythic memory of the Indian Wars our own continuing Wild West Show as possible, and as often as possible, so that we have the opportunity, if we accept it, of looking at this critical period of American history with fresh eyes.should be regarded as an introduction to all future studies of the plains Indian Wars. It should be read by every student of the Lewis and Clark Expedition , everyone who wishes to make sense of the 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) crisis that brought thousands of people from all over the world to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. It should be read by everyone interested in the history of colonialism and post-colonialism, everyone who seeks to understand the Custer debacle at the Little Bighorn or the Massacre at Wounded Knee. It should be required reading in the high schools of the Dakotas and Montana. Above all, it should be read by people who want to know more about the extraordinary and resilient Lakota Nation that continues to flex its culture and power at the heart of the North American continent.Pekka HamalainenYale University Press, 544 pages, October 2019, $35.00Governing South Africa clears gov't hurdle for 2027 F1 return Africa has taken another decisive step toward returning to the Formula 1 calendar. Niki Lauda, South African GP 1978 The Cahier Archive South Africa's cabinet this week approved the application of the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture to host a grand prix at Kyalami from 2027. South Africa will seek to host Formula 1 at Kyalami in 2027, minister Kumbudzo Ntshaweni confirmed. The bid is fully funded by the South African private sector and, if successful, will contribute to job creation and economic development. She added that the plan includes guarantees for an initial three-year deal through 2029. Kyalami, north of Johannesburg, last hosted Formula 1 in 1993. The FIA has already approved plans to upgrade the circuit to Grade 1 standard, with work expected to finish next year. The news comes as Formula 1 also confirmed one of its most historic events will remain on the calendar long-term, with Monaco's street race extended until 2035. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali hailed the unique vibe of the glamorous Principality, while Prince Albert II said the new deal reflected Monaco's unique place in the international motorsport landscape . The Monaco extension builds on an existing agreement that ran through 2031, meaning the sport's oldest and most prestigious street race is now secure for another decade. (GMM) Steiner resurfaces as new MotoGP team owner Former Haas boss Guenther Steiner has officially returned to frontline motorsport - but this time not in Formula 1. Guenther Steiner, Australian GP 2023 Haas MotoGP has confirmed that Steiner and business partner Richard Coleman will acquire full ownership of the long-standing Tech3 team, including its Moto3 operation, from 2026. Steiner, 60, will become CEO while Coleman assumes the role of team principal. Founder Herve Poncharal will remain in charge through the current season before stepping into a consultancy role. Tech3 will continue to race KTM machinery from its French base in Bormes-les-Mimosas. This is a fantastic opportunity, Steiner said at the Catalan GP. "Tech3 is a great team with a huge amount of potential and an impressive legacy. We're excited to become part of the MotoGP paddock and maximise the potential of the team and the sport as it continues to grow, helping to bring it to new audiences. Steiner is best known as the outspoken former Haas F1 team principal whose personality helped fuel the popularity of Netflix's Drive to Survive. His move into MotoGP comes hot on the heels after Liberty Media, owner of Formula 1, also acquired MotoGP promoter Dorna. For Poncharal, who founded Tech3 in 1990 and took the outfit into the premier class in 2001, it marks the end of an era. When Guenther approached me with an interest in the team, it seemed to fall into place as the perfect moment to make this change, he said. Tech3 will be in good hands. MotoGP sporting chief Carlos Ezpeleta welcomed Steiner's arrival, saying the move comes at a great moment for the series as it looks to accelerate its global growth. (GMM) Global South media, think tank forum pools strength for enhanced cooperation Xinhua) 11:08, September 06, 2025 * Some 500 journalists, scholars, government officials and entrepreneurs from 110 countries or international and regional organizations gathered in southwest China's Yunnan Province for the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum 2025. * Their common aspiration is to turn the Global South's rising economic weight -- representing 40 percent of global GDP and 80 percent of world growth -- into an equally powerful voice in the fields of international discussion and communication. * The event also marks the formal launch of the Global South Joint Communication Partnership Network, which features more than 1,000 media outlets, think tanks and other institutions across 95 countries and regions. A guest is pictured at the venue of Global South Media and Think Tank Forum 2025 in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Peng Yikai) KUNMING, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Some 500 journalists, scholars, government officials and entrepreneurs from 110 countries or international and regional organizations convened Friday in southwest China's Yunnan Province for the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum 2025. Their common aspiration is to turn the Global South's rising economic weight -- representing 40 percent of global GDP and 80 percent of world growth -- into an equally powerful voice in the fields of international discussion and communication. Within five days of meeting, participants will brainstorm and contribute their wisdom to translate the forum theme, "empowering global south, navigating global changes," into tangible solutions for practical projects. Plenary sessions will alternate with focused workshops on peace-building narratives, AI-driven newsrooms, heritage preservation and other topics. Two signature documents are scheduled to be released -- the Yunnan Consensus, a joint pledge to expand cooperative production of news and analysis, and a research report on China's contribution to global public intellectual products, which distills best practices from the country's South-South initiatives. The event also marks the formal launch of the Global South Joint Communication Partnership Network, which features more than 1,000 media outlets, think tanks and other institutions across 95 countries and regions. Guests and staff members communicate at the venue of Global South Media and Think Tank Forum 2025 in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Peng Yikai) This is the second edition of the forum, which is co-hosted by Xinhua News Agency, the Communist Party of China Yunnan Provincial Committee and the People's Government of Yunnan Province. It was first held last November in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Experts and intellectuals attending the forum point out that Global South countries have long been in a weak position in the international public opinion arena. Often as objects of observation, narration and shaping, their voices have been drowned out, their stories distorted, and the truth behind them obscured. Professor Cheng Manli from Peking University's School of Journalism and Communication noted that a common task for Global South countries is to break the existing international public opinion pattern and discourse monopoly, and to establish their own subject status and discourse advantage. "The fate of the Global South should not be determined by others but shaped by us. We need strategic unity, long-term vision and political courage," Aires Ali, former prime minister of Mozambique, told Xinhua. "The Global South is not only a geographical concept but also a voice, a force and a history full of struggle and hope. It is our common responsibility to make this voice heard, respected and cherished by our people and the entire international community." His view is echoed by Khalid Mubarak Al-Shafi, editor-in-chief of Qatar's Peninsula Newspaper. "We are in need of strengthening unity and building consensus among nations to achieve peace. We must work together to foster mutual understanding and respect, rejecting all forms of violence and discrimination," said Al-Shafi. A guest is pictured at the venue of Global South Media and Think Tank Forum 2025 in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Peng Yikai) Forum participants believe that cooperation among Global South media and think tanks holds great potential in the future. In terms of maintaining peace and stability, the security deficit facing the world today requires not only political mediation and diplomatic dialogue, but also the building of bridges of understanding and communication by media and think tanks. Participants also stress the importance of building partnerships between media outlets and think tanks. "Knowledge must inform narratives, and narratives must reach people," Narine Nazaryan, director of the Armenian state news agency Armenpress, told Xinhua. Nazaryan called on media and think tanks from the Global South to create platforms that "bring academic insight and journalistic reach together, so that civilizational dialogue moves beyond declarations and becomes daily practice." "The Global South is home to many cultures and traditions, each with its own way of understanding the world," Ambreen Jan, Pakistan's federal secretary and vice minister of information and broadcasting, told Xinhua. "The bridges we build today, with our friends in China and with all countries in the Global South, can carry practical solutions to the challenges we share," she said. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Kou Jie) The Worldtempus team celebrates 50 years of Bvlgari Bvlgari in Sicily where marble, gold, and Roman heritage meet timeless Italian elegance An identity carved in gold and marble. Time flows like the sea, bearing witness to eternal beauty. Here in Sicily, the sun rises over centuries. Rose gold warms the skin, light blue marble catches the breeze both glowing with effortless grace. Bold. Roman. Timeless. In 1975, a watch changed everything. Bvlgari Bvlgari, first born as Bvlgari Roma, broke the rules, merging Romes architectural grandeur with a jewelers love for audacity et elegance. Now, it travels with us through olive groves and coastal curves of Sicily, turning moments into milestones. Marble, eternal. Gold, glowing. Like Roman coin engravings, the name Bvlgari Roma and Bvlgari Bvlgari circles each dial, an audacious statement. Where temples whisper to time, modern icons connect the past and the present, always in tune. Like ancient architecture, they bind boldness, geometry and cultural roots. Fifty years of daring elegance. From Via Condotti to today and timeless moments, Bvlgari Bvlgari reinvents itself while staying true to its soul. Like the wonders of Italy, it celebrates contrasts light and stone, simplicity and boldness, past and present. Icons never age. They transform. With every tick, Bvlgari Bvlgari writes a new chapter timeless, luminous, unmistakably Italian. Because time is not only measured. It is lived. Miguel Perez, an amateur film buff, repairs projectors and other pieces of enormous cultural value, and displays them in a museum in the village of Veguellina de Orbigo, far away from the cultural centers of Spain The ritual begins with a retired electrician who used to work at a sugar factory in the Spanish province of Leon donning a gray cap and a smock with the Italian title Operatore de la macchina (machine operator) scrolled across the front. The man sits in a chair with a cloth back like those used by filmmakers on which the phrase Trebol el proyeccionista (Shamrock, the projectionist) is written. He carefully selects a Pathe Baby projector, a relic from 1912, grabs its handle and turns it on to project on a simple panel the silent, comical antics of The Tramp, Charlie Chaplins famous character, in black-and-white. Only the clatter of the device interrupts the silence. Miguel Perez, known as Trebol or Trebolin (shamrock) to his friends, smiles with satisfaction. Everything works here! he exclaims, throwing open his arms as if he wants to encompass the entire film museum in Veguellina de Orbigo, a village of 2,000 people in the province of Leon. The structure is filled with centuries-old pieces that were purchased and fixed by Trebol. Hes loaned them to his town for the enjoyment of film buffs, as well as for curious locals and outsiders. The small-framed Trebol, a 68-year-old native of Leon, enjoys showing off his collection. For three decades, hes been applying the electromechanical knowledge he learned in the sugar beet industry to the cables, connections, lenses, motors and various components of the seventh art. Hes dedicated his time and money to acquiring all kinds of devices some completely broken to resurrect them with agile hands and tenacity. What began in his house in the town of Veguellina grew and grew in volume, quality and value until he agreed to an altruistic exchange with the City Council. He would be loaned a space that had fallen into disuse, with the purpose of creating a film museum. It was an unexpected project, considering Veguellinas distance from the cultural centers of Spain. The space features several rows of seats, around 100 projectors (of all sizes, origins and conditions), reels of film, as well as posters advertising historic movies such as The Ten Commandments (1956), A Night at the Opera (1935) and Cinema Paradiso (1988) and the latters main character, Toto, who so many lovers of the big screen identify with. Trebol, pictured at his film museum, on July 27, 2025. Emilio Fraile Trebol is the first to feel a connection with this character, who is depicted in the movie first as a young boy whos fascinated with film, and later as an adult who has achieved success as a film director. Cinema Paradiso is Trebols favorite film and his most prized possession. He even has two versions of the Italian movie: the standard one and another with a directors cut for collectors. Of course, hes a bit of a Toto himself: he was 13 when he started out as an apprentice in an electromechanical workshop and 14 when he joined the Apolo Cinema, doing a bit of everything. He also worked at Gordons another local movie theater back when his town used to have a film competition. Today, there are no movie theaters left in Veguellina de Orbigo. Even in the nearby city of Leon the provincial capital there are hardly any left. The booming mining hub followed the same fade to black as the coal industry and the land: over the summer, the province was one of the hardest hit by forest fires, fueled by a lack of prevention, as well as the depopulation of rural areas The sexagenarian laments the provinces decline. And he insists that given the cruel passage of time someone will have to manage and care for the cinematographic cultural treasure he has created in Veguellina. Perez preserves evidence of this cinematic wealth in the form of countless stacks of ticket stubs from past decades, with titles unknown to youngsters. However, visitors from the new generations are amazed when they see the operator perform a magic trick with the crank: they get to discover the adventures of Popeye the Sailor. He was delighted when a young film student who visited the museum returned some time later to tell him: Thanks to your explanations, I got an A. His diverse and comprehensive collection has led to the creation of the Luna de Cortos International Short Film Festival and has attracted national and international visitors to the museum: a carousel of affectionate messages in the guestbook at the entrance proves it. To my dear friend Miguel, begins a note by someone from Calcutta, who thanks their Spanish friend for his teachings. [Collectors] from Madrid or Barcelona want to buy everything from me, but I want it all to stay here, the owner of the materials emphasizes. Back in 2016, he received a medal from the Lumiere Foundation for his dedication, teaching and knowledge. He has also given workshops on film at King Juan Carlos University in Madrid. A roll of the NO-DO newsreels from Spain's Franco era that Trebol keeps in his collection. Emilio Fraile The guided tours he gives of the museum which can last up to three hours always include some skeptic who, upon seeing so much equipment, exclaims: Junk! However, they eventually end up withdrawing their comment, admitting that This is marvelous! Nothing is junk, Trebol reiterates, as hes responsible for keeping everything in top condition. Hes even made homemade shutters, pulleys, shafts and step rollers for whenever a machine comes in thats been dented or damaged, due to neglect or disuse. He has spent weeks and months of work on certain projectors, applying surgical precision. Nothing here is for sale! the handyman exclaims. He often combs the markets to expand his display, and he often comes across an almost-unanimous truth: Nobody gives anything away; everything [has to be] purchased. And sometimes, there are missing parts that no longer exist and cannot be manufactured. The problems are common: the motor is fried, the sound doesnt work, the roller has burned out, the capacitors have rotted, the system was poorly assembled Trebol works for himself and the town of Veguellina. But he also fulfills orders from other, less adept repair enthusiasts who desperately turn to him, looking for solutions or missing components. For instance, a wealthy Madrid collector discovered the curator through his press appearances: he managed to track him down after calling the towns bars and asking for this magician, whos capable of bringing dead engines back to life. Charge me whatever you want! the client begged, asking him to repair two broken projectors. I charged him a fair price, this cinematic goldsmith recalls. When he asked for his fee, he was told: I would have paid double. But the resident of the province of Leon replied that he isnt a thief. Miguel Perez's movie ticket collection. Emilio Fraile Retirement has allowed him to fully focus on his passion, which in the past was somewhat shelved when the sugar season arrived and beets were more important than feature films. During the pandemic, I had breakfast, lunch and dinner with a projector, the gentleman summarizes, with energy and enthusiasm. This toy is from 1911, Trebol murmurs, as he caresses one of his beloved Pathe Baby projectors. It will subsequently show sequences of a Paris thats unrecognizable today: recreations of the Stations of the Cross, or the first cars driving through the city. In the museum, there are also informational posters such as one that reads Smoking is prohibited that are displayed before the session, as well as advertisements for local restaurants, motorcycle shops, or furniture stores that once existed in the town. Images from another artistic and socioeconomic era, where people like Trebol made the country dream, even as it was deprived of movie theaters. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Guam Customs officers recently completed training to combat illegal fishing, Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency said in a release. Officers completed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations International Seafood Trade and Seafood Import Monitoring Program Container Inspection Training administered Aug. 4-8 at the CQA headquarters. The training, attended by officers with CQAs Maritime Interdiction Task Force, Agriculture Canine Unit, and Airport and Maritime sections, focused on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing to ensure that seafood harvested illicitly are not supplying the United States seafood industry, Guam Customs said in a release. With instruction about the International Fisheries Trade Permit, chain of custody, and record keeping, officers participated in table-top exercises to review the chain of custody material and on-site inspections of both importers and cargo to enhance document review processes and physical inspections, Customs said. Illegal fishing threatens the sustainability of fishery stocks worldwide, especially highly migratory species in the global commons of the high seas. Fishing is also critical to the island nations as a source of economy and food supply, said Murray Bauer, acting deputy special agent in charge of the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement Pacific Islands Division, in a statement. Our efforts are to make sure fish imported anywhere under U.S. jurisdiction are harvested lawfully, and not through forced labor. CQA is a part of NOAAs Cooperative Enforcement Program with deputized officers trained to support enforcement of federal import regulations as they relate to living marine resource conservation, protection of endangered species, and critical habitat enforcement. Martina Sagapolu, assistant director for NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement, Pacific Islands Division, emphasized the critical importance of collaborative efforts with territorial partners, like the MITF, in the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and the rising issue of seafood fraud. Sagapolu noted that partnerships with territorial agencies like MITF act as "force multipliers." By working together, it strengthens the ability to address the complex challenges posed by illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and seafood fraud, Customs said. Specifically, the MITF is involved in physically inspecting containers of seafood to verify products and ensure proper labeling. This hands-on approach helps to detect mislabeled seafood products, a key aspect of seafood fraud, Customs said. For MITF Officer Christopher Espinosa, the training expounded on regulatory laws, such as the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Lacey Act, and the Endangered Species Act. NOAA was able to clarify key points within these specific regulations to allow for a better understanding on how to enforce requirements effectively. The training also emphasized and placed into perspective the reason for such stringent and meticulous documentation requirements with regard to the importation of specific species of seafood, and how customs officers play a crucial role in the regulation and preservation of marine life, he said. The MITF has been implementing the SIMP for several years now. This training offered additional details and understanding to improve the enforcement of seafood fraud in the territory, said Capt. Anthony Doyle, MITF supervisor. The MITF has uncovered violations through document reviews, and both cargo and container inspections within the SIMP, by several businesses. The Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency enforces various local and federal laws and regulations through the screening of arriving passengers, cargo and conveyances at Guams borders and ports of entry for the interdiction of illegal drugs, contraband, injurious pests and diseases, unsafe goods, counterfeit items, criminals, terrorists, and various other threats in our facilitation of legitimate trade, commerce and travel. A heated exchange unfolded in Superior Court on Friday as Judge Arthur R. Barcinas confronted the Office of the Attorney General over its improper filing of an offer of judgment which is a formal written proposal to settle a case, and the Guam Department of Educations repeated failure to appear in court, warning of possible sanctions and raising questions of accountability. This incident was a mistake based on ignorance, OAG Chief Deputy Joseph A. Guthrie admitted during the hearing. If theres any sanctions involved here, impose them on me. I was the person in charge. Im responsible. The order to show cause hearing stems from a civil lawsuit filed on July 9, 2024, by a 13-year-old girl through her guardian against the Guam Department of Education and the government of Guam. The suit alleges negligence in the installation and maintenance of a bathroom sink that collapsed on the student at Agueda I. Johnston Middle School in September 2023, causing a foot fracture and extended physical and emotional hardship. The student testified during a July bench trial before Barcinas, describing her injury, disrupted school life, prolonged recovery, and the emotional impact of how the incident was publicly referenced by school leadership. Medical records and trial statements confirmed months of pain, mobility issues, and social isolation, with the student eventually transferring to a new school in March 2024. The government denied all allegations, challenged the injury claims, and argued there is no legal basis for the suit. Meanwhile, restroom renovations continue at Agueda I. Johnston Middle School as part of a broader modernization project. The court convened to address a Rule 68 offer of judgment filed by the OAG in the case, which opposing counsel argued violated procedural rules and risked tainting the judicial process. Compounding the issue, no representative from GDOE appeared in court despite a direct order to show cause. I issued an order to show cause and that order was served on Kathleen Morena, the administrative officer personnel at the Guam Department of Education, Barcinas said. More importantly, it was also served on you and your office as counsel. Despite the court order, Guthrie admitted he did not notify his client to appear. Its incomprehensible to the court that you wouldnt show up to defend the department when youre responsible for the department, Barcinas said to Guthrie. Robert L. Keogh, attorney for the plaintiff, reacted strongly to the OAGs handling of the case. My initial concern was with the filing of an offer of judgment, which obviously is not supposed to have been done by the clear language of the rule, that your honor might somehow think that the case was settled, that was my initial fear, which, of course, it had not been, he said. My second concern was that it somehow taint the proceedings and influenced your honors decision-making processes. My third concern is just the integrity of this judicial process. Barcinas pressed Guthrie to explain why the offer of judgment was filed. Guthrie deferred to former Assistant Attorney General Jay Matthew Strader, who had filed the motion before resigning from the OAG in August. Directive from AG himself Strader, testifying via Zoom, confirmed that the directive came from Attorney General Douglas Moylan himself. I filed the offer of judgment responding to a direct request by the attorney general, he said. He didnt ask that I research the issue, consider the efficacy of the motion I had no reason to believe that the attorney generals office would direct me to file a motion that could produce sanctions. When asked if he read the rule before filing the offer, Strader admitted he had not. I have never heard of an offer of judgment prior to mention of it by the attorney general I hadnt read the rule prior to being instructed on it, he said. Keogh pressed further, asking whether someone in authority instructed Strader to file the offer before serving it. Strader responded that he interpreted the attorney generals directive as an instruction to proceed. Barcinas questioned whether Straders action constituted an admission of liability by the government. I viewed the offer of judgment as indicating to the court that plaintiff had not established damages, Strader said. If the plaintiffs counsel had not withheld evidence throughout discovery, the Department of Education might have considered submitting an offer of judgment I interpreted the offer of judgment as performing that function when I was asked to implement it. That testimony sparked sharp disagreement from Keogh. Barcinas responded: Those were issues resolved at trial, evidentiary rulings made by the court and rulings addressing the arguments that youre making. The judge grew increasingly frustrated with the Department of Educations continued absence, reminding the Office of the Attorney General of its obligation to ensure the agencys participation. Barcinas warned that GDOEs refusal to participate may result in a default judgment. When questioned about whether Straders filing should be seen as an admission of liability leading to the damages phase, Guthrie rejected the notion, describing it as an error caused by a lack of knowledge. Keogh confirmed he would seek attorneys fees related to the motion to strike the offer and any future sanctions. I dont know right now how much time I spent filing that motion, he said. But Im coming back in about two weeks. Barcinas scheduled a status hearing on sanctions for Oct. 3, asking Keogh to submit fee documentation at least a week in advance. He also demanded a full list of attorneys who worked on the case. This is not something, I have to research it, but this might be a personal sanction, Barcinas warned. Supervisors liability, Mr. Strader himself is not free from liability. Barcinas questioned whether the filing, as described by Strader, implied a concession of fault by the government. I dont know what to make of Mr. Straders testimony before the court today that he already determined the liability was done and that he viewed this filing as addressing damages. Is that an admission on behalf of your client? I dont know. The court now awaits further filings ahead of the October sanctions hearing. Republicans and the business sector were quick to call for an override of the governors veto of the fiscal year 2026 budget act Friday, while some Democrats argued the vetoed budget shortchanged the hospital and other critical services. Democrat Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero in her veto message Friday said the $40 million worth of business privilege tax cuts in the budget should go towards the cash-strapped Guam Memorial Hospital and its dangerous electrical issues. The Republican Party of Guam called for an override of the veto shortly after, saying it presented a balanced, bipartisan approach, and addressed the hospitals needs, education, public safety, and tourism. Using GMH and Emergency Powers as reasons to veto a spending measure is inconsistent with what was presented to the people of Guam over the last nine months. The community deserves more from their government, the GOP stated. Republican Speaker Frank Blas Jr. Friday said he believes lawmakers can get the 10 votes to override Leon Guerreros veto. I firmly believe that we have the votes to be able to override the veto, Blas said. Thats a discussion for down the road. The budget act passed in a vote of 11-4. An override will require the nine-member Republican majority to get support from at least one Democrat. Weaponizing, politicizing GMH Supporters of the budget argued GMH was being used for political gain. Republican budget chairman Sen. Chris Duenas said that the governor and lawmakers agreed the hospital was in crisis, but disagreed on how to stabilize things long-term. Raising taxes would not fix decades-old management problems at GMH that required accountability, Duenas said. He said lawmakers consistently provided funding to keep essential hospital service running, but what we cannot accept is weaponizing GMH for political gain or using it to extort the Legislature. Leaders who change or ignore laws for political advantage undermine democracy. The Guam Chamber of Commerce in a statement said to stop weaponizing GMH and deliver tax relief to businesses. It had been eight years since GovGuam hiked business privilege tax rates from 5% to 4%, and GovGuam never dedicated a portion of those tax dollars to GMH, the chamber, Guams largest business organization stated. To now claim the BPT must remain at 5% is not sound budgetingit is an insult to the thousands of employers and working families who have shouldered the elevated tax year after year, it stated. Likewise, the Guam Association of Realtors said the 5% BPT hike in 2018 impacted housing costs. The 5% BPT raises the cost of materials, construction, development, and financingall of which compound into higher prices for homes and rentals Every percentage point matters when working families are trying to buy their first home or avoid being priced out of the rental market, the GAR stated. The association urged a veto override. Death sentence for GMH Others criticized how poorly the budget act passed by the Republican-led legislature did for schools the hospital, and other services. Democrat Sen. Will Parkinson, who voted against the budget act, said GMH was facing an $80 million hole that was even bigger than the $40 million BPT rollback. This hospital. Its not dying. This hospital is dead, Parkinson said. If our colleagues across the aisle are willing to shut down the government so that they could give the top 1% a big fat tax break. It seems like misplaced priorities to me, he added. The budget was a death sentence for GMH shortchanged public schools, said Sen. Democrat Sen. Chris Barnett, an opponent of the budget. Public services needed the money that would be lost to a corporate tax payoff, he said. The data shows, and we argued this well in the budget session, that this BPT rollback is going to benefit the biggest of the big corporations on Guam. Were talking about corporations that make tens and hundreds of millions of dollars, he said. Responsible move Republican Sen. Shawn Gumataotao, also the chairman of the local GOP, contended that the budget was a responsible proposal that served every man, woman and child on the island. For eight months, members of the legislative majority and I have been in lockstep with her Administration on so many issues facing the people of Guam, he said. While she disagrees with this policy proposal, I agree that Bill 44-38 is a responsible spending plan that gives the Governor the resources and flexibility she needs to effectively manage the resources of the Executive Branch for the next 12 months. Republican hospital oversight chair Sen. Sabrina Salas Matanane said that the budget act supported GMH, and promised an override vote. There are several amendments that are in that bill that I offered that were passed and were done in complete communication with the Guam Memorial Hospital to give them the tools that they have been requesting, she said. Salas Matanane said the attorney general was investigating what happened $35 million meant for the hospital in the budget, which is meant to come out of a construction fund for GMH. The governors fiscal team has said GovGuam did not get a $35 million federal reimbursement meant for the fund. Democrat votes Sens. Tina Muna Barnes and Joe San Agustin, the only Democrats who voted to pass the budget act, also commented on the veto. Barnes said that while well-intentioned, she did not believe the $35 million extra for GMH in the budget act existed, and the hospital needed the real $40 million that came annually from the BPT. It may not be perfect or popular, but it is grounded in reality. When the survival of GMH is at stake, we cannot afford to hold onto hopeful illusions; we must deal in hard truths, she said, adding even the strongest businesses couldnt thrive if the hospital did not work. Barnes said she believed that the governors counter-proposal on the budget deserved serious debate. Asked about an override vote, she said, if the choice comes down to an imperfect budget or a government shutdown, then I will always vote to keep our government open. A shutdown would furlough thousands of employees, cut off services tens of thousands of families depend on, and undermine the stability of our island, she said. That would be more damaging than passing a flawed budget that kept GovGuam running. San Agustin, meanwhile, said Im gonna look at the veto and see what were gonna do. On an override, he said, well find out when it comes time. Its not now. GovGuam will shut down on Oct. 1 if the Republican-led legislature cant secure a veto override, or a compromise with Democrats. Republicans will need at least one Democrat to override the governors veto. Less than $40 million Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Telo Taitague said that the budget act, as passed, may actually drop government tax revenues by much less than the $40 million figure tossed around. Taitague, the sole Republican to oppose a blanket BPT rollback, noted that the $40 million figure was an estimate from the original proposed budget act. She had since amended it to keep a 5% BPT rate on all military contracts worth over $10 million. Those contracts go to some of the largest companies operating on island. I think its going to be about the same, she said of BPT revenues. Or maybe 30 million, but that thats enough to help cover the hospital, that money thats needed. Taitague said the budget act that passed still needs some work, but was an overall good compromise. Haiti - FLASH : US visas in the Bahamas, turnaround Following a change in U.S. policy, scheduled to take effect on November 1, 2025, requiring Haitian immigration visa applicants to process through the U.S. Embassy in Nassau, Bahamas https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-45699-haiti-flash-us-visa-applications-for-haitians-transferred-to-the-bahamas.html , the Office of Prime Minister Philip Davis announced Friday, September 5, that no Haitians would be allowed to enter the Bahamas for this purpose. In response, Prime Minister Philip Davis cited the U.S. travel ban on Haitians, announced earlier this year, as the justification for his decision not to admit Haitians to the Bahamas for the processing of U.S. immigration visa applications. "That the US in June restricted Haitian nationals from entering its borders. Against that backdrop, it said yesterdays announcement that Haitian immigrant visa applications will be processed at the US Embassy in Nassau "will result in no additional entries to The Bahamas for the purpose of US visa applications. Because US policy fully restricts entry to their country by Haitian nationals, we will not grant entry to The Bahamas for the purpose of applying for a US visa." SL/ HaitiLibre Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Starting a business and making it work is already an achievement. But turning it into a world leader in its sector is at another level entirely. To make this happen, the difference lies in observation. So easy and yet so difficult, Marc Randolph notes. Hes the co-founder alongside Reed Hastings of the streaming giant Netflix. He also has a four-decade-long career as an entrepreneur (he has founded six companies), investor and advisor under his belt. Randolph has contributed to the growth of 50 startups both successful and unsuccessful from which he has also learned important lessons. And he never tires of repeating these lessons to thousands of young people in various forums where hes invited to speak. One of his maxims is about helping the next generations achieve their dreams, while keeping their feet planted firmly on the ground. From this knowledge which he disseminates through his podcast and best-selling book, That Will Never Work (2019) and from his recent visit to Spain at South Summit Madrid 2025, as well as his meeting with international journalists, EL PAIS has extracted the following 10 commandments from the businessman: Entrepreneurship isnt about having one idea, but hundreds: Develop them and draw conclusions. Design a system to test the ones that end up being bad (which will be the majority). Innovate and validate through simple, inexpensive experiments. Fail so that you can improve that system and correct mistakes by making the necessary adjustments to build your business model. Fall in love with your project and embrace it with your passion. A bad idea with an incredible person can become great. I prefer working with that kind of person. Ive invested in forward-thinking fields like robotics, A bad idea with an incredible person can become great. I prefer working with that kind of person. Ive invested in forward-thinking fields like robotics, artificial intelligence and blockchain and I continue to reaffirm that the key is a disciplined and creative leader who can navigate change. Stop overthinking: jump in and act. Netflix started with $2 million, 12 people and a basic website. In just over a year, it was launched. Dont be arrogant, because youll never have all the answers before starting a business. Persist, be optimistic and always maintain hope. Surround yourself with good talent and dont give up even if your project doesnt work out, or doesnt succeed on the first try. You have to fall and get back up every time. Experiment simply. Start with easy approaches. Innovation doesnt have to be complex, or even original. Start with easy approaches. Innovation doesnt have to be complex, or even original. Amazon started by selling books. A piece of paper like the Post-it note has sold billions of copies. Dont be discouraged by difficulties. Entrepreneurship requires depth. When Hastings was CEO of Pure Software and I was a manager, we used to go to the office together, discussing the ideas I pitched to him. Most never saw the light of day. Among them were personalized sporting goods, subscription-based shampoo and dog food thats sold online. Align your idea with people. Find a problem that affects or complicates their lives and think about how to change it. This requires being close to the market, given that we live in a rapidly changing world. Improve what doesnt work. Another way to start a business is to improve or update someone elses idea thats working. Because, at some point, itll stop working. Hastings and I never planned to build a large company: rather, we wanted to find a simple fix to improve the Another way to start a business is to improve or update someone elses idea thats working. Because, at some point, itll stop working. Hastings and I never planned to build a large company: rather, we wanted to find a simple fix to improve the video rental strategy . You must observe and be able to anticipate whats coming next. Go fast, dont get distracted and prioritize. Forget about being a CEO before figuring out what you want to do. Dont quit your job, dont rent an office, dont hire people or pay anyone. Dont spend money, and youll be surprised at how much you can accomplish today without spending anything. Im currently helping a company thats eight-months-old. No one has gotten paid; everyone works in their free time. Theyre going to wait to raise money until they have something that actually works. Thats the smart way to start. And dont get distracted, either. Learn to prioritize. I listen to countless short pitches. Oftentimes, there are excellent ideas, but I know theyre going to be ruined for the reasons I mention. Persevere, believe in yourself, and manage risk. Starting a business is for those who possess the gift of perseverance and self-belief, knowing how to navigate all the noise that says it wont work. Although the critics will often be right, you must be clear that youll make it. You must also know how to manage your risk tolerance. Not reckless risk, but the risk of starting something without knowing whats on the other side, of doing something without a guaranteed outcome. Keep people management in mind when your company starts operating. Its essential to have the right people in the right positions, while ensuring that they have the information they need to make sound decisions. Dont make decisions for them and dont micromanage them. For big companies, I have some advice: you never know whos going to come after you. Dont doubt that there will always be someone who will attack you for what you are doing wrong. If you dont reinvent yourself, theyll do it for you. In the case of Netflix, a handful of people with no experience in the video industry brought down a multi-billion-dollar giant like Dont doubt that there will always be someone who will attack you for what you are doing wrong. If you dont reinvent yourself, theyll do it for you. In the case of Netflix, a handful of people with no experience in the video industry brought down a multi-billion-dollar giant like Blockbuster Profile Co-founder of the software companies MacWarehouse and MicroWarehouse. Co-founder of the IT company Integrity QA, acquired by Pure Atria. Co-founder of Looker Data Sciences, an analytics software company acquired by Google in 2019. Serves on various boards of directors. Randolph also serves on the board of the nonprofit National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Author of the best-selling book That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea (2019), which explains the launch and subsequent development of the streaming platform, as well as the lessons learned in the process. Host of the Apple podcast That Will Never Work (72 episodes), aimed at entrepreneurs looking for ideas to boost their business. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Haiti - News : Zapping... FLASH : Port-au-Prince Airport Closure Extended On Friday, September 5, 2027, a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that the ban on U.S. commercial airlines landing in Port-au-Prince, which was set to expire Monday, September 8, has been extended until March 7, 2026. This extension was based on the State Department's recent designation of the criminal gang coalition "Viv ansanm" as a Foreign Global Terrorist Organization (FTO). Liancourt : Official Report on the Clashes According to Chief Superintendent of Saint-Marc Jean Jude Chery, during the clashes on Thursday, September 4th and Friday, September 5, 2025, in Liancourt, involving officers from several specialized units of the Haitian National Police (PNH), approximately fifteen suspected bandits from Savien's "Gran Grif" gang in Artibonite were killed and several others injured. Four volunteers from the Popular Brigade were slightly injured. No casualties were reported among the police officers involved in the fighting over the two days. Justice : Arrest Warrants for 2 Former Mayors Following a report from the Central Financial Intelligence Unit (UCREF), Jude Edouard Pierre, former mayor of Carrefour, and Jean Hislain Frederic, mayor of Cite Soleil, are facing charges of money laundering, terrorist financing, corruption, and illicit enrichment. Arrest warrants have been issued for the accused. HOPE/HELP : Minister Monazard will travel to Washington James Monazard, Minister of Trade and Industry, will travel to the United States, Washington, D.C., from September 8 to 11, 2025, as part of a priority mission for the country : to advocate for the renewal of the Haitian Hemisphere Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) program and the Haitian Economic Lift Program (HELP), which provides preferential access to the U.S. market for Haitian textile products, strategic instruments for Haiti's economic development. Justice : Digicel Explains In a statement, Digicel clarifies, "Contrary to circulating rumors, Digicel confirms that it was invited by the Court of Appeal's Office of Instruction solely as an information provider as part of an ongoing investigation. It is essential to clarify that neither the company nor its director is implicated in this matter. Digicel reaffirms its full cooperation with the judicial authorities and is making every effort to provide the requested information in accordance with established procedures. It should be noted that the case in question involves an arms trafficking network in which the Episcopal Church is mentioned. The courts are requesting certain telephone records from Digicel. Jamaica : CPT Congratulates Newly Elected PM "Congratulations to Prime Minister-elect Andrew Holness and the Jamaica Labour Party on their victory in the general elections in Jamaica. The Republic of Haiti commends its exemplary commitment to Haiti, notably through the deployment of a contingent within the Multinational Mission in Haiti and by making the resolution of the Haitian crisis a priority of its mandate as CARICOM Chairman. Haiti looks forward to pursuing ever stronger ties with Jamaica, in the service of a more secure, prosperous, and united Caribbean," Laurent Saint-Cyr, President pro tempore of the Transitional Council. HL/ HaitiLibre The British supermarket chain Tesco has sued Broadcom for 100 million pounds sterling (currently around 115 million euros) for breach of contract regarding VMware licenses, as reported by the specialist service The Register. The British IT service provider Computacenter, which acted as a reseller of VMware products, is also a co-defendant. According to Supermarketnews, Tesco warned in the context of the lawsuit of impairments to its own digital infrastructure, which could also affect the supply of individual supermarket stores. Continue after ad According to the court documents cited by The Register, Tesco purchased perpetual licenses for the vSphere Foundation and Cloud Foundation products and subscriptions for the Tanzu products in January 2021. It entered into a contract for support services and software upgrades until January 2021. 2026. Tesco claims that VMware has also agreed to grant an option to extend the support services for a further four years. Price shock after the takeover Following the takeover of VMware by Broadcom, however, the British supermarket giant was confronted with a licensing model that ties support to the newly introduced subscription licenses. It had to pay "inflated and inflated prices for virtualization software that Tesco had already paid for". In addition, the company could no longer purchase standalone virtualization support services for its perpetually licensed software without having to "purchase subscription licenses for the same software products it already owns". Broadcom would also not allow Tesco to upgrade its perpetual licenses to the new Cloud Foundation 9, even though the contracts concluded with VMware at the time included the right to software upgrades. And finally, Tesco also sees Broadcom's patch policy as a breach of its contracts , according to which users who do not purchase a subscription cannot receive all security updates and other bug fixes. Dependent on VMware The supermarket chain also provides an insight into its technical dependence on VMware: software and support from the virtualization specialist are "critical to the operation and resilience of Tesco and its ability to deliver groceries to consumers across the UK and the Republic of Ireland." VMware software is the foundation for servers and data systems behind Tesco stores. It hosts around 40,000 server workloads and connects the tills in Tesco stores, among other things. Continue after ad Broadcom acquired VMware at the end of 2023 and has since radically ploughed through the virtualization landscape. The VMware product portfolio and partner program have been extensively restructured. Broadcom has switched perpetual licenses to subscription models and bundled products that were previously available individually. Tesco is not alone in complaining that this changeover has led to drastic additional costs. The European cloud association CISPE, for example, reports that Broadcom's approach has led to price increases of 800 to 1500 percent for the association's companies. At the beginning of May, the German IT user association VOICE lodged a complaint with the EU Commission against Broadcom's business practices. Among other things, the association accuses Broadcom of exploiting VMware's dominant market position and pushing through "exorbitant and unfair price increases" with product bundling. The CISPE association has in turn taken legal action against the competition law approval granted by the EU Commission for the takeover of VMware by Broadcom. (axk) Don't miss any news follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Mastodon. This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed before publication. The Finnish Border Guard announced on Friday that its support division, composed of experienced border control patrols, will remain in Latvia until 22 September. The move follows a formal request from Latvian authorities and is part of a wider regional cooperation agreement involving EU member states and the Schengen border regime. Finland has deployed a team of border patrol officers to Latvia to assist in managing increased pressure from irregular migration at the Latvian-Belarusian border. The unit will carry out the same duties as in Finland, focusing on surveillance and frontline operations. The pressure resulting from illegal migration has increased at the border between Latvia and Belarus during 2025, the agency said in a statement. Latvia has reported a rise in unauthorised border crossings and has intensified its border surveillance measures since March. Estonian and Lithuanian border forces have already sent their own teams to support Latvian operations. The migrant flows are seen by several EU countries as politically motivated, with Belarus accused of facilitating movement toward EU borders. Finland itself faced similar pressure in 2023 and subsequently closed its eastern border with Russia, citing state-led activity in funnelling migrants from Asia and Africa. The current deployment to Latvia falls within both bilateral agreements and wider European cooperation under the EU's border agency Frontex. Finnish border guards are currently active in 20 European countries through Frontex operations. According to Topi Rasanen, a border security specialist at the Finnish Border Guard Headquarters, such missions benefit Finland's own readiness. Providing and receiving border security support improves the Finnish Border Guards capabilities and readiness to react to promptly changing and unpredictable border situations, Rasanen said. By supporting border security elsewhere at Schengen borders, we also directly support Finnish border security, he added. Finnish officers involved in the assignment are expected to apply the same surveillance protocols and operational practices used on Finlands external borders. The Finnish Border Guard said that these operations not only support European partners but also strengthen the skills and awareness of its personnel. Finnish border guards have received high recognition across Europe for their professional standards, and officials from other countries are also posted in Finland under Frontex arrangements to assist in domestic operations. No details were given on the number of personnel deployed to Latvia, but the mission reflects a broader effort among northern European states to coordinate responses to border security challenges linked to Belarus and Russia. HT He criticised Prime Minister Petteri Orpo s government for sending unclear signals over the issue and confirmed that SDP would file a motion of no confidence in parliament if Finland fails to sign a planned joint statement on Palestine at the United Nations later this month. Antti Lindtman , chair of Finlands opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), said on Yles Ykkosaamu programme on Saturday that Finland must move forward with recognising Palestine, calling it a necessary part of the Middle East peace process. The statement, to be signed in New York, affirms that recognition of the State of Palestine is essential for achieving a two-state solution. While signing the document does not automatically entail official recognition, each country is expected to act individually. Finlands foreign minister Elina Valtonen has confirmed the governments intention to sign the statement, but internal disagreements remain. The Finns Party and Christian Democrats have opposed the move. Lindtman said this division undermines the governments credibility in foreign affairs. When people are suffering in Gaza, we cannot afford to be sending mixed messages, Lindtman told Yle. Its in Finlands interest that foreign policy positions are unified. He praised President Alexander Stubb for previously supporting recognition and said the time to act was now. If the government fails to sign, we will submit a motion in parliament. Finland cannot be left behind on this. Lindtman also said Finland should follow other EU countries and admit wounded and malnourished children from Gaza for medical treatment. According to the European Commission, more than 200 such patients have already been taken in by other EU states. Budget pressures and housing reforms In the same interview, Lindtman acknowledged that Finland faces a multibillion-euro budget shortfall. He said future governments would likely need to make adjustments of at least 5.7 billion, based on recent estimates from the Ministry of Finance. Debt levels are approaching 90 percent of GDP. That trend must be stopped, he said. While outlining the need for savings, Lindtman also repeated proposals to stimulate the housing sector and criticised Orpos government for failing to address construction industry stagnation. The housing crisis is one of the biggest policy mistakes this government has made, he said. No demand means no building. He proposed restoring tax deductions for mortgage interest on first homes, a benefit that was removed in 2023 after years of gradual reduction. He also suggested cutting the transfer tax for first-time buyers to zero for a limited time. Both measures appeared in the SDPs 2024 alternative budget. Lindtman said his party would support cutting business subsidies by 10 percent across the board and removing state support for farms that do not produce food for sale. He also called for the end of energy support schemes for heavy industry. He criticised the governments general tax policy approach, accusing it of scattering cuts across the private sector without targeting the industries most in need of relief. Asked about education, Lindtman said the now-scrapped adult education allowance should not be reintroduced in its original form but restructured into a new support model. On immigration, Lindtman said hostile rhetoric from government ministers, including Finance Minister Riikka Purra, was damaging Finlands international image and could harm recruitment. Purra has given cover to far-right, anti-human attitudes, Lindtman said. That has no place in Finland. HT President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that ten stealth fighters are being sent to Puerto Rico to support ongoing operations against Latin American drug cartels, which Washington has labelled narco-terrorist organisations. The move follows the destruction of a speedboat allegedly linked to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua earlier this week. Eleven people were killed in that attack. The United States has deployed advanced F-35 fighter jets to the Caribbean and is weighing military strikes inside Venezuela, prompting President Nicolas Maduro to order a mass mobilisation of paramilitary forces and warn of armed resistance. Think if youre in a war and you lose 300,000, Trump said, referring to the number of American drug overdose deaths. Were not going to allow it to happen. The White House has not publicly acknowledged plans for strikes inside Venezuela, but US officials cited by CNN and Reuters said options are being considered, including targeted action against cartel infrastructure operating on Venezuelan soil. If authorised, this would mark a major escalation in US policy towards Caracas. On Thursday, the US military accused Venezuela of conducting a highly provocative manoeuvre when two F-16 jets reportedly flew near the guided missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham in the southern Caribbean. Trump responded by warning that any Venezuelan aircraft deemed a threat will be shot down. Seven US warships are now positioned off Venezuelas coast, supported by more than 4,500 Marines and sailors, amphibious units, and a nuclear-powered submarine. The Pentagon has also confirmed that Marine and air operations are underway in southern Puerto Rico. Venezuelas defence ministry has not commented publicly on the claims, but state media released images of Maduro meeting with top military leadership in Caracas. On Friday, Maduro called the US presence a threat to regional peace and accused Washington of preparing for war. We face extremist elements and Nazi sympathisers from the north who threaten the peace of South America and the Caribbean, he said. He also announced the activation of 8.2 million militia members under the Bolivarian Militia, a civilian paramilitary force aligned with Venezuelas armed forces. According to state media, 5,336 new militia units will be formed, supported by more than 15,000 defensive installations across the country. If Venezuela were attacked, it would immediately enter a period of armed struggle, Maduro told reporters earlier this week. We have always been willing to dialogue, but we will defend our sovereignty. Trump has denied plans for regime change, but renewed criticism of Maduros 2024 re-election, which Washington described as fraudulent. Were not talking about regime change, Trump said. But you had an election which was very strange, to put it mildly. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the military strategy. What will stop them is when you blow them up, he said during a visit to Mexico. If youre on a boat full of cocaine or fentanyl headed to the United States, youre an immediate threat. The administration has sought to link Maduro to organised crime, alleging direct ties between the Venezuelan government and the Tren de Aragua cartel. Maduro has denied any connection and claims the gang no longer operates in Venezuela following a crackdown in 2023. The F-35 deployment is seen by military analysts as a clear signal of intent. The stealth fighters are capable of both intelligence and strike missions and would outperform Venezuelas ageing air fleet, which includes older model F-16s. A senior US defence official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the fighter jets will arrive by next week to join operations targeting designated cartel assets in the southern Caribbean. Critics in Washington have raised legal concerns. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar condemned the strikes, arguing that no formal war authorisation has been issued. Congress has not declared war on Venezuela, she said. Designating a group as a terrorist organisation does not give the President the authority to bypass the Constitution. Legal scholars have also questioned the justification for Tuesdays speedboat strike. The US has not presented evidence of drug trafficking from the destroyed vessel. Tensions between the US and Venezuela have remained high since Trump returned to office. Sanctions, naval patrols, and diplomatic isolation have defined recent policy, while humanitarian conditions in Venezuela continue to deteriorate. Millions have fled the country in recent years. With both governments exchanging warnings and military activity increasing, regional actors have expressed concern about the risk of armed conflict. There has been no formal statement from the Organisation of American States or the United Nations regarding the latest developments. HT The al-Soussi Tower, a 15-storey complex near UNRWA headquarters in the Tal al-Hawa district, was levelled hours after residents received evacuation warnings. A second nearby tower, previously damaged in 2024, was also flattened. The strikes follow similar attacks on neighbouring structures earlier this week. Eyewitnesses and reporters on the ground described panic among civilians, who were given as little as 30 minutes to flee. There is nowhere safe to go, said Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City. These towers were sheltering families who had already fled previous attacks in eastern and northern Gaza. At least 68 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, according to Gazas Health Ministry. That figure includes 23 people killed while seeking food aid, and six who died of starvation. The ministry said 382 people, including 135 children, have now died from hunger since the war began in October 2023. Among Saturdays victims was a group of civilians in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, where eight people were killed by an Israeli airstrike on a house. The destruction of key residential buildings was described by local officials as a deliberate attempt to erase Gazas urban landscape. This is intentional destruction of basic infrastructure, said Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network, who witnessed the bombing. Israel is trying to change the geographical features of Gaza to deepen the humanitarian crisis and force displacement. Gazas Government Media Office marked Saturday as the 700th day of what it called Israels war of genocide. It said 90 percent of Gazas infrastructure has been destroyed, with total losses surpassing $68 billion. According to the statement, 73,731 people have been killed or are missing, including 20,000 children. More than 162,000 have been injured, many with permanent disabilities. The number of journalists killed since the war began stands at 248, while 1,670 medical workers, 139 civil defence staff, and 173 municipal employees have also died, the office reported. Further attacks were reported in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City and in Khan Younis, where an Israeli drone strike wounded six Palestinians who had returned to assess damage to their homes. Forced evacuation orders have become increasingly common, with residents told to relocate to al-Mawasi, a southern coastal area designated by Israel as a "humanitarian zone." The zone, however, has been repeatedly bombed, including attacks on tents housing displaced civilians. Wherever we go, death pursues us, said Samia Mushtaha, 20, sheltering in Gazas Remal district. Whether its by bombing or hunger, it makes no difference. International access to Gaza remains restricted. Israel has banned foreign journalists from entering the Strip, placing the burden of war coverage on Palestinian reporters. Over 1,000 people are reported to have been killed while trying to collect food aid since May, according to UN figures cited by Al Jazeera. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli raids and arrests continue. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed there since October 2023. Nearly 500 have been injured by Israeli settlers in 2025 alone, according to UN data. The death toll in Gaza since the start of the war now exceeds 64,000, with over 160,000 wounded. Aid groups and rights organisations warn that famine is spreading, and basic services such as hospitals and water supplies have largely collapsed. HT Cover videos are a fundamental part of the history of the internet. After the arrival of YouTube in 2005, the platform was quickly flooded with musicians delivering versions of their favorite artists songs in the hopes of making an impact and, with any luck, going viral. But Kristina Rybalchenko uploaded her first video playing the drums merely as a fun experiment. We recorded in a nightclub when I was 15 years old. I wanted to play a song on the drums and I asked my dad to help organize everything, because one of his friends was the clubs owner, says Rybalchenko, who is now 28 and has 1.4 million followers (including fellow percussionists Raja Meissner and Nandi Bushnell). Rybalchenko plays her DW brand drums. Jason LeCras I totally blame my parents, when it comes to her relationship with rock, jokes the content creator. In her hometown of Khabarovsk in eastern Russia, Rybalchenko grew up surrounded by music, which is clear from her parents VHS recordings, in which she appears as a young girl, moving to the beat of Metallica. I often say that they put me on the right path from an early age, she says from her apartment in Los Angeles, where she moved at the beginning of this year. Rybalchenko has millions of followers on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Jason LeCras Metallica was not just her favorite group when she was young. In addition to being the first band she saw live, it is the one whose songs she has covered the most and that has led to the most reactions from her followers across different platforms. Though she began with the U.S. group, later on, Rybalchenko got interested in heavier music and started to get into bands like Slipknot, System of a Down, and Bring Me the Horizon, whose drummer Matt Nicholls has been one of her greatest influences. Her preference for this kind of sound led Rybalchenko to become interested in the drums as a teen, after having played the xylophone and the vibraphone for a few years. I kept discovering more bands that made my jaw drop and from then on, my obsession with rock and metal really took off. It was just a matter of time before I sat behind a drum kit, she says. Rybalchenko attributes her love of rock and metal to her parents, who exposed her to bands like Metallica from a young age. Jason LeCras When she was 18, she finished music school in Khabarovsk. It was then that Rybalchenko turned her focus to the drums, and started playing with her first group. During the same time period, she first saw the videos of Australian drummer and YouTuber Nic Pettersen, and was delighted: It was Pettersen and Matt McGuire [the drummer from The Chainsmokers] who inspired me to start my own YouTube channel. In the decade that followed, the way that online videos are distributed has changed radically. Today, the classic YouTube format no longer reigns supreme, but rather short, vertically oriented videos. However, in this new ecosystem, covers have survived and continue to be a trustworthy formula for virality. When it comes to the drums, Rybalchenko is not alone. There are other social media stars like Faith Benson and Domino Santantonio, who also have hundreds of thousands of followers who are hooked on their covers. Detail of a toy duck on one of the cymbals of Rybalchenko's drum kit. Jason LeCras In Rybalchenkos case, becoming a full-time musical content creator was a gradual transition. At first, I was just having fun playing music and uploading videos. But as my audience grew, I began to realize that it could actually become something much bigger, she remembers. Though she has uploaded dozens of covers to the internet during her years as a content creator, she says her favorite songs include Metallicas Master of Puppets, System of a Downs Toxicity and Foo Fighters The Pretender. These are songs that, in Rybalchenkos assessment, have it all, combining intensity, energy and rhythm. Theres the challenge and the frustration of when you get overwhelmed, and then the moment that you get it. I feel a mix of emotion, fatigue and a huge sense of achievement when I finally manage to play a difficult part after hours of practice, she explains. Rybalchenko reads Kurt Cobain's memoirs in her Los Angeles apartment. Jason LeCras In addition to performing songs, Rybalchenko records and edits all her own videos. The only part she entrusts to other people is the audio mixing. The content creator had already been putting time and effort into her videos for years when what she calls the inflection point took place: when her videos started attracting collaborations with brands, sponsors and even, finally, the possibility of living from her music. I remember getting excited when I saw my first videos reach a few hundred views, and definitely didnt think that some day, millions of people would see my content. Its still crazy to me how far all this has gone, says the drummer, who confesses that she still feels a mix of emotion and incredulity when her content reaches another milestone. Rybalchenko finds it funny to compare her first drum kit which she bought for $100 and had a sticker with an image of a semi-nude woman with the dreamy instrument she has now: a Gretsch Drums brand kit that she plays with her own model of Meinl brand drumsticks, which she put out with the company three years ago. The custom Meinl drumsticks that Rybalchenko uses. Jason LeCras Today, she divides her creative efforts between Instagram, TikTok, Twitch and YouTube. She thinks that each platform has its own dynamic, despite the fact that short videos dominate on all of them. In reality, short videos sometimes make everything easier. I can record three videos of different parts of the same song. That way, I maintain variety and present attractive and dynamic content, she says. Her success on social media also has a dark side: the sexist and derogatory comments that are occasionally posted on videos. Rybalchenko says theyre frustrating, of course, but that little by little, shes learned ways for them not to affect her. You can almost always find comments about my clothes on videos where Im literally wearing an everyday t-shirt and shorts, says the drummer, who says such behavior comes from people who use the internet to get rid of their negative energy, in the hopes of feeling better about themselves. She says she prefers to use her energy toward focusing on the work and on her followers positive feedback. These days, Rybalchenko is focused on her new life in Los Angeles, where shes been able to make strides in her musical content. She says shes very excited by this new era, and considers the move to the Californian city, after stops in Tbilisi and Belgrade, the natural evolution in her trajectory, personal as well as professional. People often ask me why I moved to Los Angeles and honestly, I dont have an exact answer; I just feel like this city is the place for me. Its the biggest center of music and creativity, and its inspirational for me to be surrounded by so many opportunities and talented people, she concludes. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The agreement, revealed by Drop Site News , describes Google as a key entity in advancing Israels strategic messaging and public relations efforts. The six-month campaign was launched shortly after Israel blocked the entry of food, fuel, and medical supplies into Gaza on 2 March. Google is facing scrutiny following reports that it signed a $45 million advertising contract with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s office to support a digital campaign denying famine in Gaza. According to documents cited by the report, Googles advertising platforms, including YouTube and Display & Video 360, were used to distribute promotional content designed to counter international concerns over humanitarian conditions in the territory. One YouTube video from Israels Foreign Ministry, widely circulated through paid promotion, claimed: There is food in Gaza. Any other claim is a lie. The clip has been viewed over six million times. The Israeli governments digital campaign coincided with a sharp increase in starvation deaths in Gaza. The enclaves Health Ministry said 185 people, including 12 children, died of hunger in August. The deaths came after the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) formally designated parts of Gaza as famine zones. More than 43,000 children under five are reported to be suffering from malnutrition, alongside 55,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women. The campaign, referred to internally using the Hebrew term hasbara, commonly translated as "propaganda", was launched amid growing global criticism of Israels blockade. In Knesset discussions held the same day the blockade was imposed, lawmakers reportedly expressed concern not over the humanitarian impact but over the potential damage to Israels international reputation. During one such meeting, military spokesperson Avichay Adraee suggested launching a digital campaign to explain that there is no hunger and present the data. That proposal materialised in the form of Google advertisements, as well as additional paid promotions on other platforms. Israel spent a further $3 million on advertising with X (formerly Twitter) and $2.1 million with Outbrain/Teads. The campaign also sought to discredit the United Nations and Gaza authorities. Ads hosted in Googles Ads Transparency Center accused the UN of obstructing aid delivery and promoted the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US-backed aid group criticised for operating outside UN structures. The GHF has been accused by human rights observers of placing civilians at risk and failing to meet minimum humanitarian standards. At the time of the campaigns launch, Israel was also barring international journalists from entering Gaza and targeting local reporters in the territory. The information vacuum was partly filled by US-based influencers brought in by Israel to help shape perceptions of the conflict abroad. Some members of Israels cabinet have openly endorsed the use of starvation as a tactic. Bezalel Smotrich, the countrys finance minister, previously stated: They can die of hunger or surrender. Amichay Eliyahu, heritage minister, said Palestinians need to starve if they refuse to leave Gaza. Google has not issued a public comment on the reported contract. The company has previously faced criticism for providing cloud infrastructure to the Israeli government. In a past statement, co-founder Sergey Brin described the UN as transparently antisemitic after UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese criticised Googles role in what she described as Israels systematic targeting of civilians. The $45 million deal reportedly began in late June. It is expected to run until December. HT County's emergency manager is Hero of the Year for Helene leadership Jimmy Brissie poses with state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom, a North Carolina flag that flew over the Legislative Building and a resolution. Jimmy Brissie knew. Related Stories Before he was shaving, before he was an upperclassman at East Henderson High School, before he was an Eagle Scout motto: Be Prepared Jimmy wanted to answer the call. At age 15, he started as a junior member of the Henderson County Rescue Squad. As he grew into a young man, he became a certified EMT, then a paramedic. Hes served as an instructor for many specialized emergencies, including mountain search and rescue. He worked his way up to become the countys emergency services director. So last Sept. 26, Brissie had been training all his life for what would roar across the South Carolina line into Green River, Etowah and Blantyre the next morning. I was there that day, said Rebecca McCall, who was county commission chair when Helene hit. I was sitting across the table from him (at a news conference the day before the storm hit) and I saw the concern in his eyes. I knew he was fearful of how bad it might get, but I don't think even he realized how bad it would get after it hit. No one did. Only someone who lived through the Great Flood of 1916 caused by a remarkably similar sequence of days of soaking rain followed by an epic deluge and hurricane winds could have imagined what was about to happen. But Jimmy Brissie was in charge, it was better than it might have been. Everyone made a hullabaloo about Jimmy last Monday night when the Elks Lodge 1616 publicly named him Hero of the Year, an honor seconded by the county board of commissioners, the North Carolina General Assembly and the states two U.S. senators. Tommy Laughter wore two hats. An aide to U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, hes also an Elk. The Elks honored Brissie for what he did during Helene what he did before Helene, what he during Helene, and what he did in the days after, Laughter said. He prepared us. That was the Boy Scout in Jimmy, bolstered by years of on-the-ground emergency response. He told all of us what to expect, Laughter said. He told us that we're expecting a loss of property and possibly life, we're going to see flooding, the expectations are grim, but we have a plan in place to do everything the right way. The day of the storm, everything that he told us, unfortunately, came true. It was a day and a disaster that I hope for the love of God that none of us ever have to go through again. His first responders were out there rescuing people cutting trees off of houses, cutting trees off a road so other first responders could come and save lives. In the days after, county staff and his first responders did welfare checks on people that couldn't get ahold of loved ones. He sought to get supplies for people that were in need of things like water and food the things that we take so for granted. A week before Helene devastated the Blue Ridge Mountains, Brissie had a completely different event on his personal calendar. Not many people know this, but he was supposed to get married that weekend, and he had to put off his wedding, Commissioner McCall said. He would not leave the EMS building. His fiancee finally had to bring him some clothes because people were complaining, but he stayed there. He only left to go to certain areas that he needed to check on but he stayed there and he led the team. I don't know how many countless hours he lost of sleep, but I saw it. I saw it all happen. Brissie credited the countys leadership and the many dozens of people who stepped up in the days and weeks after Helene. Everyones mentioned team, and thats really what it is, he said. Its all about a team our firefighters, our law enforcement officers, our telecommunicators, our rescue squad members, our school teachers, our human resources employees. It was all about a team during Helene, and that team starts with the boards leadership, he said, praising the board for having made investments in personnel, equipment, communications needed to respond to the unprecedented emergency. I have no doubt that lives were saved by all those team members, Brissie said. At one point, Mr. Mitchell (the county manager) said everybody in Henderson County government was in emergency management. But it didnt stop there. It was also neighbors and family members the community coming together as a whole. Ive been very blessed to have tremendous leadership from the board, senior leadership of the county manager, assistant county manager, but most importantly, Ive been able to surround myself by folks a lot smarter than I am. I thank yall for the recognition. It means a lot, but this is for everybody in public safety and emergency services the work that they did. The Iberian Peninsula remains cut off from Europes electricity market, despite new projects like a Bay of Biscay subsea link. The EU is closely watching the investigation to prevent a similar outage From a hill in Gatika, a village of 1,600 inhabitants about a half-hour drive from the Spanish city of Bilbao, the scars left on the land by the construction of the ill-fated Lemoniz nuclear power plant in the 1970s are clearly visible. High-voltage towers dot a green landscape sprinkled with small houses that live alongside the cables of a facility that was never put into operation. More than 40 years after it was abandoned, dozens of workers are now busy building a new converter station next to the refurbished original substation. This is the starting point for the energy interconnection that, by 2028, will link the Iberian Peninsula with the rest of Europe a power highway connecting the Spanish and French electricity systems through two 400 kV links from Gatika to Cubnezais, near Bordeaux. Disused high-voltage towers in Gatika. FERNANDO DOMINGO-ALDAMA It is an ambitious and technically complex project, as the route runs entirely underground and under the Bay of Biscay. But it is also not enough to end the Iberian Peninsulas energy isolation. The interconnection will increase the electricity exchange capacity from the current 2,800 to 5,000 megawatts, but falls far short of the minimum required by Brussels. For the internal energy market to be truly effective, the Commission set targets of 10% of installed generation capacity for 2020 and 15% for 2030. And with this interconnection, well barely reach 5%, admits Juan Prieto, project director, during a visit to the works in Gatika. View of the electrical interconnection works between Spain and France in Gatika. FERNANDO DOMINGO-ALDAMA In short, half a dozen interconnections like this would be needed to bring the Iberian Peninsula on par with the well-developed international grids of the other major euro-area economies: Italy, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. And a dozen more would be required to meet the target set for the end of this decade. Europes dense continental network continues to run up against the barrier of the Pyrenees, leaving Spain and Portugal exposed when problems arise. This reality became particularly clear on April 28, a date that will be forever etched into the collective memory: the day of the first major blackout in the history of Spain and Portugal. The European power grid Interconnection capacity (MW) ENTSO-E member countries Iceland Finland Norway Sweden Russia Denmark Lithuania United Kingdom Former member Poland Ukraine Germany Moldavia Austria France 2,800 MW Romania Portugal 4,000 MW Bulgaria Italy SPAIN Turkey Observer member Greece 900 MW Tunisia Morocco Countries synchronized with the Continental European grid 500 km Source: Ember Energy, ENTSO-E, Red Electrica. The European power grid Interconnection capacity (MW) ENTSO-E member countries Iceland Finland Norway Sweden Russia Denmark Lithuania United Kingdom Former member Poland Ukraine Germany Moldavia Austria France 2,800 MW Romania Portugal 4,000 MW Bulgaria Italy SPAIN Turkey Observer member Greece 900 MW Tunisia Morocco Countries synchronized with the Continental European grid 500 km Source: Ember Energy, ENTSO-E, Red Electrica. The European power grid Interconnection capacity (MW) ENTSO-E member countries Iceland Finland Norway Sweden United Kingdom Former member Russia Denmark Lithuania Poland Ukraine The Bay of Biscay interconnection will raise total capacity to 5,000 MW Germany Moldavia Austria France Romania Black Sea 2,800 MW Bulgaria Portugal 4,000 MW Italy Turkey Observer member SPAIN Greece 900 MW Mediterranean Sea Morocco Tunisia Countries synchronized with the Continental European grid 500 km Source: Ember Energy, ENTSO-E, Red Electrica. It lasted several hours, mostly during the day, but the unprecedented total blackout plunged both countries into a strange state of chaos and uncertainty. More than 50 million people suddenly became aware of the countless implications of losing power that everything, absolutely everything, depends on having electricity. That we are far less prepared than we think or than EU authorities would like, with their recent emergency kit, which many considered a joke. That blackouts may not be just a thing of the past, as was believed: recently, the Czech Republic experienced a taste of the same crisis. And that, despite the exemplary reaction of citizens, a few more hours of darkness would have made matters far worse. Only the rapid restoration of service prevented greater harm. The Spanish governments preliminary report arrived in mid-June, a month and a half after the blackout weeks ahead of schedule, but not soon enough to stop rumors and finger-pointing. Especially at the renewable energy sector, which was immediately blamed. The conclusions, in summary, indicate that there were prior fluctuations in the European power grid, that several overvoltage episodes led to the mass disconnection of generation plants, and that Spains state electricity provider Red Electrica de Espana (REE) and the distributors failed to contain the blackout using the safeguards intended to prevent a local problem from escalating into a binational disaster. In terms of politics and business, blame was shared between REE and the electricity companies. From a purely technical standpoint, it was a strong wake-up call and an implicit acknowledgment that both infrastructure and regulations are lagging behind reality. This perspective helps explain the Spanish governments two most notable actions since then: a substantial injection of funds to reinforce the grid and the announcement of significant changes in operational procedures the regulatory framework that underpins the daily operation of the electricity market. Leaving aside reports the final ones are still pending, many of them at the EU level three key conclusions can be outlined without fear of error, and they may help other European neighbors, like Germany or Denmark, which also have high penetration of wind and solar in their electricity mix. First, technical regulation: these generation sources, though inherently intermittent, could already be providing stability and voltage control. There is no technical reason why they shouldnt. Second, storage through pumped-storage hydro plants and, above all, batteries is essential to support a safe transition to green energy. Third, and perhaps most obvious, the blackout would have been far less likely and shorter if the interconnection between the Iberian electricity system and the rest of the continent were at the level it ought to be by now. The capacity of the cables connecting the Iberian Peninsula with its neighbors to the north, beyond the Pyrenees, has been stuck at 2.8% of installed generation capacity for years far below EU requirements. The works underway in the Bay of Biscay which are expected to be completed in 2028, much later than initially planned will substantially increase that figure. But it will still fall well short of the target. The Lemoniz power station with the sea retaining wall on the left. EL PAIS A concrete monolith embedded in a cliff on the Biscay coast is all that remains of the failed Lemoniz nuclear power plant. 2024 marked the 40th anniversary since its definitive shutdown. That was in 1984, when the Spanish government of Felipe Gonzalez issued a moratorium on nuclear power, although the project had already been deemed unviable years earlier due to the combined pressure of the anti-nuclear movement and a fierce campaign of attacks by the now-defunct ETA terrorist group. Next summer, submarine cables for the new interconnection will begin to be laid in front of the overgrown buildings. The project has also faced opposition. The movement Interkonexio elektrikorik ez (No to the electrical interconnection in the Basque language) has been protesting against the power highway with marches and posters that can be seen in Gatika and other towns in northern province of Biscay. Meeting of members of the platform against the construction of the power plant in Gatika at the end of May. FERNANDO DOMINGO-ALDAMA Its practically impossible to develop projects of this type without some friction, acknowledges Antonio Gonzalez Urquijo, regional delegate for Redeia in the Basque Country, who says that only 13 plots have had to be expropriated, compared to 75% of amicable agreements. This infrastructure will be here for decades. Well be neighbors; we dont want it to be imposed, adds Juan Prieto, director of the interconnection. Twelve possible land routes were studied before arriving at the final one, 13 kilometers long (eight miles), which winds along existing tracks and paths to minimize impact, Prieto explains, adding that the high-voltage towers and cables built for Lemoniz will also be removed. It is no coincidence that, although insufficient, the Gatika interconnection is on the list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI, essential for receiving EU funding), a category that also includes future pipelines intended to carry Iberian green hydrogen to the rest of the continent. In the case of the electrical interconnection, it was recently announced that it will receive 1.6 billion ($1.87 billion) in funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The goal, in the words of European Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen, is for European citizens to have access to clean and stable supplies, wherever they are. Until we have a clear understanding of the sequence of events, everything remains speculative. But greater integration into the continental system should have acted as a buffer to prevent the blackout, notes Georg Zachmann, an analyst at the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel. In general, increasing the size of the system through greater regional integration should have acted as a buffer against internal shocks that could bring the system down. The German expert also criticizes the lack of clarity in the Spanish government and REE reports: I have tried to understand them, and I still find it difficult to understand what exactly happened. Europe watching closely Several European capitals are keeping a close eye on the annual meeting of ENTSO-E, the body that brings together the operators of the Old Continents electricity grid. The meeting is expected to produce the official report on what happened on April 28. Conclusions will emerge tailored to the characteristics of each country, its energy mix, and its grids, says Jose Luis Sancha, an energy communicator and professor at Spains Higher Technical School of Engineering (ICAI), with a long career at REE. Before that, however, several issues are already under discussion, in Sanchas words. These include: improving coordination between operators, more clearly defining the responsibilities and penalties for each participant in case of non-compliance, as happened on the day of the major blackout, empowering the system operator in its control management, strengthening the regulators oversight of compliance with regulations and, of course, improving and expanding interconnections. Juan Prieto, director of the new electrical interconnection, at the construction site. FERNANDO DOMINGO-ALDAMA Gonzalez Urquijo advises against speculating about what would have happened on April 28 if the interconnections required by the EU had been in place. What we are clear on, he concedes, is that the greater the interconnection capacity, the more robust the grid would be. Electricity supply was restored thanks to international interconnections with both France and Morocco. The greater the volume of interconnections, the greater the speed with which the service is restored, adds Gonzalez Urquijo. Exception made for Spain and Portugal It seems like another era, but it happened only a few years ago. In June 2022, in the midst of an energy crisis, Spain and Portugal secured an unprecedented exception from normally strict Brussels: the electricity market pricing mechanism would, for once, differ from the rest of Europe in order to remove gas from the equation. The rationale for this leniency was the physical disconnection from the rest of the continent: more than a peninsula, Iberia it was rightly said was an insula. Three years later, and after a historic blackout, that remains the case. Although French authorities publicly claim to be committed to increasing interconnection, the facts tell a different story. This practical refusal has led the Spanish and Portuguese governments to send two letters one to Paris and one to Brussels requesting concrete commitments to increase electricity flow across the Pyrenees. Although not expressed publicly, these delays [by France] are consistent with a French strategy to avoid becoming an electricity transit country: it does not want French consumers to pay for lines that primarily benefit consumers in neighboring countries, Zachmann explains. Nor does France want to expose its once all-powerful nuclear power it has the most reactors in Europe and the second largest in the world to much more competitive electricity prices: for most hours and days, Iberian wind and photovoltaic power are significantly cheaper than nuclear power. In short, it maintains an artificial competitive advantage against the renewable energy boom. The solution could be to require the other partners [Spain and Portugal, which would export more of their surplus, or Germany, the natural destination for cheap Iberian electricity on many days] to contribute to transit costs in France, explains Zachmann. Understanding the details of the blackout in Spain and drawing lessons from it has become a concern for all of Europe. This is especially true after the Czech Republic suffered a severe blackout on July 4, albeit for very different reasons, and the Netherlands has had to implement electricity rationing measures to avoid further straining its grid. Even before these events which took place after the Iberian Peninsula blackout EU authorities had already launched several parallel investigations. Today, the urgency of learning lessons and putting them into practice is even greater. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The application of computational techniques can decipher palimpsests: manuscripts where the original text was removed to make room for new writing In 1229, the priest Johannes Myronas found no better medium for writing his prayers than a 300-year-old parchment filled with Greek texts and formulations that meant nothing to him. At the time, any writing material was a luxury. He erased the content which had been written by an anonymous scribe in present-day Istanbul trimmed the pages, folded them in half and added them to other parchments to write down his prayers. In the year 2000, a team of more than 80 experts from the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore set out to decipher what was originally inscribed on this palimpsest an ancient manuscript with traces of writing that have been erased. And, after five years of effort, they revealed a copy of Archimedes treatises, including The Method of Mechanical Theorems, which is fundamental to classical and modern mathematics. A Spanish study now published in the peer-reviewed journal Mathematics provides a formula for reading altered original manuscripts by using artificial intelligence. This will reduce the enormous labor involved in uncovering hidden and compromised texts. The applications of this technology, however, go beyond this text. Science hasnt been the only other field to experience the effects of this practice. The Vatican Library houses a text by a Christian theologian who erased biblical fragments which were more than 1,500-years-old just to express his thoughts. Several Greek medical treatises have been deciphered behind the letters of a Byzantine liturgy. The list is extensive, but could be extended if the process of recovering these originals wasnt so complex. According to the authors of the research published in Mathematics Jose Luis Salmeron and Eva Fernandez Palop the primary texts within the palimpsests exhibit mechanical, chemical and optical alterations. These require sophisticated techniques such as multispectral imaging, computational analysis, X-ray fluorescence and tomography so that the original writing can be recovered. But even these expensive techniques yield partial and limited results. To bridge this gap between the original and the altered text, recent advances in AI, particularly in machine learning and deep learning, have demonstrated significant potential in enhancing data assimilation (DA) and uncertainty quantification (UQ), the authors write. The researchers model allows for the generation of synthetic data to accurately model key degradation processes and overcome the scarcity of information contained in the cultural object. It also yields better results than traditional models, based on multispectral images, while enabling research with conventional digital images. Salmeron a professor of AI at CUNEF University in Madrid, a researcher at the Autonomous University of Chile and director of Stealth AI Startup explains that this research arose from a proposal by Eva Fernandez Palop, who was working on a thesis about palimpsests. At the time, the researcher was considering the possibility of applying new computational techniques to manuscripts of this sort. The advantage of our system is that we can control every aspect [of it], such as the level of degradation, colors, languages and this allows us to generate a tailored database, with all the possibilities [considered], Salmeron explains. The team has worked with texts in Syriac, Caucasic, Albanian and Latin, achieving results that are superior to those produced by classical systems. The findings also include the development of the algorithm, so that it can be used by any researcher. This development isnt limited to historical documents. This dual-network framework is especially well-suited for tasks involving [cluttered], partially visible, or overlapping data patterns, the researcher clarifies. These conditions are found in medical imaging, remote sensing, biological microscopy and industrial inspection systems, as well as in the forensic investigation of images and documents. The application of this computational technique is also relevant to the fields of cybersecurity and in the development of large language learning models for artificial intelligence. Companies can generate high-quality, privacy-secure datasets to train ML [machine learning] models, to test solutions, or simulate operations, without risking sensitive information or waiting for clean, real-world data. If youre working with healthcare records, financial transactions, customer behavior, or any sensitive tabular data, this is a game-changer, Salmeron explains. The researchers themselves admit that there are limitations to their proposed method for examining palimpsests: The approach shows degraded performance when processing extremely faded texts with contrast levels below 5%, where essential stroke information becomes indistinguishable from crumbling parchment. Additionally, the models effectiveness depends on careful script balancing during the training phase, as unequal representation of writing systems can make the deep-learning features biased toward more frequent scripts. However, these limitations only encourage the researchers to continue the work theyve started, not simply to overcome the barriers identified, but also to apply the lessons to other fields. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition A century after Heisenberg formulated his theory, the field has transformed our understanding of the physical world, yet many of its applications remain in development The German physicist Werner Heisenberg took refuge a century ago on the small island of Helgoland (which today has 1,300 inhabitants) to escape his allergy. He was only 23 years old when, in that cold and windy environment, he formulated the principle of one of the theories destined to revolutionize the understanding of physics and promise a new world. The centenary of this discovery has led the United Nations to declare 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, an event whose realities and promises inspire both skepticism and enthusiasm. Without the window Heisenberg opened, todays smartphones, computer circuits, and flat screens would not be possible. Without the counterintuitive principles of quantum mechanics, fields such as pharmacology, medicine, and metrology would not be looking toward a promising future. But the anticipated revolution still has a long way to go, which frustrates expectations, because, as in computing, it is the tool expected to definitively open all doors. It is clearly one of the most important scientific stories, and that is why it is capturing the attention of the media and the world in general, says Jim Al-Kahalili, a British physicist of Iraqi origin and professor of theoretical physics at the University of Surrey, during an event organized by the Science Media Centre (SMC). Al-Kahalili compares it to the advent of artificial intelligence a decade ago: It is going to change the world, it is going to transform all our lives. Wed better talk about it; wed better have a good idea of what it is. Although the most popular example is illustrated by Schrodingers cat to explain the concept of quantum superposition (the animal can be alive and dead at the same time until observed), the path Heisenberg began is, according to the Surrey physicist, more important than the theory of evolution. It has truly transformed the world, he insists. Quantum mechanics explains why chemical elements are arranged according to their properties, how electrons are organized around atoms, and the structure of matter. It dictates the properties of atoms and, therefore, the nature of everything, explains Al-Kahalili. Its principles are very much present in everyday life. Semiconductors, the foundation of any modern electronic integrated circuit, became possible by understanding quantum principles. Heisenbergs allergy paved the way for the computers and cell phones that are now part of everyones life. And understanding reality at the smallest scales is the stepping stone to a new world. Quantum entanglement the connection of two or more particles such that their states are inseparable regardless of distance confounded Albert Einstein himself, who rejected it and called it spooky action at a distance. Yet, according to the British physicist, it is the way our entire reality is intertwined, and, combined with other ideas in quantum mechanics, it will help us develop an entirely new set of technologies that are going to change the world. Peter Knight, physicist, professor of quantum optics, and researcher at Imperial College London, adds at the same SMC event that this superposition of entangled states, despite its fragility any interference (noise) can disrupt it opens up all kinds of opportunities. It is the foundation of what we want to do in computing, but it is much more than that, he explains. In this context, he refers to the potential of quantum mechanics in fields such as imaging, metrology, and engineering. It allows us to do truly important things, like measuring magnetic or gravitational fields, or imaging the brain, he says. Javier Prior, a physicist at the University of Murcia specializing in biology, thermodynamics, and quantum sensors, has developed a quantum system for detecting the smallest cellular-level alterations, working initially with pure nanometric diamonds. These diamonds contain particles that react to any anomaly in the development of the tiniest biological units, allowing the identification of dysfunction at its earliest stage or within a microfluid of the body. It is a microscopic beacon that sends signals when it detects the first physico-chemical sign of an incipient cellular storm. While Schrodingers cat is the most famous theory, the application with the most followers is computing. Knight is also optimistic in this field. Over the past couple of years, there has been extraordinary progress in what is called error correction, he states, referring to systems that address the deficiencies in qubit coherence, the quantum unit that exponentially multiplies computing capacity. A difficult problem could take the age of the universe to solve on a supercomputer, but using a quantum computer, it could be solved in minutes or hours, says the physicist, who does not shy away from noting that, just as there are wonderfully useful applications in commerce, banking, and financial technology, we are seeing malicious uses. He is referring to a quantum computers potential to breach internet security, on which modern society depends. Among the applications already in use, Knight highlights the use of quantum technology in brain imaging, which is currently applied to treat juvenile epilepsy, for oncological diagnostics based on imaging, or to measure the local gravitational field for use in topography. We can build the most precise clocks, we can build systems that allow navigation without GPS all of these things are happening, he says. Al-Kahalili adds: The applications can also be used to understand weather properties by incorporating quantum technology into satellite imaging. Among the more cautious researchers regarding this revolution is Jose Luis Salmeron, who has applied quantum processing models to propose medical treatments and predict sequelae. A professor of AI at Universidad CUNEF, researcher at the Universidad Autonoma de Chile, and executive at Stealth AI Startup, Salmeron believes that we are still at a stage where many things remain to be defined, and there are aspects of technology and science that are not yet fully developed and that require some progress to become more usable. Salmeron questions the claims of quantum advantage, the point at which this computing can solve problems impossible for existing technologies. In this regard, he doubts that breakthroughs are imminent, contrary to the claims of Matthias Steffen, a physicist at IBM. You can almost feel that we are getting there, says the creator of IBMs Starling model. The technological aspect still raises my doubts. I think there must be some advances that havent even been published yet and that could be quite interesting, says Salmeron, when asked whether this year could mark the start of a new cycle. A similar position is held by another group of scientists who are wary of the constant announcements of discoveries and milestones. These physicists believe that generating expectations that go unmet not only causes frustration but also threatens the credibility of the science and the fate of public funding. Nonetheless, another group argues that each achievement, even if it does not fully materialize, keeps private investors engaged in the quantum race and opens new avenues. One of the most recent steps in this direction was announced by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), which has installed and is operating its first quantum computer at its data center in Tennessee. ORNL will use the system to explore how quantum processing units (QPUs) can enhance high-performance computing in the same way GPUs have improved classical computing tasks. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition BANGKOK, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the opposition Bhumjaithai Party, was elected as Thailand's new prime minister on Friday after winning a majority in a parliamentary vote. Anutin beat his sole contender, nominated by the ruling Pheu Thai Party, Chaikasem Nitisiri, to lead the next government, following a court ruling last week that removed Paetongtarn Shinawatra from her premiership over an ethics breach. After a one-hour roll call vote, Second Deputy House Speaker Chalad Khamchuang announced that Anutin received 311 votes in favor from the 490 members present in the House of Representatives, exceeding the simple majority required for approval. Anutin is pending formal endorsement by Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn to become the 32nd prime minister of the Southeast Asian country. In his speech after the parliamentary session, Anutin expressed gratitude to fellow Thai citizens for their support for the prime ministership, which was conveyed through members of parliament. "I look forward to working hand in hand with all parties for the benefit of the people, aiming to advance the country swiftly and mitigate past missed opportunities," he told reporters. He added that his new government would strictly uphold law enforcement and combat abuses of power. The 58-year-old former construction magnate was appointed as Bhumjaithai's leader in 2012. He has since served as deputy prime minister in several administrations and held ministerial portfolios for interior and public health. The outgoing Pheu Thai-led government's bid earlier this week to dissolve the lower house of parliament was rejected on legal grounds concerning its authority to undertake such actions while serving in a caretaker capacity, clearing the way for Friday's prime ministerial election. The nation's main opposition People's Party, which controls nearly a third of lower house seats, announced its support for Anutin to form a new government on Wednesday under the condition that parliament is dissolved for fresh elections within four months. ROME, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- A delegation led by Zhou Shuchun, executive vice-president of China Foundation for Human Rights Development, concluded a five-day visit to Turkiye and Italy on Friday. During the trip, the delegation held in-depth discussions with institutions including Turkiye's Marmara Group Strategic and Social Research Foundation and the Institute for International Legal Studies of Italy's National Research Council on issues of common concern, and met with Pier Ferdinando Casini, honorary president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and member of Italy's Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. They reached broad consensus. The delegation noted that the Global Governance Initiative, recently proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus" Meeting, provides Chinese wisdom and solutions for improving global governance and injects strong impetus into joint efforts with all countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind. The delegation also highlighted the remarkable progress China has achieved in the cause of human rights since the launch of the 14th Five-Year Plan in 2021, elaborating on China's path, vision and practices in the field of human rights. Think tanks, media outlets and other institutions in Turkiye and Italy spoke highly of China's achievements in economic and social development and in human rights protection, as well as China's important role in international affairs and human rights. They expressed hope to deepen people-to-people exchanges and cooperation with China Foundation for Human Rights Development and other relevant Chinese institutions to promote mutual understanding and closer ties. The opening ceremony of a photo exhibition and film week commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War is held at the China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, Sept. 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Lyu You) People visit a photo exhibition at the China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, Sept. 5, 2025. A photo exhibition and film week commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War was held here on Friday. (Xinhua/Lyu You) People watch a film at the China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, Sept. 5, 2025. A photo exhibition and film week commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War was held here on Friday. (Xinhua/Lyu You) Chinese President Xi Jinping extended congratulations to the 15th plenary session of the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development held Saturday in Vladivostok. #XinhuaNews KUNMING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's public intellectual products are advancing with times and sustaining long-term vision, according to a think tank report released on Saturday. The report, titled "Answering the Questions of Our Time: The Global Significance and Practical Value of China's Public Intellectual Products," was released by Xinhua Institute, a think tank affiliated with Xinhua News Agency. As one of its key focuses, the report showcases that China's global public intellectual goods have been forged in practice and will continue to evolve as practice develops. By responding keenly to global dynamics, maintaining sustained attention to humanity's long-term future, and deepening and refining its own theoretical framework, this body of thought preserves its vitality through constant innovation and adaptation. In so doing, it provides enduring intellectual support for meeting the challenges of the future, according to the report. The report said that China's global public intellectual goods are marked by a keen awareness of shifts in the international landscape, demonstrating both strong adaptability and foresight. The report also highlighted that China's global public intellectual goods focus not only on addressing immediate problems but also on safeguarding the shared long-term future of human society. Furthermore, China's global public intellectual goods evolve through the dynamic interplay between theory and practice, continually undergoing refinement, iteration, and elevation, the report said. NEW DELHI, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- A 45-year-old man died Saturday due to Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), commonly known as brain fever, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, officials said. The man succumbed while undergoing treatment at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode district. According to a health official, the man was admitted to the hospital with fever and other symptoms 20 days ago, and the diagnosis was confirmed following tests. This is the fourth death in less than a month in the state due to the rare but deadly infection affecting the brain. In August, three patients died at the hospital after contracting the infection. Reports said at present 11 people are undergoing treatment for the disease at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, and the condition of a few is reported to be critical. A total of 42 cases have been reported across Kerala this year. PAM is a rare but highly fatal brain infection caused by free-living amoebae found in contaminated water. Meanwhile, the local government has launched a campaign to clean and chlorinate public wells and water sources. BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command remains on high alert and is fully prepared to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability, a spokesperson said Saturday. Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the Command, made the remarks while commenting on Canadian and Australian warships sailing through the Taiwan Strait. On Saturday, the Canadian frigate Quebec and the Australian destroyer Brisbane conducted a transit through the Taiwan Strait and engaged in provocative actions, which sent wrong signals and heightened security risks, Shi said. The Command's naval and air forces closely tracked and monitored the Canadian and Australian military vessels' passage through the Taiwan Strait from start to finish, and took effective responses accordingly, the spokesperson said. "China is one of the countries that has always been pushing for peace and harmony." International scholars said China's V-Day parade reiterated to the world its commitment to peace and harmony. #GLOBALink RIYADH, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Artists from the China National Opera House (CNOH) performed the classic opera "Carmen" at the King Fahad Cultural Center in Riyadh from Thursday to Saturday to celebrate the China-Saudi Arabia Year of Culture in 2025. The performances represented CNOH's inaugural full-scale orchestral opera in Saudi Arabia, involving the collaboration of around 200 theater artists. Over the three days, the event drew an audience of over 7,000 people. "It's my first opera, but the melodies feel familiar already. The staging is stunning and the orchestra's power is remarkable," said Eyad, a young Saudi in the audience. His friend Abdulaziz echoed, "This sets the bar very high, we look forward to seeing more traditional Chinese culture in Saudi Arabia." This year marks the 150th anniversary of the 1875 premiere of "Carmen." Since introducing the masterpiece to China in 1982, the CNOH has performed the work more than 300 times, featuring both Chinese and French language versions, according to CNOH's Vice President Wu Zhao. Presenting "Carmen" to the Saudi audience during the China-Saudi Arabia Year of Culture demonstrates "our commitment to fostering dialogue among civilizations," said Wu, adding, "We want to convey at our very best the universal human yearning for freedom and love." "Chinese artists presenting world classics is a vivid practice of mutual learning among civilizations," said Chinese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Chang Hua. "Music and dance transcend language, making connections easier," Chang said, noting that the performance "represents a historic moment" as people-to-people exchanges deepen between the two countries. According to Jasper Hope, advisor of Opera & Broadway at the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, in order to enhance the understanding of the performance for the audience, the production utilized Arabic, English, and Chinese surtitles, which were synchronized seamlessly with the orchestra sound and stage changes. "Over the next three to four years, more opera houses, concert halls, and theaters will come online," Hope revealed, adding, "We look forward to more orchestras, dance companies, and opera productions from China. Riyadh city needs world-class cultural offerings." KUNMING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Global South Joint Communication Partnership Network, initiated by Xinhua News Agency, was launched on Saturday during the ongoing 2025 Global South Media and Think Tank Forum held in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province. The first batch of cooperative communication partners consists of more than 1,000 media outlets, think tanks and other institutions from 95 countries and regions across the Global South. The network, first proposed by Xinhua in November 2024, is expected to carry out cooperation based on two platforms -- the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum and the Global South media news network. It will hold a series of international and regional meetings, professional seminars, special training sessions, photo exhibitions and other activities. While launching co-creation projects, releasing think tank reports, special columns and initiatives and consensus, the network is built to jointly enhance the combined communication strength and elevate the voice of the Global South, according to the event organizers. The forum, which opened Saturday, is co-hosted by Xinhua News Agency, the Communist Party of China Yunnan Provincial Committee and the People's Government of Yunnan Province. Geng Shuang, charge d'affaires of the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations, introduces the draft resolution at the General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 5, 2025. The UN General Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution with overwhelming support on cooperation between the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The resolution, introduced by China and co-sponsored by nearly 40 countries, including all SCO member states, highly commends the constructive role of the SCO in promoting regional peace, development, mutual trust and cooperation. (Xinhua/Xie E) UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- The UN General Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution with overwhelming support on cooperation between the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The resolution, introduced by China and co-sponsored by nearly 40 countries, including all SCO member states, highly commends the constructive role of the SCO in promoting regional peace, development, mutual trust and cooperation. The resolution speaks highly of the SCO's efforts in supporting the work of the United Nations and expresses support for strengthened dialogue and collaboration between the UN and the SCO. Geng Shuang, charge d'affaires of the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations, introduced the draft resolution at the General Assembly. Geng noted that since its founding 24 years ago, the SCO has continued to grow under the guidance of the Shanghai Spirit and has become the world's largest regional organization. The most significant highlight of the SCO Tianjin Summit, he said, was Chinese President Xi Jinping's proposal of the Global Governance Initiative, which was warmly welcomed and actively supported by all parties, who agreed that the world urgently needs more effective governance visions and systems, making China's initiative most opportune and relevant. At Friday's General Assembly session, representatives of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Pakistan, Iran, Cambodia, Cuba, Venezuela and Serbia spoke highly of the SCO Tianjin Summit and the work carried out by China during its rotating presidency. They emphasized that the resolution's adoption by the General Assembly with overwhelming support reflects the international community's recognition and support of the SCO. The representatives added that the Global Governance Initiative proposed by President Xi meets the needs of the times and will play a crucial role in addressing global challenges and enhancing global governance. This photo taken on Sept. 5, 2025 shows the voting result displayed on screens at the General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York. The UN General Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution with overwhelming support on cooperation between the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The resolution, introduced by China and co-sponsored by nearly 40 countries, including all SCO member states, highly commends the constructive role of the SCO in promoting regional peace, development, mutual trust and cooperation. (Xinhua/Xie E) Geng Shuang, charge d'affaires of the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations, introduces the draft resolution at the General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 5, 2025. The UN General Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution with overwhelming support on cooperation between the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The resolution, introduced by China and co-sponsored by nearly 40 countries, including all SCO member states, highly commends the constructive role of the SCO in promoting regional peace, development, mutual trust and cooperation. (Xinhua/Xie E) US President Donald Trump's deadly strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat from Venezuela marks a significant escalation from law enforcement to military action against cartels that his administration has branded as terror groups. Video footage posted by Trump on social media Tuesday showed a multi-engine speedboat with several people aboard bouncing across the waves -- but rather than being stopped and boarded, the vessel is suddenly engulfed in an inferno. The US president said 11 members of the Tren de Aragua gang were killed in the strike, which should "serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America." Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the strike "demonstrates a change in the rules of engagement." "There is no longer US Coast Guard boarding of vessels; there is an approach far more similar to how the United States deals with pirates in the Gulf region, or terrorists in the Sahel," he said. The United States -- which has a long history of carrying out strikes against suspected militants without due process -- designated Venezuela's Tren de Aragua, Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel and several other drug trafficking organizations as terror groups earlier this year. The strike on the boat comes at a time of soaring tensions between the United States and Venezuela over the deployment of American warships in the region that the Washington says are to combat trafficking but which Caracas views as a threat. The United States alleges that leftist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro heads a cocaine trafficking cartel and recently doubled its bounty to $50 million in exchange for his capture to face drug charges. Maduro has meanwhile accused Trump of attempting to effect regime change and launched a drive to sign up thousands of militia members. Asked about the potential for escalation with Venezuela as a result of the strike, Berg said that "Maduro is unlikely to say much, given that doing so would essentially confirm the administration's assertion that he is a narcotrafficker and the head of a cartel." Gustavo Flores-Macias, dean of the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, noted that the United States has a history of military interventions in Latin America, but said this one was the first under Trump's policy of designating cartels as terror groups. "With the turn toward military strikes instead of traditional law enforcement in addressing drug trafficking in the region, the White House is looking to send a strong message," Flores-Macias said. That message is aimed "not only to deter drug traffickers but also as a show of force to put the government of Nicolas Maduro on notice that the US is considering military action in Venezuela," he said. It remains to be seen how effective Trump's policy will be at curbing trafficking in the Caribbean, but Berg said the US Navy's multi-ship deployment "could disrupt Southern Caribbean trafficking routes for some time, with its generational scale and size." "In the short term, (the strike) is likely to have a highly dissuasive effect," he said. "Few will risk being in a 'go fast' boat anytime soon." US President Donald Trump moved Friday to create a blacklist of countries that Washington says unjustly detain Americans, spelling out harsh punishments including bans on travel. In an executive order, Trump said the United States will now designate "state sponsors of wrongful detention," similar to the powerful tool of branding countries as state sponsors of terrorism. "With this EO you are signing today, you are drawing a line in the sand that US citizens will not be used as bargaining chips," Trump aide Sebastian Gorka told reporters in the Oval Office. The Trump administration did not immediately name countries for the new blacklist, but a senior official said that China, Iran and Afghanistan would be under review as they "persistently participate in hostage diplomacy." The countries designated by the State Department would be subject to sanctions and US export controls, and officials involved in the imprisonment would be barred from entry. In one measure rarely taken by the United States, officials said that the State Department could bar US citizens from visiting countries put on the blacklist. Currently the United States only strictly bans its citizens from traveling to North Korea, a step taken after American student Otto Warmbier was detained in 2016 in the totalitarian state and released the following year in a vegetative state, dying shortly afterward. The new blacklist can also target groups that effectively control territory but are not recognized as states. The United States across administrations has put a top priority on freeing Americans overseas, negotiating prisoner swaps to free high-profile detainees including in Russia. Trump has trumpeted his record on freeing Americans, with officials saying 72 prisoners have been released overseas under his watch. A US official said that the new executive order would make it easier to take action without going through a "burdensome" process. The United States can also remove countries if it decides they have come into compliance. The State Department routinely helps Americans detained overseas and then assesses whether they were jailed for wrongful reasons, including as political bargaining chips. Under former president Joe Biden, China released all Americans considered wrongfully detained in part in return for the United States loosening a warning against Americans traveling to the Asian power, advice that had hurt the business climate. ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- African Group of Negotiators (AGN) and the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) have called for a reframing of global climate action to be science-driven and responsive to Africa's growing vulnerability to climate change. Speaking at the 13th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, on Friday, AGN Chair Richard Muyungi said the continent cannot afford to depend solely on externally driven data and models of climate action. "African science must take center stage in guiding climate action and adaptation," said Muyungi, while calling for adoption of needs-based climate finance. According to the chairman, Africa is entering a new phase of climate diplomacy with a deeper understanding of its ecological wealth backed by scientific knowledge. "Climate finance is not charity, but it is a right, a duty, and a measure of trust," Muyungi said, urging developed nations to finance climate adaptation activities in Africa and least developed countries worldwide. Mithika Mwenda, executive director of the PACJA, highlighted that Africa contributes the least to global greenhouse gas emissions but is among the hardest hit by climate impacts. "Achieving Africa's climate goals by 2030 will require close to 3 trillion U.S. dollars. Yet Africa receives barely 3 to 4 percent of global climate finance flows. This is unacceptable," Mwenda said. The executive director said one of the biggest failures in global climate action is the exclusion of Africa's most vulnerable populations from decision-making processes. "We must push for structural reforms in the international financial architecture and demand full, timely, and fair access to the Loss and Damage Fund of climate change," Mwenda pointed out. More than 110 million Africans were affected by climate disasters in 2024, mainly by floods across the Sahel, droughts in Southern Africa, and unprecedented heatwaves that scorched farmland in the north, according to the executive director. The conference, which runs until Sunday, brought together government officials, academia, researchers, and others under the theme "Empowering Africa's Climate Action with Science, Finance, and Just Transition." Wait! Before you go Please sign up for our Evening Digest and Breaking Newsletters Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Sandra Albano is retiring in October after 25 years as town accountant for Dalton. Longtime Dalton Town Accountant Set to Retire DALTON, Mass. After more than two decades with the town, Town Accountant Sandra Albano will be retiring effective Oct. 2. During her tenure, she collaborated with the town's departments to manage and document finances, enabling informed budgetary decisions. Over the past 25 years, Albano balanced the town's financial books, estimated revenues, recorded all receipts and expenditures, and prepared financial reports, to ensure compliance and accuracy in municipal accounting. Her dedication to Dalton shined amidst the stacks of numbers, decisions made on the foundation of fiscal responsibility, and several testimonials from her peers. Interim Town Manager Henry "Terry" Williams III, was a longtime Finance Committee member and chair, and has worked with Albano since 2000. During that time, she has been meticulous, paying close attention to detail, and possesses a deep understanding of municipal accounting, which involves managing various funds such as the general fund, special revenue funds, trust funds, and stabilization funds, he said. Her consistent updates to the budget worksheet and careful management of free cash and local receipts have significantly impacted the town's financial stability and budgeting, Williams said. "I would describe her legacy as leaving behind a sense of doing things the right way and not taking shortcuts. She leaves a legacy of realizing that your financials are only as good as the amount of effort you're willing to put in to making sure that all transactions are recorded properly I'm really hoping that her successor will be ultimately as good as she was and will last as long as she has, too, because that's given the town a lot of continuity," he said. "Believe me, our bond rating is somewhat a result of the fine financial statements that she's been able to put together over the years. So I can't overestimate, really, how great she's been and the service of the town." Albano's been in the accounting business for 35 years, with her first job working as an accounts payable clerk with Martin Marietta in Maryland, shifting into government accounts during her time there. She took a break for motherhood and went back to work for Lipton Energy when her children entered school. It was her instructor at Berkshire Community College, Donald Dwyer, "who absolutely put the still of love of accounting in me, just how he taught," she said. "I had him for two years he was enthusiastic about what he was teaching, and he just made it be real to me and the way he taught me to do things, I carry back into the jobs that I do." She was the unanimous choice of the Select Board and the search committee to fill the position left by Christine Regan in 2000. Select Board Chair Robert Bishop emphasized Albano's dedication to the town and highlighted how if he owned a business she would be the first person he would hire. "[Albano] will be missed big time! She was/is one of the most dedicated town employees I have ever seen. I cannot thank her enough for all she has done for Dalton," he said. "It was a pleasure to have worked closely with her when she stepped up and became the interim town manager Wishing her all good times in her well deserved retirement." Town Clerk Heather Hunt also highlighted Albano's time stepping up to be interim town manager when the longtime town manager retired four years ago. "Although [Albano's] job as accountant has always kept her super busy, when asked to step in and help out, she of course accepted and gave it her all, while continuing to be the Town accountant and keeping her department up and running," Hunt said. Albano is a team player focused on the town's best interests, offering support and guidance to various town departments, including the highway department, police department, assessors, and tax office, Hunt said. "She will be sorely missed but I think I speak for all of us that have had the pleasure to work with her. We wish her rest and happiness in her retirement as she has earned every bit of it," she said. Albano has been a tremendous asset to the town because of her plethora of knowledge surrounding the town's finances and laws, Finance Committee Chair William Drosehn said. "It will be very difficult to replace such an asset. She is the kind of person that when she leaves there will be a large void that needs to be filled in so many different ways," he said. "As Finance Committee chair, I leaned on her for so many things with relation to what is needed to make things happen with the town finances. She very deeply cares about this town and how it runs and that it remains healthy financially. "I would like to thank her for all of the time and unpaid hours she has put in not only with her position but with teaching others how this town works financially. Thank you, we will miss you." Christine Bialobok, assistant accountant, said Albano had a vast knowledge and was always there to answer questions and help find solutions. "Such a wealth of knowledge its going to be hard to replace," she said. Tami Flatley, assistant clerk, that during the brief time she has worked with Albano she has noticed her unmeasured dedication. "She spends countless hours of her own time every week for the town. She is always making sure the town's needs are met to the best of her ability. She is a kind person, always willing to help, and will be hugely missed," she said. With just a month left in her position, Albano left words of advice for her successor be helpful because you work with all the departments and they work with you. So, be helpful, be nice, and be courteous. "Get to know your fellow employees, because you're the all around person that does everything for each department. That means you have to record from each department. It would be good for you to not keep your door shut and go out and meet them," she said. SYDNEY, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Nauru said on Friday it "warmly welcomes" the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) proposed by China early this month during the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Plus" Meeting. The Pacific island country said it stands firmly with China in championing the principles of sovereign equality, multilateralism, and inclusive international cooperation that underpin this "timely initiative." "We look forward to working alongside China and other partners in advancing a shared future for humanity through equitable and action-oriented global governance," it said. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Donald Trump and Narendra Modi have insisted their much-vaunted personal relationship still stands strong despite Washington imposing eye-watering 50 per cent tariffs on Indian imports. The US president has rued Mr Modi's growing proximity with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping following a meeting of the trio at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin last week. Mr Modi and Mr Putin were seen holding hands and chatting before sharing a car ride to their venue for bilateral talks. Images of the three most powerful Brics leaders coming together triggered outrage from Mr Trump, who claimed the US had "lost India and Russia to the deepest, darkest, China". He shared an old image of the three leaders, adding: May they have a long and prosperous future together. Indian exporters are reeling in the wake of Mr Trump's 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. However, on Friday, Mr Trump told reporters at the Oval Office that he will "always be friends with (Narendra) Modi". "Hes a great prime minister. He's great. But I just don't like what he's doing at this particular moment," the US president added. "But India and the United States have a special relationship. There's nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion." Mr Trump said he was "very disappointed" that India was buying "so much oil" from Russia. "We put a very big tariff on India, 50 per cent tariff, a very high tariff. I get along very well with [Narendra] Modi, he's great. He was here a couple of months ago," he added. Critics of Mr Trump's policy say New Delhi has been selectively targeted for purchasing Russian oil while the EU continues to import liquefied natural gas from Russia. 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. When asked how trade talks were proceeding with India and other nations, Mr Trump said: "They are going great. Other countries are doing great. We're doing great with all of them." The trade talks between India and the US broke down after five rounds of negotiations, with disagreements about opening Indias vast farm and dairy sectors to US imports, and stopping Russian oil purchases. India's Modi responded to Mr Trump's remarks, saying: "Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate president Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership," Mr Modi wrote on X. Mr Modi is under tremendous domestic pressure to stand up to his long-term friend, Mr Trump, amid outrage over behaviour that Indian commentators and opposition parties say is tantamount to bullying. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Japan on Saturday hosted a grand coming-of-age ceremony for Prince Hisahito, the first male royal to reach adulthood in 40 years. The elaborate palace rituals to formally recognise Hisahito as an adult were a moment of celebration, but also a bleak reminder of the ageing demographic of the worlds oldest monarchy. Hisahito, the nephew of Emperor Naruhito, was due to take part in a series of traditional ceremonies on Saturday to commemorate his coming of age. Before Hisahito's birthday last year, his father had been the last male to reach adulthood in the family all the way back in 1985. The prince is the youngest of the 16-member imperial family and one of only five men, including former Emperor Akihito. Hisahito is second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne and is likely to become emperor one day. However, there is nobody left after him to take the throne due to the male-only succession policy, leaving the Imperial family with a dilemma over whether they should reverse the 19th-century rule. The 1947 Imperial House Law, which largely preserves conservative pre-war family values, only allows a male to succeed to the throne. It also stipulates that female royal members who marry commoners lose their royal status. open image in gallery Japanese Prince Hisahito is seen in ceremonial attire during his coming-of-age rites in the Imperial Palace ( AP ) Japans conservative government has said it wants to keep male-only royal succession, though it is looking for a way to allow women to keep royal status if they marry commoners and to continue serving in royal duties. At a ritual held on Saturday morning, attendants removed a black silk headband from the head of Hisahito and replaced it with an adult crown bestowed by Emperor Naruhito, according to Kyodo News. The emperor and his wife, Empress Masako, as well as the prince's parents, Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, served as witnesses. The prince then donned ceremonial attire and rode in a state carriage to the Imperial Palace Sanctuaries to honour his ancestors with a formal ritual. Later, he was scheduled to have an audience with the emperor and empress in the Matsu-no-Ma state room of the Imperial Palace, where he will also be awarded the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum. The prince will then visit his grandparents, former emperor Akihito and former empress Michiko, at the Sento imperial residence in Akasaka. Saturdays festivities were set to conclude with a celebratory banquet in Tokyo. open image in gallery Japanese Prince Hisahito, son of Crown Prince Akishino, wearing ancient ceremonial costume, leaves for a ceremony in a carriage at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo ( AP ) The rituals are set to spill over into much of next week. Hisahito is expected to travel to Ise, Japan's most important Shinto shrine, the mausoleum of the mythical first emperor Jinmu in Nara, as well as that of his late great-grandfather, wartime emperor Hirohito, in the Tokyo suburbs. He will then have lunch with prime minister Shigeru Ishiba and other dignitaries on Wednesday. Hisahito studies biology as a first-year student at Tsukuba University near Tokyo, and has co-authored an academic paper on a survey of the insects on the grounds of his Akasaka estate in Tokyo. In his debut news conference in March, the prince said he hopes to focus his studies on dragonflies and other insects, including ways to protect bug populations in urban areas. His other interests lie in growing tomatoes and rice on the palace compound. Because Japanese royals have to stay away from politics, members of the Imperial Family tend to study biology, literature and the arts. Hisahito was born on 6 September 2006 and has two older sisters, the popular Princess Kako and former Princess Mako, whose marriage to a non-royal required her to abandon her royal status. The shortage of male successors is a serious concern for the monarchy, which has lasted for 1,500 years. The issue reflects the wider countrys rapidly ageing and shrinking population. Japan recorded nearly a million more deaths than births in 2024 the steepest decline since records began in 1968. Prime minister Ishiba has called the trend a quiet emergency and pledged measures such as free childcare and flexible working hours, but demographic pressures are already straining pensions, healthcare, and the fabric of rural communities. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Four years after Myanmars military seized power in a coup, the junta remains largely internationally isolated but it found a sudden and important foothold in Asia this week. Increasingly, some of the regions most powerful leaders are extending diplomatic recognition to General Min Aung Hlaing, offering him a platform on the global stage despite accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Xi Jinping rolled out the red carpet in Tianjin for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit last week, where Min Aung Hlaing hobnobbed with dictators and democratically-elected leaders alike. The junta hailed the successful and fruitful trip as proof of growing international recognition. The general held bilateral talks with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, discussed cooperation with Xi, and was photographed alongside Russian president Vladimir Putin and leaders from more than 20 countries. For a man largely shunned by the international community since ousting Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021 and igniting a brutal civil war, it was a striking moment of rehabilitation. China and Russia have long shielded the regime diplomatically and militarily. What is surprising now, however, is the willingness of India the worlds largest democracy to extend public recognition to Myanmars generals. Indias engagement jars with its democratic identity, and its self-styled role as a counterweight to autocracies in Asia. On Sunday, Modi met Min Aung Hlaing on the sidelines of the SCO summit, and Modi even went as far as to express his hope that the upcoming elections in Myanmar would be "held in a fair and inclusive manner involving all stakeholders". open image in gallery Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet Myanmar's Senior General Min Aung Hlaing at BIMSTEC Summit, in Bangkok, Thailand, 4 April The election Modi refers to will be an entirely stage-managed affair, given the military rounded up and jailed most of the countrys civilian leadership when it carried out its coup, as well as thousands of supporters and volunteers from its most popular political party. The Independent released a documentary at the end of last year putting a spotlight on this episode and how Suu Kyi lost the support of the international community in the lead-up to the coup. The election, the junta says, will be held in stages in December 2025 and January 2026. Further dates may be declared but cannot yet due to security risks, the junta says an implicit admission that it still faces a fight for control of large swathes of the country. Myanmars government-in-exile, the National Unity Government (NUG), condemned diplomatic engagement with Min Aung Hlaing, saying those acknowledging his sham election were indirectly endorsing the militarys war crimes and crimes against humanity. This sham election will not be free and fair. What is certain, however, is that it will be a blood-stained election, U Nay Phone Latt, spokesperson for the NUG, told The Independent. Meeting with the military leader in this manner is completely against the will and stance of the people of Myanmar. The NUG, which represents the elected administration ousted by the coup, accuses the junta of using images from such encounters as propaganda, while warning that the military will commit targeted human rights violations and brutal atrocities in the run-up to its staged polls. According to Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, the junta's survival hinges on three pillars: Money, weapons, and legitimacy. open image in gallery Myanmar's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing (C) speaks during a bilateral meeting with China's President Xi Jinping ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit ( POOL/AFP via Getty Images ) Indian prime minister Modis meeting with the general and his comments about the election risk providing the kind of legitimacy the junta needs to stay in power, he tells The Independent. India has expressed hope for fair and inclusive elections in Myanmar. But the brutal fact is that tens of thousands of these stakeholders are political prisoners, languishing behind bars, including Myanmars democratically elected president and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. You cannot have a fair and inclusive election when political opponents are arrested, detained, tortured and executed. China pledged for the first time to support Myanmars efforts to become a full member of the SCO during Xis meeting with Min Aung Hlaing in Tianjin. The Chinese leader discussed opposing foreign interference in Myanmars politics, Chinas positive stance and future actions for the countrys stability and peace, the National Defence and Security Council said in a statement. This was general Min Aung Hlaings second visit to China and his second meeting with Xi since the 2021 coup. Unlike their earlier encounter in Moscow in May on the sidelines of Russias Victory Day celebrations, this time Xi personally invited him to attend the SCO Summit and the subsequent military parade on Wednesday, giving him a prominent spot alongside leaders from more than 20 nations. open image in gallery Myanmar military chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, center left, talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, center right, during their meeting in Moscow, Russia 9 May Chinas support for Myanmars bid to join the SCO is yet another example of its efforts to bolster the juntas legitimacy. Let us keep reminding the world: the junta is illegal, it is criminal, and it does not deserve to be represented at any multilateral organisation, Benedict Rogers, senior director of the human rights NGO Fortify Rights, tells The Independent. He says there is a very serious risk that engagement of the kind we have seen recently risks wrongfully legitimising the junta. Let us never forget that this junta is completely illegitimate. It seized power in an illegal coup, overthrowing the democratically elected government. It has jailed the countrys legitimate leaders, arresting and imprisoning almost 30,000 political prisoners over the past four years. And it is conducting a war against the people of Myanmar with airstrikes, ground attacks and massacres that have killed thousands and displaced an estimated four million people, he says. He said the regime should be sanctioned, prosecuted for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide not given a red carpet welcome by a country that repeatedly professes to be a force for global peace. open image in gallery Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Myanmar's Military leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing talk during their meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, 4 March ( AP ) Indias position is tangled in contradictions. As the worlds largest democracy, New Delhis courtship of Myanmars junta has invited particular scrutiny. Modis handshake with general Min Aung Hlaing was more than just a diplomatic gesture it symbolised the hard pragmatism of a neighbour where fears over border security and rivalry with China routinely trump democratic solidarity. Yet this approach carries reputational risks. India needs to seriously reconsider its position. It has the potential to be not only a moral leader in the region but a serious counterpoint to the axis of authoritarianism led by China and Russia, Rogers said. It does not belong in Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putins club of tyrants. He underscores that embracing Min Aung Hlaing and his blood-stained, criminal junta only bodes ill for those who do so, and for us all. UN investigators have gathered evidence of systematic torture, summary executions of fighters and suspected informers, the detention of children as young as two in place of their parents, and airstrikes deliberately targeting schools, homes and hospitals. The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) covering a period from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 found evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Myanmar with an increasing frequency since the 2021 military coup. Shayna Bauchner, Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch, says any engagement with Min Aung Hlaing undercuts crucial efforts by Myanmar activists to pressure and isolate an individual who the ICC prosecutor has requested an arrest warrant against for crimes against humanity. Instead of shaking hands with an alleged war criminal, leaders should be publicly condemning the juntas farcical elections and coordinating with other concerned governments, particularly regional actors, to deny the junta any technical assistance or support. KUNMING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- China has been actively contributing to the global intellectual landscape through its public intellectual goods, characterized by openness and inclusivity, according to a think tank report released on Saturday. The report, titled "Answering the Questions of Our Time: The Global Significance and Practical Value of China's Public Intellectual Products," was released by Xinhua Institute, a think tank affiliated with Xinhua News Agency. China's intellectual contributions draw on the finest achievements of human wisdom worldwide, fostering dialogue and mutual learning among nations and civilizations, according to the report. They are not "confrontational" or "exclusive," do not treat its own experience as the sole benchmark, and advocate for "letting cultural exchanges transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcend clashes, and coexistence transcend feelings of superiority." China does not regard itself as the sole provider of ideas, but instead adheres to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, encouraging all nations to contribute their wisdom and expertise, according to the report. The report also highlighted China's advocacy for the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative, both of which are in alignment with the United Nations' agenda. China established the "Group of Friends of the GDI," which now comprises over 80 member countries. Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Wayne Gramlich was there at the very beginning of the Internet. While still in high school in the mid-1970s, the now 69-year-old managed to access the nascent technology then called the ARPANET and he decided on MIT for college because it was one of only a handful of universities in the United States at the time that was online. True to form, the lifelong software engineer and computer enthusiast, who recently retired from Google Brains robotics department, still prefers to use a landline, once helped track down a friends brother who needed deprogramming from a cult and in his spare time helped create the Snoo. (Hes signed enough NDAs that he cant describe the experience in any detail, but he calls the famous baby crib probably the most successful robot on the market today.) In other words, Wayne Gramlich has led a very interesting life. But perhaps the most interesting part of all is how he partnered with the poker-playing grandson of the noted economist and statistician Milton Friedman and along with half a million dollars of Peter Thiels funding attempted to build a libertarian nation-state on the sea. Seasteading as Gramlich called it in an early paper, a term that drew a connection with early American homesteads and caught on among Silicon Valley types was seen as a solution to a lot of things. Libertarians believed governments were broken, cities bloated and land-based civilization a lost cause. The solution to problems like government oversight, as they saw it, was to abandon the nation-state entirely and start again on floating platforms in international waters. Did Gramlich himself believe that? No, he says, and he was fairly unimpressed with the pie-in-the-sky ideas of some of the most ardent libertarians around at the time. I read Atlas Shrugged. I said: Boring, and not very realistic. But he did find the engineering problem of building a seastead basically, a community that floats on the water extremely interesting. Hed seen people discussing it in early online forums. They always used imagery of flat seas without waves, and their calculations failed to take into account bad weather or dynamic movement. Gramlich thought he could do better. He started tinkering around with a more realistic version of an overwater city, one that could withstand high winds and disturbance in the water. He thought about a platform made out of plastic bottles lashed together and floating near a shoreline, or an open-seas version that took its inspiration from oil rigs. Two or three people sent him emails, just to chat, when he published his ideas on his website. Then he got an email that was a little different from the others. It came from Patri Friedman, grandson of the late economist Milton, and he wasnt just casually interested in seasteading. He was really interested. We bounced ideas off each other, says Gramlich, and then eventually they realized they were both based in Sunnyvale, California. They met up for lunch. They talked some more. Patri was interested in building a libertarian utopia; Wayne wanted to see if building a new nation-state on the water was truly viable from an engineering perspective. It was a workable partnership, but not always easy. Seasteading is not a political problem, says Gramlich, and I kept pointing this out to Patri. I said, You know, you can practice any kind of government you want, but you have to have the technology first. There was another group of people who called themselves The Atlantis Project who were also online at the time, and the way they were going about things seemed like a warning sign to Gramlich. The first thing The Atlantis Project did is they wrote a constitution, he recalled. And I'm like, You don't even have the technology and you have a constitution? That seems kind of silly. Gramlich was now embroiled in the world of tech-forward libertarians, people who would eventually come to refer to themselves as the New Right with Peter Thiel as their leader and JD Vance one of its main acolytes. Seasteading would have its dramatic fall and then its renaissance. The small, isolated islands of French Polynesia would get swept up in their ambitions and then dramatically abandoned. Ocean exploration would become an obsession among wealthy interested parties as diverse as James Cameron and Elon Musk. The Silicon Valley-style move fast and break things mentality in this space would ultimately lead to the tragedy of the OceanGate submersible implosion. But none of this had happened yet. It was the early 2000s, and Gramlich and Friedman had lofty goals. Gramlich was sure he could work out the engineering kinks, even if it meant a lot of high-level logistics. Its all very good imagining a floating city hundreds of miles off a countrys coast, he says, and you might be able to construct one of those houses for about a million dollars. A lot of people spend a million dollars on a home, which makes a seastead seem within easy reach but you have to understand that there's no infrastructure. You have to import your water. You need a backup generator, you need to have a place to store your diesel for the backup generator. And how are you going to feed yourself? Well, there's no fish out in the middle of the ocean. It's a desert, fish-wise. So now you've got to import your food. You might say, oh, well, you can do desalination for water but that takes energy. You don't have energy. So you're going to import your water, your food, everything. And for a long time, there was nothing to do out in the middle of the ocean, because we didn't have Starlink, so you didnt have the internet or anything either. open image in gallery An aerial view of the city that startup Oceanix plans to start building in 2026. Marc Collins Chen, the CTO of Oceanix, started out in government in his native French Polynesia where his first foray into career seasteading was when he helped broker the contract between French Polynesia and Wayne Gramlich and Patri Friedman's Seasteading Institute ( OCEANIX/BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group ) None of this seemed like a huge deal to Patri. He was busy putting together a 331-page ebook (titled Seasteading: A Practical Guide to Homesteading the High Seas) which featured lofty pronouncements like: Imagine the tremendous possibility of being able to create new acreage on the vast and empty oceans. The environment may be less friendly, but the increased freedom will appeal to a motivated minority who are fed up with terrestrial politics. These aquatic pioneers will settle civilizations next frontier through the unusual merger of green technology and free enterprise. Once there, they will experiment with new social, political, and economic systems, adding much-needed variety and innovation to the stagnant business of government. That is quite normal for this group of people, says Gramlich. He has a lot of respect for libertarians, even if he doesnt share their politics, and he underlines that he eventually parted ways with Patri amicably, even if the parting was painful for a while. However, he says, one thing about Silicon Valley techno-libertarians pursuing these kinds of projects is undeniable: They get excited. Tsunamis, pirates and crypto-anarchy It was Patri Friedmans excitement that led to the funding. Six years after he and Gramlich started working together on the idea of a seastead, Friedman went for a job interview where he mentioned the project and word made its way to new multimillionaire Peter Thiel. Thiel was the founder of PayPal and a then-rare conservative in the tech space, who in 2002 had made $55 million from the sale of PayPal to eBay. Thiel wanted to use his newfound fortune to further some of his most ambitious political ideas, and seasteading piqued his interest. He reached out to Patri Friedman and offered him and Gramlich $500,000 in seed funding to make seasteading a reality. He also helped arrange some working space for Friedman and Gramlich at the offices of controversial data-mining company Palantir (I thought it was kind of weird because Palantir was doing all that security clearance stuff, says Wayne. I can't believe that they let us get a well, we didn't have an office. We just had a nook.) In early 2008, The Seasteading Institute was born. Friedman carried on writing the ebook. Gramlich plugged away at the engineering problems. They had meetings about structure designs undersea resorts or floating homes? Oil rig-style or houseboat-style? and possible hazards (tsunamis, high winds, sewer ice, geopolitics and pirates.) They talked about health tourism and daily rations of beer and crypto-anarchy. They theorized on how to respond to the criticism that, in the words of their ebook, its just a bunch of rich guys wanting even more freedom. Thiel had made it clear, says Gramlich, that part of The Seasteading Institutes remit was simply to popularize the idea of seasteading itself. Friedman diligently worked on that, while Gramlich researched sea laws and eventually gained an encyclopedic knowledge of maritime legalities (for instance, he tells me, theres a long-standing law in the US that complicates getting supplies to Puerto Rico whenever it has a hurricane. The law says that a boat made in a different country to the United States cannot sail from one American port to another. But because almost no American cargo ships are actually made inside the US, that means the country cant easily send its own supplies from an American port to a Puerto Rican one, since its an American territory.) Gramlich wanted to conserve the cash, to be careful with the money. But by now, another one of Thiels acolytes, Joe Lonsdale, was on the board, and Joe and Patri were emboldened by the cash and excited by the possibilities. They voted to go ahead and build a large seastead right away, overruling Gramlich, who wanted to start small. In the background, a global financial crisis was looming. The French Polynesian experiment Marc Collins Chen says its absolutely his fault that The Seasteading Institute got involved with French Polynesia. He may be the CTO of Oceanix now, working on a floating city off the shores of Busan in South Korea which he says will start construction in 2026, but he was once a seasteading enthusiast in the French Polynesian government. Not long after they received their half a million dollars in funding from Thiel, The Seasteading Institute approached French Polynesia with an idea: Since theyd realized that building all their infrastructure from scratch would be logistically untenable, could they build a few miles off the shores of the islands instead? They could take advantage of the fiber-optic undersea cables that deliver high-speed internet to French Polynesia, as well as hooking up to some of their other existing infrastructure, all the while remaining in one of the most isolated parts of the world. It sounded innovative and a little crazy, but perhaps worth an experiment. Few could have imagined how badly it would go down with the islands residents. Collins Chen doesnt mince his words: I am fully responsible for both bringing them in and for it probably failing as well. open image in gallery An aerial view of French Polynesia, one of the most isolated island nations in the world. Like other south Pacific islands, French Polynesia is sinking. It used to be thought that this was solely due to sea level rise because of climate change, although recent research has suggested that the islands are also being dragged underneath the water by tectonic plate activity in the region at the same time ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) The Seasteading Institute was looking for a host nation when they approached him, he says, and at first it seemed like a win-win situation. French Polynesia is sinking, mainly due to rising seawater levels from climate change. It faces disappearing completely by the end of the century if nothing can be done. Working out how to construct workable floating seasteads is clearly a potential solution for a nation desperate to survive. French Polynesias government drew up a seven-year agreement a memorandum of understanding, says Collins Chen with The Seasteading Institute, and both hoped to get work underway promptly. But then negotiations began to get heated. What did not work [for us] was this idea of a carve-out, whether it's for taxes or whether it's for labor laws, and it became untenable, he says. I mean, there are Nobel Prize economists who have written whole theses on charter cities. But when you're from the global south, those things they have a neo-colonial sort of flavor to them. Collins Chen says he soon realized that what they seemed to be imagining was a kind of floating island for tech billionaires who wanted to live a low-rules and -regulations kind of life, while also using the resources like tech resources and things from French Polynesia. The project did start, however, and it was a bold attempt at logistical engineering that had never been attempted before. The engineering side went well. The ideological side did not. Politicians sometimes have to look at gradients, right? And say: OK, so is this technology potentially usable in the Pacific? Yes. Is the political, ideological event acceptable to our people? And it turned out that it wasn't, says Collins Chen. And I was the first to start raising that with our US partners and saying: Look, let's work on the technology. Before you start talking about governance and what you need in taxes and all this, you actually need a thing, right? You need a floating piece of infrastructure. Unfortunately, quietly building in the ocean wasnt what Patri Friedman had imagined. He had the ebook, the funding contingent on popularizing the idea, the Silicon Valley libertarian network. Now, he had a government interested in a partnership. Why wouldnt he spread the word? What comes after techno-colonialism In August 2007, a video game was launched that would change the industry. BioShock featured an underwater city built by a business magnate and cut off from the outside world, a metropolis constructed by social elites on libertarian values. Sick of government control, Earths billionaires had gone bravely into the ocean, convinced that they were going to forge an Ayn Rand-inspired utopia. They called it Rapture. Visually arresting and narratively complex, BioShock received rave reviews and spawned two extremely popular sequels. It is generally considered to be one of the greatest video games ever made. The Seasteading Institute clearly has some direct parallels with BioShock, though its founders have never publicly acknowledged it. Nevertheless, those parallels with the enormously successful video game seemed to underline how much the real world had become an extended playground for the impossibly rich. If youve played BioShock, youll know that the utopian underwater city didnt actually succeed for the fictional founders. The entire game is based in a distinctly dystopian aftermath, where the underwater city has descended into chaos following extreme social inequity and genetic engineering gone wrong. And yet Peter Thiel wrote his $500,000 check to The Seasteading Institute less than a year after BioShock changed the cultural conversation. Was there something he saw that everybody else didnt or is it the other way around? Environmental scientist and Professor of Sustainability Peter Newman is one of the most outspoken critics of seasteading, having once called it apartheid of the worst kind. In an email interview from his home in Perth, Australia, he espouses similar views: Whether it is privatised urbanism or techno-libertarian escape, the idea is pretty stupid, he tells me. It is, he adds later, a rich peoples diversion and has no obvious value. Newman believes seasteaders willfully ignored the obvious logistical problems with their idea, including most urgently the continually warming ocean, which deposits more energy into the sea and means unpredictable ocean activity that will be focused on shorelines. I cant imagine a more dangerous site than this to build on, he adds, apart from perhaps the riverbed in Texas. And fundamentally, he believes, seasteaders are naive to the point of hypocrisy: As soon as a seasteader falls seriously ill or there is a damaging weather event, the residents will no doubt rush to all those services provided on the land, especially in any nearby city, and demand their rights to be looked after. open image in gallery Submersible divers in the Navy, like Joe Dituri (pictured), go to incredible depths in huge diving suits and stay underwater for 28-35 days at a time ( Joseph Dituri ) The years after French Polynesia signed their seven-year agreement with The Seasteading Institute proved to be tougher than expected. As the project was hammered out, designed, redesigned, and talked about incessantly in American libertarian circles, the general populace on the islands began to get uneasy. French Polynesians organized protests against techno-colonialism and about the use of the countrys fishing grounds as a food source for a new floating island of billionaires; in 2017, hundreds of anti-seasteading activists marched in the capital of Tahiti. That was the final nail in the coffin of the agreement, says Collins Chen. The government announced that their seven-year agreement had lapsed with the Institute anyway, and they would not be renewing it. Collins Chen remains philosophical about the whole endeavor. It did move the whole industry forward, he says. I think that was the biggest seminal moment in our industry. When co-founding Oceanix, he was determined to learn from The Seasteading Institutes mistakes. Oceanix is an apolitical entity, and describes itself as new land for coastal cities looking for sustainable ways to expand onto the ocean, while adapting to sea level rise. Its Busan prototype is partially funded by the UNs environmental arm. The focus is much more on ameliorating climate changes effects and much less on creating a libertarian paradise. Collins Chens focus was on what do we do as Pacific Islanders to mitigate against this what seems like unstoppable force? he says. Telling your people to move and particularly in the context of our culture, where we bury our ancestors on our property, on our land nobody was ready to start moving bodies and saying, Hey, well, let's give up and move. So then you start looking at technology. His time in the French Polynesian government made him realize that trying to convince countries to give up even a tiny part of their sovereignty is a disaster, so negotiations with the city of Busan and the government of South Korea have been careful and collaborative. As Collins Chen sees it, Oceanix is a much more realistic version of seasteading. Its not positioned 200 miles off the coast of the mainland. And its not concerned with isolating people and allowing them to live on little self-sustaining pods that can float off into the beyond if they disagree with their neighbors politics. Nine out of 10 major global cities in the developed world are coastal, and we need to double the built environment over the next 40 years to deal with the worlds exploding population, he adds. Adding to the coastlines of major cities just makes sense. There's a reason people go to cities, he says. There's a reason everybody's moving to cities around the world. It's where the market is, it's where you can trade. It's where you can find a mate. It's all of the reasons you don't just go in the middle of the ocean and be with a bunch of burners. The most positive way to look at seasteading is that it has a pioneering mentality which is seeking to go where no humans have dared to go, Peter Newman adds, like going to the Moon or Mars. Many aspects of human life have been improved by daring pioneers. But I also think that this is misplaced in a time when climate damage is killing so many people and so much biodiversity, and threatening so much that is good about our cities and agriculture. I dont believe there is any point in investing in [the] Moon, Mars or seasteads when we are desperately needing to focus on how to bring down global warming so we can return to a safe operating space like we have had in our cities and agriculture for the past 12,000 years. 100 days underwater and the deep-sea cure for Alzheimers Not long after he retired from the Navy, Joseph Dituri was contacted out of the blue by the movie director James Cameron. Dituri had worked a very specific and specialized job in the Navy: he was a submersible diver, a type of deep-sea diver who spends between 28 and 35 days at a time underwater in very small teams. In pitch-black darkness and freezing temperatures, submersible divers do the work that few others are brave enough to do: submarine rescue, underwater ship repair, marine salvage. Due to the hostile environment and the oppressive water pressures they operate in, every mission means risking their lives. Dituri did it for 28 years. One might assume that after almost three decades of operating deep underwater, a person might have had their fill. But not Joseph Dituri. He almost immediately threw himself into biomedical research at the University of South Florida, with a focus on deep-sea exploration. Thats where James Cameron came in. James Cameron's people reached out to me, he says. He had at that time just been trying to go or was going to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. The Titanic director has a personal passion for deep-sea exploration, it turned out. Hed even commissioned his own submersible craft for his hobby. Well, he went down there and when he came back, he wanted to know what the submersible was worth because he was going to loan it to Woods Hole [Oceanographic Institution], Dituri adds. Because Dituri was an expert in submersibles, it was assumed hed be able to look over Camerons craft and give him an honest appraisal. It all moved pretty quickly: an email, a question, and then a plane ticket sent to fly him out to the directors multimillion-dollar oceanfront ranch in California. Not long afterwards, Dituri says, I'm standing on the beach at James Cameron's house, walking his dog, talking to the group about the undersea expedition that he just went on. That was surreal enough, but then Dituri and Cameron got to talking about what Cameron had found during his trips under the sea. It turned out that hed come across a rare type of sea lice at the bottom of the western Pacific Ocean, something that only grows to about a centimeter long at higher depths but, down there in the Mariana Trench, had grown to about a foot and a half long. So when we found that, says Dituri, we pulled a DNA sample on it, and it's a partial cure for Alzheimer's. The existence of anti-Alzheimers molecules in the deep sea a discovery that is still so early that it needs to be worked out exactly how they could be used to benefit people on land suffering from dementia stunned Dituri. He remembers running the data on Christmas Eve in 2013, pulling an all-nighter in the lab to get the DNA sample results back to Cameron. He wanted the report done by Christmas, says Dituri. So I'm writing this report on the 24th, pulling an all-nighter misery, going over the data, combing everything. I finally come to these results from the DNA sample, and I went: Oh my God. We have the dark, we have the light, we have the ying, we have the yang, we have the disease. Wow. We can have the cure. And I put my hands back and I put my feet up on the desk and I said: Oh my God, we have to live in the ocean. And everybody's like: You've lost it. You're insane. Dituri laughs heartily. To this day, he thinks about that revelation as a turning point. It made him realize that the future of humanity lay right back where hed worked as a submersible diver for so many years: I mean, there's a partial cure for a disease that afflicts humanity existing at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, and we didn't know it was there. If youve heard of Dituri a perennial ocean enthusiast and doggedly enthusiastic public speaker who often uses the moniker Dr. Deep Sea it might be because of what happened next. He decided to construct an undersea chamber and live in it for a world record-breaking 100 days. Not only would it be an interesting personal challenge, he reasoned, but it would be an opportunity to quietly observe marine life in a way nobody else had before. Researchers go underwater all the time in biomedicine (we recently discovered a powerful new antiviral derived from a sea sponge, he tells me) but they dont often stay long enough to see the really unusual creatures come out. It was reasonable to assume that, once the fish and other marine life got used to his presence among them, theyd start to behave in new and interesting ways. Hed already stayed underwater in a small team for up to a month. And when you do that, youve got to pick your team very carefully, right? he says. Youve got to make sure that Johnny and Billy don't go together because they used to date the same girl back in high school or something. All this crazy stuff that comes up. You have to choose your friends wisely at this point, because you're not going to change them out for a new version. Hed also undergone the Navys brutal and notorious Pool Week training, where other divers attempt to drown you in different ways in a controlled environment so you know exactly how to react in any emergency situation. Nevertheless, being completely isolated for 100 days in a stationary structure 30 feet below Floridas Key Largo lagoon necessitated mental preparation. And by this point, Dituri was 55 years old. This was a far cry from a normal retirement hobby. Basically when you look at yourself and there's nowhere else to go, and there's nobody else to look at you're looking inwardly, he says. And holy mackerel, you learn a lot about yourself. And it is a deep, dark, scary experiment. Dituri completed his mission and emerged triumphantly back into sunlight in June 2023. He wasnt that bothered about the world record, he says: he had discovered two new species while down there, partly because the marine life had grown accustomed to him and partly because his own eyes had become uniquely focused on minor changes in the environment. He adds that his experience is also instructive for people planning Mars missions in the future. The sea has long been a training ground for space exploration. Robotics developed for exploring ocean floors informed planetary rover systems; efficient life support systems that can be used under the sea can be repurposed for missions to Mars; underwater habitats mimic the experience of astronauts on long voyages. But Dituri thinks we should focus on building in the ocean first. The only problem is that its actually a lot harder to build structures at the bottom of the Mariana Trench than it is on Mars. For one thing, the atmospheric pressure is more of a challenge that deep in our own sea than it is in outer space. And for another, a space station is a veritable luxury resort compared to the tiny structures submersible divers have to live inside in between jobs while stationed at the bottom of the ocean. open image in gallery Dr. Joseph Dituri stands beside two hyperbaric oxygen chambers, which mimic the high-pressure environments under the sea and which his biomedical research suggests might help people live longer if entered into periodically throughout one's life ( Joseph Dituri ) If theres going to be human cities under the sea, says Dituri, sign me up. He believes that its almost inevitable well have to migrate underwater in the future. But hes wary of Silicon Valley seasteaders whose excitement and ideology comes first and scientific knowhow comes second, especially at a time when the mainstream discourse seems to be moving against established science. Hes also seen firsthand the damage that big business can do to delicate marine environments. Science wins over bull*** every time, he says. And there's enough disinformation or misinformation out there. We need the scientific background. Yes, we need to figure out what's actually going on, but we need to temper that with what works. So we basically need to start doing science in our oceans and protecting, preserving and rejuvenating our marine environment. And then hopefully the planet's going to come back from the stupidity that we're enforcing upon it. The rise, fall, and rise again of seasteading The reason Wayne Gramlich left The Seasteading Institute, in the end, wasnt because of the collapsed deal with French Polynesia or the fact that theyd designed a very large, very expensive seastead that immediately became financially unworkable after the 2008 financial crash. It was because of a new project Friedman decided to spearhead called Ephemerisle. Ephemerisle which remains an annual event to this day is a floating city off the shores of Sacramento that takes shape according to who arrives. Its a sort of a Burning Man in the ocean, but with no tickets, no stewards and no rules. If you can find a way to turn up, on some kind of a seaworthy vessel that is able to attach to the other vessels in situ, then you can stay. Every July, the gathering encourages thinkers, doers, artists, dreamers, muckrakers, and builders interested in life on the water to join in. Once nominally overseen by The Seasteading Institute, it has since become an autonomous set of individual islands. Although the institute officially continues, no one responds to its official email address, and Ephemerisle is all that exists in the physical world of its work. When they first launched it, Patri Friedman loved the idea of Ephemerisle and thought it neatly fit into the remit of popularizing seasteading as a concept; Wayne Gramlich was sure someone would get killed. It was too risky, too unserious, and too disconnected from the reasons why he was interested in seasteading in the first place. He left the board not long after it launched in late 2009. He sensed Patris disappointment, but it just wasnt aligned with his interests any more. Worryingly, it seems like some members of the New Right are interested in sea and space exploration simply because they think that the problems theyve helped create on Earth are not fixable. Either that, or they simply dont believe they should be subject to any governments laws now theyve accrued enough cash to live outside a community. Although he also stepped away from The Seasteading Institute a few years after its French Polynesian experiment failed, Patri Friedman is still clearly focused on building something ideologically similar. An image he shared from his Instagram account in 2024 shows the words Voting, Violence, and Apathy crossed out, with the final phrase left uncrossed: Exit and Build. Accompanying the image, he wrote: Now that is a sick-ass T-shirt. I bought one on sight from [right-leaning libertarian website] The Conscious Resistance Network. Friedman has some other niche interests, including cryogenic freezing after death and the idea of transhumanism, i.e. becoming a human-robot hybrid in pursuit of eternal life. Hes also now a partner at the VC firm Pronomos Capital, which invests in charter cities: cities owned by developed countries or wealthy benefactors that sit within developing countries land. These are the cities that Marc Collins Chen said seem dangerously close to neo-colonialism. The Independent reached out to Patri Friedman a number of times for comment but he never replied. From redesigning countries from the inside out to redesigning human beings as 200-year-living quasi-robots, the New Right has an obsession with changing reality. Scientists have long sought to do the same but Silicon Valley conservatives seek to reshape the world mainly with vast amounts of money and vibes. Their ambitious technological aims sit uncomfortably with their frequent rejection of established science. Their pervasive belief that if you throw enough money at a nice-sounding idea, it will simply come true has led to such huge missteps as Theranos, the multimillion-dollar-backed startup and former Silicon Valley darling that tried to make instant pinprick blood tests a thing and then resorted to lying and cover-ups when the founders discovered they couldnt. Its founder, Elizabeth Holmes, is currently serving 11 years in a Texas prison for fraud. Nothing underlines the problems inherent in this strategy more tragically than the OceanGate disaster. In June 2023, a carbon-fiber submersible built by a maverick company promising to democratize deep-sea exploration imploded during a tourist expedition to the Titanic wreck. Five people died instantly. Though not a seasteading project per se, the disaster exposed the same ethos: private ambition outpacing oversight, engineering optimism blinding risk, rich men testing limits with little accountability. When the dust settled or rather, when the debris was finally recovered it was hard not to draw a line between OceanGates founder Stockton Rush and some of the zanier branches of the original seasteading cohort. Both largely rejected bureaucratic safety checks, or thought they could negotiate their way around them. Both held deep contempt for regulatory bodies. Both wanted to skip the slow, hard work of collective systems in favor of individual will. Rush had said it plainly: At some point, safety just is pure waste. The final US Coast Guard report into the OceanGate disaster strongly criticized Rush who they said had been warned multiple times about the safety of his submersibles and had dismissed everyone, in favor of a Fyre Festival-style just smile and itll work mentality and called the implosion preventable. Peter Newman, the environmental scientist, has visited numerous eco-villages around the world including the Arizonan eco-village Arcosanti and the off-grid, autonomous Earthships structures built in deserted areas around the US and they are all attempts at building community and using recycled materials and renewable energy, he says. Admirable enough, but not mainstream, and mostly focused on surviving rather than thriving. However, adds Newman, now we are rebuilding our cities with different materials and different renewable energy sources on a different scale that enables us to keep the benefits of large-scale cities with their health, education, employment and community opportunities. This is the big agenda. The rest is just an expensive distraction. As interest in seasteading renews, Newmans eco-villages and Collins Chens Oceanix experiment on the shorelines of Busan seem a lot more encouraging as blueprints. But in the background, the fever dream of techno-libertarianism where wealth replaces governance and fantasy stands in for infrastructure simmers on. Its promise of freedom is seductive, but its avoidance of accountability is perilous. Ultimately, it may say more about the psychology of a handful of very rich men than it does about the future of humanity. Wayne Gramlich still keeps up with seasteading developments and says hes impressed with the latest designs of a Panama-based company called Ocean Designs that has workable overwater structures called SeaPods. These are people who have done their homework, he says, because theyre realized that building in equatorial waters is the best way to seastead, since hurricanes cant cross the equator and therefore never happened in those waters due to the Coriolis effect. That allows you a fairly large stretch of water in the middle of the globe in which to build stable structures that can survive long-term. These people are definitely into it as well, the whole seasteading stuff, Gramlich says. But they are saying: We're just building houseboats that float on the ocean. They're trying to stay away from all of the silliness that comes with people trying to found their own governments. He laughs. I actually think they've done a fairly solid job. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Policing protests in London will cost at least 10m this month, the Metropolitan Police have revealed ahead of a weekend of action, including a major rally in support of Palestine Action. Deputy assistant commissioner Ade Adelekan has said the force has no choice but to arrest protesters who defy terror laws by showing support for the banned group. Up to 1,000 people are expected to take part in a peaceful demonstration in Parliament Square on Saturday in support of the direct-action group holding signs saying: I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action. It comes after more than 500 were arrested at a similar protest last month, forcing police to operate a street bail system as they handcuffed hundreds of protesters. Mr Adelekan warned any attempt to overwhelm policing absolutely will not work as he said the forces have all the resources they need to carry out mass arrests if required. open image in gallery Police arresting a Palestine Action campaigner in Parliament Square last month ( PA ) Ill just make it absolutely clear to you, and I make no reservations about this, if anyone shows support for Palestine Action an offense under the Terrorism Act they will get arrested, he said. Theres no doubt about that. We have the officer numbers, we have the custody capacity and all the resources to process as many people as is required. He revealed the force has access to contingency cells outside of London if needed. Detective chief superintendent Helen Flanagan, head of operations for the Mets counterterrorism command, urged those thinking of showing support for Palestine Action to think again. We will investigate and prosecute all we suspect of committing offences under Terrorism Act, she said, adding that many of those arrested at previous demonstrations are now facing the stark reality of facing a potential terror conviction. open image in gallery Police arrested an 89-year-old protester at last months demonstration ( AFP/Getty ) On Friday, the protest organisers Defend Our Juries said it had sent a letter to Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley ahead of the protest at 1pm today in Westminster, urging him to tell his officers not to arrest the protesters. It said police forces in Edinburgh, Totnes, Derry and Kendall had all decided not to arrest sign-holders. The letter said: You do not need to endlessly repeat the embarrassing charade of arresting people who are acting peacefully and lawfully in front of the worlds press, bringing policing into disrepute. As the hundreds start to become thousands, maybe its time to put a cap on your losses and give your hardworking and overstretched men and women some well-deserved rest? Palestine Action was banned as a terror organisation in July after the group claimed responsibility for an action in which two Voyager planes were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in June. It means showing support for the direct action group is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. open image in gallery Up to 1,000 people are expected to risk arrest by the defying the ban on Saturday ( AFP/Getty ) The Home Office is set to appeal against the High Court ruling allowing Palestine Actions co-founder Huda Ammori to proceed with a legal challenge against the government over the groups ban. Saturdays protest comes after what the Met has described as a particularly busy summer of protests amid heightened tensions over the conflict in Gaza, the proscription of Palestine Action and the debate around the use of hotels to house asylum seekers. A separate march by Palestine Coalition is due to start in central London at midday, while Sunday will see a National March Against Antisemitism in the capital. The Met said they have used 62,829 officer shifts to police protests in the last three months alone, with a further 19,461 officer shifts anticipated in September. A conservative estimate of the cost to the force is 10m this month, Mr Adelekan said. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The health service could be hit by strikes in the autumn unless plans that could see thousands of workers transferred out of the NHS are halted, a union has warned. Unison told ministers there will be no place to hide if they do not clamp down on NHS trusts farming out support services to subsidiary companies. The union has tabled a motion on the issue to be debated at the TUC Congress, which opens in Brighton on Sunday. Unison said proposals by health trusts for more outsourcing are a direct contradiction of Labours pre-election pledge to bring privatised public services back in house. The union is warning that unless ministers act, there could be strike action in the autumn. Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: Before the election, Labour promised to bring workers on private contracts back into public services, but, in power, ministers are doing the opposite. Unison say minsters must act soon ( Jeff Moore/PA ) The government cant hide behind NHS England. These decisions are being taken on this governments watch. The NHS needs to be rebuilt, not dismantled and parcelled off to the lowest bidder. Porters, cleaners and other staff want to be part of the NHS, working as one team to give patients the best care possible. Any trusts trying to move them out to subsidiary companies can expect opposition and potential strike action. The NHS depends on support staff to keep hospitals clean, safe and running efficiently. Many are already low-paid and farming them off to subsidiary companies will leave them with an even worse deal. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A 73-year-old said she was put through three months of hell by the NHS after they challenged her right to live in the UK and sent her a charge for a routine health appointment. Soisic Calland, who is a French national, has lived in Scunthorpe for some 45 years and has long-term residency status in the UK. Despite giving birth to three children at Scunthorpe general hospital, she said that she was interrogated by staff about her immigration status when she went to an appointment there with a Rheumatology consultant in April this year. She was in some pain and waiting to be seen by a doctor when she was called over by an admin worker and questioned about her visa status, she explained. I was almost in tears and I was very near walking out. My husband, who was with me made me stay, and I did see the consultant in the end. I was taken into a corner and I was in pain and interrogated and told to shut up. The hospital worker didnt want the documents that I was giving her. It felt like she was determined to make me pay. The hospital said they did not accept this description of Ms Callards interactions with staff and said it was for patients to prove their eligibility to free NHS care. Ms Callard said she provided her biometric residency card, which is given to EU nationals who have been living in the UK since before 1989 through the Windrush scheme. Foreign nationals like Ms Callard who are settled in the UK, whats known as being ordinarily resident, are entitled to free NHS care. After the transition to digital visas at the end of last year, Ms Callard set up an online UKVI account, which is used to demonstrate her immigration status in the UK. The hospital wanted to see a council tax bill from after Brexit in 2021, but wouldnt initially accept the bill, which had her husbands name on it, Ms Callard said. Full council tax bills are based on at least two adults living in the home, and spouses who live together are jointly responsible for paying the bill. She said that when she and her husband got home from the appointment they rang up their local council for help. The council couldnt understand what we wanted, and why the hospital wanted it. But they put us through to the electoral registration department who were helpful and provided proof that I have been at our home address since at least 2016. However that was also refused. I gave the hospital my biometric card, driving licence, phone bill, bank statements, and my GHIC card [a card provided by the NHS to UK residents to allow them to access emergency treatment in Europe]. I couldnt provide any household bills because they were in my husbands name. Nothing was good enough. Then in August I got sent a proforma invoice for 536.02. I couldnt understand what I had been charged for. It was very threatening. Then suddenly, after all that, they accepted the council tax bill. The proforma invoice said that payment is due immediately but that final costings [are] to be confirmed. It added that the hospital takes action to recover unpaid debt, and warned that outstanding debt may impact future immigration applications. The hospital said that they send a proforma invoice when they have not received the relevant documents confirming eligibility for free NHS treatment. They said that national policy requires patients to show proof of ordinary residence in the UK, and they were able to confirm this after the council tax bill was supported by a letter from the council. The three months of back and forth have caused her a lot of stress, Ms Callard said. Ive had endless sleepless nights. My blood pressure shot up. I felt like I wasnt wanted in England. I had three months of hell and I dont want anyone to go through the same. I would like to avoid this situation happening to other people, who might not be fluent in English, and who dont have the background that Ive had. Ms Callard, who has a French passport, said she has not applied for a British passport because it costs thousands of pounds to become a British citizen, something she doesnt want to spend her pension money on. She added: It was very distressing for my husband and I because we were wondering every day what was going to come next, and what threats we were going to have. A spokesperson for Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust said: We follow the stringent guidelines set out in the Department of Healths Overseas Charging Regulations which we are legally obliged to follow to ensure that only those people who are not eligible to free NHS care receive an invoice. Patients can raise a concern with our Patient Advice and Liaison Service, so if she requires any further assistance, they will be able to help her. Andreea Dumitrache, from civil rights group The3million, said: "No one should face this level of harassment or denial of healthcare in the country they call home, least of all elderly citizens who have built their lives here. Soisic's experience of repeated questioning, despite her obvious lawful residence, is a Kafkaesque nightmare, trapped in a bureaucratic maze that refuses to acknowledge basic rights. This is a shameful example of how the hostile environment continues to harm those who should be protected. We urge the government and institutions like the NHS to implement proper training and accountability, so that EU citizens are no longer treated as second-class." Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Shopping online during work time is not a sackable offence, a judge has ruled. A tribunal found the amount of time an accountancy administrator spent browsing sites including Amazon and Rightmove was not excessive. The woman, named in the judgement as Ms A Lanuszka, had been fired from her job in July 2023 after her employer Accountancy MK Services used spy software to monitor her computer. Across two days, business owner Ms Krauze claimed Ms Lanuszka had spent one hour and 24 minutes on personal matters. Ms Lanuszka - who accepted she had visited websites Rightmove, Very and Amazon - claimed she was allowed to use the computer for personal matters if she had no other work to do. open image in gallery Ms Lanuszka was awarded more than 14,000 in compensation and costs ( Getty/iStock ) And employment judge Michael Magree ruled that a large proportion of the time highlighted as personal use had, in fact, been used for work purposes, including for planning, Excel and presentation skill training. He added there were no underlying performance concerns or warning given to Ms Lanuszka, and noted the date of her sacking coincided with the arrival of Ms Krauzes sister on a permanent basis in the UK. Given the fact that there was no prohibition on personal computer use and the amount of time Ms Lanuszka devoted to personal matters during the two days has not been shown to be excessive, there is no deduction for contributory fault, Mr Magee wrote in his judgment. The tribunal concludes that there were not reasonable grounds to support a conclusion that Ms Lanuszka was guilty of misconduct. Nor was there a reasonable investigation carried out. According to the judgment, made in Bury St Edmunds in June, Ms Lanuszka began working for Ms Krauze under a separate company name, which was dissolved in 2021 before a new company set up. Ms Krauze dismissed Ms Lanuszka in 2023 with the belief she would not be able to file for unfair dismissal due to her not working for the new company for two years, Mr Magree said. Ms Lanuszka was awarded more than 14,000 in compensation and costs. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice About 100 firefighters are battling a blaze in the former home of the BBC in Londons White City. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said 15 fire engines were in attendance at the nine-storey old BBC Television Centre in Wood Lane. The flames are affecting floors towards the top of the building, which include a restaurant, an area of external decking and ducting, while an unknown number of flats have also potentially been affected. Crews were first called to the blaze shortly after 3am. In an update at 8am, LFB said the restaurant, external decking and ducting remain alight. open image in gallery Firefighters are still tackling the blaze at the Helios Building at Television Centre, the former home of the BBC in Londons White City ( London Fire Brigade/PA Media ) LFB and the Metropolitan Police are working to evacuate nearby buildings as a precaution, with a rest centre being set up for those who had to leave their homes. A resident who lives in converted flats in the old BBC building said: I got woken up by my girlfriend at 3am, who was coming back from work we could really smell the smoke, it was quite thick. We could see about 100 firefighters and at least eight or nine fire engines that were all parked up. I could just see a red glow. Li Mei, 36, who lives in an apartment block across the road, added: I got up this morning and my partner told me to look out of the window. There was so much smoke we were worried it was going to get worse. The London Ambulance Service confirmed they treated one person at the scene. A spokesperson added: We were called at 3.13am today to reports of a fire on Wood Lane in White City. We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and our hazardous area response team. We have treated one patient and discharged them at the scene. The incident is ongoing and we remain on scene as a precaution, working closely with our emergency services partners. open image in gallery Crews are using two 32-metre turntable ladders to help tackle the blaze ( James Manning/PA Wire ) Two 32-metre turntable ladders are being deployed as water towers to help extinguish the fire from height. A drone team is also being used to give the incident commander a greater situational awareness of the fire, LFB said. Crews are expected to remain on the scene all day. Footage from the scene shared by LFB shows smoke billowing from the former BBC building, now known as the Helios Building, which was the home of the broadcaster until 2012. open image in gallery Crews tackling the blaze in White City are expected to remain at the scene all day ( London Fire Brigade ) A spokesperson for Television Centre said: Earlier this morning, a fire occurred in the Helios building at Television Centre in west London, which is now contained. We can confirm that residents and staff members were evacuated safely. We are hugely grateful to the London Fire Brigade for their swift response and to the Metropolitan Police for their support. We continue to work closely with the emergency services and local authorities to ensure the building is secure. Firefighters remained at the scene at 3pm. LFB said it is a complex fire, but they were continuing to make steady progress. The website for the Helios Building says it currently accommodates 162 homes, along with a gym and a 47-bedroom hotel. Wood Lane is closed to traffic and people are advised to avoid the area. The brigade said first reports of the fire were received just after 3am, and crews from Hammersmith, North Kensington, Kensington, Chiswick and surrounding fire stations were mobilised to the scene. The cause of the fire is not known. Sign up to our free Brexit newsletter for our analysis of the continuing impact of Brexit on the UK Sign up to our free newsletter for the latest analysis on Brexit's impact Sign up to our free newsletter for the latest analysis on Brexit's impact Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice As the dust settles on Keir Starmers first major reshuffle and politicos begin to scour the names of the ministers in his new cabinet, one could be forgiven for wondering whether anything much had changed at all. In fact, a veteran former MP summed it up quite curtly: It was the moving the deckchairs on the Titanic reshuffle. Same faces, different positions. And with Nigel Farage looming large at Reforms conference in Birmingham, the Labour government did not seem to be avoiding a collision course with calamity. As harsh as this may sound, the reality is that when Starmers cabinet meets next week, only one new face will have been added Emma Reynolds, the new environment secretary. open image in gallery The changes following Keir Starmer's cabinet reshuffle ( PA Graphics ) More have left Angela Rayner as deputy prime minister and housing secretary; Ian Murray as Scottish secretary; and Lucy Powell as Commons leader. Meanwhile, Yvette Cooper, David Lammy, Shabana Mahmood, Pat McFadden, Steve Reed, Peter Kyle, Jonathan Reynolds, and Alan Campbell have all just taken part in a massive job swap. The only other one promoted into the cabinet new Scottish secretary Douglas Alexander was actually already attending cabinet in his previous role as a trade minister. Big names like chancellor Rachel Reeves, health secretary Wes Streeting, defence secretary John Healey, education secretary Bridget Phillipson and culture secretary Lisa Nandy remained unmoved. In effect, Starmer had attempted to give the impression of substantial change to deal with his domestic political woes and a flatlining economy without effecting much change at all. But arguably, he has now managed to land himself a weaker, less experienced cabinet. The loss of Rayner for which her allies blame the PM directly as much as her own behaviour of avoiding taxes leaves a large hole. open image in gallery Keir Starmer will hope to draw a line under the row over Angela Rayners tax affairs after reshuffling his cabinet ( PA ) There is now no senior figure from the left of the party at the top table. Even more concerning is that Rayner was one of just a handful of cabinet ministers from a working-class background, and her relationships with the unions were a valuable asset for the government. These relationships had allowed her to help Starmer see off the welfare rebellion. Now there is nobody at the top with a union background who also holds the trust of the partys rebellious left wing. Meanwhile, the sacking of Murray has bewildered many in Scotland, with Scottish Labours longest serving MP seen as a key part in trying to beat the SNP in next years Scottish parliament election while holding off Reform. The one proper new face, Reynolds, is considered a rising star, but there are concerns about her ability to perform in a bigger role, which have not gone away after her infamous gaffe earlier this year when she was unable to say where the proposed Lower Thames Crossing will start and finish in a radio interview. Starmer may feel that he has brought about the necessary change at the top simply by putting people in jobs which suit them better. But in effect, he has a narrower, less experienced top team with virtually no fresh blood at a time when he desperately needs to stop the march of Farage and Reform and reverse Labours woeful performance in government. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Nigel Farage has confirmed he would deport female asylum seekers back to the Taliban in Afghanistan if he wins the next general election. It comes after confusion over the Reform UK leaders position on the issue, when he initially said he would deport women back to Afghanistan, before later saying he wouldnt. Speaking to Sky News on the second day of the Reform conference in Birmingham, he was asked whether he would detain women and children and "send them back" to which he responded: "Yes." Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (Jacob King/PA) ( PA Wire ) But he said the UK has a "duty of care" if a four-year-old were to arrive in a dinghy. "For clarity, those that cross the English Channel will be detained and deported, men and women," he added. "Children, we'll have to think about." Mr Farage faced condemnation last month when he said everyone who arrives in the UK via small boat, including women and children, would be detained. He later rowed back, to clarify that the party was not even discussing women and children at this stage, and then in a separate interview, said that single women could face deportation if they didnt arrive with children. His latest remarks came after the Reform leader promised to stop the boats within two weeks if his party won the election. We will deport foreign criminals. Im off to have lunch in a few weeks with the prime minister of Albania. I might book a very big plane and take a load with me, Im not sure yet. We will stop what is a threat to our national security, what is a danger to girls and women on our streets. We will stop the boats and we will detain and deport those who illegally break into our country, doing what nearly every normal country around the rest of the world does. You cannot come here illegally and stay we will stop the boats within two weeks of winning government, he said. But just one day later, Mr Farage backtracked on the claim, telling Sky News: I didn't say that. He instead said Reform would stop the boats within two weeks of passing their proposed legislation. Within two weeks, the passing of legislation will stop the boats. Yes, he said. The party has proposed quitting the European Convention on Human Rights and repealing the Human Rights Act to be replaced with a British Bill of rights, a process which is likely to take more than a year. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Reform UK has been criticised for allowing a vaccine sceptic cardiologist to address its conference, where he claimed Covid vaccines may have caused the King and Princess of Wales's cancer. Health secretary Wes Streeting said it was "irresponsible" of the party to allow Dr Aseem Malhotra to speak from the stage in Birmingham, where he made a series of claims about the pharmaceutical industry, politicians and the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Saturday. Dr Malhotra, who described himself as a friend of controversial US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, said hundreds of studies showed the harms of mRNA vaccines and that they were interfering with genes. open image in gallery Dr Aseem Malhotra made a series of claims about the pharmaceutical industry, politicians and the World Health Organisation at the Reform conference ( Getty ) "It may be a risk factor for cancer," Dr Malhotra told the event at a talk titled Make Britain Healthy Again at the NEC. He said: "Many other doctors feel the same way", adding: "It's highly likely that the Covid vaccines have been a factor, a significant factor, in the cancer of members of the royal family." Mr Streeting said: "When we are seeing falling numbers of parents getting their children vaccinated, and a resurgence of disease we had previously eradicated, it is shockingly irresponsible for Nigel Farage to give a platform to these poisonous lies. "Farage should apologise and sever all ties with this dangerous extremism." Medical experts also criticised Dr Malhotra. Brian Ferguson, professor of viral immunology at the University of Cambridge, said the speaker had indulged in "meaningless pseudoscience". open image in gallery Health secretary Wes Streeting hit out at the party after the doctors remarks ( PA ) The link between the Covid jab and cancer has previously been dismissed by academics and oncologists after claims it had led to "turbo cancers". Prof Ferguson said: "There is no credible evidence that these vaccines disrupt tumour suppressors or drive any kind of process biochemical or otherwise that results in cancer. "It is particularly crass to try to link this pseudoscience to the unfortunate incidents of cancer in the royal family and is reminiscent of the 'died suddenly' trope which attempted and ultimately failed to link the death of any young person to their vaccination status. "This kind of outlandish conspiracy theory only serves to undermine the credibility of those spreading it." During his 15-minute speech on the final day of Reform's conference, Dr Malhotra also said taking the Covid vaccine was more likely to cause harm than the virus itself. He said: "What does that mean? It is highly likely that not a single person should have been injected with this. Nobody is immune to medical misinformation. He went on to say the World Health Organisation had been "captured" by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and urged for it to be replaced. open image in gallery Nigel Farage led Reforms party conference over the weekend ( PA Wire ) A separate fringe event at the conference on Saturday, also featuring Dr Malhotra, on behalf of the organisation The Together Association, said the UK should "leave" the WHO. He hit out at health minister Stephen Kinnock, who had criticised Dr Malhotra in advance of his speech, calling him an "anti-vax conspiracy theorist". On the stage, he asked the audience: "Have you heard anything anti-vax or conspiracy theory so far here?" He continued: "What do we do about this? I think it's time to just say no, to all drugs that are being proved, unless they are independently evaluated. Everybody just needs to say no. "Over the last few years, it's very clear that, with the evidence, the drug industry are responsible for probably killing millions of people. "The Covid vaccine, if one in 800 is a figure of serious harm, and you translate across the world from the best quality of evidence, then it means the Covid mRNA jabs have likely killed or seriously harmed millions of people across the world." Prof Ferguson said: "There are repetitions of often-used anti-vax tropes that have been extensively disproven." He said it was untrue that the drug industry, or Covid jabs were responsible for killing millions. "There are numerous, high-quality studies that prove the Covid vaccines, including mRNA vaccines, saved millions of lives, he added. "Evidence that mRNA vaccines have done more harm than good just does not exist and claims that they did do not stand up to scrutiny." Penny Ward, visiting professor in pharmaceutical medicine at Kings College London, said: "Dr Malhotra has provided his own interpretation of scientific evidence on Covid vaccines, but his view is not shared by the majority of medical practitioners." She said the WHO is staffed by clinical and scientific experts who "take very seriously their responsibilities to ensure the quality of information reviewed and advice given meets the highest ethical and scientific standards". "It is profoundly to be hoped that the Reform Party will do the same should they in future become responsible for the management of the nation's health, she added. A Reform spokesperson said: "Dr Aseem Malhotra is a guest speaker with his own opinions who has an advisory role in the US government. Reform UK does not endorse what he said, but does believe in free speech." Sign up to our free Brexit newsletter for our analysis of the continuing impact of Brexit on the UK Sign up to our free newsletter for the latest analysis on Brexit's impact Sign up to our free newsletter for the latest analysis on Brexit's impact Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Sir Keir Starmer has orchestrated a ministerial clearout of the Home Office after a failure to tackle illegal migration and rows over grooming gangs and policing badly damaged Labour in the polls. With panic rising over Reforms 10-point lead in the polls and Nigel Farage continuing to capitalise on a failure to stop the small boats amid protests outside migrant hotels, Sir Keir appears to have lost patience with the highly vaunted team he installed in July last year. Former home secretary Yvette Cooper, who just weeks ago was laying out her vision for the future of the Home Office, has been appointed foreign secretary while several of her key ministers have been moved to different parts of government. open image in gallery Shabana Mahmood is the new home secretary ( Getty Images ) Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson has been sent to work and pensions, while Dame Angela Eagle is to be farming minister. Security minister Dan Jarvis is relocated to the Cabinet Office, but will continue to liaise with the Home Office. And in come Nottingham North MP Alex Norris and Croydon West MP Sarah Jones, both lower-profile politicians than the team before but two who have earned a reputation for graft as ministers. More significantly, the MP for Dover Mike Tapp, a former soldier who wants changes to the way the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) is interpreted, is brought into the Home Office as a junior minister. Mr Tapp was elected last year for the first time but represents the seat on the front line of the small boats crisis which is a major target for Reform. While Downing Street has not commented, it appears that concerns over the way the department was performing have played a role in the clearout. Record numbers of small boats, hitting 50,000 over the summer, migrant hotels, rows over policing and the handling of the grooming gang scandal have all badly hurt Labour in the polls. The moves came on the day that Reform put Lucy Connolly on the conference stage, welcoming her as a political prisoner despite her tweet during the riots inspired by the Southport murders suggesting that migrant hotels should be burnt down. The former child carer and wife of a Tory councillor has been used by the right to attack the policing and judicial systems in the UK with Labour struggling to push back on two-tier Keir accusations. open image in gallery Yvette Cooper has been moved from the Home Office to the Foreign Office ( PA Wire ) Sir Keir will now be hoping that a new team headed by his highly respected former justice secretary Shabana Mahmood will take a much more robust attitude to dealing with the issues besetting his government. He also appeared to look for a shake-up in his campaigning team with Anna Turley brought in as the new party chair and Ellie Reeves, chancellor Rachel Reevess sister, demoted to solicitor general. Meanwhile, the Department for Business and Trade has also been cleared out following Jonathan Reynoldss demotion to chief whip and former trade minister Douglas Alexander being named the new Scottish secretary. In Mr Alexanders place comes Jason Stockwood, the former boss of dating app match.com and ex-chair of Grimbsy Town FC. But concerns remain about the changes at the top, which have seen almost no new faces while many of those responsible for the poor start to the new Labour government have just been moved to new jobs. Former Labour MP Rosie Duffield now an independent MP told Times Radio Sir Keirs reshuffle was like shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic. Meanwhile, Labour MP Ian Lavery warned that the party needs a change in direction or face the consequences, adding: Its very obvious that the shuffling has been well prepared oven ready, one might say. Its undoubtedly a move to the right of the party with no real surprises. Many believe that it paves the way for a more radical move to the right on issues such as immigration and welfare time will tell. Angela will be a huge miss an excellent politician who understands the true meaning of the Labour Party. The party needs a change in direction or face the consequences. We must grasp this opportunity before its all too late. Rachael Maskell, who was suspended from the parliamentary Labour Party before the summer over the welfare rebellion, added: Little changes with Labours reshuffle as there is little change. What is needed is a change in culture, to be the great inclusive and progressive party we were created to be. I hope that Labour will rapidly find its confidence to address the challenges of our time and set a new direction for our nation. Apart from former deputy prime minister Ms Rayner being forced to leave, the only significant departure at the top was Ian Murray as Scottish secretary to make room for Mr Alexander. The move has been questioned by senior figures in the party ahead of crucial Scottish Parliament elections next year where Labour could be pushed into third place behind the SNP and Reform. Ross Thomson, a former Tory MP who defected to Reform, told The Independent: I am surprised Ian Murray has gone. It will make our job easier. It is also understood that concerns have been raised by a range of senior figures in Scottish Labour, while a senior SNP figure said: We are doing cartwheels. Failure in Scotland and Wales next year could see an attempt to remove Sir Keir as prime minister by his MPs. Downing Street was said to be taken aback by the backlash against Mr Murrays sacking and he was handed a minister of state role in culture and science departments responsible for space, museums, creative industries and telecoms. There is anger over how he has handled the sackings, including that of farming minister Daniel Zeichner, who had to deal with the fury over changes to inheritance tax. One minister who was moved on told The Independent: It was clear the PM did not want to talk, he was hurrying the conversation on. He gave me no reason why I had to leave my job. There are serious concerns that with Ms Rayners departure there is no voice on the left in the cabinet. One Labour MP said: Rayner wasnt just a strong voice on the left rather she made an unbalanced cabinet look slightly more balanced. But it was almost entirely skin deep and cosmetic. On literally every major issue she has tucked in behind them. A few leaked memos do not a left-wing policy agenda make. However, an ally of Ms Rayner told The Independent: Angela will not be quiet on the back benches. She will speak out and has a lot to say. Scholarship students, who are heading to Tianjin Normal University in China for advanced Mandarin (standard Chinese language) studies, pose for a group photo during a flag-off ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 5, 2025. A flag-off ceremony was held on Friday for scholarship students from the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi in Kenya, who are heading to Tianjin Normal University in China for advanced Mandarin (standard Chinese language) studies. Among them, 20 students will embark on a two-year study program in China. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) NAIROBI, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- A flag-off ceremony was held on Friday for scholarship students from the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi in Kenya, who are heading to Tianjin Normal University in China for advanced Mandarin (standard Chinese language) studies. Among them, 20 students will embark on a two-year study program in China. Senior government officials, diplomats, faculty members, and parents attended the ceremony in Nairobi, the East African country's capital, to see off the students. The 20 students are beneficiaries of a tripartite agreement signed in December 2023 between the University of Nairobi, the Center for Language Education and Cooperation under China's Ministry of Education, and Tianjin Normal University, aimed at promoting Chinese language proficiency. Known as the "2+2" Dual-degree Scholarship Program, it focuses on joint training of students in international Chinese language education and aims to boost the inclusion of Mandarin in Kenya's school curriculum. Having completed two years of study at the University of Nairobi, the first cohort of 20 students will continue their education at Tianjin Normal University in September, undertaking another two years of advanced Mandarin lessons and other relevant courses. Upon graduation, these students will be qualified to become registered Chinese language teachers and are expected to be recruited by the Teachers Service Commission of Kenya to teach Mandarin in secondary schools, boosting the rollout of international Chinese language education in Kenya. Carol Hunja, secretary for higher education and research in Kenya's Ministry of Education, hailed the tripartite agreement for advancing Chinese language proficiency among Kenyan youth. According to Hunja, the government is committed to mainstreaming Mandarin in the school curriculum, in line with the blossoming ties between Kenya and China in the education and cultural fields. Zhang Zhizhong, charge d'affaires a.i. of the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, said the dispatching of Kenyan students to Tianjin Normal University for advanced studies marked a critical milestone in Sino-Kenyan bilateral cooperation in education. "Today, at this moment of farewell to all the students embarking on your journey to China, I wish that you can study hard to learn about the Chinese language, history, and culture," Zhang said. Speaking on behalf of Margaret Hutchinson, acting vice chancellor of the University of Nairobi, Jackson Maalu, acting deputy vice chancellor in charge of finance, planning and development, said a strategic partnership with the Chinese government and Tianjin Normal University has led to an increase in the number of scholarships awarded to local youth to pursue further studies in the Asian country. Maalu added that Kenyan institutions of higher learning have taken the lead in Chinese language teaching, fostering people-to-people exchanges and enhancing youth employability. People wave goodbye to students who are heading to Tianjin Normal University in China for advanced Mandarin (standard Chinese language) studies, in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 5, 2025. A flag-off ceremony was held on Friday for scholarship students from the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi in Kenya, who are heading to Tianjin Normal University in China for advanced Mandarin (standard Chinese language) studies. Among them, 20 students will embark on a two-year study program in China. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A California nudist resort has sued its owner after residents claim they were forced to wear clothes and were subject to unsafe living conditions. Olive Dell Ranch, located in the foothills of the San Jacinto Mountains, has been a haven for nudists since the 1950s. Local outlet KTLA says it was once known as the friendliest nudist resort in Southern California. But according to residents, many of whom are elderly, disabled or veterans, things have changed since it came under new management. Tenants claimed they started getting notices informing them clothing would be required at all times, according to a report by KTLA. A California nudist resort has sued its owner after residents claim they were forced to wear clothes and were subject to unsafe living conditions ( Google Earth ) They also allege electric meters from mobile homes have been removed, leaving behind live wires; the pool has turned green; the laundry room has been closed and the sauna has been disabled. Residents claim they have been threatened with eviction as well. Longtime tenant Penny Palmer told KTLA the changes appear to be an effort to drive people away. Im going to stay here till the very end, Nancy Roeder, who has lived at the resort for more than a decade, told the local outlet. She said she and her neighbors are in survival mode. The Independent made attempts to contact the resort but its phone and website appear to be no longer in service. Former and current employees tell two different stories about whats going on at the resort. Sunshine Lorick, who used to work at the front office, told KTLA she was fired after refusing to charge extra money on peoples bills. But a current property manager, identified only as 'Darlene', told the local outlet the residents were not paying rent or utility bills. She also claimed they had vandalized the property. Residents told KTLA they have been sending payments through certified mail. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Work at a Hyundai Motor car battery facility under construction in Georgia has ground to a halt after hundreds of workers, predominantly South Korean nationals, were arrested in an immigration raid. The site is one of the Korean car maker's most substantial investments in the US. Approximately 475 people were arrested, according to US immigration officials, marking the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The arrests occur amidst an escalating crackdown on immigrants by the administration of President Donald Trump, a policy that has disrupted businesses across the country even as the White House has actively encouraged more foreign investment. This incident risks heightening tensions between Washington and Seoul, a crucial ally and investor in the US. The two nations have already been at loggerheads over the finer details of a trade deal that includes $150 billion in US investments, with Hyundai Motor alone pledging $26 billion. Homeland Security officials said the workers arrested at the Ellabell, Georgia, site were barred from working in the US after crossing the border illegally or overstaying their visas. open image in gallery Federal agents arrest workers at a battery plant at a Hyundai facility in Georgia ( Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ) A Hyundai Motor spokesperson said none of the people arrested were employed directly by the company. The spokesperson said its chief manufacturing officer for North America, Chris Susock, would "assume governance of the entire megasite in Georgia." "We will conduct an investigation to ensure all suppliers and their subcontractors comply with all laws and regulations. Hyundai has zero tolerance for those who dont follow the law." The arrested workers were being held at ICE's Folkston, Georgia, detention facility, Schrank said. Most of the 475 people are South Korean nationals, he said. Korean media has put the number of South Koreans detained at roughly 300 people. The raid - dubbed "Operation Low Voltage" - included more than 400 law enforcement officers after a months-long investigation. A spokesperson at Hyundai's battery joint venture partner, South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solutions 373220.KS, said in a statement it was cooperating and had paused construction work. The facility, a joint venture between LGES and Hyundai Motor, was due to start operations at the end of this year, according to LGES. Hyundai Motor shares ended down 0.7 per cent on Friday, and LGES shares dropped 2.3 per cent. Largest development project Under Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, part of DHS, has driven the Republican leader's sweeping crackdown on migrants, bolstered by record funding and new latitude to conduct raids. open image in gallery The Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Georgia ( AP ) Trump has said he wants to deport "the worst of the worst" criminals but ICE figures have shown a rise in non-criminals being picked up. Rights advocates have denounced such raids. The White House said on Friday that "any foreign workers brought in for specific projects must enter the United States legally and with proper work authorizations." South Korea's Foreign Ministry expressed regret and concern about the raid. "The economic activities of our companies investing in the United States and the interests of our citizens must not be unduly violated during the course of U.S. law enforcement," ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said in a statement on Friday. Social media video showed a man wearing a vest with the letters HIS, an acronym for Homeland Security Investigations, telling workers in yellow safety vests: "We have a search warrant for the whole site. We need construction to cease immediately. We need all work to end on the site right now." The U.S. Department of Justice in a statement said several people tried to flee during the raid. Some had to be fished out of a sewage pond on the site, DOJ said. Georgia's Democratic Party condemned the raid, calling it part of "politically motivated fear tactics designed to terrorize people who work hard for a living, power our economy, and contribute to the communities across Georgia that they have made their homes." In a statement, a spokesman for Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said: In Georgia, we will always enforce the law, including all state and federal immigration laws." Hyundai said its production of electric vehicles at the sprawling site was not affected. In 2023, Hyundai Motor and LG Energy announced the $4.3 billion venture to produce EV battery cells, with each company holding a 50 per cent stake. The plant will supply batteries for Hyundai, Kia and Genesis EV models. The battery factory is part of Hyundai's $12.6 billion investments in the state, including the automaker's just-opened car factory, in what would be "the largest economic development project in the states history." Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Communities across Chicago are preparing for Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids to begin as soon as Saturday, which President Donald Trump appeared to confirm in a bizarre Truth Social post this morning. For weeks, the Trump administration has said Chicago is its next target in fulfilling the presidents mass deportation agenda. But theyve provided few details about when it could begin or what law enforcement officials would be involved. On Saturday morning, the president appeared to confirm Illinois Governor JB Pritzkers suspicion that operations would begin this weekend, ahead of Mexican Independence Day celebrations, with an AI-generated image of himself boasting about deportations. I love the smell of deportations in the morning Chicago is about to find out why its called the Department of WAR, Trumps post read. Attached was an AI-generated version of Trump in a cowboy hat, U.S. Army fatigues, and aviator sunglasses with military helicopters flying low over the Chicago skyline, engulfed in flames. On the image was written, Chipocalypse Now, appearing to reference the 1979 Vietnam War movie Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. open image in gallery President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image on Truth Social, seemingly confirming that ICE operations would begin in Chicago on Saturday ( @realDonaldTrump/Truth Social ) Trump signed an executive order Friday afternoon to change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War to indicate that America has the strongest military, he told reporters from the Oval Office. The Independent has asked the White House and ICE for comment. Pritzker responded to Trumps post, calling him a wannabe dictator. The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal. Donald Trump isn't a strongman, he's a scared man. Illinois wont be intimidated by a wannabe dictator, Pritzker wrote on X. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said, The Presidents threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution. We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump. Illinois Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi called Trumps Truth Social post reckless and un-American. Pritzker had already warned Chicago communities that he believed ICE was coordinating raids in tandem with Mexican Independence Day celebrations in the city, which are to begin on Saturday with a parade in the Pilsen neighborhood. open image in gallery Anti-ICE protesters hold a demonstration outside of the Naval Station Great Lakes, where law enforcement is based, before immigration raids begin ( Getty Images ) While the Pilsen parade is still scheduled to go ahead, officials said there would be more volunteers maintaining vigilance and keeping an eye out for immigration law enforcement. But other celebrations have been postponed or canceled in light of the potential immigration raids. Organizers of El Grito Chicago, a two-day festival in the downtown area, said they were postponing the event that was set to begin September 13. "To proceed in spite of the advice we've received directly from city and state officials and potentially expose our community to becoming collateral damage would be irresponsible, German Gonzalez, the El Grito Chicago organizer, said in a statement. That's a risk we are not willing to take." Organizers of the Wauconda Latin Heritage Festival said they were canceling the September 13 event in light of the potential ICE raids. Wauconda is a village in the north suburbs of Chicago where approximately 20 percent of its population is Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2020 census. Little Village, a neighborhood with a high concentration of MexicanAmericans, said its parade scheduled for September 14 would still occur but with increased private security, immigration lawyers, and a rapid response team for immigration raids. open image in gallery Chicago residents participate in the Mexican Independence Day parade on Saturday, despite warnings of immigration raids ( REUTERS ) Homero Lopez, a 51-year-old born and raised Chicagoan living in Little Village, told the New York Times that the citys energy was different under the threat of immigration raids. The fear has never been this bad, Lopez said. They are really about targeting Hispanics. Lopez, who runs a mobile food stand, told the Times that during past Mexican Independence Day celebrations, the streets would be busy with vendors and patrons well into the night. Now, the streets are mostly empty, he said. Earlier this year, protests erupted in downtown Los Angeles when the Trump administration sent ICE into communities with higher populations of Hispanic or Latino residents. While the protests were mostly peaceful, the minor disruption they caused the city led the president to deploy the National Guard and Marines to protect ICE officials. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Donald Trump was an FBI informant on convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, a senior Republican has claimed. Mike Johnson also told CNN that Trump thought what Epstein did was a terrible, unspeakable evil and that the US president had been misrepresented throughout the controversy over the files during his second term. Mr Johnsons comments come after months of speculation regarding a client list that Attorney General Pam Bondi said in February was sitting on her desk. The Wall Street Journal later reported that Ms Bondi had informed Mr Trump that his name had appeared several times on the list, which is understood to have included names of influential figures associated with the sex offender. Epstein was found dead in his cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on a number of sex-trafficking charges. His death was ruled as a suicide but has prompted countless conspiracy theories and public scepticism. open image in gallery Convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in 2019 ( Florida Department of Law Enforcement ) Trump had initially been friends with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s and has been pictured with the disgraced financier, but severed ties with him after an argument at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. What Trump is referring to is the hoax that the Democrats are using to try to attack him, Mr Johnson said. Ive talked to him about this many times, many times. He is horrified. Its been misrepresented. Hes not saying that what Epstein did is a hoax. Its a terrible, unspeakable evil. He believes that himself. Mr Johnson added: When he first heard the rumour, he kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago. He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down. The controversy has divided the Maga camp, with even loyal supporters of the president including Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson calling for greater transparency. Republican Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, and Democrat Ro Khanna, of California, are also campaigning for a "discharge petition" in the House of Representatives that would force a vote on publicly releasing the entirety of the governments Epstein case information. open image in gallery A group of Epstein victims and their families held a press conference on Wednesday calling for transparency ( Getty ) On Wednesday, a group of Epstein victims and their families held a press conference to support the discharge petition, intensifying the pressure on the White House. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice has said it has found no evidence of a client list that was kept by the paedophile. In previous years, Mr Trump has speculated that it was possible Epstein had been murdered, and called for a full investigation in 2019. However, last week he described it as a hoax, saying: From what I understand, I could check, but from what I understand, thousands of pages of documents have been given. But its really a Democrat hoax because theyre trying to get people to talk about something thats totally irrelevant to the success that weve had as a nation since Ive been president. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Immigration and Customs Enforcement has reportedly started detaining immigrants in Boston. The ICE operation in Massachusetts is reportedly going to last several weeks, according to sources who spoke to the New York Times. Operation Patriot 2.0, as the initiative is reportedly called, kicked off just days before President Donald Trump is expected to send the military and federal agents to conduct immigration raids in Chicago. One U.S. official speaking anonymously told the paper that Trump has plans for even more immigration raids beginning this month. The Trump administration has made numerous claims that it will crack down on "sanctuary cities," where local officials limit police assistance to federal immigration officials. open image in gallery The Trump administration has reportedly sent ICE agents to conduct immigration raids in Boston, just days before the president is expected to send federal agents and the military to Chicago ( Getty Images ) Tom Homan, Trump's border czar, said earlier this week that immigration enforcement would continue to ramp up in several so-called sanctuary cities. A source who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity reportedly said that ICE was targeting Boston specifically because of its policy to limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. ICE is reportedly targeting immigrants who have previously been sent to jail but who were not turned over to immigration officials. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has been a vocal critic of Trump and his immigration policies. Im just stating that these tactics are the opposite of what makes communities safer, and no ones buying that line, that were just here to help make everyone safer, she said during a June interview on Boston public radio. We know what safety looks like in the city of Boston. Wu previously issued a statement saying Boston is the safest major city in the U.S. and that Trumps forces arent needed to maintain that safety. Unlike the Trump administration, Boston follows the law city, state and federal, Wu said in a statement. We are the safest major city in the country because all of our community members know that they are part of how we keep the entire community safe. Stop attacking cities to hide your administrations failures. In March, Wu, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and New York Mayor Eric Adams were called to testify before Congress about their cities' immigration cooperation policies. During her time before Congress, she pleaded for lawmakers to pass comprehensive immigration reforms. open image in gallery Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trumps immigration crackdowns. Please: Pass comprehensive immigration law that is consistent and compassionate, Wu responded. That will make our jobs possible and we would so appreciate that partnership. On Thursday, the Trump administration sued Boston over its policies limiting police cooperation with federal immigration officials, arguing that the policies violate federal law. Trump has launched similar lawsuits against New York, New Jersey, and Los Angeles. The City of Boston and its Mayor have been among the worst sanctuary offenders in America they explicitly enforce policies designed to undermine law enforcement and protect illegal aliens from justice. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. If Boston wont protect its citizens from illegal alien crime, this Department of Justice will. Wu responded, saying that the city will defend its constitutional rights, according to Politico. This is our City, and we will vigorously defend our laws and the constitutional rights of cities, which have been repeatedly upheld in courts across the country, Wu said. We will not yield. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Vice President JD Vance doesnt give a s*** if people consider the Trump administrations strike on an alleged Venezuelan gangs boat a war crime, he posted Saturday on his official X account. The Trump administration has been under pressure to explain a lethal military strike it carried out September 2 on a boat allegedly carrying drugs and affiliated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The strike killed 11 people. Legal experts, former national security officials, and Democrats have raised concerns that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority by carrying out the strike in international waters, without giving those on board due process. Vance defended the strike Saturday, stating: Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military. Brian Krassenstein, a prominent social media personality, responded: Killing the citizens of another nation who are civilians without any due process is called a war crime. open image in gallery Vice President JD Vance defended the Trump administrations recent strike on a boat allegedly affiliated with a Venezuelan gang ( Getty Images ) The vice president shot back: I dont give a s*** what you call it. Vances attitude earned a quick and stinging rebuke from GOP Senator Rand Paul. "JD 'I dont give a s---' Vance says killing people he accuses of a crime is the 'highest and best use of the military.' Did he ever read To Kill a Mockingbird?" Paul asked. "Did he ever wonder what might happen if the accused were immediately executed without trial or representation??" Paul added, "What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial." Trump has long-promised to go after drug cartels, blaming them for drug overdoses and deaths in the U.S. Hes particularly focused on Tren de Aragua, a transnational organization that has a reputation for engaging in extreme violence, sex trafficking and drug smuggling. Trump has designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization which allows him to bring financial or legal penalties, or sanctions, but does not automatically authorize the use of lethal force. While the president has the power to use military force when it constitutes national interest, its unclear if that legal justification applies because cartel members, historically, have been treated as criminals with the right to due process. Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, a Navy veteran, told Axios he did not think U.S. military members should be put in a situation where theyre doing things that are outside of legal boundaries. open image in gallery An image of the boat just seconds before it was blown up by a U.S. strike. President Donald Trump posted the video on his Truth Social after announcing the strike this week. 11 people died ( White House ) Juan S. Gonzalez, a former National Security Council official in the Biden administration, wrote on X that the attack was legally questionable under both U.S. and international law. The Trump administration has offered few details about the strike. Those killed have not been identified, nor have any details about the drugs they were supposedly carrying. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has maintained that U.S. officials were certain that members of Tren de Aragua were on the boat and intended to poison the U.S. with drugs. In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed they had identified those on board as Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists who were operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela. On Friday evening, Maduro condemned the boat strike and urged Trump to engage in respectful dialogue over the two countries differences, according to PBS. A White House spokesperson said the strike against a designated terrorist organization was fully consistent with armed conflict law and done in defense of vital U.S. national interests. Senior administration officials have made it clear they intend to continue carrying out strikes against cartels. "We've got assets in the air, assets in the water, assets on ships, because this is a deadly serious mission for us, and it won't stop with just this strike," Hegseth told Fox & Friends last week. "Anyone else trafficking in those waters who we know is a designated narco terrorist will face the same fate. Vances comment comes one day after, the president signed an executive order to informally rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from canceling deportation protections for roughly 1 million people from Venezuela and Haiti, dealing yet another blow to Homeland Securitys attempts to strip legal status for tens of thousands of immigrants. California District Judge Edward Chen determined that Secretary Kristi Noem had illegally and arbitrarily revoked temporary humanitarian protections on baseless, pretextual grounds with no evidence of any reasoned decision making. To support Donald Trumps plans to remove millions of people from the country, administration officials moved to revoke Temporary Protected Status designations for several countries, which stripped legal immigration status for tens of thousands of immigrants who had already been granted permission to live and work in the United States after fleeing disasters in their home countries. In his ruling on Friday, Chen argued that racial and ethnic animus can reasonably be inferred from the discriminatory statements made by Secretary Noem and/or President Trump alone, from Noem calling Venezuelans dirt bags to Trump claiming that Haitians are eating the pets of Springfield, Ohio. Even if the government could defend those remarks, a reasonable jury could still infer racial animus from Noems statements, Chen said. A federal judge in California has blocked the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for tens of thousands of immigrants from Venezuela and Haiti whose deportation protections were set to expire ( Getty ) As for President Trump, his comments included derogatory and baseless claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio TPS holders were eating peoples pets, he added. Chen also noted that reports from Trumps first administration that claimed he called Haiti, El Salvador and African nations s***hole countries. The judges order arrived just days after the administration announced it was ending temporary protections granted in 2021 for more than 250,000 more Venezuelans. Congress created the TPS program in 1990 to provide temporary immigration protections for people fleeing war, natural disasters and extraordinary and temporary conditions in their home countries. Beneficiaries are allowed to apply for renewable work permits and protections against deportation. Chens order maintains Biden-era TPS extensions that run until February 2026 for Haitians and October 2026 for Venezuelans. Noem has argued that conditions improved in those countries and that it was no longer in the U.S. interest for immigrants to stay in the United States on those temporary protections. Chens earlier decision to block the government from ending TPS was later reversed by the Supreme Court without explanation after the government's emergency appeal. The case is likely to land back at the Supreme Court. Losing those protections would inflict irreparable harm on hundreds of thousands of persons whose lives, families, and livelihoods will be severely disrupted, cost the United States billions in economic activity, and injure public health and safety in communities throughout the United States, Chen wrote in March. Noems decision-making smacks of racism and is likely motivated by unconstitutional animus, he wrote at the time. In his 69-page decision on Friday, Chen argued that Noems efforts to revoke protections threatened to send immigrants back to conditions that are so dangerous that even the State Department advises against travel to their home countries. Noems sweeping revocations are extraordinary and unusual, Chen wrote. Even if she had such authority, there is no genuine dispute that she exceeded that authority, he wrote. A spokesperson for Homeland Security called Chen an activist judge and said the TPS program has been abused, exploited, and politicized as a de facto amnesty program, made dangerous by Joe Bidens administration. "While this order delays justice, Secretary Noem will use every legal option at the Departments disposal to end this chaos and prioritize the safety of Americans, the spokesperson said in a statement to The Independent. Under God, the people rule, the spokesperson added. Unelected activist judges cannot stop the will of the American people for a safe and secure homeland. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Who knew Harry Truman was so woke? According to President Donald Trump, the 33rd man to be sworn into the office he now holds the same person who ordered the only use of atomic weapons against civilians during wartime signed legislation creating the Department of Defense in 1947 not out of a desire to improve the countrys military readiness but out of what Trump posited was political correctness. Speaking in the Oval Office alongside Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine, Trump invoked the countrys history of victories in two world wars before the realities of the post Second World War world necessitated a change in posture and a change in name for what was then known as the War Department. So we won the first World War. We won the Second World War. We won everything before that and in between. And then we decided to go woke and we changed the name to Department of Defense. So we're going Department of War, he said. Trump has been flirting with the anachronistic name for the worlds most powerful military establishment since earlier this summer, when he began referring to Hegseth, the ex-Fox News host and onetime Army Major, as the War Secretary. open image in gallery President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth holds a signed executive order changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, while Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine looks on ( AP ) This no doubt delighted Hegseth, who has spent much of his time in public life advocating for a more bellicose expression of Americas military tradition, including pushing for the exoneration of convicted war criminals and complaining about the integration of women and LGBT+ people into the U.S. armed services. Now, hell be able to use the outdated title last held by Kenneth C. Royall when it was abolished in September 1947. But Hegseths responsibilities still far outstrip the former War Department, which up to the day Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 was only charged with oversight of the U.S. Army and the then-affiliated U.S. Army Air Corps. That landmark bill separated out the Air Force and placed it, along with the Army and Navy (and with it the Marine Corps) under the supervision of a single cabinet official. Was it because Truman was woke? Not so much. open image in gallery Was Harry Truman really woke? Not so much ( AFP via Getty Images ) The creation of the Defense Department was part of a recognition by Truman and the Congress of the day that the post-war world, a nuclear world, required deterrence to be the foundation for relations between adversarial superpowers. In an era when atomic weapons, and later even more power thermonuclear weapons, were an ever-present threat, the architecture built starting in 1947 was meant to secure the United States and the western democratic alliance by keeping smaller conflicts from spiraling out of control. It was also part of a series of other actions taken in the wake of that devastating world war to prevent another one from ever occurring, including the creation of the United Nations, NATO, and other international multilateral organizations. Since then, the U.S. has tightly integrated itself with her allies and created multi-layered defenses in domains that Truman could only have dreamed of in 1947, including in cyberspace and outer space. Trumps worldview and policy positions, by contrast, are built on rejecting almost all of that in favor of returning to a more bellicose age when great powers fought out their differences in a pre-nuclear world. Lawrence Wilkerson, a retired U.S. Army Colonel who was once chief of staff to Secretary of State (and former Joint Chiefs chairman) Colin Powell, told The Independent that Trumps order could be a very bad step backward because it puts a rubber stamp on what Trump is essentially perceived by the globe to be doing, basing the American empire principally and increasingly exclusively on military power. That is not something we should be reinforcing with the rest of the world, he said, pointing out that the U.S. is falling behind in the race to shore up alliances in an ever-changing modern world that could be soon dominating by a rising China and a resurgent Russia. Wilkerson, a decorated Vietnam War veteran who emerged as a critic of the U.S. invasion of Iraq after he prepared Powell to make the case for it before the U.N. Security Council in 2003, expressed unease at the worldview expressed by Trump and especially Hegseth which essentially holds that the only power that matters is hard power and the soft power with which the U.S. inspired allies and attracted friends over the last 80 years is for wimps, sissies, and wokesters. Hegseth seemed to echo this very concern when he spoke after Trump in the Oval Office, when he boasted that the move was about restoring the warrior ethos, restoring victory and clarity as an end state, restoring intentionality to the use of force. We're going to go on offense, not just on defense, maximum lethality, not tepid legality, violent effect, not politically correct, said Hegseth, who vowed to raise up warriors, not just defenders. The clear implication was that defense as a concept signals weakness, and war implies strength. Hegseth, an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran, didnt appear to remember the motto of the branch in which he once served, is This Well Defend. But the former television presenter, the least-experienced Secretary of Defense since the position was established, may well get his wish for more uses of force. Because Trumps dismantling of other post-war creations including the U.S. Agency for International Development, his cutting off the Voice of America and stripping billions of dollars from the State Departments foreign aid budget, all make it more likely that the Pentagon whatever you call it will find itself in a war sooner rather than later. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A Bible scholar-cum-conspiracy theorist, father of 11 and onetime rock-n-roll frontman claims his entire world has been turned upside-down by a deviant villain from wildly popular comic book, TV and video game series The Walking Dead. In a newly filed federal lawsuit, born-again messianic blogger Thomas Richards, who claims to have twice seen Jesus in waking visions, seeks to force a public clarification by Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman that the fictional character of Thomas Richards is not meant to be him. The 55-year-old U.S. Navy veteran argues in his complaint that the extreme popularity of the franchise, combined with its graphic depiction of dismemberment, torture, cannibalism and sexual violence, has exponentially amplified the harm to Mr. Richards' reputation by associating his exact name with a psychopathic character in one of the most widely consumed media franchises of the 21st century. When people search online for the real-life Thomas Richards, they are involuntarily exposed to mentions and potentially graphic descriptions of a serial killer who brutally murders multiple people including minors and exhibits sadistic and depraved behavior, the complaint states. Contending additionally that Googles results have been gamed to his detriment, Richardss complaint claims that many never get to view his posts and videos, such as, Nazi Germany A Creation of the Vatican and Jesuits, The Pope is the Antichrist, and Is Alex Jones Covering for the Jesuits? You decide. Worse yet, according to Richardss complaint, massively popular line extensions have actively expanded the harmful portrayal of his namesake character. open image in gallery Vatican 'truther' Thomas Richards (left) says a sadistic and depraved character on The Walking Dead named Thomas Richards has tarred him by association. ( Provided; Getty Images ) Richards, a Virginia resident, said that a constant stream of erroneous Google alerts have also had a deleterious effect on his personal well-being. I noticed I wasn't getting Google alerts for my work, ever, but I was getting Google alerts for this horrible fictional Thomas Richards all the time, Richards told The Independent. Here I'm thinking, maybe, finally, it'll be my work or something. But no, it's just an awful character this man created. Richards conceded that he knows his work can be controversial. The case follows two others Richards has filed recently: one against Elon Musks X, accusing the social network of shadowbanning Richardss posts, and one against Google, for supposedly suppressing Richards in search results and on YouTube. This, he alleges in court papers, effectively silenc[ed] his biblical voice while amplifying competing Catholic perspectives. An analysis of the X filing by Techdirt founder Mike Masnick, an expert on legal issues surrounding technology and the First Amendment, said the scenario presented in the suit was actually interesting, given Musks short but disastrous foray into government, but that the legal theory behind it was inadequate, that the core claim was weak on its face and that the complaint itself was a mess bloated with irrelevant details and conspiracy theories masquerading as supposed religious expression. In the suit against Kirkman, his companies and a slew of ancillary players, Richards asserts that the fictitious Richards creates an unconscious association between [his own] name and violent, disturbing imagery through repeated exposure, claiming, Even individuals who rationally understand the fictional nature of the character experience this involuntary association when they see or hear Mr. Richards' name. And although it is possible to sue for unintentional defamation, Richardss complaint accuses Kirkman of deliberately naming his character after him. open image in gallery The real-life Thomas Richards believes Robert Kirkman (Pictured), the creator of 'The Walking Dead,' named a violent and depraved character after him. Now he's suing. ( Getty Images ) Attorney Lisa Weingarten Richards, who happens to be Richardss wife, told The Independent that Kirkman was served with her husbands suit on Thursday, via a family member. Through a representative, Kirkman declined to comment. Richards describes himself as a religious commentator, Bible scholar, artist and content creator who experienced a powerful, unexpected, spiritual transformation at his then-home in Long Island, New York. His interest in religion took hold at the age of three, when Richards says he had a vision of Jesus while his mother was out at a nightclub on Fire Island. Richards claims to have another vision of Jesus the Messiah some 17 years later, while he was in boot camp, after which he lost his way for several years during a stint with a local hard rock band. He later returned to religion and at the turn of the 21st century, Richards launched his internet ministry across several web domains, according to his complaint. Richardss writings are primarily focused on critiquing the Vatican, particularly its [alleged] sexual abuse of children, false doctrine and also its involvement in other atrocities with links to government and other entities, according to the complaint. It says Richards has exclusively used his real name since the beginning and that the connection between his name and his religious ministry is inseparable. Richards says in his complaint that his website spirituallysmart.com achieved significant visibility between 2003 and 2005, which was precisely when Kirkman would have been developing characters for The Walking Dead series on AMC. (The show premiered in 2010.) According to the complaint, Kirkman was active in online communities during that period, and it claims that it is quite likely Kirkman encountered Richardss work. Further, the complaint states, Kirkman, a self-described atheist, has told interviewers that he likes to name his characters after real people, such as the a**holes he calls Phillip, after a classmate from grammar school who used to torment him. Upon information and belief, Kirkman harbored animus toward Mr. Richards due to Mr. Richards' biblical content, strong stance on scriptural truth, and his bible-based testimony including that Mr. Richards states he saw Jesus twice which motivated Kirkman to target Mr. Richards through the Thomas Richards character, according to the complaint, which does not provide any concrete examples of Kirkman being aware of Richards or his work. open image in gallery The wildly popular Walking Dead franchise has spawned endless spinoffs and line extensions, which 'biblical scholar' Thomas Richards claims has only worsened the confusion between him and a 'depraved' character in the series with the same name ( Getty Images for AMC ) The complaint attempts to bolster its argument by highlighting what it says were deliberate efforts by AMC in its TV adaptation of the Walking Dead comic books to avoid using the name Thomas Richards. It speculates that the network was aware of the problematic nature of the name, and theorizes that this is why AMC dropped the characters last name and rechristened him, simply, Tomas. Beyond the name, Richards says there are aspects of his eponymous Walking Dead character that suggest its in fact meant to be him. The Walking Deads Thomas Richards was incarcerated for a violent crime, but falsely claimed he had been imprisoned for tax fraud, in order to gloss over his actual past. According to Richardss complaint, this detail maliciously dredges up his past support for a disgraced preacher he once followed named Tony Alamo, nee Bernie Lazar Hoffman, who did six years in the 1990s for tax fraud and in 2009 was sentenced to 175 years after being found guilty of sexually abusing young girls. (Alamo, who infamously took an 8-year-girl as a wife when he was in his 50s, died in prison in 2017, at the age of 82.) Richards insisted to The Independent that while he stuck by Alamo through his tax conviction, he said he immediately reversed course on him once he learned of the new charges and claimed he became so soured on Alamo that he stopped physically going to church altogether. Still, his complaint says the portrayal creates the identifying characteristics that allow readers to reasonably connect the fictional character to Plaintiff. (The complaint, again, contains no concrete proof of this.) I don't know what was in [Kirkmans] head, but it seems like an awfully strange coincidence, said Weingarten Richards. ... So there's a strange parallel there. And it just seemed to me like, it doesn't seem like a coincidence. If Kirkman were to come out and say he modeled the character after another Thomas Richards, which is admittedly not the worlds most unusual name, Weingarten Richards conceded that would definitely weaken the case. At the same time, she said, I mean, I can only go on what I know, right? Even if he says it was a different Thomas Richards, OK, good. Then clear his name and say, You know what, we never meant this Thomas Richards. We meant that Thomas Richards. open image in gallery Kirkman (second from left) is named as a defendant in Thomas Richards's lawsuit over an eponymous character in the smash series ( Getty Images ) In the meantime, Richardss complaint maintains he has suffered mental anguish from being systematically associated with his unsavory, yet fictitious, counterpart. The lawsuit offers Kirkman and the related entities two options to make things right, according to Richards. The first, under the heading CHARACTER REDEMPTION, would have Kirkman and his partners issue a public apology to Richards, then publish storylines within three months showing the Thomas Richards character's complete moral transformation, redemption and evolution into a heroic figure who actively works to protect others and demonstrates genuine remorse for past actions, thereby actively counteracting the negative associations created with Plaintiff's name. The second, under the heading CHARACTER RENAMING, would immediately change the "villainous" characters name in all future publications, digital editions, reprints and derivative works, AND issue a public apology within 30 days of this Court's order. For either option, the complaint says the public apology shall acknowledge the harm caused to Plaintiff's reputation and ministry, [and] express regret for any negative associations created with his name. It also seeks the [i]mplementation of technical measures to disassociate the evil fictional character from search engine results for Thomas Richards, to include revised metadata, disclaimer pages and the de-indexing of all URLs in question, plus quarterly reports for two years documenting compliance with these measures. Thomas is demanding, among other things, compensatory damages of not less than $25 million, punitive and exemplary damages between $350,000 and $10 million, and special damages to be determined by a jury, plus court costs and legal fees. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Police in Australia have announced a A$1m (485,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of fugitive gunman Dezi Freeman, who is suspected of having killed two police officers. More than 450 police have been searching the mountains of Victoria state for the 56-year-old, who is suspected of killing the police officers on a rural property on 26 August. Freeman, a self-identifying sovereign citizen, vanished into dense bushland near rural Porepunkah last month, after allegedly killing the officers and injuring a third when law enforcement officers arrived with a search warrant reportedly tied to a sex crimes investigation. He has been on the run for the past 11 days and despite extensive operations involving helicopters, armoured vehicles, and heavily armed police, the authorities are yet to catch the fugitive. "As part of the effort to locate Freeman and bring him into custody peacefully and safely, police are offering a reward of up to A$1m (485,000) for information on his whereabouts that leads to his arrest," Victoria Police said in a statement. "This reward represents the largest ever offered in Victoria for an arrest." Freeman, thought to be in remote high country, may be alone or have assistance, or could be "dead as a result of self-harm", police said. The search area includes the town of Porepunkah, about 300km northeast of state capital Melbourne, where Freeman is alleged to have run into the bush in wintry weather. Senior Constable Vadim De Waart and Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson ( Victoria Police ) Detective Inspector Dean Thomas, who heads the homicide squad, said on Saturday that the reward would be paid for information leading to the arrest of Freeman, instead of helping secure his conviction. However, he warned the Australian public against trying to join the manhunt in the hope of cashing in on a sighting of the suspect. I strongly oppose anybody doing that, Mr Thomas said. He has already killed two police members and seriously wounded a third. His propensity for using violence has been shown. We have highly skilled specialist police officers out there in the bushland. They are armed, and we dont want people being out there in that area for our police officers to perhaps mistake them for being Freeman and finding themselves in a situation where they have been confronted by our officers. He added: "Were into day 12. We are not at an end. We still have active lines of inquiry that we continue to pursue, and we are very buoyed by the information that we have had come in to date." Victorian premier Jacinta Allan last month paid tribute to the two slain officers, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35, amid what she said was the "huge operation" by authorities to catch Freeman. The suspect, 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, police said. He is part of the sovereign citizens movement, which is known for promoting conspiracy theories and hostility toward law enforcement. The Daily Mail previously reported that Freeman might be tracking the movement of the police using a stolen radio from one of the dead officers. Freemans rejection of authority often played out in Victorias courts, where he faced a string of driving charges. He allegedly insulted judges and lashed out at officers. SHANGHAI, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- A tourism promotion event highlighting the Hexi Corridor, a key artery of the ancient Silk Road, was held in Shanghai on Friday, attracting diplomats, entrepreneurs and representatives from international organizations to explore the corridor's millennia-old history and discuss opportunities for cooperation. Stretching nearly 1,000 km across northwest China's Gansu Province, the Hexi Corridor is home to five UNESCO World Heritage sites and more than 50 grottoes, and it is a major destination for travelers exploring the Silk Road. Friday's event featured a photo exhibition as well as displays of intangible cultural heritage and local specialty products from the Hexi Corridor. Representatives from the cities along the corridor, including Zhangye and Jiuquan, presented their cultural and tourism offerings. Gong Jiajia, deputy director of the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, expressed optimism that the event would draw more global attention to the province. Wang Bing, vice governor of Gansu, extended a warm invitation at the event to global visitors to experience the unique culture of Gansu and the Hexi Corridor. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A cable linking the two carriages on the Lisbon Gloria funicular snapped, a preliminary report into the deadly crash has found. At least 16 people died and 23 people were injured when the carriage came off the tracks at about 6pm on Wednesday. Footage from the crash shows the tram-like funicular, which carries people up and down a hillside in the Portuguese capital, destroyed and emergency workers pulling people out of the wreckage. Five of those killed were Portuguese, along with three Britons, two South Koreans, two Canadians, an American, a Ukrainian, a Swiss and a French national, police said. The carriage had only travelled about six metres when it lost the balancing force of the connecting cable. open image in gallery First responders work at the site of the funicular accident in Lisbon ( Reuters ) The vehicle's brakeguard immediately "activated the pneumatic brake as well as the manual brake", the Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft Accidents and Railway Accidents said. But the brake did not work, and it crashed at around 60kmph (37mph) within about 50 seconds. The violent collision was immediately noticed by bystanders and law enforcement officers present, and emergency services were quickly notified, the report added. When assessing the wreckage, inspectors said: It was immediately clear that the cable connecting the two cabins had given way. However, the report suggests maintenance of the equipment was up to date, with a visual inspection carried out on the morning of the accident. But it notes the area where the cable broke is not visible without dismantling". open image in gallery Police officers inspect the site where the tourist streetcar derailed and crashed in Lisbon ( AP ) Analysis of the wreckage also showed the cable had a specified life of 600 days, but at the time of the accident it had 263 days left. It is still unclear how many victims were travelling on the carriage, which can hold about 40 passengers, and how many were on the street, the document states. The investigators stress they have not reached "valid conclusions" about the cause of the crash and will provide a full preliminary report within 45 days. The line, which opened in 1885 and is popular with tourists, connects Lisbons downtown area near the Restauradores Square with the Bairro Alto (Upper Quarter), known for its vibrant nightlife. Its two cars are attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable with traction provided by electric motors on the cars that counterbalance each other. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A British-born Italian boy will become the first Catholic saint of the millennial generation on Sunday. Carlo Acutis, who died of leukaemia in 2006 aged 15, learned computer code to build websites to spread his faith and will now be elevated to the same level as Mother Teresa and Francis of Assisi. The ceremony in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, which was originally set for April but was postponed after the death of Pope Francis, will be led by Pope Leo XIV and is expected to attract tens of thousands of worshippers. Leo, elected in May to replace Francis, will now preside at such an event for the first time. Leo will also canonise Pier Giorgio Frassati, a young Italian man who was known for helping those in need and died of polio in the 1920s. Carlo's mother, Antonia Salzano, said earlier this year that the heart of her son's appeal to Catholic youth was that he lived the same life as others who were teenagers in the 2000s. open image in gallery Carlo Acutis died of leukaemia in 2006, aged 15 ( AP ) "Carlo was an ordinary child like (others). He used to play, have friends, and go to school. But his extraordinary quality was the fact that he opened the door of his heart to Jesus and put Jesus in the first place in his life." "He used this skill to spread the good news, the Gospel," she added. "He wanted to help people to have more faith, to understand that there is an afterlife, that we are (pilgrims) in this world." Being made a saint means the Church believes a person lived a holy life and is now in Heaven with God. open image in gallery His mother, Antonia Salzano ( Reuters ) Other saints who died at a young age include Therese of Lisieux, who died at 24 in 1897 and was known for promoting a "Little Way" of charity, and Aloysius Gonzaga, who died at 23 in 1591 after caring for victims of an epidemic in Rome. As Carlo progressed along the Church's official path to sainthood, his body was moved to a church in the hill town of Assisi in central Italy, where St. Francis was from, in line with Carlos last wishes. The new saint's final resting place, where Carlo is entombed with a wax mould of his likeness placed over his body, wearing his track top, jeans and trainers, has become a popular devotional site, attracting thousands of worshippers every day. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly transferred to Russia since Vladimir Putins invasion in 2022, and subjected to military training, sexual violence and detention in camps, according to a new report. The report, based on 200 documented cases of recently returned children and young people, found that 41 per cent were forced to take part in weapons training or join paramilitary youth movements such as Yunarmiya. Another 39 per cent experienced forced displacement to far-flung locations in Russia, Crimea or Belarus, with 17 per cent detained in filtration camps or police stations and 10 per cent subjected to torture or cruel treatment. Evidence compiled by War Child UK and Save Ukraine has found that Putins most likely long-term goal is to encourage or coerce Ukrainian children into their armed forces, and to participate in combat against their own country. open image in gallery Young children have been transferred to recreation camps or fostered by Russian families ( Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) The Foreign Office announced on Wednesday that eight individuals and three organisations would be sanctioned over their involvement in the deportations, described by the then foreign secretary David Lammy as despicable. Speaking to psychologists, six per cent of children reported experiencing or witnessing conflict-related sexual violence, while included threats of rape, forced undressing and testimonies that minor girls have been raped by supervisors in camps. For 17-year-old Kseniia, the Russian occupation of her hometown Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region meant that she and her 10-year-old brother Serhii were forced to be separated for the first time. Both orphans, Serhii was taken to the Medvezhonok childrens camp in Russia, while Kseniia was pressured into attending a state-mandated trade school in a border town. Her lessons were designed to erase Ukrainian identity, while her brother was eventually placed with a Russian foster family who informed him that his country had been destroyed, and that his sister had abandoned him. open image in gallery Russian president Vladimir Putin has increased the budget for patriotic education from $50m to $459m in the last two years ( AP ) Similar to the experiences of other Ukrainian children, he was bullied and humiliated by teachers in school, and gradually stopped sending desperate messages begging for help to Kseniia. Every Monday, we would have mandatory lessons and sing the Russian national anthem, I didnt want to sing it, she told The Independent. After this anthem, they would also lift the flag and it would be a big ceremony and we would have lessons about telling us Russia is the best country in the world, its a paradise on earth. Russia was good, Ukraine was bad, if they hadnt attacked Ukraine would have attacked Russia, Ukrainians were planning it, that all of this is orchestrated by the West and Russia is fighting the West. The report has found that 55 per cent of abducted children were subjected to pro-Russian indoctrination, including bans on the Ukrainian language and revised history lessons. In several cases, children have been offered better grades or manipulated into believing they are less likely to receive military draft papers if they join paramilitary groups. Families have been tricked into allowing their children to attend summer camps - only for them to be subjected to intense military training at one of the 200 camps researchers have identified as holding Ukrainian children. One 16-year-old girl said: Every day felt like we were being shaped into something we werent. They didnt treat us like kids. They wanted us to behave like their soldiers. open image in gallery Firefighters working at the site of car garages hit by a Russian drone strike near Kyiv ( Emergency Service of Ukraine ) After initially refusing to allow her children to join Russian schools, one anonymous mother was left terrified after Putins troops began punishing families who did not obey. She said: In our village school, the Russians set up a real torture chamber: a pit, rods, chains, electric shocks. After the torture, people were brought to the hospital barely alive. The deportation, indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children is now believed to be the largest campaign of child rights violations in Europe since the end of the Yugoslav wars. After several months of being held in Russia, Kseniia was eventually able to track down her brother with Save Ukraines help, but found him terrified at the prospect of returning alongside her. I cant go with you, he had told her. "They told me Ukraine is destroyed. That Ill be left to starve. That you dont really want me. He was eventually persuaded, with the siblings travelling for several tense days in May 2023 to return to Ukraine, where they have now started to rebuild their lives. However, tens of thousands of children remain under Russian control which seen many of them issued draft papers to join the military. open image in gallery Areas near the frontline such as Donetsk in the Donbas region have been heavily damaged over the course of the war ( National Guard of Ukraine ) While the Ukrainian government has confirmed 19,546 cases of forcible transfers, data from Yale University believes the real figure to be around 35,000. Kseniia added: My life turned upside down is how I would described it. It ended up not the way I planned or dreamed, I never thought I would live in Kyiv. Save Ukraine inspired me to become a journalist and now Im studying. With my story I want to share the experience I had and be the voice of those who are still stuck in Russia, and to people who dont know what is happening to Ukrainian kids. I feel strong now and Im a fighter but there are other kids who are more vulnerable. Some people dont have enough strength to fight until the end, Im sad about the fact that Russia is abusing these kids, especially young boys training them to be soldiers. Helen Pattinson, CEO of War Child UK said: Protecting children in conflict is not optional; it is a fundamental obligation under international law. At War Child, we work to defend the rights of all children caught in conflict. Its a terrifying experience for a child to be separated from their families, let alone be stolen by another state. The world cannot look away. Were calling for immediate and impactful action from world leaders to return these children to their homes as the absolute bare minimum. open image in gallery Kseniia is now living in Kyiv and is hoping to spread awareness of what is happening to abducted Ukrainian children ( Save Ukraine ) With Putin increasing the budget for patriotic education from $50m in 2022 to $459m in 2025, the NGO Save Ukraine, charity War Child and think-tank Human Security Centre have warned that Ukrainian children are being deliberately targeted. Mykola Kuleba, CEO of Save Ukraine added: Save Ukraine has already rescued more than 800 children from Russia and the occupied territories. In each childs eyes, we see fear; in their voices we hear stories of being forced into military camps, punished for speaking Ukrainian or showing any trace of their heritage, and subjected to relentless psychological and physical abuse. Their very identities are being systematically erased in order to turn them into 'Russian children'. Boys as young as 18 years old are being coerced into fighting for the Russian army and killed in combat. These are not isolated cases. 1.6 million Ukrainian children are being held as hostages in Russia and occupied territories. We must stand together and demand with one voice: Help us let our children go. Nathaniel Raymond, Executive Director at Humanitarian Research Lab continued: "This report is critical to understanding Russia's widespread and illegal militarization, indoctrination, and abuse of Ukraine's children. The testimonials in this report not only raise the voices of these specific children, but the thousands of other children still held by Russia. This report emphasizes the urgent need for Ukraine's children to be returned as a precondition to any end-of-war negotiations." On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A Kremlin official and relative of Vladimir Putin has boasted that Russia has become a world leader in making prosthetic limbs. Deputy defence minister Anna Tsivilyova, said to be the daughter of Putins cousin, said Russia had achieved huge breakthroughs in prosthetic innovation due to the Ukraine war. She told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok: It is precisely the participants in the special military operation who have allowed us to reach such a priority flagship level, speaking of Russias invasion of Ukraine. We are probably leading in this direction now. Russia issued 60,000 more prosthetic limbs in 2024 compared to 2021, a 65 per cent increase, according to its government data. More than one million Russian troops have likely been killed or wounded since February 2022, when the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, according to the UK's Ministry of Defence. In March, it said that up to 250,000 Russians had been killed in Ukraine, with 35,140 killed or injured in February 2025 alone. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy told British broadcaster Piers Morgan in February that 45,100 Ukrainian troops had been killed, and 390,000 injured. open image in gallery Andrii Rubliuk, a senior sergeant with a Ukrainian intelligence unit, lost both of his arms and a leg in battlefield ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) Ms Tsivilyova accidentally revealed the number of search appeals by relatives of soldiers who submitted DNA samples last December. She said the government received 48,000 requests from relatives of Russian troops who were trying to trace soldiers, dead or missing. The number of casualties has so far been treated as a state secret by Russia, which hasnt publicised its military losses. The UK named Ms Tsivilyova as Putins first cousin once removed. The Foreign Office imposed sanctions subject to asset freezes and travel bans on her in June 2022. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice This article first appeared on our partner site, Independent Arabia Every Israeli bomb that falls on Gaza and shakes the strip reminds Sara of her son Hussein. Deaf and non-speaking, Hussein had left their tent carrying a pot to bring back food. When occupation soldiers suddenly opened fire at the hungry crowds lining for aid, Hussein could not heed the danger and was instantly killed in the line of fire. Husseins lifeless body was brought to their tent so that his mother could bid him farewell and bury him. Since that day, Sara has lived in constant fear for the lives of her three remaining deaf and non-speaking children. Whenever she hears gunshots or explosions from raids, she is gripped by anxiety for her children. open image in gallery Israels airstrikes on Gaza are even more dangerous for those who cant hear the missiles coming ( Reuters ) Sara carries her grief inside her soul. She mourns a son who could not hear the sounds of raids and shells, the whizzing of bullets or the movement of armoured vehicles. Her fear for her other deaf childrens lives has led her to forbid them from leaving the tent. She hopes to shield them from the dangers they could face in the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza. Speaking to Independent Arabia, Sara said: I went through a great deal of pain when I buried my son, and I dont want to experience that again with my other children. They are all deaf and at risk in a war where there is nowhere safe to take refuge, so I refuse to let them leave our shelter alone. Whenever the tents where displaced people shelter are attacked, Sara holds her children tight, hoping to shield them from the shrapnel. She accompanies them every time they leave the tent. She explains that she does this out of fear for their safety, as they cannot hear any sounds and could get hurt if there is bombing nearby. open image in gallery Gaza has been in chaos since Israel escalated its attacks on the enclave ( AP/Jehad Alshrafi ) Saras only wish was to find a way to help her deaf children sense the bombing and teach them how to avoid danger if a strike hits or gunfire erupts nearby. In this war on Gaza, there is no distinction between targeting hungry civilians and armed militants. The story of Saras family reflects the harsh reality of life in Gaza as a deaf person. Their disability puts them at particular risk due to their inability to hear the sounds of air raids. They are paying for the price of this disability with their lives. Sign language teacher Fadel Kurraz is desperate to help. Moving between the tents of displaced families, he searches for members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. When he reached Saras tent, she felt that her children had been given a lifeline. Fadel had started an initiative to train deaf people to sense bombing and respond in ways that might save their lives. When the war erupted, I volunteered to help the deaf and hard-of-hearing community pro bono, says Kurraz. I have worked with sign language for 33 years, and have built a strong bond with people living with hearing impairments. During this conflict, I realised that the community urgently needed practical survival training. open image in gallery Palestinians are also facing starvation with warnings of famine ( AP/Abdel Kareem Hana ) He notes that deaf people cannot hear the sound of falling bombs and can suddenly find themselves trapped in crossfire. This drove him to visit displaced camps and teach deaf people how to avoid danger during military operations. The deaf community often possesses exceptional visual awareness, which Kurraz uses as a foundation for his training. He taught Saras children how to react to bombings, shootings and incursions. Accompanied by a number of deaf people, Kurraz explained to them in sign language: When warplanes drop bombs at night, an orange light flashes for a second and this indicates an air raid nearby. In a practical demonstration, Kurraz lies face down on the ground, holding his arms above his head and stretching his legs. This position can save your life and protect your vital organs, he explains. Covering your head with your hands can protect it from hard blows or flying shrapnel. Stay still for a minute, and before moving, look around you. If people are moving steadily and calmly, stand up. If there is chaos, stay where you are and crawl to the nearest refuge or ask those around you for help. open image in gallery A sign language teacher has explained how deaf Palestinians are taught to avoid danger ( AP/Jehad Alshrafi ) Kurraz knows that his students are busy with their occupations during the daytime, which makes it difficult to teach them how to deal with Israeli raids. We must teach the deaf community how to discern shelling from the movements of the people around them. Typically, a strike is preceded by the sound of falling bombs piercing the air which makes a high-pitched whistling noise that can be clearly heard during the day or at night. This sound prompts Gazans to flee the area to avoid death or injury from shrapnel. Based on this pattern of behaviour, Kurraz began training the deaf on how to deal with danger as it arises. If the bombing is close by, hearing people can detect the sounds of explosions and will all start running quickly in one direction, he explains to deaf individuals. You must notice this behaviour, imitate them and go with them towards safety. Recognising that people have different capabilities, Kurraz advises deaf people to lie down if they are unable to run or leave an area targeted by bombing. He stresses the importance of following these instructions and that doing so could save their lives. In an interview with Independent Arabia, he says: This is the optimal response they must follow in times of danger to protect themselves. Otherwise, they are undoubtedly in mortal danger because deaf people are the most vulnerable in Gaza and the most affected by the war. open image in gallery Activists say the deaf community in Gaza have not been given any special protections ( AP ) The sign language teacher now plays a vital role in teaching survival strategies. I have taught deaf people not to go out onto the street when there are explosions, but to stay where they are until the area is safe again and the rescue and emergency teams arrive. Kurraz teaches more than just survival skills. He has also been giving basic sign language lessons to the wider community in Gaza as well. He teaches them signs to indicate danger, such as shelling and explosions, and signs to tell deaf people not to move. He says that he took the initiative to teach basic sign language to people living around deaf and non-speaking individuals in displacement camps, so that they could communicate with them and help keep them safe in times of danger. Kurraz is able to undertake this work with the support of the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children, the only civil society organisation still providing services to the deaf and hard of hearing community in Gaza despite its headquarters being targeted. The organisation's director, Fady Abed, says: The deaf community in Gaza has not received the special international protection to which it is entitled during armed conflict. They face intense suffering due to their inability to sense potential dangers in their surroundings. The Israeli army does not take any measures to protect them during the war. The number of deaf and hard-of-hearing people has risen from 20,000 to 35,000, and they all need training on how to avoid danger during military operations. Translated by Mirane Abou Zaki; Reviewed by Tooba Khokhar and Celine Assaf On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A mass grave site in Tehran, where thousands executed in the aftermath of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution were buried, is being paved over to create a car park. Satellite images reveal that Lot 41 of the sprawling Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, a desolate patch of sand and trees, is being covered with asphalt, likely entombing the remains of those interred there. For decades, this area served as the final resting place for opponents of Iran's nascent theocracy, executed by gunpoint or hanging. The site has long been under surveillance, with cameras monitoring for any signs of dissent or remembrance at what officials have termed the "scorched section". State-sponsored demolition has previously occurred here, with grave markers vandalised and overturned. Iranian officials have acknowledged the recent decision to construct the car park, though they have offered no specific details regarding the identities of those buried beneath. A United Nations special rapporteur in 2024 described Iran's destruction of graveyards as an effort to conceal or erase data that could serve as potential evidence to avoid legal accountability over its actions. open image in gallery Clerics burn representations of the US flag during the annual rally commemorating anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution ( AP ) Most of the graves and gravestones of dissidents were desecrated, and the trees in the section were deliberately dried out, said Shahin Nasiri, a lecturer at the University of Amsterdam who has researched Lot 41. The decision to convert this section into a parking lot fits into this broader pattern and represents the final phase of the destruction process. Last week, both a Tehran deputy mayor and the cemeterys manager acknowledged the plans to create a car park on the site. In this place, hypocrites of the early days of the revolution were buried and it has remained without change for years, Tehran's deputy mayor Davood Goudarzi told journalists in footage aired by state television. "We proposed that the authorities reorganise the space. Since we needed a parking lot, the permission for the preparation of the space was received. The job is ongoing in a precise and smart way. Satellite images show construction The satellite photos show the work began in earnest at the start of August. An 18 August image shows about half of Lot 41 freshly paved over, with construction material still on site. Trucks and piles of asphalt can be seen at the site, suggesting work continued. The reformist newspaper Shargh quoted Mohammad Javad Tajik, who oversees the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, as saying the parking lot would help people visit a neighbouring lot, where authorities plan to bury those killed in the Iran-Israel war in June. A major airstrike campaign by Israel killed prominent military generals and others, with government officials putting the death toll at more than 1,060 people killed, with an activist group putting it at over 1,190. The decision to repurpose the graveyard appears to clash with Iran's own regulations, which allow for a cemetery to repurpose land where internments took place after more than 30 years as long as families of the dead agree with the decision. An outspoken lawyer in Iran, Mohsen Borhani, publicly criticised the decision to pave over the graveyard as neither moral nor legal in an interview with Shargh. "The piece was not only for executed and political people. Ordinary people were buried there, too, he reportedly said. open image in gallery The Islamic Revolutions founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, left, greeted in 1979 in Tehran by his supporters during his return to Iran after 15 years in exile in Iraq and France ( AFP/Getty Images ) It remains unclear whether human remains sit beneath the layer of asphalt or if Iranian authorities moved the bones of the dead there. However, Iran has destroyed other graveyards in recent years for those killed in its 1988 mass execution that saw thousands put to death, leaving their bones there. Authorities have also vandalised cemeteries for the Baha'i, a religious minority in the country long targeted, and those home to protesters who have died in recent nationwide protests against Iran's theocracy from the 2009 Green Movement to the 2022 Mahsa Amini demonstrations. Impunity for atrocities and crimes against humanity has been building for decades in the Islamic Republic," said Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran. There is a direct line between the massacres of the 1980s, the gunning down of demonstrators in 2009, and the mass killings of protesters in 2019 and 2022." Massive cemetery is the final resting place for many Behesht-e Zahra, or the Paradise of Zahra, opened in 1970 on what was then the rural outskirts of Tehran. As hundreds of thousands of Iranians flooded into the capital under the shah as the country's oil wealth skyrocketed, pressure on Tehran's cemeteries had grown to a point that the burgeoning metropolis needed a place for all of its dead as well. The cemetery has long been a resting place for some of the most famous Iranians since and a point where history turned for the country. On his return to Iran in 1979 after years in exile, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini traveled first to the cemetery, where some of those killed in the uprising against the shah had been buried. Khomeini's cleric courts later issued death sentences for those now interred at Lot 41. After his death in 1989, Iran built a towering, golden-domed mausoleum for Khomeini connected to the cemetery. As Behesht-e Zahra grew, Lot 41 found itself surrounded by an ever-expanding number of lots for burials. Nasiri said his research with others suggests there are 5,000 to 7,000 burial sites within Lot 41 of those Iran considered religious outlaws, whether communists, militants, monarchists or others. Many survivors and family members of the victims are still searching for the graves of their loved ones, Dr Nasiri said. They seek justice and aim to hold the perpetrators accountable. The deliberate destruction of these burial sites adds an additional obstacle to efforts of truth-finding and the pursuit of historical justice. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Time has run out for Gaza and for all those forced to endure the apocalyptic hell that is the remains of the besieged Strip. The only way to save the lives of the remaining Palestinian civilians, as well as the hostages and captives held by Hamas militants, is an immediate ceasefire. Followed by unfettered access to massive amounts of aid. But from multiple conversations with foreign diplomats, sources close to all sides, and people on the ground, it seems there are only two ways to get there. The first is a powerful enough rebellion from within Israel, where near-daily protests are taking place against prime minister Benjamin Netanyahus decision to expand operations and pursue a boots-on-the-ground occupation of Gaza City. The second would be if US President Donald Trump, Israels greatest ally and largest provider of weapons, decides to intervene. Which, so far, he has resolutely chosen not to do. The Israeli government has presented and doubled down on its five main conditions for immediately ending the war. Hamas must release all the remaining 50 hostages and disarm, while Gaza must be demilitarised and come under full Israeli security control. Israel has also said that neither the Hamas militant group nor the Palestinian Authority, which is anchored in the occupied West Bank and recognised internationally, would be permitted to be part of Gazas future governing body. Even with these conditions, Netanyahus military objectives to conquer Gaza City will not budge and must come first, according to sources briefed on his governments position. This is also the fear of the majority of the families of the hostages. As the Israeli daily Haaretz reported, Netanyahu is in no hurry to advance a major move because the perpetuation of the present situation serves him politically... This is why that for as long as no real American pressure is directed at Netanyahu to end the fighting, no apparent signs of a deal will be seen. open image in gallery Demonstrators wave signs and shout slogans calling for the end of the war in the Gaza Strip, in Jerusalem, Wednesday, 3 September 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) And so people briefed on attempts at truce negotiations have repeatedly told me that it is deliberately impossible to demand Hamas agree to these five conditions with nothing really promised in return especially while on the ground, Israel advances military and ramps up its 22-month bombardment. This is particularly true given statements by the likes of Netanyahus extreme-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who says the aim of the new offensive is the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories, for Gaza to be entirely destroyed, and that Palestinians must leave in great numbers to third countries. Such language, implying war crimes, has such disturbing implications that it has been condemned by David Lammy, the UKs now former foreign secretary, who was due to go to Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia next week. Any UK deputation sent in his place will no doubt try to discuss with Doha, which has been a main mediator, any route towards a ceasefire. The UK and other European states are under increasing pressure to take further action, including lobbying Mr Trump, imposing their own arms embargo on Israel, and cancelling trade deals. But without the US leading the charge, will anything change? On Friday, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant warned that Israel is opening the gates of hell in Gaza. The Israeli military is already closing in on the remaining neighbourhoods of Gaza City, and raining bombs down on areas which Palestinian families have told me they are desperately trying to flee, with nowhere safe to go. In the middle of this, the Israeli military actually briefed the families of the remaining hostages that the Gaza City operation will increase risk to living hostages and the permanent loss of deceased hostages. open image in gallery A relative carries the body of Palestinian infant Jabr Al-Ashhab, who was killed in an Israeli military strike, during his funeral outside Shifa Hospital in Gaza City ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) In a joint statement, the families said they are deeply concerned to our very core that the operation puts their loved ones in immediate and direct danger. We are appalled by the chief of staff's decision to cooperate with an unnecessary war, especially when the chief of staff himself believes the same objectives can be achieved through means that would not endanger the hostages and soldiers, they wrote. There is a deal on the table this is what will bring back the last hostage, this is what will end the war. There are growing signs of resistance from within Israel, where the population is increasingly alarmed by the rising (and for Israel, unprecedented) death toll among Israeli soldiers, as well as the fact that it is increasingly becoming a pariah state internationally. I have been told there is a surge in soldiers refusing to turn up for reserve duty, with some Israeli media reporting that in the last major offensive earlier this year, as many as 30,000 failed to show. Many, including ex-heads of the military and intelligence agencies, do not believe there is a way to win this war as Netanyahu has promised. And the costs are too high. Israels bombardment of Gaza has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities, sparked famine according to the UN-backed global hunger monitor, and displaced nearly the entire 2.3 million-strong population. The largest professional organisation of scholars studying genocide said this week that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, joining a chorus of rights groups long who have long voiced the same concern. The Israeli government may deny all of this, but those denials are sounding weaker and weaker. The situation is beyond critical, beyond catastrophic, beyond what any words can describe. What is happening and has happened in Gaza is already a bleak mark on history. The consequences of it will be felt for generations. Now is the time to end this nightmare. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Royal Caribbean may have only launched Star of the Seas last month but it has already reached a major milestone for its next mega cruise ship. The cruise lines third Icon Class ship Legend of the Seas officially touched water for the first time earlier this week. A float-out ceremony was held at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, marking an important stage in the construction of Legend, which is due to launch with Mediterranean sailings in August 2026. The ships dry dock was filled with water overnight on Tuesday 2 September in a process that took almost 12 hours. Read more: The best cruise ships to travel on in your lifetime Once the dock was filled, the Royal Caribbean ship was floated onto the water and the final touches will be added ahead of its debut next year. Water fills the Meyer Turku dockyard to prepare Legend of the Seas for its float-out ceremony ( Royal Caribbean ) The megaship will be the third in the Icon Class, joining Icon and Star of the Seas as the worlds largest cruise ships. Similar to its sisters, it will have the largest waterpark and slides at sea, as well as a high ropes course and 40 bars and restaurants to cater for 5,610 passengers. Legend will be the first Icon Class ship to debut from Europe in August 2026 with seven-night western Mediterranean itineraries starting from Barcelona. Prices start at 1,778 per person. The ship will make her Caribbean debut in November 2026 with six-night western Caribbean and eight-night southern Caribbean sailings, including visits to Royal Caribbeans Perfect Day at CocoCay private island in the Bahamas. Legend will also be Royal Caribbeans fourth ship joining Icon, Star and Utopia that is fuelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and also uses waste heat recovery systems and shore power connection. More megaships are on their way. Royal Caribbean has signed an agreement with Meyer Turku to order a fourth Icon Class ship for delivery in 2027. The agreement also includes options to build a fifth and sixth. Read more: The best Royal Caribbean cruises 'People no longer wanted to be associated with the traditional, local way of speaking': Are Irish accents as we know them dying out? He asked me for no tears: Story of abuse by a priest at boarding school told in a new play Gerard Gormans experiences are brought to the stage with poems by his brother Damian and music by piper Leonard Barry. It is a story of hope amidst the darkness Poet and playwright Damian Gorman (right) with musician Leonard Barry during rehearsals for Boy at the Hawks Well Theatre in Sligo. Photo: Lorcan Doherty Kathy Donaghy Sat 6 Sep 2025 at 06:30 Damian Gorman knew there was a darkness roaming the halls of St Colmans College, Co Down known as Violet Hill when he visited his older brother, Gerard, there as a child. KABUL, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Counter-narcotics police have confiscated 95 kg of illicit drugs in northern Afghanistan's Takhar province, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said in separate statements on Saturday. The seizures occurred in Taluqan city, the provincial capital, and Farkhar district, where police uncovered 95 kg of opium. The ministry stated that two suspects were detained concerning the case, and their dossiers were referred to the judiciary for further investigation. In a related effort to tackle drug addiction, authorities in western Herat province recently rounded up 303 drug users, who have been transferred to a rehabilitation center for medical treatment and support, the ministry said in another statement. The Afghan government has intensified its nationwide campaign against narcotics, targeting traffickers, cultivators, and production networks, with a commitment to eradicate poppy farming and heroin manufacturing. Conor McGregor hires new lawyers to examine appeal of Nikita Hand civil rape case to Supreme Court After losing his challenge in the Court of Appeal at the end of July, the former MMA fighter has retained Mulholland Law to launch fresh enquiries Conor McGregor hires new lawyers as he considers Supreme Court appeal to civil rape case decision Shane Phelan Sat 6 Sep 2025 at 06:30 Conor McGregor has retained new lawyers to represent him in the Nikita Hand civil rape case, as he considers further appealing the matter to the Supreme Court. Mary Robinson yesterday stayed firmly on the sidelines of the latest presidential election race as she received another prestigious honour, choosing to use her platform to speak out on what she condemned as the unfolding genocide in Gaza instead. Jim Gavin kept out of spotlight as Micheal Martin puts pressure on undecideds in final stretch of Fianna Fail presidential contest Billy Kelleher vows to keep fighting for the partys nomination Jim Gavin, former Dublin GAA football manager, has the backing of Micheal Martin. Photo: PA Tabitha Monahan Sat 6 Sep 2025 at 06:30 Taoiseach Micheal Martin is to put the squeeze on Fianna Fail backbenchers who have not said who they will back for the presidential nomination. Psychiatrist Brendan Kelly: AI therapy is here to stay but it is not a reliable source of mental health support The Trinity College professor outlines how artificial intelligence apps might offer sensible advice at first. But they tend not to challenge the direction of a users thoughts, the way a good friend or therapist might Alarm bells: If a person is depressed and has thoughts of self-harm, AI can amplify this negative thought pattern Brendan Kelly Sat 6 Sep 2025 at 06:30 In April of this year, Adam Raine, a 16-year-old boy from California, died by suicide following what his familys legal representative called months of encouragement from ChatGPT. Raines family are suing OpenAI, the makers of Chat GPT, one of the worlds most popular AI apps. Deputy PM Rayner quits UK government over stamp duty, as Starmer reshuffles front bench Ms Rayner was facing scrutiny over payments related to a second home in Hove FILE PHOTO: Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner arrives for a cabinet meeting at Downing Street in London, Britain, September 2, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Nina Lloyd Press Association Sat 6 Sep 2025 at 06:30 Angela Rayner has resigned from the UK government after Keir Starmers ethics adviser, Laurie Magnus, found she had breached the ministerial code over her underpayment of stamp duty on a seaside flat. Richard Curran: Trumps America First policies will force Ireland to pivot from Boston to Berlin for our future growth US tech and pharma companies helped our economy grow but if it all goes south, they wont be picking up the pieces Donald Trump displays a list of reciprocal tariffs. Photo: Getty Richard Curran Sat 6 Sep 2025 at 06:30 Chinas president Xi Jinping glad-handing Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin on our screens during the week had more than a hint of a movie about it. Not so much a gathering of Bond villains as a scene from Austin Powers or The Naked Gun. School secretaries and caretakers who are Forsa trade union members are on strike. Photo: Conor McCabe When the outcome of a meeting is to hold another meeting, it all may seem like a waste of time. On the other hand, nothing is more unproductive than one side standing outside holding a placard and the other not talking. After a week of industrial action, schools are struggling to operate as normal a couple have even had to close. More will be sure to follow unless the Government takes the initiative. The appeal by the countrys three main teacher unions for the Government to enter talks with the Forsa trade union to resolve the strike by school secretaries and caretakers could not be more timely. The unions have highlighted that a settlement can only be hammered out with face-to-face talks, and that the current situation is unsustainable. Any fruitful discussion needs to focus on progress. Outright victory in addressing all outstanding grievances, however justifiable, is going to require time. But the Government and Education Minister Helen McEntee have to recognise that the approximate 2,800 school secretaries and caretakers are indispensable. Offering first-class service, they have had to accept second- class conditions even though their roles are pivotal to the smooth running of our schools. Their claims for access to public-sector pensions and other entitlements are utterly legitimate and have to be seriously addressed. It is regrettable that last weeks exploratory talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) were unable to avert the strike action. However, Ms McEntee has previously said that her department is prepared to meet with Forsa at the WRC to find a solution. This needs to happen urgently. As Paul Crone, of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, said on RTE: This will only be resolved through dialogue, and the longer it goes on, the longer relations will be strained. So, for everybodys sake, they need to start that dialogue. Labour leader Ivana Bacik said it is extraordinary that the Government has not intervened in the strike. Youre talking about issues in toilets, blocked toilets, drains Many might agree with her, especially the school principals and their deputies who are desperately trying to fill in for their invaluable colleagues. Michael Finn, the principal of Gorey Community School, Wexford, which was forced to close some classes, said: Youre talking about issues in toilets, blocked toilets, drains youre talking about little electrical faults. The big thing really is health and safety. Mr Finn was worried that the strike wasnt going anywhere, and that the situation could further deteriorate. Forsas key demand is to have the 2,300 secretaries put on the Department of Educations payroll, and the 500 caretakers put on the public service pension scheme. Such a move would effectively make them public servants. There is sympathy within government circles for the demand, but it falls to Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers to find the money. The implications for the public purse could be considerable, as the knock-on effect could lead to pay claims from other workers involved in state projects. However, each case can only be judged on its merits, and the only practical way to do this is by direct dialogue. The famous British trade union leader Ernest Bevin said: The first thing to decide before you walk into any negotiation is what to do if the other fellow says no. But the last thing that should happen is for neither side to speak to each other. Luke ONeill: Breast milk is a gift from nature that protects babies and mothers Not only does breastfeeding confer natural protection on a baby but it also passes on benefits of vaccines administered to the mother A young baby being breastfed. Photo: Getty Luke O'Neill Sat 6 Sep 2025 at 16:00 Last week, I was at an immunology conference in Stockholm. There were lots of interesting presentations on the role played by the immune system. There were great discussions on how to get it to kill tumours or how to dial it down when it is overactive and causing diseases such as arthritis, diabetes and Parkinsons. Naoise Dolan: As I wait to board the flotilla, even the cats of Tunis are a reminder of Gazas plight Irish members of the Sumud Flotilla were briefly heartened by news of the Irish Central Banks decision on Israeli bonds A stray cat in Tunis: "The cats remind me of the many stories of Palestinians in Gaza rescuing cats from the rubble, sharing scarce food and water with them." Photo: Hasan Mrad/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Naoise Dolan Sat 6 Sep 2025 at 16:00 I check the news from Gaza each morning as I wait at my dock to sail with an international aid flotilla. Here in Tunisia, we cant leave until delayed boats from Spain come to meet us. We were supposed to depart on Thursday; we will now be here at least a few days longer. A steep learning curve with no two days the same thats the verdict from new councillors whove now completed a full year in Cork County Council. The June 2024 local elections saw 14 new members elected to the 55-member body. The Irish Independent talked to some of the first-timers to get a flavour of what the last year has been like. West Cork Councillor Isobel Towse said shes learned that power mainly lies with the executive rather than councillors. This can be positive or negative, depending on the issue and if you align with the executive. Ultimately councillors need more power in decision-making, within the realms of national legislation and guidelines, the Social Democrat said. At the same time she welcomes the fact that the council is bound by national and EU legislation: I fear that if councillors had the power to override such legislation, hedges would be shaved within an inch of their lives all year round, we would be dredging rivers without consultation, we would generate less renewable energy and ultimately emit even more carbon than we currently do. Cllr Towse likes that voting on the council is less party-centric than it is in the Dail. Voting feels a bit freer and there's a sense of working together on the more local issues in particular, she says. Cllr Rory Cocking was elected in East Cork for Fine Gael. He says it has been a quick learning curve over the past year with no two days the same. Being a councillor is in one sense both what I expected it to be, and, in a complete contradiction, it is like nothing I could have imagined. In just over twelve months the role has opened my eyes to projects and proposals that I knew nothing of previously. It has shown me firsthand the continued dedication and sacrifice of both community groups and representatives, it has taken me to places that I have never visited and it has enabled me to meet people of all interests and backgrounds. Fermoy Councillor Nelius Cotter said: its been a whirlwind of a year since my election, from meeting officials, engineers and council staff and really figuring out how to get stuff done. Cllr Neilus Cotter after his election in June 2024. Photo: Pauline O'Dwyer. As someone who likes dealing with people, its a very rewarding job from helping constituents with small day-to-day issues or getting big constituency projects over the line, the Fianna Fail councillor said. Cllr Daniel Sexton was elected in West Cork and represents Independent Ireland. He describes the last year as a huge learning curve. I might have thought going into politics that I would change everything overnight, but Ive learned that even making very small positive changes and helping people where I can make a real difference. Ive come to realise just how much the council is involved in shaping life across the county, he said. Cllr Peter O'Donoghue after his election in June 2024. Photo: Pauline O'Dwyer. Its tougher to be an independent, Cllr Peter O'Donoghue has learned. He was elected in Fermoy and is one of eight independents in the council. Being an independent is much more difficult than being a member of a party as you have very little backup and very few people to fall back on for a helping hand or advice. The benefits though are that you can speak your mind and represent your constituents as you see fit and not be curtailed by any party whip in doing so. Cllr John Buckley, an independent elected in East Cork, agrees. "As an independent you have to be very forceful with your voice as the bigger parties seem to dismiss the independent voice. Sometimes it feels like if I joined a party - which has been offered to me - that I would achieve more. But for now I will be remaining an independent councillor. The role of an independent councillor can be a lonely role at times but I am there to keep the bigger parties in check and to see that I get the best for my constituents in East Cork. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. The Global South Media and Think Tank Forum 2025 is running from Sept. 5 to 9 in southwest China's Yunnan Province. Come along as we explore the charm of the host city, fondly known as the "Spring City." Construction begins on biggest airport investment in 25 years Pictured for the signing of contracts between Cork Airport and PJ Hegarty for the 200 million Capital Development Plan with the construction of new mezzanine floor were Peter Riordan, Roy O'Driscoll, Feidhlim O'Neill, Dorothy Coffey, Maurice Killeen, Niall MacCarthy, Fergus O'Rourke and Ciaran McCann. The contract for works was awarded to Cork based PJ Hegarty after a competitive tender process. Photo by David Creedon A new era is being heralded at Ireland's second-busiest airport, as work begins on a landmark 200 million investment at Cork. The plans include the construction of a new mezzanine floor, new screening equipment, a body scanner, and the reconfiguration of the arrivals area. Cork-based building firm PJ Hegarty has been awarded the contract for the first phase of the works. In what Cork Airport calls its most significant capital investment in almost a quarter of a century since the construction of the current passenger terminal the new mezzanine floor will house an expanded security screening area. This will allow passengers to keep liquids and laptops inside their bags, helping to maintain Cork's impressive low security waiting times as passenger traffic continues to grow. A larger executive lounge and a dedicated fast-pass lane will also be added. This is the first of several phases, which will culminate in the demolition of the old terminal and the construction of a brand-new pier, boosting flight capacity at an airport already experiencing record passenger numbers this year. Passengers can also look forward to a brighter layout, a new cafe/bar, and upgraded car hire facilities, as part of works the airport says will ensure efficiency and comfort over the coming decade. We are delighted to be working with PJ Hegarty, a respected Irish construction company on this important first step in our terminal development, said Managing Director Niall MacCarthy. Airports are long-term national assets and its vital that we plan and invest in infrastructure for future decades. This project will support jobs, tourism and the wider economy in the South of Ireland. As with our runway reconstruction in 2021, we will deliver this on time and within budget while keeping disruption to a minimum. When complete, passengers will enjoy an even better experience in a terminal we can all be very proud of. Dublin Airport Authority chief executive, Jenny Jacobs, said he is confident the project will run to schedule and on budget. At daa were proud to operate both Cork and Dublin airports, delivering excellent customer service and world-class infrastructure that supports Irelands growth. With PJ Hegarty on board, Im confident well deliver it on time, on budget, and to the highest standards. Cork angling club say they are homeless following massive River Blackwater fish kill Mallow Trout Anglers are demanding better communication from State agencies over the still-perplexing fish kill Brown trout in River Blackwater Martin Mongan Corkman Sat 6 Sep 2025 at 07:20 Mallow Trout Anglers Committee ask for clarity as many questions relating to the catastrophic disaster that killed over 50,000 fish on the River Blackwater remain unanswered nearly a month on. The Lord Mayor of Cork is postponing the traditional series of school visits to the over 130 schools in the city due to the ongoing strike action by school caretakers and secretaries. The visits, which the Lord Mayor called a cherished tradition in Cork, were due to begin next week. Putting on the historic chain of office each morning is a solemn reminder to me of the great Lord Mayors before me who sacrificed so much for the principles of fairness, integrity and equality, Cllr. Fergal Dennehy said in a statement. It is not within my remit as Lord Mayor to intervene in industrial action, but I do believe it is my role to respect those that seek fairness and equality. I also recognise the importance that school secretaries and caretakers play in the success of these visits, often they are the people who quietly ensure everything runs smoothly on the day. To continue the visits without them being present would go against the very spirit of fairness and recognition that the office of Lord Mayor stands for. School secretaries and caretakers who are members of the Forsa trade union are striking to demand public sector status so that they can access a pension and bereavement leave and better sick-pay entitlements. The Lord Mayor said that once the current dispute is resolved, his office will work with schools to reschedule the visits. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. Cork County Council has been urged to reject the proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Newmarket due to its clear and unacceptable threat to rural landscape, public safety and environment by Senator Nicole Ryan. French energy company Neoen received conditional permission for the energy storing facility from Cork County Council in July. The large energy storage facility will be equipped with lithium-ion batteries. The proposed site is located beside a 1,000-year-old graveyard, the River Dalua and in close proximity to residential properties. The plans consist of a 10-year planning permission for an energy storage facility with a 35-year lifespan at Curraduff. The planning permission comes with 28 conditions. The works will see energy storage containers installed on concrete plinths and the development of underground electrical and communications cabling, electrical inverters and transporters as well as security fencing and gates. It will also include an upgrade of the existing agricultural entrance from the L5039 and the development of an on-site access track and pole-mounted security cameras. Read more Residents opinions must be taken on board regarding controversial battery storage facility proposed for north Cork Sinn Fein Senator Nicole Ryan said the pattern in rural Ireland is deeply unjust. Rural Ireland is consistently being treated as a dumping ground for dangerous industrial projects that would never be permitted in our cities. This BESS development is a prime example. The Council's decision to approve this facility in the heart of our agricultural land and on a towns, doorstep is a complete disregard for the well-being of our community. Senator Ryan wants clarity from Cork County Council on why the energy storage facility is not being built in an urban area. If this technology is so safe and so vital for our energy future, why are you not building it in urban areas where the energy is actually consumed? Why is it only good enough for the people of rural Ireland to live next to this hazard? The answer is clear: the risks are too great, and you are offloading them onto us." The Cork politician continued: The group's appeal outlines serious environmental and safety concerns which I 100% agree with. Ireland currently has no specific regulations or guidelines for BESS facilities, nor does it have a designated authority to oversee their safety. Lithium-ion batteries contain a liquid electrolyte that can react with moisture to create hydrofluoric acid (HF), one of the most dangerous substances in industrial use. A thermal runaway event can release toxic gas even without a fire. Read more Residents opinions must be taken on board regarding controversial battery storage facility proposed for north Cork If this substance were to leak into the local watercourse, the effects on the protected River Blackwater and its species, including Atlantic salmon, would be catastrophic. The proposal includes only one access point and it also lacks an adequate water supply for firefighting and a specific emergency plan. Equally there is no proper plan for the costly and complex decommissioning of this facility, she added. Senator Ryan urged the Council to consider the long-term impact on local agriculture, water quality, and public safety. Our farmland is a resource for food security, not an industrial dumping ground. I am calling on the Council to put the well-being of its people and the environment ahead of corporate interests." Sligo prepares for its first Relay for Life a communitys way of saying get lost cancer Ahead of next weekends Relay for Life at ATU Sligo, former editor of The Sligo Champion Jim Gray hails the value of the unique event and recalls his own cancer journey Jim Gray Jim Gray Sligo Champion Sat 6 Sep 2025 at 08:00 The embryonic Presidential Election might seem like a strange place to start, but hear me out. In a recent edition of The Irish Times, in an illuminating piece on prospective Fianna Fail candidate, Jim Gavin, the always-informative sportswriter, Malachy Clerkin, recalled the only time he had ever heard the famously erudite Gavin use a curse word. Heritage Week was celebrated in Sligo with an array of over 60 community led events held over nine days in glorious sunshine. The theme for Heritage Week 2025 was Exploring Our Foundations and attracted large attendances at many of the events throughout the week. Each year Heritage Week is a unique opportunity for local communities to host a vibrant celebration of the wonderful natural, built and cultural heritage of the county. It is an opportunity to build awareness and enjoyment of our heritage and encourage its conservation and preservation into the future. Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council and Chair of County Sligo Heritage Forum, Cllr. Donal Gilroy said: A special thank you to all the groups, individuals and communities who took part in hosting events and who made Heritage Week 2025 a wonderful success! Their creativity, collaboration and dedication make National Heritage Week what it is! Without their interest, hard work and voluntary commitment Heritage Week would not be possible. Thanks also to all those who attended events throughout the week, your support was crucial and greatly appreciated by all the organisers. It was fantastic to gather once again in celebration of our national heritage. We hope that you enjoyed all the events and are already planning for Heritage Week 2026. The Heritage Council has also announced details of this years National Heritage Week Awards, inviting nominations from event organisers across Ireland. Event organisers must put themselves forward for consideration for an award. Online nominations for the National Heritage Awards will close at midnight on Tuesday, 9th September 2025. For more details and online applications see - www.heritageweek.ie. This years National Heritage Week Awards will comprise the following categories: Exploring Our Foundations Award Wild Child Event Award Water Heritage Day Award Inclusive Heritage Award Irish Language Award Sustainability and Climate Award Intangible Cultural Heritage Award - The Micheal O Muircheartaigh Award County Award 2025 Heritage Hero Award Every year the Heritage Council awards the Heritage Hero Award to an individual or organisation that has demonstrated over a substantial period of time an outstanding contribution to the protection and promotion of heritage. This award is based on nominations from the public. This award recognises the work and contribution made to heritage in Ireland. Nominations are welcome from the public for an individual or organisation you deem worthy of this award. Cllr Gilroy added: "The Heritage Councils Heritage Hero Award is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate those who work often voluntarily and always tirelessly to ensure the preservation and protection of our heritage. I would strongly urge the heritage sector in Sligo to recognise its own dedication and accomplishments in this regard and to consider nominating an individual or organisation that they consider worthy of the Heritage Hero Award 2025. Wicklow IFA chair Selena McKenzie has said that the trend of Garden County farmers switching to organic production is a boon for consumers, but more supports and a focus on expanding the organics market are required if farmers produce is to receive fair value and not end up being sold as conventional produce. LivVantage Studio spearheaded by Olivia LaVelle is a celebration of creative adventure, community, and culture LaVelle studio was recently awarded 8,000 for a Communicating Europe project set to showcase by the end of 2025. Photo by Nancy Wilde 2024. LaVelle introduces herself as a 'Karen' but says the connotation needs to be turned around to represent the female leaders who speak up. Photo by Caoimhe Hughes At the corner of Shop Street and Cross Street, where buskers, tourists, and people-watchers buzz in a steady hum, an unmarked doorway stands unnoticed no sign, no number, no hint that just upstairs a small fashion studio quietly works to stitch Galway back into its bohemian spirit, one government funding award at a time. The creative oasis of LivVintage Studio reveals itself only by a small St. Brigids Cross above an otherwise nondescript doorway, leading up a weathered yellow hallway. But inside, the space feels lived-in, loved, and used. Exactly how owner Olivia LaVelle imagined when she sought out a creative space that would meet a genuine yet practical need for creatives in the city. Velvet couches form a circle around antique wooden desks and warmly lit lamps, giving the studio the inviting air of a sitting room. A variety of sewing machines, vintage coats, shoes, photography gear, and material scatter the surfaces of the room. A lighting kit still stands from a recent workshop with SAUTI-Youth, an initiative that increases youth participation in climate action around Galway, for an all-day styling and marketing camp. Participants learned how to shop and style second-hand clothing, then step into the role of creative director for a professional-grade photoshoot. They left not just with hands-on industry experience and new pieces to add to their wardrobe, but with the option of a letter of recommendation from LaVelle herself, should they choose to pursue work in the world of fashion or marketing. We live in a global world. So, if our shoots are Hollywood level, maybe somebody in Hollywood might buy them. But the fun of doing a Hollywood level shoot, and the healing that happens, and the skills that are learned are just where its at for me, LaVelle said. A place for creatives to call home. Photo by Nancy Wilde 2024. The Beginning when some things work out and some dont The story that brought Olivia to Galway city and with it, her mission to revive the citys once-famous bohemian spirit, is a wild one. A half-completed drive through South America, navigating the challenges of single motherhood, pitching an AI software company, and becoming a psychology professional all with the simple goal of providing something for everyone. Now, she works on a fashion hub where people feel the welcome and support she once longed for as a young person, and a place designed to nurture transferable skills, spark creativity, and ignite entrepreneurial ambition. When I went to secondary school, I realised for the first time that I was creative. I come from a farming background. My mother's a dressmaker, more hard workers than creative, I would say. So creative is not welcomed. Getting into fashion school in Limerick was soon met with a realisation that luck had to be on her side to make it big in the industry, and if it wasnt she was at best going to be a seamstress for somebody who did get that strike of luck. She left the programme and set off for South America, trading one classroom for another to teach English in the Favelas of Brazil. When she eventually returned to Ireland, with a young son in tow, she re-entered education, this time pursuing psychology and languages. I graduated my masters to a recession, so we knew graduating there would not be jobs. You know, my son at the time became unwell. The three things together: lone parenting, housing crisis, and your kid having extra health needs was the straw that broke the camel's back. A woman once said to me, I failed as a mother, and it freed me from a prison I was in. Six months before my son turned 18, I decided the last act of mothering on this case, the case being my kid who's a young man of today's world, was that I would pull myself into a place that I deserve to be in. Photo by Nancy Wilde 2024. So I leased this studio the last of Bohemian Galway. My plan was to spend two years building a community and then launching an export level brand. The brand is very simple. What's not simple is building the community. When she started out, she thrifted a huge amount of clothes hoping the sales of those pre-loved items would keep the rent paid and the lights on. But selling second-hand clothes was far more difficult than she thought even as she ventured into more curated items for other demographics. I did one big market, and nobody wanted to buy anything. I realised that there is no money in selling preloved clothes. That left LaVelle reflecting on the sustainability of the textiles that seemed stagnantly waiting in her closet, and, more broadly, on the gaps in the circular economy she had hoped to support. As she took a closer look at the inconsistencies within small community economies like the one she was trying to build in Galway, LaVelle began to argue that government intervention is essential to addressing these systemic issues. The politicians need to hear this. The government has a responsibility to deal with textile waste, the over consumption and fast fashion. But how do we deal with that? And how do we build circular economy? For LaVelle, the answer lies in shifting priorities: greater government support for businesses that invest in sustainable, circular practices. She hopes that increased funding for Galways creative sector will follow, funding she will be eager to apply for as fuel for the community initiatives she has coming down the pipeline. LaVelle studio was recently awarded 8,000 for a Communicating Europe project set to showcase by the end of 2025. Photo by Nancy Wilde 2024. Small funding for big ideas LivVintage studio just received 8,000 in funding for a project submitted under the Communicating Europe Initiative (CEI) where she will use fashion and marketing to draw a connection of the EUs presence in everyday life. The project I proposed to the European Union, is that outfits are our way of expressing ourselves, and that often those that wear big outfits have an unusual opinion, they're on the periphery. In collaboration with Stray Cats Press, a local zine club hosted in Massimos, LivVintage will run a series of four workshops where participants will make their own mini magazine. Street interviews and photography will also be conducted asking fashionistas what they want to communicate with their sense of fashion and what they would say to Europe if it was listening. Once the content is gathered, the goal is for a formal magazine to be published. It's just so validating. Everyone may not understand what I'm doing, but Europe does. The CEI funding LivVintage received acts as the first piece of external funding for the studio. Recalling the tight months to keep the lights on and dwindling savings to keep this dream alive, Olivia pushes for creatives to be fully supported with a living wage, a recognition of just how vital the arts community is to Galways cultural fabric. A return to Bohemia Galway one community and one creative at a time. Photo by Caoimhe Hughes I honestly believe that these fashion designers that are making their own brand, crafters that are making craft, all the people you're going to find at your markets, they should be supported with a living wage, or grants, just like the farmers because their industry is needed. But the money you make doesn't support you to live right. Thats why I've spotted a gap here and I'm trying to put a twist on it in my own way now. I would love to see Galway be renown again as the Bohemian capital of Ireland and be renown with the best flea markets, but this takes development on the governmental level and I'm ambitious enough to be going for that funding. And I'm looking for collaborators who want to work with me. She added. I am just a girl. Call me Karen In the beginning of our interview, LaVelle joked about an alter ego that she said gets a bad rap. She introduced herself as a Karen adding that this other persona is largely responsible for her drive and intensity, and thats a positive thing. The joke carried weight: a wry nod to the unique challenges of being a woman in leadership and business within an Irish context. LaVelle introduces herself as a 'Karen' but says the connotation needs to be turned around to represent the female leaders who speak up. Photo by Caoimhe Hughes I think it's a time of discovery of who Irish women are in business. And there's some amazing women around town that I just looked towards. I feel like they're women who ask me certain questions at certain times, say certain things at certain times. They're intimidating women, but they're all brilliant at what they do and brilliant at being women leaders. So I come in here and I say Hi, my name is Olivia, but you can call me Karen. meaning I'll probably say something. I'll probably get cancelled. I'm fighting for a lot here that maybe you don't understand. I've come through a lot that maybe you don't understand but bear with me. Forty something years being just a girl, you know? She wants to turn the Karen stereotype on its head to cut through much of the surface level that stands in the way of true community and collaboration. Its also where her mothering instinct comes through, in the way she works with both young people and fellow creatives: making sure they are truly seen, heard, and supported in doing what they love. The studio, the fashion, the skills, the projects are all just the means for LivVintage to achieve that ultimate goal: belonging. It is really, really time to change Karen to like Karina. Karina is Karen 2.0. She comes with all the wrath of a Karen, all the respect, but she enjoys it. I swear just that good vibe will have her doing what's right for the community. Karen is not a bystander. Yes, she gets it wrong sometimes. Yes, she needs to check her privilege. But she's not a bystander, and we need to applaud that person for that. Olivia gets excited when she thinks about all that is to come, as if she and her studio are on the brink of seeing the fruits of her labour and witnessing the local community come together in exciting, new ways. The remainder of this year is action packed for the studio between the CEI project taking place before Christmas, the studios participation in Dublin Independent Fashion Week, expanding the workshop side of the studio to include sewing machines, and launching her own personal line of clothing. At the end of the day, its really about leaving a legacy of community, love, and support for like-minded people, especially for those who havent always had a motherly presence or their own biggest cheerleaders. This is my last act of motherly love I'm excited for Galway. I'm excited for the studio to build. I'm excited for this way of looking at solving our creative solutions for the world we live in in a community sense, I'm looking forward to getting more funding and expanding. Next stop, she said, world domination. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. Any Western soldiers in Ukraine would be legitimate target, warns Putin Comment comes as Macron pledges post-war security guarantee from EU A serviceman of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stands at a position near a front line in Donetsk, Ukraine, amid Russian attacks on the region. Photo: Reuters Max Hunder and Susan Heavey Reuters Sat 6 Sep 2025 at 06:30 Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that thousands of foreign troops could be deployed to his country under post-war security guarantees, but Russian leader Vladimir Putin said Moscow would regard them as legitimate targets to attack. The father of a German toddler who was miraculously pulled from the wreckage of the funicular crash in Lisbon has been found alive, after his family was told he may be dead. Local media had initially reported that the German national had died in front of his son in the crash, which killed 16 people on Wednesday evening. The family of the man, who is from Hamburg, went to the Institute of Forensic Medicine on Thursday in search of the fathers body but were unable to identify him, a Portuguese police spokesperson said. SYDNEY, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- An Australian man is facing life imprisonment after being arrested over an alleged attempt to import 35 kilograms of methamphetamine from the United States in his luggage. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF) said in a joint statement on Saturday that the 62-year-old man was stopped by ABF officers for a baggage inspection upon arrival at Brisbane Airport from Los Angeles on Friday. During the inspection, officers allegedly found 12 sealed plastic bags containing a white crystalline substance in the man's suitcases. Subsequent testing returned a positive result for methamphetamine, with a total estimated weight of 35 kg. The case was handed to the AFP, who seized the drugs, arrested the man and charged him with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug. If convicted, he will face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Shane Scott said that the seized volume of methamphetamine had an estimated street value of 11.4 million Australian dollars (7.4 million U.S. dollars) and could have equated to 17,500 individual street-level deals. Lebanon army's disarmament plan lacks timeline Hezbollah demands immediate halt to Israel strikes Group refuses disarming, seeks national defense strategy Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qmati told Reuters on Saturday that the group considered Friday's cabinet session on an army plan to establish a state monopoly on arms "an opportunity to return to wisdom and reason, preventing the country from slipping into the unknown". Israel tells Gaza City residents to move to safe zone as it expands operations Gaza City residents told to leave for the south Israeli military ordered to capture the city Israeli forces carrying out heavy strikes on the city Palestinians run for cover during an Israeli airstrike on a high-rise building in Gaza City (Yousef Al Zanoun/AP) Wafaa Shurafa and Bassem Mroue Associated Press Sat 6 Sep 2025 at 12:36 Israel's army called Saturday on Palestinians in Gaza City to move to a humanitarian area it designated in the south as it expanded its operations in preparation for seizing the famine-stricken city. including targeting high-rise buildings. Donald Trump orders defence name change to Department of War This is not the first name change for the department, but each iteration has come about through legislation, not an executive order US first lady Melania Trump relays a reporter's question to president Donald Trump during a private dinner for technology and business leaders at the White House. Photo: Reuters/Brian Snyder Tara Copp Washington Post Sat 6 Sep 2025 at 06:30 US president Donald Trump was expected to rebrand the Defence Department to the Department of War through an executive order late yesterday, a move that the administration has said more accurately reflects the mission of the men and women serving in uniform today. US secretary of defence Pete Hegseth has said that the United States has the authority to kill suspected drug smugglers after president Donald Trump ordered the blowing up of a Venezuelan boat that was thought to be carrying 11 drug dealers. RFK clashes with Republicans over vaccines in raucous hearing Questions focused mainly on US Health Secretarys decision to fire Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief Susan Monarez US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Ahmed Aboulenein Reuters Sat 6 Sep 2025 at 06:30 Democrats and Republicans pushed US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr on his recent vaccine policies and their stark contrast to President Donald Trumps successful first-term pandemic initiative to speed vaccine development during a combative Senate hearing. President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House (Alex Brandon/AP) President Donald Trump said he would not attend this year's Group of 20 leaders' summit in Johannesburg in November, after months of attacks on South Africa's government over unfounded claims it's carrying out a genocide on White Afrikaners. Since 1963, The Independent has helped create a great community! Since our founding in September of 1963, The Independent has been dedicated to giving Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, and Sunol readers the news they need to be in-the-know about what's going on in the Tri-Valley region. Chandra Grahan 2025 Timings Chandra Grahan Sutak Why This Eclipse is Spiritually and Scientifically Significant total lunar eclipse zodiac signs Religious Significance and Practices Chanting mantras like the Vishnu Gayatri or Mahamrityunjaya Mantra . or . Meditating and engaging in quiet prayers. Adding tulsi (holy basil) leaves to food and water for purification. Taking a ritual bath and offering prayers to Lord Vishnu and Chandra Dev (the Moon) after the eclipse. Donating food, clothes, and essentials to the needy, which is believed to bring blessings. Sutak Precautions for Pregnant Women Stay indoors and avoid looking at the Moon. Refrain from using sharp objects or doing any sewing. Keep tulsi leaves in food and water for spiritual protection. Zodiac-Wise Impact of Chandra Grahan Favourable for: Challenging for: Zodiac-Specific Donation Guide Aries: Red lentils Taurus: White items Gemini: Green clothes Cancer: Sweet milk Leo: Jaggery Virgo: Green moong Libra: Rice and ghee Scorpio: Red items Sagittarius: Pulses Capricorn: Sesame seeds Aquarius: Oil Pisces: Turmeric Recommended Dos for Positive Energy Reciting mantras like the Lord Vishnu Gayatri, Vishnu Beej Mantra, and Mahamrityunjaya Mantra. Taking a holy bath after the eclipse, preferably in a river or with Ganga water at home. Donating grains, clothes, fruits, or even cows as per tradition. Sutak and Eclipse Donts Eating, cooking, or sleeping. Performing religious rituals or touching idols. Cutting nails, hair, or using sharp objects. Shopping, applying oil, or stepping outside unnecessarily. Pregnant women should stay indoors and rest. Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is based on traditional beliefs and astrology. Please consult religious leaders, astrologers, or scientific sources for personal guidance. For more informative articles on historical and upcoming events from around the world, please visit Indiatimes Events. The last Chandra Grahan (lunar eclipse) of 2025 will occur on the night of 7 September. This rare celestial event will be visible in India and several other countries, making it a significant day for both astronomers and astrologers. According to Hindu beliefs, this eclipse carries deep spiritual meaning, while scientists see it as a fascinating astronomical phenomenon.As per the Hindu Panchang, thiswill begin at 9:58 PM IST, reach its peak at 11:41 PM, and end by 1:27 AM on 8 September. In total, the eclipse will last around 3 hours and 28 minutes.The Sutak period, considered an inauspicious time in Hindu tradition, will start 9 hours before the eclipse begins. This meansstarts at 12:59 PM on 7 September and will last until the eclipse ends. During this time, people traditionally avoid eating, cooking, or performing religious activities. Temples remain closed, and prayers are reserved for after the event.This will be a, where the Moon passes fully into the Earths shadow, creating a striking reddish or orange glow, often called a Blood Moon. The red hue will be most visible around 11 PM.Spiritually, eclipses are believed to amplify cosmic energy. In astrology, this eclipse is expected to bring notable effects for various, while in science, its a stunning example of Earths shadow at play.Hindu scriptures recommend using this time for spiritual growth. Some common dos during the eclipse include:Pregnant women are traditionally advised to take extra care during Sutak and the eclipse:This Chandra Grahan falls in Aquarius (Kumbh Rashi) under Purva Bhadrapada Nakshatra.Aries, Taurus, Virgo, Sagittarius These signs may see growth in career, finances, and relationships.Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Libra, Scorpio, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces People under these signs should stay cautious, avoid risks, and delay big decisions.Some beneficial activities during the eclipse include:During Sutak and the eclipse, avoid the following:The Chandra Grahan 2025 on September 7 is both a breathtaking astronomical sight and a deeply spiritual event. By following Sutak dos and donts, observing traditional rituals, and making donations, you can make this celestial day spiritually meaningful while enjoying its rare natural beauty. ( Image credit : Trumps U-turn on India: Praises Modi after tariff clash | Credit: X/trumpmania ) Trump backpedals on fiery claim Journalist: Who do you blame for losing India to China? Trump: Well I dont think we have lost them. Im disappointed that India is buying Russian oil and Ive let them know with the 50% tariff. But I get along very well with Modi. pic.twitter.com/34zgzGcG4E Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) September 5, 2025 The tariff storm that rattled Delhi ( Image credit : Trumps U-turn on India: Praises Modi after tariff clash | Credit: X/trumpmania ) PM Modi breaks his silence Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership.@realDonaldTrump@POTUShttps://t.co/4hLo9wBpeF Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 6, 2025 Talks still on the table ( Image credit : Trumps U-turn on India: Praises Modi after tariff clash | Credit: X/trumpmania ) Donald Trump, never one to shy away from dramatic proclamations, sparked chaos when he posted a Truth Social update claiming the US had lost India and Russia to China. But within hours, the American President ditched the gloom and suddenly remembered his special bond with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The post, featuring Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Modi, was dripping with pessimism. Yet, when asked about it later, Trump quickly clarified that Washington had not lost India at all. Instead, he doubled down on his personal chemistry with Modi, describing him as a great Prime Minister and assuring that the friendship was untouchable, even as trade disagreements brewed.Of course, this sugar-coated charm offensive came right after Trump slapped India with a brutal 50 per cent import tariff. The tariff, announced on 27 August, was presented as punishment for Indias oil purchases from Russia. White House insiders like Peter Navarro and Scott Bessent have been blasting India for weeks, accusing it of undermining US sanctions.Trump admitted he was very disappointed in India for importing Russian oil but stressed that such disputes were not deal-breakers. He reassured that while the US might be tough on trade, India and Americas special relationship remained safe.After weeks of pointed criticism from the Trump camp, Modi finally broke his silence, and in classic diplomatic style. Taking to social media, he thanked Trump for his positive assessment of India-US ties and mirrored his language about friendship.This was the first cordial public exchange between the two leaders since their June 17 phone call, which had ended in frosty silence. Modis warm note not only de-escalated tensions but also signalled that New Delhi is keen to keep the friendship narrative alive despite Washingtons tariff tantrums.Behind the political theatre, trade negotiations are still simmering. Union Minister Piyush Goyal reassured Indians that there was nothing to worry about, adding that such deals never come with fixed timelines. Translation: this is going to be a long game of poker between Washington and New Delhi.One thing is clear though, Trump may rage about tariffs and oil, but when it comes to Modi, he cannot resist backpedalling with sweet words. The India-US special relationship may be messy, but it is not going anywhere anytime soon. CARACAS, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Three Venezuelan children, who had been separated from their parents by U.S. authorities, have returned home, the Venezuelan government said Friday. Camila Fabri, head of the government's "Return to the Homeland" program, confirmed the children's arrival at Maiquetia International Airport outside Caracas, saying, "We are very excited, very happy." The children were aboard a U.S. commercial airline flight carrying 305 Venezuelans deported from the United States. It was the 65th repatriation flight under the program this year, which assists Venezuelan migrants returning home. Fabri said more than 70 Venezuelan children are still being "held" by U.S. authorities. According to the Ministry of Interior, Justice and Peace, medical and psychosocial assistance was provided to the new group of returnees upon their arrival. ( Image credit : Shabana Mahmood's appointment is historic as she's the first Muslim woman of Pakistani descent to ever head the Home Office. Credit: X|@MoJGovUK ) From Birmingham to Britain's power core For over two centuries, the Home Secretary has safeguarded the nation. Today, we begin a new chapter as we welcome @ShabanaMahmood to the Home Office as the new Home Secretary. pic.twitter.com/usHeUVnomA Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) September 5, 2025 Policies ahead Social media reacts: applause, outrage, and memes @KTHopkins is very happy because Shabana Mahmood who famously released violent criminals & rapists early to free up prison spaces for Brits writing mean words on social media has now been appointed as UK Home Secretary Once Great Britain is totally cooked. I don't know pic.twitter.com/cDxzAVNOGl Frankie (@B7frankH) September 5, 2025 Meet Shabana Mahmood, new UK Home secretary She is of Pakistani descent. Now she will play a big role in immigration policies. UK is doomed pic.twitter.com/g51qY8jES4 Sunanda Roy (@SaffronSunanda) September 6, 2025 Shabana Mahmood is now Home Secretary and thus responsible for the criminalisation of over 700 people as terrorists for holding up signs that read, I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action lets see if her solidarity is paper thin. (Spoiler: it is). pic.twitter.com/tov6tQ2u94 Philip Proudfoot (@PhilipProudfoot) September 5, 2025 Its horrific what Shabana Mahmood is facing on social media. https://t.co/FiT5x2xEgU Dr S Maitra (@MrMaitra) September 6, 2025 Seems everyone agrees that Shabana Mahmood was very effective as Justice Secretary. I wonder whether that is because she is just a good administrator or whether her own professional history helped her get a handle on things? Harry Samuels (@hnjsamuels) September 5, 2025 Pleased for Shabana Mahmood getting a promotion A lone voice in the commons shining a light on the plight of Blues Not forgotten Having said all that this Labour government can get in the bin Gayleonthefence (@gayleonthefence) September 5, 2025 Shabana Mahmood who famously released violent criminals & rapists early to free up prison spaces for Brits writing mean words on social media has now been appointed as UK Home Secretary Once Great Britain is totally cooked. pic.twitter.com/6D0errgxUP Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) September 5, 2025 A reshuffle that signals priorities Britain's political scene was thrown into chaos after Angela Rayner's resignation sparked a cabinet shake-up that landed Shabana Mahmood one of the most powerful jobs in government. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promoted her to Home Secretary, replacing Yvette Cooper in a move that instantly set social media ablaze.Mahmood's appointment is historic as she's the first Muslim woman of Pakistani descent to ever head the Home Office, taking charge of immigration, policing, and national security. But while some hailed it as a milestone for diversity, others were quick to unleash criticism, dragging up her Pakistani roots and vocal pro-Palestine stance.Born in Birmingham in 1980 to Pakistani parents, Mahmood spent part of her childhood in Saudi Arabia before returning to the UK. A law graduate from Oxford, she later qualified as a barrister. She entered Parliament in 2010 as MP for Birmingham Ladywood, making history as one of the first female Muslim MPs.Her career saw highs and pauses - stepping back under Jeremy Corbyn, then returning under Keir Starmer. She became shadow justice secretary in 2023, then justice secretary and lord chancellor after Labour's 2024 election victory, where she introduced early prisoner release schemes to tackle overcrowding.Seen as part of Labour's "blue Labour" wing, Mahmood has backed tougher deportation laws and pushed for tougher action on child exploitation. Supporters say her hardline stance could win over voters craving tougher law and order, but critics fear her policies risk dividing Labour's base.The internet wasted no time weighing in. On X (formerly known as Twitter), one user posted: "Great Britain is totally cooked". Another quipped: "Not an hour into the post and already facing heat."Some praised the historic nature of her rise, calling it a landmark for representation, while others worried her pro-Palestine views and Pakistani background would stir political tensions. Memes and fiery takes quickly spread, turning the reshuffle into an online circus.This is the most sweeping reshuffle since Labour took power 14 months ago. Alongside Rachel Reeves as chancellor and Starmer himself as PM, Mahmood's rise means three of the UK's top four government posts are now held by women - a major shake-up of Westminster's power balance.Analysts say Mahmood's appointment signals Starmer's intent to double down on immigration and law-and-order politics, with her every move now under an intense spotlight. Yogi Adityanath calls Pakistan an anarchic nation ( Image credit : Yogi Adityanath. Credit: Government of UP ) Yogi Adityanath lauds the Indian Army Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Gorakshpeethadheeshwar Yogi Adityanath, on Friday (September 5), said that eliminating evil forces is the key to ensuring a nations safety. He added that citizens can prosper only if they get the opportunity to thrive in a secure environment.Yogi Adityanath, on September 5, presided over a seminar titled Challenges to National Security in India, which was held as part of an eight-day programme to mark the 56th death anniversary of Mahant Digvijaynath and the 11th of Mahant Avaidyanath. Speaking at the event, he said that internal safety is the need of the hour. He added that a nation that is secure risks collapse"If a nation is externally safe but internally unsafe, then it is considered a chaotic nation. Such a nation risks collapse, said the CM.He then cited Pakistans example to highlight the negative impact of internal disorder on a society.Pakistan is an example of such an anarchic nation, completely hollowed out by internal disorder. Anarchy drives any nation towards ruin and ultimately threatens its very existence, said Adityanath.He added that India has been vigilant against such threats since ancient times.Yogi Adityanath went on to give a shoutout to the Indian Army and described it as one of the finest in the world. He then lauded soldiers for performing their duty even in testing conditions to ensure that citizens sleep peacefully.This seminar is not only a tribute to Gorakshpeeth Mahants but also a reaffirmation of India's commitment to national strength and unity," he added.Yogi Adityanath then emphasised that respecting soldiers is one of the pillars of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Panch Pran for Viksit India by 2047. Satya Nadella gets a not-so-subtle roast Trump hosted a dinner with Bill Gates and Zuckerberg right next to him. Present were: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Google CEO Sundar Pichai Apple CEO Tim Cook AMD CEO Lisa Su OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The US treats its top entrepreneurs better than Europe pic.twitter.com/ty9Hxxpkm6 Flick (@Flick1_) September 5, 2025 AI investments or publicity stunts? AI action plan gets praised, but TV moment felt off US President Donald Trump invited the heads of the largest IT companies to a dinner at the White House. At the table were Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Sundar Pichai (Google), Tim Cook (Apple), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Bill Gates, and Sam Altman (OpenAI). Trump stated that for pic.twitter.com/z9tMU4lijU brane mijatovic (@brane_mija64426) September 5, 2025 Musks absence: A snub or a power move? The internet meme machine accelerator President Trump hosted a star-studded dinner on September 4, inviting tech titans like Apples Tim Cook, Microsofts Satya Nadella, Googles Sundar Pichai, Oracles Safra Catz, OpenAIs Sam Altman, and likely others. The lavish affair quickly turned into a praise-fest, with Trump crowning the table the High IQ Group and boasting about their genius revolutionising business.Trump saved extra warmth for Satya Nadella: What a job you've done, he said. I own Microsoft stock, its gone from $28 to over $500. The remark landed with mixed reactionssome saw it as flattery, others as a self-congratulatory roast.The tech CEOs weren't just there to kiss upthey each dangled billion-dollar investment pledges in Trumps face. Apple and Meta promised $600 billion each, Google offered $250 billion, and Microsoft said it invests roughly $75, 80 billion annually in the U.S.Sundar Pichai praised the administrations AI Action Plan, calling the current moment one of the most transformative well see in our lifetimes. Nadella added that the administrations policies helped reinforce global trust in U.S. technology.Notably absent from the SoG (Squad of Geniuses) was Elon Musk, who Trump later said was 80 percent super-genius but has some problems. Musks public fallout with the administration turned his absence into a headline in itself.The internet wasnt impressed. Social media erupted with memes and snarky takes, calling out the pandering vibe of the event. Wired called it an eerily choreographed display, like passing a camera to wish a distant uncle a happy Thanksgiving." Yogi Adityanath unveils Udgam platform ( Image credit : Yogi Adityanath, during a programme organised on the occasion of Teachers Day. | Credit: X/@myogiadityanath ) More details about the ceremony Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Friday (September 5), launched the Udgam (Unifying Development of Great Academic Minds) digital platform in a bid to make life easier for the states teachers. It focuses on innovative practices being implemented by educators and also tries to help them make the learning process more engaging.The Uttar Pradesh government organised the State Teacher Award Ceremony at the Lok Bhavan Auditorium in Lucknow on September 5. On the special occasion, CM Adityanath launched the Udgam digital platform and felicitated 81 teachers from the basic and secondary education sectors.Speaking about the portal, SCERT director Pawan Sachan said that it is set to help educators come up with out of the box ideas.Here, innovations in various fields and dimensions related to education such as teaching methods, assessment, sports, environment, health, inclusive education, vocational education, community participation, ICT etc. can be seen together at one place, he added.He added that the digital platform will also give teachers a platform to increase the enrollment of students and figure out a solution to classroom challenges.The event also saw the government launch the childrens story collection Gullak, prepared by SCERT, and the Bal Vatika handbook. A short film highlighting summer camp and tree plantation initiatives of the Basic and Secondary Education Departments was also shown during the function. The Chief Minister also honored five principals/teachers from basic and secondary education schools. Each of them received a cash prize of 25,000, a citation, a statue of Maa Saraswati, and a shawl.Secondary Education Minister (Independent Charge) Gulab Devi, Basic Education Minister (Independent Charge) Sandeep Singh, Chief Secretary in charge and Additional Chief Secretary of Secondary and Basic Education Departments Deepak Kumar and Director General of School Education Kanchan Verma were some of the prominent names in attendance during the ceremony. Nine lakh teachers can now avail cashless medical treatment ( Image credit : Yogi Adityanath. | Credit: UP government ) Yogi Adityanath lauds Operation Kayakalp and Project Alankar Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on September 5, announced that all teachers in the state will now be able to avail cashless medical treatment.The facility covers educators in primary, upper-primary, secondary, and aided schools/colleges. Additionally, Shiksha Mitras and cooks too will be able to benefit from this scheme.During a Teachers Day event in Lucknow, CM Adityanath announced that nine lakh teachers and their families will no longer face financial hardships in case of a medical emergency as they now have access to cashless treatment. He described it as the governments way of showing gratitude to teachers for their contribution to society.The CM also announced the formation of a high-level committee that will look into the need to increase allowances for Shiksha Mitras and instructors. The government will arrive at a conclusion after receiving a report. He said it is necessary to increase their allowances as these educators play a pivotal role in the process.He added that ensuring the welfare of teachers is the governments priority as they are knowledge providers and play a part in building the nations foundation.Highlighting the governments achievements, Adityanath said initiatives like Operation Kayakalp and Project Alankar rejuvenated schools in the state. Under Operation Kayakalp, 1.36 lakh schools have been equipped with basic facilities. Similarly, through Project Alankar, 2,100 schools now have new buildings and safe environments. He went on to add Initiatives such as Nipun Bharat Mission and Bal Vatika have improved childrens language and mathematical skills.Adityanath also urged teachers to keep giving their best to secure a brighter future.The teachers across the state must continue to perform their best for the education of the children while we assure them of full government support, he added.Secondary Education Minister Gulab Devi, Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh, In-Charge Chief Secretary and Additional Chief Secretary (Basic & Secondary) Deepak Kumar, and Director General of School Education Kanchan Verma were the prominent names who added the event. UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Global Governance Initiative proposed by China a few days ago further demonstrates its commitment to safeguarding the international system with the United Nations at its core, said Philemon Yang, president of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), on Friday. China was the first UN member state to put its signature on the UN Charter, the UNGA president said in a written interview with Xinhua. Just a few days ago, China introduced the Global Governance Initiative, the fourth global initiative proposed by China, which upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, Yang said. "China's contributions have been impressive," Yang said while noting three major areas -- its unwavering support for the United Nations, being a strong advocate for dialogue and peace, and its enduring commitment to the Global South. Yang welcomed the efforts made by China, such as the establishment of the Group of Friends for Peace on the Ukraine crisis, and the call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Yang also highly commended China's firm position on putting development at the center of the international agenda and focusing on the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As a key member of the Group of 77 and China, China has promoted the collective interests of the Global South and contributed to the empowerment of the developing countries with its constructive engagement in the UNGA, he added. A visitor interacts with a robot at the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 6, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Yang Qing) This photo taken on Sept. 6, 2025 shows the opening ceremony of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) An exhibitor displays a robot at the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 6, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) Industrial robots are displayed at the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 6, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) This photo taken on Sept. 6, 2025 shows a view of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua) People visit the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 6, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) A robot is displayed at the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 6, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) A running robot is pictured at the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 6, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua) A robot is displayed at the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 6, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) This photo taken on Sept. 6, 2025 shows the opening ceremony of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Yang Qing) A man visits the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 6, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) Exhibitors display a robot at the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 6, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) A visitor interacts with a robot at the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 6, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua) This photo taken on Sept. 6, 2025 shows the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua) This photo taken on Sept. 6, 2025 shows the opening ceremony of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) People visit the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 6, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua) This photo taken on Sept. 6, 2025 shows the opening ceremony of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) A robot dog is displayed at the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 6, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Yang Qing) Guests attend the opening ceremony of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 6, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Yang Qing) This photo taken on Sept. 6, 2025 shows an exterior view of the main venue of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Wu Qinghao) An exhibitor controls a robot at the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 6, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Photo by Wang Yuyan/Xinhua) A visitor plays Chinese chess with a robot at the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 6, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Wu Qinghao) A humanoid robot of China Mobile is pictured at the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 7, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Photo by Wang Yuyan/Xinhua) A visitor interacts with a robot dog of Lenovo at the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 6, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Xinhua/Wu Qinghao) Visitors interact with a G1 humanoid robot of Unitree Robotics at the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 7, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Photo by Wang Yuyan/Xinhua) Visitors interact with a humanoid robot of China Mobile at the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 7, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Photo by Wang Yuyan/Xinhua) Staff members of China Mobile adjust a robot dog at the exhibition area of the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 7, 2025. Themed "Digital New Chapter, Intelligent New Quality," the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference kicked off here on Saturday and will last till Sept. 8. (Photo by Wang Yuyan/Xinhua) Jacalyn Stuff holds her daughter Roselynn before a routine ultrasound appointment at St. Claire Healthcare Medical Pavilion in Morehead, Ky. Jacalyns mother, Shannon Smith, holds Jacalyns son Xavier. MUST CREDIT: Arden S. Barnes/For The Washington Post Read more MOREHEAD, Ky. Jacalyn Stuff was nearing the end of her first trimester when doctors at UK St. Claire Regional Medical Center delivered shattering news: her twins were in danger. Then came a second blow: Those doctors the ones she had come to know and trust, the ones less than 10 minutes from her home could no longer treat her. Advertisement During the following 10 weeks, Jacalyn then 19 had to travel repeatedly to hospitals able to provide more advanced maternity care. Appointments at the one 70 miles away in Lexington required $30 for a tank of gas. Appointments at the one 100 miles away in Cincinnati required gas and a hotel stay. And they all required Jacalyn either to bring her infant son or to find a babysitter. While Jacalyns pregnancy was extraordinarily high-risk, more women are expected to face disruptive travel even for routine pregnancies because of Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trumps massive tax and spending plan. Approved in July, the measure cuts Medicaid by almost $1 trillion over the next decade, and the loss of revenue is expected to force scores of rural hospitals to curtail services or close, according to hospital groups. The impact is likely to be particularly severe for maternity care, one of the most expensive services hospitals provide. Recovering the cost of maternity care is particularly difficult in rural areas, where there are fewer patients and a higher percentage on Medicaid, which pays far less than private insurance, said Katy Kozhimannil, a professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Since the bill passed, a handful of hospitals, including in Kentucky, already have paused previously planned projects, among them labor and delivery services. Kentucky is expected to be among the states hardest hit, with an estimated loss of almost $11 billion in rural Medicaid spending over 10 years, according to KFF, a health policy research organization. Thirty-five hospitals in the state are at risk of closing, according to a nationwide analysis by the Sheps Center for Health Service Research at the University of North Carolina, which was requested by Senate Democrats. Only a dozen still provide labor and delivery services; one of the at-risk hospitals announced in February that it was discontinuing those services. Each of those hospitals will have to end certain lines of service and, sadly, I believe that maternity and delivery are on that list, given the small margins, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said in an interview. If those close down, so many Kentuckians will be two hours away from a hospital they can deliver in. What does that mean in terms of difficult pregnancies? Beshear said. Its going to hit Kentucky and our people really hard. The Medicaid cuts are only one of several changes across the federal government that are making it harder to safely have a baby especially for low-income women, according to hospital administrators, maternal health researchers, obstetricians, and healthcare advocates. The changes come even as Trump and his allies have embraced a pronatalist agenda, with Trump floating a $5,000 baby bonus and Vice President JD Vance saying he wants more babies in the United States of America. Trump, who has repeatedly vowed to protect Medicaid benefits, has cast the cuts as targeting only waste, fraud, and abuse. The savings are achieved primarily by imposing federal work requirements for the first time on Medicaid recipients. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects 10 million people will lose coverage in the next decade, an estimate the White House has disputed. Asked about the risk to rural hospitals, a White House official said those institutions have long struggled financially and argued that their problems will not be exacerbated by the bill. The official noted that a number of hospitals identified as being at risk have said they do not expect to close, including UK St. Claire in Morehead. Misleading doom-and-gloom One Big Beautiful Bill analyses hinge on flawed projections that overestimate previous Medicaid spending in rural areas and how many people will refuse to work or even volunteer part time to stay on Medicaid, White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement, adding that the measure includes a $50 billion fund to help keep rural hospitals open. Medicaid is the largest source of funding for pregnancy services nationwide, covering 41% of births in the U.S. and almost half births in rural areas, according to KFF. The work requirements, set to go into effect in 2027, mandate that able-bodied adults between 19 and 64 work at least 80 hours a month or complete other qualifying activities, such as volunteering or schooling, to qualify for Medicaid, which is jointly funded by the states and the federal government. Women are exempt from the work requirements during pregnancy and while raising children 13 and under. But experts warn that documenting an exemption or even qualifying work or school attendance could prove difficult. Meanwhile, healthcare advocates say they worry that the cuts may force some states to pare back Medicaid eligibility overall. Many states provide Medicaid coverage to women up to one year postpartum, for example. You just dont go Even before the cuts hit, many women in rural Kentucky counties were traveling an hour or more to receive prenatal care, according to obstetricians and maternal health researchers in the state. A Washington Post analysis found that the average driving distance to the nearest birthing hospital in Kentucky is about 31 miles. That could increase by about 11 miles if the 35 at-risk hospitals close. In 22 rural counties, the drive to the nearest hospital with birthing services could increase by 30 miles or more, the analysis shows. For example, in Bell County on the Tennessee border, the drive would jump by 71 miles if the at-risk hospitals close. For now, Morehead is among the lucky rural towns with convenient maternity care. Alyssa Oatman, a 23-year-old mother of three, had a healthy twin pregnancy in 2024 and was able to receive prenatal care at UK St. Claire, about 15 minutes from her home. But services are limited. The hospital has no neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, and typically does not handle deliveries earlier than 35 weeks, according to officials at UK St. Claire. High-risk pregnancies which constitute as many as 8% of pregnancies, according to multiple health organizations are typically referred to UK Kentucky Childrens Hospital in Lexington. Oatman decided to deliver in Lexington, knowing that twins often need NICU care. One of her twins, Cade, lost oxygen during delivery and spent 56 days in the NICU. He now has a host of long-term complications. Meanwhile, the long weeks of driving back and forth to visit her son took a toll. Oatman said she was diagnosed with depressive psychosis, severe anxiety, and depression. Rebecca Todd, an obstetrician and gynecologist who practices in Morehead, worries about the impact of the looming cuts. She said she already sees patients who travel an hour or more to Morehead for prenatal care. I cant imagine where other people are going to have to start coming from if facilities near them start closing down, Todd said. If you have to drive far, you just dont go. Its really scary Thats what happened to Jacalyn Stuff. In the summer of 2024, it took Jacalyn a few weeks to get used to the fact that she was pregnant again. Jacalyn and her boyfriend were still adjusting to life with their 4-month-old, Xavier. During her first appointment at UK St. Claire, Jacalyn had to wrap her head around another surprise: She was expecting twins. After having a full mental breakdown in her doctors office wondering how she would make it all work, she learned she was having identical twin girls. She pictured matching dresses and bows and how her son would dote on his little sissies. But at the end of her first trimester, she learned she had twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome a rare and potentially life-threatening complication in which one twin receives too much blood and nutrients while the other receives too little. Her pregnancy had become exceedingly high risk, so Jacalyn was sent to Lexington. There, doctors told Jacalyn her babies were deteriorating rapidly. They referred her to a third hospital, this time in Cincinnati three hours from Morehead. She had two days to get there. The Cincinnati hospital was enormous bigger than anything Jacalyn had ever seen and able to offer the family some financial help, including gas cards and a single night in a hotel. A weight lifted off our shoulders, Jacalyn said. But the news was not good: The babies were getting sicker by the minute. Surgery could help balance the blood flow between the twins. But all Jacalyn could think about was that both their lives and her own were in danger. I was just about to turn 20, I already had a baby, and then having to be told, like, You can risk your own life, you can risk your babies lives its really scary, Jacalyn said. They wanted to do the surgery really bad, she said. But she had no way to pay for a hotel for her mother and Xavier, whom she feared leaving. She also worried that if one of the twins died during the surgery, its my fault. Girl A and Girl B So Jacalyn went home. She went to a couple of follow-up appointments in Morehead, where she was more comfortable. But one night when she was barely 21 weeks pregnant, she started to feel intense back pain. At the emergency room in Morehead, she learned she was already five centimeters dilated. The doctors and nurses who had come to know her told her they were sorry. She was taken by ambulance to Lexington. The following 10 days felt like an eternity. Poked and prodded at all hours, Jacalyn couldnt sleep. Her boyfriend a union carpenter then working at a store took several days off to stay with her and wound up losing his job. Jacalyns mom was taking care of Xavier, but didnt have a car to bring him for visits. Finally Jacalyn received the news she was dreading: She was fully dilated. About 15 people rushed into her room, she said, a sea of scrubs and masks, and started telling her what could happen: They might be able to save only one baby. They might not be able to save either of them. Jacalyn could have her own complications. Jacalyn asked them to stop. It was out of her control. She rarely prayed, but she started to pray now. Everything was going to be fine, she told herself. The doctors told her to push, but the babies were so small Jacalyn couldnt feel anything. They were taken straight to the NICU: Girl A Roselynn was 20 ounces. Girl B Jaylynn was only 13 ounces. A few hours later, a nurse told her that Girl A was doing well. But they were having issues with Girl B. They told Jacalyn itd be best if she went down to spend time with her. Jaylynn was so small she fit in the palm of Jacalyns hand. She held the baby for six hours, until Jaylynn took her last breath. She gave Jaylynn her first bath after she died. Roselynn ultimately spent five months in the NICU. Between caring for Xavier and trying to pull together gas money, Jacalyn could barely visit once a week. For about two months, Jacalyn said, she didnt see her daughter at all because her car broke down and she needed $950 to fix it. A social worker arranged visits via FaceTime. Now 9 months old, Roselynn is a little over 10 pounds about the size of a one-month-old. She has multiple serious medical complications requiring ophthalmology, pulmonary care, neurology, and surgery all in Lexington. Jacalyn has to make the trip once or twice a week. Meanwhile, Jacalyn is pregnant again. On a humid afternoon in August, she sat in an exam room at UK St. Claire with her mother, Xavier and Roselynn, waiting to see her latest baby on an ultrasound. Jacalyn said she was grateful this pregnancy so far had gone smoothly and that she could stay in Morehead for care. Still, she said, she is full of stress and heartache, knowing how quickly things can go wrong. A Facebook account for Roosevelt Poplar's FOP reelection campaign claimed incorrectly that The Inquirer is demanding "private financial information" about police funerals. Read more A political campaign account for Roosevelt Poplar, the president of Philadelphias police union, falsely accused The Inquirer in a social media post Thursday of demanding private financial information about funerals for fallen officers. Team Poplar 2025 a Facebook account that represents Poplar and his executive team, who are mired in a contentious campaign to retain control of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 wrote that the union received a Right to Know request filed by Inquirer reporter Barbara Laker, asking how much city money was spent on the funerals of police officers who died in the line of duty since 2005, and the names of those officers. Advertisement This request wasnt about transparency or accountability it was a direct attack, part of the post read. ... they wanted to put a price tag on our heroes. Laker, however, did not send any information requests to the FOP. On Aug. 29, she submitted a Right to Know request to the citys law department and the mayors office, seeking a copy of the citys policy on paying for officers funerals, along with an annual accounting of how much taxpayer money has been spent on such services. Its unclear how the FOP obtained a copy of Lakers Right to Know request. Poplar, through a Lodge 5 spokesperson, declined to comment. In an email, Joe Grace, a spokesperson for Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, wrote that the city has not shared the RTK request with anyone or any external organization. Grace declined to answer whether the city would try to determine how a public records request sent to city officials wound up with Poplar. For much of 2025, Lodge 5 has been consumed by internal disputes about the unions finances. Charles Knute Mellon, a former pilot in the police departments aviation unit, is running to unseat Poplar in an October election. Mellon and others, including Kenneth Rossiter, a former homicide unit detective, have accused Poplar and his predecessor, John McNesby, of racking up millions of dollars in questionable credit card charges, and lacking transparency about profits and expenses that have been derived from businesses that the FOP operates, including a bar and a catering business. A recent Inquirer investigation, The Blue Divide, found FOP expenditures that independent tax and labor law experts said pointed to limited oversight and were difficult to decipher. Red flags were most notable within the Survivors Fund, a charitable foundation the FOP created to support families of officers who lost their lives or were gravely wounded in the line of duty. An Inquirer examination of public tax records from 2016 to 2024 found that the FOP reported spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on funerals and special events during years when there were no line-of-duty deaths. In 2016, the charitable foundation reported $572,520 in expenditures, including $350,831 on survivor memorial services for families of police officers killed on duty. Just one officer died that year of police-related health woes: Raymond Diaz. Poplar canceled an interview that The Inquirer had scheduled with him before the publication of The Blue Divide. He also did not respond directly to detailed questions that reporters emailed about the unions expenses. After the publication of that story, five police sources told The Inquirer that the city often pays at least some portion of funeral expenses for fallen officers. In search of more clarity on this issue, Laker filed the records request with the city. In the Facebook post, Team Poplar pivoted from misrepresenting Lakers request to attacking Mellon and his supporters, accusing them of undermining Lodge 5, and dragging grieving families into their dirty political games. Mellon responded in a separate Facebook post, writing that the union was trying to distract from the real issues ballooning spending, unanswered questions about finances, lack of transparency, and an executive board that refuses to be held accountable to its members." He added that reporters routinely file Right to Know requests. Thats journalism, Mellon wrote, not a conspiracy. READ MORE: Click here to read the full Inquirer investigation into the FOPs finances Eugene Depasquale, (left), stands with Pennsylvania Democratic Party Vice Chair Peggy Grove and State Sen. Sharif Street in Lancaster Saturday, Sept. 6. Street, of North Philadelphia resigned as party chair to run for congress. DePasquale was elected to replace him. Read more Eugene DePasquale, a former two-term state auditor general and state representative, has been elected the new chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. Speaking to about 300 state committee members Saturday at the Eden Resort hotel in Lancaster, DePasquale said he was committed to helping Democrats retain control of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He said Democrats need to offer a positive vision to win back voters who have drifted away from the party. Advertisement Weve got to listen, weve got to learn, and we have to offer real ideas to win them back, DePasquale said. DePasquale, 54, replaces Sharif Street, who stepped down from the post in late August to run for Congress. Street, a Pennsylvania state senator based in North Philadelphia, is seeking the 3rd Congressional District seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, a Democrat. Street handed the ceremonial gavel over to DePasquale on Saturday. The two share a fondness for Star Wars, Street noted, and he said they have been friends throughout the entire journey of their political careers. DePasquale will serve out the remaining nine months of Streets term. In June, Democrats can opt to elect him to a full four-year term. DePasquale, an attorney and a political science instructor at the University of Pittsburgh, made an unsuccessful run for state attorney general in November, losing to Republican Dave Sunday of York. On Saturday, he took aim at President Donald Trump, calling the latest jobs report a disaster. Employers added just 22,000 jobs in August, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. He promised us on day one prices would come down. They are rising, DePasquale said. Democrats stymied by fundraising and voter registration losses DePasquale has also vowed to address two big issues state Democrats are facing: fundraising and voter registration. The party had just $62,000 in its federal fundraising account as of July, according to Federal Election Commission reports, and $40,000 in its state committee account. On Friday, Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman said he planned to give $100,000 to the state Democratic Party and voiced support for DePasquale. Eugene will play an important role in organizing and supporting our local parties in all 67 counties and the dude can, Fetterman said on social media. Whether Fettermans endorsement will be helpful to DePasquale remains unclear. The freshman senator has run afoul of his party on several key issues of late, and has complained about the demands of the job. READ MORE: Sen. John Fetterman says his mental health struggles have been weaponized against him, shaming him into attending votes and hearings Northeast Caucus chair Colleen Gerrity of Scranton said Saturday the 2024 election left some Democratic donors feeling unmotivated. Theyve been waiting and watching, with everything thats going on in Washington. But that is starting to change, Gerrity said. Theres not a lot of good stuff happening in Washington, she said. Now its time to take PA 08 back. In November, Republican Rob Bresnahan ousted Gerritys old boss, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, in Pennsylvanias 8th Congressional District. The voter registration issue goes back further. Democrats have seen a steady decline in voter registration since 2009, while Republicans and independents have seen increases, according to state records. I think Democrats are fatigued, Malcolm Yates, chair of the Delaware County Black Caucus, said Saturday. Being able to galvanize them is absolutely necessary. Yates said that with Trump sending National Guard soldiers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into cities, and with Texas aggressively gerrymandering in an effort to ensure Republican control of its U.S. House seats, people are under attack. Yates emphasized he has been a big supporter of Street. And now that Street is focused on winning his congressional race, Yates said, hes backing DePasquale. The times that were in, we need someone who is singularly focused, Yates said. Margaret Kelso, who chairs the Mercer County Young Democrats, said she often meets young progressives, Democratic socialists, and leftists who align with some Democratic positions but dont feel a connection to the party. Young people feel the Democratic Party is not representative of them, and they dont want to be part of it, said Kelso. Philadelphia City Councilmember Jim Harrity said the party is working to increase voter registration. In Philadelphia, Democrats are phone banking ahead of the judicial retention races, he said. Im glad were seeing some unity now, because we have a real enemy now in Washington, Harrity said. by Xinhua writer Jin Jing LONDON, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's role in the World Anti-Fascist War was "indispensable" and the Chinese contribution to the war victory is "definitely underappreciated" by the West, said Anthony Jones, chair of the Lisbon Maru Memorial Association (LiMMA). The Chinese people sustained the main eastern battlefield and tied down millions of Japanese troops, which not only prevented further Japanese military advances but also allowed the Allies to focus their efforts elsewhere, Jones told Xinhua in a recent interview. The wartime suffering of the Chinese people, both soldiers and civilians, was "extraordinary," said Jones. "Recognizing this is not just about seeking credit, but about acknowledging the victory that was truly a global effort. And I think it helps us see the fuller picture of how peace was achieved on a global scale," Jones said. On Wednesday, commemorative events were held in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Describing the anniversary as "a moment of profound significance," Jones said that it is not just about remembering the past, but also about the present and future. "It's really important that we remember the enormous sacrifices made by the Chinese people and by people everywhere all around the world who are fighting against fascism at that time," said Jones, whose grandfather, Thomas Theodore Jones, was among the rescued British prisoners of war (POWs) in the Lisbon Maru incident in October 1942. The Lisbon Maru, a cargo vessel requisitioned by the Japanese army to transport more than 1,800 British POWs from China's Hong Kong to Japan, was torpedoed off the Zhoushan Islands in eastern China by a U.S. submarine after failing to display mandated POW transport markings. As the vessel sank, Chinese fishermen of Dongji braved the Japanese machine-gun fire and rescued 384 of the British POWs from the sea. LiMMA was set up by the families of Lisbon Maru survivors in 2024 to pass on this part of wartime history. It plans to organize an annual remembrance gathering at the Lisbon Maru Memorial at Britain's National Memorial Arboretum. This year's gathering will be held on Oct. 2, marking the 83rd anniversary of the sinking of the Lisbon Maru. Jones welcomed the recent international screening of the Chinese-produced documentary "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru" and the movie "Dongji Rescue," both of which help relive this lesser-known chapter of history. "It's very much our duty to make sure the lesson of history is never forgotten, so that future generations understand the cost of war and the value of peace," he said. In May, Jones and 17 other descendants of the Chinese-rescued Lisbon Maru survivors traveled to eastern China, where they witnessed the unveiling of a memorial honoring the heroic rescue 83 years ago. Jones described the Chinese people he met as "all kind, caring and inviting." "I think there are forged relationships whilst I was there that will last a lifetime," he said. Meanwhile, Jones emphasized the importance of safeguarding the post-war international order, noting that it was built on the conviction that the world must never again descend into similar destruction. "No country, no matter how powerful, can solve today's challenges alone. Safeguarding a multi-polar world and promoting inclusive globalization means ensuring that all nations, large and small, all have a voice and that we all share in the development," he said. As a major country and the world's second-largest economy, China plays an "essential" role in achieving this, Jones added. "We need China to continue advocating for peace, strengthening cooperation, and promoting growth mutually beneficial for all. That's how I would see that we can keep the world stable and create conditions for shared prosperity," he added. Fergal Keane, 64, grew up in Dublin and later Cork. In 1979, he began his journalist career with the Limerick Leader. In 1989, he joined the BBC, covering several conflicts, including the genocide in Rwanda. In 1997, he won a BAFTA for his Rwanda documentary, Valentinas Story. He has published several books, among them The Madness: A Memoir of War, Fear and PTSD. Hes a speaker at a symposium celebrating a century of Cork University Press, Thursday, September 11, at University College Cork. David Livingstone I loved the Ladybird book of David Livingstone. It was about Africa and exploration. Viewed now, it's a book totally out of its time a way of seeing the world we wouldn't imagine now, the white man as saviour in Africa, a very colonial narrative but at the time I loved the idea of adventure and escape. It definitely planted something in me. Frank O'Connor The writer Frank O'Connor pictured at Cobh in the 1960s. Picture: Irish Examiner Archive In my teens, growing up in Cork, the landscape of Frank O'Connors short stories was all around me. My mother used to point out the church, near the railway station, from First Confession, to me. The Ugly Duckling is probably my favourite short story. It moves me deeply. It talks about a love affair that went on long after the two people involved in it ever saw each other again. Its a beautiful story. It has remarkable lines where he talks about the poetry of change, going back to Cork as a grown-up, walking around the place where so many people he knew had gone. Its something I do when I go home I love to walk and lose myself in reminiscence. I loved living in Cork. I love the people that were close to me there. It's a sweet reminiscence when I walk there. The Great Gatsby F Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby was on my Leaving Cert course. I was drawn to the preoccupations of Fitzgerald this doomed outlook he had on life. I remember first reading it and if you love poetry, the language of Gatsby is captivating. I still read the book every couple of years for the beauty of the language. Its sublime. Ive read everything he wrote, losing myself in his romantic, bittersweet dreamland. John Keats I was a martyr for Keats. At school, I remember us doing Ode to a Nightingale: Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget / What thou among the leaves hast never known, / The weariness, the fever, and the fret. Its such beautiful poetry. It's still in my head. This magnificent writing, coupled with the fact that you know he's going to die young. He died in Rome. Later, I went to his grave in Rome. The headstone reads: Here lies one whose name was writ in water. Dispatches from Vietnam Michael Herrs Dispatches, his book about Vietnam, had a huge impact on me. I was passionate about history. I wanted to be a war correspondent. Writing in revolutionary prose for the time, it took you into the heart of the war. It reeled you in. He referenced rock'n'roll music throughout it Hendrix, The Doors, and wrote in a way, as a 17-year-old, that got home to me, the images of what war was like. I remember reading it, and saying, I want to emulate this. Total Eclipse My father [Eamonn Keane] was a professional actor and my mother [Maura Hassett] also acted. I remember seeing my mother in Corks Everyman Theatre in Christopher Hamptons play Total Eclipse, about the poets Rimbaud and Verlaine. I was maybe 13, 14. I was captivated, not least because my mother was on stage. These were characters, two men living by different rules, outside of the normal in their own society, and probably even in Cork society of the 1970s when I saw it. As a young person in Catholic Ireland, it captured my imagination. School band At Presentation Brothers College, we had a band called The Streets. The Beatles and Stones were at the core of our repertoire. It was great fun. There is nothing like being on stage with a rock'n'roll band the energy. I was the lead singer. I wasn't great. Everybody else were far better musicians, but I gave it everything. We played at different places, but one of the best nights of all was at a school, charity disco the Rag Ball, I think in Pres. Tom Waits I love Tom Waits. When I listen to him, he brings me back to that period of growing up in Cork when you had Sir Henrys opening, opposite the Beamish & Crawford Brewery, and people like Freddie White. I remember him playing a cover of Tom Waits song Martha, a song I still listen to. Raymond Carver All of Us, the collected poems of Raymond Carver, has been a lifesaver to me in difficult times and moments of depression and breakdown. Carver was an alcoholic for many years and went into recovery. In recovery, he wrote a corpus of magnificent short stories and poetry that spoke to my experiences of alcoholism, depression, inadequacy, the feelings that go with addiction. He has one poem called Late Fragment: And did you get what / you wanted from this life, even so? / I did. / And what did you want? / To call myself beloved, to feel myself / beloved on the earth. He died young, in his forties. He wrote that as he was dying, knowing the end was near. The Act of Killing One of the most remarkable documentaries I've seen is Joshua Oppenheimers The Act of Killing. It won an Oscar. Its centred around the mass slaughter which took place in Indonesia during the great crackdown against 'communists', basically everybody the regime didn't like. The filmmaker managed to persuade a lot of the killers to describe and act out what they had done, as if they were appearing in a movie. Its conception, the way it was realised, the truth he managed to get from these people, blew me away. The Godfather Part II I love The Godfather Part IIs epic morality, the performances, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, James Caan, Brando, of course, the script, the staging, the camera work. It's a film I watch at least once a year. Theres a great moment where Michael Corleone embraces his brother Fredo, who has betrayed him, kissing him, he says: You broke my heart, Fredo. It sends shivers up my spine. I'm Still Here I'm Still Here (clockwise from top left): Selton Mello, Fernanda Torres, Cora Mora and Guilherme Silveira in Im Still Here. Photograph: Alile Onawale I'm Still Here is a beautiful film about the Brazilian dictatorship. With films like that, I just weep. It's about a mothers struggle to hold her family together after her husband is disappeared by the military junta, and her pursuit of justice. It's so human. If readers havent watched it, look out for the scene where they get ice cream, one of the most powerful cinema scenes Ive seen. In Our Time My favourite podcast is In Our Time on BBC with Melvyn Bragg, whos sadly stepping down as host. He brings in scholars and each week they discuss a different topic. It could be the Great Famine in Ireland or the idea of civility. It's wonderfully eclectic, but always full of intellectual nourishment. Where Should We Begin? I love Esther Perels podcast Where Should We Begin? Shes a fascinating character. Every week, she discusses issues around relationships or love in the modern world with people, a thing we don't talk half enough about. I'm fascinated listening to it. Youve seen the headlines, you know the story: the housing crisis in Ireland is out of control. When my partner Luke and I started planning on coming home to Dublin after a few months travel, it only took a cursory glance at daft.ie to know our prospects were bleak. Our funds were low we had saved up for a year to go backpacking, and our pockets were well and truly emptied. Hoping to avoid less-than-desirable house shares or moving back in with parents, we had to get creative. Thats when a suggestion made by my auntie Anne resulted in a lightbulb moment; why not try housesitting? So began our adventures through the website trustedhousesitters.com (which should really be called trustedpetsitters, since were yet to find one house that doesnt come with beloved furbabies as part of the deal). From four colourful cats in Kuala Lumpur, to a ginormous rescue mix in Glasgow, we found ourselves in a variety of locations over a few months. Theres something incredibly immersive about experiencing a new place while assuming the roles of the people who live there you really feel more local than tourist. Of course, were dog and cat people, which is kind of a non-negotiable if you want to do this sort of thing. After five weeks with a dog called Tappo just outside Milan, I cried my eyes out, not wanting to leave. Aoife CodyKane. Picture: Moya Nolan Of course, housesitting is not without its challenges: most of them medium-sized and covered in fur. There was the time last month when I mistakenly wore Birkenstocks to walk a German Shepherd, using a waist lead. One sniff of a squirrel and I was promptly yanked halfway across the park, whole body bent backwards and parallel to the ground, feet sliding along like some kind of amateur skier. There was the cat that would only drink from the tap, turning it on at 4am and very nearly flooding the kitchen. The 10-year-old rescue who woke every night to howl until one of us reluctantly joined him on the couch. Before long, we were jokingly referring to the experience as a pet-contraceptive. Families are different everywhere too, with unique expectations. Some are happy for you to find your own groove, while others want you to do exactly as they do. On our first night in a new house we received a message informing us of the sleeping arrangements: cat, human, cat, human, 70kg alsatian. Sure enough, we obliged, tucking ourselves into an average-sized bed like a pack of sardines for the sake of the pets routine! After a few foreign adventures, we set our sights on the homeland. We secured two weeks in a beautiful house in Kinsale with two gorgeous doggy brothers, Duke and Earl. Upon seeing how many Irish house owners were active on the site, the penny dropped for me that, hypothetically, we could live in Ireland without paying a cent in rent. And it turns out, Im not the only one. Between both sitters and houseowners, there are currently 3,000 Irish people signed up to TrustedHousesitters. Stef Stewart, a 25-year-old from Swords, is one of them. Shes been housesitting for two reasons to avoid Dublin rent (hear, hear) and to explore Cork City as somewhere she might move to in the future. Stef with a pet I was living with my partner [in Dublin] and the rent just got a bit much for us, she explains. We were stuck in a two-bed with another couple it was tiny. It was just kind of hell. When Stef and her partner split, she felt priced out of Dublin, moving back home with her parents. I think I could get a house, but Id be paying a ton of rent in a house share... I was making a pretty good salary in my last job, but I still was like: Why dont I have any money? So Stef signed up for Trusted Housesitters. Initially, she admits she baulked slightly at the steep sign-up fee (150 for the year). But the first [two-week housesit] I did, youd literally pay that for one night in Cork! I have thought about finding some sits in Dublin, just to get out of my parents for a few days. Itd be nice to be back in the place where youve made a community, where you have your favourite cafes and walks. After three housesits in Cork, Stef sees it as a great option for people in similar positions. Its been really nice to see different communities, meet new people. You kind of take on someones life; youre drinking their coffee, sitting in their chair, going to their local shop. Now Stef says she might try to take it a little further, just like we did. My original plan was to get a job and an apartment but the more I think about it now, I think Im going to keep doing housesits and go abroad for a few months. Aleksandra and Frida Aleksandra Schmidt, a creative director and photographer based in Dublin, also found herself at a loss with rent prices following a break-up. She was struggling to find somewhere affordable to live, especially considering she had a daschund puppy at the time. It was almost impossible. Unless youre in a long-term lease, the landlord knows you, or youve got the kind of family connections that make phonecalls for you. I had none of those. I was left with the 1,600 apartment we had shared, 230 in bills, and a puppy I couldnt bear to part with. I worked a minimum-wage job and did freelance photography on the side, somehow making ends meet. Aleksandra saw an Instagram story from a mutual friend who needed someone to pet-sit for an entire summer. She jumped at the opportunity to look after a 12-year-old labrador called Sandy, bringing her own pup Frida with her. I walked the dogs, watered tomato plants that werent mine. I had a home for three full summer months. With a garden, not far from the city centre, and two dogs I loved. Aleksandra adds that it wasnt just an economic choice, needing space post-breakup, but that it helped massively in building up a deposit for a new place. Is housesitting a viable option for people who dont want to pay an extortionate amount of rent in Dublin? Picture: Moya Nolan You might be noticing a pattern here housesitting doesnt quite work if you have a 9 to 5, in-house job. Theres a definite privilege that comes with being able to house-sit, namely having flexible or freelance work, and having a place to anchor yourself in between sits. (Luke and I are very lucky to have the option to stay with his parents.) This is something Trusted Housesitters stressed when I reached out to ask about their stance on chronic rent avoiders. Angela Laws, head of community, says: Trusted Housesitters isnt an alternative or solution to full-time accommodation. Wed always suggest that sitters enjoy the service, but have alternative accommodation available, should they require it. Have they noticed more sign-ups in the last few years, as rent prices skyrocket all across the globe? Absolutely. Emma Lumley, the sites PR and campaigns manager, shares that theyve seen a steady increase since 2022, though she puts it down to a typical post-covid travel boom. She also tells me that so far in 2025, more than 7,000 sits globally have been for longer than 29 days. So, is it a viable option for people who dont want to pay an extortionate amount of rent in Dublin? Temporarily, absolutely. But, long-term? Probably not. While weve loved our time housesitting, the energy it requires is taxing, from tailoring your applications to houseowners, to moving your whole life into a new space every few weeks. As we officially move home with the savings weve made, well keep our membership for occasional breaks and adventures. And who knows maybe in a year or two, if the housing bubble hasnt popped, well jet off for a global adventure again. Update added Sep 8: There have been reports of housesitters being refused entry to countries where housesitting is regarded as work that requires a work visa. In a statement on their website, Trustedhousesitters say: "The sole purpose of Trustedhousesitters is for tourism and to enable enriching travel experiences for our members. However, we recognise that sometimes house sitting can be categorised as work by border officials. In these cases, some sitters have found entry challenging and some have even been refused entry to a country as a result." Sitters are encouraged to check entry requirements in the countries they are visiting, before they travel. Independent presidential candidate Catherine Connolly has sharply criticised Conor McGregors bid for the presidency, saying the former MMA fighter is not be fit to hold the office. In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Ms Connolly outlined her opposition to Mr McGregor's presidential bid. I dont think any woman would think that man is fit to be anything, given his history and his record, Ms Connolly said. Her comments come as Mr McGregor has formally sought to appear before Dublin City Council to seek a nomination for the presidency. Mr McGregor is due to appear before a meeting of the council on September 15, when they hold a special meeting to interrogate candidates. Ms Connolly said that while she does not believe Mr McGregor is fit for the office, there should be a discussion on changing the nomination process for the presidency, but added that her instinctive conservative reaction is to leave the process as is, with the requirement for either 20 Oireachtas nominations or the backing of four councils. She also argued for extending the right to vote in presidential elections to Northern Ireland, but was more cautious about extending the franchise to individuals living abroad. I think there should be a discussion, a rational discussion, around how we could extend the franchise, but there are consequences and implications for that. She acknowledged that it is most unfair on individuals who are out of the country for a short period of time to lose their vote. On her own plans for the presidency, Ms Connolly said one of her first foreign visits would be to Palestine to stand in solidarity with the people. Were at a point in our history where we need to stand up and say what is right and what is wrong. We have genocide unfolding in front of our eyes and its simply wrong. She believes the world is at a very dangerous crossroads, as large countries, such as the US and Russia, edge back towards being empires. Ms Connolly strongly criticised the Government for its move to dismantle the triple lock for deploying Irish troops abroad. We as a nation have always respected and honoured the UN. That we should be part of the dismantling of it is absolutely appalling and unacceptable for me, Ms Connolly said. Ms Connolly is critical of all countries who have used the UN Security Council veto, but said Ireland primarily would call out Russia for its veto usage, under her presidency. If were talking about credibility as a country, then we need to call out all powers that misuse their veto. Russia was the enemy and America was our ally. Its more difficult to keep that binary distinction now because its so blatant that theyre [the US] using their veto stop the peacekeeping force [in Lebanon], Ms Connolly said. She said debates in the Dail should be on how to face up to the bullies that are the US and Russia. Questioned if she believed the US, under Donald Trump, was an ally of Ireland, Ms Connolly did not answer directly but described the country as a colonising empire. The language has been reduced to youre for us, or youre against us, which is dangerous and worrying and will not help democracy. "Were back to siding with empires and thats why we need Ireland to use its voice, Ms Connolly said. Catherine Connolly said one of her first foreign visits would be to Palestine to 'stand in solidarity with the people'. Picture: Gareth Chaney Ms Connolly also criticised the use of a coalition of the willing to facilitate peace negotiation attempts to end the war in Ukraine by European states. Were back to language like the "coalition of the willing" that was just so terrible actually. It was used in the illegal invasion of Iraq, she added. On her nomination of Gemma ODoherty for the 2018 presidential election, Ms Connolly said while she has many regrets, she did not regret her decision at the time. One cant regret making a decision as best they could at that time. Gemma ODoherty had been a good journalist, she had been recognised for that. Quite clearly at that point she was saying things, and more so afterwards, that would be unacceptable to me. Ms Connolly stressed that she did not endorse Ms ODohertys campaign. Put to her that many people would view a nomination as an endorsement for Ms ODohertys campaign, Ms Connolly said she agreed it could be interpreted as such. Ive taken every opportunity to point out thats not a correct interpretation, Ms Connolly argued. Syria visit About her controversial visit to Syria, Ms Connolly reiterated she travelled to the country on a fact finding mission and never supported the regime in place. She described seeing utter destruction the Al Yarmouk camp in Damascus and that it changed her forever. I went with a horror of dictatorships. I mean, if it wasnt so serious, it would be funny that I would be accused of supporting a dictatorship, Ms Connolly said. On her platform for the presidency, Ms Connolly said the country is now at a very different point in its history compared to when Michael D Higgins was elected in 2011. Were facing a housing crisis which is just an obscenity, and it has been normalised. Were part of a world order that has facilitated and normalised genocide, Ms Connolly said. She said the Government is going backwards on efforts to tackle climate change, and those issues would be uppermost in her mind throughout the campaign. While Ms Connolly praised Labour for backing her presidential bid, she would not be drawn on her previous comments that the party had lost its soul. Its not a question of what I think of Labour, or what Labour thinks of me, or indeed what Alan Kelly thinks, Ms Connolly said. This is about a presidential election, whether I have the characteristics to be president of Ireland. The good thing about that is the people of Ireland will decide that. Father Ted creator Graham Linehan has said he may never return to Britain as he told of being arrested at Heathrow Airport. The 57-year-old Irish comedy writer was arrested after flying in from Arizona on Monday over three posts he had made on X about transgender issues. I am just so happy in America. I feel so far away from all these nut-jobs who have the police wrapped around their finger Linehan, who now lives in the United States, told The Times: What happened to me on Monday was almost the perfect finale to my time in the UK. I decided to leave Britain because it really is impossible for me to stay. I just dont have freedom of speech in this country. Then theres the fact that almost all my friends in comedy betrayed me. Not one of them stood up and said, Linehans not a bigot, and of course, women need fair sports and single-sex spaces. I am just so happy in America. I feel so far away from all these nut-jobs who have the police wrapped around their finger. I dont think Ill ever come back to Britain. Linehan, who has separately appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court over the past few days, accused of harassing transgender activist Sophia Brooks, said Met officers arresting him at the airport was the greatest mistake they could have made. Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan has also appeared in court accused of harassing transgender activist Sophia Brooks (Jonathan Brady/PA) He told the newspaper: Ive never felt better because Ive exposed the way British police are working in tandem with trans activists. The police, after being called institutionally racist, have done this ridiculous over-compensation, which means that now theyre literally working for a sort of Al Capone gang in fishnets. When are they going to start defending the women bringing complaints instead of these clearly bad-faith actors? They just dont. Linehan said he was stopped by five armed police officers, although it is understood this is because they were from the Mets Aviation unit and routinely carry firearms. He was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence in posts on X. One of the posts said: If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls. Another was a photograph of a trans-rights protest, with the comment a photo you can smell, with a follow-up post saying: I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F*** em. In a clip published online, Linehan can be heard reacting with disbelief as he is stopped by officers. The Father Ted co-creator has told The Times that he doesnt think hell ever come back to Britain after moving to the United States (Ben Whitley/PA) He tells one officer: Im a f****** comedy writer, I wrote Father Ted. Are you a f****** idiot? Its just disgraceful. When told he is under arrest, he shouts: Holy shit, I dont f****** believe it, do you know what this country looks like to America? before repeating Im going to sue you into the ground several times. He calls the officers f****** bastards and shouts how dare you before they urge him to calm down. Shortly afterwards, Linehan can be heard saying: Im f****** infuriated. You scumbags are working for f****** arseholes who go into womens toilets. Harry Potter author JK Rowling was among those who reacted angrily to his arrest. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said his officers should not be policing toxic culture wars debates and had been left in an impossible position implementing the law as it stands. Linehan has denied one count of harassing Sophia Brooks on social media between October 11 and October 27 last year, and a further charge of criminal damage to their mobile phone on October 19 last year. The trial was adjourned and will resume on October 29, with Linehan released on bail. Fine Gael has told its councillors not to back independents seeking a presidential nomination. The party's TDs, senators and MEPs will support its nominee, Heather Humphreys, but nominations to appear on the ballot remain possible for anyone who secures the backing of four councils. However, a message sent from Fine Gael HQ on Friday instructed councillors not to support independent candidates. Given the partys influence at council level across the country, this could block potential runs by independents such as Bob Geldof, Maria Steen, Gareth Sheridan and Nick Delahanty. Several councils will meet in the coming weeks to hear pitches from potential candidates seeking member support. A message from Fine Gael general secretary John Carroll, combined with expectations that Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail will take the same stance, appears set to block independents from gaining the four councils needed for nomination. Neither of those parties has issued guidance to councillors, and Sinn Fein has yet to decide whether it will run a candidate or back Catherine Connolly. The message told councillors: With regard to the nomination of candidates by local authorities, the Executive Council of Fine Gael has decided after considerable discussion and consultation with the 31 Fine Gael Council Groups that as Fine Gael has a candidate for the presidential election, Fine Gael public representatives are only to nominate the Fine Gael candidate. "Fine Gael public representatives cannot in any way facilitate the nomination of any other candidate. As weather forecaster Joanna Donnelly and Lord of the Dance star Michael Flatley withdrew from the race on Friday, former MMA fighter Conor McGregor contacted Dublin City Council seeking to address councillors. A list of 16 candidates due to present to Dublin City Council on September 15 includes Mr McGregor. History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake James Joyce, Ulysses. Martin Roper arrived in New York on September 10, 2001. A Fulbright scholar, he had left Dublin seven years earlier to study at the prestigious Iowa University in the International Writing Program. One condition of his scholarship was his return to Ireland after his studies concluded, which he did, before moving back to New York with a novel about to be published and a short story set to appear in the November issue of the New Yorker. As far as turning points in a young writers life go, his second day in New York was traumatically memorable. I was staying with a writer friend of mine in Manhattan. When we realised what was happening, we both started crying I think for different reasons. He was crying for his America, I think I was crying knowing what was coming next. What did come next was the invasion of Afghanistan. When Ropers story appeared in the New Yorker two months later, the magazines cover depicted Thanksgiving turkeys being heaved from a B-52 bomber to expectant Afghani people below, silhouetted against the snow-capped Tora Bora mountains. That war inspired much evocative content but, looking back, the hubris is clear. The turkeys will set you free? It was only a cartoon, but given what we know now, it is fair to ask whether the real bombers stopped off at Shannon Airport en route to Kabul. A US Hercules Transporter is parked at the side of the airport at Shannon, where the Irish Peace Camp demonstrated outside the main entrance to Shannon Airport in 2003. File Picture: John Cogill/AP Like many, Roper admits he was able to park his discomfort with US foreign policy as he settled into a comfortable American life. Teaching at New York University, he became a respected member of a thriving literary community. Life was good too good, perhaps. It numbed me to the wider world, he reflects now, a world where Americas influence was much more nefarious than I realised. It took me to come home in 2015 and meet my partner [writer Mary Costello] to realise my own ignorance. What was happening in the Middle East and North Africa. The complicity of governments. The complicity of Ireland. Thats why I go to Shannon every Sunday to protest. I realise the futility of it, but what else can I do? Ropers activism may be relatively recent, but Irelands status as a cog in the American military machine stretches back decades: From the Korean War in the 1950s, through the first Gulf War and the subsequent occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, to its current role in the ongoing assault on Gaza and the occupied territories of Palestine. Public dissent at Irelands acquiescence to Washington peaked in February 2003, when an estimated 100,000 people protested in Dublin the largest anti-war rally in the history of the State At the heart of that protest was Shannon. While no formal invitation was issued by taoiseach Bertie Ahern to president George W Bush, the diplomatic body language was clear. In a war framed as either with America or against it, the Irish government chose to open its arms without the consent of the Irish people. The use of Shannon Airport by US military aircraft has its roots in Irelands strategic position as a transatlantic stopover. America is not the only external actor to take advantage: Soviet carrier Aeroflot once established a base there, allowing commercial and cargo flights from Moscow to refuel in Ireland en route to Cuba, Angola, and beyond. Shannon became the biggest Soviet transit airport outside Moscow until the 1990s, a history still visible in photographs displayed in the departure hall. Military use of the airport, however, is governed by law. According to the Air Navigation Order of 1952, foreign military aircraft are not permitted to fly over or land in Ireland without explicit permission from the minister. Around 200 people turned up at Shannon Airport during a protest in 2024 over the use of the airport by the US military. File Picture: Press 22. A 1959 agreement gives US military planes the right to fly over Ireland without prior notice, provided they are unarmed, carrying only passengers or cargo, and following navigation rules. Landing rights still require permission as long as planes are not transporting weapons or munitions, involved in military operations starting from Ireland, or engaged in intelligence gathering. Any civil or military aircraft planning to transport weapons or war materials through or into Irish airspace must apply for a specific exemption from the Irish Government. Permission is required even if the weapons onboard arent loaded or immediately ready for use. This policy is designed to help maintain Irelands veneer of neutrality. US civil aircraft must apply to the Department of Transport to carry troops or equipment over Irish territory or to land at airports like Shannon. Charter and cargo airlines such as Omni Air International and Atlas Air, which often work under government and military contracts, are among the most frequent users of these permissions. Ireland also reserves the right to deny or ground flights if it discovers that weapons or undeclared military cargo are being transported. The global reaction to the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq brought Irelands subservience into sharper focus, prompting many to challenge the Governments position, which they contended amounted to direct complicity. Edward Horgan, a former officer in the Irish Defence Forces, was a mature student at the University of Limerick and among the first to begin protesting at Shannon in November 2001. Given his experience both as a peacekeeper and later as an election monitor for the EU in the Balkans, West Africa, Indonesia, and East Timor, he was wiser than most as to the reach and ramifications of US foreign policy. As a UN peacekeeper, I was stationed in Cyprus and the Sinai, he says. I saw firsthand the consequences of Israels wars in the Middle East, all backed by America "Later, I monitored elections in Indonesia, a place the US was directly involved in committing genocide in the mid-sixties. My eyes were long opened to quiet complicity. On November 11, 2001, a bus full of student protesters left Limerick for Shannon, determined to make their voices heard through peaceful protest. Two years later, Horgan took a case against the State in the High Court. He argued that allowing the US military the use of Shannon while engaged in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq was in breach of the neutrality of the State and the Constitution. The decision was not taken lightly. I recall my solicitor sitting my wife and I down at the time and warning us that, if we failed and the State pursued us for costs, it might run to the hundreds of thousands. We would effectively have lost our home, he says. Despite this, he pressed on, undeterred. I remember thinking a house is bricks and mortar, whats happening is much more important than that. The High Court ruled against Horgan, though he was spared the costs that might have crippled him. There was such energy around those protests in 2003. So many people were angry at Bertie Ahern welcoming the Americans to Shannon without it being put to the people. As the Celtic Tiger swept the country, anger largely turned to apathy. It was hard to watch, says Horgan, now 80, we kept going to protest, but the momentum was lost. Horgan never stopped. As recently as January 2023, he was acquitted by a jury in Dublin Circuit Court of the charge of criminal damage to a US military plane at Shannon Airport. He and co-defendant Dan Dowling had breached security six years earlier, spray-painting a peace slogan on a US navy aircraft. My family do get worried for me sometimes, he says, but the message is worth the risk. Records from last September reveal that over 220,000 US soldiers have passed through Shannon Airport in the past three and a half years. File Picture: Karlis Dzjamko Horgan is encouraged that, in light of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, momentum is returning to the Shannon movement. In May this year, three women were arrested for allegedly breaching the airport perimeter fence and causing damage to an Omni Air International Boeing aircraft. Last November, eight protesters were arrested following a demonstration organised by Palestine solidarity campaigners. Activists from Shannonwatch also organise weekly peace vigils every Saturday and Sunday during July and August, starting around 6am at the airports entrance roundabout, maintaining public attention on the issue. The heightened tension surrounding US military traffic through Shannon has only amplified in recent months following reporting by The Ditch that Irish airspace has been regularly violated by military aircraft transporting munitions subsequently used in Gaza. Despite repeated inquiries, the Government has yet to provide satisfactory answers. Those alleged violations pre-date Donald Trumps presidency, but his administration emphasised aggressive enforcement, expanded ICE staffing, and gave fewer legal protections for undocumented individuals. The Irish Government and diaspora groups fear that undocumented Irish particularly those working in construction and service sectors could be swept up in these enforcement efforts. Visa processes, especially for student and J1 working holiday programmes, now include stricter vetting. Public opinion remains slightly opposed to military use of Shannon. A 2016 Red C poll found that around six in 10 people opposed US military use of the airport, with strong support for constitutional protection of Irish neutrality. Successive governments have largely ignored this sentiment, continuing to grant landing rights and overflight permissions to US military aircraft. The contradiction is stark: While Ireland morally compromises itself to placate a country so deeply connected to Israel, the US administration simultaneously targets Irish immigrants both documented and undocumented with unprecedented measures that threaten livelihoods. Stephen Dedalus said in Ulysses that history was a nightmare from which he was trying to awaken, Martin Roper reminds us. Well, we are awake to the horror now. And the reality of our own involvement is worse than any nightmare The fight for Irish neutrality at Shannon continues, a struggle defined by decades of public protest, legal battles, and weekly vigils that refuse to let the issue fade from public consciousness. As activists maintain their presence, the debate over Irelands complicity, conscience, and sovereignty persists a reminder that neutrality is not merely a legal formality, but a principle that requires vigilance, courage, and, above all, public engagement. Donald Trumptold reporters that he might send national guard troops into Portland, Oregon, apparently because he was misled about the scale of small protests there by a TV report that incorrectly presented video recorded in 2020 as having taken place this summer. I will say this, I watched today, I didnt know that was continuing to go on, but Portland is unbelievable, whats going on, Mr Trump said. He then claimed, incorrectly, that he had seen video evidence of the destruction of the city. In fact, a handful of protesters have demonstrated outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in a remote area of Portland along the south waterfront this year, but the scale of the protests, which attract dozens at most, is nothing like the 2020 protests following the police killing of George Floyd that regularly drew thousands to tens of thousands of demonstrators to a central part of the city for months. Are you going into Portland? a reporter asked Mr Trump. Well, Im going to look at it now because I didnt know that was still going on. This has been going on for years, the US president replied. He then explained how he had been misled into the entirely false belief that the large-scale protests from 2020 had continued. Well be able to stop that very easily, but that was not on my list, Portland, but when I watched television last night, this has been going on, Mr Trump said. Like other mayors across the country, I have not asked for and do not need federal intervention, Portland mayor Keith Wilson said in a statement on Friday. We are proud that Portland police have successfully protected freedom of expression while addressing occasional violence and property destruction that takes place during protests at the ICE facility in Portland. We anticipate that the site, and the half-block surrounding it, will continue to be a focus of protests. Portland will continue to rise to the moment as a proud sanctuary city, taking legal action to stand up for our community and our rights. The president did not cite the specific news report that he was basing his impression on, but Fox News broadcast a report on Thursday that mixed images of a recent protest in Portland, attended by dozens of protesters, with a viral video clip from 2020 of one protester, Christopher David, being pepper-sprayed in the face by a federal agent that was wrongly described as having been shot in June of this year. Police use chemical irritants and crowd control munitions to disperse protesters during a demonstration in Portland, Ore., on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. Hundreds of people gathered for rallies and marches against police violence and racial injustice Saturday night in Portland, Oregon, as often often-violent nightly demonstrations that have happened for 100 days since George Floyd was killed showed no signs of ceasing. Picture: AP Photo/Noah Berger) The report focused mainly on one protest outside the facility on Tuesday, attended by dozens of protesters who brought a guillotine as a prop before being doused with chemical agents by federal officers. These are paid terrorists, the president said, once again spreading a baseless conspiracy theory his administration amplified about anti-fascist protesters in 2020. These are paid agitators, these are professionals. I watched that last night. Im very good at this stuff. These are paid agitators; they get paid money by radical left groups, the president claimed. He went on to suggest that well-printed signs displayed by some protesters proved his theory, saying: These are paid agitators and theyre very dangerous for our country and when we go there, if we go to Portland, were going to wipe em out. Theyre going to be gone. They wont even stand to fight. They will not stay there. Theyve ruined that city. Its like living in hell, the president said, describing an imaginary version of Portland that bears no resemblance to the actual city, in which fences around the federal courthouse that was the scene of mass protests in 2020 have been removed and the central police headquarters no longer has boarded-up windows. The Oregon attorney general, Dan Rayfield, threatened to take action if Trump sent troops to Oregon. Although some threats from the Trump administration may be new or surprising, this one is not: weve been preparing to respond since Trump returned to office, Mr Rayfield said. California showed how effective our approach can be to stop federal overreach. Oregon is a safe place, and we intend to keep it that way. The president may have a lot of power, but he has to stay in his lane and if he doesnt, well hold him accountable. - The Guardian KABUL, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's Herat province has exported over 540 tons of fresh fruits to the international market over the past five months, a significant increase from the previous year, according to the local media TOLOnews on Saturday. Mohammad Yousuf Amin, executive director of the Herat Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said that in the first five months of 1404 on the Persian calendar starting from March 21, approximately 544 tons and 722 kg of fresh fruits, valued at about 300,000 U.S. dollars, were shipped abroad. This represented an eightfold growth in exports compared to the same period last year, fueled by a nearly 20 percent rise in fruit yields. Amin said that total exports could exceed 1,000 tons by the end of the year. The fruits, including apples, cherries, plums, watermelons, melons and apricots, have been delivered to countries such as Russia, Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, highlighting Herat's expanding role in global agricultural trade. Herat stands out as one of Afghanistan's premier fruit-producing regions. *The concept covers aspects such as monitoring and early warning, in-orbit handling, and systematic response, with the goal of building a comprehensive near-Earth asteroid detection and defense system. *Near-Earth asteroids are among the most potentially hazardous objects in the solar system. China has done a series of preparation for asteroid defense. *While advancing its deep space exploration efforts, China has emphasized that the exploration and utilization of space resources should serve the well-being of all humanity. HEFEI, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists revealed their first comprehensive plan for the near-Earth asteroid defense system at a space exploration conference held on Friday, calling for global partners to work together to protect the safety of our planet. The third International Deep Space Exploration Conference was held in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, from Thursday to Friday. Focusing on asteroid exploration, defense and resource utilization, the conference attracted more than 400 guests from over 40 countries and regions. ASTEROID DEFENSE PROGRAM Chief designer of China's lunar exploration program Wu Weiren said during the conference that under the framework of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), Chinese scientists have proposed a strategic concept for asteroid defense development. Chief designer of China's lunar exploration program Wu Weiren delivers a report at the third International Deep Space Exploration Conference in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu) The concept covers aspects such as monitoring and early warning, in-orbit handling, and systematic response, with the goal of building a comprehensive near-Earth asteroid detection and defense system. It includes an integrated, space-ground collaborative monitoring and early warning system capable of precise alerts and routine operation, added Wu, also director and chief scientist of Hefei-based Deep Space Exploration Lab, the conference's organizer. Near-Earth asteroids are among the most potentially hazardous objects in the solar system. It is widely understood in the scientific community that around 66 million years ago, an asteroid approximately 10 km in diameter struck Earth, leading to the extinction of about 75 percent of global species, including dinosaurs. On June 30, 1908, the Tunguska explosion in Russia devastated over 2,000 square km of forest. In 2013, a meteor airburst occurred over Chelyabinsk of Russia, injuring 1,500 people and damaging 3,000 buildings. China has done a series of preparation works for asteroid defense. In 2006, the China National Space Administration launched the near-Earth object survey program. A white paper released in 2022 detailing China's space programs outlined plans to demonstrate and develop a near-Earth asteroid defense system. On May 29, 2025, the Tianwen-2 probe was successfully launched, with the mission of sampling and returning from the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3, followed by the exploration of the main-belt comet 311P. China has also established routine sky-survey capacity. It has deployed telescopes including the 1-meter telescope at the Purple Mountain Observatory in east China, the 2.5-meter wide-field survey telescope in Lenghu in northwest China, as well as the 2.16-meter telescope in Xinglong in north China, and the 2.4-meter and 1.8-meter telescopes in Lijiang in southwest China. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION In 2014, the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) and the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG) were established under the UN framework, becoming the two major global organizations for asteroid defense. China has been an active participant in the activities of both organizations. At this conference, global scientists highly commended China's plan. "The theme of this conference is both timely and highly relevant," said Driss El Hadani, deputy director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). He noted that asteroids are not only of scientific interest, but also present potential risks and opportunities for humanity. Driss El Hadani, deputy director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), speaks at the opening ceremony of the third International Deep Space Exploration Conference in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu) "China's observation data and research findings will be shared with international partners through the IAWN platform," said Wu Weiren. He welcomed global partners to actively collaborate in areas such as joint ground-based monitoring, cooperative development and payload hosting, as well as sharing of data and results. "From the perspective of safeguarding Earth's security and ensuring the continuity of human civilization, building asteroid defense capabilities is a shared mission for all humanity." he added. In July, the International Deep Space Exploration Association (IDSEA), the first China-based international academic organization for deep space exploration, was established in Hefei. It plans to build a broad platform for cooperation and exchange by organizing high-level international academic events and promoting the cultivation of global aerospace talent. Christian Feichtinger, executive director of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), said at the conference that the asteroid defense is a global endeavor. Coordination is important and that's where organizations like the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory and IAF can play a significant role. RESOURCE FOR HUMANITY While advancing its deep space exploration efforts, China has emphasized that the exploration and utilization of space resources should serve the well-being of all humanity. At the conference, Wu Weiren extended a cooperation initiative to global partners, calling for joint efforts to develop the deep space economy, protect our planet, and ensure the continuity of human civilization. In a sub-forum of this conference, the Deep Space Exploration Lab highlighted ten major sectors as the future trends of deep space economy, including resource utilization, internet, energy, biology, transportation, smart technologies, construction, tourism, security, and cultural creativity. Guests visit the show room of the Deep Space Exploration Lab in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu) The United States, Japan, Luxembourg and other countries have already enacted domestic legislation to authorize the development of space resources. The deep space economy represents an expansion of the space economy, characterized by the exploitation and utilization of resources from celestial bodies. Near-Earth asteroids are rich in iron, nickel, platinum-group metals, and rare earth mineral resources. Some asteroids may even contain water resources, which could be used for in-situ production and replenishment of propellants and water supplies, thereby reducing the costs of deep space exploration missions. "We recognize the role of China in the areas of asteroid exploration, planetary defense, and resource utilization. China has been actively engaged in these domains and has participated in international cooperation efforts that help advance collective understanding and dialogue," said Driss El Hadani. "We praise China for developing programs that support and collaborate with emerging nations, creating real opportunities to go to space. For instance, upcoming Chang'e missions have issued international calls for payloads, enabling joint scientific progress and new opportunities for emerging countries," said Bernard Foing, vice chair of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) planetary commission and exploration panel. Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) On the last day of August, 2025, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, a scholarly body with more than 500 members, passed a resolution with 86% support of those who voted, concluding that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza. These scholars study genocide professionally, researching it, theorizing it, and publishing on it in peer-reviewed journals. In peer review, the editor who receives a submission anonymizes it and sends it out to 3 or 4 major experts on the subject for the recommendation of whether to publish it and their suggestions for improvement. I ran a Cambridge University Press journal for 5 years and sent out hundreds of papers for review. I always insisted on 4 referees and I liked to see a consensus that the article was publishable. A minority of such submissions appeared. If I published someone, it meant their scholarship was careful and solidly grounded. This kind of publishing is what these scholars of genocide engage in routinely. I underline this point because American television and social media accustom us to the idea that everyones views are equally worthy. No. Some arguments are bullshit. How can you tell? Because the academic experts who devote their lives to a subject have a world-beating bullshit meter. Getting 86% of academics in a field to agree on something is a minor miracle. Professors like to pick nits and make sure their assertions rest on unimpeachable evidence. They spend years on an issue. Unlike the Beltway Bandits on television, they dont just shoot their mouths off with shallow just-formed opinions. So how did these scholars arrive at this conclusion? First, they looked carefully at Article 2 of the U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948, to which Israel is a signatory. It defines genocide this way: In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: (a) Killing members of the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group A lot of people think that genocide consists in killing almost all members of a group. This technical legal definition makes it clear, however, that you can genocide a people even if lots of its members survive. Genocide as defined here is more about the purpose of violence than about its magnitude. If you kill people because of who they are and because you object to that people existing, you dont have to kill very many of them for it to be genocide. Myanmar or Burmas genocide against the 1.1 million Rohingya in 2016-18 likely killed 24,000 of them, but forced most of the rest out of the country. leaving 150,000 internally displaced. This relatively small death toll can still constitute a genocide because they were killed for being Rohingya and the killing was part of an ethnic cleansing campaign. The Myanmar authorities, including many in the Buddhist clerical establishment, so hated the Rohingya that they wanted them to cease existing as a minority in the country. The conditions of their peoplehood as Myanmar Rohingya was destroyed. Now they are rootless refugees, most of them stateless. In 2022, the US government branded the campaign against the Rohingya a genocide. So did Human Rights Watch. So did the the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. As the IAGS notes, Israel has forcibly displaced nearly all of the 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip multiple times, and demolished more than 90 percent of the housing infrastructure in the territory. In fact, Israel is just this moment engaged in displacing a million Palestinians from Gaza City, most of them already reduced to being tent people. The resolution had noted: [Recognising that] according to official UN estimates, at the date of this resolution, has killed more than 59,000 adults and children in Gaza; Recognising that these crimes are estimated to have left many thousands of people buried under the rubble or otherwise inaccessible, and most probably dead; Recognising that this bombing and other violence is estimated to have injured more than 143,000 people, with many maimed; Recognising that the actions of the Israeli government against Palestinians have included torture, arbitrary detention, and sexual and reproductive violence; deliberate attacks on medical professionals, humanitarian aid workers and journalists; and the deliberate deprivation of food, water, medicine, and electricity essential to the survival of the population . . . What about Israeli intent? Do Israeli leaders want Palestinian society in Gaza to cease to exist in whole or in part? Manifestly, they do: Recognising that Israeli governmental leaders, war cabinet ministers, and senior army officers have made explicit statements of intent to destroy, characterizing Palestinians in Gaza as a whole as enemies and human animals and stating the intention of inflicting maximum damage on Gaza, flattening Gaza, and turning Gaza into hell; Recognising that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has endorsed the current US Presidents plan to forcibly expel all Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, with no right of return, in what Navi Pillay, head of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, has said amounts to ethnic cleansing; Recognising that the deliberate destruction of agricultural fields, food warehouses, and bakeries and other violence that prevents food production, in conjunction with denial and restriction of humanitarian aid, indicate the intentional infliction of unlivable conditions resulting in starvation of Palestinians in Gaza . . . Genocide 1, Digital, ChatGPT, 2025 All of these Recognising-s are leading up to a therefore, of course, and here it is: Therefore, the International Association of Genocide Scholars: Declares that 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); Declares that Israels policies and actions in Gaza constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity as defined in international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court; Calls upon the government of 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; etc. The case here is much stronger, in my view, than for the Rohingya genocide, which has a strong case and is widely recognized. Yet the United States government and the Holocaust Memorial Museum havent categorized Gaza as a genocide. This is because genocides are political acts by states, and the recognition and the memory of genocides have a political dimension. States are like teams to which fans are loyal and the crimes of which the fans are often willing to overlook. But the IAGS is not a state, or a cause, and it isnt made up of partisan fans. It is a membership organization of field experts who are critical thinkers. And those field experts are overwhelmingly convinced by this case. By Leonie Fleischmann, City St Georges, University of London (The Conversation) The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered the Israel Defense Forces to step up the offensive on Gaza City, despite internal and international condemnation. Amid accusations by the International Association of Genocide Scholars that Israel is committing genocide, some 40,000 reservist soldiers were called-up to report for duty on Tuesday, August 2. An additional 90,000 are due for mobilisation by the end of the first quarter of 2026. But reports suggest that the numbers willing to accept their orders are dwindling. Israel has mandatory national conscription for those leaving high school for a period of 18 to 36 months, with some exemptions. This is followed by compulsory reserve duty for some units, normally until the age of 40. In the wake of the October 7 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas, 360,000 reservists were reportedly called up for duty, alongside the 100,000 high-school leavers on active duty. This was one of the largest mobilisations in Israels history. There was an unprecedented 120% response rate, as Israelis rallied around the flag and other people not subject to the call-up opted to serve. After almost two years of fighting, reports suggest that commanders are now struggling to find enough reservists willing to serve. Some calculations show a 30% downturn in reserve deployment. Kan, Israels national broadcaster, puts the decline closer to 50%. Reasons vary among those who choose not to fulfil their reserve duty. A report from left-wing Israeli media outlet, +972mag, calculates that only about 1,500, roughly 1.5%, of soldiers who refused between October 2023 and April 2025 did so out of ideological and ethical concerns. The majority have refused because they have grown weary of a war that has failed to achieve a resolution nor succeeded in returning the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas. Many are suffering from exhaustion, both physical and emotional. Whatever their motivations, the unwillingness of a proportion of Israeli reserve soldiers to continue to fight poses a potential problem for Netanyahu in his pursuit of eradicating Hamas in Gaza or in conducting wars on other fronts. Simply put, the IDF cannot carry out its operations without sufficient soldiers. Even if refusal numbers do not reach such a tipping point, their public declarations of refusal carry political clout. Historically, Israelis have refused to serve as a means to challenge the policies of the Israeli government. A distinction should be made between the smaller numbers of Israeli teenagers who refuse to enlist in the IDF altogether and those who have refused their reserve duty. Some high-school refusers declare themselves as conscientious objectors. They tend to do so out of ideological contempt for the IDF and in rejection of the Israeli occupation of Palestinians. A 2021 refusal letter by a group of high school students spelled it out: It is our duty to oppose this destructive reality by uniting our struggles and refusing to serve these violent systems chief among them the military. As I discovered in my research on Israeli peace and anti-occupation activism, these teenagers tend to be dismissed as radical anarchists. Reservists who refuse to return to serve are also not well received by the majority of Israeli society, but they are given a degree of support and sympathy because they have already served in the IDF, thus fulfilling their national duty. As one recent refuser wrote in an opinion piece in the New York Times, refusing to serve is not betrayal of the state. Refusing is the only way to save it. Israels history of military refuseniks The first significant wave of reservist refusal came with the outbreak of the first Lebanon war in 1982. Almost 3,000 reservists signed a petition stating that they did not join the Israeli Defense Forces to solve the Palestinian problem by warfare. Some 160 were jailed. A movement called Yesh Gvul (There is a Limit) emerged and has promoted subsequent waves of reservist refusal, and supported those who are imprisoned. The movement encouraged selective refusal to serve in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in response to the Israeli armys brutal repression of the first Palestinian uprising in 1987. As Israeli scholar, Benjamin Kidron, noted in his book Refusenik!, they marked a difference between legitimate duties of the IDF in defending Israel and unacceptable assignments in the occupied territories. During the second Intifada, beginning in 2000, there was a further wave of selective refusal, with the reservists gaining some legitimacy by speaking with the authority of having come directly from the field. Photo of Tel Aviv by artem belinsky on Unsplash Threats of refusal have also been used as leverage for other issues dominating Israeli society. At the height of the protests against the proposed judicial reforms in summer 2023, 1,000 elite Israeli combat pilots refused to serve until the reforms were abandoned. They cited the governments plans as a threat to Israeli democracy. With an increasing number of Israelis taking a public stand against the Israeli government, the wave of soldiers refusing to serve could affect the ability of Netanyahu to continue his assault on Gaza as planned. But as the past two years have shown, Netanyahu has not been persuaded by either domestic or international pressure to abandoned his war on Gaza. It is unlikely that he will change course now. Leonie Fleischmann, Senior Lecturer in International Politics, City St Georges, University of London This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Iowa has experienced the sharpest increase in medical debt in the United States, according to a new study by Whitley Law Firm. Between 2020 and 2023, the number of Iowa residents struggling with unpaid medical bills jumped by 54.97%, the highest increase recorded nationwide. The study, which examined Census Bureau data, shows how unevenly medical debt burdens fall across the country with some states facing steep rises while others see major reductions. Iowa Leads the Nation In 2020, 5.93% of Iowa residents reported having medical debt. By 2023, that figure had climbed to 9.20%, representing a nearly 55% increase over three years. The rise means thousands more Iowa families are facing financial strain from medical expenses. Other States With Large Increases Iowa is not alone in facing this challenge. Four other states rounded out the top five for growth in medical debt: Hawaii : Up 34.87% , from 3.00% in 2020 to 4.05% in 2023. The states high cost of living and geographic isolation contribute to barriers in accessing affordable care. : Up , from 3.00% in 2020 to 4.05% in 2023. The states high cost of living and geographic isolation contribute to barriers in accessing affordable care. Nebraska : Up 32.91% , rising from 8.51% to 11.30%. Nebraska now has one of the highest overall rates of medical debt in the country. : Up , rising from 8.51% to 11.30%. Nebraska now has one of the in the country. Alaska : Up 32.22% , increasing from 4.90% to 6.48%. : Up , increasing from 4.90% to 6.48%. Maine: Up 26.75%, climbing from 8.04% to 10.19%. Other states, including South Carolina, Colorado, and New Mexico, saw smaller increases under 10% highlighting just how varied the problem is across the U.S. Where Medical Debt Is Falling While many states saw worsening conditions, others made remarkable progress in reducing medical debt. Delaware achieved the largest improvement, cutting its rate by 80.29% , from 11.03% in 2020 to just 2.17% in 2023. achieved the largest improvement, cutting its rate by , from 11.03% in 2020 to just 2.17% in 2023. Kansas reduced medical debt by 42.66% , with rates dropping from 10.38% to 5.95%. reduced medical debt by , with rates dropping from 10.38% to 5.95%. Kentucky saw a 38.53% decrease , from 11.86% to 7.29%. saw a , from 11.86% to 7.29%. Wyoming lowered its rate by 35.24% , dropping from 13.73% to 8.89%. lowered its rate by , dropping from 13.73% to 8.89%. Alabama reported a 34.12% decrease, moving from 10.43% to 6.87%. These improvements suggest that targeted policies and consumer protections can help relieve the burden. States With the Biggest Increases in Medical Debt, 20202023 Rank State % in Medical Debt (2020) % in Medical Debt (2023) % Change 1 Iowa 5.93% 9.20% +54.97% 2 Hawaii 3.00% 4.05% +34.87% 3 Nebraska 8.51% 11.30% +32.91% 4 Alaska 4.90% 6.48% +32.22% 5 Maine 8.04% 10.19% +26.75% Why Medical Debt Matters Medical debt is unlike other forms of debt. It often arises from unavoidable healthcare needs such as emergency surgeries, chronic illnesses, or unexpected injuries. Even families with insurance coverage can quickly become overwhelmed by out-of-pocket costs, deductibles, and uncovered treatments. A spokesperson for Whitley Law Firm explained: This study shows an alarming rise in medical debt across several states, with Iowas nearly 55% rise being particularly concerning. This growing burden affects families financial stability and can lead to difficult choices between healthcare and other essential needs. Medical debt is unique because it comes from unavoidable needs rather than discretionary spending. Over 60% of bankruptcies in the U.S. are tied to medical debt. The reductions weve seen in states like Delaware prove that policy changes and consumer protections can make a real difference. The Bigger Picture The study highlights how uneven medical debt is across the U.S. While states like Iowa and Nebraska are seeing more families pushed into financial hardship, others such as Delaware and Kansas are moving in the opposite direction. Policy experts argue that solutions may include: Expanding Medicaid coverage and subsidies Strengthening consumer protections against aggressive collections Offering more transparent healthcare pricing Supporting targeted debt-relief programs for vulnerable populations Without intervention, millions of Americans may continue to face difficult trade-offs between paying medical bills and meeting other essential household expenses. ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- China and the African Union (AU) have pledged to strengthen solidarity in building a more just global governance system and a peaceful world. The commitment was made Friday at a high-level seminar in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Addressing the gathering, Jiang Feng, head of the Chinese Mission to the AU, emphasized the need to remember history and enhance global cooperation to address enduring security challenges facing the world. "Remembering history, commemorating the martyrs, cherishing peace, and creating a better future should be the common mission and responsibility of all mankind," Jiang said, calling on the Global South to jointly uphold multilateralism. Noting that the commemoration coincided with this year's AU theme, Jiang said China and Africa have supported each other in the struggle for independence, liberation, and the defense of national sovereignty. "We should pursue mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, and be partners in global development cooperation. Economic globalization is the only way forward for the development of human society," said Jiang, criticizing ongoing unfair tariffs and aid cuts by some world powers against developing countries. "Such unilateral and hegemonic acts ignore the basic norms of international relations and will push the world back to the one governed by the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak," he said, adding that China will continue to expand its openness toward Africa and provide more access to the Chinese market to support Africa's development. Speaking on behalf of Amma Twum-Amoah, AU commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Social Development, Pamoussa Zackaria Konsimbo, senior advisor to the commissioner, urged for realigning global governance with the principles of equity, sovereignty, and true multilateralism. "We echo the need for the reform of global governance structures, as outlined in the Global Governance Initiative proposed by China, which rightly identifies the under-representation of the Global South, the erosion of international law, and the inefficacy of multilateral systems," Konsimbo said. He stressed that Africa and China share a long and textured history of solidarity in the face of injustice, cooperation in times of peace, and mutual support in moments of need. The commemoration seminar, organized by the Chinese Mission to the AU, was held under the theme "Honor the History for a Better Future-China and Africa Jointly Building a New Era of Peace and Prosperity." Friday, September 5, 2025 - Detectives drawn from DCI headquarters have arrested six individuals suspected to be behind a spate of incidents of gang terror within Kajiado County. Acting on intelligence, the detectives arrested the first bunch of five malefactors while onboard a motor vehicle Reg. No. KDK 864V in Kagio- Kirinyaga County where they recovered assorted items including a walkie talkie, several sim cards, cellotapes, mobile phones, sportlights and surgical gloves. They are all suspected to have been on a surveillance mission. Casting their nets wider, the detectives proceeded to Kiserian in Kajiado County where they arrested another suspect and recovered an AK 47 rifle loaded with seven rounds of ammunition, a walkie talkie, a teargas canister, house breaking implements among other items. The five suspects arrested in Kagio have been identified as Eliud Muiruri Nganga, David Mithamo, Peter Njoroge, Peter Muriuki Kabiru, and Joseph Wahome Kinuthia. The suspect arrested in Kiserian has been identified as James Ndirangu Wanjiru. All six individuals are currently in custody and will remain detained pending arraignment in court. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, September 5, 2025 - Revelers at a popular Nairobi club were treated to an unforgettable spectacle after a stylish mumama stole the spotlight with her bold fashion statement. The woman, who was dressed to kill in a dazzling outfit, had all eyes on her as she danced the night away. Partygoers couldnt help but record her and share the video on social media. While many netizens praised her elegance and fearless sense of style, others joked that she might be too old for such vibes. Love her or hate her, one thing is clear: the mumama owned the night and became the unexpected star of Nairobis nightlife scene. Watch the viral video below. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, September 5, 2025 - Popular TikTok personality, Mitchelle Joyce Akoth Oruko, popularly known as Mjaka Mfine, is reeling after a shocking daylight robbery in Nairobis Central Business District. Speaking on Milele FM, Mjaka revealed she was ambushed by thugs who snatched her human hair wig - valued at Ksh17,000 - while walking along Moi Avenue. Human hair inaanza na Ksh15K and above. Yangu ilikuwa Ksh17K, she shared emotionally, adding that she didnt even call anyone immediately after the incident. Her experience has sparked renewed concern over rising insecurity in the CBD, where gangs are reportedly targeting pedestrians using intimidation, threats and even drugs. Victims have described being surrounded by individuals posing as street children or casual passersby, only to be robbed in broad daylight. Mjakas ordeal is part of a disturbing trend, with videos circulating online showing similar attacks. In one of her TikTok posts, she warned followers: Utaibiwa wig, niulize mimi (Youll have your wig stolen, ask me). Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has since ordered a crackdown on criminal gangs, directing police to intensify patrols and apprehend suspects. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, September 5, 2025 - Mugithi star Samuel Muchoki alias Samidoh is once again entangled in controversy after a stunning Kikuyu lady based in the United States filed a lawsuit against him. The lady, identified as Kui Wangu, alleges that the musician forced himself on her against her wishes at an Airbnb in Overland Park, Kansas, during his U.S tour in 2021. I resisted and pleaded with him to stop, but he mocked my protestations and without my consent committed the offence she stated in her affidavit. She further claims that the Mugithi maestro has been manipulating and threatening her between 2021 and 2023. The victim said she reported the matter to Overland Park Police Department in Kansas, where it was recorded as Case No. 2023022021. She added that she later notified the Kansas District Attorneys Office, but the case has not gone to trial. In November 2023, she filed a similar complaint with the DCI in Kenya but claims no action has been taken. She is now asking the court to compel the police to secure evidence from the U.S, bar Samidoh and his associates from contacting her, and direct the Witness Protection Agency to assess and safeguard her. Wangu is a nurse based in the US. See her photos below. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, September 5, 2025 - Kisumu Woman Representative, Ruth Odinga, has strongly criticized the decision to halt the impeachment proceedings against Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, following interventions by President William Ruto and her brother, ODM leader Raila Odinga. Speaking to the press, Ruth Odinga expressed disappointment over Nairobi MCAs dropping the motion after separate meetings with the two leaders. She emphasized the constitutional role of MCAs in county oversight, stating, the fact that Nairobi MCAs declared no confidence in the Governor should have been respected. Blocking the process undermines devolution. She argued that the MCAs should have been allowed to proceed with the petition and, if necessary, escalate the matter to the Senate. Her remarks come after Raila met ODM-allied MCAs and Sakaja at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation, urging reconciliation. Nairobi ODM Chair, George Aladwa, confirmed the MCAs agreed to suspend the impeachment for one month, allowing Sakaja time to address grievances. Sakaja reportedly acknowledged the accusations and apologized. Meanwhile, President Ruto held a separate meeting with UDA MCAs at State House, advising against the ouster. Prior to the meetings, over 70 MCAs had signed in support of the motion, citing unfulfilled campaign promises, delayed bursaries, and stalled ward development funds. Ruth Odinga concluded that the MCAs reversal betrayed the principles of devolution and failed the people of Nairobi. The Kenyan DAILY POST Palestinians are seen near a destroyed tower following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Sept. 6, 2025. The Israeli army destroyed a 15-floor residential tower in Gaza City on Saturday, a day after it flattened another high-rise, as part of its expanding military operations across the enclave. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) GAZA/JERUSALEM, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army destroyed a 15-floor residential tower in Gaza City on Saturday, a day after it flattened another high-rise, as part of its expanding military operations across the enclave. Gazan residents told Xinhua that Israeli warplanes launched several consecutive missiles at the al-Sousi tower, located in the western part of Gaza City, reducing it to rubble within minutes. The powerful explosions shook surrounding neighborhoods, leaving nearby houses, shops and streets heavily damaged. "The moment the missiles hit, we felt the ground shake under our feet," Ahmed al-Ras, a 42-year-old resident who lived near the tower, told Xinhua. "We left everything behind ... All we could do was take the children and run." Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson of the Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip, told Xinhua that its crews have rushed to the scene to search for survivors under the rubble. So far there have been no immediate reports of casualties. However, dozens of families have been displaced, as the building was housing a number of displaced Palestinians. The destruction of the al-Sousi tower came about 24 hours after Israeli aircraft demolished the 13-floor Mushtaha tower, also in western Gaza City. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that the al-Sousi tower was used by Hamas for installing intelligence gathering equipment and positioning observation posts to monitor the location of IDF troops in the area. "Hamas also established underground infrastructure adjacent to the building, from which terrorists direct attacks against our forces," the statement read. The IDF noted that before the strike, precise measures were taken to mitigate harm to residents, including advanced evacuation warnings. Over the past weeks, the Israeli military has expanded its operations in Gaza City and other areas of the coastal strip, saying the goal is to eliminate Hamas. The intensified bombardments have targeted residential neighborhoods, high-rise towers, and what the Israeli side describes as militant infrastructure. Local sources noted that the targeting of residential towers has become more frequent in recent days, raising concerns among displaced civilians. Since the 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and led to about 250 hostages being taken, Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians and wounded 161,000, according to Gaza health authorities. Palestinians are seen near a destroyed tower following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Sept. 6, 2025. The Israeli army destroyed a 15-floor residential tower in Gaza City on Saturday, a day after it flattened another high-rise, as part of its expanding military operations across the enclave. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) Palestinians are seen near a destroyed tower following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Sept. 6, 2025. The Israeli army destroyed a 15-floor residential tower in Gaza City on Saturday, a day after it flattened another high-rise, as part of its expanding military operations across the enclave. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) Palestinians are seen near a destroyed tower following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Sept. 6, 2025. The Israeli army destroyed a 15-floor residential tower in Gaza City on Saturday, a day after it flattened another high-rise, as part of its expanding military operations across the enclave. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) Palestinians are seen near a destroyed tower following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Sept. 6, 2025. The Israeli army destroyed a 15-floor residential tower in Gaza City on Saturday, a day after it flattened another high-rise, as part of its expanding military operations across the enclave. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) Palestinians are seen near a destroyed tower following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Sept. 6, 2025. The Israeli army destroyed a 15-floor residential tower in Gaza City on Saturday, a day after it flattened another high-rise, as part of its expanding military operations across the enclave. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) Palestinians are seen near a destroyed tower following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Sept. 6, 2025. The Israeli army destroyed a 15-floor residential tower in Gaza City on Saturday, a day after it flattened another high-rise, as part of its expanding military operations across the enclave. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) Palestinians are seen near a destroyed tower following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Sept. 6, 2025. The Israeli army destroyed a 15-floor residential tower in Gaza City on Saturday, a day after it flattened another high-rise, as part of its expanding military operations across the enclave. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) Palestinians are seen near a destroyed tower following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Sept. 6, 2025. The Israeli army destroyed a 15-floor residential tower in Gaza City on Saturday, a day after it flattened another high-rise, as part of its expanding military operations across the enclave. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) A YOUNG Newbridge woman has given up something shes been growing since she was seven years old in aid of charity, and no, its not a bonsai tree. Instead Caoimhe Gateley (23) a singing teacher from Pairc Mhuire has cut an astounding 25 (63.5cms) of her hair to donate to LauraLynns Locks of Love, a charity that makes real hair wigs for kids whove lost theirs from cancer. I dont know how I heard about it, but I remember having the thought at my First Communion to grow my hair out for boys and girls who couldnt, said Caoimhe. I kept putting it off for years because it takes a bit of courage, but not nearly as much as what they are going through, she said quietly. The 23-year-old is currently a singing teacher at the Stage Academy in the Patrician Primary, having recently completed a Music Performance degree at the BIMM Music Institute in Dublin. Caoimhe hopes to finish out her education this year with a MA in Primary Education at DCU or whoever will take me!. Before the hair cut Caoimhe has been teaching singing at the Patrician Primary for six years or seven years, Ive lost track now, and is an aspiring musician hoping to release my own stuff soon. Caoimhe continued: Ive played piano and guitar since I was six or seven, and have always been interested in music, said the former St Conleths girl. I joined the stage school when I was four, but my mam (Claire Regen) was involved with Newbridge Panto, and the local musical societies, she said of her introduction to the discipline. I was in the Covid year, so I never got to sit my Leaving we got the predicted grades made up from the mocks and work throughout the year, she said. As regards how she discovered LauraLynn, unlike her keyboard, Caoimhe cant quite put her finger on it. I mustve seen it somewhere, I just cant remember. "But now Ive known a few people whove gone through it and Ive seen their courage, so if I can help just one person, she said. Youll see in the photograph our measuring tape was only 25 long, so if the hair was any longer we would have run out of measuring tape! she laughed. I knew it was long, because for as long as I can remember, I could sit on my hair! "Oh, but management of it is so much easier now! So far, Caoimhe has raised in excess of 1,300 with her online petition for LauraLynn. She also has a donation box on the counter in the Moorefield Spar where she also works. I think well leave the donations open for another week, because quite a few people still want to donate. "Itd be great to be able to give a lot of money to the charity," she concluded. The donation link is https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/CaoimheGately CAIRO, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Saturday reaffirmed that the Rafah crossing, the only channel linking Egypt with the Gaza Strip, will not be a passage for displacing the Palestinians from their land. In a joint press conference with Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Abdelatty explained that "the Rafah crossing is only for the delivery of aid, not displacement." "It's absurd to say that the Palestinian people want to leave their land, but rather they are driven by a policy of starvation," he added. Lazzarini agreed that the starvation in Gaza is man-made, adding that "it is difficult to supply Gaza residents with aid from the Rafah crossing due to the Israeli impeding practices." The UN official added that Egypt has been exerting efforts to stop the deterioration of conditions in the strip, lamenting that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees lacks the necessary tools to meet humanitarian needs to Gaza. Regarding the ceasefire deal in Gaza, Abdelatty said that stopping the war in Gaza is the only way to secure the release of hostages. The statement came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in a recent interview that "half of the population wants to leave Gaza," while insisting that "this is not a mass expulsion." Netanyahu's remarks have drawn regional condemnation. Jordanian Government spokesperson Mohammad Momani on Saturday said that Jordan will never accept the forced displacement of Palestinians. Writing on social media platform X, Momani stressed that international law prohibits the forcible transfer of populations from "occupied territories," describing it as both a "war crime" and a "crime" against humanity. A dedicated event for hedge cutting contractors was held at Teagasc Kildalton College recently, where industry experts spoke on hedge cutting machinery and safety considerations. Dr Catherine Keena, Countryside Management Specialist with Teagasc, delivered a comprehensive overview of the benefits of the biodiversity value that hedgerows provide. The event was part of National Hedgerow Week, an annual week run by Teagasc and The Heritage Council to highlight the value of hedgerows. READ NEXT: Ossory Youth: the beating heart of Kilkennys youth welcomes those fleeing war It is also an opportunity to bring together farmers, ecologists and the public to discuss hedgerows from a variety of perspectives. Events ran nationwide from Friday, August 29 and included demonstrations on how to plant and manage hedgerows, how to maximise their benefits for biodiversity, and how to provide hedgerows with seasonal care. Hedgerows are essential habitats for many bird species in Ireland; 35 of the 110 regularly recorded countryside birds nest in hedgerows, they also offer shelter, food, nesting sites and song perches for many other bird species. Hedgerows provide cover and protection not only for birds but for mammals and insects on the move as hedgerows act like movement corridors. All nine species of bats use the hedgerow as corridors for foraging and recent studies relating to barn owls have proven that barn owls movement and foraging patterns are linked with the presence of hedgerows. READ: Tickets still available for Music in Kilkennys first concert of the season Kilkenny County Council also organised a foraging walk and talk with Monica Fleming along the mass path of Dunmore on the outskirts of Kilkenny City, an event funded by the Heritage Council to celebrate hedgerows. Monica led two groups along the mass path to explore the variety of plant species in the hedgerow and to identify the masses of autumn fruits on display. She gave details of the health benefits of rosehips, and suggested ways that elderberry and sloes could be great additions to a drinks cabinet. Bernadette Moloney, Biodiversity Officer with Kilkenny County Council, joined one of the foraging walks and thanked Monica for her extensive knowledge. This marked the last in-person biodiversity learning event for 2025 by the Biodiversity Officer but Bernadette was keen to suggest other learning opportunities available. The Kilkenny Library Service continues to runs events throughout the year and she suggested keeping an eye for events being ran for the upcoming Sustainable Development Goals Week later in the month. Bernadette was also highlighted the Sign Post Webinar Series by Teagasc who run weekly webinars on Friday mornings which are all recorded and are also available as a podcast. While many webinars are specific to farming, there is a diverse range of topics that may interest the wider community. On September 12, for example, the guest speaker is Professor Grace McCormack from University of Galway and his presentation will be on the native Irish honey bee. For further information on the Teagasc Sign Post Series, log onto teagasc.ie. Four days of performance, discussion and debate on Irish politics, culture and history in the town of New Ross, ancestral home of the family of JFK, took place as part of this years Kennedy Summer School. From the origin of the fake news quip in the White House press room to one of the first debates involving Irelands presidential candidates, through histories and lively debates, this years Kennedy Summer School (KSS) saw sold out, fascinated audiences. TAP HERE FOR MORE WHAT'S ON IN KILKENNY The festival continues to expand, kicking off this year with the Global Horizons Trade and Economic forum, a collaborative event with Wexford Chamber and Wexford County Council. It covered a wide range of topics from tariffs to corporation tax, the problems facing the EU in terms of competitiveness and the opportunities and challenges posed by AI. One of the most popular events of the festival is the tea-party - recreating the tea-party hosted for JFK at the Kennedy Homestead in Dunganstown during his visit in 1963. Tea Party Now hosted by the OPW at the Arboretum with culinary delights supplied by Wexford Federation, ICA, this years guest was RTE broadcaster Sean ORourke, who in a lively conversation with former TD Sean Connick, brought us through the Haughey years and recalled some of his most important interviews. The discussions moved to St. Michaels Theatre from Thursday evening, where the KSS was officially opened by Uachtaran Cumann Luthchleas Gael, GAA President Jarlath Burns. Thursday concluded with a screening of From That Small Island, a 90-minute film/documentary version of Briona Nic Dhiarmadas four-part TV series telling the history of Ireland and its people, from Rathlin man to the present day. Minister for Further and Higher Education, James Lawless, was the guest at the Speakers Lunch at the Arboretum on Friday. That evening, journalists from both sides of the Atlantic debated the value of local journalism in a discussion moderated by Southeast Radios Alan Corcoran. Colm Toibin was the subject of the Noel Whelan interview. In an often funny and poignant chat, he talked about living in Trumps America and predicted a win for New York Mayor front runner Zohran Mamdani in November. This was a theme continued in the Trump and the rest of Us panel, chaired by RTEs Tony Connelly. There was talk about the war in Ukraine, the new normal under President Trump, the concerns around Project 25 and the risk of a global financial crisis as a result of the ever-changing tariff regime. What struck most of the attendees was the unwillingness of the American guests, Republican and Democrat, to criticise Israel. Newsmaker Day three featured debates on housing, the changing face of Irish America and the race for the Aras. Special Guest Jim Acosta stole the show in the afternoon as he recalled his time as Chief White House Correspondent at CNN and his run-ins with President Trump. For political nerds here, all eyes were on the Presidential panel . Ambassador US Ambassador Edward Walsh closed the Summer School, saying: President Kennedy says we should not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer schools like this exist to explore the Irish answer and the American answer in pursuit of resolving some of the worlds most difficult conflicts. KSS is supported by Wexford County Council, the OPW, Failte Ireland, Purdue University, the Purdue Policy Research Institute, and New Ross Municipal District. KSS Chair Eileen Dunne, closing out this years festival said: Feicfimid sibh an bhliain seo chugainn, le cunamh De. HANGZHOU, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- A Hong Kong-registered bulk carrier departed from Jiaxing Port in east China's Zhejiang Province on Friday, bound for Zanzibar Port in Tanzania and Beira Port in Mozambique. This maiden voyage marked the opening of Jiaxing's first direct shipping route to Africa, making it the second port in Zhejiang to establish such a link after Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. The vessel that departed Jiaxing on Friday is carrying approximately 200 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of equipment, totaling nearly 1,000 cubic meters. The cargo consists mainly of infrastructure materials to support local livelihoods and construction projects in Africa. The shipment is expected to arrive at Zanzibar Port in about 25 days. Trade between China and Africa has grown steadily in recent years, with Zhejiang playing an active role as a key foreign trade province. The new shipping route is expected to further enhance economic and trade exchanges between Zhejiang and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) participating countries. According to local maritime authorities, this service is scheduled to operate monthly, with frequency expected to increase in the future. This will significantly reduce logistics costs and promote deeper cooperation between the Yangtze River Delta and Africa in infrastructure development, industrial collaboration and people's livelihoods. SYDNEY, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Police in the Australian state of Victoria have announced a one-million-Australian-dollar (656,000 U.S. dollars) reward for information that leads to the arrest of a man accused of fatally shooting two officers. Desmond Freeman, 56, has been on the run since August 26 when he allegedly fatally shot two police officers, and seriously injured a third, who were executing a search warrant at a rural property in the small town of Porepunkah, 210 km northeast of Melbourne in Victoria's alpine region. The shooting has triggered one of the biggest police operations in Australian history, with over 450 police officers as well as military personnel deployed to search for Freeman across the vast and rugged alpine region. Victoria Police on Saturday announced the reward of up to 1 million Australian dollars for anyone who provides information leading to Freeman's arrest, marking the largest reward ever offered in the state for an arrest. "This figure recognizes the seriousness of this violent offending and our commitment to locating Freeman as soon as possible so that he is no longer a risk to the broader community," Homicide Squad Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said in a statement. There have been no confirmed sightings of Freeman since the shooting. Police previously said they believe that he could be receiving assistance from members of the public. Residents in and around Porepunkah have been advised to remain vigilant and report any sightings or suspicious behavior to police. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. BANGKOK, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's parliament elected the opposition Bhumjaithai Party's leader, Anutin Charnvirakul, as the country's new prime minister on Friday. Media and analysts believe this development may temporarily ease political turmoil but sets the stage for continued multilateral power struggles. While Anutin's election may offer a respite from political instability, he will lead a minority government facing significant governance challenges. His promise to dissolve the House of Representatives within four months after taking office to pave the way for a general election will keep the political climate highly volatile. A COMPROMISE PREMIER Born in 1966, Anutin is a seasoned politician who previously served as deputy prime minister and minister of public health. After the 2023 general election, his Bhumjaithai Party became the second-largest partner in the ruling Pheu Thai-led coalition. However, the Bhumjaithai Party withdrew its support in mid-June following the leak of a controversial phone call between then-Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Cambodian Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen over the border dispute. In the wake of a constitutional court ruling that removed Paetongtarn's premiership over ethics violations on Aug. 29, intense negotiations began among various political factions. Her Pheu Thai Party attempted to nominate its only remaining prime ministerial candidate but lacked parliamentary majority support. The main opposition People's Party, holding nearly a third of the lower house seats, emerged as a kingmaker. They set conditions, including constitutional amendments and a firm timeline for dissolving the lower House of Representatives, which Anutin was the first to publicly accept. Ultimately, the People's Party and Anutin's Bhumjaithai Party reached an agreement with several key conditions. Anutin is elected as Thailand's 32nd prime minister and the third since the 2023 general election. A CHALLENGING ROAD AHEAD Local media reports indicate that parties within the Bhumjaithai-led coalition have already expressed their intentions for cabinet positions. A preliminary plan suggests the Bhumjaithai party would secure 12 of the 35 cabinet seats, with Anutin also serving as minister of interior. The People's Party has reportedly requested "neutral figures" to lead the crucial ministries of finance, commerce, and foreign affairs. Thai media outlets believe Anutin's minority government faces considerable challenges. First, its ability to effectively implement policies without a parliamentary majority remains in question. Although the People's Party voted for Anutin, it has repeatedly emphasized its intention to remain in opposition and reserves the right to initiate a no-confidence vote at any time. This "inherent weakness," as local media described it, constrains the new government from its inception. Second, economic difficulties and social conflicts will continue to test the new administration. Thailand is currently grappling with a sluggish economic recovery, slowing investment, high levels of household debt, and social security issues. Analysts noted that under the terms of the agreement with the People's Party, the primary tasks of Anutin's government are to advance constitutional reform and prepare for a new election, leaving limited scope for significant actions concerning economic recovery and improving livelihoods. Additionally, Anutin and his allies are reportedly under investigation for alleged senate election-rigging and are involved in a land dispute case in Buriram province. If these cases yield unfavorable rulings, his legitimacy as prime minister may face challenges. AN UNPREDICTABLE FUTURE In addition to the challenges faced by Anutin's new coalition government, there are still other uncertainties for Thailand's political landscape. Anutin is expected to finalize his cabinet next week and deliver a policy statement to parliament in mid-September, according to the Thai Public Broadcasting Service. He has promised to dissolve the lower house by mid-January next year and hold a general election by mid-March. The outcome of that election is unpredictable. Deep-seated political divisions and a complex power structure persist. Although Paetongtarn's Pheu Thai party is no longer in power, the influence of the Shinawatra family remains significant, which has dominated Thai politics for decades. On the night before the prime ministerial vote, Thai media reported that Paetongtarn's father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, had left the country, drawing intense public attention. Thaksin posted on social media on Friday morning that he had flown to Dubai for medical treatment and promised to return to Thailand on Sept. 8. The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Persons Holding Political Positions is scheduled to hand down its verdict on Thaksin's hospital detention case on Sept. 9, which could result in his return to prison to complete his six-month sentence. Whether Thaksin returns as promised, the court's ruling could have an unforeseeable impact on the Thai political situation. Analysts also believe the People's Party's agenda for constitutional reform and its call for early elections will face resistance as it touches upon the interests of various factions. Against this backdrop, Thailand's political deadlock seems difficult to unlock in a short time, and the possibility of a return to political turmoil cannot be ruled out. CUSTOMERS of a five-star hotel need to know what kind of lunatic is parking their cars. The comment was made at a sitting of Portlaoise District Court by Judge Andrew Cody, when a part-time valet attendant at the hotel was summoned before it for speeding. Ibrahima Bah-Jalloh pleaded guilty to driving at a speed of 161kph in a 120kph zone on the M8 at The Great Heath, Portlaoise on 7 November last. Defending barrister Anne Doyle said that she had never seen a client so fearful of coming to court. She said Mr Bah-Jalloh had just purchased an Audi car and was excited driving it on the day. She said the 20-year-old works in the hospitality sector and parks cars for its customers. At the hearing on 4 September, Judge Cody asked: What hotel is he working in? Ms Doyle said her client had asked her not to divulge the hotels name, as he feared doing so could affect his employment there. Not accepting that, Judge Cody again asked for the name of the hotel to which the barrister replied: Carton House. People using Carton House, said Judge Cody, need to know what kind of lunatic is parking their cars. Ms Doyle said: He was 19 at the time. It was pure stupidity. He has never been in court before and can assure you he will never be in court again. I believe he has learned a very valuable lesson. If he loses his driving licence his position will be in doubt. Addressing the court Mr Bah-Jalloh said: I sold the car, because the engine was too big and got a smaller car. Ms Doyle said that her client was willing to donate 500 to the court poor box in return for the court considering not imposing a prosecution. Rejecting that offer, Judge Cody said: Ill give him one month to come up with 1,000, if he wants to avoid a prosecution. The judge adjourned the case for finalisation to 16 October and said that, should Mr Bah-Jalloh have the 1,000 on that date, it should be donated to the Monasterevin Boy Scouts who are currently modernising their unit. PHNOM PENH, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The third edition of Cambodia Asian Film Festival (CAFF) has been held here in the capital of Cambodia, showcasing many captivating movies from Asian countries including Cambodia, China, Indonesia, India, and Kyrgyzstan. Fifteen films, shortlisted from 150 submitted films, have been screening for free at the Fable Cinema in Phnom Penh from Sept. 4 to 8, said the CAFF. Cambodian Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona said on Saturday evening that the CAFF was a bridge for building mutual understanding among countries in Asia. "The CAFF is not only an activity to gather filmmakers and artists in the film industry, but also an important contribution to deepening friendship and a testament to the establishment of long-term partnerships and mutual respect among countries," she said in a speech during a film awarding ceremony. Sackona said the event was also essential to heighten friendship and cooperation in culture between Cambodia and China as well as other countries in the region. She added that the CAFF was also an opportunity for film directors, producers, experts and artists from different countries to share knowledge and experience and to seek new investment opportunities in the film industry and culture. "I hope that the partnership established here will pave the way for future production collaborations, technical exchanges and creative sharing in the film industry, contributing to the sustainable growth of the film industry and preserving the richness of our cultural heritage," she said. Pok Borak, director of the Department of Cinema and Cultural Promotion of Cambodia's Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, said a total of 10 feature-length films and five short films had been selected by the jury for screening at this festival. "Most of the films are from China, India, Kyrgyzstan, and some Southeast Asian countries," he told Xinhua. Borak said Chinese films have their special features and the compositions are compelling because they are intertwined and go well with social situation and technological evolution. Cambodian artist Ou Davy said she would love to watch both Cambodian and Chinese movies at the event. "I'm an avid fan of Chinese films," she told Xinhua. "I am fond of Chinese films because their performing actions look real, so I am fully immersed in the films, responding with sadness or anger," Davy said. "The Chinese films that I like to watch the most are classic fantasy films, with magical elements and meditation." A second level school is needed in Sallins, where there are 7,000 people living. Cllr Bill Clear told a Naas Municipal District meeting that a secondary school should be built - and the primary school is full. READ NEXT PICTURES: The Traitors Ireland meet the players of RTE's highly anticipated new game show He asked if a site has been identified for a new secondary or primary school. He said this should be addressed urgently given the increase in population and further development there. According to Kildare County Council two sites are zoned for this purpose and a new school is permitted in principle on either site. One of the sites has been specifically identified for the long-term expansion of the primary school. It was also pointed out that the delivery of schools is a function of the Department of Education. Cllr Clear said both sites are in private ownership and one has been subject of planning applications. He said a site which had come up for sale near the primary school should have been bought by the Department of Education. Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters have marched through Belfast city centre to oppose businesses deemed in support of Israels military operation in Gaza. The protest wove its way through the city centre disrupting traffic and shoppers out on Saturday afternoon. Organisers of the march led chants outside Starbucks, Barclays, Axa and Leonardo Hotels buildings accusing them of supporting a genocide against the Palestinian people. During speeches at the end of the protest, held outside the BBC Northern Ireland offices, workers were urged to refuse to use Israeli products from September 18 and to boycott products by Teva, an Israeli pharma multinational. Although some protesters made subtle reference to Palestine Action, there was no major reference to the group deemed a proscribed organisation by the UK Government. Three women were seen wearing three t-shirts bearing the separate words I Support, Palestine and Action. Meanwhile, at a demonstration in central London, tensions flared as some elderly people were arrested for sitting behind placards that said I support Palestine Action. A pro-Palestine demonstration was also held in Dublin, with crowds marching from the US embassy to the Department of Foreign Affairs. Other protests were also held in Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, Carlow and Navan, organised by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC). Speaking in Belfast, Rossa Coyle of the IPSC called for a boycott of Caterpillar, which provides bulldozers that have been used in the occupied Palestinian territories, and Teva products. Ask your GPs, ask your pharmacist to mark your records no Teva products. Boycott Teva, she said. Patricia McKeown, from Trade Union Friends of Palestine, said there had been a call for an intensification of pro-Palestine action. She said they were asking people to refuse to use Israeli products at work between September 18 and 21. Trade Union Friends of Palestine across Ireland and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions have been in emergency meetings with BDS, with its European co-ordinators, to look at what call for action we are making to intensify what is already being done on the ground, she said. There are workers across the island refusing to handle Israeli products, goods and services. Starting on the 18th from that day onwards, we want workers to refuse to handle any Israeli goods or services they are engaged with in whatever type of place they work in, that might be the public service and the civil service, that might be the health service, that might be education, that is definitely industry, that is definitely retail. We are pledging to stand by those workers as they take action by their refusal. Now, the obligation is on every single one of us to do something about this, because you can make all the high-level calls for action in the world, but take it from somebody who has spent her working life organising strikes they do not happen unless you mobilise on the ground and in the workplace. Dr Ashraf Abouharb, a Palestinian who lives in Belfast, said the heinous situation facing Palestinians in Gaza is being completely ignored by Israel and their allies. Whats happening in Gaza over the last week or two is utter and discriminate destruction, he said. What else needs to happen for the international community and world leaders, especially the Western leaders, to make an action to do something trying to stop this genocide? Im extremely delighted to see you in this big number and large crowd coming today, raising your voice and declaring that enough is enough. This has been the largest crowd for many, many, many weeks, and you are responding to whats happening. He appealed to business leaders and workers to take action based on their morals and conscience. The Palestinian people, my family and their families and all of that, made a mistake in 1948 by being displaced and going away from their homeland. And they said to me that we are not repeating this mistake by leaving this land. We have to live (up) to their commitment by continuing to fight on their behalf and continuing to fight for them until Gaza is free and Palestine is free. Ash trees infected by ash dieback have been a source of serious concern in Leitrim for years, with the county being the first in Ireland to experience the disease. Repeated calls have been made at Council level urging the Government to provide supports for landowners to remove the dying trees, but those calls have repeatedly fallen on deaf ears. With around 10 percent of forests in Leitrim made up of ash trees, and around 90 percent of them now infected, it is inevitable that more and more trees will fall across the county, posing a significant risk of devastation wherever they land. Cllr Eddie Mitchell has issued the latest call for action on trees affected by ash dieback. He asked that the Council seek support from experts who have developed up-to-date knowledge of the fungus so that an informed policy can be created on the risks posed to road users by roadside ash trees. Cllr Mitchell also noted that there is some hope, as many trees that have retained good leaf cover may show signs of resistance, but warned that many others are succumbing to the disease. READ NEXT: Join Memory Walk in Cloone as Leitrim unites for Alzheimer's Theres going to be a tipping point, and theres a lot of trees that are probably going to fall, Cllr Mitchell said. Im asking the Council to engage with the people who are doing the research and help us develop a strategy in Leitrim. We have a responsibility here and should take action, he added. Cllr Mitchells motion was supported by numerous councillors, including Cllr ORourke, who pointed out that branches are falling from infected trees with the potential to damage vehicles or injure someone. We need to have answers ready as to what support, if any, is coming from the Department of Forestry, he said. Engineer with the Roads Section of Leitrim County Council, Darragh OBoyle, explained that the Council has sent out 400 letters to people who have applied for the hedge-cutting grant scheme, each including leaflets with information on ash dieback. He said the Council can offer assistance such as advice or traffic management when it comes to the removal of trees on private property or roads. However, he also noted that the ultimate responsibility for removing trees lies with landowners, a costly burden. READ NEXT: Council urged to act on invasive plant posing a danger to homes across Leitrim Any affected trees on Leitrim County Council property have been, and will continue to be, dealt with by pollarding or removal. All landowners can contact the Roads Department or the Environmental Department of Leitrim County Council for advice on how to deal with affected trees, a Council response stated. Cllr Mitchell went further, proposing that a letter be sent to the Government asking if Leitrim could become a pilot area in developing a solution to ash dieback. At some point theyre all going to fall and people dont have the capacity to take them down. Were talking about a potential crisis that were going to be at the forefront of because Leitrim is where the ash dieback started, he said. This proposal was seconded by Cllr James Gilmartin. Tributes have poured in for a woman who was a former soldier in the Irish Defence Forces after she died unexpectedly. Laura Buckley Noonan was from Cork and died on September 4th 2025 surrounded by family, in Cork University Hospital. Her RIP.ie piece said: "It is with extreme sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of Laura Buckley Noonan, formerly of The Military Police, Irish Defence Forces". Laura was the beloved wife of Gerry Noonan, much adored mother of Abbie, Molly and Ben, cherished daughter of Catherine and the late Billy, loving sister and best friend of Nicola and her partner Jason. She will be forever missed also by her aunts and uncles, nieces, nephews, mother-in-law Breeda and father-in-law Jerry, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, wider family, neighbours, members of the Defence Forces and many friends. Lauras family would like to acknowledge and give thanks to the 1st Responders, Cork Air Ambulance Crew, her neighbours and the exceptional staff in A & E and I.C.U. Cork University Hospital for all of their efforts and care for Laura and the family. FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS: Reposing at her Youghal Road Home on Sunday 7th from 3pm - 6pm. Arriving for Requiem Mass at 11am on Monday 8th in the Church of the Most Holy Rosary, Midleton followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery. READ NEXT: RIP: 'Passed too soon'- Shock and heartbreak as popular young man dies suddenly Countless heartfelt messages have been left on RIP.ie, from those who knew and loved Laura, with one mourner writing, "I had the honour of serving with Laura in Collins Barracks. She was an outstanding soldier kind, dedicated, and proud to serve her country. Our heartfelt condolences go to Gerry, Abbie, Molly, Ben, Catherine, Nicola, and the extended family. Gone too soon. May Laura rest in peace. Another message said, "No words to console Laura's heartbroken family , a beautiful young woman taken too soon , Rest in the arms of the Angels now, Laura. God bless all the Buckley and Noonan families". "Catherine, Nicola, Ger and family so sorry for your loss of a wonderful person that was Laura, many a chat we had in Saleen she was a great character, always a pleasure to meet, its a cruel world at times hard to believe it. May Laura rest in peace gone far to soon. Deepest condolences to you all Rip Laura," another tribute read. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. FIVE prominent pubs across the city and county have hit the market in recent weeks. The Seven Sisters in Kildimo; OSheas Pub, Ballysimon; Barr Na Sraide, Ballyhahill, Jack ORourkes Bar & Accommodation, Abbeyfeale and JC Barretts Bar, Glin have all been advertised for sale on Daft. The licensed premises are all being sold as going concerns with residential accommodation. READ NEXT: 'End of an era' for popular County Limerick restaurant as sale is announced Promotional material accompanies each advert. The Seven Sisters is described as one of County Limericks best known public houses. It is quite rare that a multi-generational and strongly trading pub / lounge / function room area with adjoining residential aspect comes to the market and interest is sure to be strong both locally, nationally and internationally, say selling agent, Hogan Durkan. GL Auctioneers say they are delighted to offer O' Shea's Pub to the open market for sale, a renowned public house with residential accommodation. The property enjoys a prominent location and has the added benefit of a huge catchment area on its doorstep whilst still only a short commute to Limerick city centre. West Property Group say Barr Na Sraide is an excellent opportunity to acquire a long established licensed premises that is trading very successfully. JC Barretts is described by DNG Declan Woulfe as a long established licensed premises and enjoys an exceptional annual turnover. It is the only one to include a price - 385,000. The other four are price on application. The Leader contacted Eamonn O'Rahilly, chairman of the city Vintners Federation branch, to get an insight into the publican trade at the moment. He stressed the importance of pubs to communities and spoke of the issues they are facing. Mr ORahilly said there is a lot of taxation involved, not just the publican business, but all SMEs. We're campaigning at the moment for the reduction in VAT from 13.5% down to 9% on food sold in pubs. We also carry the burden of 23% VAT on all products sold, plus the excise duty added onto that. Going back a few years ago, they introduced the USC which they have never removed. We have the employer's contribution on PRSI and the demand on us for PRSI to be paid monthly. There is the constant struggle of increasing wages. You have the minimum wage there now of 13.50, hoping to rise to 16 by 2026 or 2027, and the burden of PRSI comes with that as well. So it's a constant, not only for our industry, but all SMEs have been hit very, very hard by this constant taxation, said Mr ORahilly. He continued: Then when it comes to the publicans, you have IMRO, Sky, you have TV licensing, Every year you have pub licensing, which has to be done and we agree with that, but those costs are going up. Just to get your pub open, the cost of public liability insurance. So there's a whole plethora of costs there that's going against not just publicans but all SMEs. Getting young blood coming into the industry is another obstacle. He said some may look at the hours involved and think of pursuing a different career. Everyday everybody else wants to celebrate - Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, St Stephens Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentines Day, Sunday, Saturday, Friday - you have to be there to provide that service. We're not complaining, said the proprietor of The Spotted Dog in Janesboro. Reflecting on a recent report that revealed Limerick has seen the steepest decline in pub numbers of any county in Ireland, Mr ORahilly said use it or lose it. We have a fabulous standard of pub. Initiatives like Twilight Thursday have brought a vibrancy, said Mr ORahilly, who points to significant investments made by The Old Quarter with the revamped Forde's Courtyard and by Bobby Byrnes in the city and 26 locals coming together in Kilteely to save their pub. He spoke of their importance as venues for communities to celebrate happy occasions or after funerals. The Irish pub still has a vibrancy but it has to be used. It's use it or lose it. We dont just offer alcoholic beverages, we have a plethora of new products with Guinness 0.0, Heineken 0.0, non-alcoholic wines, gins and vodkas. "You don't have to go and drink. You can socialise with friends and family and enjoy a nice night out. We're there to be enjoyed and its in a controlled environment as well. We lead the world on how to run pubs, concluded Mr ORahilly. Indian company Adani Power and Bhutan's state-owned utility Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) has signed an agreement to set up a 570 MW hydro project entailing worth 6,000 crore, in the Himalayan Kingdom, as per an ANI report. The deal, signed in Delhi, will see Adani Power and Druk Green build the run-of-river Wangchhu hydroelectric project on a BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, Transfer) model. A power purchase agreement (PPA) and a concession agreement were also signed in the presence of Prime Minister of Bhutan, Dasho Tshering Tobgay and Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group, the report added. Bhutan hydro project: What we know The Wangchhu project will see an investment of about 6,000 crore in setting up the power plant and related infrastructures. 6,000 crore in setting up the power plant and related infrastructures. With the detailed project report already completed, construction work is expected to begin by the first half of 2026, and the completion is targeted within five years of groundbreaking. The Wangchhu hydroelectric project will critically meet Bhutans peak winter demand, when hydro power generation is low. During the summer months, it would export power to India, said SB Khyalia, CEO, Adani Power. The Wangchhu is the first hydroelectric project to be taken up under an MoU signed in May 2025 between Adani Group and DGPC for jointly developing 5,000 MW of hydropower in Bhutan. Adani Group and DGPC are engaged in further discussions for future projects under this strategic partnership. Adani Power is the largest private thermal power producer in India. DGPC is the sole generation utility of Bhutan with a current generation portfolio of a little over 2,500 MW and growing fast with Bhutans aspirations to achieve 25,000 MW in generation capacity by 2040. Druk Holding & Investments, the commercial arm of the Royal Government of Bhutan, is DGPCs shareholder. Established in 2008 to take a lead role in developing Bhutans hydropower resources, it has recently diversified beyond hydropower into tapping solar resources also. New Delhi [India], September 6 (ANI): Chinese tech giants could gain renewed access to Indian consumers, as signs of an improvement in India-China relations have been observed by global financial services firm Bernstein. The Bernstein report titled 'OpenAI, Perplexity's India push -- a wake-up call for Indian AI', dated September 4, noted, "If Chinese firms re-enter, it will further erode whatever digital space remains for Indian players." "The deck is stacked by predatory capital and import dependency for digital hardware -- India risks being reduced to a mere digital marketplace, not a creator," it continued. Foreign LLMs (large language models) have made inroads India and with the recent improvement in India-China relations, the Bernstein report wandered, "who knows if, in the future DeepSeek can come up with an offering." Dominance of foreign tech in India and the absence of a strong homegrown ecosystem, India currently has little leverage to curb foreign influence in its traditional digital sectors, Bernstein argued. Talking about the US, the Bernstein report noted that US tech, particularly AI, has a huge dominance in India and the recent 'predatory' pricing by some may risk the scalability of India's local ecosystem, at a time it is looking to build its own indigenous AI solutions. It noted that even as the government calls for Indian firms to build indigenous solutions, the reality is "stark". "...every major digital platform powering India -- search, messaging, social media, and commerce -- is already under US control," the report said, setting the context of its argument. Citing the instance where India banned Chinese app TikTok a few years ago, the Bernstein report argued that it was the US social media app Instagram that benefited. "Recall what happened after the TikTok ban: it wasn't an Indian challenger that rose, but Instagram swept up millions of users." The idea of building homegrown rivals is in the realm of imagination now, it continued. "...funding and regulatory support are in short supply, while global tech giants deploy billion-dollar war chests. Consequently, most talent capable of building such platforms prefers to do it for the US firms," it opined. The amount of funds India earmarked for a homegrown LLM is quite low compared to US and China, it said, suggesting a need for more investments. "India's AI investments lag those of US and China by a distance, and are even behind some smaller economies," it said. Against this backdrop, Bernstein suggested that India should explore bold rules, such as requiring a minimum 51% public Indian ownership (with genuinely broad-based equity) so that the country captures a fair share of AI's value creation. "Instead of celebrating the flood of "free" US AI platforms driven by aggressive pricing, policymakers should view this as a wake-up call. If China can shield its tech industry and still maintain lucrative trade and manufacturing ties with the US, what's stopping India from taking similarly decisive action to protect its digital future? It's time to prioritize long-term national interests over short-term excitement," the report read. (Bloomberg) -- Berkshire Hathaway Inc.s PacifiCorp says ongoing litigation from massive wildfires in 2020 that exposed the company to billions of dollars in damages is jeopardizing its ability to continue providing power to hundreds of thousands of customers in Oregon. In an emergency court filing Friday, the company said a Portland judge has set up an impossible schedule of 160 jury trials week after week over 2 1/2 years. The trials are for small groups of individual homeowners to seek millions of dollars in monetary damages for homes and businesses destroyed by the blazes four years ago, PacifiCorp said. The unrelenting pace of the trials imperils the operations of an essential public utility on which millions of customers depend and threatens to impose a crushing financial burden on the largest electric grid operator in western US, according to the filing. The company already has been hit with almost $500 million in damages for about 90 plaintiffs following a jurys finding in 2023 that PacifiCorp was negligent for failing to shut off power lines ahead of a big wind storm. More than 1,900 fire victims in western Oregon have yet to present evidence of damages to juries in a case thats shaping up as one of the biggest in the states history. While destructive wildfires are now an almost routine part of summer in the American West, PacifiCorps decision to take its chances with a jury in 2023 marked the first time a lawsuit over large-scale devastation blamed on a utilitys equipment went to a trial. PacifiCorp has said its confident it will get the landmark verdict overturned on appeal. But its now asking a state appeals court to halt further damages trials until the appeal is resolved, which could take several years. PacifiCorp representatives didnt immediately respond outside regular business hours to a voice mail request for comment. In a regulatory filing last month, PacifiCorp didnt describe its financial risk from the 2020 fires in the same dire terms as the court filing. The company said it has paid more than $1 billion in settlements, and estimated that probable losses for the fires totaled about $2.7 billion at the end of June. Lawyers for fire victims declined to comment on Fridays filing. They argued in a filing last week that pausing the trials would be unfair, as the fires left thousands of Oregonians homeless, struggling to make ends meet, and traumatized. In 2024, Berkshire Chairman Warren Buffett warned in his annual letter to investors that wildfires have turned utilities across western US into risky investments. Utilities in California, Colorado, Hawaii and Texas have also faced billions in fire liabilities. PacifiCorp has explored options with Oregon regulators and lawmakers to minimize its wildfire exposure, including recouping its litigation losses from customers and capping damages for non-economic claims. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com China is investigating Yi Huiman, its former top securities regulator, according to state broadcaster CCTV, more than a year after his surprise removal from the post. Yi, 60, is being probed for suspected serious violation of discipline and law, CCTV said on Saturday. Reuters reported the investigation on Friday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Yi was let go from his post as chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission in February last year and replaced by a former close colleague of Premier Li Qiang. His dismissal came as authorities were battling to stem a stock selloff that erased about $5 trillion from Chinese markets from their 2021 peak. Markets have staged a recovery this year. The former banker, who had steered the top regulator since January 2019 until his removal, joins a long list of financial officials and executives caught in President Xi Jinpings crackdown on corruption. Xi has vowed to deepen the efforts in sectors from finance to energy and show no mercy in the fight, even after having claimed initial victory in mid-2022. Before becoming a regulator, Yi spent most of his career at the nations largest lender, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd., including serving as its chairman from 2016 to 2019. ICBC has become a focal point of the crackdown. In February, China handed a death sentence with reprieve to the lenders ex-vice president Zhang Hongli over bribery. Zhangs time at ICBC, during 2010 to 2018, overlapped in part with Li Xiaopeng, former chairman and party secretary of China Everbright Group, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in March, and Cong Lin, a former executive at China Renaissance Holdings Ltd., who had also been detained. Overseeing the securities regulator has never been an easy job, especially when it comes with a task of stabilizing stock markets. Yi took over the reign as CSRC chief after the nations stocks collapsed into a bear market. The market then rallied more than 80% over the following two years, before giving back most gains while he remained on the post. Yis predecessor Liu Shiyu, who headed the CSRC from early 2016, was demoted and punished for violations just months after leaving the job. 2025 Bloomberg L.P. Former Croatian president Stjepan Mesic speaks at a reception commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War in Zagreb, Croatia, on Sept. 5, 2025. The reception, organized by the Chinese Embassy in Croatia, was held here on Friday evening. More than 80 representatives from various sectors in Croatia attended the reception. (Xinhua/Li Xuejun) ZAGREB, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- A reception commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, organized by the Chinese Embassy in Croatia, was held here on Friday evening. Addressing the event, former Croatian president Stjepan Mesic said that Chinese people had made "immeasurable contributions" to the victory over fascism, stressing that the victory has demonstrated that peace must be built on the basis of equality and mutual respect. Mesic expressed belief that friendly relations between Croatia and China will see further development. Wang Peng, charge d'affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Croatia, recalled the history of mutual support between the Chinese people and all ethnic groups in Yugoslavia, including Croats, during the World Anti-Fascist War, and outlined China's ideas and initiatives for building a better world, adding that China is willing to further expand and deepen bilateral ties. More than 80 representatives from various sectors in Croatia attended the reception. Wang Peng, charge d'affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Croatia, speaks at a reception commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War in Zagreb, Croatia, on Sept. 5, 2025. The reception, organized by the Chinese Embassy in Croatia, was held here on Friday evening. More than 80 representatives from various sectors in Croatia attended the reception. (Xinhua/Li Xuejun) An executive at the ChatGPT developer announced this week that the company is creating an alternative to LinkedIn. Also, OpenAI will develop its own in-house chips, according to various reports. The pair of headlines put the start-up in deeper competition with its major financial backer. OpenAI and Microsoft didnt immediately respond to Barrons requests for comment. OpenAI is planning a jobs platform to connect workers and companies that looks like it would directly compete with LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft. The OpenAI Jobs Platform will have knowledgeable, experienced candidates at every level, and opportunities for anyone looking to put their skills to use," wrote Fidji Simo, OpenAIs chief executive officer of applications, in a blog post on Thursday. And well use AI to help find the perfect matches between what companies need and what workers can offer." LinkedIn is a tiny part of Microsofts business. But the move underlines how OpenAI is treading on its investors toes. The two companies previously clashed over OpenAIs plans to acquire coding start-up Windsurf and whether Microsoft would receive access to its intellectual property, according to The Wall Street Journal. The acquisition subsequently fell apart. A larger concern for Microsoft could be OpenAIs possible plans to develop its own in-house AI chip with the help of Broadcom. Multiple Wall Street analysts concluded that OpenAI was the new mystery client that Broadcom referred to in its earnings report on Thursday. The Financial Times reported the two were working together, citing multiple people familiar with the partnership. Microsoft has its own AI chip, the Maia 100, developed in partnership with OpenAI. The AI startups potential plans to develop alternative hardware suggest it is unlikely to be a significant customer for Microsofts processors in the future. Microsoft has pumped $13 billion into OpenAI since 2019. The firm doesnt currently own equity in OpenAI, instead receiving a share of future profit. The two companies are still negotiating over what stake Microsoft might receive in a future restructuring. OpenAI is currently structured as a nonprofit company with a board that oversees its for-profit business. The company intended to become a more conventional profit-seeking company but scrapped the plan earlier this year after discussions with civic leaders and the attorneys general of California and Delaware, who would be required to sign off on it. Instead, the companys for-profit subsidiary will turn into a public-benefit corporation, requiring the company to balance shareholder interests and the public benefit in its decision-making. It isnt clear what equity Microsoft would receive in OpenAI under the planned conversion. OpenAI still relies heavily on Microsofts cloud-computing resources. However, OpenAI has also struck computing infrastructure deals with Oracle and CoreWeave. Write to Adam Clark at adam.clark@barrons.com Tesla on Friday unveiled a massive $1 trillion compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk, tied to the company's growth and leadership milestones. The pay out will only be given on the condition that he grows the EV company's market capitalization from about $1.1 trillion to $8.5 trillion, along with fulfilling several operational targets. It will be released in stages and the last two tranches would hinge on the Tesla board putting in place a formal succession plan for the CEO role. The plan is structured around a series of stock grants tied to specific milestone over 10-year period, according to a Reuters news report. Stock-based compensation: The proposal includes a grant of up to 423.7 million performance-based restricted shares to Musk, representing about 12% of Tesla's current shares. This grant will be split into 12 equal tranches, each with specific performance requirements. Financial and business milestones The plan sets 12 market-capitalization targets, with the first at $2 trillion, followed by nine increases of $500 billion each, and finally two $1 trillion milestones, bringing the total to $8.5 trillion, the news report said. These targets must be "sustained," over both a 30-day and a six-month trailing average market value, Reuters report said. Also Read | Elon Musk could become first trillionaire with Teslas massive pay deal The proposal also includes 12 operational milestones, such as rolling out robotaxis and robots, and raising profits as measured by adjusted EBITDA, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Product specific goals The plan sets four distinct and ambitious product goals. These include: Vehicle deliveries: 20 million total Tesla vehicles delivered. Full self-driving (FSD) subscription: 10 million paid FSD subscriptions on average over three consecutive months, where free trials will not be counted. Delivery of robots: 1 million "Bots" (AI robots like Optimus) delivered, which will be counted from the September 3, 2025 grant date. Robotaxis: 1 million driverless robotaxis in commercial service on average over three successive months. Earning stock tranche vs receiving Once a tranche is earned by meeting the associated goals, Musk is granted the ability to vote the awarded shares. The shares vest meaning they are completely in his control and could be sold, either 7.5 or 10 years after September 3, 2025, when the award program starts. These rules must be followed to receive the awarded shares: The shares earned in the first five years vest at 7.5 years of the program, whereas those earned in the second five years vest at the 10th year. Musk must remain Tesla's CEO or be in another approved executive role at the time of vesting to receive the shares. Forfeiture conditions Tesla's plan proposes that if any goals are not met by the end of the 10-year program, the associated awards will be forfeited. Also Read | Indian envoy visits Teslas China factory amid buzz over exports to India Anuparna Roy has made history at the prestigious Venice Film Festival by becoming the first Indian filmmaker to win the Best Director award in the Orizzonti competition. Her debut feature, Songs of Forgotten Trees, premiered to a full house and received a warm reception from both audiences and critics. Anuparna Roy wins Best Director at Venice Film Festival The film, which follows the lives of two female roommates in Mumbai Thooya (played by Naaz Shaikh) and Swetha (Sumi Baghel) is a deeply personal and reflective narrative. Roy draws from her own memories, lived experiences, and keen observations of women navigating urban life, friendship, and quiet resistance. The award was announced by Palme dOr-winning filmmaker Julia Ducournau, who headed the Orizzonti jury this year. Argentine film critic and fellow juror Fernando Enrique Juan Lima handed the award to Roy during the ceremony. Roy thanks Anurag Kashyap and remembers Palestine in her acceptance speech Roy, visibly moved, used her acceptance speech to thank those who took a chance on her unconventional story. I want to thank Anurag Kashyap, my producers, the cast, the crew, and everyone who stood by a film that didnt fit into easy boxes, she said. Each one there in my hometown, in my country I want to dedicate this award to them. However, it was her closing remarks that struck the strongest chord. Speaking with quiet force, she turned attention to Palestine and the suffering of children there. Also Read | Anurag Kashyaps crime drama Nishaanchi first look poster out Every child deserves peace, freedom, and liberation, and Palestine is no exception, she declared. Despite the audiences applause, Roy asked for silence instead of claps. Even if it upsets my country, she added, its what I must say. Despite no official confirmation yet, the announcement for Solo Leveling Season 3 may be closer than fans realise. During Sonys 2025 Business Segment Presentation & Fireside Chat, Solo Leveling was named one of the companys top anime properties, standing proudly beside global hits like Demon Slayer. This indicates continued interest and investment in the franchise. Solo Leveling Season 3 May Take TimeBut Its Definitely Coming While the anime was notably absent from the Aniplex Fest 2025 lineup, this seems more like a strategic delay than a sign of cancellation. Given the overwhelming success of Season 2making Solo Leveling the most-watched anime of all time on Crunchyrolltheres little doubt Season 3 will happen. Its just a matter of timing. When Can Fans Expect Season 3? Though some fans are hoping for a 2026 release, thats almost impossible. Based on past production timelines, it would take at least a full year to complete another season. The more realistic window is 2027. Yes, the wait will be longbut the anime industry is used to patient fans. In the meantime, several new titles from 2025 can help fill the gap. Some great recommendations include: 'Takopi's Original Sin' Lord of Mysteries My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Sakamoto Days For those open to older animation, classics like One Piece, Hunter x Hunter, Dragon Ball, and Fullmetal Alchemist remain timeless. What to Expect in Season 3 Season 3 will bring bigger stakes and deeper mysteries. Sung Jinwoo will confront the Monarchssupernatural beings threatening world peace. He will also meet the Architect of the System, the very force behind his powers. The story will introduce Thomas Andre, the strongest Hunter in the world, paving the way for intense battles and surprising alliances. Though theres no trailer, poster, or date yet, Solo Leveling remains too valuable to disappear. The silence is strategic, not final. With trade negotiations between China and the U.S. showing little progress, Beijing is taking a new stance: Keep talking, but yield little. That position was illustrated by the recent visit to Washington by Li Chenggang, a key member of Beijings negotiating team led by Vice Premier He Lifeng. According to people familiar with the situation, his visit didnt come at the request of the U.S. government. Li didnt meet with administration officials such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who are directly involved in top-level negotiations with China. He instead met with deputy-level officials at the Treasury Department, the Commerce Department and the USTR, where he largely repeated Beijings long-held positions. The trip signaled a new mandate from Chinese leader Xi Jinping: By seeking to engage with the Trump administration while making few concessions, Beijing is trying to hold itself up as a responsible party at a time of intensifying great-power competition. The result is a delicate detentebut one that isnt likely to produce a trade deal soon. Just in the past couple of weeks, Xi rolled out the red carpet for leaders from Russia, India, North Korea and other developing nations, touting China as the leader of a new, multilateral world order that is a contrast with President Trumps America-first foreign policy. Chinas leader Xi Jinping in Beijing recently with Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, in an image released by North Korean state media. During his meetings in Washington in late August, Li repeated Beijings demands that the U.S. remove tariffs on Chinese goods and ease U.S. restrictions on the export of American tech products, but he offered little of substance in return, the people said. The meetings were not productive," said one person familiar with Lis visit. Lis visit came on the heels of remarks by the Chinese ambassador to the U.S. that were critical of Washington. Speaking to a U.S. soybean-industry event on Aug. 22, Xie Feng, the Chinese envoy, said U.S. protectionism was casting a shadow over China-U.S. agricultural cooperation." Last month, Washington and Beijing extended their pause on higher tariffs through early November. The truce was secured after the two agreed to roll back tit-for-tat tariffs and ease export restrictions on key goods, including rare-earth magnets from China, which are critical for many industrial products, and certain technology products from the U.S. Now, the two sides are at an impasse over the U.S. request for China to crack down on the flow of the chemicals used to make fentanyl. Beijing wont take action until the administration removes the 20% tariffs it has placed on Chinese imports as punishment for Chinas role in the fentanyl trade, according to the people. Moreover, Trumps call for China to significantly increase its purchases of American soybeans has so far gone unanswered. U.S. officials say that China has, over the past 18 months, been deliberately slashing imports of U.S. agricultural products, including by revoking certificates for meat-processing facilities, sourcing grains from other countries and building up inventories in advance of U.S. harvest seasons. Just weeks before the harvest, American farmers are worried that China will buy little, if any, of their soy. In a statement, White House spokesman Kush Desai said, the administration continues to press our trading partners using the power of the American economy, the worlds best and biggest consumer market, to level the playing field for American industries and workers." Chinas Commerce Ministry said Li called on both sides to make good use" of regular dialogue to manage differences and expand cooperation. People close to Chinese officials say a main purpose for Lis trip was to understand the full spectrum of U.S. demands. Another reason for Beijings outreach is economic. With a collapse of its property market and sluggish consumption at home, Chinese negotiators are aiming to prevent the administration from raising tariffs and tightening export controls on China, which could exacerbate the economic pressure. Xi wants to avoid a one-sided deal like the one Beijing struck with the first Trump administration in early 2020, The Wall Street Journal has reported. That deal required China to significantly increase purchases of American goods and services while requiring the U.S. to do very little in return. While the Trump administration also has de-escalated tensions with Beijing, it is simultaneously pursuing trade agreements with other nations that concern China. Specifically, Beijing is troubled by provisions designed to counter transshipmentthe practice of Chinese companies using countries like Vietnam to circumvent U.S. tariffs. This targeted pressure has, in turn, provided another incentive for Chinese negotiators to engage. In a Fox News interview last month, Bessent said that were very happy" with the situation with China. I think right now the status quo is working pretty well," the Treasury secretary said, referring to the current tariff levels on China. Bessents remarks suggest a continued detente between the two sides, potentially creating an opening for a summit between Trump and Xi. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said a leaders meeting is likely, though no date has been set. Both sides think they still have some time to work this out," said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington think tank, referring to a potential trade deal. Both sides see the need and high possibility for a summit this year." Write to Lingling Wei at Lingling.Wei@wsj.com Britney Yip, 25, a marketer in New York, was after the smooth, youthful skin she kept seeing on women in her social feeds. They all credited something called Rejuran, but when Yip looked into it, she found that she couldnt get the antiaging injection in the U.S. So she flew to Seoul. There she got about a hundred injections and, a week later, saw the beginning of the glow shed sought. At home, friends kept telling me, Wow your skin looks so good, " Yip says. The injectable Rejuran is not FDA-approved and is available in America only for topical use, but thats not stopping American women from traveling overseas, mostly to South Korea, to get it injected, for up to $450 a session. The company recommends three sessions, with results meant to last for up to a year. Unlike other popular injectables, such as Botox which freezes muscle contractions, or fillers like Juvederm that pump volume into the skin, Rejuran purports to both hydrate the skin and boost its elasticity. Women travel overseas and pay up to $450 a session to get Rejuran injections. Rejuran is made with PN, a chain of molecules that contains fragments of DNA derived from salmon cells that are said to promote healing and skin regeneration. It originated in 2014 in South Korea, and 20 additional countries have approved its use as an injectable since then. Parent company PharmaResearch has a number of other aesthetic drugs and devices in its portfolio, but, according to Forbes, Rejurans success in particular made founder and chairman Jung Sang-soo a billionaire this year. The company said it couldnt confirm this valuation. Some American doctors remain skeptical of Rejuran. If it does work that would be great because everyone is looking for a booster that truly improves skin integrity, something thats currently missing from the market, but anecdotal is not data, and the data we do have is still very new," says Catherine Chang, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon in Beverly Hills. She has also heard mixed reviewssome people notice a big improvement in skin texture while others see noneand points out that side effects can include irritation, rash and skin discoloration. PharmaResearch said its observed only minor skin reactions since Rejurans launch and no severe adverse side effects. The company said it has filed an application for FDA approval for injections. My main skin concerns were dryness, dullness and early fine lines," says Tris Vo, a 25-year-old nurse in Toronto who went to Seoul to try Rejuran. The injectable is approved in Canada but costs about half as much in Seoul. I began seeing results around day eight. My skin felt plumper, and I noticed a natural glow, fewer breakouts and my dry patches had disappeared." South Korea has long been a mecca for skincare enthusiasts, and part of Rejurans success is due to a broader interest in Korea-born beauty products and rituals (K-beauty for short). Asian skincare overall tends to be much more advanced than in the U.S.," says Chang. K-beauty in particular may just be more noticed now than in the past because of the rise in popularity of K-pop, K-dramas and social media allowing users to see what everyone in Asia is doing." Alex Cho, a 34-year-old advertising director in Los Angeles, traveled to South Korea to get laser treatments for hyperpigmentation, but also tried Rejuran after hearing about its collagen-boosting effects. My skin just looked more radiant, and it felt supple and silky," she says of the result. In the U.S., Rejuran is only legally offered as a serum or cream, usually as part of whats called a salmon facial" because its made of salmon-derived DNA fragments, which closely resemble human cells and are said to help stimulate collagen. The salmon facial has been praised by Jennifer Aniston and Kim Kardashian and involves microneedling or a resurfacing laser, like Fraxel, followed by a topical application of Rejuran. Unlike Botox or fillers which are injected sparingly and directed deep into the skin, Rejuran involves hundreds of shots near the surface using a serial puncture technique," says Chris Lee, head of global healthcare at PharmaResearch. On average this results in 100 to 150 injection points per session." With any injection there is potential for infection, says Connie Yang, a cosmetic dermatologist in Manhattan. Rejuran injections are also often combined with other treatments (collagen-stimulating filler Juvelook, ultrasound tightening device Ultherapy, and many lasers are frequently recommended by clinics) which can make it hard to isolate which intervention is impacting the skin. Michelle Lee, the former editor of Allure magazine, combined full-face Rejuran with a trio of lasers and Juvelook on a recent trip to South Korea. Within ten days my skin looked fing amazing, very glowy, and somehow poreless, and for the first time in years I did not need a spot of foundation or concealer," she says, adding that she cant be sure which treatment was responsible for the improvement. Immediately after Rejuran the skin is covered in raised red, hive-like bumps, which have also been extensively chronicled on social media. It can take anywhere from 24 hours to a few days for them to disappear. Lee says the experience is not for the faint of heart. I have gone through childbirth three times, torn my ACL, and done microneedling with a derma pen," she says. I pride myself on having a pretty high pain tolerance, but this was intense." Clinics usually offer topical numbing cream or anesthesia during the treatment. Sofie Pavitt, a New York facialist who has, by her own admission, tried it all, including Rejuran in Seoul earlier this year, agrees. I stopped counting after 80 shots," says Pavitt. Its not unbearably painful, but its like death by 1,000 cuts." When you walk out you look really nuts," she says. Its giving Avatar." Bank holiday today: Today, September 6, marks Ganesh Visarjan, with grand celebrations taking place across Maharashtra and several other parts of India. Despite the festivities, banks are not closed nationwide, as holidays may differ depending on the state. According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)'s state-wise holiday calendar, banks will be closed in Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim on Saturday, September 6, 2025, to mark Id-e-Milad (Milad-Un-Nabi)/Indrajatra. Customers are advised to check the full list of bank closures before planning their visits. Several regions, particularly Maharashtra will witness Ganesh Visarjan or the immersion ritual today as it is performed on Anant Chaturdashi. This year, the event falls on September 6. The September 6 is also the first Saturday of the month. Bank holidays are mentioned in the annual holiday calendar published by the RBI, in accordance with the Negotiable Instruments Act, which regulates the issuance of cheques and promissory notes. Hence, transactions involving these instruments are not allowed on designated holidays. Eid-e-Milad/Indrajata holiday in Gangtok Eid-e-Milad or Milad-un-Nabi, commemorates the birth of Prophet Muhammad, the revered founder of Islam. It is important to note that Sunnis observe this day on the 12th of Rabi al-awwal while Shias mark it on the 17th day of the month. Meanwhile, Indrajata festival celebrates Lord Indra, who is considered the 'God of Rain'. The festival marks the end of the harvest season in the country. This festival is predominantly celebrated in Nepal's Kathmandu valley and to a lesser extent in Sikkim. Ganesh Visarjan The ten-day Ganeshotsav is coming to an end, with preparations underway for the grand Ganesh Visarjan 2025 ritual. The festival, which begins on Ganesh Chaturthi in the month of Bhadrapada, culminates on Anant Chaturdashi which is today. The final day, marked by Ganesh Visarjan, draws devotees in large numbers to bid farewell to the deity with processions, music and chants. Next bank holiday The next bank holiday throughout the country will be observed on Sunday, September 7. In RBI's state-wise calendar, all banks will be closed in Mumbai on Monday, September 7 as the Eid-e-Milad holiday was moved from September 5 to September 8 after the Muslim community decided to hold the procession on September 8. When are banks closed? Banks are typically closed in various parts of the country to mark national, religious and regional observances. Additionally, banks are closed on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month and all Sundays of the month. List of bank holidays in September 2025 September 8 (Monday) Banks in Mumbai to be closed for Id-e-Milad (Milad-Un-Nabi) as notified by RBI. September 12 (Friday) Banks in Jammu and Srinagar to be closed for Friday following Eid-i-Milad-ul-Nabi. September 22 (Monday) Banks in Jaipur to be closed for Navratra Sthapna. September 23 (Tuesday) Banks in Jammu and Srinagar to be closed for Birthday of Maharaja Hari Singh Ji. September 29 (Monday) Banks in Agartala, Gangtok and Kolkata to be closed for Maha Saptami/Durga Puja. September 30 (Tuesday) Banks in Agartala, Bhubaneswar, Imphal, Jaipur, Guwahati, Kolkata, Patna and Ranchi to be closed for Maha Ashtami/Durga Ashtami/Durga Puja. What transactions can you do when banks are closed? Even if banks are closed due to regional or religious observances, several other options are available to facilitate transactions. A person can continue using online or mobile banking services at all times, even during national holidays, unless notified to users for technical or other reasons. Also Read | Higher UPI transaction limits for special merchants starting Sep 15 MUMBAI : After a mild, financially bleak summer, Indian air-conditioner companies are hoping for a second bite at the cherry this year. A 10-percentage-point cut in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on ACs has sparked hopes of a second summer during the festive season, offering a much-needed lifeline to companies reeling from a washed-out June quarter. With AC prices set to drop from 22 September, experts predict the tax cut will unlock pent-up demand and boost festive sales. Earlier this week the GST Council cut the tax on ACs from 28% to 18% as part of a broader set of reforms that removed the 12% and 28% slabs and shifted most of those goods and services into the 5% and 18% slabs. It retained 40% GST for luxury and sin goods. A year to forget Experts said the cuts offer timely relief to the AC industry, which has been struggling after a lacklustre summer and a generally dismal year. A Mint analysis of six major consumer durable firms revealed that 25-33% of their annual revenue typically comes from June quarter alone. While their portfolios also include non-seasonal electrical goods, summer-driven AC sales still account for the lion's share of revenue. Also Read | GST cuts may block capital for small businesses Summer accounts for nearly 70% of AC sales in a year, while the festive season contributes around 17%, experts said. This means a weak seasonal showing can mean a lost fiscal year for the AC industry, as FY26 has begun to demonstrate. Summer slump A separate Mint analysis shows the revenue and net profit of five major AC brands contracted year-on-year in the June quarter, amid a shortened and relatively mild summer. Heavy promotional pushes added to the strain, compressing net margins by 120 basis points and eroding profits, experts said. But when summer arrived, trouble piled up quite literally. Brands and dealers stocked up aggressively, expecting another hot summer like last year," said Keshav Lahoti, research analyst at HDFC Securities. But weak sales left them with inventory pileups, hitting profits." After a weak Q1, the industry was saddled with nearly two months of excess inventory, prompting expectations of heavy festive-season discounts to clear stocks. With new Bureau of Energy Efficiency ratings kicking in from January 2026, companies face added pressure to liquidate inventory by the end of the year. This will keep pricing and profits under strain, Nuvama Institutional Equities noted in its latest report. Nonetheless, experts said the upcoming GST cut could inject much-needed momentum into the industry. Dhruv Jain, consumer electronics analyst at Ambit Capital, said it could trim excess inventory from two months to just 15-30 days and reduce the likelihood of steep discounts. While margins should hold, industry volumes in FY26 may still swing between 5% decline and 5% growth, depending on Q3 performance," Jain said. Will GST cut spur demand? Manoj Mishra, partner and tax controversy management leader at Grant Thornton Bharat LLP, said the GST cut could spur higher-than-usual festive demand for ACs, while seasonal promotions could further nudge discretionary spending. A standard one-ton AC typically costs 30,000 and will be around 2,000 cheaper after the GST cut, experts said. While modest, this price drop could be enough to stimulate replacements and fresh purchases in Indias price-sensitive market, Mishra said. Also Read | Centre vows to guard consumer gains as GST cuts set to kick in on 22 Sep Moreover, with new energy efficiency norms set to make ACs 3-4% costlier from next year, the December quarter should see a further demand bump, said Ravi Swaminathan, director at Avendus Spark Institutional Equities. People have also held back purchases after the GST cut announcement last month," he added. This pent-up demand is also likely to surface in Q3." With multiple demand drivers in play, the industry is now pinning its hopes on Q3 to turn around what has been a disappointing year so far. However, experts cautioned that while the GST cut increased the chances of a leaner entry into FY27 for brands and retailers, it would temporarily put orders to manufacturers on hold, hitting their top lines. Short-term pain The Nuvama report cited above noted that companies may stock up more cautiously this December, hurting the usual restocking cycle, while excess GST paid on inventories could also strain working capital. The AC industry is currently grappling with notable working capital pressures," said Grant Thornton Bharats Mishra. Excess stock has raised storage costs and tied up working capital, thereby straining cash flows." According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) the industry took around 34 days on average to turn raw materials into cash from sales in FY25, a significant improvement from 55 days before the pandemic. But experts said the recent summer-sale fiasco increased the cycle by 45-60 days, with tax-refund delays likely to add further short-term stress. Despite such near-term challenges, experts saw the GST cut as a medium-term positive, with better affordability set to expand the number of customers and deepen Indias AC market. Also Read | GST 2.0: A reform that has gone much deeper than expected Multibagger stock: Krishival Foods shares will be in focus on Monday, September 8, following higher sales expectations in the fast-approaching festival season due to Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms. Krishival Foods, a nuts and dry fruits processing company, is expected to benefit from the recent GST rate cuts. Rates on Brazil nuts, almonds, pistachios, and other dried fruits have been reduced from 12% to 5%, while rates on ice cream have been brought down from 18% to 5%, effective September 22, 2025. Krishival share price trend Krishival Foods' share price closed the session nearly 2% lower on Friday, September 5, amid weakness in the Indian stock market. The small-cap stock, with a market cap of 987.23 crore, has seen a 1.6% decline during the last five trading sessions. However, the company has emerged as a multibagger stock over other time frames. Krishival Foods shares have given investors a whopping 342.5% return on their investments in the last five years. The company shares have jumped 17% in just a month, while they are up 81% in six months. On a year-to-date basis, the performance is quite impressive with 77% surge. The 52-week high for the stock is 473.10, while its 52-week low is 354. Boost in consumption Commenting on the development, Sujit Bangar, Chairman, Krishival Foods, said The GST rate reduction is a transformative step for the packaged food sector. At Krishival Foods, we see this as a catalyst to accelerate category growth and strengthen Indias position as a fast-emerging market for premium nuts, dried fruits, and ice creams. We are committed to harnessing this momentum by expanding availability, innovating with new offerings, and ensuring that more consumers across India can access world-class products at affordable prices. He added that with the festive season approaching, the policy change is likely to spur stronger consumption across packaged food categories, making high-quality nuts, dried fruits, and ice cream more accessible to a wider segment of consumers. What are the latest GST reforms Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday, September 3 announced several measures for GST reforms, rationalising the rates. Many items have been brought under the nil GST regime, while a wide range of goods have been moved to the 5 per cent or 18 per cent slabs from higher slabs. GST rate for daily consumables such as ghee, nuts, and packaged drinking water has been reduced from 12 per cent to 5 per cent. This reduction will also apply to namkeen, bhujia, mixtures, and other packaged snacks. Multibagger penny stock: Eraaya Lifespaces shares will be in focus of the stock market investors after the company's subsidiary Ebix Technologies announced that it has secured a significant commercial mandate from GT Insurance, a wholly owned subsidiary of Allianz Australia Insurance, according to an exchange filing. The shares of Eraaya Lifespaces have given investors multibagger gains over the years despite being a penny stock. Through this latest commercial mandate, both companies will be expanding their Australian broker ecosystem by digitising their flagship offerings. Also Read | Penny stock to be in focus on Monday after hitting upper circuit for 25 days This engagement aligns with our vision of empowering insurers through transformative technology. GT Insurances deep domain expertise, combined with Sunrise Exchanges agility, creates a compelling ecosystem for brokers and customers alike, said Ashish Jaitly, a whole-time director at Ebix Technologies Limited. Sunrise Exchange is an Australian B2B electronic insurance distribution platform. It is operated by Ebix Australia, a step-down subsidiary of Ebix Technologies. Multibagger gains In the last four years, Eraaya Lifespaces shares have increased from 0.72 per share to 46.48 apiece, marking a more than 6,355% gain on the Indian stock market. Investors who had invested 1 lakh into the company shares have gained returns amounting to nearly 64.55 lakh over the four-year period from the Indian stock market. Also Read | Multibagger stock in focus after THIS announcement on GST reforms The shares of the company traded ex-split on 6 December 2024, as the company announced a stock split from 10 per share to Re 1 apiece, according to the BSE data. However, while calculating the gains over the years, we are not adding the post-stock split benefit accrued into the demat account of the long-term shareholders invested in Eraaya Lifespace stock. Eraaya Lifespaces Share Price Trend Eraaya Lifespaces' share price closed 1.43% higher at 46.18 after Friday's stock market session, compared to 45.53 at the previous market close. The company announced its commercial mandate update after the market operating hours on 5 September 2025. Also Read | Buy or sell: Sumeet Bagadia recommends three stocks to buy on Monday Shares of the land developer have given stock market investors more than 6,313% returns on their investment in the last five years. However, the shares have lost 61.81% in the last one-year period. On a year-to-date (YTD) basis, the shares of Eraaya Lifespaces have lost 60.12% in 2025 but are trading 3.38% higher in the last one-month period. Over the last five market sessions, the company's shares have dropped 3.69% on the Indian stock market. According to the data collected from the BSE website, the shares hit their 52-week high level at 316.90 on 7 October 2024, while the 52-week low level was at 39.99 on 14 August 2025. The company's market capitalisation (M-Cap) stood at 880.63 crore as of the stock market session on Friday, 5 September 2025. Read all stories by Anubhav Mukherjee XIAMEN, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The United Kingdom will send its largest-ever business delegation to the upcoming 25th China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT), comprising over 100 companies and representatives from across the country, UK Trade Commissioner for China Lewis Neal said Saturday. The UK is the guest country of honor at this year's CIFIT, scheduled to run from Sept. 8 to 11 in the coastal city of Xiamen in eastern China's Fujian Province. The event will include investment-themed activities, exhibitions and roadshows, attracting participants from more than 120 countries and regions. Britain's 400-square-meter national pavilion at the fair, themed "Invest in Great," will showcase key sectors including financial and professional services, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, clean energy and creative industries. In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Neal said the UK's participation seeks to support British businesses in exploring opportunities in the Chinese market, promote the UK as China's preferred investment destination in Europe, and facilitate partnerships between Chinese firms expanding overseas and UK service providers. "Wherever Chinese companies go in the world, we want UK firms to be at their side," he said. The UK trade commissioner expressed confidence in China's economic outlook, highlighting its position as the world's second-largest economy and significant growth potential in sectors such as automotive, life sciences and renewable energy. In particular, he praised China's digital economy as "vibrant, competitive and diverse," noting the increasing use of digital channels by British companies to engage Chinese consumers. He also noted recent efforts to strengthen bilateral cultural and commercial exchanges, including inviting Chinese key opinion leaders (KOLs) to major UK events like London Fashion Week. On climate cooperation, Neal emphasized the synergy between China's low-carbon transition and British expertise in green technology, saying "China's emission reduction plans are of vital importance to the planet." Launched in 1997 and organized by China's Ministry of Commerce, the CIFIT has become a key platform for boosting investment and advancing global development. Should you expect a 1314% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) from the Indian stock market? This question is not easy to answer with a simple yes or no. However, for investors with a horizon of more than 10 years, the target does not seem overly ambitiousespecially in an economy like India, the worlds fastest-growing major economy, supported by structural positives such as a demographic dividend and the rising participation of retail investors in the stock market. Equity investing gives healthy returns in the long term. However, because of market volatility, impatient investors with a short-term horizon may often be disappointed. For example, the Nifty 50 has delivered a negative return of about 2% over the past year. For new investors who entered the market after witnessing the stellar gains that followed the COVID-19 pandemic, in the hope of making quick profits, equities may have come as a rude shock. But does it make sense to equate the Niftys short-term performance with its long-term returns? And should you expect linear returns from the stock market, for that matter? For instance, the Nifty has delivered a CAGR of 13% over the last 25 years, 17% over the last five years, and 10% over the last 15 years. Is expecting a 14% CAGR realistic? The Indian stock market is experiencing a rough phase due to US tariffs, foreign capital outflows, and weak earnings. This situation may raise doubts among new and inexperienced investors about whether investing in equities is a wise choice. However, experts say long-term investors must not be worried about the Indian stock market's recent performance and stay committed to their long-term goals. They say a 1011% CAGR is common and realistic, but even 1314% is not too ambitious. "Long-term investors need not worry. The 13-14% CAGR is a long-term average, which typically requires at least a 10-year horizon to achieve. In the context of India, however, there is no risk to the expectation of a 15% CAGR," said G. Chokkalingam, founder and head of research at Equinomics Research Private Limited. Chokkalingam pointed out that structurally, two things always happen: once every three to four years, the market corrects, and roughly once every five years, some exogenous factorsuch as global tensions or war or any epidemic or pandemicoccurs. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments, also believes that having an expectation of 13-14% CAGR over the long term is logical. "The Indian stock market has the potential to give that kind of a return over the long term. Policy reforms are in full form now, so growth will come back," said Vijayakumar. The long-term outlook of the Indian stock market remains positive. The country remains one of the fastest economies and is expected to see sustainable growth over the long term due to the rising middle class, reforms, and the government's focus on infrastructure and manufacturing. "I dont think there is any risk to the 14% CAGR. There is no major structural challenge that could keep the Indian stock market under pressure for a prolonged period," said Ajit Mishra, SVP of research at Religare Broking. Mishra said in an economy like ours, which is primarily service-driven and now transitioning toward manufacturing, the manufacturing sector is an area investors can consider for long-term opportunities. Retail investors should choose the SIP route for healthy long-term returns. This will save them from unnecessary worries about market volatility, which experts can better handle. Read all market-related news here Read more stories by Nishant Kumar Top news GST councils 56th meeting Major tax reforms The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, in its 56th meeting held on 4th September 2025, approved significant reforms aimed at simplifying the indirect tax system, now eight years old. These reforms will be effective from 22nd September 2025. The primary goal is to ease the tax burden on citizens by reducing slabs and rates, thereby encouraging business growth and smoother compliance. The government has now moved to a two-slab tax structure 5% and 18%, replacing the earlier four slabs of 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%. The Finance Minister shared these updates on Twitter, supported with infographics for clarity. Key changes include: Agriculture: Tax reduced to 5% (earlier 12% & 18%) Healthcare: Tax reduced to 5% (earlier 12% & 18%) Automobile sector: Reduced to 18% (earlier 28%) Electronic appliances: Reduced to 18% (earlier 28%) No revisions have been made in the education sector. Also Read | Can GST reform bring the Indian stock market out of the worst performers league? Amanta Healthcare Ltd IPO The IPO of Amanta Healthcare Ltd witnessed an impressive subscription of 82.60 times by 3rd September 2025. The issue was a main-board offering comprising 10 million equity shares with a face value of 10 each, aiming to raise up to 126 crore. Shares were priced at 126 per share, with a minimum lot size of 119 shares. The IPO was open between 1st September and 3rd September 2025, and received an overwhelming response, leading to its massive oversubscription. Bandhan AMC & Baroda BNP Paribas NFOs Two new NFOs (New Fund Offers) have been launched: Bandhan BSE India Sector Leaders Index Growth Direct Plan Baroda BNP Paribas Business Conglomerates Growth Direct Plan The Bandhan BSE India Sector Leaders Index Growth Direct Plan is an open-ended scheme, available from 3rd September 2025 to 17th September 2025. Managed by Abhishek Jain, its objective is to mirror the performance of the BSE India Sector Leaders Index by investing in its constituent securities in the same weightage, aiming to deliver returns before expenses while accounting for tracking errors. The Baroda BNP Paribas Business Conglomerates Growth Direct Plan is also an open-ended scheme, available between 2nd September 2025 and 15th September 2025. Managed by Jitendra Sriram and Kushant Arora, the scheme seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing in equities and equity-related instruments of Indian business conglomerates. The fund does not assure or indicate guaranteed returns. That is a wrap on the news for the week ended September 05. Lets have a look at how the markets responded and actually moved this week, from indices and mutual funds to stocks. Lets dig into the market movers to see how it all played out. View full Image Index Returns View full Image Best Performers View full Image Worst Performers View full Image Bought and Sold View full Image Most Watchlisted Mumbais Bandra suburb has become synonymous with all things culinary with its bustling hipster cafes and restaurants. However, the neighbourhood has been missing on small and intimate performance spaces for theatre. Chapel Roads Haiku and Cuckoo Club shut their doors before the covid-19 pandemic, and St Andrews Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts held its space for a long time until finally shuttering last year. So, with the Jeff Goldberg School of Performing Arts, a method acting and filmmaking school, moving base from Khar to the fishing village of Chimbai in July, Bandras audiences finally have a black box theatrea flexible performance space with black walls and floor allowing for different formats of theatreright in their neighbourhood. It is a warm and welcoming complex within Matsyalaya Bungalow, which overlooks the sea. It includes the Mazi Coffee Bar & Kitchen, and the tattoo parlour Iron Buzz Tattoos. Together, with the newest additionChimbai Village Theatrethey make up the Iron Buzz Collective that has community and creativity at the heart of it. A small staircase leads you to the black box theatre. The design is simple and is meant to aid performance without bringing attention to itself. It seats 45-50 people and can transform based on the needs of the performance. Theres an elevated stage area and wings that double up as green rooms. On the day we stopped by, Goldberg, filmmaker and founder of the institute, was busy in a scenework discussion at the centre of the black box. The black box features a secondary space, which the Jeff Goldberg School of Performing Arts uses for its own practicals" as part of a nine-month method acting programme. It is also available as a 35-40 seater for small acts like stand-up comedy. Once the course is over, the students put up a professional play in the main theatre," explains Komal Chhabria, managing director, Chimbai Village Theatre. But, the programming isnt limited to student shows. In fact, it isnt limited to theatre either. Theres stand-up comedy, dance, pilates, MMA, and more lined up for the months ahead. Yoga is something we are looking at. There are classes in the morning. We are also exploring short film screenings," explains Raj Chhabria, administrative head of Jeff Goldberg Studio. Also Read | The Pehel programme in Mumbai helps theatre newbies find their voice Komal elaborates further on the programming in the works. We have Progressive Theatre Associations Oh My Darling coming up this month. Comedian Neville Bharucha conducts his improv workshops here. We also have other plays including Karsanbhai in October, and Ribbons in December," she says. Owing to its location, surrounded by local stores and businesses, Chimbai Village Theatre, the Chhabrias say, has been inviting several walk-ins. People are curious to find a theatre in their midst and want to get involved. We are aware of the space we occupy and we want to keep the community spirit in Bandra intact," says Chhabria. Prachi Sibal is a Mumbai-based culture writer. When the farmer protests over the Union governments three farm laws stretched out in India in 2020-21, award-winning senior research scientist and filmmaker Bedabrata Pain began reading about it. The first thing he came across was farm suicides in the US. Pain, who won a National Award for his 2012 debut film Chittagong , realised theres a story to be told. In 2021, Pain, who has previously worked at Nasa, set off on trip to explore farmer distress across the US and found that the privatisation and corporatisation of farming in the 1980s had not benefited farmers. The result of that trip is Deja Vu, a documentary on the unexpected similarities between the plight of farmers in the US and in India. It delivers an ominous warning about how the free market squeezes small farmers out of the system and sometimes drives them to suicide. Also Read | What it feels like to be trapped in appsand how to break free Deja Vu premiered at the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala in August. Pain describes it as a challenging story to tell" because there were so many versions and angles to approach it from. Ali Fazal and Naseeruddin Shah have voiced the film, which is co-produced by Resul Pookutty. Pain, 62, who divides his time between India and the US, spoke to Lounge about the making of the documentary, the need to safeguard minimum support price (MSP), and the dangers of turning agriculture over to conglomerates. Edited excerpts from the interview. Why did you think of making this documentary? There is a question about Indians in the USwhat their role is, what is their connection with India. And then there is pressure not to critique India or the US, the country you are from or the country you live inand I have managed to do both. We live in a world where all kinds of injustice and inequities exist. So when the farm protests happened (in India), we were being told the farmers were stubborn, turning their back on development, investment and modernisation. I started reading about it and the first thing I came across is there are farm suicides in America, toothe land of milk and honey! I said, what the hell is going on?" As I started talking to farmers, reaching out to farmers organisations, it became very clear that this is a story that needs to be told... It was so important because in India the discussion was all speculationthis will happen, that will happen. But we wanted to say: Hey, look here. Here is the evidence of the last 40 years" of what happens. So thats why the movie is also called Deja Vu. In a world dominated by demands for social justice and social inequities, quite often the question of economic justice is left in the shade. Deja Vu raises the question of economic justicepointing the finger at corporate monopolies as the fountainhead of economic injustice. It is surprising to see the extent and magnitude of distress among US farmers. How did you discover and depict it? Through almost 10,000 miles of travel in the US. When we are talking about the film, four peoples names are crucialthree others who were on the trip, apart from myself. Rajashik Tarafder and Sristy Agrawal (PhD students in physics at the time) and Rumela Gangopadhyay, a part-time theatre actor (all Indian origin US residents.) I am the only person with a filmmaking background. They found out about all the farm organisations, started calling them. It took a while, but the farmers responded... Although it was not intentional, the fact that we shot it during the winter and there was snow and it was all dark and grey fit with the mood of the film. The farmers in the US have shared a lot with you. They trusted us. You know, in America as soon as you leave the big cities, it almost looks like a third-world country". The mainstream liberals paint rural folks as working class, xenophobic and so on. Its exactly the opposite. Imagine we were these brown people travelling through America, what we call Trumps America. Except for one or two stray incidents, they were so welcoming. These farmers were very aware of what was going on in India (with regard to farmers). (Indian farmers) standing up to the laws was important to them because for them it was what they could not do... So we got a very warm reception in those sub-zero temperatures. We understood clearly that this is the same story in India It is the level of hopelessness that exists in rural America not xenophobia, that is driving them towards Trump. It is just that at least Trump is talking about them. The mainstream Democrats are not even talking about rural distress. Its so difficult even for Americans to accept the story. This is not just an eye-opener for Indians. It would be an eye-opener for Americans as well. Is it possible to introduce more protection for US farmers? What kind of movements do you witness there and is it possible to reverse monopolised corporate control? These two questions are the key questions because this issue actually goes beyond agriculture. We always talk about the free market but where is the free market? Its the corporate monopolies that have taken over, including in India. Its called from farm-to-fork, so they control the entire chain. As a result, farmers dont benefit, farmers are decimated. Consumers dont benefit, consumers get bad quality food at pretty high prices. And corporations run away with the bonanza. Instead of debating whether the free market is good or bad, lets first ask the questionis there a free market, where is the free market? Thats one of the most important takeaways from this movie. And this is exactly what India is tryingto bring the corporates under the guise of a free market. But the farmers know that and resist. Thats why this battle for parity in America and the battle for minimum support price in India play such an important role. First of all, it is important to know that farmers in India are not subsidised.... They pay back to society. In India, farmers are heavily dependent on MSP. The parity system did not work out well for small farmers in the US as over time most of the land was acquired by big corporations and they get the largest share of subsidies. In America, small farmers have pretty much given up and are reduced to a very small number, but in a country like India, there is still a big role for MSP. In fact it needs to be extended to more crops beyond the few that are covered. The farmers in India were very articulate about all these issues during the protests. I was there at the protests, but my movie is not about that.... If you were there, you couldnt not be inspired by what was happening. The farmers were very sure that this law meant taking away the MSP and the claims that there was going to be big development were a complete illusion. Thats the reason I made the movie because the farmers were not being stubborn, as was being portrayed by a section of the media and the government. They were right on the ball, and if anything Deja Vu shows that this illusion of development and efficiency and modernisationit does not benefit farmers. It only benefits corporations. How are you planning to take the film for better outreach? We have had very limited screeningsIn Ahmedabad I was invited to show the movie but the permission was withdrawn at the last minute. I dont know why people are afraid So we have been thinking about OTT, which is where a lot of people can consume such content and documentaries have a place. It is very sad for me because I wanted policy makers to see it, Parliament to see it. They should see it even if they dont agree with the film. This should be seen in the Lok Sabha. If they dont know what the other views are, what are you doing anyway? Was there any particular challenge you faced while making this film? One of the main challenges was: how do I tell the story? Its a very difficult story to tell. Everything has become so emotional It does not lead to compassion. It becomes heat. Instead of figuring out what is good for human beings, it becomes about me. It becomes about my identity. The worst kind of feelings that are being pushed. So I wanted this movie to be an antidote that should make you think. If we dont think with our heads, no experts will be able to help us We dont have the culture of thinking, of finding out for ourselves. We just receive information. So the only antidote to that is logic, evidence and a deep sense of humanness and thats what Deja Vu represents for me. Prachi Pinglay-Plumber is an independent journalist and professor of practice at Central Campus, CHRIST University, Bengaluru. Also Read | 'Sattvik food moves from ashrams to gourmet menus The world hailed the Indus Waters Treaty as a diplomatic triumph, yet, ironically, it did little to alleviate the underlying political-military tensions between its signatories [B]y 1965, India and Pakistan found themselves at war. Pakistan had been emboldened on account of India suffering a painful defeat at the hands of the Chinese troops in 1962. The brief but humiliating four-week war had left Nehru scarred and his leadership shaken. Eager to purchase friendship and push India to the wall, Pakistan found a willing ally in China and signed the provisional Sino-Pakistan Border Agreement of 1963, defining the common boundary between their two territories, followed by the Border Protocol of 1965. Pakistan readily ceded territory and, in turn, China acquired the Shaksgam Valley and the key mountain passes that would provide gateways for future military operations. Also Read | India, China and the pitfalls of personalised diplomacy The Shaksgam River, originating between the Shaksgam glacier and the Shaksgam pass, merging with the Raksham River before flowing as the Yarkund and eventually joining the Tarim River in Xinjiang, came under Chinese possession. Geographically, the area is of immense interest as it forms the very apex of the great divide between the drainage system of Central Asia and the Indian Ocean with the arrangements of the largest glaciers outside the polar regions, the Siachen, the Baltoro, the Biafo and the Hispar bounding in the north and terminating on the west at the gorge of the Hunza River above Baltit. The distinguished Himalayan explorer Kenneth Mason vividly described it: Here we find the sources of the Yarkund flowing northwards and of tributaries flowing southwards to the Indus. In a way, the 1963 border agreement was a blunt alignment of powers against a weakened India. From an Indian argument, China and Pakistan shared no common border. The only actual border was between China and India, running from the tri-junction where the boundaries of India, China and Afghanistan converge to the tri-junction of the boundaries of India, Burma and China in the east. The situation on the ground, however, had changed dramatically after Pakistans invasion of Kashmir in 1947. Indias decision to accept a ceasefire on 1 January 1949, despite holding a decisive military advantage that could have completely evicted the intruders from Kashmir, was a puzzling move. View Full Image Trial by Water: Indus Basin and India-Pakistan Relations, by Uttam Kumar Sinha, Penguin Random House India, 352 pages, 599. She had painstakingly gathered 20 cards and notes from her mothers old friends for her birthdayher first grade best friend from 1946, her fencing club partner from 1959, her friend who went on a study trip with her to Tunisia in 1965 all the way up to her current physiotherapist and dental hygienists. She mailed the package from Berlin to her mothers home in upstate New York as a birthday surprise. Milena got a birthday shock instead. Every day she checked in on the parcel, trying to track its progress. By the time the package finally reached, the birthday was over. It had taken 21 days and given Milena a migraine. Also Read | Sandip Roy: The unpretentious love of my indie dog From now onwards, I will use personal couriers only," she told me. As in friends and acquaintances carrying packages as a favour. She might have no other choice. Declining mail is affecting post offices all over the world. US President Donald Trumps tariffs have made it worse. Goods valued under $800 that previously entered the US without needing customs clearance now need to be vetted and can be subject to whatever tariff rate the Trump administration has slapped on that country. Many countries are pausing certain kinds of mail to America. India, for example, has suspended booking all categories of mail, including letters and parcels, valued up to $100. The age of e-mail wreaked havoc on snail mail. But no one imagined it would lead to no mail. In fact, at this rate, my friend Milena might soon no longer be able to go postal. No one will quite know what it even means. (Its origins lie in incidents in the 1980s and 1990s when disgruntled US postal workers ran amok, because of stress. The most infamous was in 1986 when a postman in Oklahoma killed 14 employees and wounded six before killing himself at the local post office.) The slow demise of the postal system is not unique to America. India is phasing out registered post services, folding it in as a value add to Speed Post. Post offices are being reimagined in the digital economy where they can become Aadhaar-enrolment-cum-updation centres. In the Union Budget 2025-26, the finance minister said India Post would transform itself into a public logistics organisation by revamping over 150,000 rural post offices. Meanwhile the red pillar post boxes are turning into backdrops for nostalgic Instagram reels. No one wants to return to a pre-email and pre-WhatsApp world. I remember as a student in America rushing down every day to check if a letter had arrived from home, always anxious to see if Mahatma Gandhis bespectacled face was peeking out from amidst the usual departmental store catalogues, supermarket fliers addressed to Current Resident" and bills. A letter from India could take three weeks to reach me. Once I got a letter from a friend that reached me weeks after his sudden death in Delhi. It felt surreal to read the chatty gossipy letter in his loopy scrawl knowing that the person was gone. The news the postman brought was often old and stale but getting a letter from home was truly a red-letter day for us homesick foreign immigrants. The post office might be reimagined as a public logistics organisation" but it will require a cultural shift on our parts as well. Email aayi hain will just not resonate in the same way as chitthi aayi hai does in Pankaj Udhas voice. Even my own novel Dont Let Him Know relied on the post office. Sitting in a small university town in the US, a homesick Romola rushes to open a letter from India without checking whether its actually for her. It was actually meant for her husband. And she stumbles upon a secret she was never meant to know. It would have never worked with email. She would have never received that email in her mailbox at all. The story was fiction but when I wrote the scene of Romola running down to the mailbox, her excitement at getting her first letter from India, I was really writing about myself. Those were my rituals. The postman knit worlds together in ways we didnt fully realise. But he was more than just a conduit for news. He was a witness to lifes highs and lows, bringing news of love, jobs and death. Perhaps thats why a profession as humble as a postman or as unglamorous as a postmaster, shows up so often in popular culture. He is a messenger but he also carries a message. Along with the weight of the world on his shoulders. In Sukanta Bhattacharyas famous Bengali poem Runner, the poet says the mail runner dashes through the night determined to reach his bag of news to the destination before day breaks, but no one cares about his news. Salil Chowdhury, who put that poem to music, said in an interview, The runner carries sacks of letters, maybe money. But he himself is penniless and nobody ever writes to him." In Rabindranath Tagores Postmaster, he poignantly explores the issues of loneliness and connection through a postmaster and the orphaned young girl assigned to take care of him in his rural posting. A man from the city, bored with rural Bengal, he starts teaching her to read and write to while away the time. When he leaves abruptly, he breaks her heart. To him it was just a posting in the boondocks. To her, the postmaster was a lifeline. He opened up new worlds. The postman was always meant to be the person we could rely on, the one who always delivered. Hence the famous James M. Cain story The Postman Always Rings Twice. A noir story about murder and adultery, it had no postmen in it. But the title just meant that even if you dodge fate or justice once, it will eventually catch up, if not on the first ring, then on the second. As the song went Daakiya daak laya (the postman brings the post), and he did it day in day out without fail. But the real romance is always about the letter that did not arrive, the letter that never got delivered. In Hindi film Palkon ki Chhaon Mein, Mohini keeps waiting for a letter that never comes. The postman Ravi falls in love with her but she is upset with him because he never has mail for her. In the film Finding Fanny, an old postman in Goa realises the love of his life Fanny, never actually got the love letter he wrote her almost 50 years earlier and sets out to find her. In real life, actor Steve Carell found undelivered mail underneath the seat of his car, left over from his stint as a rural mail carrier before he found fame as an actor. Carell sent it to the addressee, hoping better late than never. Recently I got to tour Kolkata at night where some heritage buildings are being lit up by a citizens group The Kolkata Restorers, bringing them to glowing life at night. One of them is the former Dead Letter Office. An old brick red colonial building with a bell tower, dating back to 1876, it was basically the morgue where letters that could not be delivered or returned to sender ended up. The tour leader said they would even open the letters to see if they could find clues. If nothing worked, but its contents were of some value, they were auctioned off and the letters were burned or shredded. It was later christened Returned Letter Office in 1959 probably because it sounded less morbid. But given the state of the postal service around the world, perhaps a return to Dead Letter Office might be more appropriate. Now we are in need of a place where our poor letters can go to rest in peace. Cult Friction is a fortnightly column on issues we keep rubbing up against. Sandip Roy is a writer, journalist and radio host. He posts @sandipr Also Read | A language can be enjoyed even without understanding it Elegance is not about being noticed, it's about being remembered," Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani once famously said. This belief has always reflected in his designs. The very mention of Armani, who died at the age of 91 on 4 September, brings to mind either an impeccably cut velvet suit or a figure-skimming jewel-toned gown. His diverse portfolio included the Giorgio Armani and Emporio Armani clothing lines, besides the haute couture label, Armani Prive and an Armani Casa design and interiors line. While he was absent from his last three shows, held in June and July, owing to illness, he micro-managed every aspect of the showcases given the perfectionist that he was. My greatest weakness is that I am in control of everything," Giorgio Armani told the Financial Times in the final interview before his death, published last week. Throughout his career, Armani ushered an unforgettable wave of soft power dressing. Fluid tailoring pieces like languid trouser suits, figure-flattering pleated trousers and floor-skimming belted coats became his signature. With clients that included the likes of Richard Gere (who he dressed famously in American Gigolo), he masterfully applied his signature savoir-faire to women's ready-to-wear toomidnight blues, gleaming blacks and grey floor-length gowns and evening suits became cult red carpet go-to pieces for Hollywood stars like Cate Blanchett. In 1978, Diane Keaton became the first actor to wear Armani on the Oscars red carpet. Jodie Foster has worn the label to every ceremony but one since 1989, while Julia Roberts 1990 look of a steel grey oversized Armani suit teamed with a white shirt and tie has become one of the most noteworthy Golden Globes looks of all time. Here are some key Armani signature designs that have shaped the way people, including celebrities, dress. At gallery 47-A, Khotachi Wadi, Mumbai, you can see the cyclical nature of fashion unfurl right in front of youfor instance, colours such as peacock blue, paan green, haldi yellow and gulbasi pink, which were once the signature hues of Maheshwari saris in the 18th century, are back in vogue in mainstream design. The textiles on display make you feel like you have one foot in the past and one in the present. The collection of 14 saris and a shaalu dupatta showcases long-lost techniques of weaving such as the pajni and ochna . This blend of the traditional and the contemporary dominates the exhibition, A Tribute in Thread, by REHWA Society, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the revival of Maheshwari weaving and which was founded in 1978 by Richard and Sally Holkar of the erstwhile royal family of Indore. The exhibition commemorates the 300th birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar, the Maratha queen known for her humanitarian and social welfare work, who shifted the seat of the Holkar dynasty from Indore to Maheshwar (in present-day Madhya Pradesh), on the banks of the Narmada, in the last quarter of the 18th century. She invited weaversboth Hindu and Muslimfrom Surat and Burhanpur to establish Maheshwar as the hub for handloom. The period between the 18th and the early 20th century, before the onset of industrialised mills, is known as the golden period of weaving in the town, with Maheshwari saris gaining repute for their elegant fall, gossamer-like fabric, five-striped pallus in red, white and gold zari, and motifs such as the rui phul (cotton flower), the waves of the Narmada, and the chatai mat drawn from the immediate environment. View Full Image 'Chandravati', a limited-edition piece inspired by a sari worn by Yeshwant Holkars great-grandmother Chandravati Baisaheb of Indore. The limited-edition collection on display at 47-A has been specially woven to mark Ahilyabais 300th birth anniversary and will be woven and available only during the tricentenary year, ending 31 May 2026. This is the first time REHWA is weaving a shaalu, which was traditionally worn at ceremonial functions and court events. The saris feature borders and pallus, which were woven hundreds of years ago in Maheshwar. The design team had to look at archival material for reference. We are in the process of creating a museum of Maheshwari textiles, and have a team of researchers and archivists. They reached out to many old families in Maharashtra and central IndiaIndore, Kolhapur, Gwaliorabout vintage pieces," says Yeshwant Holkar, hotelier and heritage conservationist, who is spearheading this project. The team started looking at Holkar's personal collection of photos and paintings. From the artworks of M.V. Dhurandhar, Raja Ravi Varma and A.X. Trinidade, they were able to find the older representations of Maheshwari saris. The exhibition is not just about the design but the construction of these saris as well. We spoke to weavers, aged 80 and above, many of whom are descendants of those originally inspired by Ahilyabai. They recalled techniques that were prevalent in their parents time," adds Holkar. Naaz Bhardwaj, a textile designer at REHWA, says, Even though we have used vintage traditional borders to highlight the golden era of Maheshwari weaving, the colours are very calming and modern." Each sari is available in two coloursvintage ones such as satallu and red-brown alongside more contemporary ones like beige or angoori teal blue and mint. A highlight of the show is the Chandravati, a limited-edition piece inspired by a sari worn by Yeshwant Holkars great-grandmother Chandravati Baisaheb of Indore. You can see her portraits alongside the garment to understand the historical context of the sari. The neem reshmi piece is a display of expert craftsmanship as it features 111 lines of booti made with 24-carat gold zari. Each sari takes over 100 hours to weave by REHWAs master artisans, and shimmers with 2109 golden rui phool bootis," states the curatorial note. View Full Image Each sari is available in two coloursvintage ones such as satallu and red-brown alongside more contemporary ones like beige or angoori teal blue and mint The showcase also features garb reshmis made using the nearly-lost pajni, or sizing technique, and the ochna, or warp stretching, which REHWA is trying to revive. According to Bhardwaj, silk was initially not a big part of weaving in Maheshwar. Instead, the textiles were made using very fine cotton. Only one weaver in Maheshwar, 92-year-old Tulsa Bai Dhakle is well-versed in this technique. With a grant from the Rati and Riah Forbes, REHWA is working with the expert sizer to revive and document this near-lost technique. She has so far passed on her knowledge to her daughter-in-law, who will be carrying forth this tradition.This is the first time that the pajni Maheshwaris are being showcased in over three decades. Using the pajni and ochna techniques, weavers stretch the yarn of single-ply cotton and brush each thread with a coat of sorghum starch again and again. This process takes over 50 hours of very detailed work. This coating strengthens the fine cotton so that it doesnt break on the loom. Once off the loom, the fabric is washed off the starch and the textile acquires the texture of spider silk. Earlier women wore the navari, or saris that spanned nine yards, with pallus at both ends. The weavers would make an 11-metre-long warp. To elongate the fabric and strengthen the yarn, pajni was employed. This is an opportunity for us to highlight this pre-loom process, which was lost when industrialised mills came about," adds Bhardwaj. In Maheshwar these days, people work with a blend of silk and cotton, or mercerised cotton, which is a heavier, twisted yarn. It is easier to weave but does not have the softness and subtlety of single ply fine cotton. Hundreds of years ago, Maheshwari saris were known for their light, summery gossamer-like feel. However, in the last 30 years or so, they have become everyday casual textiles," says Holkar. With this exhibition, the team at REHWA hopes to showcase the historical depth of the Maheshwari textile while highlighting its contemporary relevance, and the resilience of the weavers through the centuries. The collection will be on show at 47-A gallery, Khotachiwadi, Mumbai, from 20-28 September, and then travel to Nashik, Pune and New Delhi. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will personally monitor whether businesses pass on the benefit of the goods and services tax (GST) rate relief announced on Wednesday by the federal indirect tax body, the GST Council, the minister said in an interview, highlighting the importance of consumers gaining from the tax reform for it to succeed. While several companies have already pledged to transfer the benefit, Sitharaman noted that the government will remain vigilant. She also indicated that the next wave of reforms will focus on strengthening the framework of non-financial regulators such as the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Transitional arrangements are being put in place to ensure the smooth rollout of the new GST rates from 22 September, the minister said. Sitharaman stressed that on account of the expected boost arising from the consumption stimulus, the Centre will, despite the GST rate cuts, maintain its budgeted fiscal deficit target of 4.4% this financial year. The minister also indicated more flexibility in investment rules for Chinese projects. Edited excerpts: After direct and indirect tax reforms, what are the next set of reforms that the government is undertaking? The prime minister in his Independence Day promised laws and policies fit for the 21st century. First, I have to see to it that the GST rate reduction gets transmitted to people. GST reform shows bureaucracy, whether central or state GST-related, have worked with amazing speed and delivered. It was a very rigorous and intensive exercise. Its like taking an exam, a very rigorous one. Whether it is actually reaching the people, is a different exam. I have to take that also. I will happily take that. The reform is being implemented from 22 September to ensure smooth transition. How soon do you think increased consumption demand will offset the effect of the GST rate cut? If the festive season is good and as in previous years, people buy their aspirational products, we should be able to make up for the tax rate reduction within this financial year itself. What we hear from the industry gives me the feeling that in all likelihood, from 22 September, people will go out there to make purchases. Also Read | GST revamp may spur hiring as companies boost output to meet festive demand Absolutely, theres likely to be a surge, like post-covid revenge buying. We will be able to meet the GST revenue growth target this year, and I am also saying we will meet fiscal deficit targets as estimated. No need for any change in expenditure plans. What are the challenges you face in implementing the GST rate reduction? The challenge is more in making sure that the rate cut is transmitted to the people. That is my focus. That will be my area of attention. From 22 September, I will keep a watch. Several MPs (members of Parliament) have told me that in their respective constituencies, they will keep a watch if the benefits of rate cuts are getting transferred to the consumers or not. We are already talking with the industry, including insurers. I will closely monitor it. Absolutely. If it is not being passed on to consumers, I will see what I need to do. Obviously, Ill have to check this sector-wise. If it is not passed on, will there be action? When I say that I will closely monitor, that is implied. But I think, to be fair to industry and trade, many of them have come voluntarily to say we will pass it on. Given the improvement in bilateral ties with China, will there be more flexibility in cross-border investments and movement of personnel? Already, there is some flexibility being shown in the use of Press Note 3, particularly for projects which are already on the ground and for projects which are underway and are not able to have technicians and experts to complete the project. On that, some flexibility is already being shown. Similar things will be taken up so that Indias infrastructure investments do not struggle for absence of necessary expertise. Some research reports have suggested that GST rate cuts will raise consumption to such an extent that it will offset whatever impact the US tariffs may have on exports. Do you think thats likely to happen? Its very difficult to assess the impact of tariffs at the moment, because it depends on different sectors and each sectors way of handling it and that sectors exposure to the US market. Not all industries are equally exposed. The more exposed sectors have to give us an estimate of the impact. Before the sectors make any assessment of what kind of impact US tariffs may have on them, it will be very difficult for us to make a conclusion, even based on the data that we have. So, we will have to wait for those industries themselves to make their assessment as some sectors are exposed more, and some others less. Only based on that, I can make an assessment. Also Read | Exporters told to wait as govt eyes US trade deal by Nov; interim relief likely Since the China plus one advantage that India had in terms of scaling up presence in global supply chain has been affected by the US tariffs, how should we rework our economic strategy? I have said different industries have to make an assessment of their exposure to the US market and to what extent they may get impacted. These are still being calculated. I cannot, just because the announcement has been made on tariff, announce a changed economic strategy, till such a time I understand the precise impact. What is the next big reform in your ministry? I think the next reforms are about non-financial regulators. That is a pending reform for a very long time, and some work is going on. I had announced this in the Budget. Could you name a few non-financial regulators identified for further reforms? Competition Commission of India and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. What is the roadmap for disinvestment? We will go on with it. Thats the way ahead. About India needing to have at least four to five SBI-size banksis there a time frame for this? These are not things on which I can give a time frame, expecting others to fall in line. They have to have the ecosystem building up. We will need policy support. We will have to work on a lot of things. There was a plan for privatizing one general insurance company. Is that plan still under consideration? Nothing is off the table. If states come to you as part of the budget-making exercise for financial support because of the GST rate cut impact, will that be looked into? I consult states every year before the budget anyway. We hear their submissions and we do respond. Are you planning any support measures for exporters? Yes, something is being worked out among different departments. We will have to see what form it takes. In a horrifying turn of events, a man who was believed to be dead, and whose body was cremated by his family in Gurugram, surprisingly returned alive two days later, leaving both his relatives and authorities bewildered. The 47-year-old man, identified as Poojan Prasad, lived with his wife and three sons in Mohammadpur Jharsa, Sector-36 of Gurugram. How did Poojan go missing? Poojan, a labour contractor, went missing for several days in late August, prompting his family to file a police complaint on September 1. Meanwhile, police informed Poojans son, Sandeep Kumar, about a body they had recovered on August 28 from a neighbouring area just 1.5 km from Poojans home. At the government mortuary, Sandeep observed what he described as similarities after police showed him the body. He had an injury mark on his right leg. Incidentally, the body also had a shirt and trouser on it of similar appearance. What made me certain was that there was an injury mark on the right leg which was similar to my fathers, he told Hindustan Times. Kumar reportedly told police that it was his father and informed his family as well. Was the body brutally murdered? An autopsy confirmed that the body had been brutally murdered the head was severed, and the remains were mutilated by stray animals. The news plunged the family into shock and grief, with Poojans wife Laxminiya fainting. On the day of the rites, neighbours and relatives gathered, and Poojan was cremated at Ram Bagh cremation ground on Tuesday. How did the family discover Poojan was alive? His sons had performed the last rites and even left for Delhi on Wednesday to immerse the ashes in the Yamuna. But midway through their journey, they received a call. Their maternal uncle, Rahul Prasad, had seen Poojan alive at a labour chowk in Khandsa. At first, Rahul thought he was hallucinating. He stepped out of his autorickshaw and realised it was indeed his brother-in-law. Grabbing him by the wrist, Rahul pulled him into the auto and rushed him home. When Sandeep and his elder brother Aman returned, they found their father sitting calmly on the bed. They broke down in tears. Laxminiya froze when she saw her husband at the door. I thought I was hallucinating. I fainted. When I woke up and realised he was alive, I cried all over again, she was quoted by HT. Also read | Mumbai Police arrests Ashwin Kumar Supra from Noida over Ganesh Visarjan bomb scare Neighbours were equally stunned. It took me several minutes to understand what had happened as I had seen the body being cremated, said Avanish Sharma, who lives next door. His wife Laxminiya, accustomed to his drinking and long absences, admitted this ordeal shattered her. Even though he troubled me, he was my suhaag. I thought I had lost him forever. Seeing him alive is like getting a second life myself, she said. What happens to the murder investigation now? Police, equally shocked, rushed to the familys home. Poojan explained that he had been wandering for days, sleeping at chowks and construction sites, too drunk and indifferent to return home. His story checked out. This revelation pushed investigators back to square one a man had indeed been murdered and beheaded. DNA samples preserved during the autopsy will now be tested to establish the victims identity. It doesnt take time to crack a murder case once the deceaseds identity is ascertained. But when identification is delayed, investigations can drag, said Sandeep Turan, Gurugram police public relations officer. Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become one of the biggest investment themes of the decade, with tech heavyweights like Microsoft (MSFT) and Amazon (AMZN) pouring billions into cloud infrastructure to power next-generation AI systems. But while the spotlight often falls on U.S. firms, Europe is quietly mounting its own challenge in the race for AI dominance. One of the most ambitious moves comes from SAP SE (SAP), the German software powerhouse best known for its enterprise solutions. The company recently announced plans to invest more than 20 billion euros ($23 billion) into sovereign cloud AI infrastructure across Europe over the next decade. This push aims not only to strengthen data sovereignty under strict EU privacy rules but also to position SAP as a central player in Europes AI transformation. More News from Barchart For investors looking beyond Silicon Valley, SAPs massive bet could make this underdog AI stock worth a closer look. About SAP Stock Based in Walldorf, Germany, SAP is a global leader in enterprise application software, providing solutions that support business operations across a wide range of industries. SAP develops software products that help organizations manage processes more effectively. The companys flagship product, SAP S/4HANA, is an advanced enterprise resource planning suite that supports finance, risk management, project management, procurement, manufacturing, and supply chain operations. Valued at $322 billion by market cap, SAPs stock has rallied about 15% from April lows of $232 after a Q1 beat and upbeat cloud targets. However, investors later pared gains when Q2 results merely maintained guidance, and Augusts AI jitters trimmed momentum. In terms of valuation, SAP currently trades at a price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 7.48 compared to the sector median of 3.39 and a price-to-book (P/B) ratio of 6.54 compared to 3.59. These metrics suggest the stock may be trading at a premium relative to its peers. www.barchart.com SAP Cloud Push According to recent news, SAP will invest over 20 billion ($23 billion) to build a European sovereign cloud, making digital sovereignty central to its AI strategy. The plan ensures sensitive data stays in Europe, meeting strict rules like GDPR and the upcoming EU AI Act. SAPs new cloud stack includes its own infrastructure, on-site deployments, and the Delos public-sector cloud in Germany, all designed for regulated industries and public agencies. The Meghalaya Police's Special Investigation Team (SIT) has filed a 790-page chargesheet in the high-profile Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, formally accusing his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi, her lover Raj Kushwaha, and three others of murder. The chargesheet was submitted to the Judicial Magistrate First Class at the Sohra Sub-Division court. All five accused-Sonam, Raj, Akash Rajput, Anand Kurmi, and Vishal Singh Chauhan- have been arrested and remain in judicial custody. They are accused of plotting and executing Raja's murder during a honeymoon trip on May 23. The charges include murder (Section 103[I]), destruction of evidence (Section 238[a]), and criminal conspiracy (Section 61[2]) under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Along with the chargesheet, substantial material evidence and enclosures have also been filed in the court. The police have named Sonam Raghuvanshi, Raj Kushwaha, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Ashish Singh Rajput, and Aanand Kurmi as key accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case and have been booked under the 103 (1) 238 (a)/ 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). On 21.05.2025, Shri Raja Raghuwanshi and his wife Santi. Sonam Raghuvanshi of Indore, Madhya Pradesh, came to Shillong for their Honeymoon Trip and then went on to Sohra. On 26.05.2025, the couple were reportedly missing from Sohra. Accordingly, a search operation was launched immediately to find the duo, the press release from Meghalaya police stated. After several days of intensive search by Sohra Police, SOT, NDRF. SDRF, trekking groups and local people from surrounding villages, a body was found on 02.06.2025, identified to be of (L) Raja Raghuvanshi from a deep gorge at Arliang Riat Kunongrim, Umblai near Wei Sawdong, Sohra. In this connection, Sohra PS Case No. 07/2025 u/s 103(1)/238(a)/309(6)/3(6) of BNS Act was registered, the press release added. A 790 page charge sheet against the arrested accused along with substantial material evidence and enclosures has been filed in the court of the Judicial Magistrate 1st Class, Sohra Sub-Division Court today, the press release said. Raja Raghuvanshis body was discovered in a gorge near Sohra (Cherrapunji) on June 2. His wife, Sonam, was later located near a roadside dhaba along the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway. The couple, both from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, had gone missing while on their honeymoon in Meghalaya. A 790-page charge sheet against the arrested accused along with substantial material evidence and enclosures has been filed in the court. The case, involving the killing of the Indore-based businessman, had gained national attention earlier this year. (With inputs from agencies) Ashwini Kumar Supra, a 50-year-old native of Bihar, was arrested on Saturday by the Mumbai Crime Branch in Uttar Pradesh's Noida. The motive behind the bomb threat has now been uncovered. As per the FIR, Kumar tried to falsely implicate his former friend, Firoz, by sending the threatening message using his identity. The two had reportedly fallen out over a financial disagreement, prompting Kumar to impersonate Firoz and issue the fake threat, HT reported. Ashwini spent three months in jail after Firoz registered a case against him in the Phulwari Sharif police station in Bihar's Patna. Angered by the action, he posed as Firoz and sent bomb threats to Mumbai to implicate him, a police statement said. He had sent a threatening message to the Mumbai Traffic Control Room, warning of bomb blasts during Ganesh Visarjan. Kumar is currently being taken to Mumbai for further investigation. The Mumbai police are on alert after receiving a threat message claiming 14 terrorists had entered the city with 400 kilograms of RDX that had been planted in 34 vehicles, an official said. More than 21,000 police personnel will be deployed in the city to maintain law and order during idol immersions. Lakhs of people are expected to come out on the streets on Saturday as the city bids adieu to Lord Ganesh by immersing idols in the sea, other water bodies, and artificial ponds. "Traffic police have received such bomb threat messages in the past. There is no need to panic. Security has been beefed up at key locations, and combing operations are underway. Mumbaikars are urged not to believe in rumours and report any suspicious activity," another official said. Mumbai police registered a case under section 351 (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and sub-sections 2,3, and 4 at Worli police station against an unidentified person. Further investigation is on. Mumbai Police has arrested Ashwin Kumar Supra (50) from Noida, Uttar Pradesh for making bomb blast threat calls during Ganesh Visharjan in Mumbai. His phone and SIM card that were used to make the threat have been seized and the cops are in the process of transferring him from Noida to Mumbai. Further investigation will be done, Mumbai Police also informed. Mumbai police on Friday said they received a threat message claiming that 14 terrorists entered the city with 400 kilograms of RDX that had been planted in 34 vehicles. Following which, it issued an alert across the city. The sender mentioned that organisation called 'Lashkar-e-Jihadi' was involved in the matter. An official informed that the threat message was sent to the traffic polices WhatsApp helpline on Thursday, as the city police were preparing security arrangements for Anant Chaturthithe 10th day of the Ganesh festivalscheduled for Saturday. Also Read | Ganesh Visarjan LIVE Updates: Anant Chaturdashi celebrations today "This is the same traffic police WhatsApp helpline on which police had received threat messages in the past, which later turned to be hoaxes. The Crime Branch has launched an investigation, and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and other agencies have also been informed," the official said. He, however, mentioned that prima facie, it seems a hoax, but police are investigating the source of the message with the help of technical analysis Police have also mentioned that there is no reason to panic over the bomb threat as they are taking maximum precaution. A case was registered at Worli police station against an unidentified person under section 351 (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and sub section 2,3 and 4 on Friday. No reason to panic "Earlier also traffic police have received bomb threat messages. There is no need to panic. Security has been beefed up at key locations and combing operations are underway. Mumbaikars are urged not to believe in rumours. They must report any suspicious activity," another official said. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has broken his silence on the controversy around the inauguration plaque with an Ashoka emblem at the revered Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar. A group of people who came to offer prayers at the shrine on Friday allegedly damaged the emblem of the inauguration plaque, sparking angry reactions. Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Chairperson of Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, Darakshan Andrabi, described the vandalism as an act of tarnishing of the national emblem and a terrorist attack demanding action against the culprits under the Public Safety Act (PSA) - the controversial law that authorises preventive detention of individuals for up to two years without trial. The first question that should be asked if these should be an emblem on that plaque. I have not seen such an emblem being put up at any religious place. What was the need to use the emblem in the first place? In fact, why need a plaque? The present look of Hazratbal was given by Sheikh Abdullah, (former CM of J-K) and there is no inauguration plaque there, Abdullah told reporters on Saturday. The plaque should not be like this. The government emblem is used for government functions but not for religious places. First, you played with people's sentiments. You should have apologised and admitted your mistake. The plaque should not be like this. The government emblem is used for government functions but not for religious places, the chief minister said. The Hazratbal, along the banks of Dal Lake in the Dargah area of Srinagar, is one of the most revered Muslim shrines in Jammu and Kashmir. It houses the holy relic of the Prophet. The shrine was renovated recently, and the inauguration plaque placed inside the shrine had the national emblem etched in the stone, which drew sharp criticism from many locals as well as the ruling Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC). National Conference leader and Zadibal MLA Tanvir Sadiq said the plaque with the emblem was against the belief of Tawheed (oneness of God). I am not a religious scholar, but in Islam, idol worship is strictly forbidden the gravest of sins, Sadiq said on X. Placing a sculpted figure at the revered Hazratbal Dargah goes against this very belief. Sacred spaces must reflect only the purity of Tawheed, nothing else, Sadiq said in a post on X after the protest. The Ashoka Emblem features four Asiatic lions standing back to back, symbolising power, courage, confidence and faith. Andrabi called the protesters terrorists and demanded their arrest. I had warned that such trouble could be created. FIRs will be filed against everyone responsible, she said. Elected Govt vs L-G The row is rooted in the governing structure of Jammu and Kashmir, the erstwhile state that was bifurcated into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, in 2019, coinciding with the abrogation of Article 370. While Omar Abdullah heads the elected UT government of Jammu and Kashmir, Centre-appointed Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha administration has the say on most issues, such as those related to Waqf. Srinagar's Hazratbal shrine is a sacred Muslim religious site. On Eid-e-Milad, on 6 September in Kashmir, the sacred relic known as Moi-e-Muqqadasa strand of the Prophet's hairis displayed at the Shrine for the faithful to see (deedar). Like in the past, thousands of devotees gathered at the shrine for special prayers and to witness the relic being displayed on Saturday. The relic is kept in a glass casket and displayed on the first floor of the building. Samajwadi Party chief and MP Akhilesh Yadav held the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) responsible after he was slapped with 8 lakh challan against his car. He believes that a BJP leader is running a system behind it, vowing to trace and find out him. Akhilesh Yadav stated that he even didn't see the paper again, knowing that the his car must have been caught on government's cameras. Yesterday, I received a document saying that I have to pay a challan (fine) of 8 lakhs for my car. I didn't even bother to look at the paper again because the government has cameras. My car must have been caught on their cameras, and they issued the challan. Now, in the background of this, the story would be that the system is being run by a BJP leader. I will trace him and find out - and I'm sure he will be from the BJP, NDTV quoted Yadav as saying. Also Read | Expelled Samajwadi Party MLA Pooja Pal's chilling letter to Akhilesh Yadav Cannot afford to spoil relations with US because. Meanwhile, following the United States' decision to impose a 50% import tariff on Indian products, Yadav emphasised the need to strengthen relations with the United States, noting that the country is a hub of wealth creation, shares significant trade ties with India, and attracts around 8 lakh Indian students annually for higher education. Ties should be improved with the US. US is the head of capital flow. Wealth is created there. People dream big in the US. In science, technology, economy, health, and education, it is above others. The relation with such a country should never decline. Our neighbouring country, which grabs our land, the country which always helps Pakistan and during Operation Sindoor, India had to face China more than Pakistan. The government should be cautious of such a country which has its eyes on our land and is capturing our market. India should try to strengthen its economy to face such a country, ANI quoted him as saying. Also Read | Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav to begin Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar from Aug 17 After Donald Trump extended an olive branch by referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a friend, the latter responded warmly saying that he deeply appreciates the US President's positive assessment of India-US relations. In Washington, Trump on Friday said, "I'll always be friends with (Narendra) Modi, he's a great prime minister. He's great. I'll always be friends, but I just don't like what he's doing at this particular moment." "But India and the United States have a special relationship. There's nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion," he said in the Oval Office. Hours later, Modi posted on social media, "Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of our ties." and goes on to add, "India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership." The development holds significance as the comments comes amid current tensions between Washington and Delhi over tariffs and purchases of Russian oil. Are these really signs of patch up? Analyzing the development, West Asia strategist Waiel Awwad on Saturday told ANI that it a signal of mutual respect and recognition of growing bilateral cooperation. "The US cannot ignore India. President Trump (and PM Modi) have a good relationship... There is also a huge diaspora of Indians in the US. When the President of the US addresses them, he wants to send a message to them--that India matters for the US and the Indian diaspora matters for American business and American welfare," Awwad said. However, as a word of caution he said that concrete policy actions must match symbolic gestures. "I am just saying that we have to be cautious. Why? Because he (Trump) issued an Executive Order. President Trump cannot take that Executive Order lightly unless he has some proof to keep on the table," he explained, referring to Washington's policy that imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods to the US. Awwad added that while Trump is known for his pro-business outlook, he must also address past measures that strained economic ties if he seeks to build lasting goodwill with India. "It's not just an eyewash that he is trying to tell the Indian government, 'I am happy to do business with India.' He is a businessman, but being the President, there are issues that he has taken, and he has to withdraw these issues. So, Indian companies can still export to the US without being hassled, without being subjected to a tariff on it," he said. What Jaishankar said about the Modi, Trump relationship? External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday admitted that the US President and PM Modi share a good personal equation, however, he did not disclose much about their future course of action. "PM Modi attaches enormous importance to our partnership with the US. Where President Trump is concerned, he (PM Modi) has always had a very good personal equation with President Trump. But the point is that we remain engaged with the US, and at this time, I can't say more than that. But that's really what I would say," Jaishankar said. Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson underlined the importance of the bilateral relationship with Washington during a weekly press briefing on Friday. "This partnership has weathered several transitions and challenges. We remain focused on the substantive agenda that our two countries have committed to, and we hope that the relationship will continue to move forward based on mutual respect and shared interests" Randhir Jaiswal said. Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai TV serial actor Ashish Kapoor has bee sent to 14 days judicial custody by Delhi's Tis Hazari Court. He was arrested by the Delhi Police from Pune over allegations of sexually assaulting a woman at a house party in the national capital. On Friday, the Delhi Police said that a medical potency test of Ashish Kapoor was carried out at AIIMS. They also said that the report will serve as key evidence in the alleged rape case filed against him. According to the police, the complainant had met Kapoor on social media and alleged that the incident took place at a party in Delhi in the second week of August. "In her complaint, she stated that Kapoor sexually assaulted her in a washroom," said the police. An FIR was registered on August 11, after which the police began searching for him. The initial complaint named Kapoor, his friend, the friend's wife, and two unknown persons. However, the woman later revised her statement, alleging that only Kapoor raped her. She also claimed the incident was recorded on video. The victim alleged that after she came out of the washroom, Kapoor's friend's wife assaulted her. The police said it was this woman who eventually made the PCR call to inform authorities. Kapoor was tracked to Pune and detained. Minor girl raped, blackmailed in Uttarakhand's Kotdwar Two men were arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl and blackmailing her with a video of her in Kotdwar of Pauri district, police on Friday said. Rajneesh alias Ranu and Ankush Saini were arrested from Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh. According to police, on August 12, the girl's mother filed a complaint at the Kotdwar Police Station, saying her underage daughter was lured by someone named Rajneesh and taken to Haridwar where he raped her after giving her intoxicants in a hotel. She also alleged that Rajneesh and a friend of his, Ankush Saini, also tried to blackmail her through a video of the rape. A town hall meeting in New Jersey took an unexpected turn when a local man kicked off his speech with a breakdancing performance, leaving attendees both stunned and amused. The man, identified as Will Thilly, is running as an independent candidate for the Cranford Township Committee. In a now-viral video, Thilly can be seen approaching the podium but stopping midway to break into an elaborate dance routine. As he twirled and spun, other attendees tried to hold back their laughter. After his dance, Thilly shifted gears and began speaking, first casually asking about everyones weekend and mentioning a recent trip to Mexico, before addressing a serious local issue, rising property taxes, ABC News reported. We were told the referendum was going to bring [taxes] up for an average household by around $40, but mine went up by almost $900, Thilly said. We were told that was due to the schools, but the school referendum said it would only go up about $400 on an average assessed home. He questioned why the tax increase was so steep and asked for clarity on what extra expenses were incurred by the schools that were not disclosed to the public before the vote. After delivering his speech, Thilly picked up his papers and water bottle and moonwalked away from the podium in silence. Mayor Terrence Curran, who was presiding over the meeting, responded with a chuckle, saying, Thank you, Mr. Thilly. I like the interpretive dance. Watch the video here: The video has since gone viral, drawing thousands of views online. While many social media users were entertained by Thillys unusual approach, others praised him for creatively drawing attention to important local issues. A user commented, Well? Did he accomplish his goal, or did they still increase his taxes? Another user wrote, Now that's what I call getting your point across with style! Love seeing people find creative ways to make their voices heard at local government meetings. Definitely more memorable than the usual public comments. Talk about a spin on tax protest! If only the government could breakdance its way out of fiscal irresponsibility. Flat taxes, not moonwalking, is the real crowd-pleasers. Let's cut the fat and stop the property tax hike hustle, the third user wrote. I'm dead the only thing that sucked was the guy at the end calling it an interpretive dance, the fourth wrote on X. I like how everyone in the background is trying to hold a serious face and not break out laughing, the fifth user commented. The White House has said on Friday, September 5, that the United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order related to modifying the scope of reciprocal tariffs and establishing procedures for implementing trade and security agreements. The White House noted that Trumps order on revising reciprocal tariffs includes a list of products which he may be willing to apply only to most-favored nations. To earn a reduction of reciprocal tariffs for some or all such products, a trading partner must conclude a deal with the US that helps mitigate national emergency relating to trade deficit. The products fall into four categories, including specific aircraft and aircraft parts, as well as certain generic pharmaceuticals and their ingredients, the White House also said United States lifts reciprocal tariffs on key minerals and pharmaceuticals Reciprocal tariffs are being removed on a range of minerals, including key materials vital for aerospace, consumer electronics, medical devices, and other technologies. The changes are set to take effect on Monday under an executive order issued Friday. On Friday, President Donald Trump issued an executive order exempting graphite, tungsten, uranium, gold bullion, and several other metals from country-based tariff, , while subjecting silicone products to the levies. Pharmaceuticals such as psuedoephedrine, antibiotics and other medications which are already subject to a separate ongoing Commerce Department trade investigation also are winning fresh relief. In addition to silicone products, the president is extending his reciprocal tariffs to resin and aluminum hydroxide. Trumps global tariffs are the centerpiece of his sweeping effort to address trade imbalances that hes decried as a threat to national security. Before ramping up dozens of country-specific rates last month, the president struck agreements with several economies to set lower rates in exchange for foreign capitals removing barriers on American goods. The tariffsand some accompanying dealswere rushed through over several months, sparking concerns that they might disrupt critical markets and raise the cost of goods that cannot be produced or sourced domestically in the United States. Former Nestle chief executive Laurent Freixe has been sacked following an internal investigation into undisclosed relationships with subordinates, according to Swiss media reports. Nestle confirmed on Monday that Freixe, 63, was dismissed for failing to disclose a relationship with a direct report a breach of the companys code of conduct. He did not receive any severance payout despite serving the food giant for nearly 40 years. How did the scandal come to light? According to Zurich-based financial news site Inside Paradeplatz, the affair surfaced when a senior executive, described as Freixes official mistress, allegedly caught him with another subordinate in a Zurich hotel. She is said to have filed a complaint through Nestles anonymous hotline, sparking the inquiry. Also read | Who is Philipp Navratil? Nestle replaces fired CEO Laurent Freixe with insider after office affair What action did Nestles leadership take? Reports claim Nestle Chairman Paul Bulcke and vice chair Pablo Isla confronted Freixe directly, ordering him to hand over his phone while calling him a liar. They told him he was out effective immediately. Also Read | Nestle dismisses CEO Laurent Freixe over undisclosed affair with a subordinate What happened to the women involved? The executive who lodged the complaint reportedly received a severance package and has since moved to a senior role at another large company. The other subordinate involved also left Nestle, allegedly with a large payout arranged by Freixe himself. How has the company responded? A spokesperson told Inside Paradeplatz: Everything that needs to be said on the matter has been said, and I will not engage in further wild conjectures and speculation. Also Read | Nestle India Q1 profit falls on higher input, finance costs What has Freixe said since his dismissal? After the scandal, Freixe reappeared on LinkedIn, writing: I got my mobile back, I am reachable anytime, and congratulated his successor, Philipp Navratil though he misspelt the name as Philippe. Once you reach the upper middle class, its easy to assume that its just a smooth path towards getting richer. And yet, according to experts, thats not necessarily the case. Find Out: How Much You Need To Earn To Be Upper Middle Class in Every State Learn More: 6 Subtly Genius Moves All Wealthy People Make With Their Money As an attorney who advises high-net-worth clients on financial matters. The biggest drain I see is real estate spending, said Lyle Solomon, principal attorney at Oak View Law Group. Many clients stretch to buy luxury homes in prime areas, and mortgages consume 35 to 40% of their income leaving no room for investment opportunities. One clients $6,000 monthly mortgage payment could have generated $720,000 in returns over 10 years if invested instead. Thats just one example of the spending that could be funneled into more money-building accounts. Below are the top purchases keeping the upper middle class from getting richer. New Luxury Vehicles Many of my clients earn [more than] $200,000 annually yet struggle to build substantial wealth, Kevin Shahnazari, founder and CEO of FinlyWealth. New luxury vehicles are one of the biggest wealth drains I see among my upper-middle-class clients. My data shows that professionals often commit $800 to 1,200 monthly to car payments, with many trading in vehicles every three to four years. He said one client realized they had spent over $175,000 on luxury car payments and depreciation over eight years. Money that could have grown significantly through investment, Shahnazari added. Solomon agreed that status vehicles are another wealth killer. I see clients leasing [over] $80,000-luxury vehicles or owning multiple high-end cars, he remarked. These depreciating assets cost $1,500 to $2,000 monthly in payments, insurance and maintenance that could be invested. Read Next: 6 Signs Youre Actually Upper-Middle Class (Even If You Dont Feel Rich) Private School Tuition Private school tuition without proper college savings planning creates another major wealth barrier, said Shahnazari. Many families in my network pay $30,000 to $50,000 annually per child for private K-12 education while underfunding their retirement accounts and 529 plans, he said. According to him, this double educational expense burden current private school costs plus future college costs can drain millions from long-term wealth accumulation. While education is important, Shahnazari said this often prevents maxing out retirement accounts or building investment portfolios. Over 18 years, thats a lot of wealth, the expert added. United States President Donald Trump on September 6 hinted a major immigration action in Chicago. He also shared a striking AI-generated image of himself dressed in military gear with flames in the background, inspired by the 1979 war movie poster Apocalypse Now. This comes amid he cracks down on illegal immigrants across the US, pledging to launch the largest deportation drive in US history. Trump took to his Truth Social account and said, I love the smell of deportation in the morning... Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR. The poster Trump shared was titled Chipocalypse Now. Earlier this week, Trump signed an Executive Order that changed the Department of Defense's name back to the Department of War. ICE to ramp up operations in Chicago, says Illinois Governor JB Pritzker Meanwhile, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker told ABC News that federal immigration enforcement might increase in Chicago this weekend. Pritzker stated that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to increase operations, with up to 300 agents set to be deployed at a press conference earlier this week. Also Read | Donald Trump signs order to grant tariff exemptions starting Monday The New York Times report mentioned that Department of Homeland Security officials are expected to arrive at Chicagos Naval Station Great Lakes this week, with enforcement efforts likely to continue for at least 30 days throughout the broader Chicago area. This latest action comes after Trumps repeated criticisms of Chicagos Democratic leaders, crime rates, and immigration policies, which he has previously called a mess. Earlier this year, Trump sent federal agents and troops to Los Angeles and Washington, stating that the move was needed to address crime and enforce immigration laws, according to The New York Times. Also Read | Where is Barron Trump starting his sophomore year? Details emerge It added that Chicago has a population of 2.7 million people, including around 150,000 undocumented immigrants, which makes up nearly 8 percent of the citys households. The scale of the upcoming enforcement has sparked worries among migrant families, community organisations, and local officials, many of whom fear widespread detentions and deportations. In response, hundreds of residents and immigrant advocacy groups have vowed to mobilise in downtown Chicago at the first indication of ICE raids. On Thursday night, metal barricades were set up around the federal courthouse in the Loop, indicating preparations for possible clashes between protesters and enforcement officers, The New York Times report noted. US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump's 19-year-old son Barron Trump, did not show up at New York University's Greenwich Village campus to commence his second year. Amid expectations of his return, rumours are doing the rounds about his current engagement. Since classes resumed for the fall semester, Barron Trump did not return to campus, igniting speculations about his whereabouts. He's doing a semester at another NYU campus, PEOPLE quoted a source as saying. After moving from Palm Beach to Trump Tower in Manhattan last year to be closer to NYU's Greenwich Village campus, Barron Trump completed his freshman year in May. Instead of spending his summer break relaxing like many of his peers, a source told PEOPLE that Barron dedicated the summer to travelling between Trump family properties and focusing on his future business ventures. He has been holding meetings with partners, working on tech projects, and laying the groundwork to launch his own company, according to the report. Barron has been actively working on his own financial interests and has spent time with others whom he is involved with in that area, the source said of his summer agenda. The teen also spent a "great deal of time" with his family, the source added. The First Lady is known to keep a close watch over Barron. As her only child, Melania is said to be deeply protective of him, with a political source telling People in August that she remains closely involved in his life and decisions. "She watches Barron constantly in an effort to be sure nobody messes with him or bullies him, as this is a constant worry with her." She always knows where he is and what hes doing," the source told PEOPLE. A PEOPLE source noted during Barron's freshman year that he would be staying out of campus housing at least for the time being. Maria Arana, an influencer and fellow NYU student, previously told Vanity Fair that while she hadnt often seen Trumps youngest son on campus, his presence seemed to have led to a more subdued political atmosphere at the typically liberal university. According to a report, the youngest son of the 47th President may have earned millions through the sale of cryptocurrency tokens tied to the familys profitable entry into the digital assets market. She watches Barron constantly in an effort to be sure nobody messes with him or bullies him, as this is a constant worry with her. Barron Trump may have made around $40 million, approximately $25 million after taxes, from the sale of digital assets by World Liberty Financial, the Trump familys crypto-focused firm launched nine months ago after Barron reportedly convinced his father of the potential in digital currencies, Forbes reported in June. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not scheduled to speak at the United Nations General Assemblys (UNGA) high-level General Debate later this month, according to a revised provisional list of speakers released, as reported by PTI. The 80th session of the UN General Assembly will open on September 9. The high-level General Debate will run from September 23-29, with Brazil as the traditional first speaker of the session, followed by the US. US President Donald Trump will address world leaders from the iconic UNGA podium on September 23, his first address to the UN session in his second term in the White House. According to a revised provisional list of speakers for the high-level General Debate of the 80th session of the General Assembly released Friday, India will be represented by a minister. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will address the session on September 27. According to a previous provisional list of speakers issued in July, Modi was scheduled to address the General Debate on September 26. The heads of government of Israel, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh are scheduled to address the UNGA General Debate on September 26. Modi had travelled to the US in February this year for a bilateral meeting with Trump at the White House in Washington. Trump has imposed tariffs totalling 50 per cent on India, including 25 per cent for Delhis purchases of Russian oil. The list of speakers for the UN General Assemblys General Debate remains provisional, with potential changes in scheduling and participants expected as the high-level week approaches. The list will be updated accordingly. Widely regarded as the busiest diplomatic season at UN Headquarters, the annual high-level session kicks off each September. This years gathering takes place against the backdrop of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and the conflict in Ukraine. The theme for the 80th session is Better Together: 80 Years and More for Peace, Development and Human Rights. The session will begin on September 22 with a special meeting to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. What did the UN say? Marking the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the UN General Assembly will convene a high-level meeting centred on the theme Recommitting to, resourcing and accelerating the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. The meeting will reflect on progress since the landmark 1995 conference in Beijing and highlight achievements, best practices, gaps, and ongoing challenges in advancing gender equality worldwide, the UN said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will host a Climate Summit on September 24, providing a platform for global leaders to unveil updated national climate action plans and embrace the opportunities of the emerging clean energy era. In a sweeping rejig of his top team, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer made more changes with a junior minister reshuffle at Downing Street on Saturday. Starmer's attention to the lower rung of his ministers comes after he appointed David Lammy as the new UK Deputy PM on Friday, following Angela Raynar's resignation over a tax underpayment row. Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner was shown the door following a clash over the Chancellors inheritance tax reforms, while Jason Stockwood best known for his senior role at dating giant Match.com has been brought into the Department of Business and Trade, mentioned a report by The Independent. At the same time, Starmer also reshuffled key posts at the Home Office in an effort to toughen the governments stance on illegal immigration. Which other ministers have been removed? Downing Street, on Saturday confirmed that ex-investment minister Poppy Gustaffson and former local government minister Jim McMahon have also left the UK government. Justin Madders left his position as a business minister and returned to the back benches in the House of Commons. Meanwhile, Maria Eagle, the twin sister of Dame Angela, and Catherine McKinnell also left the Government, mentioned a report by The Daily Mail. Why the cabinet reshuffle? As per reports, Rayner's exit has delivered a significant setback for Keir Starmer, coming just days after he reshuffled his No. 10 team. Also Read | UK Cabinet Pushes Starmer to Hasten Backing of Palestinian State In her resignation letter, Rayner said she "deeply regretted" not seeking specialist tax advice and said the strain she was putting on her family by staying in post had become unbearable, reported BBC. United States President Donald Trump on Friday, September 5, described India-US ties as a very special relationship, assuring that he would always be friends with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At the same time, Trump voiced displeasure over some of PM Modis recent actions, hinting at differences despite the overall warmth. His softer tone for PM Modi and his special relationship with India came days after he imposed 50 per cent tariffs, citing New Delhi's business relations with Russia. The US had earlier imposed 25 per cent duties on Indian imports, subsequently increasing them to 50 per cent for India's ties with Russia. Watch the video here: When Trump was asked if he's ready to reset ties with India, as ties between the two countries continue to reel under possibly the worst phase in over two decades, the US President said, I always will. I'll always be friends with (PM) Modi. He's a great Prime Minister. I'll always be friends, but I just don't like what he is doing at this particular moment. But India and the United States have a very special relationship. There is nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion, Trump said. Trump very disappointed Trump also said he is very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil from Russia. I've been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil from Russia, and I let them know that. We put a very big tariff on India, 50 per cent tariff, very high tariff. I get along very well with [PM Narendra] Modi, he's great. He was here a couple of months ago, Trump said in response to a question on his social media post that the US has lost India and Russia to China. In the Truth Social post, Trump said that Looks like weve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together! Trump had also posted an old photo of PM Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Trump's post on social media came days after the bonhomie among Modi, Xi, and Putin at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Chinese city of Tianjin drew global attention. Meanwhile, the Trump administrations Senior Counsellor for Trade and Manufacturing, Peter Navarro, said in a post on X that Indias highest tariffs cost US jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit/revenues feed the Russian war machine. Ukrainians/Russians die. US taxpayers shell out more. India can't handle truth/spins, Navarro said. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said that Trump and his trade team are disappointed that India continues to fund Russia's Ukraine war. I think the trade team and the president are disappointed that India continues to fund Russia's Ukraine war, and hopefully it's a diplomatic issue that will have positive development soon, Hassett told reporters at the White House on Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has turned down Russian President Vladimir Putins invitation to hold talks in Moscow noting that he is unwillig to travel to the capital of a country that continues to launch daily missile attacks on Ukraine. While speaking to ABC News, Zelensky further suggested that if Putin truly wants dialogue, he should come to Kyiv instead. "He can come to Kyiv. If a person doesn't want to meet during the war, of course, he can propose something which is acceptable to me or the other. It's understandable; I can't go to Moscow when my country's under missiles, under attack, each day. I can't go to the capital of this terrorist," Zelensky said. Accusing Putin of using the invitation as a political manoeuvre to delay dialogue, Ukraine President said, he is was "playing games" with the US. "And he understands it... He is doing it to postpone the meeting. He is playing games, and he is playing games with the United States," he added. The sharp remarks come days after the Russian President expressed his openness to meeting Zelensky, suggesting that such a meeting could take place in Moscow, provided it is well-prepared and aimed at producing a constructive outcome. Also Read | India flags increased fuel prices for global south amid Ukraine war | 10 points Putin invites Zelensky to Moscow After his four-day China visit, Putin said he is open to dialogue on the Ukraine conflict, but only within Ukraines constitutional framework. "I've already said that I've never ruled out such a meeting, but whether this can be meaningful in accordance with the Ukrainian constitution... It is possible; I never rule this out. If the meeting is well-prepared and leads to a positive potential outcome, it is possible. And by the way, Donald (Trump) asked me if it's possible to have such a meeting, and I said that it is. After all, if Zelenskyy is ready, he can come to Moscow. This is quite possible," he stated. Putin also repeated Moscow's longstanding objection to Ukraine's potential NATO membership, calling it a direct threat to Russian national interests, while showing less resistance to Ukraine's European Union ambitions. "We always opposed the idea of Ukraine becoming a member of the North Atlantic Alliance, but we never doubted its right to engage in its economic activities in any way it likes, and that includes EU membership," he stated. Climate Change & You is a fortnightly newsletter written by Bibek Bhattacharya and Sayantan Bera. Subscribe to Mints newsletters to get them directly in your inbox. Dear reader, This is a season of grief for many in India. Wayward rains, cloudbursts, landslides, and floods are wrecking Northwest India and the western Himalayas. The images are haunting. The River Beas swallowed an eatery in Manali, Himachal Pradesh, leaving behind just the facade, and washed away an entire stretch of highway in front of another hotel. As one geologist observed: A river will always return to its original course and floodplain, even after decades and centuries, and humans who build on these floodplains will be reminded of this by severe flooding." Another clip that I can't get out of my head is the Beas flowing over the Raison toll plaza near Manali, its waters gleaming in the sunlight, literally collecting the toll and claiming back its course. So, it turns out that water does have a memory. I cannot recall the last time I read so many river names in news reports and social-media updates as I have over the past two weeks: Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Tawi, and minor ones such as Tons, Ghaggar, and Kheer Ganga. Over the past month, several states, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab, have seen devastating floods. More than 300 have died in just Himachal Pradesh. Over 300,000 acres of crop area in Punjab is affected. Experts say global warming is rewiring the monsoon. The rains impact is worsened by reckless highway and tunnel construction, encroachment of floodplains, and overtourism. So far, the Southwest monsoon has seen a surplus of 9% compared to the 50-year average. Heavy rains are expected in September. Do look up weather forecasts before making any travel plans. State of the climate View Full Image Musicians welcome tourists traveling on a luxury train in Bengaluru. (Photo: AFP) Will the climate crisis upend our vacation plans? Its already happening. Even before the monsoon mayhem started in the western Himalayas, several friends from the National Capital Region had already decided to avoid the hills during the rainy season, which runs from June to September. It didnt surprise me because parts of India witnessed deadly thunderstorms and floods in April and May. For a long time, I had wanted to visit the Western Ghats, a Unesco World Heritage Site, to witness the arrival of monsoon. But catastrophic events in the past few years dissuaded me. Religious tourism is a big market in India, which the climate crisis is upending. Over 4,000 died in the 2013 Kedarnath floods, and this year, too, 34 pilgrims died in the Vaishno Devi landslide, and at least one person died during the Amarnath Yatra. Indias main holiday season is the school summer holidays between April and July (the exact months depend on the state one belongs to). A Kerala minister recently proposed a plan to redraw vacation schedules. Families are now scrambling to decide where to travel in the summer and not get caught either in a heatwave or a cloudburst. So, have we entered the beginning of the age of non-tourism?" The news in brief Uttarakhand has approved forest diversion for a new stretch of road in the ecologically sensitive Bhagirathi zone, despite warnings from environmental experts on increased disaster vulnerability. Over two dozen Indian scientists and researchers will join 650 experts to pen the seventh assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which is likely to be published in 2029. India's oil refiners are expected to benefit from discounts on Russian oil even as the European Union's new price cap takes effect soon. While the West falters on climate action, especially under Donald Trumps leadership, developing countries could push for an equitable path that aims to uplift lives and protect the planet. Know Your Jargon Ethanol View Full Image India is using food crops like corn, rice and sugarcane to produce ethanol for blending in petrol. (Photo: AFP) Ethanol is a biofuel produced by fermenting crops like rice, corn, and sugarcane. Its chemical name is ethyl alcoholthe primary ingredient in alcoholic beverages. A cleaner fuel, ethanol is increasingly used as a biofuel and blended with petrol to reduce vehicular emissions. However, rising production of ethanol can also lead to growing more water-intensive crops like rice and sugarcane, displacing sustainable ones like pulses and oilseeds. In India, a debate is raging with vehicle owners complaining that blending up to 20% ethanol with petrol has reduced fuel efficiency and resulted in wear and tear in engines. However, the government says the impact on mileage is negligible. The ethanol blending programme has led to savings of 1.44 trillion by reducing fuel imports, besides lowering carbon emissions, equivalent to planting 300 million trees. Meanwhile, Indias apex court dismissed a petition challenging the blending scheme. Prime Number 2.4 Globally, an estimated 2.4 billion workers are exposed to excessive heat, making them prone to risks such as heatstroke, dehydration, kidney dysfunction, and neurological disorders, as per a new report. Noting that worker productivity drops by 2-3% for every degree of increase in temperature above 20 degrees Celsius, the joint report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) presents five decades of research and evidence. View Full Image Those engaged in hard work in very hot and humid conditions are advised to drink over ten litres of water in a day. Not drinking enough water can lead to renal troubles. Occupational heat stress has become a global societal challenge, which is no longer confined to countries located close to the equatoras highlighted by the recent heatwave in Europe," said WMO deputy secretary-general Ko Barrett, adding, protection of workers from extreme heat is not just a health imperative but an economic necessity". So, how do high temperatures damage the human body? Read what a scientist simulating heat waves went through: by the third day, he had lost 4.5 kg. Movie of the Month View Full Image Humans in the Loop Set in Jharkhand, Humans in the Loop follows Nehma, a tribal woman who takes up a job as a data-labeller, feeding information into computers for an American tech company. Alongside others hunched in front of their screens, Nehma spends her time labelling images, including those of crops and pests. When she likens artificial intelligence to a child, saying it will learn the wrong things if fed the wrong input, she is asked to stop using her brain. Nehma soon realizes that AI can mirror human biases and prejudices, including against her own community. Thats all, for now. Bibek Bhattacharya will be back with the next issue in a fortnight. Born on 21 August 1879 into one of Bombay's most affluent Parsi families, Petit inherited not just mills but also a legacy of entrepreneurial grit that traced back to his grandfather, Sir Dinshaw Maneckji Petit, a pioneer of Indias textile industry. Dinshaw had begun with a modest cotton gin in 1854, before scaling into mills that profited from the American Civil Wars cotton shortage, helping to establish Bombay as a textile hub. By the time Jehangir assumed charge, the family controlled assets such as the Maneckji Petit Mills, a cornerstone of Bombays economy. His father, Bomanjee Dinshaw Petit, had expanded the empire so extensively that Jehangirs entry into business was less gamble than coronation. The Petit lineage read like a roll call of Parsi aristocracy. Jehangir was grandson to a baronet who socialized with British viceroys, cousin to activist Mithuben Petit, and kin to the ill-fated Rattanbai Petitwho married Muhammad Ali Jinnah, linking the family tree to a future adversary across the border. The Petits were no strangers to titles and estates, with palatial bungalows such as Mount Petit on Pedder Road underscoring their standing. In business, Jehangir was steady if not transformative. As chairman of the Bombay Mill Owners Association in the 1920s, he represented an industry that at its height employed more than 100,000 workers in Bombay and contributed significantly to Indias GDP. Under his stewardship, Petit Mills rode this boom, though precise revenue figures have not survived. His skill lay in steering through labour unrest and British tariffs, keeping mills profitable even as Swadeshi activists called for boycotts. Measured in todays terms, the Petit fortune would likely have run into several hundred crores, thanks to mill equity and sprawling real estate. Exact numbers remain elusivePetit was not one to parade accountsbut his philanthropy offers clues. In 1907, he convinced his father to donate the Cumballa Hill Family Hotel, then valued in lakhs, for the establishment of the Bomanjee Dinshaw Petit Parsee General Hospital. Its modern equivalent is a facility worth roughly 135 crore, reflecting wealth built on cotton but redirected to community welfare. In an ironic twist, this scion of colonial collaborators became a staunch Gandhi ally, funding movements that directly challenged the empire his forebears had courted. Jehangir hosted Gandhi at his bungalow when the Mahatma returned from South Africa in 1915, and organized receptions that blended elite soirees with revolutionary fervour. Even as his mills produced fabrics competing with Manchester imports, Jehangir bankrolled campaigns promoting hand-spun khadithe antithesis of mechanized mills. Was this shrewd hedging or genuine conviction? History suggests the latter. Jehangir attended Gandhis 1922 trial as a gesture of solidarity and in 1943 published The Superiority and Colour Complex, a pamphlet critiquing racial hierarchies that nearly faced a ban for inflaming class tensions. It was an unusual move for a man whose family wealth had long rested on British patronage. His aspirations soon extended beyond balance sheets. As a member of the Bombay Legislative Council in 1927, he represented mill owners while infusing his politics with nationalist undertones. His early support for Gandhi included serving as secretary of the South African Indian Fund and joint secretary of the Passive Resistance Fund. Jehangir was also associated with the Servants of India Society and Friends of India, aligning with causes of social reform and independence. Philanthropy, again, marked his arc. He revitalized the Frere Fletcher School, renaming it J.B. Petit High School for Girls in 1915, while insisting it admit students across caste lines. The hospital he helped build from a converted hotel remains a Parsi institution, a reminder of luxury repurposed into care for the ailing. Also Read | Harpal Singh Randhawa defied geography to build an African fortune Jehangir died in 1946, just before India's independence, leaving behind mills that would later fade with globalization but charities that endure to this day. He was not a disruptor on the scale of the Tatas, nor a revolutionary in the mold of Gandhi. But he occupied the paradoxical middle: a capitalist with idealism, whose acumen ensured survival while his ideals pushed toward change. His mills may have embodied the very industrial might Gandhi sought to decentralize, but Jehangir bridged that contradiction with quiet finesseproving that in Indias freedom struggle, capitalists, too, played their part. Kerala Congress leader and the party's social media head VT Balram has reportedly resigned from the latter role on September 6, following furore over an alleged insulting post about Bihar, made from the official account, local publication On Manorama reported. Balram has informed KPCC president Sunny Joseph of the same, amid heavy criticism over an X (Twitter) post that allegedly mocked Bihar after the reduced GST rates for bidis, the report added. Criticism grows: What happened? The quickly deleted controversial post, included a graphic that outlined the proposed GST hike on cigars, cigarettes and tobacco from 28 per cent to 40 per cent, and a reduction for bidis to 18 per cent. It also had the caption: Bidis and Bihar begin with B. Cannot be considered a sin any more. Sin here is the reference to sin goods that are taxed along with luxury items, at the highest special slab of 40 per cent. However, with the Bihar assembly elections likely to be held later this year, the post was not received well, and drew criticism from friends and foes alike, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and INDIA bloc parties Also Read | What are Sin Goods and why they attract highest GST slab? All you need to know How has Kerala Congress responded? As per the report, Joseph confirmed Balram's resignation and decision to step down from all of the party's social media responsibilities. Further, responding to the backlash, he admitted that the incident should not have happened, said the party will restructure the social media team and urged them to be more cautious in the future. Also Read | Ganesh Visarjan Lalbaugcha Raja LIVE: Processions begin amid rains in Mumbai Decision to revamp taken earlier says Balram Speaking to Manorama News, Balram however said that his move away from the social media role was planned earlier and not forced, adding, The decision to revamp the social media team was taken much earlier and was communicated to the KPCC president when he assumed office. It has nothing to do with the controversy. He added that he was not removed from the post and communicated this decision to the party leadership himself. He also however admitted that the post could have been avoided and said he was unaware at the time it was published. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a very good conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, discussing bilateral cooperation and global issues, including efforts to bring an early resolution to the Ukraine conflict. Had a very good conversation with President Macron. We reviewed and positively assessed the progress in bilateral cooperation in various areas. Exchanged views on international and regional issues, including efforts for bringing an early end to the conflict in Ukraine. The India-France Strategic Partnership will continue to play a key role in fostering global peace and stability," PM Modi stated on X. Further, PM Modi thanked President Macron for accepting the invitation to the AI Impact Summit hosted by India in February 2026, and looked forward to welcoming President Macron in India. According to MEA statement, M Modi and President Macron reviewed and positively assessed the developments in bilateral cooperation across different sectors, including economic, defence, science, technology and space. The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment towards further strengthening of the India-France Strategic Partnership, in line with the Horizon 2047 Roadmap, the Indo-Pacific Roadmap and the Defence Industrial Roadmap. The discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron on Ukraine war took place just days after the French leader announced that 26 nations had pledged to provide Ukraine with security guarantees in the event of a ceasefire, with US President Donald Trump refraining from committing to American backing. President Macron stated that the extent of US support for these security assurances, designed to protect Ukraine from further Russian aggression, would be clarified in the coming days. He made the remarks during a press conference in Paris, where he was joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Earlier, French President Macron convened a meeting of the so-called "coalition of the willing," bringing together European leaders prepared to offer guarantees to Ukraine, including the potential deployment of troops, should a ceasefire be established. Putin Warns Foreign Troops in Ukraine Would Be Targeted by Russian Forces Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Friday that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine, particularly while the conflict remains active, would be regarded as legitimate targets by Moscows forces. Putins remarks came only hours after European leaders renewed their commitment to the potential formation of a peacekeeping force, an idea that Moscow has consistently described as unacceptable. If any troops appear there, especially now while fighting is ongoing, we assume that they will be legitimate targets, Putin stated during a panel discussion at the Eastern Economic Forum in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok. The Russian leader also rejected the concept of deploying peacekeeping forces to Ukraine after a formal peace agreement is reached, asserting that no one should doubt Moscows willingness to honour a treaty aimed at ending its three-and-a-half-year full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Also Read | Amid tariff war with Trump, PM Modi will not address UN General Assembly session He further emphasised that any eventual settlement would require security guarantees for both Russia and Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later said Moscow would need legally binding documents to outline such agreements. Of course, you can't just take anybody's word for something, he told Russian news outlet Argumenty i Fakty. Shares of space systems solutions company Rocket Lab (RKLB) are up almost 70% so far this year, thanks to solid launch operations that are picking up pace. However, RKLB stock also pulled back more than 11% on Sept. 3. Should you consider buying shares of the company now? Let's take a closer look. About Rocket Lab Stock Based in Long Beach, California, Rocket Lab is an aerospace firm that focuses on launching and building satellites, particularly for small- to mid-size payloads. The company handles everything from satellite production to deployment, offering complete space services. Its flagship launch vehicle, the Electron rocket, is engineered for rapid, affordable missions to low Earth orbit. More News from Barchart Rocket Lab also delivers customizable spacecraft through its Photon platform, catering to the needs of commercial, defense, and research customers. Operating launch facilities in both the U.S. and New Zealand, the company plays a significant role in the expanding small satellite sector. The company has a market capitalization of $20.8 billion. Over the past year, Rocket Labs share price has surged largely due to the expansion of its launch operations, increased interest from government clients, and a positive outlook tied to its upcoming rocket technology. Over the past 52 weeks, RKLB stock has gained 578%. Shares are also up 69% year-to-date (YTD). RKLB stock had reached a 52-week high of $53.44 in July, but it is now down 19% from this high. Rocket Lab recently surged on the news of the launch of its Launch Complex 3. However, in the Sept. 3 session, shares dropped 11.7% intraday as investors reassessed the companys valuation. www.barchart.com RKLB stock currently has an eye-watering valuation. Its price-to-sales (P/S) ratio sits at 54.2 times, which is significantly stretched compared to the industry average. Rocket Lab Highlighted Operational Progress On Aug. 7, Rocket Labs reported solid topline growth in its second-quarter results for fiscal 2025. Total revenues increased 36% year-over-year (YOY) to $144.5 million. Non-GAAP gross margin grew from 30.7% in Q2 2024 to 36.9% in Q2 2025, based on significant operational strides. On the other hand, Rocket Labs bottom-line losses are still climbing. Net loss per share climbed from $0.08 in the prior-year period to $0.13 in Q2 2025. (Bloomberg) -- The US strike that blew up an alleged Venezuelan drug-running boat in the Caribbean, killing 11 people, marked a dramatic escalation in President Donald Trumps hardline strategy toward Latin America led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. It may be just the start. Tuesdays attack was the culmination of Trumps years-long interest in using unprecedented and legally questionable force against drug cartels. In 2020 he mused about launching missiles to blow up fentanyl labs in Mexico, according to then-Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. Now more than seven months into his second term, Trump is unencumbered by the warnings of more moderate advisers. And in Rubio he has an aide who has spent his career drawing a tough stance against socialist leaders in Cuba and, since the Hugo Chavez era, Venezuela. What will stop them is when you blow them up, when you get rid of them, Rubio said of the cartels, speaking to reporters in Mexico City this week. And itll happen again. Rubio, 54, has long linked President Nicolas Maduro to the unfettered drug trafficking US officials say emanates from Venezuela. And while Trumps top diplomat hasnt always been front-and-center when it comes to talks on global crises in places like Ukraine and the Middle East, he appears to have come out on top of an internal power struggle in the administration when it comes to Latin America. Read: Why Trump Is Deploying US Warships Near Venezuela: QuickTake Trump likes him and trusts him, said Kimberly Breier, an assistant secretary of state during Trumps first term who previously worked at the Central Intelligence Agency during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. Hes playing an incredibly important, multiple-hats role. While Rubio was a fierce Trump rival a decade ago when they both pursued the Republican presidential nomination, he has since become one of his most loyal lieutenants, with Trump praising him at a cabinet meeting last month by saying I think youre born for this job. Rubios move to the top of policy making on Latin America seemed obvious when he was picked to be secretary of state. The former Florida senator is steeped in the regions politics and even kicked off his run for the presidency in 2015 at Miamis Freedom Tower, where a generation of Cuban immigrants were processed after fleeing Fidel Castros rule. But early this year there appeared to be conflicting priorities within the administration over how much to engage with Maduro. The US wanted the strongman to accept Venezuelan deportees while American companies sought to bolster energy production from the OPEC member. Rubio had long been skeptical about the value of negotiating with Maduro. He appears to have won out, for now. Rubio has been a constant advocate for a harder line in US policy towards Latin America, and hes certainly using his new position to advance that approach, said Geoff Ramsey, a senior fellow and Venezuela researcher at the Atlantic Council. Trump and Rubio are united by their view that drug cartels have killed hundreds of thousands of Americans and are a threat to national security. The president has deployed naval vessels and thousands of troops to Caribbean waters. Tren de Aragua, the gang Trump linked to the destroyed boat, was designated a terrorist group in February, giving it the same status as al-Qaeda and Islamic State. The aggressive approach comes directly from Trump, with Rubio as the administrations main implementer, according to people familiar with the deliberations who asked not be identified discussing them publicly. But its a strategy that easily fits into Rubios history of advocating tougher moves against what he sees as anti-democratic regimes from Havana to Beijing. Asked to comment, Tommy Pigott, the State Departments principal deputy spokesperson, said that Trump leads Americas foreign policy and that Rubio is part of an all-star team that has achieved historic results. From his early days as secretary of state, Rubio pressed Latin American governments to confront drug cartels, curb Chinas influence and stop undocumented migration. In a meeting this week in Ecuador, a close ally, Rubio said the US would be open to once again basing troops in the country, a move that would be seen as adding pressure on both the cartels and Venezuela. Back in Caracas, Maduro said the US is trying to intimidate his nation in order to take its oil. He responded on Thursday by sending two F-16 jets over a US warship in international waters off Venezuelas coast, according to the Pentagon. Trump said Friday hed shoot down planes if they put the US in a dangerous position. He said Venezuelas been a very bad actor. Critics denounced the boat attack by the US as an extrajudicial killing that violates the law and endangers civilians. The use of lethal force in this context has absolutely no justification, said Daphne Eviatar, the director of the Security with Human Rights program at Amnesty International USA. Those arguments arent likely to deter the administration. Rubios comments suggest such operations could become more common. This is a counterterrorism playbook, not your old counternarcotics playbook, said Breier. People need to understand that. Cocaine Boom For Rubio, the issues are personal. The Miami he grew up in during the 1980s was dominated by anti-Castro politics and the cocaine boom fueled by Colombian cartels. But theres a cautionary note in that: US pressure over decades never ousted the Cuban regime, and Rubios condemnation and threats against the Castros, Maduro and his predecessor, Chavez, go back more than a decade. In 2018, Rubio said the Maduro regime was on borrowed time. A year later he said Venezuelas government was running out of money and that Maduros days are numbered. Yet the Venezuelan leader has held on, with support from Cuba, China and other allies. Rubio who also serves as Trumps national security adviser dodged a question Tuesday about the ultimate scope of US objectives toward a Venezuelan regime that hes called a drug cartel and a leader he says is illegitimate. Were going to take on drug cartels wherever they are and wherever theyre operating against the interest of the United States, he told reporters in Florida. Im not going to speculate about what might come down the road. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com A handful of teeth unearthed in Ethiopia has led to the discovery of a new species of human ancestor. The finding, announced in August in the journal Nature, began with a Valentines Day trek seven years ago. Paleoanthropologists were hunting for fossils in the countrys Afar region when an Ethiopian field assistant, Omar Abdulla Omar, suddenly stooped down. He had spotted a tooth. Later that afternoon, Omar dropped to his knees again, finding another molar in the volcanic soil. Over the next week, the team found a total of nine molars and incisors across the Afar archaeological site known as Ledi-Geraru, all dating to around 2.6 million years ago. Its almost like a miracle every time we find that one of our ancestors died in the right place at the right time to be fossilized for us to find three million years later," said Amy Rector, an anthropologist at Virginia Commonwealth University and co-author of the study describing the teams discovery. The era between two million and three million years ago is critical for scientific study, Rector said, because it is when the earliest members of our human lineage, the genus Homo, first evolved and when Australopithecus, another early human primate group, disappeared. The Australopithecus lineage included early humans like Lucy," famous for being a member of one of the first species to habitually walk on two legs. The researchers had previously uncovered four other teeth at the site, but found that the two sets came from different species: the four belonged to an early Homo lineage, and the other nine to a hereto undiscovered Australopithecus. For years, the researchers laboriously compared the teeth to those from other early human lineages living in eastern Africa around this time. The nine differed significantly in size, structure and shape from other known species teeth. I think the team did a great job of demonstrating that the dental morphology in the Australopithecus specimens is distinct from the other species currently known," said Kevin Hatala, a paleoanthropologist at Chatham University in Pennsylvania who wasnt involved in the work. The finding suggests that multiple early human species coexisted in this part of the continent several million years agoa conclusion that runs contrary to what many paleoanthropologists once thought happened in ancient Africa. In the 1990s and 2000s, many experts thought the Homo lineage evolved directly from the Australopithecus lineage, according to Kaye Reed, a paleoanthropologist at Arizona State Universitys Institute of Human Origins and co-author of the recent study. But evolution doesnt work that way," she said. It wasnt a solo ancestor walking through time." Rather, a growing body of evidence suggests species from multiple lineages overlapped in space and time and adapted to fill specific ecological niches. The researchers have yet to give a moniker to the new species. You cant name something based on, you know, teeth," Reed said. We need a skull!" She and her colleagues hope to find additional fossil evidence in subsequent field missions. Write to Aylin Woodward at aylin.woodward@wsj.com Anthropic PBC has agreed to pay at least $1.5 billion plus interest to resolve a class action lawsuit brought by authors who accused the artificial intelligence start-up of illegally downloading millions of pirated books to train its language models. One of the largest AI-related settlements The proposed settlement, filed on Friday in San Francisco federal court, is one of the largest agreements yet over intellectual property and artificial intelligence. A trial in the case had been scheduled for December, with the plaintiffs seeking damages that could have run into the trillions and threatened the companys survival. Compensation for millions of authors Notably, the deal covers claims from as many as seven million authors, with compensation estimated at about $3,000 per book for an initial pool of 500,000 works. Should additional claims be validated, the total payout could rise. Anthropic has also committed to deleting any disputed data it was accused of unlawfully acquiring. Lawyers representing the authors described the accord as unprecedented. This settlement sends a powerful message to AI companies and creators alike that taking copyrighted works from pirate websites is wrong, said Justin Nelson of Susman Godfrey. While the agreement represents a significant financial hit, legal experts suggested Anthropic avoided a far more damaging outcome. It is less than one per cent of the companys valuation, said Tod Cohen, partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. It seems like a win for Anthropic that it is not required to dismantle its models, just delete the data. Founded in 2021, Anthropic has rapidly become one of the most closely watched challengers to OpenAI. The company has attracted $13 billion in investment and achieved an estimated $5 billion annualised revenue run-rate, though it remains unprofitable due to the costs of developing its flagship Claude AI systems. Also Read | US judge rules Anthropics use of books for AI training is fair use The settlement is among the first to be reached in a wave of copyright lawsuits filed against AI firms, including OpenAI, Meta and Midjourney, over their use of proprietary online content. Some competitors have pre-emptively struck licensing deals with publishers to avoid litigation; Anthropic has not disclosed any such agreements. Ongoing legal battles The company still faces ongoing cases from music publishers, who allege unlawful copying of lyrics, and from Reddit, which claims its platform content was used without permission for training. Legal observers say the San Francisco deal may set a precedent for the industry, though it remains unclear whether it will trigger a wider series of settlements. This is a landmark event, the first major settlement in a case against a generative AI company, said attorney Chad Hummel of McKool Smith. It could prove industry guiding. A hearing on the proposed settlement is scheduled for 8 September. OpenAI has rolled out a highly requested feature in ChatGPT, allowing users to branch conversations and explore multiple directions without losing the original thread. The update is now available to logged-in users on the web. How the new feature works The announcement came via OpenAIs X account on Friday, following requests from users who wanted greater flexibility in managing their conversations. The feature allows users to pursue alternative threads at specific points in a chat, making it easier to experiment with different lines of discussion or side prompts without muddying the original context. The request was initially made by X user Micah (@MicahJanke), who explained: Let us branch off from chats at specific points without losing the node we branched off from. Sometimes I want to pursue multiple possible branches to a conversation, or sometimes I want to go on a 13 side prompt conversation without it muddying the context of the original chat. OpenAI replied to Micahs post, confirming that the feature had been implemented. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, also retweeted the announcement, describing it as a very requested feature. The new branching functionality is expected to enhance the user experience significantly, offering greater flexibility for those using ChatGPT for brainstorming, research, or creative exploration. Meanwhile, OpenAI has also announced plans to launch a new jobs platform next year designed to connect employers with workers who possess AI skills. The initiative comes as concern grows over the potential impact of AI on employment, particularly in fields already experiencing disruption from automation. OpenAI is reshaping one of its most influential research units as part of a wider effort to refine how its artificial intelligence systems interact with users, according to a TechCrunch report. The publication highlighted that in an internal memo circulated in August, chief research officer Mark Chen told staff that the companys Model Behaviour team would be integrated into the larger Post Training division. This move will reportedly see the 14-member group, which has played a pivotal role in shaping how OpenAIs models communicate with people, report directly to Max Schwarzer, who leads the Post Training team. Notably, the Model Behaviour unit has been responsible for defining the personality of OpenAIs AI systems. Its projects have included reducing sycophancy, where models agree uncritically with users, and managing political bias in responses. Reportedly, the group also contributed to OpenAIs internal discussions about whether AI systems can or should be considered conscious. Chen said the decision to restructure would ensure this work is embedded at the centre of model development, reflecting the companys view that personality is now a critical factor in how AI evolves, adds the report. Also Read | OpenAI takes aim at LinkedIn with AI jobs platform, plans to train 10M by 2030 The founding head of the team, Joanne Jang, will not be part of the reorganisation. Instead, she is establishing a new initiative within the company called OAI Labs. This new unit will be responsible for exploring and prototyping novel ways for people to collaborate with AI, with the aim of making interactions more intuitive and productive, noted the report. The award-winning band, Kila are set to headline at a special free late-night concert in Longford Town for Culture Night celebrations on Friday, 19 September as part of The Blind Fiddle Masters Concert which is a homage to Longfords premier trad musician Thomas Kernan from Drumlish. Funded through the Arts Council of Irelands Culture Night Late Award The Blind Fiddle Masters Concert will be a regional highlight of the culture night celebrations. The event will involve musicians and artists from diverse musical, visual art and cultural backgrounds including the Yershova Sisters a classically trained quintet from Ukraine via Kerry and Longfords premier Ceili band - Banna Ceili Beal Atha na Muc. Headlining the concert are the internationally renowned Irish folk group Kila. Along with playing their own music, the performing musicians will honour the Blind Fiddler Kernans legacy by performing his tunes many of which have not been performed in many decades. The event is supported by Longford County Council, Creative Ireland and Longford Night-Time Economy and Longford Tourism. Expert in the Fiddler Kernan tradition, Dr Conor Ward said, Thomas "Blind" Kernan (1807-87) of Drumlish was the figurehead of Irish Traditional fiddle music in County Longford in the 19th century. The enduring fiddle tradition he pioneered led to the emergence of a strong show band era from the 1950s onwards in his native Longford and also in his own family, most notably his great-grandnephew, the Country and Western star Declan Nerney. In tandem with the live music concert, three visual artists have also been commissioned to create a digital projection mapping and art piece for the concert site. The projection piece created by Mary Fleming and Sergii Khazdava will project in tandem with the live music performances. The Blind Fiddle Masters Concert will provide the finale for a series of broader Culture Night events that will occur in Longford Town and the surrounding county including several art exhibitions, childrens art workshops, and performances. Free tickets for The Blind Fiddle Masters concert can be accessed through www.tickettailor.com All events and activities are free and celebrate culture, creativity, and the arts. Over 16 events are set to take place across County Longford. Culture Night in County Longford is funded by the Arts Council in partnership with Longford County Council Arts Office. Tickets for the event can be accessed by clicking on this link https://www.tickettailor.com/events/countylongfordartsservice/1817368 READ NEXT: New TFI routes to be introduced serving areas in Longford, Cavan and Westmeath READ NEXT: Longford Garda Station welcomes new recruit this week Adrienne Lazarus, president of J.Crew Groups Madewell brand, has left the company, WWD has learned. J.Crew Group on Thursday confirmed Lazarus was no longer working at the company, indicating that it was a mutual decision. More from WWD No successor has been revealed, though one possibility is for Libby Wadle, chief executive officer of J.Crew Group, to fill in, at least temporarily. Before Lazarus joined Madewell in September 2023, Wadle was overseeing both Madewell and J.Crew brands. The group also operates J.Crew Factory Outlets and Crewcuts. We have a talented leadership team at Madewell who is well positioned to build on the brands momentum, a J.Crew Group spokesperson said in a statement to WWD. We thank Adrienne for her contributions to Madewell and wish her the best in her future endeavors. Lazarus, a 32-year veteran of specialty retail and direct-to-consumer companies, was recruited to Madewell to help grow and evolve the brand. In February 2024, Madewell implemented what Lazarus characterized as a brand reset adjusting the collection to be a bit more refined, a little bit more grown-up, while maintaining denim as the core of the collection. The brand strives to offer a premium denim look at prices more accessible than other premium denim brands. The addition of Lazarus at Madewell also enabled Wadle to perform more of a strategic role, setting future directions for both Madewell and J.Crew, and also devote more time to J.Crew, where at the time work was needed to recapture the popularity, style authority and cool factor it once had. I am incredibly proud of the brand transformation work that I did and Im confident I laid a foundation for continued success at the brand, Lazarus told WWD. I wish them well. Its the right time for us to take separate paths. Lazarus did accomplish much during her two years at Madewell, including elevating the store experience and leading expansions in menswear, accessories and wholesaling, and developing new denim fits. The brand started developing more of a multigenerational appeal. Prior to joining Madewell, Lazarus was co-CEO of Cuup, a direct-to-consumer intimates brand, and a senior adviser at McKinsey & Company, counseling retail and apparel clients. Earlier, Lazarus served as CEO of Bandier, CEO of Frye, and president of Intermix. In its announcement upon her joining the company, J.Crew Group credited Lazarus with leading those companies through substantial periods of growth and driving two successful transactions. In a WWD interview earlier this year, Lazarus discussed how Madewell differentiates its denim from the many other denim brands on the market, saying, There are three pillars quality, fit and style. From a quality perspective, we are using the most premium fabrics out there. Our value proposition is incredible in terms of what were offering and our customer recognizes it. From a fit perspective, we have a variety. But its not just about the amount of variety, its about how hard weve worked at perfecting it. We have curvy. We have petite. We also have tall. So we want to be able to fit a really wide scope. And lastly, through new marketing, its about educating customers on how to style the denim with the other apparel and accessories sold at Madewell. We are really leaning into the Madewell style and how to style Madewell denim, she said, using one word to describe the Madewell aesthetic: effortless. A fourth differentiator could be Madewells pricing. Were in this beautiful price point where were [offering] a very premium product, but at a price point which doesnt really exist in the market, Lazarus said. So thats been a really powerful positioning, and denim is a great example of that. But we are definitely offering that [pricing] in all of our products. Were definitely offering a premium product at a more accessible price that is part of our brand ethos and DNA. Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The enterprising owner of a vibrant Longford business has spoken about how having dyslexia is a 'superpower' as it has helped her to think 'in a different way' and a more visual and practical way to others. Talented artist Anna Peters, who established Athena Art Gallery and Cafe in the heart of the county town in early-2023, is an incredibly positive and driven young woman who has carved out a successful and a highly fulfilling career. The Lanesboro native, who is the daughter of Steve and Marie Peters, developed her passion for art while attending both Fermoyle national school and Ballymahon Convent of Mercy Secondary School. Anna then studied at the National College of Art and Design, where she graduated with a Bachelor in Ceramics and Glass and a Masters in Sculpture and Expanded Practice. She has received fantastic support from her family who run a successful family business, her dad entrepreneur Steve sowed the seed for the idea for Athena and Anna, through hard work and enterprise, developed it into a thriving business. Anna's mum Marie has also worked alongside her and helped with the daily running of the gallery-and cafe. Anna spent several years working in art galleries in Dublin before she took the plunge and opened Athena Art Gallery and Cafe. The 27 year-old said following her masters she was unsure whether she wanted to work in a gallery, create art or teach and thankfully Athena has allowed her to all of the above. Anna has a range of impressive paintings, sculptures and craft work on display, but the one closest to her heart is her hand painted, wooden clock at the back of the gallery. "It was my master's degree project during my MA in sculpture and expanded practice so it's made from wood, it's hand painted, it has a resin overlay and it used to be a sundial but I changed it into a clock so that I could have it in the gallery." Anna explained the beautifully crafted clock is priceless to her, she has a very personal connection with it and it is not for sale. "I had it up for sale and I had a few offers and then I realised I didn't want to sell it. "It's all based around dyslexia and I have dyslexia myself, I did my thesis on dyslexia and the development of kids so it's very close to my heart. "It kind of ties in with human perspective and how we are all seeing the world, how we're all visualising everything and from my point of view as someone with dyslexia it's very personal to me." Anna changed the sundial into a clock as she wanted it in her gallery and she drilled a hole through the middle, put hands on it and she added a resin overlay. "Basically the idea of it is in each section of time so like 12 to 1 and 1 to 2 it actually has handwritten the time but because it's going from the centre to the outskirts you can't make out what it says unless you look at the diagrams. "So the idea behind it is that someone without dyslexia can't read the writing and they feel frustrated like somebody with dyslexia might feel every day." Anna said it was only when she studied for and completed her thesis that she became fully aware of the importance of an early diagnosis. "I got diagnosed with dyslexia when I was six so I was really lucky and my mum and dad were brilliant with me. "My mum taught me everything, the way I could be taught so visually with images and that kind of stuff and I always looked at it as kind of having like a superpower rather than it being a bad thing, because I knew the stuff I was bad at and there was also lots of stuff I was really good at. Anna said she knew from her thesis readings and findings that dyslexia is actually just that you are working from a different side of your brain. It's just that you are figuring things out completely differently. And I think when it comes to school it's not easy because obviously we are learning in a specific curriculum for the majority." Anna said she worked hard in school but the creative and artistic work came more easily to her than the academic assignments. She stated there is a lot of good support and she had great learning support classes from Eileen Donovan and a reader who assisted her during her Leaving Cert. "I was always good at tech graph and art and I would get A's but I'd be really bad at subjects like math and English and anything you need in school so I kind of rigged the system as much as I could and I did every single chosen subject with a project. "I think realising that because I was thinking in a different way I was working things out or maybe coming up with things other people might not think in that way that's how I found it a superpower." Anna said speaking about different life experiences can help with understanding. "I'm not shy about talking about it because I think it's really important. I love when people come over and see the clock, I always explain to them what it's about and I think whether it's dyslexia, whether it's your upbringing, whether it's one thing or another, everybody's experiencing everything completely differently. Anna said she never rushes to make a judgement on people. "It's like when somebody asks 'Why is that person not being nice' there might be a reason beyond what we can perceive at the moment. "So I just like the idea of kill people with kindness and you don't know what people are going through or how they are perceiving you. READ NEXT: New TFI routes to be introduced serving areas in Longford, Cavan and Westmeath READ NEXT: Longford Garda Station welcomes new recruit this week Patrick Doherty, from Killoe, is to release his novel Pure Innocent Boy under Dedalus Press. On October 7, he will launch this book in Longford Library and Hodges & Figgis in Dublin on October 8. A big achievement, Patrick spoke about how much the local library has meant to him and why he is excited to return: Coming to Longford library is massive as well. As a kid, I was in the library every weekend. "My mother was a big reader and she brought us there every week. Most of the books I read as a child came from there. Its really nice to be going back with a book of my own. Studying arts in Galway, and doing a masters in American Literature in University College Dublin, Patrick now lives in Seville in Spain with his wife, Despi, and two children. Describing the financial crisis as the reason for the move from Ireland, Patrick was an English teacher, as he could teach in the afternoons with flexibility to write in the mornings. He describes that he loves the Spanish culture, but has mentioned the choice between moving back to Ireland or Greece, where Despi is from. Pure Innocent Boy was a long process for Doherty. Stemming from a short story, Patrick said how he re-explored the idea to expand it into a deeper novel: The actual characters and story arent based on any particular experience Ive had. "It came from a desire to change tact and write something that was a little more vivid and separated from myself. It started out as a short story about a young man named Tadhg whos suffering with mental health issues. "I didnt plan to write a book around it, initially, but it seemed like such a departure from the rest of the stuff I was writing at the time that I decided it was worth exploring the idea. I wrote the first draft during the lockdown. It took about three or four months. In terms of my process, when I get an idea, I get on my computer and I start writing like a madman. I like to get it as close to a finished draft as I can. "The editing and rewrites take longer and I put more time into that side of things than I do with the first draft. "Its also important to say that my agent, Brian, helped guide me through the process, and was instrumental in how the book eventually turned out. "Then, last Christmas, Dedalus Books from the UK got in touch and said they were interested in publishing it. Hoping to give the readers a pure sense of escapism despite being a sad story, Patrick adds that he hopes that readers will feel that the narrative rings true for them. The characters are not based on any personal experience when asked, preferring to be more separated from himself. Patrick described that he had lots of failures but is happy to finally get a piece published. He has worked with Brian Langan of Storline Agency for about five years, who handled the submissions and negotiations. Despite setbacks, Patrick has advised aspiring Longford writers the following: Try to read as much as you can and get a feel for all the different ways you can tell a story. Its also important not to get bogged down in one idea and not to get frustrated when something doesnt come off the way you want it to. "Whether youre looking to make a career out of it or just want the satisfaction of expressing yourself, its always worth it. I dont know what Id do if I didnt have writing. Its a coping mechanism. READ NEXT: New TFI routes to be introduced serving areas in Longford, Cavan and Westmeath READ NEXT: Longford Garda Station welcomes new recruit this week County Longford received just one additional garda from the newly attested batch of 154 recruits recently -the first new recruit since March - and a local councillor has insisted more Gardai are needed. The new members of the force graduated on Friday, August 22 at the Garda College in Templemore in county Tipperary. The garda that has been sent to Longford is based in the county town. Last June, Longford did not receive any recruits from the graduating class, meaning that the county has benefitted from just one recruit from two classes. An additional garda was also sent to Longford town last March, however, the numbers of new garda recruits has fallen compared to last year when two new recruits were deployed to Longford on two separate occasions in April and July 2024. Elsewhere in the Mayo-Roscommon-Longford District Mayo received three newly attested officers, however, not a single Garda was deployed to county Roscommon. An additional garda was also sent to Longford town last March, however, the numbers of new garda recruits has fallen compared to last year when two new recruits were deployed to Longford on two separate occasions in April and July 2024. The North-West region, which includes county Longford, once again received the lowest number of new officers with a total of 21. The Southern Region received the highest number, at 66 and 45 newly attested Gardai were sent to the Dublin Region, while the Eastern Region has benefitted from a further 22 newly attested Gardai. Fine Gael Councillor Niall Gannon, who last June called for An Garda Siochana to address the increasing presence of groups of youngsters who were 'intimidating' local business owners, residents, and visitors in the town centre. "It's not good enough. We definitely need more Gardai allocated to the Longford region, it's as simple as that." Cllr Gannon previously insisted more outlets should be made available to young people to assist them and he referred to 'potential measures such as increasing Gardai presence in the town during peak hours, implementing and engaging more with community outreach programmes aimed at engaging youth in positive activities and collaborating with local schools and organisations to address the underlying causes of such behaviour. , Longford Fine Gael TD Micheal Carrigy believes it is important to compliment the existing force. "We welcome the fact that an additional garda has been transferred into the district." Deputy Carrigy said he is aware a few more Gardai are being sought in the county. "I know we are looking for a couple more and we are looking for additional resources." Deputy Carrigy said he understood the numbers were up at "nearly a full compliment" based on the number for the Longford and Granard Garda districts and he praised the work being done. "Both in the Longford and Granard areas they have been extremely proactive in dealing with any criminal offences. "We have had a number of successful drug raids over the past number of months, and I look forward to that continuing." READ NEXT: New TFI routes to be introduced serving areas in Longford, Cavan and Westmeath READ NEXT: Longford Garda Station welcomes new recruit this week The massive IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin is the CES of Europe and is attended by even more people than the iconic Las Vegas event. Macworld walked the 27 halls for you to find the most interesting new Apple-related products, breezily ignoring Windows PCs and Nintendo Switch accessories. The new Qi 2.2 (or Qi2 25W as some are calling it) wireless charging technology was the star of the show at IFA when it comes to charging accessories. The new wireless charging tech takes speeds from the humdrum 7.5W and once-exciting 15W to a wired-charging-like 25W. It means you could charge an iPhone 16 to 50 percent in around 25 minutes (under ideal conditions). And it has to be an iPhone 16 or an upcoming iPhone 17 (running at least iOS 26) to get the benefit of the full 25W. Older iPhones can still use the new chargers, but at the old 15W charging pace. Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson listens to the invocation at the beginning of her final meeting of the council before her resignation on July 4. Trea Lavery/MassLive A former Boston city councilor convicted on federal corruption charges has been sentenced to one month in prison after pleading guilty to a kickback scheme earlier this year. Tania Fernandes Anderson, who represented District 7 on the council until her resignation in July, spoke through tears during a sentencing hearing in federal court in Boston Friday afternoon, during which she repeatedly asked for forgiveness from the court, her friends and family, constituents and God. The truth is, I never wanted to hurt people, so I put everything into my work, she said, referring to the situation as disgusting and very serious. Hurting people is worse than hurting myself, she said. In addition to the prison time, she will serve three years of supervised release, during which she cannot hold any position with financial discretion, among other conditions. She will also be required to pay restitution and forfeiture of $13,000 and special assessments of $200. Fernandes Anderson, who was first elected in 2021, was arrested in December on charges that she ran a kickback scheme with a family member whom she employed in her City Hall office, using public money to help with her own financial struggles. She pleaded guilty in May to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft involving federal funds. Read more: Convicted Councilor Fernandes Anderson attends final meeting before resignation She was originally scheduled to be sentenced on July 29, but the hearing was postponed until Friday. Prosecutors say that in June 2023, Fernandes Anderson paid a $13,000 bonus to a family member employed in her office at City Hall, who has not been publicly identified. She then arranged to meet the person in a City Hall bathroom, where they handed over $7,000 in cash. The former councilors defense attorney asked for a sentence of probation and community service, highlighting in a sentencing memo her history as a human services professional, community advocate and foster parent. She has attempted to reflect on her experiences and learn from them, public defender Scott Lauer wrote. While her conduct in this case and conviction will certainly not be forgotten any time soon, she looks forward to returning to the sort of grassroots human services work which has defined her both personally and professionally. More than 90 people submitted letters in support of Fernandes Anderson, including family, friends, former constituents, City Hall staff, non-government colleagues, and community and religious leaders. Multiple elected officials also sent in letters, including City Councilors Brian Worrell, Julia Mejia and Liz Breadon, state Reps. Chris Worrell, D-5th Suffolk, and Russell Holmes, D-6th Suffolk, and state Sen. Liz Miranda, D-2nd Suffolk. While I fully acknowledge the unfortunate circumstances that have led to the need for this letter, it is crucial to emphasize the heart and intention behind Ms. Andersons efforts in the community, Mejia wrote. She has consistently demonstrated compassion, and an unwavering commitment to the principles of equity and justice. Her work has not only uplifted individuals, but also has strengthened the fabric of the community as a whole. Fernandes Andersons husband, Tanzerius Anderson, hand-wrote a multi-page letter in support of his wife from Northeast Correctional Center, where he is serving a sentence for his conviction on a 2000 murder and awaiting a decision from the Parole Board after an Aug. 12 hearing. I pray this Honorable Court will see my wifes true nature and consider as mitigation the intense hardships she has overcome throughout her life, her selfless lifelong commitment to others, and the traumatizing consequences she has suffered during this process, he wrote. I never realized how much people actually love me, Fernandes Anderson said during the hearing in response to her supporters, who also filled the courtroom Friday. Im sorry for all the pain. Im deeply sorry for all the disappointment and the burden. Prosecutors said Friday that the more than 140 pages of letters dealt with a different part of Fernandes Andersons character than that of the crime, adding that her actions seemed inconsistent with how her supporters portrayed her. Prosecutor John Mulcahy said her conduct since her December arrest including waiting to resign for months and recently endorsing a candidate to replace her appeared to indicate that she was not remorseful for her actions. It does not seem compatible with the humility and honesty one would expect if someone is truly remorseful for what they did, he said. Lauer and Fernandes Anderson, however, defended her actions, saying that constituents had asked her not to resign to avoid a special election and to ensure that District 7 had representation on the City Council as it prepared the next years budget. The U.S. Attorneys Office requested a sentence of one year and one day in prison followed by three years of supervised release. In a sentencing memo, they wrote that as a councilor, she showed anything but true faith and allegiance to her constituents and to the city of Boston, noting previous ethics violations that included hiring immediate family members to her staff. Fernandes Andersons bribe scheme cannot be chalked up to inexperience or ignorance instead it is part of a pattern of putting herself first at the expense of her constituents," they wrote. Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Fernandes Anderson condemned the media coverage of her case. Holding a paperback copy of The Meaning of Freedom by activist Angela Davis, she said the news media hurts people and families by disregarding their humanity. You dont care that Im a Black woman, that Im an immigrant, that Im getting death threats, she said. Im not a victim. Im not saying any of that. I took responsibility. Im asking you to humanize Black people, especially Black women, especially Black immigrants. A Cape Verdean immigrant who came to the United States as a child, Fernandes Anderson was the first Muslim, first formerly undocumented immigrant and first African immigrant to serve on the Boston City Council. She won reelection in 2023 with more than 70% of the vote in her district. Boston detectives have arrested two people in connection with a series of accessible parking placard thefts that occurred throughout Brighton this year. The 19 reports of theft prompted an extensive investigation and resulted in the arrests of Andrea Doucette-Keating, 55, and Zachary Shelton, 37, both of Brighton, according to a Boston Police Department statement. On Aug. 21, Doucette-Keating was arrested and later arraigned in Brighton District Court for breaking and entering a motor vehicle (nighttime), malicious damage to a motor vehicle, larceny from a motor vehicle and possession of burglarious tools. Shelton was arrested and is expected to be arraigned in Brighton District Court for larceny less than $250 from a person over 60, stealing a handicap placard, breaking and entering a motor vehicle (nighttime, felony), possession of burglarious tools (window punch) and malicious destruction of a motor vehicle, police said. The three key placard thefts for detectives took place on June 30 at 82 Glenville Ave. and on Aug. 14 at both 95 Washington St. and 34 Fidelis Way. Evidence from these incidents helped investigators identify Doucette-Keating as a suspect, police said. Further investigation led them to believe that he was the primary thief and Shelton was the organizer, supplier of tools and distributor of stolen placards. A search warrant was then executed for Sheltons residence at 1662 Commonwealth Ave., on Sept. 4 at around 11:10 a.m., the statement reads. Officials found multiple stolen accessible parking placards, a window punch, cocaine and a Glock style BB gun with the safety tip removed. Detectives are in the process of executing a second search warrant on Sheltons vehicle where another stolen placard was seen hanging inside. In Massachusetts misusing a stolen or fraudulent accessible parking placard can result in serious consequences, according to the statement. Those found guilty of illegally using or displaying a stolen placard, can face substantial fines, possible suspension of driving privileges and criminal charges that could result in jail time. Fraudulently using a placard not only undermines accessibility for those in genuine need, but it also constitutes a violation of Massachusetts law, Boston police explained. Residents who suspect [an accessible parking] placard may be fake or misused are encouraged to report it." Real placards are issued by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles and display unique serial numbers and expiration dates. If a placard appears altered, expired or is being used by someone other than the rightful owner, it could be fraudulent. A man who killed a mother of six children during a masked robbery in Lynn in the middle of the night is being released to ICE after being granted parole on Tuesday. Oeun Lam, now 52, was convicted of first-degree murder in the first-degree for the death of Cheang Ley Nhor, 41, in 1993. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, in 2024, the Supreme Judicial Court decision stated emerging adults between the ages of 18-20 cannot be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in Massachusetts. The high court ruled that life sentences for defendants within that age group are unconstitutional and amount to cruel and unusual punishment. Due to the decision, Lam, currently in Old Colony Correctional Center, was allowed to go in front of the parole board for the first time in April. On Feb. 3, 1991, two masked men, including 18-year-old Lam, forced their way into the Nhor family residence in Lynn. Soth Nhor, 46, and Cheang Ley Nhor were home asleep with their six children at the time. Lam and the other man, Vann Long, attempted to rob the family with guns. Long ripped a telephone cord from the wall and used the cord to tie up the husband. He was able to eventually free himself and began struggling with one of the masked men, trying to protect his daughter. Officials believe Lam fired his gun, wounding Soth Nhor as the bullet passed through his neck and hit his wife between the eyes, killing her. Lam has been incarcerated for 34 years. Part of the decision with the Massachusetts Parole Board included Lams history of being a refugee. He was born in Cambodia and left to live in a refugee camp due to the civil war when he was 4. Mr. Lam provided insight into the relationship between his exposure to significant violence and other adverse childhood experiences, as well as generational trauma and difficulty with acculturation, to the offense, the parole board wrote. During his time incarcerated, he earned his GED and participated in multiple programs. And, the parole board stated, he has taken accountability and demonstrated remorse for his actions. Psychiatrist Jose Hidalgo believes Lam is unlikely to re-offend. And he has a strong support system in the U.S. and Cambodia. Essex County Assistant District Attorney Michael Sheehan, however, was against parole. Still, the board decided to grant Lam parole in 30 days. At that time, he will be released to ICE. If ICE releases him, the parole board stated that Lam will have electronic monitoring for 6 months, will be supervised for drugs and alcohol, have no contact or association with co-defendants or with the Nhor family. He also must have mental health counseling for PTSD and adjustment. Long was released to ICE after being granted parole in 2016. Dr. Regina Barzilays world turned upside down when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014. It seemed to come out of nowhere. She didnt know anyone in her family who had BRCA genes the genes normally associated with higher risks of developing breast and ovarian cancer and she was living a healthy lifestyle. Barzilay said she wishes that she had had access to an artificial intelligence tool she later developed with Massachusetts Institute of Technology students called Mirai. The tool takes a mammogram and determines the likelihood of developing the disease in five years. Mirai, released in 2019, is among several AI tools Barzilay has helped to lead and develop that landed her in TIME Magazines 2025 list of artificial intelligence leaders, innovators, shapers and thinkers, called TIME100 AI 2025. Her artificial intelligence tool wouldve predicted that she was high risk and not only that, but wouldve picked it up two years earlier than her doctors did, she said. You can see in 2013 and 2012, it was already there if you blow it up, Barzilay said, showing a MassLive reporter her previous mammograms. The most common cancer in women worldwide is breast cancer, and half of breast cancers develop in those that dont have identifiable risk factors, other than gender and age, according to the World Health Organization. Its really not a unique story. It happens to many, many women whose disease even they go and do their mammograms quite regularly its just not diagnosed on time. So I think the technology can do a much better job than using our eyes, said Barzilay, who is a professor at MIT and the AI Faculty Lead at MIT Jameel Clinic. Diagnosing breast cancer early not only makes it so treatment is less brutal with fewer side effects like the loss of hair, but also increases a persons survival rate, she said. What are the other tools shes developed? Beyond Mirai, Barzilay has also worked on an AI model called Sybil, which predicts 6-year lung cancer risk from a patients low-dose CT scan. Lung cancer is the worlds deadliest cancer. In 2023, 131,584 people in the U.S. died from lung cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Created in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital, the tool was inspired by Barzilays sisters friend, who was diagnosed with and died from lung cancer in her 50s despite being healthy and never having smoked. She started coughing [but] her doctor didnt identify that she may be at risk. So it took a very long time until they even sent her to do a simple X-ray, she said. It was too late. We tested it extensively on different populations and different races and ages and genders and are looking at safe clinical pipelines to bring it to the patients, she said. Sybil is being moved forward beyond just the U.S. it is undergoing Taiwanese FDA approval due to the high rates of lung cancer there, Barzilay said. She has also joined efforts with other educators and researchers, such as MIT professor Dr. Jim Collins, to create an AI model that screened over 100 million molecules to identify the first AI-discovered antibiotic in 2020. Much of the work that Barzilay has done has been focused on reducing uncertainty in the medical profession. I think that whenever youre going to a doctor and if you really have a question, concern, during a checkup, we very soon realize how much uncertainty we have because the doctor can only predict whats going happen. But most of the time they would say we think this would happen, but we dont really know, she said. What AI is good at is actually taking whatever data we have and giving you likelihoods with probability, which gives you a way to reduce your uncertainty, she said. Addressing distrust in artificial intelligence As AI has become more of a topic of discussion over the past few years with the proliferation of tools like ChatGPT, Barzilay said work needs to be done to improve peoples trust in AI tools. AI is not just ChatGPT, Barzilay said. AI tools in clinical care, in particular, are much more narrow and they need to be clear and validated. I am not saying that we should be blindly trusting to the technology, but I think that if technology is properly validated, FDA approved, properly incorporated into the clinical pipeline, then I think you should be able to trust it, she said. For example, Mirai has been validated in over 2 million mammograms in over 70 hospitals and 22 countries and Sybil in 25 hospitals and 11 countries. While medical professionals errors can be common, many people still go to the doctor when something is wrong, Barzilay said. Do you really trust that your blood sample, when you get blood was not contaminated? It would not even come to your mind. Why? Because you ensure all the processes are done correctly. So the question is, can we bring AI to the point, both informing the public and internally validating it properly so we start thinking about AI the same way as we think about any other medical test or device that were using in patient care, she said. She said the use of AI in collaboration with doctors in the medical field, even if scary for some people, is the future. To me, the concern is not the fact whether its going to make a mistake. To me, the concern is why in all the areas of our life we have AI and we trust it to a degree, of course but in the area which maybe matters the most, our health, we still dont have it. And to me this is the main concern, she said. For Barzilay, the next step is to take the tools shes helped develop, including Mirai and Sybil, and bring them to the U.S. clinical setting. However, the biggest challenge in getting these tools to patients isnt getting FDA approval which still needs to be done but in developing clinically approved protocols to determine what should happen after someone is determined to be high risk. Its not enough just to predict the future. You should want to improve the future, Barzilay said. An invasive Japanese seaweed has washed ashore in East Gloucester, releasing a rotten egg-like smell while decaying. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian Have you smelled a strong, rotten egg-like odor in Gloucester? Youre not alone. In fact, the concern has prompted city officials to explain the reason behind the unpleasant smell. The odor is coming from an invasive Japanese seaweed called Heterosiphonia japonica, the City of Gloucester explained in a Facebook post. When large amounts of seaweed wash ashore and decay, they release a rotten egg-like smell caused by the production of hydrogen sulfide gas. Its a natural process, the city explained. Intense winds from Hurricane Erin pushed large chunks of the seaweed ashore and the high tides carried it into the estuary of Good Harbor. Without a strong current to pull the seaweed back out into the ocean, it has been sitting and decomposing. ... which is what youre smelling, the Facebook post read. The odor should fade as the seaweed breaks down. Seaweed can take weeks to months before it fully breaks down, research shows. Native to the Northwest Pacific, it was first collected off Rhode Island in 2008 and has since spread aggressively along the coast from Long Island to Nova Scotia, according to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. The deep rose-red seaweed, also known as Dasysiphonia japonica, can grow up to 200 millimeters high and its rapid expansion is a threat to local ecosystems. In Long Island bays, decaying blooms have been associated with fish-die offs and in experiments, toxins from algae have been lethal to fishes and bivalve larvae, researchers said. Commercial fisheries have also been impacted, especially in Rhode Island by the seaweed clogging nets and lobster traps. Here are a few ways people can reduce the threat, according to the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management: Roxanne, is one of the housekeepers at the Mount Holyoke College who is out striking over wages on Tuesday. The strike involves roughly 200 dining hall, facility, and housekeeping workers. Union members are asking for higher wages to keep up with the cost of living. September 1, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican) Douglas Hook SOUTH HADLEY Mats to improve safety in the cafeteria, access to a fund that could help workers with immigration legal issues and raises that most benefit the lowest paid staff. These are some of the benefits included in the deal reached by Mount Holyoke College and the union representing facilities and dining staff to reach a deal, the union said in a Friday afternoon statement. The college then reached a similar agreement with the union representing 23 housekeepers hours later. The agreements come after the unions filed unfair labor practice charges against the college with the National Labor Relations Board and workers went on strike Tuesday, holding pickets at the campus entrances from 5 a.m. to sundown. Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, representing 170 workers at the college, said the sides sat down and negotiated much of Friday and came to agreement at 2 p.m. that met all of its demands. United Auto Workers Local 2322 reached a deal for the housekeepers it represents at around 4 p.m. Patrick Burke, president of UAW Local 2322, said the housekeepers preserved existing benefits and job responsibilities while winning significant wage increases. During the contract negotiations, which started in the spring, workers core demands included a living wage. Our bargaining team was very pleased with the outcome today, Burke said. Burke added that the Mount Holyoke community stood by the workers, with alumni messaging the college about the need for living wages and respect for its workers, for instance. Kevin Brown, SEIU Local 32BJ executive vice president, said in a statement that the success of the strike came about thanks to the unwavering unity among the unions members and the support of the community, faculty and students. With their strike this week, the members at Mount Holyoke just gave a master class in demonstrating worker power on campus, said Brown said in a statement. Christian Feuerstein, spokesperson for Mount Holyoke, said members of the two unions are set to ratify the contracts within the next two weeks. (The) College is deeply pleased with the work accomplished by these bargaining committees to come to mutually beneficial agreements, Feuerstein wrote in an email. The contract lasts for three years. Franklin Soults, spokesperson for SEIU 32BJ, said workers represented by the union made an average of about $25 per hour and they will see an approximately 11% pay raise over the life of the contract. Workers who make less, however, will see bigger increases, Soults said. Workers with some of the lowest rates of pay, about $17.70 an hour, would see about a $3 an hour increase, if the contract is ratified. Other workers would see increases due to longevity pay. The agreement also brings additional protections for workers with varying immigration statuses, such as protected leave to take time to resolve immigration issues and access to a legal fund that provides civil legal services at no cost for union members. The measures which are rare provisions in union agreements in higher education help provide stability at a time when peoples status are being thrown hither and yon due to changes in federal immigration policy, Soults said. The union has said that about 35% of workers at Mount Holyoke are immigrants. The college has touted its diversity on campus. For instance, a quarter of its incoming class 546 first year students are international students. At the end of August, SEIU 32BJ filed a charge with NLRB that said the college refused to bargain unless the union agreed not to strike. Earlier this week, UAW 2322 filed a charge of its own, saying the college refused to bargain in good faith. In both cases, the NLRB sent letters to the parties, obtained by The Republican through a records request, that said the board is facing an unprecedented number of pending unfair labor practices charges and reduced staff levels, which is causing delays at the agency. Asked about the fate of the charges, Soults said SEIU 32BJ is prepared to explore a settlement with Mount Holyoke. The strike Tuesday was perhaps the first one at Mount Holyoke, union officials said, the alma mater of Franklin D. Roosevelts pioneering Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, who used her time at the college to study workplace issues such as sweatshops. In a statement, Monique Nelson, who worked as a custodian for about three decades at the college and who sat on the bargaining coming, said the support the workers received was humbling and she felt grateful. No one wants to go on strike, all we ever wanted was a contract that would adequately support us so we can continue serving the campus community that we love, Nelsons statement said. Rebecca Hayward unscrews the board put across the front door. In 2024 Hayward bought the house sight unseen and realized the building was home to hoarders. Sept. 5, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican) Douglas Hook SPRINGFIELD A Springfield home remains mired in the court system more than a year after the city deemed it unfit for habitation when police discovered a pet-hoarding, garbage-filled mess. The owner, Rebecca Hayward, bought the house at 284 Denver St. sight unseen, foregoing an inspection after the Springfield Fire Department gave it passing grades before the final sale. This, despite a slew of electric hazards and a fuel tank wedged at the bottom of the basement stairs. A week after Hayward closed the deal, the house was condemned by a code inspector. Police found 33 sickly and starved dogs, two cats, and every surface covered with trash, animal urine and feces. After spending thousands of dollars and countless hours in the Western Housing Court, Hayward was able to evict the tenants. But the problems associated with their eight-year tenancy stuck around. In 2024 Rebecca Hayward was shocked when she bought a home that housed more than 30 dogs and two hoarders. Over a year later, the home is still unlivable. Sept. 5, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican) Douglas Hook Owner Rebecca Hayward notices another hole in the roof of an upstairs bedroom during a visit Friday. Sept. 5, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican) Douglas Hook A judge called this the most embarrassing public housing fiasco hed ever seen, in an early hearing in the case, Hayward said Friday, when she was required to appear in court yet again. Haywards attorney, Rich Herbert, said the city and court bungled the handling of the house since the beginning. My client was ordered to provide a hotel for the two tenants, a decision was that was reversed after proving the egregious conditions to the court, he said. Its hard to understate the financial and emotional toll this has taken on my client. Attack of the fleas This time, her challenge was to fight receivership, or the city taking control over the property as a last resort. It is the most Draconian measure the city can impose against the homeowner we only invoke it when all else fails," said Stephen J. Buoniconti, the city solicitor for Springfield. Hayward says she has encountered several key barriers in trying to bring the property up to code. One city inspector became infested with fleas while assessing the home and refuses to return. Contractors she has attempted to retain to rehabilitate have refused to enter the place. After the house was condemned, the former tenants were ordered to clean up the mess they had made. Very little happened, Hayward said. She complied with the requirement to board up the home. Then the city pursued receivership. This has all been going on for more than a year, city attorney Julia Glybin told a Housing Court judge Friday. The judge agreed to extend the deadline for Hayward to present a rehabilitation or demolition plan. That is scheduled for Nov. 5. A hearing on Haywards attorneys motion to vacate the receivership was continued until December. To further complicate a complex legal situation, the city failed to properly notify a lien holder about the receivership. Hayward was surprised to see social media posts from the purported receiver online. He was online telling everyone to congratulate him on his first flip. Friends called me asking about it, said Hayward, who, for now, has resumed responsibility for the Denver Street property after Fridays hearing. Rebecca Hayward walks through the Denver Street house on Friday. Sept, 5, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican) Douglas Hook Rebecca Hayward in the basement of the home that she bought in 2024, sight unseen. Over a year later, the house still is uninhabitable. Sept, 5, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican) Douglas Hook Buoniconti said applicants are closely vetted for the receivership role and must submit detailed repair plans and accurate cost estimates before the court approves the transition to a receiver. That person then secures a lien on the property that supersedes any other lien, except for taxes and fees owed to the city. Under state law, receivers are not supposed to profit, but many do, Buoniconti said. Receivership can be a nudge-wink system, attorneys say. The city essentially wrests control of a homeowners property and hands it to a third party, Buoniconti said. It typically happens when the situation becomes, or weve become, too exhausted by trying other remedies. Seen as less dangerous Hayward said the Denver Street property was far more dangerous before she sounded an alarm, after she bought the house last year. Buoniconti said the city has 15 properties under receivership, stretched out across Springfield. There are no zip codes that are common denominators. Most of them are single-family homes. The people associated with the properties are often struggling with mental illness or poverty. We take this process very, very seriously because it impacts not only the residents of a home but the neighborhood as well, he said. Youre asking about a process that is foreign to nearly everyone. The costs the receiver has incurred so far, for expenses like Dumpsters, total about $3,000. Hayward will likely be responsible for that. The city does not stand to profit from such transactions. Video News: [Video news] Talk Series #8 : Lassiette de demain : quels sont les enjeux au menu ? [Video News] La combinaison gagnante du Loto Vert du 31 octobre 2025[Video News]3 edition Sustainability Forum du Journal des Archipels[Video news] Reouverture de la Triolet Women Empowerment Centre[Video news]Kerastase illumine Maurice : Gloss Absolu, la nouvelle revolution capillaire devoilee par BrandActiv[Video News] Les numeros gagnants du tirage du Loto et Loto Plus du 29 octobre 2025Deces de Floyd Roger Myers Jr.[Video news]Andrey & Julia Dashins Foundation Champions Youth Training and Employability Through National TWA Pu Lavenir (Train. Work. 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The world's largest consumer goods group installed Philipp Navratil as its new boss this week after firing Laurent Freixe for hiding a relationship with a subordinate, throwing the company into its biggest leadership crisis in decades. The dramatic move following allegations of favouritism overshadows a wider malaise. Sales growth has stalled, the company's shares have lost 40% since 2022 and costs have ballooned. Debt levels have climbed past those of rivals such as Unilever. Now Nestle is hinting at a leaner future, as investors call for a slimmer product portfolio than the 2,000-strong one that ranges from Purina pet food to Nescafe coffee and KitKat chocolate bars, as well as a smaller payroll and cost discipline. Nestle did not respond to a Reuters request for comment for this article. The company's Chief Financial Officer Anna Manz, speaking to investors on Wednesday, cited the 49-year-old Navratil's ability to propel growth while "driving simplification across the organisation" in his previous job leading Nespresso. She added the Nestle veteran would bring a fast "pace to change". Investors and analysts urged the company to sharpen its focus, which comes as rivals like Kraft Heinz split to unlock potential value and activist investor Elliott Management has taken a $4 billion stake in PepsiCo, calling for a turnaround. "With a more focused portfolio and targeted acquisitions, Nestle can reignite growth. Size alone is no longer a guarantee of success in food," said Luzerner Kantonalbank analyst Reto Loetscher. 'LEANER AND MORE EFFICIENT' Nestle - whose net financial debt has risen to over three times its earnings before tax, interest, amortization and depreciation (EBITDA), up from around one in 2017, surpassing Unilever's which has roughly held at two times EBITDA over the same period - is already mulling some sell-offs. Under Freixe, Nestle had been trying to narrow its focus to about 30 of its 2,000 brands, prioritising products including KitKat, Nescafe and NAN infant formula. In July, the company said it had launched a review of its underperforming vitamins business that could lead to the divestment of some brands. It is also looking at a sale of its water division or potential partnerships. Drug dealers and drug users have been using taxi rides to transport, deliver, and pick up their drugs. The companies Uber and Freenow responded to the allegations that the taxi drivers made. Three Limerick taxi drivers spoke about the problem on the condition of anonymity. Tom, not his real name, says Ive had experiences where I've had people sit in the back and we stop at a traffic light, and somebody will come up to the rear window and they pass it [drugs] out like that. Read More: Absolute miracle: Irish teen who had last rites said over him twice starts Junior Cert year Youd often get a call on one of the apps and you dont necessarily know what the job is before you take [it]. Youd often get the smell [of cannabis]. Ive driven my taxi for about five years now. Whenever I have the suspicion of something going on like that, I'll end up blocking the passenger that I had [] I think I've blocked most of the lads that are moving it now. Tom believes that its primarily cannabis and cocaine that are being transported, however he is not sure. Of the six taxi drivers approached - four confirmed that drug runs are a problem they regularly deal with. One taxi driver did not wish to speak on the matter for fear of being seen as a snitch by local dealers. John - who requested an alias be used for him - said drug dealers try and use his services frequently, saying that it can happen once a week, twice a week, or every two weeks. And sometimes its the same people, and if you refuse them, they wont really cause a scene there, because they know that if the guards are coming they might get picked up. When asked why John thinks drug dealers use taxis rather than their own personal transportation John answered: Very few garda will stop taxis, very rarely. Some are very, very young, they dont have their own cars. Some are fifteen or sixteen years of age. Its a go around - scooters or bikes theyd be stopped. In terms of identifying these dodgy customers, John says You know when they say to you, Im only going as far as X place and then Ill come back into town. You know its either to buy drugs or drop off drugs. Mick - who wished to use a false name - says he has not given drug dealers rides as far as hes aware, but he frequently is approached by drug users to pick up drugs. He says: Ive never had hassle with them. Theyve always paid. Do I feel threatened at all? No. Do I like doing the run? No. Describing what a typical drug run looks like, Mick says: Theres always two - theyll go to a destination. One will get out of the car [upon arriving at the destination], the other stays in the car, so therefore you cant leave, so you have to stay there. You obviously know what theyre up to, theyre giving money to a friend they owe money to, is what they normally say. Echoing Johns account, Mick says, you drive them back to where you pick them up. While he actively avoids these types of trips, Mick does admit that on quiet days youll do it. Its just part of the parcel. When Mick was asked why he thinks drug users are using taxis he says: They wont walk because theyll be jumped. None of the three taxi men said they felt afraid or threatened by the drug dealers or drug users who have used their taxis. Mick explains that they need our service ... So thats why they use the taxi service. When Tom was asked if the taxi union or the ride apps are aware of drug users and dealers using taxis for drug pick-ups and drop-offs, he said: Im sure theyre aware. There are facilities within either of the apps to report passengers for suspect behaviour but whether or not that gets investigated, I dont know, I cant say. When John was posed the same question, he said that due to the freelance self-employed nature of the profession, there is no support there. Freenow Ireland General Manager, Danny O'Gorman commented: The Governments commitment to establish a dedicated transport police is a welcome step toward safer public transport, but taxi drivers must not be overlooked. Taxi drivers need equal access to protective measures, including the establishment of a dedicated Garda Helpline to report incidents and get rapid assistance. " No taxi driver should have to choose between their safety and earning a living, and Freenow will continue working to support drivers to combat anti-social behaviour and other safety concerns. Freenows driver app has tools that allow drivers to manage rides confidently, block unwanted passengers and report concerns if needed. A spokesperson from Uber said the company works closely with the Gardai and National Transport Authority on reports of behaviours that are against our Community Guidelines. When asked what could be done to stop the taxi drug runs John immediately answered that there should be more guards on the street. If taxi drivers and everyone else can identify them, surely Guards identify them. The Gardai declined to comment on the trend and instead asked for examples of specific incidences. None of the taxi drivers interviewed mentioned reporting the incidents of passengers involved with drug-related crime to the Gardai. By Samuel Shen, Rae Wee and Qiaoyi Li SINGAPORE/SHANGHAI (Reuters) -China's investors borrowed a record $322 billion to buy stocks this year, but sharp corrections this week and heightened regulatory scrutiny to cool overheated markets are now making them jittery about the leveraged bets. While risks for China's broader financial system have been elevated for months due to deflation in the economy and a persistent property debt crisis, the stock investors' recent actions could add more pressure. Outstanding margin financing in China, a key gauge of sentiment and leverage level, hit a record 2.3 trillion yuan ($321.55 billion) this week. And some speculators are diverting consumer loans to stock trading. Those helped Shanghai stocks hit 10-year highs last week in a liquidity-driven rally despite a weak economy and simmering trade and geopolitical tensions. But China's blue-chip CSI300 Index slumped 2% on Thursday after Bloomberg News reported, citing sources, that regulators are considering measures to cool the market. Cassiel Jiang, who borrowed 200,000 yuan to buy stocks for a quick profit, said she was a bit shocked by the increased volatility this week, when many stocks rose or fell 3% to 5%. "If you haven't taken profit at a peak, you wonder if you should cut the loss after you start bleeding," said the 35-year-old programmer in Beijing. Jiang said she planned to reduce leverage so that she "could sleep well at night". While highly leveraged market bets are not new to China, the mounting concerns of retail investors and regulators underscore the risk of bubbles forming in the world's second-largest economy. In a sign of the regulatory caution, China's top securities regulator Wu Qing pledged last week to "consolidate the good trend of the market" by actively promoting "long-term, rational, value" investment. Chinese tech bellwether Cambricon, which is in Jiang's portfolio, plunged 15% on Thursday after doubling in market value to 668 billion yuan in August. The artificial intelligence chipmaker, seen as China's answer to Nvidia, is among its most popular targets for speculators, who borrowed over 10 billion yuan to bet on the surging stock for outsized profit, according to exchange data. Steven Leung, executive director of institutional sales at UOB Kay Hian in Hong Kong, said that the record amount of margin financing has made the market more vulnerable. "If there's any measure trying to cool down the market, these people, especially those using margin financing, have to get out first," he said. WASHINGTON (AP) Confusion emerged Friday over Trump administration plans to halt some security assistance funding to European countries along the border with Russia, with some Baltic defense leaders saying they have not received official notification. Pentagon funding for programs that provide training and equipment to reinforce security would be cut, according to a person familiar with the discussions and a congressional aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. It wasn't clear exactly how much money would be affected, though it could be hundreds of millions of dollars. It includes funding under Section 333 and the Baltic Security Initiative, which helps finance weapons purchases by countries on NATOs eastern flank including of U.S. systems as well as ammunition, special forces training and intelligence support. A White House official, who was not authorized to speak publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity, said the action has been coordinated with European countries and is part of President Donald Trumps plan to ensure Europe takes more responsibility for its own defense. The Trump administration has pushed NATO countries to step up their defense spending and slashed foreign assistance across the board. As Trump remakes the American approach to foreign policy, allies have tried to decipher often murky proposals, from tariffs to troop numbers. It was not clear whether U.S. lawmakers would approve of some of the reductions, which were inconsistent with the Pentagons most recent allocations notified to Congress, the congressional aide said. Baltic countries express confusion and concern Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said any cuts to American military support to the Baltic states part of NATO's border with Russia would only weaken the credibility of NATOs attempts at deterrence as Moscow's war in Ukraine drags on. Vaidotas Urbelis, Lithuania's Defense Ministry policy director, said there had been discussions and certain indications from the U.S. but that the country had received no official information about any reduction in support and was talking to the Pentagon about which programs will be continued and which may be postponed. Latvia's Defense Ministry also said it had not received any official notification of concrete decisions and said it would continue discussions on reaffirming the importance of the support. The Estonian Defense Ministry said in a statement that it was clear the current administrations direction is to significantly cut foreign aid, but added that U.S. assistance increasingly makes up a smaller proportion of the countrys defense budget because Estonia has ramped up its own spending. The three Baltic states as well as Poland are the NATO countries that spend the most on defense, promising to spend 5% of gross domestic product from 2026. Members of Congress are also in the dark Congressional offices also were waiting Friday for details on what programs would be cut under the Pentagons proposal, but lawmakers from both political parties who have been supportive of U.S. support to the region were alarmed. Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican who is retiring next year, said on social media that it would be a disastrous and shameful decision. This Administration continues to be WEAK towards Putin and a WEAK leader of the Free World, he added. This will read as an ugly chapter in U.S. history if the President does not reverse course. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement that this is a misguided move that sends exactly the wrong signal as we try to force Putin to the negotiating table and deter Russian aggression. Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, joined with Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, to propose that Congress annual defense authorization bill include language to codify the Baltic Security Initiative, which established military cooperation between the U.S., Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The Pentagon said it has reviewed foreign assistance programs under Trump's orders and that he has been "unequivocal in asserting that allies and partners must assume greater responsibility for funding their own security." The plans to cut the security funds were first reported by the Financial Times. Where the funding goes That initiative allocated about $377 million from 2018 to 2024, Estonias Defense Ministry said. It helped fund Estonia's purchase of critical capabilities, including U.S.-made HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems. Also affected is Section 333 funding from the Defense Department, which totaled nearly $1.6 billion to Europe from 2018 to 2022, according to the Government Accountability Office. However, State Department funding to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia is unaffected as of yet. It provides roughly $7 billion a year in military assistance to the Baltic states, almost $6 billion of which is foreign military financing used by those countries to purchase U.S.-made munitions and other materiel, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. The Estonian Defense Ministry suggested that funding cuts would still have to be approved by Congress. Congress previously included the Baltic Security Initiative in the budget even though the Pentagon has never been a huge fan of it, said Helga Kalm, deputy director at the International Centre for Defence and Security in Tallinn, Estonia. It's too soon to know if the funding will be pulled or not, she said. Because the Baltic nations now have ramped up their defense spending and cooperate extensively, it wouldn't be the end of the world" if it were cut, Kalm said. The move came as military drills to train U.S. military personnel to rapidly deploy forces and prepare for operations on NATOs eastern flank started Friday in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland. Trumps ambassador to NATO had said earlier this year that the U.S. would start discussions later in the year about reducing troops in Europe, but the proposal has not moved forward. Trump suggested Thursday that he could send more troops to Poland. ___ Burrows reported from London. Associated Press writers Chris Megerian and Matthew Lee in Washington, Liudas Dapkas in Vilnius, Lithuania, Sam McNeil in Brussels, Belgium, and Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Switzerland, contributed to this report. Nvidia defends its dominance in the artificial intelligence space with its software moat. Many companies have built their AI software stacks based on Nvidia CUDA to harness the power of GPUs, and because Nvidia's software only works with its GPUs, they can't switch to competitors' GPUs. This strategy has worked well for the company; however, things are changing, and Broadcom just took a slice of Nvidia's AI pie. Broadcom's increase in AI market share can only surprise people who don't know that it already has a long-standing partnership with Google, which birthed its tensor processing units (chips specialized for AI work). Related: Agentic AI already makes major impact on jobs at leading tech company The company also works with Meta Platforms and ByteDance on their custom AI chips. During the earnings call, Broadcom announced a partnership with another major AI company. Broadcom is now making AI chips for 4 major companies.Shutterstock Broadcom Q3 revenue grows 22% to $15.95 billion year over year On September 4, Broadcom (AVGO) reported its results for Q3 of fiscal 2025. Hock Tan, president and CEO of Broadcom, expects AI semiconductor revenue to grow to $6.2 billion in the next quarter. Here are the earnings highlights: Revenue of $15.95 billion for the third quarter, up 22% YoY. Net income of $4.14 billion for the third quarter. Adjusted EBITDA of $10.7 billion for the third quarter, or 67% of revenue. Diluted earnings per share of $0.85 for the third quarter; Quarterly common stock dividend of $0.59 per share. The company provided an outlook for Q4 of fiscal year 2025: Revenue guidance of approximately $17.4 billion, an increase of 24% YoY. Adjusted EBITDA guidance of 67% of projected revenue. Broadcom strikes $10 billion deal with OpenAI During the earnings call, Tan said that the company made a deal with a new customer to build their AI accelerators, and the customer committed to over $10 billion in orders of AI racks based on the company's XPUs. Broadcom didn't reveal who the new customer is, but Financial Times' contacts confirmed that OpenAI is the new client. With OpenAI joining Google, Meta, and ByteDance in search of cheaper AI chips, it is clear that most companies would switch from Nvidia to something else if it weren't for CUDA. Nevertheless, since they are investing in these chips, they must also slowly make changes to their software stacks. More AI Stocks: Another piece of tech that helps Nvidia dominate the market is NVlink. It helps connect multiple GPUs and communicate at very high speeds. Many companies have teamed up to work on an alternative called Ultra Accelerator Link, including Google, AMD, Intel, Meta, Apple, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Microsoft, Broadcom, and many more. A July 3, 2018 state inspection photo shows a Schlicht Ponds dredging project underway along Lake Columbia in Brooklyn, Mich. The contractor, Scott Schlicht, was issued a violation notice for failing to control sedimentation into the lake. On Aug. 15, 2025, Schlicht was fined $150,000 by a Lansing judge following years of alleged permit violations. (Michigan EGLE photo) Michigan EGLE LANSING, MI An Ingham County judge has ordered an excavation contractor to pay a $150,000 fine following years of alleged permit violations at pond building projects. Scott Schlicht of Schlicht Excavating must start paying the state in October under an order from Ingham County Judge Wanda Stokes, who ruled last year that Schlicht violated Michigan law during multiple pond construction and dredging projects. The ruling stems from a 2023 lawsuit filed by Attorney General Dana Nessels office, which accused Schlicht of failing to secure permits or violating their conditions at multiple residential construction projects in six counties between 2017 and 2021. According to the state, Schlichts company frequently ignored requirements to control sedimentation with turbidity curtains or control measures, worked outside permitted excavation boundaries and put dredge spoils in protected wetlands. The alleged violations occurred in Genesee, Jackson, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, Roscommon and Washtenaw counties. A message seeking comment at Schlicht Ponds in Montrose was not returned. Schlichts attorney Robert K. Kaufman of Oklahoma declined to comment. Schlicht and Kaufman are asking Ingham County Judge James Jamo to disqualify Judge Stokes and reconsider her two Aug. 15 orders, which established the civil fine and overruled their objections to the states post-judgment witness testimony. Stokes fined Schlicht the full amount requested by EGLE and issued an injunction to prevent his company from further violating state inland lake and wetland protection laws. In July 2024, Stokes ruled in favor of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) on summary disposition and closed the case. EGLE sent Schlicht an invoice on Aug. 28 for $37,500, due Oct. 14. According to state documents, EGLE escalated its permit enforcement in 2020 after an investigation into Schlicht projects dating back to 2015 found that lakes had been dredged and ponds built in wetlands without proper permits. Parts 301 and 303 of the state Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA) require a permit for any excavation within 500 feet of a regulated waterway or wetland. A Schlicht Ponds excavator dredges the bottom of Cusick Lake in Macomb County, Mich., in August 2020. The state says the beach-building project permit explicitly forbade dredging. The property owner undertook years of restoration. (Michigan EGLE) Michigan EGLE According to EGLE, Schlicht violated permits at properties on Cusick Lake, Zukey Lake, Swains Lake, Squaw Lake, Lake Columbia, Bullard Lake, Logan Lake and Lake Wilson. Schlichts clients who owned the property where violations occurred also received notices and EGLE forced multiple owners to undertake remedial efforts such as moving dredge spoils, planting trees, landscaping and restoring shorelines. Some violations were challenged through administrative cases. Violation notices on certain projects date back to Gov. Rick Snyders administration, when EGLE was known as the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The Schlicht Ponds website says the company began in 2006 and proudly stands as the #1 pond builder in Michigan. Nessel and EGLE Director Phil Roos issued statements this week committing to holding environmental law violators accountable. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kicked off her trade mission to Singapore and Japan on Aug. 31. She is pictured in a MLive file photo at Kettering University GM Mobility Research Center in Flint. (Ayrton Breckenridge | MLive.com) Ayrton Breckenridge | MLive.com Gov. Gretchen Whitmer highlighted on social media Saturday the thousands of jobs and millions in investments secured through the states partnership with Asian leaders while at an expo in Japan. The governor kicked off her trade mission to Singapore and Japan on Sunday in partnership with a delegation of public- and private-sector leaders from across the state. In a video posted on X Saturday, Sept. 6, Whitmer provided an update on her trip alongside Governor Taizo Mikazuki from the Shiga Prefecture in Japan from the Osaka Expo. Michigans open for business and on the move, Whitmer said in the video. A few weeks ago, we were ranked the sixth best state doing business, putting us in the top 10 for the third year in a row. Im in Japan to build on our momentum and compete hard to bring jobs back to Michigan. Here are three takeaways from Whitmers investment mission this week: Whitmer departs for trade trip as budget deadline looms Whitmers investment mission comes as a potential government shutdown looms due to stalled state budget negotiations. To avoid the shutdown, the state will need to adopt a budget before the start of the next fiscal year on Oct. 1. Lawmakers need to agree on a 2025-2026 spending plan. Lawmakers did not meet the self-imposed budget deadline of July 1. It is unclear when Whitmer will return to the state, but she has said her administration is prepared for the possible shutdown. Automotive supplier investing $95 million in new headquarters in Wixom During her trip, Whitmer announced that Tokyo-based automotive supplier Astemo Ltd. is investing $95 million in a regional headquarters in Wixom. She said the investment will support a minimum of 200 good-paying jobs and help retain an additional 175 jobs. The announcement comes as the company, which already has a technical center and headquarters just west of Wixom in Farmington Hills, looks to expand. Manufacturer announces plans for $72.8 million global headquarters in Zeeland On Wednesday, Sept. 3, JR Automation announced its plans for a new $72.8 million global headquarters in Zeeland, which is expected to create about 150 new jobs. The announcement came after leaders from the company met with Whitmer and its parent company, Tokyo-based Hitachi Ltd. Additionally, 350 existing employees from several of the companys West Michigan locations will be relocated to the new headquarters. JR Automation plans to break ground on the 286,000-square-foot facility this month, and it expects construction will be completed in Fall 2026. The facility will be located on Riley Street and feature a space that will be utilized for the assembly of customer automation projects as well as an office space. Japan is Michigans sixth-largest trade partner and more than 37,000 direct jobs in the state are supported by 415 Japanese-owned companies in Michigan. Singapore is also a major trade partner of Michigan, which primarily exports transportation equipment, machinery, and chemical products. In 2024, the states exports to Singapore totaled $283 million. The last time Whitmer left the country for a trade mission was in June, when she traveled to Australia for a week with a state delegation. A man has been accused of writing $19,000 in bad checks to purchase cows in Northern Michigan. (MLive file photo) Neil Blake | MLive.com WEXFORD COUNTY, MI A man has been accused of writing $19,000 in bad checks to purchase cows in Northern Michigan. Michigan State Police (MSP) said Mark Craft, 39, of Mancelona, is facing four counts of writing non-sufficient fund check of $500 or more. He was arraigned Aug. 27 in Wexford Countys 84th District Court. State police began investigating the incident in May 2025. Craft allegedly wrote checks without sufficient funds on four separate occasions when purchasing a total of 10 cows from the victim, at a price of $19,000. The victim reportedly held the checks until all transactions were completed and communication with the processing company concluded. When the victim cashed the checks at a local bank, they were returned for insufficient funds, MSP said. Craft was given a personal recognizance bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 16, MSP said. Harvested marijuana is seen in this MLive file photo. John Cunningham, 55, of Traverse City was arraigned this week on two counts of filing a false or fraudulent income tax return in connection with income he allegedly received from a black-market marijuana operation. Jake May | MLive.com TRAVERSE CITY, MI A Traverse City man accused of failing to pay taxes while receiving income from a black-market marijuana operation has been arraigned on felony charges. John Cunningham, 55, was arraigned in the 54-A District Court in Lansing on Friday, Sept. 5, on two counts of filing a false or fraudulent income tax return, according to a news release from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Each count carries a sentence of up to 5 years in prison. Cunningham was arrested following an investigation of a large-scale, unlicensed marijuana growing and distribution operation featuring multiple buildings in Grand Traverse County. The investigation was conducted by the Michigan State Police (MSP) Marijuana and Tobacco Investigations Section. While executing search warrants in January 2023, MSP troopers recovered 134 marijuana plants, over 230 pounds of processed marijuana, more than $100,000 in cash, two vehicles, and six Rolex watches worth over $100,000 from Cunninghams home. Additionally, Cunningham is accused of failing to file taxes between 2021 and 2022. When Michiganders voted to legalize marijuana, they did so with the expectation that sales would be taxed and the revenue would go toward benefiting our communities, Nessel said in a statement. People must pay their taxes, and my office will continue to hold accountable those who seek to profit outside the law. Cunningham is set to appear in the Ingham County 54-A District Court on Thursday, Sept. 11, for a probable cause conference. A Michigan man was arraigned on several charges related to possession of child pornography. (MLive file photo) MLive.com MACOMB COUNTY, MI A Michigan man is facing felony charges for allegedly possessing child sexually abusive material. Kevin John Buchanan, 36, was arraigned Friday, Sept. 5, on multiple charges, including three counts of aggravated possession of child sexually abusive material and three counts of using a computer to commit a crime, each punishable by 10 years in prison, according to the Macomb County Prosecutors Office. He also faces one count of possession of child sexually abusive material and one count of using a computer to commit a crime (related to possession of child sexually abusive material), which both carry 4-year prison sentences. Those who possess this material are not passive observers, they are fueling the cycle of abuse, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said in a statement. Our office will relentlessly pursue charges to protect vulnerable children and to deliver justice on their behalf. A judge set Buchanans bond at $250,000, according to Lucidos office. If released, he is forbidden from having contact with minors or using electronic devices capable of connecting to the internet, and he must wear a GPS tether. GRAND HAVEN, MI A stunning riverside home brings a glimpse of Italy to West Michigan. Listed at $1.3 million by Jenna Pope of Coldwell Banker Woodland Schmidt, the five-bedroom and five-bathroom riverside estate at 15742 Grand Point Drive in Grand Haven is MLives House of the Week, a series that showcases distinctive homes from across Michigan each week. The property, boasting 117 feet of Grand River frontage, showcases an impressive blend of old-world craftsmanship and contemporary luxury. Pope said the homes architecture was inspired by high-end materials and the owners Italian roots. Its so unique, not only because of the style and all the nooks and crannies and entertaining spaces, but its also the building materials, Pope said. The owners have imported pieces from Italy that theyre keeping, but you can see their Italian heritage and they absolutely love, love Italy. See 70 images provided by David Jeffries of New Listing Media by clicking into the gallery below or click here. View the listing of the home here. 70 1 / 70 House of the Week: 15742 Grand Point Dr. The 3,421-square-foot residence features a hand-carved mahogany balustrade from the early 1900s Dodge mansion in Grosse Pointe, which creates an elegant overlook of the main living area. The piece was bought at auction and seamlessly incorporated into the space. Its hand-carved and beautiful said Pope. Its an actual antique. A stained glass piece from a Minneapolis church adds to the homes collection of historic architectural elements. The home features distinct living wings designed for privacy, Pope said. The unique layout includes two bedrooms on the upper level and two on the lower level, which includes an office that doubles as a bedroom. Stairwells leading to each wing are accentuated by curved alcoves. RELATED: West Michigan waterfront estate offers slice of Italian countryside for $1.3M Inside a home, at 15742 Grand Point Dr. in Grand Haven, listed for $1.3 million by Jenna Pope Realty. Photos provided by New Listing Media | Holland, MI Landscaping of a home, at 15742 Grand Point Dr. in Grand Haven, listed for $1.3 million by Jenna Pope Realty. Photos provided by New Listing Media | Holland, MI A small courtyard at the front of a home, at 15742 Grand Point Dr. in Grand Haven, listed for $1.3 million by Jenna Pope Realty. Photos provided by New Listing Media | Holland, MI The kitchen of a home, at 15742 Grand Point Dr. in Grand Haven, listed for $1.3 million by Jenna Pope Realty. Photos provided by New Listing Media | Holland, MI The back patio of a home, at 15742 Grand Point Dr. in Grand Haven, listed for $1.3 million by Jenna Pope Realty. Photos provided by New Listing Media | Holland, MI Inside a home, at 15742 Grand Point Dr. in Grand Haven, listed for $1.3 million by Jenna Pope Realty. Photos provided by New Listing Media | Holland, MI A bedroom or office space at a home, at 15742 Grand Point Dr. in Grand Haven, listed for $1.3 million by Jenna Pope Realty. Photos provided by New Listing Media | Holland, MI The balcony inside a home, at 15742 Grand Point Dr. in Grand Haven, listed for $1.3 million by Jenna Pope Realty. Photos provided by New Listing Media | Holland, MI The back patio of a home, at 15742 Grand Point Dr. in Grand Haven, listed for $1.3 million by Jenna Pope Realty. Photos provided by New Listing Media | Holland, MI The front exterior of a home, at 15742 Grand Point Dr. in Grand Haven, listed for $1.3 million by Jenna Pope Realty. Photos provided by New Listing Media | Holland, MI A family room in the basement of a home, at 15742 Grand Point Dr. in Grand Haven, listed for $1.3 million by Jenna Pope Realty. Photos provided by New Listing Media | Holland, MI A small courtyard at the front of a home, at 15742 Grand Point Dr. in Grand Haven, listed for $1.3 million by Jenna Pope Realty. Photos provided by New Listing Media | Holland, MI The main sitting room of a home, at 15742 Grand Point Dr. in Grand Haven, listed for $1.3 million by Jenna Pope Realty. Photos provided by New Listing Media | Holland, MI SAGINAW TWP, MI Susan Rowbottom has always dreamed of running her own restaurant. And with 25 years of experience in the industry, Rowbottom was ready to take on a beloved spot that was on the market. A view of Levis Food and Spirits, 5800 Brockway Road in Saginaw Township, Mich., on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com Levis Food and Spirits, 5800 Brockway Road, was run by the Levi family that started it all about 40 years ago until Rowbottom purchased the restaurant and bar earlier this year. It was a long search, but when I seen this one, I told my grandma, If I dont do it now, Ill regret it the rest of my life, said Rowbottom, who purchased the business in April. Owner Susan Rowbottom poses for a photograph inside Levis Food and Spirits, 5800 Brockway Road in Saginaw Township, Mich., on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com Rowbottom said she grew up in Saginaw and was the first baby born in Saginaw County in 1987. After graduating high school in mid-Michigan, Rowbottom moved to Chicago to work at the Windy City Cafe, living in the apartment above the restaurant. Seven years later, she returned home to Michigan, and worked at Luckys Steakhouse for eight years, leading her to owning her very own restaurant. A view inside Levis Food and Spirits, 5800 Brockway Road in Saginaw Township, Mich., on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com Levis has moved locations a few times over the years and Rowbottom said the Levi family built the current building themselves. Its kind of tucked away, she said of the restaurant located between State Street and Brockway Road, near Walmart, 5825 Brockway Road. A view of several dishes available from Levis Food and Spirits, 5800 Brockway Road in Saginaw Township, Mich. Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com Rowbottom said people can expect a friendly environment, a new menu and the same decor Levis has had, such as the taxidermied wolf encased in glass right at the entrance and the colorful glass Tiffany lamps hanging from the ceiling. The menu is full of from-scratch, homecooked breakfast, lunch and dinner options, so there is something for everyone in the family. There is a full bar available as well, which many might not know about, Rowbottom said. A view inside Levis Food and Spirits, 5800 Brockway Road in Saginaw Township, Mich., on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com Back in the day, Levis was known for their bar and their little bit of bar food. Now, were more of a family restaurant with the flare of having the bar, Rowbottom said. I want to keep it as close to what it was and trying to just bring that more family-type atmosphere back into it. Breakfast is served until 4 p.m. each day, including classics like French toast, omelets and skillets. However, Rowbottom said Levis Monte Cristo sandwich and the cinnamon roll pancakes have both been hits. A view of French toast available from Levis Food and Spirits, 5800 Brockway Road in Saginaw Township, Mich. Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com The lunch menu offers appetizers, sandwiches, wraps, burgers, salads and entrees. The chicken Alfredo features a homemade Alfredo sauce, and the baby back ribs are smoked in house, as are the pulled pork and chicken wings. A view the mac and cheese and baby back ribs available from Levis Food and Spirits, 5800 Brockway Road in Saginaw Township, Mich. Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com Rowbottom said she is working with the chefs to expand the dinner menu, which currently offers appetizers, entrees, Mexican dishes, seafood, pasta, salads, burgers, sandwiches, soups and desserts. A view of chicken parmesan available from Levis Food and Spirits, 5800 Brockway Road in Saginaw Township, Mich. According to the menu, this dish includes chicken served on spaghetti or fettuccine topped with house marinara and mozzarella cheese. Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com Levis Facebook page is very active and the team is consistently sharing whats available under the new menu there. Its a dream come true. I mean, raising two kids, a single mom, its a challenge, but its doing wonderful. They have something to look forward to themselves, Rowbottom said. Levis Food and Spirits is open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Check out Levis Food and Spirits Facebook page here and its website here. Would you like MLive to feature your favorite restaurant in Michigans Best Local Eats? Send the details, including business name, address and best menu item, to Kaytie Boomer at kboomer@mlive.com. Tamal Nandi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Bannerman Energy has secured two binding offtake agreements with leading North American utilities for the sale of uranium from its Etango Uranium Project in Namibia. The contracts, which extend from 2029 to 2033, will see the sale of a total of one million pounds (mlb) of uranium, with options for annual up or down adjustments of 10%. The agreements involve two Fortune 500 energy providers, known for their extensive power generation capabilities and investment-grade credit ratings. Structured with base price and escalation clauses tied to the US GDP Implicit Price Deflator (GDP-IPD), the price provisions will become active in the fifth year of the term. Each agreement is contingent upon a standard condition precedent, including obtaining the required regulatory approvals for the sale of uranium as stipulated in each contract. Bannerman Energy CEO Gavin Chamberlain said: The signing of these limited, select offtake agreements (the first for Bannerman) with high-quality utility counterparties represents a further important step in our systematic advancement of Etango towards a targeted final investment decision. We are able to demonstrate to potential customers a strong foundation for confidence in our ability to meet future supply commitments. In combination with growing global nuclear demand and ongoing tightening in uranium markets, this further reinforces our position as a strategic, long-term supplier to major utilities. The company's phased development approach for Etango also ensures that sales and marketing efforts are in sync with both project progression and financial planning. This allows Bannerman Energy to adapt to market changes while positioning itself as a preferred supplier in the global uranium sector. In July 2024, Bannerman Energy raised approximately A$85m ($56.54m) through a share placement to fund the advancement of the Etango-8 project. "Bannerman Energy secures uranium offtake agreements with North American energy providers" was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. By Jesus Aguado and Emma Pinedo MADRID (Reuters) -Spain's BBVA said on Friday that its 14.9 billion euro ($17.44 billion) mostly share-based hostile bid for Sabadell is scheduled to begin on Monday, while the target bank's chairman said the offer was worse than its earlier one. BBVA said it now expects the merger to generate 900 million euros in cost savings, from an initial estimate of 850 million euros, but added that those combined benefits are now projected to materialise in 2029 after the Spanish government blocked a full merger of the two banks for at least three years. Before that, the bank expects to achieve 235 million euros in cost savings by 2028. Combining the two lenders would create the second largest Spanish bank in terms of domestic assets with more than 1 trillion euros, behind Caixabank. Sabadell shareholders will have until October 7 to tender their shares, according to the expected calendar, with the results of the offer expected by October 14. "We already have the deal up and running. It's a great offer with a lot of value creation potential. Let's get it done," BBVA's Chief Executive Onur Genc told analysts and investors in a conference call. Sabadells board has 10 working days from September 8 to issue its formal opinion on the bid. On Friday, it said its board will conduct a new in-depth analysis and will issue a reasoned assessment, but its chairman Josep Oliu said the offer was worse than the original one that was rejected by his board in 2024. Back then, BBVA surprised the market when it made a first offer, which turned hostile after the board shunned it. BBVA aims to secure the majority of voting rights or 49.3% of Sabadell's shares. Although the bank received authorisation from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, where the bank's shares also trade, to lower the acceptance threshold to 30%, BBVA still intends to secure at least 50% of voting rights. "We have a condition that stipulates that if we do not reach 50% (of voting rights), the takeover bid would not go ahead," Chairman Carlos Torres said. "We want to be in control and we have no intention of changing that." Shareholders of Sabadell are widely dispersed. Its 20 largest shareholders are international institutional investors and none of them owns more than 7%, according to LSEG data. An association of Sabadell's minority shareholders said on Friday that BBVA's swap does not pay for Sabadell's potential and that BBVA seeks to get it at a "bargain price." Archisha Yadav is a sub editor with 1.5 years of experience in writing news articles on topics like education, jobs, and politics. She specialises in crafting simple, clear, and engaging stories that are easy to understand and hold the readers interest, making complex topics accessible and relatable to a larger audience. 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I Accept Palak Vij USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept Gayatri Rani USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group and Bhutan PM Dasho Tshering Tobgay during the signing of the power purchase agreement and concession agreement. (Courtesy: X | @tsheringtobgay) Sonalee Borgohain USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept BERLIN (Reuters) -BMW Chief Executive Oliver Zipse said the European Unions planned phase-out of combustion engines by 2035 was a "big mistake", calling for a shift to emission measures that capture a vehicle's entire supply chain. Zipse said in an interview with Politico, published on Friday, that setting a fixed date for the transition risked ignoring emissions across the value chain, including battery production and fuel sourcing. 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(Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise) Additionally, this step will help accelerate the delivery of next-generation medicines, support digital and data-driven solutions, and help shape future-ready healthcare ecosystems, it added. Aishwarya Dabhade USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. 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I Accept DNA test of child in face of mother's admission an insult to her motherhood: Orissa High Court In the case at hand, Justice Routray said, admittedly, the suit is for partition where the opposition party disputes the parentage of a man despite the evidence of his mother 101Reporters USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. 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We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Rashid was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2019 in connection with a 2017 terror funding case. Deblina Halder USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. 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I Accept By Luciana Magalhaes and Marcela Ayres BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian state-run lender BRB is weighing a fresh proposal for assets of Banco Master, a person familiar with the matter said, after the central bank blocked its initial bid, sending BRB shares tumbling on Thursday. BRB, controlled by the Federal District government, said late on Wednesday the regulator had rejected a deal struck in March that would have given it 49% of Master's common shares and 100% of its preferred shares, for a total 58% stake. BRB preferred shares closed 5.6% lower on Thursday, as Brazil's benchmark stock index rose 0.8%. According to a person familiar with the talks, who asked not to be named as the plans are private, BRB has not yet had full access to the central bank's decision and is not convinced it must abandon the transaction. The bank may seek a structure that shields it from taking on liabilities tied to the part of Master not included in the purchase, the source added. However, another source familiar with the deal said the regulator's concerns go "well beyond" that point. A third source noted that Master needs significant fresh capital to stabilize its balance sheet. BRB and Master did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The central bank said it would not comment. BRB had emphasized from the start it would acquire only what it deemed the healthy assets of its mid-sized peer Master, which drew market attention in recent years with aggressive growth fueled by issuing high-yield debt. Over time, BRB narrowed the scope of its proposal, saying in late August it aimed to acquire just 24 billion reais ($4.4 billion) in assets and exclude 51.2 billion reais' worth of assets - more than double the amount initially expected to be left out. That cut the estimated value of the deal to 1.8 billion reais, from an initial 2 billion reais. Master's funding relied heavily on high-yield debt sold through investment platforms, marketed as covered by Brazil's deposit insurance fund, which guarantees up to 250,000 reais per investor in case of bank failure. Proceeds were invested in illiquid or hard-to-price assets, including court-ordered receivables from governments and stakes in troubled companies targeted for turnaround. ($1 = 5.4212 reais) (Reporting by Luciana Magalhaes and Marcela Ayres; Editing by Brad Haynes and Rod Nickel) 'I shall be on the ground': FM Sitharaman to personally oversee GST rate cuts implementation Yeeshu Yadav USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept Hazratbal row: Omar Abdullah questions use of national emblem on mosque plaque, parties demand removal of Waqf Board chief 101Reporters USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept Earlier this week, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev alleged that India acted against Bakus SCO application to punish it for its close alliance with Pakistan. Deblina Halder USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept The court will now examine the evidence presented, while the accused face trial in the coming months. Aishwarya Dabhade USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. 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I Accept The revised development comes months after PM Modi travelled to Washington in February for a bilateral meeting with Trump at the White House. Deblina Halder USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept The market for initial public offerings, or IPOs, for companies in the crypto sector has been quite active and successful this year. Starting from multi-asset trading platform eToro (ETOR) in May, followed by stablecoin issuer Circle (CRCL) and crypto-specific exchange platform Bullish (BLSH), all made spectacular debuts on the bourses, with eToro and Circle being oversubscribed. Thus, it will be a tough act to follow for blockchain-based lender Figure Technology (FIGR). More News from Barchart About Figure Technology Founded in 2018, Figure Technology is a blockchain-native lending and capital marketplace providing faster, more efficient consumer credit services, especially home equity lending. Figure uses its Provenance blockchain to digitize loan origination, securitization, and capital market processes, dramatically speeding up home equity lending. It has originated over $16 billion in home equity loans to date. The company's stock is set to list on the exchanges today and will trade under the ticker FIGR. Seeking to raise $526.3 million from the offering, Figure actually expects net proceeds from it to be about $376.4 million and proposes to offer 26.3 million shares in the expected price range of $18-$20. The company intends to use the net proceeds for general corporate purposes and to acquire or invest in businesses, products, services, or technologies. But the question remains: Should the Figure IPO be subscribed to, or will investors shun it, citing crypto IPO fatigue? Let's figure it out. Figuring Out the Financials Figure's revenues have been on an uptrend over the years, with expectations of growth in 2025 as well. Revenues increased to $340.9 million in 2024 from 2023's figure of $209.5 million. Further, the company turned a loss of $52.4 million recorded in 2023 to a net income of $19.9 million in 2024. The picture is playing out the same way in the first six months of 2025 as well, with revenues for the period coming in at $190.6 million, up 22.2% from the year-ago period, as the company reported a net income of $29.4 million in the same period compared to a loss of $13.4 million in the previous year. Ecosystem Volume, which reflects the total dollar volume of transactions processed across Figures entire platform, including all consumer loans, partner-branded products, Figure-branded loans, and digital asset marketplace activity, grew by an impressive 73.5% on a year-over-year (YoY) basis to $5.9 billion in 2024. In the same period, the Consumer Loan Marketplace Volume, which is the total loan origination volume across Figures consumer lending marketplace and the biggest component of its lending business, rose by 50% from the previous year to $5.1 billion. For the six months ending June 30, 2025, Ecosystem Volume was at $3.5 billion (vs. $2.5 billion in 2024), and Consumer Loan Marketplace Volume was at $3.2 billion (vs. $2.5 billion in 2024). Arishaa Izaj USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. 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For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept UK prosecutors inspect Tihar jail as India ramps up extradition push for fugitives like Nirav Modi: Report Tamal Nandi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Chirantan Chatterjee is professor of economics at University of Sussex, 2025 founding fellow Royal Economic Society, 2018-19 national fellow at Hoover Institution (Stanford University) and visiting professor MBZUAI (Abu Dhabi), Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition (MIPLC, Germany) and Ahmedabad-U (India). Views expressed are personal, and do not reflect the stand of this site. While not new, hostility against migrant talent in the West has sharpened. (Image credit: Kelly via Pexels) Moneycontrol Features USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Sam Altman revisits dead internet theory amid increase in AI-driven accounts on X. What is it? The so-called dead internet theory had circulated for several years as an online discussion point. Shubhi Mishra USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. 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For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Android under threat: Indian government warns all Android users of serious security flaws, except . 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 MC Tech Desk USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept DeepSeek to launch GPT-5 rival later this year: Here's what we know so far 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 The measure that came into force on Saturday aims to block new downloads of the app, the agency said, though DeepSeek's web service remains accessible in the country. Shaurya Shubham USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. 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I Accept Chinas largest vehicle manufacturer, BYD Auto, has cut its full-year 2025 global sales target by 16% to 4.6 million units, from its previous target of 5.5 million units, according to a Reuters report citing two people with knowledge of the matter. The sources pointed out that the new target remains subject to change, depending on market conditions. While BYDs global sales were up by 33% year-on-year to 2,145,954 units in the first half of 2025, including a 128% surge in overseas sales to 464,266 units, its sales in July and August were flat year-on-year. Sales in the first eight months of the year increased by 23% to 2,863,876 units, as demand for its plug-in hybrid vehicles continued to weaken. Sales of passenger battery electric vehicles (BEVs) rose by 39% to 1,400,853 units year-to-date, while sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles increased by just 8.4% to 1,424,949 units after falling by 23% in each of the last two months, with August marking the fifth consecutive month of decline. Commercial vehicle sales surged fourfold to 38,074 units, while overseas sales increased by 136% to 625,816 units. The company is facing stronger competition in its home market from the ever-expanding number of domestic new energy vehicle (NEV) brands. The price war in China has taken its toll on the companys earnings, with second-quarter net profits falling by 30% year-on-year to CNY 6.326 billion, the first decline since the first quarter of 2022, despite a 14% rise in revenues to CNY 201 billion. "BYD cuts 2025 target as hybrid sales plunge" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. PM Modi responds to Trumps softer tone, calls India-US ties Forward-Looking Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said he deeply appreciates and fully reciprocates President Donald Trumps positive assessment of India-US ties, calling them very positive and forward-looking. His remarks came after Trump dialed down his recent criticism of New Delhi and said he would always be friends with Modi. The US President had earlier sparked tensions by imposing 50% tariffs on India and criticizing its Russian oil imports. Trump walked back his lost India to China remark, insisting that bilateral relations remain strong. He emphasized that India and the US share a special relationship, despite current disagreements. He helped take Epstein down: US Speaker Mike Johnson says Trump was FBI informant for decades His remarks came even as survivors of Epsteins abuse and a bipartisan group of lawmakers continued to press for transparency. Aishwarya Dabhade USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept Nobody has done what we did: Trump reiterates claim US ended seven wars, including Russia-Ukraine Pragya Trivedi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept NYC mayor Eric Adams vows to stay in race, says hes the only one who can defeat Mamdani NYC Mayor Eric Adams says he is the only one who can beat Mamdani Pragya Trivedi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Trump executive order aims to rename 'woke' Department of Defence as Department of War Congress has to formally authorise a new name, and several of Trump's closest supporters on Capitol Hill proposed legislation earlier Friday to codify the new name into law. 101Reporters USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Trump says US in 'very deep' talks with Hamas, urges release of all hostages in Gaza US in "very deep" negotiations with Hamas to free hostages, says Trump Pragya Trivedi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Why is a skateboard a better investment in 2025 than private equity? Because you can flip it. A sluggish PE market this year, held back in the second quarter by tariff-induced uncertainty, has left some buyout firms in a bind when it comes to returning cash to their investors. Nevertheless, alternative assets giant Carlyle and investment bank Goldman Sachs have come up with some Tony Hawk-worthy tricks to make the best of the moment. READ ALSO: What To Expect After The Fed Cuts Rates and Apple May Still Be a Hitmaker After All Settle for a Haircut Last year marked the first time since Bain & Co. started tracking data in 2005 that the private equity industry shrank, with assets under management declining 2% to $4.7 trillion. A slowdown in the sector left investors, who saw a $3 trillion backlog of aging, unsold stakes, wary. While many PE firms are under pressure to convert those stakes into liquidity in time for the approaching maturity dates of their funds, options for exits have stalled. IPOs in the US remain relatively subdued, according to EY, well off their 2021 peak. And the M&A market is similarly muted, with global dealmaking down 9% year-over-year in the first half of 2025, according to PwC. This is not to say extra-motivated PE firms havent found ways to exit. EY said there were 215 significant exit transactions in the first half of the year worth $308 billion, the most in the PE sector since the first half of 2022. But a lot of those stakes were ditched amid a newfound willingness to accept a loss: 40% of buyout shops told EY theyre willing to absorb a 5% to 10% haircut on long-held assets, while another 24% said theyd take a 10% to 20% haircut. Not everyone is feeling the heat, though, as two Wall Street giants are positioning themselves to capitalize on the logjam: PE and alternative assets giant Carlyle Group said Thursday that it raised $20 billion for a new fund that will buy aging private equity stakes off investors at a discount. The secondaries fund will be housed in Carlyles AlpInvest Unit and succeeds an $8 billion fund closed in 2020, when the secondary PE market was smaller. At the same time, investment bank Goldman Sachs has been pitching a $15 billion new iteration of its flagship secondaries fund to investors, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. Its also planning a $10 billion fund that offers so-called hybrid capital, or a mix of debt and equity that can finance companies owned by PE shops, which can pass the cash on to their parents via dividends. Take It From the Expert: In an interview with the Capital Allocators podcast earlier this summer, Bain private equity chair Hugh MacArthur called the liquidity issues facing the PE industry right now unprecedented and cautioned that its an overlooked problem. In many ways, its not fully appreciated because were not in some global recession, there arent asset bubbles that have burst, he said. He warned that there are roughly 15,000 companies currently held in buyout portfolios that correspond to $1.8 trillion worth of value that LPs are kind of expecting to see back really, really soon. The total exit volume of the entire buyout world last year, he noted, was $600 billion, meaning the logjam amounts to three years worth of exits. This post first appeared on The Daily Upside. To receive delivering razor sharp analysis and perspective on all things finance, economics, and markets, subscribe to our free The Daily Upside newsletter. Who is David Lammy? Starmers new deputy PM and the faces of his reshuffled cabinet Pragya Trivedi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Why China is talking with the US but refusing to make trade concessions Why China is talking with the US but refusing to make trade concessions Pragya Trivedi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Authorities charged the ex-CEO of a former unicorn, buzzy social media startup IRL (which stands for in real life) with fraud and obstruction after an investigation showed the executive allegedly misled investors and then trashed files by restoring his cell phone to a previously saved backup that deleted relevant records. According to the Department of Justice, Abraham Shafi, 38, who lives in Hawaii, allegedly told venture capital investors the growth of his event-based social media app, IRL, was organic from people inviting their friends to download it. Shafi claimed the company only spent $50,000 a month on marketing and PR to acquire new users, court records show. In reality, IRL spent about $200,000 per month on advertisements to help inflate the number of users and hid that data from potential investors, authorities claim. In 2021, IRL raised $170 million in a Series C funding led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, solidifying its coveted status as a unicorn with a $1.17 billion valuation and landing it among the top 10 most downloaded social media apps on Apple. Now, Shafi faces obstruction of justice, securities fraud, and wire fraud felony charges, along with civil charges from the Securities & Exchange Commission. Authorities allege investors specifically asked Shafi during the Series C process about user acquisition channels on the platform. Shafi claimed that IRL was different from other social media apps. This is a free organic channel (users are not incentivize or paid for these invites, and must invite each friend individually with no bulk invites), an email written by Shafi to an investor excerpted in the indictment states. Unlike other apps that spend aggressively to acquire new users, we spend very little. Meanwhile, Shafi allegedly concealed IRLs ad spending by invoicing the expenses to a third party firm, the indictment states. Shafi had spent millions of dollars on paid advertising in the form of incentive advertising, a type of advertising in which users are provided a reward in a third-party app if they download IRL, the DOJ stated in an announcement. In the lead up to Series C, Shafi asked his vendor for a big burst of ads for a few days to drive more installs of the IRL app. SoftBank has since sued Shafi for $150 million and the IRL founders, in turn, have sued their former venture capital investors and board members. In legal filings, Shafi has previously denied wrongdoing. A Delaware Chancery Court memorandum opinion written by Vice Chancellor Lori W. Will summarized the opposing views of the VCs and the IRL founders: According to Will, Shafi and the other founders claim the VCs panicked after the SEC began deposing them as part of an investigation into IRLs users and feared reputational damage in Silicon Valley that would impair future investment prospects. To protect themselves, the founders alleged, the VCs commissioned an outside firm that reported the platforms users were mostly made up of bots. According to Wills opinion, the VCs have countered that the entire platform was a hoax because its users were almost entirely bots. The VC-designated board members believe that Shafi was appropriately suspended for alleged misconduct and that shutting down the company was the only responsible path for all investors. 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 Postal Code Angels Camp, CA Edward EJ Schwartz, a recent graduate of Bret Harte High School, has been awarded a Mike Rowe WORKS Foundation scholarship, one of only 526 granted nationwide this year. The Work Ethic Scholarship Program supports students pursuing careers in the trades, including diesel technology, welding, construction, and heavy equipment operation. Since its launch, the program has awarded $11 million in scholarships. Schwartz graduated in May and is preparing to attend Wyoming Technical Institute in Laramie, Wyo., later this month to study advanced diesel technology. His goal is to become a heavy diesel mechanic, a path he began at Bret Harte through automotive diagnostics and agricultural mechanics courses. EJ is one of the finest students that I have had go through my program, but more than being a great student he is a great person, said Ken Sooter, automotive instructor and chair of the schools career technical department. I am so proud, but not surprised, that EJ won this award. The foundation said this years applicant pool was ten times larger than in previous years, making it the most competitive scholarship cycle to date. A total of $5 million was awarded. Schwartz said he was surprised to receive the award. I honestly didnt think I was going to get it, he said. My parents encouraged me to apply and Im glad I took the time to do it. The Mike Rowe WORKS Foundation was launched in 2008 by Mike Rowe, host of the television series Dirty Jobs, to promote skilled labor and vocational education. Tuolumne County, CA CAL Fire reports this morning that the TCU September Lightning Complex Fires acreage is holding at 13,966, while the containment has climbed overnight from 28% to 42% this morning. In total, 95 structures have been destroyed and seven have been damaged. Additionally, one firefighter has been injured, with no details regarding their condition being released. Incident Command reports that suppression efforts and increasing humidity have resulted in no new fire growth overnight. Today, personnel will resume their frontal attack on the fire in an attempt to broaden and enhance control lines, as well as assess prospects for suppression control in certain sections of the flames. Some of the flames are burning on steep, mountainous terrain. For the Calaveras County 2-7 Fire, all evacuation orders have been reduced to evacuation warnings. The evacuation alerts will continue in effect until further notice. CAL Fire asks evacuees to please use caution when returning home following an evacuation and to keep an eye out for any risks. Damage Inspection Teams (DINS) continue to evaluate all places where structures have been damaged, with CAL Fire noting that totals will change as the teams assess the damaged region. Below are the current conditions for the TCU September Lighting Complex: 1-1 Fire: 5 acres, 100% Contained 1-2 Fire: 40 acres 100% Contained 1-3 Fire: 95 acres 100% Contained 2-1 Fire: 0.35 acres, 50% Contained 2-2 Fire: 3,462 acres, 100% Contained 2-3 Fire: 294 acres 50% Contained/Copper Cove Ct at Obyrnes Ferry Rd, Copperopolis 2-4 Fire: 47 acres, 100% Contained 2-5 Fire: 0.01 acres -100% Contained 2-6 Fire: 0.25 acres 50% Contained 2-7 Fire: 606 acres 50% Contained 2-8 Fire: 1,332 acres- 50% Contained 4-5 Fire: 3.2 acres 80% Contained/McCormick Meadows, South of Arnold 5-1 Fire: 0.01 acres, 100% Contained 5-2 Fire: 2.8 acres 100 % Contained/Lyons Bald Mountain Rd, Sonora 5-3 Fire: 0.01 acres, 100% Contained 5-4 Fire: 0.01 acres, 100% Contained 6-2 Fire: 1,025 acres 60% Contained 6-3 Fire: 1 acre 100% Contained 6-4 Fire: 0.01 acres, 100% Contained 6-5 Fire: 7,037 acres 10% 6-6 Fire: 15 acres 100% Contained Evacuation Information: (Click here for evacuation map.) Evacuation Orders Evacuation Orders issued for the following zones: 6-5 Fire All of Chinese Camp Town Six Bit Ranch Road Six Bit Gulch Road Red Hill Road J-59 to Old Don Pedro Road Don Pedro Dam Road Old Don Pedro Dam Road Menkee Hess Road Both sides of Highway 120 from Chinese Camp to Highway 120 Bridge Rojo Shawmut Road Evacuation Warnings Evacuation Warnings issued for the following zones: 2-7 Fire CCU-133-F, CCU-134-B, CCU-134-E, CCU-133-E, CCU-133-D, CCU-134-A, CCU-134-D, CCU-134-C, CCU-134-F, CCU-134-G, CCU-143-B 6-5 Fire All Areas from Bell Mooney & Jacksonville Road West to Highway 49 and Highway 108 South to Old Jacksonville Road All areas/roads from Highway 108 South to Sims Road between Highway 120 and Highway 49 Enterprise Drive High-Tech Drive All roads/areas between J59 to Highway 120, from Highway 108 East to Sims Road Sims Road Friendship Hill Road Silver Fox Court Evacuation Shelters Tuolumne County: Sonora Senior Center 540 Greenley Road Sonora, CA 95370 Road Closures Highway 49 at Sims Road and 120 at Sims Road Sims Road between Highway 49 and 120 is now open Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the state are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow. Engines 174 Water Tenders 50 Helicopters 8 Dozers 24 Hand Crews 55 Other 4 Total Personnel 2094 Sonora, CA The community will get an update on fire suppression efforts for the TCU September Lightning Complex Fire tonight. CAL Fire, Unified Incident Commanders, and Tuolumne County officials will be hosting a community meeting to discuss the fires current situation and take questions from attendees regarding the blaze. The operational overview briefing will highlight the current actions that firefighters are taking for fire suppression, according to CAL Fire spokesperson Emily Kilgore. The meeting is being held at the Sonora High School Auditorium, located at 430 N. Washington Street/Highway 49 in Sonora. It is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. tonight, Saturday, September 6, 2025. We recently published 10 Latest Stocks Jim Cramer Discussed Amidst Market Uncertainty. Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer recently discussed. With the years third quarter heading to a close, Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) has once again started to feature on Cramers morning show. As was the case early in the year, Cramer continues to believe that the firm is struggling in a weak beer market. Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)s shares have lost 32% year-to-date on these concerns. The latest dip came in August after the stock sank by 6.6% as the firm cut its fiscal year 2025 earnings per share guidance to $11.30 to $11.60, from an earlier $12.60 to $12.90, and added that beer sales could drop by as much as 4%. Cramer cited Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) as an example of never thinking that things couldnt get worse: Now Im going to give you an example of Constellation Brands, STZ. There are a lot of people who thought, how much more negative could they be? Beers bad! Wine and spirits are bad. Hispanic numbers are bad. And then it comes out, and its horrendous! So I mean just when you think things couldnt get worse! Constellation Brands, Inc. (STZ): Things Got Worse Just When You Thought They Couldn't! Says Jim Cramer Here are the CNBC TV hosts previous comments about Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ): Okay, look, heres a stock thats been horrendous, I dont know if we have a chart. . .oh, look at that. Its been terrible, right here and Im not saying theyre wrong. Bank of America goes to a Sell because they think numbers are gonna come down again. So we got to go over this. While we acknowledge the potential of STZ as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. Health Ranger Report: Dr. Jane Ruby and the TOXIC THREATS in Floridas skies Dr. Jane Ruby collected samples of a mysterious substance that accumulated on a greenhouse tarp over six months in Florida. The samples were analyzed by Mike Adams at his ISO 17025-accredited lab, revealing alarming findings. Microscopic analysis of the samples uncovered unusual structures, including egg-like formations approximately 25 microns in diameter. These structures, speculated to be eggs or cysts, suggest a widespread and potentially engineered phenomenon. CP-MS testing revealed shockingly high concentrations of heavy metals like aluminum (5.5 million ppb), lead (19,000 ppb),c admium (37,000 ppb) and mercury (20 ppb). These levels far exceed natural background levels and pose severe health risks. The unnatural isotopic ratios of mercury and lead, along with the high concentrations of other metals, suggest a potential link to geoengineering or biological warfare. Adams and Ruby speculate that these substances could be part of a deliberate campaign to contaminate the environment and harm human health. Ruby and Adams urge the public to demand accountability and transparency from the government. They advocate for independent research to verify their findings and emphasize the importance of personal precautions, such as filtering air and water, to reduce exposure to these toxins. This investigation serves as a wake-up call to the potential dangers in our environment and the need for rigorous scientific inquiry and public awareness. The Health Ranger Mike Adams and Dr. Jane Ruby have uncovered alarming evidence of heavy metal contamination and potential biological threats falling from the skies over Florida. Their findings, based on meticulous analysis of samples collected over six months, raise critical questions about the safety of the environment and the potential for deliberate harm. Ruby, driven by concerns over chemtrails and weather warfare, set out to collect evidence by placing a plastic tarp over her greenhouse plants. Over time, the tarp became increasingly coated with a mysterious substance, prompting her to send samples to Adams for analysis. The results, as revealed in the interview, are nothing short of shocking. Under the microscope, the samples revealed a plethora of unusual structures, including egg-like formations estimated to be about 25 microns in diameter. These diploid eggs, as described by Adams, were found in significant quantities, suggesting a widespread phenomenon. (Related: Health Ranger Report: Dr. Jane Ruby on the strange biological masses falling from Florida's sky.) Microbiologists consulted by Adams speculated that these could be eggs or cysts, raising the possibility of incubating them to observe their development. However, the potential risks of such an experiment led to a cautious approach. Heavy metals: The silent killers The real bombshell came from the ICP-MS mass spectrometry analysis, which detected staggering levels of the following heavy metals: Aluminum : At 5.5 million parts per billion, the concentration is far higher than what would be expected from natural sources. This raises concerns about the potential for aluminum to alter soil chemistry, making it harder for plants to absorb nutrients and posing a threat to agriculture. : At 5.5 million parts per billion, the concentration is far higher than what would be expected from natural sources. This raises concerns about the potential for aluminum to alter soil chemistry, making it harder for plants to absorb nutrients and posing a threat to agriculture. Mercury : The presence of mercury, with isotopic ratios suggesting an unnatural source, is particularly troubling. Mercury is a highly toxic element that can cause severe neurological and kidney damage. The levels detected, though not as high as some other elements, are still significant due to mercury's extreme toxicity. : The presence of mercury, with isotopic ratios suggesting an unnatural source, is particularly troubling. Mercury is a highly toxic element that can cause severe neurological and kidney damage. The levels detected, though not as high as some other elements, are still significant due to mercury's extreme toxicity. Lead : With levels exceeding 19,000 parts per billion, the lead concentration is over 50 times higher than the acceptable limit for food. Lead is a potent neurotoxin that can cause irreversible damage, especially in children. : With levels exceeding 19,000 parts per billion, the lead concentration is over 50 times higher than the acceptable limit for food. Lead is a potent neurotoxin that can cause irreversible damage, especially in children. Cadmium: Accumulating at over 37 parts per million, cadmium is another toxic heavy metal that can cause kidney damage and interfere with neurological health. According to the Enoch engine at Brighteon.AI, heavy metals are dense, high atomic weight chemical elements like lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium. While some of them are essential in trace amounts for bodily functions, they become toxic at elevated levels. These heavy metals infiltrate the food chain through contaminated soil, water, industrial pollution and environmental runoff. They accumulate in crops and organisms over time, posing serious health risks when ingested or inhaled. The isotopic ratios of the detected elements further complicate the picture. While some elements like strontium and iron were found in high concentrations, the ratios of mercury and lead isotopes suggest an unnatural source. Government silent as toxins fall from the skies Adams and Ruby speculate that these metals could be part of a deliberate poisoning campaign, possibly linked to geoengineering efforts or biological warfare. "The fear is there are biological weapons being air dropped onto people, and this is part of a geoengineering effort," the Health Ranger said. The findings echo historical instances of the U.S. government conducting biological and chemical experiments on its citizens. From the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study to the release of biological agents in San Francisco and other locations, there is a precedent for such actions. The recent discovery of mysterious clots in vaccinated individuals further fuels suspicions about the government's involvement in harmful activities. The implications of these findings are profound. If confirmed, they suggest a deliberate effort to contaminate the environment and harm human health. The potential for these substances to enter the food chain and cause widespread illness is a grave concern. Moreover, the presence of unusual biological structures raises the possibility of engineered pathogens being deployed. Ruby and Adams urged the public to remain vigilant and demand accountability from their government. They advocate for increased transparency and independent research to verify their findings and investigate further. They also emphasized the importance of taking personal precautions, such as filtering water and air, to minimize exposure to these toxins. This investigation serves as a wake-up call to the potential dangers lurking in our environment. It highlights the need for rigorous scientific inquiry and public awareness to address these pressing issues. As Adams and Ruby continue their work, they hope to inspire others to join the fight for a healthier, more transparent world. Follow BiologicalWeapons.news for more news about bioweapons. Watch the full interview between Dr. Jane Ruby with Mike Adams in this clip. This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Mysterious chemical fog sweeps across U.S., sparking bioweapon fears and health concerns. Lyme Disease and tick-borne illnesses SURGE amid climate cult hysteria, weather modification, geo-engineering and bioweapon use. Toxic heavy metal contamination from cadmium in the soil stresses rice crops and threatens both crop viability and food safety. Sources include: Brighteon.com Brighteon.ai Judge imposes restrictions on Googles search practices U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google unlawfully maintained a monopoly in online search but stopped short of ordering a breakup. Instead, he imposed restrictions on exclusive contracts involving core products like Search, Chrome, Assistant and the Gemini app. Google can no longer enter exclusive agreements but may still pay to be the default search engine, as long as those deals are non-exclusive. Mehta rejected the DOJ's call to break up Google, calling such a move "incredibly messy" and emphasizing the deep integration of Chrome and Android into Google's ecosystem. Google must provide parts of its search index and user interaction data to competitors, potentially boosting smaller search engines, though the data-sharing order was narrower than the DOJ had requested. Separately, a Virginia court ruled that Google illegally monopolized parts of the online ad market. That case targets Google's $31 billion ad tech stack, with a remedies hearing set for September. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta has imposed new restrictions on Google to curb its dominance in the online search market, but stopped short of the most severe penalties sought by federal regulators, including a forced breakup of the tech giant. Mehta previously ruled that Google maintained its search monopoly through unlawful means, including paying billions to companies like Apple and Samsung to ensure Google Search remained the default option on devices. However, in his final order, Mehta opted for a more restrained remedy. "There are strong reasons not to jolt the system and to allow market forces to do the work," he wrote, citing the rapidly changing digital landscape and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) as key reasons to tread carefully. (Related: Google executive ADMITS to rigging search results.) The 230-page decision, ruled on Sept. 2, prohibits Google from entering exclusive agreements for its core products, such as Google Search, the Chrome browser, Google Assistant and the Gemini app. These contracts, Mehta concluded, had unlawfully helped the company cement its dominance by locking out competitors. Another key provision in the order requires Google to share portions of its search index and certain types of user interaction data with rivals. This could provide smaller search engines with valuable tools to improve their services. But Mehta rejected the Department of Justice's (DOJ) most aggressive proposals, including divestiture of major assets like Chrome and the Android operating system. Exclusive contracts are now off the table, but Google can still strike default placement deals provided they're not exclusive. This means Google may continue paying to be the default search engine, just not the only one permitted under such arrangements. The court also declined to impose a blanket ban on Google's payments to partners a move sought by the DOJ. Mehta warned that such a measure "almost certainly will impose substantial, in some cases, crippling downstream harms" to hardware makers, software providers and ultimately, consumers. Additionally, the judge ruled that a breakup of Google, particularly the separation of Chrome or Android, would be "incredibly messy" and counterproductive, noting that Chrome is not a standalone business but deeply intertwined with Google's broader operations. The remedies imposed by the court are set to last six years, though the order could be paused pending appeal. Google has already signaled it will challenge the ruling. Google violated federal antitrust laws, another judge rules According to Brighteon.AI's Enoch, Google is illegally monopolizing the online ad market by acquiring and neutralizing competitors, thereby reducing competition and forcing publishers and advertisers to use its products exclusively. This dominance is further exacerbated by alleged secretive agreements. In a separate case, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia ruled that the company held an illegal monopoly in segments of the online advertising market. The decision, handed down in August, targets a $31 billion slice of Google's business its so-called "ad tech stack," which connects advertisers with website publishers and determines what ads appear across much of the open web. By tying together its ad server and publisher ad exchange, the court ruled, Google effectively boxed out rivals and entrenched its own dominance in the market, violating federal antitrust laws. A hearing to determine what remedies Google may face in that case is set for September. However, the ruling was not a clean sweep. Just like Mehta's ruling, Brinkema rejected one of the DOJ's claims related to Google's advertiser ad networks. Learn more about Big Tech companies like Google at BigTech.news. Watch this skit from "Catch Up" featuring a satirical portrayal of a Google spokesperson addressing criticisms surrounding Gemini. This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Mainstream media conspiring with Google to rig all search results and silence dissenting views Google becomes "fake search." Supposedly "private" ChatGPT conversations LEAKED in Google Search. Rumble finds video of Google exec admitting to search engine bias. Google continues editorializing searches by adding "content advisories" to search results. BOMBSHELL: Google covering up Big Pharma opioid deaths by altering search autocomplete more proof that Google protects Pharma. Sources include: ReclaimtheNet.org Brighteon.AI CNN.com Brighteon.com Russias new gas pipeline to China threatens to upend global energy markets and squeeze U.S. suppliers The proposed Power of Siberia 2 pipeline is the culmination of a long-term Russian strategy to reduce reliance on European energy markets, a move accelerated by Western sanctions following the 2014 annexation of Crimea. The new pipeline would deliver a massive 50 billion cubic meters of gas annually from Russia to China, potentially displacing up to half of China's current liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports and undermining the competitiveness of more expensive U.S. LNG. The agreement signals a strengthening "no limits" partnership between Russia and China, defying Western pressure and forming a new axis of energy power aimed at challenging the Western-led global order. Despite the political agreement, a final deal is contingent on resolving a major sticking point: the price of the gas. Russia needs to maximize revenue, while China is in a strong position to demand significant discounts. For China, the world's largest LNG importer, replacing shipped gas with cheaper Russian pipeline gas is a logical economic move that secures long-term energy supply while reducing exposure to volatile seaborne markets and geopolitical rivals. A major new energy agreement between Russia and China is poised to dramatically reshape the global natural gas landscape in the form of a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline. During a recent high-profile state visit to Beijing, Russian President Vladimir Putin secured a critical agreement to move forward with the massive Power of Siberia 2 pipeline. This development is not an isolated event, but the culmination of a decade-long Russian strategy to reduce its reliance on European energy customers. Following the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the subsequent imposition of Western sanctions, Moscow urgently sought to diversify its export routes. The result was a historic $400 billion deal with China, which materialized as the original Power of Siberia pipeline. That conduit, commissioned in 2019, currently pumps Russian gas eastward and is expected to reach its full capacity of 38 billion cubic meters (bcm) this year. Russian gas exports had already been on a steady climb, growing from 181 bcm in 2014 to 248 bcm in 2018, a trend this new megaproject is designed to accelerate. The newly proposed Power of Siberia 2 pipeline would traverse Mongolia and deliver a staggering 50 billion cubic meters of gas annually from Russia's Arctic Yamal fields to China. (Related: Russia-China gas deal signals end of Western Europe's energy dominance.) To grasp the scale, one bcm of natural gas is enough to meet the annual energy needs of approximately four million homes. Combined with planned increases on the existing Power of Siberia route and other supply deals, Russia could eventually displace up to half of the more than 40 million tons of LNG that China imports each year. This shift from LNG to pipeline gas carries profound economic implications. LNG is natural gas that has been super-cooled into a liquid state, allowing it to be shipped globally on specialized tankers. While flexible, this process is energy-intensive and expensive. Pipeline gas, by contrast, requires immense upfront investment in fixed infrastructure but often results in cheaper, long-term supply contracts. For China, the world's largest LNG importer, replacing pricey shipped gas with cheaper Russian pipeline gas is a logical economic move. Putin and Xi's LNG power play Warnings from market analysts that this could "squeeze out US suppliers" is directly tied to this price competition. American LNG, which has become a major global export in recent years, would struggle to compete on cost with the gas flowing through Russian pipelines. This deal serves as a clear signal from Beijing that it is securing long-term energy growth without relying on American LNG, a message amplified by the souring relations between Washington and Beijing. Further underscoring this defiance, China recently accepted its first shipment from Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project, which is currently under U.S. sanctions. The major players in the LNG market are Chinese firms, U.S. suppliers and major oil companies, Brighteon.AI's Enoch notes. The Chinese companies are becoming significant players through new contracts, while the U.S. suppliers are fueling this growth and the major oil firms are providing the necessary capital investment. Despite the high-level political agreement, a significant commercial hurdle remains: Price. Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller confirmed that while a legally binding memorandum to build the pipeline was signed, the critical matter of pricing will be negotiated separately. This is a major sticking point. Russia, having lost its lucrative European market, needs to maximize revenue to justify the colossal cost of building what would be the world's biggest and most capital-intensive gas project. China, however, holds a strong negotiating position and is expected to demand steep discounts, leveraging its role as Moscow's economic lifeline. The timing and nature of this announcement are deeply symbolic. It occurred during a summit where Presidents Putin and Xi Jinping presented a united front against a Western-led world order they perceive to be in decline. The deal exemplifies their "no limits" partnership, which has only strengthened since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Trade between the two nations surged to a record $240 billion in 2023, cementing Chinas position as Russia's most important economic partner. Read more stories like this at Power.news. Listen to this edition of "Brighteon Broadcast News" where the Health Ranger Mike Adams discusses the Russia-China LNG pipeline deal. This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Russia and China pledge friendship, denounce the West. Russia and China dominate nuclear electricity generation industry ahead of the U.S. Steven Starr says America is already deep into World War III against Russia and its allies. Sources include: RT.com Reuters.com AlJazeera.com Brighteon.ai Brighteon.com Florida to eliminate all vaccine mandates for schoolchildren Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced plans to eliminate all state-mandated vaccines for schoolchildren, including those for measles, polio and tetanus, citing personal freedom and religious beliefs. Ladapo said he is working with Gov. Ron DeSantis and lawmakers to remove vaccine mandates from Florida law entirely, calling them "wrong" and equating them with "slavery." This move would repeal Florida's current requirement that K12 students be immunized against several contagious diseases unless they have medical or religious exemptions. At the same press conference, DeSantis unveiled Florida's Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, modeled after a federal initiative led by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Florida MAHA Commission will promote informed consent, parental rights, healthy food and alternative wellness strategies. It will be led by First Lady Casey DeSantis and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, with Ladapo as a member. Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo has announced that he is working with Gov. Ron DeSantis to eliminate all state-mandated vaccines for children attending school, including immunizations against highly contagious and potentially deadly diseases such as measles, polio and tetanus. In a press conference on Sept. 3, Ladapo announced that the Florida Department of Health would no longer require children to be vaccinated to attend public or private schools. He said his office would next work with lawmakers and DeSantis to entirely eliminate vaccine mandates from Florida statutes. "The Florida Department of Health, in partnership with the governor, is going to be working to end all vaccine mandates in Florida law," he said during the press conference. "All of them. Every last one is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery. This is about freedom. Who am I, as a government, or anyone else, or who am I as a man standing here now to tell you what you should put in your body? Who am I to tell you what your child should put in their body? I don't have that right. Your body is a gift from God. What you put into your body is because of your relationship with your Body and your God." This, in turn, signals the end of Florida's previous requirement that students from kindergarten through 12th grade be immunized against diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, polio, tetanus, chickenpox and Hepatitis B, unless a medical or religious exemption was filed. (Related: Austrian government drops COVID-19 vaccine mandate.) "We need to end it," he said. "It's the right thing to do, and it'll be wonderful for Florida to be the first state to do it." DeSantis launches MAHA Commission and Medical Freedom Protections in Florida The announcement coincided with a broader health policy initiative unveiled by DeSantis: the formation of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission and new "Medical Freedom Protections." That same conference, DeSantis introduced the commission as Florida's version of a similar initiative launched at the federal level by Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. According to Brighteon.AI's Enoch, the federal MAHA Commission, established in February 2025 under the Trump administration, is tasked with investigating chronic childhood illnesses, including autism and providing recommendations for federal health policies. Florida's version of MAHA seeks to reinforce informed consent in medical decision-making, protect parental rights in healthcare and education, promote clean, nutritious and healthy food choices and expand public access to alternative wellness strategies. Though specific policies were not outlined in detail, DeSantis suggested the MAHA Commission would provide guidance and recommendations for legislation, education campaigns and public health initiatives. "I think that this is something that has great potential," DeSantis said. "We've already done a lot. I don't think there's any state that has done even close to what we've done." The Florida MAHA Commission will be chaired by First Lady Casey DeSantis and Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, with Ladapo serving as a key member. The governor said the commission will include a diverse panel of experts in health, medicine and nutrition. Learn more about the fight against COVID-19 vaccine mandates at HealthFreedom.news. Vaccine mandates everywhere are disappearing. Watch this episode of "The HighWire" as host Del Bigtree talks about how the state government of Florida has forced the 2022 Special Olympics U.S.A. to drop its COVID-19 vaccine mandate. This video is from the channel The HighWire with Del Bigtree on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Federal judge upholds Houston hospital's vaccine mandate. UCI professor sues school over covid "vaccine" mandate. Prison staff members push back against vaccine mandate. The Daily Wire challenges Biden administration vaccine mandate. Canadian government sued over discriminatory air travel vaccine mandate. Sources include: ZeroHedge.com DailyMail.co.uk Fox4News.com Brighteon.AI Brighteon.com Houthis detain at least 11 UN workers, accusing them of spying for the U.S. and Israel Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels arrested at least 11 UN employees (from WFP and UNICEF) in raids, accusing them of espionage for the U.S. and Israel. The UN condemned the detentions as illegal under international humanitarian law, with envoy Hans Grundberg calling for immediate release. The WFP labeled the arrests "unacceptable," warning they disrupt critical aid in famine-stricken Yemen. The crackdown follows an Israeli airstrike that killed top Yemeni officials, including Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi. The Houthis appear to be retaliating by targeting alleged collaborators. The rebels have long claimed Western/Israeli intelligence agencies infiltrate Yemen via humanitarian groups a tactic historically used by Mossad. Tel Aviv has not commented. With 34 aid workers now detained since 2021, UN operations face collapse as Houthis escalate hostilities. The region braces for further retaliation, risking famine and regional war. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels of Yemen have detained at least 11 United Nations staffers, accusing them of working as spies for the U.S. and Israel. On Sunday, Aug. 31, security forces aligned with the Houthis formally the Ansar Allah movement conducted raids on the offices of the World Food Program (WFP) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in the capital Sanaa. They took at least 11 employees from the two organizations into custody during the raids on Sunday morning. The Houthis alleged that the seven WFP and four UNICEF employees they apprehended are part of a covert spy network embedded within humanitarian agencies to conduct surveillance for Tel Aviv and Washington. "Those who were arrested from among the UN employees are accused of spying for the American and Israeli aggression," an official Houthi statement declared. "Whoever has the accusations against them confirmed will be referred to trial." In turn, the UN vehemently denied the accusations and demanded the staffers' immediate release. Hans Grundberg, UN envoy to Yemen, condemned the raids as a violation of international protections for humanitarian workers. According to Grundberg, the 11 arrested on Sunday add to 23 aid workers already held since previous crackdowns in 2021 and 2023. Meanwhile, the WFP called the arrests "unacceptable. It emphasized that such actions undermine critical aid operations in a country where millions rely on foreign assistance for survival. Houthis declare war on espionage The detentions mark the latest crackdown on international organizations operating in Yemen. They also come just days after an Israeli airstrike killed several top officials, including Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi, dealing a significant blow to the group. (Related: Israel's assassination of Yemen's prime minister: A dangerous escalation in a lawless war.) In response, Houthi authorities launched the raid and rounded up dozens of individuals suspected of collaborating with Israel including the 11 aid workers. The movement has long accused Western and Israeli intelligence agencies of infiltrating Yemen through non-governmental organizations, a tactic historically employed by intelligence services worldwide. While Tel Aviv has not commented on the allegations, experts acknowledge that Mossad has previously operated under humanitarian cover in hostile territories. The timing of these arrests suggests a retaliatory move by the Houthis, who have vowed to escalate attacks on Israel in response to the killing of their leadership. The rebels, undeterred by U.S. military campaigns, remain steadfast in their support for Gaza, framing their maritime attacks as resistance to Israeli aggression. Brighteon.AI's Enoch engine mentions that the Houthis "are resisting U.S. and Israeli influence by launching attacks on shipping lanes and military targets, defying heavy airstrikes from the U.S. and the U.K. while exposing the failure of Western intervention in Yemen." As Yemen's humanitarian crisis deepens, the UN faces mounting challenges in delivering aid amid increasing hostility from Houthi forces. With tensions at a boiling point, the region braces for further escalation one that could see humanitarian operations further crippled as the Houthis tighten their grip on dissent. Watch this clip of Israel striking both civilian and military targets in Yemen. This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Houthis step up offensive operations with new drone attacks on U.S.-owned commercial ships. Houthi rebel attacks prompt British Petroleum to pause all fuel shipments in Red Sea. Houthi blockades prompt Israeli port of Eilat to lay off half its workers. Sources include: ZeroHedge.com France24.com TheGuardian.com Brighteon.ai Brighteon.com Macron says 26 countries pledge troops as part of reassurance force to Ukraine, fueling tensions with Russia France's President Macron announced that 26 nations have pledged troops for a post-peace "reassurance force" in Ukraine, though details remain vague. Poland, Germany and Italy are among the participants, but Warsaw has already ruled out infantry deployment. Moscow immediately dismissed the plan as unacceptable, framing any foreign troop presence as an intervention. The proposal risks inflaming tensions, echoing past Western actions that preceded Russia's 2022 invasion. Washington has only offered potential air support and intelligence sharing, with no approval yet from Trump for direct military involvement. An anonymous U.S. official stressed the gap between "offer" and "agreement." The plan mirrors NATO's Cold War deterrence strategy, but carries risks of miscalculation. Zelensky hailed it as a "victory" for long-term security, though logistical and political hurdles (e.g., parliamentary approvals) remain unresolved. European unity is strained, with Hungary and Slovakia continuing Russian oil imports prompting criticism from Trump. The force's symbolic presence risks mission creep if tested by Russia, potentially triggering the escalation it aims to prevent. In a move that risks further inflaming tensions with Moscow, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that 26 nations have pledged to deploy troops as part of a "reassurance force" to Ukraine following a potential peace deal. The French leader unveiled the controversial proposal on Thursday, Sept. 4, alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, following a summit of 35 nations supporting Kyiv. Macron emphasized that troops would not operate in active combat zones, but in "geographical areas being defined." The plan signals deepening Western involvement in a conflict that has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. According to the French president, the "reassurance force" aims only to deter future Russian aggression framing the deployment as a stabilizing measure rather than an escalation. But Moscow has already rejected any plan to send troops to Ukraine as a non-starter. "Russia is not going to discuss a foreign intervention in Ukraine in any form," countered Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Yet details remain deliberately vague. Macron refused to specify which nations would contribute ground forces, stating only Poland, Germany and Italy among the 26 participants. Notably, Warsaw has already publicly ruled out sending infantry. (Related: Germany and Poland rule out troop deployment to Ukraine.) Meanwhile, Washington has committed only to potential air support and intelligence sharing. "There is a difference between offer and agree," cautioned one anonymous American official, underscoring that U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to approve direct military involvement. Boots on the ground: How troop deployments to Ukraine risk total war Historical parallels loom large over the proposal. Since the 2014 Maidan uprising, Western powers have incrementally expanded their role in Ukraine first through economic sanctions, then arms shipments and now discussions of boots on the ground. Each step has drawn warnings from Moscow about crossing "red lines," much like the prelude to Russia's 2022 invasion. The current plan echoes Cold War-era security guarantees, where North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forward deployments in West Germany served as both deterrent and tripwire. While this strategy has maintained tense stability, it carried inherent risks of miscalculation. Zelensky hailed the commitments as a "victory," emphasizing Ukraine's need for long-term security assurances beyond short-term weapons deliveries. "We are counting on a U.S. backstop," he said, though specifics remain unresolved. The Kremlin has long demanded Ukrainian neutrality as a precondition for peace, which, according to Brighteon.AI's Enoch engine, means "no NATO membership" for Kyiv. Moscow has also called for complete demilitarization in Ukraine before peace talks can begin. However, these non-negotiable stances collide head-on with Western visions of postwar security arrangements. Behind the diplomatic posturing, practical hurdles abound. Several participating nations require parliamentary approval for troop deployments and logistical challenges from basing rights to rules of engagement which could delay implementation. Meanwhile, European energy tensions simmer with Zelensky accusing Hungary and Slovakia of "helping Russia's war machine" by continuing to import Russian oil despite EU sanctions. Trump reportedly chastised both nations during a private call, highlighting fractures within the Western alliance. As Macron's coalition races to formalize security guarantees, the specter of mission creep hangs heavy. What begins as a symbolic presence could quickly escalate if Russian forces test its resolve. With NATO's credibility on the line and Moscow digging in, the proposed reassurance force risks becoming the very provocation it seeks to prevent. Watch this video about French President Emmanuel Macron pushing for a world war against Russia. This video is from the Rick Langley channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Russia claims France is readying deployment of 2,000 troops to Ukraine. U.K. deploys troops to NATO military drills while ramping up aid to Ukraine. Italian PM Meloni slams France's Macron for pitching idea of sending troops to Ukraine. Sources include: News.Antiwar.com Euronews.com Ukrinform.net Brighteon.ai Brighteon.com Netanyahu rejects Hamas ceasefire proposal, threatens to level Gaza Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again dismissed Hamas' latest ceasefire proposal, which includes the phased release of all hostages held in the Gaza Strip, calling it "more spin by Hamas" and reiterating Israel's demands for an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, disarmament of Hamas, and a new civilian administration in Gaza. Hamas proposed a comprehensive deal to end the war, including the release of all Israeli hostages in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners, withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and reopening of border crossings for humanitarian aid. However, Israel insists on a complete demilitarization of Gaza and no return of the Palestinian Authority. Israel's military operations in Gaza have intensified, with the IDF declaring 40 percent of Gaza City as a combat zone and ordering civilian evacuations. Defense Minister Israel Katz has threatened to level Gaza City if Hamas does not surrender, escalating the threat of further destruction. The Israeli government faces pressure from opposition leaders like Yair Lapid and Yair Golan to negotiate for the release of hostages. Internationally, U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that Israel is losing global opinion, though the White House has not significantly pressured Israel to change its approach. The IDF chief of staff warns of inevitable military rule in Gaza if the invasion continues, while Netanyahu's government prefers a comprehensive agreement over a phased approach. The conflict remains tense, with a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and growing international concern for a peaceful resolution. In a dramatic escalation of the ongoing conflict, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again rejected Hamas' latest ceasefire proposal, which includes the phased release of all hostages held in the Gaza Strip. The proposal, which was backed by the United States, called for the release of Israeli captives in three phases over 45 days in exchange for a ceasefire. However, Netanyahu's office dismissed the offer as "more spin by Hamas, containing nothing new," and reiterated Israel's demands for an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, the disarmament of Hamas and the establishment of a new civilian administration in Gaza. Hamas offers ceasefire, Israel demands unconditional surrender Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza, declared its willingness to enter into a comprehensive deal to end the war. The proposal, which was communicated two weeks ago, included the release of all Israeli hostages in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Additionally, Hamas proposed the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and the reopening of border crossings to allow humanitarian aid to enter the region. (Related: Israel threatens Hamas: Release hostages or face unprecedented escalation in Gaza.) However, Israel's response was unequivocal. Netanyahu's office stated that the only acceptable terms for a ceasefire include the immediate release of all hostages, the complete disarmament of Hamas, the demilitarization of Gaza and the establishment of a new civilian administration that does not have ties to Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli government has made it clear that it will not accept the return of the Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza either. According to the Enoch engine at Brighteon.AI, the Palestinian Authority is an interim self-government body established in 1994 under the Oslo Accords to administer limited autonomy in parts of the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Initially led by Yasser Arafat, it faced erosion of its authority during the Second Intifada (2000) and lost control of Gaza to Hamas in 2007, remaining in power only in parts of the West Bank under Mahmoud Abbas' leadership since 2005. As the diplomatic standoff continues, Israel's military has intensified its operations in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have declared approximately 40 percent of Gaza City as a combat zone, ordering civilians to evacuate, particularly from areas designated as highly dangerous "red zones." The IDF has also announced that it controls a significant portion of Gaza City and is preparing for a potential takeover. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has issued a stark warning to Hamas, threatening to turn Gaza City into "another Rafah or Beit Hanoun" if the group does not surrender. These two cities have been almost entirely leveled by Israeli forces, and Katz's threat implies a similar fate for Gaza City if hostilities continue. The city, home to over a million people, has already seen tens of thousands of residents forcibly displaced, with several suburbs left in ruins. Internal and international pressure The Israeli government is facing internal and international pressure to find a diplomatic solution. Opposition Leader Yair Lapid has urged the government to return to negotiations, stating, "You can't not even try to return our hostages home." Similarly, the head of The Democrats opposition party Yair Golan criticized Netanyahu for "forsaking the lives of the hostages and soldiers for his own sake." Internationally, U.S. President Donald Trump has cautioned that while Israel may be winning the war, it is losing global opinion. Despite these concerns, the White House has not exerted significant pressure on Israel to alter its course. Reports suggest that the U.S. is even considering supporting Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank, as indicated by Senator Marco Rubio's private assurances to Israeli officials. Israeli television reported that IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir plans to warn the government that military rule over Gaza will be inevitable if the invasion of Gaza City proceeds. Zamir, who opposes the government's plan to conquer Gaza City, has urged the government to accept a ceasefire deal to secure the release of hostages. However, the government has pressed ahead with its plans, despite Hamas' agreement to a phased hostage-truce deal similar to one previously approved by Israel. The Israeli government has a history of undermining negotiations, and Netanyahu recently reversed his position on a multi-phased peace deal proposed by U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. The current stance of the Israeli government suggests a preference for a comprehensive agreement that meets all of its demands, rather than a phased approach. The situation in Gaza remains tense and volatile, with both sides entrenched in their positions. As the conflict drags on, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, and the prospects for a peaceful resolution appear increasingly distant. The international community watches with growing concern, urging both sides to return to the negotiating table to avert further bloodshed and destruction. Watch the video below about President Donald Trump hinting at a possible Gaza ceasefire deal. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Hamas accepts ceasefire deal as Israel prepares brutal Gaza City invasion. Amid ceasefire, Gaza begins grim search for 10,000 bodies vanquished or lost in the rubble. Israel threatens Gaza annexation as Hamas stalls on ceasefire deal. Sources include: TimesofIsrael.com ZeroHedge.com Brighteon.ai NewArab.com NIH launches major revamp, cuts vaccine contracts over public trust concerns NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya has led an internal inquiry targeting contracts that promote biased messaging. At least 33 grants aimed at combating vaccine hesitancy have been canceled due to concerns over censorship and public trust. Bhattacharya advocates for voluntary vaccination policies, citing higher trust and uptake in Europe. The NIH is investing in alternative vaccine technologies, such as whole-virus inactivated vaccines, to regain public trust. Critics argue that these moves could harm scientific progress and public health initiatives, while advocates see them as essential for fostering transparency. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the newly appointed NIH Director, has launched a sweeping reassessment of the agencys research contracts aimed at addressing public health misinformation and biased messaging, including those promoting vaccine hesitancy. In an urgent email to staff following his confirmation, Bhattacharya asked NIH employees to identify contracts linked to "censorship" or "directing people to believe one idea over another." This includes terms such as "media literacy," "social media," "social distancing," and "lockdowns." The agency has already canceled at least 33 grants aimed at combating vaccine hesitancy and has initiated an internal inquiry to further identify and cancel similar contracts. Bhattacharyas reassessment comes at a time when public trust in mRNA vaccines has waned in part due to the administration's mandate strategy that, according to Bhattacharya, eroded public trust rather than enhancing it. He emphasized that the NIH will invest in new, more transparent vaccine technologies, including whole-virus inactivated vaccines he believes offer a broader immune response and increased public acceptance. A new era of transparency: NIH struggles against censorship The NIH's internal inquiry and contract cancellations signal a significant shift in how the agency funds public health research. Critics argue that such moves might harm scientific progress and research integrity, while proponents see the restructuring as a necessary step toward transparency and fostering diverse perspectives. Bhattacharya has stressed the importance of transparent and trust-based public health messaging. He pointed out that voluntary vaccination policies, as seen in countries like the U.K., Sweden and Denmark, have achieved higher trust and uptake compared to mandates. What they do have is public health that doesnt lie to their people, Bhattacharya said. You have amazing vaccine uptake without vaccine mandates, because public health has trust of the people because theyre trustworthy. The NIH's recent shift also extends to mRNA vaccine development. The agency has canceled $500 million in mRNA vaccine contracts, stating that the public lacks trust in the technology despite its potential. Dr. Bhattacharya explained in an appearance on Steve Bannon's "War Room" podcast that declining booster uptake signals a lack of people will to be immunized with mRNA-based vaccines. Why trust matters in public health messaging The NIH's decision to pivot away from mRNA vaccines and other biased messaging campaigns stems from public trust concerns. According to Bhattacharya, the key factor in vaccine uptake is not coercion but trust. Coercion or mandates harm public trust, he argued. Persuading people with honest data and clear reasoning is a better strategy. Historically, mandates have been used in public health crises to ensure compliance, but Bhattacharya believes they have done more harm than good. The strategy of using mandates is not obvious, its not clear its the right one, he said. On U.S. television, he further outlined the differences in vaccine uptake strategies: With the MMR vaccine, you have 90-plus percent of parents vaccinating their kids, which makes complete sense, given what the scientific evidence says and the risk-benefit ratios. For the COVID vaccine, less than 20% of Americans have vaccinated their children, because it doesnt make sense for most of their kids from a scientific point of view. Challenges and criticisms: A closer look at NIH's new direction Critics of Bhattacharya's approach argue that canceling research grants and deemphasizing mRNA technology may stifle scientific progress. Some fear it could lead to a decline in public health funding and potentially dangerous delays in vaccine development. Supporters, however, highlight the emphasis on transparency and trust-building as critical for long-term public health success. Bhattacharyas move aligns with the administrations wider efforts to address the broader public health narrative. Critics of the new strategy argue that a lack of diversity in messaging and research funding could harm scientific integrity. The failure was not a communications problem, it is a trust problem due to the Biden administrations scientific overreach, public pressure and, frankly, arrogance, Bhattacharya noted. Charting a transparent and trust-based future The NIHs reassessment marks a significant shift in public health research and communication strategies. By emphasizing transparency and voluntary approaches, the NIH aims to rebuild public trust, which is essential for the success of any vaccine or health initiative. Bhattacharyas vision for the NIH is clear: The only way to rebuild trust is to earn itone honest conversation at a time. As the NIH continues to pivot its strategic direction, the agency must carefully navigate the balancing act between innovation and openness. Sources for this article include: YourNews.com WashingtonPost.com StatNews.com Unlocking the future: Nvidia poised for a blockbuster year in the AI revolution Nvidia retains its 94 percent market share in GPU sales, underscoring its pivotal role in the AI industry. The company reported a 56 percent year-over-year revenue increase, bolstered by AI and data-intensive applications. Nvidias new AI rack servers, GB200 NVL72, are in full production, driving significant demand and future growth. Despite geopolitical challenges, Nvidias financials remain robust, with analysts predicting a 30-50 percent earnings growth. Despite recent volatility, Nvidias stock remains undervalued, with potential for further gains. Nvidia, the semiconductor giant, is at the center of the artificial intelligence revolution, powering the future with cutting-edge graphics processing units (GPUs). Despite recent challenges, the company remains the industry leader, maintaining an impressive 94 percent market share in GPU sales late in 2025. With its new high-density rack servers and robust revenue growth, Nvidia is gearing up for another blockbuster year, reinforcing its position as the backbone of AI infrastructure. Investors are eyeing the stock with renewed interest, amid doubts about the AI hype and amidst ongoing geopolitical issues. Market share strengthens Nvidia's future Nvidias performance is not just impressive; its dominating. Recent data from Jon Peddie Research shows that Nvidia held an astonishing 94 percent market share in GPU sales for the second quarter of 2025, backed by a 27 percent sequential growth in GPU sales. The company sold a total of 11.6 million GPUs, catering to the growing demand from AI workloads and data-intensive applications. This dominance is critical as Nvidia continues to establish itself as the go-to supplier for the AI industry, which relies heavily on the companys advanced GPUs. Rivals like AMD and Intel barely register in this high-stakes market, underscoring Nvidias market control and pricing power. The bullish outlook is also reflected by analysts' predictions. Bank of Americas Vivek Arya maintains a Buy rating with a 220 price target, noting Nvidias strong financials and the ongoing ramp-up of its Blackwell GPUs. The consensus among analysts remains Strong Buy, with potential upside of up to 30% from current stock levels, indicating further growth in the year ahead. AI-powered servers drive future growth One of the key drivers of Nvidia's future growth is its newly launched AI rack servers. The GB200 NVL72 and GB300 NVL72 systems, featuring 72 GPUs linked in a single server rack, are revolutionary in their architecture. This unprecedented density of computing power is essential for training complex AI models, which demand vast computational resources. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang confirmed that these new racks are now in full production, overcoming initial manufacturing hurdles. Each rack can cost several million dollars, but the enhanced performance they provide is crucial for the future of AI. The production ramp-up of these systems is evident in Nvidias networking revenue, which surged 46% sequentially. This growth reflects the higher demand for networking hardware per rack, signaling that Nvidias advanced servers are capturing market interest. The demand for AI computing resources is formidable, with Big Tech firms increasing their capital expenditure and emphasizing the need for more computing power. Nvidias rack servers are exactly what start-ups and enterprises are clamoring for, making them indispensable in the AI landscape. Combatting geopolitical challenges Despite Nvidia's robust performance and strong future prospects, the company faces significant challenges in China. The U.S. governments tightening of export licensing requirements in April, followed by a reversal in July, has created uncertainty around the company's business in the worlds second-largest economy. Nvidia reported zero H20 GPU sales from China-based customers in the second quarter, and this impact is still reflected in its forward guidance. China, in turn, was reportedly frustrated by disparaging remarks from the U.S. Commerce Secretary, leading to a backlash against Nvidia's chips due to security concerns. Although Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang disputes the existence of any security backdoors in their products, the geopolitical dynamic continues to play out. Analysts remain cautiously optimistic that Nvidias Chinese business has all upside potential, especially considering the high demand for Nvidia GPUs in China and its initial cooperation with the Chinese government. Nvidia's financial fortitude Nvidia's resilience is evident in its financials. The company reported a 56 percent year-over-year revenue increase, with revenue for the July quarter reaching $46.7 billion. Nvidias forward?looking revenue guidance for the current quarter has a midpoint of $54 billion, significantly beating Wall Streets consensus estimate of $53.4 billion. Despite these robust figures, Nvidias stock initially dipped modestly following the earnings report, likely due to profit?taking after the stock rose 35 percent in three months. Nvidias value is not just tied to its current earnings but also its future potential. The companys upcoming product launches, including the 50 series GPUs and Digits desktop supercomputers, promise to deliver unparalleled performance and efficiency at a fraction of the cost. These innovations enhance Nvidia's standing as a leader in AI hardware and position the company for long-term success. Nvidia poised for a bright future amidst challenges Nvidia's continued dominance in the GPU market and its pivotal role in powering the AI revolution position the company for a bright future, despite ongoing geopolitical headwinds. With analysts predicting robust earnings growth and the introduction of revolutionary new products, Nvidia remains a top choice for investors keen on the future of computing. As Nvidia's market share and product innovation continue to solidify its place in the AI landscape, the company is poised to drive the next wave of technological advancements, ensuring its relevance and success in the years to come. Despite challenges, the companys strong fundamentals and anticipated product launches cement its role as a leader in the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence. Sources for this article include: Barrons.com MSN.com Finance.Yahoo.com The reason the company caters to this group is because they're responsible for the bulk of net sales. Despite accounting for "just" 47% of total memberships, executive cardholders were responsible for approximately 73% of sales during the fiscal third quarter. Keeping these folks happy and sustaining annual renewal rates above 90% is key to Costco's success. According to Costco, its executive members can earn up to 2% back on most purchases totaling up to $1,250 annually, as well as receive a monthly credit of $10 for eligible delivery orders topping $150. Executive cardholders may also qualify for discounts on Costco travel packages. To shop in one of Costco's more than 900 warehouse locations, you'll need a membership. Approximately 42 million of its paid membership are gold star and business level, which each carry a $65 annual cost. The remaining 37.6 million are executive level, which carries twice the annual cost ($130), but also lays on the perks. Costco's 79.6 million paying members, as of the end of the fiscal third quarter (May 11, 2025), have come to expect these perks and surprises. But a new rule is a complete game-changer for many of its paying cardholders. While Amazon and Walmart have (mostly) grown their respective businesses traditionally, Costco is the oddball of the bunch . It's known for its quirky deals, such as the $1.50 hot-dog combo for members, generous return policy, and its penchant for selling one-of-a-kind and unexpected items, such as gold bars and luxury jewelry. With an addressable market this massive, it should come as no surprise that retail is one of the most competitive industries on the planet. However, there are a handful of retail standouts, including e-commerce giant Amazon , superstore chain Walmart , and of course warehouse club Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST). If you thought artificial intelligence (AI) has a sizable addressable market, take a gander at the retail industry . Based on estimates from Mordor Intelligence, the global retail industry will grow from an estimated $27.3 trillion this year to about $36.9 trillion by the turn of the decade. Membership fees are a critical part of Costco's winning strategy, and its latest move will likely entice more gold star and business level members to upgrade. Although the estimated $27 trillion global retail industry is highly competitive, a few juggernauts have stood out, including warehouse club Costco Wholesale. Story Continues But a newly announced perk for executive members, which was unveiled in June but only fully implemented earlier this week, is bound to turn heads. On June 11, Costco revealed plans to allow its executive cardholders exclusive shopping hours seven days a week in its more than 600 U.S. warehouses. On weekdays and Sundays, only executive members will be allowed to enter its warehouses from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., with this exclusive shopping window narrowed to 30 minutes (9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.) on Saturdays. Though this policy technically went into effect at the end of June, there had been a two-month grace period where gold star and business members were allowed in. This isn't the case any longer. While some non-executive members have expressed frustration with this new policy, it's a smart move by Costco to put the proverbial carrot at the end of the stick and encourage existing gold star and business members to upgrade. Image source: Getty Images. Membership fees are a key ingredient to Costco's competitive edge Though membership fees aren't the only factor responsible for making Costco such a successful growth stock and phenomenal multidecade investment, they play an undeniably important role. Groceries act as the primary lure responsible for getting people into Costco's warehouses. However, food and beverages traditionally sport razor-thin margins. Since membership fees flow almost entirely to Costco's bottom line, they can be used as something of a buffer to offset the minuscule margins tied to groceries. Arguably even more important, membership fees afford Costco a pricing buffer. Management understands fully that members of all levels expect various perks, including prices on most groceries that'll undercut traditional mom and pop shops and national grocery chains. The membership fees Costco receives are one of the reasons it can keep prices on basic need goods so comparatively low. It's something of a repeating cycle that works in the company's favor. Costco Wholesale's size shouldn't be overlooked, either. When a company has deep pockets, it's often able to buy products in bulk, which reduces the per-unit cost for each item. These lower costs can then be passed along to its members as a key perk to shopping in its warehouses. Even though cardholders are likely heading to Costco for groceries and other household necessities, it only takes a handful of higher-margin discretionary purchases for the company to benefit. It also doesn't hurt when members buy Costco's private-label brand, Kirkland Signature, which tends to boast premium margins, relative to comparable products. There's no denying this formula works. Just over 90% of its worldwide customers renewed their memberships, based on fiscal third-quarter data, with an even higher 92.7% renewal rate in the U.S. and Canada. It also boasts exceptional membership pricing power, with the number of paid memberships growing following a fee increase on Sept. 1, 2024. There's a reason investors have been paying a traditionally head-scratching (for a retail company) forward-year earnings multiple of 47 to buy shares of Costco stock. Given its array of competitive advantages, and the exceptional loyalty of its shoppers, there's a good likelihood this new perk is going to mint even more executive level cardholders in the quarters that lie ahead. Should you buy stock in Costco Wholesale right now? Before you buy stock in Costco Wholesale, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Costco Wholesale wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $661,268!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $1,045,818!* Now, its worth noting Stock Advisors total average return is 1,047% a market-crushing outperformance compared to 184% for the S&P 500. Dont miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of August 25, 2025 Sean Williams has positions in Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Costco Wholesale, and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Costco Just Made a Big Change to Its Perks, and It Affects Many of Its 79.6 Million Paying Members was originally published by The Motley Fool Due to scheduled maintenance from Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 10 PM to Sunday, March 16, 2025, at 2 AM, there may be interruptions for our News Gazette Digital subscribers. During this time frame, please click on any News Gazette website content without logging into your News Gazette Digital subscription account. Thank you for your patience during this scheduled maintenance. WARSAW (Reuters) -Polish e-commerce company Allegro's CEO on Friday denied that the company was in disagreement with any of its partners, despite its relationship with delivery partner InPost souring. "We do not believe that we are involved in any business or other dispute with any entity," Allegro's CEO Marcin Kusmierz, who took the top job in June, told reporters when asked about InPost. InPost shares fell around 13% on Tuesday after it reported slower volumes growth in Poland. Its shares have lost more than a third of their value so far this year but were up 9% at 1340 GMT. Shares in Allegro were up around 2%. InPost, which according to JPMorgan gets 30% of its Polish revenue from Allegro, in July filed an arbitration claim against Allegro, saying that it had breached their long-term delivery agreement. InPost said Allegro had been redirecting customers to its own lockers. Commenting on the claim on Tuesday, InPost's CEO Rafal Brzoska said the company had to look after the interests of its shareholders. Allegro's Kusmierz said his company respected all business relations or agreements and has been adding new logistics partners in the interests of its customers. InPost declined to comment. InPost has the largest network of automated parcel lockers in Poland, but Allegro has been deploying its own lockers and teaming up with other delivery partners to add them to the service it manages, as it aims to bring its delivery costs down. JPMorgan analysts said in a note that they expected the companies to come to a mutually beneficial arrangement given their interdependence, though flagged it might lead to some loss in InPost's margins. They estimated InPost's Polish business to represent 48% of revenues in 2025 but that to decline to 35% by 2030 as InPost scales abroad, affirming their "overweight" rating on the stock. (Reporting by Anna Koper in Warsaw and Anna Pruchnicka in Gdansk; Editing by Matt Scuffham) Some of the populations with the highest risk for Alzheimer's disease remain greatly underrepresented in clinical trials-and a new study helps explain why. Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC found that participants from these high-risk groups are less likely to have elevated amyloid in the brain based on blood levels of p-tau217. Elevated amyloid is a requirement for clinical trials of Alzheimer's disease treatments, and amyloid is known to accumulate in the brain years before any signs of cognitive decline. The study, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), builds on earlier research with similar findings, but leverages a new and improved blood test, p-tau217, that more accurately detects early signs of Alzheimer's disease. Rising levels of p-tau217 are strongly linked to the buildup of amyloid, which disrupts brain activity in Alzheimer's disease, and the p-tau217 test is increasingly used to determine who qualifies for treatment studies. Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a similar test to help diagnose Alzheimer's disease in the clinic. Researchers found that cognitively unimpaired individuals from African American, Hispanic and Asian participants were less likely to have levels of p-tau217 in the blood that indicate elevated amyloid in the brain, showing they lacked the early signs of Alzheimer's disease that would allow them to participate in a trial of lecanemab. The trial is testing whether the treatment can prevent symptoms of dementia related to Alzheimer's disease in individuals with biological evidence of the disease. These findings suggest that these groups may have a lower prevalence of amyloid and are not at sufficient level of risk to appropriately qualify for amyloid lowering trials. The results were just published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring (DADM). Using this new and more accurate marker, we confirmed our earlier finding and affirmed that we may be seeing differences in the prevalence of amyloid across some populations." Doris P. Molina-Henry, PhD, assistant professor of research neurology, Alzheimer's Therapeutic Research Institute (ATRI) , Keck School of Medicine and lead author of the study In addition to helping explain the lack of diversity in Alzheimer's disease research, the findings raise questions about whether the disease progresses differently across racial and ethnic groups. To address these and other important questions, some individuals who did not qualify for the AHEAD Study were invited to participate in the Amyloid Plasma Extension Study (APEX). The study will follow the trajectories of these and other blood markers in these individuals over time. "It is somewhat paradoxical, because the populations showing low levels of amyloid on biomarker assessments are also the groups that face the highest risk of dementia," Molina-Henry said. "If amyloid is not what drives disease risk in these groups, then we need to do our due diligence to find out what does." Eligibility for clinical trials The study included 6,437 adults, ages 55 to 80, recruited from 75 sites across the country for AHEAD 3-45, a clinical trial designed to test the safety and efficacy of lecanemab, which removes amyloid from the brain. Of those, 4,832 identified as non-Hispanic white, 877 as Hispanic white, 511 as non-Hispanic Black, 155 as non-Hispanic Asian and 62 as Hispanic Black. All participants were cognitively unimpaired. Using blood tests for p-tau217, the researchers found that non-Hispanic white participants were more likely than other groups to meet the threshold for inclusion in Alzheimer's disease clinical trials. Those who identified as Hispanic Black, Hispanic white, non-Hispanic Asian and non-Hispanic Black were significantly less likely to qualify to participate. In addition to blood tests, the researchers collected positron emission tomography (PET) scans from each participant to directly measure amyloid buildup in the brain. Among participants who qualified for the trials based on the p-tau217 test, all racial and ethnic groups were equally likely to meet the PET scan criteria. That suggests that the same blood test cutoff accurately identifies early signs of Alzheimer's disease pathology across racial and ethnic groups. What drives dementia risk As one of the first and largest Alzheimer's disease trials of cognitively unimpaired individuals to use blood-based biomarkers, the AHEAD study provides a valuable opportunity to better understand risk for future Alzheimer's disease related dementia across populations. Those insights have important implications for the development of prevention therapies that will be necessary to address the needs of all individuals at risk of dementia. Blood-based testing also enables much broader data collection than PET scans, which are more costly and burdensome. "The additional data is helping us paint a clearer picture of why these populations may be underrepresented in research," Molina-Henry said. "It may not be because of issues in recruitment, access or interest, but simply that the lower frequency of elevated amyloid in some groups makes them less likely to qualify for anti-amyloid trials." Further research can help clarify whether the observed differences relate to Alzheimer's disease development and progression, and whether factors beyond amyloid-such as sociodemographic or genetic characteristics-contribute to dementia risk in these populations. Next, Molina-Henry and her team will broaden their analysis of Alzheimer's disease trial eligibility to include more than 20,000 participants screened for the AHEAD 3-45 trials from around the world. About the study In addition to Molina-Henry, the study's other authors are Rema Raman, Andy Liu, Oliver Langford, Robert A. Rissman and Paul Aisen from the Alzheimer's Therapeutic Research Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California; Joel B. Braunstein, Philip B. Verghese and Venky Venkatesh from C2N Diagnostics, LLC, St. Louis, Missouri; Shobha Dhadda and Michael Irrizary from Eisai, Inc., Nutley, New Jersey; Joshua D. Grill from the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine; Keith Johnson and Reisa A. Sperling from Mass General Brigham, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; and the AHEAD 3-45 Study Team. The AHEAD 3-45 Study is conducted as a publicprivate partnership of the Alzheimer's Clinical Trial Consortium, funded by the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Eisai Inc., the GHR Foundation and other philanthropists. Investigators at Johns Hopkins Medicine report new evidence that the protein Piezo1 controls skin growth by detecting when skin is stretched and then coordinating the metabolic and immune changes necessary for growth. Experts say the findings could ultimately help doctors develop noninvasive therapeutic approaches to create new skin for treating burns and other injuries that require a skin graft. Scientists have long understood that too much physical stress, defined as the internal and external tension experienced by cells and structures within the body, causes skin to tear, but moderate levels promote growth, such as the body changes seen during child development and pregnancy. Tension-based skin growth involves the epidermis (outermost layer of skin) and dermis (middlemost layer of skin), but how it's controlled molecularly has remained unclear. In contrast, researchers know that wound healing, another body process that involves skin growth, is controlled by the Hippo signaling pathway and requires coordination among blood, fat, immune, nerve and skin cells. Previous research found Piezo1, a so-called mechanotransducer protein that turns physical force into actionable biological signals, was present at high levels in the skin, suggesting a potential role for it in in skin growth. In a set of NIH-funded experiments published July 25 in Nature Communications, the JHM-led research team set out to explore how Piezo1 might sense and respond to mechanical stretching first by identifying the molecular signals triggered when skin is stretched in mice, and then by examining how these signals can contribute to growth when Piezo1 is manipulated. According to Yingchao Xue, Ph.D., first author of the study and research associate in the Garza Laboratory at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the team used an analytic method known as spatial transcriptomics to compare the levels of gene expression and the physical locations of where genes were being activated across skin samples collected 14, 32 and 70 days post-expansion. In expanded samples, the team found the stretch, angiogenesis and stress granule gene signature scores they created based on existing literature increased 2.1 times, 1.4 times and 1.4 times, respectively. The elevated scores plus increased immune cell activity present throughout the samples indicated a systemic, coordinated response to the increased skin tension. "Existing literature showed that the pathways we identified were closely correlated with Piezo1 expression," says Xue. One of the pathways, the TGF-beta signaling pathway, regulates immune system function and cell growth. Delving deeper to explore Piezo1's role, the team sought to uncover how increasing or decreasing Piezo1 activity would alter tension-based skin growth. To do this, the investigators first treated a group of mice with a Piezo1 activator, Yoda1. They observed that Yoda1 treatment increased the expression of tension-related inflammation and metabolism pathways in less time than initially observed in the expanded versus nonexpanded mice, resulting in a 130% increase in skin surface area, 120% increase in skin weight and 130% increase in epidermis thickness versus nontreated control mice. Because increasing Piezo1 expression further amplified pathway expression, we were able to show it is a key skin growth trigger." Yingchao Xue, Ph.D., first author of the study and research associate in the Garza Laboratory at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Next, the group created a Piezo1 "knockout" mouse line in which the Piezo1 protein was selectively removed from the skin upon being treated with tamoxifen. In the knockout mice, an average 0.9 times decrease in skin surface area, 0.84 times decrease in skin weight and 0.80 times decrease in epidermis thickness was seen in comparison to the control, demonstrating that Piezo1's absence negatively affects the body's ability to adapt and grow under physical tension. Together, says Xue, the findings are believed to be the first to demonstrate Piezo1 plays a key role in regulating molecular changes necessary for the skin's ability to grow in response to mechanical stress. The investigators say the study could advance the search for safe and effective ways to grow skin, which would help patients undergoing reconstructive surgery for burns, trauma or congenital defects. Current methods, such as silicone expanders, are time-consuming and can cause complications, including skin infections. In the future, the research team plans to explore how their findings translate to humans. The study was supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (R01AR074846, R56AR082660), the National Institute on Aging (P30AG021334), the Daniel Nathans Scholar fund, the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (2022-MSCRFD-5917) and the Dermatology Foundation Research Career Development Award. Luis A. Garza, M.D., Ph.D., has received grant support and royalty payments from Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company (SPARC) as a part of a licensing agreement with the group, which are not related to the study. The other authors report no conflicts of interest. Other Johns Hopkins researchers involved in the study are Elizabeth Winnicki, Zhaoxu Zhang, Ines Lopez, Saifeng Wang, Charles Kirby, Sam Lee, Ang Li, Chaewon Lee, Hana Minsky, Kaitlin Williams, Kevin Yueh-Hsun Yang, Sashank K. Reddy and Luis A. Garza. 1,000 drones draw Keralas culture in sky during Onam fete Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 22:15 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 6 (PTI) The three-day drone light show, organised as part of Onam festivities and held 250 feet above the University Stadium here until Sunday, is drawing huge crowds. King Mahabali, with a glittering crown on his head, strode majestically in the evening skies over the city as a fleet of a thousand drones wove spectacular aerial images of the festival. This turned out to be a showstopper for tourists and the public on Thirurvonam day here on Friday. Recommended Stories The drone light show is part of the Onam week celebrations of the state Tourism Department. It will conclude on September 7, an official statement said here on Saturday. The specially designed 20-minute event, with LED lights onboard drones, is a moving tribute to Keralas heritage, weaving together the states traditions, legends, and modern aspirations, it said. The stunning show opens with the resounding Chenda and Kombu, the percussion, echoing the rhythm of Keralas festive spirit, before welcoming the mythical King Mahabali, whose return marks the essence of Onam according to legends. The tapestry of images includes Keralas iconic Vallam Kali boat race gliding across the skies, while the martial art form Kalaripayattu and the graceful Mohiniyattam dance showcase the states artistic and martial prowess, it said. The show displays the elaborate Kathakali mask, a cultural emblem, before highlighting Keralas progress through the Vizhinjam Seaport and the mythical grandeur of the Jatayu Earth Centre, the worlds largest bird sculpture. The performance culminates with a portrait of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, wishing everyone Onashamsakal" and the luminous Kerala Tourism logo. So far, the event has elicited an overwhelming response from tourists and the public alike, who turned up to the capital city to celebrate Onam and also witness the stunning visual spectacle that was visible in a four-kilometre radius of the stadium, it said. Minister for Tourism and Public Works P A Mohamed Riyas and Minister for General Education and Labour V Sivankutty watched the drone light show on Thiruvonam day. Riyas said this is the first time that such a drone light show featuring 1,000 drones is being held in the capital city. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all He added that the drone light show will provide a unique experience to the visitors, besides adding a new charm to the week-long Onam celebrations. Global leading drone technology company BotLab Dynamics, which has set the record of hosting Indias largest drone light show with 1,000 drones at Rashtrapati Bhawan on January 29, 2022 for the Beating Retreat ceremony, is orchestrating the September 5-7 event, the statement added. PTI LGK ADB Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: September 06, 2025, 22:15 IST News agency-feeds 1,000 drones draw Keralas culture in sky during Onam fete 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... 27-year-old man beaten to death after party brawl in Delhi: Police Last Updated: September 07, 2025, 00:30 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Delhi, Sep 6 (PTI) A 27-year-old man died after he was allegedly beaten up by his friends following a quarrel during a party at Delhis Mangolpuri, police said on Saturday. A PCR call regarding the incident was received at the Burari police station around 1 pm. The caller alleged that his brother, Habib Rehman, a resident of Buraris Sant Nagar, was assaulted by his friends and handed over to him in an unconscious condition. He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. Recommended Stories During a preliminary enquiry, police found that Rehman was called on Friday night by his friend, Rinka Dedha, a resident of Ghazipur, for a party at a restaurant in Gujranwala town. Rinka Dedha was joined by his cousin, Harsh Dedha, and later, by friends Aman and Vicky. Another acquaintance, Anil from Burari, also joined the group, police said. From there, the group went to a restaurant at Mangolpuri under the South Rohini police station limits and consumed alcohol. A quarrel broke out during which Rehman allegedly hit Rinka Dedha on the head with a beer bottle. In retaliation, Rinka Dedha and Harsh Dedha allegedly thrashed him and threatened to shoot him, a senior police officer said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all They then took the victim to Rinka Dedhas dairy farm in east Delhis Ghazipur, where he was beaten up with sticks and rods. Police said the accused had planned to dump the victim in the Yamuna river but were stopped by Vicky, Aman and Anil, who instead brought him back to Burari and handed him to his brother around 5:15 am on Saturday. Police said since the incident started in Mangolpuri, the case has been transferred to the South Rohini police station for further investigation. PTI SSJ RC Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: September 07, 2025, 00:30 IST News agency-feeds 27-year-old man beaten to death after party brawl in Delhi: Police 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... Cameroon separatists claim roadside attack that killed 7 soldiers Last Updated: September 07, 2025, 01:30 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Yaounde (Cameroon), Sep 6 (AP) A separatist group has claimed responsibility for a roadside bomb attack that detonated in southwestern Cameroon, killing seven soldiers. The attack happened Friday morning near the town of Malende, according to local media. Recommended Stories The Fako Unity Warriors, an English-speaking separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack late on Friday. The Cameroon News Agency reported that seven soldiers were killed. Government forces had been on patrol in the area in recent weeks, searching for improvised explosive devices, the agency said. The Cameroonian military has not officially commented on the attack and did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. Cameroons western regions have been plagued by fighting since English-speaking separatists launched a rebellion in 2017 with the stated goal of breaking away from the French-speaking majority. They aim to establish an independent English-speaking state in the west of the country. The tensions, which began with peaceful protests organised by lawyers and teachers, turned deadly nearly a decade ago following a government crackdown. The government has accused the separatists of committing atrocities against civilians. The conflict has killed more than 6,000 people and displaced over 600,000 others, according to the International Crisis Group, a think tank. Though the number of deadly attacks by the separatists has decreased in recent years, the conflict shows no signs of resolution. Peace talks with international mediators have stalled, with both sides accusing each other of acting in bad faith. The attack on Friday was yet another reminder that resolving this conflict requires more than a militaristic approach. Genuine negotiations with third-party assistance are needed", Christopher Fomunyoh, senior associate for Africa at the National Democratic Institute in Washington, said. Fomunyoh said the conflict might escalate further in the lead-up to Cameroons presidential election on October 12. The last election in 2018 was marked by deadly violence in the English-speaking regions, as separatist tried to disrupt voting. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Fridays attack came on the same day that US federal law enforcement officials in Minnesota indicted two separatist leaders, both naturalised US citizens. According to the indictment, the two commanders of the Ambazonia Defense Forces financed and ordered fighters in Cameroon to carry out bombings, killings and kidnappings while living in the United States. (AP) ARI Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: September 07, 2025, 01:30 IST News agency-feeds Cameroon separatists claim roadside attack that killed 7 soldiers 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... LAB announces resumption of protest Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 22:00 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Leh, Sept 6 (PTI) The Leh Apex Body (LAB) on Saturday decided to resume its protests in support of the four-point agenda with a multi-religious prayer meet next week. We had suspended our agitation due to the presence of his holiness the Dalai Lama but since he has left, we are resuming our activities," activist Sonam Wangchuk told reporters. Recommended Stories LAB, along with Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), have been spearheading an agitation over the past four years in support of their demands statehood, sixth schedule status for Ladakh, a dedicated Public Service Commission (PSC) and two parliamentary seats. They have held several rounds of talks with the Centre but have accused the central government of deliberately delaying the dialogue after May. They held a three-day chain hunger strike and a protest rally in Kargil last month. LAB chairman Chering Dorjay, flanked by other members of the group including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, told a news conference here that they have decided to intensify their agitation with a peaceful multi-religious protest at Martyrs Park in Leh town on September 10. The protest will begin at 11 AM with mass prayers, emphasising unity and non-violence," he said. Wangchuk said the decision to resume peaceful protests was taken at the crucial meeting of the LAB. We are inviting all citizens to participate in this peaceful prayer meeting which is aimed at spreading awareness and sending a collective message that our agitation is peaceful. We had suspended our agitation due to the presence of his holiness the Dalai Lama but since he has left, we are resuming our activities," he said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all He said five representatives from each village linked to the LAB will also attend the prayer meeting. The September 10 protest is the first of various programmes chalked out by the LAB, and the rest of the programmes will be announced as time passes," he said. PTI TAS RT Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: September 06, 2025, 22:00 IST News agency-feeds LAB announces resumption of protest 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... Mayawati reinstates ex-BSP MP Ashok Siddharth into party after public apology Last Updated: September 07, 2025, 00:45 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 7 (ANI): Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has reinstated former Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Siddharth into the party with immediate effect. The BSP Chief stated that, considering Siddharths public apology and assurance of loyalty, the party has decided to give him another chance.In a post on X on Saturday, Mayawati said that Ashok Siddharth was expelled from the party a few months ago for anti-party activities.Today, through a lengthy post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), he has publicly apologised for his mistake and assured the Bahujan Samaj and BSP leadership of his complete loyalty to the party and the movement going forward, pledging to wholeheartedly dedicate himself to advancing the movement of self-respect and dignity led by Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. Although he had realised his mistake much earlier and had been continuously expressing remorse at various levels, today he has publicly expressed his regret," Mayawati said.Keeping this in mind, in the interest of the party and the movement, it has been deemed appropriate to give him another chance by the party. Therefore, the decision to expel him from the BSP is revoked with immediate effect, meaning he has been reinstated into the party. It is hoped that, like all other workers of the party, big or small, he too will contribute wholeheartedly with his body, mind, and resources to advance the party and the movement, so that under the leadership of the BSP, Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkars caravan can move forward, uplifting the Bahujan Samaj from the oppressed class to make it the ruling class of this state and country," the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister posted on X.https://x.com/Mayawati/status/1964284721275244676Earlier, in a press release dated March 2, Mayawati had said she is expelling Ashok Siddharth, who is also the father-in-law of Akash Anand, her nephew, for factionalism."Being an honest and loyal disciple and successor of BSP founder Kanshi Ram, I have expelled Ashok Siddharth, who is also the father-in-law of Akash Anand, from the party in the interest of the party. He has done this heinous act of weakening the party by dividing it into two factions in the entire country, including Uttar Pradesh, which is absolutely intolerable, and all this was also seen in the wedding of his son."However, in August, Mayawati appointed her nephew, Akash Anand, as the partys national convenor, four months after reinducting him into the organisation.Expressing gratitude to former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday for appointing him to the post, Akasha Anand said that he will take forward the movement started by BR Ambedkar. (ANI) Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: September 07, 2025, 00:45 IST News agency-feeds Mayawati reinstates ex-BSP MP Ashok Siddharth into party after public apology 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... Spot Bitcoin ETFs returned to strong inflows this week, even as Ethereum funds faced sharp withdrawals, showing a shifting dynamic between the two largest cryptocurrencies. According to data from SoSoValue, Bitcoin spot ETFs posted a net inflow of $301.3 million on September 3, while Ethereum products shed $135.3 million. Bitcoin ETFs Surge While Ethereum ETFs Reverse August Momentum BlackRocks iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) led the charge with $289.8 million in fresh inflows, bringing its assets under management to $58.6 billion. Grayscales Bitcoin Mini Trust followed with $28.8 million, while Ark Invest and 21Shares ARKB logged the days steepest outflow at $27.9 million. Source: SoSoValue Across the sector, Bitcoin ETFs now hold a combined $145.2 billion in assets, equal to 6.5% of Bitcoins market capitalization, with cumulative inflows reaching $54.8 billion. Among Ethereum ETFs, daily net outflows were led by BlackRocks flagship ETHA fund, which shed $151.9 million. This was followed by Fidelitys FETH, which added $65.8 million, and Grayscales lower-fee Mini Trust, which attracted $62.5 million. Source: SoSoValue Bitwise logged $20.8 million in fresh inflows, while other issuers such as VanEck, Franklin Templeton, 21Shares, and Invesco saw no major changes. Despite the setback, cumulative inflows across all Ethereum ETFs remain positive at $13.34 billion, with BlackRock accounting for about $13 billion of that total. The surge reverses a trend from August, when Ethereum funds dominated activity. ETH products attracted $3.87 billion in inflows last month compared with $751 million in Bitcoin outflows. Trading volumes showed the divergence, with Ethereum ETF activity jumping to $58.3 billion in August, nearly double Julys total, while Bitcoin volumes slipped to $78.1 billion. Ethereum also posted a new all-time high of $4,953 in August, supported by corporate treasuries holding a combined $119.6 billion of ETH by the end of the month. But September is telling a different story. On August 29, Ethereum ETFs logged $164.6 million in outflows, breaking a five-day inflow streak that had added $1.5 billion. Cumulative inflows remain positive at $13.34 billion, almost entirely concentrated in BlackRocks ETHA, which accounts for $13.1 billion. Analysts note Ethereum historically struggles in September, citing $46.5 million in ETF outflows during the same month in 2024. Bitcoin, by contrast, gained $1.26 billion that September, benefiting from risk-off positioning. Whales Scoop Up $620M in Ether as Institutions Boost Exposure Despite the latest ETF withdrawals, whale and institutional activity suggest a sustained appetite for Ether. New US CENTCOM Chief Admiral Brad Cooper completes first visit to Israel Last Updated: September 07, 2025, 04:00 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Tel Aviv [Israel], September 7 (ANI): The Commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, completed his first visit to Israel for talks with Israeli military leaders, as reported by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).The IDF shared the details of his visit in a post on X. IDF noted that Admiral Cooper was received with an honour guard upon his arrival, after which he held an operational situational assessment chaired by the Chief of the General Staff, and toured the communities surrounding Gaza. According to the IDF, the visit focused on operational cooperation between the IDF and the U.S. military, strengthening joint efforts to address the challenges and threats in the region.It wrote on X, The Commander of @CENTCOM, Admiral Brad Cooper, concluded today his first visit to Israel in his position, as the guest of the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir." The Commander of @CENTCOM, Admiral Brad Cooper, concluded today his first visit to Israel in his position, as the guest of the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir. Admiral Cooper was received with an honor guard upon his arrival, after which he held an operational pic.twitter.com/SUJwucaXGL Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 6, 2025 Recommended Stories According to a report by the Times of Israel, Admiral Cooper was received with an honour guard at the IDFs Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv before joining Zamir and members of the General Staff for an operational assessment so as to review the current security situation and plans for the coming period.In an official statement by the IDF on Telegram, it was noted that during the situational assessment, they discussed the current operational picture and the plans going forward.Times of Israel further reported that Admiral Cooper also toured Israeli communities along the Gaza border affected by the October 7, 2023, massacre.Earlier in another post on X, the IDF reminded how 48 people were still being held hostage. A reminder in case you forgot. pic.twitter.com/Ne2T1u4tGJ Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 6, 2025 top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all It wrote on X, This is your reminder that were still fighting a war against a terrorist organisation holding 48 of our people hostage".The official statement by the IDF highlighted that Admiral Coopers visit was focused on operational cooperation between the US and Israel.It said, The visit focused on the operational cooperation between the IDF and the U.S. military, maintaining regional stability in both nearby and distant arenas, and strengthening joint efforts to address the challenges and threats in the region." (ANI) Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: September 07, 2025, 04:00 IST News agency-feeds New US CENTCOM Chief Admiral Brad Cooper completes first visit to Israel 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... Pakistan: Floods force suspension of train operations on five sections in Punjab Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 14:45 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Lahore [Pakistan], September 6 (ANI): Train operations on five rail sections in Punjab have been suspended due to damage caused to railway tracks and infrastructure by ongoing floods and heavy rains in the province, Dawn reported.According to an internal report compiled by the Pakistan Railways (PR) and cited by Dawn, the Narowal-Sialkot section has remained closed since August 27 after floodwater breached a portion of the track. The report said a Girder Span of bridge No 7 near Aik Nullah was also misaligned, allowing floodwater to maintain a high level and overtop the track. Repair works are underway and operations are expected to resume by September 12.The PR report further noted that the Chak Jhumra-Shaheenabad (Sargodha) section was closed for rail traffic on August 29 when an exceptionally high flood damaged bridge No 132 & 134 near Chiniot." Efforts are ongoing to repair or reconstruct the bridge to restore train operations, it added, according to Dawn.Similarly, the Wazirabad-Sialkot section was closed on September 3 after floodwater overtopped the track between Wazirabad-Sodhra Kopra. The Jhang-Shaheenabad section has also been shut since August 28 after flooding breached an area near the Rivaz Railway Bridge over the river Chanab. The floodwater is still passing through the breached section, as the train traffic remains suspended," the report stated.Dawn further reported that the Khanewal-Shorkot section was closed on September 3 due to high flood levels at Abdul Hakim Bridge No 27 and breaches between Abdul Hakim and Darkana stations. Temporary disruptions were also recorded at Shahdra-Faisalabad, Lahore-Badami Bagh, Uggoki-Sialkot, Port Qasim-Bin Qasim, Kotri-Dadu, Tando Adam-Hyderabad, and Peshawar Saddar-Cant sections due to flooding, embankment cuts, mudslides, and fallen trees, the PR document noted.Meanwhile, the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) also reported widespread damage to its infrastructure. As many as 73,724 consumers suffered power disruptions, and of them, 13,073 are still without electricity," Lesco Chief Executive Officer Ramzan Butt said in a statement, as quoted by Dawn. He added, The floods have affected our infrastructure. But our teams worked day and night to restore power supply to the flood-affected areas. Still, 17 per cent of the total 73,724 consumers are affected."Dawn reported that Lescos jurisdiction covers Lahore, Kasur, Nankana, Okara and Sheikhupura, where 67 11kV feeders were affected, of which 55 have been re-energised. In Kasur and Okara, cables and other infrastructure were damaged, while several parts of Lahore also faced issues.Massive losses were also reported in areas under the Gujranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco), Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) and Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco). In Bajwat, a rural area of Sialkot, the residents of 85 villages are without electricity since Aug 26," an official from Sialkot told Dawn. (ANI) Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: September 06, 2025, 14:45 IST News agency-feeds Pakistan: Floods force suspension of train operations on five sections in Punjab 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... Pathankots Deepit Sharma commissioned as Lieutenant in Indian Army Last Updated: September 07, 2025, 00:45 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], September 7 (ANI): Cadet Deepit Sharma of the 7th Course at the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute (MRSAFPI) was commissioned as a Lieutenant into the Indian Armys Kumaon Regiment at the Officers Training Academy (OTA) passing out parade (POP) in Chennai on Saturday.The passing out parade was reviewed by Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, PVSM, AVSM, according to an official statment.Cadet Deepit Sharma, hailing from Pathankot district, has followed in his fathers footsteps to become a second-generation Army officer. In a proud moment for his family, he has been commissioned into the same unit within the Kumaon Regiment where his father serves.Punjab Employment Generation, Skill Development, and Training Minister Aman Arora extended his warmest congratulations to Lieutenant Deepit Sharma, wishing him a bright future in the service of the nation. With Lieutenant Sharmas commissioning, the total number of cadets from Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute commissioned as officers has risen to 179, the statement read.Major General Ajay H Chauhan, VSM (Retd), Director of MRSAFPI, congratulated Lieutenant Deepit Sharma on his commissioning, expressing pride in the cadets achievement. He also shared that the current batch of cadets would be appearing for the UPSC NDA (II) written examination on September 14, 2025, marking an important milestone in their journey towards becoming officers.Earlier, continuing a proud legacy of valour and service to the nation, a distinguished military family has created history with the commissioning of its first woman officer. Lieutenant Parul Dhadwal was commissioned into the Indian Army Ordnance Corps on Saturday, after successfully passing out from the prestigious Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Tamil Nadus Chennai.She was awarded the Presidents Gold Medal for standing first in the Order of Merit in her course, an achievement that underlines her exceptional dedication and merit. Lt. Parul Dhadwal represents the fifth generation of her family in uniform, hailing from Village Janauri, District Hoshiarpur, Punjab, a region renowned for its strong martial tradition.As per the statement, the Dhadwal familys service lineage traces back to Subedar Harnam Singh of 74 Punjabis, her great-great-grandfather, who served the Army from 01 January 1896 to 16 July 1924. Her great-grandfather, Major L.S. Dhadwal, was part of 3 JAT, while the third generation saw distinguished service by Colonel Daljit Singh Dhadwal (7 JAK RIF) and Brigadier Jagat Jamwal (3 KUMAON). The tradition continues with her father, Major General K.S. Dhadwal, SM, VSM, and her brother, Captain Dhananjay Dhadwal, both of whom serve in 20 SIKH.This rare instance of three serving officers from two generations of the same family stands as a testament to their enduring commitment to the nation. The commissioning of Lt Parul Dhadwal not only strengthens this illustrious martial tradition but also highlights the growing role of women in the Indian Armed Forces. (ANI) Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: September 07, 2025, 00:45 IST News agency-feeds Pathankots Deepit Sharma commissioned as Lieutenant in Indian Army 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... Punjab floods toll rises to 46; over 2,000 villages, four lakh people affected Last Updated: September 07, 2025, 00:15 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Delhi [India], September 6 (ANI): Incessant rainfall and swelling rivers have caused devastation in Punjab, leaving several villages submerged and thousands of people struggling for essential supplies. The death toll in the state has risen to 46, officials said on Saturday. Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema termed the floods the worst in five decades, accusing the centre of failing to extend adequate support. Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh, the Punjab Finance Minister said that nearly 2,000 villages and over four lakh people have been affected. Agriculture, the backbone of the states economy, has suffered extensive damage with 1.72 lakh hectares of farmland impacted across 18 districts. Homes, livestock and public infrastructure have also borne the brunt of the disaster, while the Ghaggar river has crossed the danger mark of 750 feet. The Finance Minister said that despite the unprecedented scale of the disaster, the Punjab Government moved swiftly to launch coordinated rescue and relief operations. More than 22,000 people have been evacuated to safety, and around 200 relief camps have been set up across the state, currently sheltering over 7,000 affected people," Cheema said. He said that 24 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and two teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are on the ground, supported by 144 boats and a state government helicopter. He added that the Revenue Department has released Rs 71 crore for relief efforts. In addition, showing solidarity, the entire Punjab Cabinet and all legislators have contributed one months salary to the Chief Ministers Relief Fund. AAP MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are also utilising their MP funds to support flood victims, while the states Excise and Taxation Department has contributed Rs 50 lakh for relief measures. Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian said that 48 more villages, 2,691 people and 2,131 hectares of standing crops were affected in the last 24 hours. With this, the total number of affected villages has risen to 1,996 across 22 districts, leaving a population of 3,87,013 hit by floodwaters," he said. Providing district-wise details, the Minister informed that Jalandhar reported 19 newly affected villages, Ludhiana 13, Ferozepur 6, Amritsar 5, Hoshiarpur 4, and Fazilka 1.He said that rescue operations are continuing round the clock, and in the past 24 hours alone, 925 more people have been moved to safety. This brings the total number of rescued persons to 22,854 so far, he said. The highest evacuations have been carried out in Gurdaspur, where 5,581 people have been shifted, followed by Fazilka with 4,202, Ferozepur with 3,888, Amritsar with 3,260, Hoshiarpur with 1,616, Pathankot with 1,139, and Kapurthala with 1,428," he pointed out. According to officials, 139 relief camps are currently operational in Punjab, housing 6,121 affected individuals. Since the beginning of the floods, a total of 219 relief camps have been set up across the state. Fazilka district alone is providing shelter to 2,588 people in 14 camps. Barnala has accommodated 527 persons in 49 camps, while 921 are staying in four camps in Hoshiarpur, 250 in five camps in Rupnagar, 155 in three camps in Moga, and 89 in two camps in Mansa.Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian also pointed out that the floods have claimed three more lives in the last 24 hours, with fatalities reported from Amritsar and Rupnagar. This has taken the overall death toll in the state to 46 across 14 districts. In addition, three people are still missing in Pathankot district," he said. The scale of crop loss has also worsened, with 2,131 hectares of agricultural land damaged in the past 24 hours alone. The cumulative crop damage now stands at 1.74 lakh hectares across 18 districts.According to officials, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Ferozepur, and Hoshiarpur are among the worst-hit districts. This includes Gurdaspur with 40,169 hectares, Fazilka with 18,649 hectares, Ferozepur with 17,257 hectares, Kapurthala with 17,574 hectares, Hoshiarpur with 8,322 hectares, Sangrur with 6,560 hectares, Tarn Taran with 12,828 hectares, and SAS Nagar with 2,000 hectares. Expressing gratitude to the armed forces and disaster response teams for their support, Minister Mundian said that 23 teams of the NDRF are actively engaged in relief and rescue operations in Amritsar, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Patiala, Ludhiana, Pathankot and Rupnagar, while two teams of the SDRF are deployed in Kapurthala. Meanwhile, the Indian Army, along with other disaster response forces, continued to carry out rescue and relief operations on Saturday. Officials said that the Army has deployed 27 columns along with seven Engineer Task Forces in flood-hit areas. Rescue operations are also being supported by nine helicopters of the Indian Air Force and Army, in addition to one state government helicopter and 158 boats. The Border Security Force (NSF) is extending critical assistance in the Ferozepur sector. Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced that her government would contribute Rs 5 crore to the Punjab Chief Ministers Relief Fund. The Delhi government has decided to contribute Rs 5 crore to the Punjab Chief Ministers Relief Fund. In this difficult time, the pain of the brothers and sisters of Punjab is a shared pain of all of us. The people and government of Delhi stand with affection and sympathy with the people struggling with this disaster. We pray to God that the affected families recover from this calamity soon, and happiness, peace and prosperity return to the sacred land of Punjab," CM Gupta posted on X. (ANI) Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: September 07, 2025, 00:15 IST News agency-feeds Punjab floods toll rises to 46; over 2,000 villages, four lakh people affected 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... Senior Mexican naval officer detained for fuel theft Last Updated: September 07, 2025, 02:45 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Mexico City, Sep 6 (AP) A senior Mexican navy officer has been arrested along with a number of business leaders and government officials in connection with a massive fuel seizure in northern Mexico earlier this year, a federal agent confirmed to the Associated Press. Vice Adm Manuel Roberto Farias Laguna a relative of a former navy secretary was detained on Tuesday as part of an investigation that began in March, when officials intercepted a ship carrying 10 million litres of fuel in the Gulf port of Tampico, said the agent who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment. Recommended Stories Farias Laguna is the highest-ranking officer arrested under President Claudia Sheinbaums crackdown on fuel theft, known in Mexico as huachicol. Such theft has long plagued the state-owned oil company Pemex, costing it USD 3.8 billion in just five years. US authorities warn that drug cartels are increasingly using intermediaries in Mexicos oil and gas industry to smuggle stolen fuel into the United States. The US Drug Enforcement Administration has reported that Mexicos most powerful cartels help finance their operations through fuel theft. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Federal Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch said on Saturday that both company executives and public officials were arrested after the March 31 seizure in Tampico. He pledged that investigations would continue. Mexicos navy did not immediately comment on the case but said in a statement that it maintains a zero tolerance" policy toward corruption. (AP) ARI Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: September 07, 2025, 02:45 IST News agency-feeds Senior Mexican naval officer detained for fuel theft 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... Thousands protest for Free DC on fourth week of federal control in Washington Last Updated: September 07, 2025, 03:30 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Washington, Sep 6 (AP) Thousands of protesters marched across Washington DC on Saturday in one of the largest demonstrations against President Donald Trumps federal takeover of policing in the nations capital. Behind a bright red banner reading END THE DC OCCUPATION" in English and Spanish, protesters marched over two miles from Meridian Hill Park to Freedom Plaza near the White House to rail against the fourth week of National Guard troops and federal agents patrolling DCs streets. Recommended Stories The We Are All DC" protest put together by local advocates of Home Rule and the American Civil Liberties Union was perhaps the most organised demonstration yet against Trumps federal intervention in Washington. The president justified the action last month as a way to address crime and homelessness in the city, even though city officials have noted that violent crime is lower than it was during Trumps first term in office. Trump targeted DC after deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles earlier this summer as the administration ramped up its immigration enforcement efforts and attempted to quell protests. The White House then turned to Washington, which presented a unique opportunity for Trump to push his tough-on-crime agenda because of its subservient status to the federal government. The presence of armed military officers in the streets has put Washington on edge and spurred weeks of demonstrations, particularly in DC neighbourhoods. Trumps emergency declaration to take charge of DC police is set to expire on Wednesday. Mark Fitzpatrick, a former US diplomat who has been a DC resident for around a decade, told The Associated Press on Saturday that hes worried about the authoritarian nature" in which the administration is treating DC. Federal agents, national guards patrolling our streets, thats really an affront to the democracy of our city," he said, adding that its worse for DC residents due to their lack of federal representation. We dont have our own senators or members of the House of Representatives, so were at the mercy of a dictator like this, a wanna-be dictator." Among the protesters Saturday were also former DC residents like Tammy Price, who called the Trump administrations takeover evil" and not for the people". Jun Lee, a printmaker artist living in Washington, showed up with a Free DC" sign that she made on a woodcut block. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all She said she came to the protest because she was saddened and heartbroken" about the impact of the federal intervention on her city. This is my home, and I never, ever thought all the stuff that I watched in a history documentary that Im actually living in person, and this is why this is important for everyone, this is our home, we need to fight, we need to resist," she said. (AP) ARI Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: September 07, 2025, 03:30 IST News agency-feeds Thousands protest for Free DC on fourth week of federal control in Washington 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... From Lifeguards To Artificial Lakes: BMCs Big Plans For Ganpati Farewell Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 05:16 IST This year, the BMC has provided 70 natural immersion spots and nearly 290 artificial lakes, urging citizens and mandals to prefer artificial ponds to reduce environmental damage Over 10,000 BMC staff members have been deployed to ensure a smooth and safe visarjan experience. File pic/PTI As Mumbai readies itself to bid farewell to Lord Ganesha, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has rolled out one of its most elaborate safety and convenience arrangements yet. With lakhs of devotees expected across the city over the next two days, civic officials say the focus is on crowd management, water safety, and environmental responsibility. Under the supervision of Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, Additional Commissioner Dr Amit Saini, and festival coordinator Prashant Sapkale, over 10,000 staff members have been deployed to ensure a smooth and safe visarjan experience. Recommended Stories This year, the BMC has provided 70 natural immersion spots and nearly 290 artificial lakes, urging citizens and mandals to prefer artificial ponds to reduce environmental damage. For smaller idols, 66 German rafts will be available, while 2,178 lifeguards and 56 motorboats will be on standby, along with 594 flower collection kalash and nearly 300 vehicles dedicated to eco-friendly disposal of floral offerings. To manage the expected crowds on chowpatties and immersion points, 245 control rooms and 129 watchtowers have been set up, supported by 42 cranes and 287 welcome booths for smooth coordination. Health and safety remain central to the preparations. The BMC has arranged 236 first-aid centres, 115 ambulances, and temporary toilets across the city, while floodlights and searchlights will keep the ghats and beaches well-lit during night immersions. Citizens have also been advised to stay vigilant about seasonal risks such as jellyfish and stingray stings during immersion. Medical help and 108 ambulance services will remain on-call. For easy access, the list of all 290 artificial lakes has been uploaded on the BMC website with Google Map links, QR codes, and WhatsApp chatbot support. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The civic body has also issued a list of dos and donts for devotees: avoid venturing into deep waters, follow police and BMC instructions, take extra care of children, and report emergencies immediately without spreading rumours. With high tides expected on September 6 and 7, authorities have appealed for discipline and patience during immersion. Ganesh Visarjan is not only about devotion but also about safety and responsibility," an official said. As the city prepares for its most emotional farewell, Mumbai hopes to combine faith with order, ensuring that the farewell to Bappa remains safe, peaceful, and memorable for all. 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 06, 2025, 05:16 IST News cities From Lifeguards To Artificial Lakes: BMCs Big Plans For Ganpati Farewell 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... Gurugram Man Returns Alive A Day After Family Performs Last Rites Believing He Was Murdered Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 10:00 IST When his sons were leaving for Delhi after performing last rites to immerse the ashes in Yamuna, they received a phone call from their maternal uncle saying their father was alive. AI-generated image used for representation A 47-year-old Gurugram man returned home, only a day after his family conducted his last rites. His sudden reappearance has left his family and even the police shocked, who believed he was killed. Identified as Poojan Prasad, the 47-year-old man is a labour contractor. He lived in Mohammadpur Jharsa, Sector-36 of Gurugram, along with his wife and three sons. Recommended Stories On September 1, when Poojan did not return home for several days, his son, Sandeep, registered a missing persons report, reported the Hindustan Times. The police told him about a body with a severed head, which they had recovered on August 28, near an abandoned warehouse 1.5 km from Poojans home. Sandeep even identified the body at the government mortuary, noting similarities. He had an injury mark on his right leg. Incidentally, the body also had a shirt and trouser on it of similar appearance. What made me certain was that there was an injury mark on the right leg which was similar to my fathers," he told HT. The family members of Poojan were informed, and the last rites were conducted on Tuesday. However, when his sons were leaving for Delhi after performing the last rites to immerse the ashes in the Yamuna, they received a phone call from their maternal uncle, Rahul Prasad, who said he had spotted Poojan at a labour chowk in Khandsa. For a moment, Rahul thought he was hallucinating; however, as soon as he got out of his rickshaw, he realised it was Poojan. He took Poojan home. When Poojans sons returned, they found their father sitting on the bed. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Lakshmi, who is used to her husbands drinking and disappearances, revealed how happy she was to get a second life". Even though he troubled me, he was my suhaag. I thought I had lost him forever. Seeing him alive is like getting a second life myself," she was quoted as saying. 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 06, 2025, 09:59 IST News cities Gurugram Man Returns Alive A Day After Family Performs Last Rites Believing He Was Murdered 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... 'Not In Race To Claim Credit, We're A Team': Shinde On Ads Featuring Only CM Fadnavis Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 22:13 IST The ads in question featured Fadnavis paying tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Lord Ganesh on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde. (PTI file photo) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday dismissed any talk of rivalry within the ruling Mahayuti alliance, saying he and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are working as a team, not competing for credit. We are not in a race to take credit," Shinde told reporters in Thane, when asked about full-page newspaper advertisements showing only CM Fadnavis. Recommended Stories Whether it is the Maratha community or the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community, the work of delivering justice to them has been done by the Mahayuti government. The validation of this work was already received in the last assembly elections," he added. The ads in question featured Fadnavis paying tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Lord Ganesh on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi, the final day of the 10-day Ganesh festival. Both ads included the word Devabhau" (a popular reference to Fadnavis in Marathi), but it remains unclear who paid for them. When asked if the advertisements were a political move to position Fadnavis as the face of the Maratha reservation push, Shinde replied that he and the CM had already entered their second innings as a team" and would continue to focus on the development of the state and the welfare of the poor. Now Devendraji and I have started our second innings as a team. Going forward, our agenda remains the same development of the state and helping the poor and needy," Shinde noted. The remarks come just days after Maratha activist Manoj Jarange staged a five-day hunger strike in Mumbai, demanding reservation for the Maratha community. The protest ended on September 2 after the state government accepted most of his demands. Following the breakthrough, CM Fadnavis said the government had found a solution" in the communitys interest. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra comprises of the BJP, Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawars NCP. (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 : Maharashtra, India, India First Published: September 06, 2025, 22:13 IST News mumbai-news 'Not In Race To Claim Credit, We're A Team': Shinde On Ads Featuring Only CM Fadnavis 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... From Nursing To Teaching, 6 Degree Programmes That AI Will Not Be Able To Replace Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 10:32 IST Students working or studying and preparing to enter the job market soon, it is important to be aware of fields where AI presence is minimal or negligible. The inaugural cohort of the Executive Programme in Business Management is set to commence on Sept 28.(Representative/File) The rise of AI is evident across various fields, from education to healthcare. Some companies have even started laying off staff due to AI advancements. In India and abroad, AI has taken over many roles, causing job insecurity even in well-established positions. While the integration of AI in certain fields is undeniable, there are still many roles where AI has no significant impact. Degrees such as nursing, teaching, mental health, social work, law, engineering technology, and creative communication rely on human-centered qualities like empathy, ethics, creativity, and complex decision-making. AI is currently unable to replicate these qualities. Students working or studying and preparing to enter the job market soon, it is important to be aware of fields where AI presence is minimal or negligible. Recommended Stories ALSO READ | From Arts To Commerce, Why AI Is Every Students Future? AI has limitations that current technology cannot overcome, ensuring job security in the following sectors for the foreseeable future. AI will not be able to replace these 6 degree programmes: 1. Nursing: Sectors like these depend on empathy, compassion, and human interaction. No matter how advanced AI becomes, it cannot replace the emotional connection required in these fields. Human touch and moral judgment are crucial here. 2. Creative and Communication Fields: Sectors such as advertising, UX design, and digital marketing thrive on innovation, emotional relationships, and psychology. AI lacks the emotional depth and contextual creativity required in these areas. 3. Mental Health and Social Work: This sector requires emotional support and personal care. Courses in mental health and social work demand emotional understanding and empathy, which AI currently cannot offer. 4. Law and Public Policy: A deep understanding of justice, ethics, and social context is essential in this sector. AI cannot replicate the role of human conscience in legal reasoning and policymaking. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all 5. Skilled Trades and Engineering Technologies: Jobs like mechanics and plumbing rely on fieldwork and practical skills. Hand skills and real-world problem-solving abilities are crucial in these jobs, necessitating human involvement. 6. Education and Teaching: Good teachers not only provide knowledge but also inspire students and society. They adapt their teaching methods to different circumstances, which is very different from AIs fixed modules. This human connection prevents them from being replaced. 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 06, 2025, 10:32 IST News education-career From Nursing To Teaching, 6 Degree Programmes That AI Will Not Be Able To Replace 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... By Julie Zhu and Kane Wu HONG KONG (Reuters) -Most of the bidders seeking to buy a portion of Starbucks' China operations have submitted offers valuing the business at as much as $5 billion, said two people who have knowledge of the deal discussions. That quotation would make a potential deal one of the most valuable China unit divestments by a global consumer company in recent years. The offers, which have not been reported previously, would let Starbucks push ahead with the sale in a market where it faces sluggish economic growth and stiff competition from local brands. Starbucks invited around 10 potential buyers to submit non-binding bids by early September, Reuters reported last month. Most of those bids set the value for Starbucks China at about 10 times its expected earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) of $400 million to $500 million in 2025, said the people. At least one bidder offered an EBITDA multiple in the high teens, said one of the people. The multiple bidders offered for Starbucks China is similar to one of its main rivals Luckin Coffee, which is currently valued at nine times its projected EBITDA for the next 12 months. Luckin has been gaining market share against Starbucks by offering lower-priced products and increasing its presence in smaller Chinese cities. The people asked to remain unidentified as the information is confidential. In response to Reuters request for comment, a spokesperson for Starbucks referred to the chain's latest quarterly earnings which saw record-breaking sales growth in international business and the third consecutive quarterly revenue growth in China. The spokesperson declined to comment on the valuation of the China business or the latest status of the bidding process. Starbucks' enterprise value for the global business is 20.6 times its trailing 12-month EBITDA, and is projected to be 19.3 times the forecast of EBITDA for the next 12 months, according to LSEG data. The Seattle-headquartered company has a market value of about $99 billion as of Thursday. INTERESTED PARTIES Starbucks has not yet decided how large a stake it is selling in the China business, Reuters reported last month. The two sources said they did not have information on the stake size. In May, the company said it was not considering a full sale of the business. Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said on the quarterly earnings call in July it would maintain a meaningful stake in the China business. Starbucks' market share in the world's second-largest economy - home to more than a fifth of its cafes - was 14% last year versus 34% in 2019, data from market researcher Euromonitor International showed. UK Deputy PM Resigns: How A Tax Scandal Over A Seaside Flat Brought Down Angela Rayner Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 09:31 IST Angela Rayner, long considered one of the Labour Partys rising stars, has stepped down after an ethics probe found she breached the ministerial code by underpaying property tax Deputy British PM Angela Rayner. (Reuters/File) The Labour government of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer suffered a major setback when Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced her resignation. Rayner, who also held the housing portfolio, was forced out after the prime ministers independent ethics adviser concluded she had breached the ministerial code. The ruling related to her purchase of a seaside flat in Hove, East Sussex, valued at about 800,000 (Rs 8.8 crore). She admitted underpaying stamp duty Britains property transfer tax by about 40,000 (Rs 48 lakh). Recommended Stories In her resignation letter, Rayner said she accepted full responsibility" and insisted it was never her intention to pay less than owed. Starmer responded in a handwritten note, praising her political record and accepting her decision with real sadness." Who Is Angela Rayner? Rayner, 45, is one of the most prominent figures in Britains Labour Party, which was the main opposition for over a decade before sweeping to power under Starmer in 2024. Her background has long been part of her political appeal. Raised in Stockport, near Manchester, in a disadvantaged housing estate, she grew up with a frequently absent father and a mother living with bipolar disorder and depression. She left school with few qualifications and became a mother at 16. She worked as a care worker before moving into trade union activism, a traditional route into Labour politics. In 2015, she entered Parliament as MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, a constituency near Manchester. From there, she quickly rose through the ranks, known for her blunt speaking style and strong appeal to working-class voters. By 2024, after Labours landslide election win, Rayner was deputy prime minister and housing secretary, effectively making her the second-most powerful person in the government. Her working-class roots and grassroots support led some to see her as a potential successor to Starmer, according to AFP. What Exactly Is Stamp Duty And How Much Did She Underpay? The controversy erupted when newspapers reported that Rayner had bought a flat in the seaside town of Hove in May 2025. She paid around 30,000 ($40,000 or Rs 35 lakh) in stamp duty, believing this was the correct amount. Stamp duty in the UK is a tax charged whenever property changes hands, somewhat like registration and property transfer fees in India. For someone buying their first or only home, the rates are straightforward: they rise in slabs from zero up to 12 per cent depending on the propertys value. But the law is stricter for second homes. Anyone buying an additional house must pay an extra 5 per cent surcharge on top of the normal rate. On expensive properties, this can nearly double the tax bill. In Rayners case, that meant the duty on her 800,000 flat should have been close to 70,000 ($95,000 or Rs 83 lakh). By paying the standard rate, she underpaid by about 40,000. How Did A Trust For Her Son Land Her In Trouble? Rayner argued that she believed she was eligible for the lower rate because she had sold her share of her Greater Manchester family home earlier in 2025. That property had been placed in a trust for her disabled son, who requires lifelong care after being born prematurely. Trusts are legal arrangements used to hold money or property on behalf of someone else. In India too, family trusts are common, especially when parents want to secure assets for children. Under UK law, however, trusts can be treated in unexpected ways for tax purposes. According to The Independent, Rayner and her ex-husband had set up such a trust in 2020 to safeguard their sons housing after he received a medical negligence settlement. In January this year, after their 2023 divorce, she sold her 25 per cent stake in the Ashton-under-Lyne home to the trust for about $220,000 (Rs 1.93 crore). She then used most of this about $200,000 (Rs 1.76 crore) as the deposit for her new Hove flat. Because her name was no longer on the deeds, Rayner believed she did not own the Manchester home and could list the Hove property as her main residence. But UK tax law has what are called deeming provisions." These state that if a home is held in trust for a child under 18, the parent can still be treated as having an interest in it. That meant the Manchester home still counted against her, and the Hove flat was treated as a second home. What Did The Ethics Adviser Conclude About Her Conduct? With the row dominating headlines, Rayner referred herself to Sir Laurie Magnus, the prime ministers independent adviser on ministerial standards, a watchdog who investigates whether ministers have broken the official code of conduct. This ministerial code is the rulebook that requires British ministers to act with honesty, integrity, and transparency, and any breach can make it difficult to remain in office. According to The Independent, Magnuss report found that Rayner had acted with integrity and good faith" and did not deliberately try to avoid tax. However, he faulted her for failing to seek proper specialist advice. Her legal counsel had warned that their guidance did not constitute expert tax advice and urged her to consult a tax lawyer, advice she did not follow. It is deeply regrettable that the specific tax advice was not sought," Magnus wrote. While acknowledging Rayners dedicated and exemplary commitment to public service," he concluded that she had nonetheless breached the code because she had not upheld the highest possible standards of conduct." Magnuss ruling left her position untenable despite her cooperation with the inquiry. Controversy Turned Into A Political Storm The resignation of a deputy prime minister would be a blow in any government, but it carried particular weight for Labour. Rayner was not only Starmers deputy but also the housing secretary, the minister tasked with addressing Britains acute housing crisis. As The Conversation pointed out, the optics were damaging: a housing minister brought down by a property tax dispute. Opponents from the Conservative Party and sections of the British press accused her of hypocrisy, since Labour had itself raised stamp duty surcharges to discourage second-home ownership and protect housing supply. The backlash grew sharper. Graffiti was daubed outside her Hove flat as the scandal escalated. Critics also reminded the public that she had access to Admiralty House, a grace-and-favour residence in central London provided for senior ministers, an uncomfortable contrast while she was facing a tax underpayment row. For Starmer, the timing was especially awkward. As AP noted, several senior staff members had already resigned from his office in recent months, and the opposition was eager to frame Rayners exit as another sign of instability in his leadership. What Happens Next For Rayner And Labour? top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Rayner now faces repayment of the underpaid duty, about $55,000 (Rs 48 lakh), plus interest and possibly a penalty of up to $16,000 (Rs 14 lakh). UK tax specialists say even experienced solicitors sometimes overlook how trusts affect stamp duty. But despite the complexity, tax authorities are unlikely to waive her liability. In her resignation letter to Starmer, Rayner said her decision was driven not only by the ethics advisers findings but also by the toll of media scrutiny on her family. The demands of government are nothing compared to the challenge of putting food on the table," she wrote. About the Author Karishma Jain Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follo... Read More First Published: September 06, 2025, 09:26 IST News explainers UK Deputy PM Resigns: How A Tax Scandal Over A Seaside Flat Brought Down Angela Rayner 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... Why Trump Wants US Department Of Defence Known As The Department of War Again Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 13:13 IST Arguing that defence sounds weak, US President Donald Trump wants to bring back the title America used until 1947: the Department of War Donald Trump has signed an executive order rebranding the Department of Defense with its original title, the Department of War. (Image: AP) In a move that harks back to Americas earliest years, US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order rebranding the Department of Defence (DoD) with its original title, the Department of War. The decision revives a name last used officially in 1947 and, according to Trump, restores a sense of strength and tradition." At the signing ceremony, Trump argued that Americas greatest military victories came when the department carried that name. We won the First World War, we won the Second World War, we won everything before that and in between. And then we decided to go woke and we changed the name to the Department of Defence," he said. Recommended Stories The order allows Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and senior Pentagon officials to adopt secondary titles such as Secretary of War" and Deputy Secretary of War" in official correspondence and public communications. What Has Trump Ordered? The executive order does not formally erase Department of Defence." Instead, it introduces Department of War" as a secondary title for Pentagon agencies and officials. Axios reported that Hegseth has already renamed his conference room the W.A.R. Room" and embraced the title informally. A full legal renaming would require congressional approval. Republicans have introduced a Department of War Restoration Act of 2025," though its chances remain unclear. Trump has insisted lawmakers will not be difficult to persuade, though Politico noted the White House has also looked for ways to bypass a vote. Why Bring Back War? Trump has repeatedly argued that the term war" carries a stronger, more assertive message than defence." In his view, defence" suggests passivity at a time when the United States should also signal readiness for offence. The text of the executive order states that the change will project strength and resolve" and signal to adversaries Americas readiness to wage war to secure its interests." Hegseth has publicly supported the move, calling it a way to sharpen the departments focus and instil a warfighter ethos." The Origins Of The Department Of War The story of the War Department stretches back to 1789, when Congress established it to oversee the Army, Navy and Marine Corps in the fledgling republic. George Washington signed the law and appointed his trusted aide, Revolutionary War commander Henry Knox, as the first Secretary of War. Over the next century and a half, the department grew alongside Americas military needs. In 1798, responsibility for the Navy shifted to a separate Navy Department. The Marine Corps was formally transferred there in 1834. The Army Air Corps, a precursor to todays Air Force, was created under the War Department in 1926. By the early 1940s, with World War II underway, the Army reorganised itself into ground, air, and service forces. Still, the Army and Navy operated largely as parallel institutions. The War Department remained the hub for managing land operations and logistics, while the Navy handled maritime campaigns. From War To Defence: Why The Name Changed World War II revealed flaws in this fragmented structure. The United States fought on two main fronts: in Europe, under the Armys Dwight D. Eisenhower, and in the Pacific, led by the Navys Chester Nimitz. After the war, assessments suggested that rivalry among branches may have weakened overall coordination. President Harry Truman responded with the National Security Act of 1947, which merged the War and Navy Departments with the newly independent Air Force into the National Military Establishment (NME). This was the first step toward a unified defence command. The law also created the National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency. However, the new acronym NME" sounded awkward, too close to the word enemy." In 1949, Congress passed an amendment renaming it the Department of Defence. Truman promoted the change as a way to ensure efficiency, reduce duplication, and give a civilian Secretary of Defence overarching authority. Since then, DoD" has been the name synonymous with Americas global military posture. Why Now? The Politics Behind The Push The US president has often accused the military leadership of being woke" and too soft. He has pointed to mixed US outcomes in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan as evidence that the post-war era of defence" has coincided with stalemates and defeats, unlike the victories of the world wars. The renaming comes ahead of Americas 250th birthday, a milestone Trump has tied to other symbolic reversals. Earlier this year, he ordered the restoration of old names for military bases that had been changed under the Biden administration. Symbolism Versus Reality Trump and Hegseth see the move as signalling toughness, deterring adversaries, and rebuilding morale within the ranks. It will set the tone for the country," Hegseth said. Critics, however, warn of risks. Forbes noted that allies could interpret the change as America moving away from its postWorld War II emphasis on defence alliances and diplomacy, toward an overtly aggressive posture. Historians also point out that the old War Department did not run all wars in the way Trump suggests, it mainly oversaw the Army. Wayne Lee, a military historian at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, told Task & Purpose: The War Department did not run the nations wars. It ran the nations Army at war." As per Politico, many inside the Pentagon view the move as purely for domestic political audiences," with zero impact" on how China or Russia calculate US power but a potential propaganda gift for adversaries who can portray America as warmongering. The Costs Of Rebranding Beyond symbolism, there are practical concerns. Rebranding a department of this scale could be enormously expensive. Firstpost cited experts estimating hundreds of millions of dollars" for new signage, manuals and digital platforms. Politico, drawing on current and former defence officials, reported the figure could run into billions once seals, logos and stationery across 700,000 facilities in 40 countries and all 50 states are replaced. For comparison, the US Naming Commission put the cost of renaming Confederate-linked bases at $62.5 million, a fraction of what this overhaul might entail. Even small details are daunting. Politico noted the change would affect everything from embossed napkins in military dining halls to Pentagon store keychains. At a time when the Trump administration has also promised to cut wasteful spending," this potential expense has drawn attention. Political Reactions Congressional reaction has been split. Republicans like Rick Scott and Mike Lee back legislation to restore the War Department name. But Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell criticised the move, arguing that real strength requires resources, not rebranding: If we call it the Dept. of War, wed better equip the military to actually prevent and win wars. Peace through strength requires investment, not just rebranding." Democrats have dismissed the order as a distraction. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called it dangerous" and said focusing on cosmetic changes undermines troop readiness. Implementation Chaos The rollout has already sown confusion. The Pentagon briefly redirected its website from defense.gov to war.gov, which promptly went down. Its official X account adopted a Department of War" handle and new seal but left the old banner logo intact. Contractors, universities and nonprofits dependent on DoD funding are worried about the messaging challenges of working with a Department of War." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all What Happens Next? For now, Department of War" is only a secondary title authorised by executive order. A permanent legal change would require Congress, though the White House has directed Hegseth to use Secretary of War" in official communications and to push enabling legislation. About the Author Karishma Jain Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follo... Read More First Published: September 06, 2025, 12:04 IST News explainers Why Trump Wants US Department Of Defence Known As The Department of War Again 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... 3 Dead After Ambulance Plunges Into Gorge on Hoshiarpur-Dharamshala Highway Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 14:29 IST 3 were killed after an ambulance plunged into a gorge near Manugwal on the Hoshiarpur-Dharamshala highway. All deceased were residents of Himachal Pradesh. AI-Generated Image Three men lost their lives and two others sustained injuries after an ambulance plunged into a deep gorge on the Hoshiarpur-Dharamshala national highway in the early hours of Saturday, according to police. The tragic accident occurred near Manugwal as the ambulance, which was transporting a patient, was returning from Kangra in Himachal Pradesh, said Sub-Inspector Madan Lal, Station House Officer of Sadar Police Station. Recommended Stories Near Manugwal, the road berm had caved in due to rains. The driver lost control of the vehicle and it plunged into a deep gorge," he said. According to police, Sanjiv Soni (50) of Pathial village, Onkar Chand (70) of Gangath village and Rakesh Kapoor (45) of Noorpur village residents of Himachal Pradesh were killed in the accident. Their bodies were sent to the Government Hospital in Hoshiarpur for postmortem, they said. Renu Kapoor (49) from Noorpur village and the ambulance driver, whose identity is yet to be confirmed, were injured in the accident and were rescued with the assistance of local villagers. Initially, both were admitted to the Government Hospital in Hoshiarpur and later transferred to a private hospital for further treatment. An investigation into the incident is ongoing, police reported. Monsoon Fury In Himachal Pradesh With incessant rain, frequent landslides, flood-like conditions in several areas, Himachal Pradesh is witnessing one of the most dreadful monsoon this year. The death toll has reached 360, including 197 in rain-related incidents and 163 in road accidents, according to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA). top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all SDMA in its report issued on Saturday stated 1,001 roads, including three national highways (NH-03, NH-305, and NH-505), remained blocked due to landslides, mudslides, and flash floods. Power supply was disrupted in 1,992 distribution transformers (DTRs), while 472 water supply schemes were out of service across the state. Heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours has triggered fresh road blockages in multiple districts across the state. 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 : Himachal Pradesh, India, India First Published: September 06, 2025, 14:28 IST News india 3 Dead After Ambulance Plunges Into Gorge on Hoshiarpur-Dharamshala Highway 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... Abuse Of Law: Telangana HC Quashes Dowry, Fraud Case After Finding Couple Already Divorced In US Reported By : LawBeat Last Updated: September 07, 2025, 04:24 IST A software engineer and his family approached the Telangana High Court seeking quashing of a complaint lodged by his father-in-law, who accused them of dowry harassment and fraud The couple had already secured a divorce decree from a US court and the families had settled their disputes through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). (Representational image) While quashing criminal proceedings filed by a womans father against her son-in-law and in-laws in a dowry and fraud case, the Telangana High Court said the complaint was based on deliberate suppression of material facts", since the couple had already secured a divorce decree from a US court and the families had settled their disputes through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Recommended Stories Justice J Sreenivas Rao pointed out that under the MoU, the wifes family had accepted the return of gold ornaments and received Rs 24 lakh from the husbands side. Despite this, he said, the complainant filed a fresh case without disclosing either the divorce or the settlement. Allowing the proceedings to continue in such circumstances would be nothing but an abuse of the process of law," the judge observed. The ruling came on a plea filed by a software engineer and his family seeking to quash a case registered at the Karimnagar Women Police Station in 2021. The complaint, lodged by the mans father-in-law, accused him and his relatives of offences under Sections 498A (cruelty) and 420 (cheating) of the IPC, as well as Section 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act. The husband and wife were married according to Hindu rites and ceremonies and had a son in the United States in August 2015. According to the complaint, the woman later returned to India with her child. Her father alleged that the husband and his family demanded an additional dowry of Rs 1 crore and threatened that, if it was not paid, the man would contract a second marriage. The petitioners countered that the allegations were false and unsustainable. They pointed out that the marriage had already been dissolved by a US Circuit Court in April 2021, based on a marital settlement voluntarily signed by both spouses. They also produced an MoU executed in October 2021 between the husbands parents and the complainant and his wife, under which the husbands family returned gold ornaments and paid Rs 24 lakh through cheques in full and final settlement. Senior counsel for the petitioners relied on the Supreme Courts ruling in State of Haryana v Bhajan Lal and other precedents to contend that allowing the case to continue would amount to an abuse of process. He also cited Geddam Jhansi v State of Telangana, where the apex court had quashed dowry-related charges against distant relatives when the allegations were vague and omnibus in nature. The complainants counsel, however, argued that the foreign divorce decree had no validity in India since the marriage was solemnised under Hindu rites. He contended that the MoU addressed only financial aspects and could not absolve the accused of criminal liability. Stressing that there were specific allegations of harassment and dowry demand, he relied on earlier rulings such as Y Narasimha Rao v Y Venkata Lakshmi and Rupak Rathi v Anita Chaudhary to argue that foreign decrees must conform to Indian matrimonial law to be enforceable. Justice Sreenivas Rao clarified that the enforceability of the US decree under Indian law was a separate issue and need not be decided in this criminal petition. What mattered, he said, was that the complainant had failed to disclose not just the divorce but also the MoU by which the families had settled their disputes. The HC also noted that the Supreme Court had earlier granted the woman liberty to initiate proceedings in India after the US decree, but she had not chosen to do so. Instead, her father pursued the matter, which, according to the High Court, further weakened the credibility of the complaint. Recalling the Bhajan Lal principles, the judge observed, Dragging the husbands relatives into criminal prosecution without clear allegations of specific acts falls squarely within the category of cases where continuation of proceedings amounts to an abuse of the legal process." He added that omnibus and general allegations against family members, without specific roles or acts attributed to them, cannot sustain prosecution under dowry laws. Since the husband and wife had been living apart since 2019, and the complainants family had already signed the MoU, accepted money, and recovered the ornaments, the court said there was no justification for prolonging the criminal proceedings. Concluding that this was a fit case for quashing, the court said, For the foregoing reasons and the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case, as well as the principles laid down by the Honble Apex Court in Bhajan Lal and Geddam Jhansi, this Court is of the considered opinion that it is a fit case to invoke the provisions of Section 482 CrPC to quash the proceedings against the petitioners." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Accordingly, the HC allowed the petition and quashed the proceedings in Crime No. 112 of 2021. It clarified that its observations were confined to the facts of this case. First Published: September 07, 2025, 04:23 IST News india Abuse Of Law: Telangana HC Quashes Dowry, Fraud Case After Finding Couple Already Divorced In US 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... Army Chief Bats For Theaterisation, Calls It Key To Unity Of Command Reported By : CNN-News18 Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 07:24 IST General Upendra Dwivedi pointed out that 'when we fight a war, the Army does not fight alone' The Army Chief described theaterisation as a natural progression to ensure effective coordination among the multiple agencies involved in modern warfare. (File image: PTI) Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Friday stressed the need for the theaterisation of Indias armed forces, describing it as a natural progression to ensure effective coordination among the multiple agencies involved in modern warfare. He made these remarks during the launch of the book Operation Sindoor: The Untold Story" by Lt Gen (retd) KJS Dhillon. Recommended Stories Theaterisation will happen sooner or later; we just need to determine the timeline. We must carefully consider the concept of theaterisation," said General Upendra Dwivedi while addressing a gathering of veterans and media. Highlighting its importance, he noted, When we fight a war, the Army does not fight alone." He pointed out that securing the nations borders involves not just the Army but also forces like the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Additionally, the Navy, Air Force, cyber and space agencies, intelligence organisations, ISRO, civil defence bodies, and state administrations also play vital roles. Thats why theaterisation is crucial, as unity of command is very important," Gen Dwivedi stated. The concept of theaterisation, which involves creating integrated theatre commands for better synergy among the Army, Navy, and Air Force, has been under consideration in India for years. The idea gained momentum after the 1999 Kargil War, when the Kargil Review Committee recommended greater jointness in operations. In 2020, the late Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat initiated steps towards the creation of theatre commands. The current CDS, Gen Anil Chauhan, has continued to push forward discussions, although resistance and concerns within the services over command structures and resource allocation have delayed its implementation. The Indian model is expected to differ from the US or Chinese systems, tailored to Indias unique geography and security challenges. Proposals under discussion include establishing separate commands for the western border, northern border, maritime domain, and possibly a functional air defence command. With emerging domains like cyber and space warfare, Indias military planners believe a siloed approach could limit effectiveness. Theaterisation, by pooling resources and streamlining command, aims to enhance both offensive capabilities and crisis response. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Recently, at Indias inaugural tri-service seminar Ran Samvad (War Dialogue), held at the Army War College in Mhow, the Navy and Air Force chiefs offered different perspectives on theaterisation. However, CDS Gen Anil Chauhan reiterated that despite these differing viewpoints, the services remain committed to jointness and reforms. About the Author Akash Sharma Akash Sharma, Defence Correspondent, CNN-News 18, covers the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Railways. In addition, he also follows developments in the national capital. With an extensive experien... Read More First Published: September 06, 2025, 07:24 IST News india Army Chief Bats For Theaterisation, Calls It Key To Unity Of Command 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... Balapur Ganesh Laddu Auctioned For Record Rs 35 Lakh As Hyderabad Bids Adieu To Ganpati Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 16:08 IST The bid started with just a few hundred rupees in the 1990s and has now grown into multi-lakh offerings Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Winner Lingala Dasharath Goud said he had been trying to win at the auction for six years, and his wish had now come true. (News18) The prestigious auction of Hyderabads Balapur Ganesh Laddu, a tradition deeply cherished in the city, reached a new milestone this year. The prized laddu was sold for a record-breaking Rs 35 lakh, with Lingala Dasharath Goud from Karmanghat placing the winning bid. A total of 38 devotees enthusiastically took part in the auction. Last years laddu was bagged by Kolanu Shankar Reddy for Rs 30.01 lakh, and this year marks an increase of nearly Rs 5 lakh. Recommended Stories To honour the occasion, Goud was felicitated by the festival committee. Expressing his joy, he said, I have a deep devotion to the Balapur Laddu. Ive been trying to win it for six years, and finally, my wish has come true. I am extremely happy." Over the decades, the Balapur Laddu auction has transformed from modest beginnings into one of the most celebrated traditions of Ganesh Chaturthi in Hyderabad. The bid started with just a few hundred rupees in the 1990s and has now grown into multi-lakh offerings, symbolising both faith and prestige for the winners. Since its inception in 1994, the Balapur Laddu auction has seen several winners who secured the revered sweet with steadily increasing bids. The auction of the Laddu marks the beginning of a centralised Ganesh immersion procession that begins from Balapur on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Meanwhile, massive security arrangements were in place for Ganesh Visarjan in Hyderabad on Saturday. About 30,000 police personnel were deployed for the smooth and peaceful conduct of the annual festival. Thousands of idols will be immersed in Hussain Sagar Lake in the heart of the city, and dozens of lakes and artificial ponds in and around the city. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Lakhs of devotees attend the annual procession called Shoba Yatra, which brings the city to a complete halt, marking the conclusion of the 11-day Ganesh Chaturthi. Traffic curbs have been imposed within the limits of all three police commissionerates (Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda) to ensure smooth conduct of the festivities. First Published: September 06, 2025, 16:08 IST News india Balapur Ganesh Laddu Auctioned For Record Rs 35 Lakh As Hyderabad Bids Adieu To Ganpati 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... Breaking Barriers: Lt Parul Dhadwal Becomes First Woman Officer In 5th-Gen Army Family Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 19:29 IST Lt Dhadwal stood out among her peers, receiving the prestigious Presidents Gold Medal for securing the top position in the Order of Merit of her course Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google In a post, the Indian Army congratulated Lt Dhadwal and praised her family's long-standing dedication to the nation. (Image via X/@adgpi) Lieutenant Parul Dhadwal has become the first woman officer in a five-generation military family. She was commissioned into the Indian Army Ordnance Corps on Saturday after passing out from the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai. Lt Dhadwal stood out among her peers, receiving the prestigious Presidents Gold Medal for securing the top position in the Order of Merit of her course. Recommended Stories She belongs to Janauri village in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab, a region known for its strong military tradition. With her commissioning, Lt Dhadwal is not only carrying forward her familys proud legacy but also becoming the first woman from the family to wear the Olive Green uniform. The Dhadwal familys military service began over 125 years ago with her great-great-grandfather, Subedar Harnam Singh, who served in the 74 Punjabis from 1 January 1896 to 16 July 1924. Her great-grandfather, Major L.S. Dhadwal, served with 3 JAT. The third generation included Colonel Daljit Singh Dhadwal (7 JAK RIF) and Brigadier Jagat Jamwal (3 KUMAON). Her father, Major General K.S. Dhadwal, SM, VSM, and her brother, Captain Dhananjay Dhadwal, are currently serving with 20 SIKH. With Lt Parul now in uniform, the family has three serving officers from two generations at the same time, which is a rare and proud achievement. In a post on X, the Indian Army congratulated Lt Dhadwal and praised her familys long-standing dedication to the nation. The Army described her journey as part of a saga of a family dedicated to service to the Motherland." Lt Parul Dhadwal is a saga of a family dedicated to service to the Motherland. A proud descendant of a long lineage of brave soldiers, she represents the fifth-generation who now dons the Olive Green in continuation of a deeply rooted family legacy," the Army wrote. A Legacy of Five GenerationsOne Uniform Infinite PrideThe journey of Lt Parul Dhadwal is a saga of a family dedicated to service to the Motherland. A proud descendant of a long lineage of brave soldiers, she represents the fifth-generation who now dons the Olive Green in pic.twitter.com/3BtXn8SlT8 ADG PI INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) September 6, 2025 The Army also shared a detailed record of the familys service history, honouring each generations contribution, adding that the presence of three serving officers in the family is a rare distinction and serves as an inspiration to others. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all With Lt Parul joining their ranks, the family now has three serving officers in uniform simultaneously; a rare distinction and an inspiration to many. The family truly exemplifies the spirit of the Indian Army while carrying forward the glorious heritage for Five Generations," the post concluded. (With inputs from ANI) 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 06, 2025, 19:29 IST News india Breaking Barriers: Lt Parul Dhadwal Becomes First Woman Officer In 5th-Gen Army Family 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... Court Allows Accused In Sonali Phogat Murder Case To Travel To Bali For Wife's Birthday Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 19:53 IST Sukhwinder Singh is one of the accused in the murder case of Sonali Phogat, who died under suspicious circumstances in Goa in August 2022 Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Haryana BJP leader and actor Sonali Phogat. (File photo via X/@sonaliphogatbjp) A sessions court in Goa has granted permission to Sukhwinder Singh, an accused in the murder case of Haryana BJP leader and actor Sonali Phogat, to travel abroad. Singh had applied to the court seeking approval for a two-week trip to Bali, Indonesia, to celebrate his wifes birthday. The court, presided over by Sessions Judge Irshad Agha of North Goa, allowed Singh to leave India from Delhi on September 9, with a condition that he must return by September 23. Recommended Stories The court also ordered Singh to hand over his passport to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) upon his return, provide a written memo within four days of coming back, and share his contact details with the CBI. Singh has also been directed to appear before the court on September 24, The Indian Express reported. Singh is one of the accused in the murder case of Phogat, who died under suspicious circumstances in Goa in August 2022. Phogat had arrived in Goa on August 22, accompanied by her personal assistant Sudhir Sangvan and Singh, who is Sangvans aide. That night, they visited a nightclub in Anjuna. Phogat was later found dead and taken to St Anthonys Hospital in Anjuna in the early hours of August 23. Initially, her death was registered as unnatural by the Goa Police. However, following a post-mortem that revealed multiple blunt force injuries, the case was reclassified as murder. Police investigations suggested that Phogat died after consuming the drug MDMA, which was allegedly administered by Sangvan and Singh during the nights party. The Goa Police had stated that the accused intentionally gave the victim an obnoxious chemical substance in a liquid form." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The investigation was later handed over to the CBI, which charged the accused under sections of the Indian Penal Code relating to murder and common intention in November 2022. Singh had earlier been released on bail with the condition that he surrender his passport and not leave Goa without court permission. 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 : Goa, India, India First Published: September 06, 2025, 19:53 IST News india Court Allows Accused In Sonali Phogat Murder Case To Travel To Bali For Wife's Birthday 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... EC Likely To Conduct Pan-India SIR After Bihar Leg, To Hold Delhi Meeting For Status Check: Sources Reported By : CNN-News18 Edited By: Apoorva Misra Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 13:56 IST While EC has not yet officially announced when the Special Intensive Revision will be implemented nationwide, sources say it could be rolled out simultaneously across India Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Election Commission of India (PTI) The Election Commission of India (ECI) is considering holding a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the country after carrying out the exercise in poll-bound Bihar, sources have told News18. Before implementing SIR in the rest of the country, the Election Commission has called a conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in Delhi on September 10. The CEOs have been asked to make PowerPoint presentations on 10 key points for the meeting: Recommended Stories * Number of current electors in their State/UT * Qualifying date of the last SIR * Number of electors in the last SIR * Whether the electoral rolls of the last SIR have been digitised and uploaded on the CEOs website * Status of mapping of current electors with the last SIR electors * Suggested additional documents to ensure only Indian citizens are included * Rationalization of polling stations (limiting to 1,200 voters per booth) * Number of polling stations after rationalisation * Status of appointment and training of DEOs, EROs, AEROs, BLOs, and BLAs * Any other suggestions The Chief Election Commissioner, Election Commissioners, and senior EC officials will participate in the Delhi conference. In its June 24 order regarding Bihar, the poll body had already indicated that SIR would eventually be implemented nationwide. Under Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, along with other applicable provisions, the Commission is empowered to direct a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, including preparation of fresh rolls. Therefore, the Commission has now decided to begin the Special Intensive Revision across the country to fulfill its constitutional mandate to protect the integrity of electoral rolls. However, since Legislative Assembly elections are due later this year in Bihar, the Commission has decided to first conduct SIR in the State of Bihar as per the attached guidelines and schedule. The schedule for the rest of the country will be issued separately in due course," it said. The SIR process is already underway in Bihar and will be completed by September 30. The exercise has seen the Opposition locking horns with the government, claiming that the BJPs real intention behind SIR is to delete names of existing voters and add new ones in an effort to win the Bihar elections. The Congress also alleged that it flagged irregularities in the exercise but the complaints were dismissed by the EC. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The poll body, however, said: Till date, no BLA authorised by any district president of the Indian National Congress in Bihar has submitted any claim (Form 6) or objection (Form 7) on any name in the draft electoral rolls published on August 1 in the prescribed format so far." A total of 65 lakh voters in Bihar have been removed from the electoral rolls as part of SIR. The commission has not yet officially announced when SIR will be implemented nationwide. However, sources in the poll body say the plan is to roll out the exercise simultaneously across the country. First Published: September 06, 2025, 13:56 IST News india EC Likely To Conduct Pan-India SIR After Bihar Leg, To Hold Delhi Meeting For Status Check: Sources 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... Tension Grips Pune After Son Of Dreaded Criminal Shot Dead In Suspected Gang War Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 11:29 IST The deceased has been identified as the son of Ganesh Komkar, an accused in the murder of NCP leader Vanraj Andekar. Govind Komkar was killed on September 5 Govind Komkar, the son of notorious criminal Ganesh Komkar, was shot dead after a violent gang war broke out in Punes Nana Peth area on Friday night. According to the police, the attackers fired three bullets at Govind. He died on the spot. Recommended Stories Two unidentified persons fired 11 rounds and also attacked Ayush with sharp weapons. He was rushed to hospital but declared dead on arrival. We have formed multiple teams to nab the accused," said the official. The incident has triggered a tension in the area. Heavy security has been deployed in the area to ensure a law and order situation. Ganesh Komkar Accused Of Killing NCP leader Vanraj Andekar Govinds father, Ganesh Komkar is an accused in the murder of NCP leader Vanraj Andekar, who was killed earlier this year. Vanraj Andekar, a former corporator, was killed in the same Nana Peth area on September 1, 2025. His father, Bandu Andekar, had a criminal background too. The police had then arrested Vanrajs sister Sanjivani Komkar and her family members, Jayraj Komkar, Ganesh Komkar and 17 others in the case. The police suspected old rivalry and family and property-related disputes as reasons behind the murder. The Andekar family has been a part of crime for the last three generations. Their sisters allegedly plotted the murder of their brother, and now, the Andekar gang has turned on its own blood again, killing their nephew. About Vanraj Andekar Vanraj Andekar served as a councillor in the Pune Municipal Corporation from 2017 to 2022, succeeding his mother Rajshree Andekar, who held the post for two consecutive terms in 2007 and 2012. His cousin Udaykant Andekar also served as a councillor, while Vatsala Andekar was once the Mayor of Pune. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all 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 06, 2025, 08:17 IST News india Tension Grips Pune After Son Of Dreaded Criminal Shot Dead In Suspected Gang War 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... Boerse Stuttgart Group, the sixth-largest exchange operator in Europe, has launched a blockchain-powered settlement platform aimed at handling cross-border transactions of tokenized assets. Key Takeaways: Boerse Stuttgart has launched Seturion, a blockchain-based settlement platform for tokenized assets. The platform supports both public and private chains, with settlements in central bank money or on-chain cash. Europes tokenization race is accelerating under the DLT Pilot Regime. The platform, named Seturion, is designed to service banks, brokers, trading venues, and tokenization platforms, with support for both public and private blockchains. According to the groups announcement on Thursday, settlements through Seturion can occur in central bank money or on-chain cash, offering flexibility for institutions navigating the shift toward tokenized finance. Boerse Stuttgarts Blockchain Platform Goes Live in Switzerland The platform is already live at BX Digital, Boerse Stuttgarts regulated distributed ledger technology (DLT) trading venue in Switzerland, and further rollout across the groups exchanges is underway, pending regulatory approval. Seturion has already undergone testing in collaboration with local banks and the European Central Bank, forming part of broader blockchain infrastructure trials. The launch comes as Europe accelerates its embrace of tokenization under the EUs DLT Pilot Regime, which enables regulated players to trial blockchain infrastructure in capital markets. Financial institutions across the continent are exploring on-chain issuance of bonds, equities, and structured products. Boerse Stuttgarts move follows a string of similar initiatives in Europe. In Switzerland, Taurus, backed by Deutsche Bank, recently debuted a Solana-based custody and issuance platform. Robinhood rolled out a tokenization-focused Arbitrum layer-2 for European users in June, while Backed Finance expanded its tokenized equities offering to Ethereum earlier this week. The momentum isnt confined to Europe. In the US, BlackRocks BUIDL money market fund, tokenized in partnership with Securitize, has now expanded to Solana. Meanwhile, SkyBridge Capital plans to tokenize $300 million in assets on Avalanche, marking a significant boost to that networks real-world asset footprint. Notably, Robinhood has come under regulatory fire in the EU after launching tokenized stock products linked to private companies like OpenAI and SpaceX. The Bank of Lithuania confirmed it is investigating the legality and investor disclosures related to these blockchain-based Stock Tokens, which launched on June 30. 'I'm Sorry, Papa': MBBS Student Found Dead In Chhattisgarh Hostel Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 22:12 IST Himanshu Kashyap, a first-year MBBS student at Government Medical College Korba, was found dead in his hostel. Police recovered a suicide note; investigation is ongoing. An accidental death report has been registered. (Representative image) A first-year MBBS student at the Government Medical College in Chhattisgarhs Korba city was found dead in his hostel room on Saturday, police said. The deceased has been identified as Himanshu Kashyap (24). Police have also recovered a suicide note allegedly penned by the student. Recommended Stories According to City Superintendent of Police, Bhushan Ekka, Kashyap was discovered hanging in his hostel room within the Civil Lines police stations jurisdiction, news agency PTI reported. In the suicide note, the deceased apologised to his father. Mujhse nahi ho paya, I am sorry, papa (I couldnt do it, I am sorry, papa)," the suicide note read. Preliminary information suggested that when Kashyap did not appear for his examination in the morning, his classmates went to his room but found the door locked from inside. After multiple failed attempts to open the door, they broke it down and found Kashyap dead. Soon after, the police were informed, they sent a team to the spot. Thereafter, cops sent the body for post-mortem examination. An accidental death report has been registered, and an investigation is ongoing. Dr KK Sahare, Dean of the college, mentioned that Kashyap had failed his first-year examinations in 2024 and was reappearing this year. It appears he took the extreme step due to the pressure of not performing well in the exams," PTI quoted the Dean as saying. UP Doctor Kills Himself In a separate incident in UP, a doctor in Muzaffarpur shot himself dead on Friday night. According to a report in Times of India, he was reportedly depressed over not qualifying for the medical post-graduate (PG) entrance examination. The deceased doctor has been identified as Ashutosh Chandra (25). His body was found in his study room on the third floor of his house at Jaitpur Estate Colony under Qazi Mohammadpur police station area. According to police, the shooting incident took place at around 7.30pm, soon after he took evening snacks with his mother and grandmother. Before killing himself, he told his family that he was going upstairs to study. Then he unlocked the cupboard, took out his fathers licensed double-barrel rifle, and locked himself in his study room and shot himself dead. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Moments later, hearing a deafening gunshot, the family rushed to his room. Since the door was locked from the inside, the family broke it open with the help of neighbours and found him lying in a pool of blood. Soon after, police were informed who launched an investigation into the case. If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata) About the Author Manisha Roy Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com's general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manish... Read More Location : Chhattisgarh, India, India First Published: September 06, 2025, 21:54 IST News india 'I'm Sorry, Papa': MBBS Student Found Dead In Chhattisgarh Hostel 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... Kerala Congress Social Media Chief Offers To Resign After Backlash Over 'Bihar, Bidis' Post Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 17:20 IST The Kerala Congress triggered a major political row over a social media post on GST rates that likened Bihar to bidis, with the BJP accusing the party of defaming the state. Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Kerala Congress leader VT Balram, who was the head of the party's social media wing in Kerala. (VT Balram/X) Congress leader VT Balram has offered to step down as the head of the partys social media wing in Kerala, after the party received severe backlash for allegedly insulting Bihar in a post about reduced GST rates for bidis (thin cigarettes or mini-cigars filled with tobacco flake). Reports surfaced earlier that Balram had resigned from his post. However, Kerala Congress President Sunny Joseph clarified that he had not tendered his resignation nor had the party removed him from the post. Joseph said Balram had expressed his desire to step down after backlash over the social media post. Recommended Stories We should have been careful with the social media handling. As soon as we noticed it, we withdrew the post and expressed regret over it. VT Balram, who was in charge of the social media wing, said that the post was made without his knowledge. He has expressed a desire to step down from the post. We have also decided to reorganise the social media wing," said Joseph. Biharis, Bidis Controversy In a now-deleted post on X, Kerala Congress criticised the proposed GST rate changes on bidis, saying, Bidis and Bihar start with B. Cannot be considered a sin anymore." The post triggered a massive political storm, prompting an apology from the party. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla asked if Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav endorses the comparison of bidis with the state of Bihar. Poonawalla also alleged that the INDIA blocs hatred for Bihar" was evident. Bihars Deputy Chief Minister, Samrat Choudhary, also called the Kerala Congresss post an insult to the state of Bihar. First, the insult to the revered mother of our honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi ji, and now the insult to the entire Biharthis is the true character of the Congress, which is repeatedly being exposed before the country," the Bihar Deputy Chief Minister wrote on X. Kerala Congress Admits Mistake As the row escalated, Sunny Joseph admitted that there was a mistake" and lack of caution" while posting the bidis and Bihar" jibe, adding that an apology was tendered by the social media team as directed by the state leadership. Meanwhile, the Congress came under scathing criticism by Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Friday, who accused them of defaming" the people of Bihar by comparing them to bidis. This is not just the thinking of Kerala Congress, it is the thinking of the Congress party. They have never left any stone unturned in defaming Biharis," Paswan told news agency ANI. Congress needs to answer how low they will stoop in terms of language for political gains." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Meanwhile, Bihar Congress President Rajesh Kumar accused the BJP of distorting facts. Bidis are called sin goods as smoking these has an adverse impact on health. But the GST rate rationalisation, in which both Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Samrat Choudhary, who holds the portfolio in the state, would promote smoking," he said. (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 : Thiruvananthapuram, India, India First Published: September 06, 2025, 16:08 IST News india Kerala Congress Social Media Chief Offers To Resign After Backlash Over 'Bihar, Bidis' Post 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... Lights, Camera And Notice? Delhi Doctor Takes 3-Year Leave To Make Films In Canada Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 20:33 IST The Health Ministry issued a notice to Dr Manju Subberwal on July 28 to explain her unauthorised absence from duty for three years while drawing a salary during this period. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Dr Manju Subberwal, a doctor in Delhi's GB Pant Hospital, is listed as a "filmmaker" in Canada. (AI-Generated Image) In a curious case, the Union Health Ministry has issued a notice to a doctor in Delhis GB Pant Hospital, who is listed as a filmmaker" based in Canada, to explain her unauthorised absence from duty for three years while drawing salary during this period. The notice was issued to Dr Manju Subberwal on July 28, who was asked why action should not be initiated for non-compliance with rules and regulations related to government officials availing leave, according to records reviewed by The Indian Express. Recommended Stories The Health Ministry asked Dr Subberwal why the unauthorised absence should not be treated as a break in service, and why the allowance and pay disbursed during this period should not be recovered. Subberwal is the former head of the biochemistry department at GB Pant Hospital. She was removed from the position nearly a month ago. On her Instagram account, she has described herself as a telly awards winner, filmmaker, writer and editor and medical doctor in Canada. Her LinkedIn profile showed that she pursued a certification course in animation and later pursued a Bachelor of Creative Arts degree from the Toronto Film School from April 2022 to April 2025, specialising in cinematography and film/video production. She even had an IMDB page, where she made three films: Colors (2024), Totka (2021), and Yours Faithfully (2019). Drawing A Full Salary While On Leave Sources told The Indian Express that the ministry has requested information from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office regarding Subberwals visits to India during the period under investigation. The hospital has also prepared a chargesheet in the case that will be later submitted to the Ministry. The action against Subberwal was initiated after a complaint was filed in May by an employee of GIPMER, the medical college associated with the GB Pant Hospital, which alleged that Subberwal went to Canada to pursue a filmmaking course in 2022 and was drawing a full salary. The complainant accused Subberwal of hatching a criminal conspiracy with another doctor from her department, who was signing all official papers on her behalf as head of the biochemistry department in her absence, without the approval of the competent authority". top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Subberwals actions reportedly caused a financial loss" of Rs 50 lakh to the exchequer. After the complaint, hospital authorities informed the Health Ministry. Officials found a major lapse in her attendance, which had been going on for nearly three years. She would show up at the hospital for just a few days each year. Once, her husband also came to give back-dated leaves," a senior doctor at the hospital told The Indian Express. As a doctor from the Central Health Services, Subberwal was entitled to 10 days of earned leave, 10 days of casual leave and 30 days of teaching leave every year. The maximum study time approved is 36 months for a post-graduate certification course, and the people are required to sign a bond to serve the government for at least five years after returning. 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 06, 2025, 20:33 IST News india Lights, Camera And Notice? Delhi Doctor Takes 3-Year Leave To Make Films In Canada 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... Maharashtra Man Rapes, Murders 17-Year-Old Fiancee For Denying Sex Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 13:58 IST A 22-year-old man was arrested for allegedly strangling his teenage fiancee to death after a quarrel over sexual relations. Police have arrested the accused. Representative Image A 22-year-old man allegedly strangled his 17-year-old fiancee to death following a quarrel in Maharashtras Palghar district, police said. The incident occurred earlier this week in Bivaldhar village in the Jawhar area, and the suspect was arrested by the police. Recommended Stories The man, who was in love with the victim, had been engaged to her and visited her frequently, according to Jawhars Deputy Superintendent of Police Sameer S. Maher. On Tuesday, while the victims parents were at their farm, the accused visited her house and allegedly tried to establish sexual relations with the victim. When she refused, he got agitated and allegedly strangled the victim to death after assaulting her. He fled from the house after the incident, officials stated. Neighbours who later discovered the incident alerted the local police, who promptly arrived at the scene and sent the body for postmortem examination. After a search, the accused was arrested on Wednesday and booked under section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the official said. Minor Girl Raped, Blackmailed in Uttarakhand Two men have been arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl and blackmailing her with a video in Kotdwar of Pauri district, police reported on Friday. The suspects, identified as Rajneesh alias Ranu and Ankush Saini, were apprehended in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh. The incident came to light when the girls mother filed a complaint at the Kotdwar Police Station on August 12. She alleged that her underage daughter was lured by Rajneesh and taken to Haridwar, where he raped her after administering intoxicants at a hotel. Additionally, the mother accused Rajneesh and his friend, Ankush Saini, of attempting to blackmail her daughter with a video of the assault. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Police have charged Rajneesh and Ankush with rape, kidnapping, and offenses under the POCSO Act. 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 : Palghar, India, India First Published: September 06, 2025, 13:58 IST News india Maharashtra Man Rapes, Murders 17-Year-Old Fiancee For Denying Sex 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... Man Kills Wife In Gujarat's Thangadh, Turns Himself In At Police Station Curated By : Local18 Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 13:25 IST The man who allegedly killed his wife and surrendered at the police station is reportedly mentally ill. (Representative image) In a shocking incident from Sonagad village, Thangadh taluka, a 65-year-old man allegedly murdered his 55-year-old wife before surrendering himself at the police station. The accused, Bahadur Jalu, is reportedly mentally ill. The case came to light after the couples son filed a complaint against his father. Authorities have initiated legal proceedings considering the gravity of the situation. According to the complaint, 31-year-old Vijay Jalu stated that he works in agriculture to support his family. On the morning of September 5, 2025, around 4:00 AM, Vijay received a call from his relative, Haresh Jalu, informing him that his father had reached Thangadh police station and had admitted to killing his mother by striking her on the head with a wooden stick. To verify, Haresh contacted the police, who knew him. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Recommended Stories Vijay rushed to his parents room and found his mother lying in a bloodied state on the bed, while his father was absent. Family members, including his uncle, aunt, and siblings, arrived immediately. His mother was taken to Thangadh Government Hospital for treatment, where doctors declared her dead. Vijay noted that his father, Bahadur, has suffered from a neurological condition for 30 years and has been on medication. Police confirmed that Bahadur, in a mentally unstable state, killed his wife for unknown reasons and then voluntarily reported himself. Authorities have taken him into custody and requested his medical records for further investigation. 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 06, 2025, 13:25 IST News india Man Kills Wife In Gujarat's Thangadh, Turns Himself In At Police Station 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... Man, Who Threatened To Blow Up Mumbai With Human Bombs & 400kg RDX, Arrested In Noida Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 09:14 IST The threat was received on Mumbai Police's official WhatsApp number, claiming that multiple bombs in vehicles were planted across the city. The accused has been arrested in Noida. (Credits: News18.com) Noida Police have arrested the man who threatened to bomb Mumbai on Anant Chaturdashi. The accused, identified as Ashwini, hails from Bihar and has been living in Noida for the last five years. The accused was caught in Sector-113 in Noida and handed over to the Mumbai Police. The accused sent a threat on Mumbai Polices official WhatsApp number on Thursday, claiming that multiple bombs in vehicles were planted across the city and warning of a large-scale attack involving 400 kg of RDX, which would kill one crore people. Recommended Stories The caller claimed to be a member of a Pakistan-based jihadi group and also alleged that 14 terrorists had entered the city. A probe was launched into the matter, and the police have also recovered a mobile phone from him. The man reportedly described himself as an astrologer at first. However, the police are still investigating the matter. In the threat, a claim has been made that 34 human bombs have been planted in 34 vehicles across the city, and that blasts will shake entire Mumbai. The organisation, claiming to be Lashkar-e-Jihadi, says that 14 Pakistani terrorists have entered India. The threat message further states that 400 kgs of RDX will be used in the blast," the police had said earlier. Mumbai Police is alert, and security across the state has been enhanced. All angles of the threat are being investigated," they had said. The threat was issued during the ongoing Ganesh Chaturthi celebration in Mumbai. Today marks the last day of the festival, that will conclude with Ganesh Visarjan. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all 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 06, 2025, 07:41 IST News india Man, Who Threatened To Blow Up Mumbai With Human Bombs & 400kg RDX, Arrested In Noida 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... Masked Goons Attempt Robbery At MP Congress Chief's Home; Cut Power, Ransack Office Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 07, 2025, 08:41 IST The intruders cut off the electricity supply and thoroughly searched Jitu Patwaris office, breaking open drawers and lockers Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari. (Image via X/@jitupatwari) Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwaris residence in Indore was targeted in an attempted robbery late Friday night, when a group of more than five masked men tried to break into his home. The incident took place in the Bijalpur area of Rajendra Nagar. Recommended Stories According to a report by Bhaskar English, the intruders cut off the electricity supply and thoroughly searched Patwaris office, breaking open drawers and lockers in search of valuables. However, they fled without taking anything. The masked men also targeted three other nearby houses, those of Nagar Panchayat CMO Rajkumar Thakur, MPEB officer Narendra Thakur, and the Arya family in Punasa. They cut the grills of these homes and attempted thefts, though it remains unclear if anything was stolen. CCTV cameras at Patwaris residence did not capture the break-in, as the electricity was cut off when the intruders entered. However, footage from neighbouring homes, including those of Narendra Dubey and Rajkumar Thakur, showed the men arriving in the area and moving towards Patwaris house. Local residents reported seeing the intruders enter Bijalpur around 2am and stay in the area till 4:30am before fleeing. This comes shortly after a recent attack on Patwaris convoy in Ratlam by members of the Dhakad community, who accused him of making offensive remarks against their group. Following a complaint by a Congress leader, a case has been registered against former Jaora Janpad president Ramvilas Dhakad, Mandal president Ashok Dhakad, and others. Additional Superintendent of Police Rakesh Khakha told PTI that the accused showed black flags and broke a window of a car in Patwaris convoy. Patwari stepped out of his vehicle and calmed the alleged attackers, saying he had not spoken against the Dhakad community. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Earlier that day, Patwari had spoken at a public meeting, referring to two Dhakad community members who were caught in compromising situations in separate incidents in recent months. One of them was Manoharlal Dhakad, the national secretary of the Dhakad Mahasabha in Ujjain. However, the Mahasabha issued a statement saying he had been removed from the post. (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 : Madhya Pradesh, India, India First Published: September 06, 2025, 23:01 IST News india Masked Goons Attempt Robbery At MP Congress Chief's Home; Cut Power, Ransack Office 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... Mob Vandalises Plaque With Ashoka Emblem At Hazratbal Shrine, Sparks War Of Words In Valley Reported By : CNN-News18 Edited By: Apoorva Misra Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 13:17 IST Protesters argued that the emblems sculpted lions resembled figurative representations, making it incompatible with the shrines religious ethos Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google The uproar stemmed from interpretations of Islamic principles, particularly Tawheed meaning the oneness of God, which strictly prohibits idol worship or the depiction of figures in places of worship. (Screenshot) A massive controversy erupted at Srinagars Hazratbal Shrine on Friday after a mob used stones to smash a renovation plaque engraved with the Ashoka emblem over its perceived violation of Islamic principles against figurative depictions in sacred spaces. The uproar stemmed from interpretations of Islamic principles, particularly Tawheed meaning the oneness of God, which strictly prohibits idol worship or the depiction of figures in places of worship. Recommended Stories Protesters argued that the emblems sculpted lions resembled figurative representations, making it incompatible with the shrines religious ethos. The shrine recently underwent a major renovation and beautification project and was inaugurated by Darakshan Andrabi, chairperson of the J&K Waqf Board and a senior BJP leader. "Deeply anguished by the vandalism of the Ashoka Emblem on the renovation plaque at Hazratbal Shrine. Ashoka Emblem is the symbol of our sovereignty & national pride. Such acts hurt our national sentiments & will not be tolerated. Strong action will be taken against miscreants." pic.twitter.com/Mn1qXxT6Dc Office of the Lt. Governor, Ladakh (@lg_ladakh) September 6, 2025 National Conference leader and Zadibal MLA Tanvir Sadiq condemned the installation of the plaque on social media, saying: Placing a sculpted figure at the revered Hazratbal Dargah goes against this very belief. Sacred spaces must reflect only the purity of Tawheed, nothing else." However, Andrabi strongly condemned the vandalism, labelling it a terrorist attack" and an assault on the Constitution, the dignity of the shrine, and national symbols. She demanded an FIR and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene. She accused National Conference (NC) activists of orchestrating the act, linking it to their old games of stone pelting" and frustration over not controlling the Waqf Board. Reacting to the accusations, NC slammed Andrabi and termed the plaque a matter of grave concern. The Waqf is not the personal estate of any individual. It is a trust run on the contributions and donations of ordinary Muslims, and it must be managed in line with their faith and traditions," NC said in a post on X. The party said instead of offering an apology for hurting religious sentiments, threats were being issued of detaining people under the public safety act. Peoples Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti too termed the plaque a deliberate attempt to provoke Muslims". Labelling Kashmiris as terrorists just because they expressed their anger on something which hurt their religious sentiments and asking police to slap them with PSA reflects the BJPs punitive and communal mindset. The Waqf board should certainly have been more mindful and sensitive. It seems that Muslims are being deliberately provoked," she said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, reacting to the row, said: Ive never seen an emblem being used in any religious place. What was the need to use an emblem and stone? Sheikh Abdullah shaped the current Hazratbal shrine, and there was no stone in his name. No one has apologised for this mistake. Google it and check if religious places have government emblems. Temples, shrines, and gurdwaras are religious places and not government property." Police sources told News18 that a case has been registered and people involved in the incident are being identified to take action against them. About the Author Ieshan Wani Ieshan Wani, senior correspondent, CNN-News18, has over eight years of experience in reporting, producing and editing news for broadcast, digital and print platforms. His reporting has mostly been fro... Read More Location : Srinagar, India, India First Published: September 06, 2025, 13:17 IST News india Mob Vandalises Plaque With Ashoka Emblem At Hazratbal Shrine, Sparks War Of Words In Valley 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... 'Nude Gang' Sparks Panic Among Women In Meerut, Drones Deployed To Monitor Area Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 16:23 IST Panic grips Daurala in Meerut after a fourth alleged "nude gang" attack. Police are using drones for investigation as fear spreads among villagers. Cops have been deployed in the area and a search is on for the suspects. (Image: PTI/file photo) Panic has gripped a village in Uttar Pradeshs Meerut as the fourth incident allegedly involving a nude gang has been reported. The alleged incident has caused widespread fear, especially among women, in Daurala villager. Police have launched an investigation, though no suspects have been apprehended yet. They are using drones to monitor the area. In the latest case, two men attempted to drag a woman to a field while she was travelling alone to work in Bharaala village. The woman screamed and managed to escape their grasp, but the attackers disappeared before villagers arrived. When her family inquired about how the attackers looked, the woman described her attackers as being naked. Recommended Stories According to a report in NDTV, the woman, terrified by the incident, has now changed her job and altered her route to work. Villagers claim this is the fourth such event, saying earlier incidents went unreported due to fear. They now say police intervention is necessary. Villagers initially did not take it seriously. But now there is an atmosphere of fear. This gang has so far targeted only women," NDTV quoted Rajendra Kumar, the village chief as saying. Police have searched the fields, and last Saturday, a search operation using drones was conducted for several hours with senior officers present. CCTV cameras have been installed in nearby areas for surveillance. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The report cited Senior Superintendent of Police, Vipin Tada, as saying that women cops have been deployed in the area, and a search is on for the suspects. While the nude gang" has confined some families to their homes, others believe it may be a rumour spread by mischievous elements aiming to tarnish the image of the police and the administration. About the Author Manisha Roy Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com's general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manish... Read More Location : Meerut, India, India First Published: September 06, 2025, 16:17 IST News india 'Nude Gang' Sparks Panic Among Women In Meerut, Drones Deployed To Monitor Area 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... PM Modi Attaches Enormous Importance To India-US Partnership: Jaishankar On Trump Row Curated By : News18.com Edited By: Karishma Jain Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 13:07 IST External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar says New Delhi continues to stay engaged with Washington amid Trumps shifting tone on India Prime MInister Narendra Modi and external affairs minister S Jaishankar (PTI) External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi attaches enormous importance" to Indias partnership with the United States, reacting to the Prime Ministers acknowledgement of US President Donald Trumps softened tone on New Delhi. PM Modi attaches enormous importance to our partnership with the US. Where President Trump is concerned, he (PM Modi) has always had a very good personal equation with President Trump. But the point is that we remain engaged with the US, and at this time, I cant say more than that. But thats really what I would say," Jaishankar told ANI. Recommended Stories #WATCH | On PM Modis response to US President Donald Trump speaking positively on India-US relationship, EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, PM Modi attaches enormous importance to our partnership with the US. Where President Trump is concerned, he (PM Modi) has always had a very good pic.twitter.com/vvDH3yUWCN ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2025 His remarks followed PM Modis first reaction to Trumps comments, where the Prime Minister said he deeply appreciates and fully reciprocates" the US Presidents positive assessment of the relationship, calling it very positive and forward-looking". Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trumps sentiments and positive assessment of our ties.India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership.@realDonaldTrump @POTUS https://t.co/4hLo9wBpeF Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 6, 2025 Trump had on Friday rolled back his sharp lost India to China" post on Truth Social and struck a more conciliatory note. Addressing reporters at the White House, he admitted being very disappointed" with Indias continued oil purchases from Russia but insisted there was nothing to worry about" in bilateral ties. He added that he will always be friends with Modi," calling the Indian leader a great Prime Minister." #WATCH | Washington DC | Responding to ANIs question on resetting relations with India, US President Donald Trump says, I always will, I will always be friends with Modi, he is a great Prime Minister, he is great I just dont like what he is doing at this particular moment, pic.twitter.com/gzMQZfzSor ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2025 The shift in tone came after weeks of Trumps criticism, which included a 50 per cent tariff on Indian exports and allegations that New Delhi was feeding Moscows war machine" through its energy trade. The President also drew attention with his claim that India had lost" to China after Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tianjin. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all He posted a picture of PM Modi, Putin and Xi, and captioned it, Looks like weve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together! President Donald J. Trump." The Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment on that post, however, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal affirmed that New Delhi continues to remain engaged with the US side on trade issues". 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 06, 2025, 12:40 IST News india PM Modi Attaches Enormous Importance To India-US Partnership: Jaishankar On Trump Row 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... Key Points The Global X SuperDividend ETF focuses on high-yielding stocks and it has a lot of exposure to international markets. The ETF has generated negative returns over the past five years, although its dividend income has helped to offset those declines. 10 stocks we like better than Global X Funds - Global X SuperDividend ETF Income-seeking investors often invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as a good way to diversify and collect a dividend. However, if the dividend yield is exceptionally high, is it too good to true? While diversifying via ETFs provides investors with some added safety, it's still important to take a close look at the types of stocks within a fund before investing in it and relying on its payout. One high-yielding ETF that may attract investors' attention right now is the Global X SuperDividend ETF (NYSEMKT: SDIV). It's yielding a staggering 10%, which is more than eight times the S&P 500 average of just 1.2%. Could this mouthwatering yield be safe, or is it too good to be true? Here's what you need to know about this ETF. Image source: Getty Images. It focuses on high-yielding international stocks There are 106 holdings in the Global X SuperDividend ETF, which gives investors a fair amount of diversification. One-quarter of the stocks are based in the U.S., but beyond that, it is a very broad-based international portfolio. Hong Kong accounts for 16% of its holdings, followed by Brazil at 9%, and Britain at a little less than that. Many of the stocks are ones that investors will not be overly familiar with. One of its largest positions is in Ithaca Energy, an oil and gas company based out of Britain. By and large, the stocks in the SuperDividend ETF aren't household names or ones that are known for having impressive track records for paying dividends. Among the more recognizable names is apparel company Guess, which yields 5.4%, but its free cash flow has been negative over the trailing 12 months. With questionable dividend safety and a high exposure to international markets and tariffs, investors will likely have some serious question marks about the safety of the dividend income from this ETF. And to highlight that point, the following chart shows the decline in the fund's dividend payments in recent years. SDIV Dividend data by YCharts. The ETF has declined by 30% over the past five years Here's a rule of thumb: Dividend income is great, but not when it's used merely to offset capital losses. The SuperDividend ETF hasn't been a good buy in recent years as simply focusing on high-yielding dividend stocks hasn't paid off. The ETF is down 30% in five years, and its total returns (which include dividend payments) during that period come in at just under 20%. That's nowhere near the 97% total return you would have achieved over the same period if you had simply mirrored the market with an S&P 500 ETF. 'Raja Raghuvanshi Was Killed In Front Of Sonam': Meghalaya Cops In Honeymoon Murder Chargesheet Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 19:07 IST The East Khasi Hills police said in the 790-page chargesheet that Raja Raghuvanshi was killed in the presence of Sonam, who fled the scene after he started screaming. Sonam Raghuvanshi/Raja Raghuvanshi (Photo: Social Media) Meghalaya Police have filed a 790-page chargesheet naming eight people, including Sonam Raghuvanshi, in connection with the sensational murder of her husband and Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Sohra in May. The East Khasi Hills police alleged in the chargesheet that Rajas murder took place in front of Sonam the main accused in the case following a criminal conspiracy hatched by her and her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha, according to The Indian Express. Recommended Stories Raja Raghuvanshi went missing during their honeymoon in Meghalaya on May 23, after tying the knot on May 11. On June 2, the police found his mutilated body in a deep gorge in the Sohra area of the East Khasi Hills district after a massive operation. Sonam was later found in Uttar Pradeshs Ghazipur, around 1,200 km away from the crime scene, on June 9. She was arrested and brought to Shillong by the Meghalaya Polices Special Investigation Team (SIT) in June. Police investigations have since suggested that Sonam conspired with Raj to commit the murder, allegedly roping in three others to aid in the crime. What Did Police Say? Sonam and Raj, along with three accused, Akash Singh Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan and Anand Kurmi, were charged under the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 103 (1) (murder), 238 (a) for disappearance of evidence, and 61(2) for criminal conspiracy. Lokendra Tomar, Balla Ahirwar and Shilom James were charged for their alleged role in destroying evidence, it added. East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem said the chargesheet filed before the court of the Judicial Magistrate First Class of Sohra Sub-Division on Friday was supported by material evidence that suggested Sonams culpability in the murder. Police said the probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) revealed that Sonam was in a relationship with Raj Kushwaha, who allegedly hired three assailants to kill Raja. The murder was carried out by the other three accused. As per the chargesheet, Raja was first struck with a machete by Chauhan, while Sonam was allegedly present at the time. She fled the scene when her husband began to bleed and scream, returning only after he had succumbed from multiple wounds. Sonams Mangalsutra Found In Hotel A second machete was located in the same gorge where Rajas body was dumped, along with a white shirt believed to have been worn by Akash Rajput during the murder. Police stated that they have recovered crucial evidence in the case, including the murder weapon, blood-stained clothing, and CCTV footage capturing the couple together. They also collected testimonies from several people, including a guide who saw the accused together. Police also recovered Sonams mangalsutra and a toe ring from the hotel where they had left their bags, which raised suspicions. After conducting a thorough investigation, including collecting and collating all evidences, it is conclusively (proven) that Smti Sonam Raja Raghuvanshi was in a relationship with Shri Raj Kushwaha and a criminal conspiracy was hatched by Raj Kushwaha along with Sonam and the three assailants to murder Raja Raghuvanshi under the pretext of a honeymoon to Sohra," the Meghalaya Police said. Rajas Family Seeks Death Penalty Meanwhile, Rajas brother Vipin said Sonam and the other accused should get the death penalty for the crime, adding that he had yet to read the chargesheet, but his family was satisfied with the police investigation. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Vipin told news agency PTI that after Sonams arrest, her elder brother visited Rajas house on June 11 and allegedly broke down, claiming his family had severed ties with her. However, Vipin alleged that Govind lied to protect his business interests and hired a lawyer to defend Sonam. (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 Location : Meghalaya, India, India First Published: September 06, 2025, 19:06 IST News india 'Raja Raghuvanshi Was Killed In Front Of Sonam': Meghalaya Cops In Honeymoon Murder Chargesheet 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... Sharjeel Imam Moves Supreme Court Against Bail Denial In Delhi Riots 2020 Case Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 21:14 IST Sharjeel Imam appealed to the Supreme Court after the Delhi HC denied bail to him and others in the 2020 Delhi riots case, citing grave conspiracy and prolonged incarceration. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Sharjeel Imam (File) Sharjeel Imam moved the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court order denying him bail in the 2020 Delhi riots case. Imam was arrested on January 28, 2020. The matter is yet to be listed for hearing before the Apex Court. Recommended Stories The Delhi High Court, on September 2, denied bail to Sharjeel Imam and 8 others, including Umar Khalid, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Shadab Ahmed, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Gulfisha Fatima. The Delhi High Court, in its order, noted that the alleged role of Imam and Umar Khalid in the conspiracy appeared grave," having delivered inflammatory speeches on communal lines to instigate mass mobilisation of members of the Muslim community." Imam has appealed against the Delhi High Courts September 2 ruling by a division bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Shalinder Kaur, which denied him bail. He argued that their prolonged incarceration without charges being framed amounted to a denial of justice. Several of their bail applications had been pending since 2022, and they argued that the delay in the trial was the main ground for seeking relief. Delhi Riots 2020 In February 2020, the riots broke out in Delhi after clashes over the proposed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) which left around 50 people dead, and a hundred others injured, as per reports. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The case in question pertains to the allegations that the accused conspired to orchestrate the violence. The FIR, registered by the Delhi Police Special Cell, invoked provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Many of the accused are booked in multiple FIRs, leading to several bail petitions in different courts. Most have been in custody since 2020. Imam has also been named in several FIRs across states, primarily under sedition and UAPA provisions. First Published: September 06, 2025, 21:14 IST News india Sharjeel Imam Moves Supreme Court Against Bail Denial In Delhi Riots 2020 Case 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... Telangana Factory Manufacturing MD Drugs Worth Rs 12,000 Cr Busted By Mira Road Police; 13 Held Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 09:41 IST Mira Road Police busted a drug manufacturing factory in Telangana and arrested 13 persons in connection with the case. Drug factory busted in Telangana (AI-generated Image) The Mira Road Police in Maharashtras Thane busted a drug manufacturing syndicate operating in Telangana and arrested 13 persons in connection with the matter. The police recovered 32,000 litres of raw MD drugs from the factory, worth Rs 12,000 crore. Recommended Stories The police had initially caught only 200 grams of drugs; however, as the investigation progressed, more links emerged, eventually leading to the Rs 12,000 crore drug haul at a factory in Telangana. The cops have arrested 13 persons in connection with the case so far. The busted drug network has strong links across India and abroad. Chemicals and drugs recovered from the factory were seized, and further investigation was launched. The probe has revealed that the syndicate was operating in a highly organised manner, using modern machines and special chemicals to make MD drugs. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The masterminds of the syndicate had reportedly set up a wide supply and distribution network, which made it difficult for the cops to track where the racket began. The Mira Bhayandar Police had earlier seized around 15 kg of cocaine valued at Rs 22 crore and nabbed three individuals, which also included two foreign nationals. 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 : Telangana, India, India First Published: September 06, 2025, 09:41 IST News india Telangana Factory Manufacturing MD Drugs Worth Rs 12,000 Cr Busted By Mira Road Police; 13 Held 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... 'War Didn't End On May 10, It Continued...': Army Chief On Operation Sindoor Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 09:36 IST Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi released a book on Operation Sindoor on Friday. It was launched at the event held at the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi. Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi (PTI) Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi on Friday said that Operation Sindoor didnt conclude in three days, as widely believed. Launched on May 7 in retaliation to the heinous Pahalgam attack, Op Sindoor was launched to destroy terror infrastructures in Pakistan and PoK. During a book launch in Delhi, Gen Dwivedi said, You may be thinking that on May 10, the war finished; no, because it continued for a long time, because so many decisions were to be taken, and beyond that, of course, it will be difficult for me to share here." Recommended Stories Indian armed forces decimated multiple terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir under Operation Sindoor. Gen Upendra Dwivedi on Friday released a book on Operation Sindoor and highlighted that the book shares insights of the political clarity, interpretation of full freedom" which was given to the armed forces during Operation Sindoor. The book, titled Operation Sindoor: The Untold Story of Indias Deep Strikes Inside Pakistan, has been written by former Army officer and author, Lt Gen KJS Dhillon (retd), and it was launched at the event held at the Manekshaw Centre. Gen Dwivedi said the author has tried to cover aspects which generally remain unheard, untold, because the uniformed people cannot speak about it". And, what is rightly brought out, as far as the Line of Control battle is concerned, we got so much used to this kind of a battle that we dont realise the relevance, the emotions, the losses, the gains and the challenges which are there," Gen Dwivedi added. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all General Dwivedi also addressed the constant tensions at the India-Pak border and pointed out that the infiltration attempts by Pakistan still continue. He also added that it would be too early to assess the impact of Operation Sindoor along the LoC. It is too early to comment on the effect of Operation Sindoor on the LOC situation as it has not been that long since it ended. Has state-sponsored terrorism ended? I dont think so, because infiltration attempts are still happening on LOC. And we all know how many terrorists have been killed and how many of them have escaped," General Dwivedi said. 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 06, 2025, 09:26 IST News india 'War Didn't End On May 10, It Continued...': Army Chief On Operation Sindoor 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... Will Trump And Modi Be Friends Again? QUAD May Be The Stage For A Reset Reported By : News18.com Edited By: Apoorva Misra Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 22:32 IST Indias pragmatic and mature approach has enabled Trump to get an opportunity for an off-ramp, perhaps opening up the possibility of a phone call between both leaders soon Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google In the theatre of geopolitics, friendships are tested and statements are twisted, but equations endure. (PTI) Will Donald Trump and PM Narendra Modi be friends again? Thats the question making waves in global diplomacy. On one hand, Trump says: I will always be FRIENDS with Modi. Hes GREAT. I just dont like what he is doing at this particular moment." He insists that India and the United States have a SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP There is NOTHING to worry about." Recommended Stories But when his own Truth Social postWe may have lost India to deep, dark China"sparks confusion, he brushes it aside, saying, I dont think we have." So, where does the US-India friendship really stand? PM Modi on Saturday responded warmly to Trumps outreach. I deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trumps sentiments and positive assessment of our ties." Not only were these Modis first comments on Trump in recent months but also the first exchange of some communication between both leadersalbeit only on social media. Modi added in his post on X: India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership." India has been handling the issue of tariffs in a mature and pragmatic way. PM Modi never joined the war of words with Trump over the last one month since the 50 per cent tariffs kicked in. The only phrase that the prime minister used to describe the matter was economic selfishness". PM Modi did send signals though by traveling to China for the SCO Summit and taking a private ride with Russian President Vladmir Putin in the latters car that also saw the two leaders enjoy a long chat. This was despite Trump frowning on India for buying Russian oil. Senior government ministers such as Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal this week also did not take any potshots at Trump and said things will soon get better with the US. This approach has enabled Trump to get an opportunity for an off-ramp. This perhaps also opens up the possibility of a phone call between both leaders after their last call way back on June 17. But heres the twist: PM Modi wont be at the United Nations General Assembly this year. Instead, foreign minister S Jaishankar will represent India. Is this a snub? Actually, no. This has been the convention for years. In his 11 years as PM, Modi has addressed the UNGAs General Debate only four times2014, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Jaishankar has been doing the honours since 2022. But all eyes are not on New Yorktheyre on the QUAD Summit later this year. PM Modi invited Trump to India, and Trump had accepted. Now, reports say Trump may be rethinking that visit amid tensions over Indias 50 per cent tariff and trade friction. The US State Department has passed the buck to the White House, while New Delhi is waiting and watching. So, the big question, will Trump still come to India? Will QUAD be the stage for a Trump-Modi reset? In the theatre of geopolitics, friendships are tested and statements are twisted, but equations endure. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Trump says he gets along very well with Modi" and the prime minister says the partnership is positive and forward-looking". For the worlds biggest democracy and the worlds oldest democracy, the friendship might be stressed, but its far from broken. The coming months will decide whether Trump and Modis personal chemistry once again becomes the driving force of India-US ties. 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 06, 2025, 11:23 IST News india Will Trump And Modi Be Friends Again? QUAD May Be The Stage For A Reset 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... The Sleep-Smile Connection: Why Nighttime Oral Care Shapes Restorative Sleep Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 13:29 IST Sleep is not merely a break for the mouth; it is a period during which the oral environment experiences its most significant changes. Nighttime oral care is crucial for sleep quality and overall health. Most of us think brushing before bed is just a hygiene ritual. In reality, the mouth goes through profound changes while we sleep, making nighttime oral care one of the most powerful ways to protect not just our smile, but also our sleep quality and overall well-being. When oral care aligns with the bodys natural circadian rhythm, mornings feel fresher, and nights become more restorative. Why Oral Health and Sleep Are Connected Recommended Stories Sleep is not simply a pause for the mouth. It is the time when the oral environment undergoes its most dramatic shift," explains Lt. Gen. (Retd) Dr. Vimal Arora, Chief Clinical Officer, Clove Dental. Salivary flow dips to nearly half of daytime levels while we sleep. Since saliva acts as the mouths natural defence, neutralising acids and repairing enamel, this drop creates perfect conditions for bacteria to multiply and plaque to grow. At the same time, the gums are trying to heal and regenerate. Night is when repair mechanisms are most active, but if bacterial activity dominates, inflammation can override healing," Dr. Arora adds. This tug-of-war explains why skipping nighttime brushing is far more harmful than missing a morning one. How Oral Health Affects Sleep (and Vice Versa) Poor sleep weakens immunity and raises inflammation, making gums more vulnerable to bleeding and bone loss. Conversely, untreated cavities, gum infections, or nighttime teeth grinding can disrupt sleep. Ignoring your mouth before bed doesnt just harm your smile. It can rob you of quality sleep," warns Dr. Arora. Building a Sleep-Friendly Oral Care Routine Designing a nighttime routine that respects circadian rhythms is about consistency and smarter choices. Dr. Shobhit Raizada, Consultant Maxillofacial Prosthodontist & Oral Implantologist at Manipal Hospital, Goa, advises simple but impactful steps: Avoid eating your last meal at least 6090 minutes before you fall asleep. Late-night snacking fuels bacteria at the very time saliva is least active. Do not drink large sugary drinks, caffeine, or alcohol three to four hours before bed, as they can disturb sleep patterns and feed oral bacteria. Pre-brushing, flossing, and tongue cleaning are essential. Dr. Raizada recommends a non-alcoholic, peppermint, or eugenol-based mouthwash for comfort and pH balance, but cautions against strong menthol pastes, which may keep you awake by increasing dopamine. For Special Sleep Conditions For people with sleep apnea, snoring, or bruxism, compliance with night guards or mandibular devices is non-negotiable. Not only do these protect oral structures, but they relax muscles and promote airflow, improving sleep quality," says Dr. Raizada. Oral Care as a Wellness Practice The benefits extend beyond oral health. Nighttime gum inflammation can spill inflammatory molecules into the bloodstream, contributing to heart disease, diabetes, and even reduced immunity. Children, teens with braces, seniors on medications, and stressed adults are especially vulnerable to nighttime oral neglect. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Just as sleep resets the mind and body, your nighttime oral care routine resets the mouth, ensuring you wake up not just rested, but healthier," Dr. Arora emphasises. A toothbrush, a glass of water, and a few mindful minutes before bed: small acts that transform both oral health and sleep into allies of overall wellness. Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: September 06, 2025, 13:29 IST News lifestyle health-and-fitness The Sleep-Smile Connection: Why Nighttime Oral Care Shapes Restorative Sleep Mawlynnong To Munnar: 5 Green Destinations For Travellers To Explore Published By : Trending Desk Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 15:22 IST These five getaways are ideal for eco-conscious travellers looking to explore India without adding to the strain on its fragile landscapes. Sikkim is India's first fully organic state with eco-friendly guesthouses. As awareness of climate change and the impact of tourist crowding on Indias biodiversity grows, a new wave of eco-conscious travellers is emerging. These explorers seek to unwind in the countrys lush forests and embark on Himalayan adventures, without leaving behind environmental damage. For such mindful travellers, planning the perfect getaway can feel like a challenge. But worry not, heres a list of the top five greenest destinations in India for an environmentally friendly tourism experience, ideal for a trip with family or friends. Recommended Stories Mawlynnong, Meghalaya Nestled amidst the naturally serene vibes of Meghalaya is Mawlynnong, which was rated as Asias Cleanest Village. To complement and safeguard the beauty of this destination, local authorities have implemented certain rules and regulations. At regular intervals, youll find bamboo dustbins. Plastic usage is banned, and responsible residents do not litter here at all. There are also eco-lodges and homestays built to give the tourists an authentic village experience. Sikkim Indias first fully organic state, Sikkim, is a state to visit for eco-conscious travellers. Locals and authorities have responsibly maintained the states organic farms and multiple conservation forests. Sikkim is host to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Khangchendzonga National Park, which boasts diverse flora and fauna. The park attracts tourists for its rare red pandas and snow leopards. Catering to a fast-growing number of travellers now, Sikkim provides eco-friendly guesthouses, communal interaction opportunities and multiple adventure activities. Thenmala, Kerala Nestled in Gods Own Country, Thenmala holds the distinction of being Indias first planned eco-tourism destination. Set amid the lush Western Ghats, it offers travellers a sustainable escape into natures lap. From the scenic Thenmala Dam to the vibrant Butterfly Safari Park and the rich biodiversity of Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, the destination is a paradise for eco-conscious explorers. Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh A perfect summer escape, Spiti Valley beautifully balances tourism with ecological preservation. Known for its ancient monasteries and dramatic, rugged landscapes, the valley embraces sustainability through solar-powered homestays and community-driven initiatives. These efforts not only support local livelihoods but also ensure the fragile ecosystem remains protected for future generations. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Munnar, Kerala Tucked away in Keralas Western Ghats, Munnar is famed for its rolling tea plantations, misty valleys, and rich biodiversity. A delight for eco-conscious travellers, the region is home to the rare Neelakurinji flowers that bloom once every 12 years, as well as the endangered Nilgiri Tahr. With eco-resorts and widespread sustainable practices among locals, Munnar offers a mindful retreat in harmony with nature. Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: September 06, 2025, 15:22 IST News lifestyle travel Mawlynnong To Munnar: 5 Green Destinations For Travellers To Explore Global Watch | The Irony Of Sanctions: As The West Funds Russia, India Safeguards Global Economic Order Written By : News18.com Last Updated: September 07, 2025, 04:01 IST Whatever Western powers say due to narrow, rash and short-sighted geopolitical concerns, India is not the problem but a solution safeguarding the global economic architecture When Trump targets and pressurises India to cut ties with Moscow, he is not just putting at risk the energy security for India as well as the world but also challenging a sovereign nations right to carve its own foreign policy. File image/Reuters US President Donald Trump has recently imposed an additional 25 per cent in tariffs on Indian exports to the United States for importing Russian crude, taking the total tariffs to a whopping 50 per cent. The argument is that India is enabling" Russia to carry on its war against Ukraine by buying Russian oil. Recommended Stories However, beneath the clamour of political rhetoric and dramatic posturing lies the irony: Indias procurement of Russian crude is not only rational but also necessary for even those who are decrying it. On the other hand, it is the West that is funding Russia by buying its oil in much larger quantities. A deeper, objective look into the context would help dispel several myths that have been propagated against India. As Western countries severely sanctioned Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the European Union, which had been Moscows largest customer of oil and petroleum products (importing around 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude and 1.2 million bpd of refined oil products in 2021), faced a serious challenge. The truth is that even as Western countries sharpened their tirade against trading with Russia and banned direct Russian imports, many of them kept acquiring Russian oil and gas through indirect routes. One of the key trade routes was to get it re-exported from Turkey. According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), EU member states spent 21.9 billion (18.1 billion) on Russian fossil fuels in the third year of the war, much more than their expenditure on financial aid to Ukraine. In fact, since the beginning of the war, EU countries have bought more energy fuel from Russia than India, with the former accounting for 23 per cent of Moscows earnings from fossil fuel exports, in contrast with Indias contribution of 13 per cent. Now, while it is true that Indias crude import from Russia has surged since the war, from nearly negligible to now accounting for around 40 per cent of Indias total oil purchases, it is still not the largest consumer of Russian crude. China stands as the single largest buyer of Russian crude, primarily owing to the connectivity through pipelines, purchasing around 2 to 2.5 million bpd of oil. Moreover, the amendment of the G7 sanctions policy in September 2022, which put the price cap for Russian oil at $60 per barrel, incentivised India to not only take advantage of the huge discount for its humongous population but also diversify its crude acquisitions from costlier West Asian sources. India is the worlds third-largest oil consumer, with a demand of around 5.2 million bpd. Therefore, to meet its domestic demand at affordable prices, the Indian government decided to shift its energy dependence away from West Asian and African nations by procuring discounted Russian crude. This, in turn, allowed these countries and the US to redirect their shipments and fulfil the energy vacuum created by the post-war sanctions for European countries. Thus, if India does not enable the continued circulation of Russian oil, the resultant destabilisation of the market can cause a wild surge in oil prices. According to analysts, the price could shoot up between $100 and $200 a barrel. Naturally, this will significantly hurt US and EU consumers as well, which is why the Biden administration had welcomed Indias purchases of discounted Russian crude, as it kept global oil prices from spiralling while also ensuring reduced revenues to Moscow. In light of these facts, the blatant targeting of India by the Trump administration for its energy trade with Russia is absolutely bizarre. In addition to exaggerations regarding Indias gain from Russian oil imports, the country is being singled out and egregiously mischaracterised as fuelling Russias war machine" even as China remains the largest buyer of Russian crude. China, as well as other countries that heavily import Russian oilSaudi Arabia, Turkey, et al.are not being slapped with similar punitive measures because of the USs own geopolitical and economic assessment, which arguably is questionable, especially under the Trump administration. It must be remembered here that many EU member states continue to indirectly source Russian fuels. Furthermore, Trumps belligerent methods reveal themselves to be particularly problematic when one considers that Indias purchase of Russian oil is not only carrying out its own domestic interest but also acting as a shock absorber, effectively preventing a global oil price spiral and its cascading effects on food security and economic growth of a large number of countries. There is another dimension that needs to be highlighted here. In choosing to buy crude from Russia or staying diplomatically neutral on the question of the Russia-Ukraine war in multilateral forums, India is exercising its policy of strategic autonomy. This principle is deeply embedded in Indian foreign policy, taking root from the non-alignment during the Cold War era. Russia has long been a close military and economic ally of India. Although current geopolitical pressures cannot be overlooked, India cannot jeopardise this decades-old, reliable relationship. So, when Trump targets and pressurises India to cut ties with Moscow, he is not just putting at risk the energy security for India as well as the world, but also challenging a sovereign nations right to carve its own foreign policy. It is important to note that the US has already tightened the oil ecosystem through severe sanctions against Iran and Venezuela. It is also important to note that, unlike some other countries, India does not have a shadow banking system to bypass sanctions and thus functions transparently within global policy frameworks. Therefore, to unnecessarily poke a responsible and rational global actor like India when it demonstrably is safeguarding its own as well as global energy security interests is not just counterproductive but also reveals the short-sightedness and hypocrisy of Western energy politics. Whatever Western powers say due to their narrow, rash, and short-sighted geopolitical considerations, India is actually not the problem but a solution safeguarding the global economic architecture. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The writer is an author and columnist. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect News18s editorial stance. First Published: September 07, 2025, 04:01 IST News opinion Global Watch | The Irony Of Sanctions: As The West Funds Russia, India Safeguards Global Economic Order 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... Opinion | Ghosts Of Kashmirs Unmarked Graves Return To Haunt As New Report Damns Separatist Narrative Written By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 16:17 IST The story of the unmarked graves had been contorted to suit Islamists agenda, keep Indian forces on the defensive, and even justify the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Of the 4,056 graves documented, 2,493 (more than 60 per cent) are of foreign militants, while 1,208 (less than 30 per cent) are of locals. (AP Image for Representation) From under thousands of pages of carefully crafted narrative and layers of blood-soaked snow, Kashmirs truth is emerging at last. The story of the unmarked graves of the Valley torn by terror and separatism for decades had been contorted to suit Islamists agenda, keep Indian forces on the defensive, and even justify the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits from their homeland. Indians on Pakistans spy agency ISIs friend list like Gautam Navlakha and Anjana Chatterjiwhom author Sandeep Balakrishna describes as the ideological merchants of genocide against Hindus in Kashmir"laid the intellectual foundation of violent separatism through misleading reports, books, and articles. Recommended Stories The International Peoples Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Indian-Administered Kashmir, for instance, came out with a report titled, Buried Evidence, documenting approximately 2,700 unknown, unmarked mass graves containing an estimated 2,943 bodies across 55 villages in Kashmir. The report pushed the narrative of fake" encounter killings and alleged impunity enjoyed by the military under laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Both Chatterji and Navlakha, pawns of ISI man in the US Ghulam Nabi Fai, were among the creators of the report. So thick was the bond that the ISI used Mary as Anjanas code name. Navlakha, a Maoist conspirator against the Indian State, is an accused in the Elgar Parishad case and the subsequent Bhima-Koregaon violence. One can easily guess how unbiased the 2009 unmarked graves report must have been. But now, a new report by the Srinagar-based NGO, Save Youth Save Future Foundation (SYSF), overturns the findings and inferences of such documents. The report, Unraveling the Truth: A Critical Study of Unmarked and Unidentified Graves in Kashmir Valley, was released at the Press Club of India, New Delhi, recently. Among the guests were Wajahat Habibullah, former chief information commissioner of India, SYSF chairman Wajahat Farooq Bhat, and Rishi Suri, senior editor at The Daily Milap. Anika Nazir, who led the research team, presented the findings. The study surveys 373 graveyards across Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, and Ganderbal. It uses geotagging, photographs, oral testimonies, FIR analysis, and records instead of just unverified accounts. And then comes the surprise. Of the 4,056 graves documented, 2,493 (more than 60 per cent) are of foreign militants, while 1,208 (less than 30 per cent) are of locals. Of the rest, 70 belong to tribal invaders and nine are civilians tombs. In Baramulla, there are 276 unmarked graves, for which the report recommends DNA verification and forensic testing. It establishes five grave categories: local militants, foreign militants, civilians, unmarked, and 1947 tribal invaders. While the earlier reports pinned everything on the State, this one brings out humanitarian and security dimensions. It moves beyond polarised victim-versus-state narratives. It establishes beyond doubt that infiltrators without IDs led to many unidentified burials across Kashmirs districts. Cross-border infiltration by terror outfits like LeT, JeM, and Al-Badr meant a steady flow of unclaimed bodies. Predictably, handlers in Pakistan or in the Valley never came to claim the dead. Also, hybrid militantsthose who lead normal" lives, carry out an attack, and then return to their regular routineblurred the line between civilians and terrorists during ops. Blinding encounters often caused classification errors. But in most cases, communities ensured rites despite ongoing violence. The report creates space for reconciliation through transparency. It acknowledges trauma caused by locals misclassified as foreign militants". The methodology sought to address a familys right to truth, closure, and reconciliation. Oral testimonies have been carefully triangulated with FIRs, encounter records, and graveyard documentation for accuracy. The research was not easy. Fieldwork was conducted in terror-affected, high-risk zones, making physical surveys dangerous. Access to classified operational records from the 1990s was limited, constraining verification efforts. Absence of a centralised DNA database made scientific identification impossible at this stage," states the report. Researchers faced political sensitivities and propaganda pressures from both domestic and external actors. Some clerics, gravediggers, and families were hesitant to testify openly due to fear." Lack of investigation and absence of technology fed earlier narratives. There was no DNA verification. FIRs and official records were never properly cross-checked. Graveyard-wide surveys were not done. And all this left enough gaps for Pakistan to exploit. In contrast, DNA and FIR verification shrink the room for propaganda and conspiracy theories. They restore public trust in the government and local institutions, and help in reconciliation and healing, as seen in Bosnia or Spain. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all At long last, it seems the unmarked graves of Kashmir are being allowed to speak for themselves, instead of brokers of bloodshed speaking on their behalf. The ominous mist is clearing. Shafts of light have started falling on the hidden truth. Abhijit Majumder is a senior 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 06, 2025, 16:17 IST News opinion Opinion | Ghosts Of Kashmirs Unmarked Graves Return To Haunt As New Report Damns Separatist Narrative 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... Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 16:04 IST 1 / 7 The last lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) of 2025 will take place on September 7, coinciding with the full moon day of the Bhadrapad month. The eclipse will be visible across India, making the Sutak Kaal applicable. As per tradition, the Sutak Kaal begins nine hours before the eclipse. For this event, it will start at 12:59 PM on September 7 and continue until the Moksha Kaal, marking the end of the eclipse later that night. (News18 Bengali) + Follow us On Google 2 / 7 Astrologers highlight that a day before the eclipse, on September 6, the Moon will move into Aquarius, where the shadow planet Rahu is already positioned. According to Vedic astrology, when the Moon and Rahu align in the same sign, it forms an eclipse yoga. (News18 Bengali) ADVERTISEMENT 3 / 7 This astrological combination is considered highly inauspicious and is believed to bring mental unrest, confusion, and sudden unexpected events. Experts caution that its effects may be particularly intense this time. Pregnant women are advised to exercise special care, as eclipses are traditionally said to have a negative impact on unborn children. At the same time, religious texts recommend chanting, meditation, and spiritual practices during the eclipse, which are considered especially fruitful. (News18 Bengali) 4 / 7 Astrologer Pandit Kalki Ram has predicted that certain zodiac signs may feel the strongest negative impact of this eclipse. These include Gemini, Virgo, and Sagittarius. (News18 Bengali) ADVERTISEMENT 5 / 7 Gemini natives are advised to avoid major decisions and financial risks. They should stay away from disputes and focus on work, as negligence could prove costly. (News18 Bengali) 6 / 7 Virgo individuals are advised to stay focused on their own work for the next three days and use money wisely. Controlling speech and behaviour is essential, as careless words or actions could turn close friends into adversaries. (News18 Bengali) ADVERTISEMENT Goldman Sachs is sounding an early alarm bell on the near-term direction of hot AI stocks. "Our discussions with investors and recent equity performance reveal limited appetite for companies with potential AI-enabled revenues as investors grapple with whether AI is a threat or opportunity for many companies. While we expect the AI trade will eventually transition to Phase 3, investors will likely require evidence of a tangible impact on near-term earnings to embrace these stocks. Unlike Phase 2, there will likely be winners and losers within Phase 3," Goldman Sachs US equity strategist Ryan Hammond wrote in a new note on Friday. Hammond thinks AI investment as a percentage of capital expenditures could be nearing a climax. In turn, that sets the stage for overly upbeat AI investors to be let down if earnings don't come in strongly in future quarters. Hammond added, "Investors increasingly ask us whether current US equity prices are reflective of overly optimistic investor expectations." Hammond's valuation concerns are of interest in light of fresh pressure in AI stocks. It all began late last week with Nvidia (NVDA), as investors reassessed the company's quarter and outlook. Shares are down 6% in the past five trading sessions. Salesforce (CRM) and Figma (FIG) got drilled on Thursday after their earnings reports didn't wow. It's clear that the hype on their earnings calls wasn't enough to paper over soft areas of the earnings reports. Growing concern on the Street centers around the pace of AI demand by corporations, given what looks to be a slowing US economy. "In this market out there, where you have companies trading at 100 times revenue, you have companies trading at half-trillion-dollar valuations that lose $10 billion a year, I mean, a lot of these valuations are crazy," C3.AI (AI) founder and executive chair Stephen Ehikian said on Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid (video above). If there is any reassuring tone from Hammond on the AI trade, it's that valuations don't appear to be in bubble territory. That may limit downside risk if earnings growth doesn't live up to expectations, though Hammond does call out outsized valuations on AI names such as Tesla (TSLA) and Palantir (PLTR). "Implied market pricing of long-term S&P 500 earnings growth and the valuations of the largest TMT [tech, media, telecom] stocks are both modestly above their respective historical averages but remain well below the levels reached in the Tech Bubble and 2021," Hammond wrote. Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 17:40 IST 1 / 9 A unique social trend in a South-East Asian country has recently caught global attention. Known for its scenic beauty and tourism, the nation is now in the spotlight for offering wives on rent. + Follow us On Google 2 / 9 Thailand, a picturesque country in South-East Asia, is globally renowned for its stunning beaches and vibrant nightlife, drawing millions of tourists each year. Recently, however, a book has brought the nation into focus for a different reason, highlighting the rental wife trend and sparking widespread discussion. ADVERTISEMENT 3 / 9 This trend involves women living with tourists for a certain period as rented wives. If a tourist develops a strong liking for a woman, there is even an option to marry her. 4 / 9 This trend is particularly famous in Pattaya, Thailand. It is also known as 'Wife on Hire' or 'Black Pearl'. In this arrangement, a woman lives as a wife temporarily in exchange for money. She performs duties such as cooking, going out, and staying with the man. This relationship is based on a contract and is not considered a legal marriage. Over time, it has evolved into a business, with many women participating willingly. ADVERTISEMENT 5 / 9 The full story is detailed in the book 'Thai Taboo - The Rise of Wife Rental in Modern Society' by Lavert A Emmanuel. The book explains that women from poor families choose this work to support themselves and their families. These women often work in bars or nightclubs, where they meet foreign tourists as clients. 6 / 9 The fee for a rental wife depends on various factors, such as the woman's age, beauty, education, and the duration of the contract. Some women stay with the man for a few days, while others may stay for months. ADVERTISEMENT 7 / 9 According to reports, the rent can range from $1600 (about Rs 1.3 lakh) to $1,16,000 (about Rs 96 lakh). This is a private agreement, as there are no laws governing this practice in Thailand. 8 / 9 This trend is growing rapidly due to the changing lifestyle in Thailand, which has led to increased loneliness. Many people now prefer temporary relationships over permanent ones. The open attitude towards relationships in Thai society also contributes to this trend. This practice is inspired by similar services in Japan and Korea, where 'Girlfriend for Hire' services are already popular. Thailand has adopted and integrated it into its tourism industry. ADVERTISEMENT Tejashwi Distances RJD From Congress Kerala Units Controversial 'Bihar-Bidi' X Post Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 06:53 IST Tejashwi Yadav called the post 'wrong' and clarified that the RJD neither endorses such language nor was consulted about the comment Tejashwi stressed that such remarks undermine the unity of the opposition INDIA front. File pic/PTI Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav has publicly distanced his party from a controversial social media post by the Congresss Kerala unit that appeared to mock the state of Bihar. The now-deleted post, which had drawn widespread criticism, stated that Bihar and Bidi start with B", sparking political outrage and giving fresh ammunition to the BJP to target the opposition alliance. Recommended Stories The post, shared on the official X handle of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, was intended to mock Prime Minister Narendra Modis frequent use of alliteration during his speeches. However, the phrasing quickly triggered backlash for being derogatory towards Bihar and Biharis. Facing flak from the BJP, which accused the INDIA bloc of insulting the people of Bihar", Tejashwi Yadav broke his silence, calling the post wrong" and clarifying that the RJD neither endorses such language nor was consulted about the comment. We completely disagree with what was written. It was wrong. The Congress in Kerala may have posted it, but we do not support it at all," Yadav told reporters, stressing that such remarks undermine the unity of the opposition INDIA front. The BJP, seizing the opportunity, launched a scathing attack on the RJD-Congress partnership, accusing it of hypocrisy and harbouring disrespect for the very state they seek to represent. Several BJP leaders, including union ministers from Bihar, demanded an apology from the Congress leadership and questioned the silence of senior INDIA bloc leaders. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Congress, for its part, deleted the post shortly after it went viral and claimed it did not reflect the partys official stance. 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 06, 2025, 06:53 IST News politics Tejashwi Distances RJD From Congress Kerala Units Controversial 'Bihar-Bidi' X Post 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... 'Incredible': French Woman Enjoys Onam Sandhya In Delhi For First Time, Shares Experience Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 18:13 IST Julia Chaigneaus viral tweet about her first Onam Sadhya in Kerala highlights the global love for Indian cuisine and the cultural richness of the Onam harvest festival. The French woman has been living in India for the last two years. (Image: X/@juliachaigneau) In a heartwarming example of appreciating culture and love for local cuisine, a French womans tweet has gone viral after she shared her first-ever experience of attending the traditional Onam Sadhya in Delhi. The joyful reaction of the woman, Julia Chaigneau, has sparked conversations across social media about the global appeal of Indian cuisine and the cultural richness of Keralas harvest festival, Onam. Recommended Stories I dont know how I survived 20 years of my life without Indian food!Today I went for Onam Sadhya for the first time. It was incredible with so many new different flavours. I ate way too much but no regrets life is good. Now I can take a nap. pic.twitter.com/TRL7D77ZnF Julia Chaigneau (@juliachaigneau) September 5, 2025 I dont know how I survived 20 years of my life without Indian food! Today I went for Onam Sadhya for the first time. It was incredible with so many new different flavours. I ate way too much but no regrets life is good. Now I can take a nap (sic)," the woman, who has been living in India for the last two years, tweeted on Friday. The tweet has drawn reactions from many Indians, amassing over 79,500 views. Onam Sadhya, a grand vegetarian feast traditionally served during the Onam festival, is often described as a symphony of flavors. Served on a banana leaf, the meal can include around 26 different items, ranging from spicy curries and tangy pickles to sweet payasams (desserts). Each dish is carefully prepared and timed to complement the others, reflecting centuries of culinary tradition. Many users were impressed by the womans appetite. Good, that you gave it a try, and you tasted it. It is one of the best vegetarian foods you can get to eat, with all the ingredients homemade and tasty," commented one user. Thats the beauty of India. On which side you go the food will always amaze you," wrote another. A user even recommended her to try Maharashtrian, Gujarati & Punjabi cuisines, adding that Indian has at least 20-25 more local cuisines" worth trying. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all This is just 1 state, you have at least 20-25 more local cuisines that you can try . Would recommend Maharashtrian, Gujrati & Punjabi as the top 3," wrote a third user. Youre lucky you didnt get stuck with butter chicken and looked beyond," a user wrote. About the Author Manisha Roy Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com's general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manish... Read More First Published: September 06, 2025, 18:05 IST News viral 'Incredible': French Woman Enjoys Onam Sandhya In Delhi For First Time, Shares Experience 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... AI With Desi Tadka: Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Paying $55 An Hour For Hindi Chatbots Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 21:09 IST Meta is hiring US contractors fluent in Hindi to create locally flavoured AI chatbots in India for WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. (File) Mark Zuckerbergs company Meta is hiring US contractors to create Hindi AI chatbots in India as part of a creative push to create character-driven chatbots across Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp and tailoring them to local languages, according to a report. Meta is paying up to $55 an hour (around Rs 5,000) to workers to create AI chatbots in India, Indonesia and Mexico. The workers are required to be fluent in Hindi, Indonesian, Spanish and Portuguese, as per the job descriptions for at least four roles posted this year and reviewed by Business Insider. Recommended Stories Candidates are required to bring at least six years of experience in storytelling and character creation, as well as familiarity with prompt engineering and AI content pipelines. This is part of Metas new effort to create AI personalities on its platforms as per local languages and cultures. What Does Meta Intend To Do? These locally-tailored chatbots are part of Zuckerbergs effort to extend the companys social reach and broaden AIs role in daily lives, to complement real-world friendships through digital companions. Over time, well find the vocabulary as a society to be able to articulate why that is valuable," he said in a podcast earlier this year. Meta first started experimenting with AI-powered chatbots in 2023, using a lineup of alter-ego characters played by celebrities like Kendall Jenner, Snoop Dogg, and Tom Brady. However, the company later shut these down and moved to AI Studio, a system that allowed anyone to build their own chatbots. However, paying contractors to create localised chatbots signals Metas efforts to take a more hands-on role in shaping personalities that feel authentic to countries like India and Indonesia, according to Business Insider. Challenges Of AI Expansion Metas growing investment in chatbots has raised concerns. A Reuters report recently found that Metas document detailing policies on chatbot behaviour has permitted the companys artificial intelligence creations to engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual," generate false medical information and help users argue that Black people are dumber than white people." Meta confirmed the documents authenticity, but said that after receiving questions earlier this month from Reuters, the company removed portions which stated it is permissible for chatbots to flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children. It also added new teenager safeguards to AI products by training systems to avoid flirty conversations, after US Senators called for a probe. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Furthermore, a Business Insider report from August found that contractors reviewing Metas AI conversations regularly each week saw personally identifiable information including users names, emails, phone numbers, and even selfies showing how easily sensitive user data can slip through when humans are involved. The AI personas also raised eyebrows, with names like Russian Girl," Step Sister," and Step Mom", which sparked concerns of overtly sexual language. These issues have posed a major challenge for Meta to cultivate user appeal while preventing reputational harm. 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 : United States of America (USA) First Published: September 06, 2025, 21:09 IST News world AI With Desi Tadka: Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Paying $55 An Hour For Hindi Chatbots 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... Arab Bloc Says No Peace Without Palestinian State, Urges End To Israeli 'Hostile' Actions Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 17:02 IST The League warned the failure to solve Palestinian issue, along with Israels continued occupation of Arab land, blocks any hope of peaceful coexistence in the region Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Palestinians wait and watch an explosion after Israel issued evacuation orders ahead of a military strike on the Mushtaha Tower (C) in Gaza City, on September 5, 2025. (AFP photo) The Arab League has said that peace in the Middle East is impossible without the creation of a Palestinian state and an end to what it called Israels hostile actions". In a resolution led by Egypt and Saudi Arabia and adopted on Thursday, the League warned that the failure to solve the Palestinian issue, along with Israels continued occupation of Arab land, blocks any hope of peaceful coexistence in the region. Recommended Stories The resolution was approved during a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo, where they also endorsed a Joint Vision for Security and Cooperation in the Region". The meeting came as Israel stepped up its military campaign in Gaza City and just days after Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for annexing large parts of the West Bank to bury the idea of a Palestinian state". A copy of the resolution said peace, cooperation and coexistence in the Middle East will remain out of reach as long as Israel continues to occupy Arab territories or threatens to take more. The League also repeated its call for a two-state solution, based on the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which promises full ties with Israel in exchange for a complete withdrawal from territories occupied in 1967, AFP reported. While Egypt and Jordan already have peace treaties with Israel, and countries like the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco normalised ties in 2020 under the Abraham Accords, Saudi Arabia has frozen its own talks with Israel since the Gaza war began last year. Voluntarily displacement of Palestinians claim Meanwhile earlier today, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty rejected Israeli claims that Palestinians are fleeing Gaza voluntarily, calling it nonsense". If there is a manmade famine (in Gaza), it is to push residents out of their land. It is nonsense to say that this is voluntary displacement," Abdelatty said said during a joint press conference with UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini. Abdelatty also said Egypt is working closely with US envoy Steve Witkoff to push for a ceasefire. He accused Israel of delaying progress, despite Hamas agreeing in August to a 60-day truce that would include a hostage exchange and prisoner release. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said he was ready to resume talks, he insisted that any agreement must be on terms acceptable to Israel. (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 : Egypt First Published: September 06, 2025, 17:02 IST News world Arab Bloc Says No Peace Without Palestinian State, Urges End To Israeli 'Hostile' Actions 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... Can't Handle Truth: Navarro Sharpens Attack On India-Russia Ties Even As Trump Softens Tone Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 08:22 IST Peter Navarro, Trump's adviser, launched another attack on India, stating that New Delhi "can't handle the truth" about its energy ties with Moscow. India-US ties: Peter Navarro attacks India again (AFP Image) Donald Trumps adviser Peter Navarro has fired another attack on India, following up on his previous jabs over Russian oil purchase, and presented facts", claiming New Delhi cant handle truth". His sharpened attack came even though his boss, the US President, has softened his tone against India, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on his first visit to China in seven years to attend the SCO Summit and met President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Recommended Stories Peter Navarros Latest India Mention On Russia-Ukraine War The White House official repeated his profit" remark and again claimed that Indias purchase of Russian oil feeds Moscows war machine". FACTS: India highest tariffs costs U.S. jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit/Revenues feed Russia war machine. Ukrainians/Russians die. U.S. taxpayers shell out more. India cant handle truth/spins," Navarro posted on X. FACTS: India highest tariffs costs U.S. jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit/Revenues feed Russia war machine. Ukrainians/Russians die. U.S. taxpayers shell out more. India cant handle truth/spins @washpoLeftist American fake news. QED. https://t.co/9UwdodYBEe Peter Navarro (@RealPNavarro) September 5, 2025 Navarros Anti-India Rant Navarro has gone on a verbal attack spree against India in recent weeks over New Delhis oil and defence ties with Moscow. He even went on to claim that Russias conflict with Ukraine was Modis war". New Delhi has become a laundromat for the Kremlin", he repeated his remark again on X. He said on Fox News next that Indian Brahmins are profiteering" from the Russian oil imports, in an apparent reference to a Hindu caste. His remarks drew flak in India and were rejected as inaccurate and misleading" by Indias Ministry of External Affairs. We have seen the inaccurate and misleading statements made by Mr. (Peter) Navarro and obviously, we reject them," Randhir Jaiswal, MEA spokesperson, said on Friday. Donald Trump Softens Tone On India Trump has softened his tone on India, calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi his friend" despite India-US tensions and reports that the Indian PMs refusal to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize was an apparent cause behind the fallout between the two leaders. After claiming on Friday that India had been lost to China, he backtracked on his social media post and said that he did not believe that had happened. He also said that there is nothing to worry about" in the India-US relations, despite recent tensions over trade. Looks like weve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together! President Donald J. Trump," he posted on Truth Social earlier in the day. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Speaking to reporters later, he said, I will always be friends with Modi, he is a great Prime Minister, he is great I just dont like what he is doing at this particular moment, but India and the United States have a special relationship. There is nothing to worry about." He also claimed credit for ending seven wars" across the globe, but skipped the mention of India-Pakistan war something he has been pointing to on several occasions since the end of the May conflict. About the Author Ashesh Mallick Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @Ma... Read More Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: September 06, 2025, 08:00 IST News world Can't Handle Truth: Navarro Sharpens Attack On India-Russia Ties Even As Trump Softens Tone 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... How A 2019 US Navy SEAL Operation To Plant Spy Device In North Korea Failed Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 23:40 IST A group of Navy SEALs embarked on a difficult top-secret mission in 2019 to North Korea to plant an electronic device to monitor Kim Jong Un's communications. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google US President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. (Reuters/File) During US President Donald Trumps first term in 2019, a group of Navy SEALs embarked on a difficult top-secret mission to North Korea with one objective: to plant an electronic device to allow the United States to intercept the communications of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump had authorised a high-risk operation to plant a spy device in North Korea in 2019 to monitor the communications of Kim Jong Un, according to The New York Times. The US military chose SEAL Team 6s Red Squadron, which was the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden. Recommended Stories The mission was of paramount importance to the United States in the midst of high-level nuclear talks between Kim and Trump, as it could provide the US with critical intelligence. However, the mission was incredibly risky, and if the team was spotted, it would not only tank nuclear talks but also lead to a hostage crisis. The mission was approved by Trump as he was set to meet Kim in Vietnam in February 2019. I dont know anything about it. Id have to, I could look, but I know nothing about it," he told reporters on Friday when he asked about the alleged mission. How The Mission Failed The SEALs rehearsed for months for the high-risk mission, as every move needed to be perfect with no room for error. The preparations involved rehearsing in freezing water, and plans for deployment from a nuclear-powered US submarine. The plan was for the SEALs to ride for hours in the freezing 4-degree temperatures with scuba gear and heated suits, reach the shore, plant the device and escape without being noticed. However, the plan did not exactly turn out as expected. As the Navy SEALs reached what they thought was a deserted shore that night, wearing black wet suits and night-vision goggles, a North Korean fishing boat suddenly appeared out of the dark. As flashlights from the boat swept over the water, the SEALs feared that they had been spotted. After realising that there was no way to communicate with the mission commander, a senior SEAL opened fire, with other SEALs joining in. Within seconds, everyone on the North Korean boat was killed, and the SEALs pulled the bodies in the water and punctured their lungs so they would sink below. The three civilians killed were unarmed and diving for shellfish, as per The New York Times. The SEALs retreated into the sea without planting the listening device. This 2019 operation has never been publicly acknowledged, or even hinted at, by the United States or North Korea and all details remain classified. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Furthermore, the Trump administration did not notify key members of Congress who oversee intelligence operations, before or after the mission was carried out, which may have violated the law. Despite historic summits between Donald Trump and Kim in 2018 and 2019, both sides failed to reach a lasting agreement and North Korea resumed nuclear testing, further complicating future engagement. 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 : United States of America (USA) First Published: September 06, 2025, 23:40 IST News world How A 2019 US Navy SEAL Operation To Plant Spy Device In North Korea Failed 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... Iran Turning 1979 Islamic Revolution Mass Grave Into Parking Lot, Satellite Images Reveal Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 16:22 IST Lot 41 at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery has long been identified as the burial site for thousands executed by the Islamic Republic in the early years following the revolution Rapid Read + Follow us On Google This satellite photo shows Iran paving over Lot 41, where some of those executed in the chaos after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution were buried. (Planet Labs PBC via AP) Iran is converting a section of a major Tehran cemetery, long the final resting place for victims of mass executions following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, into a parking lot, new satellite images reveal. Lot 41 at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery has long been identified as the burial site for thousands executed by the Islamic Republic in the early years following the revolution. Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC show ongoing construction in the area, with asphalt laid over parts of the site and construction materials visible. Recommended Stories The area, once marked by dry soil and sparse trees, is often referred to as the scorched section." It has previously been under surveillance and subject to repeated acts of vandalism, including the removal or destruction of grave markers. Iranian officials have acknowledged the redevelopment but have not addressed the identities of those buried there. Tehrans deputy mayor, Davood Goudarzi, confirmed the construction, calling the site a burial place for hypocrites of the early revolution." He said the city needed parking and received approval to proceed. We proposed that the authorities reorganise the space. Since we needed a parking lot, the permission for the preparation of the space was received. The job is ongoing in a precise and smart way," Goudarzi told journalists in footage aired on state television. Human rights experts have condemned the move. In 2024, a UN special rapporteur said Iran was attempting to erase evidence" of past crimes to avoid legal accountability. Shahin Nasiri, a researcher at the University of Amsterdam, called the parking lot development the final phase" in the states efforts to destroy Lot 41. Most of the graves and gravestones of dissidents were desecrated, and the trees in the section were deliberately dried out," Nasiri noted. The decision also appears to contradict Iranian regulations, which allow the reuse of cemetery land only after 30 years and with consent from families of the deceased. It remains unclear if any remains have been moved. Similar grave sites, including those of political prisoners from the 1988 mass executions and Bahai cemeteries, have also been targeted in recent years. Mohsen Borhani, a vocal lawyer in Iran, condemned the decision to cover the graveyard with asphalt, calling it both immoral and illegal in an interview with Shargh. The piece was not only for executed and political people. Ordinary people were buried there, too," he stated. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Behesht-e Zahra, opened in 1970, is Irans largest cemetery. Researchers estimate 5,000 to 7,000 victims may be buried in Lot 41. (With inputs from AP) 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 : Iran First Published: September 06, 2025, 16:22 IST News world Iran Turning 1979 Islamic Revolution Mass Grave Into Parking Lot, Satellite Images Reveal 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... Israeli Army Urges Gaza City Residents To Leave For Humanitarian Zone For Its Capture Plans Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 13:59 IST Israel Army official urged the residents of Gaza City to leave for the "humanitarian zone" in the south ahead of its plans to capture the city. Israel army urges Gaza City residents to move to humanitarian zone (Reuters Image) The Israeli army on Saturday urged the residents of Gaza City to leave for a humanitarian zone" in the south ahead of a planned military operation to capture the territorys largest urban centre. Army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a message to the residents on social media, Take this opportunity to move early to the (Al-Mawasi) humanitarian zone and join the thousands of people who have already gone there." Recommended Stories The official, however, did not clearly mention when the new offensive would take place. Notably, another spokesman had previously said it would not be announced in advance to maintain the element of surprise", news agency AFP reported. The military said in a separate statement on Saturday that the humanitarian zone had essential infrastructure such as field hospitals, water pipelines, and desalination facilities, alongside the continued supply of food, tents, medicines, and medical equipment." It also added that the humanitarian efforts in the south will continue on an ongoing basis in cooperation with the UN and international organisations, in parallel to the expansion of the ground operation". According to the United Nations estimates, there are nearly a million people in and around Gaza City. It warned of a disaster" if the IDF proceeds with its plans to seize the territory. Israel has been facing mounting pressure domestically and internationally to put the war in Gaza to an end. Hamas which Israel has vowed to finish agreed to a ceasefire proposal in August that involved a temporary truce and the staggered release of hostages held captive in Gaza. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all However, Israel has put forth the demand that the Palestinian militant group release all hostages at once, lay down its arms, and give up its control of Gaza, among other conditions. (With AFP inputs) About the Author Ashesh Mallick Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @Ma... Read More Location : Israel First Published: September 06, 2025, 13:55 IST News world Israeli Army Urges Gaza City Residents To Leave For Humanitarian Zone For Its Capture Plans 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... Khalistani Violent Extremist Groups Getting Financial Support From Canada: Govt Report Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 09:07 IST A Canadian government report has revealed that Khalistani violent extremist groups are among the terrorist entities receiving financial support from the country. Khalistanis in Canada: Report says Khalistani groups receive funding from Canada (AFP Image) Khalistani violent extremist groups are among several terrorist entities" that have been receiving financial support originating from Canada, a Canadian government report on terror financing and money laundering revealed. As per a report on 2025 Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risks in Canada, Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federation are among the Khalistani groups that have received funding from Canada. Recommended Stories Several terrorist entities listed under the Criminal Code in Canada that fall under the Politically Motivated Violent Extremism (PMVE) category, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Khalistani violent extremist groups Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federation, have been observed by law enforcement and intelligence agencies to receive financial support originating from Canada," the report said. The government report acknowledged that the Khalistani extremist groups are resorting to violent means to establish an independent state within Punjab, India". It said that such groups are suspected of raising funds in various countries, including Canada. These groups previously had an extensive fundraising network in Canada but now appear to consist of smaller pockets of individuals with allegiance to the cause but seemingly no particular affiliation to a specific group," the report said. Shedding light on the financing network of such outfits, the report revealed that they use non-profit organisations, among other means, to raise funds for their activities. The misuse of the charitable and NPO sectors has been observed as a prominent financing method used by Hamas and Hezbollah. Khalistani violent extremist groups have also been known to use networks to solicit donations from diaspora communities to raise and move funds, including through NPOs," the report said. It further noted that the NPOs in Canada have little to no risks for money laundering and terrorist financing, with only a small subset undertaking activities that are vulnerable to terrorist financing abuse". However, it suggested that these risks should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The Khalistani extremism finds mention in the report, as India-Canada ties have seen a gradual improvement since the Mark Carney government came to power in Canada. In a sign of attempts to improve strained ties, India and Canada announced new high commissioners to each others countries last month. Relations hit a new low before that as former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that India was linked to the killing of a Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Indias previous high commissioner had left Canada in October. Ottawa said that he was among six diplomats expelled" after they were linked, without proof, to Nijjars murder. India also said that it had ordered the expulsion of six high-ranking Canadian diplomats. About the Author Ashesh Mallick Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @Ma... Read More Location : Canada First Published: September 06, 2025, 08:34 IST News world Khalistani Violent Extremist Groups Getting Financial Support From Canada: Govt Report 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... JPMorgan has announced plans to launch its digital retail bank, Chase, in Germany by the second quarter of 2026, marking its European expansion. The move follows Chase's entry into the UK market in 2021. The launch was confirmed by Daniel Llano Manibardo, head of Germany international consumer banking at JPMorgan, in a post on LinkedIn. Manibardo said: One step closer. Exciting times ahead for Chase as we prepare to launch in Germany in the second quarter of 2026! We are bringing together the best of both worlds in retail banking: a digital native bank, tailor-made for the German market, backed by the global reach and trust of one of the world's largest financial institutions JPMorgan Chase. Separately, Manibardo told the Financial Times (FT) that the initial offering in Germany will be a savings account, due to the popularity of such products among German customers. He mentioned that the bank's services would be expanded incrementally. The German retail banking landscape is notably competitive, with major entities like Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank vying alongside numerous smaller savings and co-operative banks, as well as digital-focused fintech companies such as N26 and Trade Republic, the FT report noted. Digital challengers, including Spain's BBVA, are also entering the market. Chase's UK debut in 2021 marked JPMorgan's first retail banking venture outside the US. Since then, Chase has attracted over two million customers in the UK, aided by competitive savings rates and is expected to be profitable this year. Growth in the UK, however, is limited by ringfencing rules requiring banks with over 35bn ($47.09bn) in deposits to separate retail operations from riskier business segments. According to the FT report, the British government is considering revising these regulations. I am confident that our new banking service will empower German customers to optimise their financial well-being. With roots dating back over 100 years in Germany, we will offer a strong trusted brand, a top-class digital experience, competitive conditions, and personal customer support when needed, Manibardos post read. We are eagerly anticipating our launch in Germany in 2026 and are committed to making a lasting impact on the financial landscape. "JPMorgan to enter German retail banking market in 2026" was originally created and published by Retail Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. Man Dies In Suspected Shark Attack In Sydney, Several Beaches Closed Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 11:21 IST A man died in a suspected large shark attack Sydney. New South Wales police recovered his body and surfboard parts; several beaches are closed. Man Dies In Suspected Shark Attack In Sydney (Reuters) In a suspected attack by a large shark, a man died on a beach in Sydney. As per Australias New South Wales police, the emergency services pulled the mans body out of the morning surf onto the shore at Long Reef Beach. The incident happened on Saturday, prompting the closure of several beaches. The official also added that parts of a surfboard have been recovered and taken for expert examination. Recommended Stories As per the police, the state emergency service received a call at around 10:00 am local time on Saturday (00:00 GMT) that a man had suffered critical injuries". The victims identity was yet to be confirmed. Local police officers and experts would work together to determine the species of shark involved". 8-Year-Old Boy Bitten By Shark An 8-year-old boy was flown to a Miami trauma center after being bitten by a shark in the ocean off the Florida Keys on Labor Day, authorities reported. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The incident occurred while the boy was snorkeling off the ocean side of Key Largo shortly before 3:30 pm on Monday, according to a Facebook post by the Monroe County Sheriffs Office. He was accompanied by his father and a sibling near a reef at the time. The child sustained bite wounds to his left leg. He was brought to shore by a snorkeling and diving charter services vessel and subsequently airlifted to a Miami hospital for specialized trauma treatment and advanced medical care, stated the Key Largo Fire Department in a release. 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 : Sydney, Australia First Published: September 06, 2025, 10:40 IST News world Man Dies In Suspected Shark Attack In Sydney, Several Beaches Closed 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... 'Nobody Has Done What We Did': Trump Again Claims US Stopped Seven Wars Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 07:11 IST Trump has on several occasions also taken credit for mediating a 'ceasefire' between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor using trade as a tool. US President Donald Trump United States President Donald Trump on Friday once again reiterated that America stopped seven wars in the last seven months, including that between Russia and Ukraine. Recommended Stories Nobody has done what we did in 7 months. We stopped 7 wars. Russia-Ukraine, which I thought would probably be the easiest, was the most difficult One of the wars was going on for 31 yearsthat was said to be unstoppable, and I got it done in about 2 hours; another one was on for 35 years, and another one for 37 years," Trump said on Friday. #WATCH | Washington DC | US President Donald Trump says, Nobody has done what we did in 7 months. We stopped 7 wars. Russia-Ukraine, that I thought would probably be the easiest, was the most difficult One of the wars was going on for 31 years that was said to be pic.twitter.com/U5wdWQD6fj ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2025 Notably, this is not the first or only time when Trump has claimed to have stopped a war. The American president has on several occasions also taken credit for mediating a ceasefire" between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor using trade as a tool. However, India has always dismissed his claims, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament making it clear that no world leader asked India to stop Operation Sindoor." ALSO READ | Dont Think We Have: Trump Backtracks Lost India To China Post, Says Nothing To Worry About Earlier, during his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in August, Trump had said that he had thought ending the Russia-Ukraine war was the easiest one," but it turned out to be a tough one". The war (Russia-Ukraine) is going to end. When it ends, I cant tell you but the war is going to end, and this gentleman wants it to end and Vladimir Putin wants it to end. I think the whole world is tired of it. We are going to get it ended. I have ended 6 wars and I thought that maybe this would be the easiest one. And its not the easiest one. Its a tough oneIndia-Pakistan, we are talking about big places," Trump told reporters, with Zelenskyy by his side. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all 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 Location : United States of America (USA) First Published: September 06, 2025, 07:03 IST News world 'Nobody Has Done What We Did': Trump Again Claims US Stopped Seven Wars 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... Shehbaz Sharif Courts Trump For Bilateral During UNGA Amid Warming Pakistan-US Ties | Exclusive Reported By : CNN-News18 Edited By: Apoorva Misra Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 15:24 IST Pakistani officials have strategically reserved 3-4 additional days during the visit to accommodate such a meeting, signalling its importance on Islamabads diplomatic agenda (Left) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and (right) US President Donald Trump. (PTI) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed a desire to meet US President Donald Trump during his upcoming visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session. A top source told CNN-News18 that the Pakistan Prime Ministers Office has formally written to the White House, requesting a bilateral meeting between Sharif and Trump. While no confirmation has been issued yet, Pakistani officials have strategically reserved 3-4 additional days during the visit to accommodate such a meeting, signalling its importance on Islamabads diplomatic agenda. Recommended Stories Sharif is scheduled to be in New York from September 21-27, and will deliver his address to the UNGA on September 26. On the sidelines of the UN summit, he is also expected to hold meetings with the heads of government or state from China, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Iran, and several others. The development comes at a time when the Trump administration is reportedly working closely with Pakistan, marking a notable thaw in relations after a decade of mistrust and disconnect between Washington and Islamabad. Earlier in June, Pakistans Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir had a private luncheon with President Trump at the White House, a meeting that raised eyebrows and triggered speculation about a deeper recalibration in ties. More recently, Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met with US Secretary Marco Rubio in Washington, signalling continued high-level engagement. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be attending the UNGA this year. Instead, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will represent India and address the General Assembly on September 27, a day after Sharifs speech. With regional optics in play and major powers watching closely, a potential Sharif-Trump meeting could serve as a pivotal moment in redefining US-Pakistan relations. About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18 Location : United States of America (USA) First Published: September 06, 2025, 15:23 IST News world Shehbaz Sharif Courts Trump For Bilateral During UNGA Amid Warming Pakistan-US Ties | Exclusive 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... Trump's Pick For Labour Stats Dept Linked To Racist, Offensive Remarks Against Democrats Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 22:24 IST EJ Antoni, who was nominated by Trump to lead the Bureau of Labour Statistics, allegedly operated a Twitter account that featured sexually degrading attacks against Democrats. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Trump has nominated EJ Antoni as the new BLS commissioner. (White House) US President Donald Trumps pick to lead the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS), EJ Antoni, allegedly operated a now-deleted Twitter account that featured sexually degrading attacks on Kamala Harris, offensive remarks about gay people and crude insults for Trump critics. Antoni, a 37-year-old economist and a staunch Trump loyalist, posted the offensive remarks from 2017 to 2020 under several usernames. As per a CNN investigation, all of Antonis posts came from the same Twitter account, and the posts from the anonymous aliases shared strikingly similar biographical details as Antoni. Recommended Stories Antoni has been an outspoken critic of the non-partisan BLS, which calculates US job growth and unemployment figures. His appointment came after Trump fired the Biden-appointed BLS commissioner and accused the agency of corruption, without evidence, after a report showed job growth in May and June was weaker than previously estimated. He works at the conservative think tank, Heritage Foundation, and has positioned himself as an advocate of government accountability through the organisations blog posts and media appearances. However, his digital presence is traced back to a pattern of offensive rhetoric that includes conspiracy theories and misogyny. Antonis Attacks On Top Democrats Antonis account was used to make degrading and sexist remarks about female Democratic politicians, including Kamala Harris, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, as per the CNN report. It was also used to make unsubstantiated allegations against left-leaning public figures and bigoted attacks towards gay TV news anchors. In 2019, the now-deleted account known as ErwinJohnAntoni" changed its username to phdofbombsaway", and posted five sexually suggestive tweets implying that then-Senator Kamala Harris had advanced her career through sexual favours. He also referred to Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, as Miss Piggy" and retweeted several misogynistic posts. The account was also used to propagate conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2020 presidential elections. His remarks include calling Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez a whack job" and a space cadet". In March 2020, Antoni tweeted about Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Trump critic, saying, No one wants to have sex with that catfish." In one post, he dismissed the existence of LGBTQ people, saying, There is only one sexual orientation everything else is a disorientation." He also argued against abortion even in cases of rape. Concerns over Antonis Appointment Antoni was nominated to be the next BLS commissioner after Trump ordered the dismissal of Erika McEntarfer, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, on August 1 after accusing her of publishing phony" job creation numbers for July. The White House defended Antoni and did not address the offensive tweets he made earlier. President Trump has nominated Dr. EJ Antoni to fix the issues at the BLS and restore trust in the jobs reports. Dr. Antoni has the experience and credentials needed to restore solution-oriented leadership at the BLS solutions that will prioritise increasing survey response rates and modernising data collection methods to improve the BLSs accuracy," CNN quoted White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers. However, Antoni has no experience working for the government, unlike McEntarfer. He earned a PhD in economics from Northern Illinois University in 2020 and took positions at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Heritage Foundation, which is believed to be the architect of Project 2025, a blueprint for Trumps second term. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Antonis work as an economist has also come under scrutiny after he co-published a report last year that claimed that the American economy had been in a recession since 2022, sparking backlash from economists across political circles. In past media appearances, Antoni has echoed Trumps dissatisfaction with labour statistics and the Federal Reserve. Earlier this year, he accused the central bank of election interference" for cutting rates close to the 2024 presidential election, a claim Trump has also made. 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 : United States of America (USA) First Published: September 06, 2025, 22:24 IST News world Trump's Pick For Labour Stats Dept Linked To Racist, Offensive Remarks Against Democrats 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... UK Team Inspects Tihar Jail Amid Indias Push To Repatriate Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 21:46 IST According to prison officials, the CPS delegation inspected Jail No. 4, which houses first-time offenders and high-security inmates Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi. (File photos via AP/PTI) A team from the United Kingdoms Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recently visited Tihar Jail in Delhi as part of Indias ongoing efforts to secure the extradition of high-profile fugitives, including Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi. According to prison officials, the CPS delegation inspected Jail No. 4, which houses first-time offenders and high-security inmates. The team spoke to prisoners and reviewed the jails infrastructure and security arrangements, news agency ANI reported. Recommended Stories The visit comes against the backdrop of British courts previously raising concerns about the condition of Indian prisons while reviewing extradition requests. In response, the Indian government has assured UK authorities that all extradited individuals will be held in safe and lawful conditions. It has also committed to ensuring that no accused will be subjected to illegal interrogation in custody. Sources said the CPS officials were told that a separate high-security enclave could be set up within the jail, if needed, to house high-profile or sensitive prisoners, keeping them segregated from the general prison population. As of 2024, India has made 178 pending extradition requests, with around 20 cases involving fugitives based in the UK. These include individuals wanted in financial frauds, arms deals, and cases linked to Khalistani networks. In July, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said India is working closely with the UK to bring back several wanted individuals. Among them is Vijay Mallya, currently in London, accused of defaulting on bank loans worth over Rs 9,000 crore. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Also on the list is Nirav Modi, the main accused in the Rs 13,800 crore Punjab National Bank fraud. Nirav Modi has already been declared a fugitive economic offender and his extradition has been approved by a UK court. (With inputs from ANI) 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 06, 2025, 21:46 IST News world UK Team Inspects Tihar Jail Amid Indias Push To Repatriate Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi 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... Under 15 And Hired To Kill: How Teen Girls Are Taking Deadly Roles In Sweden's Gang Wars Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 18:08 IST With gang-related shootings and bombings now a near-daily occurrence in Sweden, crime groups are increasingly turning to children Some gang leaders are believed to be operating from abroad, directing crimes through encrypted platforms, where hits and violent jobs are posted and assigned. (Getty Images via AFP) Teenage girls, some under the age of 15, are being recruited to carry out violent crimes in Swedens escalating gang wars, according to prosecutors and experts. Stockholm prosecutor Ida Arnell recently handled a case involving a 15-year-old girl who was offered a choice: shoot at a door or aim directly at a mans head. She chose the latter. While it was her 17-year-old male accomplice who pulled the trigger, the victim was left critically injured after being shot in the neck, stomach and legs. Recommended Stories Arnell said many girls are now offering themselves to criminal gangs on encrypted messaging apps, hoping to prove they are tougher and more ruthless than boys. They have to show that they are even more determined and tougher (than boys) to get the job," she told AFP. In 2023, 280 girls aged 15 to 17 were charged with violent crimes, including murder and manslaughter. While not all are linked to organised crime, experts warn that girls involvement in gang activity has been underestimated for years, a blind spot that has benefitted criminal networks and put girls at serious risk. With gang-related shootings and bombings now a near-daily occurrence in Sweden, crime groups are increasingly turning to children under 15 below the age of criminal responsibility to carry out attacks. Some gang leaders are believed to be operating from abroad, directing crimes through encrypted platforms, where hits and violent jobs are posted and assigned. Swedens Justice Minister, Gunnar Strommer, admitted in April that more research is needed to understand how girls are involved in gangs. Girls are often identified as victims but their participation in criminal circles is much more widespread than what we have long assumed," he said. One study by a womens drug and alcohol support network found that many of these girls suffer from untreated trauma and addiction, with two-thirds of those involved in drug crimes also victims of sexual violence. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Swedens National Council for Crime Prevention is currently carrying out a detailed study into the types of crimes committed by girls and women, as well as the violence they often experience. The findings are expected to be released in October. (With inputs from AFP) 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 : Sweden First Published: September 06, 2025, 18:08 IST News world Under 15 And Hired To Kill: How Teen Girls Are Taking Deadly Roles In Sweden's Gang Wars 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... Wasn't Ready: Zuckerberg Says Sorry To Trump On Hot Mic After Whopping $600B Investment Vow Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: September 06, 2025, 14:35 IST Zuckerberg announced a massive $600 billion Meta investment in the US in coming years, drawing Trump's praise. However, he later apologised to Trump which was caught on hot mic. Mark Zuckerberg-Trump conversation caught on hot mic (Reuters Image) Donald Trump hosted executives of top American tech companies at the White House, in which big names, including Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai, and others, participated. All of them divulged their investment plans to Trump; however, Zuckerberg was stumped as the President began the questioning with him. The Meta CEO went on to announce a whopping $600 billion investment by 2028 in the US, gaining Trumps praise. However, moments later, he was caught on a hot mic apologising and admitting to the President that he was confused on the matter the video of which has now gone viral. Recommended Stories As Trump individually asked the tech giants CEOs about their investment plans in the country, he began with Zuckerberg, who was seated right next to him. Oh gosh, um, I think it is probably gonna be something like I dont know, at least $600 billion through 2028, in the US, yeah," he responded to Trump, who thanked him, stating, Thats a lot, thank you, Mark, its great to have you." Zuckerberg saying Meta intends to spend at least 600 billion in the USZuckerberg at the end caught on a hot mic pic.twitter.com/PZhG4slWa9 Acyn (@Acyn) September 5, 2025 However, it did not take long for the Meta CEO to realise that pitching wrong investment numbers could go against him in the future, and he apologised to Trump soon after. Sorry, I wasnt ready. I wasnt sure what number you wanted to go with," Zuckerberg told Trump in the buzzing room. Trump laughed at his confession and also conveyed to Melania, who was seated to his left, Zuckerbergs blunt admission. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The light interaction of the two men indicated that they have buried their hatches with time. It was Zuckerberg who had banned Trump on Facebook and Instagram after the January 6, 2020, Capitol Hill riots, while the Republican leader had accused the Meta CEO of plotting against him during the Presidential Election that he lost to Joe Biden. About the Author Ashesh Mallick Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @Ma... Read More Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: September 06, 2025, 14:35 IST News world Wasn't Ready: Zuckerberg Says Sorry To Trump On Hot Mic After Whopping $600B Investment Vow 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... Kraft Heinz (KHC) has a long and storied history, enhanced by a merger 10 years ago between Kraft and Heinz. Chances are if you grew up in the U.S., you are more than familiar with Kraft Mac & Cheese, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Oscar Meyer hotdogs, or even Lunchables. Not to mention the ketchup and pickles. But as the title here says, KHC actually did cut the cheese out of part of its business. The company announced earlier this week that it is splitting back into two companies. Yet, this is not as simple as reversing the 2015 combination. Kraft Heinz is now a powerhouse in the food industry that generates $25 billion in revenue, dominating supermarket shelves as much as ever. More News from Barchart The two separated businesses will be named Global Taste Elevation Co. and North American Grocery Co. The former will get the ketchup, mac & cheese, cream cheese, and a range of sauces and seasonings, a $15 billion separate business, and soon, a separate ticker symbol. These are considered the more growthy product lines. Thats a relative term, since earnings growth has been tough to come by in KHCs current form. And if theres one thing this stock market needs to lift prices, its growth. www.barchart.com The latter will be led by hot dogs, Kraft singles cheese slices, Lunchables, and to wash it down, Maxwell House coffee. These are the more stable brands, accounting for a $10 billion piece of the pie. Id assume this is where most of KHCs stout 5.94% dividend yield will end up. What does all of this mean for the stock, which will soon be two separate trading companies? Heck if Wall Street knows just yet. This separation of business lines has been rumored and even encouraged for a while. But it wont take effect for nearly a year. Ah, but the charts might offer a clue. So lets walk down that aisle and check them out. Starting with the daily chart, the stocks immediate dip on the announcement was followed by a Wednesday bounce. But the chart is still quite weak. The one bright spot is a looming date with that support level around $25-$26 a share. Not too far south of here. www.barchart.com The weekly view below prompted me to stretch back beyond the typical 4 years I look at and present to you. I went back to the start of 2020, the year of the pandemic. We can see that KHC, apart from that nice dividend, has had no share price growth since that year. Michelle Vanek had been the subject of the longest search for a missing hiker in Colorado historyand a pastor's dream factored into how her remains were finally discovered, writes Heather Hansman at 5280 . The 35-year-old mother of four was athletic but a novice hiker when she set out in 2005 to scale Mount of the Holy Cross, with an elevation above 14,000 feet. A friend who was an experienced hiker went with her, but Vanek had to call it quits before the summit. The friend directed her to hike to a nearby ridge to wait for him while he scaled the summit. But when he eventually got back to the rendezvous point, Vanek was nowhere to be found, and an intensive search proved fruitless. Fast forward to August 2022: A skier and his son discovered a lone hiking boot in a seldom-searched area, which reinvigorated the long-dormant investigation. The following year, Scott Beebea Lutheran pastor and head of the Vail Mountain Rescue Groupsaid Vanek spoke to him in a dream. "She told me she wanted to be found by a team of women." That inspired the creation of an all-female search team in spring 2024. "The group wanted to get inside Vanek's head, to inhabit the choices she might have made," writes Hansman. It paid off. Equipped with modern mapping tools, meticulous data reviews, and educated hunches, the team identified a gap in earlier search grids. In August 2024, they hiked to Mount Holy Cross' northeast couloirs and found fabric, a hiking pole with Vanek's recognizable blue mitten, and other personal items. DNA and forensic evidence followed in October, confirming remains and ruling out years of speculation about foul play. The injuries matched a fatal fall. Read the full story. LSD reduced symptoms of anxiety in a midstage study published this week, paving the way for additional testing and possible medical approval of a psychedelic drug that has been banned in the US for more than a half century, the AP reports. The results from drugmaker Mindmed tested several doses of LSD in patients with moderate-to-severe generalized anxiety disorder, with the benefits lasting as long as three months. The company plans to conduct follow-up studies to confirm the results and then apply for Food and Drug Administration approval. Psychedelics are in the midst of a popular and scientific comeback, with conferences, documentaries, books, and medical journals exploring their potential for conditions like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The FDA has designated psilocybin, MDMA, and now LSD as potential "breakthrough" therapies based on early results. But last year, the FDA rejected MDMAalso known as ecstasyas a treatment for PTSD, citing flawed study methods, potential research bias and other issues. The new LSD study, published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, addresses some of those problems. MDMA, like many other psychedelics, was tested in combination with hours of talk therapy by trained health professionals. That approach proved problematic for FDA reviewers, who said it was difficult to separate the benefits of the drug from those of therapy. The LSD study took a simpler approach: Patients got a single dose of LSDunder professional supervision, but without therapyand then were followed for about three months. Nearly 200 patients received one of four differently sized doses of LSD or a placebo, and at four weeks, patients receiving the two highest doses had significantly lower anxiety scores than those who received placebo or lower doses. After 12 weeks, 65% of patients taking the most effective LSD dose100 microgramscontinued to show benefits and nearly 50% were deemed to be in remission. But the research was not immune to problems seen in similar studies, and more research is planned. (Click for the full article, which addresses the concernsas well as the long history of the consideration of LSD as a medical treatment.) Meggle has acquired fellow German dairy Rucker, continuing its expansion in the cheese market. Financial details of the transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval, were not disclosed. In a statement yesterday, Meggle said the deal is strengthening its market position and further expanding its cheese product segment. The Wasserburg am Inn-headquartered company noted that cheese has played a strategically important role in its portfolio since the 2021 purchase of Stegmann Emmentaler Kasereien from French cooperative Sodiaal. Now operating as Meggle Cheese, the business produces Emmental cheese in Altusried, Bavaria, under the Aggenstein brand and private labels. With a team of 610 people and 500m ($583.5m) in revenues in 2024, Rucker dairy is said to be one of the largest privately-owned cheese producers in Germany. Operating from sites in Aurich and Wismar, the fourth-generation family-run business was founded in 1890 and is led by Klaus Rucker. It processes around 700 million kg of milk annually to produce 90,000t of cheese, 20,000t of butter, and 20,000t of milk powder each year. Matthias Oettel, CEO of Meggle Holding SE, said: With Rucker, we are gaining a healthy company that not only has an impressive history but also brings extensive expertise and innovative strength in cheese and dairy processing. Together, we will pool our competencies, make investments, and lay the foundation for further growth. Klaus Rucker added: With Meggle, we have found a partner that, as a long-standing family business, shares similar values and where strategy and product portfolios complement each other well. We are confident that our company will find a good home here. Ruckers brand portfolio includes its namesake Rucker, known for northern German cheeses such as Alter Schwede, Alt-Mecklenburger, and Friesischer Hirtenkase. Additional brands include oba and Waterkant for white cheeses, and Vega Lecker for plant-based offerings. Meggle, which has operations across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the US, generated approximately 1.4bn in revenues in 2024. In addition to consumer products such as dairy, plant-based and baked goods, the company also caters to industrial clients in the pharmaceutical and ingredients sector. "Meggle buys German dairy peer Rucker to expand cheese business" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. Bill Pulte, a federal housing official, has publicly accused Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook of improperly claiming homestead exemptionstax breaks for owners on their primary residenceon more than one property. However, a Reuters investigation found that Pulte's own father and stepmother, Mark and Julie Pulte, have declared primary residency for two upscale homes in Michigan and Florida since 2020, a move that tax officials in those two states say generally isn't allowed. The Pultes' exemption in Michigan was revoked after Reuters brought the dual claims to the attention of local officials, who confirmed the property had also been rented out, another violation of the rules. Revised tax bills, including penalties, are now being issued. In Florida, authorities said the exemption there predates the Michigan claim and any conflict would have to be addressed in Michigan. Attempts to contact the couple for comment were unsuccessful, and officials at the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the agency led by Bill Pulte, didn't respond to requests for comment. The controversy is notable because Bill Pulte has been outspoken in his criticism of Cook, accusing her on social media of "financial fraud" and highlighting her rental of a property designated as a primary residence. Cook, who has denied any wrongdoing, maintains her conduct was not fraudulent. Earlier this week, ProPublica posted its investigation of three Trump Cabinet members who may have similar mortgage-loan issues. MSNBC notes that Pulte is also seemingly dismissing allegations of mortgage fraud at the hands of Texas' Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. "Unless it's been made public by lawyers ... or in criminal referrals, I'm not going to comment on any specific situation," Pulte told CNBC. "If things are made public or if we decide to make them public, then I will talk about it." He also tells that outlet it would be "reckless" for him to reveal where he got his "tip" on Cook. A Capitol rioter more notorious for his antisemitic attire than his actions was arrested this week in connection with a dog attack that injured four people. Robert Keith Packer wore a sweatshirt that said "Camp Auschwitz" on the frontand "Staff" on the backduring the Capitol attack. The 60-year-old resident of Newport News, Virginia, faces multiple charges, including a felony count of "animal attack resulting from owner's disregard for human life," ABC News reports. "Also two counts of attacking while at large, one count of dogs running in a pack, two counts of vicious dog, and two counts of not having a city license," said Wayne Gilbert, the city's superintendent of animal welfare, per 13 News Now . Packer, who was pardoned along with around 1,500 other Capitol rioters by President Trump earlier this year, was arrested in connection with a Monday dog attack. Police said they received a report of "two vicious canines" and found four injured people, WTKR reports. All four were hospitalized and the dogs were taken into custody. One victim is fighting to keep her arm, 13 News Now reports. "My husband and all the other neighbors cracked the door, and were all yelling, to try and get the dogs away from her," a neighbor tells 13 News Now. "It was just horrible." Investigators said they later seized "one adult dog, six 11-week-old puppies, four live rabbits, and one deceased rabbit" from a property. Neighbors say they have long been afraid of the dogs, which are of the breed Dogo Argentino. In 2022, Packer pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack and was sentenced to 75 days behind bars. The judge, who described the message on Packer's sweatshirt as "incredibly offensive," determined that he was near acts of violence but did not commit any himself. Federal prosecutors described him as a "habitual criminal offender for 25 years with 21 convictions for mostly drunk driving, but also for larceny, drug possession, and forgery," ABC reports. A new US city is in President Trump's sights: Portland, Oregon, which is where he suggested on Friday he's considering sending National Guard troops to deal with protesters and "wipe them out," per the Oregonian . Trump noted during an interview that although he hadn't had Portland on his radar for cities that might possibly see troops arrive, it was time to "look at it now" after "I watched television last night" and saw clashes between federal agents and protesters, which Trump called "paid terrorists." "When we go there, if we go to Portland, we're gonna wipe them out. They're gonna be gone," Trump said. "They've ruined that city. I have people that used to live in Portland. They've left. Most of them have left, but what they've done to that place is just, it's like, it's like living in hell." The Oregonian notes that the White House hasn't clarified whether sending troops to Portland is something that's actually going to happen. The Guardian, however, reports that although there's been a small demonstration in a remote part of Portland over ICE raids, there haven't been major mass protestsand that the TV footage Trump said he saw may have been from a Thursday broadcast on Fox News that mixed up a viral clip from a 2020 George Floyd protest with more recent images out of Portland. Whatever footage Trump may or may not have seen, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson says that the feds aren't needed. "Like other mayors across the country, I have not asked forand do not needfederal intervention," he said in a Friday statement. "We are proud that Portland police have successfully protected freedom of expression while addressing occasional violence and property destruction that takes place during protests at the ICE facility in Portland." Volodymyr Zelensky has RSVP'd to Vladimir Putin's "invite" for him to head to the Russian capital to discuss ways to end that country's invasion of Ukraine, and it's a no. "I can't go to Moscow when my country's under missiles, under attack, each day," Zelensky said Friday in an interview with ABC News . "I can't go to the capital of this terrorist." Instead, Zelensky noted of his adversary: "He can come to Kyiv." Putin "understands this" and is simply "playing games with the United States," Zelensky added. Newsweek notes that Putin actually invited Zelensky to Russia not once, but twice this week. "Ultimately, if Zelensky is ready, let him come to Moscowthen the meeting will take place," Putin said Wednesday, after noting that US President Trump had requested he try to set something up. On Friday, Putin remade the offer. "If someone genuinely wants to meet with us, we are ready," Putin said in Vladivostok. "The best place for this is the capital of the Russian Federation, the hero city Moscow." At a Paris press conference on Thursday, Zelensky said, "As I see it, if your aim is to prevent a meeting, then inviting me to Moscow is the way to go." He added Friday, to ABC: "If a person doesn't want to meet during the war, of course, he can propose something which can't be acceptable by me or by others." At least one US lawmaker agrees that Zelensky shouldn't take Putin up on his offer, per the Hill. "I'll give a free piece of advice to President Zelensky: Don't go to Moscow. They don't have your best interests at heart," Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington said on Wednesday, noting Putin has called Zelensky an illegitimate leader and tried to have him killed "on multiple occasions." Deep in Earth's past, an icy landscape became a seascape as the ice melted and the oceans rose off what is now the northeastern United States. Nearly 50 years ago, a US government ship searching for minerals and hydrocarbons in the area drilled into the seafloor to see what it could find. It found, of all things, drops to drink under the briny deepsfresh water. This summer, a first-of-its-kind global research expedition followed up on that surprise. Drilling for fresh water under the salt water off Cape Cod, Expedition 501 extracted thousands of samples from what is now thought to be a massive, hidden aquifer stretching from New Jersey as far north as Maine, the AP reports. It's just one of many depositories of "secret fresh water" known to exist in shallow salt waters around the world that might some day be tapped to slake the planet's intensifying thirst, says Brandon Dugan, the expedition's co-chief scientist. In just five years, the UN says, the global demand for fresh water will exceed supplies by 40%. "We need to look for every possibility we have to find more water for society," says Dugan, a geophysicist and hydrologist at the Colorado School of Mines. They found it, and will be analyzing nearly 13,209 gallons of it back in their labs around the world in the coming months. They're out to solve the mystery of its originswhether the water is from glaciers, connected groundwater systems on land, or some combination. The potential is enormous. So are the hurdles of getting the water out and puzzling over who owns it, who uses it and how to extract it without undue harm to nature. It's bound to take years to bring that water ashore for public use in a big way, if it's even feasible. Enter Expedition 501 is a $25 million scientific collaboration of more than a dozen countries backed by the US government's National Science Foundation and the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling. Scientists went into the project believing the undersea aquifer they were sampling might be sufficient to meet the needs of a metropolis the size of New York City for 800 years. They found fresh or nearly fresh water at both higher and lower depths below the seafloor than they anticipated, suggesting a larger supply even than that. Expedition 501 was quite literally groundbreakingit penetrated Earth below the sea by as much as 1,289 feet, moving from site to site 20 to 30 miles off the coast. In months of analysis ahead, the scientists will investigate a range of properties of the water, including what microbes were living in the depths, what they used for nutrients and energy sources and what byproducts they might generate; in other words, whether the water is safe to consume or otherwise use. "This is a new environment that has never been studied before," says Jocelyne DiRuggiero, a Johns Hopkins University biologist in Baltimore who studies the microbial ecology of extreme environments. "The water may contain minerals detrimental to human health since it percolated through layers of sediments," she said. "However, a similar process forms the terrestrial aquifers that we use for freshwater, and those typically have very high quality." Two 17-year-olds have been charged as adults in the killing of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, an intern for Republican Rep. Ron Estes, authorities said Friday. Jachym, 21, was fatally shot June 30 while walking through Washington, DC. The University of Massachusetts student was struck by bullets intended for someone else, according to US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro. "He was an innocent bystander who was caught in a violent act that was not meant for him," Pirro told reporters. The suspects, Jalen Lucas and Kelvin Thomas Jr., face first-degree murder charges. Investigators are still searching for a third suspect, 18-year-old Naqwan Antonio Lucas, ABC News reports. Pirro delivered the news alongside DC Police Chief Pamela A. Smith and Mayor Muriel Bowser, framing the arrest as an example of why President Trump's push for a federal law enforcement surge in the capital is warranted, reports Politico. "His death is a stark reminder of how fragile life is and how violence too often visits us in the nation's capital," Pirro said. She said the two 17-year-olds have violent records as juveniles. Tarpinian-Jachym was shot four times. His family and colleagues remember him as a promising young talent whose life was cut short by random violence. "Although nothing can reverse this horrific act of violence that took the life of a kind and bright young man, my hope is that today's announcement will bring peace and closure to the family and friends of Eric, and all who knew and loved him," Estes said in a statement Friday. . Sorry, Scranton: Joe Biden has decided to build his presidential library in Delaware. The Joe and Jill Biden Foundation has approved a 13-member board packed with longtime allies and former administration figures to steer the effort, CNN reports. The project, still without a final site, will emphasize an "immersive museum" experience and aims to become a center for leadership, service, and civic engagement, a source at the foundation says. The AP reports the board includes former Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Rufus Gifford, a veteran fundraiser, was tapped as board chair. Biden, 82, has spent much of his post-presidency in his home state, mostly out of the public eye except for occasional speeches. He's also dealing with health issues, having started treatment in May for an aggressive prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. He recently had surgery for skin cancer. The former president has close ties to Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he lived until he was 10, but he launched his political career in Delaware and represented the state in the Senate for 36 years before he became Barack Obama's vice president, the AP notes. The fundraising push is getting a relatively late start and comes at a time when some donors are hesitant, citing frustration with how Biden wrapped up his presidency and fears of retaliation from President Trump, CNN reports. The price tag is expected to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Gifford tells the AP that he expects the cost to be "somewhere in the middle" of the Obama Presidential Center, which has set a $1.6 billion fundraising goal, and the George HW Bush Presidential Library and Museum, which cost $43 million to build and opened in 1997. Ru A former Alaska Airlines pilot who was charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after he tried to shut down an aircraft's engines mid-flight has avoided prison time on state charges. Under a plea agreement in Oregon state court, Joseph Emerson pleaded no contest Friday to reckless endangerment and first-degree endangering an aircraft, NBC News reports. He was sentenced to the 50 days he spent in jail after the 2023 incident, five years' probation, and 664 hours of community service. He was also ordered to pay $60,569 in restitution. In federal court, Emerson pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with a flight crew. The felony is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, though prosecutors will only argue for a sentence of up to one year, the AP reports. His lawyers said they plan to ask for probation when he is sentenced Nov. 17. They said federal prosecutors plan to seek a sentence of one year. TOKYO, Sep 06 (News On Japan) - Prince Hisahito, the eldest son of Prince Akishino, attended his coming-of-age ceremony on Saturday, donning the traditional crown of adulthood. Hisahito received the crown at his residence from an envoy of the Emperor in the morning, before being seen off by his parents and his sister Kako and traveling to the Imperial Palace in the Emperors official car, the Royal. Smiling, he waved to the crowds gathered at the palace square and proceeded to the central ritual, known as the Crown Bestowal Ceremony, which began at 10 a.m. inside the palace. The Emperor and Empress, Prince and Princess Akishino, Princess Aiko, and other members of the imperial family were in attendance. In a traditional costume of youth, Hisahito received the adult crown upon his head. Advancing slowly toward the Emperor and Empress, he expressed his gratitude, saying, "On the occasion of my coming-of-age ceremony, I have been granted the crown. I am sincerely thankful." Afterward, having changed into the formal attire of adulthood, Hisahito was escorted by imperial family members and numerous staff as he proceeded in a grand carriage procession to the Imperial Sanctuary. Later in the afternoon, dressed in a tailcoat, he will attend the Asami-no-Gi, a formal audience with the Emperor and Empress. By Alex Lawler, Olesya Astakhova and Ahmad Ghaddar LONDON/MOSCOW (Reuters) -OPEC+ will likely raise oil output on Sunday but probably add less oil from October than in recent months as global demand might be slowing with the end of the driving season, OPEC+ sources said on Saturday. OPEC+ has reversed its strategy of output cuts from April and has already raised quotas by about 2.5 million barrels per day, about 2.4% of world demand, to boost market share and under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to lower oil prices. But those increases have failed to significantly dent oil prices, which are trading near $66 a barrel supported by Western sanctions on Russia and Iran, encouraging further production gains in rivals such as the United States. Another output boost would mean OPEC+, which pumps about half of the world's oil, would begin to unwind a second layer of cuts of about 1.65 million bpd, more than a year ahead of schedule. Talks are focusing on unwinding that whole cut in gradual monthly increments and the group has reached an agreement in principle to raise output by at least 135,000 bpd from October, two sources said. A third OPEC+ source the October's hike could be closer to 200,000-350,000 bpd. At their last meeting in August, OPEC+ raised production by 547,000 bpd for September. OPEC+, which includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries plus Russia and other allies, will hold an online meeting on Sunday at 1230 GMT. Brent crude futures settled at $65.50 a barrel on Friday, down 2.2%, pressured by a weak U.S. jobs report and expectations of an OPEC+ output hike. This is still up from a 2025 low of near $58 in April. OPEC+'s hikes have fallen short of the pledged amounts because most members are pumping near capacity. As a result, only Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are able to add more barrels into the market, analysts have said and data showed. OPEC still has in place two layers of cuts - the 1.65 million bpd cut by eight members - and another 2 million bpd cut by the whole group in place until the end of 2026. (Reporting by Olesya Astakhova, Alex Lawler, Ahmad Ghaddar and Dmitry Zhdannikov, editing by Alexandra Hudson and Nick Zieminski) TOKYO, Sep 06 (News On Japan) - Itochu Corporation announced on September 5th that it will issue Japan's first corporate bond known as the 'Orange Bond,' with proceeds earmarked exclusively for initiatives promoting women's empowerment and related activities. The name 'Orange Bond' derives from the color of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) icon representing gender equality. Funds raised will be used to purchase products from companies that promote women in their supply chains and to finance the development of in-house daycare centers. According to Daiwa Securities, which supported the issuance, institutional investors showed strong interest, bringing the total issuance amount to 15.2 billion yen. Itochu emphasized that empowering women is indispensable to enhancing the company's corporate value and positioned the Orange Bond as a concrete step toward that goal. Source: BIZ The Regional Tariff Response Initiative will be delivered by PacifiCan in British Columbia to help B.C. businesses respond, adapt, and continue to compete SURREY, BC, Sept. 5, 2025 /CNW/ - Canadian businesses face economic uncertainty as tariffs disrupt international export markets and global supply chains. In this moment of volatility, Canada is standing firm defending its industries, building new pathways for growth, and investing in long-term strength. Maple leaf graphic. Text reads: Regional Tariff Response Initiative (CNW Group/Pacific Economic Development Canada) Today, the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), announced that PacifiCan will deliver the Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) in British Columbia to help B.C. small- and medium-sized businesses affected by tariffs improve productivity, expand and diversify export markets, optimize supply chains, and boost domestic trade within Canada. On September 5, 2025, the Government of Canada announced it was more than doubling the RTRI national investment from $450 million to $1 billion over three years. This investment in small- and medium-sized businesses will help them respond to trade shocks, adapt to new realities, and build for the future. Delivered through Canada's regional development agencies (RDAs), the initiative supports the growth of small- and medium-sized businesses most vulnerable to trade volatility. Businesses and organizations in British Columbia will be able to access information about the Regional Tariff Response Initiative on PacifiCan's website. Program details and an online application will be available on September 15, 2025. Quotes "British Columbians have the determination, talent and ambition to thrive at home and in markets around the world. With this investment, PacifiCan is empowering local businesses to find new pathways for growth and contribute to one Canadian economy building prosperity here in B.C. and across the country." -The Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada Quick facts The Government of Canada has a comprehensive plan to fight back against U.S. tariffs, while supporting Canada's interests, industries, and workers. has a comprehensive plan to fight back against U.S. tariffs, while supporting interests, industries, and workers. The Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) invests in small- and medium-sized businesses affected by tariffs, helping them adapt to new realities, open doors to new markets, boost productivity, reduce costs, and strengthen domestic supply chains. The RTRI is part of a broad set of tariff support measures, including the Large Enterprise Tariff Loan Facility, the Business Development Bank of Canada's Pivot to Grow initiative, and support for the steel sector through the Strategic Response Fund. Together, these efforts are a commitment to reinforcing Canada's industrial strength and defending good jobs across the country. Pivot to Grow initiative, and support for the steel sector through the Strategic Response Fund. Together, these efforts are a commitment to reinforcing industrial strength and defending good jobs across the country. On July 16, 2025 , the Government of Canada announced a suite of measures to support the domestic steel industry, including up to $150 million in targeted support through the RTRI for businesses in the steel sector. These investments are part of a broader package that also included enhancements to the Strategic Response Fund, Labour Market Development Agreements, and the Large Enterprise Tariff Loan Facility. , the Government of announced a suite of measures to support the domestic steel industry, including up to in targeted support through the RTRI for businesses in the steel sector. These investments are part of a broader package that also included enhancements to the Strategic Response Fund, Labour Market Development Agreements, and the Large Enterprise Tariff Loan Facility. PacifiCan is the federal economic development agency dedicated to British Columbians. PacifiCan works with partners who are building innovative businesses, creating good jobs, and supporting inclusive growth throughout our province. Associated links Stay Connected: Follow PacifiCan on X and LinkedIn Toll-Free Number: 1-888-338-9378 TTY (telecommunications device for the hearing impaired): 1-877-303-3388 SOURCE Pacific Economic Development Canada Contacts: Renee LeBlanc Proctor, Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister responsible for PacifiCan, [email protected]; Lynsey Brothers, Communications Manager, PacifiCan, [email protected] MONTREAL, Sept. 5, 2025 /CNW/ - The Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, will highlight support measures for the tariff-impacted aluminum industry in the province of Quebec. Date: Monday, September 8, 2025 Time: 9:30 am (ET) Location: Montreal, Quebec Members of the media are asked to contact ISED Media Relations at [email protected] to receive event location details and confirm their attendance. Stay connected Find more services and information on the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada website. Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on social media. X (Twitter): @ISED_CA, Facebook: Canadian Innovation, Instagram: @cdninnovation, LinkedIn: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada Contacts: Gabrielle Landry, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, [email protected]; Media Relations: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, [email protected] (Reuters) -OpenAI is set to produce its first artificial intelligence chip next year in partnership with U.S. semiconductor giant Broadcom, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. OpenAI plans to put the chip to use internally rather than make it available to external customers, the FT report said, citing one person close to the project. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. OpenAI and Broadcom did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment after regular business hours. OpenAI, which helped commercialize generative AI capable of producing human-like responses to queries, relies on substantial computing power to train and run its systems. Last year, Reuters reported that OpenAI was working with Broadcom and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co to develop its first in-house chip to power its artificial intelligence systems, while also incorporating AMD chips alongside Nvidia chips to meet the surge in infrastructure demands. At the time, OpenAI had examined a range of options to diversify chip supply and reduce costs. In February, Reuters reported about OpenAI pushing ahead on its plan to reduce its reliance on Nvidia, for its chip supply by developing its first generation of in-house AI silicon. The ChatGPT maker was finalizing the design for its first in-house chip in the next few months and planned to send it for fabrication at TSMC, sources had told Reuters. Broadcom CEO Hock Tan said on Thursday that the company expects artificial intelligence revenue growth for fiscal 2026 to "improve significantly", after securing more than $10 billion in AI infrastructure orders from new customer, without naming it. A new prospect placed a firm order last quarter, making it into a qualified customer, Tan said on an earnings call. Tan earlier this year had hinted at four new potential customers who were "deeply engaged" with the company to create their own custom chips, in addition to its three existing large clients. OpenAI's move follows efforts by Google, Amazon and Meta, which have built custom chips to handle AI workloads, as demand for computing power to train and operate AI models surges. (Reporting by Disha Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona and Sherry Jacob-Phillips) An old sweepstakes TV commercial once promised, Only Publishers Clearing House can make you so rich, so fast! But, as some unlucky winners discovered this year, the opposite is also true: Publishers Clearing House (PCH) can make your fortune disappear just as quickly. Must Read Thats what happened to John Wyllie, a 61-year-old Oregon man who won $5,000 a week for life from the PCH Prize Patrol in 2012. According to NBC affiliate KGW8 [1], Wyllie received an annual check for $260,000 every January. The money let him retire and buy a house on six acres in scenic Bellingham, Washington. But this year, the checks suddenly stopped. A few months later, Wyllie learned why: PCH had filed for bankruptcy without warning him or other winners. Wyllie told KGW8 the turn of events feels like a nightmare, made worse by the fact that he hasnt worked in more than a decade and cant find a job now. With bills piling up, hes sold off big-ticket items like a jet ski and trailer, but still expects to lose his home. For anyone whos ever daydreamed about a life-changing win, Wyllies story is a harsh reminder that easy money isnt always forever. Its a reality check that could strike anyone who finds themselves scrambling to offset the loss. From bankable to bankruptcy KGW8 reported that Wyllie is one of at least 10 winners still owed money theyll likely never receive. Thats because ARB Interactive, which paid $7.1 million to buy PCH, announced it would only honor prizes won after it took over in July. For past winners still waiting on payments, The Wall Street Journal [2] noted theyll have to seek payment from the bankruptcy estate. Andrea Coles-Bjerre, a University of Oregon law professor, told KGW8 its unlikely those winners will be able to collect their winnings. Theyll be considered unsecured creditors competing for money that simply doesnt exist. PCHs collapse followed a sharp post-pandemic [3] decline. The company went from nearly $900 million in annual revenue pre-COVID to just over $180 million last year. Analysts blame competition with online giants like Amazon, along with an $18 million Federal Trade Commission [4] settlement in April, for deceptive practices that tricked people into thinking they had to buy products to improve their sweepstakes odds. The company filed for bankruptcy that same month. New Jersey hunters will have the opportunity to participate in the Tuckahoe Managed Waterfowl Hunt through a lottery. Applications are now being accepted. NJDEP Fish & Wildlife New Jersey hunters will have opportunity to participate in the Tuckahoe Managed Waterfowl Hunt through a lottery system for the 2025-26 season, state Fish and Wildlife officials announced. The lottery period for the states R3 Hunting and Shooting Programs Managed Waterfowl Hunting Program at the Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area opened on Sept. 1 and runs through Sept. 25, with results emailed to applicants by Oct. 2. Interested hunters may submit a lottery application to be eligible for selection in one of six blind locations deployed on the three impoundments located on the Cape May County side of the Tuckahoe River. Waterfowl hunting opportunities are a common practice across the country that are intended to increase waterfowl resources with less hunting pressure and great hunting opportunities, the state DEP said. Hunters may select up to 10 preferred hunting dates on their applications. The NJDEP Fish and Wildlife notes that Saturday slots typically receive the highest number of requests. To apply, click here. Generative AI was used to produce an initial draft of this story, which was reviewed and edited by NJ Advance Media staff. Federal agents have arrested a man accused of sending multiple obscene photos to a child. Mahir Chaudhry, 21, of Piscataway, was charged last week with transferring obscene material to a minor, the U.S. Attorneys Office District of New Jersey said in a statement on Friday. He made his initial appearance in Newark federal court and is still in custody pending approval of bail conditions. Chaudhry is accused of sending the victim at least six obscene photos in text messages between March and May of 2023, federal authorities said. At the time that the photos were sent, Chaudhry was aware that the recipient was a minor under the age of 16, federal prosecutors said. Chaudhrys arrest is impactful on many fronts, FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy said. He can no longer cause harm to minor victims, as the complaint alleges, and his arrest serves as a warning to others who think their actions are unseen. The FBI and our partners will stop at nothing to find and apprehend these predators. Authorities did not specify the type of obscene material in the photos or say whether Chaudhry is known to the victim. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com. With a market cap of $96.7 billion, Parker-Hannifin Corporation (PH) is a leading manufacturer and seller of motion and control technologies and systems for various mobile, industrial, and aerospace markets worldwide. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the company operates through two segments: Diversified Industrial and Aerospace Systems. Companies worth $10 billion or more are generally described as large-cap stocks, and Parker-Hannifin fits this criterion perfectly. More News from Barchart Shares of Parker-Hannifin have dipped 2.1% from its 52-week high of $773.30 touched recently on Aug. 28. PH stock has gained 13.8% over the past three months, lagging behind the iShares U.S. Manufacturing ETFs (MADE) 10.7% increase over the same time frame. www.barchart.com Over the past 52 weeks, shares of PH have soared 31.2%, notably outperforming MADEs 20% rally. Moreover, on a YTD basis, Parker-Hannifin stock has gained 19%, surpassing MADEs 15.1% return. The stock has risen above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages since early May, reinforcing a bullish trend. www.barchart.com Shares of PH rose 4.1% following the release of its impressive Q4 results on Aug. 7. Its net sales climbed 1.1% year-over-year to $5.2 billion, exceeding the consensus estimates by 2.7%. Meanwhile, its adjusted net income surged 12.2% year-over-year to $992 million, and adjusted EPS of $7.69 surpassed the consensus estimates by 8.6%. In contrast, rival Eaton Corporation plc (ETN) has lagged behind the PH stock. Shares of Eaton have increased 20.6% over the past 52 weeks and are up 4.9% on a YTD basis. Due to the stocks outperformance over the past year, analysts are highly bullish on PH. The stock has a consensus rating of Strong Buy from the 23 analysts covering the stock and, as of writing, is trading below the mean price target of $756.96. On the date of publication, Kritika Sarmah did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com Police and other emergency workers converge on the beach in Cape May on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025 to search for a missing swimmer. David Kauth White The search for woman who reportedly went missing while swimming in Cape May City ended Saturday afternoon after authorities said they found no evidence that anyone had gone missing. The search began Thursday when authorities from Cape May City, including police, beach patrol and the fire department, were notified at 8:10 a.m. about a possible woman in distress in the water in the area of Madison Avenue, officials said. The U.S. Coast Guard, New Jersey State Police and fire companies from Townbank and North Wildwood, as well as Cape May Public Works, joined the search for the woman, officials said. The Coast Guard and state police continued searching for the woman, who was described as being between the ages of 30 and 40, until Saturday, officials said. On Saturday, after several days of investigation, authorities said a missing person report had not been filed with Cape May Police Department or other organizations. Based on all available information, there is no evidence to suggest that a missing person case exists or is warranted at this time, the Cape May City Office of Emergency Management stated in a Facebook post. According to preliminary figures from the National Weather Service, there have been 69 surf zone fatalities in 2025, two of which occurred in New Jersey. Authorities encouraged people to keep reporting any safety concerns they have to 609-884-9500. Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. Amira Sweilem may be reached at asweilem@njadvancemedia.com. New York Yankees pitcher Camilo Doval catches a toss to the mound during a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero) AP As new Yankees reliever Camilo Doval was struggling - again - during a 7-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays Friday night, Michael Kay weighed in on the YES broadcast. Doval, to be frank, is not what the Yankees traded for, Kay said. This guy was an All-Star with the Giants and his stuff, as Paul [ONeill] said, is electric, but he has really struggled with passed balls and wild pitches and walks and pitch clock violations as well. They need to get him straightened out as they head into October. As beat writer Bryan Hoch, pointed out, since joining the Yankees, Doval, a 2023 All-Star, has posted a 5.11 ERA, allowing 11 runs, including 7 earned, in 12.1 innings. He has allowed 15 hits and 9 walks while striking out 13. Against the Blue Jays, the Yankees pen allowed 3 earned runs, with Doval and Mark Leiter Jr. each allowing an earned run in an inning of work. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter and Basketball Insider for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com. Autumn Special Read. Know. Act. $3 for 3 months! (90 days) Offer expires 12/30/2020 Don't hesitate! Start your digital-only membership today and not only receive full access to our premier news website NNY360.com but also to the NNY360 mobile app, and the Watertown Daily Times eEdition! Yes, the crow situation seems better Seems about the same to me There still seem to be a lot of crows and crow messes Vote View Results On August 30, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans aircraft flew through Azerbaijani airspace on an overseas trip, returning to Armenia on the night of September 6, Azernews reports, citing local media outlets. The information was confirmed by the Prime Ministers press secretary, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, in response to a media inquiry. She explained that following the Washington meeting on August 8, which focused on advancing peace, Armenias relevant authorities requested an air corridor from Azerbaijan for the Prime Ministers flight and received a positive response. We consider this fact to be a practical step toward opening regional communications, promoting the peace agenda, and fostering an environment of mutual trust, Baghdasaryan stated. She also recalled that Azerbaijani aircraft have long used Armenian airspace to connect the countrys mainland with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close By Himanshi Akhand and Rishav Chatterjee (Reuters) -Australia's Qantas Airways said on Friday it had lowered bonuses for its CEO and her team as the airline shoulders responsibility for a hacking incident that breached personal data of millions of customers. Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson will receive A$6.3 million ($4.09 million) for the year to June 30, including a short-term bonus of A$2.04 million, trimmed by A$250,000 as part of the penalty, its annual report said. The total remuneration figure remains a fraction of the A$23.9 million received by former CEO Alan Joyce at the height of his tenure in 2018. The data breach, disclosed in July, targeted a Qantas call centre database containing 6 million names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and frequent flyer details. It further dented public trust in the Australia's biggest air carrier, which is still repairing its image after pandemic-era decisions battered its reputation and led to a tumble in airline and brand rankings. "While we recognise that the investigations into this incident may not be finalised for some time... it is important for both our executives and shareholders that the remuneration consequences of this incident be dealt with this year," Qantas said. The decision came despite Qantas posting its second-highest annual profit on record and a 33% surge in its share price since the start of the year. Qantas shares closed 0.6% higher on Friday. "I think the fact that the company did deliver a bumper profit, combined with the healthy share price performance, has given the board a bit more leeway with investors regarding remuneration than otherwise would have been the case," said Tim Waterer, market analyst at KCM Trade. Investor scrutiny over pay has sharpened in recent years. In August 2024, Qantas slashed Joyces exit payout by A$9.3 million after an external review blamed him for alienating travellers, employees and shareholders. The airline also was ordered to pay a record A$90 million fine for unlawfully sacking 1,800 ground staff during the pandemic. The Australian Financial Review reported in late August that major pension fund investors in Qantas had been pushing the firm to take the Federal Court's assessment in that case into account while deciding on pay for senior executives. ($1 = 1.5389 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Himanshi Akhand and Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sumana Nandy and Jamie Freed) By Elizabeth Howcroft and Mathieu Rosemain PARIS (Reuters) -London-based financial technology company Revolut has hired Frederic Oudea, the former CEO of France's Societe Generale, as chairman of its Western Europe hub in Paris, as it prepares to apply for a banking licence in the country. The hire underscores Revolut's aggressive expansion, as it enlists a heavyweight of France's corporate establishment. The former SocGen chief, who also chairs pharmaceuticals giant Sanofi, adds clout as the fast-growing challenger bank seeks to scale its services and credibility. Revolut announced in May that it planned to invest 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) over the next three years expanding in France, opening a new office in Paris for its Western Europe operations. Revolut is the biggest of a number of European financial services apps founded in the past decade, with more than 60 million customers around the world but no physical branches. It is in the process of a share sale valuing the company at $75 billion, up from $45 billion in August 2024. Revolut gained a banking licence with restrictions in Britain in 2024, after a three-year process, and expects to start operating as a UK bank this year. The company has a Lithuanian banking licence, which it can use as a passport into the European Union, enabling it to sell products in the bloc. A spokesperson for Revolut previously told Reuters that having a second banking licence in the bloc would allow it to build closer relationships with regulators and offer services that are more tailored for its customers in France. Revolut is also considering buying a U.S. lender to gain a licence in the United States, according to recent media reports. A spokesperson declined to comment on the reports. Oudea is not the first banking leader to move to a challenger bank. In August, German online bank N26 announced a former member of the Bundesbank executive board, Andreas Dombret, as the new chair of its supervisory board. ($1 = 0.8542 euros) (Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft, Editing by Louise Heavens) The governors of California, Oregon and Washington announced this week that they were forming an alliance to set their own guidance about what, in opposition to recent changes in the federal government? A NUMBER of schools in Offaly were visited on Tuesday by the Minister for Special Education & Inclusion, Michael Moynihan TD on the invitation of local Fianna Fail Deputy Tony McCormack. The Tullamore based TD said he was delighted to host the Minister in Offaly and to highlight the importance of continued investment in education and inclusion at a local level. Todays visit was an important opportunity to demonstrate the progress being made in our schools and to ensure that the needs of children and families in Offaly remain a priority at Government level, said Deputy McCormack. The Minister was shown special needs classes, he listened carefully to the needs outlined by the schools, and he witnessed first-hand the great work being carried out by our teachers. He was greatly impressed by the dedication on display and the positive learning environment being fostered in Offaly. I want to thank Minister Moynihan for taking the time to come to Offaly and for engaging so positively with our local school communities. Minister Moynihan expressed his appreciation for the warm reception and the opportunity to see the work taking place in Offaly: I am delighted with the welcome I have received here in Offaly. I have seen first-hand the great work being done in our schools to support children and to foster inclusive education. It is clear that there is a very strong commitment within these communities to providing the best opportunities for every child, and I was very impressed by what I have witnessed today. READ NEXT: Brave Aine in parachute jump for Riada House Comfort Fund in Tullamore During his tour, the Minister visited Offaly School of Special Education, Tullamore, Scoil Mhuire, Tullamore, Durrow National School and St. Broghan's National School, Bracknagh Deputy McCormack also took the opportunity to again back the proposed new building for the Offaly School of Special Education, stressing that this project is vital to meet the growing needs of students and families in the county. The new school building is urgently needed and I will continue to push for it at every opportunity, Deputy McCormack said. READ NEXT: Huge array of events across Offaly for Culture Night 2025 A trade union representing school secretaries and caretakers will withdraw strike action and enter into negotiations with the Department of Education. Education Minister Helen McEntee described the development as breakthrough following a week of intense engagement between her department and the Forsa union. The union had recently said there was a lack of trust between workers and the department over re-entering talks to resolve a dispute over conditions. The striking workers are campaigning for 2,600 school staff to be included in the public service pension scheme and other entitlements. The industrial action began as thousands of schools prepared for the start of the new academic year. On Friday, Forsa said agreement has been reached at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) designed to bring the current strike to an end. It said action will be withdrawn to allow the implementation of the agreement. The union said the key element of the agreement is a Government commitment to negotiate comparable pension entitlements for school secretaries and caretakers. Forsa said this represents the first time the State has formally accepted the principle that these essential staff should not be excluded from pension entitlements comparable to those available to teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs). In addition, the union said the agreement provides for structured discussions on other parts of the unions claim. This includes the conclusion of a pay framework agreement for caretakers, access to bereavement leave, access to sick leave and acute illness protocols, and the full implementation of payroll arrangements. Forsas head of education, Andy Pike, said: Tonights agreement at the WRC is a major step forward for school secretaries and caretakers. He added: This agreement reflects the determination of school secretaries and caretakers, who have stood together over the past week in pursuit of fairness and equal treatment. It is now the responsibility of the State to honour this agreement and deliver on its commitments. In a statement on Friday, Ms McEntee said: I very much welcome Forsas agreement to withdraw strike action and enter discussions in the WRC with my department. I have seen around the country the impact of strike action on school communities and want to acknowledge their resilience throughout to keep schools open for children and young people. We all have a responsibility now to make sure that these talks succeed so that secretaries and caretakers can resume their place at the heart of our schools. Both sides must come together with an open mind and good faith without preconditions or pre-conceived ideas of a final outcome. I have great confidence in the WRC in their role as expert facilitators. We need to now create space for this negotiation to take place and for normality to return to our schools next week. Earlier in the week, Fianna Fail backbenchers criticised Ms McEntees handling of the issue. Malcolm Byrne, a TD for WicklowWexford, told reporters: There is a need for a much more hands-on approach from Helen McEntee to try to resolve that dispute. At the same time, Ms McEntees party colleague and super junior minister, Hildegarde Naughton, expressed support for caretakers and secretaries. Speaking before Wednesdays Cabinet meeting, she told reporters that the Government needs to tackle the issue. Ms Naughton, a former teacher, added: I cant understand why school secretaries and caretakers are not treated like other staff members within the school setting. They play an absolutely pivotal role. We can see that when theyre not now present in schools across the country. So I certainly would like the message to go out to them that this is something that has to be addressed by Government. Six Ways to Bring Manufacturing Back and Stop It From Leaving the Country without Imposing Tariffs By Joel D. Joseph, Founder, Made in the USA Foundation and Chairman of the Foundation for 30 years. During first term in office, President Trump lost U.S. manufacturing jobs. During his second term he lost even more manufacturing jobs due to tariffs and immigration raids on American factories. Outlined below is a roadmap to create jobs in the United States and stop them from leaving without imposing tariffs. 1. Require the Army and Navy PXs to Buy American The easiest way to create jobs in the United States is to require Army and Navy PXs to buy American.. We the people currently own thousands of Army and Navy stores across the United States and around the world. Unfortunately, these stores buy and sell mostly imported products. The President can require AAFES (Army & Air Force Exchange Service) and NEXCOM, (the Naval Exchange Service Command) to buy American. These stores, owned by the Department of War, now import billions of dollars-worth of clothing and other products. During President Trump's first term, I asked Peter Navarro, Trump's Made-in-the-USA czar, to do this. Navarro's reply was that he was unable to do so. This is Trump can create more than 100,000 manufacturing jobs in U.S. Walmart creates thousands of manufacturing jobs by buying American-made products. For example, Walmart has worked with American Giant, a large T-shirt and sweatshirt manufacturer, to produce modestly-priced clothing for Walmart stores. If Walmart can do it, so can AAFES and NEXCOM. The Navy Exchange Service Command reported annual sales of $2.3 billion in 2023 with a profit of $45 million. The Army & Air Force Exchange Service reported $8.5 billion in revenue for the fiscal year 2022. 2. Reduce Income Taxes for Domestic Manufacturers If a company manufacturers 100 percent of its products in the USA, it should not have to pay a federal income tax. Very few companies do this as most products contain some foreign content. (That is why domestic manufacturers are hurt by tariffs.) We can implement a sliding tax scale for USA manufacturers, depending on how much of their products are made in the United States. If a company produces one-half of the cost of its goods in the United States, it would pay income tax at half the rate of other corporations. This would encourage companies to increase the domestic content of their products. 3. Modify the WARN Act to Require Closing Factories to Offer the Factory for Sale to Domestic Entities The WARN Act (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988) currently requires companies that plan to close factories to give notice. This federal law should be modified to require factories that plan to close to offer the factories for sale to their hometown or to their employees. The law should also provide funding for saving factories. Many factories close in this country without giving their workers and their hometowns the chance to buy the factory and keep it in in business. 4. Require All Advertising to Include Country-of-Origin Information If all advertising, on the Internet, on television and radio and newspapers, required country-of-origin information, more concerned American consumers would make informed decisions to buy more American-made products. The Made-in-the-USA Foundation hired the HarrisPoll to determine if Americans preferred to buy American products. By a large margin, the survey showed that Americans are willing to pay more for a Made-in-the-USA label. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Three executives of defunct financier Aequitas Capital Bob Jesenik (left), Brian Rice and Andrew MacRitchie appealed their convictions to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A federal appellate court Friday affirmed the convictions of three former executives of the Aequitas Management investment firm on conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. The three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the appeals by Robert Jesenik, Andrew MacRitchie and Brian Rice, who argued that they were barred from presenting a full defense. The appellate panel also ruled that U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simons instructions to jurors were fair, and noted that the defenses contention that Aequitas investors may have been negligent is not a viable defense to wire fraud. After the Lake Oswego finance company collapsed, Jesenik, MacRitchie and Rice were indicted in August 2020 on charges of conspiracy to commit wire or mail fraud. Jesenik also was charged with making a false statement on a loan application. Jesenik was the companys chief executive officer; MacRitchie, its chief compliance officer and Rice was an executive vice president. They were accused of soliciting investments through material misrepresentations and misleading half-truths about the uses of investor money, the financial health and strength of the company, and the risks of its investments and investment strategies. At trial, the government presented evidence that the executives misled investors about how their money was going to be used, and how secure their investments were. Evidence at trial showed that the company paid prior investors with incoming investors money, a Ponzi scheme that brought the Securities and Exchange Commission down on the enterprise. Securities regulators seized company control in 2016. Investor losses totaled more than $360 million, though much of the money was recovered through various lawsuits and after a court-appointed receiver took over the company. After a six-week trial that ended in May 2023, a jury found all three men guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and 28 counts of wire fraud. Jesenik also was found guilty of making a false statement on a loan application and he was sentenced to 14 years in prison. MacRitchie was sentenced to five years and 10 months and Rice to three years and one month in prison. Circuit Judge Andrew D. Hurwitz wrote the 43-page opinion. Joining him in the ruling were Circuit Judges Lucy H. Koh and Anthony D. Johnstone. -- Maxine Bernstein covers federal court and criminal justice. Reach her at 503-221-8212, mbernstein@oregonian.com, follow her on X @maxoregonian, on Bluesky @maxbernstein.bsky.social or on LinkedIn. The Russian finance ministry says it wants to make it easier for citizens to access the crypto market, calling for a reduction in Moscows income threshold for crypto traders. The Russian news outlets RBC and Interfax reported that the comments came from Alexey Yakovlev, the Director of the Financial Policy Department at the Ministry of Finance. Yakovlev suggested that to improve the quality of the Central Banks supervised crypto trading pilot, more participants need to access the project. Alexey Yakovlev, Director of the Ministry of Finances Financial Policy Department. (Source: Mir.Doc/YouTube/Screenshot) Russian Finance Ministry: Crypto Pilot Needs More Participants The Central Bank and the ministry have been at loggerheads on crypto-related matters for several years. The ministry has previously pressed for more regulations and taxes for crypto exchanges and traders. But the bank has repeatedly called for a total ban on crypto trading and the outlawing of crypto trading platforms. Last year, President Vladimir Putin ordered the parties to strike a compromise. Moscow has also begun a crypto pivot that has seen it use tokens like Bitcoin (BTC) as a payment tool in cross-border trade deals. Putin also called for parts of the country with idle energy reserves to actively engage in crypto mining. Russian Crypto Trading Pilot The Central Bank has responded by creating what it calls an experimental legal regime (ELR) for crypto traders. The ELR is essentially a sandbox for companies that want to use crypto in place of the US dollar in trade deals. But it also allows highly qualified investors to buy and sell crypto under the banks supervision. Only individuals with large personal fortunes have been allowed to trade crypto in the ELR. Traders must hold securities and deposits worth over 100 million rubles ($1,231,648) or prove that their income for the previous year exceeded 50 million rubles ($615,753). But the ministry says that this must change. According to some Russian estimates, average monthly salaries in the nation range from $700 to just over $1,200. Yakovlev did not specify how much the ministry would like to reduce the threshold by. But he said that a downward adjustment is currently being discussed. The ministry official hinted that while the ministry still thinks some sort of thresholds should remain in place, it thinks that restricting ordinary citizens access to the ELR is self-defeating. The Russian Ministry of Finance. (Source: Ludvig14 ) Permanent Crypto Regulations Incoming Yakovlev added that the original plans for the ELR specify a three-year time limit, after which the ministry and the bank will create permanent regulations for the market. A tentative class settlement in a sweeping sex discrimination lawsuit against Nike has fallen apart. Pictured, the company's headquarters in 2006. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File) AP A tentative class settlement in a sweeping sex discrimination lawsuit against Nike has fallen apart, and the case could once again be heading for trial. The lawsuit, filed in August 2018, described Nike as a place where women are devalued and demeaned and systematically underpaid or passed over for promotions, allegations that the company has consistently disputed. The two sides reached a tentative settlement in February, less than a month before a scheduled trial. Since then, theyve resolved most claims of remaining named plaintiffs, but theyve been unable to finalize the terms of the proposed class settlement, which could include thousands of women who worked at Nike in recent years. At a roughly 45-minute hearing on Friday afternoon, a lawyer for Nike told a federal judge the proposed class settlement would have paid a significant amount of money to members, but she said plaintiffs scuttled it by changing a key term after reaching a deal. Im not sure why plaintiffs have seemingly had a change of heart, or some kind of buyers remorse, said Felicia Davis, of the law firm Paul Hastings, who argued for Nike. But that is where we are today. Davis did not provide details of the tentative class settlement Nike wants the court to enforce. But she said it fell apart because plaintiffs lawyers wanted to limit how much legal insulation Nike would have from similar claims. A lawyer for plaintiffs, Byron Goldstein of the firm Goldstein Browne, said there was never an agreement on all material terms of a class settlement. Instead of enforcing a non-existing agreement, he said the court should instead reconsider the 2022 decision not to convert the lawsuit into a class action. Goldstein cited changes to the evidentiary record and mentioned the Starfish survey, a set of unofficial workplace complaints that Nike didnt fully turn over in response to initial discovery orders. Class certification decisions are not frozen, Goldstein said. Davis, arguing for Nike, said theres no basis to reopen that motion again at this point. U.S. District Judge Amy Baggio ordered the sides to file briefs on both matters: Nikes motion to enforce the settlement and plaintiffs motion for reconsideration of making the lawsuit a class settlement. Baggio suggested both sides should file their briefs within a month. Even if Nike prevails, a trial could still happen because one of the four remaining plaintiffs has claims that have not been fully resolved. Baggio showed little patience for allowing the process to continue to drag on. We need to get this case tried ASAP, Baggio said. It has been lingering way too long in the court. At his sentencing Friday, Joseph David Emerson, right, told Multnomah County Circuit Judge Cheryl A. Albrecht, "It should not have happened and I bear responsibility for that." Vickie Connor | The Oregonian/OregonLive A Multnomah County judge on Friday sentenced ex-Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph David Emerson to five years of probation and more than 600 hours of community service for endangering a plane and its passengers after consuming psychedelic mushrooms. Emerson apologized to all those he put at risk when he reached for the levers to cut off the planes engines from the cockpits jump seat and for taking the drug he said caused him to lose touch with reality as he was catching a ride home while off-duty to California. Even though I had no intention of harming anybody, I still made the decision to take psilocybin and that led to my inability to determine that I was operating in reality for an extended period of time, Emerson said. I still made the decision to take psilocybin, and it was wrong. It should not have happened and I bear responsibility for that. Emerson, 46, entered no contest pleas to one count of endangering an aircraft in the first-degree, a felony, and 83 counts of recklessly endangering another, misdemeanors. The plane was carrying 83 people besides Emerson, including 11 children under 14. The 664 hours of community service represent eight hours for each passenger he imperiled when he tried to shut off the engines on a Horizon Air flight bound for San Francisco from Everett, Washington, on Oct. 22, 2023. He must complete at least 12 hours a month. He also was ordered to not enter any aircraft and to remain 25 feet away from an aircraft unless he gets prior approval from his probation officer. He also must not use any controlled substances, except for medical prescriptions. I regret the harm that I caused to my profession, the thing that I gave my life to, especially to the two pilots up front, Emerson said in a statement to the judge. He said the pilots saved his life by removing his hands from the red fire suppression handles in the cockpit. The handles cut off the fuel supply for the planes engines. Sarah Stretch, the wife of Joseph David Emerson, reacts as Emerson speaks in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Fri., Sept. 5, 2025. Vickie Connor | The Oregonian/OregonLive Deputy District Attorney Eric W. Pickard said Emerson pulled the handles mid-flight when the plane was flying at 30,000 feet over Oregon, between Astoria and Portland. The captain wrestled with Emerson and was able to remove him from the cockpit. After he was restrained in the back of the plane, he tried to grab the handle of an emergency exit door, but was stopped by a flight attendant, according to court records. A blood sample taken from Emerson once the plane was diverted and landed at Portland International Airport showed no findings of toxicological significance, likely because of the time that had elapsed since Emerson had ingested the mushrooms 48 hours earlier, Pickard said. Emerson knew even though he was off-duty that he needed to be able and willing to take over in the event of an emergency if he was in the cockpit, Pickard said. But the prosecutor said Emerson was not well. He boarded that flight anyway and tried to pull on those levers. Pickard called Emersons actions reckless, selfish and criminal while praising Horizon Air Capt. Emil Riemer and First Pilot Alan Koizol as heroes for preventing Emerson from crashing the plane. Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Eric Pickard, left, called Joseph D. Emerson's actions "reckless, selfish and criminal, and called the actions of Horizon Air Capt. Emil Riemer and First Pilot Alan Koizol, who prevented Emerson from crashing the plane, heroic. District Attorney Nathan Vasquez on right. Vickie Connor | The Oregonian/OregonLive Two women described the fear and anxiety they felt while on Flight 2059. Passenger Alison Snyder, speaking by video, called the sentence insufficient, saying Emerson should have recognized that he wasnt fit to fly. He shouldnt be allowed anywhere near a flight deck again, she said. She urged Multnomah County Circuit Judge Cheryl A. Albrecht to send a stronger message that being fit for flight is a requirement with teeth. Emerson, who lives in Pleasant Hill, California, had been a pilot since 2001 and was a captain for Alaska Airlines. His pilots license and medical certification were revoked within days of his arrest. Passenger Kristine M. Hackett, in a letter read by the prosecutor, said the experience forever changed her life. She now feels anxious when she steps on an airplane and finds herself evaluating the crew and passengers to determine if theyre stable, she said. It is true no one was physically injured, however, we were emotionally and psychologically impacted, she said. She didnt think the eight hours of community service per passenger sufficiently recognized the value of each persons life. As a former educator, Hackett urged that Emerson be required to visit 83 public schools to speak on the danger and risk of using psychedelic mushrooms. I thought I had everything under control but I was incapable of grasping that I needed help, said Joseph David Emerson, right, at his sentencing on Fri., Sept. 5, 2025. Vickie Connor | The Oregonian/OregonLive Emerson said he would be happy to educate students and visit schools through his nonprofit Clear Skies Ahead, which works to help ensure pilots get the mental health care they need and to erase any stigma that may prevent them from coming forward about their problems. I thought I had everything under control but I was incapable of grasping that I needed help, he said. Aviators should get the care that they need because theyre more than just aviators. I will likely never pilot an airplane again, and Im OK. I am so much better today standing before you than Ive ever been. He previously told investigators that he was depressed over the death of his best friend in 2018 and had taken the mushrooms during a trip with others who were memorializing his friend. Emerson told the judge that he also had been abusing alcohol. He said he went into inpatient treatment for an alcohol disorder after his release from custody pending the outcome of his case. He said he wont use alcohol going forward to deal with life as life is and is committed to speaking and helping pilots who suffer in silence. The first time he saw his wife through plexiglas after he was booked into jail, Emerson said he learned that she had told someone in the media that she felt called to help. He said he had never heard her say something like that and it spurred him to want to help others as well. I have learned in recovery that I have to be willing to go to any length to remain sober, he said. The judge accepted the negotiated sentence. Albrecht said she sensed that Emerson truly regretted his actions and appeared to be working to bring light to the difficulties that pilots face, and ensure the industry recognizes that all humans are fallible. This is definitely regrettable that were here. I can only imagine all of the terror that all of the passengers felt and continue to feel every time they step through that door in the jetway, she added. Emersons wife Sarah Stretch, seated in the public gallery behind the defense table, wiped tears away as her husband addressed the court. At the end of the hearing, they embraced and left the courtroom together. Joseph David Emerson, right, hugs his wife, Sarah Stretch, in Multnomah County Circuit Court after sentencing on Fri., Sept. 5, 2025. Vickie Connor | The Oregonian/OregonLive Emersons sentencing followed his appearance earlier Friday in federal court in Portland, where he entered a single guilty plea to interfering with a flight crew and attendants, a felony. Assistant U.S. Attorney Parakram Singh said the government will recommend a 12-month prison term for Emerson when he returns to court for sentencing on Nov. 17. Emersons lawyers can argue for probation under the federal plea agreement. Emerson also is expected to pay restitution of at least $59,608.25 under the plea deals in both courts. Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez said he moved immediately to pursue the prosecution in state court because the federal government hadnt done so as quickly. Even once the federal charges were filed against Emerson, Vasquez said he thought it was important to continue through with the county charges because of the severity of the crime. This was certainly something that my office and this community were invested in, and we wanted to make sure we saw all the way through, he said. -- Maxine Bernstein covers federal court and criminal justice. Reach her at 503-221-8212, mbernstein@oregonian.com, follow her on X @maxoregonian, on Bluesky @maxbernstein.bsky.social or on LinkedIn. One man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 55 months in prison. Another man suspected in the heist is scheduled for trial in October. Courtesy of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office A man pleaded guilty this week to using a stolen excavator to tear open a drive-through ATMs in Clackamas County and steal almost $60,000. He was sentenced to four years and seven months in prison, prosecutors said Friday. Matthew Evan Armour, 33, pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated theft, two counts of first-degree criminal mischief and two counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Another man arrested after the heist, Kevin Miller, is awaiting trial. Police said Armour and Miller stole an excavator from a construction site near the U.S. Bank branch at 11521 S.E. Sunnyside Road in Clackamas early on June 23, then drove it to the banks drive-through automated-teller machines. They then used the excavators claw arm to smash open the ATMs and make off with just under $59,000 in cash, police said. Armour was arrested July 11 as he left a Happy Valley apartment complex, about three months after he finished a sentence on two counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, according to court records. Miller was arrested July 12. His trial is set for Oct. 10. Miller also faces charges in Clark County, Washington. He and another person allegedly tried to break into a Bank of America ATM in Vancouver on Jan. 24, according to Clark County court records. Fedor Zarkhin is a breaking news and enterprise reporter. Do you have a story? Reach him by phone or text at 971-373-2905 or by email at fzarkhin@oregonian.com. Washington County authorities arrested a 30-year-old man accused of crashing into a motorcyclist head-on Wednesday in Cornelius. Cristhian Carranza is accused of third- and fourth-degree assault, reckless endangering of another person, reckless driving and criminal mischief in the second degree, according to the Washington County Sheriffs Office. County deputies responded to the collision Wednesday after 6 a.m. near the 33000 block of Southwest Johnson School Road. Investigators determined that Carranza was driving eastbound when he attempted to pass another driver in a no-passing zone. Authorities say he then crashed into an oncoming motorcyclist heading westbound. The motorcyclist was transported to a hospital with injuries deputies say were life threatening. A passenger in Carranzas car was also sent to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Zaeem Shaikh covers the Portland Police Bureau and criminal justice issues for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-221-4323, zshaikh@oregonian.com or on X@zaeemshake. Police say in the pilot two drones will depart from the roof of the bureau's East Precinct building and respond to.a 19-square mile area. Courtesy of Portland Police Bureau Portland police will begin to send drones as first responders to emergencies in a pilot program that officials say could help improve their ability to address crime. The Portland Police Bureau already uses drones, including around 400 times so far this year. But under the pilot program, the drones would depart from the roof of the bureaus East Precinct building, meaning they would get to some neighborhoods faster. Currently, police drone operators drive to the scene of emergencies and deploy the technology on site. Drones often arrive faster than both police officers and vehicle-based drone systems, said Police Bureau Commander Franz Schoening at a Thursday news conference, adding, it enhances safety for officers and the community by providing eyes on a scene without placing first personnel in immediate danger. Two drones in the program will respond to a 19-square mile area around the precinct that includes the Hazelwood neighborhood, parts of Powellhurst-Gilbert, Montavilla and Madison South. If the program is successful, the bureau might expand it, they said. Police said the program, a partnership with Gresham, will begin in about two weeks. Police officers use of drones has drawn past criticism, with opponents citing privacy concerns and worries they could be used to record protesters. This is the second time the bureau has announced expanding its drone program since starting to use the technology in 2023. The pilot program will help determine what type of emergency response is needed or whether certain calls can be handled by another entity like Portland Street Response, Schoening said. Police said they would deploy drones to the types of calls theyre already used for, such as reports of suspicious people, vehicles or circumstances; reports of suspects who have fled custody or pursuits of suspects and reports of theft and assault, according to their dashboard. State law and bureau policies restrict what police drones can and cannot film. In this program, drones cant record while en route to a scene, and their cameras must be pointed at the horizon. Police said they will only begin recording if theres a reasonable belief that criminal activity is occurring or has occurred. No drone can be used to surveil private residences, yards or any place where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy unless theres a warrant, a criminal incident or a life-threatening emergency, Schoening said. These drones will not be used for mass surveillance or surveillance of first amendment attempts. Portland Police Chief Bob Day speaks at a news conference on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, about the drone pilot program. Zaeem Shaikh/The Oregonian But the ACLU of Oregon said it is concerned about any expansion to police drone use, especially when they say there is heightened federal overreach. The organization pointed to reports that the Department of Homeland Security had said it was using drones during summer protests in Los Angeles. We are awaiting further details on the proposed pilot program, to understand what this means for the privacy rights of the people of Portland and urge the city to create meaningful opportunities for local community inputparticularly from communities of color and other marginalized communities who are already over-policed, said Michael Abrams, ACLU of Oregons Policy Counsel, in a statement. Smart City PDX, housed in the citys Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, previously worked with the Police Bureau on drone procedures, and found a medium risk in an assessment of the programs impact on Portlanders privacy. Among its recommendations included adding detailed information in high-interest cases to the polices drone dashboard and continuing to update it. These types of drone programs are being adopted by police agencies across the country, including in Bend. Gresham launched their program in the summer of 2023. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security wrote a July memo about the program and noted that public transparency is a key factor in ensuring its success. The memo stated that agencies may build public trust by publishing flight logs or using other tools to show how drones are used in daily operations. Portland police said they will include detailed reports and statistics on the program on their website. Gresham Police Chief Travis Gullberg highlighted his own departments success with the program, mentioning an instance where a drone on its way back from a robbery call was diverted to respond to a house fully engulfed in flames. The drone provided first responders information that people were trapped in the backyard, he said. Police officers then devised a plan, went to a neighbor, asked for a chainsaw, Gullberg said. They were able to cut through bushes and a fence and provide an exit for people that were trapped in that fire. Portland Police Chief Bob Day said the program is another example of the bureau innovating on a daily basis so as to not respond with yesterdays logic. Police have not set an official length for the pilot but officials noted it could be around six months to a year. Police officials said drone operations will be limited to specific time windows and will be staffed as available. Zaeem Shaikh covers the Portland Police Bureau and criminal justice issues for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-221-4323, zshaikh@oregonian.com or on X@zaeemshake. A teenage boy was sentenced Friday for a shooting death last year in Salem. Nathaniel McCrae Jr. admitted to second-degree murder in Marion County juvenile court for the March 7, 2024, shooting in Bushs Pasture Park where Jose Vasquez-Valenzuela, 16, died. McCrae, who was 16 years old at the time of the shooting, also pled guilty to a charge of unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm in adult court. Two large groups of teenagers were in the park on the Thursday afternoon last year when gunfire broke out, killing Vasquez-Valenzuela, police said at the time. Two other teens were injured in the shooting. McCrae and prosectors agreed to a plea deal for the murder charge that will have McCrae in the custody of the Oregon Youth Authority until his 25th birthday in February 2033, the maximum period allowed by state law. He was also sentenced to a minimum of 60 months for the firearm charge in adult court, which will be served concurrently at the Oregon Youth Authority. He will be prohibited from possessing any firearm in the future. The family of Vasquez-Valenzuela expressed dismay that McCrea could be released after only 8 years and told the judge they did not feel the system was fair and they did not receive a just result, according to a press release from the Marion County District Attorneys Office. DEAR ABBY: My husband and I are retired and live in a two-story house with a basement. While our home is beautifully designed and furnished, several areas need immediate attention with regard to aging and safety issues. Several small area rugs need securing, and safety rails need to be installed in two of the showers. Two bathtubs are no longer being used because of the inability to egress without some type of assistance. There is also no handrail on the basement steps. My husband says it is no big deal to fix these issues, while I say IT IS a big deal that is crucial to aging in place and must be addressed immediately. We are both strongly averse to moving into a Gods waiting room facility and very much wish to age in place. What say you? Am I being finicky, or do these issues need immediate attention? -- WANTS IT DONE IN WEST VIRGINIA DEAR WANTS: What I say is that you are being prudent. Tell your procrastinating husband that foresight is better than 20/20 hindsight, so if he isnt willing to start installing the safety devices, you are hiring someone to take care of it to ensure your safety. Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. This column originally ran in 2020. Dear Annie: My fiancee of 10 years wants us to move forward based on lies. Last year, I found out my fiancee was having an affair. I called her out on it, and she broke it off with him. Weve been working on things (two deaths in the family slowed things a bit and made times difficult), and for the most part, were doing OK. I want to forgive her and continue on to marriage. Problem is, she swears it was a one-week affair where they had intercourse three times. But Ive found plenty of notes, pictures and their goings-on on social media, and her family suggests it was a yearlong affair. Ive asked her plenty of times to just tell me the truth so I can forgive and we can move forward. She keeps telling me to quit living in the past. I keep telling myself that I know the truth and that I should just let it go. But I feel I cant move forward based on lies. What should I do? -- Confused Heart in Missouri Dear Confused Heart: Enlist the help of a couples counselor to work through your fiancees affair and mend the damage it has caused. I also wonder -- why a 10-year engagement? Perhaps in your counseling youll find solutions to other underlying issues that have prevented you from tying the knot sooner. It seems you and your fiancee both want to put this event behind you and move forward in your relationship and into marriage. However, its clear that your fiancees infidelity is weighing on you both. This matter cant simply be swept under the rug or ignored. In order to truly close this chapter, you both must be willing to do the work and confront it to overcome it. Dear Annie: I recently had my 50th birthday. My boyfriend and I have been dating for seven years, with a two-year break. His friend recently asked me if my boyfriend gave me a present from him. I hadnt received the present, so I didnt say anything to my boyfriend, hoping maybe time just got away from us and he forgot. It has been over six weeks now, and still nothing. There is no chance my boyfriend is jealous of his friend in any way. Could my boyfriend be holding an old grudge from our past breakup? We broke up because of a trauma of mine that he did not handle well; he ended up disrespecting me rather than consoling me. There are some other things I feel he is shielded about, but this feels different. Is he stealing my present, or is there something Im not getting? This seems out of character for him. I dont want to be in a one-sided or dishonest relationship. -- Confused Dear Confused: The fact that youre unwilling to ask him point-blank what happened to your gift is evidence of a disconnect. Figure out whats holding you back -- are you afraid of the answer? Of him getting angry? Of other things he may be hiding from you? Its clear that you and your boyfriend need to work on open, honest communication. No relationship can survive without it -- especially one where one or both parties have endured a trauma. The help of a professional therapist might allow you to figure out a communication style that works for you both. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS.COM More than 100 people, many in cosplay, gathered at the Lloyd Center mall after-hours Friday night for the first ever Lightsabers on Ice event. It was pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a chance to ice skate with lightsabers, while in costume, listening to music, in a mostly empty mall. The event was put on by Legion Sabers and Docking Bay 45, a 3,000-square-foot Star Wars-inspired immersive shopping experience thats located next to the ice rink. The space sells lightsabers, cosplay gear and offers light saber fighting classes. Friday nights event was an official after party for Rose City Comic Con, but organizers plan to do similar events each month. The next will be a Halloween-themed event from 8-10 p.m. Oct. 31. You come on the ice to wield a lightsaber, said Legion Sabers owner Matt Morrison. You can just spin around and enjoy the EDM music. Weve got some killer house DJs here. For the inaugural event, Lorells Chicken Shack, which has a space in the Lloyd Center food court, stayed open late to serve food, and illusionist Mark Benthimer with All American Magic Theater, another mall tenant, performed a show on the ice. Skaters were also entered into raffle prizes for lightsabers and Star Wars licensed blankets from Oregon company Sackcloth & Ashes. After Halloween, Lightsabers on Ice will return Nov. 21, Dec. 12, and potentially more months, Morrison said, as long as the Lloyd Center is open. The malls owners have future plans to redevelop the site, but no firm timeline. While the Nordstrom department store is currently being demolished for a music venue, the rest of the mall remains intact and home to quirky, local businesses. Owners have said the existing mall will remain open at least through the 2025 holiday season. Beyond that, its unclear when Lloyd Center will close. Tickets for upcoming Lightsabers on Ice events are $20 for one person, or $30 for two, and include skate rentals. Participants can either borrow (or buy) a lightsaber to skate with, or bring their own. Purchase tickets and find a list of upcoming events at legionsabers.com/party. Margaret Swoboda poses with Wednesday's edition of The Oregonian, part of the documentation she's submitting to the federal government to prove she's alive and still eligible for her federal pension benefits. Courtesy Gary Swoboda Margaret Swoboda celebrated her 100th birthday in April. Fearful of contracting COVID, she decided against the big party her family had planned and chose to mark the milestone with a few of them at a nearby restaurant. But a couple months later, unbeknownst to her, the federal government sent its own form of centenary greeting to her Northeast Portland home: a foreboding letter demanding she prove she was still among the living. Absent that, the $2,400 a month she receives in federal pension benefits would be cut off. The June 2 letter from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management requested a response within 30 days, including a notarized copy of an attached form, a copy of her state ID, and a picture of her holding a recent newspaper with the date showing. Swoboda is legally blind, so the letter sat unread until she showed it to her son Gary two weeks ago. They then scrambled to respond. She called the agencys fraud branch, as instructed to do in the letter, and left a message confirming that that she was, indeed, alive. They both rushed to the bank to have the form notarized, but since her state ID expired more than three years ago (she has no use for it anymore), she was politely told shed have to go to Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services to get a new one. I didnt think theyd actually cut off her benefits, said Gary Swoboda, 72. But as of Sept. 1, they did. An agency representative called his mother Tuesday, informing her via voicemail that her benefits had been suspended. The action left her with bills to pay and no income save the $556 she receives in Social Security benefits each month. My first reaction was a bunch of words that a 100-year-old woman shouldnt use, Margaret Swoboda said. I was upset and angry and nervous. Ive tried to be independent, and I hope I get all the money back. Swoboda spent nearly 20 years working for the federal government, starting as an 18-year-old stenographer for the Navy during World War II, moving on to a stint at the Bureau of Land Management, and retiring from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1985. Shes been receiving retirement benefits without interruption for four decades, now including survivor benefits from her deceased husband, who also worked for the federal government. Friday found mother and son at the DMV branch in Gladstone, her waiting in the car while he cooled his heels in a three-hour line, convinced his mother had been DOGE-ed, a victim of the Trump administrations effort to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse under the auspices of the Department of Government Efficiency. The Office of Personnel Management did not respond to an email requesting comment Friday. Such verification letters arent unheard of. But its unclear how Swoboda ended up on the list of federal beneficiaries needing to provide proof of life, how many individuals find themselves in similar circumstances each year, and whether the practice has been stepped up during Trumps second term. Im interested in knowing how many people have had their checks withheld, she said. Im not at the top of my game, but I have my son. I cant imagine people who are truly disabled having to go through this. Bill Shackelford, president of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, said Friday that hes not aware of any standard procedure that triggers such warning letters or lands people on the dead list. Government records arent perfect, he said, but hers is the first case hes heard about since Trump returned to office in January. We know DOGE employees have gotten into agency record systems and done some unusual things with the information, he said. My personal opinion, and I have nothing to back it up, is that shes been DOGE-ed. Gary Swoboda took to Facebook this week, lambasting the Trump administration in a post that earned plenty of outraged commentary from friends. He left a voicemail with U.S. Sen. Ron Wydens office describing the situation, and he heard back from a staff member Friday afternoon. Retired public servants who turn 100 should be getting birthday cards and a cake with loved ones, not bureaucratic jargon that threatens to cut off their earned benefits unless they pose for photos with newspapers like theyre hostages, Wyden, Oregons Democratic senior senator, said in an emailed statement. My staff is working with the Swoboda family to get this cruel nonsense resolved as soon as possible. Leaving the DMV Friday, the Swobodas were headed directly to the bank to have the federal paperwork notarized. I have to get this in the mail today, said Gary Swoboda. God knows how long it will take to reinstate her benefits. Ted Sickinger is a reporter on the investigations team. Reach him at 503-221-8505 or tsickinger@oregonian.com The South Korea Financial Services Commission (FSC) has implemented comprehensive guidelines capping crypto lending interest at 20% annually while completely banning leverage services that exceed collateral value. According to a local report, the new self-regulatory framework takes effect immediately following concerns over investor harm from overheated exchange competition. The Financial Services Commission announced the Virtual Asset Lending Guidelines today, September 5, developed with the Financial Supervisory Service and Digital Asset Exchange Association. A Response to the Market Overheating Concerns The guidelines establish three core pillars: service scope restrictions, enhanced user protection, and market stability measures. The regulatory intervention follows dramatic growth in crypto lending services since July. Upbit introduced programs that allow users to borrow up to 80% of their deposit values, using Tether, Bitcoin, and XRP as collateral. Rival Bithumb offered loans worth up to four times customer holdings before authorities intervened. Financial authorities previously ordered the temporary suspension of all crypto lending services on August 18 due to concerns about regulatory gray areas. Subsequent inspections revealed that approximately 27,600 investors borrowed 1.5 trillion won ($1.1 billion) in one month alone, with 13% facing forced liquidation due to market volatility. Seoul Slams the Brakes on Risky Lending The new guidelines impose sweeping restrictions on virtual asset lending operations. Particularly, leveraged lending exceeding collateral value is completely prohibited, while Korean won cash lending services are entirely banned. Exchanges must utilize only their own assets for lending operations. Third-party consignment or collaborative lending arrangements are also strictly prohibited under the framework. This eliminates indirect lending models that previously operated through external partnerships or delegated structures. Lending eligibility is restricted to the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization or assets listed on three or more Korean won exchanges. Assets subject to trading restrictions or suspected abnormal trading activity face exclusion from lending programs. Notably, among the implemented user protection measures are mandatory online training and aptitude tests for first-time borrowers through DAXA-sponsored programs. Lending limits range from 30 million to 70 million won based on individual trading experience and transaction history. The 20% annual commission rate cap applies across all lending products, while exchanges must publicly disclose loan status by product and forced liquidation instances. President Donald Trump said Friday that protesters had ruined Portland and implied he would consider sending National Guard troops to wipe them out. Trump has stoked controversy nationally in recent months by deploying National Guard troops in cities and voicing plans to continue to do so in other cities. His decision to deploy troops in Los Angeles in June was a major contributor to the ongoing protests at Portlands U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on South Macadam Avenue. The protests outside the building have ebbed and flowed, with peak activity occurring around mid-June and July 4. Clashes between protesters and federal agents flared again Sept. 1 and were broadcast on Fox News. Speaking during a Friday news interview, Trump said he hadnt been considering Portland for a troop deployment, but was going to look at it now after learning about the protests on television the previous night. He said the protesters were paid terrorists, citing as proof the apparent quality of the signs he saw protesters carry. When we go there if we go to Portland, were going to wipe them out. Theyre going to be gone, Trump said. Theyve ruined that city. I have people that used to live in Portland. Theyve left. Most of them have left, but what theyve done to that place is just, its like, its like living in hell." 71 1 / 71 Portland ICE Protest -- June 14, 2025Mark Graves/The Oregonian The White House did not immediately respond to questions regarding whether Trumps comments meant he did intend to send troops to Portland and, if so, when. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson rejected the substance of Trumps statements. Like other mayors across the country, I have not asked for and do not need federal intervention. We are proud that Portland police have successfully protected freedom of expression while addressing occasional violence and property destruction that takes place during protests at the ICE facility in Portland," the mayor said in a statement, adding: We anticipate that the site, and the half-block surrounding it, will continue to be a focus of protests. Portland will continue to rise to the moment as a proud sanctuary city, taking legal action to stand up for our community and our rights. At the height of Portlands ICE protests in June, including when one was declared a riot, Wilson said the city does not need federal intervention. Deploying military troops to the heart of an American city, as the administration has in Los Angeles, is an unwarranted, unprecedented, and unconstitutional action, Wilson said in a statement at the time. More than two dozen people have been arrested since June outside the ICE building on a variety of federal charges, including allegations of assaulting an officer, failure to obey orders and destruction of government property. They are being prosecuted in federal court. The recurring clashes between protesters and federal immigration agents have riled some neighbors and businesses nearby. One resident of a low-income housing apartment filed a lawsuit in Multnomah County Circuit Court to compel the city to have police enforce noise ordinances around the area. A judge ruled in favor of the city last month but expressed sympathy to the resident and others at the apartment. 7 1 / 7 Outside the Portland ICE office after a protest To deploy the Oregon National Guard, Trump would have to federalize the troops under the Insurrection Act, because the troops are otherwise under Gov. Tina Koteks command. Koteks office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Her office said in a statement last week that the federal government had not made any indication that there will be attempts to deploy military troops in Oregon. Portland Police Chief Bob Day said this week that he has spoken with the Los Angeles police chief and Los Angeles County sheriff to understand how those cities have responded to Trumps order sending in troops. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said in a statement Friday that if Trump sends troops into Oregon, we will not hesitate to take action in court. Oregon is a safe place, and we intend to keep it that way, Rayfield said. The president may have a lot of power, but he has to stay in his lane and if he doesnt, well hold him accountable. Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson accused Trump of wasting your tax dollars to attack cities who value diversity and stand up for our immigrant and refugee neighbors. Its uncalled for and unnecessary, she said in a statement late Friday. Recent reports show that Portland has seen a rapid decline in homicides and other violent crime this year, and crime has been trending downward overall for multiple years. After setting city records for homicides during the pandemic, Portland has recorded 25 killings this year, less than half the number at this time a year ago. If the President truly wanted to help Portland and Multnomah County, he would reverse his callous cuts to public health and safety net services like Medicaid decisions that harm people in red and blue states alike, Vega Pederson said. The presidents policies are supercharging an affordability crisis that is hitting us hard locally, raising the cost of food, housing and medicine for thousands of our residents." The Oregonian/OregonLive reporters Maxine Bernstein and Zaeem Shaikh contributed to this report. Fedor Zarkhin is a breaking news and enterprise reporter. Do you have a story? Reach him by phone or text at 971-373-2905 or by email at fzarkhin@oregonian.com. Soybean futures are trading with 2 to 3 cent losses across most contracts on Friday. There were 125 deliveries issued against September beans overnight. The cmdtyView national average Cash Bean price is down 2 1/2 cent at $9.52 1/4. Soymeal futures are $1.20 higher so far on the day, with Soy Oil futures 58 points lower at midday. There were no deliveries against September meal overnight, with 138 issued for September bean oil. USDA reported private export sales of 123,000 MT of soybeans to unknown destinations, with 204,650 MT during the reported period to unknown this morning all for 2025/26 More News from Barchart Export Sales data from this morning showed net reductions of 23,775 MT in the week of 8/28, in the middle of expectations of between net cancellations of 300,000 MT and sales of 50,000 MT. That was an improvement from the 189,184 MT in net reductions last week. New crop sales were 818,474 MT, which was on the lower side of estimates between 0.6 and 1.6 MMT. That was back down to a 4-week low, as China has yet to purchase a single bean. Soybean meal sales were tallied at 4,317 MT in 2024/25 net reductions, with sales of 145,700 MT for 2025/26, on the low side of the expected 100,000 MT and 450,000 MT. Bean oil sales were pegged at 144 MT in net reductions for the current MY and sales of 1,821 MT for 2025/26, which was on the near the low end of 0 to 22,000 MT estimates. The US/Japan trade deal was finalized on Thursday afternoon, with the White House stating Japan will increase purchases of United States agricultural goods, including corn, soybeans, bioethanol (including for sustainable aviation fuel), as well as other United States products, in amounts totaling $8 billion per year. For reference, Japans annual buying of those three specific good totaled $2.5 to $4.8 billion over the last 5 years. US soybean yield is estimated at 53.2 bpa according to a survey of producers by StoneX, a 0.4 bpa drop from last month. Production is expected at 4.257 bbu. Sep 25 Soybeans are at $10.15, up 3 cents, Nearby Cash is at $9.52 1/4, down 2 1/2 cents, Nov 25 Soybeans are at $10.30 1/2, down 2 1/2 cents, Jan 26 Soybeans are at $10.49 1/4, down 2 1/4 cents, On the date of publication, Austin Schroeder did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com By Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News (TNS) A Fayette County couple has been arrested after Pennsylvania State Police troopers rescued five children from a sickening dungeon-like room without beds, boarded up windows and feces smeared all over the walls. James Kahl, 65, and Carly Kahl, 41, were taken into custody on Wednesday and jailed on several charges, including endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment, KDKA reported. Authorities were called on Aug. 8 to their home in Redstone Township a suburb of Pittsburgh tucked in the southwest part of Pennsylvania to help the Fayette County Children and Youth Services investigate a complaint. We are very, very happy that a family member was willing to come forward and report this to us, Fayette County District Attorney Michael Aubele said. We are very happy with our Children and Youth Services, who removed these children, and our Belle Vernon state police that continued this investigation long after the children were removed to make the arrest that they did today. When they arrived at the residence on Willis Avenue, they found five children, ranging in age from 5 to 14 years old, in deplorable living conditions, according to court documents cited by the news outlet. Their father, James Kahl, locked them inside a filthy bedroom with limited food and clothing for most of the day and all night long, police said. Troopers described three deadbolt locks on the outside of the door, which had no handle, leaving the children with no way to exit. They also discovered cameras hardwired to the fathers room in addition to a stun gun, a replica pistol, drugs and drug paraphernalia inside the home. It is sickening, Trooper Ally Wilson said. That is the only word to describe it. Its sickening. Both James and Carly Kahl were ordered held without bond. John Rich has had his share of headlines across the past year or so, and although he is a country music star many of them have less to do with his music than his beliefs and politics. And now he is in the headline for his beliefs again, specifically religion, as he has put famed megachurch pastor Joel Osteen in his crosshairs. Rich rolled out his issues with Osteen during a recent appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show, and it mostly comes down to what Rich says is Osteens resistance to making his congregation uncomfortable. Specifically, Rich claimed that Osteen avoids talking about the 24th Chapter of the Book of Matthew because it lays out the end times. Its very uncomfortable for Christians to have to think about, Rich told Ryan. To say that God would never make his people go through something like that is one of the most ignorant, spiritually ignorant things a person could say. Thats number one. Number two is in modern churches even today, they still wont. Theres a few but not many. They dont want to preach that. He then zeroed back in on Osteen. Joel Osteen is never going to preach that, Rich said. Joel Osteen is never going to say anything thats going to make anybody uncomfortable ever on any level ever. Hes never gonna say anything that would prick the heart or conscience of his congregation and then offer an altar call like Billy Graham did when he speaks the truth about what Jesus said. Rich wasnt through. And what happens if you decide to go the other way, and lay out what hell is, and lay out what heaven is, and lay out what this is, and then offer an altar call in those stadiums of people that will come out to see Billy Graham? he said. Richs ripping of Osteen took off across the internet. It will be interesting to see if he will offer a response. Rodney Atkins performing at Concerts in Your Car at the Ventura County Fairgrounds on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020, in Ventura, Calif. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP Rodney Atkins made it into the headlines recently after he was stopped by airport security for an item in his bag. The last time that happened to a country star, Sammy Kershaw forgot to take a handgun out of his luggage earlier this year and he got into some trouble. Good thing for Atkins is that he didnt have a firearm on him, but he did have something pretty odd. My husband got flagged at airport security, Atkins wife, Rose Falcon, shared on social media. He had something weird in his bag She accompanied the post with a video, in which she explained that he just got stopped. She then flipped the camera over to Atkins. What did I get flagged for? Atkins said reaching into his bag. He then pulled out a tube of ground beef. Hes packing meat, Falcon joked. Wonder what they thought it was? It was a tube of Johnsonville beef, and the company jumped into the comments. @tsa me and you are besties how can we ensure summer sausage safety? the company commented. The good news is that Atkins was obviously allowed to go on about his way, and it appears he was allowed to take his beef with him. Kershaw had a little bit of a rougher time earlier this year when he was found with a loaded handgun. The 67-year0old star was reportedly stopped by airport security in Lafayette, Louisiana on May 28 after his bag was flagged. Taste of Country said that Kershaw was delayed in his travels and ended up being fined $5,000. It was early, I was half-awake and clearly not thinking straight, Kershaw said in a statement. Ive sang songs about heartbreak and hard times but not about forgetting to check my carry-on for a loaded firearm. Thats a new one! Kershaw encouraged fans to be sure they check their bags before heading to the airport. I guess its safe to say I wont be packing heat to my next show, he said. Let this be your friendly PSA: Check your bags, check em twice. Lets all stay safe out there. Pro wrestling fans, particularly those who watch the WWE, know that Jelly Roll has been trying his hand in the squared circle. And, all things considered, he has not done bad for himself teaming up alongside Randy Orton. But another country music star wants in on the fun. Newsweek reported that Post Malone was in the house for the WWEs recent Clash in Paris event. He had a ringside confrontation there with current World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, and now Malone is asking for a shot to get Rollins in the ring at WrestleMania. Following the event, Malone told GQ that he and Rollins now have beef, and he wants to settle it on professional wrestlings biggest stage. I did (attend a WWE show), Malone said. I think me and Seth Rollings got beef you can put that on paper, too. You, me, Seth Rollings. WrestleMania 2026. Come on, baby. It is probably not a coincidence that Malone and Jelly Roll have been touring together this year, but Malone said that getting in a WWE ring has been a lifelong dream of his. Ive always wanted to do that, he said. I figured if I had a different musculature and different career path, I would love to have been a WWE wrestler. The WWE has a knack for getting mainstream actors and musicians in on that act again, see Jelly Roll and even Travis Scott earlier this year so it would not be a shock for the company to figure out a way to work Post into an angle. Jon Reep was arrested on Friday in North Carolina. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Outback Concerts) Getty Images for Outback Concert Popular comedian Jon Reep was arrested Friday and charged with sexual exploitation of a minor in the second and third degree, according to multiple reports. The 53-year-old was arrested at his home in Hickory, North Carolina, WDHN Dothan reported on Friday. The station added that Reep was slated to perform in Dothan, Alabama on Sunday but that event has been cancelled. Queen City News reported that Reep was indicted Friday morning and was in jail in Catawba County. He was hit with one count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and there counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. The Hickory Police Department told the outlet that it received a cyber tip in April form the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children concerning child sexual-abuse material. The department said that during its investigation that the account associated with the tip was found to belong to Reep. Police said they executed a search warrant at the location linked to the IP address and seized electronic devices that they then completed digital forensic analysis on. Queen City News said that Reeps bond has been set at $260,000 and he is set to appear in court again on Monday. Reep won the fifth season of Last Comic Standing on NBC in 2007. He is also known for his role in Dodge commercials in which he would ask, That thing got a Hemi? Along with his standup career, he also had a number of acting gigs, including playing Police Officer Gerald Bob in the ABC sitcom Rodney from 2004-to-2006. He has also appeared on shows such as Eastbound & Down, and played Raymus in Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. Sebastian Ng / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images American Eagle executives say recent celeb endorsements have helped it "reset." Key Takeaways American Eagle stock is soaring thanks to celebrity endorsements and strong summer numbers. Despite recent fluctuations in its performance, the company seems to have made real progress with its loungewear and intimates label, Aerie, UBS said. Some analysts are skeptical that the recent bump in business has staying power. American Eagle is trending. Celebrity endorsements have expanded its reach, and its stock is flying. But can it stay in style? For the moment, American Eagle Outfitters' (AEO) shares have completed a remarkable turnaround. They finished Thursday up about 38%, a dramatic jump that pulled them back into positive territory for the year so far; shares that traded below $10 in July are now commanding more than $18. (The stock does, however, remain below the prices around $38 seen in 2021.) Some of the latest gains may be attributable to the enthusiasm of meme-stock traders, but upbeat results contributed to today's move. At Aerie, its loungewear and undergarment label, comparable sales rose 3% year-over-year for the quarter ended Aug. 2, while American Eagles fell 3%. Companywide, American Eagle reported $1.3 billion in revenuedown 1% from last year, but above analyst expectations. There's reason to trust the rally, according to analysts at UBSin part because of the strength at Aerie, which can't be attributed to the namesake brand's campaign with actress Sydney Sweeney. That suggests, UBS wrote, that the company is making progress not only because of marketing, but also because of much improved products and merchandising," with room to double its intimate apparel business at the expense of brands like Victorias Secret (VSCO). American Eagle executives said the company is gaining momentum. The Sweeney spot generated sales from an unprecedented number of new customers, and a more recent collab with tight end Travis Kelce is also selling well, they said on a conference call Wednesday. The company had a record-breaking Labor Day and is seeing comparable store sales trend upward, it said. But some are skeptical, and today's rise has the shares above Visible Alpha's current consensus price target. The jury is still out on whether recent trends can continue following a strong [back to school] season for most of the industry, Bank of America analysts wrote Thursday. Others vying for teens' spending, such as Abercrombie and Fitchs Hollister (ANF) and Pink, a Victorias Secret brand, are also seeing sales pick up, JPMorgan said. "We see potential for inconsistent results," analysts said in a research note Thursday. Read the original article on Investopedia Former President Joe Biden speaks at a conference in Chicago, April 15, 2025. He's announced the location of his presidential library. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File) AP By AAMER MADHANI, The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) Former President Joe Biden has decided to build his presidential library in Delaware and has tapped a group of former aides, friends and political allies to begin the heavy lift of fundraising and finding a site for the museum and archive. The Joe and Jill Biden Foundation this past week approved a 13-person governance board that is charged with steering the project. The board includes former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, longtime adviser Steve Ricchetti, prolific Democratic fundraiser Rufus Gifford and others with deep ties to the one-term president and his wife. Bidens library team has the daunting task of raising money for the 46th presidents legacy project at a moment when his party has become fragmented about the way ahead and many big Democratic donors have stopped writing checks. It also remains to be seen whether corporations and institutional donors that have historically donated to presidential library projects regardless of the party of the former president will be more hesitant to contribute, with President Donald Trump maligning Biden on a daily basis and savaging groups he deems left-leaning. The political climate has changed Theres certainly folks folks who may have been not thinking about those kinds of issues who are starting to think about them, Gifford, who was named chairman of the library board, told The Associated Press. That being said ... were not going to create a budget, were not going to set a goal for ourselves that we dont believe we can hit. The cost of presidential libraries has soared over the decades. The George H.W. Bush librarys construction cost came in at about $43 million when it opened in 1997. Bill Clintons cost about $165 million. George W. Bushs team met its $500 million fundraising goal before the library was dedicated. The Obama Foundation has set a whopping $1.6 billion fundraising goal for construction, sustaining global programming and seeding an endowment for the Chicago presidential center that is slated to open next year. Bidens library team is still in the early stages of planning, but Gifford predicted that the cost of the project would probably end up somewhere in the middle of the Obama Presidential Center and the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. Biden advisers have met with officials operating 12 of the 13 presidential libraries with a bricks and mortar presence that the National Archives and Records Administration manages. (They skipped the Herbert Hoover library in Iowa, which is closed for renovations.) Theyve also met Obama library officials to discuss programming and location considerations and have begun talks with Delaware leaders to assess potential partnerships. Private money builds them Construction and support for programming for the libraries are paid for with private funds donated to the nonprofit organizations established by the former president. The initial vision is for the Biden library to include an immersive museum detailing Bidens four years in office. The Bidens also want it to be a hub for leadership, service and civic engagement that will include educational and event space to host policy gatherings. Biden, who ended his bid for a second White House term 107 days before last years election, has been relatively slow to move on presidential library planning compared with most of his recent predecessors. Clinton announced Little Rock, Arkansas, would host his library weeks into his second term. Barack Obama selected Jackson Park on Chicagos South Side as the site for his presidential center before he left office, and George W. Bush selected Southern Methodist University in Dallas before finishing his second term. One-termer George H.W. Bush announced in 1991, more than a year before he would lose his reelection bid, that he would establish his presidential library at Texas A&M University after he left office. Biden has deep ties to Pennsylvania but ultimately settled on Delaware, the state that was the launching pad for his political career. He was first elected to the New Castle County Council in 1970 and spent 36 years representing Delaware in the Senate before serving as Obamas vice president. The president was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he lived until age 10. He left when his father, struggling to make ends meet, moved the family to Delaware after landing a job there selling cars. Trump taps legal settlements for his Trump was mostly quiet about plans for a presidential library after losing to Biden in 2020 and has remained so since his return to the White House this year. But the Republican has won millions of dollars in lawsuits against Paramount Global, ABC News, Meta and X in which parts of those settlements are directed for a future Trump library. Trump has also accepted a free Air Force One replacement from the Qatar government. He says the $400 million plane would be donated to his future presidential library, similar to how the Boeing 707 used by President Ronald Reagan was decommissioned and put on display as a museum piece, once he leaves office. Nostradamus looks proud of himself for predicting all of this doom and gloom doesn't he? Rainer Binder/ullstein bild via Getty Images Dont look now folks, but 2025 has flown by and we are now closing in on the last quarter of the year. It has not been a year without disaster and despair, but if you are reading this the good news is that you have made it this far. Just a couple more months, and you can check off the milestone of having made it to 2026. Good vibes, good vibes, and maybe we can get to the finish line on this one. That said, if you want to keep the good vibes flowing, it might be best to just go ahead and skip this article about Nostradamus predictions for 2025. Because its just not good. Really, it is worse than that because the Nostradamus the History Channel calls him historys Most famous seer, apparently saw the world ending in 2025. So, the flip side of being happy that we have made it this far in the year is that well, according to Nostradamus we might not have much longer until it is lights out, party over. Now, its worth noting that he has been dead a long time, and he wrote in quatrains, so just about all of the reporting on his predictions is really just interpretation of those quatrains. And, thankfully, that leaves some wiggle room when it comes to this years predictions. There is some good in there. He appears to predict the end of a long war, which many think is a reference to the war between Russia and Ukraine. But, with the end of one war, he apparently predicts a war in England beginning. He also appears to predict plague. The kingdom will be marked by wars so cruel, foes within and without will arise, he wrote. A great pestilence from the past returns, no enemy more deadly under the skies. He also appears to predict devastation in the Amazon, and oddly the rise of a mysterious leader who would form an aquatic empire. And then he appears to predict the end of the world. And, according to at least one report, there is an ominous quatrain above all others for 2025. From the cosmos, a fireball will rise, a harbinger of fate, the world pleads, it reads. Science and fate in a cosmic dance, The fate of the Earth, a second chance. Maybe the second chance reference means we will pull the nose up on things if something does come skirting our way. But what are the chances that a giant fireball from outer space and, well there is that comet zipping around that a recent paper claims could actually be alien technology. So great. Buckle up. Hopefully, Nostradamus was just wrong. He has been wrong a lot, too. We are fine. Dont look up. The rest of the predictions are just about as fun, according to this report. Here is how his 2024 predictions shaped up. The White House lambasted Gov. Josh Shapiro this week for opposing President Donald Trumps deployments of national troops to American cities after the Democratic governor said hed be prepared if Philly joined Trumps list. Commonwealth Media Services PHILADELPHIA The White House lambasted Gov. Josh Shapiro this week for opposing President Donald Trumps deployments of national troops to American cities after the Democratic governor said hed be prepared if Philly joined Trumps list. Another wannabe Presidential candidate is desperate to get into the news cycle by attacking the Presidents highly successful operations to drive down violent crime this wont fool the American people and Pennsylvanians who elected President Trump on his law and order platform, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. Shapiro told reporters at event in Philadelphia earlier this week that the method is wrongheaded. Trump has not threatened to send the National Guard to Philadelphia in the way he has for other U.S. cities like Baltimore and Chicago, but Shapiro said he has been preparing for such a thing to happen in Philadelphia. In June, the governor said he would stand up to Trump if he sends troops to Pennsylvania and affirmed his own control over the states National Guard, following Trumps deployment of the California National Guard in Los Angeles. Trumps deployment of the National Guard to Washington, D.C. is unique because of his wide control over the federal district, but he would face greater hurdles in Philadelphia and other cities. A judge said his sending of national troops to Los Angeles over the summer was unlawful following a lawsuit from California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Democratic leaders have argued that Trumps interference has been both unconstitutional and unnecessary. In his remarks on Tuesday, Shapiro, a former attorney general, noted a decrease in violent crime in Philadelphia and the state as a whole, which he credited to millions of state dollars invested in community organizations and policing. Now is not a time to disrupt that with distrust the way the president is doing in other communities, Shapiro said. Now is the time to continue making the progress were making here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Jackson said in her statement that Shapiro should listen to fellow Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser who recently celebrated the Trump Administrations success in driving down violent crime in Washington DC. Bowser, the D.C. mayor, has given mixed remarks about what she thinks of Trump deploying the guard in D.C. She said we greatly appreciate the surge of officers that have worked with the districts police and acknowledged that it led to a decrease in crime, but also expressed concerns over D.C.s autonomy and distrust in police in the city. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued the Trump administration on Thursday for sending the National Guard, arguing that it interferes with the citys sovereignty and unlawfully uses the military for domestic enforcement. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner also criticized Trumps efforts to send troops to Democratic-led cities on CNN Wednesday night and said Philadelphians should record troops on their cell phones if they come to the city. He praised Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker for pushing back against Trumps plan to deploy troops in Chicago. Shapiro continued to criticize Trump in a post on X on Friday saying anyone who tries to undermine Pennsylvanians fundamental freedoms will have to go through him, including the president. Shapiros office declined to respond to Jacksons remarks on Friday. ___ By Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times (TNS) LOS ANGELES An Orange County, California, woman faces five felony charges after she was accused of paw-litical fraud by registering her dog to vote and illegally casting ballots for the pooch in two elections, authorities said. Laura Lee Yourex, 62, of Costa Mesa, is accused of mailing in ballots registered under her dogs name, Maya Jean Yourex, in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election and the 2022 primary election, according to the Orange County district attorneys office. The 2021 ballot was accepted, while the 2022 ballot was rejected, prosecutors said. Yourex bragged about the feat on social media, sharing a picture of Maya toting an I Voted sticker and posing with the illegal ballot in January 2022, prosecutors said. In October, Yourex posted a photo of Mayas dog tag and a vote-by-mail ballot with the caption, Maya is still getting her ballot, even though the dog had died. She has been charged with one count of registering a nonexistent person to vote, one count of perjury, one count of procuring a false or forged document to be filed and two counts of casting a ballot when not entitled to vote, prosecutors said. Yourex is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday. If convicted as charged, Yourex faces up to six years in state prison. The Orange County Registrar of Voters contacted the district attorneys office on Oct. 28 after a resident self-reported that she had registered her dog to vote and cast two ballots in her dogs name, authorities said. California residents must sign an affidavit under penalty of perjury to register to vote. While proof of residence is required for first-time voters to cast a ballot in a federal election, it is not required to cast a ballot in a state election. That is why the dogs ballot for the 2021 state election to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom was accepted, while the 2022 midterm elections ballot was rejected, prosecutors said. The recall attempt was ultimately voted down by 61.9% of voters. Its not clear how Maya voted. The warning was in place for Chester County. "The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe limits, and no longer poses an immediate threat to life or property. Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire. However heavy rain is still possible with this thunderstorm. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 8 p.m. for southeastern Pennsylvania," adds the National Weather Service. Lightning on the horizon: Expert safety measures for thunderstorms Lightning strikes the United States approximately 25 million times each year, mostly during the summer. Lightning claims the lives of about 20 people annually, according to the weather service. The risk of lightning-related incidents escalates as thunderstorms draw near, reaching its peak when the storm directly looms overhead. However, it gradually recedes as the tempest moves To protect yourself during a thunderstorm, take these recommendations into consideration: Lightning safety plan: When venturing outdoors, it's crucial to have a lightning safety plan in place. Stay vigilant by monitoring the sky for ominous signs and listening for the telltale sound of thunder. If thunder is audible, it's a clear indication of nearby lightning. Seek a safe place to shelter, preferably indoors. Indoors safety measures: Once you're indoors, avoid using corded phones, electrical devices, plumbing fixtures, and stay away from windows and doors. Lightning can follow conductive pathways, and these precautions reduce the risk of electrical surges. Wait for the all-clear: After the last lightning strike or thunderclap, wait at least 30 minutes before resuming outdoor activities. Lightning can strike even when a storm has seemingly passed, so exercise caution. When indoor shelter isn't available: If you find yourself outdoors without access to indoor shelter during a thunderstorm, take these steps to maximize your safety: Avoid open fields, hilltops, or ridge crests, which expose you to greater lightning risk. Steer clear of tall, isolated trees and other prominent objects. In wooded areas, stay close to lower stands of trees. If you're in a group, ensure that individuals are spaced out to prevent lightning current from transferring between people. Camping in an open setting during a thunderstorm is strongly discouraged. If no alternative exists, set up camp in a valley, ravine, or other low-lying areas. Remember that a tent offers no protection against lightning. Do not approach water bodies, wet objects, or metal items. While water and metal don't attract lightning, they conduct electricity effectively and can pose significant risks. In summary, when facing the threat of lightning, vigilance and preparedness are your best allies. By following these guidelines, you can significantly reduce the chances of lightning-related accidents and prioritize your safety. Navigating rainy roads: Safety tips for wet weather Rain can turn roads into hazards. Stay informed and follow these tips from the weather service to ensure safety during heavy rainfall: Beware of rapid water flow: In heavy rain, refrain from parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a grave danger. Maintain safe driving distances: The two-second rule for following distance is your ally in heavy rain. Extend it to four seconds to ensure safe spacing in adverse conditions. Reduce speed and drive cautiously: On wet roads, slowing down is paramount. Gradually ease off the accelerator and avoid abrupt braking to prevent skidding. Choose your lane wisely: Stick to the middle lanes on multi-lane roads to minimize the risk of hydroplaning, as water tends to accumulate in outer lanes. Visibility matters: Enhance your visibility in heavy rain by turning on your headlights. Watch out for vehicles in blind spots, as rain-smeared windows can obscure them. Watch out for slippery roads: The initial half-hour of rain is when roads are slickest due to a mixture of rain, grime, and oil. Exercise heightened caution during this period. Keep a safe distance from large vehicles: Don't follow large trucks or buses too closely. The spray created by their large tires reduces your vision. Take care when passing them as well; if you must pass, do so with caution. Mind your windshield wipers: Overloaded wiper blades can hinder visibility. If rain severely limits your sight, pull over and wait for conditions to improve. Seek refuge at rest areas or protected spots. If the roadside is your only option, pull off as far as possible, preferably past the end of a guard rail, and wait until the storm passes. Keep your headlights on and turn on emergency flashers to alert other drivers of your position. By following these safety measures, you can significantly reduce risks and ensure your well-being when heavy rain pours down. Stay informed about weather conditions and heed advice from local authorities to make your journey safe and sound. Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service. A potent weather system will bring a chance of severe thunderstorms to eastern Pennsylvania today, with temperature variations and potential localized severe weather across the region. The National Weather Service warns of a developing severe thunderstorm risk, with temperatures ranging from the mid-60s in northwestern Pennsylvania to mid-80s ahead of the cold front. A weak low-pressure system will trigger scattered showers and possibly gusty thunderstorms that are most likely in southeastern Pa. The weather service says that Dauphin, Schuylkill, Lebanon, Cumberland and Adams counties are most likely to see strong to severe thunderstorms with gusty winds and small hail this afternoon and evening. The Weather Channel, however, says theres only a slight chance of rain or storms in the Harrisburg area on Saturday. Following the fronts passage, a cooler fall-like pattern will settle in for Sunday and early next week. Temperatures will drop, with highs in the 60s and 70s and overnight lows in the upper 30s in northwestern Pennsylvania. Frost becomes a possibility for typical cold spots early next week. In the Harrisburg area, Sunday and the start of the week will be mostly sunny with highs in the 70s. Current weather radar Generative AI was used to produce an initial draft of this story, which was reviewed and edited by PennLive.com staff. The Texhibition fair organised by ITKIB Fairs for the Istanbul Textile Exporters' Association (ITHIB) will be held from 10-12 September 2025 at the Istanbul Expo Center. The 40,000m2 space will feature over 500 exhibitors and anticipates attracting more than 25,000 visitors from the EU, UK, US, North Africa, and the Middle East. Industry leaders such as Sanko, Kasar & Dual Textile, ISKUR Group, Kucukcalk Textile, Soktas, Sasa, Ipeker and Antik Dantel will be present to show their latest advancements. Texhibition Istanbul showcases range of products from various segments like Woven, Knitted Fabrics, Yarns, Embroidery, Printing, Accessories, Denim, and Artificial Leather. In addition, the fair includes specialised areas like Trends Lab, Innovation Hub, ReValue Stock Hub, and Blue Black Texhibition that offer insights into new trends, sustainable solutions, and advanced design methods. Informative sessions including seminars and panels will address industry innovations and future prospects. The event also shines a spotlight on technical textiles while maintaining a focus on traditional textile strengths. The Blue Black Texhibition zone in Hall 7 will feature prominent manufacturers such as Bossa, ISKUR, Atlas Denim, Isko, Realtex displaying their latest in sustainable materials and designs. In Hall 8, the Innovation Hub will exhibit advancements ranging from smart textiles to biotech fabrics and AI-enhanced production processes. Overseen by Arzu Kaprol and Filiz Tunca, this section aims to merge technology with creative expression. The Trends Lab in Halls 4 and 5 will offer an immersive experience based on themes like digitalisation and sustainability. ITHIB chairman Ahmet Oksuz said: Texhibition Istanbul has rapidly developed into one of the most important global platforms for the textile industry. With every edition, we not only connect Turkiyes strong and diverse manufacturers with international buyers, but also demonstrate how innovation, sustainability, and creative vision can shape the future of textiles. We are proud that Texhibition has become a driving force in global trade and will continue to play a leading role in guiding the international textile industry into its next chapter. Turkiye is the fifth-largest global textile exporter and second-largest supplier to the EU with an annual export volume of $11.5bn. In 2024, Turkish textile and apparel exports reached approximately $27bn. Despite economic challenges globally, Turkiye's exports of textiles and raw materials amounted to $7.6bn in the initial eight months of 2025. Taxpayer Money Down the Drain as Texas Poker Room Wins Major Legal Battle Jon Sofen Senior Editor U.S. Copy link The city of Dallas spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' money fighting in court against Texas Card House, only to lose a three-year battle in the Texas Supreme Court on Friday. Andrew Espinoza, Dallas' chief building official, received over $370,000 from the city council just in 2023 for legal expenses needed to sue TCH and the city's Board of Adjustment (BOA) over a Certificate of Occupancy issue, according to the Dallas Observer. All that money spent and there was more of it in 2024 and 2025 went to a losing cause. Texas Court Sides with Poker Room The Texas poker community, not just TCH, scored a victory on Friday when the Texas Supreme Court denied Espinoza's appeal. Ryan Crow, owner of Texas Card House, said he anticipates this being the end of the three-year legal battle against his Dallas poker club. Crow received approval to operate a poker club from the city during a city council hearing in 2020. But it was revoked in October 2022. The card room filed an appeal with the BOA and won. Espinoza and his team then successfully sued TCH and the BOA for reinstating the permit to operate. Crow's attorneys continued the fight, filing an appeal and winning again in August 2024. Espinoza, however, continued to fight back, and took the case up with the Texas Supreme Court, where he lost in what appears to be the end of the road for this case. The building official argued TCH had been initially "issued in error" a Certificate of Occupancy. Texas Card House's attorneys argued in court that the C.O. was not issued in error, and the revocation was due to "lobbying or a change of mind about a reasonably disputable application of law." It was initially determined by the court that TCH had violated the state's penal code prohibition on gambling and keeping a gambling place. Texas has strict anti-gambling laws. But there is a loophole in Texas Penal Code 47.04 that allows for poker rooms to operate so long as they do so without collecting rake. The card rooms in the Longhorn State, at least the ones that are playing by the rules, charge membership and seat fees instead of rake. But some lawmakers and city officials across the state interpret 47.04 differently and do not believe any form of gambling is legal, regardless of the business model. An Unlikely Ally Doug Polk Texas Card House received assistance from its biggest competitor The Lodge Card Club, a poker room near Austin and San Antonio co-owned by Doug Polk, Andrew Neeme, and Brad Owen. Attorneys for The Lodge submitted an amicus brief in defense of the right to play poker in Texas. Texas Card House operates six poker clubs across the state. The Dallas location has been the target of the city's anti-poker stance for years. But, perhaps, those the Supreme Court ruling will be the end of it. The poker club has remained in operation throughout the legal battle. Share this article Northern Virginias energy-hungry data center juggernaut shoulders roughly 70% of the worlds internet traffic. Behind that buildout is an army of blue-collar electrical workers. Forty-five to 70% of construction of a data center is electrical, said Joe Dabbs, the former business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 26, the union representing 12,500 electricians in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The teledata portion, the fiber optic portion, the power and power distribution all the gear work thats us. We build all of that stuff. Electricians are also needed for maintenance and changing out equipment, Dabbs said, meaning the local union has people in data centers around the clock, 24/7. And the demand for workers keeps rolling in making it a good time to be an electrician in America, where experienced workers can earn over six figures. Turbocharged demand The race to build data centers the infrastructure that makes cloud storage, streaming, and high-frequency trading possible has only sped up in the AI age, with global demand for data center capacity potentially almost tripling by 2030. Thats expected to turbocharge both electricity consumption and the need for skilled electricians, with the US seeing an average of about 81,000 job openings for electricians annually over the next decade. Tech giants have also highlighted their reliance on skilled tradespeople for AI-related infrastructure projects. Google noted in a May paper that the countrys shortage of electrical workers could constrain Americas ability to build the infrastructure needed to support AI, advanced manufacturing, and a shift to clean-energy. So Google.org, Googles philanthropic arm, announced $10 million in grant funding for the Electrical Training Alliance a joint training program of the National Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to train 100,000 electricians and 30,000 new apprentices. We really believe that the US has an opportunity for a new era of innovation and growth, especially with the application of AI, said Maab Ibrahim, head of economic opportunity for the Americas at Google.org. It will require a lot of physical infrastructure upgrades, energy, and a skilled workforce that will build and maintain it. Microsoft President Brad Smith also said in an opinion piece for Fox Business earlier this year that while the tech behemoth has hired thousands of electricians to build out data center infrastructure, some workers still had to commute far distances or temporarily relocate to meet the need. He believed the US may need half a million new electricians in the next decade. Meanwhile, Wells Fargo is offering alternatives such as private equity, credit, real estate and hedge funds through what it calls its Personalized Unified Managed Account program. UMAs simplify the management of a wide variety of investments such stocks, bonds, mutual funds and private assets by bringing them into a single account and typically charging a flat fee set at a percentage of those assets. Separately, Goldman Sachs announced it's working with the asset manager T. Rowe Price, and its subsidiary Oak Hill Advisors, to offer alternative investments in 401(k)s and other retirement accounts designed to allow clients to retire by a certain future date. As part of the deal, Goldman has agreed to buy as much as $1 billion in T. Rowe Price's stock. Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank today announced what it's calling its Alts Expanded Access Program for clients hitting the $50 million-or-more threshold. The goal is to give high net worth investors access to private funds, primarily in private equity, that aren't typically among the options offered by most wealth managers. In other words, it's finding even more exclusive opportunities in an already exclusive market. Merrill and its parent Bank of America's private bank, Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo all announced plans over the past two weeks to further kick open the once tightly closed doors to private markets for their clients. For Merrill, the target is ultrawealthy clients with $50 million or more to invest; for Goldman, it's ordinary retirement savers ; and for Wells, it's anyone looking for simplicity in managing a broad array of investments. Aiming to open once-exclusive private markets to more investors, large wealth managers are responding with new offerings for everyone from the ultrarich to "regular" clients and retirement savers. Story continues Whatever the pitfalls, numerous surveys and reports suggest investor demand for alternatives is running high. The investment bank Robert A. Stanger reported in January that $122 billion was raised for alts from everyday "retail" investors in 2024, topping the previous high of $105 billion set in 2022. Meanwhile Bank of America Private Bank found last year that demand for alternatives is particularly strong among investors between the ages of 21 and 43. Drawing on results from a poll of just over 1,000 investors with $3 million or more to invest, the survey found that 93% of clients in that age range want to put more money alternatives in coming years. That cohort's allocation is already higher than older clients' 17% of their total portfolios vs. 5% for investors 44 and older. And they want more. Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank's offering for the ultrarich Bank of America Private Bank and Merrill is among the many large wealth managers scrambling to meet this demand with an array of new products and offerings. Its Alts Expanded Access Program for investors with $50 million or more "will be supplemental to the core alternative platform that we already have, and ultimately, it'll allow us to bring more offerings to market than we do today," said Mark Sutterlin, head of alternative investments. Sutterlin said Merrill and the private bank are working with a third-party firm which he declined to name to find harder-to-access private investments that may be of interest to ultrahigh net worth clients. Sometimes these opportunities will come with smaller-than-usual capacity allotments, meaning the percentage of a fund set aside for investors at a particular institution. Also unlike standard investments in private equity, the offerings will allow investors to become limited partners in the funds they're putting money into. As a result, they will have greater responsibility for vetting the various opportunities they're presented with. Sutterlin said that doesn't mean Merill and the private bank are abandoning their fiduciary duties to investors. Ultimately, he said, they will still be responsible for making sure anything they recommend is in their clients' best interests. "But I would say that the ability for investors to do independent diligence, and the expectation that these investors are going to have more experience in private markets and a higher level of expertise in terms of private market investing, is part of what allows us to do a broader based offering for these types of funds," Sutterlin said. Sutterlin said advisors at Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank are now learning about the Alts Expanded Access Program and they'll begin to introduce clients to funds through it starting this fall. He said there are no plans now to offer it to investors below the $50 million asset threshold. Goldman and the push to allow alts in retirement plans Elsewhere, though, a movement is afoot to bring more of the so-called mass affluent into private and alternative markets and it's not just coming from large wealth managers. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month calling on the Department of Labor to review its fiduciary guidelines governing the types of alternative investments that can be added to retirement-savings plans. Many view the directive as a step toward opening up 401(k)s and other retirement accounts to not only private equity, private credit, infrastructure and real estate but also cryptocurrency . The order provoked an outcry. "Professional retirement plan fiduciaries that are subject to strict fiduciary standards not the federal government are in the best position to assess developments in the financial markets and determine what is in the financial best interest of retirement plan participants and beneficiaries," American Retirement Association CEO Brian Graff said in a statement in response to Trump's executive order. Goldman Sachs's partnership with T. Rowe Price will bring alternatives into target date funds designed to make sure workers have saved enough money to retire by a certain age. Typically that involves putting money into investments with greater risks but also prospects for greater returns when a saver is young, and gradually moving the money over to safer bets as retirement approaches. Dee Sawyer, head of global distribution at T. Rowe Price, said the target date funds are still being designed for release by the middle of next year so it's hard to say now exactly what strategies they will employ. "Everybody is unique, but at different points in time, you can have an exposure to different types of solutions, including private markets, and we think that there's opportunities to have that across the spectrum," Sawyer said. Sawyer said she and her colleagues at T. Rowe Price welcomed Trump's order calling on the DOL to reconsider its fiduciary guidelines for private investments in retirement plans. "And the reason for that is because it allows more plan sponsors the ability to offer these solutions from a fiduciary perspective, without a concern of litigation risk, which is a real concern of plan sponsors," she said. Meanwhile, Goldman and T. Rowe Price are working on other offerings to help open up private markets to more regular investors. They include prebuilt "model" portfolios made up not only of alts but also market index-tracking ETFs, mutual funds and other investments, and a system to help RIAs and outside advisors offer managed retirement accounts to their clients. Greg Wilson, head of retirement for Goldman's asset and wealth management unit, said the goal is generally to set the investment thresholds low. He noted that the number of companies whose shares are sold on public markets has been cut roughly in half over the past 20 years. "Companies are staying private longer," Wilson said. "So when you look at private equity returns over a 10-, 15- and 20-year basis, they've outperformed public equity equivalents. Making these available to the primary source of retirement savings today, which is in the 401(k) plan, we think is absolutely appropriate within a professionally managed portfolio." Wells sees the value in simplicity even with complex products Meanwhile, Wells Fargo's plan to bring alternative investments into its Personalized Unified Managed Account program doesn't come with any specific asset requirements. But Greg Maddox, product management executive for the firm's Wealth and Investment Management unit, said individual private funds often do have investment minimums that are set high enough to make any attempt to group them together into a UMA best suited for high net worth clients. Wells is working with the wealth technology firm InvestCloud to offer UMA clients access not only to alternative markets but also trading strategies involving derivatives and long and short positions that can be used to reduce investing risks. Previously, Maddox said, Wells advisors had to manage clients' allocations to private markets separate from all their other investments. By bringing it all into one system, advisors should have an easier time with tasks like rebalancing or buying and selling assets to make sure they maintain a certain proportion to each other in a portfolio. To be included in the UMA, alternative investments and other products also can't charge clients separate sales commissions; everything has to be paid for using an overarching fee. "This just makes it very simple for advisors and clients to understand where it's just one account wrap fee," Maddox said. "This consolidation of different investment product types into one platform, one program, one advisory relationship, is an industry trend," he added. "I think that will continue. We'll start to see everything kind of collapse into these single-platform sources." The biggest barrier to getting into alts To Brian Griggs, the head of portfolio strategy and solutions at the investment management firm Nuveen, the biggest barrier to bringing more regular investors into private markets is a simple lack of understanding. One of Nuveen's lines of business is working with wealth managers at registered investment advisors and other firms and helping them provide opportunities in alternatives and other markets. To better shed light on the benefits but also possible risks of alts, Nuveen has started what it calls its Private Markets Institute . Griggs said Nuveen often starts with a base assumption that advisory clients should allocate 20% of their portfolios to alternatives and then make adjustments from there after taking into account various considerations. "I would say 5% might be too little," Griggs said. "It might not be worth the extra effort of understanding these assets if you're just going to allocate 5%. But then we also work with some family offices and RIAs that have some of their clients with anywhere up to 50% in private markets." The biggest of those factors is an investor's likely need for cash at any given moment. One of the knocks against private investments is that they are often "illiquid" or harder to pull money out of than stocks and bonds. "I think most advisors would say most of their clients don't need 100% of their portfolio in liquid stocks and bonds," Griggs said. "So if you can answer that question with confidence, then all of a sudden it opens up the opportunity to put more of the portfolio in these more diversifying private markets." PR-Inside.com: 2025-09-06 05:15:28 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1068 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / September 5, 2025 /Future Fuels Inc. (TSXV:FTUR)(OTCQB:FTURF)(FWB:S0J) ("Future Fuels" or the "Company"), a critical mineral exploration company, is pleased to announce that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement for gross proceeds of up to C$2,250,000 from the sale of up to 3,000,000 "flow-through" units of the Company (each, a "FT Unit", and collectively, the "FT Units") at a price of C$0.75 per FT Unit (the "LIFE Offering") under the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption (as defined below).Each FT Unit will consist of one "flow-through" Common Share (each, a "FT Share" and collectively, "FT Shares") and one "flow-through" Common Share purchase warrant (each a "FT Warrant" and collectively, "FT Warrants"), issued as "flow-through shares", as defined in subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act"). Each FT Warrant will be exercisable to acquire one Common Share (each a "Warrant Share", and collectively, "Warrant Shares") at a price of $0.80 per Warrant Share for a period of 24 months from the LIFE Closing Date (as defined below). The Warrant Shares underlying the FT Units will not qualify as "flow-through shares" under the Tax Act. The FT Warrants to be issued pursuant to the LIFE Offering will not be listed for trading on any stock exchange. The LIFE Offering is expected to close on or about September 23, 2025 (the "LIFE Closing Date"), or such other date as determined by the Company, such date being no later than 45 days from the date hereof.Subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and in accordance with National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions ("NI 45-106"), the LIFE Offering is being made to purchasers resident in all provinces of Canada, except Quebec, pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of NI 45-106 (the "Listed Issuer Financing Exemption"). The securities offered under the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption will not be subject to a hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.The gross proceeds of the LIFE Offering will be used to incur "Canadian exploration expenses" that are "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures", within the meaning of the Tax Act, on the Company's Canadian critical minerals projects.There is an offering document (the "Offering Document") related to the LIFE Offering that can be accessed under the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at: www.futurefuelsinc.com . Prospective investors should read this Offering Document before making an investment decision.The Company may pay finder's fees in connection with the LIFE Offering in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. Completion of the LIFE Offering is subject to customary conditions and the receipt of all necessary approvals.Marketing UpdateFuture Fuels also announces that it has entered into two marketing agreements:The Company has renewed its prior engagement with MCS Market Communication Service GmbH ("MCS") effective September 5, 2025 for an additional term of 60 days. Pursuant to the new agreement, MCS agreed to provide the Company certain investor relations services for a total fee of 155,000, plus a 16% agency fee; andThe Company has also engaged Rumble Strip Media Inc. ("Rumble Strip) to provide investor relations services for a 35 day term commencing on September 15th, 2025. Pursuant to this engagement, Rumble Strip will provide investor relations services to the Company for a total fee of C$250,000,The services to be provided by MCS and Rumble will include, among other things, project management, delivery and consulting services for on-line and social media marketing campaigns and the co-ordination, maintenance and optimization of adwords campaigns, adaptation of adwords bidding strategies, optimization of adwords ads, adwords keyword research and optimization, optimization action for different device types, and the creation and optimization of landing pages.MCS is a company based in Monheim am Rhein, Germany. Rumble Strip is a company based in Vancouver, BC. Each specialize in the management of on-line investor relations. MCS and its principal Monika Woeste are arm's length to the Company and (to the best of the Company's knowledge) hold no interest, directly or indirectly, in the securities of the Company or any right to acquire such an interest. Rumble Strip and its principal Rishi Savera are arm's length to the Company and (to the best of the Company's knowledge) hold no interest, directly or indirectly, in the securities of the Company or any right to acquire such an interest.This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.About Future Fuels Inc.Future Fuels' principal asset is the Hornby Uranium Project, covering the entire 3,407 km Hornby Basin in north-western Nunavut, a geologically promising area with over 40 underexplored uranium showings, including the historic Mountain Lake Deposit. Additionally, Future Fuels holds the Covette Property in Quebec's James Bay region, comprising 65 mineral claims over 3,370 hectares.On Behalf of the Board of Directors~Rob Leckie~Rob LeckieCEO, DirectorFuture Fuels Inc.Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsThis news release contains forward-looking statements and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's exploration and development plans with respect its projects, statements regarding the LIFE Offering including, without limitation, statements regarding the completion or the expected LIFE Closing Date, the payment of finder's fees, the receipt of regulatory approvals, and the use of gross proceeds, and the Company's PR-Inside.com: 2025-09-06 00:40:21 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 302 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 5, 2025 / Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Skillz Inc. ("Skillz" or the "Company") (NYSE:SKLZ). Such investors are advised to contact Danielle Peyton at newaction@ pomlaw.com or 646-581-9980, ext. 7980.The investigation concerns whether Skillz and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.[Click here for information about joining the class action]On September 2, 2025, Skillz disclosed in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that Tether Studios and its affiliate Tether Games (together, "Tether") plan to terminate all agreements with Skillz, effective September 1, 2025. Under the agreements, Skillz has licensed its software to Tether for use in monetizing Tether's games. In return, both companies share the revenue from user entry fees. After receiving the notice, Skillz filed a lawsuit on September 1, 2025, seeking to block Tether's termination of their agreements. Skillz is also disputing Tether's reasons for ending the deal.On this news, Skillz's stock price fell $1.50 per share, or 17.22%, to close at $7.21 per share on September 3, 2025.The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP PR-Inside.com: 2025-09-06 01:18:06 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 622 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 5, 2025 /WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) between May 7, 2025 and July 28, 2025, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important September 30, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline.SO WHAT: If you purchased Novo Nordisk securities 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 Novo Nordisk class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=34168 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 30, 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, defendants provided overwhelmingly positive statements to investors while, at the same time, disseminating materially false and misleading statements and/or concealing material adverse facts concerning the true state of Novo Nordisk's growth potential. Notably, Novo Nordisk's asserted potential to capitalize on the compounded market greatly understated the potential impact of the personalization exception to the compounded GLP-1 exclusion and overstated the likelihood that such patients would switch to Novo Nordisk's branded alternatives. Further, defendants greatly overstated the potential GLP-1 market or otherwise, Novo's capability to penetrate said markets to achieve continued growth. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.To join the Novo Nordisk class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=34168 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. In a world where a dazzling smile signals confidence and beauty, teeth whitening has become increasingly popular among Nigerians, from over-the-counter strips to professional dental procedures. But behind the gleam lies a risk, as dental experts warn that not all whitening methods are safe for oral health. Teeth whitening is a cosmetic procedure that lightens teeth by removing stains and discolouration. According to the UK National Health Service (NHS), whitening should only be carried out safely by a dentist or other regulated dental professional, though many people turn instead to at-home products. Most whitening treatments use bleaching agents such as hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide, which break down stains into smaller particles to make teeth appear brighter. But when used improperly, these chemicals can cause tooth sensitivity, gum irritation, and even permanent damage to the enamel. Also, kits sold online or used in salons do not work as well and may harm the teeth and gums. Side effects The American Dental Association (ADA) warns that whitening is generally safe when supervised by a dentist but can carry risks if misused. The most common side effects include tooth sensitivity: whitening can make teeth more sensitive to hot, cold, or sweet foods; Gum irritation: bleaching agents may irritate the gums if applied improperly; and uneven whitening: dental restorations like crowns, fillings, or veneers do not whiten, leaving a patchy appearance. The NHS further cautions against whitening treatments offered in beauty salons by unqualified staff or using unregulated online products. Such practices, the health body said, can permanently damage teeth. Prevalence and awareness in Nigeria In Nigeria, cosmetic dentistry is gaining traction, especially in urban areas like Lagos and Abuja, where private dental clinics offer whitening services. However, there is limited local data on how many Nigerians undergo whitening procedures. A study at the University of Benin showed that 35.8 per cent of undergraduates had heard of teeth bleaching, while only 17 per cent had tried it, typically via whitening toothpaste. Worryingly, under 10 per cent knew of associated risks. In Lagos, 37.7 per cent of adolescents aged 1216 had intrinsic tooth stains, yet over 90 per cent had never visited a dentist to manage them. Also, among dental professionals in Ebonyi State, only 22 per cent had experience performing whitening, and 14 per cent advised against it due to side effects. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many people turn to over-the-counter whitening kits or homemade remedies such as baking soda, charcoal toothpaste, or even lemon juice, practices that dentists warn can erode enamel and increase sensitivity. The Nigerian Dental Association (NDA) has also repeatedly cautioned against unregulated whitening products, stressing that most are not approved by regulatory authorities such as NAFDAC. Experts also noted that poor oral hygiene and limited access to affordable dental care contribute to tooth discolouration, pushing people toward quick-fix solutions. According to the ADA and NHS, teeth whitening is not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women and people with untreated cavities, gum disease, or worn enamel. Also, children under 18 are generally advised against bleaching, as their teeth are still developing. Safer alternatives and best practices Dental professionals recommend that those considering whitening first consult a dentist to ensure it is safe and appropriate. The ADA suggests precautions, including the use only of dentist-prescribed or ADA-approved whitening products; avoiding DIY whitening hacks involving acidic fruits, charcoal, or abrasive powders; and maintaining good oral hygiene by brushing twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, flossing, and reducing foods and drinks that stain teeth, such as coffee, tea, and red wine. Although professional whitening performed in dental clinics tends to be more expensive, it is considered the safest option. Also, home whitening kits provided by dentists are relatively safe, as they are customised for individual needs. The Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered), NIM, is preparing for its annual conference, expected to be the largest gathering of management professionals in Africa. Established in 1961, NIM is Nigerias oldest management professional institute with over 200,000 individual members and more than 400 corporate members nationwide. PREMIUM TIMES Kabir Yusuf sat down with the Registrar of the institute, Taiwo Ganiyat Olusesi, to discuss the institutes plan to make all members AI-certified by 2026, its focus on youth leadership, and why senior citizens remain central to Nigerias management future. Excerpt: PT: Let me start by asking about this years conference. What is the theme of this years conference, and what should participants expect? Olusesi: This is our 64th annual conference and Annual General Meeting. It runs over three days, beginning with a welcome cocktail and registration on 7 September. The opening ceremony and a panel session will be held on 8 September, followed by our gala night. On 9 September, we will hold another panel session, breakout discussions, a presentation of the communique, and then the AGM. We expect at least 3,000 participants this year. Our breakout sessions are tailored to different groups: youth, mid-level managers, and senior managers. The theme is Leveraging Emerging Technologies to Drive Innovation, Creativity and Productivity. For youth, we are focusing on preparing them for leadership roles, particularly given the leadership gaps caused by migration in recent years. For senior managers, we are addressing ageing and post-retirement care. PT: How do you plan to address the leadership gap among youth? Olusesi: We will engage and encourage young people to take up leadership roles. We are also focusing on technology and artificial intelligence, which is the future of management. Our keynote speaker is Deacon Mike Egboh, Country Director of Chemonics GHSE-PSM Project Nigeria. The theme speaker is Mohammed Santuraki, Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna. Other panellists include former Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Olubunmi Adelugba; NECO Registrar, Professor Dantani Wushishi; UK Department for Business and Trades Dr Simeon Umukoro; and Professor Nnamdi Nwaodu, an ageing expert and founder of the African Elder Ageing and Wellness Initiative. On technology, Omolara Onua of Unicorn Institute of Technology will moderate the AI panel. We will also feature Dr Tope Fasua, Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters. In addition to the academic sessions, we will hold our AGM, the Celebrating Management Excellence gala night, where awards and honorary fellowships will be conferred, and finally issue a communique to guide stakeholders. PT: You mentioned technology as central to this years theme. Is the Institute trying to encourage innovation and creativity among management professionals? Olusesi: Yes. The world has gone digital, and to remain relevant, managers must be tech-savvy. PT: Which emerging technologies are you most keen on in transforming management in Nigeria? Olusesi: Artificial intelligence tops the list. We are reviewing our syllabus to include responsible AI, and we will run refresher courses so that, within the next two to three years, every NIM member is AI-certified. That way, even as an old institute, we remain contemporary. PT: What unique perspectives will the panellists bring? Olusesi: We ensured diversity: youth, middle-aged, and senior professionals; people from both public and private sectors; and international voices. This mix will enrich the discussions. For instance, Dr Fasua will bring government perspectives for the youth, while Unicorn Institute will showcase innovations in AI. Professor Nwaodu will provide insights on ageing, which is relevant for our retired members. PT: Why spotlight senior citizens at the conference? Olusesi: We want to ensure that our older population remains relevant. Retirement should not mean the end of knowledge-sharing. We will also explore how we can partner with government initiatives for senior citizens. PT: How is NIM nurturing future leaders among Nigerias youth? Olusesi: We run the Young Managers Competition and Summit. Winners from six zones converge to pitch ideas, and the finalists serve as ambassadors of the institute for a year. Last year, we added the summit component, bringing together employers, innovators, and funders to chart a way forward. Importantly, no NIM staff above 40 sits on the planning committee of this programmeit is led entirely by young managers. We only provide guidance and funding. We also run the Catch Them Young programme in universities and polytechnics so that students graduate with NIM certification. We maintain strong links with the NYSC, though participation has reduced due to insecurity and economic challenges. PT: How are conference outcomes followed up with the government and industry? Olusesi: Our institute has faculties across sectorsgovernance, health, academia, technologyand each takes responsibility for follow-up on specific communique items. We also publish the outcomes in newspapers, send copies to MDs and stakeholders, and use our networks to push implementation. Even achieving 50 per cent of the communique is progress. PT: What legacy do you hope this years conference will leave? Olusesi: First, technological advancement. From 2026, every NIM professional manager will be technologically certified. Second, recognition for senior citizenstheir wisdom is invaluable. Third, youth engagement. We will push for stronger collaboration with the government on empowerment and capacity-building. PT: What are you personally most looking forward to? Olusesi: Participation and satisfaction. We want delegates to have a rewarding experience and look forward to future NIM programmes. Beyond the conference, we have Management Day on 19 November, the Young Managers Summit, and several local and international trainings lined up. PT: Since becoming Registrar, which innovation are you most proud of? Olusesi: Staff motivation has improved greatly, and our financial performance has grown. But most importantly, we launched the NIM membership app, which I hope will one day be a benchmark for other professional bodies. PT: Thank you. Olusesi: Thank you. Think tank report highlights China's contributions to WWII victory Xinhua) 09:18, September 06, 2025 This undated photo shows a copy of the think tank report "Remembering History and Defending Justice -- Great Contributions of the Main Battlefield in the East of the World Anti-Fascist War." A think tank report released here on Friday underlines the great significance and contributions of the Chinese people's resistance against Japanese aggression to the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. The report was jointly issued in Chinese and English by the national high-level think tanks of the Central Institute of Party History and Literature and Xinhua News Agency during the "Hongting Forum High Level Dialogue: The Global Significance of the Main Battlefield in the East". (Xinhua) BEIJING, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- A think tank report released on Friday underlines the great significance and contributions of the Chinese people's resistance against Japanese aggression to the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. Titled "Remembering History and Defending Justice -- Great Contributions of the Main Battlefield in the East of the World Anti-Fascist War," the report was jointly issued in Chinese and English by the national high-level think tanks of the Central Institute of Party History and Literature and Xinhua News Agency. 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. "The World Anti-Fascist War was a unified global struggle, with the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression forming a vital component," the report says. MAIN BATTLEFIELD IN THE EAST On Sept. 18, 1931, Japanese troops attacked Chinese forces in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, marking the start of Japan's 14-year invasion of China. Despite enormous difficulties, China's soldiers and civilians carried the war of resistance through to the end, tenaciously resisting the Japanese aggressors. Serving as the main battlefield in the East of the World Anti-Fascist War, China pinned down and fought back against the main Japanese ground forces, as well as part of its naval and air power. During the war, Chinese forces annihilated more than 1.5 million Japanese troops, accounting for over 70 percent of Japan's total military casualties in WWII, according to the report. By containing the main forces of Japanese militarism, China not only secured its own national survival but also provided crucial support to resistance forces on other battlefronts, the report says. Speaking at a symposium on the report, Sergei Sanakoyev, a member of the Russian International Affairs Council and president of the country's Asia-Pacific Research Center, spoke highly of the importance of the Chinese people's enduring resistance, noting that it plays a decisive role in the Asian battlefield. As one of the key members of the world anti-fascist alliance, China smashed Japanese militarist invasion, liberated the occupied land and restored Asia-Pacific peace, he said. UNSHAKABLE GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE The victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression marked the first complete triumph against foreign invasion in modern Chinese history, reestablishing China's major-country status in the world. The victory on the battlefield in the East also gave strong impetus to the world's national liberation movements, as the independence and liberation of the Chinese nation provided an inspiring model for colonial and semi-colonial countries. Nguyen Minh Hoan, a professor at Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (Central Party School of the Communist Party of Vietnam), hailed the main battlefield in the East as a site of great significance, embodying patriotism, national liberation and social progress. He added that the victory on the main battlefield in the East, along with China's modernization drive, serves as an inspiration for his country and other developing nations in upholding national independence and international unity, pursuing a suitable development path and participating in global governance. After WWII, the world colonial system rapidly collapsed, as did Japan's colonial empire, removing a major obstacle to the Asian liberation movement. Since the end of the war, over 100 countries have achieved national independence and liberation, freeing billions of people from the shackles of colonialism. Moreover, China participated throughout the entire founding process of the United Nations, the most universal, representative and authoritative international organization. The UN Charter, which China helped formulate, has established the cornerstone of modern international order and defined the basic norms governing contemporary international relations. FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE The report highlights the importance of learning from history and staying on the path of peaceful development and common prosperity. It stresses the need to maintain the correct historical view, uphold the post-war world order, defend international fairness and justice, resolutely pursue peaceful development, and collaboratively build a community with a shared future for humanity. Francisco Cesar Ferraz, an associate professor at the State University of Londrina in Brazil, said after reading the report that China, as a crucial theater of WWII, not only made significant contributions to the victory of the war but also helped shape the post-war global geopolitical landscape. However, Western historiography influenced by Eurocentrism, Cold War pressures, and discursive barriers, has underestimated China's contribution. The report urges all peace-loving and justice-upholding people worldwide to stand united, stay vigilant against any resurgence of fascism and militarism, and resolutely oppose dragging humanity into the tragedy of war once again. Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency and chairman of the Xinhua Institute's academic committee, delivers a speech during the "Hongting Forum High Level Dialogue: The Global Significance of the Main Battlefield in the East" in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) Qu Qingshan, president of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National High-Level Think Tank Council of the institute, delivers a speech during the "Hongting Forum High Level Dialogue: The Global Significance of the Main Battlefield in the East" in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) Guests attend the "Hongting Forum High Level Dialogue: The Global Significance of the Main Battlefield in the East" in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) A guest reads a copy of the think tank report "Remembering History and Defending Justice -- Great Contributions of the Main Battlefield in the East of the World Anti-Fascist War" in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) Guests attend the "Hongting Forum High Level Dialogue: The Global Significance of the Main Battlefield in the East" in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Kou Jie) Africa has praised Azerbaijan for its proactive diplomatic engagement in climate action and peacebuilding. The remarks were made yesterday during the Vulnerable Countries Forum, organized by Azerbaijans COP29 Presidency and the Baku Center for Climate and Peace Action, as part of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) African Climate Week (ACW), Azernews reports. In her opening speech, Ethiopias Minister of Planning and Development, Fitsum Adela, thanked Azerbaijan for its sustained attention to African nations affected by climate change and conflicts. She highlighted the significance of the Baku Peace Call, adopted during COP29 in Baku last year. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the UN Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Africa, and Francesco Corvaro, Italys Special Representative on Climate, commended the Baku Center for becoming one of the worlds key platforms for international collaboration and climate action within a short time since its establishment last year. Ambassador Elshad Iskandarov of Azerbaijans Ministry of Foreign Affairs, chairing the forum, expressed gratitude for the recognition of COP29s work linking peace and climate. He emphasized that the Baku Center enjoys support from over 30 countries, multiple multilateral organizations, and more than 300 international NGOs. Ambassador Iskandarov noted that the Centers work addresses diverse challenges facing nearly 20 of the worlds most vulnerable nations and that pilot projects with international support and financial partnerships have already commenced in three countries. Officials from Chad, Iraq, and Guinea-Bissau presented the pilot projects supported by the Baku Center, praising the expertise and experience provided by the COP29 Presidency. During panel discussions, African officials and representatives from the Green Climate Fund, International Organization for Migration, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN Development Programme (UNDP), African Development Bank (AfDB), Adaptation Fund, and other international institutions expressed their support. They proposed concrete collaborations to tackle water scarcity, land degradation, food security, and climate-induced migration. The forum concluded with an agreement to present the outcomes of these initiatives at the High-Level Dialogue of the Baku Center for Climate and Peace Action during COP30. On Friday, September 5, the US Senate updated its crypto market structure bill with a key provision on the regulation of tokenized stocks. According to the new clause, stocks will continue to be classified as securities even after being tokenized on blockchain networks. This eliminates the confusion about whether tokenized assets fall under the category of commodities. Interestingly, this clarification from the US Senate comes at a time of greater push towards tokenization. Tokenized stocks remain classified as securities, thereby ensuring full compatibility with existing broker-dealer frameworks, clearing systems, and trading platforms. During her latest CNBC interview, Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis explained, We want this on the presidents desk before the end of the year. Clarity on Crypto Bills Between the US SEC and CFTC The US Senate has introduced the Responsible Financial Innovation Act of 2025, aimed at clarifying when digital assets fall under the jurisdiction of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) versus the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Senator Cynthia Lummis told CNBC that the Senate Banking Committee will vote on the SEC-related provisions this month. Besides, the Agriculture Committee is set to consider the CFTC sections in October. A full Senate vote could take place as early as November. Although the draft bill has yet to secure Democratic support, Lummis said bipartisan talks are underway. There have been efforts to pair Democrats and Republicans on certain sub-issues within the bill, she noted, adding that the goal is to build cross-party momentum. Crypto Firms Share Their Concerns Ahead of The Bill In August, a coalition of 112 crypto firms, investors, and advocacy groups urged the U.S. Senate to include explicit protections for software developers and non-custodial service providers in the upcoming legislation governing the crypto market structure. In a letter sent to the Senate Banking and Agriculture Committees, the group cautioned that outdated financial rules could wrongly classify these actors as intermediaries. The appeal was backed by major industry players, including Coinbase, a16z, Kraken, Ripple, and Uniswap Labs. Citing Electric Capital data, the letter highlighted that the U.S. share of open-source blockchain developers has fallen from 25% in 2021 to 18% in 2025. They also warned that regulatory uncertainty is pushing talent overseas. Read original story US Senate Bill Proposes To Treat Tokenized Stocks As Securities by Bhushan Akolkar at Coinspeaker.com Police in Edo State, Nigerias South-south, have rescued 16 of the 29 passengers abducted on Friday evening along Benin-Auchi Road by suspected kidnappers. Moses Yamu, the police spokesperson in Edo, confirmed the rescue on Saturday in Benin while reacting to the incident. The News Agency of Nigeria gathered that the gunmen attacked an 18-seater bus, which belonged to the New Edo Line Transport Company, and two other vehicles, where the 29 passengers were forcefully taken away. Sources said the gunmen ambushed the buses on the Sobe axis of the road and dragged the victims into the bush. Shortly after the incident, the sources said a team of security operatives, comprising police, army, local vigilantes and hunters, began combing the bush, and successfully rescued some of the victims. Mr Yamu, a chief superintendent of police, said that the 16 passengers were rescued unhurt. He assured that the police would leave no stone unturned to rescue the others. Abduction for ransom has become one of the prevalent crimes in many Nigerian cities, with just anyone, including clerics and students, as targets. In Edo, the situation is compounded by cult-related attacks and killings. The police said in November last year that the spate of cult violence and the proliferation of arms in the state were worrisome. The then-Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo, while announcing a ban on the activities of Okaigheles (youth leaders) in Edo South District, June last year, in a renewed effort to tackle the menace, said the state at some point lost 150 people in five months to cult-related clashes. Mr Obasekis successor, Monday Okpebholo, said in November last year that the state loses over $1 billion worth of investments annually because of cult-related violence. Mr Okpebholo, just like his predecessor, has declared war on cultism, but the governments efforts seem to yield little or no success as the killings continue. Former Governor Udom Emmanuels visit to Akwa Ibom State has unsettled the state politics as appointees of Governor Umo Eno openly courted him, an action the Senate President Godswill Akpabio camp described as a declaration of allegiance and loyalty. After serving as governor for eight years, 2015 2023, Mr Emmanuel retired to private life in Nigerias commercial city, Lagos State, where he served as executive director of Zenith Bank before he became governor. His Thursday visit to his hometown, Awa Iman, Onna Local Government Area, for his cousins burial, is his first visit to the state after his successor, Mr Eno, whom he helped to become governor, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Mr Emmanuel, who arrived at the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, in a chartered jet, was received by politicians in the state, including some appointees of Mr Eno, many of whom also served in the administration of the former governor. The former governor reportedly said that he was not in the state for politics, but for his cousins burial, stressing that at the right time, he would return and give direction on the 2027 elections. Emmanuels visit unsettles Akpabios camp Photos and videos of Governor Enos appointees receiving Mr Emmanuel at the airport, with some following him to his country home, went viral on social media on Thursday, apparently unsettling Mr Akpabios camp. What I found most disturbing and concerning are the appointees of Governor Eno who trooped out to welcome their former boss and rubbed it on our faces where their allegiance and loyalty stand, Anietie Ekong, a media aide to Mr Akpabio, posted on Facebook. They stumbled over themselves to take selfies with the former governor and without qualms splashed them on our faces in the social media that their bodies may be with Governor Eno, but their hearts are with Mr Emmanuel. Truth is, some of them are moles in the administration of Governor Eno, Mr Ekong wrote. In that particular Facebook post, Mr Ekong referenced his earlier post on Thursday, where he wrote a quote, attributing it to former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, as saying in 2015 during his ministerial screening. All I will say is that may our loyalty never be tested, he wrote, citing Mr Fashola, and then added, For the political appointees of Governor Eno, their political loyalty was tested and they minced no words in telling us where their loyalty lies. Now, going into an election in 2027, this is very dangerous. Truth is, you cannot serve former Governor Udom Emmanuel, the leader of PDP in Akwa Ibom, and also serve Governor Umo Eno, the leader of APC in Akwa Ibom, at the same time and unashamedly rub it on our faces. People have argued that the reception for the former governor was not political. This may well be so. But what I also saw was PDP flags being waved by the supporters of the former governor. And you still say it was not political, he said. Mr Ekong berated the governors appointees, arguing that they are with the governor with their hearts and that some of them are hanging on and waiting for the right time to strike. One was even heard boasting that Governor Eno cannot do jack and that the governor had often said he would not discriminate against them based on their political beliefs, that he had the right to support the former governor, while serving in the administration of the current Governor! Another said Governor Umo Eno is too weak and claimed he is not a politician! Can you imagine that? Do not get me wrong. People have the right to choose whatever political party they wish to belong to. But it is unacceptable for the appointees of Governor Eno to dilly dally or, for whatever reason, frolic with the former governor. This is me calling out the appointees of Governor Umo Eno to state today, whom they shall serve: their present boss or the former boss, Mr Ekong wrote. Background The trio, Akpabio, Emmanuel, and Eno, were all elected governors of the oil-rich state under the PDP platform, but Messrs Akpabio and Eno have defected to the APC, while Mr Emmanuel remains in the PDP. Before leaving the PDP for APC, Mr Eno repeatedly told the people he was not doing party politics in the state, stressing that he could accept other appointees refusing to join him, but his commissioners, whom he described as his first eleven, must join him in the APC or resign their appointments. Mr Eno has repeatedly said that political parties are only vehicles to seek elected office and that in Akwa Ibom, he was running Akwa United, a coinage he used to refer to governance across party lines. PREMIUM TIMES contacted Mr Ekong and asked him if his article was not contradictory to the position of the governor. READ ALSO: Police rescue 16 abducted passengers in Edo You also heard when the governor said he could excuse the local council chairpersons, state and federal lawmakers, but if you are his appointees from the commissioners down to his personal assistant, you are either with him or you are not with him, he replied. But when reminded that the governor emphasis was on his commissioners, Mr Ekong said, If the commissioners are his first eleven, he also has a second and third eleven. The emphasis is on his appointees. You dont have any right to be here and there. Choose whom to serve either Mr Eno or Mr Emmanuel. Even the Bible says you cannot serve two masters, Mr Ekong told said. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) is mourning eight of its personnel killed in an ambush by suspected kidnappers at Okpella, Edo State, Nigerias South-south. The attack, which lasted for about three hours on Friday night, also left four NSCDC officers critically injured, one Chinese abducted, and four Chinese rescued unhurt. In a statement on Saturday by its national Public Relations Officer, Afolabi Babawale, the NSCDC said that the operatives were deployed to provide security for expatriates attached to the BUA Cement Company. The corps said that the teams convoy was ambushed by gunmen during a routine patrol. It said that its Commandant-General, Ahmed Audi, described the incident as grievous, expressed sorrow at the loss of the gallant operatives, and gave assurance that their sacrifices would not be forgotten. The labour, commitment and patriotism displayed by our operatives will forever be remembered. The corps stands firmly with their families at this moment of grief. The corps said that its Edo commandant and other senior officers would pay condolence visits to the bereaved families and ensure burial of the slain officers with full honours. It added that it would take full responsibility for the medical treatment of the injured personnel to facilitate their recovery. The commandant-general condemned the attack in strong terms, assuring that the NSCDC, in collaboration with other security agencies, is combing forests in Etsako East to rescue the abducted expatriate and apprehend the perpetrators. The corps remains unwavering in its statutory mandate of protecting critical national assets and infrastructure. This cowardly attack will not deter us from carrying out our duties, it said. Abduction now prevalent crime in Nigerian cities Abduction for ransom has become one of the prevalent crimes in many Nigerian cities, with just anyone, including clerics and students, as targets. In Edo, the situation is compounded by cult-related attacks and killings. Gunmen on Friday abducted 29 passengers on a highway in the state. The police have rescued 16 of the abducted passengers. The police said in November last year that the spate of cult violence and the proliferation of arms in the state were worrisome. The then-Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo, while announcing a ban on the activities of Okaigheles (youth leaders) in Edo South District, June last year, in a renewed effort to tackle the menace, said the state at some point lost 150 people in five months to cult-related clashes. Mr Obasekis successor, Monday Okpebholo, said in November last year that the state loses over $1 billion worth of investments annually because of cult-related violence. Mr Okpebholo, just like his predecessor, has declared war on cultism, but the governments efforts seem to yield little or no success as the killings have continued. (NAN) Seven people have been killed and three others abducted by armed men at the Magaji Wando community in the Dandume Local Government Area of Katsina State. Residents and local authorities said the assault began late on Friday and stretched into the early hours of Saturday. They said the bandits stormed the community, firing sporadically. Five people were killed on the spot, while two others died later from gunshot wounds, a resident told journalists. They also abducted three people two women and a boy. Local vigilante members, operating under the state-backed Community Watch Corps (CWC), confronted the attackers and later evacuated the injured to hospitals in Funtua and Katsina. However, on their return, they were ambushed, a resident said. Two members of the security team were killed and eight others were injured in the ambush. The bandits also burnt one of their patrol vehicles, another resident said. Zagazola Makama, a security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, first reported the incident on X (formerly Twitter). The Katsina State Government later issued a statement through the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, acknowledging that seven lives were lost but said the vigilante corps repelled what could have been a far more devastating outcome. READ ALSO: Civil defence mourns 8 operatives killed in Edo attack Nasir Muazu, the commissioner for internal security, commended the bravery and sacrifice of the vigilantes. The latest incident underscores the insecurity in Katsina south, where rural communities face near-daily raids from armed groups. Earlier this week, a local media published footage showing residents in a Katsina community welcoming heavily armed bandits during a so-called peace dialogue. Some villagers were seen taking selfies with the gunmen and shaking hands with them. The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, has disclosed that he has fallen ill and will be cancelling some of his scheduled engagements within and outside the country. Mr Obi made this known in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, explaining that he began feeling unwell during an engagement in Enugu State earlier this week. Earlier in Enugu, I was not feeling well. I visited the hospital where the doctor gave me some medication and advised me to take a day or two days rest. In obedience to the doctors advice, I will not be able to meet up with all my scheduled engagements within and outside the country this weekend, Peter Obi wrote. The former Anambra State governor apologised for the disruption this may cause, while expressing gratitude for the understanding of his supporters and associates. Before the health scare, Mr Obi had participated in an event in Enugu and later visited the Good Hope Specialist Hospital in Isulo, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State. The hospital is being acquired by the Aguata Diocese of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion). During the visit, he announced a 10 million donation to support the diocese in revitalising the hospital into a comprehensive health complex that will include a School of Nursing, Midwifery, and Health Technology. From Isulo, Mr Obi travelled to Owerri, Imo State, where he attended a dinner organised by lawyer Nnaemeka Maduagwu in honour of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai. Reacting to the news of Peter Obis illness, a former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, expressed sympathy and wished him a speedy recovery. I read with sadness Peter Obis post about his ill health. My thoughts are with him. While nobody is perfect, Mr Obi has nevertheless provided invaluable political opposition to Nigeria. He has enriched and deepened our democracy and his existence on our political landscape has some positive effect on the polity. It is certainly reassuring to read that he has consulted a medical professional and has been well advised on a path to recovery. May God preserve Peter Obis life and keep him in good health so that he can continue rendering service to our nation, Mr Omokri wrote on Facebook. Since losing the 2023 presidential election to Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Obi has maintained a busy public schedule, often attending political, business, and faith-based events at home and abroad. He has also been vocal on national issues, particularly the state of the economy, rising insecurity, and the need for improved governance. His political profile has remained prominent, with many of his supporters urging him to remain active on the national stage as Nigeria heads toward the 2027 general election. The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria NAHCON, has announced the promotion and redeployment of some of its staff members. In a statement by its Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations, Fatima Usara, on Friday, the commission announced a new phase of internal reforms aimed at strengthening its operations. According to Mrs Usara, the changes were approved by the commissions Board during its 14th sitting held between 26 and 27, August. The measures include the reposting of certain officers back to their parent Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, with implementation beginning on 4 September. She explained that the decision was taken by the board to eliminate redundancy and reposition the commission for enhanced effective and efficient service delivery. She also said the step was also taken to motivate staff towards higher performance. ..In line with the Boards resolve, the Commissions executive arm has effected the reposting of pool officers back to their respective Ministries, Departments and Agencies with immediate effect. Accordingly, the affected officers were issued with letters on Thursday 4th September, 2025. The Boards decision was taken primarily to eliminate redundancy and reposition the Commission for enhanced effective and efficient service delivery. This step was also taken to motivate staff towards higher performance, the statement said. The names and cadres of the affected staff members were not provided in the statement. The Board also approved promotions and capacity-building programmes to strengthen staff competence and ensure effective service to Nigerian pilgrims. Read the full statement Minor Shake-up in NAHCON; Board Approves Reforms The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) announced a minor shake-up in its workforce following the resolution of its Board at its 14th sitting held between 26th and 27th August 2025. Hence, inline with the Boards resolve, the Commissions executive arm has effected the reposting of pool officers back to their respective Ministries, Departments and Agencies with immediate effect. Accordingly, the affected officers were issued with letters on Thursday 4th September, 2025. The Boards decision was taken primarily to eliminate redundancy and reposition the Commission for enhanced effective and efficient service delivery. This step was also taken to motivate staff towards higher performance. To support the ongoing reforms, the Board approved the promotion of some deserving officers. It also approved Capacity Building Programs for the entire staff aimed at equipping employees with requisite skills to achieve the organizational objectives of the Commission. Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman has assured that the 5th Board would do everything necessary to build an effective and resilient workforce dedicated to fulfilling NAHCONs statutory responsibilities in the service of Nigerian pilgrims. Similarly, NAHCON will continue to introduce other reforms for enhanced productivity. Fatima Sanda Usara, Deputy Director, Information and Public Relations For, Chairman/CEO NAHCON The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has acknowledged the recent donation of $32.5 million from the United States government, which is designated for providing food assistance and nutritional support to internally displaced persons in conflict-affected areas of Nigeria. Additionally, WFP recognised contributions from the United Kingdom, the African Development Bank, the EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), France, Saudi Arabia, and the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). These acknowledgements come at a critical juncture, as the WFP had issued warnings regarding the potential cessation of its operations in Nigeria by the end of July due to funding shortages. In a statement released on Friday, WFP emphasised that the financial support received from the United States government will facilitate emergency food and nutrition assistance for communities adversely affected by conflict in Northeast Nigeria. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes recent contributions from donors since warning that operations would be forced to shut down in July. This includes new funding from the United States of America to support emergency food and nutrition assistance for communities affected by conflict in Northeast Nigeria, the statement said. On Wednesday, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the US government donated $32.5 million to WFP to facilitate food assistance and nutritional support to internally displaced individuals in conflict-torn regions of Nigeria. According to the US government, the assistance includes complementary nutritional support for 41,569 pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls, as well as 43,235 children. The donation came less than two months after the WFP announced in July that it would be forced to suspend all emergency food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in North-east Nigeria by the end of July due to critical funding shortfalls at the organisation. At the time, WFP said it urgently requires $130 million to prevent an imminent pipeline break and sustain food and nutrition operations through the end of 2025. This became apparent about seven months after the Donald Trump administration implemented a significant reduction of 92 per cent in the USAID foreign assistance budget. The cut has considerably diminished the agencys capacity to support developmental initiatives in countries such as Nigeria. Acute hunger On Friday, WFP indicated that the conflict across Nigerias northeast and northwest regions has pushed more than 5 million people into acute hunger, and that more than 2.5 million children are malnourished. It said the US funding, as well as that of other donors received so far, will keep 187 nutrition clinics open across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states. This, WFP said, will encourage and ensure continued treatment for more than 300,000 malnourished children and mothers a service that was on the brink of shutting down earlier. In his remarks, WFP Country Director in Nigeria, David Stevenson, explained that the contributions came at a pivotal moment for Nigeria and the wider region. Escalating conflict is driving farmers from their fields. Over the past nine months, WFP and partners have recorded more than three attacks each day on communities across the northeast, with farmers among the hardest hit, the official said. The WFP boss said the disruption to food production has left families with no means to feed themselves, while those left behind face hunger, displacement, and the risk of recruitment by armed groups. As Africas largest democracy, WFP said Nigeria plays a critical role in safeguarding regional stability and preventing the spread of insecurity across the Sahel. With this funding, WFP will continue to advance humanitarian solutions that drive peace and production, helping to restore Northern Nigerias potential as the nations breadbasket, the statement said. It said support from the United States and other donors will enable WFP to sustain operations over the next three months, reaching 850,000 people in camps and host communities with food assistance. This, WFP said, is a significant reduction from the 1.5 million people it assisted in July, reflecting continued funding shortfalls. WFP urgently calls on other donors, including the Nigerian Government and private sector, to help close the funding gap and co-invest in the region, the UN food agency noted. It stated that without additional contributions, their operations will face further cuts, putting millions of people at risk of deepening hunger. A member of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa (APC, Kano), has raised alarm over what he described as a disturbing wave of politically motivated violence targeted at members and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in his Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency. In a statement on Friday, Mr Doguwa alleged that the attacks were not isolated incidents but part of a deliberate strategy to intimidate and weaken APC structures at the grassroots level. He accused the local leadership of the ruling New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) of orchestrating the violence, warning that such developments pose a serious threat to peace and democracy in Kano State. The lawmaker cited the most recent incident on 28 August, when suspected political thugs allegedly stormed Tasarrufi General Enterprise, a factory located in Tudun Wada. According to him, the attackers unleashed violence on workers and destroyed property worth millions of naira. The invasion, he said, left residents traumatised and in fear of renewed unrest. Mr Doguwa, former majority leader of the House of Representatives, further alleged that the operation was not only premeditated but also had the direct involvement of senior political actors in the state. He singled out the Chairperson of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Kano State chapter, Saadatu Salisu, for blame, accusing her of personally leading the attack. He claimed that Ms Salisu, under the guise of enforcing a demolition exercise, arrived at the factory with armed men who allegedly fired live ammunition at innocent individuals. Among those allegedly targeted, he said, was the APC Chairman of Tudun Wada Local Government, Suyudi Umar, whose life was placed in grave danger. This is barbaric and unacceptable. No one, no matter how highly placed, is above the law. We cannot continue to condone acts that endanger lives and threaten the stability of our democracy, Mr Doguwa said, urging security agencies to intervene decisively to forestall a repeat of such violence. Following his petition, the Kano State Police Command confirmed that it had commenced a full-scale investigation into the matter. The Police Public Relations Officer said that relevant stakeholders including ALGON officials, community leaders, and eyewitnesses, had been invited to provide statements, assuring that the investigation would be thorough and impartial. NNPP reacts Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES, the NNPP Chairperson in Kano State, Hashim Dungurawa, dismissed Mr Doguwas claims, arguing that NNPPs philosophy, symbolised by its emblem a book and academic cap represents knowledge, education, and peaceful reform, not confrontation. There is no way you can gather 10, 20, 50 people and expect all of them to behave in a particular way but whatever transpired in Tudun Wada, I may not be in the picture. I am not aware of this and I dont know about it. But as a party, we are taking precautions to avoid violence in the 2027 general election that is around the corner, he said. Mr Dungurawa insisted that NNPP would not be associated with violence, saying the partys ideology and symbolism were built on knowledge, education, and social reform. Our symbol is a book of knowledge. Nobody who has knowledge will go and beat his brother or sister. Nobody who values knowledge will take hard drugs. We are out to formalise society, to bring sanity and correction, and to make education a top priority in government. That is what our party stands for, the chairman stated. A civil society group has also waded into the matter. Human Rights Network Nigeria (HRN-Nigeria) submitted a petition demanding an independent probe into the incident. The group alleged that the attacks were politically motivated, resulting in injuries to several people and the destruction of properties belonging to opposition supporters. He also called on President Bola Tinubu and the APC national leadership to take up the matter at the highest level, stressing that democracy can only thrive when citizens enjoy the freedom to associate with political parties of their choice without fear of harassment or violence. US President Donald Trump, on Friday, said India and Russia appear to have been lost to China after their leaders met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. On Tuesday, Mr Xi hosted over 20 non-Western leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Chinese port city of Tianjin. This was Mr Modis first visit to China in seven years, marking an improvement in relations between the two Asian giants. Both countries are founding members of BRICS+ but have several areas of disagreement including border disputes. Mr Trump, expressing his disappointment with the meeting, described Mr Modi and Mr Putin as having switched sides to deepest dark China. In a post on Truth Social, he wrote, Looks like weve lost India and Russia to the deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together! The post included a photo of the three leaders standing side by side at Xis summit in China. India and the US have been longtime allies, but their ties slowly began to deteriorate after the Trump administration placed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian imports. The administration accused the Asian country of fuelling deadly attacks on Ukraine by purchasing Russian oil. Also, after the conflict between India and Pakistan in May, Mr Trump believed he brokered peace and suggested his efforts were Nobel Prize-worthy However, India insisted that the ceasefire was reached through direct bilateral dialogue without any third-party mediation being involved. Mr Trumps recent statement further increases the speculation about the rift between the two countries. However, when asked about his remark later on Friday, the US president downplayed his previous statement, saying that the US relationship with India is still intact. Mr Trump insisted that he did not think the US lost India to China. I dont think we have. Ive been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil, as you know, from Russia. And I let them know that, he said. He added that he would always be friends with Mr Modi, stressing that India and the US share a special relationship and that there is no cause for concern. READ ALSO: Trump to rename Defense Department as Department of War Responding to Mr Trumps statement, the Indian Prime Minister said on Saturday that ties with the United States remain very positive. In a post on X, he said, Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trumps sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership. Eight personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have reportedly been killed by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers during an attack on the BUA Cement Company in Okpella, on Friday. The incident was said to have occurred at about 10:00 p.m. when the armed men ambushed the operatives at the entrance of the company. The NSCDC personnel were escorting five Chinese expatriates back to the companys base following a routine patrol. A source who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria disclosed that the officers were members of a security team attached to the cement factory. During the ambush, the assailantsarmed with sophisticated weaponsopened fire on the convoy, killing eight NSCDC operatives and one civilian. The source said the NSCDC responded swiftly to the incident and rescued four of the expatriates, while one expatriate was reportedly abducted by the suspected kidnappers. Four other NSCDC operatives sustained injuries and were currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital, the source added. According to the source, the State Commandant of the NSCDC, Gbenga Agun, visited the scene of the incident and the injured officers in the hospital. When contacted, the NSCDC spokesperson in Edo, Efosa Ogbebor, declined comment, stating that a formal statement would be issued by the NSCDC national headquarters. Vale has officially opened the Capanema mine in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and announced plans to invest 67bn reais ($12.2bn) through 2030. This investment will facilitate safer, more innovative production methods, focusing on sustainability and technology across five operational complexes in Minas Gerais. The reactivation of the Capanema mine, which had been dormant for 22 years, involved an investment of around 5.2bn reais. This included modernising facilities and integrating operations with nearby mines to enhance efficiency and minimise environmental impact. Vale also introduced five autonomous off-road trucks and implemented circular mining practices. One such practice is the reprocessing of iron ore from an old waste pile. The construction phase spanned five years, engaging around 40 companies and more than 6,000 workers at its peak. The mine provides jobs for 800 individuals. The Capanema mine's operations will incorporate natural moisture-based mineral processing, which does not produce tailings, thus negating the need for a dam. The mine is expected to contribute approximately 15 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to Vale's annual iron ore production, aligning with the company's projected output of 340 million tonnes (mt) to 360mt by 2026. Vale CEO Gustavo Pimenta said: Capanema exemplifies the new phase of mining in Minas Gerais and reinforces our commitment to a more responsible production process, minimally invasive and with technology and innovation applied to better utilise mineral resources and support decarbonisation initiatives. Vale's commitment to Minas Gerais is part of its 2030 strategy, which focuses on offering a diversified iron ore portfolio driven by operational enhancements. These investments are expected to generate substantial economic benefits including 440m reais in annual royalties and 3bn reais in yearly salaries for around 60,000 professionals, encompassing both direct and contracted employees. A significant portion of Vale's investments will be allocated to tailings filtering and dry stacking solutions, aiming to reduce the use of dams in Minas Gerais from 30% to 20%. Additionally, the investments will support the decommissioning of dams and dikes under the Upstream Structure Decharacterisation Programme, which has progressed by around 60% since 2019. Of the 13 structures remaining, eight are currently undergoing decharacterisation. All inactive structures are under continuous surveillance by Vale's Geotechnical Monitoring Centres. Vale executive vice-president and chief technical officer Rafael Bittar said: We continue to advance in the management of our geotechnical structures, improving controls and technical studies and developing cutting-edge technology in partnership with our suppliers to eliminate our upstream dams, with an absolute focus on the safety of our employees, neighbouring communities and environmental protection. This is an essential step toward safer mining aligned with societys expectations. Residents of Malabo in Fufore Local Government of Adamawa have raised concern over the outbreak of a strange ailment affecting body parts and causing severe pain among victims. Some patients who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Malabo on Friday, said that the disease usually begins like a boil, later bursts, and gradually eats up the flesh, damaging bones in the affected area. Phibi Sabo, said she had been battling the ailment for weeks. It started like a boil with pains, later got swollen and burst, then began to eat up the flesh on my leg, damaging the bones and causing serious pain. This has left me with an open wound. I cant explain what is happening to me, though I have visited the hospital and received medication, Mrs Sabo said. She appealed for government support, pointing out that many patients can no longer do their daily activities or support their families. Please, we want government assistance before our entire community gets affected, Mrs Sabo cried out. She stressed the need for the government to investigate the cause of the ailment and provide relief materials for affected households. Another victim, Junaidu Adamu, who said he had been battling the same condition for over two months, narrated similar symptoms. About two months ago, after returning from the farm, I felt pains in my leg. It started like a boil, then burst and spread until my flesh started decaying. I spend about N25,000 weekly on medications, but the more I take, the worse the condition gets. Now my wife stays home to care for me and the children, which has affected our livelihood, he said. Mr Adamu also pleaded for the government to urgently intervene before the disease spreads to other communities. Confirming the development, AAliyu Hammawa, the district head of Malabo, said no fewer than 30 persons had been affected. He said eight victims were currently receiving treatment at the Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital (MAUTH),Yola, while others were being treated in the community health facility. He commended the state government for its swift response and called for speedy investigation and diagnosis. Also confirming the outbreak, Suleiman Bashir, chairman of the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, said the agency in collaboration with the local government had engaged 28 victims, but only eight accepted medical treatment. He said the state government had already paid for their treatment at MAUTH, while samples had been taken for histology tests. Results are expected in the next 10 days. We encourage victims to accept medical treatment rather than rely on traditional medicine, he said. Mr Bashir urged residents to promptly report unusual health conditions in their communities to health facilities for proper diagnosis and referral. (NAN) The police in Cross River State said an autopsy will be conducted on the remains of the late Moses Mba, a 22-year-old man recently shot by a police operative attached to the residence of Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River. The Commissioner of Police, Rashid Afegbua, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Calabar on Saturday. Mr Afegbua said that the autopsy was to ascertain the cause of the death, saying, Yes, shooting may be involved, but we need to know what caused the death. We have concluded plans to carry out an autopsy. We need to ascertain if he really died of gunshot injury. The outcome will be made public, he stated. It would be recalled that Mr Mba was reportedly shot in the leg on 1 August by a police operative attached to Mr Otus residence. Victoria Mba, the victims mother, said her son was shot when he visited Mr Otus residence and insisted on seeing the governor. She said that her son died on 9 August at the Naval Reference Hospital, Calabar, following gunshot injuries. He was beaten, shot, and left on his own right in front of the governors residence. It was an official of the Red Cross Society that rushed him to the hospital. Before his death, he told me and my husband that he only requested to see the governor, and that he had a message for him from God. We are calling for justice to be done; nobody has the right to take the life of another person, so justice should be done in this matter, she said. In his reaction, The Commissioner for information, Erasmus Ekpang, said that the late Mba was not mentally balanced. Let it be also known that the place the boy visited is not the governors current residence, he said. The Kano State chapter of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has expelled the House of Representatives member for the Kiru/Bebeji constituency, Abdulmumin Jibrin, from the party. The NNPP leadership in Kano accused Mr Jibrin of anti-party activities and failure to meet his financial obligations to the party. The NNPPs chairperson in Kano, Hashim Dungurawa, announced the sanctions at a press conference, on Saturday. He said the decision followed the lawmakers recent media appearance for discussions against the party and its leadership. Mr Jibrin is a close ally of former Kano governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, who was the 2023 presidential candidate of the party. The lawmaker reportedly indicated interest to dump the NNPP, after meeting with President Bola Tinubu twice recently. At various media appearances, Mr Jibrin said he is old enough to decide what is best for himself. He also said he has used his resources to promote the Kwankwasiyya movement, just as it helped him to return to the National Assembly in 2023. Even the party (NNPP) itself said it is open to negotiations with other parties, so it is not necessary that I follow the direction of the party. Even if I am not together with Kwankwaso, I will never insult him, just the way I have never insulted Ganduje even when we parted ways. I have never requested for any contract even though I contributed to the success of NNPP in Kano State. Kwankwasiyya has stood for me, but I have also stood for it. Nothing is impossible. I can remain in NNPP, I can go back to APC, I can join ADC or PDP or even PRP. I can go to wherever I like. Any time I decide, I will make my position known, Daily Trust quoted Mr Jibrin saying. Expulsion At the press conference, Mr Dungurawa said Mr Jibrin was a weak politician before he clinched the platform of the NNPP and won the 2023 election. If he was truly strong politically, he would have won his election under the APC, but he failed. It was when he joined NNPP through Kwankwasiyya that he became a House of Reps member. Now he is deceiving himself thinking he is strong, Mr Dungurawa said. Mr Dungurawa said Mr Jibrins recent media engagements exposed his plan to leave the NNPP and shift his loyalty from Mr Kwankwaso. Instead of dialogue, he went further to work against our interest, openly declaring loyalty outside the party. That is why we expelled him. He has no value to add, Mr Dungurawa said. The NNPP also accuse the lawmaker of defaulting in the payment of party dues. We will drag him to court to recover what he owes the party. It is a constitutional requirement for every member to pay dues, but he has consistently failed to do so, Mr Dungurawa said. A broadcast journalist, Deji Badmus, has erected a billboard to draw the attention of Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to an open manhole along the Ikeja axis leading to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. In a video that went viral on Saturday, the multiple award-winning journalist and founder of TV360 was seen planting the billboard inside the uncovered manhole. The sign read: Gov Sanwo-Olu fix this open manhole before it takes lives. Mr Badmus said he took the step after narrowly escaping an accident at the spot. He explained that he had initially marked the hazard with a red cloth for more than three months, but government officials ignored it. That manhole has been open for about three months. I almost had an accident here, and just days ago, there was a terrible crash. Thank God no life was lost, he said. It is shocking this has been left like this on such a busy road that connects the international and local airports. Several cars have already run into it. Its a disgrace for a mega city like Lagos. Mr Badmus appealed directly to Governor Sanwo-Olu to intervene, stressing that no barriers had been erected to warn motorists. Attempts by PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday to reach the General Manager of the Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC), Tokunbo Ajanaku, were unsuccessful as calls to the contact listed online went unanswered. Warnings unheeded The incident adds to growing concerns over the theft of manhole covers across Lagos. In January, the Lagos State House of Assembly urged the governor to enforce environmental laws against scavengers responsible for stealing the covers. The motion, moved by Gbolahan Yishawu (Eti-Osa 2), described illegal waste sourcing as a major threat to public infrastructure. Other lawmakers, including Desmond Elliot (Surulere 1) and Kehinde Joseph (Alimosho 1), called for stricter enforcement, community whistle-blowing mechanisms, and registration of waste operators. Deputy Speaker Mojisola Meranda, who presided at the time, also appealed to residents to serve as whistleblowers, warning that government alone cannot curb the menace. The theft of manhole covers mirrors a wider pattern of infrastructure vandalism across Nigeria, affecting roads, bridges, pipelines, power facilities and telecom installations. Such acts have caused accidents, service disruptions, and huge financial losses. LAMATAs measures In April, the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) announced it had begun replacing stolen metal and fibre composite covers at Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) laybys with treated wooden alternatives. The wooden covers, which have no scrap value, are expected to reduce theft and improve safety. LAMATA urged residents to take greater ownership of public infrastructure and protect it from vandals. It would be great to consciously and intentionally build the Nigerian Character and Brand around this notion of selflessness and giving, coupled with a few other qualities that are liberally practised amongst our diverse identities. The Yoruba notion that wealth has many different types, not just money, but also in terms of titles, the kindness, wisdom, amongst many others, can help shift us from a toxic competition for ascendancy towards a consciously more interdependent national identity. It is tough to be a nationalist. This is probably because Nigeria is yet to become a nation, as it works its way through the challenges of being a country of at least 371 different ethnicities. From this diversity, the three nationalities that are dominant are caught up in a toxic competition, often manipulated for the ambition of our political elite. This toxicity is often masked in the half-baked history that is mostly shaped by colonial tropes built into the fabric of received oral history, and inducted into many published works that we now cite liberally. It is rare to read or hear the humility that comes from understanding ethnogenesis or even extending curiosity to the large numbers the wider 35 40 per cent who are not Igbo, Yoruba, or Hausa. Our journey of identity, from being indigenes of whatever ethnicities, tribes, or geographies to becoming citizens of Nigeria, is still emerging, with little intentional design or craft. The challenge is to transform or build attractive platforms of national identity outside the often intermittent efforts of our governments. The world awaits the prospects of an intentional Nigerian nation whose brand and purpose are the flags that fly when you engage our people and products. Africa is in the cusp of becoming home to at least 40 per cent of the youth population of the world, and Nigeria is predicted to be the worlds third most populous country. It is time to truly build a nation by intention and determination, not just by expectation. It does not help matters that in the last 40 years, with our alignment with the world order driven by the singular superpower, the United States of America, we are now more materialistic, compared to who we were in the 1970s. The transition started with the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) government from 1979 to 1983, but it was boosted by the military regime that started in 1985, with their commitment to IMF reforms. In a documented collaboration of the African Philanthropy Forum (APF) and the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), Nigerians have been found to be the most generous people in the world. This has not been covered by the media as widely as the usual Nigeria is a failed British experiment kind of news, or the usual tropes of a poverty capital, or that Insecurity is overwhelming. Anomalies became evident with the rise of a rash of finance houses with their get-rich-by-deposit schemes, and the decimation of middle class urban centres like Kaduna, Enugu, and Ibadan. In addition to the extraordinary success of Lagos and the emergence of Abuja as centres of consumption. There is now an elite whose definition and identity are largely shaped by what they consume. They are obsessed with an international lifestyle that is defined by their private jets, latest cars, and mansions, both in Nigeria and elsewhere. Driven by a fear of lack and poverty, alongside non-access to the indoctrinated labels and luxury they think exemplify excellence, their rarely decolonised minds do not recognise the caricature they have become. In all of these, the everyday Nigerian who struggles with a very low income is a truly generous person. Across the diversity of our cultures and in our basic functions, we are all people who choose to be kind to strangers. Yes, we are often tribalist and easily manipulated to see the worst in our fellow citizens, but our beauty is that we will give first if we encounter a request or see a need, no matter our struggle. The World Giving Report 2025 makes this more than the anecdote of this older nationalist. In a documented collaboration of the African Philanthropy Forum (APF) and Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), Nigerians have been found to be the most generous people in the world. This has not been covered by the media as widely as the usual Nigeria is a failed British experiment kind of news, or the usual tropes of a poverty capital, or that Insecurity is overwhelming. The first point is this report, which is based on a global survey, finds that Africa, by 72 per cent, is the most giving continent, in comparison to the global 64 per cent average. The continent, allegedly the poorest, gives more than any other in the world. Even more interesting is that 89 per cent of Nigerians give out of kindness and generosity, at least 2.83 per cent of their incomes. This is the highest in the entire world. There are far too many fault-lines in a country of such diversity and complexity that both the government and people should be anything less than vigilant, as well as creative, in how we progress towards true nationhood. It is clear that the Nigerian personality is larger than life, resourceful, and generous, but it faces the most danger when we are complacent about its evolution or we take how it will survive for granted. Inspired by our cultures and entrenched by religiosity, we are loving of our neighbours and helpful to strangers as well. What is even more profound is that Nigerians rank 22nd in how generous they believe they are, even though they give more than anyone else. This is humility that would rarely be ascribed to us by Nigeria-pessimists (both local and international) due to our much vilified loudness and directness. Many argue or see these as arrogance, but it seems a defence mechanism in a country of multitudes; the shakara that masks our vulnerability. It would be great to consciously and intentionally build the Nigerian Character and Brand around this notion of selflessness and giving, coupled with a few other qualities that are liberally practised amongst our diverse identities. The Yoruba notion that wealth has many different types, not just money, but also in terms of titles, the kindness, wisdom, amongst many others, can help shift us from a toxic competition for ascendancy towards a consciously more interdependent national identity. We can see Africanisation as modernisation, as the Anambra State Assembly did with the governor recently in signing the Igbo Apprenticeship Scheme into law, using the very successful system that is pan-Igbo to build a formal government approach to vocational education and capacity building. There are many other such virtues the hardy resilience of the Fulani, the courage and warrior instinct of the Bachama, just to name a few. There are far too many fault-lines in a country of such diversity and complexity that both the government and people should be anything less than vigilant, as well as creative, in how we progress towards true nationhood. It is clear that the Nigerian personality is larger than life, resourceful, and generous, but it faces the most danger when we are complacent about its evolution or we take how it will survive for granted. Nigeria has a special gift to the world if truly encouraged in its better angels. Adewale Ajadi, a lawyer, creative consultant and leadership expert, is author of Omoluwabi 2.0: A Code of Transformation in 21st Century Nigeria. The question becomes, how do we resist the tyranny of imagination? We cannot silence it altogether, but we can refuse to be its prisoner. We can name our fears and write them down, often discovering their absurdity on paper. We can anchor ourselves in the present, paying attention to what is actually happening rather than what might happen. We can test our fears against evidence, asking: what do I truly know, and what am I assuming? Our one and only daughter has gone off to college. Madam and I dropped her off the weekend before. As we made the four-hour drive from Houston to Baton Rouge along I-10, the road stretched ahead, both endless and fleeting, as if time itself were torn between holding on and letting go. Between bursts of laughter and quiet silences, we spoke of classes, friendships, boys, the discipline of focus, and, most importantly, the questions that shape a life, namely: the whys that she must never forget. Every word, every pause, was filled with the kind of love parents hope will echo in a childs heart long after they are gone. We tried to hide the ache of knowing she was no longer entirely ours. Though its barely two weeks since she left, my wife is already unraveling. She worries about everything under the sun; what Nkechi eats, whether she is safe, if she is truly happy. She insists she should never take an Uber alone, only with friends, because the world can be unkind, and mothers, as if by instinct, always imagine the worst. I like to think I am handling it a little better, but that is only half true. My worries are quieter, perhaps, but they linger all the same. And the irony is not lost on me: the fact that she has always been such a good kid, responsible, grounded, never giving us reason to lose sleep, has done little to ease the weight of our imagination running wild. The human mind, I have found, is endlessly creative in fabricating disasters where none exist. As humans, it is striking how we conjure entire catastrophic scenarios out of uncertainty. An email from the boss with the subject line See me feels like a summons to doom. A delayed call from a spouse morphs into betrayal. A mild headache becomes the seed of a brain tumour in our imagination. And so, long before anything real has happened, we have already lived through the suffering. Seneca, the stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome, captured this human folly almost two millennia ago when he observed: We suffer more often in imagination than in reality. Pain, in reality, is bounded, finite, and tangible. Fear, in the imagination, is infinite, merciless, and without borders. Michel de Montaigne, centuries later, echoed the same truth: My life has been filled with terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened. As a physician who has spent years in intensive care units (ICU), I can testify that Senecas wisdom plays out daily at the bedside. It is not always the illness itself that consumes the sick, but the anticipation of it. I have seen patients scheduled for surgery tormented the night before, unable to sleep, gripped by the fear that they may not make it through. Yet, once the operation is done, and the tubes and machines are withdrawn, many discover that the suffering of anticipation was far worse than the ordeal itself. Families, too, live through this cycle: they suffer the loss of loved ones many times in their imagination before the actual moment arrives. And when it does, when reality finally demands its share, they often find that it is bearable, even infused with moments of grace, solidarity, and unexpected courage. One of my most important duties as a doctor, beyond prescribing medications and adjusting ventilators, is helping patients and families disentangle real suffering from the imagined one. To remind them, sometimes gently and sometimes firmly, that they need not die a thousand deaths in their minds before the reality arrives. Senecas wisdom remains revolutionary because it cuts across centuries and cultures. We suffer more in imagination than in reality, and reality, for all its sharp edges, often proves kinder than we fear. My wife and I must learn this lesson as we watch our daughter begin her journey into the world and navigate life on her own terms. We must not live through our funeral before our death. History offers further confirmation of this truth. During the major German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in World War II, popularly known as the London Blitz, psychologists observed that the anticipation of bombings often created greater anxiety than the bombings themselves. Once the sirens stopped and the bombs fell, people adapted, found courage, and built community amid the rubble. Reality had boundaries; imagination had none. And it is not just in war or illness. In everyday life, we experience the same dynamic. How many tasks have we procrastinated on because we imagined they would be unbearable, only to discover, once begun, that they were manageable, even easy? How many conversations have we avoided because we pictured them spiraling into conflict, only to find, in reality, that honesty brought relief? Again and again, the dread proves worse than the deed. The problem is even magnified in our digital age. Every headline predicting collapse, every social media feed amplifying disaster, every algorithm pushing sensational fear stories, keeps us in cycles of imagined suffering. We doom-scroll our way into panic, prisoners of what if, sacrificing the present to a future that may never arrive. The tragedy is that imagined suffering is not harmless. Chronic anxiety triggers cascades of stress hormones, raising blood pressure, impairing sleep, weakening immunity. Our bodies pay interest on emotional debts we do not owe. We rehearse pain, and in doing so, we harm ourselves twice: once in anticipation, and once if it comes, in reality. None of this is to deny the legitimacy of suffering. Illness, loss, betrayal, and failure are all part of the human condition. But when they arrive, they are clothed in the particular, not in the boundless infinity of our imagination. Reality, no matter how brutal, often brings with it surprising gifts: resilience we never knew we had, compassion from others, and the discovery of meaning even in pain. I have seen patients facing terminal illness with dignity, families rallying around loved ones, communities rising from tragedy with solidarity and courage. In these moments, reality turned out far kinder than the imagination that preceded it. For reality, unlike fear, comes not only with pain but with the possibility of grace. The question becomes, how do we resist the tyranny of imagination? We cannot silence it altogether, but we can refuse to be its prisoner. We can name our fears and write them down, often discovering their absurdity on paper. We can anchor ourselves in the present, paying attention to what is actually happening rather than what might happen. We can test our fears against evidence, asking: what do I truly know, and what am I assuming? We can recall the resilience we have shown in the past, trusting that we will rise again. And above all, we can refuse to suffer twice. When hardship comes, it will demand its share, let us not pay it in advance. To truly live requires us to resist the tyranny of imagination; the endless rehearsals of suffering that never comes, the fears that rob us of the moment we are standing in. It is the art of inhabiting the present without dying a thousand little deaths before the final one. For the secret of a life well lived is not in banishing fear altogether, but to suffer only what is real. Senecas wisdom remains revolutionary because it cuts across centuries and cultures. We suffer more in imagination than in reality, and reality, for all its sharp edges, often proves kinder than we fear. My wife and I must learn this lesson as we watch our daughter begin her journey into the world and navigate life on her own terms. We must not live through our funeral before our death. Life is already difficult; it does not need the added weight of rehearsed tragedies. I just finished reading a memoir by Femi Otedola, one of Nigerias wealthiest men, and in it he shared a reflection that has stayed with me. Paraphrasing his words: there is a time to be born and a time to die, but in between, we must learn how to live. To truly live requires us to resist the tyranny of imagination; the endless rehearsals of suffering that never comes, the fears that rob us of the moment we are standing in. It is the art of inhabiting the present without dying a thousand little deaths before the final one. For the secret of a life well lived is not in banishing fear altogether, but to suffer only what is real. The mind invents a thousand storms, Each fiercer than the last; While outside, only gentle winds Move quietly and pass. We die in shadows not yet cast, We bleed from wounds unseen; Fear fashions ghosts from empty air And crowns them kings within. Reality has edges sharp, But even pain will end; Imagination has no bounds, No mercy to extend. So let us live where footsteps fall, Not where phantoms reign; For life is hard enough to bear Without rehearsed pain. Osmund Agbo is a US-based medical doctor and author. His works include Black Grit, White Knuckles: The Philosophy of Black Renaissance and a fiction work titled The Velvet Court: Courtesan Chronicles. His latest works, Pray, Let the Shaman Die and Maam, I Do Not Come to You for Love, have just been released. He can be reached@ [email protected] Herbert von Karajan once gave the Berlin Philharmonic a sound the world could recognise in a single phrase. That is the challenge before Muhammad Ali Pate. He has built architecture where there was none, compelled governors and partners into one compact, channelled billions directly to frontline clinics, expanded insurance, revitalised immunisation, embedded nutrition into health planning, commissioned oncology centres, rehabilitated teaching hospitals, shaped policies to stem the exodus of health workers and dared to enforce tempo. In April 1955, the Berlin Philharmonic faced a moment of uncertainty. Its great conductor, Wilhelm Furtwangler, had died, leaving behind one of the worlds finest orchestras but no one to hold it together. A hall of virtuosos risked splintering into noise. Then Herbert von Karajan stepped to the podium. With a single lift of his baton, the fragments became a symphony. Over the next three decades, he shaped the Philharmonics identity so profoundly that critics said he did not merely conduct, he disciplined chaos into harmony. A philharmonic, from the Greek for love of harmony, is never just an assembly of players. It is a fragile balance of strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion each capable of brilliance, yet each able to overwhelm the others. The conductor does not play a note but interprets the score, sets the tempo, and ensures that every part breathes together. Without that hand, there is cacophony. With it, there is music. Nigerias health system has long resembled an orchestra without such a conductor. Ministries, thirty-six states, development partners, local councils and overstretched health workers all played their parts, but too often in fragmented isolation. The result was duplication, waste and silence in moments when lives depended on sound. It was into this hall that Muhammad Ali Pate returned in August 2023, leaving a senior position at the World Bank, a Harvard professorship, and a global role at Gavi. He came home not as a soloist seeking applause but as a conductor determined to draw coherence from a fractured score. The instrument he chose was the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII). Within four months, at the behest of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Pate brought every governor and seventeen development partners into one Compact at the Presidential Villa. At the core lay a Sector-Wide approach (SWAp) hinged on one plan, one budget, one report and one conversation, which for the first time placed Nigerias health system under a unified framework for alignment, resource convergence and accountability on a path to amplifying impact on population health outcomes. A SWAp Programme Management Unit was established within the Presidency itself, giving the reform endeavour a podium at the highest political level. Anchored on the Presidents Renewed Hope Agenda, health reform gained political cover and urgency. Billions of dollars in commitments were aligned to a single score. Primary health centres are the strings of Nigerias orchestra, carrying the melody and shaping the rhythm of daily health. Here the most visible transformation has begun. Nearly 90 billion has been disbursed directly to more than eight thousand primary healthcare facilities, money once lost in bureaucracy now reaching the nurses and midwives in charge in the facilities. Over a thousand, three hundred centres have already been fully revitalised, with more than five thousand more underway, towards a target of seventeen thousand functional PHCs across the country. Power, water, cold chain equipment and diagnostics are starting to replace the emptiness of painted walls. In just the first quarter of 2025, more than thirty-seven million Nigerians sought care at this level from 10 million in the same quarter in 2024, signalling improved confidence in the health system. To sustain this rhythm, the new Community-Based Procurement Platform was launched under the 17 billion Social Action Fund. It geo-tags procurement to the ward level, empowers local organisations, and assigns compliance officers across all seven hundred and seventy-four local government areas. Women-led and disability-focused community organisations are no longer left out they are now embedded in procurement governance. But melody alone does not fill a hall. The brass must add force. Pates answer has been the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain. He has long argued that no nation is secure if it imports the medicines on which its survival depends. By 2025, the initiative had attracted more than $5 billion in bankable projects, including $1 billion each from Afrexim Bank and the European Investment Bank, and more than $200 million from a single manufacturer. Equity became the principle behind the score. Clinics are being upgraded across all the states with no community left behind. Insurance coverage, once a distant dream of the poor, expanded from sixteen million people in 2023 to twenty million by early 2025. Premium subsidies now protect vulnerable households from the financial shocks of illness. The Catastrophic Health Insurance Fund, approved in the 2025 budget, is targeting high-cost conditions such as cancer and kidney disease conditions that often drive families into poverty. Three new oncology centres have opened in Katsina, Enugu and Benin, with three more in the pipeline. State performance scorecards and strict enforcement of a SWAp incentive framework are compelling governors to align to the NHSRII priorities (through revamped State annual operating plans) and match commitment with cash or in kind contributions, such as in human resource, facility revisitation, digital health infrastructure and the supply of essential commodities. Nigeria now leads the continent in governance, resource convergence and accountability under the SWAp compact. While out-of-pocket spending still exceeds seventy per cent, the foundations for fairer more equitable financing are finally being laid. Maternal and child health is no longer an afterthought. Through the NHIA-empanelled MAMII, one hundred and seventy-two local government areas home to half of all maternal deaths are now prioritised. Since 2023, more than thirteen million antenatal visits and four million skilled deliveries have been recorded, alongside thousands of free caesarean sections. Fourteen million adolescent girls have received HPV vaccines, and fifty thousand previously unreached children were covered in one hundred focus local government areas. Prevention is finding its place beside cure. But melody alone does not fill a hall. The brass must add force. Pates answer has been the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain. He has long argued that no nation is secure if it imports the medicines on which its survival depends. By 2025, the initiative had attracted more than $5 billion in bankable projects, including $1 billion each from Afrexim Bank and the European Investment Bank, and more than $200 million from a single manufacturer. Six international firms have announced plans to begin production in Nigeria, supported by an Executive Order waiving import duties on machinery and raw materials. Alongside this industrial drive, federal teaching hospitals have begun long overdue rehabilitation part of a strategy to restore them as centres of excellence and reduce dependence on medical tourism. It was the brass section entering with force and confidence. Even so, percussion intruded. Cholera flared with the rains and diphtheria struck again, outbreaks beating their drums across communities. The Ministry responded by creating the Nigeria Preparedness and Readiness Alert System, a predictive platform, and by training more than three hundred infection prevention officers across hospitals. These were important beats, but percussion cannot dominate. Without safe water, sanitation and resilient vaccination, outbreaks will continue to cut into the melody. No orchestra can survive without breath. In music it comes from the woodwinds. In health it comes from the workforce. Nigerias doctors, nurses and midwives provide this balance, but their sound is thinning. Of one hundred and thirty thousand doctors ever registered, fewer than sixty thousand remained active in 2023, and every month more leave for the United Kingdom, Canada or the Gulf. To respond, a Health Workforce Migration Policy has been introduced the first structured framework to manage this exodus by balancing mobility with national needs and by negotiating fairer terms with destination countries. Alongside it, the National Health Fellows Programme has placed young professionals in every local government area, offering presence and accountability at the primary level. Together they are early steps to keep the orchestra breathing rather than gasping for air. Reforms to the Basic Health Care Provision Fund are underway. Discussions are ongoing to deduct counterpart funding at source, raise the CRF share above one per cent, and earmark part of FAAC savings for health, school feeding and social protection. These actions would stabilise the base for vaccine access, health security, health insurance, local manufacturing and primary care. Then, in a defining act, President Tinubu, early this month, on advice from the Health Ministry, issued a directive that no procurement, licence, or regulatory approval would proceed without the proof of health insurance. The NHIA certificate is now as essential as a tax ID. Health financing finally has a tempo, and enforcement is the new baton. The target is clear: forty-four million Nigerians insured by 2030, forming the largest risk pool on the continent. Fiscal conditions now permit it. The national deficit has dropped from 5.4 to 3 per cent of GDP. Revenues have risen to 11.5 per cent. Thirty-four states are reporting surpluses. It is finally possible to fund dignity. New energy is coming from the diaspora. Several now enable structured remittances that fund health insurance for families back home. Health taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages are under reviewnot just for their deterrent effect, but to unlock new fiscal space and make Nigerians healthier. Reforms to the Basic Health Care Provision Fund are underway. Discussions are ongoing to deduct counterpart funding at source, raise the CRF share above one per cent, and earmark part of FAAC savings for health, school feeding and social protection. These actions would stabilise the base for vaccine access, health security, health insurance, local manufacturing and primary care. The true measure will not be found in compacts or memoranda. It will be in lives. Success is a midwife in Zamfara who can count on oxytocin and a working lamp at two in the morning. It is an officer in Rivers who can resolve a stockout in hours rather than days. It is a carpenter in Onitsha who can refill his hypertension drugs predictably every month without selling a goat. Failure is subtler a clinic with new paint but empty fridges, a governor who signs a compact but withholds counterpart funds, an insurance card that buys nothing. Herbert von Karajan once gave the Berlin Philharmonic a sound the world could recognise in a single phrase. That is the challenge before Muhammad Ali Pate. He has built architecture where there was none, compelled governors and partners into one compact, channelled billions directly to frontline clinics, expanded insurance, revitalised immunisation, embedded nutrition into health planning, commissioned oncology centres, rehabilitated teaching hospitals, shaped policies to stem the exodus of health workers and dared to enforce tempo. And he has done so under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu, whose political cover has given reform legitimacy and urgency. The orchestra is vast, the score ambitious, the stakes life and death. Whether Nigeria finally hears the music of renewal will depend on whether the conductor can hold the tempo long enough for harmony to emerge. Then, Nigeria may at last hear its long delayed symphony of health. Chinedu Moghalu is the senior special adviser on Strategic Communication, Stakeholder Engagement and Advocacy to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, while Muntaqa Umar Sadiq is the National Coordinator of the Sector-wide Coordinating Office-Programme Management Unit. Like a thunderbolt from outer space, the announcement by the PDP National Executive Committee about its decision to zone its presidential candidacy to the southern part of Nigeria ahead of the 2023 presidential election has set the Nigerian political space alight with renewed conversations about the future of Nigerias liberal representative democracy. Although not altogether unexpected, this move by the PDP symbolises a party in repentance of the mortal sin it committed in 2023 when it violated its zoning principle by failing to work for the emergence of a southern Nigerian candidacy after the eight year northern presidency of President Muhammadu Buhari. To maintain equity, justice and fairness as well as prevent issues such ethnic and religious dominance in Nigerias democracy; something similar to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) principle in Western Democracies, Nigerias ruling elite have devised the principles of zoning and rotation of elective as well as appointive public offices to this end since independence in 1960. But unfortunately for the PDP, it made a wrong gamble by jettisoning zoning when it threw up former vice president Atiku Abubakar, a northerner to succeed President Buhari, another northerner after eight years in power, thereby violating the sanctity of zoning, which oscillates presidential power between the north and south every eight years. When the PDP violated zoning it also set sail against the wind of presidential power that was blowing south in 2023. And as was predicted on the page, the former ruling party turned major opposition party was going to run into trouble waters and sink into oblivion. I had this to say then, That the PDP may not sail against the strong wind of presidency that is blowing south, will be for the party to field a southern candidate as its presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election. For the PDP 2023 presidential election is not just about winnability but actual survival. While the APC is dominant in the north and the PDPs strongest support base is in the south, the move by the APC to field a southern candidate in the 2023 presidential election will torpedo the PDP from the region if the party fields a northern candidate. And if the PDP goes ahead to sail against the wind in 2023 by fielding a northern candidate, the ship of the party will capsize, sink into oblivion as the party will lose in the north and in the south to the APC and go into extinction in post Buhari Nigeria. And true this prediction, the PDP was on the throes of death, nestled in political Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and waiting for final internment until the decision to work for the emergence of a Nigerian president of southern extraction on its platform in 2027. This is because when Atiku happened to the PDP, it developed a Wike problem, which was cancerous in nature as it rapidly spread and ravaged the party from within. However, having reached this decision to pick its next presidential flag bearer from the south, in alignment with national expectations and in conformity with the prevailing zoning arrangement, which will have the presidency retained in the south until 2031, the PDP is well on the long road to recovery. This crucial decision by the PDP, though but late not too late, is a reasonable, pragmatic, wise and strategic one that will halt the sinking of the party into oblivion and resuscitate the dying giant of Nigerias Fourth Republic Democratic dispensation. But for the PDP it is not yet Uhuru. In addition to the PDPs lack of a clear cut alternative to what the APC currently offers, the partys Wike problem still festers as the former governor of Rivers State and current FCT minister, has made it crystal clear to all that he is fully committed to the re-election of APCs President Ahmed Bola Tinubu in 2027 while remaining a powerful member of the main opposition PDP. This stand will suggest that the ebullient Ezenwo Nyesom Wike may not be as enthusiastic about the recovery of the PDP as it will be in the interest of President Tinubus re-election if the main opposition party remains divided and in crisis. But going forward, Wike will be standing on a weak moral waging an internal war against a party that has repented of its sin after taking a decision to right the wrong of 2023 in 2027. While Wike is within his democratic right to continue to support President Tinubu going into the 2027 presidential election, he should limit it to deploying his political influence to mobilize maximum support for him without resorting to undermining the PDPs road to recovery through subterranean means. Minister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has fought a good fight and the decision to zone the candidacy of the PDP to the south is a clear vindication for him as he may have lost the battle against Atiku in the party primaries in 2023, he has eventually won the war for the soul of the party. And for those who accuse Wike of anti-party activities, let it be known that those most guilty of anti-party activities against the PDP are Atiku Abubakar, the northern wing of PDP and their southern cohorts who conspired to treacherously violate the zoning agreement within the party when it mattered most. And Wike was within his right as a Nigerian and southerner to work against any party arrangement that violates the principles of equity, fairness, inclusion and justice in a manner that undermines the social cohesion, unity and peace of the Nigerian state. An important hallmark of liberal democracy is the absolute right to democratic choices in line with ones conviction and conscience. For example, in 2013, Democratic President Barack Obama of the United States of America appointed Senator Chuck Hagel, a Republican as his Secretary of Defence. This was because, unlike typical Republican conservatives, Senator Hagel was less hawkish and more conciliatory towards matters of international security especially as it concerns the Middle East Peace Process. Similarly, Senator John McCain, a leading member of the Republican Party of America rejected the candidacy of Donald Trump, his own party nominee for the November 2016 presidential election and instead threw his support behind Hillary Clinton of the Democratic because he considered Trump an American presidential misfit. Back home in Nigeria, when the same PDP violated the zoning arrangement in 2011 and 2015, the northern wing of the party revolted against the party from within in rejection of the southern candidacy of Goodluck Jonathan. This is because loyalty to nation comes before loyalty to party in a liberal democracy and there is a clear difference between protest votes and anti-party activities. In a liberal democratic setting, individuals and groups within a party are allowed to protest against party decisions on candidacy and even legislations in parliaments if in their consideration these decisions run contrary to their principles, beliefs or interests. But recall that once PDP realised its 2015 mistake and retraced its steps by zoning its presidential ticket to the north, the party experienced a rebound enough to give the APC a hot chase for the number one position in the land. So, while he is well within his right to support any candidate of his choice as a protest against the PDPs decision to violate zoning, but like Okonkwo in Achebes Things Fall Apart, who was advised against having a hand in the death of Ikemefuna, a boy that calls him father, Wike should not have a hand in the death of a party that calls him leader by embarking on anti-party activities by undermining the recovery of the PDP. As it turned out, Obierika was Okonkwos best friend. Majeed Dahiru, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja and can be reached through [email protected]. FirstBank, the leading financial institution and provider of financial inclusion services in West Africa, has officially launched its FirstMonie Merchant Solution. This innovative platform is designed to enable merchants and businesses across Nigeria to seamlessly accept digital payments with efficiency and ease. The FirstMonie Merchant Solution responds to the increasing need for dependable digital payment systems by offering a streamlined and automated onboarding process, an integrated referral system, and customizable features such as Pay with Transfer and Purchase. Additional capabilities include instant settlement, concession management with flexible and competitive pricing, automatic terminal registration, and a comprehensive suite of products spanning all pricing tiers. The solution comes equipped with pre-configured, ready-to-use POS terminals, as well as a network dashboard offering real-time monitoring, dispute resolution, and complaint management. These functionalities contribute significantly to improving the merchant experience by enhancing liquidity, accuracy, and operational control, while effectively minimizing chargebacks. Chuma Ezirim, Group Executive, E-Business and Retail Products at FirstBank, remarked on the launch: FirstMonie Merchant Solution is set to transform digital payments in Nigeria. With its advanced features and seamless onboarding, we are empowering businesses of all sizes and locations to thrive in the digital economy. He further emphasized that the FirstMonie Merchant Solution will enhance operational efficiency within Nigerias payments industry. This is not merely a product introduction; we are simplifying payment processes and providing merchants with improved transparency, control, and speed for daily transactions. At FirstBank, our commitment remains steadfast in building financial ecosystems that offer value, convenience, and trust to all stakeholders. Both new and existing FirstBank account holders can access the FirstMonie Merchant Solution through a straightforward online registration at www.firstbanknigeria.com/getyourpos. Leveraging FirstBanks established technological infrastructure, the FirstMonie Merchant Solution demonstrates the Banks dedication to fostering growth and financial inclusion by delivering scalable, reliable, and user-friendly digital solutions tailored to the evolving needs of Nigerian enterprises. Beyond enabling seamless digital payments, the FirstMonie Merchant Wallet Solution reinforces FirstBanks commitment to the safety and security of merchant funds, a critical assurance that many Fintech alternatives do not provide. With a heritage spanning 131 years, FirstBank continues to drive innovation in African banking. The introduction of the FirstMonie Merchant Solution reaffirms the Banks leadership in digital banking and underscores its mission to broaden access to financial services nationwide. Supported by a network of over 300,000 FirstMonie agents, FirstBank maintains its position at the forefront of accessible and innovative financial solutions for individuals and businesses throughout Nigeria. About FirstBank First Bank of Nigeria Limited FirstBank, established in 1894, is the premier bank in West Africa, a leading financial inclusion services provider in Africa, and a digital banking giant. FirstBanks international footprints cut across three continents Africa, Europe and Asia, with FirstBank UK Limited in London and Paris; FirstBank in The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea and Sierra Leone; FBNBank in Senegal; and a FirstBank Representative Office in Beijing, China. All the subsidiary banks are fully registered by their respective Central Banks to provide full banking services. Besides providing domestic banking services, the subsidiaries also engage in international cross-border transactions with FirstBanks non-Nigerian subsidiaries, and the representative offices in Paris and China facilitate trade flows from Asia and Europe into Nigeria and other African countries. For over 13 decades, FirstBank has built an outstanding reputation for solid relationships, good corporate governance, and a strong liquidity position, and has been at the forefront of promoting digital payment in the country with over 13 million cards issued to customers (the first bank to achieve such a milestone in Nigeria). FirstBank has continued to make significant investments in technology, innovation and transformation, and its cashless transaction drive has been steadily accentuated with virtually over 25 million active FirstBank customers signed up on digital channels including the USSD Quick Banking service through the nationally renowned *894# Banking code. With over 43 million customer accounts (including digital wallets) spread across Nigeria, UK and sub-Saharan Africa, the Bank provides a comprehensive range of retail and wholesale financial services through more than 820 business offices and over 280,000 agent locations spread across 772 out of the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria. In addition to banking solutions and services, FirstBank provides pension fund custody services in Nigeria through First Pension Custodian Nigeria Limited and nominee and associated services through First Nominees Nigeria Limited. FirstBanks commitment to diversity is shown in its policies, partnerships and initiatives such as its employees ratio of female to male (about 41%:59%; and 37% women in management roles) as well as the FirstBank Women Network, an initiative that seeks to address the gender gap and increase the participation of women at all levels within the organization. In addition, the Banks membership of the UN Women is an affirmation of a deliberate policy that is consistent with UN Womens Women Empowerments Principles (WEPs) Equal Opportunity, Inclusion, and Nondiscrimination. For six consecutive years (2011 2016), FirstBank was named Most Valuable Bank Brand in Nigeria by the globally renowned The Banker Magazine of the Financial Times Group and Best Retail Bank in Nigeria eight times in a row, 2011 2018, by the Asian Banker International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards. Significantly, FirstBanks Global Credit Rating was A+ with a positive outlook while ratings by Fitch and Standard & Poors were A (nga) and ngBBB+ respectively both with Stable outlooks as atSeptember 2023. FirstBank maintained the same level of international credit ratings as the sovereign; a milestone that was achieved in 2022 for the first time since 2015. In 2024, FirstBank received notable international awards and accolades. Some of these include Nigerias Best Bank for ESG 2024 and Nigerias Best Bank for Corporates 2024 both awarded by Euromoney Awards for Excellence; Best SME Bank in Africa and in Nigeria by The Asian Banker Global Awards; Best Private Bank in Nigeria and Best Private Bank for Sustainable Investing in Africa by Global Finance Awards; Best Corporate Bank in Nigeria 2024, Best CSR Bank in Nigeria 2024, Best Retail Bank in Nigeria 2024, Best SME Bank in Nigeria 2024 and Best Private Bank in Nigeria 2024 all awarded by the Global Banking and Finance Awards. FirstBank has continued to gain wide acclaim on the global stage with several international awards and recognitions received so far in 2025 which includes Best SME Bank in Nigeria 2025 and Best SME Bank in Africa 2025 by The Asian Banker; Best Private Bank in Nigeria 2025 and Best Private Bank for Sustainable Investing in Africa 2025 by Global Finance Awards; SME Financier of the Year in Nigeria 2025 by The Digital Banker Global SME Banking Innovation Awards; Best Retail Bank in Nigeria 2025 and Best Bank for Empowering Women Entrepreneurs in Nigeria 2025 all by The Annual Global Economics Awards. FirstBanks vision is To be Africas Bank of first choice and our mission is To remain true to our name by providing the best financial services possible. This commitment is anchored on our core values of EPIC Entrepreneurship, Professionalism, Innovation and Customer-Centricity. Our strategic ambition is To deliver accelerated growth in profitability through customer-led innovation and disciplined execution. Jobberman Nigeria, a foremost career development and recruitment solutions company in Nigeria, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, successfully hosted a special career and business forum for Persons With Disabilities in Adamawa State. The event themed, Empowered to Achieve More, was designed to provide jobseekers and business owners (existing and aspiring) with direction on how to advance in their growth pursuits. Participants at the event raved on and on about the impact of the event in their plans going forward. Aminatu, an aspiring business owner with visual impairment, said she received counselling from the counsellors on how to go about her business set-up. The counsellor told me that I may need to get more training on business operations and also check with Jobberman to help me get loans from bank like the FCMB loan they mentioned she explained. Another participant, a school teacher living with albinism, expressed his deep satisfaction at how much the panel session opened his eyes to the need for compassion in dealing with people who do not have disabilities and may be unpleasant in their exchanges with him. People always make fun of us and say that we cannot see anything and I used to get very angry but today I have learned to be patient and understanding with them, especially as a school teacher. I will be more patient with my students One of the panelists, Ms Grace Dauda, a farmer and shoemaker, encouraged the attendees with her story. I used to crawl to my farm to plant and people would just look at me, some with pity, others with awe. I knew that I needed to show that I am only physically challenged and not completely helpless. That was the first step in getting people to even see my plight and help me. So, Persons With Disabilities should not hide or be shy. Nobody can help you if they dont see you Her story created a palpable hope in the room that the events objectives are indeed achievable for Persons With Disabilities. In her welcome speech, the Senior Consultant, the Strategy team, Jobberman Nigeria, Oladoyin Kolawole, iterated the organisations commitment to providing the necessary all-encompassing support for career and business advancement to jobseekers and business owners, especially, Persons With Disabilities in marginalised places. The Mastercard Foundation in partnership with Jobberman Nigeria is committed to giving not just a voice to marginalised persons such as women and Persons With Disabilities, we are also putting measures in place to create opportunities for them to dream freely and achieve those dreams, whether in a career path or in an entrepreneurial pursuit. We want them to be able to hold their own regardless of the obstacles in their paths and this event is one of the many ways we are helping them win The special career and business forum featured a comprehensive programme including a riveting panel session where the panelists shared real life analogies, examples and anecdotes for not just surviving as a Person With Disability but thriving and forging on with the tools at ones disposal.The session was followed by a career and business counselling session where participants had the chance to ask questions pertaining to their peculiar situations, and plans. The transformative impact of the events were echoed in the feedback from several participants during the feedback session. A young man with a hearing impairment said the event was the first time he felt heard because nobody usually paid attention to Persons With Disabilities like him. Another participant said they were very happy to be among their kind and to repeatedly hear that they should be bold. Others gushed about the counselling session and how great it felt to be able to speak to someone about their dreams. A young woman said didnt know how to prepare for an interview prior to the Forum but had learnt to be there on time, not loiter about, come with a detailed CV and speak boldly. The Adamawa Forum For Persons With Disabilities reiterated Jobbermans position as a committed agent of positive change in the world of work, transforming upcoming and established professionals in their respective career journeys. The event was a testament to the organisations mission to empower Persons With Disabilities with skills and opportunities for growth in both employment and entrepreneurial endeavours. Key Points C3.ai just reported Q1 losses 72% worse than last year's. The company founder is stepping down as CEO. And C3.ai has already hired his replacement. 10 stocks we like better than C3.ai C3.ai (NYSE: AI) stock slipped 3.2% through 11:25 a.m. ET Wednesday after the artificial intelligence app maker reported worse-than-expected sales and earnings results last night. Heading into the company's fiscal Q1 2026 report, Wall Street was already pessimistic, thinking C3.ai would lose $0.21 per share on sales of $93.9 million, but the news was worse. C3's sales totaled only $70.3 million, and its loss was $0.37 per share. Image source: Getty Images. C3.ai Q1 earnings It gets worse. Turns out $0.37 was a non-GAAP (adjusted) number, and when calculated according to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), C3.ai actually lost more than twice as much -- $0.86 per share, 72% worse than its loss one year ago. To its credit, C3 says these results are "completely unacceptable." CEO and company founder Thomas Siebel blames disruption from the company's restructuring and his own "unanticipated health issues." Now, the good news (says C3), "is we have completely restructured the sales and services organization," including by hiring "an exceptionally talented new CEO to take the company to the next level." Acting Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration Stephen Ehikian took over management of the company on Labor Day. Is C3.ai stock a buy? Ehikian's new job won't be a walk in the park, however. Turning to guidance, C3.ai says revenue in fiscal Q2 2026 is looking only modestly better than Q1's -- $72 million to $80 million -- and the company is expecting to report another loss (between about $50 million and $58 million non-GAAP, and perhaps worse GAAP). Indeed, no analysts following the company currently forecast C3.ai turning profitable...ever. Until that changes, I can hardly call C3.ai stock a buy. Should you buy stock in C3.ai right now? Before you buy stock in C3.ai, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and C3.ai wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $661,268!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $1,045,818!* Boko Haram terrorists have reportedly killed 66 people in two attacks in the Bama and Monguno areas of Borno State. Local media outlets reported that the first attack occurred Friday night in Darul Jamal, a village in Bama, where 61 men and three women, who had recently been resettled from the Government Science Secondary School IDPs camp in Bama, were massacred. Those killed include seven identified as drivers and six as labourers from Maiduguri. The terrorists reportedly burnt down 20 houses and 10 buses as residents fled to safer areas. The latest attack has been described as recording the highest fatalities in the Bama Local Government Area since the insurgents took over its headquarters more than 10 years ago. Speaking with journalists in Maiduguri on Saturday, Zainab Gimba, the member the House of Representatives for the region, condemned the attack and called on the federal government to improve security in the area. Military says it killed more than 30 attackers Meanwhile, the military said Nigerian Air Force jets and ground troops struck back in a joint operation at Darul Jamal, killing more than 30 insurgents, according to Ehimen Ejodame, NAF spokesperson. In a series of three precise and successive strikes, the fleeing terrorists were decisively engaged, resulting in the neutralisation of over 30 insurgents, Mr Ejodame, an air commodore , said in a statement on Saturday. He added that reinforcements later secured the town and stabilised the situation. Meanwhile, the insurgents also killed two immigration officers on Thursday in the Mungono Local Government Area. The Insurgents reportedly invaded the town at midnight, targeting the immigration office. These incidentss were less than seven days after the Insurgents killed seven people in Gwoza and Nigerian Army reported several killing of the Insurgents in different operations across the state. Darul Jamal was among the latest communities resettled by the Borno State government after years of displacement caused by Boko Harams occupation of Bama, one of the hardest-hit areas during the insurgency. Despite recent military gains, the region remains vulnerable to raids. The Kaduna State Police Command has summoned former Governor Nasir El-Rufai and several chieftains of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over alleged criminal conspiracy, incitement of public disturbance, mischief, and causing grievous hurt. The invitation is contained in a letter, a copy which was obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, dated 4 September and signed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Uzainu Abdullahi. It directed Mr El-Rufai and the others to report to the State CID headquarters on 8 September. Those invited include: Bashir Saidu, Jafaru Sani, Ubaidullah Mohammed, aka 30, Nasiru Maikano, Aminu Abita and Ahmed Rufai Hussaini, aka Mikiya. Rising tensions between the Kaduna government and El-Rufai The summons came on the heels of verbal exchanges between the Kaduna State Government and the former governor over violence at an ADC meeting in Kaduna last week. In a strongly worded statement after the incident, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Suleiman Shuaibu, accused Mr El-Rufai of attempting to destabilise the state. This Government will 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. According to the commissioner, the former governors actions, including what he termed an illegal and chaotic political meeting, were calculated attempts to incite unrest following the defeat of his allies in the 16 August bye-elections. But Mr El-Rufai rejected the allegations. In a video circulated on social media, he accused alleged state-backed thugs of disrupting a peaceful ADC gathering. Thugs attacked us and some of our supporters were wounded. The police had earlier barricaded the venue but left before we arrived, Mr El-Rufai said. People speak Political observers and commentators in the state are divided on the implications of the police summons. Umar Mohammed and Amina Yusuf, who are residents of Kaduna, while speaking to PREMIUM TIMES, warned that the development could heighten political tension in the state. Summoning El-Rufai at this time may further inflame passions, especially among his supporters who see him as being unfairly targeted. This could deepen the political fault lines, Mr Yusuf said. However, Hassan Lawal, a Kaduna-based public affairs analyst, welcomed the police intervention saying, Nobody is above the law. If allegations of violence and incitement are linked to a former governor or his associates, it is only right that they are investigated. What matters is fairness, not political sentiment. Allies turned Adversaries: The El-RufaiUba Sani relationship The rift between Governor Uba Sani and his predecessor, Mr El-Rufai, has become one of Kadunas most talked-about political stories. During the 2023 general elections, Mr El-Rufai was instrumental in Uba Sanis rise, championing his candidacy and mobilising the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to back him. Their relationship was once described as mentor and protege. READ ALSO: Rep accuses NNPP leaders of orchestrating violence against APC supporters But after Mr Sani assumed office, cracks appeared in the relationship and have widened. The new administration has repeatedly questioned Mr El-Rufais legacy, accusing him of leaving behind a heavy debt burden and strained intercommunal relations. Mr El-Rufai, in turn, accused Mr Sanis government of incompetence and attempting to erase his achievements. The recent police summons, observers note, could mark a new low in the deteriorating ties between the two political figures who once stood shoulder to shoulder. A Magistrate Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has discharged and acquitted a journalist accused of defaming a former Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, Emmanuel Effedua. The court delivered the judgement on 10 July. Mr Effedua, a retired naval commodore, was first appointed rector of the academy in November 2017 and reappointed in 2021 for a final four-year term, but resigned in January 2025. The Nigerian police had arraigned the journalist, Gideon Ekere, the publisher of ThePost Newspaper, for allegedly defaming Mr Effedua. The arraignment followed the newspaper publication in September 2021 that Mr Effedua sacked a whistleblower for exposing the rectors alleged corruption in the academy. The whistleblower, Adamu Jibril, is a former staff member of the academy. He had accused the rector of victimisation. Defamation allegation In a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Ekere said his newspaper published a story from a petition that Mr Jibril wrote to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the National Assembly, alleging that Mr Effedua connived with some officials of the institution, including himself (Mr Jibril), bursar and cashier to siphon public funds Mr Jibril further noted that he protested that, after using his account to divert over N62m between 2018 and 2020, it was unfair for the management and the cartel not to assist him when he needed assistance. Mr Effedua reportedly denied Mr Jibrils financial assistance when his (Jibrils) mother was said to have been seriously ill, prompting him to raise the alarm about the alleged fraudulent activity of the rector. He was subsequently sacked, the statement said. Dissatisfied with the publication, the former rector petitioned the journalist to the police, who arrested and charged him with defamation. Mr Effedua reportedly testified before the court that he was aware of Mr Jibrils petition and that he had honoured the invitations of the anti-graft agencies and the National Assembly, and that nothing incriminating was found against him. He told the court that the newspapers publication portrayed him in a bad light. In his testimony, Mr Ekere told the court that his newspaper published the petition Mr Jibril sent to the anti-graft agencies and the National Assembly, alleging fraud by Mr Effedua. He argued that it was within his constitutional right as a journalist to inform the public of the matter. He further told the court that his newspaper had balanced the report by publishing Mr Effeduas side of the story, and wondered why he should be accused of defamation. In its ruling, the court held that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and wondered how a story that came from a petition submitted to the National Assembly, ICPC, and EFCC, which Mr Effedua accepted to have been invited for investigation, could be said to be defamatory or false. The court discharged and acquitted the journalist. Mr Effedua did not respond to calls and a text message seeking his comment. The police in Enugu State have busted criminal gangs and arrested six crime suspects for their alleged involvement in various offences in the state. The police spokesperson in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, said in a statement on Friday night that the suspects were arrested in multiple operations in the state between 25 August and 4 September 2025. Mr Ndukwe, a superintendent of police, said the suspects were arrested for their alleged involvement in conspiracy, robbery, fraud, and cultism. He said various items, including stolen vehicles, ATM cards and laptops, were recovered from the suspects during the operations. The operations Mr Ndukwe said the multiple operations began on 30 August when police operatives attached to the Nsukka Urban Division rescued and then arrested Friday Nwaomege, 25, from a mob along Enugu Road in Nsukka after he and two fleeing accomplices allegedly snatched an ATM card from a male victim. He (Nwaomege) sustained mob-inflicted injuries before police intervention, was treated, and is now in custody, he said. He said the operatives recovered from the suspect 12 ATM cards of different banks and an ENTRACO-branded minibus used by the suspect and others for their operation. The police spokesperson said, in another operation on 2 September, police operatives from the Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad arrested Sunday Ebuka Egbuaba, 38, a suspected Junior Vikings Confraternity member. A search at his residence led to the recovery of one HP laptop allegedly stolen from a male victim. His arrest followed the confession of Nnaji Ifeanyi, 23, a Black Axe member already under investigation for conspiracy, burglary, stealing, and cultism, he said. Mr Ndukwe said that, within the same period, the police operatives also arrested three suspects while in possession of a minibus and a motorcycle without registration or engine numbers suspected to have been stolen. He identified the suspects as John Joseph, 34, Kingsley Essien Ubong, 40, and Ogbonna Kelvin, 43. Their arrest followed the confession of one Chinedu Onwuka, earlier arrested in May 2025 for a similar offence, arraigned, and remanded, the police spokesperson said. Efforts are ongoing to arrest fleeing gang members and recover more exhibits. The suspects will be charged in court upon conclusion of investigations, he added. Commissioner speaks Mr Ndukwe said the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Bitrus Giwa, has reassured residents of the state that the police in Enugu State were committed to rid the state of criminals. Mr Giwa urged Nigerians to remain law-abiding, vigilant, and support the police in the efforts to fight criminality in the country. Prohibited in Nigeria Cultism is outlawed in Nigeria. However, the laws vary state by state. In Enugu State, for instance, cultism is outlawed in Section 495(a) of the Criminal Code, Cap. 30, vol. II Revised Laws of Enugu State of Nigeria 2004. It is outlawed in Section 8 of Public Order (Prohibition of Secret Cults and their activities) Law No. 17 Revised of Enugu State of Nigeria 2009. READ ALSO: Nigeria police appoint new spokesperson The law prohibits the formation and operation of secret cults and any activities associated with them. Like cultism, armed robbery is outlawed in the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act 2004. The Act prescribes a minimum of 21 years imprisonment for offenders upon conviction. The offenders face a maximum death penalty upon conviction. Several persons have been convicted in Nigeria for offences of cultism and robbery across Nigeria. In July 2021, a Magistrate Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, sentenced a student of Kogi State Polytechnic, Shehu Mohammed, to eight years imprisonment for illegal possession of a firearm and cultism. An Abeokuta High Court, in 2021, sentenced two ex-convicts to death by hanging for conspiracy and armed robbery. A young woman, Deborah Moses, also known as Debrah Porsche, has been allegedly killed in Lagos by her former boyfriend, Lintex Ogale, nearly two years after she ended their relationship. The incident occurred on Thursday evening inside her estate in Lagos. The suspect has since been arrested and taken into custody. A close family friend, Meddy Olutu Imanoel, narrated the incident in a Facebook post on Friday after speaking with the victims immediate sister. According to him, Ms Moses ended the relationship in August 2023 due to alleged maltreatment. But the suspect allegedly refused to move on and repeatedly threatened her with words like: If I cant have you, nobody will. If I dont marry you, blood will flow. According to Mr Imanoel, the deceaseds sister said Ms Moses, a recent NYSC graduate and interior decorator, avoided her former boyfriend as much as possible. On Thursday night, the suspect reportedly disguised as a dispatch rider to gain access to her estate. When she declined to receive a supposed delivery, he scaled the fence and forced his way in. He first cut her gas pipe, hoping the house would explode. When that failed, he forced his way in with a knife and stabbed her multiple times, Mr Imanoel stated in the viral video. He said neighbours who heard her screams rushed to help. The suspect allegedly pretended to be dead by lying beside her but was later found alive and arrested by police. Another acquaintance, Adoga Israel, also confirmed the incident online, calling for solidarity among members of the Igede community to demand justice. Efforts by PREMIUM TIMES to reach the victims sister for direct comment were unsuccessful. Also, calls and text messages sent to the Lagos State Police Command had not been responded to at the time of filing this report. Pattern of violence The killing adds to a growing list of relationship-related homicides in Lagos. In July, police arrested Amos Daniel over alleged murder of a woman believed to be his girlfriend inside a hotel in the Ayobo area of Lagos State. According to witnesses, the victims body was discovered in a pool of blood after strange noises were heard from the suspects room. Mr Daniel was later apprehended while trying to escape. The Lagos State Police Command confirmed that a dagger suspected to have been used in the crime was recovered. SAN DIEGO, Sept. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP announces that purchasers or acquirers of Dow Inc. (NYSE: DOW) securities between January 30, 2025 and July 23, 2025, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), have until October 28, 2025 to seek appointment as lead plaintiff of the Dow class action lawsuit. Captioned Sarti v. Dow Inc., No. 25-cv-12744 (E.D. Mich.), the Dow class action lawsuit charges Dow, The Dow Chemical Company, a Dow subsidiary, as well as certain of Dow's top executives with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. If you suffered substantial losses and wish to serve as lead plaintiff of the Dow class action lawsuit, please provide your information here: https://www.rgrdlaw.com/cases-dow-inc-class-action-lawsuit-dow.html You can also contact attorneys J.C. Sanchez or Jennifer N. Caringal of Robbins Geller by calling 800/449-4900 or via e-mail at [email protected]. CASE ALLEGATIONS: Dow, through its subsidiaries, provides various materials science solutions for packaging, infrastructure, mobility, and consumer applications. The Dow class action lawsuit alleges that defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Dow's ability to mitigate macroeconomic and tariff-related headwinds, as well as to maintain the financial flexibility needed to support its lucrative dividend, was overstated; and (ii) the true scope and severity of the foregoing headwinds' negative impacts on Dow's business and financial condition was understated, particularly with respect to competitive and pricing pressures, softening global sales, and demand for Dow's products, as well as an oversupply of products in Dow's global markets. The Dow class action lawsuit further alleges that on June 23, 2025 BMO Capital downgraded its recommendation on Dow to "Underperform" from "Market Perform" while also cutting its price target on Dow's stock to $22.00 per share from $29.00 per share, citing sustained weakness across key end markets and mounting pressure on Dow's dividend. Following this news, Dow's stock price fell by more than 3%, the complaint alleges. Then, the complaint further alleges that on July 24, 2025, Dow reported a second quarter of 2025 non-GAAP loss per share of $0.42, significantly larger than the approximate $0.17 to $0.18 per share loss expected by analysts and net sales of $10.1 billion, representing a 7.3% year-over-year decline and missing consensus estimates by $130 million, "reflecting declines in all operating segments." Dow's CEO, defendant Jim Fitterling, blamed these disappointing results on "the lower-for-longer earnings environment that our industry is facing, amplified by recent trade and tariff uncertainties," while providing a dour outlook marked by "signs of oversupply from newer market entrants who are exporting to various regions at anti-competitive economics," it is alleged. Dow also revealed that it was cutting its dividend in half, from $0.70 per share to only $0.35 per share, citing the need for "financial flexibility amidst a persistently challenging macroeconomic environment," the Dow class action lawsuit further alleges. Following this news, Dow's stock price fell by more than 17%, the complaint alleges. THE LEAD PLAINTIFF PROCESS: The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits any investor who purchased or acquired Dow securities during the Class Period to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in the Dow class action lawsuit. A lead plaintiff is generally the movant with the greatest financial interest in the relief sought by the putative class who is also typical and adequate of the putative class. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the Dow class action lawsuit. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice to litigate the Dow class action lawsuit. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff of the Dow class action lawsuit. ABOUT ROBBINS GELLER: Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP is one of the world's leading law firms representing investors in securities fraud and shareholder litigation. Our Firm has been ranked #1 in the ISS Securities Class Action Services rankings for four out of the last five years for securing the most monetary relief for investors. In 2024, we recovered over $2.5 billion for investors in securities-related class action cases more than the next five law firms combined, according to ISS. With 200 lawyers in 10 offices, Robbins Geller is one of the largest plaintiffs' firms in the world, and the Firm's attorneys have obtained many of the largest securities class action recoveries in history, including the largest ever $7.2 billion in In re Enron Corp. Sec. Litig. Please visit the following page for more information: https://www.rgrdlaw.com/services-litigation-securities-fraud.html Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices. Contact: Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP J.C. Sanchez, Jennifer N. Caringal 655 W. Broadway, Suite 1900, San Diego, CA 92101 800-449-4900 [email protected] SOURCE Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until October 28, 2025 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Dow Inc. (NYSE: DOW), if they purchased the Company's securities between January 30, 2025 and July 23, 2025, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Get Help Dow investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-dow-1/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options. About the Lawsuit Dow and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. On July 24, 2025, the Company disclosed a 2Q 2025 non-GAAP loss per share of $0.42, much larger than the approximate $0.17 to $0.18 per share loss expected by analysts, and net sales of $10.1 billion, representing a 7.3% year-over-year decline and missing consensus estimates by $130 million, "reflecting declines in all operating segments" due in part to "the lower-for-longer earnings environment that our industry is facing, amplified by recent trade and tariff uncertainties." Further, the Company disclosed that it was cutting its dividend in half, from $0.70 per share to only $0.35 per share, citing the need for "financial flexibility amidst a persistently challenging macroeconomic environment." On this news, the price of Dow's shares fell $5.30 per share, or 17.45%, to close at $25.07 per share on July 24, 2025. The case is Sarti v. Dow Inc., No. 25-cv-12744. About ClaimsFiler ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations. To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com. SOURCE ClaimsFiler NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until October 13, 2025 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. (NYSE: KLC), if they purchased the Company's shares pursuant and/or traceable to the Company's October 2024 initial public offering (the "IPO"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. Get Help KinderCare investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-klc/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options. About the Lawsuit KinderCare and certain of its executives and others are charged with failing to disclose material information in its IPO Registration Statement and Prospectus (collectively, the "Offering Documents"), violating federal securities laws. The alleged false and misleading statements and omissions include, but are not limited to, that: (i) numerous incidents of child abuse, neglect, and harm had occurred at KinderCare facilities; (ii) the Company did not provide the "highest quality care possible" at its facilities, and, indeed, in numerous instances had failed to provide even basic care, meet minimum standards in the child care industry, or comply with the laws and regulations governing the care of children; and (iii) as a result, the Company was exposed to a material, undisclosed risk of lawsuits, adverse regulatory action, negative publicity, reputational damage, and business loss. The case is Gollapalli v. KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc., No. 25-cv-01424. About ClaimsFiler ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations. To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com. SOURCE ClaimsFiler Mourning the loss of his grandfather, Patrick Hemingway Adams stated: "My grandfather was the real thing: a larger than life paradox from the old world; a consummate dreamer saddled with a scientific brain. He spoke half a dozen languages and solved complicated mathematical problems for fun, but his heart truly belonged to the written and visual arts." Patrick Hemingway was born in Kansas City, Missouri on June 28, 1928 and spent his youth in both Cuba and Key West, Florida. Often adventuring with his father on his boat, Pilar, they would engage in spontaneous hunts for German submarines along the Caribbean during World War II. Hemingway attended both Stanford University and Harvard University, the latter becoming his alma mater in 1950 where he received a BA in History and Literature. Hemingway began his career dedicated to wildlife instruction at the College of African Wildlife Management in Tanzania where he trained the first African rangers for the newly formed country. Moreover, he served as a forestry officer at the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) on behalf of the United Nations. After the passing of his mother, Pauline Pfeiffer, in 1951 at the age of 23, he channeled his passion for agriculture on his farm in Tanzania, later relocating there with his first wife, Henrietta Broyles. Patrick gained global recognition for his safaris and expeditions, serving as a guide, expert, and honorary game warden in British East Africa. Patrick's work managing his father's legacy began in the early 1970s and continued until his passing. His contributions include edits and the completion of his late father's notable book, True at First Light, where the manuscript is recorded in the Hemingway Archives at the John F. Kennedy Library. He provided historical and literary insight into the Hemingway Library series including Green Hills of Africa, The Sun Also Rises, A Moveable Feast, A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway on Hunting, and Hemingway on War. In 2022, Patrick, alongside his nephews Brendan Hemingway and Stephen Hemingway Adams, compiled decades of letters he exchanged with his father, released as Dear Papa: The Letters of Patrick and Ernest Hemingway. Responding to Patrick's preservation of his father's literary legacy, Angela Hemingway Charles, Founder and President of the Board of Directors for Hemingway Ltd., honored her late brother-in-law: "Patrick's life was a testament to the values he inherited from his father and made his own: integrity, adventure, and a deep respect for the natural and literary worlds. His passing marks the close of an extraordinary chapter in the Hemingway family, and his legacy will endure through the work he championed and the lives he touched." In 2023, Patrick and his second wife, Carol, established the Patrick and Carol T. Hemingway Scholar-in-Residence at the John F. Kennedy Library. Additionally, he was featured in the Library Forum in 2006, where he engaged in a dialogue about his life, the legacy of his famous father, and his contributions to wildlife conservation in Africa. He's survived by his daughter, Edwina Hemingway, four grandchildren, seven great grandchildren and multiple nieces and nephews. Plans for a public celebration of life will be announced at a later date. For additional information, press inquiries, or to request an interview with a member of the Hemingway family, please contact Bettina L. Klinger, the official family spokesperson and Founder & CEO of Collective 222, the Agency of Record and Licensing Firm for Hemingway Ltd. Bettina L. Klinger [email protected] 917-930-8654 ErnestHemingwayOfficial.com @ernest.hemingway.official Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2766262/Patrick_Hemingway_Circa_1970.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2766263/Patrick_Jack_Ernest_and_Gregory_at_Club_de_Cazadores_Cuba_Ernest_Hemingway_Collection_JFK_Presidenti.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2766264/Patrick_Hemingway_Circa_1969_Kilimanjaro_Hemingway_Family_Archive.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2766321/Hemingway_Collective_222_Logo.jpg NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until October 10, 2025 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against SelectQuote, Inc. ("SelectQuote" or the "Company") (NYSE: SLQT), if they purchased the Company's securities between September 9, 2020 and May 1, 2025, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Get Help SelectQuote investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-slqt-1/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options. About the Lawsuit SelectQuote and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. On May 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ") filed a False Claims Act complaint against the Company, alleging that, "[f]rom 2016 through at least 2021" it had received "tens of millions of dollars" in "illegal kickbacks" from health insurance companies in exchange for steering Medicare beneficiaries to enroll in the insurers' plans, and that, in exchange for kickbacks, the Company engaged in a conspiracy with major insurers to illegally discriminate against beneficiaries deemed to be less profitable, including those with disabilities. The DOJ further alleged that the Company made materially false claims by stating it offers "unbiased coverage comparisons" when in fact it "repeatedly directed Medicare beneficiaries to the plans offered by insurers that paid them the most money, regardless of the quality or suitability of the insurers' plans." On this news, the price of SelectQuote's shares fell $0.61, or 19.2%, to close at $2.56 per share on May 1, 2025, on unusually heavy trading volume. The case is Pahlkotter v. SelectQuote, Inc., et al., No. 25-cv-06620. About ClaimsFiler ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations. To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com. SOURCE ClaimsFiler Key Points Salesforce stock fell as much as 8.5% despite beating second-quarter earnings and revenue estimates by solid margins. The company's AI initiatives are replacing customer support roles, but those workers are being switched to sales and marketing rather than being laid off. CEO Marc Benioff's promise to replace half of customer support with AI agents won't translate into huge cost savings. 10 stocks we like better than Salesforce Shares of Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) took a significant hit on Thursday. Following the company's release of second-quarter results, the stock fell as much as 8.5% in the morning session. By 11:30 a.m. ET today, Salesforce had recovered to a 5.7% overnight price drop. Image source: Getty Images. Another earnings beat for Salesforce, but wait -- there's more Wall Street's average analyst had expected second-quarter earnings to rise about 8.6% year over year, landing near $2.78 per share. Revenue was targeted at roughly $10.1 billion, reflecting an 8.7% increase. The enterprise software giant exceeded the consensus analyst targets across the board, posting earnings of $2.91 per share on sales of $10.2 billion. Looking ahead, management set full-year guidance targets just above the current analyst projections. So it was a beat-and-raise performance, but the stock still took a tumble. Why investors wanted more from Salesforce's AI moves Salesforce investors were probably looking for stronger guidance targets. After all, CEO Marc Benioff recently said that his company is removing roughly half of its customer support staff in favor of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Specifically, deploying agentic AI systems to support human customer service specialists can deliver top-notch support outcomes at a faster pace and lower cost. But this report highlights how the company isn't exactly laying off that redundant support staff. Instead, the workers are being redeployed into sales and marketing operations, where the human touch makes a bigger difference these days. So, if you were hoping for a large cost-cutting effect from Salesforce's agentic AI moves, the reported financials told a different story. Should you invest $1,000 in Salesforce right now? Before you buy stock in Salesforce, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Salesforce wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $661,268!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $1,045,818!* If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here This is The Takeaway from today's Morning Brief, which you can sign up to receive in your inbox every morning along with: The Chart of the Day What we're watching What we're reading Economic data releases and earnings The life-changing testimonials tied to GLP-1 weight loss and diabetes treatments and their potential to transform aspects of the healthcare system have elevated the new class of in-demand products to a kind of "wonder drug." But the corporate names attached to them are hardly "wonder stocks." Pricing has a lot to do with that. Investors skeptical of buying in worry that the trajectory of GLP-1 pricing will diminish and that prices per dose are now far too expensive. That has limited insurance companies and employers from expanding their coverage to include GLP-1s, even as the benefits for patients have become clear. "'Wonder drugs' are few and far between, but we believe GLP1s should be added to the list," Bank of America research analysts led by Tim Anderson wrote in a report sent to clients on Thursday morning. "Yet investors in the space appear concerned and the stock prices show it." Sign up for the Yahoo Finance Morning Brief By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy Subscribe Shares of first mover Novo Nordisk (NVO) are down more than 30% so far this year. Competitor Eli Lilly (LLY) is lagging too, slipping around 3%, while the broader market has risen 10% in 2025. But counterintuitively, the BofA team noted that GLP-1 drugs are actually not "expensive." At least not compared to the rest of the drug world. The problem lies with insurance. Compared to the price of drugs for other chronic diseases, including arthritis and plaque psoriasis, the Bank of America analysts found that GLP-1 drugs aren't expensive in relative terms, despite popular criticisms which stem largely from people paying out of pocket. But the problem for insurance companies, the analysts argued, is the sheer number of patients who could benefit from taking the drugs tens of millions of people in the US alone. That's a pool of patients far larger than almost all other disease categories, they noted, which will likely lead to unprecedented spending. Seems logical. But perhaps investors and health plans can take a longer-term view. A fuller understanding of the cost-effectiveness of GLP-1 drugs should consider the savings they'll generate later from improved patient health. Where that savings goes, however, is another question. A new wave of direct-to-consumer offerings will also determine if GLP-1 stocks will mount a comeback. GoodRX (GDRX) last month announced it will offer both Novo Nordisk's Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss for $499 per month. Novo Nordisk CFO Karsten Munk Knudsen has said that out-of-pocket spending is "going to constitute a major part of the Wegovy business" and that the overall cash market for GLP-1s in the US is already above 10%. Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN) is one of the Best Oil and Gas Stocks to Buy According to Analysts. On August 25, William Blair initiated coverage on the companys stock with a Buy rating. The firms rating is backed by a combination of factors demonstrating the companys healthy financial and operational position. Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN)s strategic asset management, as well as active midstream marketing, supports its financial health. William Blair Initiates Coverage on Devon Energy (DVN) Stock Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN) possesses a high shareholder return rate, thanks to the strong balance sheet, according to the firms analyst. In Q2 2025, the company achieved production of 841,000 oil equivalent production (Boe) per day, surpassing the top-end of its guidance. Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN)s business optimization plan continues to progress rapidly, placing it to achieve $1 billion in annual pre-tax FCF by 2026 end. For the second consecutive quarter, the company reduced its 2025 capital by $100 million while raising production forecasts, further enhancing its FCF trajectory. For FY 2025, the company expects its oil production to be in the range of 384,000 390,000 barrels per day. While we acknowledge the potential of DVN 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: 13 Cheap AI Stocks to Buy According to Analysts and 11 Unstoppable Growth Stocks to Invest in Now Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Emi Ikkanda at Tiny Reparations acquired North American rights, at auction, to an untitled memoir by comedian, TV host, podcaster, and filmmaker Hari Kondabolu (pictured l.) from Erin Malone at WME. The book, per the editor, shares hilarious stories and provocative insights on race, politics, class, and pop culture, both to make us laugh and to shift the national conversation. His jokes are regularly quoted on protest signs, and his memoir will be a revelatory and humorous book that speaks to our times. Publication is scheduled for spring 2028. Reagan Arthur at Cardinal won North American rights, at auction, to publishing veteran (and former Arthur assistant) Michael Mezzos Dismissal from Douglas Stewart at Sterling Lord Literistic. The novel, per the publisher, is set at a storied private school in Connecticut on the day a beloved retired teachers death instigates a string of revelations about the decades-old disappearance of a student, threatening the lives of four people who have guarded the truth about their involvement for years. Alex Russell at Jonathan Cape took U.K. rights, at auction, from Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein. Publication is planned for summer 2027. Brianna Fairman and Daphne Durham at Putnam picked up world rights, in an exclusive submission, to Siren Says, by David Black Literary agent Jennifer Michelle Herrera, from Heather Jackson, who has an eponymous shingle. The romantic fantasy, per the publisher, inspired by Celtic mythology and plant medicine, is about a young woman who must put a stop to the sacrifices her family has been making for more than a century while falling for her childhood friend turned nemesis. Siren Says is set for release next summer. Melissa Milsten at Black Privilege netted world rights to comedian, actor, and talk show host Sheryl Underwoods I Am Fat Because of You from Larry Turner at Lawrence J. Turner & Associates. The memoir, per the publisher, brings Underwoods fearless candor from the stage to the page, offering transparency about her life in Hollywood, the military, and her wounded family, combining her trademark humor with surprising revelations. Publication is set for next spring. Jessica Tribble-Wells at Thomas & Mercer took world rights to Ellie Marneys adult crime novel debut, No One Is Safe, from Josh Adams at Adams Literary. The series starter, per the agency, is a gritty thriller about an amnesiac serial killer who joins forces with an antisocial ex-cop to dig into the unkillable past on the mean streets of late 1980s New York City. No One Is Safe will be released early next year. In Brief Andy Ward at Random House netted North American rights to Lena Dunham s memoir Famesick from Bill Clegg at the Clegg Agency, for an April release. Gary Groth at Fantagraphics acquired world English rights, in an exclusive submission, to Mules Diner by Stan Mack , a collection of strips that originally ran in National Lampoon, plus extensive new material, from Liz Nealon at Great Dog Literary, for a 2028 release. Molly Stern , Nicole Otto , and Sarah Goldstein at Zando took world English rights to Janklow & Nesbit agent Emma Parry s debut novel, Mrs. Benedict Arnold, a reimagining of the misrepresented woman behind the notorious traitor, from Chad Luibl at Janklow, for release in April. Michael Flamini at St. Martins picked up U.S. and Canadian rights to journalist Lucy Hornby s The Last Man: A Biography of Xi Jinping from William Clark , who has an eponymous agency. Pub date TBD. Laura Schreiber at Avon preempted North American rights to Emily Raths Devour Me, the first in a spicy paranormal trilogy in which a young woman becomes caught between a handsome witch and a cursed wraith, from Susan Velazquez Colmant at JABberwocky, for release next summer. Correction: An earlier version of this piece incorrectly listed Charlie Spicer as the acquiring editor of The Last Man. The Road to Perdition Babel author R.F. Kuang tops our hardcover fiction list with the deluxe edition of Katabasis; the standard edition is #11 on the list. Kuangs latest foray into dark academia takes readers on a clever and deeply cerebral, if sometimes fatiguing, journey through hell, according to our review. The main characters trek through the underworld directly references Dante, Orpheus, and more, and though occasionally plodding, it culminates in a thrilling third act. Bless This Mess Naptime Kitchen blogger Kate Strickler (331K Instagram followers) debuts with I Just Wish I Had a Bigger Kitchen, #2 on our hardcover nonfiction list. Subtitled And Other Lies I Think Will Make Me Happy, the book explores how the chronically dissatisfied can swap comparison for contentment, per our review. While the ills of social mediainduced envy are hardly news, the author effectively validates the real needs for safety, belonging, and connection that underlie the apparent desire for more. In the process, she explains how readers can better fulfill such needs through straightforward practices like compiling and sharing a list of all the positive traits one appreciates about ones partner. Mystery Achievement The Color of Death, by Fox News host and former U.S. representative Trey Gowdy and Christopher Greyson, a successful self-published author of mysteries and thrillers, debuts at #2 on our hardcover fiction list. Its the first fiction release from Fox News Books, the joint venture that the eponymous network launched with HarperCollins in 2020. As the World Falls Down High school English teacher Logan Karlie built up her platform on social media before self-publishing the YA gothic romantasy Dream by the Shadows in 2023. The book, billed as Beauty and the Beast meets Labyrinth, gained fans and nabbed the author a two-book deal with Little, Brown imprint Christy Ottaviano Books. It lands at #7 on our childrens fiction list in the wake of a tour that took the author from her home state of Illinois to California, Tennesse, and Florida, appearing in conversation with authors including Hannah Whitten and Adalyn Grace. The second volume of the Shadow Weavers duology is due out in 2026. The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean icon Orlando Bloom says he put himself through a grueling training routine to prepare for his pugilist role in The Cut. ADVERTISEMENT "It's about the fight in the mind. I think that's something that any athlete would probably agree with," Bloom told UPI in a recent Zoom interview. "I had a chance to sort of burn the barn down a little bit -- physically and mentally, emotionally, which was something that I really committed to," he said. "It was almost like no acting required because everything that happens to Boxer was sort of happening to me because of the weight loss, the no water at the end and then just the mental fatigue, as well. You're not sleeping when you're so hungry. It's a really hard thing to do." Written by Justin Bull and directed by Sean Ellis, the film follows Boxer as he goes to extraordinary lengths, including starving himself, to make weight and prepare for a comeback fight. "Boxer, when we meet him, he's washed up," Bloom said. "He's training, but not thinking he's going to have another shot and he suddenly sees this window of opportunity," he added. "It's that desperation that I think anyone can probably relate to for a second shot at life, a second shot at that title and that feeling of: 'Am I good enough? How do I get to be good enough? What do I need to do?'" Severance actor John Turturro plays his ruthless trainer Boz and Outlander actress Caitriona Balfe plays Caitlin, his supportive wife who hates what Boxer is putting himself through for a long shot at winning. "On the page, [Boz] was a bit more like a drill sergeant and John really came in and sort of inverted all the the dialogue and made it about the seduction of this world, of this character," Bloom said. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! "He sees the weak Achilles heel of Boxer," the actor added. "He understands that relationship and he sort of does this miraculous seduction away, so that he can then take and use him to get what he needs and for Boxer to do what he HAS to do to live his dream." Although Boz is relentlessly demanding and cruel towards Boxer, Bloom said he and Turturro became good friends over the course of the production. "It's all love," he laughed. "John was all love. That was what he brought and it's amazing to work opposite talented actors like John and Caitriona and the rest of the cast because I was very vulnerable, very awkward. he recalled. "I was sort of out of it a lot of the time." The film was shot in reverse chronological order because Bloom arrived on set at his lightest weight. "When you're working with great people, they kind of give you nutrition through the work," Bloom said. "We support one another." The Red & Black serves the Athens and University of Georgia communities with reliable, independent news, while training the future of the free press. Your donation keeps our newsroom strong and supports the work behind every story. Support Our Newsroom The University System of Georgia will implement a new policy requiring all course syllabuses to be publicly available by 2026. Every class offered across Georgias 26 public colleges will have its syllabus online soon. The idea is straightforward: students and families should know what theyre signing up for before enrolling. Adani Power on Saturday said it has inked a pact with Bhutan's state-owned utility Druk Green Power to set up a 570MW hydro project entailing investment of Rs 6,000 crore, in the Himalayan Kingdom. IMAGE: Adani Power and Bhutan's state-owned Druk Green Power Corp sign the Shareholders Agreement, in the presence of Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and Bhutan's Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay in New Delhi on Saturday. Photograph: ANI Photo As per the pact, Adani Power and Druk Green Power Corp Ltd (DGPC), will initiate the the peaking run-of-river Wangchhu hydroelectric project on a BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, Transfer) model. A power purchase agreement and a concession agreement were signed in this regard in the presence of Prime Minister of Bhutan, Dasho Tshering Tobgay and Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group, a company statement said. The Wangchhu project will see an investment of about Rs 6,000 crore in setting up the power plant and related infrastructures. With the detailed project report already completed, construction work is expected to begin by the first half of 2026, and the completion is targeted within five years of groundbreaking. "The Wangchhu hydroelectric project will critically meet Bhutan's peak winter demand, when hydro power generation is low. "During the summer months, it would export power to India, said SB Khyalia, CEO, Adani Power. The Wangchhu is the first hydroelectric project to be taken up under an MoU signed in May 2025 between Adani Group and DGPC for jointly developing 5,000 MW of hydropower in Bhutan. Adani Group and DGPC are engaged in further discussions for future projects under this strategic partnership. Adani Power is the largest private thermal power producer in India. DGPC is the sole generation utility of Bhutan with a current generation portfolio of a little over 2,500 MW and growing fast with Bhutan's aspirations to achieve 25,000 MW in generation capacity by 2040. Druk Holding & Investments, the commercial arm of the Royal Government of Bhutan, is DGPC's shareholder. Established in 2008 to take a lead role in developing Bhutan's hydropower resources, it has recently diversified beyond hydropower into tapping solar resources also. 'It is good to have the H1-B visa option but if tomorrow things happen to change, it is not the end of the world situation.' Kindly note that this illustration generated using ChatGPT has only been posted for representational purposes. The Indian information technology services industry, already grappling with the twin pressures of slowing growth and the disruptive rise of artificial intelligence, is staring at a fresh challenge -- tightening US visa norms. The latest warning has come from US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who has called for an overhaul of the visa programme. In an interview with Fox News, Lutnick said he was involved in revamping the H-1B visa system. 'We're going to change that programme because that's terrible, right? 'We're going to change the green card... That's the gold card that's coming. 'And that's when we're going to start picking the best people to come into this country. 'It's time for that to change,' he said. According to Lutnick, an average green card recipient earns $66,000 a year, compared with $75,000 for an average American worker. 'It's like picking the bottom core,' he remarked. India's tech sector is expected to be at $270 billion in size in 2025-2026 (FY26), of which IT services is likely to account for more than $137 billion. A significant change in the visa programme will be a huge concern, as it has benefited the most from the H1-B visa system. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough petitions to reach the Congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa US advanced degree exemption, known as the master's cap, for FY26. US immigration data says that Indian nationals have accounted for over 70 per cent of the new H1-B allocations annually. Industry players and senior executives, who have been in a wait-and-watch mode since US President Donald Trump came back to power, believe that the industry has become much bigger to get rattled by the visa issue. "It is good to have the H1-B visa option but if tomorrow things happen to change, it is not the end of the world situation," said a large IT services firm senior executive who has moved to an advisory role. "For the industry this is not about immigration, this is about 'talent mobility'. Tomorrow if there is a project and it needs to be delivered, then we need to move people and get them back," the executive explained. "The industry is at a much mature level, where such measures will have some impact but will not be a setback," the executive added. Hansa Iyengar, practice leader of BFS and IT services at HfS Research, said the new merit-based system will place importance on high-skilled workers rather than on low-cost roles. "This trend has been accelerating for several years now. System integrators will have to file at higher wage levels, lean more on L-1 and STEM-OPT where applicable and localise US hiring, and expand nearshore centres," Iyengar said. Most IT services providers, she said, have between 50 per cent and 70 per cent of non-visa-reliant onsite staff, which is likely to pick up speed. "Another major impact will be an accelerated shift towards AI and automation to reduce dependence on people-heavy models. Expect greater investments in AI-first solutions to support services," Iyengar added. Players said that the major impact of such a shift will be on margins due to rising cost, slight delay in rampups, and project execution due to inability to get skills. Moreover, the impact could be more on smaller IT players than their larger peers. "Even after two-to-three decades, I can confidently say that H1-B has been used as a skill filler. Having said that, we are 'worried' because rules are changing overnight. There is no system anymore," said another senior executive. A senior analyst, on the condition of anonymity, said that the comments are not new. "The dependency on visas has gone down over several years. The impact will be delayed in project rampups," he added. Additionally, players also highlighted that for the larger players, the focus moved to local hiring a long time back. Players such as TCS, Infosys, and Wipro have had their campus hiring programmes for US hiring as well. According to industry sources, TCS's total workforce in the US could be around 50,000, over 50 per cent of which is local hire. TCS Pace Ports, which the firm has created, are investments in local markets to tap into innovation and skillsets from countries such as the US, UK, Europe, and Japan. TCS Pace Ports are a global network of innovation hubs and co-innovation centres established to drive digital transformation and innovation for their clients. In its FY25 annual report, Infosys also highlights such initiatives. 'With the objective of creating differentiated talent pools and ecosystems in our markets, we made significant investments in expanding our local workforce in the US, UK, Europe, Japan, China, Canada and Australia. We established innovation hubs, near-shore centres and digital design studios across geographies. 'Further, we expanded our university and community college partnerships in all these regions to aid internships, recruitment, training and joint research,' Infosys said. Similarly, Wipro in its annual report also mentions its strategy of hiring local talent in critical geographies and strategic locations along with a dedicated team that manages mobility, ensures minimal impact on operations resulting from any protectionist policies by a country. 'We currently have sufficient personnel with valid non-immigrant worker visas, and have increased hiring of local employees in the US to continue services to clients. 'However, since a large part of our business centres is around the US, changes to US immigration laws could make it more difficult to obtain the required non-immigrant work authorisations for our employees that allow us to compete for and provide timely and cost-effective services to our clients in the US, which, in turn, could affect our revenues and operating profitability,' Wipro said in its FY25 annual report. Visa squeeze Green card recipients earn less than average American workers Indians account for over 70% of new H-1B visas annually Industry views visa issue as talent mobility, not immigration Smaller IT players likely to face more impact than larger peers Larger firms already focusing on local hiring in US Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff Reliance Industries refining earnings will remain steady, supported by its position as Indias largest importer of Russian crude and favourable global supplies, according to analysts at JM Financial and Goldman Sachs. Image used for representation purpose only. Photograph: Alexander Manzyuk/Reuters Reliance imported more Russian barrels than any other Indian refiner in the past eight months, according to data from Bloomberg/Kpler. In August, Reliance bought about 664,000 barrels daily, well ahead of Indian Oil Corp (341,000 barrels) and Nayara Energy (229,000 barrels). Bharat Petroleum took 133,000 barrels a day, while Hindustan Petroleum imported just 28,000 barrels. Reliances purchases peaked at 746,000 barrels a day in June, underscoring its dominant sourcing position. The purchases strengthened Reliances refining economics, as Russian crude is typically priced at a discount to global benchmarks. A note by JM Financial said Reliances oil-to-chemicals division will continue as a profit driver, as global constraints underpin margins. Goldman Sachs projected upcycle refining margins driven by favourable crude feedstock dynamics like strong non-OPEC supply and tightening global refining supply-demand (1.3 mn bpd of permanent capacity closures globally over 2025-26). The bank forecast Reliances ebitda growth will accelerate to 16 per cent in FY26 from 2 per cent in FY25, with refining contributing alongside retail and Jio. Reliances import advantage has translated into strong refining margins relative to peers. Reliance reported a gross refining margin of $8.5 a barrel in FY25, compared to Indian Oil at $4.8 a barrel, BPCL at $6.8 and HPCL at $5.7. Over the past year, Reliances margins have consistently outperformed BPCL and HPCL and remained broadly competitive with Indian Oil. At its annual meeting in August, Reliance reiterated its diversification push into consumer products, retail, telecom, and new energy. Yet, analysts said refining remains at the core of its financial strength. JM Financial underscored that Reliances margins will stay elevated in the near term, while Goldman Sachs noted refining will be a key contributor to earnings momentum across the next fiscal cycle. Both brokerages highlighted potential risks, including weaker refining and chemical spreads, lower-than-expected retail margins, project delays, and higher capex. With global supply tightening and discounted Russian crude flows sustaining its cost advantage, Reliance is positioned to maintain refining profitability ahead of most domestic peers, according to the brokerages. Russia, which previously held a negligible share of Indias oil imports, has accounted for 37 percent of the worlds third largest oil consumer buys this year, according to Kpler data. India took advantage of a $20 a barrel discount on a delivered basis after Europe halted purchases in the wake of the Ukraine war. However the discounts have narrowed to a tenth of that as sanctions tightened, Bloomberg reported. The government should bring back the windfall tax on refiners to support Indian exporters hit by a 50 per cent tariff imposed by the United States, said Raghuram Rajan, former governor of Reserve Bank of India, in a TV interview. The tax was scrapped in December. Given that there is now a cost to buying Russian oil falling on our small and medium exporters (for example, in apparel and textiles), why not impose a windfall profit tax on our refiners proportional to the Russian oil they buy, and transfer it to our small and medium exporters? "That will ensure those in India who benefit from Russian oil also pay for it instead of letting others pay, Rajan told India Today TV. A spokesperson for Reliance said the oil-to-chemicals division higher profits in FY23 and FY24 were due to strong product margins. In FY22 (before the war in Ukraine), the division reported an ebitda of Rs 6,958 crore and that of Rs 7,558 crore in FY23. Ebitda was Rs 7,490 crore in FY24 and Rs 6,438 crore in FY25. "The FY25 profitability is only 4 per cent more than the pre-war period, despite higher production levels from various expansions. "Data clearly shows that the comment that disproportionate profitability due to Russian crude is incorrect. "Higher per cent of Russian crude did not result in higher ebitda. "Hence, the notion that Reliance profited excessively from Russian oil is misplaced and not substantiated by data," said a company official. India-US relations, like Rome, were not built in a day, nor can they be demolished in a day. All said and done, when the new global order emerges, India can only remain with the democracies, asserts Ambassador T P Sreenivasan. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes a point at the joint press conference with United States President Donald John Trump at the White House, February 13, 2025. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters An unfortunate misunderstanding about the timings of Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China to India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to China has given these visits dimensions never intended or achieved. These visits were scheduled long before the Trump Tariffs were announced. The first was for the 24th round of the dialogue of the Special Representatives on the boundary question, co-chaired by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Wang Yi. Setting up of a group to explore an 'Early Harvest' in boundary delimitation and for border management were to create an impression of progress. While China repeatedly stated that the border issue should not define the overall relationship, India insisted that a full return to normalcy is contingent on resolving the boundary question. Both countries are continuing to build infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control, which is a source of ongoing tension. Wang Yi went on to Afghanistan to hold meetings with Pakistan and the Taliban and went unannounced to Islamabad, which he characterised as his most important stop this time. The disengagement in Ladakh also has not been completed even now. Wang Yi's talks with Jaishankar may have touched on bilateral relations, but that was not on Wang's agenda this time. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation had not achieved much except that China had cultivated Central Asian countries. Pakistan's presence in the SCO created its own problems. At a recent SCO ministerial meeting, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh did not sign the joint statement because the paragraph on terrorism was diluted at Pakistan's instance. PM Modi had not confirmed his attendance till very close to the date of the summit meeting. PM Modi is generally demonstrative in courtesy and body language with his counterparts and he was a little warmer towards Vladimir Putin because of Trump's tariff rebuff. He was seen in a relaxed mood with both Putin and Xi Jinping, who are stiff and formal, and this gave the impression that he was getting closer to Russia and China in view of Trump's surprising harshness on the question of Russian oil. The additional 25% tariff on India, particularly when China and the European Union import even more oil products, some of them through India, lacked any logic. There was sufficient justification for India to continue to import Russian oil. To characterise the Russia-Ukraine war as 'Modi's war' and to say that peace in Ukraine runs through India was most illogical and most irrational to say the least. Modi's visit to China was in no way provocative to the US as a certain thaw had already descended on China-India relations. As for Russia, India's relations were always warm, even though India had indicated to Putin that we are not just neutral, but also on the side of peace. Trump's most recent statements indicate that the US would not let India get lost in a Chinese embrace and this was to be expected. The US needs India as much as we need the US and as we have seen in the past. The Indian nuclear tests in 1998 had created a worse crisis than now because the Glenn Amendment sanctions imposed by then US president Bill Clinton was meant to hurt India to the extent of signing the CTBT and NPT, which India had refused to do. In two years, relations became normal and India was exempted from several stipulations of the non-proliferation regime. India-US relations, like Rome, were not built in a day, nor can they be demolished in a day. All said and done, when the new global order emerges, India can only remain with the democracies. IMAGE: External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi, August 19, 2025. Photograph: @DrSJaishankar/X India has a strong lobby, consisting not only a large part of the Indian community, but also members of the US Congress and the Senate. This lobby is surprisingly silent at this critical moment. Indian Americans are a rapidly growing and influential voting bloc in the US. While they were traditional supporters of the Democratic party, after the advent of PM Modi in India and President Trump in the US, there has been a sizeable shift of Indians from the Democratic party to the Republican party. There was much expectation that Trump's second term will see the Modi-Trump bromance becoming beneficial to India and the Indian Americans. Against this backdrop, the sudden deterioration in bilateral relations following the Tariff War unleashed by Trump, Indian Americans and friends of India in the US have been stunningly silent. Perhaps they feel that the present situation, caused by the mercurial character of Trump, who is peeved by the humiliation caused by India rejecting his claim that he mediated between India and Pakistan to end the conflict and refusing to recommend him for the Nobel Peace Prize will pass and the 'natural allies' will soon be back together again. Or they do not want to provoke Trump into taking any action against immigrants in general and Indians in particular. They may even be thinking of sitting it out for a post-Trump America. Considering that this is the policy being adopted by Americans in general, the Indians may not want to take the lead in raising an alarm about Trump's policies. Fareed Zakaria's assessment that the US action against India on tariffs and Russian oil is a major strategic blunder and a significant reversal of decades of bipartisan foreign policy should be a wake-up call for all. The latest comments from both sides are that the strategic blunder is being corrected. IMAGE: Prime Minister Modi flanked by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Council summit in Tianjin, September 1, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo In fact, if Indians were to agitate to preserve their rights and opportunities in consular matters and to maintain good relations with India on all fronts, particularly technology, industry and education, there are a number of institutional mechanisms in place to be activated in adverse circumstances. Indians are the backbone of the IT industry as well as manufacturing and the Indian presence is absolutely indispensable. For their own security and future, should they not ask questions about the unusual changes that are taking place in the country? As for reflecting the opinions of the Indian Americans, there are several national and regional organisations, some culture and welfare ones and some of a political nature. These organisations express opinions about developments in India and lobby for better India-US relations. The support of these groups at the time of the nuclear tests went a long way in pressurising the US government to lift the Glenn Amendment sanctions even before President Clinton's visit to India in 2000. The injustice being done against India by imposing 50% tariff on Indian exports and calling the Russia-Ukraine war 'Modi's war' should be a matter of concern for Indian Americans. IMAGE: Prime Minister Modi meets with Xi Jinping in Tianjin, China, August 31, 2025. Photograph: Modi website/ANI Photo The India Caucus in the US Congress and the Friends of India in the Senate must also be concerned about the present trends in India-US relations. The hard positions that the US side is taking in trade negotiations and suspension of the talks should be of concern to these Congressional bodies. The possibility of India getting closer to China and Russia to make up for the deterioration in India-US relations should ring alarm bells in Washington, particularly on Capitol Hill. The Indian embassy has strengthened its lobbying capacity in the new circumstances probably because India's friends have not yet responded to the new situation. It is possible that discussions are taking place in different circles to bring the dangerous situation in the new trends in India-US relations to the Trump administration's attention. The sooner a strategy is worked out by the India lobby in the US, the better it will be for both democracies and the Indian American community in the United States. Their silence does not augur well for the emerging world order in which it is necessary that the democracies should remain united. Ambassador T P Sreenivasan served as deputy chief of mission (1997 to 2000) at India's embassy in the United States and played an important role to restore India-US relations during the critical period after the 1998 nuclear tests. He is a long-time contributor to Rediff and you can read his earlier columns here. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff The father of a newborn girl who died after being bitten by rats at the government-run Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital (MYH) in Indore on Saturday accused the authorities of gross negligence. Image used only for representational purposes. Photograph: Pixabay.com A tribal outfit also staged a protest at the hospital over the infant's death and demanded compensation. Two newborn girls who had been bitten by rats in the ICU died in the hospital recently, raising questions about the institution's functioning. Devram, the father of one of the girls and member of a tribal community who lives in neighbouring Dhar, said, "I admitted my newborn daughter to the ICU at MYH. The staff told us to go home and assured they would inform us over phone about her health." "We waited for two days, but received no call. Later we learnt that she had died after being bitten by rats," he told reporters. The infant had been admitted to the hospital due to a congenital defect that left her without anal opening, Devram said. "The ICU is supposed to be secure. How could rats enter and bite newborns? My daughter died because of the negligence of the hospital administration. We want justice. Senior officials must be suspended," he demanded. The hospital had claimed that the parents had abandoned the infant in an 'unclaimed condition'. Responding to Devram's allegations, Dr Arvind Ghanghoria, Dean of the MGM Medical College attached to the hospital, said, "Parents of children admitted in our ICU stay close at hand. (In this case) The police and our staff tried to locate the infant's parents, but failed." "The two babies did not die due to rat bites. They succumbed to severe congenital anomalies. Even in the best hospitals worldwide, such babies could not have been saved. A high-level committee probe will establish this," he added. Meanwhile, members of the Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti staged a protest at the hospital with the bereaved parents. They demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore each for the families of the two infants, and registration of a culpable homicide case against senior officials. The hospital administration has so far taken disciplinary action against six officials, including suspension and removal from posts, in connection with the deaths. A middle-aged tribal woman allegedly murdered her 'alcoholic' husband after a heated argument and buried the body inside the house for over 10 days in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district, police said on Saturday. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff The incident happened at Tilaiyatan village under Tundi police station limit. The body of the husband will be exhumed on Saturday and will be sent to Shahid Nirmal Mahato Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem, they said. Tundi police station in-charge Uma Shankar told PTI that Surji Majhiyain (42) had murdered her husband, identified as Suresh Hansda (45) and dug a pit and buried the body inside a room of the thatched mud baked house in the village. "The matter was exposed only after relatives of Suresh Hansda suspected foul play at not finding him at the last rites or at the funeral of his uncle, who had died 10 days ago. Neighbours also found foul smell emanating from the house. It was then that the relatives informed the police on Friday evening. The wife had been giving different versions about her husband's absence, but on strict interrogation, she broke down and confessed to her crime. We have arrested the woman," said Uma Shankar. "The woman claimed that she was fed up with frequent quarrels with her husband, who used to come drunk almost every day and had affairs with several women. She has also claimed to have killed her husband with a lathi (stick) and a sickle. We are trying to recover the weapons," said Uma Shankar. The police officer said that they have given a requisition to the district administration for deputation of a magistrate for exhuming the body. "We will exhume the body of the husband on Saturday only after deputation of a magistrate by the district administration and send the body for post-mortem at the Shahid Nirmal Mahato Medical College and Hospital in Dhanbad," he added. A police officer said that neighbours had also suspected foul play after she started giving different versions of her husband's absence. "She is claiming that she beat him to death 10 days ago, neighbours and relatives also claim it to be more than 10 days, as Suresh did not attend the funeral of his uncle 10 days back. On Friday evening, some relatives and neighbours forcibly entered the house and found a foul smell coming from the room and informed the police. However, the exact date of the murder can be cleared only after autopsy," said Uma Shankar. As Kerala celebrated Onam, the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (KSBC) recorded liquor sales worth Rs 826.38 crore from its BEVCO outlets during the festive season, officials said. IMAGE: Onam celebrations at Thrikkakkara Vamana Moorthy Temple in Kochi, saw a boy dressed in Vamana attire, Lord Vishnu's 5th incarnation, September 6, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo According to data shared by KSBC on Friday, liquor sales up to Thursday, during the first 10 days of the Onam season, from August 25 to September 4, rose by 6.38 per cent compared to the Onam season period last year. During the corresponding period in 2024, sales were Rs 776.82 crore. On Thursday, the Uthradam day, the day leading up to Onam, BEVCO outlets registered sales worth Rs 137.64 crore, compared to Rs 126.01 crore on the same day last year, marking a 9.23 per cent growth, the data stated. Among the outlets, the Karunagappally store, attached to the Kollam warehouse, recorded the highest sales in the state on Uthradam day, with Rs 1.46 crore. It was followed by the Kavanad Ashramam outlet in Kollam (Rs 1.24 crore) and the Kuttippala Edappal outlet in Malappuram (Rs 1.11 crore), data stated. Other outlets that reported sales crossing the Rs 1-crore mark included Chalakudy (Rs 1.07 crore), Irinjalakuda (Rs 1.03 crore), and Kundara (Rs 1 crore). The state currently has 278 BEVCO outlets and 155 self-service stores. BEVCO outlets remained closed across the state on Friday, the Onam day. The KSBC Onam sales season will conclude on Saturday. The total sales during the entire Onam season in 2024 were Rs 842.07 crores. The Onam sales this year are expected to cross the 2024 figures, KSBC officials added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday 'fully reciprocated' United States President Donald Trump's 'positive assessment' of the India-US partnership and his appreciation of the 'special' relationship between the two nations, signalling an intent by both the sides to check the downturn in their ties. IMAGE: US President Donald Trump meets with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House in Washington, DC on February 13, 2025. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters Modi's comments on social media came hours after Trump said at a news conference in White House that he will always be 'friends with Modi' but added without elaborating that he didn't like what the Indian leader was doing at this 'particular moment'. 'Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of our ties,' Modi said. 'India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership,' he noted on X. It was the first exchange of views between the two leaders after they held a phone conversation on June 17. The relations between New Delhi and Washington, DC are on a major downturn after 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. India described the US action as 'unfair, unjustified and unreasonable'. Earlier, responding to a question on the possibility of the US resetting relations with India, Trump said both countries have a special relationship and there is 'nothing to worry about'. "I will always be friends with Modi, he is a great prime minister, he's great. I'll always be friends but I just don't like what he's doing at this particular moment," he said. "But India and the United States have a special relationship. There is nothing to worry about," the US president said. Asked about his social media post on Thursday suggesting that the US was losing India to China, Trump said: "I don't think we have. I have been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil...from Russia." "And I let them know that, we put a very big tariff on India -- 50 per cent tariff, very high tariff. I get along very well with Modi as you know, he was here a couple of months ago." "In fact, we went to the Rose Garden, the grass was so soaking wet, it was such a terrible place to have a news conference. We had a news conference on the grass , it was my last news conference we had on the grass." In his social media post on Thursday, Trump said it appeared the US was losing India and Russia to 'deepest, darkest China'. The post came days after the bonhomie among Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Chinese city of Tianjin drew global attention. In the last few days, several Trump administration officials including White House trade advisor Peter Navarro have used offensive language to target India. 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', Navarro said last week. India on Friday rejected Navarro's remarks describing them as 'inaccurate and misleading'. Over the last few weeks, India-US ties witnessed severe strain after over two-decades of close cooperation. The tension began after the negotiations for a trade deal hit a roadblock as well as Trump's repeated claims that he resolved the military conflict between India and Pakistan in May. India has been maintaining that the conflict ended following direct talks between the two sides. Over the last few months, India and the US held several rounds of negotiations for a bilateral trade deal but it could not be sealed in view of sharp divergences in certain critical areas including agriculture and dairy. The bilateral trade between India and the US was around $130 billion last year and there was a projection of upward mobility in the volume. The US has also been targeting India for its energy ties with Russia. Defending its purchase of Russian crude oil, India has been maintaining that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics. India 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. Consequently, from a mere 1.7 per cent share in total oil imports in 2019-20, Russia's share increased to 35.1 per cent in 2024-25, and it is now the biggest oil supplier to India. A massive controversy is raging in Jammu and Kashmir after a plaque with the Ashoka emblem was vandalised in the Hazratbal shrine as parties on Saturday accused Waqf Board chief Darakshan Andrabi of hurting religious sentiments by using the national emblem in the mosque and demanded registration of a criminal case and her immediate removal. Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com IMAGE: Women protesters vandalises a plaque at the Assari Sharief Hazratbal shrine by the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board in Srinagar on September 5, 2025. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, while on a tour of flood-affected areas, said the Waqf Board should apologise for the 'mistake,' asserting that the national emblem is meant for government functions, not religious institutions. While parties like the National Conference, People's Democratic Party and the Communist Party of India-Marxist said the use of Ashoka emblem in the mosque was 'provocative' and 'blasphemous', the Bharatiya Janata Party slammed the defacement of the plaque, claiming the incident was an attempt to revive 'terrorism and separatism' in the Valley. The plaque was placed inside the Hazratbal shrine, which holds a relic of Prophet Muhammad, on Friday, sparking outrage among devotees who argued that placing any figure or symbol inside a mosque is against the Islamic principle of monotheism. The plaque was subsequently vandalised and removed by unidentified individuals after Friday prayers, prompting police to register a case against unknown people. "I have never seen an emblem being used in this way in any religious place," Abdullah told reporters. "Mosques, shrines, temples and gurdwaras are not government institutions. These are religious institutions and government emblems are not used in religious institutions." Abdullah also questioned the need for the plaque itself, noting that the shrine's founder, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, had completed his work without seeking personal credit. He said the Waqf Board should have apologised for the incident instead of resorting to threats. "What was the need for this plaque? Was the work done not enough? Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah gave shape to this shrine... Even today, people remember his work, even though he did not use a stone in his name. There was no need to use a stone," the chief minister said. The controversy escalated when Andrabi, a BJP appointee, called for legal action, including booking the 'hooligans' under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA), for vandalising the emblem. Abdullah condemned Andrabi's response, saying that the board 'played with the sentiments of the people' and is now using threats. "First, at least, they should have apologised for it. They should admit the mistake. It should not have happened," the CM said. He said that nowhere in the country is the national emblem used on any religious place. "Google search and you will find that the national emblem is only used in government functions," he said. Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com IMAGE: A view of the Assari Sharief Hazratbal shrine. BJP spokesperson Sunil Sethi asserted that the National Conference (NC) was behind the incident, accusing a legislator's tweet and an MP's subsequent remarks of provoking religious sentiments. Sethi stated that the national emblem is a symbol of respect for all faiths and that the attack went against Kashmir's tolerant Sufi culture. He said that the party demands that 'the action should not be limited to only those who vandalised the plaque' but also the 'hands that worked behind the scenes.' Abdullah's National Conference (NC) demanded Andrabi's dismissal and the registration of a criminal case against her for allegedly violating the State Emblem of India Act. The party stated that the emblem is a symbol of unity and integrity, but its misuse should not be tolerated. "What happened in Hazratbal is unfortunate. We are against violence in any form," said NC's chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq, who was flanked by a dozen MLAs. However, he stressed that the Waqf Board chairperson's actions had hurt the religious sentiments of the people. Sadiq, while condemning the vandalism, said the Waqf Board chairperson's actions were 'unfortunate' and asked why she would use the emblem in a religious function when the prime minister and Lieutenant Governor do not. Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) described the installation of the emblem as an 'act of blasphemy' and also called for a first information report (FIR) to be registered against Andrabi. Senior CPI-M leader M Y Tarigami echoed these sentiments, calling the move 'unnecessary and provocative' and suggesting that a case should be registered against Andrabi, not the protestors. The MLA Kulgam said the BJP should desist from politicising the religious institutions in J-K. The Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), an amalgam of religious bodies headed by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, echoed the sentiment, stating that the 'installation of figures and symbols' is against the teachings of Islam. They urged the Waqf Board to handle the matter with understanding and dialogue, not with 'harsh measures' like registering FIRs against worshippers. "Even when the Hazratbal shrine was rebuilt in the past, no plaques or foundation stones were placed, out of respect for the injunctions of Shari'ah and tradition," it said. "To introduce them now sets a dangerous and unnecessary precedent." Asserting that the Hazratbal shrine, which houses the relic of Prophet Mohammad, is not merely a structure, but the spiritual heart of the Muslims of J-K, the MMU said it is 'bound to our faith and identity through centuries of devotion'. "Any alteration that undermines its sanctity deeply pains the devotional sentiments attached to it," the MMU added. NC's MLA from Hazratbal, Salman Sagar, expressed apprehensions that it could have been a deliberate ploy to exploit the situation in the run-up to the Bihar elections. "I think this was pre-planned. The situation may be exploited for the Bihar elections. It could be used as a fodder for right-wing activists," he claimed. People's Conference chief Sajad Lone said the use of the national emblem on the renovation plaque at the shrine was 'regrettable'. Pakistan on Friday said India shared information about the recent floods through the diplomatic channel while complaining that the inputs were not as detailed as in previous instances. IMAGE: Torrential downpours have caused water level in Punjab's Ravi river to rise to dangerous levels near India-Pakistan border. Photograph: Raminder Pal Singh/ANI Photo Addressing the weekly press conference in Islamabad, Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan also urged India to fully adhere to the Indus Water Treaty (IWT). A day after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, India took a series of punitive measures against Pakistan that included putting the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in "abeyance". The Indian side has indeed shared some information about the floods in different rivers through diplomatic channels. However, it is not as detailed as it was in the past, Khan said. He said the established channel of the Indus Water Commissioner has not been used to share the information. "In that context, we reiterate that India should fully comply with all the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty, he said. India said it has been sharing flood data with Pakistan through diplomatic channels on humanitarian ground. External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has been sharing the flood data with that country through the Indian high commission in Islamabad. "We have been sharing high flood data with Pakistan through our diplomatic channels as and when it is required. This sharing of data is happening through our high commission in Islamabad," he said. "You've seen the kind of rainfall that is happening in that part of India and that part of the world. And this is being done based on humanitarian considerations," Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing. Usually, such inputs are shared through the Indus Water Commissioner. The IWT, brokered by the World Bank, has governed the distribution and use of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan since 1960. The Pakistani spokesperson said that Pakistan was serious about joining the BRICS grouping, and it was being supported by Russia. Responding to a question about a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Russian President Vladimir Putin in China, he said, What I can state is that Pakistan is serious in pursuing its membership of the BRICS, and Russia has been supporting Pakistan's application. He did not elaborate on the content of the bilateral meeting between the two leaders. BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, with Indonesia joining in 2025. Khan also said that Pakistan was satisfied with the positive trajectory and momentum of bilateral relations with Russia, which are becoming multifaceted and deep-rooted. He also said the sanctuaries enjoyed by terrorists in Afghanistan is a serious issue. "It remains one issue which bedevils relations between two close neighbours, and which is the main impediment to the kind of relationship which should exist between our two countries, given the commonality of faith, culture, history, language," he said, adding that it should be addressed by the Afghan side. Regarding allegations of Pakistan attacking inside Afghanistan, he said Pakistan reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the security and well-being of its people. Our security forces and law enforcement agencies conduct targeted operations in border regions to safeguard our citizens from terrorist threats, he said. He urged the Afghan authorities to ensure that their territory is not used as a launchpad for terrorist activities against Pakistan. Rains and a bomb threat failed to dampen the spirit of devotees of Lord Ganesh in Mumbai as they gathered in large numbers to bid adieu to their beloved deity amid the beating of 'dhol-tasha' and clouds of 'gulal' rising in the air as the 10-day Ganpati festival drew to a close on Saturday. All Photographs: Satish Bodas/Rediff Till 3 pm, more than 2,100 Ganpati idols were immersed in various water bodies in Mumbai, officials said. Scores of people were seen sitting on road dividers, terraces of buildings, balconies, trees, and poles to catch a glimpse of the grand finale as the idols made their way to the city's beaches and other water bodies amid chants of 'Ganpati Bappa Morya, pudhachya varshi lavkar ya' -- a fervent wish for the god's early return next year. At Lalbaug in central Mumbai, famous for its iconic Ganapati mandals, the processions began with the immersion journeys of idols of Tejukaya, Ganesh Gully, and several other mandals. Majestic idols emerged from their pandals amid loud chants of 'Ganpati Bappa Morya, Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Ya'. Earlier in the day, 'rangolis' were drawn on roads, even as parts of the city witnessed light to moderate showers since morning. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), 2,198 Ganapati idols, including 59 of 'Sarvajanik mandals' (local community groups) and 87 of Goddess idols immersed in natural water bodies and artificial ponds created by the civic body by 3 pm. At Lalbaug in central Mumbai, famous for its iconic Ganapati mandals, the processions began with idols of Tejukaya, Ganesh Gully, and several other mandals. Thousands gathered along the streets of Lalbaug and other major procession routes to bid farewell to their favourite deity, with prayers on their lips and to witness the vibrant spectacle filled with music, dance, and clouds of celebratory 'gulal' (vermillion powder). "No untoward incident reported during the immersion process," a BMC official said. Processions of the famous Ganpatis from Lalbaug, including Lalbaugcha Raja, Chinchpoklicha Chintamani, Ballaleshwar of Bal Ganesh Mandal, Mumbaicha Raja of Ganesh Galli, Mahaganapati of Kalachowki, Rangari Badak Chawl Ganapati, and Tejukaya Ganapati, had reached the main road by 1 pm. Crowds assembled at Shroff Building in Lalbaug, from where the traditional 'pushpa vrishti' (flower shower) was performed on the Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh idol around 5.30 pm with a model of a Rafale aircraft pulled using a rope contraption. The procession of this iconic Ganesh mandal is likely to reach the Girgaon Chowpatty shore on Sunday morning. The procession passes through Byculla, Nagpada, Don Taki and Goldevool areas before reaching the immersion point. The Seva Sadan Mandal used an icon of 'Abhijat Marathi' for its procession, as Marathi has been declared a classical language this year. The procession of the Rangari Badak Chawl was the first to receive 'Pushpavrishti' at Shroff Building, followed by the Cotton Green cha Raja Ganesh idol. Major processions from Lalbaug, Parel, Kalachowki, and other areas of central Mumbai began moving towards the seafronts after 1.30 pm. More than 21,000 police personnel have been deployed in the city to maintain law and order during the idol immersions. The city police were on alert after receiving a threat message claiming 14 terrorists had entered the city with 400 kilograms of RDX that had been planted in 34 vehicles, an official said. The threat message was received on the traffic police's WhatsApp helpline on Thursday while the metropolitan force was making security arrangements for Anant Chaturdashi, the last day of the Ganesh festival. The police later arrested a 50-year-old man from Noida in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly sending the threat message. The crime branch apprehended the accused, Ashwinikumar Supra, from his residence in Noida within 24 hours of receiving the threat message, the official said. A day after the Meghalaya police filed a chargesheet in Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi's murder, his family members on Saturday demanded death penalty for his wife Sonam, the prime accused in the case, and four others. IMAGE: Vipin Raghuvanshi, brother of Raja Raghuvanshi, speaks to the media in Indore. Photograph: ANI Photo The Meghalaya police on Friday filed a 790-page chargesheet, supported by material evidence and enclosures, against eight persons, including Sonam, in the sensational murder of her husband during their honeymoon to Sohra in May this year. Apart from Sonam, the document names her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha, his three friends -- Vishal Singh Chauhan, Akash Singh Rajput, Anand Kurmi, and three others. They were charged under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for criminal conspiracy to murder Raghuvanshi and destruction of evidence. Talking to PTI in Indore, deceased Raja's elder brother Vipin Raghuvanshi said, "My family has only one demand, that is -- along with Sonam and Kushwaha, all five accused be sentenced to death." He said his family was yet to see the detailed chargesheet, but was satisfied with the police investigation and believed that the charges slapped against the accused were strong. The sensational case saw several dramatic turns. After Sonam's arrest, her elder brother Govind had visited the victim's home on June 11 and broke down, claiming his family had severed ties with Sonam and that he would himself fight the legal battle to secure justice for Raghuvanshi. Raja's brother Vipin, however, on Saturday alleged that Govind lied to protect his own business interests. "Govind had said he stood with our family, but we came to know that he has hired a lawyer to defend Sonam," he said. He said his family has also roped in a lawyer to pursue the case. According to police, Raja Raghuvanshi, his wife Sonam had travelled to Shillong on May 21 before heading to Sohra. On May 26, the couple were reported missing, prompting a massive search operation by Sohra police, the Special Operations Team (SOT), National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, trekking groups and local villagers. After days of intensive search, the body of Raja Raghuvanshi was recovered on June 2 from a deep gorge at Arliang Riat Kunongrim, Umblai, near the famous Wei Sawdong falls in Sohra. Investigators found that Sonam was in a relationship with Raj Kushwaha. The duo, along with three hired assailants, allegedly conspired to eliminate Raghuvanshi under the pretext of a honeymoon. The killing was carried out by Rajput, Chauhan and Kurmi in Sonam's presence at the gorge, the police said. Within a week of the probe, five accused, including Sonam, were traced to Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Sonam, Kushwaha, Rajput, Chauhan and Kurmi have been charged under 103(1) (murder), 238 (a) (disappearance of evidence) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the BNS. Later, three more accused -- Lokendra Tomar, Balla Ahirwar and Shilom James -- were arrested from Gwalior, Shadora and Dewas for their alleged role in destroying evidence. A grand stage is being erected at Kangla Fort in Manipur's Imphal, while cleaning and painting activities are underway in the area in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's likely visit to the state next week, officials said on Saturday. IMAGE: Heavy security personnel stand guard outside the Raj Bhavan in Imphal. Photograph: ANI Photo They remained tight-lipped over the objective of the construction and cleaning works at the fort, but said that instructions had been given to complete these tasks at the earliest. The prime minister is likely to visit Manipur on September 13, which will be his first tour to the state since ethnic violence broke out between Meiteis and Kukis. "A grand stage is under construction at Kangla Fort in Imphal. Arrangements are being made to accomodate more than 15,000 people in front of the stage. Cleaning and painting activities inside the fort are also going on," an official said. Kangla Fort serves as the traditional seat of power of the former Manipuri rulers. "Materials for the construction of the stage are being imported from outside Manipur, and more than 100 labourers are being engaged in the construction activities. Also, there is increased presence of security personnel," another official said. Identities of visitors entering the fort are being registered, he said. Road medians on a 7 km stretch between Imphal airport and Kangla Fort are also being repainted and trees trimmed, the official said. "We are yet to receive any official information on the PM's visit. If he comes, we are going to ensure that Modi is given a grand reception," a Bharatiya Janata Party leader told PTI. In the Churachandpur district headquarters, such works are also underway at the Peace ground, another official said. The opposition parties have been attacking the BJP for the prime minister not visiting the ethnic strife-torn state. More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups since May 2023. The Centre had imposed the President's rule in Manipur after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned. The state assembly, which has a tenure till 2027, has been put under suspended animation. A Noida resident has been arrested for allegedly sending a hoax threat message to the Mumbai Police, claiming that 14 terrorists had entered the city with explosives, to frame a man who had filed a case against him and seek revenge, officials said on Saturday. Photograph: Courtesy @MumbaiPolice/X The accused, Ashwani Kumar (51), a native of Patna in Bihar, was living in a housing society in Noida's Sector 79 for the past five years. He described himself as an astrologer and vastu expert, the officials said. According to the officials, the message received by Mumbai Police on Thursday was traced to Noida, following which Sector 113 police swung into action and arrested Kumar within hours. Kumar was arrested from Sector 79 and handed over to the Mumbai Police, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Noida) Sumit Shukla told PTI. Investigators said Kumar admitted that he acted out of personal vendetta. "He wanted to take revenge from a friend who had filed a case against him in Patna in 2023, in which he was jailed for three months. To settle scores, Kumar sent the threat message to the Mumbai Police using his (friend's) name," the officer said. Mumbai Police was on alert on Thursday after receiving the threat message on WhatsApp which claimed that 14 terrorists had entered the city with 400 kg of RDX planted in 34 vehicles, just days ahead of Anant Chaturthi celebrations, when lakhs gather across the city. The message, sent to the traffic police's helpline, mentioned the name of a group called 'Lashkar-e-Jihadi'. A case was registered at Worli police station under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not address the General Debate at the annual high-level session of the United Nations General Assembly later this month, according to a revised provisional list of speakers issued at United Nations. Photograph: Press Information Bureau The 80th session of the UN General Assembly will open on September 9. The high-level General Debate will run from September 23-29, with Brazil as the traditional first speaker of the session, followed by the US. US President Donald Trump will address world leaders from the iconic UNGA podium on September 23, his first address to the UN session in his second term in the White House. According to a revised provisional list of speakers for the high-level General Debate of the 80th session of the General Assembly released Friday, India will be represented by a minister'. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will address the session on September 27. According to a previous provisional list of speakers issued in July, Modi was scheduled to address the General Debate on September 26. The heads of government of Israel, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh are scheduled to address the UNGA General Debate on September 26. Modi had travelled to the US in February this year for a bilateral meeting with Trump at the White House in Washington. Trump has imposed tariffs totalling 50 per cent on India, including 25 per cent for Delhi's purchases of Russian oil. The UNGA list of speakers for the General Debate is provisional and there is always possibility of changes in schedules and speakers ahead of the commencement of the high-level week. The list will continue to be updated accordingly. Considered the busiest diplomatic season of the year at the United Nations Headquarters, the high-level session opens in September annually. The session this year comes amid the continued Israel-Hamas war as well as the Ukraine conflict. The theme for the 80th session is Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights'. The session will open with a meeting to Commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the United Nations' on September 22. Marking the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the UN General Assembly will convene a high-level meeting centred on the theme Recommitting to, resourcing and accelerating the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls". The meeting will reflect on progress since the landmark 1995 conference in Beijing and highlight achievements, best practices, gaps, and ongoing challenges in advancing gender equality worldwide, the UN said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will convene a Climate Summit on September 24 to serve as a platform for world leaders to present their new national climate action plans and seize the benefits of the new clean energy era. Other high-level meetings to be held during the week include Summit for a Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Global Economy; Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health and Well-being; 30th Anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth; Launch of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance; International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons; and Situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar. Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi on Friday released a book on Operation Sindoor and underlined that it delves into the political clarity, interpretation of "full freedom" which was given to the armed forces, and the setting up of politico-military objectives for the decisive action. IMAGE: Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi speaks at the launch of an book event at Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi. Photograph: @adgpi/X The book, titled Operation Sindoor: The Untold Story of India's Deep Strikes Inside Pakistan, has been written by former Army officer and author, Lt Gen KJS Dhillon (retd), and it was launched at the event held at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi. In his address at the event, Gen Dwivedi, without elaborating, also said, "You may be thinking that on May 10, the war finished; no, because it continued for a long time, because so many decisions were to be taken, and beyond that, of course, it will be difficult for me to share here." India launched Operation Sindoor early on May 7, under which the armed forces decimated multiple terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, in retaliation for the deadly Pahalgam attack on April 22. India later announced that its military action was focused, measured and non-escalatory. Pakistani forces retaliated with offensives and Indian forces also launched counter-offensives under Operation Sindoor, as a result the conflict went on for nearly four days. After the two sides reached an understanding, the military action was stopped in the evening of May 10. This book is not just a narrative of a military operation, but a tribute to the "courage, professionalism and unyielding spirit" of the Indian Army and the nation it serves, the Army chief said in his address. Gen Dwivedi said the author has tried to cover in the book, aspects "which generally remains unheard, untold, because the uniformed people cannot speak about it". The Army chief said he was really grateful to Lt Gen Dhillon (retd) for carrying out this "onerous task". "And, what is rightly brought out, as far as the Line of Control battle is concerned, we got so much used to this kind of a battle that we don't realise the relevance, the emotions, the losses, the gains and the challenges which are there," Gen Dwivedi said. So, in Operation Sindoor, this was something which was "an untold story". "And, as you are aware that by mistake when the list came out from the opposite side that how many are being given posthumous awards, I can say that most of the credit should go to the Line of Control," the Army chief said. He was referring to recent reports about a group of Pakistani soldiers who were to be awarded posthumously. "So, that is how it began. To the extent that when we caught some kind of a small excerpt, it said, bahut hua, file chhoro, jaldi se Muzaffarabad bhago. So, that was the kind of onslaught which took place, the fire assault which was there," the Army chief said, without elaborating. He said this book covers the aspects related to the military operation in a completely lucid manner. "The book is factful and it's transcending from the supra-strategic to the tactical, it's very difficult. In one small book, covering all these aspects, it's a real challenge. But, he's been able to put everything together," he added. Gen Dwivedi said the book delves into the "political clarity, interpretation of full freedom which was given to us, setting up of politico-military objectives, and glimpses of three issues which forces always look at -- force visualisation, force protection and force application". Then he also delves into centralised planning and decentralised execution, which is very different to strike a balance with, the Army chief said. Because, every force has its own ways, and grey zone makes it "more challenging". "And, the most important is the synergised orchestration of the three forces. It also meanders through the so-called grey zone which, I, at IIT-Madras (event recently) had called it playing of a game of chess, or a wide river with a dense fog, which entails decision dilemma at every stage, i.e., starting from April 23 till May 16," the Army chief underlined. So, when to start, when to stop, how much to apply in terms of time, space and resources, and how much, what is the definition of calibrated action, all these things were something "we kept discussing at every time," Gen Dwivedi recalled. Operation Sindoor has now become an emphatic symbol of India's new normal against terrorism, including cross-border terrorism. "Indian announced its resolve with a new normal, with outstanding clarity in strategic guidance, with a whole-of-nation approach for execution," the Army chief asserted in his address. So every action, every inaction -- meaning deliberately not taking an action, had long-term implications, the Army chief recalled. "But, I must say, the Indian Army during this complete thing, moved something like a rhythmic wave," he said. "When I say rhythmic wave, in these 88 hours, it was not possible for you to come for the planning, pass the orders... so, everybody was synergised, and everybody knew his orders," Gen Dwivedi said. It will also be a kind of an "introspection for narrative management system", and lessons for the media, whether the media was correct in the hype, he said. For nearly two decades, Nitish Kumar has cultivated women as a distinct constituency. 'To create a broader vote base, he thought it would be better to bring women to electoral politics.' IMAGE: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar interacts with beneficiaries during his Pragti Yatra in Muzaffarpur. Photograph: ANI Photo Just weeks before Bihar heads to the polls, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has reached again for his trusted lever of social engineering: Women. His cabinet recently approved a 35 per cent reservation for women in all government jobs, but this time restricted exclusively to those who are the state's permanent residents. First introduced in 2016, the horizontal quota had also extended to women from outside the state. This tightening of domicile rules signals a blend of political calculation and electoral choreography in the run-up to polls. For nearly two decades, Nitish Kumar has cultivated women as a distinct constituency. Their presence in the electorate has always been formidable, nearly half of the whole. But their turnout, their willingness to show up, has altered the balance of power. "Since more women are coming out to vote, this has made them far more crucial and significant in electoral politics," said Sanjay Kumar, co-director of Lokniti. In the 2010 assembly elections, women in Bihar edged ahead of men: 54.48 per cent turnout to 51.11. By 2015, that gap had widened -- 60.48 per cent of women voted, compared to just 53.31 per cent of men. In the intervening years, Nitish Kumar's women-centric welfare schemes -- from bicycles for girls to panchayat reservations -- had begun to show real-world impact in mobility, education, and public participation. The pattern held through national polls. In the Lok Sabha elections of 2019 and 2024, women once again out-voted men, with a difference of 4.6 and 6.4 percentage points, respectively. In 2024, the trend became unmistakable: Not only did women vote at higher rates, they outnumbered men outright -- 21.8 million women exercising their franchise versus 21.4 million men. D M Diwakar -- former director of Patna's A N Sinha Institute and currently associated with the Development Research Institute, Jalsain, Madhubani -- traces this partly to the state's chronic male migration. "Of course there is some positive impact of different schemes," he said. "But the major factor behind higher voter turnout of women is unavailability of men voters during election because of migration." Still, the growth of women's participation has its own momentum. Bihar's gender ratio remains grim -- 918 women for every 1,000 men, according to the 2011 Census. Yet women are registering to vote faster than men. In 2010, there were 25.4 million women on the rolls. By 2024, that number had swelled to 36.7 million, a 44 per cent rise, outstripping the 36 per cent growth among men, whose number grew from 29.6 million to 40.5 million. Nitish Kumar began laying this groundwork as soon as he entered office in late 2005. In early 2006, he launched the Mukhyamantri Balika Cycle Yojna, putting cash in the hands of ninth-grade girls to buy bicycles and ride to distant schools. For many, it was the difference between studying beyond middle school and dropping out. By government count, more than 9.7 million bicycles have since been provided to girl students. The same year, Bihar became the first state to provide 50 per cent reservation for women in panchayati raj institutions, exceeding the national mandate of 33 per cent. It was called nothing less than a 'silent revolution'. According to a report titled Women and Men in India 2023 by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI), of a total 136, 573 elected representatives in Bihar, 71,046 were women, around 52 per cent. But, as Diwakar notes, it birthed its own distortions: The rise of the "sarpanch pati" or "pradhan pati", the husband ruling in the wife's stead. The following year brought JEEViKA, a partnership with the World Bank to knit women into self-help groups, bringing financial services and market linkages into rural households. What began as a pilot in seven districts of Bihar now spans all of its 534 blocks across 38 districts, with 11 million groups and more than 12.8 million members, collectively leveraging more than Rs 78,000 crore (Rs 780 billion) in institutional credit. Even the controversial liquor ban of 2016 -- fresh after Nitish Kumar's victory in the 2015 state elections -- was framed as women's policy, a shield against domestic violence and household ruin. An analysis of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) by Ideas for India later suggested it had indeed curbed spousal drinking and reduced violence; a Lancet study estimated 2.1 million cases of intimate partner violence were prevented. By 2018, Nitish Kumar had added the Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthaan Yojana, promising Rs 94,100 in instalments to every girl child from birth to graduation, a financial scaffold against early marriage and foeticide, and a push towards higher education. These measures not merely burnished Nitish Kumar's reputation as a reformer; they yielded hard political returns in earlier elections. In the 2020 assembly polls, women voter turnout crossed 70 per cent in 13 constituencies and exceeded 60 per cent in 141. Men breached 60 per cent turnout in only 38 constituencies, and none crossed 70. Of the 43 seats Nitish Kumar's party won, 37 had higher turnout among women than men. The arithmetic is clear. "The Kurmis (the community to which Nitish Kumar belongs) make up only about 3 per cent of Bihar's population," said Diwakar. "To create a broader vote base, he thought it would be better to bring women to electoral politics and started a number of women centric schemes." Sanjay Kumar of Lokniti frames it in terms of margins. "There is a slight tilt of women voters towards the current ruling alliance," he said. "Even a tilt of 2 or 3 per cent of such a large voter base can alter the result significantly." The latest state budget extends this arc even further: A Mahila Haat in Patna for women entrepreneurs, 'pink' buses, hostels for working women, and one-third reservation in transport jobs. And yet, the paradox remains stark. In Bihar's 243-member assembly, women hold only 26 seats, amounting to just 10.7 per cent of its strength. Md Kaifee Alam is a Business Standard-Rahul Khullar journalism intern. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff European leaders will visit the United States this week to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine, US President Donald Trump said on September 7 after Russia pounded the Ukrainian capital with a new major drone strike. Trump, who did not specify which European leaders would travel to the US, also said he would speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin soon and expressed confidence that his efforts to end the war would be successful. Were going to get it done -- the Russia Ukraine situation -- we are going to get it done. I have confidence we are going to get it done, Trump told reporters after returning to Washington from the US Open tennis tournament in New York City. Trump again said that he is "very disappointed" in Putin and said both he and first lady Melania Trump were "disappointed that this ridiculous war continues" as his efforts to convince Russia and Ukraine to agree to hold talks to end the war falter. He has previously set ultimatums and deadlines, including the threat of further sanctions, if Russia wont strike a peace deal. Trump's comments came a day after Russia launched a major drone attack on Kyiv. Ukrainian air defenses were active late on September 6 and early September 7 repelling the drone attack, while drone alerts were also sounded in Ukraine's Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhya regions. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least three people were killed -- an infant child, a young woman, and an elderly woman -- and 11 people were hurt when several high-rise apartments were set on fire by falling debris from Russian drones. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on September 6 rejected an offer from Putin to travel to Moscow for peace talks and instead challenged him to come to Kyiv. ""He can come to Kyiv," Zelenskyy told ABC News. "I can't go to Moscow when my country's under missiles, under attack, each day. I can't go to the capital of this terrorist." The Ukrainian president added that Putin's offer was intended to "postpone the meeting," and that the Russian leader was "playing games with the United States." Putin had earlier downplayed the value of meeting with the Ukrainian president, but also suggested that he would be willing to meet with him, but only on home soil. "The best place for this is the Russian capital, in Hero City Moscow," Putin said during an economic forum in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok on September 5. Ukrainian authorities have reported an apparent change in tactics by Russian forces near the strategic and long-fought-over city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. A Ukrainian unit responsible for Pokrovsk said a force of Russian marines is attempting to penetrate the city at various points in small groups, seeking out Ukrainian artillery sites and drone operators. Russian forces using tanks and armored vehicles also appear to be trying to encircle Pokrovsk in preparation for a later assault on the city, which had a prewar population of some 60,000 but now is mainly in ruins. "According to available information, Russia is planning to deploy its troops in the Donetsk region for a so-called 'decisive breakthrough,'" the Ukrainian unit wrote on social media. Zelenskyy has warned over the past two weeks that Russia is organizing forces for a major autumn offensive. The exchanges come after Putin offered a blunt message to Kyiv's Western partners after they pledged a postwar "reassurance force" to bolster their ally, saying that any of their troops deployed to Ukraine would be targeted by Russia. "If any troops appear there, especially now while fighting is ongoing, we assume that they will be legitimate targets," Putin said. This follows a series of high-profile diplomatic events in China that gave Putin the valuable optics of showing he's not isolated on the global stage, despite his break with the West following Moscows 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Speaking in Beijing, Putin said Russia is willing to fight to achieve all its objectives if Ukraine does not agree to a deal. He also hinted that Western security guarantees after a future peace deal would not relate to the areas in eastern Ukraine whose inhabitants had voted to join Russia - a reference to widely criticized elections held in the aftermath of their occupation and annexation by Russian forces. European Council President Antonio Costa said earlier that the European Union would send a delegation to Washington to prepare new joint sanctions against Russia. We are working with the United States and other like-minded partners to increase our pressure through further direct and secondary sanctions, Costa told a news conference in Ukraine on September 5. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the blocs 19th package of sanctions against Russia since Moscow's full-scale invasion would be unveiled in early September. With reporting by dpa and Reuters Hundreds of police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse protesters around the University of Novi Sad campus on September 5. The protest was part of a 10-month movement to demand reforms in the wake of a fatal railway station roof collapse in 2024. Students accuse the government of corruption and are demanding early elections, hoping to oust President Aleksandar Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party party. Hundreds of police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse protesters around the Novi Sad university campus on September 5 as students gathered to demand reforms. The mass protest was the latest marking 10 months of demonstrations around Serbia and beyond, calling for early elections and a crackdown on corruption. Students argue that the lax enforcement of rules was a key cause in the deaths of 16 people in Novi Sad in November 2024, when a train station roof collapsed. Protesters are hoping to oust President Aleksandar Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party party but the government has not responded to the call for early elections. Crowds for the protest gathered in Novi Sad near the entrance to the universitys Faculty of Philosophy, which has become a flashpoint in the movement for change as police officers have begun patrolling the campus. Police say they are responding to student sit-ins and are only present to restore order but student ire has been rising, while some university deans are accused of collaborating with authorities to suppress dissent. As one demonstrator put it while speaking on a stage at the event: Student rebellion and a free university today are the last line of defense for education, truth, and dignity. If we allow them to destroy the university, we accept living in an absolutely authoritarian regime where there is no place for free knowledge, honesty, or the future of this country." He also decried violent police tactics, adding, Every act of violence unites us, because the idea of a free university cannot be beaten, cannot be arrested, and cannot be suffocated with tear gas. Olga, another student protester, urged demonstrators to stand strong: Remember that self-defense is not an attack. Heres one for the dean, she said, holding up a flag emblazoned with the Faculty of Philosophys seal. Branislav Stevanovic said he came to the demonstration to object to the presence of police on campus and to support students, just to show that we care about that autonomy, and to absolutely support them. Another protester, Ivana, said the demonstrations represent the most available avenue for students to make themselves heard. There are no institutions we can appeal to, she said, adding, the only way is to gather like this, and those kids have taken on the burden of leading this fight, and they are the ones suffering the most because of it. The sister of Maryya Kalesnikava, one of the most prominent political leaders currently jailed in Belarus, says recent months have given her hope her sibling will be released amid recent signs of increasing US engagement with Minsk. This is a landmark moment for all Belarusians, Tatsiana Homich told RFE/RLs Belarus Service on the eve of the 5th anniversary of Kalesnikavas arrest on September 7. The US started negotiations in early 2025. Weve already seen the results. Twenty people have been released, Belarusians and foreign citizens, including Syarhey Tsikhanouski, she said. US President Donald Trump, who surprised many by speaking to Belarus ruler Aleksandr Lukashenko by phone last month, said he believes the Eastern European nation will be releasing many of the hundreds of political prisoners it is holding. "I believe they're going to be releasing a lot of those 1,400," Trump told reporters on September 5, adding that it could happen "in the pretty near future." He did not offer details. Tsikhanouski was arrested as he prepared to run against Lukashenko in a 2020 presidential election. Kalesnikava was a key campaign leader for his wife, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, when she took up the campaign to oust Lukashenko after Tsikhanouski was incarcerated. When electoral authorities reported a Lukashenko victory, mass protests swept the country amid widespread allegations that the results had been falsified. Kalesnikava was arrested as security forces carried out a brutal and sometimes deadly crackdown. Im not currently in contact with Maryya. The last message I received from her was in February just a couple of sentences, said Homich. Communication hasnt resumed: no phone calls, no lawyer or family visits, no letters. She added that Kalesnikava shared a prison cell with other women, following a transfer from a hospital where her father visited her in November 2024. At least thats better than the isolation she had been in for a year and a half since 2023, said Homich. Kalesnikava was snatched from the streets of Minsk by masked men along with two staffers. Two days later, she was driven to the border where the authorities told them to cross into Ukraine. While her colleagues crossed, Kalesnikava tore up her passport. A year later, she was sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of conspiracy to seize power. Assault on Democracy Western reaction to the harsh sentences was quick, with the European Union calling them a "blatant disrespect" of human rights, while the United Kingdom decried Minsk's "assault on the defenders of democracy and freedom." So many political prisoners have been in jail for so long, said Homich. The whole crisis in Belarus has lasted 5 years now. I am living abroad, and Maryya is in prison. But referring to recent prisoner releases, Homich said recent months have given me hope that more political prisoners will be released, maybe also Maryya, that hundreds will be freed. She also pointed to a campaign, launched earlier this year, called Release Now, that is backed by more than 20 non-governmental organizations and human rights groups. Belarusian author Svetlana Alexievich, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize for Literature, is among those who have signed its petition. It urges the Belarusian authorities to release what it says are approximately 1,200 political prisoners and calls on Western governments to engage in diplomacy on their behalf. Exiled Belarusian human rights group, Vyasna (Spring), says that since 2020 some 330 political prisoners have been released early by the Belarusian authorities. The authorities, however, imprison more people than they release. Vyasna reported that in June, while 14 political prisoners were pardoned, 29 others were newly jailed. "Belarus was taken hostage," Tsikhanouskaya said on August 7 at an online briefing held by the Center for European Policy Analysis, a Washington-based think-tank. "Ahead of the anniversary (of the election), the crackdown has only intensified," she added. "The regime isn't just punishing dissent. It's trying actually to erase the memory of 2020." Still, Homich urged Western countries to leave no stone unturned to secure prisoner releases. Release Now is a manifesto calling for the release of political prisoners, an appeal to European countries to act, to follow the US example, she said. There are no other options at present, there are no prospects for change in Belarus, for democratic change. US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that could designate countries that have wrongfully detained US citizens as state sponsors of terrorism, including Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, and China. In a briefing to reporters on September 5, senior administration officials said Washington would target countries holding wrongfully detained Americans as well as those that engage in "hostage diplomacy." Like the State Sponsor of Terrorism determination, no nation should want to end up on this list, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. The order would impose punitive measures, including sanctions, on those Washington deems are wrongfully holding Americans. A second senior administration official told reporters that punitive measures would be similar to those under the current Foreign Terrorist Organization designations, including penalties such as sanctions, export controls, and barring from US entry those determined to be associated with wrongful detentions. "Today, everything changes with regards to rogue regimes and regimes who think Americans can be treated as pawns," the second official told reporters. "We are drawing a very clear delineation today, a line in the sand. You will not use Americans as bargaining chips," said the official, speaking on condition pf anonymity. The officials told reporters the Trump administration had secured the return of 72 U.S. citizens, including those from Russia and Afghanistan. Weve gotten a lot of people out and well continue, President Donald Trump said on September 5. Under the policy, Washington would give notice to a country after deeming there had been a wrongful detention, the officials said. The countries would have a certain period of time to act before Washington imposed sanctions. One of the officials said Washington could choose to lift sanctions if it was determined that corrective measures were taking place. "In a case like Iran... or Russia, I think you will see a change here," the official said. US officials have said they believe Russia to be holding nine American citizens. Iran is believed to be holding eight. Russia is under US and European separate sanctions related to its full-scale, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Iran has been designated a State Sponsor of Terrorism by the United States and is also under a full slate of US sanctions. Global Reach, a nonprofit organization that works to secure the release of US citizens held hostage or wrongfully detained in foreign countries, hailed the action. This designation is something that will put real teeth behind the US governments efforts to bring home detained Americans and deter offending nations from engaging in hostage diplomacy,'" CEO Mickey Bergman said in a statement. With reporting by Reuters and AP Former Ukrainian soldier Vasyl Velychko manages up to 60 dogs a day at an animal shelter in Lviv, making use of his right arm alone. The amputee was wounded in battle in Kharkiv in 2022 but has found new peace and purpose caring for four-legged friends. The Coalition of the Willing, a grouping of over 20 western countries, is inching closer to finalizing plans for some sort of reassurance force for Ukraine. Officials familiar with the talks claim that discussions have intensified in recent weeks in European capitals. Briefing on background after the most recent talks in Paris on September 4, a senior European diplomat notes that there has been increased enthusiasm for the initiative compared with earlier this year and that they are making small steps forward on several issues. The sudden jolt of action in recent weeks is down to one big movement: The United States is paying attention to the project. One diplomat speaking under condition of anonymity says that Washington now can be seen as an observer of the coalition. Even though there still isnt any concrete American backstop which the European countries are seeking for the reassurance force to go ahead, they note the US both politically and militarily have indicated that it may be in the making. In what shape or form still remains to be seen, but it is believed that the most useful asset would be American Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), most likely from NATO eastern flank countries such as Poland and Romania. Yet, several unknowns still dominate the planning for a potential force beyond Americas potential role -- crucially the political mandate of a mission and the rules of engagement. Cease-Fire Required Before Action Takes Place When it comes to the mandate, two things are clear: The force would only become active if there is a cease-fire and it can only operate upon an invitation from Ukraine. The latter is pretty straightforward, but the coalition is still keen to point out that this is a decision by Kyiv and Kyiv only and that Russia cannot veto it in any way. This means that it falls outside the auspices of the United Nations or the OSCE. The coalition is also keen to avoid any form of international force that would include troops from more Kremlin-friendly countries such as Brazil, India, or China. The cease-fire is a precondition for any boots on the ground, especially as no country is keen to assume any combat roles. Herein lies something of a dilemma as no European diplomat appears to believe that the war is about to end anytime soon. Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief, said recently that she believes that Moscow will ramp up the war effort going into the autumn and winter and various European officials back this up by noting that they see the conflict potentially dragging on for years. So, what about rules of engagement? So far, there isnt much agreement on those either. What is clear is that the future force wont be on the contact line. The first line of defense is the Ukrainian army, and the reassurance force comes as a second layer. There are still various options, but the idea is that there should be land, sea, and air components. Turkey is the lead nation when it comes to the sea component, looking at making sure that the Black Sea lanes are free for navigation and potentially being engaged in naval demining. Britain and France are expected to take the lead when it comes to the land forces and around eight other nations, mainly in the Nordic-Baltic region, have indicated they are ready to put boots on the ground as well. The goal is to have 25,000-30,000 troops in Ukraine, but it may not go that high. Poland has indicated that its role mainly will be that of a logistic hub for the force, while Germany is still hesitating and would most probably need parliamentary approval to send any military, a potential obstacle that many other nations face as well. Another dilemma here is many NATO eastern flank nations fear that officers for a future reassurance force will be pulled from the multinational troops of the NATO battalions placed in on their soil in recent years as a response to Russian aggression in Ukraine. Especially Baltic diplomats have warned that the reassurance force mustnt create gaps in the military alliances defense. The land component of the reassurance force would most likely be placed in western Ukraine, with the Lviv area being the most obvious area. The Yavoriv military base, which has been used to train Ukrainian troops by Western army personnel before the Russian full-scale invasion, would according to some sources be a natural hub, especially if the reassurance force will have a training component to it. Other options include placing forces around critical infrastructure such as airports and ports as well as in bigger cities such as Odesa and Kyiv. The air component still needs to be worked out, but the idea is that the skies over western Ukraine and eventually central Ukraine should be protected. But here the matter of rules of engagement becomes an issue, as no Western country is ready to, for example, shoot at Russian aircraft if they were to venture over Ukrainian skies -- thus creating a direct confrontation with the Kremlin. Giani Harpreet Singh Urges Release of 'Punjab 95' on Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra's Martyrdom Day On the solemn occasion of Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra's martyrdom day, Giani Harpreet Singh, president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Breakaway Faction), has called for the immediate release of the biographical film Punjab 95 based on the life of the iconic human rights activist. Through a post on the social media platform X, Giani Harpreet Singh paid tribute to Khalras immense contributions to human rights and justice, while urging authorities to ensure the films release. Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra was a warrior for both human rights and the Sikh community, he wrote. He sacrificed his life to expose the atrocities committed against innocent Sikhs during the darkest period in Punjab's history. On this important day, we demand the immediate release of the film on his life, starring Diljit Dosanjh as the protagonist, to honor his legacy. Advertisement Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra is best known for his courageous efforts to expose the systematic extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and illegal cremations carried out by the Punjab Police in the 1980s and 1990s. His relentless pursuit of justice, despite the threats to his life, made him a symbol of resistance. In 1995, Khalra was forcibly disappeared by the Punjab Police, and his case remains a painful reminder of the oppression faced by those seeking accountability. The biopic, which features popular actor Diljit Dosanjh in the lead role, has been highly anticipated by the Sikh community and human rights activists worldwide. However, the film has faced significant delays, with calls for several cuts to be made before it is allowed for release. Critics argue that these demands for censorship are part of a broader effort to suppress the truth and hinder the full disclosure of the atrocities committed during that time. Giani Harpreet Singhs demand for the immediate release of the film reflects growing frustration among supporters of Khalras legacy, who see the film as a vital means of educating the public about the human rights violations in Punjab and the sacrifices made by individuals like Khalra in the fight for justice. Advertisement The call for the release of the biopic has also gained traction from human rights organizations and Sikh diaspora groups worldwide, who view it as an essential step in ensuring that Khalras efforts are not forgotten. They argue that the film will not only shed light on the injustices faced by the Sikh community but also serve as a testament to the enduring fight for human rights and truth. As the debate surrounding the film's release continues, Giani Harpreet Singhs statement serves as a reminder of the importance of honoring the memory of Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra. "We must ensure that the sacrifices made by our martyrs are not erased from history. This film is an important step in preserving his legacy and educating future generations about the struggles of the Sikh community," he concluded. The release of the biopic, many believe, will provide an opportunity for the world to understand the challenges faced by Punjab during that period and the tireless efforts of those who fought for justice, like Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann Hospitalized; Health Improving Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been admitted to Fortis Hospital in Mohali after experiencing health complications. The 48-year-old leader was hospitalized on Friday evening after reporting symptoms of weakness and a slow heartbeat. His condition has since stabilized, and medical teams are continuously monitoring his health. Sources from the hospital confirmed that Mann had been feeling unwell for the past two days, leading to the postponement of his planned visit to flood-affected areas alongside AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. Initially resting at his official residence in Chandigarh, his health deteriorated, prompting the decision to admit him to the hospital for close observation. Advertisement Since his admission, the hospital has reported some positive signs, including an improvement in his pulse rate. Medical professionals are optimistic about his recovery, but they are maintaining vigilance to ensure that no further complications arise. In a show of support, Manns mother visited him at the hospital, along with AAP leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Their presence brought comfort to the Chief Minister during this challenging time. The illness has also disrupted official business. A scheduled cabinet meeting on Friday evening had to be postponed due to Manns hospitalization. His health issues have also delayed his visit to flood-affected areas, which was expected to highlight the states ongoing relief efforts. Advertisement As Mann recuperates, his colleagues and political supporters have expressed their well wishes for a swift recovery. In the meantime, the state administration continues to function, with senior officials stepping in to manage day-to-day affairs until the Chief Minister is well enough to resume his duties. The Punjab government has assured the public that it remains fully operational, despite the temporary setback. Manns improving health has brought a sense of relief to many, and citizens are hopeful that he will return to his leadership role soon. Second Arrest in Tarn Taran Murder Case: AGTF Takes Swift Action Against Criminal Syndicates The Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), in a joint operation with Tarn Taran Police, has successfully arrested Arshdeep Singh, also known as Arsh, in connection with the high-profile murder of Jagdeep Mola. Arsh, a resident of Batth village in Tarn Taran, was apprehended after a well-coordinated operation aimed at dismantling the criminal network behind the murder. This arrest follows the earlier capture of Rahul Singh, the prime accused, who was apprehended by the AGTF earlier this year. Both men are believed to have been involved in the execution-style killing of Jagdeep Mola, which sent shockwaves through the local community. Advertisement According to the police, the murder took place near Gurudwara Sri Darbar Sahib in Tarn Taran, where two assailants, including Arshdeep Singh, arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire on Jagdeep Mola, killing him on the spot before fleeing the scene. The authorities have confirmed that Arshdeep played a crucial role in the execution of the crime. The AGTF, along with Tarn Taran Police, has been working tirelessly to bring all those involved in the murder to justice. In a statement, the AGTF reiterated its commitment to eradicating organized crime and gang violence in the state. The arrest of Arshdeep Singh demonstrates our ongoing efforts to dismantle the criminal networks that threaten public safety. We will continue to take decisive action against those who engage in such violent acts, said an AGTF spokesperson. The police investigation is still underway, and authorities are following additional leads to ensure that all individuals involved in the murder are brought to justice. The Punjab Police have emphasized that their crackdown on gang violence will continue, and they are committed to ensuring the safety of the states citizens. Advertisement The arrests have been widely welcomed by the local community, who have expressed relief at the progress in the case. The police have assured that they will continue to strengthen their efforts to combat organized crime and maintain law and order across Punjab. As the investigation continues, both law enforcement and residents are hopeful that the swift action taken by the AGTF will lead to the dismantling of criminal networks and help restore peace and security in the region. British Columbia Declares September 6 as Jaswant Singh Khalra Day On September 6, 1995, Khalra was abducted by the Punjab Police, and he has not been seen since. In a poignant tribute to the life and legacy of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, the Government of British Columbia has officially designated September 6 as Jaswant Singh Khalra Day. This date marks the 30th anniversary of his abduction by the Punjab Police and his subsequent disappearance, an event that continues to resonate within the global human rights community. Khalra, a staunch advocate for justice, is renowned for his courageous efforts to expose human rights violations during the turbulent 1980s and 1990s in Punjab, India. His relentless investigations revealed the extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, and illegal cremations of thousands of Sikhs by state authorities. Despite the grave personal risks, Khalra remained unwavering in his pursuit of truth and accountability, making him a beacon for human rights defenders worldwide. Advertisement On September 6, 1995, Khalra was abducted by the Punjab Police, and he has not been seen since. His disappearance remains a painful reminder of the extreme measures taken by the state to suppress dissent and avoid accountability for its actions. Despite the years that have passed, Khalras work continues to inspire those who champion human rights, justice, and the fight for truth. British Columbias recognition of Jaswant Singh Khalra Day serves as both an acknowledgment of Khalras unwavering dedication and a call to action. While his efforts were met with severe repression in India, where the full extent of his work has faced ongoing censorship and suppression, the provincial governments decision to honor his memory highlights the continued struggle for justice. This commemoration comes at a time when a biographical film about Khalras life is facing significant censorship in India, with authorities demanding over 120 cuts before the movie can be released. This ongoing suppression starkly contrasts with the open recognition Khalra is receiving in regions like British Columbia, which supports the principles of free expression and human rights. For the Sikh community in Canada and human rights activists around the world, the proclamation of Jaswant Singh Khalra Day is not only a moment to honor his legacy but also to show solidarity with the ongoing efforts to seek justice for victims of state violence and human rights violations. Many activists have praised the decision, noting that it serves as an important step in ensuring that the fight for justice remains visible and active, even when political forces attempt to silence the truth. Advertisement By dedicating a day to Khalras memory, British Columbia joins a growing global movement that continues to recognize the importance of standing against oppressive systems, no matter the cost. The provincial government's act of remembrance underscores the value of speaking truth to power, particularly when those who do so face immense personal danger. The day is a reminder that while Khalras voice was silenced through his abduction, his impact continues to reverberate in the fight for human rights worldwide. His tireless efforts to expose the truth continue to inspire generations of activists, underscoring the enduring power of individual courage in the face of state-sanctioned violence. Ioan Bianu (1856-1935) The Library of the Romanian Academy appeared in 1867 Ioan Bianu (1856-1935) Steliu Lambru, 06.09.2025, 13:41 The cultural institutions of the modern Romanian state continued what had existed, but new ones were established from scratch, from the ambitions and dedication of some enthusiasts. One of these cultural institutions that gained prestige was the Library of the Romanian Academy, and one of the enthusiasts who linked his name to it was the director Ioan Bianu. The Library of the Romanian Academy appeared in 1867, with the emergence of the Romanian Academy, and the first funds of the Library appeared from donations by Romanian and foreign cultural figures. In addition to donations, the development of the Library was done through purchase and international exchange. The first institution to engage in the exchange of printed matter with the Library of the Romanian Academy was the Royal Danish Society of Sciences in 1870. 18 years after the establishment of the Library, in 1885, the Law of Legal Deposit came into force, stipulating that three copies of everything printed on Romanian territory be sent to the Library of the Romanian Academy. The first director of the Library and the one who organized it was Ioan Bianu. Being of Romanian origin from Transylvania, born in 1856, Bianu was of the Greek Catholic denomination and had attended high school in Blaj. After his high school studies, he settled in Romania, and graduated from the Faculty of Letters of the University of Bucharest. He studied in Milan, Madrid and Paris, became a professor at the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy of the University of Bucharest and, in 1884, was appointed director of the Library. Nicolae Noica is the current director of the Romanian Academy Library, and he showed the dedication with which the first head of the institution built it starting in 1884. Ioan Bianu fused his existence with that of the institution he founded and led until the end of his life. For more than 50 years, he headed the Academy Library, he was at the helm of the Academy Library, which he enriched through personal efforts. He launched public appeals to procure printed books, publications, manuscripts, prints, portraits, all of this in order to have at hand the study of the nations past, of the language and literature through which a society can know its history. Ioan Bianu, with his meticulousness, was aware that only a well-equipped, well-organized, well-managed and well-defended cultural institution could provide researchers with what they needed. His activity as a guardian of the book, as he was called, who vigilantly watched over the treasures of the Library is evidenced by the incident of April 1915, when he refused to give Princess Marioara, daughter of King Ferdinand, the first volume of the work Inscriptions, which was in a single copy in the Library. Then, another special moment is the episode in 1917 when, in the capital occupied by German troops, Bianu was imprisoned in his apartment, which was at the Academy. The enemies ransacked the Old Manuscript Fund and impoverished it. Bianu refused to sign the act of surrender, because he was not allowed to record his protest, and the manuscripts ended up in Sofia, finally returning to the country in 1918-1920. Integrity is a condition without which one cannot build something of quality, being truly decisive in a team with other people of the same character. This is how it is today, and it was also in the time of Ioan Bianu. Here is Nicolae Noica. I would like to emphasize in particular the integrity of this distinguished intellectual. It is not surprising that precisely on these coordinates of the seriousness of concrete facts and high ideals, Bianu met another kindred spirit, Anghel Saligny. Moreover, their collaboration is also evident from a letter that Bianu sent to Saligny on January 11, 1911. Ioan Bianu said that Anghel Saligny was accustomed to organizing and leading large services, where the attributions and responsibilities had to be clearly defined. And, as president of the Academy, seeing the weaknesses and shortcomings of the services, developed and organized patriarchally, as it was then, Saligny brought corrections and improvements with the greatest discretion. The qualities of a good administrator are seen in those who are dedicated to their activity, which is, in fact, a passion. Ioan Bianu also knew the dangers that lurk for people in office, dangers that can be fatal for the institutions in which they work. Nicolae Noica once again. In 1907, the administration of the Romanian Academy was established, and Ioan Bianu was entrusted with its coordination as general director. He was director of the Library and director of the administration, and was devoted to his mission until the last moment of his life. Bianu asked in a testamentary letter that they be served with honor and be protected from abuses which, quote, morally and materially destroys both institutions of all kinds in this beautiful and rich homeland of ours, unquote, as well as taking care of the formidable assets that are found at the Academy Library. Ioan Bianu died in 1935, 90 years ago, after leading the Library of the Romanian Academy through periods of extensive transformations of the Romanian state and society. His directorship is a landmark, not only for the memory of the institution, but also of an era marked by strong constructive momentum. THE WEEK IN REVIEW 1-5 September, 2025 The week in review Daniela Budu, 06.09.2025, 13:31 President Nicusor Dan at the Coalition of the Willing meeting for Ukraine Romania supports the adoption of additional sanctions against Russia, President Nicusor Dan said on Thursday, after participating via videoconference in the Paris meeting of countries supporting Kiev. I appreciate the hard work and progress in obtaining robust security guarantees for Ukraine, the president said on a social network. He added that transatlantic unity and coordination are our strong point in the face of Russia. According to Nicusor Dan, US involvement remains crucial in the joint efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement and a lasting peace in Ukraine. The head of state also stressed the importance of the Alliances Eastern Flank. The president added: Consolidated security for Ukraine and the continued consolidation of NATOs posture on the Eastern Flank and the Black Sea are interdependent. Continuing support for the Republic of Moldova and its democratic and European path is equally important for the overall security and stability in our region,. European leaders in Romania On Monday, visiting Romania, at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Military Base in Constanta County (southeast), the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, welcomed Romanias involvement in maintaining security on the Eastern Flank. Help us keep Europe safe by air and sea on the Black Sea. Romania is an asset for European security and a key partner on NATOs Eastern Flank, the leader from Brussels declared during the meeting with President Nicusor Dan. Furthermore, she recalled the defense package approved at the community level, worth 800 billion euros by 2030, part of this package being the 150 billion euro SAFE program, to which 19 countries, including Romania, have signed up. For his part, Nicusor Dan stated that Romania will start extracting gas from the Black Sea in 2027, which will lead to both the countrys and Europes energy security. European solidarity is important in this complicated period, with pressure coming from the Russian Federation, stated, on the other hand, the head of state. Nicusor Dan also mentioned European solidarity during his meeting with the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, who was in Bucharest on Wednesday. The discussions focused on the security situation and the European Unions strategy for the Black Sea. Antonio Costa highlighted Romanias role in European security. We all support your security. We know that we depend to a large extent on Romanias security, added the President of the European Council. The Romanian government takes responsibility again The government in Bucharest has taken responsibility again in the plenary session of Parliament, this time on five projects that target magistrates pensions, the reform of the healthcare system, the reorganization of public companies, the restructuring of regulatory authorities and the introduction of fiscal measures to combat tax evasion and increase local revenues. The public administration reform, which is part of the same package, has been postponed by two weeks. Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced, after a meeting with President Nicusor Dan and the leaders of the PSD, PNL, USR, UDMR and national minorities coalition, that by the middle of this month, a working group from the Romanian government will identify measures to reduce the number of positions in local administration by 10%. He stated that work is also being done to reduce positions in the central administration, where he believes the staff is overstaffed. The figures displease the unions in the administration, which announced that they would launch a general strike if the government adopts these measures. AUR, the ultranationalist and populist opposition in the Romanian Parliament, attacked the executive with four motions of censure on four of the five bills for which it has taken responsibility. It left untouched by the motion the amendments to the law regulating magistrates pensions, which limit their amount and gradually increase the retirement age in the judicial system. The Alliance for the Unity of Romanians criticizes, in the four motions, what it considers to be legislative abuses and austerity measures adopted by taking responsibility, without debate, consultations, or a parliamentary vote. IMF Delegation in Bucharest Romania needs to stabilize and consolidate public finances, and not because the International Monetary Fund says so or because other external partners of the country consider it so says Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare. After the meeting with IMF experts on mission in Bucharest, the minister wrote, in a message on a social network, that a voluntary adjustment is always smoother than an imposed one, and what the authorities are doing during this period is to rebuild a foundation weakened by the high budget deficit. According to the minister, the discussions focused on the evolution of the Romanian economy and the recent packages of measures, with the IMF recognizing the efforts and firm commitment of the current Government for consistent reforms. We want a healthy and resilient economy, and everything we do during this period represents the foundation we are rebuilding, weakened by the unacceptably high deficit and the poor management of public finances in recent years. This is the message that the minister conveyed to the IMF representatives present in Bucharest between September 3 and 12, to analyze the recent developments in the Romanian economy. The George Enescu Festival in Romania and Chisinau One of the most important classical music festivals in the world the George Enescu International Festival continues in over 20 cities in Romania and in Chisinau, through concerts and numerous related events organized in collaboration with partner institutions. This week, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Banat Timisoara Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Basel Chamber Orchestra performed, among others. The program brings together hundreds of invited artists and dozens of events: symphonic concerts, chamber recitals, exhibitions, conferences and screenings of opera and ballet performances. The XXVII edition of the Festival takes place until September 21 and marks the 70th anniversary of the death of the great Romanian composer and musician George Enescu. CUBA The United States Attorneys office in district of New Mexico announced Sept. 5 that a Cuba man was sentenced to eight years in prison for shooting into a vehicle during a highway chase resulting in the killing a 14-year-old passenger. Rodgerick Tsosie, 32, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, chased a vehicle carrying several occupants along New Mexico Highway 197 near Torreon on May 16, 2022, the release stated. Tsosie pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Upon his release from prison, Tsosie will be subject to five years of supervised release. Tsosie had been called to break up a fight between the driver of the vehicle, John Doe 2, and other family members. As he pulled alongside the vehicle, Tsosie fired once towards John Doe 2 but inadvertently struck John Doe 1, his 14-year old nephew, in the head, the release states. The teen was pronounced dead at a Santa Fe hospital. The release adds that the Navajo Nation Police Department, Sandoval County Sheriffs Office and FBI responded to the scene where witnesses identified Tsosies vehicle, and multiple occupants immediately told authorities he was the shooter. Tsosie later admitted to firing a shot, stating, I guess Ill take the fall for it. There is no parole in the federal system. Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has announced that it will fully pass on the benefits of the recently revised GST rates to its customers. The new prices will come into effect from September 22, 2025, aligning with the festive season. Tata Motors and Renault have also announced price benefits from same date. Mahindra on the other hand, has announced benefits starting today. Price Reductions Across Toyota Lineup Customers are encouraged to check with authorized Toyota dealerships for exact pricing of their preferred variants. With the GST reforms, Toyota models will now become more accessible, with reductions ranging from thousands to several lakhs, depending on the vehicle. Glanza up to Rs 85,300 Urban Cruiser Taisor up to Rs 1,11,100 Rumion up to Rs 48,700 Urban Cruiser Hyryder up to Rs 65,400 Innova Crysta up to Rs 1,80,600 Innova Hycross up to Rs 1,15,800 Fortuner up to Rs 3,49,000 Legender up to Rs 3,34,000 Hilux up to Rs 2,52,700 Camry up to Rs 1,01,800 Vellfire up to Rs 2,78,000 Varinder Wadhwa, Vice President, Sales-Service-Used Car Business & Profit Enhancement, said, We sincerely thank the Government of India, for this historic reform. It has not only enhanced affordability for customers but also strengthened overall confidence in the auto sector. Ahead of the festive season we expect this step will provide strong momentum and further accelerate demand. As a transparent and customer-centric company, we are pleased to pass on these benefits to our customers. We remain deeply committed to making world-class mobility solutions more accessible and welcome such reforms that will spur demand, bring mobility for all, and create mass happiness, while contributing to Indias journey of sustainable and inclusive growth. Boost for Festive Demand This announcement comes just weeks before Navratri, traditionally a peak period for car purchases. By absorbing the full GST rate cut, Toyota aims to drive festive-season demand and expand affordability across its product portfolio, from hatchbacks like the Glanza to premium offerings such as the Fortuner, Camry, and Vellfire. The price cuts are expected to reinforce Toyotas position in Indias competitive passenger vehicle market, while also supporting the governments larger objective of boosting consumption through GST reforms. Paleontologists at the University of Leicester have examined the 150-million-year-old fossilized skeletons of two highly immature Pterodactylus antiquus individuals with broken wings from the Solnhofen Limestones of southern Germany. Their findings show how these creatures were tragically struck down by powerful Jurassic storms that also created the ideal conditions to preserve them and hundreds more fossils like them. The Late Jurassic Solnhofen limestone deposits of Bavaria, southern Germany, dating to 153-148 million years ago, are renowned for their exquisitely preserved fossils, including many specimens of pterosaurs, the flying reptiles of the Mesozoic, said University of Leicester paleontologist Rab Smyth and colleagues. Yet here lies a mystery: while Solnhofen has yielded hundreds of pterosaur fossils, nearly all are very small, very young individuals, perfectly preserved. By contrast, larger, adult pterosaurs are rarely found, and when they are, theyre represented only by fragments (often isolated skulls or limbs). This pattern runs counter to expectations: larger, more robust animals should stand a better chance of fossilization than delicate juveniles. In the new study, the authors analyzed the fossilized skeletons of two immature pterosaurs from the Solnhofen Limestones. The two individuals belong to Pterodactylus antiquus, a species of pterosaur that lived in what is now Germany during the Kimmeridgian age of the Late Jurassic epoch. With wingspans of less than 20 cm (8 inches), these hatchlings are among the smallest of all known pterosaurs. Both show the same unusual injury: a clean, slanted fracture to the humerus. The left wing of one individual and the right wing of another were both broken in a way that suggests a powerful twisting force, likely the result of powerful gusts of wind rather than a collision with a hard surface. Catastrophically injured, the pterosaurs plunged into the surface of the lagoon, drowning in the storm driven waves and quickly sinking to the seabed where they were rapidly buried by very fine limy muds stirred up by the death storms. This rapid burial allowed for the remarkable preservation seen in their fossils. Like the two studied pterosaurs, which were only a few days or weeks old when they died, there are many other small, very young pterosaurs in the Solnhofen Limestones, preserved in the same way, but without obvious evidence of skeletal trauma. Unable to resist the strength of storms these young pterosaurs were also flung into the lagoon. This discovery explains why smaller fossils are so well preserved they were a direct result of storms a common cause of death for pterosaurs that lived in the region. For centuries, scientists believed that the Solnhofen lagoon ecosystems were dominated by small pterosaurs, Dr. Smyth said. But we now know this view is deeply biased. Many of these pterosaurs werent native to the lagoon at all. Most are inexperienced juveniles that were likely living on nearby islands that were unfortunately caught up in powerful storms. A paper on the findings was published today in the journal Current Biology. _____ Robert S.H. Smyth et al. Fatal accidents in neonatal pterosaurs and selective sampling in the Solnhofen fossil assemblage. Current Biology, published online September 5, 2025; doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.08.006 Jaishankar to represent India at the BRICS virtual summit called by Brazils President Lula on Monday. Summit focus: tackling US-led trade and tariff disruptions; Lula to raise 50% tariffs imposed on Brazilian exports. Expanded BRICS bloc: now 10 members, representing 49.5% of global population, 40% of GDP, and 26% of trade. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will represent India at the upcoming BRICS virtual summit on Monday, convened Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to address the economic fallout of Washingtons trade and tariff measures. The meeting is expected to chart a collective strategy for navigating the trade tensions triggered by the Trump administrations tariff policies. Brazil currently holds the BRICS chairmanship. The expanded bloc now includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Indonesia, making it a 10-member grouping. Last month, Lula held a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during which both leaders agreed to deepen cooperation in energy and trade. Brazil has faced similar tariff challenges as India, with the US imposing 50% duties on Brazilian exports. Lula is expected to raise the tariff issue prominently at the summit. Also Read- Minister G Kishan Reddy Calls Coal Tax Cut A Game Changing Industry Reform According to reports, New Delhis decision to send Jaishankar instead of the Prime Minister is seen as part of a balancing act in light of Washingtons increasing concerns over BRICS agenda. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned the bloc against pursuing de-dollarization efforts. BRICS, which began with five founding members Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa expanded in 2024 with the addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE, followed by Indonesia in 2025. Today, BRICS represents nearly half of the worlds population (49.5%), contributes 40% of global GDP, and accounts for 26% of international trade, underscoring its growing influence in global economic affairs. Dear Abby, Why do I feel the need to be in a relationship, but when Im in one, I feel trapped, bored, disappointed, and lonely? Im a divorced single mom, co-parenting a child with my ex. We have been divorced for 15 years. My child is graduating from college this year. I have often been told by past partners that I lacked the willingness or ability to emotionally connect with them. Because of this, the relationship lacked substance, and we ended up breaking up. When it happens, I feel devastated. Because Im the reason it ended, my first reaction is to convince them to give me a second chance. Second chance leads to third chance, etc., but ultimately, the romance ends because the problem remains. My last two relationships each lasted four years. Some of the criticisms included my not being interested in getting to know or becoming close to their kids and not showing vulnerability. This led to them doubting that I was truly interested in them and questioning my reasons for being with them. From my perspective, I often feel tired of my life as a single mom, working full time, co-raising a child, etc. But there is a strong desire to have a male figure in my life to feel safe and secure. Recently, perimenopause symptoms have had a great impact on my life. This has been my relationship pattern. How do I break it? Lonely in the West Dear Lonely, You have stated clearly what you want from a relationship, but you havent mentioned what you brought to those past relationships. You want safety and security. Its possible those men sensed your lack of emotional involvement. The surest way to break this self-defeating pattern would be to talk with a licensed mental health professional about your priorities and how to form a meaningful, lasting relationship. Jorma Taccone attends "The Naked Gun" New York Premiere on July 28, 2025, in New York. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images/TNS) TNS Lonely Island member Jorma Taccone shattered his pelvis and detached his sacrum after a recent fall from a 20-foot ladder at his farmhouse in Connecticut. The Saturday Night Live alum recounted the incident from his hospital bed during Tuesdays episode of the Lonely Island & Seth Meyers podcast. Theres a barn, and the back half of the barn has a big white wall. And I was like, Oh, this is great. We can do a big mural, the comedian said to his co-hosts Meyers, Akiva Schaffer and Andy Samberg. The mural would be very, very large at the top. The apex of this barn is like 25 feet. Taccone said that he borrowed ladders, including one that his neighbor described as bad. As in, you shouldnt use this ladder. Like, it doesnt have a footing thing. And I was like, No, its really good. Taccone was using the ladder to hang lights around the barn to highlight the mural when he fell 20 feet onto his butt. I literally have enough time as Im falling to be like, Im going to die, he said. The accident was on Aug. 31, his daughters fifth birthday, according to Us Weekly. It wasnt the coolest way to start the day, Taccone said. Two days post-surgery, Taccone said the doctors expect him to walk again within three to six months. Its been a really scary week, and were glad that you didnt hit your head and that youre not dead, Schaffer said. There was only one question left: How long do the hosts have before they can poke fun at the accident? I mean, dont you think it should be instantaneous? Taccone quipped. Taccones film Over Your Dead Body, which he directed, was recently acquired by IFC in May, according to Deadline. The theatrical release date is yet to be determined. _____ 2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. When incoming medical students Ellie Koerner and Dawson Nailor bumped into each other at a new student orientation at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicines Class of 2029, little did they realize theyd already shared another important life event about 18 years prior: they battled pediatric cancer together. According the medical college, Nailor glanced at Koerner during the orientation and felt a spark of recognition. Did you have leukemia? he asked her upon introduction. When she replied yes, everything clicked. We were treated together, he added. It was serendipity at its finest. At the age of four, in 2007, both Koerner and Nailor battled acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the same outpatient care center after being diagnosed within months of each other; they shared the same doctors, nurses and the tremendous courage needed to fight for their lives. They caught up and took selfies they sent to their mothers, who quickly recalled each other, from their time with their children spent at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia before continuing chemotherapy in Voorhees, New Jersey. Though both families lived only 10 minutes apart in South Jersey, their paths didnt cross again until the medical school orientation. Crazy scene to be having this conversation Koerner recalled the moment of recognition vividly: He sits down and then were catching up, and we know all the same people. We know all the same doctors. It was a crazy scene to be having this conversation. Both survivors credit their care teams for inspiring their decision to become doctors. Nailor wants to pursue pediatric oncology, not only to give back to the specialty that saved his life, but also to be a source of joy, strength and understanding for children facing the same challenges I once did. I hope to one day provide not only excellent medical care but also emotionally grounded, honest conversations that help families navigate such a difficult time with compassion, he said. Koerners cancer journey included her founding the Ellie Koerner Leukemia Foundation and organizing toy drives for Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and Ronald McDonald House. Similarly, Dawson has embraced his story, leading Relay for Life teams and eventually heading the event at his school. Both remain active in the childrens hospitals Childhood Cancer Survivorship Program. Shaped their desire to pursue medicine Looking back, both Nailor and Koerner say their experiences shaped the doctors they aspire to become. I saw firsthand the doctor I want to be, Nailor said. I saw how important that feeling was as a patient. I want to be the reason a child is not afraid or upset during treatmentto be their light during one of the darkest times of their lives. The White Coat Ceremony was a testament to our hard work and our strength and determination, said Koerner. Not only did we fight through cancer for two-plus years, we went beyond the diagnosis and are now dedicating the rest of our lives to being doctors and giving back in the most hands-on way you pretty much can. Ess-a-Bagel, Liberty Bagels, Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company, and Tompkins Square Bagels all received national recognition for their exceptional offerings. (Victoria Priola for the Advance/SILive.com) New York City bagel shops are once again topping national rankings, with multiple iconic spots on Fodors latest roundup of the best bagels in America. According to Fodors, Ess-a-Bagel, with locations in Manhattan, remains a beloved favorite. This shop is known for its oversized, pillowy bagels that stay soft for hours. This quality makes it a go-to for locals and tourists. Liberty Bagels also made the list, with colorful rainbow bagels and nearly 20 daily flavor options. The shop is known for pairing its bagels with inventive cream cheeses and hearty breakfast sandwiches. Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company, based in Manhattan, is celebrated for its crazy cream cheeses, ranging from honey bacon sriracha to cannoli. This creative and sometimes questionable approach has given it nationwide recognition. Lastly, Tompkins Square Bagels rounds out the list, with a mix of quirky charm and classic quality. Endorsed by Timothee Chalamet, the Manhattan-based shop offers flavors like birthday cake and wasabi cream cheese. Other cities joined the New York breakfast tradition, with shops in: University Heights, Ohio; Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Los Angeles, California. Drivers make their way along Victory Boulevard, near Richmond Avenue, as a fast-moving storm passes over Staten Island Saturday, Sept 6, 2025. (Owen Reiter for the Advance/SILive.com) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Severe storms forecast for Staten Island for Saturday afternoon are sweeping across the borough, causing low visibility and slick roads for drivers, as the National Weather Service warns of a chance for flash flooding. The rain started in some areas as early as 3 p.m, with downpours happening periodically throughout the afternoon. The National Weather Service warned residents earlier in the day of the potential for strong wind gusts, large hail and localized flooding risks. Heavy rain is seen in Dongan Hills Saturday afternoon. Precipitation totals are expected to be between one and two inches, with the most intense weather expected between mid-afternoon and early evening, according to forecasters. (Advance/SILive | Nicolette Cavallaro) Precipitation totals are expected to be between one to two inches, with the most intense weather expected between mid-afternoon and early evening, according to forecasters. A downed tree blocks Storer Avenue near Carlin Street following a storm on Saturday, September 6, 2025 in Charleston. (Owen Reiter for the Advance/SILive.com) A downed tree blocks a driveway on Androvette Street following a storm on Saturday, September 6, 2025 in Charleston. (Owen Reiter for the Advance/SILive.com) The National Weather Service reported a 15% chance of flash flooding on Saturday in areas with poor drainage and urban infrastructure, particularly in northeastern New Jersey and Staten Island. Here, New York Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a campaign launch rally at City Hall on June. 26, 2025. The mayor announced today that he would seek reelection. (Associated Press/Yuki Iwamura) New York City Mayor Eric Adams insisted again Friday that he wont end his reelection campaign, stressing that hell remain in the race as reports swirl that hes been approached about possibly taking a job in the Trump administration. At a hastily called news conference, Adams declared, I am in this race. And I am the only one who can beat Mamdani, referring to the Democratic nominee, Zohran Mamdani. How many times have I been told throughout this journey to step aside, to surrender, to give up, to give in, he said. Thats the same thing we tell everyday New Yorkers. Everyday New Yorkers are not giving up, are not giving in, are not surrendering, so their mayor is not going to do that. Adams has spent the week fending off news reports that intermediaries for President Donald Trump had contacted people in the mayors orbit to talk about whether he would consider abandoning his campaign to take a federal job. He had released a statement earlier Friday that said said he will always listen if called to serve our country but that he had not yet received any formal offers. Hours later, he summoned news reporters to Gracie Mansion, fueling speculation that he would bow out of the contest. But instead, he doubled down on his intentions to press on, launching broadsides at Mamdani and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, calling them two spoiled brats who are not like us, while playing up his own working-class origins. Trump has told reporters he would prefer not to have Mamdani, 33, as the next mayor of the largest U.S. city. He said hed like to see two of the three other major candidates taking on Mamdani Cuomo, who like Adams is running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa leave the race to create a one-on-one contest. Moments after Adams announcement, Trump was asked about it by reporters at the White House. Hes free to do what he wants, Trump said of Adams. Trump continued: Cuomo might have a chance of winning if it was one-on-one, while adding, if you have more than one candidate running against (Mamdani), it cant be won. During a trip to Florida this week, Adams met with Steve Witkoff, a former real estate developer in New York who is now one of Trumps main diplomatic envoys in Washington, said Adams campaign spokesperson, Todd Shapiro. It was unclear what specifically was discussed. In an interview, former Democratic New York Gov. David Paterson said he spoke with the mayor Wednesday morning. Adams told him he wanted to remain in the race but had received offers, Paterson said. He said, Listen, they say I have some offers. I have a lot of offers. Then he started laughing. And he was saying that, you know, he really doesnt want to leave and hes trying to work that out so he doesnt have to, said Paterson, who has endorsed Adams for reelection. He didnt get specific about it, but I got that in his heart of hearts, he really wants to stay. But I also got that, even though he didnt say it, that the odds cant be very good. Mamdani won the Democratic nomination after soundly defeating Cuomo in the primary and is the presumed favorite to become the next mayor. Through the collusion and corruption of the past few months, our relentless focus on the affordability crisis created by Andrew Cuomo and inflamed by Eric Adams has not wavered," Mamdani said in a statement Friday. November, were going to deliver a city working New Yorkers can afford and turn the page on the broken, billionaire-backed politics of the past. Adams skipped the Democratic primary, saying he was sidelined from campaigning by his now-dismissed federal bribery case. Pope Leo XIV waves to faithful as he arrives in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. A picture of Carlo Acutis, who will be canonized Sunday, is seen in the crowd. (Associated Press) The Vatican will celebrate an historic canonization on Sunday, Sept. 7, when Pope Leo will declare Blessed Carlo Acutis a saint. According to USA Today, it will mark the first canonization of Pope Leos papacy and the first saint of the millennial generation, placing Carlo alongside revered figures such as Mother Teresa and Francis of Assisi. Carlo, a British-born Italian, passed away from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15. He had been scheduled to be canonized on April 27 during the Jubilee of Adolescents, but the ceremony was postponed following the death of Pope Francis on April 21. Known by some as Gods influencer, Carlo was a tech-savvy teen who learned multiple computer coding languages and created websites to share his faith. The Path to Sainthood Canonization is the Churchs recognition that a person is in heaven with God. The process is overseen by a Vatican department, which examines the individuals life for holiness, and typically requires confirmation of at least two miracles attributed to their intercession. Miracles attributed to Carlos first recognized miracle occurred in 2020. It involved a 4-year-old boy in Brazil born with a serious pancreatic defect. After his mother prayed to Carlo in 2013, the child experienced a sudden and complete recovery. A second miracle, announced in May 2024, involved a woman from Costa Rica. In 2022, she visited Carlos tomb in Assisi, Italy, praying for her daughter, who had suffered severe head trauma in a bicycle accident and was not expected to survive. That same day, her daughter began breathing on her own. Within 24 hours, she regained some movement and speech, and 10 days later, a CAT scan showed the brain hemorrhage had disappeared. Pope Leo XIV is greeted by Bishops in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, a day ahead of the canonization of Carlo Acutis who's portrait is hanging at top right. (Associated Press) More on Carol Acutis Born in 1991, Carlo stood out for his joyful faith and compassion. He used his technical skills to evangelize, developing websites for his parish and the wider Catholic Church. He was beatified in October 2020, when Pope Francis recognized him as having reached blessedness in heaven and granted him the title of Blessed. According to NBC News, Carlos mother, Antonia Salzano, said her sons appeal lies in his ordinary teenage life. Salzano told the media outlet that, from a young age, Carlo taught himself computer programming and asked her to buy books usually reserved for trained engineers. He had a special skill, probably something unbelievable. I couldnt understand how it would be so. But he used what he had in the heart, the love of God, to maximize for spreading the faith, she added. Using the familys modest, older computer, Carlo learned to code on his own and created a website documenting more than 100 Eucharistic miracles recognized by the Church over the centuries, according to published reports. Although programming was his passion, Salzano told NBC News she believed that her son might have pursued the priesthood, as he had asked about a career in the Church. After receiving his First Communion at age 7, he regularly attended daily Mass and even taught catechism at his local parish. He wanted to help people to discover their faith, to discover God, the love of God. And all his life was spent for this. Even if he lived a normal life, like young boys of his age, she added. In October 2006, at just 15, Carlo fell ill and passed away within 10 days from acute promyelocytic leukemia. President Donald Trump is looking to take over a revered New York City non-profit organization that has become fraught with controversy. The New York Times reported that Trump is looking to gain control of the hallowed 9/11 Memorial and Museum in Downtown Manhattan. Families of 9/11 victims have slammed the institution over funding and management issues. Two White House officials told the Times that preliminary discussions about a takeover have begun. Some 9/11 families have criticized the museum for years, pointing to high ticket prices and salaries for museum officials. Families have also questioned where to keep the unidentified remains of some victims of the attacks. Trump has met with some relatives and expressed sympathy for their concerns. The New York Post reported that museum president and CEO Beth Hillman earned $856,216 in total compensation during 2024a 63% raise in two years. The museums next four top executives earned between $432,958 and $486,298. Last year, the museum generated nearly $69 million in general revenues. Admission to the memorial and museum is $36 for adults. Tickets that include tours cost up to $56. The site offers free tickets to the families of 9/11 victims and to active or retired U.S. service members. There is also free admission exclusively to New Yorkers on the first Sunday of the month from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Museum officials rejected the takeover possibility. At a time when the federal government is working to cut costs, assuming the full operating expenses for the site makes no sense, Hillman told the Times. Museum spokesman Marc La Vorgna said, We are certain there is nothing in existing law that would give the federal government the unilateral ability to take the site over. It remains unclear how exactly the federal government would assume control. Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign suggested designating the 9/11 Memorial and Museum as a national monument. Trump at a rally last September said he wanted to ensure the hallowed ground where 9/11 terrorist attacks took place and the memory of those who perished would be preserved for all time. Trump caused controversy earlier this year by taking control of the board of the fabled John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Trump has also taken control of the stalled renovation of Penn Station in New York City. The story about the 9/11 Memorial and Museum was picked up by the 6sqft.com website. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. With the new school year officially in session, as New York City students returned to classes on Thursday, Staten Island youth and their families were treated to a Back 2 School Bash, hosted by The Grace Church, on Saturday. More than 300 families attended the free, family-friendly event at PS 16, Tompkinsville, where smiling faces could be seen on children as they took part in a variety of fun activities. We have a heart to really show the love of God to people in a practical way. I think sometimes church is known for Bible thumping, and maybe their worship services, but I think the kind of church weve been looking to build on Staten Island is a church that is known for the love of God, said the Rev. Rolando Remedios. So whats the best way that we can show the love of God to the people? I think the best way they would understand is by serving them. And so for us, the heart of all this is to show the love of God in a practical way for the people, he added. Yvette Fall said she was super excited to participate in the event and give back to the community. We do this every single year, and the kids are just through-the-roof overjoyed. Another thing that Ive also enjoyed is seeing the adults. Its as if their inner child comes out, and they join in with the kids jumping rope. Its been a lot of fun, Fall said. Children were kept busy with inflatable amusements that included two bouncy houses and a giant slide, while others had their face painted or worked on art projects. Amy Penny brought her granddaughter, Analise Martinez, to the event after hearing about it from a friend. Im happy we came, surrounded by many amazing people. My baby got her face painted, and she got a backpack. What a great way to spend a beautiful Saturday, Martinez said. While students played on the basketball court, others participated in a jump-roping station, and DJ Andre Jones played a steady stream of music throughout the event. The Grace Church offered free raffles, food, and school supplies. Students could choose a free book bag in a variety of colors. The busiest food stations were the hot dog table and the cotton candy machine. Sponsors for the event included: the Teddy Atlas Foundation; Glory Martial Arts Center; Don Robertos, Barrios Pizzaria; Metroplus; Celebrate Hope; Costco; Remi Studio; Everylee Bakery; Staten Island FerryHawks; Thrive Collective/Damia;, WE Project, Phillys Pretzels; Bubbas Chicken; BJs Wholesale Club; PS 16/PS10; Gentmode; and Cinderella Mexican. SUBSCRIBER BENEFIT: SILive.com is offering a perk exclusively for subscribers: Log in, click on the photo gallery and choose GET PHOTO to download print-quality images free of charge. Plus, get 50% off the purchase of keepsakes. If youre not already a subscriber, sign up here. Note to SILive.com mobile app users: To download high-resolution photos, please access this report and gallery from a standard mobile or desktop/laptop web browser. Zan Rowe is best known for her work as one of the countrys leading music journalists, and host of the ABCs Take 5. Here, the 47-year-old explains how her grandfather inspired her career choice, and how, after breaking off her engagement eight years ago, she and her partner found their way back to one another. Zan Rowe had her first relationship at 18, with a man who cold-emailed her from the US. Credit: Peter Tarasiuk My paternal grandfather George died when my father was three. He was tragically killed by a car while delivering milk in a horse and cart in the 1940s. I was very close to my maternal grandfather, Alan, who died aged 98. He was involved in community radio in his 70s we had that common ground. Hed play concerts and classical music on a show he hosted with my grandmother, Muriel, called Pot-Pourri. My dad Malcolm was an electrical engineer, a TAFE teacher and also worked for RMIT. I loved hanging with him in the shed, dressed in overalls like Kylie Minogue did in Neighbours. Dad used to give me the oil can to oil the bike. He trusted my curiosity to get around the shed, and I had the same access as my brothers did. Daniel Victory, the principal lawyer for employment issues at Maurice Blackburns Melbourne office, said the unfair dismissal compensation cap was a trade-off to protect employers from business-destroying payouts. Adrianna Permus, who was unfairly dismissed by Guzman y Gomez at their Westfield Carousel store. Credit: Tony McDonough But he added: I think it is flawed, and it should be changed. Permus is now aged 19 and works as an apprentice electrician. But she still bears scars from the end of her first job at Guzman y Gomez (GYG) in Cannington, a southern suburb of Perth. It felt pretty bad, she says, because I didnt do anything wrong. Permus started at Guzman y Gomez in February 2023 while at school. It began well, she says, but her regular shifts stopped in July 2024. She offered to work when managers put callouts to a staff WhatsApp group to fill shifts, but she was repeatedly overlooked. After an internal complaint, Permus filed a general protections claim with the Fair Work Commission, alleging she was a victim of racial discrimination. Guzman y Gomez denied this, saying Permus did not meet performance standards, though it filed no evidence. In the following months, before a conference about her discrimination claim, GYG told Permus she was still employed but hadnt been allocated any shifts. Loading Fair Work Commission deputy president Slevin later found Permus was in effect dismissed after a Fair Work meeting on October 10. Her discrimination claim was not resolved or substantiated. Permus eventually filed an unfair dismissal claim on November 11, outside the 21-day time frame, but Slevin granted an extension because the conduct of GYG had created confusion that led to the delay. Slevin eventually handed down his decision on the merits of Permus case on May 1 this year, concluding her dismissal was harsh, unjust and unreasonable. I find that Ms Permus was a hard worker who was trusted to train others and was always willing to accommodate the needs of the business by making herself available to do extra shifts and take on additional duties, Slevin said. In her statement to the commission, Permus noted the Mexican fast-food chain employed many youths like her who deserved a positive first job experience. Permus wants the Fair Work Act to be changed, so compensation for unfair dismissal is more equitable. Credit: Tony McDonough I was so depressed and feel worthless. I was crushed, she wrote. From the happy young girl that wanted [to] grow and constantly improve self, I was changed to [a] self-isolated person struggling to find motivation to leave [the] bedroom. In deciding the remedy, Slevin said the Fair Work Act meant he was constrained to order no more in compensation than the $10,252.35 that Permus had earned in her disrupted last 26 weeks. Loading This figure is less than the figure I would otherwise have ordered, he said. I note that the manner in which the cap operates in this case is inequitable to Ms Permus. Victory said the cap was often inequitable to the poorest workers, who faced the same costs of a claim as anyone else but whose possible benefits were limited by their low earnings. But I think theres been an extra layer of unfairness in this case, Victory said, because it was the employer themselves who reduced the employee shifts over the last six months before the dismissal, and now theyre getting the benefit of that conduct, which they shouldnt. He also suggested the mental harm that Permus endured could warrant additional compensation, but noted section 392(4) of the act explicitly barred unfair dismissal compensation for shock and distress. That now is really peculiar to unfair dismissal, Victory said, pointing out it contrasted with the High Court recently allowing psychiatric injury compensation in contract disputes. When asked about Permus case, a Guzman y Gomez spokesperson said: While we do not comment on individual employee matters, GYG has taken the findings of the decision in May 2025 seriously. We are always committed to continuous improvement and strive to create the best possible workplace for our people. Everyone in this church is subject to the whims of its all-powerful leader, multimillionaire Sydney businessman Bruce D. Hales known internally as BDH, the Lords Servant, the Elect Vessel or, when talking business, the CEO. Criticising him or his sons, known as the Royal family, is unthinkable. Staying in, though, is becoming untenable. Having critical thoughts and expressing them, particularly as a woman, would make her an outcast in the organisation now known as the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church. Bruce Hales (front left), the global leader of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, preaches in the US. Credit: Matthew Absalom-Wong Despite that revelation, four years later, Rebecca remains a member of the church. Since birth, shes been taught the world outside is a terrifying place. And leaving would mean confronting that terror alone she would lose access to her family and friends, everyone she knows. A series of events had opened what she calls her critical thinking box for the first time. Suddenly, she saw what she now says is the dishonesty, injustice and lack of free choice built into the only community shes known. It was 2021 when she woke up at 3am with one thought in her head: I dont want to do this any more. Rebecca* can pinpoint the moment she lost faith in the Exclusive Brethren the church she was born into, married in, had children in and which controls virtually every aspect of her life. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Members of the Brethren spent millions of dollars and weeks of their time in a highly co-ordinated attempt to help Peter Dutton become prime minister at the last federal election. Even the women stepped out, though they were requested to wear non-Brethren attire to fly under the radar. The exception is unpaid work in church-run enterprises, such as the school, the Brethren-only grocery shop, Campus and Co, and the public-facing charity the Rapid Relief Team. In his ministry, Bruce Hales lists the divine ordering as God first, then Christ, man, woman. Women should be attached to their husbands, attached to their children, discreet, chaste, diligent in home work. If they behave like that, it will greatly help and improve the state amongst us. So her role is to follow the rules, remain quiet, raise her children and look after her house and husband. Also like all women, she sits at the back of the church and cannot speak, except to call out the numbers of the hymns. The unspoken belief among the Brethren, she says, is that nothing a woman could say is important enough to be heard in church. But for women, the strictures are even tighter. Church doctrine means Rebecca was subject to her father, and then, when she married, to her husband. Like most women, she married young, had children and has never been permitted to occupy a position of authority over a man, in business or in life. I grew up among one of the most misogynistic groups in Australia, and it shaped who I am, says Lavinia Richardson, 23, who left two years ago on the verge of marriage. You are put into a mould from the day youre born and youre just turned into this submissive, quiet person. Lavinia Richardson, 23, left the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (formerly known as the Exclusive Brethren) two years ago. Credit: Olive McTaggart But women inside the church, and those who have left, say this is simply wrong. The church denies there is anything to see here. Its spokesman, Lloyd Grimshaw, insists: Our church very much values the role of women, and it is offensive to suggest that we treat them as second class citizens. Former senator Linda Reynolds told this masthead that it was unacceptable that we were associated with a group whose treatment of women, to me, is reprehensible and misogynistic. The intervention has caused enormous division in the Liberal Party, and it was the churchs treatment of women that most offended many. Insiders says women are seated at the back of the church, underlining their place in its hierachy. Credit: Nathan Perri At the centre of Plymouth Brethren Christian Church philosophy sits one core belief, the doctrine of separation. It teaches that the saints are separate and better than the rest of us, and that the world is a place of defilement and contamination. Church members are prohibited from eating and socialising with, or befriending their non-Brethren neighbours people known as worldlies. Rebecca says, as difficult as all this is to bear, she still cannot see a way out. This is a strictly hierarchical society where the wealthy, the powerful and the priestly sit in the front rows of the assembly and the poorer and less socially acceptable sit up the back. But the lowliest man is further forward than the most respected woman. From birth youre going to church and the women sit behind, and youre silent the men do all the talking. The men are the priests, theyre in control. Youre visibly seeing that youre segregated and pushed to the back. Rebecca has lived by the Brethrens prescriptions. In her words, she did everything right. She married a man at 21 who was approved for her by Hales. Asked why women cannot speak in the assembly except to announce the hymns, he replies: The question doesnt make sense. In answer to questions, its spokesman, Grimshaw, cited the Bible to justify womens secondary role: As the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing, he quotes. The Brethren church presents itself to politicians and society as a normal, strict, denomination that adheres to conservative but mainstream Christian values. And so she endures, and hopes that, someday, an answer to her dilemma will become clear. If Rebecca left, she would be making herself an outcast. She would probably lose access to her children, her husband, her parents her whole extended family. They shouldnt be made to pay for the way I feel, she tells me, on condition of strict anonymity. I still want to be a mum and a grandma. In her wedding vows, as all Brethren do, she pledged allegiance to the church to uphold in our household, scriptural principles, including those set out and established in the ministries of these great [Brethren] leaders, with which I am in complete agreement. Then Rebecca had children. They go to Brethren-only schools and are destined, as they grow up, to work in Brethren businesses. The typical Brethren family is big because the church does not recruit from outside. Children and adults are encouraged to use Brethren-endorsed phones and laptops that are loaded with proprietary Brethren software to track their physical movements and interactions online. Some time after Rebeccas children turn 21, they are to marry a Brethren spouse if the world leader of the day approves the match. (Rebecca told me last week there was a slew of engagements now being announced, adding, BDH has obviously attacked his stack of letters asking for marriage permission.) Once married, divorce is virtually impossible. An old photo of church leader Bruce Hales. If a young person is approaching an age at which they are considered on the shelf about 25 for women and 27 for men and cannot find an acceptable partner, help is at hand. Theres a spreadsheet that, for a fee, will show young people eligible potential spouses in their age group, where they live and, crucially, if they are related. Contraception is banned, so the newlyweds will quickly start having Brethren children. And that, says Rebecca, will trap them, as she is trapped, by the fear of losing those children if they leave. The control is both structural and social. Critical thinking is dismissed. Its often said by the Brethren leadership, according to Rebecca, We do the thinking, you do the doing. She says women are judged harshly if they are seen to have opinions and express them. Women are scared by the implied threat that our thinking is wrong that youre insubject. That youre out of place, Rebecca tells me. Im shaming my husband by speaking out about things, because he is supposed to keep me under control. Isnt this an intense level of control, I say? Your words made me think, Rebecca replies. Most [Brethren] wouldnt see it that way. Grimshaw dismisses the idea that women are prevented from speaking their minds. Clearly you havent met many (possibly any) of the women in our church. If you had, you would know how absurd this question is. In middle age, these questions are very real for Rebecca. She is now asking what the next half of her life holds. Under Brethren doctrine, she feels she has never been seen or taken seriously. The conditioning is hard to lose. Is Hales really the Lords servant? Is he, as the Brethren are told, so close to the Lord Jesus that he can feel his heartbeat? And what if the talk among the Brethren is true that Hales has prophesied in private that the Rapture will come in 2029, give or take six months? Grimshaw denies Hales has said this. So Rebecca stays in the church, living with a deep divide in her mind the critical side telling her what shes been taught is wrong and unhealthy and the other, the indoctrinated part, cowering in fear. Lavinia Richardson knew by year 9 that, if she was going to leave the Brethren, it had to be before she was married. In year 11, though, she grew so desperate waiting that she tried to take her own life. I thought, I just feel like I have no way out. I cant leave and I cant stay for two more years. It was a serious suicide attempt. But as she slipped out of consciousness, the thought struck her: F---, theres got to be more life than this surely theres a world where I can be more than a wife and baby maker? What saved her, specifically, was the thought of the children she could have outside the church girls, one day, that I can raise to be strong, independent women who will have a voice and can actually speak for themselves. And just thinking, I dont want to die. Im excited about life but I also dont want to raise children and grandchildren in this environment. Lavinia Richardson when she was a Brethren member. At 21, Richardson left, despite the fear drilled into her about the outside world. Youre constantly told by your parents, the priests, that youll be broke, homeless, penniless, in the gutter, pregnant, if you leave as a woman Im not sure why they always say youll end up pregnant. Now, two years later, she is living far from the Victorian home of her Brethren parents. Putting the final nail in the coffin of their relationship was her revealing she was bisexual. They said, Well if thats the way you feel, then youve lost us for good, Richardson says. Those words will probably stick with me until the day I die. It was like Id been physically stabbed in the stomach. Grimshaw denies the church reviles homosexuality, saying sexual relationships should be between a man and a woman but that we also acknowledge that others can have different views. Richardson says she was also told after leaving: It would have been easier if youd died. Its a common saying, she says. Grimshaw denies that too. The Church would not and does not say that. Richardson says now of the religion she was raised in: Its a system. Its not a church, its a cult. She confirmed Rebeccas view that outspoken women were shameful to their husbands. It doesnt even have to be anything opposing. Even just being a loud, outgoing, sunny person all forms of self-expression just get trampled out. Richardson in what she describes as her girl boss photo shoot. Credit: Olive McTaggart She says there is virtually no sex education certainly none at school and relationships before marriage are heavily discouraged. Her family had never talked to her about sex except in the context of talking about being submissive. And this was the one arena, says Richardson, where she was told she could stand up to her husband if she wasnt in the mood. Church spokesman Grimshaw said a question about sex education was strange and wrong. The types of conversations we have [about sex] would be instantly recognisable to any other Christian parents and children, he said. As for relationships prior to marriage, he said, millions of Christians around the world believe the same thing we do. Asked about domestic violence, Grimshaw said: The church abhors violence in all forms. But with no option of divorce, Richardson says, I saw women in relationships that were quite obviously abusive and they had absolutely no way out. She says Brethren doctrine is therefore 1000 per cent more conducive to violence. Cassie Davies saw a high level of control in her own family. Her mother was outspoken and was persecuted throughout our lives. She was told she was mental. She got medicated, theyd take her off to see their doctors. So any sort of self-will, that was just beat out of you. And you learned very quickly that you dont push against the rules. Davies left at 20, and has been 21 years out of the Brethren. Cassie Davies, who is happily out of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church. She says the system is terrible for men, too. The pressure on the men builds bullies, basically, because they have to be. They are responsible for the household, so everything that happens is their responsibility and the fear of failing in that creates bullies. She agreed with Richardson that, in many cases, that led to violence. But its a very covert it would never be an overt violence. Because of the community and the way its structured. In social situations primarily the Sunday large group gathering known as break, she says, everyone was pretending to be shiny happy people. Kids are all well behaved. They want to talk about how well behaved their children are in public. Behind the scenes, though, both men and women are encouraged to drink, and do so lavishly. Its a way to cope. Its perfectly acceptable until you cross the invisible line into visible drunkenness then youre heavily shamed and belittled for it, Davies says. Men drink under the immense pressure of being responsible for controlling their household, women drink to manage the constant pressure to perform under oppression, and teenagers often drink in rebellion. Most are simply trying to numb the pain and pressure of keeping up appearances. The cognitive dissonance is difficult for anyone to manage, especially for those who still hold on to remnants of critical thinking through the moulding process. Rebecca agrees that alcohol is a big part of life. She says it also helps reinforce the hierarchy: the wealthier you are, the more expensive the bottle you bring as a gift. Hales drinks Johnnie Walker Blue Label whisky at $400 a bottle, she says. I know many, many women wholl start drinking mid-afternoon, Rebecca says. Lunches out, theres drink. Young girls going out for breakfast, theres a drink Mimosa. The more she thinks critically about the Brethren, the more its almost impossible to reconcile this double life. Its eating her inside. Its an existential crisis of mid-life, Rebecca says. I am just so sick of being the underdog and for no reasons. But leaving is still too hard. For a woman, whose only role has been to serve the church and her family, finding a way out is a challenge that seems insurmountable. So, for now, she stays. Not her real name Lifeline: 131 114 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 In early autumn, Dezi Freemans landlord, Rebecca Swift, sat smiling under a banner that pictured her rural alpine valley property, dubbed Four Gully Farm. Swift, an anti-government conspiracy theorist, was running a stall at the Off-Grid Living Festival, selling organic produce harvested from the Porepunkah farm. Illustrated on the banner is the propertys red-roofed farmhouse, its chestnut and feijoa trees, and happy farmers, all set against the towering backdrop of Mount Buffalo. Andrew and Rebecca Swift pictured in a documentary produced by Andrew, an alpine region expert. It was impossible for Swift who is actively involved in the anti-government movement and deeply mistrusts authorities to even imagine that just months later, that very scene would be projected across the country as the centre of the biggest manhunt in Victorias recent history. Her tenant, Freeman, is alleged to have murdered Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart with a home-made shotgun at the bus he was living in not far from the farms main red-roofed residence. Another detective wounded in the attack hid under the bus for up to an hour until paramedics arrived, police sources say. Advertisement Loading The Swifts, well-liked greenies in the alpine community, are said to have run an off-grid type of community on their farmland, which they bought in 2016, though little is known about who else was living on the property at the time of the alleged ambush. Theres a lot of people living there. Its like a little community. You see a lot of cars driving in and out, one neighbour said. Bruce Evans, a friend of Freeman who visited the Porepunkah property several times, said Dezi had built the bus himself while his family was living in a house in Porepunkah, before they moved to the Swifts property. Dezi was actually building the bus and making it off-grid. He did it all himself, Evans said. It was a great little farm and very well laid out and very well looked after. One visitor who camped under the propertys chestnut trees described her time on the 20-hectare farm as magical. Love what the Swift family have created and the community they have built, she shared on social media. The Swifts and the other tenants were forced from their gated community after Freeman who is said to be heavily armed fled into dense bushland shortly after the August 26 shooting, and police launched the massive manhunt that is in its second week. Advertisement Crime Command Detective Superintendent Jason Kelly has confirmed that Freemans wife, Mali, and at least one of his children, were home when the officers arrived to execute a warrant. Its not clear whether other tenants or the Swifts were also on the property at the time of the shooting. The Swifts have gone even further off the grid since the incident, and locals say they havent seen the couple. Freeman, a self-proclaimed sovereign citizen with a history of police hatred, moved onto Four Gully Farm with his family after a string of bad fallings-out with former landlords, who have made claims about his violent temper and disturbing obsession with guns. But the trio shared some common interests the Swifts and Freeman have a deep knowledge and love for the land they lived on; Freeman moved up from Melbourne to the nearby Victorian border town of Wodonga when he was a young boy, while the Swifts grew up in the alpine valley. As Rebeccas online activity would suggest, she and Freeman were both believers in COVID-19 conspiracies, and were aligned in their view that the government was corrupt and could not be trusted. There is no suggestion, however, that Rebecca or anyone else living on Four Gully Farm held any of the extremist or violent behaviour allegedly displayed by Freeman. Advertisement In fact, locals in Porepunkah and Bright speak highly of the Swifts, dubbing them highly intelligent people who are known for organic farming. Their chestnut hummus and feijoa cordial are favourites at the Myrtleford and Bright farmers markets. They would have had nothing to do with what happened. They are very nice, friendly people, and Im not really aware of any of their political views, said an employee of a Porepunkah business, who insisted she not be identified. Bruce Evans, a friend of Freeman, says no one else living on the property had anything to do with Freemans alleged crimes. Credit: Jason South Evans said no one else living on the property had anything to do with Freemans alleged crimes. Ive met a tonne of people there during various times. Id like to point out that the people living there are now having a real hard time because of whats happening at the moment [police searching the area], he said. Ive been told that theyre suffering big time because of this, they cant get on with their lives. This masthead spoke to more than 20 people and conducted extensive research on the online profiles of the Swifts to paint a picture of their life in Porepunkah. Those interviewed asked not to be identified while a double murder probe was under way and Freeman is on the run. Advertisement This masthead made several attempts to contact the Swifts, who did not respond to phone calls or text messages. Political predator class Rebecca has always been active in the alpine valley community; before the COVID-19 lockdowns, she was organising climate action strikes and helped raise money for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. But as the spread of COVID-19 and resulting lockdowns spurred an anti-government ideology underscored by conspiracy theories and a deep mistrust of authorities, Rebecca turned her activism efforts to the freedom movement. She helped organise anti-government rallies and urged people to get involved with various events, fielding volunteers for an anti-vaxxer group and posting event links into community noticeboards. Rebecca Swift (second from right) has long been politically active. In May, in an online discussion about the state governments highly criticised fire levy tax hike, Rebecca wrote: It was a tough job trying to raise awareness of the corruption and lawlessness being perpetrated by the government and their mouthpieces, while being portrayed as selfish, stupid conspiracy theorist, far-right granny killers. Advertisement Neo-Nazis are running training days in suburban Sydney but NSW Police, who have the group under constant surveillance, say they appear to be struggling with recruits after declaring on the steps of state Parliament the intention to form a political party. The National Socialist Network, Australias most prominent neo-Nazi group, played a front-row role at the anti-immigration marches in Sydney and Melbourne last month. Sydney neo-Nazi leader Jack Eltis and White Australia members on the steps of NSW Parliament House in late June. Credit: The networks leader, Victorian 32-year-old Thomas Sewell, was refused bail for violent disorder and affray on Friday after allegedly attacking an Aboriginal encampment and sacred site in Melbourne. Sewell had ranted at the rallies, and in the courtroom, about his fight for white Australia. Dangerous sunbeds are still being rented out more than 10 years after NSWs tan ban on commercial solariums, and operators running illegal services in suburban homes are finding clients on social media. New laws banning social media advertising of such services come as concerns rise over the popularity of tanning among Generation Z, despite decades of public health campaigns warning of the link between sun exposure and skin cancer. Photographs of an Illawarra solarium business run out of two residential properties. The business, which charged $35 for 35 minutes in a dangerous sunbed, was recently busted by EPA investigators. Commercial UV solariums were outlawed in 2014 due to concerns about the link between tanning and melanoma but it remains legal to own a sunbed for personal use. This loophole has helped spawn a cottage industry of at-home solariums, which advertise their services on private social media accounts. Charles Prior, 33, was preparing to paddle out on his surfboard on Saturday morning when a swimmer warned him of a shark in the water. I thought, oh whatever, there are always sharks in the water ... then someone said dont go out, a guys just been attacked, he told AAP. Other surfers began paddling toward a black shape in the water, which Prior soon realised was the mans body. He and other surfers helped bring the man through waist-deep water to the shore. Another surfer described seeing a massive white shark, up to six metres in length, he said. It (the shark) is obviously huge, given it just removed two legs pretty well clean and his left hand. The experienced surfer was well known locally, and was heavily involved in the areas surfing fraternity. Distraught friends and family were seen at the beach after news of the attack spread on Saturday morning. Dee Why shark attack victim Mercury Psillakis. Credit: Facebook Friends described him as friendly, genuine and caring to others. Fellow surfer Tim R Smith said the father-of-one was well loved and respected. Im lost for words. He was the guy I would hang with and surf with him in Sydney, he glassed my boards and taught me a lot about surfboards and more importantly just how to be a good person in and out of the water. Big love to all the family and friends of Merc. You are such a loved man throughout, he wrote. Police remained on the scene, while Surf Life Saving NSW used drones to search for other sharks in the area. The Department of Primary Industries was working to determine the species of the shark. All other beaches between Narrabeen and Manly were immediately closed after the incident, and are expected to reopen tomorrow. In line with government protocols, Surf Life Saving Sydney Northern Beaches branch president Rod McGibbon said he expected Dee Why and Long Reef beaches to be closed for 48 to 72 hours. Premier Chris Minns described the attack as an awful tragedy. Police at the scene, where two pieces of surfboard were taken for further examination. Credit: James Brickwood My heart goes out to the victims family and friends. I also want to thank the first responders and community members who tried to help in such tough and confronting circumstances, he said. Shark attacks are rare, but they leave a huge mark on everyone involved, particularly the close-knit surfing community. Shark attacks in Sydney are rare: before Saturday, only one death had been recorded from shark bites across the citys beaches in 60 years. In 2022, Simon Nellist was killed at Little Bay, in Sydneys east, by what authorities believed was a great white shark. Shark nets were installed at Dee Why and 50 other beaches between Wollongong and Newcastle on Monday, the first day of spring. A crowd watches on from a distance following the death at Dee Why on Saturday. Credit: Flavio Brancaleone There has been only one previous death from a shark attack at a netted beach in NSW at Merewether in Newcastle in 1951. On average, there are one or two fatal shark attacks each year in NSW, according to the Australian Shark Incident Database. The low sample sizes mean there is statistically no difference in shark fatalities between netted and unnetted beaches. Shark nets have been used since 1937. In recent years, they have been supplemented by modern technology such as SMART drumlines, shark listening stations and drone surveillance. The nets are rectangles of mesh net about 150 metres long. They do not provide a barrier, and sharks swim over, under and around them. They are controversial because they indiscriminately kill dolphins, turtles, critically endangered grey nurse sharks and other sea life. Before this event, the NSW government was finalising plans with three councils Waverley, Northern Beaches and Central Coast to trial one beach in each local government area going net-free this summer. However, nets were still installed in all the usual places this summer. With AAP For years, Australians have been told there is no such thing as a safe tan or urged to follow the mantra slip, slop, slap. Yet skin cancer experts are increasingly concerned by Generation Z attitudes towards sun safety. Pro-tanning content is rife on social media, with young people mostly women comparing tan lines and trading tips. Despite TikTok purporting to have banned such material from its platform, a quick search reveals this is not the case. As Mary Ward reports in todays Sun-Herald, dangerous sunbeds are still being rented out a decade after NSWs tan ban on commercial solariums, with social media platforms facilitating the industry. While commercial solariums were outlawed in 2014, the devices themselves regular use of which has been attributable to a high proportion of young melanoma cases are not banned. It is still legal though any skin cancer expert would tell you: inadvisable to have a sunbed in ones home for personal use. My friend Cameron is not dramatic by nature, so I was right to be alarmed when he texted me a close-up photo of his frowning face, accompanied by the words: Hey, just wondering why you hate me? Im not sure what it says about the state of my conscience, but rather than thinking, Oh, no, whats he on about? I instead jumped to Oh dear, whats he heard? My first thought concerned a recent joke Id made at his expense about a shirt hed worn being from Gorman (it was loud and covered in patterns). Id felt bad afterwards and even worse now, so the time had come to apologise via text. Is this about the Gorman thing? Sorry, man! Almost immediately, the reply came: What Gorman thing? No, its because you refuse to watch the show Dave despite the fact I know you will LOVE it. If sharing is caring, why wont you watch, read or listen to the thing I specifically mentioned to you, hoping our shared appreciation of it would bond us for eternity? Credit: Michael Howard For the last year, he had been consistently recommending I watch Dave, a comedy about a neurotic, mid-20s suburbanite convinced that hes destined to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Last Monday morning at Darling Harbour, three young men approached me with a swagger that felt newly emboldened. Their words were crude, their intent clear: I didnt belong here. As an Australian man with Indian-Malaysian heritage who has lived in this country for decades, I nonetheless feel the effect of the ugly scenes and rhetoric we witnessed last this time last week. Anti-immigration protesters march from Belmore Park towards Victoria Park during the March for Australia. Credit: Getty Images This personal confrontation was no isolated incident it was the toxic spillover from the weekends so-called March for Australia rallies, which drew more than 45,000 protesters nationally and were infiltrated by neo-Nazis chanting Heil Australia. The atmosphere of hate these rallies generated doesnt confine itself to Hyde Park or Federation Square. It seeps into everyday encounters, emboldens the worst instincts, and makes people like me question their place in a country they call home. My parents made the decision to leave Malaysia seeking better quality of life in Australia and a deeper racial equality. They found it, as millions before and since have done. Australia has been our safe haven, our opportunity, our home. But moments like last Sunday make many of us question that narrative. Racism is not new to this country; whats different now is how its public expression has been emboldened by far-right rallies that make division and hatred mainstream. The consulate-general of Japan in Melbourne said in a statement that the comfort women issue, including individual claims had been legally settled. Loading In a meeting of foreign ministers in 2015, Japan and the Republic of Korea reached an agreement to resolve the issue finally and irreversibly, and in 2016, the Japanese government contributed 1 billion yen ($12.3 million) to 35 out of 47 former comfort women who were still alive at the time. But consequent lawsuits have been filed by former comfort women and others against the Japanese government. The consulate-general said claims of groups that promoted the installation of the comfort women statues included expressions such as sex slaves, which it said was not supported by historical evidence. We are concerned that the installation of such statues will create division and conflict, leaving wounds in local communities which previously enjoyed peaceful relations, it said. It also says there is no official figure for the number of comfort women, nor documents the Japanese government could identify about comfort women being forcefully taken away by military or government authorities. Former comfort women have spoken in the recently released documentary The Last Daughters about being captured by Japanese soldiers and forced into sexual slavery. Christine Kim, secretary of Friends of Comfort Women in Melbourne, told ABC it was difficult to get council approval to display comfort women statues in public. Students denounce Japans exports control on South Korea in 2019, near a statue of a girl symbolising wartime comfort women in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul. Credit: AP They are usually reluctant as they perceive the peace statue to be political and controversial not wanting to offend the Japanese community or show support for one particular community, said Kim. Speaking at Saturdays event, Kim told the 100-strong crowd the statues were reminders that we must come together, put our differences aside for the justice of comfort women and to create a brighter, safer future. The Korean Society of Victoria installed its own statue depicting a comfort woman outside its Oakleigh headquarters in 2019. Li had originally hoped the Chinese associations statue would sit side by side with the Korean comfort woman, but opposition within the Korean Society of Victoria community has led Li to find another site. Hoon Yoo, of the Korean Society of Victoria, said that while he supported a public display of comfort women of different nationalities, the community was divided about using the Korean site for the Chinese statue. Ari, a monument in Berlin to the comfort women forced into prostitution by Japanese forces before and during World War II. The Japanese government has repeatedly requested that the monument be removed. Credit: Getty Images Yoo said some community members felt a Chinese comfort woman statue would be more appropriate on property owned by the Chinese community. He said the society was unaware that Saturdays event at the Korean site was the unveiling of the statue. Monash University associate professor of Japanese studies Beatrice Trefalt said it had become complicated because Australian public spaces could get stuck between Korean, Chinese and Japanese governments and so it ends up being that nobody wants to touch it, which is a terrible shame. She said what should be about sexual violence as a war crime instead becomes tied in to questions of national image and power, which relegates the suffering of those women. A Korean community member, who asked not to give her name, said not all the Korean community agreed with the comfort woman statue that was already outside the societys building. It stirs up a lot of emotions that are understandably still there for many, and there are some in the community that acknowledge that but dont want to have that presentation there every day to remind us of the past, she said. Its reached the point that the viability of not-for-profit registered providers has become so fragile that, on average, there is less than one months liquidity or one months cash, which is well below the safe level. Almost 5000 disabled Victorians live in supported independent living homes across the state, and all receive individual NDIS funding. This includes 1985 residents in homes that were formerly operated by the state government. The rest are in homes owned and run by private businesses. Loading In line with the creation of the NDIS, the Victorian government began transitioning from institutionalised care to more personalised group homes, completing the process with the 2019 closure of Colacs Colanda Residential Services. While the Victorian government still owns most of the homes, it progressively handed control of their day-to-day running to the five private providers from 2016. Because the state-run homes provide a higher standard of care, staff wages and conditions demanded by enterprise agreements than is covered by the NDIS, the Victorian government agreed to provided $2.1 billion in subsidies to cover the costs for eight years while they transferred. Those subsidies are due to end on December 31, and with 59 of the group homes already closing with little notice for their residents, the Health and Community Services Union has raised concerns about an impending crisis. The unions Victorian branch secretary, Paul Healey, said that unless urgent action was taken, the ripple effect would hit the entire Victorian disability accommodation sector. Cheryl Soafkin is desperately trying to find a suitable new home for her son Jeremy, 37, while trying to shield him from the crisis facing the disability home sector. Credit: Photograph by Chris Hopkins Five thousand of Victorias most vulnerable people will potentially be left homeless without services, without support, and will be thrust out of the homes they have had for a long time because of the failures of the NDIS and the state government, Healey said. The Victorian government simply cannot absolve themselves of their responsibility to Victorian participants, families and the disability workforce. It is not good enough to say that this is a federal issue. We have a long and proud history of providing quality care to participants, and the answer cannot be that disability workers lose a third of their wages and conditions, participants lose the quality care they deserve and families are beside themselves with worry. The union, group home providers and governments have been engaged in crisis talks to address the issue, but with only three months remaining before the state funding ends, no agreement has been reached. Loading Speaking on behalf of the five appointed providers, Laverty said the current NDIS plans covered only 95 per cent of the costs needed to care for a resident in a group home setting. He said the rush to place the most profoundly disabled residents on the NDIS when the scheme began meant many were also funded at a much lower level than their needs, further widening the gap between payments and running costs. Those clients include many of the states most vulnerable residents, many of whom have complex issues such as a reliance on ventilators to breathe, severe epilepsy, dysphagia, leaving them at risk of choking, and constant catheter management. He said the five not-for-profit providers had already endured three straight years of deficits and, while the Victorian governments transition grants had helped paper over the cracks for 1985 residents living in hundreds of state-owned homes, the end of the subsidies on December 31 would push many homes over the edge of a cliff. Its been known for the last 7 years that when those arrangements end ... a number of protected positions that are entrenched in enterprise agreements become unfunded from the first of January, and this is well known, he said. Aruma chief executive Dr Martin Laverty said NDIS payments did not cover the costs of caring for supported independent living home residents, placing pressure on the sector. Credit: Tracey Nearmy The last thing we need is to get to the end of the year and see that the high-intensity needs of residents of the former Victorian government homes remain unfunded by the NDIA, and thats why, with some urgency, we are seeking a response from the NDIA. In July, disability accommodation provider Annecto collapsed amid financial issues, while Bedford, which operated group homes in South Australia, entered voluntary administration. last week, Queenslands Centrecare said it was ceasing its NDIS-funded services, affecting 700 clients and residents. A National Disability Insurance Agency spokesperson said the agency continued to work with Victorian supported independent living providers to ensure participants received the supports they required. The NDIA has processes in place to manage participant safety if their providers cease services, particularly for participants in supported living, the spokesperson said. Loading If required, specialist NDIA teams can help affected participants transfer to new [supported independent living] and specialist disability accommodation providers. NDIS Minister Jenny McAllister did not address the shortfall directly but said the Albanese government was taking active steps to support the viability of providers and strengthening the NDIS market. This includes $45 million in funding to support quality providers of disability services in supported independent living, therapy supports and support co-ordination, she said. Jeremy, 37, is facing eviction from the Camberwell group home he has lived in for 17 years and shares with two other residents. In July, its operator, Scope, told Jeremys mother, Cheryl Soafkin, it would have to close the home in three to six months. Since then, she has met four other disability housing providers and spoken to many more, trying to convince them to take over the operation of Jeremys home or to find him somewhere suitable to live, without letting Jeremy know the extent of the situation because of the distress it would cause. Its going to be difficult for him, very difficult ... but he doesnt realise the magnitude of it, Soafkin said. We would really like Jeremy to stay at the house, though its not for want of searching for other houses. But these are people, and you cant just shove somebody into a house where there are other residents and he would just be an inappropriate match. In the old days, you just worked with the state government and they provided the care, and they had control over the vacancy list. It wasnt perfect by any means, but you werent dealing with a million different bureaucracies. Victorian Disability Minister Lizzie Blandthorn was asked about the December 31 timeline by Legalise Cannabis MP David Ettershank last month. She said independent living services were ultimately funded by the NDIS. We are continuing to work with the Commonwealth and other states and territories to ensure that the recommendations of the NDIS are implemented, she said. A recent review of the NDIS scheme made recommendations about attracting and training a workforce able to handle its need, and found there were large and persistent workforce shortages in the current policy settings, limiting access to support for some participants and pressuring staff. A Victorian government spokesperson said it continued to advocate to the Commonwealth that NDIS plans should be properly funded to match the supports of those who need them. Two boys have been stabbed to death in Melbournes west in what is suspected to be a targeted, youth-gang attack. Homicide Squad detectives are on the scene after a 12-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy were fatally stabbed in Cobblebank, near Melton, on Saturday night. Emergency services were called to Marble Drive just before 8pm after reports of a person being seriously injured. They arrived to find a 12-year-old male with critical injuries and started CPR, but the boy died at the scene. With apologies to Rudyard Kipling: If, as a neo-Nazi, you attend an anti-immigration rally, which you insist provides an opportunity to show common cause with middle Australians who hold valid concerns about the level of overseas migration, and then you follow it up with a violent attack on a peaceful gathering of Aboriginal people, who are about as far removed from the title of immigrant as its possible to be, then you are saying the quiet part out loud. Uncle Robbie Thorpe speaks with police at Camp Sovereignty on Monday after Sundays attack by neo-Nazis. Credit: Justin McManus Your problem is not with immigration, in general, its with brown and black people, specifically, and any culture which you designate as too different from whatever you claim yours to be. The same goes if you say you are highlighting the fact that there is a huge concern for Labors mass migration agenda, which is placing pressure on housing, infrastructure and services, but you end up singling out a particular nationality Indian people as a concern. So was the claim made by Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price on the ABC this week, when she said that there is a concern with the Indian community and only because theres been large numbers and we can see that reflected in the way that the community votes for Labor at the same time. Australian lifestyle entrepreneurs have been busy making real estate moves in holiday markets this week. World-renowned surfboard innovator and designer Hayden Cox and his wife Danielle have listed their Palm Beach home with a price guide of $16 million. The Cox family purchased the Palm Beach block in 2020. Credit: The couple are ready to farewell Alaia, which took three years to build in the midst of the pandemic. It was largely designed by the pair and constructed by local builders Zac Seymour and Paul Silverman of Beaches Building as well as a raft of other specialist contractors. Purchased under Danielles name for $2.955 million in 2020, when the family returned from Los Angeles, the north-facing block has been completely transformed. A pair of Clifton Hill tenants will have an easy time moving into their new home, after paying $1,455,000 at auction to buy a house just down the road from their rental. The two-bedroom, two-level house at 34 Grant Street was built about 25 years ago, and has had a more recent renovation to update its style. Nelson Alexander selling agent Roland Paterson listed the home for sale with a quoted price range of $1.25 million to $1.35 million. Buyers Konrad and Anna, who declined to give their last names, said buying into the tiny inner north suburb was a non-negotiable. Were excited to have finally found a place, Anna said. World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka retained her US Open crown with a battling 6-3 7-6(3) win over American eighth seed Amanda Anisimova in the US Open womens final on Saturday, underlining her claim as the modern queen of the hardcourt. The Belarusian has not missed a hardcourt major final since 2022, and her latest trophy brings her grand slam haul to four. It also made her the first woman to win back-to-back US Opens since Serena Williams claimed three straight from 2012 to 2014. Aryna Sabalenka walks through the crowd to her team box after her straight sets victory in the US Open final. Credit: Getty Images The clash between two of tenniss hardest-hitting, biggest-serving women boiled down to unforced errors Sabalenka had just 15 compared to 29 from the racquet of her opponent. I want to thank everyone who came here, who flew in to be there in my box, said Sabalenka, who fell to her knees after clinching victory with an unreturnable serve and embraced her coaches in the stands in a scene of utter joy. PHILIPSBURG:--- In light of the increase in armed robberies and gun violence across in our country, Members of Parliament from the opposition factions the United Peoples Party (UPP), the National Alliance (NA), and the Nation Opportunity Wealth (NOW)- are collectively calling on the Minister of Justice to reassess her position. With a significant rise in criminal activity, including recent incidents in Front Street, Simpson Bay, and Little Bay, it is clear that the current approach to law enforcement and public safety is inadequate. November will be one year since the minister took office, and the Minister of Justice has yet to present a comprehensive plan to combat crime, leaving our communities feeling vulnerable and afraid. While the MPs acknowledge that there have been a few police traffic controls, it is essential that more is done in the fight against crime. The time has come for a more holistic approach to address the root causes of crime and to ensure the safety of all citizens. Criminals are exhibiting zero fear for the law. This is unacceptable, stated MP Ottley. Prisons are overwhelmed and struggling with capacity issues, leading to the premature release of individuals who pose a threat to our community. Our justice system must be effective, and it is concerning that there has been no substantial progress under the current Minister of Justice. Recently, three suspects were charged and arrested for the robbery and shooting of a jewelry store owner. The robbers were released from the Point Blanche Prison due to lack of cell capacity. In addition, an inmate escaped from the Simpson Bay immigration Detention Center this week. Members of Parliament are deeply concerned that they were only informed about these alarming events via the media. Opposition members are urging the Members of Parliament who are part of coalition to critically assess the performance of the Minister of Justice and consider the implications of maintaining ineffective leadership in such a crucial role. Our people deserve to feel safe in their homes, on the streets, and in their businesses. We cannot continue down a path where crime outpaces action. What is needed now is decisive leadership, a clear plan, and concrete results. The Minister must show that she can rise to this challenge and deliver on her responsibility to protect the people of Sint Maarten. And if there is a need for assistance from abroad, then bring the plan to Parliament, but something needs to be done, said MP Doran. The safety and security of our citizens should always be a priority, and it is vital that we have a leader in this position who can meet the challenges head-on. It is time for the Minister of Justice to step up and take decisive action because our business communities, residents, and those deprived of their liberty in inhumane conditions currently deserve better, added MP Lacroes. As discussions about public safety and crime prevention continue, the MPs remains committed to advocating for effective solutions that prioritize the well-being of all citizens in St. Maarten. "A Justice Minister must have a plan of approach when it comes to crime prevention to safeguard not only the general public but also our tourism product" added MP Lewis. MPs from opposition are urging the Minister of Justice to strengthen the Tripartite meetings between the Chief Public Prosecutor, the Chief of Police, and her person to accelerate the policy and national decree containing general measures for the implementation of Article 1:37 of the St. Maarten Criminal Code on early conditional release. In addition, the Minister must accelerate her processing time of the national decrees for the Justice Workers. AI giant Anthropic to pay $1.5 bn over pirated books San Francisco, United States, Sept 5 (AFP) Sep 05, 2025 Anthropic will pay at least $1.5 billion to settle a US class action lawsuit over allegedly using pirated books to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models, according to court documents filed Friday. "This landmark settlement far surpasses any other known copyright recovery," said plaintiffs' attorney Justin Nelson. "It is the first of its kind in the AI era." The settlement stems from a class-action lawsuit filed by authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson, who accused Anthropic of illegally copying their books to train Claude, the company's AI chatbot that rivals ChatGPT. In a partial victory for Anthropic, US District Court Judge William Alsup ruled in June that the company's training of its Claude AI models with books -- whether bought or pirated -- so transformed the works that it constituted "fair use" under the law. "The technology at issue was among the most transformative many of us will see in our lifetimes," Alsup wrote in his decision, comparing AI training to how humans learn by reading books. However, Alsup rejected Anthropic's bid for blanket protection, ruling that the company's practice of downloading millions of pirated books to build a permanent digital library was not justified by fair use protections. "We remain committed to developing safe AI systems that help people and organizations extend their capabilities, advance scientific discovery, and solve complex problems," Anthropic deputy general counsel Aparna Sridhar said in response to an AFP inquiry. - Thousands of books - According to the legal filing, the settlement covers approximately 500,000 books, translating to roughly $3,000 per work -- four times the minimum statutory damages under US copyright law. Under the agreement, Anthropic will destroy the original pirated files and any copies made, though the company retains rights to books it legally purchased and scanned. "This settlement sends a strong message to the AI industry that there are serious consequences when they pirate authors' works to train their AI, robbing those least able to afford it," said Mary Rasenberger, CEO of the Authors Guild, in a statement supporting the deal. The settlement, which requires judicial approval, comes as AI companies face growing legal pressure over their training practices. Multiple lawsuits against firms including OpenAI, Meta, and others remain pending, with rightsholders arguing that scraping copyrighted content without permission violates intellectual property law. San Francisco-based Anthropic announced this week that it raised $13 billion in a funding round valuing the AI startup at $183 billion. It will use the capital to expand capacity, deepen safety research, and support international expansion. Anthropic competes with generative AI offerings from Google, OpenAI, Meta, and Microsoft in a race that is expected to attract hundreds of billions of dollars in investment over the next few years. Heavily backed by Amazon, Anthropic was founded in 2021 by former OpenAI executives and has grown rapidly since Claude's initial release in early 2023, with its annual revenue rate quintupling to $5 billion since early this year. Trump threatens to down Venezuelan jets as tensions grow Washington, Sept 5 (AFP) Sep 05, 2025 Donald Trump on Friday threatened to shoot down Venezuelan military jets if they pose a danger to US forces, as Washington deploys F-35 warplanes to Puerto Rico as part of the president's war on drug cartels. The 10 aircraft will join US warships already present in the southern Caribbean as Trump steps up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom the United States accuses of leading a drug cartel. The standoff has grown in recent days as the Pentagon said two Venezuelan military planes flew near a US Navy vessel in international waters Thursday in a "highly provocative" move. Asked Friday what steps he would take if there were further incidents, Trump said: "If they do put us in a dangerous position, they'll be shot down." US forces on Tuesday blew up an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean that Trump said belonged to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organization he tied to Maduro, killing 11 people. The high-tech F-35 jets are being deployed to an airfield in Puerto Rico, a US Caribbean island territory of more than three million people, US sources familiar with the matter told AFP Friday on condition of anonymity. Maduro -- a leftist firebrand whose last election in 2024 was seen by Washington as illegitimate -- has denounced the US build-up as "the greatest threat our continent has seen in the last 100 years." Declaring his country prepared for "armed struggle in defense of the national territory," he has mobilized Venezuela's military, which numbers around 340,000, and reservists, which he claims exceed eight million. - 'Highly provocative' - "If Venezuela were attacked, it would immediately enter a period of armed struggle," Maduro told foreign correspondents. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller took aim at Maduro on Friday, describing him as an "indicted drug trafficker" and saying Venezuela is being run by a "drug cartel, a narcotrafficking organization." Tuesday's deadly attack on what Washington said was a drug-carrying boat was a major escalation, as well as an unusual use of the US military for what has historically been a law enforcement issue. There are currently eight US Navy vessels involved in counter-narcotics efforts in Latin America: three amphibious assault ships, two destroyers, a cruiser and a littoral combat ship in the Caribbean, and one destroyer in the eastern Pacific, a US defense official said this week. The Department of Defense -- which Trump rebranded Friday as the "Department of War" -- said two "Maduro regime" aircraft flew near a US vessel Thursday. "This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations," it said on X. It did not give further details. Venezuela has 15 F-16 fighter jets purchased from the United States in the 1980s, plus a number of Russian fighters and helicopters. During a trip to Latin America this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the new aggressive approach towards what Washington calls "narcoterrorist" groups. "What will stop them is when you blow them up, when you get rid of them," Rubio said Wednesday in Mexico. "If you're on a boat full of cocaine or fentanyl headed to the United States, you're an immediate threat to the United States." Caracas accused Washington of committing extrajudicial killings in Tuesday's attack. US Navy SEALs botched secret 2019 mission in North Korea: report Washington, Sept 5 (AFP) Sep 05, 2025 Elite US Navy SEALs launched an audacious operation in 2019 to plant a listening device in North Korea to spy on the country's reclusive leader Kim Jong Un, the New York Times reported Friday, but the mission quickly unraveled and culminated in the deaths of multiple civilians. The operation came in the first administration of President Donald Trump during sensitive nuclear talks with Kim, whom the US leader met three times. The mission was considered so risky that it required direct presidential approval, the Times said, but Trump insisted Friday he had no knowledge of the operation. "I don't know anything about it. I'm hearing it now for the first time," the president told journalists. Despite months of practice, the mission still went horribly wrong, the Times reported. The SEALs -- from the same unit that killed Osama bin Ladin in 2011 -- approached North Korea in mini-submarines that exposed them to frigid water for hours, then swam ashore, according to the newspaper, which interviewed two dozen people to piece together the account. The special forces personnel thought they were alone, but didn't see a small boat in the area. The boat later approached the mini-subs, with the crew carrying flashlights. One person jumped into the water. Thinking the mission was compromised, the senior enlisted SEAL ashore opened fire on the boat, as did the others with him. When they reached the boat, they found two or three bodies, but no guns or uniforms: the dead were apparently civilians who were diving for shellfish. The SEALs used knives to puncture the lungs of the boat's crew so the bodies would sink, and were able to escape unharmed. The Times said the operation prompted a series of military reviews that found the killings were justified. The results of the reviews were classified, and key congressional leaders were kept in the dark. While the failed mission did not create a major international crisis, it easily could have, and the incident highlights both the impunity and secrecy under which America's elite forces operate around the globe. Differences with US do not justify military conflict: Venezuela's Maduro Caracas, Sept 5 (AFP) Sep 05, 2025 Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro said Friday that differences with the United States did not justify a military conflict, urging dialogue after counterpart Donald Trump threatened to shoot down Venezuelan jets that threaten US forces. "None of the differences we have and have had can lead to a military conflict," Maduro said in a message broadcast on all the country's radio and television networks. "It has no justification," the president added as he denied Trump's claims that Venezuela, and he himself, form the nexus of a vast drug trafficking network. Washington recently upped a bounty to $50 million for Maduro's capture on drug charges, claiming he leads a narco-terrorist cartel. It has deployed several warships to the southern Caribbean in what was labeled an anti-drug operation, and on Friday Trump threatened to shoot down Venezuelan jets if they pose a danger to US forces. This came after the Pentagon said two Venezuelan military planes flew near a US Navy vessel in international waters Thursday in a "highly provocative" move. The United States is now also deploying F-35 warplanes to Puerto Rico as part of its war on cartels. "Those intelligence reports they give him (Trump) are not true. Venezuela today is a country free from coca leaf production, cocaine, and is a country that fights against drug trafficking," Maduro said. "Venezuela has always been willing to talk, to engage in dialogue, but we demand respect," he added. Israel army urges Gaza City residents to leave for 'humanitarian zone' Jerusalem, Sept 6 (AFP) Sep 06, 2025 The Israeli army urged Gaza City residents to leave for a "humanitarian zone" in the south on Saturday ahead of a planned offensive to capture the territory's largest urban centre. In a message to the city's residents posted on social media, army spokesman Avichay Adraee said: "Take this opportunity to move early to the (Al-Mawasi) humanitarian zone and join the thousands of people who have already gone there." Adraee did not specify when the new offensive would start, and another spokesman has previously said it would not be announced in advance to preserve the element of surprise. The UN estimates there are about a million people in and around Gaza City, warning of a coming "disaster" if the Israeli military goes ahead with its plans to seize the city. Israel has come under mounting pressure at home and abroad to call off the offensive and end the war in Gaza. Its foe Hamas agreed to a ceasefire proposal last month that involved a temporary truce and the staggered release of hostages held in Gaza. Israel, however, has demanded the Palestinian militant group release all the hostages at once, lay down its arms and give up control of Gaza, among other conditions. In a separate statement Saturday, the military said the humanitarian zone in the south had essential "infrastructure such as field hospitals, water pipelines, and desalination facilities, alongside the continued supply of food, tents, medicines, and medical equipment". It added the humanitarian efforts in the zone "will continue on an ongoing basis in cooperation with the UN and international organisations, in parallel to the expansion of the ground operation". Israel first declared Al-Mawasi a safe zone early in the war, which was triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack. However, the army has carried out numerous bombings in the area since then, saying it was targeting Hamas fighters hiding among civilians. Dozens of Palestinians interviewed by AFP in Gaza City in recent weeks have said there is "no safe place" in the territory, with many saying they would rather die than be displaced again. Trump amps up crackdown rhetoric with Chicago 'war' threat Washington, Sept 6 (AFP) Sep 06, 2025 President Donald Trump threatened on Saturday to unleash his newly rebranded "Department of War" on Chicago, further heightening tensions over his push to deploy troops into Democratic-led US cities. The move seeks to replicate an operation in the US capital Washington, where he has deployed National Guard troops and surged federal agents to conduct arrests and deportations, sparking backlash from local residents. "Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR," Trump posted Saturday on his Truth Social account. The post featured an apparent AI image of Trump and the quote: "I love the smell of deportations in the morning" -- both references to the 1979 film "Apocalypse Now." On Friday, Trump signed an order changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, saying it sends "a message of victory" to the world. The Democratic governor of Illinois, where Chicago is located, voiced outrage at Trump's post. "The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal," Governor JB Pritzker wrote in a post on X. "Illinois won't be intimidated by a wannabe dictator," he added. Trump's troop and federal agent deployments -- which first began in June in Los Angeles, followed by Washington -- have prompted legal challenges and protests, with critics calling them an authoritarian show of force. In addition to Chicago, he has threatened to replicate the surges in Democratic-led Baltimore and New Orleans. On Saturday in the US capital, where National Guard troops have been deployed since Trump declared a "crime emergency" in August, a large protest march wound through downtown with participants demanding an end to the "occupation." Barcelona is among the most popular cities in Europe. With 16 million annual visitors, only London, Paris and Rome can claim to welcome more. Given their relatively bigger size, it means the tourist-to-local ratio in the Catalan capital is possibly the highest on the continent: a well-known tale thats inspired much resentment from Barcelonans, tired of being priced out of the city centre by landlords who buy to let. Though heading to lesser-known neighbourhoods is a way to beat the anti-tourism heat and I know just the area. Miira, 26, an only child, grew up caring for her deaf and mute Sri Lankan parents from the age of six. She arrived in London at 11 speaking little English and life in a silent household made her quiet and shy, and she struggled to make friends at school. Still, despite these obstacles and the weight of being a young carer Miira got herself into university, where she studied Accounting and Financial Information Systems, and then landed a job as a financial assistant. Allow Google Search To use the search feature, we need your consent to load Google Custom Search, which may use cookies or similar technologies. Please click 'Allow and Continue' below to enable search. See our privacy policy for more information. Allow and Continue However, it is surely in the public interest that at least basic first aid can be offered to shoppers as well as to staff, and I heard that Tesco is committed to looking after its shoppers. The Reform UK leader has previously said he is "very, very clear" on deporting illegal immigrants, stating: "We are not even discussing women and children at this stage - there are so many illegal males in Britain, and the news reports that said that after my conference yesterday were wrong". The city of Austin's new logo, unveiled as part of a $1.1 million rebranding effort that has drawn heavy online criticism. City of Austin Amid a swarm of online criticism, city officials unveiled a new logo this week as part of a broader strategic modernization effort meant to help residents more easily identify city workers, facilities and services. We want our community members to be able to identify members of our team as City of Austin employees and trust the services we provide, City Manager T.C. Broadnax said in a statement. Whether they see the brand on a website, a utility bill, a street sign, or the side of a vehicle, theyll know exactly who its from and what it stands for. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The new logo will replace the city seal currently displayed on trucks, uniforms and other property. Designed in 1916 by a San Francisco illustrator for a flag design contest, the seal is not a brand, and does not promote the Citys distinctive values and mission, the city said in a news release. This brand program is a strategic modernization, not just a visual update, the release said. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source Much of the online criticism came from design-minded observers who criticized the logo as dated, simplistic, goofy or too similar to the logo used by the city of Dallas, where Broadnax previously served as city manager. Advertisement Article continues below this ad But some of the loudest voices focused on the timing and optics of announcing a $1.1 million rebrand amid a historic budget crunch and just two months before the city will ask voters to approve a major property tax hike. While the rebranding effort dates back to 2018 when the City Council approved a five-year strategic plan to establish a consistent and clear City of Austin brand, the 11-member council didnt approve funding for the project until last year, after the city already was running a budget deficit. In May 2024, the council approved a $564,000 contract with the Austin arm of London-based design firm Pentagram for the project. The vote came a month after city budget staff had warned of a $3.5 million deficit in the current budget and a much larger shortfall projected for the following year. City staff later executed a $76,000 contract with TKO Advertising, which did not require council approval because it was under the $100,000 threshold. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The city told the American-Statesman it is spending an additional $477,558 on the rebranding effort and provided this breakdown: $115,000 for a public awareness campaign $75,582 for consolidated citywide design software for all departments An estimated $100,000 for foundational materials (apparel, business cards, posters, banners, flags, badge holders for all employees) $186,976 for salaries and benefits for support staff and legal counsel. This includes a temporary brand project manager and external legal review. The $1.17 million project total doesnt include the cost of placing the new logo on trucks, uniforms and other assets. Advertisement Article continues below this ad City spokeswoman Mimi Cardenas said the city is first focusing on digital assets, including the city website, social media accounts and newsletters, where the new logo will appear starting Oct. 1. A physical rebrand will occur over time as physical assets like uniforms and vehicles reach their end of life, Cardenas said. Creating gender-neutral bathrooms, as some businesses and restaurants have, would eliminate the controversy over bathroom bills, a reader writes. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle No legislation needed Advertisement Article continues below this ad Instead of making a political issue of bathroom use, lets take a look at an alternative: unisex or gender neutral bathrooms. I have witnessed restaurants where the bathrooms have no sex designation, just lockable stalls and common area sinks for hand washing. I have witnessed large bathrooms at a nonprofit organization with individual lockable stalls and sinks in the open. Gender neutral bathrooms would solve the debate over transgender bathroom use. Advertisement Article continues below this ad More experience needed Advertisement Article continues below this ad Once again, Elon Musk proves his lack of technical acumen by proposing two of his 12-foot diameter tunnels to replace two proposed 20-foot diameter tunnels. In actuality, he would need three 12-foot diameters to replace each one 20-foot diameter. There are already a few experienced tunnel boring companies in this country, one of which bored a 15-foot diameter tunnel under Interstate 35 at Ben White Boulevard in 1995. That same company completed about 10 miles of a 32-foot diameter tunnel under the Milwaukee road in Chicago. Advertisement Article continues below this ad James J. Mercier, Austin A poster displaying the Ten Commandments is seen after a Conroe ISD school board meeting last month. Students will naturally have questions about the text, putting public school teachers into "uncharted territory," a reader writes. Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle Plenty of questions ahead Students being students, they are going to ask questions about the Ten Commandments poster in their classroom. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Some will have seen it before, others may be seeing it for the first time. Some will come from religious families, others from secular or non-denominational families. It doesnt matter. What matters is that teachers will be the first responders when curious kids ask for clarification of the wordy document. They will have to respond without crossing the line between an acceptable answer versus teaching religion. Its uncharted territory and even well-meaning teachers might overstep. As a parent and teacher, I would have been very alarmed if my child came home from public school saying, Our teacher taught us about God today. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Teachers will need education from knowledgeable administrators and maybe even lawyers about how to answer students' questions appropriately without injecting religious dogma. Theres no tiptoeing around this issue. Its right in front of us and it must be addressed. The very definition of public schools and the trust we put in them is at stake. Get ready teachers, your role has gotten even harder. Valerie Goranson, Round Rock Advertisement Article continues below this ad Caring for the sick Last week we watched the insidious destruction of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an internationally renowned protector of public health and first responder to new and evolving viruses and diseases. President Donald Trump has eviscerated the CDC. People will die. A lot of people will die. Certainly our Supreme Court has led Trump to believe that he can do any perverse thing whenever he feels like it. Advertisement Article continues below this ad This constituency includes a lot of people who consider themselves Christian and know that Christ was the greatest healer of all. The book of Matthew tells us that Jesus healed every disease and every affliction among the people of Galilee. He was a non-discriminating healer of Jews and gentiles, of the scorned like lepers and the mentally ill, the daughter of the Roman soldier, the lame and the blind. I think (and hope and pray) that it is safe to say that most Christian churches today carry on this concern for the health of their communities. I believe that most of them have prayer lists and visitation programs to check on their members. In short, I must believe that health and healing are still primary goals for most Christians and their churches, and that the willful destruction of a health guardian like the CDC should be considered an anathema to all Christians. Advertisement Article continues below this ad If you agree, please speak out. We need to limit the number of unnecessary deaths bearing down on us if this type of destruction continues and we need to restore, protect and fortify all health and human services departments dedicated to the promotion of health for all Americans. Daylia Vaughan, Austin U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., left, speaks Aug. 27 about "Make Texas Healthy Again" efforts alongside Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Republican lawmakers at the state Capitol. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Not a healthy cut Advertisement Article continues below this ad Promoting his Make America Healthy Again initiative, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. visited the Texas Capitol recently. He met with the governor and numerous lawmakers and lauded their efforts toward making Texas healthy. Gov. Greg Abbott chimed in by noting that Making Texas healthy is not complicated. Its the usual stuff eating right, exercising, doing the things that will help to prevent illness. One thing that will undoubtedly help prevent illness is preventive care regular check-ups and not waiting until you are in severe pain before you go to the doctor. Unfortunately, many do not get care when they should because of financial barriers. Perhaps our governor could explain to voters how his opposition to the expansion of Medicaid in our state is compatible with his desire to keep Texas healthy? Advertisement Article continues below this ad He cant and he wont. Joe Pastusek, Pflugerville Science will prevail Re: Aug. 31 article, Scientists: Climate is deeply flawed It is beyond mind boggling and painful to see what the Trump administration wants the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy to do repeal climate regulation and cherry-pick scientific findings to create doubt on proven facts, no matter what it does to the health of people. Advertisement Article continues below this ad According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. had an average of 3.7 events per year with a loss of more than $1 billion between 1980 and 1989. That shot up to an average of 18 events per year between 2013 and 2022. Each such event wrecks lives and livelihoods, and 2.3 million Texans who live within a half mile of oil and gas operations would be at a greater risk of methane pollution without these rules. If rescinded, such irresponsible and cynical actions would be devastating for many. You can oppose repeal of endangerment finding of 2009 by submitting comments by Sept. 21 through the EPA website. Peer-reviewed research by scientists will stand the test of time. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Kalpana Sutaria, Austin chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby A flare burns off methane and other hydrocarbons as oil pumpjacks operate in the Permian Basin in Midland. A reader says the Trump administration's misleading reports on environmental science belong "in the trash." David Goldman/Associated Press Dont believe Trump The administrations climate reports follow the same modus operandi President Donald Trump applies universally: issue an unending stream of lies and half-truths in order to brainwash, create doubt and confusion, and so defuse opposition to the lame and counterproductive policies he espouses. Advertisement Article continues below this ad His climate reports belong in the same realm as accusations of Haitians barbecuing peoples pets, that the Biden administration spent millions on making transgender mice, and that renewable energy is more expensive and harmful to the environment than coal in the trash. They are part intentional disinformation and part self-inflicted delusion. Trump is the latest in a long line of autocrats throughout history to take advantage of the unfortunate human characteristic of believing outlandish accusations and assertions in the absence of any supporting evidence. Heres a good rule of thumb: Never believe a single word Trump says. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Do extensive research on your own to find the facts. Mark Warren, Austin An entrance sign at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the joint Army-Air Force installation south of Seattle. (U.S. Army) JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. A soldier was sentenced Friday to just over six years in prison in the first conviction on charges against four service members that they sexually assaulted a female ROTC student during a barracks party last year. Pvt. Deron J. Gordon, 20, pleaded guilty to one specification each of sexual assault, abusive sexual contact and indecent recording. Col. Matthew Fitzgerald, the presiding military judge, sentenced Gordon to 75 months in prison, total forfeiture of pay and allowances, reduction in rank to E-1, and a dishonorable discharge from the Army. Gordon will be required upon his release to register as a sex offender, said Michelle McCaskill, communications director for the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel. In exchange for the plea bargain, the Army dismissed additional charges of sexual assault, conspiracy to commit sexual assault, indecent recording and broadcasting, and obstruction of justice. Gordon also agreed to testify in the courts-martial of the three other soldiers charged in the incident: Pfc. Kallon Curiel, Spc. Jadon Bosarge and Cpl. Pedro Angel Ruiz. The sexual assaults occurred at the same time and place with all charged soldiers present, McCaskill said. The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel, based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, was created in 2023 by Congress to handle the prosecution of major sex crimes, murder, manslaughter and kidnapping involving Army personnel. Similar offices were created for the other armed services. Maj. Ryan Keeter, the chief prosecutor for the Sixth Circuit, which includes Lewis-McChord, said that while Gordon will assist the prosecution in the other courts-martial, he was a key participant in the crimes and will be punished with the prison term and other actions. Pvt. Gordon committed egregious sexual acts upon a vulnerable and unconscious victim, Keeter said in a statement on Friday. Gordons sentencing followed Fitzgeralds decision late Thursday to throw out the first two days of the court-martial and begin again on Friday with Gordon entering his plea. McCaskill said Friday that the move was due to Fitzgeralds concerns about the clarity of the terms of the plea deal. The revised version called for the same sentencing. The Army provided no further details. In a repeat of Wednesdays activity, Gordon on Friday told Fitzgerald that he wanted to plead guilty to three charges and have his sentence determined by the judge alone instead of a court-martial panel of soldiers. Fitzgerald accepted the plea deal and dismissed the other charges against Gordon. Gordon testified Wednesday that the four male soldiers and the female ROTC student were partying and drinking heavily on the night of the sexual assault. During his earlier testimony, Gordon described the ROTC student as unconscious in a bedroom after drinking several cans of alcoholic seltzer. He and another soldier removed her clothing and engaged in sexual acts. Digital recordings of the incident were later shared via Snapchat. The judge on Wednesday read aloud to the court the legal definitions of sexual assault under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. A sleeping or unconscious person cannot consent, Fitzgerald said. Voluntary intoxication is not a mitigating circumstance. Speaking barely above a whisper, Gordon said the victim had not consented when he and another soldier removed the victims pants and underwear as she lay face down on a bed. She did not move or speak, Gordon said. I should have known she could not say no. The victims name was said aloud several times in the courtroom. Stars and Stripes does not reveal the identities of sexual crime victims. McCaskill said that the victim has since been commissioned as an Army officer. Sexual assault is just below rape under Article 120 of the UCMJ. It is defined as intentional sexual contact characterized by the use of force, threats, intimidation, abuse of authority, or when the victim does not or cannot consent. Gordon, a multiple launch rocket system crew member for B Battery, 1st Battalion, 94th Field Artillery, 17th Field Artillery Brigade, will be held at Northwestern Joint Regional Correctional Facility, a medium-security jail at Lewis-McChord, so that he can testify in the other courts-martial. He will then be transferred to the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, the militarys maximum security prison for male inmates. Under the militarys sentencing guidelines, Gordon could have received up to 42 years in prison for the three charges to which he pleaded guilty, Army prosecutors said Wednesday. In addition to Gordon, the Army has charged: Pfc. Kallon Curiel, 19, also of B Battery, faces multiple charges, including sexual assault, indecent recording and obstruction of justice. He was additionally charged in Arizona with sexual assault of a child and is currently being held at the Northwestern Joint Regional Correctional Facility. Spc. Jadon Bosarge, 24, a communications repair specialist with the 125th Forward Support Company, faces charges including sexual assault and conspiracy. His court-martial is scheduled for September. He is not in pretrial confinement. Cpl. Pedro Angel Ruiz, 29, a small arms and artillery repairer with the same unit, faces similar charges. His trial is set for Nov. 4. He is also not in pretrial confinement. If convicted on any of the charges, penalties would also include a reduction in grade to E-1, forfeiture of benefits and pay and a dishonorable discharge at the end of time served in prison. Penalties can also include registering as a sex offender. The USS Glennon a day before being placed in commission, Oct. 7, 1942. A sailor on the Glennon who died when the ship was attacked in 1944, Navy Reserve Seaman 2nd Class Jerome M. Mullaney, was buried with full military honors in his hometown in Scranton, Pa., on Thursday. (National Archives and Records Administration) Three service members killed in the European theater of World War II have returned or will soon return to their respective homes in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Virginia after their remains were identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Jerome M. Mullaney Navy Reserve Seaman 2nd Class Jerome M. Mullaney was accounted for by the DPAA in March 2025 and buried on Thursday with full military honors in his hometown of Scranton, Pa., according to a local news report. Mulaney was presumed lost at sea at the age of 18 when his ship, the USS Glennon, hit a mine off the coast of Normandy, France, during D-Day operations in 1944. He was buried by relatives he never knew, in the same cemetery his parents were laid to rest in. This will bring closure for our family. He will finally be coming home, Mary Louise Brambilla, his niece and closest surviving family member, told Stars and Stripes in August. Jerome Mullaney, an 18-year-old Navy seaman 2nd class who served aboard a destroyer during D-Day operations off the coast of Normandy, France, will be buried with military honors in Pennsylvania, 80 years after his ship struck a land mine that jettisoned the sailor overboard. Mullaneys remains were officially accounted for in March. (U.S. Navy) Leon R. Karwacki The DPAA accounted for the remains of Army Pvt. 1st Class Leon R. Karwacki on Sept. 26, 2024. Karwacki was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 36th Armored Infantry Regiment, 3rd Armored Division, and died at age 27 when his battalion advanced on enemy forces around Stolberg, Germany. His body was unable to be recovered due to the intensity of fighting. DPAA scientists used dental and anthropological evidence to identify his remains, a release by the agency said. Karwackis name is listed on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, Netherlands. A rosette will be placed by his name to indicate he has been accounted for. He will be interred Sept. 10 at a cemetery in his hometown of Milwaukee, according to a release by U.S. Army Human Resources Command. U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Leon R. Karwacki is seen in this undated photo provided by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency) Estle E. Corvin Army Pvt. 1st Class Estle E. Corvin was accounted for by the DPAA on Sept. 13, 2024 and will be interred in Crockett, Va., on the same date this year, according to a release by U.S. Army Human Resources Command. Assigned to Company K, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division, Corvin was killed on Jan. 21, 1945, by a German offensive in the Vosges Mountains in France. The exact circumstances of his death are unknown, but as with Karwacki, his body was unable to be recovered due to the intensity of fighting, according to the release. He is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Epinal American Cemetery in Dinoze, France, according to the DPAA. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II fighters taxi down the runway at Cold Bay Airfield in Alaska on Aug. 18, 2025. (Gracelyn Hess/U.S. Air Force) WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service) The United States will deploy stealth fighter jets to the Caribbean, according to a government official, after two Venezuelan military aircraft flew over an American naval vessel in the area, reflecting rising tensions between the two adversaries. Venezuelas fly-by on Thursday followed a U.S. strike on a speedboat purportedly carrying drugs from the country. This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter-narcotics operations, the Pentagon said. It said the cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to interfere with any other operations by the U.S. Ten Marine Corps F-35s will be dispatched to an air base in Puerto Rico, the U.S. official said Friday, to bolster Washingtons fight against illegal narcotics. The deployment was first reported by Reuters. The Pentagon didnt offer any further information on Thursdays incident, such as how close the jets got to the U.S. ship or where exactly the vessel was located at the time. Venezuelas information ministry didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. CBS News said the planes were armed F-16 fighter jets. On Tuesday, the U.S. struck what it described as a drug-smuggling vessel, killing all 11 people aboard in a move that drew criticism at home and abroad over the apparent use of lethal force on civilians. Washingtons decision to send several ships carrying 4,000 sailors and Marines to the region has prompted speculation that President Donald Trump who has vowed not to involve the U.S. in more foreign entanglements may be seeking to push Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power. Earlier Thursday, the socialist strongman went on state television and called on all military reservists and more than 10 million militia members to mobilize to their local communal offices. The fly-by also coincided with Secretary of State Marco Rubios visit to Ecuador on a trip aimed at rallying support for the U.S. pressure campaign. Rubio said the U.S. was prepared for more such strikes against Venezuela and signaled that the Trump administration was willing to take even more aggressive action. This time were not just going to hunt for drug dealers or their little fast boats and say, Lets try to arrest them, Rubio told reporters at a briefing. The president has said he wants to wage war on these groups because theyve been waging war on us for 30 years and no one has responded. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Rubio have defended the U.S. strike and warned that more could follow, saying the U.S. government aimed to send a message to drug traffickers. 2025 Bloomberg LP Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC President Joe Biden, with actor Tom Hanks and his wife, the actress and musician Rita Wilson, at the White House in 2023. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post) The alumni association at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point has canceled an award ceremony for actor and veterans advocate Tom Hanks, citing a desire for the Army service academy to focus on preparing future officers for war after several political controversies involving the Trump administration shook the institution this year. Retired Army Col. Mark Bieger, president and chief executive officer of the West Point Association of Graduates, disclosed the decision in an email to faculty circulated Friday. A copy of Biegers message was reviewed and verified by The Washington Post. Hanks, 69, was to receive the prestigious Sylvanus Thayer Award, which recognizes an outstanding citizen who did not attend West Point and has a distinguished record of service that exemplifies the academys ideals: Duty, Honor, Country. A ceremony and parade were scheduled for Sept. 25. Bieger wrote that the alumni association, in coordination with the academy, will not be holding the Thayer Award ceremony as originally scheduled and apologized for the cancellation. The email did not say whether Hankss award has been revoked or if it will be presented in some other format. This decision allows the Academy to continue its focus on its core mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers in the worlds most lethal force, the United States Army, wrote Bieger, who earned a Silver Star for combat valor in Iraq. Bieger did not respond to requests for comment. Officials with West Point referred questions to the alumni association. A spokesperson for Hanks could not be reached for comment. The decision marks a dramatic shift from June, when the association announced Hanks as its 2025 Thayer recipient. The alumni group cited his work acting in several movies portraying U.S. service members, including Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump and Greyhound. It also credited his producing of Band of Brothers and The Pacific, both World War II-themed miniseries, and his extensive advocacy for veterans. Hanks, the announcement noted, was a leading proponent for creation of the World War II Memorial in D.C.; supported efforts to build a national memorial for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a celebrated Army general before entering politics; and served as national chairman for a massive fundraising campaign to establish what is now the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. Tom Hanks has done more for the positive portrayal of the American service member, more for the caring of the American veteran, their caregivers and their family, and more for the American space program and all branches of government than many other Americans, Robert McDonald, a former secretary of veterans affairs and the alumni associations board chairman, said in the June announcement. Hanks, in the same announcement, called it humbling and meaningful to be recognized by the institution. Other recipients have included presidents, defense secretaries, diplomats, senators and journalists. But the planned celebration appears to have run headlong into Trump-era politics. In 2020, Hanks participated in a campaign fundraiser with Joe Biden, who went on to defeat Donald Trump for the presidency that year in an election marred by Trumps baseless claims of election fraud. Months later, after a pro-Trump mob smashed its way into Congress on Jan. 6, 2021, in a failed attempt to stop the certification of Bidens victory, Hanks hosted a televised event called Celebrating America that was organized by the Biden Inaugural Committee. Hanks noted then that the United States had seen deep divisions and a troubling rancor over recent years. Hanks assisted Biden again one year into his presidency, narrating a video touting the value of perseverance as the U.S. economy rallied and the covid-19 pandemic subsided. We are stronger than we were a year ago today, Hanks said then. Hanks received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his acting and advocacy from President Barack Obama in 2016. He also has poked fun at Trump supporters while portraying one in Saturday Night Live skits, once in 2016 and again in 2025. The award ceremonys cancellation follows a number of changes at West Point, long considered one of the most prestigious universities in the country, and other military services academies since Trumps return to power. In January, Trump issued an executive order calling for a rollback of programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the armed forces, saying leaders, curriculums and instructors at all of the U.S. service academies should be scrutinized. Other changes followed, including the cancellation of some classes and the disbanding of numerous affinity groups for cadets, such as the National Society of Black Engineers and Latin Cultural Club. More recently, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll directed West Point to revoke the appointment of Jen Easterly, a cybersecurity expert and West Point graduate who had served in the presidential administrations of Biden and George W. Bush, a Republican whom Trump has attacked in the past. Easterlys dismissal from the schools social sciences department followed complaints from far-right activist Laura Loomer, an unofficial adviser to Trump who has exhibited an unusual level of influence on personnel matters in the presidents second term. West Point also recently rehung a 20-foot portrait of Gen. Robert E. Lee, a West Point graduate who fought to preserve slavery for the Confederacy, in its library, a move first reported by the New York Times. The artwork, featuring a slave guiding Lees horse in the background, was put in storage in 2022 at the direction of a congressionally mandated commission that examined what to do with images, symbols, names, monuments and other items that commemorate the Confederacy. Jason Dempsey, an Army veteran who graduated from West Point and taught there as an active-duty officer, questioned how the ceremony for Hanks would detract from the current focus on lethality. He said that he has heard zero public outcry about Hanks receiving the award and that he believes a vast majority of alumni and current cadets support him receiving it. Dempsey, who now studies civil military affairs for the Center for a New American Security, said it appears to him that the alumni association is taking ownership of an issue that would have made some leaders at West Point uncomfortable in the current political environment. It is the perfect example, Dempsey said, of someone being good for the military but not perfectly aligned with current partisan priorities. Beth Reinhard and Aaron Schaffer contributed to this report. People are silhouetted against a historic building that has been marked for improvement at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center campus, where President Trump's executive order is directing the Department of Veterans Affairs to set a goal of housing up to 6,000 homeless veterans at the center. (Allen J. Schaben/The Los Angeles Times via TNS) LOS ANGELES (Tribune News Service) President Donald Trumps executive order calling for a National Center for Warrior Independence to house thousands of veterans in West Los Angeles has gained widespread support, including among his political opposition. But as a deadline approaches for an action plan to be submitted to the president, supporters of the order have become alarmed that potentially radical change for land donated as a home for disabled veterans more than a century ago is being drafted behind a wall of secrecy. The Department of Veterans Affairs has required everyone associated with the planning employees, contractors and other government officials to sign nondisclosure agreements, and has denied both congressional staffers and veterans and their advocates the opportunity to review or comment on the plan, they say. I am thankful for President Trumps executive order, said Iraq war veteran Rob Reynolds, speaking at a roundtable on the executive order last week. This is the first time Ive seen or read anything where the president of the United States has taken a position that this is a Soldiers Home. But Reynolds, who has become an unofficial advocate for veterans trying to obtain housing and services on the West L.A. campus, said the VA has blown an opportunity to build trust with veterans. Ive seen over the years how it goes when you have meetings behind closed doors and you dont consult with people affected by the plan, he said. Theres going to be problems with that plan. The three-hour session in the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall near downtown was convened by Rep. Mark Takano, D-Riverside, ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. Although I disagree with the president on almost everything, I am as eager as he is to see the Soldiers Home become a community for veterans and to see us establish a Center for Warrior Independence in West L.A., Takano said. Takano framed the event as a roundtable, rather than congressional hearing, after the VA declined to send any staff to answer questions and no Republicans on the committee agreed to attend. I do want everyone to know they were invited, Takano said in leading the session off. I am particularly frustrated by the lack of transparency VA has shown Congress, the public and veterans about its plans for West L.A. Two other House members, Brad Sherman, D-Porter Ranch, whose district includes the West L.A. campus, and Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Los Angeles, attended, as did Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. Trump issued the order May 9, giving the VA 120 days to return with a plan to house up to 6,000 homeless veterans by Jan. 1, 2028. That number three times greater than the housing currently planned on the 388-acre property led to speculation about what kind of housing was intended, where it would go, what it would cost and where the money would come from. The VA has included $530 million for construction on the West L.A. campus in its current budget request, but its unclear whether that amount will be approved by Congress, Sherman said. He said the House has passed a $1.75-billion appropriation covering all construction of VA hospitals, clinics, housing and even cemeteries across the nation. There is no indication a third or a quarter of that money will be spent in L.A., and the Senate version of the bill earmarks only $53 million for West L.A., Sherman said. In response to a request for comment, VA Press Secretary Pete Kasperowicz said in a statement that the VA recently announced $818 million in grants to fight Veteran homelessness across the country, of which more than $138 million will benefit Veterans in California. Kasperowicz declined The Times request to interview the VAs Veterans Experience Officer Lynda Davis, who leads the action plan. That planning process is underway and additional announcements regarding implementation and budget will be made once the process is complete, his statement said. Trumps executive order has added a new dimension to a more than decade-long court battle over the VAs failure to provide veteran housing on the property which was deeded to the government in 1888 as a home for disabled soldiers. After housing as many as 4,000 veterans early in the 20th century, the Soldiers Home was shut down in the early 1970s as the VA shifted its mission to medical treatment. The settlement of a 2011 lawsuit requires the VA to produce 1,200 units of permanent housing on the grounds. Rather than fund and build it, the VA contracted the work to affordable housing developers who brought outside funding through time-consuming tax credits. So far, the developers have completed 571 of those units. A second lawsuit precipitated by that slow progress led to a judgment last year requiring the VA to quickly build 750 units of prefab housing to be occupied by veterans temporarily while it builds another 1,800 units of permanent housing. The order, by U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter, was stayed after the VA appealed the judgment. Nearly five months after hearing arguments, a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has yet to issue a ruling. In a sign of how Trumps VA order has bridged political alignments, lawyers with the Public Counsel pro bono law firm, which has sued the Trump administration over immigration policy, quoted from it extensively in a supplemental brief filed with the 9th Circuit. This presidential directive restores the Grounds to their original purpose of hous[ing] disabled veterans, they wrote, praising it as an endorsement of their goal of expediting new housing construction on the campus. But the orders wording to restore the capacity to house up to 6,000 homeless veterans left a wide range of possibilities whether it meant 6,000 units for permanent residency or fewer units that veterans from around the country would be shuttled through on a temporary basis. Kasperowiczs statement said the facility would be used by veterans nationwide. By establishing the National Center for Warrior Independence, we will turn the campus into a beacon of hope and a destination for homeless Veterans from across the nation who can find housing and support there and start their journey back to self-sufficiency, it said. Veterans speaking at the roundtable had diverse views on the type of housing needed. Army veteran Rob Begland called preposterous the notion of 6,000 veterans from across the nation being dumped into Los Angeles. But he also said it would be a grave mistake to view the goal merely as housing the veterans of Los Angeles. I believe our most general duty to veterans is to reintegrate them into society after their military service, he said, urging the Congress members to press the administration on the need for vocational training. Some veterans say the VA policies on housing hold them back from reintegrating in other parts of life. Air Force veteran Robert Canas said he is unable to access his vocational benefits for fear of losing his housing. We are being told that if we go back to school we are going to be evicted from the apartment, he said. We are being told that if we go back to work and make too much money that we are going to be evicted from the apartment. Anthony Allman, executive director of Vets Advisory, a nonprofit created to monitor the the 2011 settlement, proposed a VA collaboration with the community colleges to build housing for the veterans attending them. Sal Grammatico, who said he has been active on the campus for 20 years, said housing is also needed for patients receiving treatment at the VA hospital. I think it needs to be made part of the plan as to what percentage of the housing at the home is going to be transitional housing versus permanent housing versus housing for the veterans that are being treated while they are going through all their different procedures including psychological, physical and everything else, he said. Reynolds said there needs to be housing options more aligned to individual veterans needs. The harm reduction model followed at the tiny home village on the campus has been valuable in getting veterans off the street who are struggling with substance abuse. Watching veterans from when they were out on the street come in, I do see the drug use go down, he said. With that, there are veterans out there that are sober and would like programs where they can be around other veterans that are sober. There should be areas on campus for both, he said, and also an area for those with severe mental illness that really need case management. Several of the veterans described safety and security issues that need to be addressed for the housing that already exists. Canas said lack of support services have allowed a drug den and brothel to operate in a hallway of his building leading to frequent overdoses. We are consistently having people die on that campus, he said. Following the roundtable, Takano and Sherman said they are working on legislation that would increase transparency, prohibit nondisclosure agreements and address the issues raised by veterans. Sherman acknowledged that any plans for the VA face a philosophical dilemma that goes beyond simply getting housing built. You dont want people to be disincentivized to get their life together and get their careers together, he said in an interview. At the same time, your Utopian brotherhood of veterans, sisterhood of veterans community would mean that if somebody founds a high-tech firm and makes $5 million they continue to live there because thats their community. But practical considerations come first, he said: Lets get people indoors. 2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Hancock, N.Y. A grand jury has indicted an Upstate New York man involved in a crash that downed wires that electrocuted a volunteer firefighter this summer. Prosecutors allege the driver was drunk, speeding and using his cell phone. On Friday, Delaware County District Attorney Shawn J. Smith announced an eight-count indictment against Joseph Bellows Jr., 54, of Downsville, stemming from the July 17 crash on Route 30 in Hancock, according to a news release from State Police. East Branch Assistant Fire Chief Jason McGlone, 51, went to the crash that night. When he stepped out of the fire truck, he was electrocuted by live wires from a utility pole that had been knocked down in the crash, troopers said. He is charged with two misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated: one for operating a vehicle while impaired and another for having a blood alcohol content over the legal limit Bellows also faces two felony counts of vehicular manslaughter, one count of second-degree manslaughter and one count of criminal mischief for damaging more than $250 worth of property when his car hit the pole, according to Smith. If Bellows is convicted of the top charge, second-degree manslaughter, he faces 5 to 15 years in state prison, Smith said in a Friday news conference. McGlone had volunteered with the company for 25 years, serving as assistant chief for 15 years. Chief McGlone embodied the courage, commitment and selflessness that define New Yorks volunteer firefighters, Gov. Kathy Hochul said after his death. East Branch Fire Department Chief Rod Keesler told the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin that McGlone loved hunting, fishing and his family. He also loved to barbecue. Bellows was arraigned Friday in the Delaware County Court and is being held on $10,000 bail. The 70 workers who were rounded up and detained during an immigration raid at a protein bar plant in northern Cayuga County have been sent out of state, according to family members and advocates for the workers. In less than 48 hours, the workers went from the jobs and lives where theyd spent decades to a detention center at the Texas border, awaiting potential deportation. Elizabeth Ramirez-Abrams said her husband, 46-year-old Hediberto Ramirez-Perez, called her around 11 a.m. Saturday to tell her he was in Texas. She said he and the others were flown there from Buffalo. No one is sure what detention center they are in, and an online system simply says they are in the custody of Customs and Border Patrol. Ramirez-Abrams and her sisters had been searching for Ramirez-Perez, known to everyone as Big Eddie, since she last saw him being taken away Thursday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided the Nutrition Bar Confectioners plant they both work at in Cato, with assistance from Oswego and Cayuga County sheriffs deputies. Ramirez-Abrams said her husband told her he only had a few seconds to talk. He told her what seemed like the most important thing: Call the lawyer, tell him where I am. Ramirez-Perez has a pending appeal in U.S. Immigration Court. Because of that, he should not have been detained, his lawyer, Jose Perez, said Friday. He said he has other clients, too, who had valid paperwork but were detained anyway at the raid. Erin Fiorini, a volunteer advocate with the Syracuse Immigrant and Refugee Defense Network, said many of the people she knows who were taken have valid paperwork that agents disregarded. Fiorini asked people to call lawmakers and urge them to help the workers. Call Schumer, call Gillibrand, call Barclay, call Chris Ryan, she said. Tell them to get parents back home to their kids. At least a dozen children left for the first day of school Thursday morning to come to one or both of their parents gone. Marnie Eisenstadt writes about people and public affairs in Central New York. Reach her at email| 315-470-2246. Nestle CEO Laurent Frexie was fired earlier this week after only a year in the position. According to BBC, Frexie, who had worked for the Swiss food giant for nearly 40 years in different roles before becoming CEO, was fired after failing to disclose a romantic relationship with a direct subordinate. He was replaced by Philipp Navratil on Sept. 1. The outlet reported that the French businessman was believed to have gotten axed after a report was made about his secret relationship through the companys whistleblower hotline. But the plot thickens as the employee who tipped Nestle off about Frexies dalliance was also allegedly romantically involved with him. Swiss outlet Inside Paradeplatz reported that Frexie was having two relationships with Nestle employees, and one of the women caught him in a hotel room in Zurich with the other. After this woman discovered Frexie with this colleague, she reportedly disclosed that relationship to the company via the whistleblower hotline. Both women involved with Frexie have since exited the company with a generous severance package. Frexie, however, left with nothing after almost four decades. Neither woman has been identified, but Nestles board had been tipped off about one of these relationships in May, which resulted in an internal investigation. A Nestle spokesperson told news agency AWP (via The Standard) that the investigation in May failed to substantiate the suspicion. However, an in-depth inquiry later confirmed Frexies wrongdoing, which led to his firing. Nestle, founded in 1866, is currently the largest food and beverage company in the world. It is best known for its coffee brands, such as Nescafe and Nespresso, as well as its chocolate and confectionery brands like KitKat and Toll House. Nestles brand catalog also includes Stouffers, Hot Pockets, Gerber, Purina, Perrier, and Pure Life. In a thunderous blow to Silicon Valleys most powerful player, the European Union (EU) has imposed a 2.95 billion ($3.5 billion) antitrust fine on Google for abusing its dominance in the advertising technology industry (adtech). What The EU Found The European Commission, the blocs top antitrust regulator, concluded that Google had distorted competition by unfairly favoring its own online display advertising technology services, particularly its AdX exchange, over those of rivals, harming publishers, advertisers, and ultimately consumers. Further, the regulators added that Googles practices gave it an unfair advantage across the entire advertising supply chain from ad buyers to publishers reinforcing its dominant position and allowing it to charge higher fees. Todays decision shows that Google abused its dominant position in adtech by harming publishers, advertisers, and consumers. This behavior is illegal under EU antitrust rules. Google must now come forward with a serious remedy to address its conflicts of interest, and if it fails to do so, we will not hesitate to impose strong remedies, said EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera. Googles Response Unsurprisingly, Google has rejected the findings and said that it would appeal. The European Commissions decision about our ad tech services is wrong and we will appeal. It imposes an unjustified fine and requires changes that will hurt thousands of European businesses by making it harder for them to make money, Lee-Anne Mulholland, the companys Global Head of Regulatory Affairs, said in a statement. Theres nothing anticompetitive in providing services for ad buyers and sellers, and there are more alternatives to our services than ever before. A Pattern Of Fines The penalty marks the fourth major sanction against Google in a decade-long battle over competition between the company and Brussels, pushing its EU penalties close to 10 billion. 2017 : 4.34 billion fine for illegally using the Android operating system to strengthen its dominance of its search engine : 4.34 billion fine for illegally using the Android operating system to strengthen its dominance of its search engine 2018 : 2.42 billion fine for abusing its market dominance as a search engine over shopping search results : 2.42 billion fine for abusing its market dominance as a search engine over shopping search results 2019: 1.49 billion fine for blocking advertising companies from displaying search ads on publisher search results pages The series of fines makes clear the EUs broader mission: to hold Google accountable for what it sees as systemic anticompetitive behavior. Whats Next Google now has 60 days to present a compliance plan or face even tougher sanctions. If it fails, regulators may consider stronger remedies, including forcing the company to sell parts of its advertising business. With the global digital ad market projected to hit $757 billion in 2025 and Google earning more than $200 billion annually from ads the stakes could not be higher. As Ribera puts it, the message from Brussels is clear: Digital markets exist to serve people and must be grounded in trust and fairness. And when markets fail, public institutions must act to prevent dominant players from abusing their power. True freedom means a level playing field, where everyone competes on equal terms and citizens have a genuine right to choose. Wildfires break out in Portugal, Spain Lisbon, Sept 6 (AFP) Sep 06, 2025 Hundreds of firefighters battled fresh wildfires in Portugal and Spain on Saturday, civil protection authorities said, following a summer of devastating blazes in the region. The biggest fire raged in Seia, central Portugal, where 600 firefighters were deployed to tackle the flames, fanned by strong winds, and several roads had to be closed, the civil protection agency said. The priority was "to protect homes", the Lusa news agency quoted a civil protection spokesperson as saying. Police said had they arrested a person suspected of starting the fire. In Spain, authorities confined the small village of Castromil in the northwest as a precaution on Saturday due to a nearby fire. The area was hit hard by a wave of devastating fires in August. One fire there revived on Saturday due to strong winds, a source in the nearby Castilla and Leon region environment ministry said. Spain on Sunday ended a state of emergency that had been in effect for several weeks due to one of the worst waves of wildfires to hit the country in recent years. Four people were killed and over 300,000 hectares burnt. Central and northern Portugal were also ravaged in August by devastating wildfires that killed four people and caused several injuries. The Portugal fires destroyed about 254,000 hectares, the worst such toll since 2017, according to data from the National Institute for Nature and Forest Conservation. Portugal experienced the hottest summer since 1931 this year, the national meteorological agency said on Friday. Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Few movies have proven more influential on the world of menswear than American Gigolo. Paul Schraders 1980 neo-noir follows the titular sex worker Julian Kay, played by Richard Gere, as he becomes involved with a politicians wife while also being pursued as the prime suspect in a murder case. Just as memorable as the plot, however, is Geres Armani wardrobe. The clothes take centre stage right from the opening scenes, which see Gere being fitted by his tailor. In a later sequence, he lovingly lays out his suits on his bed while taking cocaine and singing along to Smokey Robinson and The Miracles The Love I Saw In You Was Just A Mirage. When he opens a drawer, its filled with Armani shirts all carefully folded and with their logos on full display. Armanis involvement with American Gigolo went well beyond mere product placement, however. Schrader wanted to use the loose, louche way Julian Kay dressed not just to tell us something about his character, but also about the chic version of Los Angeles he inhabits. To do that, he drew inspiration from Italy. Schrader recruited Last Tango in Paris director Bernardo Bertoluccis art director, Ferdinando Scarfiotti, to help him shoot the city in a new light, and for fashion, he turned to one of Italian designs rising stars. open image in gallery Richard Gere wearing Armani in American Gigolo ( Everett/Shutterstock ) Armanis involvement in American Gigolo actually predated Geres casting in the lead role. As Schrader told GQ in 2012: Giorgio Armani was involved because of John Travolta. Travolta was originally going to star, and his manager suggested Armani because he knew that he was on the verge of becoming big. We all went to Milan and Giorgio was just getting ready to go into an international non-couture line, so the film synced up perfectly with what he was up to. John dropped out at the last moment and Richard came in, but we kept all the Armani clothes. It was just a matter of tailoring. At that point, Armanis brand was only a few years old. He had worked as a freelance designer for several fashion houses before starting his own label in 1975. By 1980, he still had not established a name for himself outside of Italy, but American Gigolo would change that in an instant. Armani, who had grown up a devoted fan of Hollywoods Golden Age, was delighted to throw himself into the collaboration. That film marked a crucial milestone in my work, he recalled in an essay for Grazia. I have since re-watched American Gigolo several times over the years. He continued: In the film, the clothes from my collection were a style choice of director Paul Schrader; that style, that way of dressing, would become something of a co-star in the film, opposite Richard Gere. The scene where the clothes seemed to play on their own was striking, with a parade of ties, shirts and jackets on Richards bed. I remember my enthusiasm at the idea of that collaboration, the very first. No one could predict that it would be so successful, and would mark so strongly the beginning of an era. open image in gallery Gere being fitted for his Armani suit by his tailor in a poster showing the opening sequence of American Gigolo ( Paramount ) The film launched Armanis career in the United States, and caused radical changes on Savile Row as a generation of men decided to adopt silk, linen and Italian cotton suiting. Until then, mens suits had been boxy and formal think Don Draper in Mad Men. Armanis designs were lighter and more feminine, paving the way for everything from those loud Miami Vice suits to the androgynous New Romantic look that would become popular throughout the 1980s. As for Hollywood, as soon as American Gigolo was released, executives started demanding Armani suits of their own. The designer was only too happy to oblige, opening an exclusive store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Wanda McDaniel, who was hired to do VIP outreach, told The New York Post: He was very smart. He created a VIP dressing room in his store and a lot of [celebrity] relationships were facilitated. She added: You can do 12 years worth of ad campaigns and it wont add up to Angelina Jolie getting photographed in your dress. It wasnt just red carpets that Armani was interested in. Having seen the impact American Gigolo had on his business, he kept his relationships with directors going, too. He went on to design clothes for over 100 films, including 1987s The Untouchables, 1992s The Bodyguard and several notable collaborations with Martin Scorsese, such as 1990s Goodfellas, 1995s Casino and 2013s The Wolf of Wall Street. Even his own adverts were cinematic: In 1992, he recruited David Lynch and Twin Peaks composer Angelo Badalamenti to create a surreal commercial for his fragrance Gio. It all started, though, with American Gigolo. In 1976, Armani had recorded just $90,000 worth of sales. By 1981, a year after audiences first gazed inside Geres highly desirable closet, his sales had vaulted to $135 million. It was what I would call a crucial moment, Armani reflected in 2020. Nobody could have imagined the success that film would have, which in fact marked the imagination of the 80s, and it became an important vehicle for my fashion. Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A West Point alumni group has abruptly canceled its upcoming award ceremony for Oscar-winning actor and prominent President Joe Biden supporter Tom Hanks. The prestigious U.S. Military Academy, located north of New York City, had planned to honor the 69-year-old Forrest Gump star with the Sylvanus Thayer Award at a ceremony on September 25. The award is traditionally presented to an outstanding citizen who is not an alumnus of the academy but exemplifies its ideals of duty, honor, and country. Former president Barack Obama received the honor last year. Retired Army Col. Mark Bieger, president and chief executive officer of the West Point Association of Graduates, announced in an email Friday that the ceremony and parade would no longer go forward. This decision allows the Academy to continue its focus on its core mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers in the worlds most lethal force, the United States Army, Bieger wrote, according to the Washington Post. It was not made clear whether Hanks honor had been revoked or if he would be celebrated in a different way. Tom Hanks was scheduled to receive an award for being an 'outstanding citizen' and exemplifying the college's ideals of duty, honor, and country ( Getty ) The Independent has contacted West Point and Hanks representative for comment. Hanks, a longtime Democrat, was originally named the 2025 recipient of the institutions Thayer Award in June. Tom Hanks has done more for the positive portrayal of the American service member, more for the caring of the American veteran, their caregivers and their family, and more for the American space program and all branches of government than many other Americans, said Robert McDonald, a former secretary of veterans affairs and the alumni associations board chairman. The prolific Hollywood star has portrayed U.S. service members in several movies, including Saving Private Ryan (1998), Forrest Gump (1994), and Greyhound (2020). At the time, the Sleepless in Seattle actor and frequent Donald Trump critic called the honor humbling and meaningful. The ceremonys unexpected cancellation comes as the college faces mounting political pressure from the Trump administration, which has barred military academies from promoting, advancing or otherwise inculcating ideas deemed un-American, including gender ideology and the idea that Americas founding documents are racist or sexist. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day New subscribers only. 9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled. Try for free ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day New subscribers only. 9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled. Try for free ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Late last month, West Point dissolved its sociology major and canceled history classes on gender and race and ethnicity. Professors were forced to remove works from James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and other writers of color. Just last week, the institutions library rehung a portrait of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The picture had been removed in 2022 to comply with a Department of Defense directive that ordered the academy to address racial injustice and do away with installations that commemorate or memorialize the Confederacy. After the painting was restored, Rebecca Hodson, the Armys communications director, said in a prepared statement: At West Point, the United States Military Academy is prepared to restore historical names, artifacts, and assets to their original form and place. Under this administration, we honor our history and learn from it we dont erase it. Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice There are optimal times of day to feed your baby pumped breast milk that correlate with their circadian rhythm, researchers said Friday, with potential benefits for their health and sleeping patterns. A mothers breast milk is unique, due to factors including nutrition, fitness, and genetics. But levels of melatonin, for example, the hormone that regulates the bodys sleep cycle, peak at around midnight in breast milk, the researchers found. Cortisol, which manages stress, was at its highest level early in the morning. Levels of the love hormone oxytocin, the milk protein lactoferrin, and the antibody protein immunoglobulin A were mostly stable throughout the day. We all have circadian rhythms in our blood, and in lactating mothers, these are often reflected in breast milk, Dr. Melissa Woortman, from Rutgers University in New Jersey, explained in a statement. open image in gallery Levels of important hormones and proteins that protect babies immune health can change over the course of a day ( Getty Images/iStock ) Hormones like melatonin and cortisol follow these rhythms and enter milk from maternal circulation, she said. Feeding babies expressed breast milk at a corresponding time to when it was pumped appeared to be incredibly beneficial for the infants health. That was particularly the case for the youngest infants, who are still developing a sleep pattern. We noted differences in the concentrations of bioactive components in breast milk based on time of day, reinforcing that breast milk is a dynamic food, Woortman said. Consideration should be given to the time it is fed to the infant when expressed breast milk is used. The study involved 21 participants who were recruited by Rutgers, and the University of Puerto Rico. The mothers had just given birth at New Brunswicks Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center and were over the age of 21. open image in gallery Feeding babies expressed breast milk at a corresponding time to when it was pumped appeared to be incredibly beneficial for the infants health ( Getty Images/iStock ) Participants gave 10-milliliter breast milk samples over the course of two days, about a month apart. The new moms provided samples of expressed breast milk at 6 a.m., noon, 6 p.m., and midnight. Samples were also collected from 17 additional participants at the same times, but only for one day. A total of 236 samples were analyzed. Labeling stored milk with the time of day it has been pumped could be a way to ensure babies receive important signals thought to influence their sleep-wake cycles. That may especially be beneficial for busy mothers who dont have the opportunity to directly breastfeed multiple times during the day and night. Labeling expressed milk as morning, afternoon, or evening and feeding it correspondingly could help align expressing and feeding times and preserve the natural hormonal and microbial composition of the milk, as well as circadian signals, Professor Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, a researcher at Rutgers University, pointed out. Get our weekly Drive Smart newsletter for motoring news, reviews and advice from EV editor Steve Fowler Get motoring news, reviews and advice from EV editor Steve Fowler Get our EV editors weekly Drive Smart newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A Volvo designer once told me that Volvo dont do pig lipstick. This, in case you didnt realise, isnt a reference to some obscure component deep in the lubrication system, but to the American phrase: You can put lipstick on a pig, but its still a pig, famously used by Barack Obama about his 2008 presidential opponent John McCain. Perhaps, though Ive seen a few, how can one put it, challenging Volvo designs in my time. They do, however, do what the industry used to call facelifts and now term a refresh. Which brings us to the Volvo XC60, now in its eighth year and on its second refresh. So, to retain some showroom appeal in the face of more up to date rivals, we have a bigger, 11.2-inch screen, an improved UX interface with Google software, crisper graphics, more luxurious materials, an excellent induction phone charger (which also boosts older smartphones) and an air purification system. On the outside, we find a new fashionable grille featuring criss-cross lines (no lipstick), new wheel options, darker rear lights and some new colours for the paintwork, including a Mulberry Red which, to be fair, does look like a dark shade of lipstick. Drivetrains, including plug-in hybrids, and optional air suspension are unchanged, and the driving experience is virtually the same as the 2017 originals. open image in gallery A bigger, 11.2-inch screen and interface ensure the old soul is up to date with younger rivals Now, the reasons why the XC60 is having its life extended are interesting and threefold. First, Volvos journey towards full electrification is taking a little longer than ideal. The small new EX30, including a swift and versatile cross country version, smallish EX40 and giant EX90 are all it can offer at the moment, leaving a chasm in the important SUV mid-market, where Tesla, VW group, Hyundai/Kia and BYD are dominant. In order to create a presence in this segment, Volvo have to soldier on with the XC60, until its fully electric, all-battery comes along, probably next year. Second, theres still a demand for the XC60, as there is for its larger sibling the XC90, both with a fairly loyal following. A company needs to sell cars that people want, provided it meets its battery-vehicle quota, and larger models tend to make more profit. The XC60 has been a familiar sight since the first iterations arrived in 2013, and has now overtaken the Volvo 240 series (1974-93) affectionately known as the tank or snowplough in total global sales a remarkable achievement. In that sense the XC60 is the definitive Volvo, and that is why it has such a loyal fanbase. It does everything pretty well, and manages to be a practical SUV without either excessive size or any sporting pretensions. It is, like the Volvo estates that are also still on sale for the same reason of popular demand, very much a middle-sized car for a middle-class family approaching middle age. Hence its status in middle England. The third reason for the forced longevity of the XC60 is geopolitical. Now that Donald Trump has slapped tariffs on cars from Europe and China, and scrapped the electric car mandate, it makes sense for Volvos parent Geely, a Chinese giant, to switch and expand production of the XC60 to their US plant in Charleston, South Carolina. The XC60s production run could also rival that of the 240. The Spec Volvo XC60 Ultra Black Edition T8 PHEV AWD Price: 69,555 (as tested, range starts at 55,360) Engine capacity: 2.0l-petrol, 4-cyl + 18kWh battery, 8sp-auto 4WD Power output (hp): 455 Top speed (mph): 112 0 to 60 (seconds): 4.9 Fuel economy (mpg): 282 CO2 emissions (WLTP, g/km): 23 Perhaps to prove a point about how premium an XC60 can be, Volvo lent us a top-of-the-range example in solid smoke grey, with Black Pack highlights and loaded with air suspension and the most potent combination of 2 litre engine and clean hybrid battery pack with plug-in capability, plus all-wheel drive. As is universally the case with PHEVs (plug-in hybrid vehicles), it is green and economical only to the extent that the user actually does plug the thing into the mains, preferably on the cheap tariff at home. In that circumstance, you could get 40 or 50 miles of electric-only motoring out of it. Otherwise its just a slightly thirsty big Volvo carrying heavy empty batteries around. So, the cheaper mild hybrid option makes more sense, unless you can capitalise on better benefit-in-kind tax rates. open image in gallery Feelin swine: This SUV is a perfectly civilised companion for long journeys The XC60 in any format is at its best on a long journey, where its ample performance and supple ride combine with those superbly tailored seats to leave you unstressed at the end of a multi-hour sprint. It handles surprisingly well, and is a perfectly civilised companion, but its those enduring Volvo values that sell it, and oftentimes, Volvo drivers arent that interested in what the competition is up to, but more interested in built-in safety. On the whole, they wont mind that the quite stressed 2 litre engine can be a little intrusive when pressed hard, and is no match for refinement with its many all-electric competitors. Good news: in January a new all-electric sibling, the EX60, will be revealed alongside a luxury ES90 saloon which promises a 435-mile range. Maybe one day it will succeed the 240 and XC60, and no one will call it a pig with lipstick on. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Orlando Bloom has opened up about his surprising friendship with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The Pirates of the Caribbean star, 48, was first introduced to the tech billionaire while working on the crime comedy Deep Cover and the fantasy series Carnival Row, which are both Amazon productions. Bloom said that although Bezos is a controversial figure on the worlds stage, he takes people at face value and has found the 61-year-old to be gracious and cool. When youre in a position like that people want to have multiple opinions and actually I just take people on face value, the actor told The Times. He added: The person that I know is remarkably gracious and cool and wise and fun to be around. Bloom was one of many A-list celebrities who attended Bezoss lavish wedding to Lauren Sanchez in Venice this June, an elaborate society spectacle that left many Venetians furious. The actor attended the ceremony in the historic city alone, sparking rumours hed separated from pop star fiancee Katy Perry after nine years together. open image in gallery Orlando Bloom has opened up about his unlikely friendship with Jeff Bezos ( Getty ) Perry and Bloom, who share a five-year-old daughter, Daisy, confirmed their break-up in a joint statement days later, saying theyre committed to keeping things amicable between them as they continue to co-parent. Speaking with Today co-host Craig Melvin this week, Bloom said hes so grateful for the relationship because we have the most beautiful daughter. He added of his current relationship with Perry: We're great. We're going to be great. Nothing but love. The pair began dating in 2016 after meeting at a Golden Globes afterparty and welcomed their daughter in 2020. Bloom also has a 13-year-old son, Flynn, with ex-wife Miranda Kerr. open image in gallery Bloom at Bezos' wedding to Lauren Sanchez in Venice in June ( AFP via Getty Images ) Bloom and Perry, 40, had previously split for about a year in 2017, and announced they were taking respectful but loving space, but the actor later proposed in 2019 after they rekindled their bond. Days after confirming their break-up, the two were seen on a yacht in Italy with Bezos and Sanchez. In the months since the split, Perry has been linked to former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, with the pair seen dining at Montreal restaurant Le Violon during Perrys break from her Lifetimes tour. Bloom rose to fame as Legolas in The Lord of the Rings franchise, reprising his role for The Hobbit films in 2013 and 2014. He further rose to fame as Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean series before landing roles in Troy and Kingdom of Heaven. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Nearly two months after congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym was killed by stray bullets in Washington, D.C., a pair of teenagers have been charged with his murder, federal prosecutors announced Friday. The suspects were identified as Jalen Lucas and Kelvin Thomas Jr., according to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. Both face charges of first-degree murder while armed and even though they are juveniles, they will be prosecuted as adults, Pirro said. Investigators are still searching for a third suspect, who is also a juvenile. Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, was just two months into his internship with Kansas Representative Ron Estes when he was caught in a spray of bullets on June 30 near Mount Vernon Square. open image in gallery Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, was just two months into his internship with Kansas Representative Ron Estes when he was killed ( Linkedin ) He was an innocent bystander who was caught in a violent act that was not meant for him, Pirro said. His death is a stark reminder of how fragile life is and how violence too often visits us in the nations capital. Investigators tied the suspects to the crime by reviewing surveillance video from the area and conducting multiple interviews. Both were arrested in the District, officials said. According to Metropolitan Police Department Commander Kevin Kentish, the suspects exited a vehicle and opened fire on two people riding bicycles, including a 16-year-old boy who was wounded. Tarpinian-Jachym, who was not a target, was shot four times. Another bystander was also wounded but survived. Pirro said both suspects had prior violent records in juvenile court. Eric didn't deserve to be gunned down, and the system failed him the system that felt that juveniles needed to be coddled, Pirro said. This killing underscores why we need the authority to prosecute these younger kids, because they're not kids. They're criminals. She used the announcement Friday to sharply criticize the D.C. Council, accusing it of limiting her offices ability to hold young offenders accountable. The D.C. Council has coddled young criminals for years, she said. They reject mandatory minimums that the law requires. They dont force judges to follow the law. open image in gallery Tarpinian-Jachym, who was not a target, was shot four times, on June 30 ( NBC ) Rep. Estes, who has represented Kansas 4th Congressional District since 2017, issued a statement earlier this summer, praising Tarpinian-Jachym as a dedicated, and thoughtful and kind person who loved our country. The House of Representatives also held a moment of silence in his memory. I will remember his kind heart and how he always greeted anyone who entered our office with a cheerful smile, the GOP lawmaker said. We are grateful to Eric for his service to Kansas 4th District and the country. Trump mentioned Tarpinian-Jachym's killing but not his name during an August 11 news conference where he announced a federal intervention for a public safety emergency in the District of Columbia. open image in gallery Tarpinian-Jachym was pursuing a degree in finance with a minor in political science at UMass Amhersts Isenberg School of Management ( Facebook ) Tarpinian-Jachym was pursuing a degree in finance with a minor in political science at UMass Amhersts Isenberg School of Management, where he maintained a 3.82 GPA. He was active in the finance society and investment club and had already built years of government experience, according to his LinkedIn profile. Eric came to our city with a bright future ahead of him, MPD Chief Pamela Smith said. He deserved an opportunity to return home safely to his family, but was senselessly taken from his loved ones. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A Florida middle school maths teacher was arrested after being accused of kissing a 15-year-old student on the lips in his classroom. Carlos Aguirre Rendon, 29, was detained and charged with lewd or lascivious conduct and witness tampering. Authorities say they began investigating the Deltona Middle School teacher in January after the alleged encounter was reported to police. Investigators were told by the youngsters parents that they had grown concerned about the teachers behaviour as the mother had seen Aguirre with his arm around their daughter in a park. A police affidavit states that witnesses told them that the suspect had often tried to be alone with the student and had appeared to be pursuing a relationship with her. The suspect is also accused of approaching potential witnesses at a park in the city to ask about the victim and told at least one witness not to talk to the police. (Rendon) would regularly ask other students to leave the classroom so he could be alone with her. He would follow her around campus in between classes and even offered himself as a private English tutor when he noticed she was struggling with the subject, the affidavit states. Police bodycam video of the arrest was later released by the Volusia Sheriffs Office. He was booked into Volusia County Branch Jail and released on a $12,500 bond. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A former teacher in Wisconsin who is facing charges for allegedly kissing one of her students is now being accused of carrying on a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old she was hired to babysit. On August 22, sheriffs deputies in Washington County, Minnesota, were called to a home to speak with a boy who said his nanny, Abigail Faust, initiated an inappropriate sexual relationship with him when he turned 15 last year. He told deputies that she had been his nanny since 2021. While she was allegedly involved with the teenager, investigators say Faust began a relationship with another underage boy, according to KARE11. The victims reportedly saw Faust's name in the news in relation to the accusations that she had kissed a student at her school in Wisconsin. The parents of the second boy with whom Faust is accused of having an inappropriate relationship contacted the first boy's parents and told them what they knew about Faust. Abigail Faust, a former Wisconsin teacher, is facing charges for allegedly kissing one of her students and is now also accused of carrying on a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old she was hired to babysit. ( St Croix County Sheriff's Office ) Deputies say Faust told one of the boys she was in love with him after the news broke that she was going to be charged. The former teacher was charged in August with four criminal counts, which include failure to protect a child, causing mental harm to a child, child enticement, and sexual misconduct by school staff or volunteer. The Independent has requested comment from Fausts attorney, Aaron Nelson. Prosecutors say that in addition to kissing a student, Faust knew about claims of another relationship between her friend Madison Bergmann and a student, and failed to report it to authorities. Bergmann was charged with first-degree sexual assault with a child under age 13 and also with use of a computer to commit a child sex crime, exposing a child to harmful descriptions, two counts of child enticement and five counts of sexual conduct by a school staff member. Her next scheduled court date is on September 29. She has entered a not guilty plea, according to the New York Post. A child known in the court documents as Victim 1 reportedly told police that Faust knew that he and Bergmann were in a relationship. The child also said he believed Faust had a relationship with a boy identified in the court documents as Victim 2. A witness told police that they noticed some "red flags" in the way Faust and Victim 2 interacted, noting that it seemed as though they were flirting. Investigators reportedly recovered text messages from Bergmann and Victim 1 that showed them discussing the relationship between Faust and Victim 2. According to court documents, Victim 2 told investigators that Faust kept him after class one day, pushed him up against a wall, and began kissing his cheek. Victim 2 also told authorities that after the encounter, he became withdrawn and began having emotional reactions that he normally would not have. When investigators asked Victim 2 how he felt about Faust, he reportedly told them he "never wants to see her again." Faust resigned from her teaching position at Rivercrest Elementary School in May, and is currently in custody at the St Croix County Jail in Hudson, Wisconsin on a $200,000 cash bond. Both of her trials are scheduled to begin in October. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Francis Wolke moved across the country to Silicon Valley with a dream to join the ranks of the wealthy elite. But instead the 30-year-old computer programmer went down a dark path and his name would become synonymous with one of the most gruesome murders in Bay Area memory. On December 12, 2018, police found Wolke inside the Menlo Park home of 62-year-old Kathleen Kathy Hughes Anderson. The longtime arborist for the town of Atherton lay nearly decapitated in the basement with a ballpoint pen lodged in her eye. Wolke, covered in blood, admitted to killing her. He later told investigators he believed he had to commit the murder and consume human flesh in order to join the 1% and stay young forever. open image in gallery Francis Wolke stabbed Kathleen Hughes Anderson to death at her Menlo Park home on Dec. 12, 2018 ( San Mateo County Jail ) That chilling claim, and the twisted journey that led Wolke from Cincinnati to California, is at the center of the first episode of The Tech Bro Murders, a new Investigation Discovery docuseries premiering Tuesday, September 9 at 10 p.m. ET /9 p.m. CT, with weekly episodes streaming on HBO Max. A brutal crime with bizarre motives The first episode of The Tech Bro Murders brings viewers directly into the crime scene through the eyes of Daniel Baggett, Andersons friend whom she dated after her husbands death in 2007. On the night of her murder, Baggett said he felt something pulling him to her house. When Anderson didnt respond to his calls, Baggett decided to check on her. What he found has haunted him ever since Wolke in Andersons house, covered in her blood. According to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, Wolke tried to strangle Anderson and when that didnt work, he jabbed a pen into her eye and used a handsaw on her that nearly decapitated her. He was interrupted by Baggett, who held him at knifepoint until police arrived. When police arrived, they found both men inside and placed them both under arrest. open image in gallery Kathy Anderson, 62, a former arborist was found nearly decapitated with a pen lodged in her eye ( Kathy Hughes Anderson Memorial Tree Fund ) Retired Palo Alto PD detective Sandra Brown, who appears on the docuseries to unpack the twisted cases, explains that finding two men holding knives at each other meant they were left asking: who was the killer? One man had a previous relationship with her, but there was no known relationship or prior contact between Wolke and Anderson. Wolke was quickly charged with the murder, and police believe Baggetts presence at the home that night may have prevented Wolke from fleeing. He was the one who stopped Franis Wolke from getting away, Brown said. If Francis Wolke had gotten away, its possible we wouldve never found him. I was never treated like a hero, Baggett said with a shrug. I just wish she was still here. I was just glad that I was able to do what I believe Kathy wanted me to do and that was to make sure he didnt get away. I believe what was pulling me to that house that night was her, he added through tears. open image in gallery Retired Palo Alto PD detective Sandra Brown appears on the docuseries Tech Bro Murders to unpack the twisted cases ( Investigation Discovery ) Wolke pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and the dark motivations behind the murder began to come to light. Wolke first moved from Cincinnati to Silicon Valley in 2014, with dreams of being the next Mark Zuckerberg. He had told his family that he had connections to important people in California. He met Daniel Girshovich at a cryptocurrency convention and was invited to stay at his apartment. Girshovich later testified that Wolke was working on an operating system that would give users more control over their computers and spent all his time on it, rarely sleeping or eating. He described Wolke as eccentric, arrogant, stubborn, an extreme outlier, due to his hostile behavior and his views on modern society, The Almanac reported. Tensions escalated in the shared apartment and Wolke was asked to move out after about six months. Wolke was homeless for months before his parents sent him a bus ticket and he returned home for a short time. But just two days before the murder, he returned to California. According to court testimony, on the night of the murder, Wolke was plagued by auditory hallucinations and delusions that the worlds wealthiest 1% secretly maintained their power through ritual murder and cannibalism. He told psychiatrists he wanted to become a protein harvester, believing he could join the elite by killing and consuming another human. Wolkes defense attorney Connie OBrien told the court that Wolke had auditory hallucinations several times on the bus ride from Cincinnati back to the Bay Area. He argued that Wolke was suffering from psychosis at the time of the murder and that he was unable to understand his behavior as morally wrong. open image in gallery Anderson, a fixture in her community, devoted the majority of her working years caring for trees ( Kathy Hughes Anderson Memorial Tree Fund ) Dr. David Berke, a forensic psychologist who testified at the trial, said that Wolke believed there exists a 1% of the population that kills people and eats their stem cells which gives them almost eternal youth, and that what he did would be approved of by the 1%. Berke also testified that Wolke stayed in Anderons home for hours after the murder and even took a nap which meant that he did not fully understand the gravity of his actions, he said. After a jury found Wolke guilty of murder, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Garratt sentenced him to 26 years to life term with more than 1,600 days credit for time served, saying that the murder Wolke committed is every womans worst nightmare. Investigation Discoverys The Tech Bro Murders premieres Tuesday, September 9 at 10/9c, with new episodes airing weekly. Episodes will be available to stream on HBO Max. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice After losing a court battle over state law requiring the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom in the state, the top law enforcement official in Texas is now urging students to recite the Lords prayer. Texas lawmakers recently approved voluntary periods of prayer and Bible reading in public schools. But Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is going a step further with his vision for state-backed Christian education by encouraging schools to begin the legal process of putting prayer back in classrooms. Paxton encourages all Texas schools to implement dedicated time for prayer and the reading of scripture, his office said this week. In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up, he said on government letterhead, with a copy of the Lords prayer printed beneath his statement. He claimed twisted, radical liberals want to erase Truth and dismantle the solid foundation that Americas success and strength were built upon, and erode the moral fabric of our society. open image in gallery Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is encouraging schools to recite Christian prayer as he continues to battle a court ruling that blocked the Ten Commandments from being posted in every classroom ( AP ) Our nation was founded on the rock of Biblical Truth, and I will not stand by while the far-left attempts to push our country into the sinking sand, he said. Texas schools dont need the government telling kids to pray much less which prayer, or which god, the Freedom from Religion Foundation said in a statement in response. This isnt religious freedom, its state-sponsored Christianity. In a letter urging Paxton to retract his statement, the group wrote that the solid foundation of our country is not biblical truth, but rather our secular Constitution that protects the rights of all Americans, including Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, the nonreligious, and everyone else, to believe as they choose without government interference or favoritism. Last month, a federal judge temporarily blocked a recently passed state law requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms, potentially setting up yet another Supreme Court showdown on the church and state firewall after several other Republican-led states have tried, and failed, to implement similar laws. The Texas law, which was set to take effect September 1 as students returned to classrooms for the fall semester, likely violates the First Amendments prohibitions against government interference and endorsement of religion, according to the order from District Judge Fred Biery. Paxtons office has appealed the decision. open image in gallery A federal judge agreed that posting the Ten Commandments in Texas classrooms would force a state-favored religion in violation of the First Amendment ( AP ) The law signed by Governor Greg Abbott forces all public elementary or secondary schools to display in a conspicuous place in each classroom of the school a durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments. A lawsuit was filed by a group of Texas families with Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Unitarian Universalist, and nonreligious backgrounds, including clergy, with children in public schools. The judge agreed with plaintiffs that those displays are likely to pressure children into religious observance, meditation on, veneration, and adoption of the states favored religious doctrine while suppressing expression of their own religious or nonreligious background and beliefs, according to the judge. Lawmakers in Arkansas have advanced similar legislation, and Oklahomas chief school official mandated copies of the Bible and Ten Commandments in all classrooms with immediate and strict compliance. Last year, District Judge John Wheadon deGravelles paused a similar Louisiana law that had swiftly drawn legal challenges from civil rights groups anticipating a Supreme Court battle. Legislation to incorporate Christian teachings in public schools joins a nationwide effort from conservative special interest groups to move public funds into religious education. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court reached a surprise tie in a case that could decide whether Oklahoma could open the first-ever taxpayer funded Catholic public charter school, which triggered a high-profile legal battle to decide whether public funds can be used to create religious schools setting up a major test to the First Amendments establishment clause. The 4-4 decision, from which Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself, upheld an earlier ruling that blocked the schools opening for now. Today, shes a city dog, trotting along Melbourne pavements on a leash, but glimpses of Moanas past life in an outback town remain. The terrier hates being alone, says owner Paul Gosney, and wont wear a coat. At the beach, she loves sand but not water. Moana the terrier in Melbourne with (from left) owner Paul Gosney, his mother, Irene, and Aussie Desert Dogs founder Gloria Morales. Credit: Chris Hopkins But he says Moana is an amazing soul who is now a cherished family pet. Moana is among 1800 unwanted camp dogs from Yuendumu, in the Northern Territory, that have been sent to new homes across Australia, under the not-for-profit program Aussie Desert Dogs. Look, I realise the word weird is overused when it comes to American politics, but it really is gobsmacking when you see the president and the governor of California, the countrys most populous state, exchanging barbs and memes on social media, likening each other to stupid, nappy-clad babies, immobile old women and weak men who cant box properly. When, for example, Donald Trump says he might get into shorts when the US hosts the football, as he looks fantastic in shorts, Gavin Newsom says, please dont! Illustration by Simon Letch Credit: Much of it is actually pretty entertaining, providing relief in a barrage of negative stories, and it highlights how adolescent some of the Trump administrations publicity has been. In recent months, the White House press office has put out AI images of Trump as a jacked-up Jedi, Superman, the pope and even a crown-wearing king. Newsoms office and now his fan base have responded with images of the governor on Mount Rushmore, bare-chested and buff, riding a bald eagle, straddling a shark, cradling a kitten in front of the American flag, posing in Calvin Klein underwear, being prayed over by Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan and Tucker Carlson, and drinking MAGA tears. A step forward THE fresh message from Manipur is clear: A sensible solution is possible only if militant groups and community organisations stop hostilities among them. The Government has achieved this goal to some extent when it signed with Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United Peoples Front (UPF) suspension of operations agreement that would now usher in the North-Eastern State a relief from violence whose reason few could specify. What was available by way of explanation of the continued violence was not more than just a description of what was happening. The Opposition, however, tried its best to extract a political mileage out of the Manipur situation and often tried to corner Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi for his so-called failure to control things. Now, with the peace pact having been signed, the Manipur situation will start returning to normalcy -- which would deprive the Opposition of chance to harass the Government. The agreement will bring to Manipur reasonable benefits of peace in the State. The Kuki-Zo Council has already agreed to open for traffic the national highway that passes through the State. There also is an agreement about reduction and relocation of Designated Camps from vulnerable areas. This should be considered a good beginning for restoration of normalcy in Manipur that had been bogged down by communal violence thanks to the hostilities between the Kuki and the Meitei communities. Once the ethnic violence is brought under control, peace process could be pushed further. The trouble in Manipur, however, was not purely and simply domestic. It has had international nuances as well, thanks to Manipurs proximity to Myanmar through international border of several hundred kilometers. Incidents of militants crossing the border into India and create trouble. Those outfits also were reported to be getting some sly patronage from Indian political parties that had interest in fanning domestic trouble for whatever purpose. That was actually the reason why the Manipur trouble kept lingering for such a long time. The Opposition parties tried to extract full advantage of the Manipur situation by blaming Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi for everything that went wrong in the border-state. Such political action served no purpose and solved no problem. The trouble in Manipur continued to fester with no solution seemingly in sight. The Central Government, however, kept working silently to sort out things in Manipur with patience -- engaging different community groups in domestic diplomacy and slowly bringing them around to considering solutions that could be implemented only in conditions of peace. The Centre also succeeded in weaning some of the leaders of the Meitei and Kuki communities from their own outfits as ambassadors of goodwill. This patient approach started making some difference -- due to which Manipur started getting calmer. In the past some time, the State did not see much violence, thanks to the Governments patient building of accord among hostile segments. Speculations are in the air that the Prime Minister may visit Manipur in the next some time -- a good two--plus years after his last visit in 2023. This visit may prove to be a game-changer in Manipur since the common people in the State will get to know how the Prime Minister views the situation. If the Manipur situation gets tackled properly, the whole of North-East will get integrated with the rest of the country in a finer manner. In the past 10-11 years since the advent of Mr. Narendra Modi as Prime Minister, the Centre has taken extra-special efforts to build better connect of the North-East region with the rest of the country and has created a pro-development environment there. With the Manipur tangle sorted out, things will get certainly better. Finally done AAI, MIL sign lease agreement for Ngp airport By Vikas Vaidya : Document to be sent to Ministry of Civil Aviation After Central Government Cabinet sent back the note regarding taking over of operations at citys Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport by GMR Airports Limited (GAL) with multiple queries, MIHAN India Limited (MIL) and AAI signed a lease agreement, said highly placed sources. The long-anticipated transformation of Nagpur Airport by GMR is already delayed by four months with one of the reasons being the absence of a lease agreement. According to sources, MIL came into being in the year 2009 as a joint venture. Surprisingly over the period, no lease agreement was signed. According to sources, MIL doesnt have the Fire NOC, Environment Clearance for which the company has now started giving momentum to hold all the procedures. The lease agreement was signed between AAI and MIL for 30 years, counted from 2009 when the latter came into existence. It means 16 years have already passed and now only 14 years remain. Of course at Ministry of Civil Aviation level, the 30-year lease will be transfered to GMR from MIL. Highly placed sources in Delhi told The Hitavada that the preparedness of GMR to take over and start work at any given time is high. It was assumed that delay may lead to project going to different hands. But GMR won the battle in Supreme Court so it is not possible to change it now. The battle in court already delayed the project a bit but Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was consistently following up on it. A well-equipped building of 3 lakh square feet will be raised in this project, which will be built at a cost of around Rs 7,000 crore. GMR Airports Limited (GAL) is expected to upgrade, develop, and operate Nagpurs Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport and transform the airport into a modern aviation hub with advanced facilities. The upgradation is set to create a state-of-the-art airport infrastructure, which will expand both passenger and cargo operations. A key objective of MIHAN has always been to position Nagpur as a cargo hub, significantly enhancing cargo handling and logistics in the region. GMR Airports will lead the transformation of city airport into a world-class facility. The first phase of this transformation includes enhancing the passenger terminal capacity to 4 million passengers annually. This ambitious project will also involve upgrading existing infrastructure, building a modern cargo terminal, and improving airside facilities with a new Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower. GMR Nagpur International Airport (GNIAL, a 100% subsidiary of GAL) and MIHAN India executed the concession agreement for the project. This transformation is set to not only enhance connectivity within the Vidarbha region but also strengthen its economic infrastructure. GALs commitment to modernising and expanding the airport includes a significant boost in cargo handling capabilities increasing the capacity to 20,000 metric tons, said an official on condition of anonymity. Foreign troops in Ukraine before peace deal will be legitimate targets: Putin KYIV : Putin also dismissed the idea of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine after a final peace deal RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine before a peace agreement has been signed would be considered legitimate targets by Moscows forces. Putins comments came hours after European leaders repledged their commitment to a potential peacekeeping force, a prospect that Moscow has repeatedly described as unacceptable. If any troops appear there, especially now while fighting is ongoing, we assume that they will be legitimate targets, he said during a panel at the Eastern Economic Forum in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok. Putin also dismissed the idea of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine after a final peace deal, saying no one should doubt that Moscow would comply with a treaty to halt its 3-year full-scale invasion of its neighbour. He said that security guarantees would be needed for both Russia and Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later said that Moscow would need legally binding documents to outline such agreements. Of course, you cant just take anybodys word for something, he told Russian news outlet Argumenty i Fakty. Putins comments follow remarks from French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday that 26 of Ukraines allies have pledged to deploy troops as a reassurance force for Ukraine once fighting ends. Macron spoke after a meeting in Paris of the so-called coalition of the willing, a group of 35 countries that support Ukraine. Noise pollution above permissible level during Ganeshotsav since 2019 By Kaushik Bhattacharya : MPCB data from 2019 to 2024 revealed that the noise level during festival was reported above 65.0 dB every year Five noise monitoring stations in city reported noise level between 64.7 dB and 82.9 dB in 2024 The noise level in Nagpur city during 10 days of Ganesh festival every year breaches the permissible limit, causing potential harm to human health. According to the Ambient Noise Monitoring data of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), the ten-day period of Ganesh festival over last six years highlights a clear pattern of noise amplification on visarjan days, underscoring the difficulties of maintaining noise levels within acceptable limits. The World Health Organisation (WHO) identifies noise levels above 65 decibels (dB) as potentially harmful to human health, with prolonged exposure to levels exceeding 85 dB posing a significant risk of hearing damage and other health issues. Whereas, in 2024, the five noise monitoring stations during the festival in Nagpur city reported the noise pollution above the permissible limit during all the ten days. MPCB has five noise monitoring stations at Cotton Market, Ramdaspeth, Reshimbag, Gandhi Putla and Golibar Chowk areas. These stations provide noise data of the city during Ganesh festival. As per the data, the noise level of all these five locations during Ganesh festival of 2024 was reported between 64.7 dB to 82.9 dB. Ramdaspeth area reported the lowest 64.7 dB noise Contd from page 1 level on September 8 last year which was the lowest whereas Gandhi Putla in Mahal area recorded 82.9 dB of noise level on very first day of the celebration last year. The data showed almost same level of noise pollution every year since 2019. In 2024, Cotton Market area witnessed the noise level in all 10 days of Ganesh festival between 71.8 dB and 81.3 dB. Ramdaspeth witnessed noise level between 64.7 dB and 77.2 dB. Reshimbagh witnessed between 69.0 dB and 81.0 dB. Gandhi Putla recorded the sound level between 71.0 dB and 82.9 dB whereas Golibar Chowk reported the noise between 72.3 dB and 80.4 dB. According to MPCB, the context of festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, noise pollution arises from a variety of sources, including -- loudspeakers used for music and announcements; musical instruments such as drums and cymbals played during processions; and firecrackers, which contribute to sudden spikes in noise levels. Noise pollution, particularly in Nagpur city, has become a growing concern for environmental and public health authorities. Festivals, while essential to the cultural fabric of the city, often lead to elevated noise levels that can cause both short-term disturbances and long-term health risks. According to the data, in 2023, Ramdaspeth area recorded the lowest noise pollution during the festival with 64.4 dB whereas Reshimbagh area was the noisiest place during the festival with 76.0 dB. Now, BoB calls RCom loan account as fraudulent NEW DELHI : AFTER State Bank of India and Bank of India, another lender Bank of Baroda has classified the loan account of insolvent Reliance Communications as fraudulent and named its former Director, tycoon Anil Ambani, citing alleged misutilisation of loans granted more than a decade back, according to a regulatory filing. RCom said it has received a letter from BoB dated September 2 conveying its decision to classify the loan account of the company and promoter Anil Ambani as fraud. Bank of Baroda had sanctioned Rs 1,600 crore and another Rs 862.50 crore in line of credit to the company. Of the total Rs 2,462.50 crore, Rs 1,656.07 crore remains outstanding as on August 28, according to the lenders letter disclosed by RCom in the regulatory filing. The account was classified as non-performing asset (NPA) with effect from June 5, 2017, the letter said. While RCom is undergoing corporate insolvency resolution proceedings to find a suitor to take over the company and clear its liabilities, BoB in the letter said currently there is no active resolution plan that is approved by the NCLT. It went on to state that the declaration of fraud is based on findings/observations in forensic audit reports and such classification is in line with the principles of natural justice. In a statement, a spokesperson of Ambani said the action of Bank of Baroda pertains to matters dating back more than 12 years. It is pertinent to note that Anil D Ambani served as a non-executive director on the board of RCom from inception in 2006 until his resignation from the board in 2019, over six years ago, it said. He was never an executive director or a KMP of the company, and had no role whatsoever in the day-to-day operations or decision-making of the company, it said. Stating that RCom had a lender consortium comprising 14 banks, it said, after an inordinate lapse of more than 10 years, select lenders have now chosen to initiate proceedings in a staggered and selective manner targeting Mr Ambani. It went on to state that RCom is under the supervision of a committee of creditors led by SBI and overseen by a resolution professional. The committee of creditors led by SBI had unanimously approved the resolution plan of the successful resolution applicant in March 2020. The matter remains sub judice, pending before the NCLT and other judicial forms, including the Supreme Court, for the past six years and the lenders have not taken steps to complete the resolution process, it said. Ambani, the statement said, Categorically denies all allegations and charges and shall pursue remedies available to him in accordance with legal advice. Previously, State Bank of India (SBI) and Bank of India (BoI) had given similar tags to RCom and Ambani. Under banking laws, once an account is declared fraudulent, it must be referred to enforcement agencies for criminal action, and the borrower is barred from accessing fresh finance from banks and regulated institutions for five years. RCom had in April disclosed that its total debt stood at Rs 40,400 crore in March. Following unpaid loans, the company was admitted for insolvency and bankruptcy proceedings. West Bengal Govt, police threatening film: Agnihotri MUMBAI : DIRECTOR Vivek Agnihotri has accused the West Bengal Government and police officials of threatening theatre owners not to screen his film The Bengal Files in the eastern state, and said the producers are planning to take legal action. The film, the concluding chapter in Agnihotris The Files trilogy after The Tashkent Files (2019) and The Kashmir Files (2022), revisits the communal riots of August 1946 in Kolkata. The Bengal Files, slated to be released on Friday, features Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Saswata Chatterjee and Darshan Kumarr. Whatever the West Bengal Government is doing is illegal and unconstitutional. We are planning to file a writ petition, but will decide based on what happens tomorrow and accordingly we will take legal action, he said, on the sidelines of the premier of the film on Thursday. The filmmaker claimed that he is getting feedback from theatre owners in West Bengal that they were being threatened not to go ahead with the screening. A lot of theatre owners, including leading multiplex chains officials, have said that the police have been threatening them with dire consequences if they release the film. They are like, what will we do if they barge in and destroy our property? he said. The film has been dubbed in Bengali because lakhs of Bengali people want to watch it, Agnihotri said. Murdering the future of youngsters Sleeping since 2019 ? | It has to be said. The Government of Manipur sure knows how to kill the aspirations and future of the younger generations and the recent decision to cancel the recruitment process of 907 fresh employees to different posts in the MSPCL and MSPDCL testifies this. About 37,000 candidates are reported to have appeared for the recruitment drive to recruit 907 fresh employees and this was back in 2019. Now for reasons which have not been detailed in the public forum, the said recruitment process has been cancelled. A wait of six years thrown down the gutter and in the process make a joke, a cruel joke on the future of thousands of youngsters. This is not acceptable and can happen only in a place like Manipur, a place where it is not unheard of candidates, who managed to pass a recruitment test, to publicly announce that they made it without paying a cent ! Ludicrous and this happened some time back. No wonder the public perception of an official or a political leader is today increasingly judged through the prism of how the individual concerned, made fresh appointments without taking a dime, and clearly the level to which Manipur has fallen can be known from the ugly reality that is in front of everyone but which no one has had the moral compunction to acknowledge publicly. A place where announcements are made via the media that not a dime was spent to get into service and seriously, something is terribly wrong but the crucial question is whether this has registered in the consciousness of the people or not. For now it is the uproar over the cancelled recruitment process in MSPCL and MSPDCL but look further and it could mean the selection process in any Government departments down the years, with even the reputation of the top recruiting body-the Manipur Public Service Commission being torn asunder on more than one occasion. Remember how the Manipur Civil Service examination of 2016 and conducted by the MPSC was cancelled, even as the young successful candidates had started serving as Government officials in the capacity of SDOs and SDPOs. This was not all, for back in 1994 the same examination was cancelled at the intervention of the then Imphal bench of the Gauhati High Court which observed, A drop of poison, poisons the whole glass of milk. From 1994 to 2016 to 2025 and others in between and clearly something is terribly wrong with the place, the people of which pride themselves as having a history dating back to more than 2000 years ! Clearly the engineering effected to make a farce of Manipur is complete, but has any lesson been learnt ? Not much it seems if one goes by the reaction or response to the decision of the present PR regime to cancel the 2019 recruitment process for there is no talk of fixing responsibility and more curiously there is also no demand that responsibilities should be fixed for playing with the future of the youngsters. A strapping young man or a comely damsel of 25 in 2019 would now be 31 years old and who has given a thought to the fate of these young people ? Important to also question why the 2019 recruitment process has been cancelled. What are the reasons ? Raj Bhavan and the suited, booted class of people who sit in air conditioned offices and travel through Imphal with the sirens blazing should spell out why the recruitment process has been cancelled. Were there any shortcomings in the conduct of the recruitment process ? And if yes then why did it take six years to find that out ? The Government, whether Presidents Rule or a popular Government, has no business to fiddle with the future of the young men and women and if the 2019 examination process is to be cancelled, what about those who handled the finer details of the said examination ? Shouldnt they also be pulled up, penalised and sent packing, even if they have retired from Government service ? Why hasnt the Government at Imphal ever given a thought on why so many promising youngsters prefer to job hunt outside the State ? True the Government cannot be expected to provide jobs to everyone, but the fact is, many are not even trying to give something back to the place through their service, since they are not in the position to buy a job ! Spell out the reason why it was felt that the recruitment process in MSPCL/MPSDCL should be cancelled. Spell out if there were any misdemeanour in the conduct of the examination. How about those responsible for conducting the same ? Why should the candidates alone suffer ! For many Mumbaikars, hopping onto a bike taxi is the quickest way to beat bumper-to-bumper traffic. With just a few taps on an app, a Rapido or Ola rider can zip you through narrow lanes and drop you at your destination for a fraction of the cost of an auto or cab. However, behind this convenience lies a messy legal battle. ALSO READ | Pratap Sarnaik-Rapido row explained: Why Maharashtra transport minister is in trouble over alleged misuse of power This week, the Maharashtra transport department cracked down on bike taxi operators, collecting fines of Rs 1.5 lakhs from aggregators like Rapido, Ola and Uber for running services without mandatory licences. Officials say the action is part of a wider push to bring order to what they call an illegal and unsafe system. Unlike autorickshaws and kaali-peeli cabs, bike taxis dont yet have a clear regulatory framework in Maharashtra. The Motor Vehicles Act mandates that every aggregator seek state approval before operating, but most companies have launched services without waiting for permission. Officials argue this leaves passengers vulnerable in case of accidents and raises insurance and liability concerns. Special teams of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Mumbai launched a joint crackdown through 20 units across Mumbai, Thane, Vasai, Vashi, and Panvel, against unregistered apps and illegal bike taxi operators. During the operation, action was taken against a total of 123 pic.twitter.com/Ux1Ed57Bqs ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2025 A senior transport official told THE WEEK that enforcement would continue until operators either shut shop or complied with licensing norms. The safety of commuters cannot be compromised, the official said. Ironically, while fines are being collected, the state itself is still in the process of drafting a dedicated e-bike taxi policy. Once finalised, it will define rules for permits, fare systems and accountability, bringing Maharashtra in line with other states that have already opened the door for bike taxis. Transport experts say the policy will need to strike a balance: protecting passenger safety while not stifling an affordable service that has become part of Mumbais transport mix. For riders and commuters, the tussle between aggregators and regulators means delays in everyday commuting. College students, office-goers and delivery workers often rely on bike taxis for last-mile connectivity. Thousands of young men earn their livelihood by driving for these apps. The government should regulate, not ban, says a 24-year-old engineering student who uses bike taxis to get to his classes in Bandra. Theyre cheaper than cabs and faster than buses. Without them, commuting will only get harder. ALSO READ | 'Disciplined operation': Uber ramps up India services despite bike taxi bans, regulatory hurdles For now, the governments message is clear: until the licensing framework is in place, operators will be penalised for every ride they run. But on the ground, the demand for quick, low-cost transport isnt going away anytime soon. The coming months will reveal whether Maharashtra can deliver a policy that works for commuters, drivers, and regulators alikeor if bike taxis will remain stuck in a legal grey zone. Anushka Moni Mohan Das alias Moon Das, a Bengali actress and former Dancing Queen contestant, was arrested for allegedly running a sex racket in Thane on Friday. Now, it has been revealed that the former model's jilted lover killed her mother and uncle in 2007 before killing himself. ALSO READ: Who is Anushka Moni Mohan Das? Actress arrested for running sex racket, forcing aspiring actors into prostitution Anushka, who is accused of forcing aspiring actresses into prostitution, was remanded in judicial custody on Friday. Anushka was booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Section 143(3) for human trafficking and under Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. Tragic death of Moon Das's mother, uncle Avinash Patnaik, 22, a final-year commerce student from Odisha, was in a relationship with Anushka, who was one year older than him. They met each other at a New Year event in Rourkela in 2007 but three months later, Anushka called off the relationship. This enraged Avinash, who decided to take revenge on her. He took a factory-made revolver and came to her apartment but could not find her. He then fatally shot her mother and uncle in the chest. Around midnight, Anushka and her friend came back to the apartment adn found Avinash carrying a pistol. They immediately locked the apartment door from outside and went to the police station. However, when they returned, Avinash was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his temple. Avinash's father Bhupen Patnaik later accused Anushka's family of holidaying in Puri at Avinash's expense. On the other hand, Anushka accused Avinash of being possessive and physically violent. Originally from Kolkata, Anushka came to Mumbai to look for modelling opportunities in 2004. She has appeared in multiple advertisements and was the lead actress in Bengali film, Loafer. Sex racket case The sex racket was catering to customers from the elite community while Anushka was a mediator. At least 20 others have been nabbed by Thane police, including bar owners, managers and waiters. Police posed as customers based on a tipoff and contacted Anushka. She then asked them to meet her at Thakur mall on Kashmira highway, where she was caught red-handed while accepting money from the undercover customers. Two women who are reportedly active in Bengali films and TV serials were rescued and shifted to a shelter home. The Union Home Ministry is tactfully working to create a favourable framework for peaceful negotiations between the Kuki Zo and Meitei communities in Manipur, allowing both to feel heard, while drawing the line on non-negotiable aspects such as territorial integrity and strict adherence to the ceasefire in both letter and spirit. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to visit Manipur by the end of next week, sources said efforts are being made to set the stage for fresh negotiations that are aimed at solving larger issues that have a bearing on peace and stability, not just within Manipur, but also on curbing insurgent activities across the Northeast. Security officials said considerable balancing is going into addressing the concerns of both sides. The government is carefully crafting a way forward that signals flexibility in talks, offers elbow room to both sides, and accommodates certain political demands. At the same time, the Centre is making it clear that territorial inviolability and counterinsurgency strategy will remain the bedrock of a lasting solution in Manipur. There is an unlined message for all insurgent groups across the Northeast. While it is a reiteration of the governments stand and an integral part of the counterinsurgency strategy, the present approach will once again define the contours of a peace dialogue with insurgent groups, said a senior security official. Firstly, the political divide has been sharply blunted by bringing the Kuki-Zo council to agree to the territorial integrity of Manipur. While this is being seen as a red line drawn by the government, there is also speculation on the implications of vesting powers over the territorial boundaries of Manipur with the central government. STORY | PM's Manipur visit should be seen as journey towards peace, not end of goal: Gaurav Gogoi Senior Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's likely visit to Manipur should not be seen as the end of a goal, but rather as the start on a long pic.twitter.com/OUr2hQPcgo Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 6, 2025 It seems to be an ingenious way of reiterating the issue of territorial integrity of Manipur without impinging on the powers of the central government on territorial matters, says Kham Khan Suan Hausing, professor in the department of political science at the University of Hyderabad. He said that the Kuki National Organisation and the United Peoples Front, the conglomerate body of the Kuki-Zo militant groups, feel there is flexibility inherent in the text to allow them to raise the demand for Union territory status. By allowing it to be seen as a win-win for all sides, the government seems to have set the stage for the next step of a negotiated solution for lasting peace, where political demands can be raised without stepping outside the red lines, said Hausing. This has also been demonstrated in the way the tripartite meeting between representatives of the Centre, state and Kuki insurgent groups has taken place alongside the talks between the Kuki-Zo council and officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The political tensions have also had a bearing on the outcomes of the security dialogue that harps on stringent physical verification of KNO and UPF cadres by security forces and delisting of foreign nationals, if any. These have been the primary concerns of the then Biren Singh government and the Meitei groups, who have held that the Suspension of Operations with the militant groups from the Hills was not being implemented on the ground and was vulnerable to inimical elements from across the border. As a first step, the relocation of the seven designated camps of KNO and UPF away from the areas vulnerable to conflict can help prevent clashes between the hill and valley. The heightened tensions in these areas have led to the creation of so-called buffer zones where central armed forces are deployed to maintain peace. The removal of the buffer zones can only be possible when face-to-face flashpoints are avoided, particularly during moments of strain in peace dialogues between the two sides. Sudden reactions and flare-ups are avoidable when the two sides are talking peace, said an official involved in the peace dialogue. The removal of these camps from the fringes of the hill and valley is a tactical step back, to create an enabling environment for peace and stability. However, there are some other key issues, like the timeline for the return of the displaced population, both in the hills and the valley, as they continue to live in makeshift camps. There has to be a commitment from both sides, security sources said, to uphold the agreements and assist the displaced population in returning to their homes eventually. In the interim, the laying down of arms by the Meitei militant groups and the crackdown on the hill insurgents have helped reduce tensions and disarm the civilian population. The governments next steps, observers say, will be closely watched. Much will depend on whether the new measures are effectively implemented on the groundnot as political optics but as part of a strategic balancing act aimed at clearing suspicion and building a durable peace. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he deeply appreciates the positive assessment made by President Donald Trump on the relations between India and the US. In a social media post, Modi said both India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking comprehensive and global strategic partnership. Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of our ties, he said. Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership.@realDonaldTrump @POTUS https://t.co/4hLo9wBpeF Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 6, 2025 Modis response came after Trump, who has been targeting New Delhi over its purchase of Russian oil over the last few weeks, affirmed on Friday that India and the US have a very special relationship. Trump said he would always be friends with Modi and also called him a great prime minister. I'll always be friends with (PM) Modi. He's a great Prime Minister. I'll always be friends, but I just don't like what he is doing at this particular moment. But India and the United States have a very special relationship. There is nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion, the President said during a media interaction at the White House. The India-US relations witnessed a dramatic downturn last month after Trump imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhis continued purchase of cheap Russian oil. The US President has been accusing India of funding Russias war in Ukraine through its trade deals with Moscow. Trumps latest remarks came after Modi travelled to Japan and China and met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. The show of bonhomie between Modi, Xi and Putin was seen by many as a message to Trump that India is keen on looking for other options instead of caving in to US pressure. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted extremely heavy rainfall in Gujarat on Saturday and Sunday. "Exceptionally heavy rainfall at isolated places very likely in the district of Gujarat region namely Sabarkantha during next 24 hours," a notification from IMD read. Exceptionally high downpours ( 30 cm) are expected over the Gujarat region, the IMD said in a tweet. Heavy rainfall has been reported from across the state on Saturday. Weather Alert for Gujarat & Rajasthan ! On September 6 and 7, Gujarat and West Rajasthan will face extremely heavy rainfall, with exceptionally high downpours ( 30 cm) expected over the Gujarat region. East Rajasthan may also see intense rain on 06 September . Safety pic.twitter.com/o7yyC4Kqj6 India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) September 6, 2025 Heavy to very heavy rains very likely at a few places in the districts of Gujarat region namely Patan, Gandhinagar, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Mahisagar, Dang, Navsari; in the districts of Saurashtra- Kutch namely Jamnagar, Porbandar, Junagadh, Morbi, Dwarka and Botad during next 24 hours. Heavy rains very likely at a few places in the districts of Gujarat region namely Anand, Panchmahal, Dahod, Vadodara, Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Bharuch, Surat and Tapi; in the districts of Saurashtra- Kutch namely Amreli, Bhavnagar, Gir Somnath, Kutch and in Diu during next 24 hours. Heavy rains were also reported from Ahmedabad, Aravalli, Mehsana, Jamnagar, Patan, Dahod, Junagadh, and Vadodara districts in the state. According to media reports, the IMD has issued red alert for Kutch districts, while orange alert has been issued for Surendranagar, Patan, Banaskantha, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Gandhinagar, Aravalli, Mahisagar and Morbi districts. A.K. Das of the Ahmedabad Weather Centre has been quoted as saying that there are chances of rain in various districts in the state for the next seven days. On Saturday, a red alert was issued for Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Mehsana, Valsad, and Daman and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The IMD, in a social media post, has asked people to avoid travelling through low-lying or flood-prone areas. Farmers have been requested to secure their farming equipment and livestock and delay fieldwork if possible. It has also asked people to follow alerts from IMD and state authorities to stay safe. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, conveyed to French President Emmanuel Macron India's support for a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, even as the two leaders "positively" assessed the India-France strategic ties. The two leaders exchanged views on recent efforts towards bringing an end to the conflict in Ukraine and agreed to continue to remain in touch and work closely together to promote global peace and stability. Modi and Macron reviewed developments in bilateral ties across different sectors, including economic, defence, science, technology and space. They also reaffirmed their commitment towards further strengthening of the India-France Strategic Partnership, in line with the Horizon 2047 Roadmap, the Indo-Pacific Roadmap and the Defence Industrial Roadmap. Modi thanked President Macron for accepting the invitation to the AI Impact Summit hosted by India in February 2026. Later, in a tweet, PM Modi said the India-France Strategic Partnership will continue to play a key role in fostering global peace and stability. Had a very good conversation with President Macron. We reviewed and positively assessed the progress in bilateral cooperation in various areas. Exchanged views on international and regional issues, including efforts for bringing an early end to the conflict in Ukraine. The Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 6, 2025 India and France have traditionally enjoyed close and friendly relations. Defence and security, civil nuclear matters and space constitute the principal pillars of this strategic cooperation between the two nations. In the recent years, the the India-France partnership has broadened to include maritime security, digitalisation, cyber security and advanced computing, counter terrorism, climate change, renewable and sustainable growth and development, among others. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not travel to New York this month to address the annual high-level session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). India will be represented by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar who will address the session on September 27. The 80th session begins on September 9, while the General Debate session is from September 23 to September 29. Brazil is the traditional first speaker of the session, followed by the US. US President Donald Trump will address the UN General Assembly on September 23, his first address to the UNGA in his second term in the White House. According to the provisional list of speakers issued earlier, Modi was scheduled to address the session on September 26. Leaders of Israel, China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh will also address the session on the same day. The revised list of speakers issued this week mentioned that India will be represented by a minister. Modis decision to skip the UNGA session comes amid the raging trade war with the US, after Trump imposed a whopping 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi's continued purchase of cheap Russian oil. India has termed the US move unfair, unjustified and unreasonable and said New Delhi will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests. Considered the busiest diplomatic season of the year at the United Nations Headquarters, the high-level session opens in September annually. The session this year comes amid the continued Israel-Hamas war as well as the Ukraine conflict. The theme for the 80th session is 'Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights'. Currently grappling with its worst floods since 1988, Punjab faces a long and arduous road to recovery. With less than two years to go before the next assembly elections, the disaster may be Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Manns most significant test in office. According to official estimates, all 23 districts have been declared flood-affected, with more than 1,900 villages submerged. Nearly four lakh people have been impacted, and over 40 lives lost. While the state machinery responded with rescue and relief efforts, much of the immediate support came from within Punjab itself. Ordinary villagers mobilised resources to provide food, shelter, and assistance, while celebrities contributed to relief drives. As a result, the state has so far reported adequate supplies for those displaced. #WATCH | Punjab | Indian Army continue to provide relief materials and rescue people from the flood-affected areas of the Fazilka District. pic.twitter.com/1MAlv6HQ25 ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2025 The agricultural toll, however, is severe. Standing paddy crops have been largely destroyed, and the fodder for livestock is running short. The greater challenge will emerge once the floodwaters recedewhich is when rehabilitation begins. Farmers and households face not only crop losses, but also damage to property, with concerns mounting over the potential outbreak of waterborne diseases as well. Politically, the Mann government is already under pressure. Opposition parties and social organisations have criticised the administration for not doing enough, even as all major parties joined relief efforts. Questions are also being raised over whether the devastation could have been mitigated, as the release of excess water from dams inundated several villages. #WATCH | Hoshiarpur, Punjab | Three dead after an ambulance fell into a ditch near Manguwal barrier on Chintpurni road in Hoshiarpur. Police officer, Jasvir Singh says, "We received information around 3.30-4 am that an ambulance coming from Himachal Pradesh fell into a ditch pic.twitter.com/BI6XGWvvQk ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2025 Mann visited affected areas and instructed officials to ensure proper relief measures, but his sudden illness and subsequent hospitalisation have cast uncertainty on the CM personally leading the recovery effort. The coming weeks are likely to be crucial. With lakhs of people displaced and livelihoods at risk, public sentiment is firmly focused on the pace of rehabilitation. #WATCH | Punjab Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond distributed relief material to the people affected by floods in Fazilka. pic.twitter.com/3Uf7QnPrGv ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2025 If either the state or central government is seen as slow, or engaged in political blame games, frustration could quickly escalate into anger. Union Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has visited the flooded areas, while PM Narendra Modi is also expected to visit soon. The AAP has also asked its senior leaders to join the rescue and rehabilitation efforts, because too much is at stake for the party after it lost the Delhi polls. Punjabs political scene has already undergone a dramatic shift in recent years, with the Aam Aadmi Party sweeping aside the Congress, Akali Dal and BJP in the wake of the farmers year-long agitation. Now, as the state struggles through one of its gravest crises in decades, the relatively-new AAP will be put through a character-defining test. The Karnataka government has recommended the State Election Commission (SEC) to conduct the upcoming panchayat and local body elections, including the five city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority, using ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines. The state cabinet has also decided to empower the SEC to prepare fresh electoral rolls, citing discrepancies in the existing voters' list prepared by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The move has evoked strong criticism from the opposition BJP in the state, which has dubbed it as a step against digitisation and transparency and called it ironic for the tech capital of the country to go back to a paper-based ballot system. The Siddaramaiah governments push for ballot paper-based elections amid the Congress partys nationwide campaign against vote theft led by the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has triggered a debate on the credibility of both the ballot paper and the EVMs, as well as the need for a clean-up of the electoral rolls. There have been complaints from citizens over large-scale illegalities in the electoral rolls prepared by the Central Election Commission, and there are allegations of vote theft and inclusion of bogus voters. The SEC, which is an autonomous body like the ECI, had sought our permission to prepare fresh electoral rolls under Section 35 of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024. So, we have recommended the SEC to not only prepare the voters' list but also to conduct the elections using ballot papers instead of EVMs, as people have lost confidence in the EVMs, said Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah defended the decision, stating it was based on past experiences (with the EVMs) and added that many countries which used EVMs had gone back to ballot-paper elections. BJP MLA from Karkala, Sunil Kumar, said, The Congress partys hatred for EVMs is not new. Home Minister Dr G. Parameshwara has already recounted how the Congress used to rig votes in the ballot paper era. This move looks like a conspiracy to drag the election system back to the Stone Age and seize power through muscle power. This could also be a ploy to postpone local body elections as the Congress has sensed its defeat. AICC general secretary and Karnataka Congress in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala hailed the decision as a bold step towards strengthening democracy and restoring voters confidence. For the past several years, the reliability of EVMs has been debated owing to technical glitches in EVMs, possibilities of hacking, and confusion over results, and this has eroded voters trust. Our party and Rahul Gandhi have taken a clear stance on the EVM controversy and consistently advocated for the restoration of the ballot paper system. Unlike votes expressed through EVMs, the use of ballot papers provides assurance that every vote is being counted impartially. This strengthens voters rights, said Surjewala. Welcoming the decision to prepare the voters' list under the SEC, Surjewala said, Until now, the voter list prepared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) was used for local body elections. However, preparing a separate voter list by the SEC can ensure accuracy and transparency, as it can be updated periodically at the local level. Former Chief Minister and Haveri MP Basavaraj Bommai dared Siddaramaiah to resign and face elections using ballot papers. Siddaramaiah became the CM twice after winning the EVM-based elections. But he is now questioning the credibility of the EVMs. In fact, he had lost the Koppal election held using ballot paper. It is highly ironic that he wants ballot paper-based polls. He is only doing it to please Rahul Gandhi, said Bommai, adding that the SEC had no authority to respond to the state governments plea. The SEC responding to such a request is illegal, as the Central Election Commission must give clear directions to the state body, added Bommai. Meanwhile, the State Election Commissioner, G.S. Sangreshi, has clarified that the existing law allows for conducting ballot paper-based polls. We are prepared to switch to ballot papers for local body polls. The Supreme Court has directed the state government to complete the delimitation exercise in the five corporations under GBA by November 1 and fix the ward-wise reservations by November 30, and the government is working towards it. The SEC is a constitutional body and holds the same powers as the ECI. So, we can hold the local body polls using ballot paper without consulting the ECI. We will also prepare the electoral rolls in a transparent manner, said Sangreshi, though he admitted that the process was time-consuming and would also require additional funds, human resources, and certain amendments to the GBG Act to allow revision of electoral rolls. He also clarified that rural voters would not be confused, as panchayat elections are still being conducted using ballot papers, unlike the taluk and zilla panchayat, city corporation, Assembly, and Parliament polls which use the EVMs. Moreover, the SEC, as per the ECI's direction, is in the process of phasing out 25,000 EVMs that are over 15 years old. Union Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Prahlad Joshi, opposed the move, stating it was a step against digitisation and transparency. It is a huge retrograde step against progress. Karnataka, which is the technology capital of India, is now rejecting technologyan irony. This move will destroy decades of progress in the country. Returning to ballot papers will revive the same old problems: more invalid votes, booth capturing, delays in voting and counting, and massive costs. This is an environmentally harmful step by the state government, Joshi charged. He recalled that Karnataka had played a key role in Indias EVM revolutionwith Bengaluru being among the first cities to test EVMs in the 1980s. In the 1990s, the state helped roll out EVMs widely. Now, the Congress government is burning down those achievements. EVMs with VVPATs are the backbone of Indias election process. They have enabled faster voting, faster counting, minimal invalid votes, and protection from booth capturing. But the Congress government is ignoring all this and is back to playing the same old games, slammed Joshi. Activist Sharjeel Imam, on Saturday, moved the Supreme Court challenging a Delhi High Court order which denied him bail in an anti-terror law case linked to the alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots in New Delhi. Imam, who was arrested on January 28, 2020, has already spent over five years in pre-trial detention. The SC is yet to list the case for hearing. The Delhi High Court had ruled that "conspiratorial" violence under the garb of demonstrations or protests by citizens cannot be allowed, while denying bail to nine people, including Imam, in the conspiracy case of the riots. Delhi riots larger conspiracy case | Sharjeel Imam moves Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court order, which denied him bail in the UAPA case linked to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots. ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2025 Holding that the Constitution affords citizens the right to protest and carry out demonstrations or agitations, provided they are orderly, peaceful and without arms and such actions must be within the bounds of law, the bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur dismissed the bail pleas of Imam, Umar Khalid, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Gulfisha Fatima. The order said the right to participate in peaceful protests and to make speeches in public meetings was protected under Article 19(1)(a), and couldn't be blatantly curtailed. However, the right was stated to be "not absolute" and "subject to reasonable restrictions". "If the exercise of an unfettered right to protest were permitted, it would damage the constitutional framework and impinge upon the law-and-order situation in the country," the order had said. The bench went on to say that any conspiratorial violence under the garb of protests or demonstrations by the citizens cannot be permitted. "Such actions must be regulated and checked by the state machinery, as they do not fall within the ambit of freedom of speech, expression and association," it said. Khalid, Imam and the rest of the accused persons were booked under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of IPC for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. The violence erupted during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens. Israeli President Isaac Herzogs forthcoming visit to the United Kingdom has triggered a storm of political debate, exposing the deep divisions within Westminster over the continuing war in Gaza. Herzog holds a largely ceremonial role, unlike Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and faces no international arrest warrant. Yet the trip is diplomatically fraught, coming at a time when the British government has condemned Israels escalating offensive and recognised that Palestinians face a real risk of genocide. A central source of controversy is Herzogs own rhetoric. Shortly after the Hamas assault of October 7, 2023 he claimed that the entire [Palestinian] nation out there is responsible and dismissed the idea that civilians in Gaza were unaware or uninvolved. That remark was later highlighted in the International Court of Justices ruling of January 2024, which ordered provisional measures against Israel and stated that Palestinians had plausible rights to protection from genocide. The court warned of irreparable damage and criticised the use of dehumanising language. Herzog has insisted that his words were misrepresented by selective quotation and argued that he had also stressed Israels obligation to act in line with international law. Critics counter that mounting evidence undermines Israels claim of compliance and point to a statement from the International Association of Genocide Scholars accusing Israel of committing genocide. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, more than 64,000 people have been killed in the past two years, most of the population has been displaced, and famine has been declared in Gaza City. Israel rejects allegations of genocide and blames Hamas for looting aid and blocking its distribution. In Britain, Labour MPs are sharply split. Sarah Champion, who chairs the International Development Select Committee, questioned the wisdom of the visit, noting that Britain had itself recognised a real risk of genocide. She asked whether hosting Herzog would send the wrong message unless the focus was on peace. John McDonnell, the former shadow chancellor, went further and called for Herzog to be barred from entry, branding him the mouthpiece of the IDF butchers. Zarah Sultana said she was beyond disgusted and called for his arrest. Clive Lewis, while cautious about severing dialogue, warned that even the act of meeting the Israeli president risked being perceived as an endorsement. Others believe engagement is vital. Emily Thornberry, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, argued that Herzog is more accessible than members of Netanyahus far-right cabinet and that discussion remains the only path to resolution. She stressed the need for diplomacy while recognising the gravity of the humanitarian crisis. Trade minister Douglas Alexander offered a similar defence, insisting that diplomacy involves talking to those one may profoundly disagree with and that dialogue is essential for a two-state solution. Downing Street has declined to confirm Herzogs schedule or any potential meetings, reflecting the governments caution. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has in recent months sharpened his criticism of Israels military strategy, particularly the plan to seize Gaza City. Britain is also edging closer to recognising Palestinian statehood at the United Nations, a move coordinated with France and Canada and seen in Israel as a reward for Hamas. London has already imposed sanctions on several hardline Israeli ministers, signalling its growing impatience. In December 2023, Israeli president Isaac Herzog was pictured signing bombs due to be dropped on Gaza. Next week hell be in the UK at the invitation of the British government. pic.twitter.com/jYLg3O3bVA Declassified UK (@declassifiedUK) September 5, 2025 Herzog, once leader of Israels Labour Party and long viewed as a centrist, has typically been portrayed as a symbolic head of state. Although he has often criticised Netanyahus domestic agenda, he has largely supported the war in Gaza. His earlier backing for a two-state solution has faded since October 2023 and many now view him not as a moderating influence but as an enabler of Israels current strategy. For Israel the visit is intended to showcase diplomatic legitimacy, yet it may instead underscore the erosion of goodwill. A recent report from the Canadian government has revealed that several terrorist organisations, including the Khalitstani groups, have received financial support from within the country. The report 2025 Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risks in Canada, released by the Department of Finance, has named two Khalistani groupsthe Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federationin the list of outfits that received funds for activities linked to Politically Motivated Violent Extremism (PMVE). Terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah have also been named under the PMVE, which the report describes as the use of violence to establish new political systems and structures within the existing systems. Several terrorist entities listed under the Criminal Code in Canada that fall under the Politically Motivated Violent Extremism (PMVE) category, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Khalistani violent extremist groups Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federation, have been observed by law enforcement and intelligence agencies to receive financial support originating from Canada," the report said. The Canadian government acknowledged in the report that Khalistani extremist groups were resorting to violent means to establish an independent state within Punjab, India. It claimed that the terror groups were capitalising on charitable funds for drug trafficking and auto theft. It also pointed out the misuse of the non-profit sector and donations from expatriates by the Khalistani terror groups. "These groups previously had an extensive fundraising network in Canada, but now appear to consist of smaller pockets of individuals with allegiance to the cause but seemingly no particular affiliation to a specific group," the report said. India had raised concerns about Canada funding Khalistani activities multiple times during former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's term. The relations between the two countries became strained after Canada accused India of assassinating Sikh leader and a proponent of the Khalistani movement, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, on Canadian soil. India had dismissed the claims as absurd. Despite the raging tariff war between India and the United States, President Donald Trump on Friday asserted that the two countries have a very special relationship. Trump said he would always be friends with Narendra Modi, whom he called a great prime minister. His remarks came in response to a question by a journalist as to whether he was ready to reset relations with India, as ties between the two countries continue to reel under possibly the worst phase in over two decades. "I always will. I'll always be friends with (PM) Modi. He's a great Prime Minister. I'll always be friends, but I just don't like what he is doing at this particular moment. But India and the United States have a very special relationship. There is nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion, Trump said. #WATCH | Washington DC | Responding to ANI's question on resetting relations with India, US President Donald Trump says, "I always will, I will always be friends with Modi, he is a great Prime Minister, he is great... I just don't like what he is doing at this particular moment, pic.twitter.com/gzMQZfzSor ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2025 The India-US relations nosedived last month after Trump imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhis continued purchase of cheap Russian oil. Earlier, in a social media post, Trump had mocked the bonhomie between Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the SCO summit, saying the US has lost Russia and India to deepest, darkest China". Asked about his post, Trump said he was disappointed over Indias oil purchase from Russia, an act which he claimed would fund Moscows war in Ukraine. I've been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil from Russia, and I let them know that. We put a very big tariff on India, 50 per cent tariff, a very high tariff. I get along very well with (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi; he's great. He was here a couple of months ago, the President said. A horrible shark attack claimed the life of a 57-year-old Australian man on Sydney's Northern Beaches on Saturday morning. Following the incident on Long Reef Beach, Dee Why Beach was declared shut for the next 48 to 72 hours, while remaining beaches between Manly and Narrabeen in New South Wales will stay closed for 24 hours, Australian media reports said. Tragedia en las playas del norte de Sidney: Mercury Psillakis, surfista de 57 anos, murio tras ser atacado por un tiburon en Long Reef Beach, cerca de Dee Why El animal le causo heridas catastroficas pese a que otros surfistas lo ayudaron Playas de Manly a Narrabeen pic.twitter.com/oc9sfOESMW Sonar 360 (@Sonar360) September 6, 2025 While it was not immediately known if it was a Great White that was involved in the fatal attack, reports quoted eyewitnesses as saying a "large shark" was responsible for the incident. The man was reportedly at Long Reef Beach surfing with a group of friends when he was attacked just after 9:30am. He had entered the water for hardly half an hour when the shark caught up with him, they added. His friends claimed that they understood it was a shark attack when the victim and his board quickly disappeared underwater about 100 metres from the shore. They could do nothing but swim back to safety quickly. Later, he was found floating motionless in the water, ABC.net.au said in a report. The shark had attacked in such a manner that many of the victim's limbs were missing, the report added. NSW authorities, who reportedly labelled the incident a rare-of-a-rare freak incident, later confirmed that the victim died due to blood loss. He was taken to the shore by a couple of other surfers who saw him floating along with a large part of his surfboard, the news report said. Long Reef Beach pic.twitter.com/kJz1LJPuma Victor Barreto (@statinvestor) June 30, 2025 Following the attack, beachgoers were warned about the shark attack at Long Reef Beach via a megaphone announcement from a boat. They were asked to get out of the water immediately and later, the beaches were closed for the public. Usually, when a shark attack is reported in Australia, the beast is caught and released further away from popular destinations. Sharks that are thus released reportedly choose to leave the area for several months before eventually returning to their natural migratory route. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) says it is 'working around the clock' to restart its IT systems after becoming the latest major victim of a cyber attack this week that has impacted its global business. In its latest statement issued to the Daily Mail, the vehicle manufacturer says it is working tirelessly to restore its applications in a 'controlled and safe manner' and has confirmed it is now working with third-party cybersecurity specialists and alongside law enforcement to understand the full consequences of the breach. This comes after the British car maker this week informed factory workers at its UK plants to remain at home until at least Tuesday as it continues to grapple with the ramifications of the 'cyber incident' identified on Sunday. It has not only triggered a production shutdown but also seen its dealer network struggle to register new models at one of its busiest times of the year. Parts suppliers are now raising concerns about the impact on their businesses, which is said to have forced some into 'panic and recovery mode' while JLR continues to try to contain the issue. The car firm said: 'We want to thank all our customers, partners, suppliers and colleagues for their patience and support. 'We are very sorry for the disruption this incident has caused. Our retail partners remain open and we will continue to provide further updates.' Jaguar Land Rover says it is 'working around the clock' to restart its IT systems after becoming the latest large-scale victim of a cyber attack last week that has impacted its global business On Thursday, factory staff at its vehicle plants in Halewood in Merseyside and Solihull in the West Midlands - as well as its engine factory in Wolverhampton - were told not to return to the workplace until Tuesday at the very earliest. A notice sent to Halewood workers on 4 September stated: 'Friday September 5 and Monday September 8: the leadership team has agreed that production associates will be stood down and will have hours banked in line with the corridor agreement. 'All colleagues are required to attend work as normal on Tuesday September 9 unless informed otherwise.' It is believed that vehicle output could remain suspended deeper into next week if a resolution isn't found. JLR dealers have also been locked out of online systems. However, they have been able to register new models, though via a more arduous process. It comes at a salient period of the calendar year, with the new '75' plate launched this month, which typically attracts more showroom visits and model sales than at any time of the year. Thousands of existing owners are also believed to be affected, with garages unable to provide repairs as the IT shutdown has an impact on JLR's parts supply chain. Factory workers at JLR in Halewood, Merseyside, and Solihull (pictured) - as well as its engine factory in Wolverhampton - have been told not to come in until Tuesday at the very earliest A member of staff checks the paintwork on Range Rover bodies as they pass through the paint shop at Jaguar Land Rover's factory in Solihull On Wednesday, the hacker group also responsible for the highly damaging attack on Marks and Spencer earlier in the year, confirmed it was responsible for infiltrating JLR's systems. The group of young English-speaking hackers who are thought to be teens calling themselves 'Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters' told the BBC how they allegedly accessed the car maker. However, they are yet to confirm if they have successfully stolen private data from JLR or installed malicious software onto the company's network. The car maker has said that, at this stage, there is 'no evidence any customer data has been stolen' but acknowledged that its 'retail and production activities have been severely disrupted' as a result. The hacking group posted two images this week showing apparent internal instructions for troubleshooting a car charging issue and internal computer logs. Security experts say these images suggest the group had access to information they should not have. Shaun Adams, the managing director of parts supplier Qualplast said the pause to assembly lines could have a knock-on effect on the company's own sales. It provides products to JLR - and other major car makers including Aston Martin, Honda and Toyota - using a process called flock coating; this involves applying tiny fibres to surfaces to give them a soft, velvety texture. It is used for panels inside vehicle cabins, such as glove boxes, armrests and door pockets. 'It's worrying, we have had to move into panic and recovery mode, although we're used to short shutdowns, but if this continues, it would be concerning,' he told the BBC. Describing JLR as a 'significant client, he added: 'We have other work that we can move people onto in the short term, but if this starts progressing over weeks, then we would have to seriously look at what we need to future-proof.' Parts suppliers have started to raise concerns about the impact to their businesses of JLR shutting down its assembly lines while it attempts to resolve the issues linked to the cyber breach The car maker has reiterated that, at this stage, there is 'no evidence any customer data has been stolen' but acknowledged that its 'retail and production activities have been severely disrupted' as a result In response to reports of parts supply disruptions for customers expecting vehicle repairs, the manufacturer told us on Friday: 'We are aware of the claims relating to the recent cyber incident and we are continuing to actively investigate. 'Retailers are continuing to carry out repair work using locally held stock and we are supporting our retailers with access to our diagnostic systems to allow the, to continue work on client vehicles while are systems are not accessible. 'Our roadside assistance service is operating with our dedicated fleet of branded vehicles, actively supporting clients in need - whether they've experienced a breakdown or require roadside assistance.' Despite facing ongoing problems, JLR's UK showrooms remain open, with September being one of the busiest periods of the year for car showrooms due to the arrival of the new number plate. Traditionally, buyers are more likely to purchase new models during the months when the latest number plate age identifier - in this month's case, the '75' plate - is launched, which occurs twice a year, also taking place in March. JLR has told us that it has only been able to register 'some' new models since Monday 1 September. While systems are down, retailers are being forced to register each model manually, which involves phoning the DVLA to provide all the necessary information for each vehicle purchased. The company, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, shut down its systems late Sunday night to limit potential damage from the cyber attack and has yet to come back online. Pictured, the Halewood factory in Merseyside JLR has told the Daily Mail that 'some' new 75-plate models have been sold this week, though dealers are having to go through an arduous process of registering each one by phone with the DVLA while the IT systems are down JLR's ability to react so quickly to the breach is partly thanks to its IT service provider also being a subsidiary of its parent group, Tata The company, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, shut down its systems late Sunday night to limit potential damage from the cyber attack and has yet to come back online. JLR's ability to react so quickly to the breach is partly thanks to its IT service provider also being a subsidiary of its parent group. TCS - Tata Consultancy Services - is responsible for the car maker's IT and cybersecurity systems, having extended its partnership in 2023 to 'accelerate digital transformation across its business'. Commenting on the cyber incident, Dray Agha, senior manager of security operations at security specialist Huntress, said: 'This incident highlights the critical vulnerability of modern manufacturing, where a single IT system attack can halt a multi-billion-pound physical production line, directly impacting sales, especially during a key period like a new registration month. 'Cybercriminals know this, and many leverage the stopped clock of business functions as the leverage they need to force capitulation of ransomware demands.' Agha added: 'While the quick shutdown of systems was a textbook damage limitation tactic that likely prevented a data breach, it underscores the immense recovery challenge companies now face in safely rebooting complex, interconnected operations after an attack. 'Containment and recovery are crucial parts of responding to an incident, and many organisations still do not have the detection and response technologies to neutralise security intrusions.' Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at antivirus and internet security provider ESET, also commented: 'Striking at a time when more than usual customers are likely to see potential delays with their new vehicle registrations and/or deliveries will have been a tactful decision made by the attackers to deliver their message loudest. 'Even though there is no evidence to suggest customer data has been compromised so far, any cyberattack on a company of this size is a reminder to secure all accounts by enabling multi-factor authentication, using unique passwords and where possible, remain on guard for suspicious messages.' Earlier this week we presented a presser from the courthouse wherein Exec Frank White offered guidelines for the distribution of federal grant money. . . The reaction . . . THE JACKSON COUNTY LEGISLATURE CHAIRMAN CALLS OUT THE EXEC FOR "POLITICAL THEATER" AND ARGUES THAT THE NEW RFP VIOLATES EARLIER AGREEMENTS!!! Real political watchers should know . . . If the recall is successful . . . Jackson County Legislature Chair DaRon McGee is the likely replacement for Executive Frank White but he will NEVER go on record and confirm or deny that assertion until after he's sworn in . . . Meanwhile, Jackson County Exec Frank White is telling everyone that he's gonna win the recall. Probably more importantly . . . The distribution of APRA funds was the last time the Legislature was REALLY united and pressed the Exec to agree and send desperately needed cash into the community. So, it's understandable that after years of negotiation, the chair would respond quickly to any change to the terms that were already set . . . Accordingly, here's official word sent to local media and worthy of a look by voters . . . County Executive Whites RFP Violates Law, Misleads Public and Hurts Communities KANSAS CITY, Mo. Jackson County Legislature Chairman DaRon McGee today condemned County Executive Frank Whites unilateral release of a Request for Proposals for community grants, calling it unlawful, misleading, and deeply unfair to the very organizations that deserve support. On December 19, 2024, the Legislature adopted Ordinance #5955, which appropriated ARPA funds and required that fifty percent of recouped revenues be directed to disadvantaged communities and fifty percent to county infrastructure. That same day, the Legislature adopted Ordinance #5956, creating the Disadvantaged Communities Fund and the Infrastructure Fund as the only lawful vehicles for those dollars. These ordinances codified a compromise between the Legislature and the Executive, ensuring that community needs and infrastructure priorities would both be met. The Executives new RFP violates that agreement. It was drafted without consultation with Chairman McGee, Budget Chairman Charlie Franklin, and without any appropriation of funds. The deadline proposed is less than three weeks away, forcing already strained organizations to divert scarce time and resources toward an application process that cannot result in funding. This is a desperate attempt to buy goodwill immediately before the special recall election. The tragedy is that these dollars are badly needed. Families in Jackson County are struggling with housing, childcare, food insecurity, and access to good jobs. Community partners on the front lines are ready to act. But instead of prioritizing a legal and collaborative process, the Executive has allowed months to slip by, delaying investment and leaving urgent needs unmet. Frank White has had ample time to move funds the right way but chose not to. Now, less than a month before his recall election, the Executive has chosen political theater over real solutions. This RFP is not a pathway to investment it is a desperate attempt to generate headlines, and it comes at the expense of the very communities it pretends to serve. The Legislature remains committed to honoring Ordinances #5955 and #5956, allocating resources to neighborhoods across Jackson County, and doing so in a manner that is legal, transparent, fair, and respectful of the community organizations that hold this county together. Real investment requires genuine partnership, not unilateral stunts. ### Developing . . . A suspected creeper in Waldo has been causing a great deal of "concern" for weeks. Sadly . . . This isn't the first time that some suspected jerk has caused cowtown panic. However . . . This time around . . . Thanks to a great deal of Internets collaboration and neighbors stepping up to help police . . . Check Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca sharing a worthwhile update on the situation: "I was able to confirm with the Prosecutor today that the individual who was constantly exposing himself has been arrested and charged. Shout out to Sean Anderson with the Waldo KCMO for bringing our focused attention to this individual. There should be more details forthcoming from the Prosecutors office next week . . . " Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Jackson County 1st District Legislator Manny Abarca On FB: "Special thanks for their collaborative efforts with KCPD to get this situation addressed." Developing . . . BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 6. The Azerbaijani Navy held exercises on the topics of "Organization of the ship's anti-submarine sabotage defense" and "Organization of the ship's struggle for sustainability at anchorage" according to the current year's training plan, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense told Trend. The purpose of the exercises was to teach the personnel how to properly organize the ship's anti-submarine sabotage defense, as well as to check the level of readiness of the ship to fight for sustainability in case of emergencies that may occur at anchorage. The exercises also included practical training on the state of readiness of the ship against fire at anchorage, the rules for providing first aid to the wounded and their evacuation from the area. The activities of the rescue party to fight for sustainability, as well as the methods of fighting to be applied according to the type and location of fires that may occur on the ship, were demonstrated and tested on site. The exercises were successfully completed. The exercise leaders highly appreciated the professionalism and level of readiness of the personnel. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 6. Indias Ministry of External Affairs is being untruthful at the level of its spokesperson, a diplomatic source told Trend, responding to comments made by Indian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Randhir Jaiswal, who claimed that New Delhi had not blocked Azerbaijans membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The Indian official had alleged that Azerbaijans accession to the SCO was not approved "due to time constraints". According to the source, however, it was India that blocked Azerbaijans membership, with Russia taking the lead role in the process. "The issue of Azerbaijans and Armenias SCO membership was under discussion for four to five months, and throughout these talks India consistently opposed Azerbaijans accession. Other member states also witnessed that it was Indias initiative that prevented the membership. Now New Delhi is trying to shift responsibility, realizing - with Russias behind-the-scenes involvement - that this move ran counter to the principles of multilateral diplomacy and the Shanghai Spirit. It was also seen as a sign of disrespect toward China, which has been working to expand the SCO. Blocking Azerbaijans membership was already a short-sighted move, but attempting to deny it with false statements is just as narrow and cheap," the source said. The source noted that, until now, Azerbaijan has remained committed to the principles of multilateral diplomacy and has not obstructed resolutions presented by India at the UN General Assembly. However, in response to New Delhis hostile stance, this approach will change going forward. "If India wants to pursue an openly hostile policy in violation of established norms, then all of New Delhis resolutions will face a different approach. This includes documents such as the 2014 UNGA resolution on establishing International Yoga Day, which India introduced and Azerbaijan supported. From now on, we will insist that such resolutions be adopted through a vote rather than by consensus. The same approach will apply across all international platforms," the source added. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 6. A ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) in Lithuania was held at the historic Sapieha Palace, Trend reports citing the Defense Ministry of Lithuania. Established in 2015 as part of NATOs enhanced presence on the eastern flank, NFIU Lithuania has played an important role in strengthening regional deterrence and ensuring rapid reinforcement of allied forces in times of crisis. Over the past decade, this unit has grown from a newly formed team into a key coordination center for NATO and the Lithuanian Armed Forces. NATOs Force Integration Unit in Lithuania proves that NATO can quickly adapt to threats, bring allies together, and act in unison where our collective commitment to freedom and security is tested. Every allied troop rotation, every NATO soldier serving here strengthens our collective readiness and sends a clear message the Alliance defends every inch of its territory. We are grateful to the allied troops who give meaning to this shared mission every day through their service, said Deputy Minister of National Defense Tomas Godliauskas during the ceremony. The 10th anniversary comes at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions, shaped by Russias ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. Lithuanias strategic position, bordering Belarus and the heavily militarized Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, makes NFIU Lithuania a cornerstone of NATOs deterrence and defense. By celebrating the 10th anniversary of NFIU Lithuania, we also recognize the changed security environment in Europe. This unit is proof of our readiness and our firm commitment to defend every inch of allied territory, said NFIU Lithuania Commander, Dutch Army Colonel Merlijn Heiligers. During a discussion about the units activities, Danish Army Colonel Jakob Larsen, the first commander of NFIU Lithuania, recalled the challenges faced when the unit was established after Russias illegal annexation of Crimea. In 2015, we were building a completely new structure in response to an emerging threat. There was urgency, uncertainty, but also a clear goal. In Lithuania, we built a bridge between NATO and a frontline state. This bridge has stood the test of time, said Col. Larsen. NFIU Lithuania has evolved to match the dynamics of modern warfare, including hybrid threats and cyber defense. Today, the unit plays a vital role in NATOs deterrence architecture and stands as a symbol of allied unity in the face of Russian aggression. At the end of the event, a ceremonial cake-cutting took place, honoring the multinational team that has served in the unit over the past decade. As NATO adapts to changing threats, NFIU Lithuania continues to look ahead, prepared to support rapid reinforcement, deepen interoperability, and defend the values of freedom and sovereignty that unite the Alliance. NFIU Lithuania is an integral part of NATOs Readiness Action Plan, adopted at the 2014 Wales Summit. It reflects the Alliances determination to respond quickly and effectively to any threat against its members and their territories. Currently, soldiers from 12 NATO nations serve in the Lithuania unit, working closely with the Lithuanian Armed Forces and society to strengthen collective defense in the Baltic region. Georgia sees fourfold surge in exports to Turkmenistan in 2025 The surge was largely driven by exports of vehicles, aircraft, vessels and associated transport equipment. Overall, Georgias trade with Turkmenistan in the first seven months of 2025 shows a strong upward trend. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register Subscription to paid content Gain access to all that Trend has to offer, as well as to premium, licensed content via subscription or direct purchase through a credit card. ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, September 6. Cotton harvesting, one of Turkmenistans most strategically important agricultural campaigns, will begin across all regions on September 10, Trend reports via the Turkmen Parliament. At a government meeting on September 6, Deputy Prime Minister Tangryguly Atakhalliyev briefed President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on the state of readiness for the upcoming harvest. He noted that necessary preparations had been completed, including the readiness of agricultural machinery, collection points, and specialized enterprises. President Berdimuhamedov underscored the importance of conducting the harvest in an organized and efficient manner. He approved the official start date and instructed to hold practical seminars for cotton growers, agricultural specialists, scientists, and machine operators to ensure the timely collection of the crop. In parallel with the cotton harvest, farmers in Turkmenistan have already started sowing winter wheat for the next years harvest, continuing efforts to secure the countrys food supply. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, September 6. Deputy Minister of Investments, Industry and Trade Shokhrukh Gulamov met with a representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Yoshibumi Bito, to discuss expanding cooperation, Trend reports. During the talks, the sides discussed prospects for expanding cooperation in healthcare, infrastructure, and industry, as well as the implementation of new projects to support entrepreneurship, education, and human capital development. Special attention was given to enhancing investment cooperation and attracting additional financial resources into Uzbekistans economy. The total JICA project portfolio in Uzbekistan currently stands at $5.5 billion, covering 50 initiatives in energy, agriculture and water management, healthcare, infrastructure, education, and other priority sectors. In 2025 alone, nine JICA expert groups and missions arrived in Uzbekistan to accelerate work on projects in energy, transport, free economic zones, education, tourism, and agriculture by assisting in the preparation of concepts and pre-project documentation. ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, September 6. President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, has approved two major national strategies: the Concept for the Development of the Labor Market until 2030 and the Concept for the Development of the Digital Economy, Trend reports via the Turkmen Parliament. These concepts were presented by Deputy Prime Minister Khojamurat Geldimyradov at a recent government meeting on September 5, dedicated to determining the economic and social future of the country. The government meeting covered several other important topics beyond the key concepts. Chairperson of the Parliament, Dunyagozel Gulmanova, reported on efforts to modernize the countrys legislative framework and preparations for an upcoming National Forum, to be held jointly with the Halk Maslakhaty. In addition, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov briefed the cabinet on the results of the President's recent working visit to China. The visit included participation in the SCO Summit and a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, during which four bilateral agreements on technical and economic cooperation were signed. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, September 6. Uzbekistan's Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade, Laziz Kudratov, met with Teri Hakala, Special Representative of the Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), to discuss issues of expanding cooperation, Trend reports. Moreover, the sides discussed the current state and future prospects of bilateral trade and economic cooperation. Special attention was given to preparations for the 6th meeting of the Uzbek-Finnish Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, as well as other upcoming high- and top-level events. The meeting highlighted the positive dynamics of bilateral trade growth in recent years. It explored opportunities to expand investment cooperation in key sectors, including the green economy, energy, agriculture, geology, telecommunications, electrical engineering, and education. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 6. Iran has stepped up efforts on the Rasht-Astara railway as part of the International North-South Transport Corridor, purchasing ownership of 70 kilometers of land along the planned route, said Jabbar Ali Zakeri, Deputy Minister for Roads and Urban Development of Iran, Chairman of the Board and President of the Railways of Iran (RAI), Trend reports. Speaking to reporters, Zakeri said the acquisition process for the entire 162-kilometer line is ongoing, with more than 3 kilometers of land ownership secured on average each week. The Ministry of Roads and Urban Development and the Railway Company are fully committed to keeping the Rasht-Astara railway construction a top priority. In the next 2-3 months, the designated contractor is expected to begin building this vital project. At present, the contractor is carrying out geo-technical tests and scientific studies related to infrastructure, he noted. Zakeri also emphasized that during his visits to Russia and Belarus, officials in both countries underscored the strategic importance of completing the railway within the corridor. He stressed that, given the current regional situation, Russia and Belarus depend on the corridor to maintain railway and cargo transport connections and to secure access to international waters. To note, the intergovernmental agreement signed between Russia, Iran, and India on September 12, 2000, laid the foundation for the North-South Transport Corridor. In general, several countries have ratified the said agreement. (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, India, Islamic Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Sultanate of Oman, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkiye, Ukraine). The purpose of establishing the corridor is to reduce the delivery time of cargo traveling from India to Russia, as well as to Northern and Western Europe (the delivery time along the existing route is more than six weeks; it is expected to be three weeks via North-South). The Gazvin-Rasht railroad, stretching 175 km, hit the ground running on March 6, 2019, linking Azerbaijan's railroads with Iran's railway network in the corridor. The Rasht-Astara railroad is set to take shape on Iranian soil. The North-South Corridor has three directions within Iran. The eastern direction is Turkmenistan and Central Asian countries; the middle direction is Russia and other countries across the Caspian Sea; and the western direction is Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, and Eastern European countries. Russia and Iran signed an agreement on May 17, 2023, to build the Rasht-Astara railroad in Gilan province in northern Iran. Nine stations will be built on the Rasht-Astara railroad line, which is about 163 kilometers long. With the completion of this railroad, the North-South international corridor will be improved, and Iran's railroad network will be integrated with the Caucasus countries, Russia, and Northern European countries. According to the agreement, the Russian side is expected to spend 1.6 billion euros for the construction of this railroad. This railroad will be built and completed within 48 months. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Photo: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, September 6. Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan, Ismatulla Irgashev, held talks with Terhi Hakala, Special Envoy of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, to discuss countrys integration into regional markets, Trend reports. The meeting reviewed the current state of bilateral cooperation on Afghanistan, with both sides emphasizing the importance of maintaining regular dialogue on the Afghan settlement. Terhi Hakala commended Uzbekistans proactive role in promoting a unified regional approach to Afghanistan. The parties also exchanged views on restoring Afghanistans national economy and enhancing its participation in regional connectivity and trade initiatives. Held in a constructive atmosphere, the talks reaffirmed the shared commitment of Uzbekistan and the OSCE to further develop practical dialogue and cooperation on Afghan issues. ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, September 6. President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov met with Kazuhiko Amakawa, Vice President of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), to discuss ongoing and future cooperation between the country and the Japanese financial institution, Trend reports via Turkmen MFA. During the meeting, the parties highlighted the long-standing partnership with JBIC, which has supported numerous large-scale projects in Turkmenistan, particularly in the gas chemical sector. President Berdimuhamedov stressed the countrys focus on developing macroeconomic policy, enhancing financial markets, and expanding investment opportunities, including in natural gas production and processing. Kazuhiko Amakawa reaffirmed JBICs commitment to further cooperation and expressed readiness to explore new areas of partnership. The President expressed confidence that collaboration with JBIC will continue on a mutually beneficial basis and wished the Japanese guest success in his work. JBIC has been a key partner in Turkmenistans industrial development, playing a central role in implementing major projects in the energy sector. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 6. At the initiative of the Ukrainian side, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu held a telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha, Trend reports via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan. During the discussion, the parties exchanged views on the current state and prospects of bilateral and multilateral cooperation and expressed mutual interest in further strengthening it across all areas of common concern. Minister Nurtleu emphasized the importance of continuing diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a lasting peace based on the principles of international law, which will contribute to strengthening stability in the region. In the first quarter of 2025, total trade turnover between the two countries amounted to approximately $100.8 million, which is 0.5 percent lower than in the same period last year. Photo: Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 6. Issues of expanding partnership relations were discussed between business entities of Azerbaijan and Qatar, the Azerbaijani Minister of Economy wrote on his X page, Trend reports. The minister highlighted that within the framework of our visit to Qatar, he met with Chief Executive Officer of the Qatar Investment Authority Mohammed Saif Al-Sowaidi. The discussions emphasized significant opportunities for expanding joint investment activities between Azerbaijan and Qatar. "We exchanged views on promoting mutual investments, advancing potential joint projects, and broadening partnerships between the business communities of both countries," he added. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 6. The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and Qatar's UCC Holding have signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to establish long-term cooperation in the energy sector, covering both Syria and international markets, Trend reports. The signing ceremony was attended by Azerbaijans Minister of Economy and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of SOCAR, Mikayil Jabbarov, UCC Holding Chairman Muataz Al Khayyat, and other senior officials. The documents were signed by SOCAR President Rovshan Najaf and UCC Holding President Ramez Al Khayyat. The agreements envisage collaboration across the entire energy value chain, including oil and gas exploration and production, development of transport and storage infrastructure, refining and petrochemicals, as well as trade and supply of crude oil, petroleum products, and aviation fuel. The MoUs also provide for the construction of high-efficiency gas turbine power plants. One of the documents focuses on accelerating the restoration of Syrias energy sector, supported by the governments of Azerbaijan and Qatar. It foresees the modernization of the countrys key energy infrastructure using advanced technologies and standards. The second document outlines cooperation between SOCAR and UCC Holding in other countries and the implementation of joint projects in international energy markets. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 6. During his official visit to Qatar, Azerbaijani Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov led a delegation for high-level meetings focused on expanding bilateral economic cooperation and exploring new areas of partnership, Trend reports. Minister Jabbarov met with Qatars Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. Both sides emphasized the importance of regular visits and meetings to strengthen friendly relations and develop strategic partnerships. Discussions included investment opportunities in Azerbaijan and prospects for joint initiatives in priority sectors. At a meeting with Qatars Minister of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al Thani, the delegation explored ways to expand trade, increase mutual investments, and promote cooperation in green technologies, agriculture, infrastructure, and industry. Minister Jabbarov also met with Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of the Qatar Investment Authority, to discuss deepening investment partnerships and implementing joint projects. A separate meeting with Mutaz Al Khayyat, Chairman of Power International Holding, focused on initiatives in the energy sector and opportunities for joint projects. A key outcome of the visit was the signing of memorandums of understanding between SOCAR and Qatars UCC Holding. Signed by SOCAR President Rovshan Najaf and UCC Holding President Ramez Al Khayyat, the agreements cover cooperation in oil and gas, petrochemicals, infrastructure, and energy projects, including efforts to restore Syrias energy infrastructure and promote sustainable regional development. Coca-Cola sets sights on growth with new factory in Kazakhstan's Aktobe Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan The Coca-Cola Company announced the opening of a new plant in Shymkent and plans for another in the Aktobe region, seeking government support. During a meeting with Kazakhstans Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Kuantyrov, US companies including Honeywell, Apple, and Meta discussed their ongoing projects and expansion plans in Kazakhstan. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 6. Envision Energy, a Chinese company specializing in wind turbine manufacturing, and Turkish energy firm Mensis Enerji have signed a cooperation agreement to implement a large-scale wind energy project in Turkiye, Trend reports, citing the Chinese company. The partnership aims to jointly develop projects with a total capacity of 4.5 gigawatts (GW). The collaboration combines global expertise in clean technologies with deep knowledge of the local market. It is expected to accelerate the development of sustainable wind energy, create new economic opportunities and jobs, strengthen Turkiyes energy infrastructure, and support the countrys goal of transitioning to clean energy by 2035. By the end of 2024, Turkiyes total installed capacity for wind and solar energy reached around 32 GW, with plans to expand to 51 GW by 2030 and roughly 120 GW by 2035, nearly quadrupling current levels. To meet the 2030 target, an average of 3.1 GW of wind and solar plants must be added annually, with the growth rate accelerating to an average of 13.8 GW per year after 2030 to achieve the 2035 goal. In addition to wind and solar energy, Turkiye plans to increase the capacity of other renewable sources by 4 GW by 2030 compared to 2024 levels. Nuclear energy capacity is projected to reach 4.8 GW by 2030, with an additional 2.4 GW expected between 2030 and 2035, while growth for other renewable sources is not planned during this period. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 6. Recently, the development of transport links has become one of the main topics in relations between Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan. Since the countries do not share a common border and are located at a considerable distance from each other, establishing new transport routes is a crucial step toward overcoming geographical barriers and bringing the two nations closer. Currently, Bishkek and Islamabad rely on transit routes through China, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan, complicating logistics and raising transport costs. In addition, the unstable situation in Afghanistan adds extra risks and slows the growth of trade. One of the key areas of cooperation is the development of railway and multimodal corridors. At the Organization of Economic Cooperation summit in July 2025, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized the significance of the ChinaKyrgyzstanUzbekistan railway for the region and announced plans to link it with the Trans-Afghan railway (UzbekistanAfghanistanPakistan). Such a connection could form the backbone of sustainable transport between Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan. For landlocked Kyrgyzstan, access to international ports is particularly important, with the Pakistani port of Karachi receiving special attention. In July 2025, a Kyrgyz delegation led by First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Edil Baisalov visited the port, where they held talks with Karachi Port Trust officials and inspected the infrastructure of the Hutchison Ports Pakistan container terminal. Baysalov stressed that developing alternative routes is among the priorities of Kyrgyzstans national development plan through 2030. At the same time, the two sides are advancing other areas of cooperation. During the fifth session of the Kyrgyz-Pakistani Intergovernmental Commission, both countries signed a protocol and memoranda in the fields of investment, halal trade, standardization, and metrology. Kyrgyzstan expressed interest in establishing direct business ties and launching joint projects. Regarding trade, according to the National Statistical Committee of Kyrgyzstan, bilateral turnover between the countries reached about $7.7 million in JanuaryMay 2025, down 10 percent compared to the same period in 2024. Kyrgyz exports amounted to only $487,000, while imports from Pakistan exceeded $7.2 million. Despite modest figures, Bishkek and Islamabad plan to increase mutual trade to $500 million in the coming years. Energy cooperation is also a major focus. The regions largest project, CASA-1000, involves constructing transmission lines to export green electricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Work in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has already been completed, with Pakistan expected to finish its segment by the end of 2025 and Afghanistan by 2027. The total project cost exceeds $1.2 billion, with significant funding provided by the World Bank and other international partners. Once CASA-1000 is operational, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will be able to export up to 5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, covering around 5 percent of Pakistans yearly consumption. According to Kyrgyzstans Ministry of Energy, this could generate approximately $250 million annually for Bishkek and Dushanbe. Thus, the project holds strategic importance for both exporting and importing countries. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan can efficiently utilize surplus summer hydropower, turning it into a revenue source and a driver for energy sector development. For Pakistan and Afghanistan, it offers an opportunity to reduce summer electricity shortages and enhance energy security. Despite the lack of a shared border, political and economic engagement between Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan is becoming increasingly purposeful and multifaceted. At the heart of this dialogue is infrastructure development capable of linking Central and South Asia through stable transport and energy channels. For Kyrgyzstan, this opens new opportunities: access to maritime routes, increased energy revenues, and participation in major regional supply chains. At the same time, Pakistan gains access to new energy sources and expands its presence in Central Asia. These projects have the potential to significantly reshape regional cooperation and set a new standard for regional integration. Welcome Guest! You are here: Home Ashwini Kumar, who posed as Pakistani terrorist, arrested Ashwini Kumar, a Patna man who was residing in Noida, has been arrested for threatening to blow up Mumbai during Ganesh Festival Saturday September 6, 2025 8:00 PM , ummid.com News Network [Image posted on X by Mumbai Police] Mumbai: Ashwini Kumar, a Patna man who was residing in Noida, has been arrested for threatening to blow up Mumbai during Ganesh Festival. Kumar has been arrested after a joint operation by Mumbai and Noida Police. Confirming the arrest of Ashwini Kumar, the Mumbai Police said Kumar was arrested withing 24 hours of threatening to bomb Mumbai using RDX. The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a man from Noida, Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly issuing a bomb threat to the city, it said in a post on social media platform X. The Police said it has recovered the mobile phone and SIM card used to send the threat message. Terror Attack Threat The arrest of Ashwini Kumar came a day after the Mumbai Traffic WhatsApp Helpline received a bomb threat message. In the message, Ashwini Kumar had posed as a Pakistani terrorist from Lashkar-e-Jihadi. Naming himself Firoz, he said that 14 Pakistani terrorists have entered India. About 400 kg of RDX will be used for the blast, which can "kill 1 crore people", Ashwini Kumar had said in the threat message. As per the FIR, Ashwini Kumar had some sort of dispute with Firoz, his Musli friend. Firoz had lodged a complaint against Kumar following which he was arrested. Ashwini spent three months in jail after Firoz registered a case against him in the Phulwari Sharif police station in Bihar's Patna. Angered by the action, he posed as Firoz and sent bomb threats to Mumbai to implicate him, a police statement said. Incidentally, Ashwini Kumar's bomb threat message surfaced about a week after threats of "terrorist attack" led to the changes in Rahul Gandhi's Vote Adhikar Yatra in Bihar. Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates. Select Language to Translate in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic Welcome Guest! You are here: Home I Just Want to Play Again: A Gaza Child Speaks at 80th UN Summit Written to give voice to the children of Gaza, this speech highlights the daily struggles, loss, and hopes of a generation living under siege Saturday September 6, 2025 6:40 PM , Rehan Ansari Written to give voice to the children of Gaza, this speech highlights the daily struggles, loss, and hopes of a generation living under siege. This is an address by a Child from Gaza to the UN General Assembly starting from 9th September 2025. My fellow countrymen, those holding Palestinian passports cannot speak freely. They cannot travel to attend this summit. They cannot be heard. I want to tell you this, hoping my words reach you, even though we havent been heard for so long. Madam Chair, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Since you are a woman, you know how a mother feels when her children are bombed, injured, or die. My name does not matter. The place I live in is enough for you to understand who I am, a child from Gaza. A child, starved and displaced, running barefoot each day in search of food, water, and safety, not for a day, a week, or a month, but for the past two years. I speak today because, as the poet RefaatAlareer wrote before being killed: If I must die, you must live to tell my story. I am here to tell not just my story, but the story of thousands of children whose voices were silenced before they could even grow. I have missed the simple things every child deserves. I missed school, the sound of pencils scratching, the laughter in classrooms. I missed playing with friends in the streets that no longer exist. I missed hearing my mothers lullabies and my father guiding me through homework. I even miss being scolded for spending too much time on a phone instead of reading books. Now, my reality is very different. It is the stench of gunpowder and burnt flesh. It is watching friends pulled lifeless from beneath the rubble. It is running when food falls from the sky, only to discover that bombs and bullets fall with it too. It is seeing the wide sea before me, yet not being able to drink even a handful of water. Every morning in Gaza begins with the fear that today might be the last. Every evening ends with the exhaustion of simply surviving one more day. I want you to meet my friends. Dana struggles with mental health. At night, she wakes up screaming from nightmares of explosions. Sometimes she sits silently for hours, staring at nothing. Dana is only 10, but her eyes look like those of someone who has seen too much pain. Seven-year-old Jana Ayad, weigh just 9-kg, lies in a hospital bed, suffering from severe malnutrition. Her thin arms are covered with tubes, her lips too dry to whisper. She used to run faster than all of us, her laughter echoing through the alleys. Now she cannot even stand. Her mother, Nasma Ayad, risks her life daily searching for food and water, returning exhausted but still trying to smile. Samira, my closest friend, just sits quietly, clutching a broken doll pulled from the rubble. When I asked what she wanted most, she whispered, I just want to play again. And then there was Hind. My six-year-old friend, Hind Rajab, cried for help from inside her car: I am so scared. Please call someone to come and take me please come and take me. Her small voice trembled through the phone, even as bullets cut through the air. For three long hours she waited. By the time rescuers arrived, Hind was gone. Her screams echo in my ears every night. In hospitals, children arrive with shrapnel lodged in their hearts and bullets piercing their brains. Pregnant women, their pelvises shattered, have their unborn children cut in two. Children are operated on without sterility, electricity, or anesthetics, enduring the double agony of their wounds and treatment without relief. Surgeries take place on crowded, filthy floors. Children do not die because their injuries are unsurvivable, but because we lack blood, antibiotics, and basic supplies that any hospital in the world would have. Doctors are imprisoned. Journalists are silencedsometimes with bullets, sometimes with bombs. Many UN staff have been killed trying to help us. I am told that some of you may now recognize us and our country But I ask: where was I? Where were my family, my friends, my childhood? Who were we, if no one saw us, no one heard us, while we lived among the rubble, hungry and afraid? As the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish wrote in I Belong There: I belong there. I have many memories. I was born as everyone is born. I have a mother, a house with many windows, brothers, friends, and a prison cell with a cold window. I have also seen the tears of UN and other workers. I see them sleep in their cars near crossings and cry as they hear our stories. But aid is not enough. Crossings open and close without warning. Tents fill sidewalks and ruins. Even here, we try to create small oases of hope. Friends read any book they can find. Younger children draw on scraps of cardboard. But at four years old, all they know are the sounds of explosions. Childhood has been stolen before it even began. Since the day they were born, more than 50,000 children have been killed or injured before age 15. More than 625,000 children in Gaza have lost their education. Schools are destroyed, classrooms turned into rubble. The future of an entire generation is being buried with them. But we do not give up. As FadwaTouqan wrote in The Deluge and the Tree: A tree was weeping and still it stood, green, proud, and full of life. Like that tree, we too stand. Broken, wounded, hungry, but alive. Excellencies, I do not come here to speak of politics, but of humanity. We are not numbers. We are children. We deserve to dream, to learn, to live. I ask you, leaders of the world: Turn your resolutions into actions. Turn your promises into protection. Give us, the children of Gaza, the right to a future. I want to end with the words of Mirza Ghalib, a great Indian poet: Hum ne maana ki tagaful na karoge lekin, Khaak ho jayenge hum, tum ko khabar hone tak. I thought you would not ignore me but I will turn to dust before you even get to know. Thank you... Note by the Author The child from Gaza in this speech is fictional, but the experiences described reflect real events documented by credible sources. This speech seeks to give voice to the real suffering, resilience, and hopes of Gazas children through a representative perspective. References include: Malnutrition among children Medics aim to screen thousands of Gaza children for malnutrition | Reuters (Janah Ayad) Mental health support for children Gaza: More than 1,500 children reached by UNESCOs mental health programs | UNESCO (Dana and Samira) Killed civilians and war crimes Gaza: Killing of Hind Rajab and her family a war crime too many, warn experts | OHCHR Hospital conditions Reported by Dr. FerozeSidhwa, UN: YouTube Imprisonment and torture of doctors Gazan doctor held in 'inhumane' conditions in Israeli jail | Sky News; Gaza hospital chief Abu Safia detained and tortured | Al Jazeera Targeting of journalists Anas al-Sharif among four Al Jazeera journalists killed by Israel in Gaza | Al Jazeera Children killed or injured More than 50,000 children killed or injured in Gaza | UNICEF Disruption of education Education under attack in Gaza, with nearly 90% of school buildings damaged or destroyed | Save the Children Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates. Select Language to Translate in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic Welcome Guest! You are here: Home Watch: Two American soldiers arrested for protesting US funding of Israeli genocide Two American Army Personnel have been arrested for protesting against the US funding of the Israeli Genocide in Gaza, West Bank and other Palestinian occupied lands Saturday September 6, 2025 1:39 PM , ummid.com News Network [A Reuters image shows activists protesting in front of the White House against US Funding and Weapons Supply to Israel.] Two American Army Personnel have been arrested for protesting against the US funding of the Israeli Genocide in Gaza, West Bank and other Palestinian occupied lands. The two US soldiers one male and the other female and both in military uniform, are seen in a video being whisked away by the security, their hands tied on their back. Every American sitting at home right now needs to realise that you are paying for a Genocide, one of them is heard saying in the viral video. Rise up Rise up America Rise up. It is time to take back this country from these corrupt politicians It is time It is beyond time, the other yelled. Watch Video NEW: The US military arrested two of his servicemen protesting the US backing of Israels genocide of Gaza: Rise up America, it is time to take back this country from these corrupt politicians. pic.twitter.com/gxXkScvb8F Megatron (@Megatron_ron) September 5, 2025 The Israel occupation forces (IDF) are currently running brazen military offensive to take control of Gaza, displacing around 2 million Palestinian from the besieged enclave. A l eaked document last week had revealed Trump administrations plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to some other countries and convert Gaza into, what US President Donald Trump, calls Riviera of the Middle East. The Israeli offensive and Trump plan to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza are being opposed by the local residence as well as the United Nations and the American allies mainly Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt. Israeli Genocide The protest of American soldiers come days after the world's leading association of genocide scholars has declared that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. A resolution passed by the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) states that Israel's conduct meets the legal definition as laid out in the UN convention on genocide. Across a three-page resolution, the IAGS presents a litany of actions undertaken by Israel throughout the 22-month-long war that it recognises as constituting genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, BBC reported on September 01, 2025. The IAGS is the world's largest professional association of genocide scholars and includes a number of Holocaust experts. Out of its 500 members, 28% took part in the vote and 86% of those who voted supported the resolution. US Support for Israel The United States was the first country to recognize the provisional government of Israel upon its founding in 1948, but now termed illegal by the United Nations . Israel has received hundreds of billions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid in the postWorld War II era, a level of support that reflects many factors, including a U.S. commitment to Israels security and the countries shared foreign policy interests in a volatile and strategically important part of the world. Israel is also a leading buyer of U.S. weapons systems via traditional arms sales, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Since taking office in January 2025, the Trump Administration has approved nearly $12 billion in major FMS sales to Israel, according to US Department of State. In July 2025, the DSCA announced that Israel requested to buy 3,845 of the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits for the 2,000-pound BLU-109 bunker buster bomb and 3,280 units of the JDAM kit for the 500-pound MK 82 general purpose bomb. On July 28 this year, BTselem - the independent Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, released a detailed report that finds that "for nearly two years, Israel has been committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip." There is overwhelming evidence that U.S. weapons transferred to Israel have been used in violation of humanitarian law and that Israel has acted in ways that have blocked humanitarian assistance from the U.S. government, from other nations, and nongovernmental aid groups", the Arms Control Association said. Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates. Select Language to Translate in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic Ohio State University has taken a bold step by making artificial intelligence fluency a graduation requirement for all undergraduates, aiming to prepare students for a future in which AI plays a central role across industries. University President Walter "Ted" Carter Jr. said the initiative reflects an urgent need to adapt education to emerging technologies. "Ohio State has an opportunity and responsibility to prepare students to not just keep up, but lead in this workforce of the future," Carter said. "Artificial intelligence is transforming the way we live, work, teach and learn. In the not-so-distant future, every job, in every industry, is going to be [affected] in some way by AI." Provost Ravi Bellamkonda added that the "AI Fluency" program aims to produce graduates who are "bilingual"proficient in both their chosen field and AI applications relevant to their discipline. The university will embed AI training across the undergraduate curriculum, while guiding faculty to uphold academic integrity. Associate Professor Steven Brown of philosophy cautioned against banning AI outright. After reviewing AI-assisted essays, he said he encountered "a lot of really creative ideas," adding: "It would be a disaster for our students to have no idea how to effectively use one of the most powerful tools that humanity has ever created." Ohio State's move reflects broader shifts in higher education, where institutions are exploring how to integrate AI without sacrificing critical thinking or integrity. A recent survey found that 55% of students who used generative AI for coursework reported mixed effects on their thinking skillssome benefits, but also a tendency to think less deeplywhile 27% reported net positive effects and 7% reported negative effects. Meanwhile, educators express deep reservations. Morgan Sanchez, a sociology professor at San Jose State University, criticized aggressive AI adoption. In an opinion piece, she argued the "AI Everywhere" approach risks undermining critical thinking and academic engagement, noting generative AI can produce complete assignment-ready content that facilitates dishonesty. Sanchez warned that treating education like a content transaction diminishes learning's core purpose. Other experts offer more sober perspectives. A Vox-published education researcher cautioned that while AI may shift methods of dishonesty, it hasn't triggered a surge in cheatingoverall rates remain similar to pre-AI levels. Still, clarity around acceptable usage is lacking: only about 10% of teachers reportedly have explicit AI policies. President Gregory Washington is refusing to step aside despite mounting pressure from the Trump administration and conservative critics who have launched multiple civil rights investigations into the university. Washington, the first Black president of GMU, has been the target of intensified scrutiny as the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice initiate probes into the university's diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, hiring, admissions, antisemitism response, and scholarship practices. Faculty and university members have rallied behind Washington amid the controversy. The GMU chapter of the American Association of University Professors passed a vote of no confidence in the school's Board of Visitors, accusing the board of failing to defend Washington in what they called "a politically motivated pressure campaign." "The board's failure to defend President Washington ... was the final straw," said GMU-AAUP President Bethany Letiecq. Faculty concerns also extend to internal university governance. Tim Gibson, vice president of GMU-AAUP, warned that the situation "could pressure [Washington] to resign to aid in the resolution of the investigations." Meanwhile, Washington insists his DEI efforts comply with civil rights law and represent the university's broader mission. As one faculty member put it, "We're understanding this to be a coordinated attack on our university and President Washington" By Grainne Ni Aodha, PA Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters have marched through Belfast city centre to oppose businesses deemed in support of Israel or its military operation in Gaza. The protest wove its way through the city centre disrupting traffic and shoppers out on Saturday afternoon. Organisers of the march led chants outside Starbucks, Barclays, Axa and Leonardo Hotels buildings, accusing them of supporting genocide. During speeches at the end of the protest, held outside the BBC Northern Ireland offices, workers were urged to refuse to use Israeli products from September 18 and to boycott products by Teva, an Israeli pharma multinational. Crowds of pro-Palestine protesters march through Belfast city centre. Photo: Grainne Ni Aodha/PA. Although some protesters made subtle reference to Palestine Action, there was no major reference to the group deemed a proscribed organisation by the UK government. Three women were seen wearing three t-shirts bearing the separate words I Support, Palestine and Action. Meanwhile, at a demonstration in central London, tensions flared as some elderly people were arrested for sitting behind placards that said I support Palestine Action. A pro-Palestine demonstration was also held in Dublin, with crowds marching from the US embassy to the Department of Foreign Affairs. Other protests were also held in Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, Carlow and Navan, organised by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC). Members of the Gardai in Waterford expressed delight recently in getting the opportunity to meet with international students studying in SETU (South East Technological University). The Gardai attended SETU to meet with international students. Pic: An Garda Siochana Waterford FB In an online post on their social media page the Gardai stated that Garda O'Byrne and Garda McSweeney were delighted to be invited to meet the new International Students in SETU. The Gardai attended SETU to meet with international students. Pic: An Garda Siochana Waterford FB While there the two Gardai provided the students with information on the law surrounding immigration and they also gave them crime prevention advice along with information and advice around personal safety, drink and drug driving, accommodation fraud, money muling and the 'Ask for Angela' campaign. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share When Jody Brown finished high school in 2001 and started working full-time on her familys station outside Longreach, the weather itself seemed to turn on western Queensland, where a drought took hold that lasted, with a break of two or three seasons, for 20-odd years. By the time it ended, she had become a student of regenerative agriculture, an advocate for Farmers for Climate Action and fearful for Australias future in a rapidly warming world. When she tells stories of the dry years, you get the sense of a drawn-out ordeal punctuated by moments of resonant horror. She recalls how at Latrobe Station, her familys 45,000 hectares of savannah and dry cracking soils, Mitchell grass plains and gidgee scrub withered under superheated days that over the years hit with ever greater regularity. Its a slog. Its a slow burn. You never know when its going to end, she says. Jody talks to Alejandro Carrillo, a rancher from the Chihuahan Desert in Mexico, who has advised her on building climate resilience. But she also remembers the fleeting moments, such as when she realised the roos were ditching joeys from their pouches in order to cling on to their own lives a little longer. And she remembers listening to the radio as she made the long drive to Byron Bay for a conference in 2019. According to news reports, half of NSW seemed to be on fire, while in southern Queensland, the drought was still biting hard. To the north, a biblical flood that would kill 600,000 head of cattle had set in. Advertisement She remembers speaking to the chopper pilots who were ferrying food and fodder to stranded stock in the north, country she knew well from her years in cattle camps, who spoke of the weird silence once they killed their engines. The sounds of birds and insects that normally filled the warm air was gone. Speaking at a Farmers for Climate Action conference in Canberra last week, Brown said her sense was that brutally hot days, the ones that kill off the grasses she has restored with new regenerative practices, were coming more regularly than ever before. Also addressing the conference was Professor Mark Howden, director of the Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions at the Australian National University, who also serves as a vice chair of the UNs chief climate body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He confirmed Browns worst fears for the nation and her four-year-old daughter Violet. Last year, he said, the world had breached warming of 1.5 degrees for the first time. This was because, since leaders signed the Paris Agreement, nations had failed to arrest carbon emissions. Given the worlds so-called carbon budget, the amount of carbon dioxide we can emit into the atmosphere that is consistent with any given temperature, we have about three years left to halt our emissions before the 1.5 degree increase becomes locked in. Advertisement We have to go cold turkey, he told the audience of farmers who had gathered for the event. Thats a big ask. He outlined a diabolic vision of the future with disconcertingly simple language. The accumulation of carbon dioxide leads directly to the policy of net zero. The science and the policy are now linked. The problem is, were not enacting that policy anything like quickly enough. And, unfortunately, our commitment to fossil fuels, or our addiction to fossil fuels, continues. As though directly addressing Browns experience at Latrobe over the past two decades, Howden told how the increased greenhouse gases translated into higher average global temperatures and into hotter days across Australia. Addressing a graph from the Copernicus Climate Group, Howden showed how year by year over the past few decades, the number of days in which temperatures exceeded the average had rapidly grown. You can see, if we go back to the 1990s, very few days even exceeded one degree. If you go to last year, three-quarters of the days of the year exceeded one and a half. So those extremes are changing incredibly quickly, and those extremes are in many times what actually matters to agriculture. Thats when it hits your crops hard, when it hits your grapevines hard, when it hits your animals hard. And the evidence about how these are impacting on systems right across the globe is accumulating very, very quickly, and most of its negative. Advertisement Howden said that as temperatures soared in Australia, rainfall was retreating to the south and west, and when it did arrive, it was doing so increasingly in destructive torrents rather than in predictable, useful, fronts. Unfortunately, my job here today is to be the bad cop, Howden said. None of this was news to Brown, nor to Australias Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, who later addressed the conference, and whose department has faced criticism for not releasing a far more comprehensive outline on the threat Australia faces. Parched earth at Latrobe station, Queensland. The so-called National Climate Risk Assessment was expected to be released late last year. Its delay has led to fears in the climate movement that it has been caught up in increasingly complicated domestic and international climate politics. For more than a year, Bowen and with somewhat less demonstrable enthusiasm, the broader government, have been seeking to secure hosting rights for next years UN COP climate talks. By now, Australia should be preparing for what is one of the worlds most significant annual diplomatic gatherings. Advertisement But despite broad UN support for Australias effort, Turkey has not yet ended its rival bid. It now appears possible the host will be announced during the UN General Assembly later this month. Related Article Paris Agreement How do you decarbonise an economy? Line by line, says Matt Kean Australias credibility at the event rests upon its having delivered its 2035 emission reduction target, as it is obliged to do under the Paris Agreement. That target will be set by cabinet after it receives advice from the Climate Change Commission, whose chief, Matt Kean, has suggested that a range between a 65 and 75 per cent reduction would be achievable and responsible. Last week, climate advocates and business groups ramped up their lobbying efforts over the figure. At the Farmers for Climate Action conference in Canberra, Bowen said he would release the risk assessment before he announced Australias new target. Those who have seen glimpses of the document describe the future it outlines for Australia as frightening. Former Fire and Rescue NSW commissioner Greg Mullins, now an advocate for climate change action and a founding member of Emergency Leaders for Climate Action, has spoken at length about the report with a colleague who contributed to sections on emergency responses in a hotter world. Advertisement I mention the veteran Adelaide-born songwriter because I like Kellys music. But mostly because on the wet, wintry Tuesday that I drop into Vinotto an endearing neighbourhood wine bar in the equally endearing coastal hamlet of Swanbourne Kelly is playing at RAC Arena that same night. Which is why, suggests a chatty member of the floor team, the bar felt a little slower than usual. But while the headcount at this urbane, split-level den of red brick and sandstone was low, spirits were high among guests. At ground level, an animated girl gang of four are huddled around one of the main rooms bistro tables. Two of the pals are on the banquette, the other two are seated on bentwood stools. All have gone for the banging $40 Tuesday steak and wine special a puck of pan-fried rump cap; pepper sauce; pale and crunchy chips; plus a glass of aglianico from Italy and I dont blame them. Yet as much as I love a weeknight meal deal, I wasnt at Vinotto (just) to hunt down bargain-priced beef, but to investigate reports that Caitlin Johnston and Justin Scarvaci Vinottos venue manager and head chef, respectively are now in Swanny full-time following the recent sale of sister restaurant Yiamas. (Previously, Johnston and Scarvaci split their attention between both.) Sadly, like the bars regular Tuesday night crowd, Vinottos two head honchos also werent in, but you wouldnt have known it. Actually, I lie. You likely would have known it. Vinottos not an especially big space and if you know what Johnston and Scarvaci look like, youll quickly know whether theyre working or not. Hell be in the squeeze bottle of a kitchen that looks about as spacious as your average glove box while Johnstons jurisdiction is the bar and dining area where she and her front-of-house pals flit from table to table, sharing their zealous interest in tasty beverages. While the word Vinotto speaks to a serious wine focus, what the name doesnt convey is that there are also cocktails and vermouths for before you eat, digestives and amari for when you finish, plus drinks for those that arent drinking. The service engaged and engaging feels very in the zone for a neighbourhood place pitched largely at locals. The dough used in golden, crimp-edged fried raviolo filled with braised oxtail comes from a vintage op-shop cookbook and, curiously, features white wine in its recipe. Thats an empanada, quips my maize-obsessed dining buddy when our raviolo arrives tableside alongside dainty plinths of crostoli crowned with anchovy and confit onion: an anchovy toast riffing on the classic French flatbread, pissaladiere. Advertisement NationalVictoriaPorepunkah shooting This was published 3 months ago Bounty hunters warned off trail of alleged police killer Dezi Freeman after $1m reward offered Noel Towell and Ashleigh McMillan Updated September 6, 2025 12:10pm ,first published September 6, 2025 6:23am 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 have warned would-be bounty hunters to stay away from the search for accused police killer Dezi Freeman after a $1 million reward was posted for information leading to the fugitives arrest. Victoria Police denied on Saturday that the reward, the largest ever offered by the state for an arrest of a suspect, was an act of desperation as the massive manhunt for the alleged High Country gunman entered its 12th day. Police are continuing their manhunt for fugitive Dezi Freeman. Marija Ercegovac Detective Inspector Dean Thomas, who heads the homicide squad, said on Saturday that there had been no confirmed sightings of Freeman since he allegedly shot three police officers, killing two and injuring one, after they arrived to search a property where he was staying near the small town of Porepunkah on August 26. More than 450 officers are searching Victorias High Country for Freeman, who allegedly blasted Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, with a home-made shotgun through the door of a bus he was living in near the township of Porepunkah. Advertisement The self-styled sovereign citizen and father of three then allegedly opened a window of the bus and shot Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 34, 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. Loading Thomas said the reward would be paid for information leading to the arrest of Freeman, also known as Desmond Filby, rather than helping secure his conviction, as is normally the case with police rewards. But Thomas warned the public against trying to join the manhunt in the hope of cashing in on a sighting of Freeman. Advertisement I strongly oppose anybody doing that, Thomas said. He has already killed two police members and seriously wounded a third. His propensity for using violence has been shown. We have highly skilled specialist police officers out there in the bushland. They are armed, and we dont want people being out there in that area for our police officers to perhaps mistake them for being Freeman and finding themselves in a situation where they have been confronted by our officers. Thomas said the reward was one of a number of investigative techniques being used in the hunt. Advertisement Related Article Porepunkah shooting The ranks of blue farewell a brother, and a family mourns a son Its not an act of desperation, and its far from it, the detective said. Victoria Police always have that as an avenue, as an option to use. We are using this because we think its now time. Were into day 12. We are not at an end. We still have active lines of inquiry that we continue to pursue, and we are very buoyed by the information that we have had come in to date. But the detective said police did not know whether Freeman was sheltering in the thick bushland, dotted with caves and abandoned mine shafts in the area around Mount Buffalo, being sheltered by sympathisers or had fled the area altogether. Advertisement There is also the chance that he is dead, as a result of self-harm. We are open to all those possibilities, Thomas said. Thomas said that the hundreds of armed police scouring the area around Freemans last known whereabouts were searching potential hideouts. They are being searched. We continue to clear the mine shafts and caves with our experts, he said. The detective said the reward could potentially be claimed without the informant having to give evidence against Freeman in a trial. Police are hoping that the large sum of money on offer for information would prompt someone who knew Freeman or his whereabouts to break their silence. Advertisement There is no doubt that $1 million is a significant amount of money for anybody, and it will have lifelong changes to peoples circumstances, Thomas said. We are hoping that this reward will be enough for those that may have information that have decided not to come forward before to now come forward and share that with us. Because this reward relates to information about his arrest, there is a strong chance that the person that provides that information to us, we may not need to speak to again. Announcing the reward on Saturday, Thomas vowed that Freeman will be caught. Addressing Freeman directly during a press conference, Thomas said the fugitive would not get away with this. Advertisement Related Article Porepunkah shooting Dezi just loved the bush: Former friend says fugitive knows how to navigate alpine terrain If you are out there, you will be caught. Its just about when, and we wont stop until that occurs, he said. Freeman was last seen wearing dark khaki tracksuit pants, a dark green rain jacket, brown Blundstone boots and reading glasses. Despite hundreds of tips, there have been no confirmed sightings of Freeman since the day he allegedly murdered Thompson and de Waart-Hottart. A police spokesman said that while there was nothing to indicate Freeman was being assisted by a specific person, that remained a possibility given the difficult terrain in the region. Advertisement Police are also open to the possibilities that he remains at large alone or is dead as a result of self-harm, the spokesman said. Thomas said it was vital that members of the public called triple zero if they saw Freeman. This could be sightings of Freeman, information youre hearing in your local communities, even suspicious activity on your property whatever it is, we want you to tell us, he said. Freeman has killed two people and injured a third, and its immensely important that we can bring him into custody safely as soon as possible. Hopefully, this reward helps do just that. We believe this investigation will only be brought to resolution through assistance from members of the public, and again, I am urging anyone with any information at all to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers. Advertisement Advertisement PoliticsWAWA Parliament This was published 3 months ago Ross and John werent sure theyd get to celebrate Fathers Day. A new WA law hopes to change that Hannah Murphy September 7, 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 There was a time when Ross and John Minett-Jutras werent sure if theyd ever get to celebrate Fathers Day. I think I always knew that I wanted to be a dad, but I didnt always know that it was possible, Ross said. John and Ross, and their baby boy. Ross Minett As West Australians, both men saw fatherhood as a pipe dream for some time due to the states restrictive surrogacy laws. It was the only state in the country that restricted surrogacy to altruistic agreements, aiming them at helping women who could not conceive or carry a child for medical reasons. Advertisement It meant WA was the only state where same-sex couples and single men were not allowed to access surrogacy. John, from Canada, said he was concerned by how strict the laws were when he learnt of them. Ross, John, their baby boy and surrogate Natasha Hicks. She is pregnant with the couples twins. Ross Minett As we were exploring doing surrogacy, thats when it became just really crystal clear where our opportunity was and where it wasnt, he said. Johns citizenship meant the couple were able to fly to Canada to undertake altruistic surrogacy to have their baby Hugo, and later, to have their twins. Advertisement Its funny, because as time goes on, I dont think of it or the situation being any different to anyone else, Ross said. Ross leaving the hospital with his twins. Ross Minett And you know, sometimes you just forget the hard journey that you had to go through to actually get there. But we did have a bit of a rough go at it. John agrees it was not a simple process. It was just confronting, he said. Advertisement Despite going through the legitimate Canadian court processes, in Australia, a number of agencies just didnt recognise what we did. Now, celebrating Fathers Day about a decade later, Ross and John are hopeful new legislation set to be debated in WA parliament on Tuesday will change things. The assisted reproductive technology bill is aimed at streamlining and modernising WAs assisted reproductive laws, and bring WA into line with the rest of the country. There have been a number of attempts at bringing the bill before parliament in the past, but both the pandemic and other legislative concerns have taken priority. However, Health Minister Meredith Hammat said it was time for change. Advertisement Its fitting that were celebrating Fathers Day ahead of another historic week in parliament, she said. This weekend I want to acknowledge the Western Australians who so desperately want to be dads but cant under our current laws. Health Minister Meredith Hammat. Hamish Hastie I know well the undeniable pull to want to be a parent, and then the overwhelming love if youre lucky enough to become one. But the road to parenthood in WA isnt equal. This week we will be calling on all MPs to unite and help us bring WA into line with other Australian states and territories. Advertisement The new changes remove the requirement for people to demonstrate medical infertility to access assisted reproductive technology, which includes surrogacy and IVF. Related Article NSW State Parliament Jen had a baby for her best friend. It was harder than it needed to be It will also introduce a new board to deal with ethically complex treatments, which are currently prohibited in WA - including using a persons sperm collected after death by the surviving partner. [The bill] will [also] make it possible for families to access surrogacy here in WA, so they dont need to travel interstate or overseas to realise their dreams of being parents, Hammat said. I acknowledge the hurt felt by those parents who wanted to start their families here in WA but couldnt. Its an emotionally taxing journey that we should spare future Western Australians from having to endure. Advertisement For Western Australians whove already had a child through an overseas surrogacy arrangement, this Bill will allow for parental recognition and protection for their children. These changes have been a long time coming, and were proud to be the government that is finally delivering them. Dr Kyle Hoath. AMA Australian Medical Association WA president Dr Kyle Hoath said the bill was a positive step forward. It removes outdated and discriminatory barriers to care and ensures all people regardless of relationship status, gender identity or sexual orientationcan access assisted reproductive technology and surrogacy with dignity and respect, Dr Hoath said. Advertisement The AMA particularly acknowledges the bills emphasis on the best interests of the child and its robust consent frameworks. Related Article Crime Assaults reach a record high in WA, new ABS data reveals This reform will allow more Western Australians to start a family. Removing the medical infertility requirement is a critical step toward equitable access. The AMA looks forward to working with the Cook Labor Government to support the implementation of the legislation and ensure that Western Australians continue to receive safe, ethical and patient-centred reproductive care. However, the bill has remained controversial for some - including Liberal MP Nick Goiran who filibustered for a total of 22 hours to delay surrogacy legislation back in 2018. Advertisement John said approaching the upcoming debate would be a real test for the community. Australians are being excluded and being disadvantaged, deliberately, by the legal framework, he said. Right now, we have the opportunity to review that and to and to make a statement as to who we are as a West Australian society, John said. The bill will go up for debate on Tuesday. Chartreuse-coloured lawns slope down to wide pavements, unimpeded by fences. Each front yard in this tree-lined street, suitably named Forest Avenue, is an immaculate showcase. No litter, trash cans, and not too many folks out and about on this spring morning. But its early, and architecture admirers may still be on their way. I have my headset on, and with a map, Im on a self-guided walking tour of the grand homes of, what is said to be, one of the USs most expensive places to live Oak Park. There are beautiful houses everywhere in the world, but in this precinct, 14 kilometres west of Chicago, so neat it could be The Stepford Wives backlot, there are 25 homes and buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, regarded as one of the greatest American architects. Moore-Dugal house in Oak Park. Admirers can view these privately owned homes only from the verge but Wrights former home and studio, on the same block, is a museum where I learn about his genius. During the first decade of the 20th century, he developed the Prairie Style, which he called organic architecture, for its harmonious use of art and nature. Prior to the designs of Wright and his cohort among whom was Walter Burley Griffin of Canberra fame people of means favoured historical revival designs, such as Italianate and Greek revival. After touring Wrights studio, where my group is instructed not to touch or lean on walls, I feel I have his style worked out, and as I stroll Forest and Chicago avenues, I can identify the emphasis of horizontal over vertical and overhanging eaves. My favourite is Moore-Dugal house which, because it began life as a Tudor design and was later redesigned by Wright, is a bit of a mishmash but fantastic, nonetheless. Advertisement Analysis WorldNorth AmericaUS politics This was published 3 months ago A jobs slump spurred Trump to sack his stats boss. This time around hes got no one to blame Michael Koziol September 6, 2025 4:35am 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 127 View all comments Washington: The latest employment report in the United States is bad news for a president whose agenda revolves around returning America to a golden age, driven largely by a resurgence in manufacturing. It shows jobs growth continues to stagnate, with just 22,000 positions created in August while job losses in manufacturing were 12,000 for the month, and 78,000 for the year to date. Manufacturing job losses totalled 78,000 for the year so far, despite the Trump administrations bid to restore US factories. Bloomberg Last time Donald Trump received a weaker than expected jobs report from the Bureau of Labour Statistics a month ago he ordered the sacking of the agencys commissioner, economist Erika McEntarfer. This time, theres no figurehead to blame. Trumps pick to replace McEntarfer is yet to be confirmed by the US Senate. Advertisement The bureau found total non-farm payrolls, a widely watched indicator of US economic health, rose just 22,000 in August and has shown little change since April. Job gains in the healthcare sector were partially offset by losses in the federal government and in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction, it said. The August report also made further revisions to earlier months data, finding that in June, the US economy actually lost 13,000 jobs, rather than gaining 14,000 (a number which had already been revised down from 147,000). The July jobs growth figure was revised upward slightly to 79,000. The jobs report was the first since Donald Trump sensationally sacked the head of the Bureau of Labour Statistics for announcing weak data. Bloomberg Kevin Hassett, the director of Trumps National Security Council, told CNBC that while the figures were a little bit disappointing, he expected them to be revised up later. Thats entirely possible. Survey completion rates have fallen markedly since the pandemic, making it difficult for the bureau to provide accurate data in a timely, monthly fashion. That was true when McEntarfer was sacked for revising figures down, and its true today. Advertisement Overall, the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.3 per cent the highest since September 2017, outside the COVID-19 spike, though still low. Trump reacted to the latest data by repeating his calls for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. [Fed chair] Jerome Too Late Powell should have lowered rates long ago. As usual, hes Too Late! Trump posted on social media. US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for the Feds annual gathering of global central bankers. Bloomberg Speaking at the central banks annual summit in Jackson Hole, Wyoming last month, Powell gave a strong signal that rate cuts are on the way, noting the risks to employment were rising and may warrant adjusting our policy stance. Scott Paul, the president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, agreed the new report ought to spur a rate cut. But he also warned that Trump needed to finalise his policies on tariffs and trade. Advertisement Concluding tariff actions and trade deals to provide businesses with the certainty they need to hire, invest in new capital equipment, and realign supply chains, he said. Manufacturing will be treading water until we see those changes. Sacked BLS chief Erika McEntarfer. US Bureau of Labor Statistics Justin Wolfers, an Australian economics professor at the University of Michigan, said the data was worrying and indicated rosy assessments of the US economys resilience were premature. Bad policy leads to bad outcomes, but the actual economy doesnt move at the pace of the political cycle, he said. Wolfers credited bureau staff for compiling the data despite the arbitrary firing of their boss, uninformed social media insults, and the prospect of being led by an unqualified ideologue. Trumps pick for the job, E.J. Antoni, is the chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank that produced the conservative blueprint Project 2025. On Friday, CNN reported Antoni once ran a now-deleted Twitter account that contained sexually degrading attacks on Kamala Harris, conspiracy theories and anti-gay remarks. Advertisement Meanwhile, Trump is engaged in a different form of reality-denial. Hours before the employment data was released, he was asked whether he would accept the numbers. He dismissed the question, saying the real numbers would come out in a year or so, once his economic agenda was realised. Life is more difficult when you cant just shoot the messenger. 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. Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Neurologist Vikram Madireddy discusses his article How Japan and the U.S. can collaborate for better health care, examining the parallels and contrasts between two of the worlds most influential health systems. Vikram explains how Japans universal Social Health Insurance model emphasizes preventive care, affordability, and trust, while the U.S. excels in medical innovation, precision medicine, and specialized care. He highlights opportunities for mutual learningfrom Japans aging-in-place strategies and holistic practice culture to Americas team-based workforce models and digital health leadership. Listeners will gain insights into how transnational collaboration can reduce burnout, improve equity, and build resilient systems that honor both patient dignity and global health progress. Our presenting sponsor is Microsoft Dragon Copilot. Microsoft Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow, is transforming how clinicians work. Now you can streamline and customize documentation, surface information right at the point of care, and automate tasks with just a click. Part of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, Dragon Copilot offers an extensible AI workspace and a single, integrated platform to help unlock new levels of efficiency. Plus, its backed by a proven track record and decades of clinical expertiseand its built on a foundation of trust. Its time to ease your administrative burdens and stay focused on what matters most with Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow. VISIT SPONSOR https://aka.ms/kevinmd SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended Transcript Kevin Pho: Hi, and welcome to the show. Subscribe at KevinMD.com/podcast. Today we welcome Vikram Madireddy. He is a neurologist. Todays KevinMD article is How Japan and the U.S. can collaborate for better health care. Vic, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for joining me from Tokyo today. Vikram Madireddy: Yeah, thank you for having me. Kevin Pho: All right, so tell us a little bit about your story and then the article that you co-wrote on KevinMD. ADVERTISEMENT Vikram Madireddy: OK, well, sure. So I am originally from New York City, born and raised, and the first time I ever left New York was to go to medical school in the Deep South in Memphis, Tennessee, home of barbecue, Elvis Presley at one point, and I think the Memphis Grizzlies. Yeah. So, a New York transplant. Halfway through medical school, I was starting my clerkships, and I actually had an opportunity to go to Japan for the first time. Now I am living in Tokyo. I am a resident of this country. I am a guest on a student visa doing medical research, and then I hope to pass the Japanese license one day. But yeah, I have been back and forth a few times, and I just fell in love with this country out of all the places I have studied medicine and practiced medicine. So I am working to establish roots here and try to bring Japanese medicine out to the wider world, including my home country. Kevin Pho: All right. So, what led you to Japan to do medical research in the first place? Vikram Madireddy: OK. Well, growing up, I was always big into anime: Dragon Ball, Pokemon, all that Saturday morning cartoon stuff. You know about these countries just in the back of your head. Like Japan, you think of Samurai, you think of Mount Fuji, you think of sumo wrestling, the emperor, the bushido code, and World War II. Those are all things that we loosely associate with it, the same as we associate the U.K. with the Queen, with crumpets, with Mick Jagger, for example. But then once you actually start to delve into it, just like with medicine, it starts to take on a life of its own. You learn new things as you go. You go back and forth; you are adding to it. One thing I am doing now is translating Japanese medical textbooks into English, and that really helps me when I practice medicine on the English side. I memorized more of the pharmacology, memorized more of the anatomy because I had to take my time. How that started was I was doing internal medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, and I actually had a patient close to my age. We hit it off because of that shared mutual interest in anime and Japanese culture. Unfortunately, I later found out towards the end of that rotation that he had committed suicide. That caught me completely off guard. I thought he was OK. You never really know. My friend and classmate could see that was bothering me, and he said, What is something you have always wanted to do to de-stress? And I was like, You know what? I have always wanted to learn Japanese. I never got around to it. It is a very hard language. And then he just looked at me and he was like, OK, I am going to bet you twenty dollars you cannot learn it while doing medical school. Before I graduated, I actually passed an exam in Japanese proficiency called JLPT. To this day, he has not paid me. I do not know what happened, but that was probably the best bet I ever made because after that, I got invited to Tokyo the first time to learn neurosurgery. I met my best friend in all the world who is now my roommate, Heikki. We co-wrote that article together that we made for the website for you. He is my partner in crime. He is my confidant. When I am not sure of something, I can ask him, and vice versa. It goes both ways. I just fell in love with this country, and the rest is history. I went back and forth, and now I am a resident of this country. Kevin Pho: All right. And I think we mentioned offline that I visited Japan a few months ago with my family and completely agree with you. It is a fantastic country. I would love to go back. Now, in your article, you contrast the American and the Japanese health care systems and what we could learn from that. So for those who did not get a chance to read your article, tell us what it is about. Vikram Madireddy: Well, if you are interested in medicine from a different perspective, a non-Western one I know a lot of medical students, myself included, from the U.S., we like to go to England for study abroad rotations. We like to go to Australia or Europe. Going to the eastern side of the world is a whole different ball game. It is like going to another planet in a way. Japan and the U.S. share many similar problems right now when it comes to health care, like chronic health conditions and an aging population. But one thing Japan does well is, just like England, they have socialized medicine. Japan, similar to the NHS over in England, has a government-run, socialized health care system. However, there are some caveats. While in the U.K. they do not pay for anything (it is free at the point of contact), it is a government-run, centralized bureaucracy. Japan, I would say, is more of a hybrid system between America and the U.K., kind of like Australia, which is also a hybrid system of America and England. Every Japanese citizen, from birth, is automatically enrolled in national health insurance. They do not have to worry about, Hey, can I see a doctor or not? You are born here, you have citizenship, you will see the doctor. It is just a question of: Do you pay a thirty percent copay versus the full one hundred percent? The government usually takes care of that other seventy percent. But even that full price, if you cannot afford it, or let us say you are visiting Japan as I was before I got my residence card, you would be surprised what the price is. An eye appointment for these glasses, for example, for an ophthalmologist in America, if I did not have insurance, I would probably be paying just for the visit 200 to 300 dollars. In Japan, even without insurance, the most I paid for that ophthalmology visit just to get new glasses was fifty dollars. Then even without insurance, to get these glasses as well, the max it cost me was 250 dollars, just for the basics. If I wanted to add on stuff, I would pay extra, but even the most basic set of glasses will cost 200 dollars. With insurance, according to my friend, Heikki, it will probably cost about fifty to seventy-five dollars. In America, I do not want to think about what this would cost. One way that is different from the U.K. is that Japan is not centralized. Just like the U.S., they have a vast, different network of insurance systems, audits, inspections, and everything else, just like America does with creditors. Meanwhile, in the U.K., everything is run from London or Liverpool and so on and so forth. So you have to go to a GP first, and only then can you see a specialist. In Japan, you do not have to do any of that, and yet they have more efficiency compared to England. But at the same time, because of that non-centralized approach, they do have the same rural-urban divide as America does. Kevin Pho: So in terms of some of the biggest things that we in the United States can learn from Japan, number one, of course, is the prices. Number two is kind of a bigger public responsibility when it comes to health care. It seems like in the United States, we have been dealing with these potential solutions for a while now. Now that you have lived in Japan, do you have any advice for our health care leaders in terms of how we could implement some of these ideas from abroad? Vikram Madireddy: I think so. There are two specific things I can think of. I know AI is gaining traction in a lot of fields, including medicine at the moment, especially in America, in terms of medical education, improving outflow like discharge summaries, patient notes, pharmacy records, everything like that, and also just teaching the stuff. I sometimes use ChatGPT to help me learn medical Japanese, because that is a whole different ball field from basic conversational Japanese when I am going to a supermarket or a restaurant. That is one big thing I would say we can implement more. One thing the Japanese are doing with AI, they are not as big on it as we are at the moment, or as the West. They are a bit skeptical, but they are looking at ways to implement it into social care. How can we merge it with robotics to do surgery and all that other stuff that the U.S. is doing? Medical education, getting notes ready, translation services, for example. Sometimes for foreigners who do not learn Japanese, certain idioms do not translate, and vice versa from when I was learning it. The second thing I can think of is elder care. Japan is an aging society, I would say a lot more than we are, but we are catching up, unfortunately. They have actually had to tackle that problem head-on in terms of social services, nursing care, home visits, and that kind of thing. AI is also assisting in that department because if you go to a Japanese restaurant, I am sure you have probably seen a robot waiter. That is one thing that they are trying out. I would say the elder care model has actually been started in the U.K. NHS; they have actually taken some of that and they are just experimenting with it. The U.S. could be next. Kevin Pho: What is it like to be a doctor in Japan? Tell us about some of the rewards and challenges they face. Vikram Madireddy: Well, I would say the biggest challenge at the moment is the language barrier. I am trying every day to study Japanese so I may pass the license exam. I would say my level right now, having passed N3, which is the intermediate level, I can talk at a high school level. Sometimes I still have to draw it out, go across that barrier, like point and say, I need blood from you, or that kind of thing, or I need a scan. But I would say it is a lot better than where I was compared to 2022, where it was like, I do not know what this person is saying. At the same time, it is very rewarding. When you see an IMG come to America and they are trying to learn the language, I have some understanding now, some humility of how that feels. I am the fish out of water. No one is going to learn English for me. My coworkers can speak English, but you should make an effort now that you are here. It has been very rewarding. It is like being on another planet compared to if I was in Europe. At the same time, once I cross that barrier, once I can fully understand a patient and write a note in Japanese for that persons condition, it is very worthwhile. It is like I have already studied medicine, I have had to learn antibiotics, I have had to learn anatomy, I have had to learn surgical procedures and complications. Now I have had to translate it nonstop. It has just been a very blood, sweat, and tears process, but also very rewarding at the end of the day or the month. Kevin Pho: Now, how about your physician colleagues in Japan? I know that physicians in other countries, like Korea for instance, there is a lot of dissatisfaction among physicians. Talking to your Japanese physician colleagues, are they generally happy with the system? Vikram Madireddy: That is another issue I feel like they could probably learn from us about. Burnout is a huge problem, not just in medicine, but in every aspect of Japanese work culture. It actually has a term called karoshi, death by overwork. Some people literally work themselves to death. It is just like, I am going to stay and work until the point at which I collapse from a heart attack or collapse from some other long-term medical complication. That is still a major problem, but I would say in 2025, it is starting to loosen up a bit. Maybe not as much as we are, but it is a different culture, a different perspective. I know it is going to be slow to change. Who am I to decide, Hey, you should do that, from a Western perspective? I am not from here. I am not a native. I am still learning your language. Trying to understand that gap, it is like they see this as normal. At the same time, one of my colleagues who has actually spent time in America, he is like, Yeah, I agree. This is not healthy. This cannot go on. Because if people keep dying, who is going to take care of them? Aside from the usual, You have to take care of yourself, you need to be healthy yourself, it is just like, If you die on me, I am a man down. So that is one big incentive why they are thinking, OK, we need to start having a better work-life balance. We need to work on physician burnout. And me being from an outside perspective, they are like, What are your thoughts on this? Kevin Pho: One of the things that your article highlights is the concept of medical bushido. Can you explain what that is and how that shapes the physician-patient relationship? Vikram Madireddy: Sure. So I have actually lived a little bit of it now, being here for a few months and witnessing it firsthand. It is kind of like, have you seen that movie with Tom Cruise, The Last Samurai? It is kind of like a slow metamorphosis over months, if not years. I am not at the years level yet. One day, fingers crossed. It is like I am still learning the hallway signs and everything else after being here. It is more muscle memory than simply reading, but I have gotten better at reading the various specialties as I am going around the hospital. At the beginning, I figured, OK, I come in, someone is going to have the reports ready for me, someone is going to have the handover ready for me, and then if I order an X-ray or if I need a procedure, one of the nurses or nursing assistants will handle that. Then I tried to say it in rudimentary Japanese, Sumimasen, I need this EKG. And they are like, Go get it. It is like, What? Then my senpai, or seniors, point me over, and it is like, Oh, no, no, we have to handle that ourselves. It is like every day you come in, you pull up the list, you see what the problems are, just like in America. But then if you need something, if you need a test like a nerve conduction study in neurology, you are going to perform the test yourself and interpret it yourself. If you ask for radiology, they are not going to automatically hand you a report. They are just like, OK, here is the image. You do it. So it is very hands-on, very like you have to put the work in, kind of like a samurai. It is not like, Oh, someone is going to sharpen your sword for you. Someone is going to have your armor ready. It is like, This is your job. This is your equipment. This is your duty. You take care of it from step A to step Z. You will be involved in every step of the process, which is contributing to that burnout which I mentioned earlier. I am telling them, Hey, maybe we should relegate this to a nurse. I understand we need to look at the X-ray, we need to be able to see that in case a radiologist cannot give us a report or it is not ready in time. This is an emergency. But maybe if it is non-urgent or if it is a routine thing, they could take some of the workload off. That is not something they are used to yet, but it is something I just suggested that is a very simple, straightforward thing you could do to make things more efficient. And I know you guys love efficiency, to make things less hectic for us. But I would say that duty to care is very ingrained. I have seen one of my senseis start his day at 6:00 a.m. and then he is there until 11:00 p.m. almost every single day. Kevin Pho: One of the things I want to ask you is about primary care. In the United States, there is a seventy to thirty ratio in favor of specialists, and that ratio is flipped in countries like England where there are more primary care clinicians than there are specialists. What is it like in Japan? Do they value primary care? Is it easy to find a primary care clinician? What is that primary care-specialist ratio like in Japan? Vikram Madireddy: I would say if it is thirty-seventy in America and it is flipped around in England, like seventy percent primary and thirty percent specialists, Japan would fall more sixty-forty for primary to specialists. The training pathway in Japan is historically heavily influenced by England, by Germany, by European countries. Just like in Europe, just like in India, just like in Australia, they start medicine right after high school. It is a six-year degree, like an MBBS, not the BS/MD or BA/MD like we do. After you do that six years, then you are two years kind of like a house officer in England. You are doing four months in gynecology, four months in internal medicine, four months in surgery. Then the next year you are doing four months in psychiatry, another specialty, and so on. So it is very similar to what the British do and then what some of the Europeans do. Then after that, if you want to specialize in, say, neurology, you are going to do some core internal medicine just like in England, then you are going to do neurology. So the whole process, I think for one of my fellows, it took him anywhere between six to eight years to qualify as a specialist in neurology. He had to go through that internal medicine pathway first because, one, you are still expected to take care of primary issues in a neurology patient, like a pyelonephritis or something like that. And at the same time, Japan is like, We still need primary care, so we need bodies. You can specialize, but for a few years, you belong to internal medicine. Kevin Pho: As far as you know, are there current transpacific partnerships as it relates to health care between the United States and Japan? Vikram Madireddy: Yes, for both research and clinical. The most recent one I can think of, when that pandemic hit, I was just starting medical school in 2020. Just like everyone else, that took a huge hit on my mental health, not being able to leave the house, not being able to go through the normal traditional lectures and classes like everybody else before me or after. So we were the first group to really feel the full brunt of that. At the same time, I think my Japanese counterpart and my roommate was finishing his senior year of high school about to apply to medical school, and that really affected him. Mental health is already a problem in Japan, so on top of that, you are trapped in your own home. So for the COVID-19 vaccine, Japanese companies and U.S. companies definitely collaborated there. Another famous partnership in medical research, after we dropped the atomic bomb on Japan, was on the long-term effects of radiation from dropping, hopefully, this once-in-a-lifetime event. We are still seeing the fallout. Japanese clinicians and Americans still talk to survivors. They still look at the historical data, and they are still compiling information on the long-term effects of dropping a giant, lethal weapon of mass destruction the world had never seen on this city. Kevin Pho: We are talking to Vikram Madireddy. He is a neurologist. Todays KevinMD article is How Japan and the United States can collaborate for better health care. Vikram, let us end with some take-home messages that you want to leave with the KevinMD audience. Vikram Madireddy: OK. So I would say that Japanese medicine, learning from a different perspective, a non-Western side, can really open your eyes. It can really help you learn patient empathy because there is a bigger gap versus going from America to a European country or another Western country like Germany. At the same time, some of what they do, their out-of-the-box thinking, their mentality, their culture, how they approach a medical question or a research question, that could help clinicians in America in terms of how they practice medicine and how they approach medical research. Finally, it is always good to just see how medicine is practiced on the other side of the world, or even if you are not a clinician or a doctor, just see how this country lives and how they operate. Because when you meet a new person, you finally have that new perspective. It is like I always assumed, Hey, I am just living in my American bubble. Why can they not learn English? Or, This overwork culture, this suicidal mentality, this is not healthy. And to them, it is completely normal. If you live amongst them for a while, you finally see that, and it is like, Maybe I can figure out a way to explain to them, Hey, your life is worth living,' for example, or, This is a unique way to approach that. Thank you for teaching me. Kevin Pho: Thank you so much for sharing your perspective and insight. Thanks again for coming on the show. Vikram Madireddy: Thank you for having me. Joseph W Gavaghan (known in US as Joseph W. Gavan) was born in the townland of Claddagh, near Aclare, in 1865. He was one of 11 children born on a small farm in the aftermath of the Great Famine and during a period of unrivalled political upheaval in Ireland. I have written previously about Josephs brothers, Henry and Anthony, and common to them all is their humble origins and their meteoric rise to prominence in American life. Achieving such success, coming as they did from a poor Ox Mountain background, is truly remarkable. Bound for New York Joseph followed his brother Anthony to New York, equipped with an education and a similar driving ambition. Alas, Anthony had built up such a rebel-rousing reputation with the authorities in America that it made Joseph change his surname. It would seem that if he felt if he was to stand any chance of success, he would have to distance himself from his older brother and so the new family name, Gavan, came into being. Joseph, who was fluent in English and Irish, arrived in New York in June 1882, aged barely 18. He quickly followed the same route as Anthony in terms of career; he became a journalist with a Long Island newspaper. He later went on to become a lawyer but after some years, he returned to journalism. As de facto head of the new Gavan family, Joseph later supported some of his remaining siblings to move to New York. He even returned home in 1897 to accompany his youngest sister, Annie, on her particular voyage to America. A census report from the time shows Joseph living together with siblings, Henry, Celia and Annie. Joseph quickly became editor of a new newspaper, The Long Island City Democrat, in May 1892. At the time he described the paper as the only democratic paper in Long Island City. He goes on to say he proposes to conduct a clean, family, democratic paper". Joseph was a committed nationalist and never failed to express his desire for Irish freedom through his journalism. Almost instantly he created his own share of trouble and found himself the target of a gun attack. In June 1892, The Evening News (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania) reported on the attempted shooting of Joseph. The report was short and quite to the point. Joseph E. McKenna, leader of the Jeffersonian Democracy in Long Island City, was held in 0 bail for trying to shoot Editor Joseph W. Gavan, of the 'Long Island City Democrat'. Tammany Hall By the late 1890s, Joseph was serving executive roles on some State Commission Boards. However, he soon moved on, taking his reporting skills with him to Philadelphia and Washington. While working as a special correspondent in Washington, he studied at Georgetown University and there received his law degree in 1904. Returning to New York City, he was called to the bar but soon returned to journalism to become the managing editor of the Daily News. Josephs colourful vocabulary brought many demands for his services as a speaker, and he lectured for a time under the auspices of the New York Board of Education. The Society of St Tammany was a New York City political organisation founded in 1786 and later incorporated as the Tammany Society. It was the main local political machine of the Democratic Party and played a major role in controlling New York City and New York State politics. From the 1790s, right up to the 1960s, the society also helped immigrants, most notably the Irish, to rise in American political circles. Joseph was a committed Democrat and friend of the Tammany political machine. He was also a well-known political activist associated with several radical Irish-American organisations and was good friends with fellow attorney, James Mark Sullivan. Sullivan was later arrested for aiding in the 1916 Rebellion. Under his editorship, the New York Daily News served as an organ of Tammany Hall and catered to labour unions, Catholic Church news, and other topics of interest to Irish-Americans. Family feeling While Joseph never married, he nonetheless had a deep commitment to family. After arriving from Ireland, his sisters, Celia and Annie were installed in his New York apartment at 557 West 140th Street as housekeepers to himself and his brother Henry. On the face of it, this might seem a selfish enough act but the alternative - them marrying a poor farmer and having to rear large families back in the Ox Mountains, like their mother had done - was well and truly averted. Joseph and Celia eventually moved out - Joseph to live in Washington and Celia to work in the home of a New York lawyer, Joseph S. Arbarbach. In these early days, Cecilia was a regular guest at receptions at the White House in the company of Joseph. Such events, hosted by President Roosevelt, were common and were put in place to honour the diplomatic corps as well as army and navy personnel. The attendance of the top newspaper people was a vital part of these events. Glass eyes Joseph also wrote promotional pieces in many publications which frequently took the form of advertising blurbs, his use of language giving him a flair for such things. A rather bizarre set of articles, written in his early days as a journalist, extoled the virtues of wearing off all things - a glass eye. The pieces, which appeared in newspapers all over America, were quite graphic and in todays context of political correctness, a little inappropriate. The following extracts give a flavour. The composition eye is worn much by ladies and children as it prevents a distortion of the face. The composition eyes are imported from Germany and have destroyed the market of the glass specimens that are exclusively manufactured in this country. They are generally worn by those who have an injured eye extracted but the majority of the artificial eye wearers are recruited from the ranks of the fair sex, who perchance are squinted or possessed of some other trifling ocular deformity. (Chetopa, Kansas, September 1888). Glass eyes never produce irritation or become painful except when exposed for a long time to a strong flame. This is strictly prohibited. A very amusing instance came under my notice some time ago. A horse dealer, who visited a well-known auction and salesroom in this city, purchased a horse, which, to all appearances, was a model of symmetry and perfection, but two nights afterwards, while standing in front of a lamppost on Broadway, he suddenly became restless and darted through the streets in great fury. When stopped, his owner became alarmed on discovering the animals eye blazing hot, but further investigation laid the swindle bare, and the glass eye was at once extracted. (Knoxville, Tennessee, September 1888). Back in New York, Joseph embarked on a period of prolific writing, completing articles on everything from Saint Patrick to Congressional law. At the age of 70 and clearly in failing health, Joseph W Gavan dies a heart attack on June 17th, 1935. He lies at rest beside his brothers, Anthony and Henry, in a cemetery in Queens, a long way from the stony fields of Claddagh where they played together as young boys. By Cillian Sherlock, PA The drinks sector is the next major area of priority for the European Union in tariff discussions with the US, the Tanaiste has said. Simon Harris said there was a genuine expectation within the bloc that the sector would have received a carve-out from the sweeping 15 per cent tariffs on most exports to the US. Speaking to reporters on Friday, he said there had been a real sense of optimism that a deal would have been reached. Mr Harris said: When it comes to drinks, I feel there was almost an expectation that there was a potential carve out to be done, a deal that would make sense for both sides of the Atlantic Ocean and that didnt happen in the end. He added: We obviously got a different outcome. But I know from my engagement that the European Union has now identified the drinks sector as the next major area of priority But I also know in every negotiation that nothings agreed till everythings agreed and final detail. With the EU-US framework allowing for further discussions, Mr Harris said achieving a better agreement on drinks would be a big deal for Ireland. Mr Harris, who is also the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, said: Theres some space to have further conversations about other sectors and we in Ireland and in fairness, we in the European Union feel very strongly about the drink sector, the alcohol industry, being part of that. He said he had raised the matter with European Commissioner for Trade Maros SefAoviA and US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer. However, he cautioned: Im not expecting a breakthrough on the drink sector imminently. Mr Harris said there are other issues which need to be teased through, including the definition of generic pharma products. Theres a big body of work that needs to be done in relation to that, because theres going to be up to a 15 per cent tariff in general for pharma in the EU. But it does say that effectively, the current regime, ie a zero-for-zero, would maintain for generics. We dont yet have a list of what generics are, and medical devices are the same. What is the list of medical device products? We live in an age of extinction. In the last 500 years or so, the world has lost roughly 181 species of bird, as well as 171 amphibians and 113 mammals. Up to half a million species of insect are thought to have gone extinct in just the last 150 years. Ireland hasnt been spared the tidal wave of extinction that has followed in the wake of human progress, and we are still counting the damage. Thankfully, many of the species weve lost can still be found elsewhere but their absence here is still felt all the same. One such species is the corn bunting. A hundred years ago, this streaky farmland bird could be heard singing in small holdings all around County Mayo. However, changes in farming over the course of the twentieth century would take a terrible toll. Fields were enlarged, squeezing out the hedgerows the corn bunting needed. Insecticides and pesticides decimated the food supply for the chicks, and the gradual move away from cereal cultivation meant less food for the adults as well. The bird made its last stronghold on the Mullet Peninsula - but even here, its days were numbered. By the turn of the millennium, it was gone altogether. Far larger creatures would also go into terminal decline in the last century. In the early 1900s, Mayo was the epicentre of Irelands nascent whaling industry. Norwegian whalers put out from the Inishkeas and Blacksod Bay into the whale-rich waters of the North Atlantic. Among their main targets was the North Atlantic right whale, a fifty-tonne colossus that is now all but extinct in Irish waters. Incredibly, the first right whale in over 100 years was confirmed in Irish waters in 2024. Could this herald a return for this gentle giant? Unlikely, but we can only live in hope. Away from its stunning coast once patrolled by right whales, County Mayos most famous landmark is surely Croagh Patrick. It is, of course, most famous as a holy site, ascended by thousands of pilgrims on Reek Sunday. But it might also have been home to a more elusive resident: the remarkable mountain ringlet butterfly. Only a few specimens of this unusual insect the only montane butterfly we may have ever had are thought to have been collected in Ireland, including some on the slopes of Croagh Patrick. We cant be sure where they were found, or what became of Irelands mountain ringlets after that. What we can be more certain of, though, is that our butterflies are now in freefall. Between 2008 and 2021, for example, 15 of our most common butterfly species saw their cumulative numbers fall by 35 per cent. If this continues, the mountain ringlet might not be the only butterfly lost to Ireland. All is not doom and gloom however. County Mayo is also home to some remarkable conservation success stories. Among them is the lesser horseshoe bat, one of our most remarkable mammals. It weighs about as much as a 2 and can find its prey, even in near total darkness, with melodic echolocation that is lost to human ears. Abandoned houses in the countryside have been repurposed as special reserves for this species. Its numbers have grown as a result, making Ireland a vital outpost for a bat that is now in serious decline across much of the rest of Europe. With luck, a revived network of hedgerows, coupled with more roosts built on farms across their range, could help the bats spread, exchanging genes between isolated colonies and keeping the population healthy into the future. It is to stories like these that we must turn for hope for a future in which man and nature can coexist and, with a little compromise, hopefully flourish together in modern Ireland. There remains much to be done; some would even call it an uphill road. One hundred and twenty-four of our insect species are now at risk of extinction according to the National Biodiversity Data Centre. The plight of some of our rarest breeding birds (including the curlew) and native mammals (such as the pine marten) are now well known. But nature is nothing if not resilient across Ireland, dedicated people are working tirelessly to conserve the wildlife we have. Its not too late. The future is still for us to write. * Acclaimed wildlife author Conor W. OBriens new book, The Living and The Dead - Tales of Loss and Rebirth from Irish Nature, has just been published and is available in all bookshops. By Grainne Ni Aodha, PA Conor McGregors co-defendant, James Lawrence, has issued legal proceedings against Nikita Hand in the High Court. A legal firm said their client, Mr Lawrence, was seeking damages against Ms Hand over abuse of process after he had been subjected to horrendous litigation. They said the action arose from the personal injury action taken against him, in which a jury returned a verdict of not guilty. Ms Hand, 35, successfully sued McGregor in a civil court over an incident in which he was alleged to have brutally raped and battered her in a penthouse at a south Dublin hotel in December 2018. Conor McGregor (Brian Lawless/PA) The jury found McGregor who told the court he had consensual sex with Ms Hand civilly liable for sexual assault. During the same trial in November, the jury did not find Mr Lawrence had assaulted Ms Hand at the hotel. However, the trial judge decided that Ms Hand would not have to pay Mr Lawrences costs. Ms Hand was awarded almost 250,000 in damages and McGregor was also ordered to pay about 1.3 million in legal costs. McGregor then launched an appeal on five grounds, which was dismissed in full by the Court of Appeal in July. The court also dismissed Mr Lawrences appeal against the trial judges decision not to award him his legal costs. The judges raised the fact that McGregor had paid Mr Lawrences legal fees in an arrangement shrouded in mystery. The court also said the impact of awarding costs to Mr Lawrence and them being passed on to McGregor should be taken into account, before dismissing Mr Lawrences appeal. James Lawrence has instructed a solicitor to begin legal proceedings against Nikita Hand (Niall Carson/PA) In a statement marked press announcement, Mulholland Law said it issued High Court proceedings on Friday against Ms Hand on behalf of Mr Lawrence. We have been instructed to seek damages arising from this abuse of process by Ms Hand, her servants and/or agents, in which our client was maliciously subjected to such horrendous litigation, it said. They said Mr Lawrence had co-operated fully with gardai and said the Director of Public Prosecutions determined there was no case against him. It described the legal action taken against him as frivolous, highly improper and vexatious. It said it had exposed him to substantial cost implications and several years of media scrutiny and sensationalist tabloid publications undermining his good standing and character. Our client is reluctantly bringing this action to protect his reputation and his family in pursuit of justice and to ensure truth and transparency. Political Economy and Critical Engagement in South Africa | Essays in Honour of Vishnu Padayachee When: Wednesday, 10 September 2025 - Wednesday, 10 September 2025 Where: Online Event UCT Middle Campus (Woolsack Drive, Rondebosch) School of Economics Building (SOE) Seminar Room Level 4 Start time: 17:00 Enquiries: For more information contact: athenkosi.pono@wits.ac.za RSVP: Political Economy and Critical Engagement in South Africa Political Economy and Critical Engagement in South Africa Essays in Honour of Vishnu Padayachee Edited by Rajend Mesthrie, Robert van Niekerk and Imraan Valodia This book examines contemporary understandings of social change and political economy in a democratic South Africa through the lens of the intellectual, social and political life of Vishnu Padayachee. Padayachee was one of the foremost South African progressive intellectuals who worked on themes of macroeconomics, economic history, development and policy- making, as well as academic leadership, sport and social history. The edited volume critically reflects and engages with these themes in relation to the evolution of emancipatory thought, as well as social change and its challenges in a democratic South Africa. The contributors are drawn from a diverse community of progressive scholars considered among the most eminent in their field who were associated with Padayachee over a period of 50 years in South Africa and globally. Chapters cover the importance of place in relation to Umkomaas and Durban; transformation in the university and its difficulties; trade unionism and the world of resistance politics; the unfolding of macro- economic policies during South Africas transition to democracy; and regional and international trends in economic development and policy. The book also attests to Padayachees enormous contribution to the world of culture, books and sport in tributes that bring the book to a close. ISBN: 978 1 86914 574 3 e-ISBN: 978 1 86914 575 0 Price: R400 Format: 230 x 150mm, 432pp. Softcover Interest: South African history, social change, political economy, politics development studies Rights: World Pub Date: 1 January 2025 Ordering: UKZN Press ramthew@ukzn.ac.za / mbambos@ukzn.ac.za Rajend Mesthrie is Emeritus Professor and former National Research Foundation Research Chair in Language, Migration & Social Change, based at the University of Cape Town. Robert van Niekerk is the Professor and Chair of Public Governance at Wits School of Governance. Imraan Valodia is Professor of Economics, Pro Vice Chancellor (Climate, Sustainability and Inequality) and Director of the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on September 5. The following lecture was delivered by Clara Weiss at the SEP (US) International Summer School, held August 2-9, 2025. It is the fourth and concluding part of the lecture Internationalist Socialism vs. Nationalist Reformism delivered by Clara Weiss, Chris Marsden and Peter Symonds to the 2025 Summer School of the Socialist Equality Party (US) on the history of the Security and the Fourth International investigation. Part 1 was published here; part 2 here; and part 3 here. To accompany this lecture, the WSWS is posting a revised translation of an article by Christian Rakovsky in response to capitulators, and a new translation of a document by the Soviet Trotskyist movement from 1932. The latter document will be published in the coming days. The attacks on the Opposition in 1927 In June 1927, shortly after the crushing of the Chinese Revolution by Chiang Kai-Shek, Trotsky and other leaders of the Opposition were summoned before the Central Control Commission. The Soviet Control Commission tried to indict Trotsky for speeches he had given at the Executive Committee of the Communist International, the highest body of the Comintern. Trotsky angrily rejected the attempt of the Central Control Commissionwhich had been handpicked by Stalinto elevate itself over the leading bodies of the International. He forcefully asserted reminded them, If you are familiar with the Cominterns charter, then you should know that I was not delegated there by our party, but was elected by the Congress, and the charter specifically states that the Comintern is not a collection of individual parties, but an international centralized party that elects its Central Committee at the Congress, and not through delegations from individual parties. Therefore, the members of the Executive Committee of the Comintern, in their activities as members of the ECCI, are not accountable to the sections, i.e., to the organs of individual parties. Such is the statute of the Comintern. I would not recommend violating it.[ 1 ] In the extraordinary session, Trotsky turned what the Stalinist faction had designed as a concerted attack on the Opposition into a counter-assault against the bureaucracy. He bluntly told his accusers that they were sitting there as representatives of that bureaucracy. He also explained, more to the stenographer than to his three Stalinist accusers, the international and class process that had put him in the chair of the accused, and them into the chairs of the accusers. The world revolution had been delayed, and this, he said, is why we have become the opposition. He continued: In 1923 we told it [the Soviet proletariat] that the German proletariat would win soon. Then we talked to it about the impending victory of the general strike in England. None of this materialized. And then came the counter-revolutionary coup in China. All of this has left an imprint on our proletariat. After this, an ebb [of the revolutionary tide] is inevitable, even if it is temporary...[ 2 ] Trotskys conduct and statements at this meeting underscore the extraordinary level of far-sightedness and political consciousness and also the determination with which he engaged in the struggle. As expected, following this session, he was removed from the Central Committee. In the lead-up to the 15th Party Congress in December, all efforts by the Opposition to discuss their views in party cell meetingsthe right of every party memberwere undercut. The 1927 Platform of the Opposition was banned from circulation and discussion, even though it had been signed by 3,688 party members, many of them longstanding party leaders. Oppositionists were banned from speaking with rank-and-file workers at factories, even when they were invited. Already, hundreds of supporters of the Opposition had been arrested. It was clear, certainly to Trotsky, that the Congress would result in the expulsion of the Opposition from the Party. But this did not mean that the Opposition lessened the struggle. On the contrary. At an important meeting on November 5, Trotsky declared, Our line is correct, ideologically we are invincible, you will not crush us We represent a growing international factor in the workers movement ... We accuse the CCC [Central Control Commission] of three basic, interrelated sins: first, capitulation before the world bourgeoisie, secondly, fraternization with the mouthpieces of the world bourgeoisie, thirdly, the desire to destroy the left revolutionary wing [of the party].[ 3 ] He defiantly stated, Your attempts to intimidate us, to push us from the ranks of the workers movement will fail. You can only remove us from the ranks of the workers movement with our flesh and blood.[ 4 ] This last sentence was underlined in red, most likely by Stalin. Following this speech, a supporter of the Stalin faction denounced Trotsky as scum [shtana]. Trotsky, Smilga and Kamenev walked out of the meeting in protest. Two days later, on November 7, the Opposition organized demonstrations to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the October Revolution. The GPU responded with arrests. The apartment of Ivar Smilga, who had been summoned by Lenin almost exactly 10 years earlier to aid the revolutionary uprising in Petersburg and was one of the best-known leaders of the Soviet government, was demolished. Then, at the 15th Party Congress in December 1927, the Opposition was expelled from the party. Ivar Smilga, one of the most prominent leaders of the 1917 revolution, was victimized by the bureaucracy just one decade later. [Photo: Harvard University, Houghton Library, Leon Trotsky Soviet Papers, T-1086] The OGPU operation to liquidate the Soviet Trotskyist movement in 1928-1930 In January 1928, Trotsky was deported to Alma-Ata in what is now Kazakhstan. Thousands were arrested across the USSR. This map shows the colonies of Oppositionists in the USSR. A map with the places where Soviet Oppositionists were exiled and imprisoned. Source: Cahiers de Leon Trotsky, No. 7-8, 1981, pp. 40-41 [Photo: Pierre Saccoman] A large portion of them were located in Siberia and Central Asia, where exiled Oppositionists contracted malaria and other diseases and were cut off from regular communications with the outside world. While executions were not yet on the order of the day, many Oppositionists died from what today would be called a policy of malign neglect. Thus, one of Trotskys closest collaborators and secretaries, Georgy Butov, died of the effects of a hunger strike in prison in September 1928. He was the second of Trotskys secretary to be driven to death. His other three secretaries would all be executed in 1937-1938 after leading major hunger strikes of the Trotskyists in the Gulags. Leon Trotsky's Soviet secretaries were all murdered, directly or indirectly, by the Stalinist bureaucracy. The image for Glazman comes from the public domain. The images for Poznansky, Eltsin and Sermuks come from Source: Harvard University, Houghton Library, Leon Trotsky Soviet Papers, T-1086. No image of Butov has been found. [Photo: Source: Harvard University, Houghton Library, Leon Trotsky Soviet Papers, T-1086] Many oppositionists died of tuberculosis. Although the disease was widely spread at the time, under the Soviet government it had become treatable and survivable. Yet the Stalin faction refused treatment for Oppositionists as a matter of course. Among the most famous victims of this policy were Trotskys youngest daughter, Nina, who played an important role in the Opposition in Soviet Ukraine and on Crimea. She died in June 1928. As Trotsky bitterly noted in a letter shortly before her death, Apparently, these gentlemen have begun to go after my family after they destroyed my secretariat.[ 5 ] Nina Nevel'son, the first of Trotsky's children to die, succumbed to tuberculosis in June 1928. [Photo: Harvard University, Houghton Library, Leon Trotsky Soviet Papers, T-1695] Kote Tsintsadze, a Georgian Old Bolshevik and close friend of Trotsky, died in 1930; Saul Krasnyi, a brilliant young Oppositionist, died from tuberculosis at the age of 29, also in 1930. Iosif Eltsin, another young Oppositionist, was arrested already terminally ill with tuberculosis. His father, Boris Eltsin, repeatedly pleaded with the OGPU that someone who was so gravely ill must be immediately released.[ 6 ] A physician and revolutionary since 1897, Boris Eltsin was the head of the All-Union Soviet Trotskyist Center. He too had been arrested and was placed under conditions that threatened his already poor health. His requests to receive medical treatment and be allowed to join and care for his dying son were denied. To give you a sense of the ferocity of the persecution but also the ongoing struggle of the Opposition, it is worth quoting from the kind of document that now landed on Stalins desk on a regular basis. In internal reports about the crackdown on the Opposition, the Soviet secret police, the OGPU, openly spoke of operations to liquidate the Trotskyist movement. On October 30, 1928that is, almost one year after the expulsion of the Opposition from the partyGenrikh Yagoda, the head of the OGPU, reported to Stalin In view of the serious increase in the activity of the underground Trotskyist organization[involving the] mass distribution of leaflets, attempts to widely involve non-party workers in the opposition movement, preparation of speeches for the 11th anniversary of the October Revolutionthe organization of strikes at enterprises, special columns of demonstrators, etc. preparation of campaigns for the renegotiation of collective agreements, re-election of cell bureaus, factory committees, and councils; a series of speeches at workers meetings, etc.on October 20, we liquidated part of the underground Leningrad activist group. Thirty-nine people were arrested, 15 were temporarily detained, of whom five have already been released as they broke with the opposition as a result of the investigation. The Leningrad factional center, part of the Komsomol center, and a number of active workers were liquidated.[ 7 ] Genrikh Yagoda, the head of the OGPU Reports such as this from 1928-1930 about the liquidation or partial liquidation of the Opposition in Moscow, Kharkov, and many other cities, fill several archival files. The crackdown was facilitated by the far-reaching penetration of the Opposition by the OGPU. In particular, the OGPU exploited a political crisis in the Opposition in 1928-1929 to force individuals who were in the process of capitulating to work for the OGPU inside the ranks of the Opposition. Upon capitulation, former Oppositionists routinely provided extensive testimony to restore themselves in the good graces of the bureaucracyusually a futile endeavor. The result was the type of liquidation operations described by Yagoda above. The first open murder of a Trotskyist occurred in December 1929: Yakov Bliumkin, a supporter of Trotsky in the GPU, was sentenced to death and executed after visiting Trotsky in Prinkipo, where the leader of the revolution had now been exiled. By January 1930, Lev Sedov warned publicly that the Stalinist bureaucracy sought the extermination of the Opposition.[ 8 ] Yakvon Bliumkin, the first Trotskyist to be executed What did the Opposition represent? Despite its infiltration of the Opposition and the ever more violent crackdown, the OGPU had a very hard time to deal with Trotskyism. There are two major reasons for this. First, its political line, especially its criticism of the autarkic conceptions that underlay the First Five-Year Plan and the policy of rapid industrialization and collectivization, were confirmed in the everyday experiences of workers. In Moscow, Leningrad, Kharkov, Kiev, and other major cities, the Opposition was able to grow even after its expulsion from the party, especially among a layer of young workers. Secondly, the Opposition had already become a powerful factor in the international and Soviet working-class movement before the most violent repression started. This fact is essential for an understanding not only of the persecution of the Trotskyist movement but, indeed, for the history of the entire 20th century. The traditional narrative of Soviet historians downplays the role of the Opposition in Soviet life and reduces the inner-party struggle to a contest between personalities. However, a serious examination of the historical record shows that the Opposition was deeply entrenched in Soviet and the international political and intellectual life. Its reach extended far beyond the pure number of cadre it had, substantial though it was. As mentioned before, up until 1927, leaders of the Opposition occupied critical positions within the Soviet party and economic apparatus. But perhaps the most important and complex measure of the Oppositions influence is its intellectual reach. Even as articles by Trotsky and other leaders of the Opposition were censored in Pravda, Oppositionists were on the editorial boards of some of the most important theoretical, literary and economic journals of that time. To name but three examples: Vagarshak Ter-Vaganian was the editor-in-chief of Pod znamenem marksizma (Under the Banner of Marxism). Issues of that journal regularly circulated in copies of between 4,000 and 6,000. Vagarshak Ter-Vaganian, a leading Oppositionist and editor of the eminent theoretical journal "Under the Banner of Marxism" Alexander Voronsky was the editor-in-chief of the journal Krasnaia nov (Red Virgin Soil), which published articles on literature, culture, philosophy and economics. It was one of the most widely read journals, with issues circulating in 7,000 to 14,000 copies. Alexander Voronsky, prominent Marxist literary critic and Oppositionist, and editor of the journal "Red Virgin Soil" Evgeny Preobrazhensky was part of many editorial boards, including that of the Vestnik Kommunisticheskoi akademii, one of the most important journals for theoretical debates and articles on virtually every subject at the time. The average circulation of its issues was 5,000-6,000. Evgeny Preobrazhensky, a leading economist in the 1920s, Oppositionist, and editor of many journals, including the "Herald of the Communist Academy" These three were all Old Bolsheviks who had signed the Declaration of the 46. Theoreticians of the Opposition, including many younger members whose names are all but unknown today, authored hundreds of pamphlets and monographs on a wide variety of subjects that circulated in hundreds of thousands of copies. This graph gives an overview of the scale of the literary production of the Opposition. I deliberately excluded the published works of Trotsky and those of figures like Evgeny Preobrazhensky, whose writings have been largely translated. I will note, however, that the 19 volumes of Trotskys Collected Works, though never finished and increasingly suppressed, were printed in 325,000 copies. I also did not count articles that appeared in Pravda, which circulated in half a million copies per issue. For many titles, I was unable to establish the exact number of issues in which they were printed. Published works by Soviet Oppositionists, 1922-1932. This count excludes works by Trotsky, Preobrazhensky, Zinoviev, Kamenev and Radek as well as articles in Pravda Even so, we are talking about a minimum of 26,147 printed pages, and well over 1.8 million copies of writings by just 51 Oppositionists in circulation. The range of topics covered is also significant: The Oppositionists were preoccupied not simply with Soviet matters but with fundamental questions of international strategy, history and Marxist theory. The Chinese and German revolutions as well as Marxist philosophy and economics, along with literature, were perhaps the central topics they focused on. In both composition and outlook, the Opposition was thus, as Trotsky correctly stated, an international tendency. A visualization of the volume of materials published by Soviet Oppositionists, 1922-1932. This graph excludes works by Trotsky, Preobrazhensky, Zinoviev, Kamenev and Radek as well as articles in Pravda To give just a few examples: This was a popular political dictionary, compiled by Boris Eltsin, whom I mentioned before. It explained Marxist terminology to the everyday worker and was printed in at least four editions. We know that the 1924 edition encompassed 150,000 copies and the 1927 edition 90,000. The "popular political dictionary" compiled by Opposition leader Boris Eltsin This is an outstanding pamphlet on Rosa Luxemburg by Isaak Alter, a native of Poland and leader of the Opposition in Leningrad, from the fall of 1927. It was published in 8,000 copies. The pamphlet "Rosa Luxemburg in the Fight against Reformism" by Isaak Alter, one of the most important theoreticians and leaders of the Opposition in Leningrad Grigory Yakovin, one of the principal theoretical leaders of the Opposition and, in the words of Trotsky, a brilliant Marxist scholar, authored an extremely important, 300-page history of the German Revolution and workers movement. It was published in 1927 in 4,000 copies. This is a study of the Agrarian Question in India by Fedor Dingelshtedt. Trotsky made use of it in his later letters and notes on India. Interestingly, it was published as late as 1928, when the author was already imprisoned. It was printed in 3,000 copies. Fedor Dingelshtedt, a young leader of the Opposition, and the cover of his book on the agrarian question in India. [Photo: Dmitry Barinov, Trotskii, Zinovev, universitet, St. Petersburg, 2023] Beginning in the late 1920s, these books were systematically pulped and destroyed. Many of them, including Yakovins study of the German revolution, were listed as books to be removed from libraries by the Soviet secret service well into the 1970s. With a handful of exceptions, the authors were murdered. Many of them, including Yakovin and Dingelshtedt played an important role in the leadership of the Opposition throughout the 1930s. By 1931, they were among the 200 Oppositionists imprisoned in the Verkhne-Uralsk political isolator. They co-authored documents of immense historic significance that were only discovered seven years ago, in 2018, and published in full in Russian in 2022. The cover of the pamphlet The Crisis of the Revolution and the Tasks of the Proletariat. Source: Tetradi Verkhne-Uralskogo politicheskogo izolatora In their most important document, from 1932, The Crisis of the Revolution and the Tasks of the Working Class, they consistently defended the conception of permanent revolution against the autarkic conception of socialism in one country and analyzed the betrayal of the world revolution by the Stalinized Communist International. Despite working under immensely difficult conditions, they had a clear understanding of the place of the Trotskyist movement in the development of the world socialist revolution. They wrote, The Leninist opposition is above all an international tendency. Its emergence and development are rooted in the profound changes in the whole international situation in the wake of the defeat of the first wave of the European revolution in [19]21-23.[ 9 ] A group of Soviet Oppositionists in exile. The one standing under number "1" is Fedor Dingelshtedt. [Photo: Harvard University, Houghton Library, Leon Trotsky Soviet Papers, T-1086] In early 1933, Dingelshtedt signed one of the most extraordinary documents of the Soviet Trotskyist movement of that period which powerfully confirmed that the imprisoned Soviet Trotskyists shared and helped develop Trotskys analysis of the rise of Nazism in Germany which will be discussed at greater length in the next lecture. After analyzing the role played by the Stalinist bureaucracy in the rise of Nazism, they concluded The world revolution is entering one of its most dramatic phases. To explain this to the workers of the entire world, to mobilize the workers, to make sure that the working class understands the causes that have led to this stage, that it understands that the victory of the proletariat is impossible under the Stalinist regime that international Stalinism is one of the decisive barriers that the working class needs to crush in order to overcome the giant wave of world reactionthis is our primary task. And we are obliged to fulfill it with all the possibilities and in all forms that we have at hand.[ 10 ] Conclusion By the early 1930s, the Stalinist leadership had turned the USSR into the center of political anti-Marxism and counter-revolutionary violence. More so than ever before, the fight for the continuity of the Marxist movement had to be waged primarily on an international level and in a direct struggle to destroy the movement physically. When Stalin deported Trotsky to Prinkipo, an island in Turkey, in early 1929, he mistakenly thought that by physically removing Trotsky from the levers of power, he could do away with Trotskyism. But he miscalculated. The Trotskyists never relinquished the fight, not within and not outside the borders in the USSR. The political struggle for the continuity of Marxism by Trotsky in the 1920s laid the basis for the emergence of the Trotskyist movement as a powerful force in Soviet and international politics. It provided the theoretical and political basis upon which the Soviet Trotskyists could continue the fight. [Photo: Harvard University, Houghton Library, Leon Trotsky Soviet Papers,] It was only through the most barbaric counter-revolutionary violence that the Stalinist bureaucracy was able to silence a large portion of the international Trotskyist movement. All active Soviet Trotskyists were annihilated in the Great Terror, and, in August 1940, Leon Trotsky was assassinated. These developments will be the subjects of the subsequent lectures. This text was written in 1929 by Christian Rakovsky (1873-1941), one of Trotskys closest friends and allies. After Trotskys deportation to Turkey, Rakovsky became the most important leader of the Soviet Opposition, which was by now dispersed across the Soviet Union, with its members scattered across exile colonies and prisons. Rakovsky here responds to the capitulation of three of the most important leaders of the Opposition of the period 1923-1927: Ivar Smilga, Evgeny Preobrazhensky, and Karl Radek. Their capitulation was one of many in the midst of an intense political crisis that erupted in the wake of the defeat of the Chinese Revolution and the expulsion of the Opposition. Rakovsky describes in detail how the GPU exploited and aggravated this political crisis through its ruthless methods of repression and manipulation. At the same time, he draws a sharp line of political demarcation between the Oppositionists who refused to capitulate to Stalinism and the capitulators. Rakovsky himself, worn out and in ill health after decades of struggle and years of persecution, eventually capitulated in 1934. The historic defeat of the German working class with the coming to power of Hitler in 1933 played a central role in his capitulation. Though this was a severe blow to Trotsky and the Opposition, their struggle continued. Rakovsky himself would soon be arrested and sent into the camps. One of the most outstanding representatives of the internationalist-Marxist wing of the revolutionary labor movement, Rakovsky was murdered by Stalinist henchmen in a camp in September 1941, shortly after the Nazi assault on the Soviet Union. Christian Rakovsky We are publishing here the translation of this article that appeared in The Militant in 1930, with slight edits and additional footnotes, to accompany the lecture The Stalinist bureaucracy launches a war on the Trotskyist movement. The departure of the capitulators from the Opposition served as a further impetus to the crisis that was ripening within it. Mass arrests, provocations everywhere, solitary confinement, the hard material conditions of the exiles as a result of the reduction by half of the food ration, the banishment of L. Trotsky, etc., all fueled this. In addition, a certain division developed in the Opposition caused by the left course of the Centrist leadership. Without the severe persecutions, the left course would have pushed new sympathizers into the ranks of the Opposition, because it would signify the intellectual bankruptcy of centrism. But it is just as true to say that without the new course the persecutions would not have had the effect they have now achieved. The left course played the part of fig-leaf for centrist decay and opportunism. Between two fires It is superfluous to detail the methods of persecution. Well note only that it manifested itself not in open violence alone but also in depriving the Opposition of the elementary rights of correspondence. The G.P.U. extended to the capitulators its own particular kind of technical aid, reaching the point where the apparatus itself, in certain localities, distributed their documents. Some of the capitulators stayed with the Opposition but acted according to the instructions of the apparatus (Ishchenko)[ 1 ] or according to the preliminary agreement with it (negotiations between Preobrazhensky and Yaroslavsky[ 2 ], or Preobrazhensky and Ordzhonikidze).[ 3 ] As a result, the bombardment of the Opposition proceeded from two shores: the Centrists and the capitulationists. The Opposition was caught between two fires. The famous freedom of correspondence actually amounted to a real freedom for the capitulators and to an abstract freedom for the Leninist Opposition. A differentiated postal policy was even applied: the documents of the capitulators were not allowed to reach those comrades from whom a definite resistance could have been expected. Answers to the capitulators documents were suppressed entirely. The intellectual crisis had begun already a year ago last April. Preobrazhensky and Radek were the inciters of the revaluation of values, the first with a certain consistency, the second, as usual, wriggling and making jumps from the very extreme left position to the very extreme right and back again. Radek, by the way, reproached Preobrazhensky for his negotiations with Yaroslavsky. Evgeni Preobrazhensky Preobrazhensky was writing and saying approximately the following: The Centrists leadership is beginning to fulfill one part of the Platform [of 1927],[ 4 ] its economic part; as far as the political part of the Platform goesit will be realized by life itself. The Opposition has fulfilled its historical mission. It has exhausted itself. It ought to come back to the party and rely on the natural course of events. Thus, the question of the interpretation of the Platform created two camps: the revolutionary Leninist camp fighting for the realization of its whole Platform, as formerly the party fought for the whole program, and the opportunist capitulatory camp, which expressed its readiness to be satisfied with industrialization and the policy of collectivizing agriculture, not giving a thought to the fact that without the realization of the political part of the Platform the whole socialist construction could go up in smoke. Defects in the Opposition arguments of the capitulators The Opposition, which came out of the party, is not free, in certain of its sections, from the defects and habits cultivated by the apparatus year after year. It is not free, first of all, from a certain dose of philistinism. The bureaucratic atavism is especially hard to kill in those Oppositionists who used to stand closest to the leadership of the party or the Soviet apparatus. It is infected partly with the fetishism of the party card in contrast to loyalty to the party itself, to its ideals, it historical taskloyalty inherent only in those who still want to fight further for the reformation of the party. Finally, it is not free from that most injurious psychology of the falsifiers of Leninism, which was cultivated by the same apparatus. That is why each capitulator, running away from the Opposition, will not miss a chance to kick Trotsky with his small hoof, shod with the nails of the Yaroslavsky-Radek factory. In different conditions this inheritance of the apparatus would be easily outgrown. In the present conditions of heavy repression it comes out on the body of the Opposition in the form of an eruption of capitulators. The sifting out of those who did not think the Platform through to the end, who dream of quiet comfort, naively hiding it under the desire to take part in grandiose fights, was inevitable. Moreover, this sifting out may have a salutary effect on the ranks of the Opposition. Those who do not regard the Platform as a sort of restaurant menu from which anyone can pick out a dish according to his own taste will stay in. The Platform was and remains the war-banner of Leninism, and only its complete realization can lead the party and the proletarian land out of the blind alley into which they were herded by the Centrist leadership. Those who understand that precisely the fight of the Opposition is that grandiose fight on the issue of which depends the future of socialist construction, the fate of the Soviet power, of the world revolutionthose will not desert their posts. As a leitmotif in the theses of the capitulators, the same thought was repeated again and again: We must return to the party. One who does not know the story of our expulsion from the party might think that we left it ourselves and voluntarily went into exile. To put the question that way means to transfer the responsibility for our being in exile and out of the party from the Right-Centrist leadership to the Opposition. We were in the party and we wished to stay in it even when the Right-Centrist leadership denied the very necessity of drawing up any kind of a five-year plan, and calmly encouraged the kulaks growing into socialism. Still more do we wish to be in the party now, wheneven if only in one part of ita left turn is taking place, and when it has gigantic tasks before it to fulfill. But the question before us is of an entirely different order: Will we agree to abandon the Leninist line to please Centrist opportunism? The greatest enemy of the proletarian dictatorship is a dishonest attitude towards ones convictions. The Catholic church compels an atheist to be converted to Catholicism on his death-bed. Similarly, the party leadership, which extorts from the Oppositionists a recognition of imaginary mistakes and a denial of their own Leninist convictions, loses, by this very fact, every right to be respected. The Oppositionist who changes his convictions overnight deserves only scorn. This practice encourages a clamorous, light-minded, skeptical attitude towards Leninism, the typical representative of which Radek has again become, generously scattering to the right and to the left his philistine aphorisms about moderation. The types of Shchedrin[ 5 ] are eternal. They are reproduced by each epoch of social-political relations, with only their historical costumes changed. Arguments of the capitulators One of the favorite methods of the capitulators is to sow panic by depicting the present conditions in the country as pre-Kronstadt conditions (Preobrazhenskys expression). On his way to Moscow, at the Ishim train station, Radek represented the struggle between the Rights and Centrists as similar to that which took place in the Convention on the eve of the Ninth of Thermidor (during the French revolution). He said: They are preparing arrests for each other. Radek pointed out also that the Rights might get hold of the majority in the Central Committee and the Central Control Commission, although out of approximately 300 members and candidates in the last Plenum, the Rights did not get more than a dozen votes. The same people who, in their declaration of July 13, assert that the Centrist leadership has completely prevented the back-sliding, or the rolling (as they delicately express themselves so as to save the virginal modesty of the leadership), are now saying, in other circumstances, something altogether different. Which to believe? But even if we accept the first hypothesis, does it not follow from that that we must sacrifice Leninism to Centrist opportunism? Of course not! In the brief periods of his intellectual enlightenment, Radek understood this perfectly. Last year, after the July plenum of the Central Committee, he wrote to Rakovsky in Astrakhan that Stalin had completely surrendered his position, that the Rights will seize power, that Thermidor is on the threshold, that what the Leninist Opposition has got to do is to preserve the theoretical heritage of Leninism. A political person must take into consideration the possible variations of events in the future, but his tactics would become risky adventurism if he were to base them only upon confused suppositions. The following small example shows how impermissible it is: I. N. Smirnov supposed that the C[entral] C[ommittee], in view of the difficult conditions in the country, would not demand from the trinity a capitulatory document. But seeing the negotiations slow up, Smirnov wrote a postal card on July 12: I think, that the alleviation of the crisis (the harvest) played a definite part in it. The capitulators themselves, by the way, spread rumors about the conciliatory moods of the Centrist leadership towards the Rights, in connection with the above-mentioned good harvest. It is doubtful if even those moods are lasting. The liquidation of the Right leaders, their removal from leading posts, seems to be a settled question. Radek is always ready! The Centrist leadership cleared the way to the left and to the right so as to maneuver itself. If it makes up its mind to a new swing to the right, the removal of the Right leaders will insure it against the loss of power. Exactly in the same way, it is indispensable for it to remove the Left Opposition: to remove a political group which could stand at the head of the left current in the party, and which is now fighting particularly against bureaucratic methods of rationalization at the expense of the working class. In answer to a question about Trotsky, Radek said at Ishim: We may have to make concessions to the peasants, and Trotsky will accuse us of Thermidorianism. Does this mean that some kind of rumor has already reached Radeks trained ear, or is it that, wishing to please the hidden desires of the Centrist leadership, this political Communist youth shouts in advance: Always ready! No one can guarantee that in case of a new grain strike[ 6 ], the Centrist leadership will not jump from Article 107against the Kulakto the Neo-NEP. On the contrary, it is very probable that they will. Karl Radek * * * The declaration of the trio on July 13 [1928] is a false and opportunist document. One part of it is a continuation of the work which the three had been conducting already last year, and especially in the latest months, spreading false notions about the opinions prevalent among the Opposition. By making the accusation against Trotsky and the Opposition, claiming that they assert that power is not in the hands of the working class, that Trotsky is revising Leninism, and that the Opposition as a whole is going towards the creation of a new party, the three capitulators furnish, by this very fact, a new weapon to the party leadership for the further persecution of the Opposition. In its second part, the declaration of July 13 tries to rehabilitate not only the majority of the C.C. but also the whole past policy of the Right-Center bloc. The policy of the Right-Center bloc, which promoted the strengthening of the class enemy, is now being presented as a Leninist policy; the policy of the Leninist Opposition, on the contrary, under the direct influence of which the line of the party, if even but partially, was straightened outis presented as anti-Leninist. With its declaration of July 13, the trio openly embarked on the path of sophistry of Leninism, which most people are engaged in. Instead of a Marxist discussion of the concrete changes that took place in the Soviet state during its existence (its economic, political, and legal institutions and in the relationships of classes in the country), the capitulators began a metaphysical argument about the nature and the essence of the proletarian dictatorship in general. They imitate the chaff-threshing metaphysicians, scholastics, and sophists against whom every page and line of the works of Marx, Engels, and Lenin rebel. This argument, worthless from the standpoint of historical materialism, has nevertheless pursued a definite practical goal. Unceremoniously distorting the texts taken from the documents of their adversaries, replacing the terms Centrism and Centrist leadership with the terms Soviet government and proletarian dictatorship, the capitulators intended to advance, step by step, to the point where they could call Centrism one hundred percent Leninism. To call such methods of polemics anything but theoretical forgery is impossible. What Radek & Co. overlooked In their document, the capitulators write: We overlooked (!) the fact that the policy of the C.C. was and remains Leninist. How does it happen that it was Leninist, when it was one half enacted by the Rights, against whom the capitulators call for a struggle in the same document? But you cannot demand from people who have accepted the road of intellectual capitulation to be logical. Even before the actual presentation of their declaration, the trio were getting the comrades in exile ready for their evolution. Already in a letter from Radek, who was then in Barnaul, from May 21, the word Centrism disappears and in its place appears a Stalinist nucleus, which proves to be more left than the workers sector of the party. In the document Questions and Answersa commentary on the draft of the declaration with which Preobrazhensky had left for Moscowthe term Centrism is already put in quotation marks. But while wearing out the front steps of the C.C.C. [Central Control Commission]., Preobrazhensky lost the quotation marks as well as the term itself, together with his draft of the declaration. Some people assert that there never was but one copy of that draft made. Probably Preobrazhensky did not want to leave any material traces of the swift metamorphosis to which his sociological nature was doomed. Neither was anything left of the heroic pose which Smilga, on the trip from Minusinsk to Moscow,[ 7 ] assumed against Centrism. The basic issue between the capitulators and the Leninist Opposition was and remains Centrism. To those whose memory is short, it is necessary to recall how Centrism was defined by the Platform. Centrism, as its name testifies, represents a tendency to sit on the fence: It does not consistently reflect either the interests of the proletariat or the interests of the bourgeoisie. Centrism is distinguished by its eclecticism. It introduced into Communism its own intellectual substitutes, like the building of socialism in one country, the developmentwithout conflictof socialist economy, making middle peasants out of the whole peasantry, and similar inventions. The Platform regarded as the basis of Centrism the upravlentsythe party and Soviet bureaucracy, breaking away more and more from the working class and aspiring to secure jobs, or according to Preobrazhensky in Questions and Answers hereditary ones. The third peculiarity of the apparatus-Centrist group consists, according to the Platform, in its desire to substitute itself for the party; in seizing more and more power in its hands; in a haughty and scornful attitude towards the massesespecially towards the unskilled workers and farm hands; in intolerance of discussions and persecution of the Left Opposition (Fire to the Left!). The capitulators turn to slander Powerless to fight the Leninist Opposition with the aid of the Platform, seeing that it is impossible to acquire any considerable number of sympathizers by metaphysical tight-rope walking around the essence of power, the capitulators turned to slandera favorite method of every theoretically beaten movement. They accused Trotsky of playing with the idea of a revolt and the idea of a bloc with the Rights. It is a double hypocrisy when such accusations come from people who know the complete and enduring loyalty of Trotsky not only to the Soviet government but also to his enemies in the party. On their part, accusations of this sort are a demagogic move to cover their own sympathies towards the Rights. This is especially true of Radek, about whom there is evidence that, being in exile, he did not hide his sympathies for the followers of Brandler. Later on Radek gave some involved explanations of his behavior, similar to those he gave at the time when it was discovered that he, Radek, and no one else, insisted in January 1928 that Trotsky give an extensive interview (it would be more correct to say: extensive political declaration) to the Moscow correspondent of the Berliner Tageblatt. These pretended enemies of the Right will now try choking the Leninist Opposition, in company with the Rights and the Centrists. The banishment of Trotsky united the Right-Center leadership with the capitulators. From Bukharin, who voted for the banishment, to Radek and Smilga, a united front has been formed against the Leninist Opposition. We can confidently assert that in accomplishing its Thermidorian act, the Centrist leadership expected to facilitate the work of the capitulators. In their turn, Radek and Smilga, in starting a campaign for separation from Trotsky, were coming to the rescue of the party leadership. If the latter had not been sure of the support of the capitulators, it would never have ventured upon such a mad performance. California Gov. Gavin Newsom walks to the dais of the State Assembly during the assembly's Organizational Session in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. [AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli] The California state legislature has passed a bill (SB 98) requiring schools and universities to prepare plans to notify parents, students and faculty whenever federal immigration enforcement agents appear on campus. If signed by Governor Gavin Newsom by October 12, the legislation would remain in effect until 2031. The bill would require California K-12 schools, community colleges and state universities to send immediate notification to all pupils, parents, guardians, teachers, staff, and relevant community members if immigration enforcement officers are present or confirmed at a school or campus. Notifications would include details such as the date, time, and location of the confirmed enforcement activity, along with links to additional resources, ensuring privacy and excluding any personally identifiable information. The alleged intent is to prevent panic and maintain a sense of safety and security for all students, particularly those from immigrant families, by providing timely and transparent communication. The claims of protections offered by SB 98 are entirely cynical. The notifications required by the bill are to be sent after immigration enforcement is already present on campus. They do not provide advance warning or prevent raids from occurring, leaving students and families to react in real time to armed federal agents. In practice, the legislation shifts responsibility onto the working-class victims themselves, forcing parents, students, and faculty to scramble for safety while the state takes no meaningful action to halt the raids. Democratic officials present the legislation as a humane defense of immigrant families. In reality, it is a reactionary maneuver designed to pacify social opposition while it normalizes immigration raids and channels growing anger over Trumps escalating mass deportation campaign into controlled and politically harmless outlets. The measure emerges amid unprecedented ICE operations across California, including heavily militarized raids in Los Angeles and arrests at schools over the summer. According to official estimates, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nations second largest, serves more than 30,000 immigrant students, roughly one-quarter of whom are undocumented. Entire communities now live under constant fear of separation, abuses, detention and deportation. State Senator Sasha Renee Perez, who authored the bill, admitted: The presence of immigration enforcement officers can have detrimental effects on studentsespecially those who may be undocumented or otherwise without permanent status. Yet Perez and her colleagues do nothing to challenge these raids or stop ICE operations altogether. Their warnings serve only to deflect responsibility while maintaining full collaboration with federal authorities. Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, a Democrat from Torrance, declared: Students cannot learn unless they feel safe. For decades we had a bipartisan agreement to keep educational institutions, schools, campuses, free from immigration enforcement activities. Muratsuchis statement exposes the true character of the legislation. Far from confronting the assault on immigrant families, Sacramento is codifying a new status quo: campuses are no longer safe zones. Federal raids are now treated as inevitable, and the states role is reduced to issuing text messages and emails warning students and their families to prepare for the arrival of armed federal agents. At Los Angeles Unified, school officials have pleaded with immigration authorities not to conduct raids during school hours, a request that underscores the Democrats political cowardice. Esther Mejia, executive officer of the UC Student Association, said: We all deserve the opportunity to pursue our education free from fear, terror and intimidation. The reality is precisely the opposite. This legislation accepts and normalizes a future in which armed federal agents roam school campuses. Meanwhile, families are warned to seek safety and immigrant students grow up in a constant state of surveillance and terror. Far from being a safe haven, California is actively integrating state and federal agencies as well as educational institutions into a unified repressive framework. Governor Newsom, in particular, plays a two-faced role. While Democrats posture as defenders of immigrant rights, Newsom has expanded funding for border militarization, surveillance infrastructure and police deployments, including the California Highway Patrol (CHP), which he has recently placed at the center of two major new state enforcement regimes: A statewide crime suppression expansion, authorizing CHP to intervene aggressively in working-class neighborhoods under the pretext of combating organized crime. A homeless encampment clearance task force, in which CHP officers coordinate with local police to forcibly evict unhoused residentsoften immigrants and low-wage workersfrom public spaces. The bill, moreover, cannot be understood outside the broader context of the ongoing coup underway in Washington, D.C., where President Donald Trump is consolidating authoritarian power and expanding federal repression across the country. Through this coup, the state apparatus, including ICE, the Department of Homeland Security and militarized federal police forces, are being wielded to suppress political opposition and terrorize immigrant communities. From Washington, the Trump administration is extending its operations into Chicago, Los Angeles, and other major urban centers, integrating immigration raids along with crime suppression offensives and mass police deployments under the pretext of restoring law and order. Trump has announced plans to deport millions of immigrants through sweeping military-style operations, mobilizing federal and local forces as well as private contractors. These plans are already being tested in California, where ICE raids have increased in scope and coordination. A group of 115 House Democrats, called The New Democrat Coalitions Immigration and Border Security Task Force, issued a recent immigration reform proposal exemplifying the Democrats role in advancing repressive, bipartisan immigration policies. The plan, introduced by Arizona Representative Greg Stanton and California Representative Salud Carbajal, seeks to significantly bolster border enforcement by increasing the number of Border Patrol agents and Customs and Border Protection officers, and implementing advanced surveillance technologies. While it proposes pathways to legal status for certain undocumented immigrants, such as Dreamers and Temporary Protected Status holders, it imposes stringent conditions, including fines and background checks, that effectively criminalize the undocumented population. The Democrats framework mirrors the Trump administrations approach, institutionalizing a system of repression and underscoring their complicity. The Democrats role must also be viewed in relation to their broader political adaptation to the far right. The ongoing gerrymandering wars in California, Texas and across the country demonstrate that the Democrats are not fighting Trumps authoritarian agenda but are active participants in the breakdown of American democracy. Both parties are engaged in an undemocratic struggle to redraw electoral maps to manipulate districts and maintain capitalist political dominance amid growing social unrest. The product of these reactionary maneuvers is a deepening disenfranchisement of the working class, particularly immigrants, as well as students and low-income communities. The Democrats campus alert bill exposes a fundamental reality: neither Democratic nor Republican parties can defend immigrants, students, or democratic rights. The bipartisan assaultfrom Trumps ongoing coup and mass deportations to Newsoms CHP-led repressionreflects a unified strategy to protect ruling-class interests. The attacks on immigrant students and families are the first stage of a broader offensive against the entire working class, targeting all workers regardless of status. Raids, mass detentions and militarized policing are being tested on the most vulnerable as a template for repressing resistance to inequality, exploitation, dictatorship and war. To resist, the working class must act independently, breaking from both capitalist parties and the trade union bureaucracy in a struggle for international socialism. Attacks on immigrants in California are linked to authoritarianism, genocide, imperialist war and social counterrevolution worldwide. Only through the international unification of the working class and the overthrow of capitalisma system of oppression, dictatorship, and warcan true equality, freedom, and democratic rights be secured. Without any prior notice, the Albanese Labor government this week tabled in parliament a huge bill designed to further gut the already limited and severely eroded Freedom of Information (FOI) laws. In particular, facing growing social and political discontent, the government wants to extend the secrecy surrounding all supposedly cabinet-related documents. Containing hundreds of amendments, the bill was obviously long in preparation, but it was never mentioned during the May 3 election campaign. In fact, in both the 2022 and 2025 federal elections, the Labor government postured as an opponent of the previous Liberal-National governments anti-democratic secrecy and the Coalitions Trump-style authoritarian agenda. Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressing a press conference on September 21, 2024 [AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File] Labors bill, personally championed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, is the most serious attack on the FOI laws for decades. It is not taking place in a political vacuum. It marks another move to prevent public and even parliamentary scrutiny of Labors pro-corporate, anti-immigrant and militarist program, on top of its secretive deal for mass deportations to Nauru, continued furtive permits for weapons exports to Israel as the US-backed Gaza genocide intensifies and closed-door talks with the Trump administration. Albanese and Attorney-General Michelle Rowland claimed that the changes were needed to halt a deluge of vexatious or spam FOI applications. That is clearly false. The official statistics show that the number of applications has halved under the Labor government, accompanied by lengthy delays. Albanese and his ministers added another sham national security scare campaign. They declared, without providing any evidence whatsoever, that offshore actors or foreign agents were exploiting the FOI laws to interfere in Australia, for potentially nefarious purposes. That assertion came just after the government and the domestic spy agency ASIO accused Iran of orchestrating alleged antisemitic attacks in Australia, quickly winning praise from US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The key aspects of Labors bill include: The existing FOI Act exemption for documents related to cabinet-related decisions would be expanded to include anything that has been supposedly brought to the cabinets attention, even for noting, or that might inform something that is shown to cabinet in future. Any document in which ministers, public servants or other officials record their thoughts about policy could be exempted as deliberative materialincluding what the bills explanatory memorandum calls blue-sky thinking that might relate to some future policy deliberation. Powers for the Information Commissioner (IC) to set as-yet-unknown fees for FOI applications, internal agency review requests and first-level tribunal reviews by the IC office itself, all of which are currently free. Unprecedented powers for ministers and officials to arbitrarily reject FOI applications as vexatious or seeking to disrupt government operations. Ministers and officials could also refuse an FOI application if it allegedly would involve more than 40 hours of searching and processing timewhich includes the time taken to decide whether to release documents. Above all, Labors reforms are intended to extend cabinet-related secrecy. Under the current FOI laws, documents that have the dominant purpose of possibly going to cabinet for potential discussion are exempt from being disclosed. A key change would alter the wording from dominant purpose to substantive purpose. That will allow a wider bar on access to any documents that ministers or top officials say could be contained in a submission to cabinet. For the same purpose, Labors bill would alter the FOI Acts public interest test to block access to deliberative documents whose disclosure could prejudice the frank or timely provision of advice to a minister or prejudice the orderly and effective conduct of a government decision making process. The introduction of FOI fees is calculated to prevent applications by ordinary people, not wealthy or well-resourced ones. Already, FOI applications are complicated and rarely free in practice. Ministers and government agencies have wide powers to impose hefty charges for time allegedly spent locating, deciding on and releasing documents. For all the governments claims about being inundated by vexatious applications, the numbers have halved since the days of the Howard Coalition government, when 42,627 requests were made in 2003-2004 at the height of the invasion of Iraq, the stepped-up domestic war on terrorism and mass imprisonment of asylum seekers. The latest FOI annual report shows that during the first two years of the Albanese government, about 21,000 FOI requests were determined per year. That was the lowest since the Gillard Labor government, when 20,000 requests were processed in 201011. One reason for the fall in FOI applications is the worsening rates of delay and rejections under the Labor government. Ministers and agencies are meant to reply to FOI applications within 30 days, but that time limit can be extended. No time limit exists for a review by the Information Commissioner (IC). The average waiting time for an IC review has blown out to 15.5 months, often making pointless the release of documents. In one case, the Federal Court ruled that a delay of nearly three years in an IC review of an FOI rejection was not unreasonable. Further delays occur if an IC decision to uphold the blocking of a documents release is appealed to the Administrative Review Tribunal and/or the courts, where substantial fees apply as well. A recent Centre for Public Integrity report showed that, in 202223, the proportion of FOI-requested documents fully released had more than halved to 25 percent, from 59 percent in 202122. The report said the FOI regime was severely compromised by systemic secrecy and persistent delays. The Albanese government had overseen the most dramatic decline in full disclosures since records began. The governments bid to expand the cabinet documents FOI exemption directly contradicts the Robodebt royal commission reports recommendation for the partial abolition of that exemption. The Robodebt system, protected by the Liberal-National governments secrecy about its illegality, unlawfully claimed nearly $2 billion from at least 433,000 welfare recipients between 2015 and 2019. Lives were shattered, including by suicide, all in an effort to slice billions of dollars off the welfare budget, while ministers made it nearly impossible for the victims to obtain any information about the automated scheme. Likewise, the Albanese governments assault on FOI rights is connected to its drive to cut social spending, including on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), to make way for the allocation of hundreds of billions of dollars for the AUKUS pact and other military spending in preparation for involvement in US-led wars, especially against China. The Labor government is seeking to eliminate access to its deliberations for one reason onlyto ensure that the population has no oversight over the actions of ministers and departments. This is designed to increasingly create the conditions for possible illegal and anti-democratic measures to be imposed on a population that has been denied the relevant information. This is under conditions where the Labor government, in tandem with the Liberal-National opposition, pushes through legislation about which no one is informed in advance. In fact, in its secrecy drive, the Labor government is going beyond that of the Liberal-National government. Under that government, the Labor leaders claimed to oppose Prime Minister Scott Morrisons extension of the FOI cabinet documents exemption to the unconstitutional wartime-like National Cabinet formed in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Labor also said it opposed Morrisons secret appointment of himself to at least five pivotal ministries, including the treasury and home affairs cabinet posts, handing him direct control over government finances and the main security and intelligence agencies, such as ASIO and the Australian Federal Police. Once in office, Albaneses government covered up both developments, and awarded Morrison the countrys highest official honour, Companion of the Order of Australia. Morrison was honoured for deepening the integration of successive Australian governments into the war plans of US imperialism, while shutting down COVID-19 safety measures and assaulting the conditions of workers and welfare recipients. Now the Albanese government is outdoing the Liberal-National Coalition in seeking to eviscerate the FOI laws. It is doing everything it can to suppress rising dissent and opposition as it intensifies the austerity and war agenda of the ruling class. Immigration and federal agents conduct mass arrests of workers at Hyundai, Georgia plant, September 4, 2025. [Photo: ATF] On Thursday, multiple federal agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), carried out a massive immigration raid on the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America campus in Ellabell, Georgia. According to HSI, the fascistic raid resulted in the kidnapping of 475 workers. In a press conference Friday, Steven Schrank, the special agent in charge of HSI in Georgia, said it was the largest single-site raid in the agencys history. Schrank claimed the workers had either entered the US illegally, overstayed their visas, or were violating their visas by working. He stated that most of those arrested were from Korea and that they had already been transported to an ICE concentration camp in Folkston, Georgia. Workers are seen in flex cuffs after being kidnapped at work by immigration and federal agents in Georgia, September 4, 2025. [Photo: ATF] The $7.6 billion complex is located in the town of Ellabell, outside Savannah, Georgia. Its 2,900-acre campus includes an electric vehicle plant and a still-under-construction lithium battery cell manufacturing facility, the latter of which was the specific Target Premises in a warrant unsealed Friday. Vehicles move on the line at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, March 26, 2025, in Ellabell, Georgia. [AP Photo/Mike Stewart] Notably, the warrant only listed four target persons to be searched, none of whom appear to be Korean. However, it also granted federal agents authority to seize all records on the premises related to employment and identity, a sweeping authorization that was used as the pretext for the mass detention of nearly 500 workers. The factory is a joint venture between Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution. After receiving a $2 billion handout from the Georgia state government, Hyundai pledged to employ 8,500 workers at the facility by 2031. According to company and US government officials, many of the detained workers were employed by subcontractors. Employees work on the line during a media tour at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Ellabell, Georgia. [AP Photo/Mike Stewart] Thursdays raid is the latest in a series of mass workplace roundups earlier this year, including raids at meatpacking plants in Iowa, a student housing construction site in Florida, and multiple ICE operations outside Home Depot locations in Los Angeles County. These large-scale workplace raids give the lie to Trumps claims that immigration police operations are directed towards criminals and murderers. As of August 24, ICE reported 61,225 individuals in their custody, the vast majority, 43,021 (70.3 percent) with no criminal convictions. Of the 30 percent with criminal convictions, the majority are nonviolent or minor offenses such as traffic violations. Following the mass police operation, Yvonne Brooks, president of the Georgia AFL-CIO, issued a perfunctory statement declaring the raid politically motivated and adding: Arresting and detaining workers, who are exploited every day and risk their lives every day on the job, creates an atmosphere of fear that terrorizes workers and their families and increases the workload burden on their coworkers. Brooks remarks are revealing. Far from calling for any action to defend the hundreds of workers rounded up, she reduces the attack to the inconvenience of increased workload burden for those left behind. Such statements underscore the true function of the union apparatus: to tamp down workers outrage, limit their response to passive complaints and maintain the bureaucrats political alliance with the Democratic Party. In the face of mass roundups and deportations, the unions categorically refuse to call for strike action or organize any genuine resistance. Will Lehman, a Mack Trucks worker and socialist who ran for UAW president in 2022, issued the following statement in response to the Georgia Hyundai raid: I denounce this barbaric raid and demand the immediate release of all the workers who have been rounded up by the immigration gestapo. This is not only an attack on immigrant workers, it is an attack on the entire working class. If the government can use flimsy warrants naming four people to justify flex-cuffing nearly 500, then it will use the same methods against citizen workers who resist attacks on their jobs, living standards, and democratic rights. We have already seen this year how the Trump administration stripped union protections from nearly a million federal workerswhat is happening to immigrants today will be used against all of us tomorrow. The nationalist trade union bureaucracies, including the AFL-CIO and UAW, have not called for a single strike to defend immigrant workers, jobs, or basic democratic rights. They have once again proven themselves an arm of the corporations and the state. That is why workers must build new organizationsrank-and-file defense committees in every factory and job site. The International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees fights to unite workers across all borders, languages, and nationalities in a common fight. I call on all workers to come to the defense of our class brothers and sisters at seized in the Hyundai raid, demand their release, and mobilize in opposition to the escalating assault on immigrant workers throughout the country. The Georgia Hyundai raid marks a new stage in the offensive against the working class. Flimsy warrants and anti-immigrant chauvinism are being used to justify mass roundups, detentions, and deportations. The raid exposes the fraud of the trade union bureaucracies, who respond to the most brazen attacks with mealy-mouthed statements about workload burdens while refusing to call any strike action. Their role is not to defend workers, but to suppress the class struggle and preserve their own privileges by binding workers to the Democratic Party, which is just as committed as Trump to mass deportations, capitalism, and war. Against this, the working class must advance its own independent perspective. The attack on immigrants is the spearhead of a broader assault on the entire working class. The defense of immigrant workers is inseparable from the defense of democratic rights, jobs, and living standards for the entire working class. The answer lies not in the nationalist poison of the union apparatus, but in the unification of workers across all borders in a common struggle for socialism. Palestinians run for cover during an Israeli airstrike on the Mushtaha Tower in Gaza City, September 5, 2025 [AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun] As Israel prepares a massive assault on Gaza City, the Palestinians who remain in the area have been subjected to a new round of destructive air strikes that are wiping out entire residential blocks and sending new waves of panic and desperation throughout the population. On Friday, Israeli forces struck the Mushtaha Tower, one of the tallest buildings in Gaza City, with at least three projectiles, reducing the 12-story high-rise to rubble. Verified footage and reports from ABC News show the tower collapsing in a cloud of dust, with the shockwaves from the strike shaking tent encampments surrounding it, where hundreds of displaced Palestinians had been sheltering. According to eyewitnesses, the military issued an evacuation order just 15 minutes before the first strike, leaving many families camped around the building with nowhere to go. The force of the explosion overturned tents and caused panic as people fled. Doctors at Al-Shifa Hospital described being overwhelmed by the number of dead and injured. Al Jazeeras Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, said: The destruction is the systematic erasure of homes, memories, and their community. The city is being leveled and with it their future is torn down one tower at a time. Hospital personnel reported that it was impossible for the residents and displaced people in the tower and its vicinity to escape in the short time given. The buildings management said the building was filled with civilians. Israeli projectiles have also struck other residential high-rises, and further attacks are expected as military officials advance the offensive against Gaza City. The measures being taken now by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) can only be described as bloody terror. Fear and desperation among the population are being deliberately brought to new levels in the barbaric genocide that has been unleashed on Palestinians since October 2023. Israel is wiping out the skyline of the largest city in Gaza in preparation for a massive ground invasion. Israeli officials have justified these attacks on residential buildings on the grounds that they are used by Hamas for military operations. Defense Minister Israel Katz, in statements made on social media and reported by numerous media outlets, declared: Now the bolt is being removed from the gates of hell in Gaza. When the door opens, it will not close and IDF activity will increaseuntil the Hamas murderers and rapists accept Israels conditions for ending the war, primarily the release of all hostages and disarmamentor they will be destroyed. Katz has issued multiple warnings that Gaza City will meet the same fate as Rafah and Beit Hanoun, which have been essentially turned into rubble by prior offensives. Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir confirmed Friday that IDF activity in Gaza is being expanded. It is undeniable that the Zionist war criminalswith the backing of US and European imperialismhave no intention to end the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza under any circumstances. The fascists Katz and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have made it clear that no matter what happens, the aim is to completely seize the Gaza Strip and that there will be nothing left of Palestine. In the past several days, Israeli airstrikes and fire have killed dozens of civilians in and around the Gaza City, including at least 18 people, seven of them children, in overnight attacks on Friday. Reports from the Palestinian Health Ministry and hospitals on the ground confirmed that many of the dead were women and children, their bodies recovered from tents and makeshift shelters destroyed in the strikes. Several more were killed in missile attacks on other high-rise buildings and in the sprawling Muwasi zone, where many Palestinians have sought safety. In just the last two nights alone, over 50 people have been killed across the Gaza Strip. According to an Associated Press report and statements from local health authorities, many of those killed in recent strikes, shootings, and stampedes were attempting to access desperately needed aid at food distribution points or airdropped supplies. Since May, several hundred Palestinians have died from Israeli gunfire while approaching aid convoys or distribution centers, often after being forced from their homes repeatedly by military operations. The UN and humanitarian agencies have documented how Israel has made the safe delivery of humanitarian aid nearly impossible through blockades and by directly attacking aid-seeking crowds and that this is part of a strategic plan cooked up in the cooperation with the White House of Donald Trump. The deliberate policy of starvation continues as a weapon in what international human rights groups have characterized as genocide. A global hunger monitor officially declared that famine conditions now exist in northern Gaza, a revelation Israel has denied despite overwhelming evidence. According to the UN, over 20,000 children have been treated for acute malnutrition. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have denounced the Israeli government for its use of starvation as a weapon of war and for imposing conditions calculated to bring about the physical destruction of the Palestinian people. Amnestys recent report stated: Israel has continued to use starvation of civilians as a weapon of war against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip and to deliberately impose conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction as part of its ongoing genocide. The criminality of these measures is multiplied by ongoing restrictions on water, fuel, food and medicine, the destruction of infrastructure, and the refusal to permit adequate humanitarian access to a desperate and exhausted population. Human Rights Watch condemned the Israeli attacks on residential towers, declaring: The destruction of civilian infrastructure forced displacement of residents and collective punishment of Gazas people constitute war crimes. Amnesty International issued a statement that said: Starving civilian populations, razing their homes, and attacking aid distribution points are crimes under international law. Behind the death and devastation in Gaza stands a detailed post-war plan developed in close collaboration between the Israeli government and the Trump administration, with critical roles played by Israeli businessmen, the Boston Consulting Group, the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Fund, and the Tony Blair Institute. This scheme, as reported by investigative journalists, aims to sweep Gaza clear of its Palestinian population and turn the Strip into a seaside resort for Western and Israeli business interests. The plan entails massive new privatization of land and resources, the introduction of special economic zones controlled by foreign investors, and the permanent exclusion of the native population, with the blessing and logistical support of the US and Israeli militaries. While publicly couched as humanitarian reconstruction, the real intent is obvious: ethnic cleansing, economic exploitation, and the utter erasure of Palestinian national rights, engineered by figures like the war criminal Tony Blair and implemented at the direction of the financial and corporate elites behind US and Israeli policy. French far-right leader Marine Le Pen speaks as Jordan Bardella, president of the French far-right National Rally, listens at the party election night headquarters. [AP Photo/Lewis Joly] With Prime Minister Francois Bayrous government set to fall and France teetering on the verge of state bankruptcy, the neo-fascist National Rally (RN) is making a calculated bid for support from the French ruling class on a program of savage austerity against the working class. This is the content of the Letter to Frances CEOs drafted this week by RN party president Jordan Bardella. The deal Bardella proposes to French big business is straightforward. Calling for rapid snap elections as President Emmanuel Macrons popularity plummets to barely 15 percent, he proposes to come to power and carry out unprecedented cuts to social spending in order to resolve the debt crisis and massively boost French corporate profits. He pledges to cut 100 billion euros from the French budget, over double Bayrous already massively unpopular 44 billion in cuts. As Americas far-right president sets up a billionaires dictatorship in America, workers voting for the far right in France and across Europe must be warned: they are being played for fools. Bardella is dispensing with RN leader Marine Le Pens rhetoric on protecting native French people of modest means, and unabashedly advancing the RN as the best placed to boost corporate profits by eviscerating basic social programs. The cuts he is proposing, going far beyond those demanded by Bayrou, cannot be imposed by democratic means. Realizing his program would require setting up a fascistic police dictatorship to violently suppress social opposition. Bardella denounces Macron and Bayrou, as no government can win support if it deepens public debt and intensifies the trade deficit to levels unseen in over a half-century. While the RN knows how political uncertainty undermines economic life, Bardella adds, it has in good conscience chosen to vote to bring down Bayrou. The RN, he explains, now believes it should rule France. Only a return to the ballot box will allow us to restore democratic clarity and give France a solid government again, Bardella writes. The National Rally has this ambition. By its lucidity and the power of its propositions, it is the true guarantor of economic stability. Economic stability, Bardella makes clear, signifies for him entrenching the diktat of the capitalist oligarchy over the workers. He pledges to cut over 100 billion euros in bad spending including social spending on non-French citizens, development aid for other countries, and spending on state employees at national and local levels. Beyond keeping French state contracts for firms located in France, he also pledges a 20 percent corporate tax cut to realign France with its European partners. Bardella concludes: There will be neither national prosperity nor French power in the 21st century without entrepreneurs who innovate, produce, and create jobs. In short, the RNs goal of boosting the power of the French state is indissolubly linked to the massive enrichment of CEOs and the financial oligarchy at the expense of the workers. While the RNs promises to attack social programs for foreign workers are utterly reactionary, they are also a political fraud aimed to conceal from native-born working class RN voters that they are voting for their own impoverishment. The French state does not spend 100 billion, that is, nearly a third of its revenues, on foreign workers. To reduce spending by that much, unprecedented cuts eviscerating pensions, health care, and school staffing levels would be required. These would devastate all workers in France, be they immigrants or native born. It takes no great political insight to see that, amid a historic crisis of rule in France, the bourgeoisie is turning to the RN in order to continue ruling against the people. It has long backed Macrons policies of austerity and militarism, like his pension cuts and calls to send troops to Ukraine, though overwhelming majorities of the French people opposed them. It is considering turning to the RN because, amid Macrons crisis, it believes the RN may be better placed to build a strong police state to massively enrich the wealthy and suppress working class opposition. Officials at the Movement of French Enterprises (Medef), Frances main business federation, told Radio France they are enthusiastic about a neo-fascist government. Former Medef President Geoffroy Roux de Bezieux said: The RN is aiming for the right things, while another Medef officials said: The RN will impose order, and we really need that. Discussing its interviews with Medef leaders, Radio France commented: A few days before the September 10 protest, which threatens to block the countrys economy, CEOs are all the more ready for this policy because they see it as a counterweight to the far left, whose economic program terrifies them. They see it as certain ruin. In business circles, the RN is being normalized. The possibility that the bourgeoisie would install the RN in power amid the current, historic crisis of rule in France is very real. Currently, polls show the RN would take 31 percent of the vote in new legislative electionsthe largest share of the vote of any party in the National Assembly. This comes after more than a decade over which the RN has been granted extensive access to the media, and the bourgeoisie has encouraged significant layers of workers to vote RN on fraudulent pretexts. It has not won support thanks to the growth of a mass fascist movement like Hitlers Brown Shirts, but by exploiting mass disaffection and bitterness among workers with the reactionary policies of parties falsely marketed by capitalist media as left. These voters were in their large majority not fascists, but instead moving to the left. Indeed, millions of them took part in protests against Macrons pension cuts in 2023, which were sold out by the union bureaucracies. Workers cannot leave the struggle against the threat of far-right dictatorship to forces like the New Popular Front (NFP) led by Jean-Luc Melenchonwhich gathers his France Unbowed Party, the bourgeois Socialist Party (PS), the Stalinist French Communist Party (PCF), and the Greens. While Melenchon received 8 million votes in the last 2022 presidential election, concentrated among urban workers, he never called for the mass mobilization of his voters in a struggle against Macrons unpopular pension cuts, or the threat of neo-fascist dictatorship. Instead, he told BFM-TV interviewer Bruce Toussaint during the 2022 elections that he would be willing to serve as prime minister under a neo-fascist president, Marine Le Pen. The continued sellouts of workers struggles by forces linked to the NFP, as well as their corrupt ties to the RN, have only served to consolidate the RNs support. The alarm must be sounded. The vast opposition that exists against Macrons reactionary program must be mobilized also against Bardella and the RN. This requires the independent mobilization of the working class against Bayrou and Macron, preparing to bring down their government via a general strike, placing on the order of the day the expropriation of the capitalist oligarchy in order to solve the debt crisis and fund basic social needs. It is only with a revolutionary policy that working class RN voters can be won back to the left and the struggle for socialism, and oppose the plans of the bourgeoisie and the far right for imperialist war, dictatorship and the immiseration of the population. Peoples Conference for Palestine in Detroit, Michigan, August 29, 2025. [Photo: BreakThroughNews] The second annual Peoples Conference for Palestine was held in Detroit, Michigan from August 29 through 31. Organizers of the conference included the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), ANSWER Coalition and the national Students for Justice in Palestine. Among the endorsers were a broad range of organizations, including the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), CODEPINK, the National Lawyers Guild and Doctors Against Genocide, among others. The event was broadcast by BreakThrough News, the media arm of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), which is affiliated with ANSWER. This years event was headlined Gaza is the compass, and the keynote address was titled Gaza is the center of the world. Every panel featured discussion on the ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has claimed officially over 63,000 Palestinians, including nearly 20,000 children in less than two years. Among attendees and participants, there are some genuinely opposed to the genocide in Gaza. Speakers included Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah, who spoke powerfully about conditions in Gaza and the deliberate efforts to destroy the healthcare system. Abu-Sittah was one of many speakers who were forced to address the conference over the internet after the US banned him from entering the country. Dr. Abu-Sittah reported that as of today there are only three partially functioning hospitals out of 39 and this is despite the fact that every time the Israelis have destroyed a hospital our Palestinian colleagues have reopened it. On the systematic murder of healthcare workers in Gaza by the Israeli military, Dr. Abu-Sittah reported, Over 1,600 have been killed, the most recent is the head of pediatrics at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Behind the various speeches and panel discussion, however, was one overriding perspective promoted by the organizers: an orientation to the Democratic Party, one of the parties of Wall Street responsible for the genocide. This corresponds to the Stalinist politics of the PSL, which is the guiding force behind the politics of the conference. At this years conference, as at last years, the organizers blocked Mehring Books, the publishing arm of the World Socialist Web Site, and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, the student movement of the Socialist Equality Party, from having a table. This is because they wanted to prevent attendees from hearing any criticism of the Democratic Party. Linda Sarsour, for example, a Democrat from Brooklyn, New York provided Opening Remarks for the event. As with so many of the remarks, her comments were filled with abstract generalities and personal anecdotes, covering over a thoroughly conventional politics. Linda Sarsour [Photo: BreakThroughNews] Near the end of her remarks, she called on conference attendees to think of my beloved granddaughter when you are in these streets, when you are in those halls of Congress, when you are in the board rooms and on those college campuses. Sarsour reflects the upper-middle class Democratic Party politics welcomed at this years Peoples Conference. She has been a member of the Muslim Democratic Club of New York for over a decade. In 2016, she campaigned first for Senator Bernie Sanders before seamlessly backing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the general election. She is heavily involved in the Black Lives Matter movement and a staunch supporter of Zohran Mamdanis candidacy for New York City mayor. Following the election of Trump in 2016, Sarsour diverted mass anger at the Trump administration behind the Womens March which she co-chaired. During the Democratic Partys convention in 2020, Sarsour participated in a subcommittee panel, declaring, The Democratic Party is not perfect, but it is absolutely our party in this moment. This as the convention prepared to nominate Biden, who was orchestrating and backing the genocide. For the second year in a row, Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib was main speaker on the final day of the conference. In her remarks, Tlaib made no mention of capitalistic schemes as she had in her Democratic Socialists of America speech earlier in the month in Chicago. In her speech Tlaib promoted a pledge to not accept political contributions from Zionist lobby AIPAC. More Americans are now signing the take the AIPAC out of US politics petition. Similar to her DSA appearance, Tlaib encouraged attendees to ingratiate themselves in bourgeois politics. And were going to use every single resource in our bodies, with our voices, with our legs, with our hands to make sure that again the power that we have in the streets and pushing these institutions is going to work and Palestine will be free. One of the more famous speakers at the convention was Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate student and legal US resident, who is still facing deportation by the Trump administration for the crime of peacefully opposing the genocide. Following his release from a Louisiana detention facility earlier this year, Khalil quickly aligned himself with New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Khalils embrace of Ocasio-Cortez, who refused to vote to block arm sales to Israel this year, has drawn criticism from many opposed to genocide. Mahmoud Khalil, right, speaks to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York., after arriving at Newark International Airport, Saturday, June 21, 2025, in Newark, New Jersey. [AP Photo/Seth Wenig] In his remarks, Khalil did not condemn the Democratic Party. Instead, like many other speakers, he addressed the theme of the convention, making clear that he understood that liberation for the Palestinian people is the creation of a capitalist state in the Middle East. Palestine and Gaza are the compass means to me that we build a national liberation movement whose compass is the liberation of land and people. Mahmoud Khalil at the People's Conference for Palestine, August 2025. [Photo: BreakThroughNews] Hasan Piker, the internet streamer who promoted the Tlaib and the DSA conference earlier in August also spoke at the Peoples Conference. He encouraged attendees to keep pushing and to keep up the pressure. Overall, what is most notable is the absence of any serious analysis of anything. In place of concrete examination of what the genocide emerged out of and how it must be fought, is instead substituted abstract generalities about freedom, personal anecdotes that have no real relevance to anything, and a lot of empty jargon and sloganeering. All of this has the impact of deadening critical thought, of replacing careful consideration with moralistic bombast, which serves the basic purpose of covering up the fact that the political orientation is to the Democratic Party. It is the type of politics that the PSL specializes in, epitomized at the conference by the remarks of PSL member Eugene Puryear, which consisted of a string of slogans, with no real content, shouted out in rapid-fire fashion. Overall, the genocide in Gaza was presented at the conference as an isolated event, which could be stopped through moral appeals and the resistance of the Palestinian people. The genocide in Gaza, however, is one front in the rapidly escalating Third World War. The fact that the same countries that are supporting genocide in Gaza, including but not limited to, Germany, United Kingdom and Canada, are the same that hail the Zelensky regime filled with fascists was not remarked upon. None of the panels questioned the tactics and organizations promoted at last years conference, including members of the Uncommitted Movement, aimed at pressuring the Democratic Party, which have failed to stop the slaughter. Last years conference also promoted the US trade union apparatus, which has played a critical role in supporting US imperialism and Israels genocide. There was no discussion of UAW president Shawn Fains endorsement of Genocide Joe Biden. Instead, the conference featured reform union factions like Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD) and a lineup of current and retired bureaucrats In the year since, both Fain and Teamsters President Sean OBrien have openly endorsed Trumps trade war policies. Despite this, the trade union bureaucracies, including the United Auto Workers, whose president Shawn Fain campaigned vigorously for Genocide Joe Biden, then Kamala Harris, were presented as stalwart allies of the movement for Palestinian liberation. The entire perspective advanced by the main organizers of the Peoples Conference for Palestine has proven to be utterly bankrupt. At last years gathering, the Palestinian struggle was presented as a linear chain of resistance victories that would, perhaps in another 100 years, culminate in liberation. The World Socialist Web Site warned at the time: To be blunt, the people in Gaza do not have another 100 years. The genocide in Gaza has already led to the deaths of over 36,000 people officially, a significant under-count, while hundreds of thousands are on the brink of famine. One year later, this warning has been borne out with devastating clarity. The death toll has more than doubled, with estimates as high as 300,000, and last Friday the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification confirmed that famine has officially set in Gaza City. The reactionary politics of the Democratic Party have created the conditions for Trumps return to power. While the genocide in Gaza continues with the full backing of Washington, the Trump administration is moving rapidly to consolidate a presidential dictatorship, an essential component of war abroad and the war on the working class at home. Yet there is no opposition from the Democrats or any faction of the political establishment. The PSL and similar organizations function as a political shield for the Democratic Party, diverting anger into electoral maneuvers and blocking the emergence of a genuine socialist alternative. What they fear above all is the independent mobilization of the working class. The central task today is the building of a movement of workers and youth against imperialist war, genocide and dictatorship, and the capitalist system. This can only be developed in opposition to the Democratic Party and all the agencies of the ruling class. French President Emmanuel Macron addresses Parliament, July 8, 2025 [Photo by Roger Harris/House of Lords 2025 / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Few concrete details emerged on Thursdays summit of over 30 heads of government in Paris chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron, to plan a coalition of the willing to deploy troops to Ukraine in what would be a major escalation of the war on Russia. The inability of the coalition, led by Britain and France, to agree anything of substance at its eighth meeting underscores the European imperialist powers continued military dependence on Washington. They are responding by launching an all-out austerity onslaught on the working class, to raise the resources necessary for rearmament and war with Russia. Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and leaders from other European countries, Canada, and Australia met before holding a call with US President Donald Trump in the afternoon. Macronwhose government is set to fall for the second time in barely a year Mondayannounced that 26 countries had pledged some form of land, sea, air, or cyberspace support for Ukraine if there is a ceasefire or peace agreement with Russia. However, six months after the first coalition of the willing meeting in March, only Britain, France, and Estonia have officially confirmed they would send ground troops to Ukraine. It remains entirely unclear how many troops each country could provide. This coalition was established in response to Trumps attempted accommodation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The European powers fear this will cut them out of a share of the spoils from Ukrainian and Russian raw materials and markets. Amid the US-provoked Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Britain, France and Germany had bet heavily that the trans-Atlantic alliance with US imperialism would enable them to jointly plunder Ukraine and Russia. They even massively cut imports of cheap Russian gas critical for European industry. But Washington, guided by Trumps America first policy, increasingly views the European powers not as allies, but as rivals in a rapidly developing redivision of the world. Americas would-be dictator has not only raised the prospect of a deal with Putin at the Europeans expense but also slapped 15 percent tariffs on European Union imports to the US as part of his global trade war. As the World Socialist Web Site wrote after Trumps summit with Putin in Alaska last month, Trump, reviving the tradition of the far-right America Firsters of the World War II era, speaks for layers of the American ruling class oriented toward war in the Pacific and the confrontation with China. He has coupled this outlook with tariff and trade war measures directed against the European powers. For this faction, disengaging from the conflict with Russia over Ukraine offers potential advantages: securing access to vital resources in Russia and Ukraine, loosening Moscows alignment with Beijing, and weakening European imperialism. The European imperialists are determined to reduce their military dependence on Washington through a mad rearmament programmespending some 800 billion under the European Unions Rearm Europe programme and 1 trillion on a German government fund for its military and upgrades to war-relevant infrastructure. But implementing this agenda, which entails obliterating what remains of the concessions made to the working class in the post-World War II era, takes time. They therefore responded to Trumps shift by trying to sabotage a potential deal between the White House and Kremlin. They kept the US in the war by making demands totally unacceptable to Russia, like sending NATO troops to Ukraine. Macron, Starmer, and Merz are backing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys plan to purchase US weaponry worth $90 billion with European funds. According to the New York Times, a NATO procurement mechanism has been established to facilitate $1 billion per month in European purchases from US defence contractors. A particular focus is on high-tech weaponry, like cruise missiles and air defence systems. As the European powers pursue their own rearmament, these sums further accelerate the ruling elites class war on the workers. The Kremlin reacted to Macrons announcement Thursday, predictably, by threatening to attack Western troops deployed to Ukraine. We view this as a danger to usthe presence of international or foreign armed forces, of armed forces from NATO countries on Ukrainian territory near our borders, commented Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov from an economic forum in Vladivostok. Putin said any NATO troops on Ukrainian territory would be viewed by Russia as a legitimate target. It remains unclear whether Trump will explicitly back Macron and Starmers proposed security guarantees for Ukraine. Macron claimed a pledge from Trump to offer US protection to such a force in case it came under attack by Russia would be secured in the coming days. Without US support, notably on intelligence and air power, a European-Canadian troops deployment to Ukraine currently seems impossible. What is certain, however, is that the European imperialists are preparing a savage onslaught on the working class to raise the funds to escalate the war with Russia and ruthlessly pursue their own global interests independently of Washington. In Germany, Merzs Christian Democrat/Social Democrat coalition government has announced an autumn of reforms as it seeks to slash tens of billions of euros from social spending to cover the cost of rearmament and war. French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou is set to lose a vote of confidence Monday, when his unpopular minority government tables a budget with planned spending cuts of 44 billion to fund Frances own massive rearmament programme. While agreement extends throughout the political establishment on spending more on war, Bayrou is viewed as incapable of carrying through the necessary attacks on the working class. The cuts announced thus far are only a down payment. Rearming on the scale demanded by the European imperialists amid a rapidly developing third world war would require dictatorial regimes similar to what Trump is trying to establish in the United States. This is why sections of the ruling class systematically promote far-right parties in every major European country. In Germany, plans are far advanced on bringing the Alternative for Germany into power. In France, leader of the National Rally (RN), Jordan Bardella, addressed a letter this week to French business leaders pledging that a RN government could carry through 100 billion in cutsover twice the cuts proposed by Bayrou and Macron. The parties of the so-called left are no less firm in their support for European imperialisms rearmament at the expense of the working class. Germanys Left Party voted for the 1 trillion war credits in the Bundesrat, the countrys second chamber of parliament. Moreover, the Left Party used its votes in parliament to ensure that Merz was elected Chancellor. It has done nothing to mobilise workers against his governments assault on their living standards. In France, Jean-Luc Melenchons New Popular Fronts election programme last year explicitly called to deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. Melenchon has advocated a more aggressive assertion of French imperialisms national interests amid the breakdown of the post-war international order. As for the union bureaucracies, they all champion the interests of their own national bourgeoisie in a mad scramble to rearm and protect corporate profits. Opposition to the escalation of imperialist war must be led by the working class across Europe and beyond. There is widespread opposition to the return of imperialist barbarism, and the mass participation in protests over the past two years against Israels US-backed genocide against the Palestinians. This opposition must be linked to the resurgent workers struggles against the destruction of jobs and working conditions, driven by the deepening crisis of world capitalism, and the ruling elites drive everywhere to convert wide swathes of civilian industry to war production. This fight can succeed only on the basis of a socialist and internationalist programme aimed at putting an end to capitalism, the source of war, dictatorship, and mounting social misery for the working class. Military personnel take part in a parade to commemorate 80 years since the end of WWII, in front of Tiananmen Gate in Beijing, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. [AP Photo/Ng Han Guan] A huge military parade took place in Beijing on Wednesday, showcasing the latest in Chinese armaments, to mark the 80th anniversary of the Japanese surrender in World War II. Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over the carefully choreographed affair, standing alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. While the US was not named, Xi used the occasion to respond to the Trump administrations unmistakable, accelerating build-up to war with China. The Chinese nation, he declared, is a great nation that is never intimidated by any bullies and always values independence and forges ahead. Two fronts of an emerging world war are already underwaythe US-NATO war against Russia in Ukraine and the widening US-backed Israeli war in the Middle East. Although not specifically referring to these conflicts, Xi warned: Today, humanity again has to choose between peace and war, dialogue and confrontation, win-win cooperation and zero-sum game. The fact that Putin stood alongside Xi has been widely commented upon in the US and Western media. Almost three weeks after his much-vaunted meeting with Putin in Alaska, Trumps efforts to bring about a ceasefire in Ukraine have so far come to naught. Trumps objective has never been peace but rather to strengthen US relations with Russia at Chinas expense as Washingtons military build-up against Beijing continues apace. In comments in the Oval Office, Trump declared that the military parade was very, very impressive and referring to Xi, Putin and Kim added that my relationship with all of them is very good. But he was clearly piqued by the image of the three of them together, tweeting on X: Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America. Trumps comments, along with the deluge of commentary in the US media about Chinas ambitions for world dominance, are utterly hypocritical. Since assuming office, Trump has done nothing but conspire as he wages economic war on the worldfriend and foe alikethrough the imposition of huge tariffs on US imports. The chief target is China, which the US regards as the main threat to its global domination. Trumps threats and bullying appeared to backfire this week, to the consternation of sections of the American political establishment, as various world leaders appeared in China not only for the military parade, but also for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit earlier in the week. The US imposition of 50 percent tariffs on Indian imports for continuing to buy Russian oil was the major factor in Prime Minister Narendra Modi reversing his earlier decision not to attend the SCO meeting. Washingtons aggressive confrontation with Chinadiplomatically, economically and militarilyhas been mounting for more than a decade since President Obama announced his pivot to Asia. However, Trumps tariff war is undermining US alliances and strategic partnerships throughout the Indo-Pacific aimed against Chinasuch as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue that includes India, as well as Japan and Australia. Increasingly, US imperialism has focussed its propaganda and military build-up on Taiwan, seeking to goad China into invading the island, just as it provoked Russia into invading Ukraine. Washington has steadily undermined the One-China policy under which it de facto recognises Beijing as the legitimate government of all China including Taiwan. Washington knows full well that any formal declaration of independence by Taipei would provoke military action by China. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanded that US allies boost military spending and declared that war with China over Taiwan was imminent. The military parade in Beijing this week simply demonstrates that Xi and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have no progressive response to the escalating threat of war. On the one hand, the Chinese regime is engaged in an arms race with the US, while on the other offering a fanciful vision of a peaceful multi-polar world of mutual cooperation and development. The parade itself involved tens of thousands of troops from all services of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) and featured some of its newest and most advanced weaponry, including stealth aerial drones and huge underwater drones, along with a new generation of tanks equipped with anti-drone defences and hypersonic anti-ship missiles. On display was also Chinas nuclear triadnuclear armed missiles that can be launched from the air, land and submarines. These included the DF-61 truck-launched intercontinental ballistic missile and the submarine-launched JL-3 missile, reportedly capable of reaching North America. Beijing has repeatedly criticised the US for engaging in Cold War mentality, but it is not a cold war that US imperialism is preparing for. In its historic decline, the US is slipping economically behind China, which by some measures is already the worlds largest economy and advancing in hi-tech areas previously dominated by American corporations. As it has done over the past three decades, the US is relying on its residual military might to reassert its global hegemony, whatever the catastrophic consequences. Xi and the CCP, however, are utterly incapable of making any appeal to the one social force capable of halting the slide into world war and nuclear Armageddonthe international working class, including in China. Xis speech was saturated with Chinese nationalism and patriotism from beginning to end that can only serve to divide Chinese workers from their class brothers and sisters internationally. Xis obligatory reference to Marxism-Leninism and Socialism with Chinese characteristics cannot disguise the fact that the CCP presides over a capitalist economy and represents the interests of a super-wealthy oligarchy at the expense of the vast mass of working people. Unable to make any social appeal to workers and youth, it seeks to build a base among layers of the upper middle class on the basis of reactionary nationalism. The dangers of world war are rooted in the crisis of global capitalism and the outmoded division of the world into rival nation states. Chinese workers need to turn to their fellow workers around the world to build a unified international anti-war movement based on genuine socialism to abolish the profit system. That is the perspective for which the International Committee of the Fourth International, the world Trotskyist movement, alone fights. Fat Joe was in a congratulatory (but also cautionary) mood when talking about French Montana's engagement to Dubai Princess Sheikha Mahra on the Joe and Jada podcast. "What I say to my brother is, I'm happy for you. God bless you and your fiancee...don't mess up," Joe said, prompting Jadakiss to try and hide by throwing his hood over his head, while also curling up in the fetal position on the couch. "Or we gonna find you in Sudan," Joe continued after a pause. "Don't mess up. Sudan is where they're not coming to rescue you." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The "All the Way Up" rapper reiterated that he's happy for French, but urged his friend to "stay focused." COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what's next. Buy. Collect. Obsess. Speculation swirled around a possible romance between French and Sheikha Mahra earlier this year when they were seen walking around the United Arab Emirates, and attending a Paris Fashion Week event together, according to People. The two may have started dating around the time she gave French a tour of Dubai last year, months after announcing her divorce from Emirati businessman and royal Sheikh Mana. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement French proposed to Sheikha Mahra in June, as reported by TMZ. Sheikha Mahra is the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. In 2011, Forbes reported the Dubai ruler and Prime Minister of the UAE had an estimated net worth of $4 billion. Considering the family that the rapper will be marrying into, Joe suggested he may soon seek out a loan from French. "We're so happy for you 'cause I know I'm good for a loan," he said. "I go to French Montana, and get a loan now. Like, I'm good for the loan. That ain't even $188 million. That's trillions! He's part of ayo, French, we love you, brother! Congratulations!" Related News Paul Pierce on French Montana Reportedly Dating Dubai Princess: They Value Their Men' , French Montana and Princess of Dubai Show Off Massive 11-Carat Engagement Ring Related News Tyrese Tells Fans He's 'Really Hurt' After Mary J. Blige Passed on Song 'Tailor-Made' for Her Mya Reflects on Symbolically Marrying Herself, Being Celibate: It Wasnt a Choice COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what's next. Buy. Collect. Obsess. Making Culture Pop. Find the latest entertainment news and the best in music, pop culture, sneakers, style and original shows. "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." THE RUNDOWN Reports of a connection between Sweeney and Braun surfaced months after her split from fiance Jonathan Davino. The pair have since been spotted together in Italy and the U.S., with sources describing their romance as casual. By September 2025, outlets confirmed they were dating, though sources said she is living her life and working hard. Sydney Sweeney has entered a new chapter in her personal life. Months after ending her engagement to longtime partner Jonathan Davino, the Euphoria actress has been linked to music executive Scooter Braun. The pair has already been spotted together several times, from Italy to Lake Tahoe, but theyve yet to publicly confirm their relationship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here, their relationship history so far. June 2025 Both Sweeney and Braun attended Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchezs wedding festivities in Venice, Italy. A source later told People that the two hung out in Italy for the Bezos wedding and that Syd was intriguedScooters a charmer. Hes confident, but also sweet and very attentive. Shortly after the wedding, TikTok clips surfaced showing Sweeney and Braun strolling through Venice. She wore a black floral dress, while he opted for a short-sleeve brown polo shirt and pale pink shorts. According to Page Six, Braun was obsessed with Sweeney after meeting her and had been pursuing her in the weeks that followed. August 2025 By the end of the summer, Star reported that Braun had told those close to him that he was dating Sweeney, though he asked them to keep the news quiet. September 2025 Multiple outlets, including People and TMZ, confirmed that Sweeney and Braun were casually dating after being spotted on several outings. One source told TMZ, Sydney has just ended a relationship and shes doing what women in their 20s doshes dating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Everything is casual. She is living her life and working hard, an insider told People. Another source added, Hes loving spending time with her and seeing where things go. The pair also spent Labor Day weekend together at Lake Tahoe. On September 24, Sweeney and Braun were photographed having dinner at Jon & Vinnys in Brentwood. Celebrity gossip outlet DeuxMoi posted images from their outing. A source speaking with Entertainment Tonight stated that they are attempting to keep things low-key at the moment. They were both overwhelmed by the backlash they received from news of them dating coming out, a source stated. They thought the hate was blown out of proportion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The insider continued, Sydney and Scooter are still seeing each other and trying to be as low-key as possible, while still dating and having fun. They are just taking things slow and enjoying their time together. In late September, Sweeney and Braun were photographed holding hands at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights in Los Angeles, where they were joined by her parents, Lisa and Steven. The couple dressed in coordinating gray sweatshirts and baseball caps, with Sweeney wearing her hair in braids. Sources told Daily Mail that the relationship has become serious, noting they talk every day and see each other often. October 2025 In a story from Us Magazine on October 2, a source stated that things had gotten more serious between the couple. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are dating and it has become more serious. Still not putting a label on it, but Sydney has been having a lot of fun with Scooter, said the source. It has been low-pressure for both of them and has been a different relationship for Sydney. Scooter has introduced her to new perspectives, especially when it comes to business. The insider added that Braun has opened [Sweeneys] eyes to opportunities and ways of thinking she hadnt considered before. They continued, Sydney has been soaking up the knowledge he brings from working across so many different sectors and industries, and she truly admires the level of experience and insight he has. Beyond the business side, she respects his drive and ambition, which has inspired her in her own life. They are still keeping things light and fun, but have also been consistently seeing each other the last two months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The source concludes, Scooter admires Sydneys playful and easygoing nature and the way she brings a sense of fun into his often high-pressure world. You Might Also Like Video: Miss Metro Kennedy Holland crowned 2025 Miss Arkansas LITTLE ROCK, Ark. The reigning Miss Arkansas took talent preliminary top honors in the Miss America talent competition. UCA student Kennedy Holland impressed judges with the song Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Miss New York and Miss Utah also received top honors. Miss Metro Kennedy Holland crowned 2025 Miss Arkansas The field of 52 women is competing for their share of $300,000 in college scholarships. On Sunday night, the final day of competition, Miss America will be crowned and receive a $50,000 scholarship. Miss Arkansas 2025 Kennedy Holland, top honors in preliminary talent at Miss America 2026 (courtesy Miss America) Miss Arkansas 2025 Kennedy Holland, top honors in preliminary talent at Miss America 2026 (courtesy Miss America) Miss Arkansas 2025 Kennedy Holland, top honors in preliminary talent at Miss America 2026 (courtesy Miss America) Organizers said the final competition will be available online via YouTube at @MissAmericaOfficial or online at PageantVision.com. Streaming begins at 6 p.m. with the competition starting at 7 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. A CBS sitcom in development from Black-ish creator Kenya Barris and comic Mike Epps is experiencing online backlash since it was announced, as its set against the backdrop of the wildfire-devastated area of Altadena, where residents are still reeling from this Januarys deadly and destructive wildfires. The project which is in its early stages and has no cast attached beyond Epps, nor any on-air commitment from CBS would follow two brothers who move in with their late grandmothers caretaker when their plans fall apart as they try to sell her property in Altadena, an area of L.A. that saw major devastation in Januarys deadly Eaton fire; that blaze, one of several over a few weeks in January across L.A., killed at least 19 people and destroyed over 9,000 structures. It would mark a return to broadcast TV for BET Studios principal Barris, who has focused on cable and streaming properties since Black-ish ended its run on ABC in 2022. More from The Hollywood Reporter Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Jan. 7, a Santa Ana wind event pushed very dry winds through Southern Californias mountains. Peak gusts were said to have reached 90 mph, and its believed they led a transmission line to become re-energized, igniting the fire that rapidly pushed into foothill communities particularly Altadena. The fire spread to 14,000 acres by Jan. 10 and caused mass destruction, nearly wiping out Altadenas downtown area. Residents looking to rebuild are now competing with their wealthy neighbors across L.A. also impacted by the eight blazes that torched the city that month as they fend off disaster capitalist land developers looking to scoop up land from the minority-heavy community. The situation might not feel ripe for comedy hijinks as many in Altadena continue to struggle nine months after the deadly devastation. Since the development was announced via Deadline, some have expressed trepidation and disgust, while others hope that the show finds an appropriate balance of levity and pathos. The debate was ignited instantly in the announcement storys comments section and spread across the web as many decried the premise of the show and expressed disdain around the idea of a sitcom using a tragedy and uphill recovery battle as fodder for laughs. Funny or too soon? journalist and KBLA radio host James Farr wrote while posting about the series on Instagram, sparking debate in L.A. among his followers. Love them both but theres not anything funny happening. Im sure theyll deliver intellectual humor with plenty of message as a through line. However, I dont know how I feel about it, Farr said when asked about the in development show. Great for keeping Altadena in the national conversation though. Comments on Farrs post ran from outrage (Way too soon!!) to cautious hope. An Instagram user named Alegria Castro summed up sentiment on both sides of the debate, writing: If its going to benefit the community of Altadena and the rebuild Then its great! If not, too soon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A communications spokesperson for Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the 5th district of L.A. County, even weighed in to The Orange County Register, saying that theyd heard from constituents about the show and, the majority have voiced feeling hurt this is in the works. The loss theyve felt due to the Eaton fire feels still very raw for many. Barriss Instagram post announcing the shows development and premise also irked many of his followers. The showrunner defended himself and the project in response to one users criticism. What way could you think of supporting it then by doing what I know how to do and trying to bring a light to a place that many have already forgotten, Barris commented. I understand your fear but know that I only plan to do the best I can to make sure the world sees you. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Sign up for THR's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology/Foto Ochsenreiter People from the past have left behind a treasure trove of clues about their lives from enormous monuments to fragments of personal items, as well as the bones of the people themselves. But the people who left these clues are often a mystery. Now, thanks to modern scientific techniques and technology, researchers can accurately reconstruct what those people actually looked like, helping to bring long-dead people from history back to life. Here, we take a look at some of the best reconstructions. 1. A warrior and his weapons Credit: North-Eastern Federal University Researchers reconstructed the face, shield and weapons of a warrior who lived 4,000 years ago in what is now Siberia. Researchers who examined the late Stone Age man's remains estimate that during his lifetime, the warrior stood about 5 feet, 5 inches (165 centimeters) tall. He died between the ages of 40 and 50, a relatively advanced age for the late Stone Age. Healed injuries on the man's skeleton suggest his lifestyle was active and combative, which would explain the arrowheads and shield found in his burial. 2. 'Vampire' buried with a blade over her neck The reconstruction of Zosia depicts her wearing a ribbon on her silk bonnet and dressed in tailored clothes that reflect her high status. | Credit: Oscar Nilsson, Pien Project This stunning reconstruction shows a 17th-century woman with piercing eyes. Her skeleton was found with a sickle over her neck and a padlock around her big toe a sign that villagers in Pien, Poland likely thought she was a vampire that could reanimate after death . Analyses of her clothes and remains revealed that this woman came from a wealthy family, but she wasn't local and was likely very ill. A chemical analysis of her remains suggests she came from Scandinavia and an anatomical examination showed she had several health conditions, including a painful cancer in her sternum. Advertisement Advertisement "She was the odd one out in her community," Oscar Nilsson , a Sweden-based forensic artist who sculpted the woman's likeness, previously told Live Science in an email. "This might have caused the villagers of Pien to fear her, or sooner blame her for things that went wrong. And after her death they clearly were terrified of the possibility that she would arise and come back as a vampire." 3. Stone Age woman found in Belgium The facial reconstruction of the Margaux woman on display in June 2025 with Kennis & Kennis in Dinant, Belgium. The model was based on various scientific data, including her skull and ancient DNA. | Credit: 2025 Vakgroep Archeologie University Ghent. Feathers adorn the reconstruction of this Stone Age individual known as the Margaux woman who lived about 10,500 years ago in what is now Belgium. She would have been part of a hunter-gatherer group. Margaux woman likely had blue or light eyes and a "medium-toned" skin complexion, a DNA analysis found. Her skin tone is surprising, as most Europeans from this time, including Cheddar Man , had dark skin . 4. Stone Age sisters who worked in brutal mine About 6,000 years ago, two Stone Age sisters worked in a brutal mine in what is now the Czech Republic. Now, we can see their "hyperrealistic" reconstructions , which were based on their remains. The two sisters were found buried one on top of the other in a mining shaft. The duo lived in a mining community and likely extracted heavy rocks that were turned into tools and weapons. A few aspects of the burial are puzzling. The sisters were buried with a small dog, but it's unclear why. Even stranger, a newborn baby was buried on the older sister's chest, but the child isn't genetically related to either sister. 5. Our human relatives Credit: BBC/BBC Studios Homo sapiens are the only surviving human species, but Earth was once home to more than a dozen of our human relatives. Pictured above are facial reconstructions of Homo floresiensis (left), Homo erectus (middle) and a Neanderthal (right) that are part of a five-part documentary series called "Human." The series covers humanity's rise in Africa and our journey around the world, including out of Africa, throughout Oceania and across the Bering Land Bridge. Advertisement Advertisement "These are the most scientifically accurate collection of hyper-real 3D models of human species ever put on TV that we know of," Ella Al-Shamahi , a paleoanthropologist and the series' presenter, said in a statement . 6. Neanderthal woman with a crushed skull Credit: University of Cambridge; BBC Studios/Jamie Simonds Researchers were able to create a reconstruction of a Neanderthal woman despite the fact that her skull was crushed into hundreds of pieces roughly 75,000 years ago. The researchers nicknamed the woman Shanidar Z. , based on her remains being discovered inside Shanidar Cave in Iraqi Kurdistan. She likely died in her mid-40s and would have stood around 5 feet (1.5 m) tall, an analysis of her bones revealed. The reconstruction was featured in the Netflix series " Secrets of the Neanderthals ." 7. Ancient Egyptian mummy found inside a high school Credit: Jennifer Mann Archaeologists were surprised to find the mummy of an ancient Egyptian female displayed inside a high school library in New South Wales, Australia. Further analysis of the remains revealed that the woman would have been between 50 and 60 years old when she died, and flecks of gold leaf clinging to her skull hint that she lived during Egypt's Greco- Roman period (332 B.C. to A.D. 395), when gold leaf was a common ingredient used in the mummification process. A dig into historical records suggested that the mummy was gifted to the school either by a local doctor or a local Egyptologist in 1915. 8. Chinese Emperor Wu Credit: Pianpian Wei Researchers used DNA to create a facial reconstruction of the Chinese emperor , who ruled China's Northern Zhou dynasty until his death at age 36 in A.D. 560. Experts have long debated why he died at such a young age, and a genetic analysis revealed that he suffered from a stroke . The diagnosis was also confirmed with historical texts that claimed he had aphasia (a language disorder), drooping eyelids and an abnormal gait, which could all be symptoms of a stroke. 9. Zlaty kun, the oldest modern human to be genetically sequenced Credit: Cicero Moraes Advertisement Advertisement More than 70 years ago, archaeologists discovered a severed skull hidden inside a cave in Czechia (the Czech Republic). Fast forward to today, and researchers used computed tomography (CT) scans of the skull to piece it back together. The result is that of a woman with a strong jawline and a brain cavity that's larger than that of humans today. A DNA analysis revealed that she would have lived 45,000 years ago and her genome carried about 3% Neanderthal ancestry, making her a part of an early population of modern humans that likely mated with Neanderthals. 10. A crucified slave from Roman Britain Credit: Impossible Factual In 2017, when archaeologists discovered the skeleton with a nail hammered into its heel in England, they realized that what they were looking at was a former slave. A DNA analysis concluded that the man was between 25 and 35 years old when he died about 1,700 years ago. His leg bones were also abnormally thin, which hinted that he may have been chained to a wall for a long time, meaning his movement was likely restricted. 11. 'Juanita,' also known as the 'Ice Maiden' Credit: Oscar Nilsson Archaeologists took scans of a young Incan girl's frozen mummified remains, which they found on the summit of a mountain in Peru, and shared them with a forensic artist who created a facial approximation. Dubbed the "Ice Maiden" and "Juanita" by researchers, the life-like reconstruction contains real human hair and clothing similar to what she was wearing when she died 500 years ago. 12. Bronze age woman crouching in tomb Credit: Oscar Nilsson In 1997, archaeologists in Scotland discovered the skeleton of a Bronze Age woman buried in a crouched position inside a stone-lined grave. While little is known about the woman, whom they nicknamed "Upper Largie Woman" after the quarry where she was found, they worked with a forensic artist who created a facial reconstruction using a 3D printed skull and clay. 13. Medieval dwarf from Poland Credit: Cicero Moraes et al. Advertisement Advertisement When archaeologists reviewed a 3D analysis of the skeletal remains of a medieval man found in Poland, they realized that he had two types of dwarfism. A forensic artist was able to bring the man, who would have lived sometime between the ninth and 11th centuries, to life. The final approximation shows a man with a larger-than-average head, which researchers said is a common characteristic of people with skeletal dysplasia, a rare genetic disorder that causes abnormal development of bones, joints and cartilage. 14. Lonely ice age boy Credit: Oscar Nilsson Found more than a century ago, the 8,300-year-old remains of Vistegutten , Norwegian for "the boy from Viste," helped inform a 3D reconstruction of his body, which is now on display at the Ha Gamle Prestegard museum in southern Norway. Vistegutten was about 15 years old when he died, possibly by himself in a cave. The teenager had scaphocephaly, a condition in which his skull fused too early, an analysis found. 15. Vasa warship victim Credit: Oscar Nilsson In 1628, a Swedish warship known as the Vasa sank on its maiden voyage. Among the victims were G, whom modern researchers initially thought was a male they named Gustav. In 2006, a 3D facial reconstruction showed Gustav at 45, his estimated age at death. However, a recent DNA analysis revealed that G was actually female. Researchers named her Gertrude , and a new examination showed that she was likely 25 to 30 years of age when she died and had blue eyes, blonde hair and pale skin. A 2023 reconstruction shows her in the red hat she was likely wearing when the warship sank. 16. 'Ava,' a Bronze Age woman A facial approximation of a Bronze Age woman. | Credit: Cicero Moraes When archaeologists reviewed a 3D analysis of the skeletal remains of a medieval man found in Poland, they realized that he had two types of dwarfism. A forensic artist was able to bring the man, who would have lived sometime between the ninth and 11th centuries, to life. The final approximation shows a man with a larger-than-average head, which researchers said is a common characteristic of people with skeletal dysplasia, a rare genetic disorder that causes abnormal development of bones, joints and cartilage. Advertisement Advertisement Archaeologists used forensic science to gather clues about this mysterious Bronze Age woman buried in Scotland whom they nicknamed "Ava." Through DNA analysis, they determined that she most likely had brown eyes, black hair and a darker skin tone while measurements of her tibia (shinbone) showed that she was tall and stood approximately 5 feet, 7 inches (1.71 meters). Using this data along with scans of Ava's 3,800-year-old skull, artists created a facial approximation of what she may have looked like. 17. King Tut A side-by-side view of a facial approximation of King Tut. | Credit: Cicero Moraes, et al Over the years, several facial approximations have been made of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun , however the latest version offers new insight into the historical figure's unique facial features. Researchers used CT (computed tomography) scans as well as X-rays of the young king's skull, and through analysis they determined his skull was not only slightly longer than average, but that he also had an exceedingly large brain volume. For example, the average man has a brain volume of approximately 75 cubic inches (1,234 cubic centimeters), but Tut's was 87 cubic inches (1,432 cubic cm). 18. 7th-century 'elite' girl The 16-year-old teen was likely an early convert to Christianity. | Credit: Hew Morrison The mystery surrounding a 16-year-old girl, who was buried in England l ying in a wooden bed wearing a gold cross studded with rubies, has eluded archaeologists since her discovery in 2011. But now a new facial reconstruction offers insight into the appearance of the Anglo-Saxon teen and early Christian convert. 19. The 'Hobbit,' an extinct human relative Researchers used digital scans to create the final image of the hobbit. | Credit: Cicero Moraes Archaeologists discovered the remains of an individual classified as Homo floresiensis , a smaller offshoot of Homo erectus, an extinct human ancestor, inside a cave in Indonesia in 2003. Standing only 3 feet, 6 inches (106 cm), they dubbed her the "hobbit." To make the facial approximation, researchers used scans of the individual's skull along with those of modern-day humans and chimps, all of which were virtually deformed. 20. Czech Republic Stone Age woman A digital approximation of what the Stone Age woman may have looked like. | Credit: Cicero Moraes/Jiri Sindelar/Karel Drbal Advertisement Advertisement Initially incorrectly identified as male, a skull found buried inside a cave in Mladec in the Czech Republic turned out to belong to a 17-year-old female from the Stone Age, who lived around 31,000 years ago. Researchers believe she lived during part of the upper Paleolithic period known as the Aurignacian, and she is one of the oldest Homo sapiens found in Europe. 21. Bronze Age woman from Spain The digital facial reconstruction of the Bronze Age woman wearing a diadem. | Credit: Copyright Joana Bruno/ASOME/Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona Archaeologists from the Autonomous University of Barcelona discovered the remains of a man and woman from the Bronze Age, who were buried together in a ceramic pot at the La Almoloya site. A scientific illustrator created a digital reconstruction of the woman using the woman's partial skull and jewelry in particular a diadem (silver crown) to figure out her head measurements. 22. Stone Age woman found in Sweden It is believed that this Neolithic woman lived in what is now Sweden about 4,000 years ago. | Credit: Oscar Nilsson The skeletal remains of this Neolithic woman in her late 20s were found during the construction of a road in Lagmansoren, Sweden. A forensic artist spent over 350 hours creating her likeness , basing the reconstruction on the scanned skull and on what we know about migration into ancient Scandinavia. 23. Bronze Age Bohemia Using a skull and remnants of DNA, it was possible to create the face of a woman who lived in central Europe nearly 4,000 years ago. | Credit: archiv MZM The bones of this Bronze Age woman , believed to have lived between 1880 B.C. and 1750 B.C., were found in a graveyard near the village of Mikulovice in Bohemia, the Czech Republic. This wealthy woman was part of the Unetice culture , known for their metal artifacts, so it was unsurprising that she was found buried with five bronze bracelets, two gold earrings and a three-strand necklace of more than 400 amber beads. 24. Penang woman from the New Stone Age Archaeologists from the Universiti Sains Malaysia dubbed her the 'Penang woman.' | Credit: Universiti Sains Malaysia/Cicero Moraes Advertisement Advertisement Using a combination of 3D imagery of modern-day Malaysians and CT (computed tomography) scans, researchers created a virtual face approximation of this 40-year-old woman who lived during the Neolithic period, or New Stone Age. Discovered during a dig at the Neolithic site Guar Kepah in Penang, northwest Malaysia, radiocarbon dating of shells found by the remains of the " Penang woman " suggests she lived about 5,700 years ago. 25. Medieval Scottish woman The facial reconstruction of a woman from medieval Scotland, made using computers. | Credit: Chris Rynn Thanks to modern-day forensic science and technology, researchers were able to glimpse into life in medieval Scotland by creating a reconstruction of this medieval woman, who was one of three skeletons found in a medieval crypt in Scotland . Chris Rynn, the forensic craniofacial anthropologist who made this lifelike facial reconstruction, said that this was "the most symmetrical skull" they had ever worked on. 26. Medieval Scottish priest and bishop 3D technology was used to create the facial reconstructions of a priest (left) and a bishop (right). | Credit: Chris Rynn The remains of these two men were found in the same medieval crypt in Scotland as the previous woman. Starting with a 3D scan of each skull, Rynn made these incredible lifelike facial reconstructions of this priest and bishop, right down to the cleft lip and palate of the priest. 27. Young Neanderthal man Dubbed "Krijn," the facial reconstruction of this Neanderthal was created using just a piece of skull. | Credit: RMO Around 70,000 years ago this young Neanderthal man roamed an area known as Doggerland, off the coast of the Netherlands. Using just a piece of skull found at the bottom of the North Sea, a paleo-anthropological artist was able to conjure up this bust of "Krijn," right down to the tumor above his right eyebrow. 28. Three ancient Egyptians Using DNA data extracted from their remains, digital reconstructions were created to depict these men at the age of 25. | Credit: Parabon NanoLabs Advertisement Advertisement The faces of three men who lived more than 2,000 years ago in the ancient Egyptian city of Abusir el-Meleq are brought back to life in this reconstruction. DNA data was extracted from their mummies and used in a process called forensic DNA phenotyping, which uses genetic analysis to predict the shape of facial features and other aspects of a person's physical appearance. This information helped scientists reconstruct the three men at age 25. 29. King Tut's father revealed The reconstruction of KV 55, thought to be the pharaoh Akhenaten. | Credit: FAPAB Research Center This is the face of a pharaoh possibly Akhenaten , King Tut's father, who reigned from 1353 B.C. to 1335 B.C. Adornments such as hair or jewelry have been purposely omitted in order to focus on the individual's facial traits. The reconstruction is based on mummified remains found in the Valley of the Kings. 30. Stone Age man on a spike This bust is decked out in boar skin, inspired by the jawbones of wild animals found nearby. | Credit: Oscar Nilsson The skull of this Mesolithic man , who died 8,000 years ago when he was in his 50s, was found impaled on a stake at the bottom of a small lake in what is now Motala, a municipality in eastern-central Sweden. Although this man was found without his jaw, a forensic artist was able to reconstruct this by taking measurements from the rest of the skull. 31. 18th-century 'vampire' Locals thought this man might be a vampire. | Credit: Parabon Nanolabs, Virginia Commonwealth University Buried in Griswold, Connecticut, in the late 18th century, the remains of this 55-year-old man were found with his femur bones crossed over the chest a sign indicating that locals thought this man was a vampire . Historically, people believed that those who died of tuberculosis , like this man, were vampires, but as you can see, no fangs here. 32. 18-year-old Avgi from Greece Swedish sculptor Oscar Nilsson reconstructed the face of an 18-year-old woman, dubbed Avgi, by applying clay muscles and silicone "skin" to a plastic 3D-printed skull based on scans of the original, 9,000-year-old bones. | Credit: Oscar Nilsson Advertisement Advertisement Swedish sculptor Oscar Nilsson spent around 220 hours meticulously recreating each individual muscle of Avgi's face . Not much is known about 18-year-old Avgi's life, just that her bones were found in a cave in central Greece and are around 9,000 years old. 33. Young Egyptian child The 3D facial reconstruction of the boy side by side with his "mummy portrait." | Credit: Nerlich AG, et al. PLOS One (2020); CC BY 4.0 Scientists in Austria and Germany wanted to find out how accurate "mummy portraits" images of people affixed to the front of their mummies really were, so the researchers CT-scanned a boy's mummy, which was found in a cemetery close to the pyramid of Hawara, southwest of Cairo, Egypt. Using this information, and analyzing previous X-rays, they discovered that the 3D digital image they created looked almost exactly like the painting , with the only difference being that the boy who lived between 50 B.C. to A.D. 100 looked slightly older in his portrait. Mummy portraits were a popular tradition among some Egyptians in Greco-Roman times, from about the first through the third centuries A.D. 34. Ancient 'Shaman' woman In the seated woman's burial, she wore a short cape made of feathers, a slate necklace and a belt made of 130 animal teeth. | Credit: Gert Germeraad/Trelleborgs Museum Found among other burials dating from 5,500 B.C. to 4,600 B.C., this hunter-gatherer woman was buried upright in a grave at Skateholm, an archaeological site on the south coast of Sweden. Sitting on a "throne" of deer antlers, the woman, who was 30 to 40 years old, was richly adorned and is thought to have been an important person. 35. Neanderthal woman from Gibraltar The Neanderthal woman's remains were found in Gibraltar. | Credit: Royal Pavilion & Museums; Brighton & Hove This hyper-realistic portrayal gives us a glimpse 40,000 years into the past. Here we see the face of a young Neanderthal woman , who was an early human inhabitant of Gibraltar. The 20-year-old woman was buried with a tiny baby resting on her chest, a sad clue that she likely died in childbirth during the Neolithic. 36. Whitehawk woman The Whitehawk woman was buried with several lucky charms. | Credit: Royal Pavilion & Museums; Brighton & Hove Advertisement Advertisement Named after Whitehawk in England, where she was found, Whitehawk woman lived about 5,500 years ago and appears to have died during childbirth. Standing 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters) tall, she was short, even for a Neolithic woman. She was buried with lucky charms believed to ward off evil. 37. Otzi the Iceman Iceman Otzi was found in the Alps. | Credit: South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology/Foto Ochsenreiter Otzi the Iceman was discovered by hikers in the Otztal Alps along the Austrian-Italian border. He lived sometime between 3350 and 3100 B.C. and died when he was around age 46 a long life for a man in the Copper Age. The finished facial reconstruction shows a man with a long nose, deep-set eyes, and weathered skin and hair. 38. King Henry VII A highly detailed digital reconstruction of the face of England's King Henry VII. | Credit: Courtesy of Matt Loughrey/mycolorfulpast.com Thanks to photogrammetry, graphic artist Matt Loughrey was able to produce an astonishingly photorealistic reconstruction of England's King Henry VII , who died on April 21, 1509. Using the king's death mask a wax mask from 1509 that preserved the likeness of the king Loughrey brought this ruler's face back to life. 39. Hilda the Druid In a time where most women only made it to their early 30s, "Hilda" lived to be in her 60s. | Credit: University of Dundee One of Scotland's oldest known Druids, "Hilda" lived during the Iron Age and is thought to have died sometime between 55 B.C. and 400 A.D. Her toothless skull and remains were found off the northern coast of Scotland at Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis. This reconstruction is a wax re-creation of her face, showcasing gnarled wrinkles and a seemingly intense determination. 40. Bodies in the bog A facial reconstruction of one of the "bodies in the bog" in Cramond, Scotland. | Credit: Hayley Fisher Advertisement Advertisement Buried alongside eight other adults and five infants now referred to as the " bodies in the bog " this unfortunate medieval wanderer ended up in a mass grave in a former Roman-era latrine in Cramond, Scotland. Researchers used isotope analysis on the bones and teeth of the skeletons to discover that several of the individuals had traveled from far-flung corners of Scotland. Research also showed that several of the people had died violent deaths. 41. Blair Atholl Man The Blair Atholl Man died at the age of 45. | Credit: Christopher Rynn and Hayley Fisher Named the Blair Atholl Man because his remains were discovered near Blair Atholl in the Scottish Highlands, this medieval man lived around 1,600 years ago, between A.D. 400 and 600. However, recent research found he was not actually local to the area. Chemical analysis revealed that he had elevated sulfur isotope ratios, which led researchers to believe he spent the majority of his later life elsewhere, near a coastal location, so was likely a newcomer to the location where he died. 42. King Richard III Facial reconstruction of King Richard III. | Credit: Copyright Richard III Society Unlike William Shakespeare's portrayal of King Richard III as a sneering villain, this reconstruction of the monarch shows a much kinder face, although of course it's not possible to tell someone's character just by their looks. King Richard III's bones were unearthed beneath a parking lot in Leicester, England. Archaeological evidence suggests that after his death in 1485, his body was beaten before a hasty burial. 43. Ancient Wari queen The Wari queen was at least 60 years old. | Credit: Oscar Nilsson The skull of a Wari queen who lived about 1,200 years ago was discovered among numerous lavish artifacts in a pyramid mausoleum known as El Castillo de Huarmey, located in north Lima, Peru. The Wari queen was buried in a private chamber, while the rest of the tomb held the remains of 58 noblewomen. They were part of the Wari culture, which thrived in the region from A.D. 700 to 1,000. The reconstruction was crafted from modeling clay and was based on the queen's skull. 44. Denisovan woman The artistic rendering of the head and face of a 13-year-old girl from the the prehistoric human species, Denisovan. | Credit: REUTERS via Alamy Stock Photo Advertisement Advertisement Denisovans are a mysterious group of now-extinct humans who lived as far back as 200,000 years ago. Thanks to DNA from a severed pinky bone found in a cave in Siberia, researchers were able to reconstruct the first plausible portrait of a Denisovan girl from 40,000 years ago. By making a map that showed how chemical changes to gene expression could influence physical traits, researchers deduced that Denisovans had wider heads and longer dental arches than Neanderthals or modern humans. 45. Cro-Magnon man Accordingly to DNA research, Cro-Magnons like this man most likely had dark skin. | Credit: Royal Pavilion & Museums; Brighton & Hove During the upper Paleolithic period, about 40,000 to 10,000 years ago, Europe was inhabited by Homo sapiens known as the Cro-Magnons. This reconstruction is based on a Cro-Magnon man who was found in France, but archaeological findings suggest these people likely lived in southern England too. 46. Slonk Hill Man It's likely that the Slonk Hill Man had lighter skin and dark hair and eyes. | Credit: Royal Pavilion & Museums; Brighton & Hove Found buried in a crouched position and laid upon a thick bed of barnacles and mussel shells, this Iron Age man was discovered not far from Brighton, U.K. Known as the Slonk Hill Man, he lived around 2,400 to 2,200 years ago. 47. Patcham Woman The Patcham Woman most probably had blue eyes, blonde-ish hair and light skin. | Credit: Royal Pavilion & Museums; Brighton & Hove A skeletal analysis shows that the Patcham Woman, who was found in southern England, was between ages 25 and 35 and was most likely murdered. She was alive during the Romano-British era in about A.D. 250. 48. Stafford Road Man The Stafford Road Man had lots of dental abscesses, which could have given him blood poisoning or led to a heart attack. | Credit: Royal Pavilion & Museums; Brighton & Hove Robust and muscular, the Stafford Road Man lived during the Saxon times, about A.D. 500, and likely died from toothache complications. His grave, located in Brighton, England, contained several weapons, including a knife in his right hand, which indicates that he was likely a warrior. 49. Egyptian female mummy The Warsaw Mummy Project team got two different artists to create facial reconstructions of the same woman. | Credit: Hew Morrison, Chantal Milani and The Warsaw Mummy Project The mummy of an ancient Egyptian woman who may have been pregnant when she died has baffled archaeologists in search of clues about her identity. The Warsaw Mummy Project used non-invasive techniques such as CT and X-ray scans to determine what the mummy of the "Mysterious Lady " looked like beneath her bandages. They then had two forensic specialists, Hew Morrison and Chantal Milani, work independently to create facial reconstructions using different techniques, and compared the results. 50. Nazlet Khater 2 man Researchers created two facial approximations of a man who lived 30,000 years ago. | Credit: Moacir Elias Santos and Cicero Moraes What began as a temporary pause on visits to one popular cruise destination is now turning into a full year of cruise itinerary changes due to ongoing port security concerns. Passengers booked on dozens of Royal Caribbean cruises sailing this fall and winter just found out that their cruise itinerary has changed, just like months of Caribbean cruises before them. Related: Royal Caribbean just added a new drink package cruisers will love While many passengers will get an alternate port to visit during their cruise, those booked on some of the altered sailings were notified that their cruise will trade a port day for a day at sea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why is Royal Caribbean continuing to avoid a destination featured on so many of its cruise itineraries? Well, it comes down to prioritizing the safety of its passengers and crew members. Want the latest cruise news and deals? Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Many Royal Caribbean cruisers love Labadee for its natural beauty and tranquil vibe.Image source: Daniel Kline/TravelHost Royal Caribbeans Labadee is located in a country in crisis Labadee, a private cruise destination owned by Royal Caribbean, is very popular for its natural beauty, but problematic because of its location on Haitis northern coast. Although Haiti has been under a Level 4: Do Not Travel Advisory from the U.S. State Department for some time due to ongoing civil unrest, Royal Caribbean was safely able to cruise to the destination for years because of its remote location thats far from Haitis gang-controlled capital city of Port-au-Prince. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cruise line did suspend calls to Labadee for several months in 2024 out of an abundance of caution, but returned last fall and cruised to the port without incident in late 2024 and early 2025. Related: What to expect at Royal Caribbeans first Royal Beach Club However, in spring 2025, security concerns grew at Labadee after Haitis ongoing gang violence began to extend outside of Port-au-Prince. At that time, Royal Caribbean put a temporary pause on visits to Labadee again, and that pause continues to drag on. The U.S. Coast Guard has concerns about security in the ports of Haiti. Until those are addressed, the Coast Guard advises mariners and passengers traveling through the ports of Haiti to exercise caution, the U.S. State Departments Haiti Travel Advisory currently states. Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Royal Caribbean is extending Labadee cancellations into 2026 After previously extending Labadee cancellations through the summer and then through October, Royal Caribbean is now removing visits to Labadee from six more months of cruise itineraries, according to RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com, an unofficial fan blog not affiliated with the cruise line. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have been monitoring the evolving situation in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and out of an abundance of caution, we're cancelling our visits to Labadee through April 2026, Royal Caribbean explained in an email to travel agents. Royal Caribbean just removed Labadee from all November and December 2025 cruises scheduled to visit the destination, and passengers can expect to be notified about itinerary changes for early 2026 cruises to Labadee soon. Related: Royal Caribbean passengers get upgrade as cruise line swaps ships Royal Caribbean is replacing Labadee with another port where possible, but some of the revised itineraries swap a visit to Labadee for a day at sea. On several itineraries, Labadee was replaced with Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos while other itineraries now include visits to Nassau, The Bahamas; Falmouth, Jamaica; Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; George Town, Grand Cayman; or Cozumel, Mexico in place of Labadee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At this time, its unclear if Royal Caribbean will be able to return to Labadee after April 2026. If security concerns persist, additional Labadee cancellations will be announced at a later date. (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 Sep 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the Come Cruise With Me section. Add TravelHost as a Preferred Source by clicking here. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) One person is in critical condition after an early morning shooting on Saturday near Ohio State University. Authorities responded to North Pearl Street and East 13th Avenue at about 2:35 a.m. on report of a group fighting, according to the Columbus Division of Police. Officers were then sent to the intersection of North High Street and East 14th Avenue where they found a victim suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to a local hospital in critical condition and is expected to survive, Columbus police said. One person has been detained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its unclear how the fight started and how many were involved. Police have to yet to release further details. 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 NBC4 WCMH-TV. One person was sent to a hospital following a shooting in west Charlotte, MEDIC said. MEDIC responded to the scene at the 1700 block of West Boulevard around 8:30 a.m. Saturday. There, they found a patient who had sustained a gunshot wound. The person was suffering life-threatening injuries, MEDIC said, and was transported to a nearby hospital. No additional details have been made available. This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com for updates. WATCH: MEDIC: 1 hurt in southeast Charlotte stabbing Get ready for an exhilarating episode of Sandra Sagisis Home Sweet Hale this week! Join Real Estate Broker Sandra Sagisi Moser as she unveils the latest luxury gem in East Honolulu that will leave you breathless. In this episode, Sandra takes you to a neighborhood where you can touch the sky and smell the ocean, showcasing a home that looks straight out of an architectural magazine. Nestled at 123 Waihili Place in Na Pali Haweo, in East Honolulu, Sandras co-listing is a masterpiece featuring jaw-dropping ocean and Koko Crater views. Dive into the stunning glass pool and spa, explore an extraordinary kitchen equipped with high-end appliances, and marvel at the custom cabinetry and LED lighting that illuminate the walls. And yes, theres even a lavish golden bathtub to add a touch of opulence! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All of this has been expertly crafted by the award-winning builder Derrick Pei, ensuring that every detail is nothing short of spectacular. But thats not all! Well also catch up with the glamorous former Miss USA, Ford Model, and Actress Judi Andersen, who joins in on the fun with the shows playful $weet Kiss & Tell Game. Tune in for an episode packed with luxury, fun, and a touch of Hawaiis magic! #SandraSagisiMoser #SandraSagisiHomeSweetHale #AlohaSpirit #LuxuryHomes #HawaiiLuxuryHomes #LifestyleShow #HomeTour #CulinaryJourney #VlogWorld #ArchitecturalDesign #TravelAdventures #Hospitality Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 KHON2. BUTLER TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) We begin with a 13-year-old boy being laid to rest Friday more than a month after he was tortured and killed. Friday mornings service was attended by several community members, all remembering a life cut far too short. Im sure hes looking down on us right now and appreciates what were doing for him, expressed Kathy Tomcheck. Search for next of kin after mans death Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 13-year-old Jacob Delgadillo, laid to rest Friday morning at St. Johns Cemetery in Drums. The funeral, coming more than a month after the boy was tortured and killed at his home. Delgadillos foster parents are both being charged in his death. 39-year-old Cesar Delgadillo, facing several charges, including criminal homicide. 34-year-old Virginia Yar Delgadillo, also facing charges, including endangering the welfare of children and corruption of minors. After a memorial service in Weatherly, many believed the boy had been buried. When members of St. Johns United Church of Christ found out he hadnt, they stepped in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By 3:00 p.m. on August 11, we had the plot. We had the availability for the service and everything. Last Thursday, I received a call from the coroners office and the coroner asked us if the plot was still available. I said to the coroner, I said were not going to just have a plot, were going to have an actual service, explained Sherry Castrine, member, St. Johns United Church of Christ. Kathy Tomcheck and her husband Joe donated their family plot so he could be buried with their family. My niece suggested, or had said, that I feel bad that hes not with a family, and we all came together and said, well he can join our family. He can be with our family for eternity, and I happen to have a plot available, and Im grateful to be able to give him the proper burial and join our family, expressed Tomcheck. Nat Gawlas Jordan Funeral Home in Wilkes-Barre provided their services free of charge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were more than happy to help out, with someone so young with the tragedy that has happened. Its just a shame that this had to go on, so we wanted to make sure that he received a proper burial and everything was done correctly, said Art Bobbouine, mortuary intern, Nat Gawlas Jordan Funeral Home. Fridays service, serving mourners as a moment to remember Jacobs life and as a time for change. No child should endure or nobody should endure anything like what he endured, empathized Tomcheck. We wanted Jacob to be treated respectfully, because he wasnt treated respectfully in life. We want him to be buried in love and dignity, but we also want to enact change where nothing like this ever happens again, added Castrine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Catawissa Monument is in the process of designing a diamond shaped headstone for Jacob. That will also be free of charge. 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 28/22 News. Sep. 6MITCHELL Nearly 141 years ago, John Tyler Pierce, city marshal for Mitchell, was dispatched to a local saloon to arrest the shopkeeper in charge. Though not necessarily an unusual assignment, after it was all over, Pierce was dead from a gunshot wound to the head. The incident took place April 9, 1884 and claimed the life of the 43-year-old Pierce. He is considered the only law enforcement officer from Mitchell to die in the line of duty, and his death occurred on his last day on the job before his planned retirement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident took place in the early morning hours of Wednesday, April 9, 1884, according to the account of the incident recorded in the Mitchell Capital, a weekly newspaper serving the community. According to that report, sometime between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., the local nightwatchman Louis Eller saw a light on in the Parlor Saloon, of which local Henry Lewis was the proprietor. The article states that Lewis was operating at an hour that was in violation of a city ordinance. Eller therefore ordered Lewis to close the establishment for the night, which Lewis refused to do. Eller then attempted to arrest Lewis himself, but he was stopped by the intervention of bystanders. "Eller then reported to police justice Abbey where he was instructed to secure a posse and have Lewis arrested," the article from the Mitchell Capital reads. "Eller secured the assistance of J.T. Pierce, the city marshal and John Lowell and Dan Collins, both deputies of sheriff Alterton. These four proceeded in body to the saloon, Collins taking his position at the front door, the other three entering from the rear with Pierce unarmed in advance." When Pierce entered the saloon, he reportedly asked "What is the matter, Henry?" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lewis then allegedly dashed behind the bar, grabbed a shotgun that he had loaded a short time before, and leveled it at Pierce's head before firing a shot. The Mitchell Capital then goes into graphic detail about the results of the gunshot. "The charge entered the right side of the face near the nose carried away the base of the brain and came out behind the right ear," the article reads. "Pierce fell heavily to the floor and death must have been instantaneoas [sic]. Lewis escaped through the back door to his rooms over the paint shop of Crawford & Bloss, where he is reported to have kept a house of ill fame and where he was arrested by Deputy Sheriff Collins soon after." Lewis was taken before Justice Abbey at the courthouse that Thursday afternoon, April 23, and an examination into the incident was scheduled. An inquest was held at the local courthouse before A.S. Curtis, coroner. Among those who testified into the shooting were Eller, Dr. W.E. Crane, deputy sheriffs Collins and Lowell and W.A. Sherwin, a newspaper editor. Later reporting from The Daily Republic indicates Lewis was tried in Mitchell for the shooting, but a change of venue was ordered and the trial was held in Plankinton, where Lewis was apparently acquitted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pierce had been a resident of the county for two years. He had moved from Manchester, Iowa, in the spring of 1882 during the large emigration of that place to what was then Dakota Territory. The year prior to his death, he had been in charge of operating the Mitchell Creamery and had been city marshal for about eight months. The report also noted his time served during the Civil War. Though his time serving as city marshal was relatively short, he earned the respect of locals for his ability to enforce the law in an impartial manner. "In his official career he had gained the esteem of all classes of citizens by his impartial efforts to enforce the law," the 1884 article from the Mitchell Capital reads. "Mr. Pierce was a member of the G.A.R., having served his country three years in the war of the rebellion and having been engaged in nineteen different battles." Pierce was survived by his wife and an adopted child. He is buried at Graceland Cemetery in Mitchell. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident was lost to time for more than a century before local law enforcement officials and historians, including the late Davison County Sheriff Lyle Swenson and then-Mitchell Chief of Public Safety Lyndon Overweg, uncovered accounts of the incidents during research years later and brought it back to the public eye. According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the lives and sacrifices of America's fallen law enforcement officers, Pierce was the second law enforcement officer from Dakota Territory to die by gunfire the first being Deputy Sheriff John "Jack" O'Harra of the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office in 1884. He was mortally wounded in a gunfight that ensued at Stoneville, currently known as Alzada, Montana, where he was pursuing horse thieves who were on the run. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By ODMP's listings, 59 law enforcement officers from South Dakota or Dakota Territory have been killed in the line of duty since 1884. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, who has commented numerous times over the years about the importance and sacrifice of South Dakota law officers, encouraged the public to remember the state's fallen law enforcement officers as the 2024 South Dakota Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony was held in Pierre. "These officers, who represented local, county, tribal, state and federal law enforcement agencies, gave the ultimate sacrifice," said Attorney General Jackley. "We remember their families for they still grieve for their loved ones." Loved ones are devastated after an 18-year-old woman was killed while riding a Metro Bus in Los Angeles. On Aug. 22, Anastashia Morales, 18, and her boyfriend were taking the bus home after enjoying a day at the beach. During the ride, a fight broke out between her boyfriend and a 16-year-old male passenger. When Morales tried to intervene with pepper spray, she was shot in the chest multiple times by the teen suspect. The shooter fled the scene before authorities arrived. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police responded to the scene near Manchester and Belford Avenues in the Westchester neighborhood near Los Angeles International Airport. Morales was transported to the hospital where she died from her injuries. Anastashia Morales, 18, is seen in a photo provided by her family. (GoFundMe) Anastashia Morales, 18, is seen in a photo provided by her family. LAPD respond to a Westchester intersection where an 18-year-old woman was shot to death by a suspect while riding a Metro bus on Aug. 22, 2025. (TNLA) The victims boyfriend was inconsolable at the scene. (OnScene.TV) The victims boyfriend was inconsolable at the scene. (OnScene.TV) LAPD respond to a Westchester intersection where an 18-year-old woman was shot to death by a suspect while riding a Metro bus on Aug. 22, 2025. (OnScene.TV) Law enforcement is seen responding to reports of a fatal shooting on a bus near LAX. August 2025. (KTLA) A fundraiser selling food and drinks will be held on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 11611 Culver Blvd. in Culver City beginning at 10 a.m. (Morales Family) Anastashia Morales, 18, is seen in a photo provided by her family. Law enforcement is seen responding to reports of a fatal shooting on a bus near LAX. August 2025. (KTLA) Law enforcement is seen responding to reports of a fatal shooting on a bus near LAX. August 2025. (KTLA) Law enforcement is seen responding to reports of a fatal shooting on a bus near LAX. August 2025. (KTLA) It was such a senseless act of violence, said Emily Garcia, Morales cousin. She was scared and Im pretty sure he was scared as well. She just didnt know what to do and she had pepper spray on her. Garcia said her family is devastated over the Morales death. The 18-year-old was an Inglewood nursing student who had a bright future ahead of her. She was a ray of sunshine, Garcia told KTLAs Mary Beth McDade. She was the sweetest young lady youll ever meet. From an early age, always so loving. She was a beautiful and loving soul. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Family members said police have since caught the shooter, who was only identified as a 16-year-old boy due to his minor status. Loved ones said they want to see the teen charged as an adult for taking Morales life. He needs to pay for what he did, Garcia said. He took a young persons life. Justice for her is for him to be behind bars for a very long time. A GoFundMe page to help Morales family with funeral expenses can be found here. A fundraiser selling food and drinks will be held on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 11611 Culver Blvd. in Culver City beginning at 10 a.m. Morales is survived by her mother, five siblings and her friends and family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. A 19-year-old man is facing second-degree murder and other charges after deputies say he shot and killed another man in Lutz last month. Just before 10:30 a.m. Aug. 17, deputies were called to the 1000 block of Helena Street after a woman reported that another man had shot her boyfriend, the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office said in a news release. The victim, identified as Joshua Benjamin, 34, was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Deputies learned that Benjamin was involved in an argument with Anthony Williams that escalated into a physical confrontation before the shooting, the news release states. Williams was detained and initially charged with carrying a concealed firearm and armed trespassing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After consulting with the Hillsborough State Attorneys Office, deputies arrested Williams on Thursday on charges of second-degree murder and carrying a concealed firearm. Records show he was being held Friday at the Falkenburg Road Jail without bond. Prosecutors have filed a motion seeking to keep him jailed until trial. According to an arrest report, Benjamins girlfriend told deputies that she awoke that morning to Williams standing in her room and Benjamin telling him he could not just barge in. Williams responded by telling Benjamin to tighten up and take it outside, challenging him to a fight, the girlfriend told deputies. She ordered Williams to leave and told Benjamin not to fight him. She believed Williams left. Benjamin told his girlfriend he would not fight Williams and said he needed to use the bathroom before leaving the room. His girlfriend said she heard the bathroom door open about seven minutes later. After about 10 seconds, as she got out of bed to exit the room, she heard a single gunshot. She said she did not hear any arguing before the gunshot and that she didnt think enough time had passed for a fight to have taken place, the report states. As she moved toward the gunshot, she saw Benjamin fall onto the kitchen floor. Once he fell, she saw Williams jump over him and flee out of the northern door with the handgun in his hand, the report states. As he passed her, the girlfriend said Williams told her he had to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The girlfriend then provided first aid to Benjamin and called 911. While she was on the phone, she walked outside, where Williams stated, He lunged at me, I had to, the report states. The girlfriend told investigators that she and Williams had been talking in the past, but he was not invited to her home that day and he was known to walk in uninvited. She also said he often gets upset with people and makes verbal threats to shoot them, the report states. Another witness who lived at the home told investigators that Williams entered his bedroom and began to tell him about the argument before engaging in another verbal dispute with Benjamin. The witness said the two agreed to fight, and Williams walked toward Benjamin and faced him for a moment before beginning to walk past him. As he did, Benjamin threw three punches at Williams, which Williams blocked by flailing his arms, the witness said. Williams then fell to the ground and immediately shot the victim, the report states. Williams mother told detectives that her son came into their house nearby and said Benjamin pushed him from behind and then reached for his waistband, the report states. His mother then changed her statement and advised she was unsure if the victim pushed or punched the defendant but was constant in her claim that he reached for his waistband prior to the shooting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When deputies arrived, Williams exited his home and told them his gun was on the counter and he was in fear, the report states. He declined to provide a statement but said he was not hurt, and investigators observed no injuries that would indicate he was involved in a physical confrontation or fell to the ground, according to the report. This suspect not only took an innocent life but also left a family and community grieving, SheriffChad Chronister said in the news release. No one should ever have to endure the pain of losing a loved one in such a tragic way. This week, we have one imported product that missed a key inspection after it was brought into the US, and one product contaminated with listeria. Surprisingly, both items are frozen foods: frozen pepperoni pizza and frozen vegetables. If youre unsure how to identify a recalled item, check out our food recall guide. Simply Recipes / Trader Joe's Public Health Alert Issued for Trader Joes Frozen Pizza On August 29, the USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert for Trader Joes Uncured Pepperoni Pizza. The frozen pizza was imported from Italy, and although it met U.S. Customs and Border Protection requirements, the FSIS never had the opportunity to reinspect it. Normally, the FSIS performs a quality and safety check on imported items, but the Trader Joe's pizza skipped this step. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The frozen pizza was sold at Trader Joes locations in California. While its no longer available for purchase, it may still be in customers' freezers. Heres how to tell if you bought one of the affected pizzas: Product: Trader Joes Uncured Pepperoni Pizza MFG Lot: 06/16/25 and 06/21/25 Best By Date: 08/16/26 and 08/21/26 Italy Establishment Number: IT 1558 L UE (Look for this in the Italian mark of inspection on the front of the package.) If you recently bought Trader Joe's Uncured Pepperoni Pizza and still have a box at home, check the packaging. The FSIS urges you to toss the product away or return it to Trader Joe's. If you have questions about this public health alert, contact Trader Joes Customer Relations at 626-599-3817. Simply Recipes / US Food and Drug Administration Frozen Vegetables Recalled Due to Listeria Contamination On September 3, Endico Potatoes recalled bags of its frozen peas and carrots and mixed vegetables after testing at one of its Pennsylvania distributors revealed listeria bacteria. Listeria may lead to a serious foodborne illness that could have fatal consequences for older adults or people with weakened immune systems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The frozen vegetables were sent to distributors in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Florida, and Washington, D.C. between July 18 and August 4, 2025. The FDA announcement doesn't specify which grocers sold the products. Heres how to tell if you picked up a potentially unsafe bag: Product: Endico Peas and Carrots (2.5-pound clear plastic bag) Lot Code: 110625 Production Date: 6/11/25 Use By Date: 6/10/27 Product: Endico Mixed Vegetables (2.5-pound clear plastic bag) Lot Code: 170625 Production Date: 6/17/25 Use By Date: 6/16/27 If you have any of the affected frozen vegetables at home, don't eat them. Instead, toss the whole package in the trash. You should be eligible for a refund wherever you bought the products. If you have questions or concerns about the recall, contact Endico Potatoes at 1-800-431-1398. Read the original article on Simply Recipes HONOLULU (KHON2) Two former civilian managers at the Navys Red Hill fuel facility have been indicted, accused of lying about the size of a jet fuel spill in 2021 that contaminated Oahus water supply and poisoned thousands of people. Two former Navy officials indicted in connection with Red Hill fuel spill A federal grand jury charged John Floyd, 63, of Mililani, and Nelson Wu, 38, of Waipahu, with conspiracy and making false statements. The Department of Justice alleges the two men told the Hawaii Department of Health that just 1,618 gallons of fuel leaked during a failed transfer, when in fact the spill involved nearly 20,000 gallons. Floyd and Wu allegedly willfully caused the Navy to falsely state that the May 6, 2021, spill involved an estimated 1,618 gallons of jet fuel, rather than 20,000 gallons as then known by Floyd and Wu to have been spilled, and omitted information and records material to the RFI, the DOJ indictment read. (RFI is a request for information). Floyd has been placed on administrative leave and was released on a $50,000 signature bond. His attorney, Bill Harrison, said the defense team had only just learned of the charges. We just got notice of this yesterday, and so I dont have any information on the case other than what was given to us in the courthouse, Harrison said on Friday. I have a suspicion these two gentlemen may be scapegoats in this case, he added. Environmental advocates say the indictment raises more questions. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news Theres a lot of questions I have from the indictment as to what truly took place, who said what, why the defendants might have conspired to misrepresent what had happened in May 2021, and hopefully well start getting answers as the trial goes on, said Wayne Tanaka, Sierra Club of Hawaii director. We have to remember the fuse to this ticking time bomb was lit years ago, with years of denials, misinformation, and gaslighting from the Department of Defense, he continued. Longtime activist and water protector Healani Sonoda-Pale called the indictments a step in the right direction but said families are still reeling from the disaster. There needs to be accountability, and I hope this goes to trial so more information can come out. The families deserve that and some kind of justice, Sonoda-Pale said. Eighteen thousand gallons of fuel were missing if the Navy didnt know what was happening in their own facilities, then really its on the Navy too and their absence [from the courtroom today] is noted, she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If convicted, Floyd and Wu each face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine per charge. Jury selection is scheduled for October 27. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You Wus wife is still enlisted in the military and being re-stationed to Japan in December 2025. The judge allowed him to move with her as long as he pays for his travel when needed and remains living on base with his wife. He posted a secure bond of $20,000. 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 KHON2. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) Two people needed to be taken to the hospital in crash involving at least seven people on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 6 in South-Central El Paso, according to the El Paso Fire Department. The call came in shortly before 2 p.m. on Sept. 6 at the intersection of East Paisano and South Concepcion, near Jefferson High School. According to El Paso Fire, one person was taken to the hospital with serious injuries (Code 3), one person suffered non-life-threatening injuries but needed to be taken to the hospital (Code 1) and five people refused transport. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The scene has been turned over to the El Paso Police Department. This is a developing story and will be updated once we learn more. 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 KTSM 9 News. NORTHAMPTON Surrounded by bundled belongings, a man whod propped himself against a stone slumped over on his side, his face hidden by a hat and sweatshirt hood. People walked past him. Most had iced coffees in one hand, shopping bags in the other . On this first week of September, it was postcard Chamber-of-Commerce weather for the Paradise City, but not for the man under the railroad overpass, where Bridge Street turns into Main Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some pedestrians glanced down. Some did not. But a call had already gone in to the citys Division of Community Care. Responders in matching black shirts from that office approached the man, someone they encounter often, and were ready to offer water, literature about how to get help, perhaps a snack. They asked the man if he needed help. He waved them off, but they planned to check back. Were not enforcement, said Donaven Don Gibbs, director of the division. We are here to help. Northamptons Division of Community Care marked its two-year anniversary Friday. It was created after a community debate about the nature and limits of policing in the wake of the 2020 murder of George Floyd by police in Minnesota. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To get it started, Northampton used a $450,000 state Equitable Alternatives to Policing Strategies grant in 2022. The goal is to provide civilian responders to address community needs, including peer response to mental health and substance use crises. The division offers an alternative to a traditional public safety or police response, said Michele Farry, deputy commissioner of the citys Health and Human Services Department. She believes Northamptons program is unique in that its run from the public health department, not public safety. The divisions anniversary arrived as people in Northampton and elsewhere feel the strain of a housing crisis. Two weeks ago, Springfield police and deputies with the Hampden Sheriffs Department stepped up their presence in Springfields Union Station. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration is using federal resources to clear the homeless from Washington, D.C. Farris said that local shelters are full. Gibbs, the divisions director, pointed out that its still good weather for sleeping outside, but not for long. Its going to get cold soon, he said. During the 2024 calendar year, the division engaged with people on its patrols 5,604 times. This included 4,814 visits to the community space a drop-in center at 1 Roundhouse Plaza offering food, a place to get help or to charge a phone and 790 phone calls, said Molly Jackson-Watts, a program manager. The pace of the divisions work is picking up. Between June and the end of August, the division recorded 2,069 visits to its community space and 362 phone calls. During these same summer months, the division received 36 referrals from Northampton Public Safety Dispatch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Around the citys center, people interviewed about the divisions work expressed support. I do believe they are having an impact, said Jody Doele, co-worker and marketing manager at Thornes Marketplace, the Main Street retail hub. Doele said shed like to see responders with the division out on evening shifts, so they would be a presence during the dining scene and amid after-work shoppers. Farry said the city is applying for grants that might pay for those extended hours. Thornes gets more than a million visitors a year. Contrary to what you are hearing, more people are coming into Thornes this year than last year, Doele said. Foot traffic is up 6% year to date, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Doele said business owners are grateful to have someone to call whos not the police. I do believe in the approach, she said. They can step into the situation with some knowledge and some history. Building rapport That knowledge is important to the divisions street team. Its called building rapport, said Brandon Williams, a lead responder. Williams and Gabriel Gonzalez, another lead community care responder, took a reporter and a photographer along on a patrol through downtown Northampton this week. They call it proactive community outreach. Theyll hit the pavement any time they can if they are not responding to other calls, sometimes eight or 10 miles a day. We wear out a lot of shoes, Gonzalez said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From the Roundhouse Plaza, they get on the bike path and walk east, crossing Pleasant Street, the head up to the Amtrak station, climbing up onto the active rail line. There, amid the tracks, they used to find and collect hundreds of discarded hypodermic needles. Today, at least, there are none. Once you clean a place up, people wont use it anymore. They feel they are being watched, Gonzalez said. Thats about when Williams and Gonzalez got a call about the man under the overpass, not far off. They stood by while another team spoke with him. Walking west on Main Street, their interactions with street people are friendly and informal. One woman notices the reporter and photographer and jokes about it being like a school field trip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A man silently holding a panhandling sign gets a quick nod. The man doesnt like to be seen talking with division workers, Williams said. He doesnt want people to think hes getting help from the city and doesnt actually need their spare change. You are scaring away the money, Williams said, describing the mans viewpoint. But to some merchants, its the man with the sign who is scaring away the money. Retailers here have long complained that panhandling discourages shoppers from visiting Main Street. Its very scary for our customers, said Mischa Roy, owner of home and gift store Spill the Tea Sis on Main Street. We lost a lot of customers because they are literally not willing to come downtown anymore. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In her view, people on the street who are struggling with mental health and substance abuse problems can be abusive and engage in unsettling behavior. That puts a substantial stress on business on Main Street, she said. Williams and Gonzalez make their way next to Pulaski Park. Its a downtown hotspot and the scene of many concerns and complaints. Richard Chu lives nearby. The proliferation of drug use in the park ... its very obvious, Chu said by phone, when asked for his views. Ive seen people pass out on the ground. On Aug. 31, a 28-year-old man was found dead downtown, Northampton police said. Police gave the address of City Hall, 240 Main St., a few doors down from the park, as the location of the call. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Williams and Gonzalez continued their patrol, they found a large group of people congregated in the back of the park. A shirtless man was curled up on a bench. He spoke haltingly, not making much sense. Gonzalez spoke with him first and got him to sit up. He and Williams then helped the man, who they knew from their rounds, from the bench to a shady spot. They got him some water. Does it get frustrating, they were asked, seeing the same people again and again and having resources to offer, but not having people accept help? Williams said no. It might be that 50th interaction, he said. Then they say Im ready. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They then met Kowboy, with a K, and Bubbles. Kowboy uses a wheelchair as well as a pseudonym. Bubbles admonishes anyone who uses her real name. Kowboy and Bubbles dance a bit. He jokes about taking her out to eat dinner. Both Williams and Gonzalez laugh along with them. They ask Bubbles if she visited the police station, looking for a lost phone. She says he has a hard time remembering things. Stories by Jim Kinney Read the original article on MassLive. The comedy writer Graham Linehan was arrested after telling women that, if a trans-identified male enters a female-only space, they should punch him in the balls. I can see why trans activists found these words so offensive. Because what he should have said, of course, was punch her in the balls. People who are not trans activists, however, have spent the week wondering how on earth the police and indeed modern society in general ended up so helplessly in thrall to woke ideology. Well, let me tell them where they can find the answer. In an essay published all of 25 years ago, long before the term woke entered everyday usage, the great conservative writer Theodore Dalrymple supplied a succinct analysis of what was then known as political correctness. PC, he explained, works by forcing [people] to say or imply what they do not believe but must not question Without an external despot to explain our pusillanimity, we have willingly adopted the mental habits of people who live under a totalitarian dictatorship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As must now be obvious to all but the most blinkered of liberals, the age of woke is far more tyrannical than the age of PC. Yet the above words ring truer today than ever. The main reason that woke propaganda exerts such influence over our society is that, even though most people know its nonsense, all too many of them go along with it, because theyre scared of what might happen to them if they dont. So, instead of saying what they think, they say what they think they should think. For an example of this mindset, see the shamefaced confession this week from Malcolm Gladwell, the bestselling author of The Tipping Point and Blink. Speaking on a podcast, he said he thinks its wrong for male trans athletes to compete in womens sports. Yet in the past, he admitted, hed said he thought it was fine because he felt cowed. There could hardly be a better illustration of Theodore Dalrymples point. A man whod said what he did not believe, but dared not question. This, coupled with the arrest of Mr Linehan, makes the Lefts hysteria about Donald Trump look all the more pathetic. In May, the Left-wing British comedian Stewart Lee said he wouldnt play any gigs in Trumps terrifyingly authoritarian America because he feared that hed be locked up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Four months on, Ive still to hear of any comedians being arrested in the US for having Left-wing opinions. Only in Britain, for not having them. The Epping protesters were right all along Speaking to The Spectator this week, Robert Jenrick said that, rather than hotels, asylum seekers should be detained in prison-style camps. His argument was swiftly strengthened by the news that an Ethiopian asylum seeker staying at the Epping hotel had been convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. The story was already disturbing enough. What makes it truly extraordinary, however, is that the asylum seeker committed the assault a mere eight days I repeat, eight days after arriving in this country. Imagine, just for a moment, that you were an asylum seeker. On finally reaching our shores, youd probably be thinking something along the lines of: Oh, thank heavens! Ive finally reached a safe country, free from war and persecution! I just pray that the local authorities dont send me back to the benighted hell-hole Ive just escaped from! So, to avoid jeopardising my new life here in this wonderful place of sanctuary, for which Im so eternally grateful, Im going to be on my absolute best behaviour. Polite. Friendly. Respecting local laws and customs. And, above all, not sexually assaulting any underage girls! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet this asylum seeker from Ethiopia barely managed a week before doing exactly that. Incidentally, the court heard that, as well as telling his 14-year-old victim that they should make lovely babies and have sex, hed urged her to come back to Africa, you would be a good wife. Come back to Africa? How odd. I thought hed had to flee Africa, because it was so dangerous. Perhaps its safe for him to return already. Barking mad When it was reported, in 2023, that pupils in several schools had started identifying as animals, cynics refused to believe it. But perhaps theyll think again, once theyve read this story about a highly unusual motorist in Northern Ireland. After being stopped by police on suspicion of drink-driving, 41-year-old Damien McClave of Co Tyrone told officers that he would not be able to provide a breath test because he identifies as a dog. In custody, he continued to demonstrate this, by barking, growling, crawling around on all fours, and sniffing shoes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sadly, the authorities refused to recognise his canine status. At Dungannon Magistrates Court, District Judge Francis Rafferty informed him that, while he wouldnt be punished for his buffoonery in custody, he was an idiot, because police have better things to do than deal with people who pretend to be members of the animal kingdom. He then banned McClave from driving and fined him 650. A pity. Personally, I think the judge should have respected McClaves identity, and treated him accordingly. Instead of the fine and the ban, the judge should have had him sent to the vet, and put down. Way of the World is a twice-weekly satirical look at the headlines aiming to mock the absurdities of the modern world. It is published at 6am every Tuesday and Saturday 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. (FOX40.COM) A landlord was recently shocked by a hefty fine that stemmed from illegal fireworks allegedly being lit by his tenants over this years Fourth of July holiday. Video Above: Why are there fireworks on July 4th? In July, law enforcement officials in Northern California warned the public that they would be wildly surprised by massive illegal fireworks fines that would be sent in the mail after Independence Day. Despite warnings, several residents throughout the Sacramento region continued to shoot colorful, yet illegal, explosives into the sky. Northern California residents to be wildly surprised by massive illegal fireworks fines in the mail Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many people thought they got away with lighting illegal fireworks on the Fourth because they didnt receive a ticket that night. However, Law enforcement was driving around in unmarked vehicles and flying drones over known hotspots for illegal activity. Subsequently, several tickets were mailed out after the holiday and continue to be sent. On Thursday, the Ashley Law Group contacted FOX40.com on behalf of its client, who reportedly received a $25,000 fine from the City of Citrus Heights for illegal fireworks. According to Washburn, the client lives in the Bay Area, but has tenants living in a Sacramento County home. The tenants claim they did nothing wrong and did not set off illegal fireworks. Northern California police warn of $1,000 fine per illegal firework amid Fourth of July holiday Several cities and counties have whats known as a social host ordinance that hold property owners responsible for any illegal activity performed by tenants. In July, Sacramento Fire Department Captain Justin Sylvia told FOX40.com that homeowners around Sacramento might be issuing eviction notices, because of the large fines that would be mailed out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FOX40.com reached out to the Citrus Heights Police Department about the alleged $25,000 fine sent to the property owner. CHPD did not confirm the specific citation. However, it said their illegal fireworks enforcement efforts have been accurate. These efforts included additional patrol units in the field, the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (drones), and additional staff assisting with triaging illegal fireworks calls and verifying violator locations, CHPD said in part. The use of the drones allowed us to safely and efficiently pinpoint the source of illegal fireworks and gather real-time evidence from above. Drones provide overhead visuals to confirm the location of illegal activity, supporting enforcement efforts and helping ensure accurate citations. CHPD added, Although were still completing all the investigations, this years enforcement operation identified over 40 locations responsible for illegal fireworks in Citrus Heights. Of those 40 locations, they included over 300 separate violations totaling over $300k in total fines. Law enforcement throughout the region agree that significant penalties will serve as a strong deterrent in the years ahead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Illegal fireworks pose a real threat to public safety, property, and quality of life, CHPD said. Our goal is not only to respond but to prevent future incidents through education, enforcement, and community partnership. 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. The ocean covers more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface. Considering how vast it is, scientists know relatively little about what's going on down there. On top of that, there are many popular myths that have muddied the waters, making sorting fact from fiction a challenge. Did you know the oceans provide half of Earth's oxygen? Or that the oceans absorb about 30 percent of human-made carbon dioxide? They also store excess heat energy. All of these facts make them a vital part of our biodiversity. Here are some more facts about the ocean to wrap your head around. Some you may already know, but others might just blow your mind. 1. There's not that much salt in the ocean. Only around 3.5 percent of it is salt. So what makes the ocean taste so salty? The ocean has two main sources of salt: runoff from the land and vents on the seafloor. The runoff from land is the result of rain, which is slightly acidic, eroding rocks. The eroded rock material contains ions that wash into streams, rivers and finally into the ocean. The other source of salt is mineral-rich hydrothermal fluids that come from vents on the seafloor. 2. The oceans contain 97 percent of the planet's water. The ocean basins are so vast and deep that they hold about 97 percent of the Earth's water. Sea water that's trapped in glaciers and ice caps accounts for another two percent. Do the math: That means that less than one percent of the Earth's water is fresh. 3. Most of the oceans' wildlife has yet to be discovered. Scientists don't know how many species live in the oceans, but they estimate that 91 percent of them have yet to be classified. 4. Oceans help keep the Earth cool. The oceans absorb about 91 percent of the excess heat that is trapped by greenhouse gases. 5. The oceans are largely unexplored. Less than 10 percent of the world's oceans have been documented or explored. There is a project currently underway called Seabed 2030 that intends to map the entire seabed by the year 2030, allowing us to better understand our oceans in the future. Related: The 6 Deepest Parts of the World's Oceans Will Blow Your Mind 6. Our coral reefs are on a doomsday path. Since 2009, rising sea temperatures have destroyed around 14 percent of our coral reefs. If temperatures continue to rise at their current rate, we could lose 70-90 percent of all coral reefs by 2050 or sooner. 7. There are more than 500 species of sharks. Of course you know all about the great white shark, and you can probably easily come up with several other species names as well, but did you know there are over 500 different types of sharks that live in the oceans? And the size range is enormous: the largest species (the whale shark) is 40 feet long, whereas the smallest species (the dwarf lanternshark) is only 7.9 inches long. 8. There is a shark that can walk. (Yes, really!) The epaulette shark can swimbut it can also "walk" along the ocean floor as well as over shallow reefs that may even be exposed to air. It uses its pectoral fins to create a crawling motion to propel itself across reef systems. As far as air exposure, the epaulette can slow its heart rate and breath so it can survive without oxygen for an extended period of time. 9. The deepest point in the ocean is really, really deep. The Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, located off the east coast of the Philippines, is the deepest part of the ocean. At 35,876 feet below sea level, you could comfortably fit Mt. Everest in there, with room to spare. 10. The Pacific Ocean was named by Ferdinand Magellan. In the 16th century, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan set sail on behalf of the Spanish Empire to search for a new route to the Spice Islands. When he and his crew entered an unfamiliar sea in November of 1520, he called it pacific, meaning peaceful. Related: 60-Foot Rogue Wave Captured in Pacific Ocean (Video) 11. The world's longest mountain range is in the ocean. The Mid-Ocean Ridge is a mountain range that stretches for 40,390 miles. More than 90 percent of it is underwater, but parts of it jut above water in the form of volcanic islands, including Iceland and the Azores. 12. The ocean is the world's largest museum. There are more artifacts and pieces of history on the ocean floor than there are combined across all the museums of the world. Examples of these artifacts include sunken objects and shipwrecks as well as fossilized records of various animal species. 13. The warmest ocean is like a relaxing bath. The Indian Ocean can range from 72F to 82F, meaning you're not going to need a wetsuit there. A large portion of the Indian Ocean is in the tropics, near the equator, which means this ocean is exposed to more sunlight. 14. The coldest ocean is like an ice bath. The Arctic Ocean can feel like taking an ice bath. The average water temperature hovers around the 28F mark, which is what you would expect from an ocean that hugs the North Pole and is covered with sea ice for most of the year. 15. The Atlantic was named after a Greek Titan. The Atlantic gets its name from the Greek mythological god Atlas, who was condemned by Zeus to hold up the heavens on his shoulders. The name is meant to reflect the immense size of the Atlantic, which covers approximately 20 percent of the Earth's surface. Related: The 3 Most Dangerous Seas in the World 16. The largest ocean could fit all the continents combined. The Pacific Ocean is more than 60 million square miles. It's so big, you could fit the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii) in it 15 times over with room to spare. Here's another mind-bender: You could fit all of the Earth's continents inside the Pacific a bit of wiggle room leftover. 17. The smallest ocean is still pretty big. The Arctic Ocean is the world's smallest ocean, but it's still pretty massive at 5.4 million square miles. You could fit Australia in there 1.8 times! 18. The moon and the oceans are connected. The gravitational forces of the moon are responsible for tides. The oceans on the side of the Earth that is facing the moon are pulled, creating a bulge. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the planet, a second bulge forms as a result of the weaker lunar gravity as well as the inertia of the water in relation to the Earth's rotation. Low tides occur in the areas between the two bulges. Each day, there are two high tides and two low tides. 19. The youngest ocean is the Atlantic. The Atlantic Ocean was formed about 150 million years ago, during the Jurassic period, when the supercontinent Pangaea began to separate. 20. The oldest ocean is the Pacific. The Pacific contains the world's oldest ocean basin, and the oldest rocks there have been dated to 200 million years old. The Mediterranean Sea, however, may contain the world's oldest piece of ocean crust, which has been dated to an astonishing 340 million years old. Related: The Top 10 Biggest Waves Ever Surfed 21. The oceans are actually a single body of water. Though different parts of it have different names, the ocean is actually one global body of water, separated only by geographic, cultural and historical boundaries. Despite long-standing myths, the Pacific and Atlantic ocean do mix their watersbut they each retain their own unique characteristics. 22. The oceans have a midnight zone. The name sounds kind of terrifying, but the midnight zone simply refers to areas of the oceans that are so deep that sunlight cannot penetrate. Also known as the bathypelagic zone, this layer of ocean occurs between 1,000 to 4,000 meters (3,300 to 13,100 feet). 23. The oceans also have an abyssal zone. Below the midnight zone is the abyssal zone; this layer occurs between 4,000 and 6,000 meters (13,10019,700 feet). This zone is just as dark as the midnight zone, but it is colder and higher-pressure. 24. Marine snow is kind of gross. The deep ocean floor is covered in marine snow. Though the name sounds romantic, it is actually a continuous underwater shower of decaying organisms, fecal matter and any other debris that's made its way to the bottom of the ocean. The material serves as the primary food source for many animals and organisms that live in the deep ocean. 25. Some dolphins like to get high. The BBC documentary Spy in the Pod (2024) shows footage of dolphins gently nudging pufferfish with their noses, causing the puffers to release their neurotoxins. In small doses, these neurotoxins can induce a trancelike state, and these dolphins seem to know exactly what they're doing. Niiiice. Related: How To Survive a Shark Attack and Stay Safe From Sharks This story was originally reported by Surfer on Sep 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Surfer as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The 25th Navajo Nation Council extends its heartfelt condolences to the family of former Council Delegate and the first Speaker of the Navajo Nation, Nelson Gorman Jr., who passed away on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. Mr. Gorman was 91. On behalf of the 25th Navajo Nation Council, we honor the life and leadership of Speaker Nelson Gorman Jr. As the first Speaker of the Navajo Nation, he helped establish the foundation of our modern government and guided our people through a pivotal time of change. We extend our deepest condolences to the Gorman family and ask our Nation to keep them in prayer during this time of mourning, said Speaker Crystalyne Curley. Gorman, of Chinle, Arizona, was Todichiinii, born for Kinyaaaanii. His maternal grandfathers were Totsohnii, and his paternal grandfathers were Dibe izhinii. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. He represented the Chinle Chapter as a Council Delegate from 1983 to 1995. In 1990, he made history by becoming the first Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council, playing a vital role in establishing the Nations modern three-branch government and reinforcing the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches. He was also widely respected as a peacemaker during the 1989 leadership crisis that significantly impacted the Council and the Navajo people. Gorman is survived by his wife of 66 years, Eva Gorman; his son and daughter-in-law, Cornelius and Josie Gorman; his daughter, Caroline Gorman; and six grandchildren. Following his service in tribal government, Gorman dedicated himself to his family and remained engaged with the political affairs of the Navajo Nation. He frequently emphasized the enduring responsibility and strength of the Navajo Nation Council as the Nations governing body.As he grew older, my father remained sharp and deeply thoughtful. He approached challenges with analysis and patience, never accepting things at face value, said his son, Cornelius Gorman. He lived by his spirituality and faith, and those values guided every aspect of his life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Family meetings will be held at the Chinle Presbyterian Church in Chinle, Arizona, on Wednesday, Sept. 10, and Thursday, Sept. 11, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and on Friday, Sept. 12, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. 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 DENVER (KDVR) On Thursday, Banner Health announced it was transitioning the McKee Medical Center in Loveland into a specialty hospital of Banner North Colorado Medical Center, anchored by the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center. Over the summer, Banner Health acquired Village Medicals Northern Colorado primary care network, along with its 200 employees. The company said the transition of McKee Medical Center is the next phase of its plan for the new Banner North Colorado Medical Center Loveland campus. Pharmacies may now administer COVID vaccine without prescriptions in Colorado Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The campus will have inpatient and outpatient medical and surgical services, as well as outpatient rehabilitation, a cardiac catheterization lab, cardiac rehabilitation and interventional radiology, according to Banner Healths announcement. The will also be mammography and specialty care clinics. The campuss emergency services will end on Nov. 5, but Banner Health pointed to emergency services available through its network in Greeley, Fort Collins, Brush and Sterling. About 10 minutes down the road from McKee Medical Center is the UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, which offers emergency services. On Nov. 5, Banner is also closing the freestanding emergency department and Banner Urgent Care Center in Greeley, pointing to similar Banner services available at the Banner North Colorado Medical Center emergency department and the Banner Health Walk-in Clinic in Windsor. The company said that its Health Clinics OB/GYN practice at Summitview Medical Commons in Greeley is also going to be relocated with the current Banner OB/GYN services in Larimer County. The companys family medicine obstetrics providers will continue to practice in Greeley and inpatient hospital obstetric services will remain at North Colorado Medical Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The transition of Banner McKee is driven by community demand. Our emergency room volumes at McKee have declined each of the last four years and were only using 25% of our hospital beds, said Alan Qualls, CEO of Banners Northern Colorado hospitals, in the companys announcement. The vast majority 88% of all surgeries performed there today are outpatient procedures. We are responding to the community and making the best use of this facility by prioritizing convenient and accessible health care services. Hundreds of employees to be laid off at Banner Health Banner Healths changes are going to impact 351 employees of the Banner McKee Medical Center, according to a WARN notice posted by the state on Thursday. The notice said that the layoffs will be permanent, but many employees will have the opportunity to continue their employment at other Banner locations in northern Colorado. The expected separation date is Nov. 5. Free on Your TV New FOX31+ App for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Banner Health said that employees will have priority consideration for open positions in the organization, as well as career counseling and other support services. The company said it employs over 3,000 people in northern Colorado and nearly 60,000 people across its whole system. Banner Health said it plans to include new and expanded services and sites within the service, with details to be announced in the coming months. The communities of Northern Colorado are among the fastest growing in the country and Banner is planning to make significant capital investments in the next three years to best meet the health care needs of this region, said Todd Werner, Banners president of Care Delivery, in Thursdays announcement. Northern Colorado is instrumental to Banners 10-year strategic growth plan which includes reimagining where and how we offer services to modernize care delivery using the latest technology to improve access and affordability. 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. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) About 3,000 soldiers from Fort Bliss 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division celebrated their return home from a nine-month deployment to Europe. The Bulldog Brigade, as it is nicknamed, uncased their unit colors during a ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 3 at Iron Soldier Field at Fort Bliss. Col. Adam F. Latham, commander of 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team The Bulldog Brigade, 1st Armored Division, front left, stands in front of the Bulldog Brigades color guard displaying the uncased unit guidon and campaign streamers during a ceremony at Fort Bliss, Texas, Sept. 3, 2025. The unfurling of the guidon represents the conclusion of 3ABCTs 9-month rotational deployment to Eastern Europe and their return to Ft. Bliss as they prepare for their next mission. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kyle Larsen) Col. Adam F. Latham, commander of 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team The Bulldog Brigade, 1st Armored Division, front left, and Command Sgt. Maj. James R. Pyle, senior enlisted leader of 3ABCT, 1AD, front right, uncase their brigade colors during a ceremony at Fort Bliss, Texas, Sept. 3, 2025. The ceremony signified the return of the brigade from their 9-month rotational deployment to Eastern Europe and highlighted the many accomplishments of the Bulldog Soldiers throughout their deployment. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kyle Larsen) The event signified the successful completion of the Bulldog Brigades rotational deployment to the U.S. European Command area of operation and their return to Fort Bliss. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Next up, the unit will reintegrate at the post, start training again and prepare for their next mission, whatever that will be. Brig. Gen. Rory A. Crooks, the 1st Armored Divisions deputy commanding general for operations, welcomed the unit back to post and highlighted some of their achievements. These included a four-man tank crew assigned to 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment winning an international tank competition and 123rd Brigade Support Battalion utilizing advanced manufacturing to save the Army roughly $2.4 million. Brig. Gen. Rory A. Crooks, the 1st Armored Divisions deputy commanding general for operations As we close the chapter, we welcome (3rd Brigade) back to Fort Bliss, Crooks said Your colors are now unfurled, and with all those lessons that you learned and took to heart, you are going to innovate. You are going to lead the division, and (1AD) will lead the Army on how an armored unit fights in this new type of warfare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Col. Adam F. Latham, commander of 3rd Brigade, highlighted the importance of families back home supporting their soldiers during the deployment. To our Bulldog spouses and families all over Fort Bliss and the United States, Latham said. We appreciate all your sacrifices as you enabled your soldiers to accomplish our mission, do our duty and execute our critical tasks. Nine months is a long time, and you have borne the brunt of the home front while we have missed you from afar. Latham also highlighted the importance of every soldier in the unit and what the unit was able to achieve during its time in Europe. It was a deployment of firsts, Latham said. First to compete in the Connelly Cup (for culinary excellence) while deployed forward following our win at the (U.S. Army Forces Command) level, first U.S. team to win the European Tank Challenge, first to accomplish company-level proficiency at night (combined arms live fire exercises), I could go on for hours on your list of accomplishments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You are not fancy, you do not brag or showboat. You just consistently produce results, Latham said. As the Bulldog Brigade reintegrates, they will get some time off to spend with friends and family before preparing for their next mission. Fort Bliss did not say what countries in Europe the brigade was deployed to. 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 KTSM 9 News. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) Five men were shot dead execution style late Thursday night, Sept. 4, in Juarez. According to our news partners in Juarez, the attack happened at a home located in the Revolucion Mexicana neighborhood on General Prestes Pereyra and General Maximo Castillo. A disabled person and three little girls were also inside the home at the time of the incident, but were not hurt. Police detained two witnesses at the scene, and one of those witnesses had been shot in the leg. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police suspect drugs were sold at the house. 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 KTSM 9 News. Sep. 6On Aug. 1, Bob Ledoux took the helm as the Quantum New Mexico Institute's director. He comes to the state from the Washington, D.C., area, where he most recently served as program director for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. Ledoux's appointment comes at a time when the term "quantum" seems to be the new buzzword at the Roundhouse and in the broader tech community in New Mexico. This month, Albuquerque hosted the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Quantum Week. And Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced on Tuesday a new partnership with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to accelerate the development, testing and validation of emerging quantum technologies in the state. Ledoux said the institute, which was launched in January 2024 by the University of New Mexico and Sandia National Laboratories to establish New Mexico as a quantum hub, is always looking for input and suggestions on the work it does. He especially loves answering questions about how quantum technologies will "matter in life." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I came here because I really do believe New Mexico is expanding and growing the ecosystem by everything it's doing from the university level, state level and government," Ledoux said. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. What is quantum? It's very important to distinguish between what we mean by quantum now, when we're talking about quantum information, science and engineering, and what we use the word quantum for generally. I think it gets confused with the first generation of quantum, where most scientists and technologists would say was when we started using things like semiconductors. The rise of all modern electronics was based on an understanding of quantum phenomena. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Exactly 100 years ago, quantum mechanics was invented and that led to, for example, the first transistor, which was basically based on a better understanding of materials; it's a semiconductor. Now, we hear that term all the time, but that was basically only understood and invented by understanding quantum. When we say quantum now, like a quantum computer or quantum sensor, it has a more specific meaning. It means now we're taking the properties of quantum mechanics, sometimes literally at one-atom level, and we're exploiting the special properties of quantum mechanics, which is that a quantum system exhibits two things that are not natural to our common sense. Like superposition, where a (quantum bit) does not have to be just one or zero, it could be both simultaneously with some probability. And then, even more important is that you can then take two qubits and entangle them. That entanglement is a very, very special kind of correlation between the qubits. This property, when you utilize it at that very basic level, means you can make sensors which are much more sensitive, you can make communication that basically can't be spoofed, you can make a quantum computer which, at its heart, utilizes those special quantum properties to do a massively parallel type of computing computing that would never be possible on a classical computer. How does a quantum computer differ from a classical computer? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Let me make something clear, which sometimes gets confused we are not doing away with classical computers. At the moment, for very large data, for certain types of processing, classical computers will always have a place. And in fact, computing, maybe forever, will be a hybrid. Why don't we know everything about chemistry? It's because the chemical systems, the electrons interacting, their correlations are exponential, and it's very hard to bring to human terms an exponential correlation. If you have just 300 correlated atoms, the amount of information you would need to store to simulate that system on a classical computer is more than the number of atoms in the universe. Basically, you cannot do that on a classical computer. Why is it difficult to build stable quantum systems? Literally, you're dealing with one atom at a time, and you have to get them into different states. You have to then put them in superposition and entangle them, so it's like you're manipulating things at the atom level, and it's incredibly difficult to isolate. You have to isolate it from the environment because it could rapidly destroy it, but at the same time, you have to control it, so you have to put information in and out. It is a scientific, engineering and technical challenge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Where does New Mexico stand in the rapidly evolving quantum ecosystem? It stands at the epicenter. It is one of the focal places, I would say, in the country and in the world. Why? Because it has a legacy of being here early in this problem. (New Mexico) has so much already that it's really an abundance of great assets. I think the challenge is not that we don't have great people, it's that this is evolving fast, and it has many other aspects that we have to expand. I came here for this reason; I came here because it's the place where it started, so to speak. Why should the general public care about quantum technologies and the industry? I think it will ultimately affect their lives and, we hope, in very positive ways. The growth in our economy, a lot of it is due to basically all the things we associate with computing new products, new inventions and so on. We don't have a crystal ball, but this is an evolving, new industry that could really become a substantial driver of the economy. MEMPHIS, Tenn. The Interstate 55 bridge will start daily lane closures on Monday that will last almost a month. The Arkansas Department of Transportation will be inspecting the bridge starting next week. Daily lane closures will be a part of that inspection, starting with the southbound lanes, which will be closed from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Once that side is finished, they will move to the northbound lanes. The inspection is slated to last through October 2. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. BISMARCK, N.D. United Tribes Technical College kicked off its 55th annual International Powwow on Friday evening in Bismarck, North Dakota, with around 500 dancers filling the arena in a vibrant opening celebration. The Powwow runs throughout the weekend on the UTTC campus. Full schedules and event details can be found on the college's website. All photographs by Levi Rickert. {gallery}UTTC International Powwow{/gallery} Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 Editor's note: The article was updated with additional details. Russian strikes across Ukraine killed at least six civilians and injured at least 11, including a child, over the past day, regional authorities said on Sept. 6. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 68 of the 91 Russian Shahed-type attack drones and decoys launched overnight, the Air Force reported. Eighteen drones struck at eight different locations, and downed wreckage fell in four other areas, according to the statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Six people were injured in Russian attacks across Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Governor Serhii Lysak reported. Two medical facilities, a school, apartment buildings, houses, stores, a transport company, cars, an ambulance, and other properties were damaged. In Donetsk Oblast, Russian attacks killed three civilians in Siversk and another one in Bilytske, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin. One person was reported as injured in Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka. Russia also attacked railway infrastructure in the region, resulting in power outages at a rail section near the city of Sloviansk and train delays, Ukrainian Railways said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Kharkiv Oblast, two men aged 58 and 25 were wounded and hospitalized after Russian attacks against the Kupiansk district, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported. Two people were killed and two injured, including a child, during Russian attacks in Kherson Oblast, said the regional governor, Oleksandr Prokudin. A high-rise building, eight houses, and a car were damaged. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones strike Russias largest Rosneft refinery in Ryazan Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- A 7th grade student at Bowie Middle School was arrested after a gun was found in a backpack. According to a news release, a student approached a teacher and told her that he was given a gun by another student and that it was in his backpack. The teacher looked and saw the backpack did indeed have a gun in it and notified campus police officers and school leaders. The backpack was immediately confiscated, and the student was arrested for the third-degree felony of places weapons prohibited. Police are investigating the claim of the weapon being given to the student by another but at this time they have not found any evidence to support that claim. The student did not make any threats toward others and the investigation is continuing this evening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 Yourbasin. CHICAGO (WGN) September is Hunger Action Month, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository is teaming up with some of the citys most popular restaurants to take hunger off the menu. Across Chicago and Cook County, officials say one in five households with children are at risk of food insecurity. All month long, 43 restaurants will donate a portion of sales from a featured dish directly to the Food Depository as part of the 86 HUNGER campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Money raised through the campaign will help the Food Depository provide fresh produce, shelf-stable groceries and prepared meals to food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters in Chicago and Cook County. The Food Depository and our partners are working to ensure that everyone in our community has access to healthy, nourishing food, Rodolfo Godinez, organizer of 86 HUNGER at the Food Depository, said. Campaigns like 86 HUNGER demonstrate the power of local businesses and residents coming together to create meaningful change. For more information and a list of participating restaurants, click 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 WGN-TV. The CEO of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum has a track record of raking in hefty raises even as the nonprofits she led floundered, The Post has learned. Before she took the helm of the Manhattan nonprofit in July 2022, Elizabeth Hillman was president for six years of Mills College, a womens liberal arts school in Oakland, CA. College trustees sued her in 2021 for allegedly withholding financial documents from them, and hindering their fiduciary duties as Mills merged with Northeastern University in Boston. Before she joined the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Hillman was President of Mills College in California. Mills Quarterly Hillman backed the merger, but many trustees did not. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An Alameda County Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the trustees, compelling Mills College to provide the requested financial information, but it wasnt enough to stop the merger. Mills College was struggling financially due to declining enrollment and mounting operational costs, and the merger with Northeastern University was intended to stabilize finances by providing additional resources and institutional support. Mills eventually shut down as an independent institution when the merger was completed in 2022 posting a $38 million deficit while Hillman walked off with a $580,067 payday, a 18% hike from the previous year. A front-page expose in The Post revealed the skyrocketing salaries of Hillman and other execs at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, even as the organization hemorrhages money and ignores families pleas to have victims remains stored anywhere other than the basement. Hillman pocked $856,216 in total compensation last year at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Hillman pocketed $856,216 in 2024 a 63% raise in just two years since joining the organization, which was nearly $20 million in the red the same year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A tone-deaf Hillman defended the nonprofits exorbitant salaries, claiming executive compensation lagged well behind that of peer institutions, without citing specific examples. I was just like, That rat is at it again,' said Michelle Sherman, a Mills College alum. Disgusted. I mean, ashes in the basement? I dont know how to say this without just being crass, but theres a special place in hell for people like that. Mills College ceased to exist as an independent institution in 2022 when it merged with Northeastern University. San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images Sherman was among alumni who actively opposed Mills Colleges merger, which was painted as the only way to save the school. They felt the institution was being mismanaged and didnt need to merge with any other school, pointing to its healthy $226 million endowment in 2022, which that had grown by $40 million, or 20%, from the year before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The college faculty passed a no-confidence vote in Hillman in May 2021, after years of frustration over leadership and the handling of finances, calling for an overhaul of the administration. President Trump has been exploring a federal takeover of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. AFP via Getty Images It did little to stop Hillman and other executives from pushing full steam ahead with the merger. For an institution thats over 100 years old, its just a shame that nothing was really done to save it, said Sherman. Weve always just felt in the back of our minds that this woman got a payout. She exited right before school started that fall. Hillman joined the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in 2022, after Mills Colleges merger went through. Elizabeth Hillman/LinkedIn Mike Bloomberg, chairman of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, defended Hillman. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beths career from her record as military officer, as an educator and her work in leading large institutions is one of exemplary, decisive leadership and service, which is what drew us to appoint her as President and CEO, he said in a statement to The Post. Hillman did not comment. ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) The Abilene Pride Alliance addressed concerns about drag story times and drag shows scheduled for the 4th Annual Pride Festival on September 20. Abilene Pride Alliance works on opening gender affirming closet In a statement, the organization highlighted that drag is not only an artistic expression but also a vital aspect of LGBTQ+ culture and history. The Abilene Pride Alliance also stated that performers follow specific guidelines for music, attire, and performance style to ensure that all acts are appropriate for a family-friendly audience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The organization encouraged anyone who feels uncertain to attend the festival and experience the performances firsthand. We have taken every step to ensure a safe, family-friendly, and fun celebration for all, the statement 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 KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. The ACLU and United Farm Workers have filed a motion alleging that the Border Patrol violated a court order intended to curb racial profiling and unlawful, warrantless arrests in the Central Valley. They want the judge to require new training and forbid agents involved in a July raid in Sacramento from participating in other operations until they are retrained. In April, a federal district court judge ruled that the Border Patrol likely violated the Constitutions protections against unreasonable search and seizure during a January operation in Kern County called Operation Return to Sender, in which agents swarmed a Home Depot and Latino market, among other areas frequented by laborers. The judge ordered the Border Patrol, led by El Centro Sector Chief Gregory Bovino, to stop the raids in Californias Eastern District, which covers much of the states Central Valley, including Sacramento. The Home Depot on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles was the scene of an immigration raid in June. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times) Bovino in June took his agents to Los Angeles, where they spent weeks aggressively pursuing Latino-looking workers outside of Home Depots, car washes, bus stops and other areas. The agents often wore masks and used unmarked vehicles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After a federal district court judge temporarily barred agents from conducting raids in the Los Angeles area, Bovino briefly moved north to Sacramento in July, detaining Latino day laborers in a Home Depot parking lot. In an interview near the parking lot with Fox News, Bovino indicated at the time that his operations were ramping up, not slowing down. There is no sanctuary anywhere, Bovino said. Were here to stay. Were not going anywhere. Were going to affect this mission and secure the homeland. Bovino told Fox the raids were targeted and based on intel. Everything we do is targeted, he said. We did have prior intelligence that there were targets that we were interested in and around that Home Depot, as well as other targeted enforcement packages in and around the Sacramento area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a motion filed last week, the ACLU and the United Farm Workers asked the federal district court to enforce the preliminary injunction issued in April that barred Border Patrol agents from stopping people without reasonable suspicion and from making warrantless arrests without assessing flight risk. If granted, the motion could potentially bar Bovino from planning or participating in new raids in the Eastern District. Bovino appears to be moving on regardless: He announced Tuesday on his social media account that the L.A. crackdown would be expanding to other cities across the country. A Border Patrol spokesman did not return a request for comment about the ACLU and UFWs motion. If the plaintiffs in the Kern County case are successful in getting a judge to strengthen or enforce the original injunction, the case could have nationwide implications, providing a legal strategy that could be replicated in communities where agents are using similar tactics. In Los Angeles and Southern California, agents have continued high-profile raids and violent tactics, despite a similar but separate temporary restraining order in the Central District, barring similar activity there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As part of the original preliminary injunction, Border Patrol agents were required to provide the ACLU with documentation on their specific and individual reasonable suspicion for each warrantless stop. The plaintiffs allege agents fabricated and copied and pasted boilerplate language for those reports from the raid at the Home Depot in south Sacramento. According to the filing, dozens of armed and masked agents from the Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies corralled people in the parking lot in Sacramento, ordering them not to move while demanding to see their papers. Witnesses described unmarked Chevy trucks, agents dressed like soldiers, and people being grabbed and handcuffed with no explanation. At least one U.S. citizen was chased and detained during the operation, but Border Patrol wont release that arrest report to the ACLU because the agency said it was unrelated to an immigration violation, according to the court documents. The agency told the media that the man slashed one of their tires in the parking lot. Student detained near Home Depot sweep Agents also tackled and arrested an 18-year-old high school student who happened to be walking to a nearby Ross, according to the ACLU and UFWs motion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Selvin Osbeli Mejia Diaz, a senior at Valley High School, fled violence in Central America last year and came to the United States as an unaccompanied minor. He lives with his aunt in Sacramento and is complying with the orders in his immigration court case seeking asylum, according to the ACLU and UFW motion. According to his declaration, he was walking to the store to buy a shirt when an unmarked Chevy pulled up behind him. A masked agent burst out from the vehicle, tackled him to the ground, and handcuffed him without asking any questions, according to Mejia Diazs declaration. Everything happened very fast, and I felt very afraid because I did not know who the man was, Mejia Diaz wrote in his declaration. He was much taller than me and he used a lot of force, and he immediately handcuffed me while I was on the ground I think they saw me and figured they could arrest me because I looked Latino. Mejia Diaz was born in Guatemala and turned himself in to border agents in June 2024 after crossing the U.S. border. After the Home Depot raid, he was taken to a detention center in downtown Sacramento, where he had to sleep on a hard ceramic floor with an aluminum blanket. He said he was detained for several days before he was allowed to call his aunt for a couple of minutes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is still being detained in the Imperial Regional Detention Facility. The Border Patrols arrest report for Mejia Diaz incorrectly states he was in the Home Depot parking lot, the ACLU alleges, which they say supports their assertion that agents are using copy and pasted language for each arrest report. Residents surround ICE and Border Patrol agents after an immigrant raid in the city of Bell on June 20. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) How the Border Patrol justified arrests The ACLU also says that Border Patrols official documentation of the raid, required by the court order, is riddled with other factual errors and boilerplate language. The forms, known as Form I-213s, are meant to document agents reasonable suspicions for each warrantless stop they make. During discovery, Border Patrol gave the ACLU 11 such arrest reports for the Sacramento raid. Three of them included X placeholders instead of specific information about locations or names or details for the arrests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nearly every report used identical language, claiming people fled from agents as a factor in the agents reasonable suspicion. Several witnesses told the ACLU some people did not run, according to the motion. The plaintiffs also argue that running from masked, armed men who do not identify themselves should not be enough for reasonable suspicion. A handful of the reports justified the warrantless arrests by stating: Sacramento, California has been identified as a city where many illegal aliens are known to stay, live and work without having any legal documentation in the United States. Others noted that California is a sanctuary state. (Person) was located in California, which is a sanctuary state. Sanctuary states shield the identity of illegal aliens from immigration officials, the arrest reports noted. The plaintiffs argue that someone being in a sanctuary state is not enough cause to give an agent reasonable suspicion that they are in the country illegally. Californias sanctuary law curbs local law enforcement cooperation with immigration authorities and prevents the automatic transfer of people to federal immigration custody, except for people who have been convicted of serious or violent felonies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Border Patrol would not provide reports for individuals who were detained but then released, the motion states. The ACLU is asking the judge to shorten the amount of time Border Patrol has to share the arrest reports from seven days to four days because many of the people detained in the Sacramento raid had already been deported by the time they got the arrest reports, according to their motion. A hearing on the motion to enforce the injunction is set for October in Fresno. Fry and Olmos write for Cal Matters, where this article originally appeared. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella says the Granite State is heading up a group of states aiming to take Massachusetts before the U.S. Supreme Court in a fight over gun laws. Formella filed an amicus brief Sept. 4 urging the countrys highest court to review the constitutionality of Massachusetts firearm licensing requirements for nonresidents, citing situations where Granite Staters could be charged with a felony for visiting the Buffalo Wild Wings in Nashuas Pheasant Lane Mall with a handgun without a permit even if they would be allowed to do so just a few feet away in New Hampshire. The Bay States highest court ruled in March the commonwealth can require out-of-staters to obtain a temporary license to travel there with a weapon, even if they are coming from a state like New Hampshire that allows them to possess a handgun without a permit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Associate Justice Frank Gaziano overturned a Lowell District Court judges ruling dismissing charges against two New Hampshire residents. The court upheld the dismissal of the charges against Dean Donnell, who had been arrested in November 2021 following an accident on Interstate 495 in Lowell. But the justices reversed the lower court and revived the charges against Phillip Marquis. After his arrest following a crash on the same highway in September 2022, Marquis told Massachusetts State Police that he was on his way to work from his home in Rochester and had a Sturm Ruger pistol in the car. The brief supports a petition challenging the ruling, citing law-abiding out-of-state travelers who cannot reasonably comply with the states permitting process. The Second Amendment does not end at the Massachusetts border, said Attorney General Formella. Citizens should not face criminal charges simply for exercising their constitutional rights while traveling. Massachusettss approach treats nonresidents as second-class citizens, imposes arbitrary and excessive restrictions, and contradicts both historical tradition and Supreme Court precedent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the brief, Formella writes that Massachusettss militantly enforced criminal laws transform the briefest or most inadvertent crossing of its border with a firearm into a potential felony, arguing residents risk prison time for simply exercising a fundamental, constitutionally protected right. The brief points out the border between Massachusetts and New Hampshire runs directly through the parking lot of the Pheasant Lane Mall (as well as the mall itself) in Nashua. The geography of the mall is such that a New Hampshire resident might find themselves in Massachusetts if she parks on the south side of the parking lot or visits Buffalo Wild Wings, the brief says. If that person is carrying a firearm without a Massachusetts licensewhich would be constitutionally protected activity in most of the mallthat person risks being charged as a felon and facing mandatory incarceration in Massachusetts. The brief also uses an example of someone living on West Hollis Road in Hollis, who can cross into Pepperell, Massachusetts, simply by crossing the street to visit a neighbor or backing out of her driveway in a southerly direction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As another example, the nature of sharing a border creates circumstances such that sometimes the grocery store nearest to a New Hampshire resident is in Massachusetts, or the most direct route to a job in New Hampshire takes a New Hampshire resident briefly on a Massachusetts road, the brief says. The activity protected by the Second Amendment is the only activity protected by the Bill of Rights that can become a felony offense with nothing more than slight geographic movement. The brief also cites Massachusettss permitting process for nonresidents, claiming it involves lengthy delays (ranging from 40 to 170 days), high fees, and broad discretionary denial standards based on vague suitability criteria. A New Hampshire citizen planning a vacation to Cape Cod with his family might apply for a license-to-carry 90-days before his vacation and still not have a decision on his permit when it is time to leave, the brief says. Processing applications with such apathy and complacency is characteristic of a state that views the Second Amendment as a second-class right. The multistate brief outlines several key concerns: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unconstitutional Burdens: Massachusettss permitting process for nonresidents involves lengthy delays (ranging from 40 to 170 days), high fees, and broad discretionary denial standards based on vague suitability criteria. Lack of Historical Precedent: There is no well-established historical tradition of barring nonresidents from transporting or possessing firearms while traveling. Federalism and Individual Rights: The Constitution guarantees certain rights, especially those protected by the Second and Fourteenth Amendmentsthat cannot be subject to differing standards based solely on geography. Joining New Hampshire in the effort are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The coalition urges the United States Supreme Court to grant review and reverse the decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Federal agents stopped three boats that were en route to South Florida from the Bahamas and were smuggling large loads of cocaine and dozens of Chinese migrants last week, according to court documents. U.S. Customs Air and Marine Operations agents stopped the boats last Saturday evening as they neared Fort Pierce Inlet, according to a criminal complaint filed this week by Drug Enforcement Administration agents. The three vessels were carrying a combined total of 31 Chinese migrants, including a child, and 168 kilograms of cocaine, the complaint states. The maritime stop was the culmination of an investigation started last year into what agents say is a transnational criminal organization based in Davie and run by a 44-year-old man named Fiero Cooper. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Davie Police detectives began surveilling his home at the 3000 block of Southwest 59th Street in February 2024. Detectives noticed people coming out of the house carrying totes that were placed into vehicles, according to the complaint. Davie detectives then found out that the DEA was also looking into Coopers group, and the two agencies began a joint investigation. In the beginning of August, agents located a 38-foot center-console boat with three outboard engines behind a Dania Beach home. A large truck towed the boat to the Stan Blum Boat Ramp in Fort Pierce on Saturday, the complaint states. The group then towed a 26-foot Grady White cabin cruiser to the boat ramp, agents said. At around 4:30 a.m., both boats left Fort Pierce Inlet for the Bahamas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Coast Guard crews tracked the boats as they traveled to the Bahamas at around 30 miles per hour, according to the complaint. Shortly after 7 p.m., Customs agents stopped the center console and Grady White as they entered U.S. territorial waters, the complaint states. With those vessels was a 30-foot boat, the operator of which did not stop for the Customs agents. The agents then disabled its engines with gunfire, according to the complaint. . The center console was operated by Cooper and 25-year-old Darren Sears, agents said. The agents found 104 kilos of cocaine packed in Igloo coolers on the back deck of the boat, along with 12 migrants in the center cubby cabin of the vessel, the complaint states. The Grady White was crewed by Malik Delancy, 24, and 19-year-old Jeremiah Russell, agents said. They were smuggling six migrants inside the cabin, according to the complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The third vessel was operated by 52-year-old Ivan Curry, the complaint states. On board, agents found seven suitcases under seat cushions in the back of the boat containing 64 kilos of cocaine, according to the complaint. Agents said they also found 12 migrants on the boat. Christopher DeCoste (Coopers attorney) said he is currently investigating the allegations. David Sobel (Sears attorney) and Russell Jay Williams (attorney for Curry) declined to comment when reached by the Miami Herald on Friday. Alfredo Izaguirre, attorney for Russell, said, We will be fighting these charges and look forward to the next court hearing. Delancys attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comments from the Miami Herald. The defendants have pre-trial detention hearings scheduled for Sept. 11, according to court documents. They are facing charges of conspiracy to import a controlled substance and encouraging and inducing aliens to enter the United States. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard said in a press release that the migrants were transferred to the Bahamas on Wednesday aboard the Cutter Winslow Griesser. From there, they will likely be sent back to China. There has been an increase in Chinese nationals using the Bahamas as a jumping point to illegally enter the United States. An American college professor and mother-of-two has been identified among the 16 people who died when the Gloria funicular derailed and crashed in Lisbon. Professor Heather Hall, was a beloved daughter, sister, mother, educator, and advocate [who] passed away doing what she did best living life fully, boldly, and with a heart wide open to the world, her family said in a statement. Hall, who taught at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, had been in Portugal for a conference when the tragic incident occurred. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 20 people were injured when the funicular lost control, derailed and crashed into a building in the Portuguese capital at 6 p.m. local time Wednesday, during rush hour. Hall earned her doctorate in education from the University of South Carolina, before returning to teach at her alma mater, according to an online biography. In a statement, the Dean of the School of Education at College of Charleston, Fran Welch, described Halls death as a tragic loss for all of us. Professor Heather Hall, who taught at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, has been identified among the 16 people who died when the Gloria funicular derailed and crashed in Lisbon (literacy6-12.org) As an alumna of the College and a dynamic instructor with a specialization in special education, she shared her love of travel with her students. Her energy, kindness and student-centeredness will be deeply missed, Welch said in a statement. Though the exact cause of the derailment is still unknown, Portuguese authorities are referring to the incident as an accident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A tragic accident caused the irreparable loss of human life, which left in mourning their families and dismayed the whole country, the government said in a statement. A funicular is a cable railroad in which ascending and descending cars are counterbalanced. Lisbon has three that are used to climb the long and sloping hills: Lavra, Bica, and Gloria. The Gloria funicular, considered to be the most popular of the three, is 140 years old. Among other deceased victims identified in Wednesdays crash were five Portuguese nationals, two Canadians, two South Koreans, one French, one Swiss and one Ukrainian, and three British citizens. A further 22 people were injured, five of whom remain in serious condition in hospital. More than 20 people were injured when the famous funicular lost control, derailed and crashed into a building in the Portuguese capital at 6 p.m. local time Wednesday, during rush hour (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) Halls family also paid tribute to her, in a statement shared with WCIV. Heather grew up in a home overflowing with unconditional love, the statement said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That love expanded outward, reaching every corner of her life. She didnt just have friends she had soul-deep connections with people who felt truly seen and cherished by her. To know Heather was to be known and loved in return. Above all else, Heathers most cherished role was that of being a mother to two amazing children, the family added. Though the exact cause for the derailment is still unknown, Portuguese authorities are referring to the incident as an accident (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) She believed in them with all her heart and wanted nothing more than for them to live their lives fully finding their purpose, trusting themselves, and being open to joy, adventure, and the wild, wonderful possibility of life. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott also paid tribute to Hall, writing on X: Deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Professor Heather Hall from @CofC. Our hearts go out to her family, friends, colleagues, and students during this difficult time. Professor Hall's dedication to education and her contributions to our community will be remembered. American Prairie announced in September 2025 the acquisition of the Anchor Ranch and two other properties in Blaine County. (Provided by American Prairie) American Prairie announced this week it has acquired the Anchor Ranch, its second-largest land purchase to date, and it has reopened access to nearly 50,000 acres of public land in a special area of the Breaks. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure an important piece of ecologically and culturally significant land, said American Prairie CEO Alison Fox in a statement. But this acquisition is equally important as a way to return public access to the people so they can explore, hunt and recreate on land thats been off limits for many years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement American Prairie launched in 2001 with a mission to ensure 3.2 million acres of prairie are protected, including roughly half that are already part of the Charlie M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge and the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. But its important to point out that the majority of that would be is public land, said American Prairie public relations manager Beth Saboe. 11+x+17+Current+Land+Map+-+Confidential+until+Sept+4 The new land comprises the Anchor Ranch and two additional properties in Blaine County, and it puts the total acreage American Prairie manages at 600,000, according to a news release announcing the acquisitions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anchor Ranch is 69 miles southwest of Havre and totals 67,960 acres, including 22,837 acres of deeded land and 45,123 of leased acres, significantly advancing the organizations mission of prairie ecosystem conservation, American Prairie said. It also opens up access to land previously tied up in a legal dispute along with Bullwhacker Road, which the Public Land Water Access Association described as the only reasonable access to acreage in the Breaks. But a judge found the road was private in 2011. In 2012, the billionaire Wilks brothers, among the largest land owners in Montana, bought the ranch. It was caught up in a controversial negotiation with the Bureau of Land Management, then put on the market again in 2022, according to a timeline from Lee Enterprises. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In its announcement about the new properties, American Prairie said a 3.8 mile section of Bullwhacker Road will be open to the public, providing access to nearly 50,000 acres of public land that have been a point of dispute and embroiled in lawsuits for years. In a statement, Fox said the organization is proud to provide more permanent access to this special area of the Breaks. While we will take some time to develop a comprehensive public access plan for this new property, the previously private stretch of Bullwhacker Road is now officially open to the public, Fox said. Randy Newberg, founder of Fresh Tracks and Hunt Talk media, also praised the acquisition, especially for hunters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a win for anyone who cares about public access to our shared lands, said Newberg in a statement provided by American Prairie. Our audience cares deeply about the Bullwhacker Allotment as it touts exceptional habitat and opportunities to hunt. Its an area thats both important to protect and for the public to access. American Prairie has been controversial in Montana. Some farmers and ranchers have opposed its purchases of land as detrimental to agriculture and beef production. Political leaders, including Gov. Greg Gianforte and Attorney General Austin Knudsen, have opposed grazing by bison, reintroduced there in 2020 after being gone for 120 years, according to American Prairie. But some former critics have started coming around, Saboe said. She pointed to an online forum where hunters are active, and one poster recently said they used to be on the Save the Cowboy side but appreciate the public access from American Prairie and time will tell. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement American Prairie broke a visitation record in 2024 for the seventh year in a row, the news release said. It saw 6,600 overnight visitors and more than 5,000 at its National Discovery Center in Lewistown. In 2024, 56.6% of the bookings were from Montanans, but people from every state besides five Hawaii, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Louisiana and West Virginia were in the books, Saboe said. One group came from Germany, many come from Washington and California, and many also visit from the Midwest, Saboe said. Prairie land takes a long time to restore, but American Prairie sees signs of ecological hardiness, Saboe said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bison herd is healthy; cameras have caught images of rarely seen animals, such as badgers; and swift foxes, reintroduced on the bordering Fort Belknap Indian Community, are migrating onto American Prairie public lands, Saboe said. Next month, American Prairie marks its 20th year of having bison, and Saboe said its a big milestone. She also said the animals are doing their jobs, living their lives in a way that supports other creatures. They graze at varying levels, giving the prairie a bad haircut, but one that allows a large variety of birds to nest and find protection, Saboe said. She said migrating birds can spend as much as a month on a prairie stopover in the midst of their long trips. The bison also wallow, or roll around in the dirt, and the depressions they create often fill with water and help insects, frogs and other amphibians thrive and reproduce, Saboe said. They also offer drinking water for birds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The news release said American Prairie acquired 1,888 deeded acres adjacent to the south side of Anchor ranch. And in a third and separate transaction in the Cow Creek basin of Blaine County, the organization acquired an additional 5,401 acres. This property is located in the northern portion of the Breaks and extends American Prairies shared fenceline with the Fort Belknap Indian Community, the news release said. These three acquisitions bring American Prairies total habitat base to 603,657 acres, which comprises 167,070 deeded acres and 436,587 leased public acres. In the news release, American Prairie said the new properties offer important wildlife habitat for elk, deer, pronghorn and upland birds, and they provide connectivity through the Monument to the CMR and north to the Bears Paw and Little Rockies ranges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement American Prairie said it intends to share a more detailed public access plan in the future to detail recreational uses on the new deeded acres, although it will first take time to familiarize itself with the land. On both the Anchor Ranch and the 5,401-acre property with public grazing leases, the ranching families who lease the properties will remain in place, and the land will continue to be used for agricultural production, the news release said. We are really pleased to have the existing lessees stay on the ground where their cattle have been grazing, and we look forward to working with these ranching families, Fox said in a statement. ANDERSON Anderson High School recently reached a landmark in college prep education. Through its Anderson High University program, AHS became the first school in Madison County to receive an Early College High School endorsement from the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning. CELL, based at the University of Indianapolis, helps to bridge the gap between research, policy, and practice to enhance student success in PK-12 and higher education and aims to transform lives through learning, according to its website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Early College High Schools provide students the opportunity to earn college credits, as well as provide rigorous coursework, establish a college-going culture, and collaborate with community and higher education partners to inspire students to achieve academic success and pursue postsecondary opportunities. Sixty-seven schools, including AHS, have been endorsed as Early College High Schools in Indiana. To receive the endorsement, a school must have shown excellence in each of the eight core principles. AHS Principal Alan Landes said it was gratifying to be recognized for the work the school has done to receive the endorsement. Weve implemented dual credit for a long time, and weve looked at being an Early College school, so it was a relief, Landes said. It is something we are very proud of, and were just looking forward to what it holds for our students. We know what it means for our college-bound students, especially those first-(generation) kids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anderson High University is a partnership between AHS and Ivy Tech Community College meant to create academic skills necessary for college success, according to the AHS website. The Pathfinder Academy program, a part of Anderson High University, is meant to meet the needs of underserved students by providing extra support for successful college level education during and beyond high school. David Perrel, a science and Project Lead the Way teacher at Anderson High, was a member of the AHS Guiding Coalition Team. Perrel said he is proud of the work AHS teachers have done for the endorsement and hopes it helps students. It helps them, not just be prepared for college-level work, but maybe helps lighten their load a little bit once they get there, Perrel said. To be part of that and enhance what we offer our community and our students is a great honor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perrel said the AHS administration spent two years going to meetings about the Early College High School program and connected with educators from around Indiana to bring ideas back to Anderson. Several years ago, AHS was one of 16 schools in Indiana to be selected for the urban college acceleration network, which branched off of CELL. Each selected school was then partnered with a mentor school that had already received the Early College High School endorsement. Anderson partnered with Muncie Central High School. Michele Mullins, an AHS school counselor and another member of the AHS Guiding Coalition Team, said it all fell into place for AHS to receive the endorsement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Being officially recognized as an Early College designated school just helps reinforce our school and corporations commitment to the rigor of the academics, Mullins said. We had the right team together with interest and drive. We had specific times carved out where we had to attend meetings, so that helped us to set the time aside to create a plan for our programs and for our offerings and how to support students. Joshua Dillard, an engineering, science and Project Lead the Way teacher at Anderson, teaches introduction to engineering and design, part of the Early College High School program. Dillard often relates academics to real-life situations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just to teach students about the world around us and to have that authentic learning experience that you dont get in a lot of other classes, Dillard said. I love math, I love science. Where does it connect with the world? Thats what I love about this class. Through Early College High Schools, students can earn Indiana College Core credits 30 credit hours of general education college-level coursework that transfers seamlessly among all Indiana public colleges and universities, according to the IDOE website. To be considered an Early College High School, support systems must help students understand what college is like and how to apply, Landes said. The Early College model targets those students who would be first-generation college-goers, he explained. We are partnering with Stephanie Moran with the Youth Leadership Academy (of Madison County). They are going to start coming in and providing some academic, as well as college-going culture support, for our kids. The school must submit data every year and be reevaluated by CELL every few years to retain its Early College High School designation, Landes said. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo will score a key endorsement Saturday from Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, his first union backing for the general election in NYCs mayoral race. Cuomo was expected to announce the endorsement by the powerful 29,000-member union at the annual Labor Day Parade in Manhattan. The ex-governor had scored the unions endorsement in the Democratic primary, where Cuomo was upset by socialist Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. Andrew Cuomo is going to be endorsed by the Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. LP Media The governor expects other unions on the fence in the general election soon to follow, one Cuomo operative boasted to The Post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While a lot of unions were quick to jump ship out of political weakness, there are a lot more who are absolutely not interested in getting in bed with a socialist, the source said. IBEW Local 3 has always been more than just a unionit has been a force for fairness, dignity, and opportunity for working families, said Cuomo in a statement provided to The Post. This endorsement is deeply meaningful to me because we have walked this road together for decades. From building airports, bridges, and tunnels, to standing up for fair wages and safe working conditions, IBEW Local 3 has been at the heart of New Yorks progress. Strong trade unions are the path to the middle class and economic security for working men and women, and Andrew Cuomo has stood hand in hand with unions for decades, said IBEW Local 3 Business Manager Christopher Erikson. Andrew is the best candidate to ensure NYCs stability and to raise the standards for all working people, continued Erikson, adding that neither DSA nor socialism is the answer for NYC or America, a reference to frontrunner Mamdani. Chatbot builder Anthropic agreed to pay $1.5 billion to authors in a landmark copyright settlement that could redefine how artificial intelligence companies compensate creators. The San Francisco-based startup is ready to pay authors and publishers to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of illegally using their work to train its chatbot. Anthropic developed an AI assistant named Claude that can generate text, images, code and more. Writers, artists and other creative professionals have raised concerns that Anthropic and other tech companies are using their work to train their AI systems without their permission and not fairly compensating them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As part of the settlement, which the judge still needs to be approve, Anthropic agreed to pay authors $3,000 per work for an estimated 500,000 books. It's the largest settlement known for a copyright case, signaling to other tech companies facing copyright infringement allegations that they might have to pay rights holders eventually as well. Meta and OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, have also been sued over alleged copyright infringement. Walt Disney Co. and Universal Pictures have sued AI company Midjourney, which the studios allege trained its image generation models on their copyrighted materials. "It will provide meaningful compensation for each class work and sets a precedent requiring AI companies to pay copyright owners," said Justin Nelson, a lawyer for the authors, in a statement. "This settlement sends a powerful message to AI companies and creators alike that taking copyrighted works from these pirate websites is wrong. Last year, authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber and Kirk Wallace Johnson sued Anthropic, alleging that the company committed "large-scale theft and trained its chatbot on pirated copies of copyrighted books. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. District Judge William Alsup of San Francisco ruled in June that Anthropic's use of the books to train the AI models constituted "fair use," so it wasn't illegal. But the judge also ruled that the startup had improperly downloaded millions of books through online libraries. Fair use is a legal doctrine in U.S. copyright law that allows for the limited use of copyrighted materials without permission in certain cases, such as teaching, criticism and news reporting. AI companies have pointed to that doctrine as a defense when sued over alleged copyright violations. Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI employees and backed by Amazon, pirated at least 7 million books from Books3, Library Genesis and Pirate Library Mirror, online libraries containing unauthorized copies of copyrighted books, to train its software, according to the judge. It also bought millions of print copies in bulk and stripped the books bindings, cut their pages and scanned them into digital and machine-readable forms, which Alsup found to be in the bounds of fair use, according to the judges ruling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a subsequent order, Alsup pointed to potential damages for the copyright owners of books downloaded from the shadow libraries LibGen and PiLiMi by Anthropic. Although the award was massive and unprecedented, it could have been much worse, according to some calculations. If Anthropic were charged a maximum penalty for each of the millions of works it used to train its AI, the bill could have been more than $1 trillion, some calculations suggest. Anthropic disagreed with the ruling and didn't admit wrongdoing. Today's settlement, if approved, will resolve the plaintiffs' remaining legacy claims," said Aparna Sridhar, deputy general counsel for Anthropic, in a statement. "We remain committed to developing safe AI systems that help people and organizations extend their capabilities, advance scientific discovery, and solve complex problems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Anthropic dispute with authors is one of many cases where artists and other content creators are challenging the companies behind generative AI to compensate for the use of online content to train their AI systems. Training involves feeding enormous quantities of data including social media posts, photos, music, computer code, video and more to train AI bots to discern patterns of language, images, sound and conversation that they can mimic. Some tech companies have prevailed in copyright lawsuits filed against them. In June, a judge dismissed a lawsuit authors filed against Facebook parent company Meta, which also developed an AI assistant, alleging that the company stole their work to train its AI systems. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria noted that the lawsuit was tossed because the plaintiffs made the wrong arguments, but the ruling didn't "stand for the proposition that Metas use of copyrighted materials to train its language models is lawful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trade groups representing publishers praised the Anthropic settlement on Friday, noting it sends a big signal to tech companies that are developing powerful artificial intelligence tools. "Beyond the monetary terms, the proposed settlement provides enormous value in sending the message that Artificial Intelligence companies cannot unlawfully acquire content from shadow libraries or other pirate sources as the building blocks for their models, said Maria Pallante, president and chief executive of the Association of American Publishers in a statement. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. ELLABELL, Ga. (WSAV) Anti-ICE protesters gathered outside of the Ellabell Hyundai facility to protest against raids on Saturday afternoon. In response to the largest single-site immigration operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), multiple organizations organized to protest outside of the facility on Saturday afternoon. The biggest ICE raid in ICE history in Georgia, in our own backyard, Organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation Estaban Hernandez said. We have to stand up. We have to protest. We have to drive down to Hyundai. We have to show the workers that we have their backs. Were no longer going to allow ICE just come into our communities and take whoever they want. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of the organizers present included the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Savannah for Palestine and Your Space Collective (YSC). We, the working class, stand together against these criminal attacks and we say that Governor Kemp is complicit, said an attendee. Over 450 workers were apprehended during the operation. A majority of them are Korean nationals, according to reports. Individuals at the protests shared personal stories about their relationship with immigration. I am Korean, I am a worker, and I feel connected to especially this one, because we believe 300 workers that were kidnaped were Koreans, said an attendee. Its important not just because they were Koreans, but they were workers. We are a worker. Its an attack on all of us, any race and any nationality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Demonstrators told WSAV that there a no future rallies planned, but their next steps are to get answers from local and state officials. 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 WSAV-TV. A federal appeals court on Friday ruled against President Trumps effort to cut billions of dollars of foreign aid that was previously approved by Congress through pocket rescissions. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in a 2-1 decision, refused to block a lower court ruling from earlier this week that said the administration must release the preapproved funding and ruled the effort to withhold it was likely illegal. The three-judge panel did not elaborate on their ruling, writing that appellants have not satisfied the stringent requirements for a stay pending appeal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judges Cornelia Pillard and Florence Pan appointed by former Presidents Obama and Biden, respectively supported the lower court decision, while Judge Justin Walker, an appointee of Trump, dissented. The ruling came two days after U.S. District Judge Amir Ali that condemned the administrations unwillingness to spend the funds appropriated by law. Defendants reasons for not developing an argument here over the numerous months and opportunities given may be many, including that, even having changed their position, there is not a plausible interpretation of the statutes that would justify the billions of dollars they plan to withhold, Ali said Wednesday in his 43-page ruling. He added, Whatever the reason, Defendants have given no justification to displace the bedrock expectation that Congresss appropriations must be followed and that absent a claim of unconstitutionality that has not been rejected by final Court order, the Executive must abide by statutory mandates.' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In late August, Trump notified Congress of his intention to claw back $4.9 billion in funding allocated to the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development utilizing a rare pocket rescission. The effort to rescind the funding was met with opposition from Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine), who called it an attempt to undermine the law. 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. Britains mobile network operators have accused Apple of undermining efforts to tackle an unprecedented epidemic of phone thefts. In a letter to the Home Secretary, mobile firms accused Apple of refusing to implement a global block also known as bricking on devices stolen from their stores. That is despite the iPhone maker deploying programmes such as Automated Device Enrolment (ADE), which enables a device to be shut down remotely, in its own retail stores and allowing operators in the Netherlands to do the same. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the letter, Mobile UK which represents EE, Vodafone, Three and O2 said Apples lack of cooperation was undermining efforts to tackle thefts and called for urgent help from the Government. Hamish MacLeod, the chief executive of Mobile UK, wrote: We are approaching a tipping point. Persistent crime is eroding employee and customer confidence, increasing operational costs and damaging reputation. Enabling ADE access and global blocking capabilities is not just a technical fix it is a necessary step to dismantle the business model of organised crime and protect retail workers and the public. Apple has been contacted for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Britain has suffered a surge in phone thefts in recent years with nearly two in every five phones stolen in Europe taken in the UK, according to data from insurance company SquareTrade. Phones are often snatched from unsuspecting people in the street with security footage showing marauding gangs of criminals swooping on e-bikes. There has also been a sharp increase in thefts from phone shops with operators reporting an increase in robberies of up to nine times compared to last year. More than a quarter of Britons bought their mobile from their network provider in 2024, according to CCS Insight. Mobile UK said operators were facing a wave of robberies that were growing in both frequency and severity with frontline staff subjected to verbal abuse, physical assault and even threats involving knives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The scale of the crime epidemic is such that operators have had to implement one-in one-out policies at some stores. It is estimated that each successful robbery amounts to around 40,000 in device losses alone. While network operators can block stolen handsets domestically, only the manufacturer is able to enforce a global block. This is considered critical to deterring thefts as the National Crime Agency has found that most are carried out by organised crime groups with the devices immediately taken overseas primarily to China. The letter was addressed to Yvette Cooper, who served as home secretary until Friday, when she was moved to the role of Foreign Secretary in a reshuffle following Angela Rayners resignation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is understood that Home Office officials have already been in touch with mobile operators on the issue with a written response to follow shortly. A Home Office spokesman said: Mobile phone thefts, including snatch thefts and pickpocketing, remain unacceptably high. The Home Secretary brought together police leaders and tech companies earlier this year, resulting in clear commitments from attendees to work together to tackle this criminality. We are also introducing new laws so police will no longer need a warrant to search properties where electronic devices have been geolocated and we are rolling out the first 3,000 personnel in neighbourhood policing roles this year to increase visible patrols in our high streets and communities. 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. TULSA A woman hoping the Oklahoma Survivors' Act would shorten her prison sentence has been turned down in court, dealing a blow to advocates who had been pushing for allowing evidence of domestic abuse from partners to be taken into account and possibly reducing the length of terms for some inmates. April Wilkens was found guilty of first-degree murder in the 1998 killing of her ex-fiance and has served 27 years of her life sentence. Attorneys had asked the courts to reconsider evidence in her case, arguing that she should be released under the Oklahoma Survivors' Act, which was passed in 2024 and allows people convicted of a crime to seek sentencing relief if they can prove that domestic violence or sexual abuse was a major contributing factor to their offense. In past interviews with The Oklahoman, Wilkens said that years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse at the hands of her ex-fiance led to her shooting and killing him. But on Thursday, Sept. 4, Tulsa County District Judge David Guten denied Wilkens' request for early release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Tulsa's KTUL-8, the judge said he believes Wilkens was a victim of abuse, but he cited concerns about the credibility of an expert witness for the defense. Ruling 'devastating' for advocates, supporters of April Wilkens The decision outraged Wilkens' supporters, who had often pointed to her case as a rallying cry to get the Oklahoma Survivors' Act passed. "This ruling is a profound setback not only for April but for the movement of survivors across Oklahoma who believed this law could provide a meaningful path to justice," the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, a Tulsa-based nonprofit, said in a statement on Friday. More: This Oklahoma law aims to ease sentencing for convicted abuse survivors. Is it working? Inmate April Wilkens is pictured inside Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in McLoud, Okla., Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. Colleen McCarty, Wilkens' attorney and founding executive director of Oklahoma Appleseed, said Judge Guten's ruling was devastating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "After 27 years in prison, after telling her story again, retraumatizing herself again, after a law was passed that was inspired in part by her case, April remains where she has been for nearly three decades," McCarty said Friday. "And me? I am exhausted. I am in pain. I feel embarrassment, anger, and deep discouragement. We fought with everything we had. We opened the doors the system kept closed. We brought the truth, backed by evidence, by experts, by history. And still, it wasnt enough." McCarty said that, over two days of hearings, Guten heard testimony from a sitting federal judge about a protective order against Wilkens' alleged abuser. He also heard from a former employee of the ex-fiance's dealership who spoke about his predatory behavior, and a leading expert on domestic violence and coercive control. "Despite this powerful evidence, the court chose not to credit testimony from the defense and instead relied entirely on the State's expert," who focused on Wilkens' mental health struggles and meth use, McCarty said. Colleen McCarty, based in Tulsa, is an advocate and leader of Oklahoma Appleseed, who represented April Wilkens in her request for sentencing relief under the Oklahoma Survivors' Act. She added that Wilkens would appeal Guten's ruling but said that it was difficult "to see a light at the end of the tunnel." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "For two years, we organized, advocated, cried, and worked ourselves to the bone. We survived the Governors veto of the Survivors' Act and saw it signed into law. It was one of the hardest-won victories of my career," McCarty said. "April (Wilkens) was the very first person to apply under the new law, on August 29, 2024. But nothing came easy. We waited a year. We had to file a writ of habeas corpus to force the court to set a hearing date for resentencing. And finally, over the past two days, we had our chance." The loss Thursday in a case that had altered the course of her life and work, McCarty said, was painful for her and other members of the community. April Wilkens in her own words: I am one of many domestic violence victims incarcerated in Oklahoma, but there's hope Partners with the Oklahoma Survivors Justice Coalition also expressed outrage at the ruling, highlighting that the new law was meant to recognize how prolonged domestic violence changes the way survivors respond to threats. The coalition said that years of police reports, protective orders, hospital records and witness testimony served as "clear and overwhelming evidence" of abuse Wilkens had suffered in the lead-up to her killing her ex-fiance'. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the ruling Thursday, they argued, undermined the intent of the Survivors Act and contradicted the law, signaling that survivors would still be punished by the state for defending themselves. More: Seven women say they endured domestic violence, then prison. These are their stories Inmate April Wilkens is interviewed inside Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in McLoud, Okla., Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. "Today, the court told every survivor in Oklahoma that their pain does not matter, that their lives are expendable, and that the protections our Legislature promised them are meaningless," Tracey Lyall, CEO of Domestic Violence Intervention Services, said in a statement. "This decision is not just a legal failure it is a nullification of the law." The Oklahoma Survivors Justice Coalition called on lawmakers and other advocates to join them in protest of the decision, adding that they "will not rest until Ms. Wilkens is home with her family." This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Judge denies April Wilkens' appeal under Oklahoma Survivors' Act In a new study published in the journal l'Anthropologie, scientists have identified the earliest-known example of human interbreeding with Neanderthals. It offers stunning new insight into the ancient peoples, who were apparently mating hundreds of thousands of years before previously thought. Remains Recovered Nearly 100 Years Ago The remains of the five-year-old child were discovered almost 100 years ago, in 1935 in Israel's Skhul Cave within Mount Carmel. The research effort, led by Israel Hershkovitz of Tel Aviv University and Anne Dambricourt-Malasse of the French National Centre for Scientific Research, created intricate 3D models of the skull and jaw using an advanced micro-CT scanning examination. This revealed the childs skull to be synonymous in shape with that of Homo sapiens, but it also found traits typically associated with Neanderthals, such as a lower jaw structure and intracranial blood supply. As such, its the earliest evidence yet of amorous relations between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. Prior to this discovery, the oldest-known example of human-Neanderthal interbreeding was the Lapedo Valley Child, excavated from Portugal and dated to 28,000 years ago. Israel Hershkovitz/Tel Aviv University It's the First-Known Interbreeding Between Humans and Neanderthals "Genetic studies over the past decade have shown that these two groups exchanged genes," Hershkovitz explained. "Even today, 40,000 years after the last Neanderthals disappeared, part of our genometwo to six percentis of Neanderthal origin. But these gene exchanges took place much later, between 60,000 to 40,000 years ago." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hershkovitz previously published a related study in 2021 which determined that Neanderthals inhabited Israel as early as 400,000 years ago. Known as "Nesher Ramla Homo" people, they came into contact with Homo sapiens while migrating out of Africa about 200,000 years ago, which scientists believe led to the interbreeding documented in the Skhul Cave discovery. This story was originally reported by Men's Journal on Sep 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Do you recognize this missing 17-year-old? [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The Wayne County Sheriffs Department wrote in a social media post that they were assisting Fountain City police for a missing teenager, Scott Anthony Barrows, Jr. Scott was last seen on Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 4 p.m. walking down a driveway at the 100 block of Linden Street in Fountain City, according to the sheriffs office. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 17-year-old was last seen wearing a green Northeastern High School sweater and gray sweatpants. Scott is six feet tall, weighs 180 pounds, has blue eyes with red and brown shoulder-length hair. Contact the Fountain Police Department at (765) 847-2233 if you have information regarding Scotts whereabouts. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] ANDERSON Madison County lawmakers are commending improvement in third-grade literacy rates for local students following results from the Indiana Reading Evaluation assessment. Mirroring a statewide trend, the majority of the areas public school districts saw continued improvement in their results on the IREAD-3 assessment. The test is given annually to measure foundational reading skills among the states third-graders. The assessment was expanded to include second-graders to give those students an opportunity to test early and avoid retaking it in the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If a student does not pass the IREAD as a third-grader, they are held back for a year. In total, six Madison County school districts saw their scores improve compared to last year. State Rep. Kyle Pierce, R-Anderson, said to improve Indiana's literacy rates, the General Assembly passed a law in 2023 implementing science of reading standards, which is evidence-based instruction that increases students' reading competency through phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, fluency, oral language skills and comprehension. "Im grateful to the teachers, administrators and parents who helped make these results possible," Pierce said. "Their dedication is strengthening education throughout Indiana while preparing our students for a more successful future." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All of the area lawmakers thanked Indiana's education leaders, schools, teachers and families for their dedication to help Indiana students achieve these results. "This is a proud moment for Indianas families and teachers," said state Rep. Elizabeth Rowray, R-Yorktown. "Their determination has helped more students unlock the confidence that comes with reading and expanding their education." State Rep. Lori Goss-Reaves, R-Marion, noted that third-grade reading scores across the state improved by nearly 5 percentage points, which is the largest single-year increase since Indiana launched IREAD in 2013. "Reading proficiently by the end of third grade is a critical milestone," Goss-Reaves said. "Students who fall behind can face significant challenges, so we must ensure our teachers have the tools they need to educate Hoosier children." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Rep. Chris Jeter, R-Fishers, noted that literacy rates for all student populations improved. "Shoring up our students' literacy skills has been a total team effort, and I'm glad to see these measures are working," Jeter said. "There's always room for improvement, and state leaders will continue evaluating options that help keep Hoosier children on track academically." (The Center Square) U.S. Rep. Abe Hamadeh wants to protect ICE agents. The Arizona congressman is among a handful of House representatives, all of them Republicans, to introduce the Protect and Respect ICE Act. The measure would double criminal penalties for assaulting, resisting or impeding an officer or other employee of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. If you look at the records of the subjects that are being arrested by our brave ICE agents, you would be grateful that they are selflessly keeping our communities safe by removing dangerous criminals from them, Hamadeh told The Center Square via email. Instead, people are only reading headlines that portray the subjects as 'a Maryland dad' and 'grandfather of three.' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A former U.S. Army Reserve captain and a Maricopa County prosecutor, Hamadeh said the mainstream media and Democrats are fueling the fire with false narratives that is raging against our agents and putting them at grave risk. They are doing this for political purposes only, said Hamadeh. It is shameful. Other members of Congress behind the Protect and Respect ICE Act include Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson, North Carolina Rep. Brad Knott, Tennessee Rep. Diana Harshbarger and Nebraska Rep. Mike Flood. A joint press release issued by Hinson stated that, as of July 9, the White House reported a 700% increase in assaults against ICE agents. This includes recent incidents in Oregon and Texas, where, Hinson said, violent perpetrators are becoming more brazen, particularly in liberal cities where laws are not enforced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the 2024 campaign, President Donald Trump vowed to Make America Safe Again by enforcing laws and protecting the health and safety of citizens and law enforcement. Trump made similar statements after re-entering office. Hamadeh supports that effort. I have made a commitment to members of law enforcement. I will have their backs, Hamadeh told The Center Square. That is why I was proud to cosponsor the Protect and Respect ICE Act. No one is above the law, and no one has a right to put our law enforcement officers at increased risk to score cheap political points. U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, has introduced the Senate version of this legislation. SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australian authorities offered a A$1 million ($650,000) reward on Saturday for information leading to the capture of a gunman on the run for 11 days after allegedly killing two police officers. More than 450 police have been searching the mountains of Victoria state for 56-year-old Dezi Freeman, previously known as Desmond Filby, since the August 26 shootings on a rural property that also injured a third officer. The reward is a record for the southeastern state, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Freeman is alleged to have fired on a team of 10 police officers, including members of the sexual offences and child investigation team, when they arrived at his rural property to execute a search warrant. Believed to have expert bushcraft skills and multiple powerful firearms, Freeman is described by local media as a "sovereign citizen" who regards the government as illegitimate. "As part of the effort to locate Freeman and bring him into custody peacefully and safely, police are offering a reward of up to $1m for information on his whereabouts that leads to his arrest," Victoria police said in a statement. "This reward represents the largest ever offered in Victoria for an arrest." Freeman, thought to be in remote high country, may be alone or have assistance, or could be "dead as a result of self-harm", police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The search area includes the town of Porepunkah, about 300 km (200 miles) northeast of state capital Melbourne, where Freeman is alleged to have run into the bush in wintry weather. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan last month paid tribute to the two slain officers, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35, amid what she said was the "huge operation" by authorities to catch Freeman. ($1 = 1.5389 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by William Mallard) The man who was killed while attending the Burning Man festival last week has been identified. The Pershing County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that the dead man and victim of a suspected homicide is Vadim Kruglov of Russia. Kruglov's family back home has been notified of his passing. According to a release from the sheriff's office obtained by SF Gate, Kruglov's identity was discovered by the Washoe Medical Examiners Office through the use of fingerprinting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An investigation into the 37-year-old's death is ongoing, with some details being withheld from the public. TOPSHOT - Attendees dance during the annual Burning Man Festival in the early morning of September 5, 2023. Thousands of revelers stuck in the mud for days at the Burning Man festival in the US state of Nevada were told they could finally trek home on September 4, 2023, after torrential rain had prompted shelter-in-place orders. With the sun shining on the colorful makeshift community of 70,000 people called Black Rock City, the roads opened Monday afternoon, kicking off the official exit process known as the "Exodus." (Photo by Julie JAMMOT / AFP) (Photo by JULIE JAMMOT/AFP via Getty Images) As of now, authorities do not have a suspect or motive. "Our hearts go out to Vadims family and friends and we grieve the loss of a community member," Burning Man said in a statement Wednesday. A shocking crime According to reports, police were called to the scene at around 9:15 p.m. Saturday night when an attendee of the annual festival held in Black Rock City, Nevada told authorities that a person was "lying in a pool of blood." Upon arrival, they found a white male who was "obviously deceased," per Sheriff Jerry Allen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Pershing County Sheriff's Office would like to extend our sincerest condolences to Vadim Kruglov's family for their tragic loss," Allen said in a press release Wednesday. Kruglov, who hailed from the Siberian city of Omsk, reportedly arrived at Burning Man on August 24. He was eventually reported missing by a friend who attended the festival with him. The Pershing County Sheriff's Office is requesting that anyone with information contact them via phone at 775-273-2641 or email at jnicholson@pershingcountynv.gov. This story was originally reported by Men's Journal on Sep 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here. During a recent raid, police in India discovered a man allegedly had elephant tusks hidden in his apartment. What's happening? According to the Tripura Chronicle, police conducted a raid in the Arvind Nagar Sonapur area based on a confidential tip. The police expected to find narcotics when they raided resident Mayub Ali's apartment, but were reportedly stunned to discover three elephant tusks hidden inside a cupboard, as well. Kailashahar Sub-Divisional Police Officer Jayanta Karmakar, who led the raid, told the Tripura Chronicle, "We were expecting to find narcotic substances based on our intelligence inputs. However, during the detailed search, we recovered three elephant tusks, which is a serious offense under wildlife protection laws." Why is this concerning? The main concern with smuggled elephant tusks is the harm caused to the animal. Thousands of animals and animal parts are smuggled across borders each year, leading to a significant number of injured and dead animals. While this is terrible for any animal to experience, the smuggling of animals (or parts from them) puts endangered species at a higher risk of extinction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, while Mayub Ali allegedly only had animal parts, when traffickers smuggle live animals into new areas, the animals then become an invasive species. Invasive species can cause a range of issues, from introducing new diseases that wipe out native animals to destroying the balance of local ecosystems. The destruction of ecological balance can lead to affected crops or more extreme weather events, adversely affecting the local food supply and nearby communities. What's being done about smuggling in India? In Mayub Ali's case, he fled, and police are reportedly still searching for him. Police also contacted the Forest Department about their discovery, and that department took ownership of the elephant tusks. Range Officer Subhankar Biswas explained to the Tripura Chronicle, "The tusks have been safely secured at the range office and will soon be sent for forensic analysis. We will take stringent legal action against the accused under relevant sections of the Forest Act." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement India also has laws on the books regarding animal smuggling, poaching, and trade, such as The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960, The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, and The Transport of Animals Rules from 1978. 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. Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, much effort has been made to preserve Ukrainian culture and educate the world about it. The Stolen Art Campaign is the latest work of NGO Shadows Project, which seeks to promote Ukrainian culture, launching what it calls the first coordinated, public-facing push to get museums that mislabel Ukrainian artists to correct their attribution. Although the work of the Ukrainian government, NGOs, and several museums has brought attention to Ukrainian artists and their works since Russias 2022 invasion, many Western museums are still behind when it comes to their attributions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many of them, such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Tate Modern in London, still list Ukrainian artists, especially those who lived during the time of the Russian Empire, as Russian. Such artists include avant-garde pioneer Kazymyr Malevych, an ethnic Pole born in Kyiv, folk-influenced Aleksandra Ekster, and Soviet-era painter and architect Vladimir Tatlin. While these artists were all multilingual, reflecting the diversity of the cities where they lived and the art scene of their times, they are often mislabeled as Russian, which doesnt account for how they defined themselves or the modern borders of where they were born. For Shadows Project activists, this is an act of deliberate erasure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These misattributions are the result of centuries of Russian imperialism and cultural domination that continues to persist to this day, Shadows Project wrote in a press release on the matter. They argue that at a time such as this, museum plaques are a stage for the fight for self-determination, as Russia attempts to erase Ukrainian culture and misattribute its works. With Ukraines sovereignty under attack, the countrys representation in global institutions has real consequences, shaping international perception, political support, and aid, they added. According to them, many plaques rely on outdated information or use inaccurate sources such as Wikipedia in order to determine their contents, while remaining unaware of Russias coordinated information warfare, including in the cultural sphere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since it began in July, the campaign has reached over 500,000 people, and several museums, including the Louvre, Tate, and MoMA, have committed to reviewing their own attributions following outreach from the Shadows Project. The Cleveland Museum has removed the label Russian from one of Aleksandra Eksters works and added context on her Ukrainian heritage, while the Brooklyn Museum has changed the description of painter Ilya Repin from Russian to Ukrainian. For Shadows Project co-founder Agatha Gorski, the erasure of Ukrainian culture by Russia makes these projects especially valuable in the current context. Right at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia bombed a museum containing art of one of Ukraines most famous painters, today over 2,000 Ukrainian cultural institutions have been bombed or damaged. Putin wants to rewrite Ukraines history - and our Western museums are complicit, she said in a press release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Defending our culture means defending our identity - and thats essential to defending our state, she added. The campaign includes outreach to museums, a public database where anyone can contribute to a community archive to collect data on mislabeled Ukrainian artists, an in-progress research report on Russias disinformation tactics online in the cultural space, and a collaboration with Ukrainian streetwear brand RDNY. Part of the proceeds from the collection, designed around the mislabeled artists, will go to save museums in Sumy from Russian attacks. It also includes a digital campaign, including an Instagram filter, to spread awareness and call out mislabeled attributions for artworks worldwide. SACRAMENTO, California In the long-running feud between Donald Trump and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Republicans in Californias redistricting wars are quickly settling on who they want and dont want on their side. On one hand is Schwarzenegger, the former governor and movie star who, in the name of reforms he championed over a decade ago, is preparing to terminate Gov. Gavin Newsoms gerrymandering campaign . He is, by one measure, the most popular Republican in the country . On the other? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans in California aren't talking about Trump and redistricting because it's bad politics, said Jon Fleischman, a political strategist and former executive director of the California GOP. For years, Republicans in competitive races across the country have struggled with how closely to associate themselves with the polarizing president. But in this heavily Democratic state following a summer of broadsides from the administration including immigration raids that unsettled even many Republicans Trump-aversion is in full swing. In a speech on the Assembly floor, James Gallagher, the chair of the Assembly Republican Caucus, said twice that Trump was wrong to push the Republican gerrymander in Texas that provoked Californias response. Asked if it would be helpful for Republicans for Trump to get involved in the California campaign, Heath Flora, the Republican lawmaker who will take over Gallaghers leadership post next month, said, I dont know. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was at Trumps behest that Texas Republicans gerrymandered their congressional maps to favor Republicans in the midterms provoking California Democrats to put a gerrymandered congressional map of their own on the ballot in California. But as Republicans fight that campaign here, many of them are hoping to keep him as far as possible away from the fray. Trumps a 40 percent guy in California at best, said Rob Stutzman, a veteran Republican strategist and former Schwarzenegger aide. The politics there are obvious. Republicans may not be able to avoid him. Trump said in August that he was thinking about filing a lawsuit over Newsoms plans. And for Democrats, anti-Trump messaging amounts to nearly their entire campaign so far. Newsom is aggressively framing his campaign as a referendum on the president, releasing ads that cast him as the face of the issue. Its a casting that comes as a liability for Republicans. Not only is Trump unpopular in California, but his gerrymandering gambit focused on red states has forced Republicans here into the awkward position of having to make the opposite argument hes making. Rather than focusing on power politics, California Republicans have largely been confined to making the case for good government contending that districts should be drawn independently. Democrats, meantime, are trying to convince voters that approval of the new maps they drew are in the hands of the people and only as a last resort to counter Trumps moves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That makes appealing to Schwarzenegger, with his moderate profile and sky-high popularity, even more attractive for GOP lawmakers and dignitaries working to win over Democrats and independent voters. Unlike Trump, hes been a stalwart critic of gerrymandering for years, in California and elsewhere. The last Republican to be elected California governor, Schwarzenegger left office unpopular . But he has experienced something of a renaissance in recent years cutting viral videos excoriating Trump and preaching a kind of bygone centrist politics that marries climate crusader and fiscal hawk. Schwarzenegger, a Republican once married into the Kennedy clan, has kept his distance from Sacramento, while resuming some acting projects. But late in the 2024 campaign, while expressing frustration with both political parties over their unwillingness to agree on immigration reforms and the national debt, he endorsed Kamala Harris . The sentiment goes both ways, with Trump referring to Schwarzenegger as a really bad governor. How prominent a role Schwarzenegger will play in the campaign is unclear. Jim Brulte, a former California Republican Party chair and longtime legislative leader, told POLITICO he has had a number of discussions with the former governor in which he expressed that he really believes that politicians shouldnt be drawing their own lines and politicians shouldnt pick their constituents. And California Republicans expect him to become a primary messenger on the campaign. Time is incredibly forgiving, said Jessica Millan Patterson, a former chair of the state GOP who is leading a committee opposing the ballot measure. I look at a president like George W. Bush, who the left now touts as such an amazing human being, who was vilified by the left. This happens to a lot of politicians. Schwarzenegger has always been an independent source, even when he was a Republican governor. He brings people from every walk of life to the table, and he always feels like hes fighting for you. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats the kind of coalition Republicans are banking on in a state that Trump lost by 20 percentage points last year. While Pattersons group, which is focused more explicitly on activating Republican base voters, has been deploying more partisan messages in the redistricting campaign accusing Newsom by name of scheming other opposition advertising has focused not on Newsom, but what Republicans cast as an effort to destroy fair districts and a direct attack on democracy. Voters clearly say they prefer independent redistricting and don't want to go back to the era of political gerrymandering, said Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley, whose seat will likely be eliminated if the new maps are approved. Its similar to the message Schwarzenegger is teasing early in the race. He has been spotted in a T-shirt that he is also selling on his website for Arnolds Pump Club a fitness app and community with training programs, articles and videos that say Terminate Gerrymandering . Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schwarzenegger is already heavily engaged from the onset with his merch. The F the politicians T-shirt. And I think its a very comfortable place for him, Patterson said. This is a man who has gone all over the country, that has been working for citizen-led redistricting commissions. Youre going to continue to see him. Hes a very credible source on this. Fleischman, in his Substack on California politics, made the case explicitly for bringing Schwarzenegger on board, suggesting he could help make inroads with independents and moderates. You take somebody with virtually 100 percent name ID and put them on television, Fleischman said in an interview. It would be huge. Rachel Bluth and Melanie Mason contributed to this report Transgender people incarcerated in Georgia prisons can once again receive gender-affirming care, at least temporarily, following a judge's order. Getty Images Transgender people incarcerated in Georgia prisons can once again receive some gender-affirming care, at least temporarily, following a judges order. A federal judge ruled Thursday that a ban on using public funds for gender-affirming care in state prisons likely violates constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to court documents, there are about 340 people in the custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, of whom 107 were receiving hormone replacement therapy as of the end of June. The systems inmate population is more than 50,000. Gov. Brian Kemp, who is a Republican, signed Senate Bill 185 into law in May, putting the ban into place. Attorneys for the state argued that Georgians tax dollars should not be spent on the controversial procedures. But controversy does not take a medical question and turn it into a policy question, U.S. District Court Judge Victoria Calvert wrote in her opinion pausing enforcement of the law while a legal challenge against it moves forward. An Eighth Amendment exception for political controversy could end up swallowing the rule that inmates are entitled to a baseline of medical care bearing some relationship to the standard of care provided to the public at large. If it were otherwise, prison officials could deny inmates the COVID-19 vaccine or treat a measles outbreak with chicken soup. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also on Thursday, the Georgia Board of Corrections voted to approve a rule change to comply with the law, specifying that no state funds may be used for surgical, hormone or cosmetic procedures to treat gender dysphoria. It allows for people already receiving treatment to have their dosage tapered to transition off the medication. Calverts ruling directs the agency to stop tapering hormone medication and resume treatments for people who were previously receiving care and to consider new requests for gender-affirming treatments without taking the new state law into account. Emily Early, an attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights, which challenged the state law on behalf of five transgender people incarcerated in Georgia prisons, said the judges decision is in line with rulings from other states and established precedent. Were not carving out any sort of new standard, she said. The Eighth Amendment standard is that you cannot take away care from an individual when that care has been deemed medically necessary without any sort of medical judgment. And thats exactly what the state of Georgia has done here, in violation of the Eighth Amendment and the court at the district court level has agreed with our clients position. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Department of Corrections spokesperson declined to comment citing pending litigation. The defendants, who include Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Tyrone Oliver, have filed an appeal with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. The bills author, Cataula Republican state Sen. Randy Robertson, expressed confidence that the law will eventually be upheld. Im very comfortable with this, he said in a phone call. We knew that things like this were going to happen. Anytime you pass a controversial piece of legislation, youre going to have individuals come out and challenge it, and thats exactly whats supposed to happen. Every piece of legislation that we pass out of the Capitol is subject to scrutiny by men and women who wear black robes, and thats what we pay them for, and thats their job. So this is just part of the process. Im very confident that once everything is hashed out in the courtrooms, that the law will go into effect and will accomplish exactly what we need to accomplish for Georgia taxpayers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill was among the most controversial of the session as it worked its way through the Capitol this year. Four Senate Democrats broke ranks with their party to support it in that chamber, and four more did not vote. In the House, nearly the entire Democratic caucus walked out when it came up for a vote, a protest of a series of bills targeting the rights of transgender Georgians. Transgender advocates worry that policies like Georgias are part of a cultural backlash against increased acceptance of transgender rights. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Food safety regulations are a funny thing: in some countries, a substance is considered totally fine for consumption, but in others... not so much. For example, the EU refuses American beef because it's hormone-treated. But when it comes to caviar, the situation flips: in Europe, some jars contain a preservative that the U.S. has long banned from food and thus, can't be legally imported here. That preservative is borax (also known as E285, sodium tertraborate) -- yes, the same compound that can clean your sink or boost laundry detergent. A close cousin, boric acid (E286), sometimes substitutes for it. Caviar makers prize both because they're remarkably effective: they fight bacteria, firm up the delicate roe, and even mellow out that sharp "fishy" taste. But there's a "small" problem: health authorities around the world -- from the FDA in the States to the New South Wales Food Authority -- agree that borax is far too risky for the dinner table, the latter calling it as posing "an unacceptable risk to human health when used in food." Studies link ingestion to risks ranging from organ damage to outright poisoning. So, with that in mind, we wouldn't blame you for having the natural question: why are Europeans still putting borax into their caviar? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: The 15 Absolute Best Canned Foods To Stock Your Pantry Why Is Borax Still Used In The EU? Black caviar on pearl spoon. - Ahirao_photo/Getty Images Borax is banned as a food preservative across the European Union, but caviar is the lone exception: producers are allowed to add up to four grams per kilogram. Why? Because caviar is considered a rare specialty food, not a daily staple. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has argued that consumers of caviars are exposed to such small amounts of boron (the key element in borax) that they're unlikely to exceed the safe daily intake of 0.16 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. In exchange, the preservative delivers the texture and flavor qualities that make European caviar so prized. It also helps that caviar is big business for EU countries like Germany, Italy, and France, all top producers and exporters of all kinds, from beluga to osetra caviar. The U.S., however, takes a harder line. While the American market produced $4.6 million worth of caviar in 2022, the FDA never approved borax for culinary use. Stateside producers rely on salt for preservation instead -- which means American caviar always tastes brinier, with a stronger bite. So the next time you notice how mild European caviar tastes, you'll know the reason. But with the knowledge that the secret ingredient being a cleaning powder... well, it might take away some of the tastiness when it's served up to you (along with the bougie caviar-eating spoon). Read the original article on Tasting Table. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) A Baton Rouge man is facing charges after allegedly attempting to set fire to a home while people were still inside. The Baton Rouge Fire Department said Wilfred Jackson Jr., 33, was arrested Saturday morning after pouring gasoline throughout a residence on Cypress Street in Baker and threatening to ignite it while it was occupied. Baker police and fire investigators responded to the scene around 9:30 a.m. BRFD said Jackson inhaled gasoline fumes during the incident and was treated by East Baton Rouge emergency medical services. No other injuries were reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jackson was booked on a charge of attempted aggravated arson. Latest News 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 Louisiana First News. The influential leader of the German state of Bavaria, Markus Soder, has reacted sceptically to the idea of deploying NATO soldiers to Ukraine as part of security guarantees for Kiev - a topic being discussed intensively among European leaders. "I can hardly imagine NATO troops being stationed there," Soder told the Rheinische Post newspaper. Soder is the leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), a Bavaria-only party which is in the governing national coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) and Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Russia would not accept under any circumstances" the deployment of troops from the Western military alliance, the Bavarian premier said. "Because it would be the precursor to Ukraine joining NATO." Soder went on to say that the Bundeswehr - Germany's military - "is not ready for this" as it is stretched to the limit financially and in terms of personnel. He said this was one reason why conscription was needed again. Military conscription was suspended in Germany in 2011, effectively ending both mandatory military and civilian service. It was replaced by a federal voluntary service scheme. The ruling coalition is currently discussing whether conscription should be reintroduced on a voluntary basis. Earlier in the week, the so-called Coalition of the Willing, a loose alliance led by France and the United Kingdom, said that 26 Western countries were prepared to send troops to secure a ceasefire or peace between Russia and Ukraine to protect Kiev from renewed aggression. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The countries have agreed to deploy ground troops or forces in the air or at sea as support, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday. However, details on participants, troop numbers and roles were not disclosed. Following the announcement, Merz's spokesman said that Germany was not prepared to commit to participation at this stage. First, the focus must be on the financing, armament and training of the Ukrainian armed forces, he said. BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) For months now, local economic development leaders have been using code names for companies theyve been recruiting to the area. On Friday, community leaders got the chance to put faces and names with three of those businesses. The companys owners introduced themselves during this mornings Bay County Chamber First Friday gathering. The Bay Economic Development Alliance introduced the community to its latest industry recruiting successes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement IAG Aero Group has a warehouse facility in Lynn Haven where theyre selling and distributing aircraft parts. They are also building a maintenance, repair, and engine overhaul facility at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. It will have the largest jet engine test cell in North America. To bring a test cell to this area, were going to bring new customers, new engine types, and well be part of that small community of companies that are actually able to return their product after a test is completed, MRO Services for IAG AERO Group President Daniel King said. Oxford Technologies builds hot-form titanium leading abrasion strips for the black hawk helicopter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are partnered with Sikorsky Aircraft and work with the defense industry. We have some really uniquely designed fixturing that allows us to produce parts a lot quicker than our biggest competitor. So were really excited about the technology investments in the Bay County area with Haney Tech and Florida State and Gulf Coast all being here. So we think we have the right people in the right technology right now to really support the army and support the aircraft going forward, Oxford Technology Corp. General Manager Brad Stearns said. Theyre operating out of an existing manufacturing facility in Bay Countys industrial park. The third company, Global Impact Products, will be their neighbors. Global is converting part of Bay Countys waste-to-energy facility, or the incinerator, into a new manufacturing space. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company produces hurricane-impact windows and doors. Their new space will have direct access to the Port of Panama City. Were very close to port now. It used to take me, you know, 9 hours to drive up to the port to make stuff, but its only 10 minutes because its only 11 miles now. So for us, its a win-win. Absolutely. And the port, we bring in stuff through the port. We ship out stuff through the port, Global Impact Products President & CEO Harm Van Der Mark said. Global will be fully operational early next year. Bay EDA says these companies will create more than 750 new jobs and have a combined capital investment of $138 million in Bay County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. (WKRG) A groundbreaking for the new Bayou La Batre city docks has been scheduled. Daphne police share new details in Jubilee Farms domestic violence arrest According to a Mobile County news release, the groundbreaking for the $24 million project is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 8, at 2 p.m. The project will have four new features, including: Seafood market : Two 4,500-foot open-air pavilions, portable restroom facilities, and a shrimp boat sales pier for direct-from-boat public seafood sales. Full-service marina : A 4,200-square-foot elevated, timber pile marina building; floating fuel dock; one main dock plus five side tree docks with water, electrical, fire suppression, and restroom facilities. Boat launch : A four-lane concrete boat ramp with courtesy docks, gangways, protective rock revetment, and expanded paved parking. Site improvements: Demolition of old structures; new bulkheads, boardwalks, utilities, lighting, sidewalks, curbs, landscaping, signage, and benches. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is estimated that the project will take two years to complete. Baldwin County road to temporarily close detour suggested Multiple state and county officials will be in attendance at the groundbreaking, including Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship; Senator David Sessions; Alabama Representative Chip Brown; County Commissioners Randall Dueitt, Connie Hudson, and Mercia Ludgood; and Mayor Henry Barnes. 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 WKRG News 5. NEED TO KNOW A 72-year-old man, identified as Vernon Patton, was critically injured in a black bear attack in the Mulberry Mountain area on Wednesday, Sept. 3, according to officials He reportedly suffered "severe cuts and puncture wounds to his head and arms" and was airlifted to a nearby hospital for surgery The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said the attack was "highly unusual" as there hadn't been a bear attack documented in Arkansas in the last 25 years A 72-year-old man is recovering after being critically injured in a bear attack in Arkansas earlier this week. The man identified as 72-year-old Vernon Patton was attacked in the Mulberry Mountain area on Wednesday, Sept. 3, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) told news outlets News Nation, USA Today and ABC affiliate KHBS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patton had been working on a gravel road with his tractor near Mulberry Mountain when a 70-pound juvenile black bear attacked him, AGFC officials said, per the outlets. The mans son reportedly witnessed the attack after checking on him and alerted authorities. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission/Facebook Stock image of black bear cub Stock image of black bear cub Patton was airlifted to Washington Regional in Fayetteville for surgery before being moved to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center in Little Rock as he recovered, according to News Nation and USA Today. AGFC spokesperson Keith Stephens told USA Today that the man was found with "severe cuts and puncture wounds to his head and arms." The man remained hospitalized as of Friday, Sept. 5, per the outlet. Stephens described the incident as highly unusual," adding, there have been no documented bear attacks on humans in Arkansas in at least 25 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The AGFC did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment on the incident. As for the bear, two wardens with AGFC responded to the scene and found the animal still in the area. They subsequently killed the animal due to public safety and in order to examine the animals body to potentially figure out why the attack may have occurred, per USA Today. The AGFC said a necropsy would be performed on the bears carcass to check whether the bear had rabies, a fatal viral disease that affects the central nervous system that can be transmitted to humans, or distemper, a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease that only affects animals. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission/Facebook Stock image of a black bear Stock image of a black bear 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. Stephens told News Nation that if a person encounters a black bear, they should slowly back away without running, and if the bear still doesnt leave, make loud noises and attempt to appear larger by widening their stance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The National Park Service also recommends that if a person is attacked by a black bear, they should try to escape to a secure place such as a car or building or if that is not possible, try to fight back using any object available. Read the original article on People Sep. 5BEMIDJI The Beltrami County Historical Society will host a public panel titled "Women Elected to Lead: Voices from Local Government" at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6, at the Beltrami County History Center. The panel was originally scheduled for Saturday, June 21, but was rescheduled due to the derecho in Bemidji. As part of an ongoing series recognizing the significant impact of women in shaping Beltrami County, this panel will feature three women with firsthand experience in public office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local historian Lois Jenkins will moderate the discussion and offer historical context about women who have served in elected office throughout the region. Panelists include: * Rita Albrecht, who served four terms as mayor of Bemidji following her election in 2012. She previously served on the Bemidji City Council and has been a longtime advocate for sustainable land use and public engagement. In 2021, she was appointed co-chair of the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. * Gwenia Fiskevold-Gould, current Bemidji City Council representative, who has been active in discussions surrounding community infrastructure, business development and neighborhood engagement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement * Elaine Fleming, who made history in 2003 when she was elected the first female and first Ojibwe mayor of Cass Lake. She served two terms and has remained active as a professor at Leech Lake Tribal College and host of the radio program "History of Leech Lake." She is also known for her environmental advocacy and oral history work. Panelists will explore the challenges, responsibilities and rewards of local leadership and the importance of civic participation and representation, a release said. The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information about this event, visit beltramihistory.org or contact the Historical Society at (218) 444-3376 or via email at depot@beltramihistory.org. LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Speaker of the Michigan House Matt Hall attended a mediation session Friday regarding the Houses subpoena for election training materials and resulting lawsuit. The House filed a lawsuit against Benson back in June, further escalating an ongoing legal dispute over Bensons refusal to turn over election training materials that she says contain sensitive information that could be used to interfere with elections in the state. The chambers Oversight Committee subpoenaed the secretary in April for training materials for local clerks and election staff, as well as access to the Bureau of Elections online learning portal. Benson has released some of the requested materials, but others she refused, citing security concerns. Instead, she says her office needs to take the time to redact certain sensitive pieces of information. FILE Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson participates in an election forum, in Ann Arbor, Mich., Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File) However, Republicans say they need to review the materials to make sure election administrators are trained in accordance with state law, with the House eventually voting along party lines in May to hold Benson in contempt for not entirely complying with their subpoena. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, in June, lawmakers filed suit in the Michigan Court of Claims, asking the court to compel Benson to comply. Just days before, a Republican representative announced articles of impeachment against Benson, accusing her of corrupt conduct, violating constitutional rights, and abusing power. Friday, a mediation session was held, having been ordered by the Court of Claims. Hall expressed a level of frustration with the meeting, saying Benson attended the meeting with her public relations team to turn it into a show. Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp., speaks at a rally before Vice President JD Vance speaks about Americas industrial resurgence, Friday, March 14, 2025, at Vantage Plastics in Bay City, Mich. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez) This is a simple case with a very clear resolution. The Legislature is trying to do its basic oversight function and review training materials that were already made available to thousands of people. No one understands why Jocelyn Benson is trying so hard to hide this, wrote Hall in a press release obtained by 6 News. When 6 News reached out to the Department of State, a spokesperson told us that they participated in a mediation session in accordance with a court order and provided no further comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 WLNS 6 News. Angela Rayners rapid fall from high office must have brought to mind a parody of the pleas of Richard III during the battle of Bosworth Field: A house, a house, my kingdom for a house. A mere 40,000, a bauble on a ministerial salary, brought her down. It was, she complained, simply an oversight in her complicated tax affairs. While already owning two properties, an additional one in Hove costing 800,000 can be considered a tad greedy, even for a housing minister. But her fall from grace has considerable significance. Given the increasing hatred towards the Starmer government, it is comparable to the displacement of the first loose pebble that precipitates an avalanche. The fall of Angela Rayner The first days of September, after the return from a dreadful summer, were supposed to be a reset for Starmer, desperate to dig himself out of a deep hole. Everything was put in place, including an attack on immigrants, to keep Farage from the gates and restore his standing. But, as it is said, the best laid plans can go astray. Within days, the sleaze scandal surrounding Rayner was about to consume the government in what could potentially be the biggest crisis faced by Starmer since being elected a year ago. The almighty dam had broken. Starmer had lost his deputy prime minister, housing minister and the deputy leader of the Labour Party in one fell swoop. The intense pressure was mounting. A report by the ethics watchdog, Sir Laurie Magnus, was being prepared about Rayners transgression, which was soon to be handed to the prime minister for due consideration. She had been deemed to have breached the ministerial code! Rather than face the sack, she fell on her sword and resigned. Starmer duly sent her a handwritten note of gratitude for her past services and her painful departure. But the almighty dam had broken. Starmer had lost his deputy prime minister, housing minister and the deputy leader of the Labour Party in one fell swoop. He had no alternative but to brave the storm. A government reshuffle was called for and carried out at lightning speed. The sap, David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, was demoted to Justice Secretary, but given the grand title of Lord Chancellor and Deputy Prime Minister. The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, fresh from attacking migrants and banning Palestine Action, was shifted to become Foreign Secretary another chance to rub shoulders with the high and mighty. Shabana Mahmood replaced her, with a mandate for greater attacks on asylum seekers. Along with Rachel Reeves, the three great offices of state are now held by women right-wingers. In addition, the lickspittle Lammy has become the UKs first black deputy prime minister. And we have the first Muslim woman as home secretary. A gang of right-wing charlatans, for sure. But, all can agree, what a great leap forward for diversity! Surely this must signal the death of identity politics. Other aspiring right-wing hacks have been shifted around like the furniture on the Titanic. This gaggle of careerists is a sight for sore eyes! In the past, Rayner had faithfully defended the likes of Starmer and his policies, while brandishing her difficult upbringing and her working-class roots. While most of the Starmer brigade are made up of lawyers, solicitors and other petty bourgeois riff-raff, Rayner stood out as working class. She was used to placate any disgruntled Labour backbenchers. She, in effect, played the role that John Prescott did in relation to Blair, acting as a left cover for his counter-revolution. Of course, she left the ranks of the working class a while ago as she shimmied her way up the greasy pole, first as a trade union official and then a Labour MP. There is a very long history of a multitude of working-class careerists in the Labour movement who have risen in this way, usually to find themselves in the House of Lords, dressed in robes lined with ermine. Government of crisis Now, Rayners cover that shielded Starmer has been blown. It could not have come at a worse time. He would have loved to have kept her on, but that would have caused more trouble. After all, the government faces a damaging autumn statement in November, in which Reeves will need to announce massive cuts and tax rises. Rayners resignation as the deputy leader of the Labour Party means that there will now be an internal election for the position. Given the febrile atmosphere within the party, this could turn out to be an embarrassment as all sorts of grumbles and complaints will surely be raised. The election will be an opportunity to sound off at the failures of last year and could turn unexpectedly into a bitterly fought contest. It will certainly put Starmer under pressure, as any replacement will be seen as a threat. Ted Grant once explained that in the 1950s, during the economic upswing, whatever governments did made no real difference. Everything they did was right. They could do no wrong. In contrast, these days, with a deepening crisis, everything they do is going to be wrong. Such is the dialectic of history. Starmer, as we predicted, is presiding over a government of crisis. His reputation has already been shredded as his popularity rating hits rock bottom. There will be no reversal. As one MP put it, you cant do social democracy on one percent growth. Starmers austerity government will face an even greater backlash. Any prospect of UK growth is for the birds, given the special crisis of British capitalism and as the crisis in the world economy, hit by tariffs, deteriorates. The knives are already being sharpened. The arch-Blairite Pat McFadden, the chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, has replaced Liz Kendall at Work and Pensions. This is preparation for savage cuts to welfare this autumn. But this, as with previous attempts, will face stiff opposition from Labour backbenchers, who, under pressure from their constituents, are terrified of losing their seats come the election. This scenario is a recipe for further division and conflict for Starmer, despite his thumping parliamentary majority. Reeves, the Chancellor, is faced with delivering a budget on the lines of Snowdens 1931 budget that wrecked the then minority Labour government. Today, under pressure from the ruling class, Starmer, a willing agent, is attempting to hold the line, but such is the seriousness of the crisis that there is talk of an IMF bailout being needed. This reflects the utter bankruptcy of reformism, which tries to patch up the capitalist system at the expense of the working class. It is reformism without reforms, reformism with counter-reforms. All this had added grist to the mill of Reform UK, which has been rising relentlessly in the polls. The Angela Rayner scandal has only added to this. Farage has gained from the widespread hatred towards the Starmer government and the lacklustre approach of the Tory Party and its new leader. Tobogganing towards disaster The growing anger in British society is palpable and can only get worse. This has opened up a massive political vacuum. Given the failure of the left so far, this has benefited Reform. If the new left party finally gets its act together, it could greatly benefit from this situation. A new chapter is opening. The Starmer government is set to stagger from one crisis to another. It will experience a lingering death agony, as he attempts to cling to power. But nothing is going to prevent this. There is no way out on the basis of capitalism. The storms and stresses that have battered Britain over recent years are nothing compared to what is to come. Fantastic as it may seem, sleepy old Britain is heading for revolutionary convulsions, not seen for a hundred years or more. On the scale of things, what is pertinent is not whether Farage will win the next election, but in the words of Leon Trotsky: Will a Communist Party be built in Britain in time with the strength and the links with the masses to be able to draw out at the right moment all the necessary practical conclusions from the sharpening crisis? It is in this question that Great Britains fate is today contained. No doubt cynics and sceptics will snigger and laugh at such a suggestion. But they are blind as ever. They refuse to see what is happening: that under capitalism British society is tobogganing towards disaster. History has shown that for millions, this realisation and its consequences will come much sooner than you think. Then, they will enter onto the stage of history, determined to take destiny into their own hands. WASHINGTON (AP) Former President Joe Biden has decided to build his presidential library in Delaware and has tapped a group of former aides, friends and political allies to begin the heavy lift of fundraising and finding a site for the museum and archive. The Joe and Jill Biden Foundation this past week approved a 13-person governance board that is charged with steering the project. The board includes former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, longtime adviser Steve Ricchetti, prolific Democratic fundraiser Rufus Gifford and others with deep ties to the one-term president and his wife. Biden's library team has the daunting task of raising money for the 46th president's legacy project at a moment when his party has become fragmented about the way ahead and many big Democratic donors have stopped writing checks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also remains to be seen whether corporations and institutional donors that have historically donated to presidential library projects regardless of the party of the former president will be more hesitant to contribute, with President Donald Trumpmaligning Biden on a daily basis and savaging groups he deems left-leaning. The political climate has changed Theres certainly folks folks who may have been not thinking about those kinds of issues who are starting to think about them, Gifford, who was named chairman of the library board, told The Associated Press. That being said ... were not going to create a budget, were not going to set a goal for ourselves that we dont believe we can hit. The cost of presidential libraries has soared over the decades. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The George H.W. Bush library's construction cost came in at about $43 million when it opened in 1997. Bill Clinton's cost about $165 million. George W. Bush's team met its $500 million fundraising goal before the library was dedicated. The Obama Foundation has set a whopping $1.6 billion fundraising goal for construction, sustaining global programming and seeding an endowment for the Chicago presidential center that is slated to open next year. Biden's library team is still in the early stages of planning, but Gifford predicted that the cost of the project would probably end up somewhere in the middle of the Obama Presidential Center and the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. Biden advisers have met with officials operating 12 of the 13 presidential libraries with a bricks and mortar presence that the National Archives and Records Administration manages. (They skipped the Herbert Hoover library in Iowa, which is closed for renovations.) They've also met Obama library officials to discuss programming and location considerations and have begun talks with Delaware leaders to assess potential partnerships. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Private money builds them Construction and support for programming for the libraries are paid for with private funds donated to the nonprofit organizations established by the former president. The initial vision is for the Biden library to include an immersive museum detailing Biden's four years in office. The Bidens also want it to be a hub for leadership, service and civic engagement that will include educational and event space to host policy gatherings. Biden, who ended his bid for a second White House term 107 days before last year's election, has been relatively slow to move on presidential library planning compared with most of his recent predecessors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clinton announced Little Rock, Arkansas, would host his library weeks into his second term. Barack Obama selected Jackson Park on Chicago's South Side as the site for his presidential center before he left office, and George W. Bush selected Southern Methodist University in Dallas before finishing his second term. One-termer George H.W. Bush announced in 1991, more than a year before he would lose his reelection bid, that he would establish his presidential library at Texas A&M University after he left office. Donald Trump taps legal settlements for his Trump was mostly quiet about plans for a presidential library after losing to Biden in 2020 and has remained so since his return to the White House this year. But the Republican has won millions of dollars in lawsuits against Paramount Global, ABC News, Meta and X in which parts of those settlements are directed for a future Trump library. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has also accepted a free Air Force One replacement from the Qatar government. He says the $400 million plane would be donated to his future presidential library, similar to how the Boeing 707 used by President Ronald Reagan was decommissioned and put on display as a museum piece, once he leaves office. Others named to Biden's library board are former senior White House aides Elizabeth Alexander, Julissa Reynoso Pantaleon and Cedric Richmond; David Cohen, a former ambassador to Canada and telecom executive; Tatiana Brandt Copeland, a Delaware philanthropist; Jeff Peck, Biden Foundation treasurer and former Senate aide; Fred C. Sears II, Biden's longtime friend; former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh; former Office of Management and Budget director Shalanda Young; and former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell. Biden has deep ties to Pennsylvania but ultimately settled on Delaware, the state that was the launching pad for his political career. He was first elected to the New Castle County Council in 1970 and spent 36 years representing Delaware in the Senate before serving as Obama's vice president. Following his vice presidency, he launched the Biden Institute, a research and policy center focused on domestic issues at the University of Delaware. Biden graduated from the university in 1965. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he lived until age 10. He left when his father, struggling to make ends meet, moved the family to Delaware after landing a job there selling cars. Working-class Scranton became a touchstone in Biden's political narrative during his long political career. He also served as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania after his vice presidency, leading a center on diplomacy and global engagement at the school named after him. Gifford said ultimately the Bidens felt that Delaware was where the library should be because the state has propelled his entire political career." Elected officials in Delaware are cheering Biden's move. To Delaware, he will always be our favorite son, Gov. Matt Meyer said. The new presidential library here in Delaware will give future generations the chance to see his story of resilience, family, and never forgetting your roots. Former President Joe Biden has decided to build his presidential library in Delaware, an aide confirmed to CBS News on Saturday. He has also tapped a group of former aides, friends and political allies who are charged with steering the project for the museum and archive. The Joe and Jill Biden Foundation approved a 13-person governance board that includes former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, longtime adviser Steve Ricchetti, prolific Democratic fundraiser Rufus Gifford, according to a list provided to CBS News. Gifford will serve as the board's chair. A senior member of the Biden Foundation said the project will serve as a "vibrant and lasting space where history, learning, and civic leadership come together, inspiring future generations to lead with purpose, serve their communities, and strengthen our nation." They said a robust planning process and landscape analysis is underway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Others named to Biden's library board are former senior White House aides Elizabeth Alexander, Julissa Reynoso Pantaleon and Cedric Richmond; David Cohen, a former ambassador to Canada and telecom executive; Tatiana Brandt Copeland, a Delaware philanthropist; Jeff Peck, Biden Foundation treasurer and former Senate aide; Fred C. Sears II, Biden's longtime friend; former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh; former Office of Management and Budget director Shalanda Young; and former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell. Biden has deep ties to Pennsylvania but ultimately settled on Delaware, the state that was the launching pad for his political career. He was first elected to the New Castle County Council in 1970 and spent 36 years representing Delaware in the Senate before serving as Obama's vice president. The president was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he lived until age 10. He left when his father, struggling to make ends meet, moved the family to Delaware after landing a job there selling cars. Former President Joe Biden / Credit: Nam Y. Huh / AP Working-class Scranton became a touchstone in Biden's political narrative during his long political career. He also served as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania after his vice presidency, leading a center on diplomacy and global engagement at the school named after him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gifford said ultimately the Bidens felt that Delaware was where the library should be because the state has "propelled his entire political career." Elected officials in Delaware are cheering Biden's move. "To Delaware, he will always be our favorite son," Gov. Matt Meyer said. "The new presidential library here in Delaware will give future generations the chance to see his story of resilience, family, and never forgetting your roots." The announcement by Biden, who recently underwent skin cancer surgery, comes as his administration is under investigation by the House Oversight Committee over questions about the former president's health in office and the use of an autopen machine to sign key presidential documents in the last few months of his term. Axios reported on Friday that internal emails showed high-ranking Biden administration officials questioned and criticized how the president's team decided on controversial pardons and allowed the frequent use of an autopen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cost of a presidential library Biden's library team faces the daunting task of raising money for the 46th president's legacy project at a moment when his party is divided about the way forward and many major Democratic donors have ceased writing checks. It also remains to be seen whether corporations and institutional donors that have historically donated to presidential library projects regardless of the party of the former president will be more hesitant to contribute, with President Trump maligning Biden on a daily basis and savaging groups he deems left-leaning. "There's certainly folks folks who may have been not thinking about those kinds of issues who are starting to think about them," Gifford, who was named chairman of the library board, told The Associated Press. "That being said ... we're not going to create a budget, we're not going to set a goal for ourselves that we don't believe we can hit." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cost of presidential libraries has soared over the decades. The George H.W. Bush library's construction cost came in at about $43 million when it opened in 1997. Bill Clinton's cost about $165 million. George W. Bush's team met its $500 million fundraising goal before the library was dedicated. The Obama Foundation has set a whopping $1.6 billion fundraising goal for construction, sustaining global programming and seeding an endowment for the Chicago presidential center that is slated to open next year. Biden's library team is still in the early stages of planning, but Gifford predicted that the cost of the project would probably "end up somewhere in the middle" of the Obama Presidential Center and the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Biden advisers have met with officials operating 12 of the 13 presidential libraries with a bricks-and-mortar presence that the National Archives and Records Administration manages. (They skipped the Herbert Hoover library in Iowa, which is closed for renovations.) They've also met Obama library officials to discuss programming and location considerations and have begun talks with Delaware leaders to assess potential partnerships. Private money builds libraries Construction and support for programming for the libraries are paid for with private funds donated to the nonprofit organizations established by the former president. The initial vision is for the Biden library to include an immersive museum detailing Biden's four years in office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Bidens also want it to be a hub for leadership, service and civic engagement that will include educational and event space to host policy gatherings. Biden, who ended his bid for a second White House term 107 days before last year's election, has been relatively slow to move on presidential library planning compared with most of his recent predecessors. Clinton announced Little Rock, Arkansas, would host his library weeks into his second term. Barack Obama selected Jackson Park on Chicago's South Side as the site for his presidential center before he left office, and George W. Bush selected Southern Methodist University in Dallas before finishing his second term. One-termer George H.W. Bush announced in 1991, more than a year before he would lose his reelection bid, that he would establish his presidential library at Texas A&M University after he left office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump taps legal settlements for his Mr. Trump was mostly quiet about plans for a presidential library after losing to Biden in 2020 and has remained so since his return to the White House this year. But the Republican has won millions of dollars in lawsuits against Paramount Global, ABC News, Meta and X, in which parts of those settlements are directed for a future Trump library. Mr. Trump has also accepted a free Air Force One replacement from the Qatar government. He says the $400 million plane would be donated to his future presidential library, similar to how the Boeing 707 used by President Ronald Reagan was decommissioned and put on display as a museum piece, once he leaves office. U.S. deploying 10 fighter jets to Puerto Rico in drug cartel crackdown Chicago-area Navy base to be used for immigration operations Lack of prostate cancer screening may have led to recent jump in diagnoses, study finds Bill Maher has tried in recent months to say nice things about anti-vaccines conspiracy theorist and secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but on Fridays Real Time, he revealed those days are over. The knives are out for Bobby Kennedy, and I gotta say, Im with the knives, Maher said. More from TheWrap Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That comment came at the end of his monologue, during which he discussed a lot of recent Donald Trump-related news, which led him to joke that the president has so thoroughly wrecked things that the CDC has been renamed to just the thing the D stands for. First though, he brought up Fridays new jobs report, which was not good. Theres a new jobs report. Only 22,000 jobs. 22,000? Diddy hired more than that for a party, Maher joked. After the report, Maher continued, everyone was worried about their job, especially the guy who wrote the Report. This was of course a reference to last month, when Donald Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, after after the organization issued a disappointing jobs report. Trump falsely claimed that the report was rigged, and hes nominated a loyalist for the job who, it was reported Friday, has a history of bigoted social media posts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But back to Maher, who briefly brought up the ICE raid on a Hyundai plant in Georgia, and then moved on to Trumps attempt to illegally change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. We are at war with a lot of people. We are. Were at war with so many people. Were changing the name of the Department of Defense at the Department of War It was originally called the Department of War under George Washington, yeah. And then at some point we changed to the Department of Defense, so it doesnt look like were looking for one. Trump going back to the Department of War. He said it sends a message that we are fierce warriors. And then he went back to his Twitter spat with Rosie ODonnell, Maher joked. Then Maher brought up the military attack on Venezuelan citizens Trump claims were drug smugglers (likely a violation of international and American law). They said it was involved in the drug trade. Okay? There are countries in the region that are involved in the drug trade. Im in Mexico, obviously Colombia. I seem to remember people calling cocaine Peruvian marching powder. Okay, so. But Venezuela, not one of them. But Venezuela is our only true rival in the Miss Universe contest, Maher joked. Weve won it eight times. Theyve won it seven times. This is something I think the President is very interested in. This is why he hates Venezuela so much they stole our pageant secrets, like, like, just, how do you make a 19 year old look like shes 40? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then Maher brought up the meeting between several global despots during the week, as well as Chinas huge military parade. Trump tweeted out, it looks like weve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. What do you mean? We white man, Maher joked. I love when he forgets hes the president and just reacts to everything on the world stage like, oh, look what happened. So to recap, China had the scariest military parade ever. And America is changing our stationary, the Department of Defense is now the Department of War. Oh, also the Justice Department will now be the Bureau of revenge. The State Department is now just Marco Rubio [at] AOL, and the Centers for Disease Control is now just disease. Oh, yeah, but the knives are out for Bobby Kennedy, and I gotta say, Im with the knives, Maher continued. Then he took a brief look at Kennedys congressional appearance this week, before starting the show proper. The post Bill Maher Says The Knives Are Out for RFK Jr. and Im With the Knives appeared first on TheWrap. The billionaire heiress who recently donated $250,000 to a super PAC supporting socialist Zohran Mamdanis NYC mayoral campaign is bankrolling a national push to bring woke math into public schools a twisted bid to turn kids into socialist revolutionaries, critics told The Post. Philanthropist Liz Simons, daughter of late hedge-fund billionaire Jim Simons, oversees a foundation with a near-billion-dollar endowment trashing traditional race-neutral math in favor of race-obsessed leftist lessons inserting social justice principles into many aspects of students studies. This approach, embraced in states like California but rejected in Florida, include thrusting racial and LGBTQ themes into previously straightforward lesson plans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For instance, a lesson on how to use graphs to perform math could take a huge detour with teachers trying to drive home the point that theres income disparity between white Americans and people of color. Liz Simons, a billionaire heiress who recently donated $250,000 to a super PAC supporting socialist Zohran Mamdanis NYC mayoral campaign, is also among the top advocates bankrolling a national movement to bring woke math to public schools. Getty Images Mamdanis education platform includes halting charter school growth, expanding universal pre-K, and eliminating selective admissions standards for middle schools to help desegregate classrooms. Although the topic of woke math has yet to surface on the campaign trail, critics fear Simons support signals Mamdani will embrace it. Yiatin Chu, of Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum & Education and the Asian Wave Alliance, said she had grave concerns about the direction of public schools under Mamdani and that Simons influence is troubling. An example of woke math, which goes well beyond straightforward arithmetic. NY Post Design Woke math lowers the bar without helping black students. While test results show gains among black and Hispanic students, the gap with Asian and white students hasnt closed. We hope Mamdani doesnt undo progress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This megadonor may impact his chancellor choice or NYCs math curriculum, she said. Woke lessons teach students more about how to be political activists than actual math, insisted Jean Hahn, a public-school parent in Queens. Im already concerned as a parent that Mamdani has stated he will resume many of former far-left Mayor Bill de Blasios diversity initiatives, which were racially toxic, said Hahn. Mamdanis campaign has been aided by a super PAC called New Yorkers for Lower Costs that had raised more than $2.1 million as of Friday including the $250,000 gift from Simons. Robert Miller Simons inherited a fortune after her father a top mathematician turned hedge-fund legend died in May 2024 with a net worth over $31 billion, and shes not been shy about spending his money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Heising-Simons Foundation, co-founded by Simons and her philanthropist husband Mark Heising, has given millions to the woke math cause including $1.7 million since 2023 to the Racial Justice in Early Mathematics Project at Chicagos Erikson Institute. In Chicago, less than one in five public school students can do basic math, based on recent test scores. In March, the foundation gave RJEM $800,000 to organize seminars, toolkits, and support for teachers adding racial justice to math classes. Two years earlier, it gave $900,000 for $7,000 teacher grants to promote racial justice through early math. Jim Simons, a top mathematician who used his skills to make a killing as a hedge fund investor, left behind a net worth of more than $31 billion when he died last year. AP From 2022 through 2023, Heising-Simons also gave at least $4 million to other groups backing woke math, including $630,825 to San Francisco-based Tandem Partners in Early Learning and $665,000 to Arizonas Illustrative Mathematics, according to its latest available tax filings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also funded a mathematics education program in Alexandria, Va., encouraging K2 students at one school to count picture book characters by race and create a racial scorecard including tracking books with few white characters. This type of math was rejected in Florida. Pictured: A math problem set banned in the state. Florida Department of Education It was not immediately clear Friday how these students have fared since participating in the program. However, Virginia schools ranked last in the U.S. 51st among the 50 states and D.C. in math recovery between 2019 and 2024 with Alexandria public schools students reading more than a grade level behind where they were pre-pandemic, according to the Nations Report Card released in January. Yiatin Chu, a co-founder of Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum & Education who also heads the Asian Wave Alliance political club, said she has grave concerns about Simons funding the pro-Mamdani super PAC. Simons foundation and the Gates Foundation have jointly given $553,750 to TODOS Mathematics for All, an Arizona group promoting DEI practices and anti-racist activism in math instruction, according to a report by RealClearInvestigations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report also found no credible research proving the woke math approach improves performance. Mamdani is the presumptive frontrunner heading into the Novembers NYC mayoral election. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post Simons made the jaw-dropping $250,000 donation last month to New Yorkers for Lower Costs, a political action committee promoting Mamdanis campaign, despite the mayoral-race frontrunner infamously claiming earlier on the campaign trail that billionaires shouldnt exist. Reps for Mamdani and Simons did not immediately return messages. (The Center Square) - A bipartisan group of Congressional lawmakers wants to expand a program that allows noncitizens to fill physician vacancies in rural areas of the United States that are experiencing shortages. The Conrad 30 program provides waivers to foreign medical graduates with educational visas so they can stay in the United States and serve as medical professionals in underserved areas. Typically, foreign medical graduates must return to their home countries to practice medicine after studying in the United States. The program is administered through different agencies in each state and admits 30 graduates in each state per year. The states place the foreign medical graduates in medically underserved areas for a minimum three year contract. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bipartisan bill aims to expand the amount of graduates each state can admit per year based on how many waivers get approved in that state in the year before. U.S. Reps. David Valadao, R-Calif., Brad Schneider, D-Colo., Don Bacon, R-Ill., and Mike Garcia, D-Calif., cosponsored the bipartisan legislation. Programs like Conrad 30 have been instrumental in helping address this gap by bringing highly trained physicians to the areas that need them most, Valadao said The bill would allot 35 waivers to states that use 90% of their waivers from the previous year. The bill also would allow states to get more waivers each year as demand increases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Expanding the Conrad 30 visa waiver program is a smart, commonsense step that both parties can support to ensure all Americans have access to quality health care, from doctors they trust, where and when they need it, Schneider said. The bill could be seen as a necessary move in states where the Conrad 30 program is widely used and very popular. In fiscal year 2024, 19 states reported filling all slots in the Conrad 30 program, according to data collected by 3RNET, a nonprofit that connects health professionals with jobs in rural areas. Those states are Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. If the bill passes, these states would be eligible for an increase in granted waivers. In fiscal year 2024, the Conrad 30 program filled 1,010 positions for physicians across the country, according to 3RNET. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill also could be popular among voters. A recent poll commissioned by The Center Square found 71% of American voters said it is very important to increase legal pathways for immigrants who are doctors and nurses to live and work in the United States. The American Medical Association and Association of American Medical Colleges also praised the introduction of the bill. The AAMC sent a letter of support for the bill in March. With the physician workforce crisis showing no signs of abating, the Conrad 30 program remains an important tool to help ensure patients, particularly in rural and underserved communities, continue to have access to physicians, said Bruce Scott, president of the American Medical Association. 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: CDC from Pexels When it comes to the future of childhood immunizations, all eyes are on Robert F. Kennedy Jr, US Secretary of Health and Human Services, and his audacious attempt to discredit vaccinations with misinformation and dodgy "science." But state governments have their own weapons to destroy vaccine uptake in line with the MAHA (make America healthy again) agenda. Children in the United States are currently required to be vaccinated against a range of infectious diseases, including measles, to attend school and kindergarten. This week, Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis announced the state will scrap all vaccine mandates for children attending school, describing them as "slavery." With strong support from the Surgeon General of Florida to abolish vaccine mandates, and with the Florida State Senate and House of Representatives both controlled by Republicans, the measure is likely to proceed. Why mandate vaccines? High vaccination coverage rates protect individuals directly. They can also protect the community against diseases such as measles. "Herd immunity" shields people who can't be protected directly by vaccines. This is why high vaccination rates are everybody's business. Governments use various levers to promote vaccine acceptance. They need to be free, accessible, and promoted well to achieve high uptake. But when governments do this poorly, they may rely on mandates to prompt people to get vaccinated. US states are heavily reliant on vaccine mandates because of the country's under-resourced and privatized health system, which can make it difficult for some families to access vaccines. Removing mandates is risky Experts have mixed views on vaccine mandates. But almost all agree governments should enable voluntary vaccination in the first instance. Most would also agree that whatever you think of mandates, removing them is risky business. In most US states, tensions around mandating vaccines are managed through religious and/or personal belief exemptions. These nonmedical exemptions allow parents to opt out after following a bureaucratic process, such as completing a form with a clinician or participating in education. The design of these policies is influentialeasily accessible exemptions result in lower coverage and more outbreaks. What's been happening in the US? The Florida proposal joins a long history of state legislators seeking to make school vaccine mandates more restrictive or more permissive. Republicans led efforts to loosen mandates, but both Democrats and Republicans led efforts to make them stricter. These efforts in both directions have grown more extreme in recent years. The party distinction has solidified, and the courts got involved. In 2015, California became the first state to remove nonmedical exemptions entirely. This Democrat-led measure was a response to community concerns about vaccine refusal and disease outbreaks. In 2023, a Mississippi judge introduced a religious exemption to that state's mandate. Previously, Mississippi was one of the few states that allowed exemptions only on medical grounds. Applying more coercive policy to vaccine refusers seems to have backfired, and is in part responsible for shifting pre-existing political polarization about vaccine mandates to vaccines themselves. The proposed Florida policy is just a more extreme form of this: Republicans are no longer tinkering with vaccine mandates but removing them altogether. What happens if Florida goes ahead? Without a lever to prompt vaccination, some parents in Florida will stop vaccinating their children. They won't all be vaccine refusers. Many will be poor, disadvantaged or busy parents who need the prompt of the school enrollment routine. Some will also take the cue from federal and state governments that vaccination isn't important or valuable. Worse, they may internalize RFK Jr's messaging that it's dangerous. Childhood vaccination rates have already fallen by 2.5 percentage points in the US since the pandemic. In Florida, where parents can currently access religious and medical exemptions, the coverage rate for kindergartners fell even morefrom 93.8% before the pandemic to 88.7% in 2025leaving thousands of children unprotected. This rate will decline even further without mandates. And the damage won't be limited to Florida. Mobile Americans will spread disease to other states and other countries. Even a visit to Disney World will come with increased risks. In the longer term, other Republican-led states are likely follow suit. In each of them, we can expect to see more outbreaks, suffering and death, and likely more cases elsewhere in the US, Canada and around the world. Could this happen in Australia? Vaccination and vaccine policy is not politicized in Australia in the same way. There is strong, bipartisan support for vaccine mandates; both Labor and Coalition governments introduced "No Jab, No Play" and "No Jab, No Pay" policies for children to attend early education, and for families to receive government benefits. There is also strong support for childhood vaccination and vaccine mandates among those who vote for the major parties. The greatest risk we face is from adjacent developments in the United States. RFK Jr is distorting vaccine information and sponsoring questionable science. This attempt to make anti-vaccination messaging mainstream will affect vaccine confidence in Australia, and potentially vaccination ratesbut we don't know how much. Most Australian parents support vaccination. But we can't afford to lose any more people who vaccinate because our coverage has already fallen since the pandemic. To prepare for these threats, we need to ensure our own house is in order. The federal government's new National Immunization Strategy aims to improve access, strengthen the workforce, use data more effectively to guide us and increase community confidence. The strategy also promises to look into a no-fault compensation scheme for rare vaccine injuries. We need to see this bold agenda implemented well, with sufficient budget, and with a strong role for our new Center for Disease Control, which will start in 2026. We also need to continue to strengthen capacity and support for our regional neighbors, where low and declining coverage has led to large outbreaks. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. A trail of blood and broken acrylic nails helped solve a grisly Ventura County murder, authorities say culminating Friday in the conviction of a couple for beating and murdering the man's ex-girlfriend. A jury found Margarita Jimenez, 34, of Oxnard; and Jorge Garfias, 38, of Ventura, guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of Yanelly Vargas, according to the Ventura County district attorney's office. Prosecutors say the attack unfolded minutes before midnight on Saint Patrick's Day 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Garfias used a text message to lure Vargas, his ex-girlfriend, outside of a bar in Oxnard, prosecutors said. He and his new girlfriend, Jimenez, then took Vargas to an alleyway in a nearby industrial area and began beating her. Vargas tried to flee the area on foot, but the couple followed her in Garfias truck, according to authorities. At 11:53 p.m., the Oxnard Police Department received a call of a reported fight between a man and a woman near East Wooley Road and Industrial Avenue. As the caller was on the line, a gunshot rang out. Surveillance camera footage captured Jimenez getting out of the truck with a handgun and running after Vargas, according to authorities. She then shot Vargas in the chest and tried to shoot her a second time before jumping back in the truck and fleeing the area with Garfias, prosecutors said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Wife in deadly love triangle with racquetball coach and her hair-mogul husband gets life sentence When officers arrived, they found the 30-year-old Vargas unresponsive. The couple had disappeared, but a trail of evidence was left behind. Investigators recovered a blood-stained rope, a spent 9mm shell casing, a path of blood and acrylic nails that were later matched to Jimenez, prosecutors said. Vargas was taken to a hospital where she later died. In addition to a gunshot wound to the chest, Vargas suffered multiple blunt-force injuries and showed signs of strangulation. A woman who witnessed the attack from a nearby apartment described the gory scene during the trial, according to the Ventura County Star. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We heard wailing like screaming in terror," the woman said, saying the screams were a "type of guttural wailing you don't really forget." The couple were arrested on April 3, 2024, and held in custody without bail, prosecutors said. They both pleaded not guilty to killing and kidnapping Vargas. Prosecutors argued that the killing was motivated by Jimenez's jealously of Vargas, according to the Ventura County Star. The jury convicted the couple of murder and found true the special allegation that Jimenez intentionally discharged a firearm. The two were not convicted of kidnapping charges and are due back in court Monday for a special trial on additional special allegations and aggravating factors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thank you to the Oxnard Police Department for their swift and thorough investigation to find the perpetrators of this horrific murder, Deputy Dist. Atty. Hyla Schneir said in a statement. We appreciate the jurys attention and careful consideration of the evidence. We hope that this verdict brings a sense of closure to Yanellys family and friends. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Pods of killer whales are once again attacking boats along the coast of Spain, striking fear into the hearts of local sailors. As Live Science reports, the orcas have been singling out sailboats and tearing off their rudders, again drawing attention to the large sea mammals' changing behavior, with experts suggesting that orcas are teaching each other how to take down sailing vessels. While scientists are still trying to figure out why exactly the orcas have it out for boats at sea, some have suggested that it's simply a sign that they're having fun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They don't care if it's a sailboat or motorboat," Spanish conservation group CIRCE president Renaud de Stephanis told the CBC last year. "They look for the rudders to break them. They just push it with their head until they break it and that's it." Most recently, local newspaper Faro de Vigo reported over the weekend that orcas had ripped off a wooden sailing ship's rudder off the Galician coast in northwestern Spain. "The truth is we were very frightened; in fact, we completely freaked out when we realized the orcas were hitting the boat," the boat's owner Valentin Otero told the newspaper, as quoted by The Independent. Earlier this year, a pod of orcas rammed a British sailing boat off the northern coast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Besides becoming a terrifying new reality for sailors, the attacks highlight the highly socialized nature of killer whales. "These are highly intelligent and inquisitive animals and they seem to be attracted to the underside of the boats and parts that are sticking out," neuroscientist and cetacean expert Lori Marino told the BBC in 2023. "Orcas are cultural beings and often start a fad and that fad will spread through the group." In simple terms, tearing off rudders may just be a fun and unusual way to pass the time for orcas. "Its a very dangerous game theyre playing, obviously," Animal Welfare Institute senior scientist Naomi Rose told the Washington Post last year. "But its a game." More on orcas: Benevolent Orca Pods Are Adopting Baby Pilot Whales in an Apparent Effort to Clean Up the Species' Image The body of a former British soldier killed fighting for Ukraine has been left stranded on a battlefield for more than seven months. Alexander Garms-Rizzi, 22, was killed in eastern Ukraine on January 27 when he and three other members of his unit were attacked by a Russian drone. Despite multiple efforts to retrieve his body, members of Garms-Rizzis unit said getting to him is almost impossible. His body lies in what is known as the grey zone, a narrow stretch of land between both armies which is scattered with landmines and watched over by drones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His mother is now fighting to have his body sent back home. His former commanding officer in Ukraine told The Telegraph: A group was organised to evacuate him. The guys found the body and began to transport it on foot towards our positions, but after some time they were discovered and began to be fired upon. There were several more evacuation expeditions to get him, but the enemy, understanding and expecting this, began to monitor the body using drones. A former fusilier in the British army, Garms-Rizzi first arrived in Ukraine in March 2022 shortly after Russian forces invaded. Half-Russian through his mother, he fled his British unit who were stationed in Estonia, and joined Ukraines foreign legion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Russia invaded Ukraine, he was very aggressive about it, his mother Natalia Shirkova said. He knew all these Ukrainian people and suddenly they were getting killed by us, so he said he wanted to go there and help them. He took it personally. Garms-Rizzi, who went by the call sign Sasha, joined a small assault group called Recon Team Kilo made up of experienced foreign fighters. The group uses stealth tactics to get as close as possible to the enemy, sometimes engaging in firefights from as close as 10 metres. The group has taken part in some of the most intense battles of the war, pushing back Russian forces around Mykolaiv and Kharkiv, and contributing to Ukraines final stand around the city of Bakhmut in 2023. After taking part in the liberation of Kherson in November 2022, Garms-Rizzi returned to the UK to take a break. On the border in Dover, he handed himself to UK border authorities and was later sentenced to 12 months in a military prison in Colchester for desertion. Weeks after being released, he secretly returned to Ukraine. Garms-Rizzi (in mask) was sentenced to 12 months in a military detention centre - George Lithgow/Solent News & Photo Agency We had no idea where he was, his mother said. He said he had got a job as an interpreter in Europe. So we thought maybe he was spying or something. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was only when media reports emerged of his death that his family learned he had gone back to Ukraine, she added. Born in Abergavenny in 2002 to a British-Italian father and Russian mother, Garms-Rizzi spoke Russian fluently and regularly travelled to Moscow to visit his mother after his parents divorced in 2013. After finishing school, he briefly moved back to Russia where he worked at McDonalds. Garms-Rizzi was fighting in the Luhansk region with three members of his unit when a drone dropped a munition on their dugout. Initially, he was buried under the rubble. After he dug himself out, a number of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) were circling overhead. He ordered the men to run to safety while he distracted the drones, but he didnt make it out, a member of his unit explained. Sasha was good at everything but he mostly just enjoyed being a soldier down on the ground in the mud and the blood. He was much less comfortable down in the barracks, where he had to keep things clean, said a fellow British soldier who trained with Garms-Rizzi in the UK before later joining him in Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since February, Shirkova has been desperately trying to repatriate her sons remains. She has called the British Home Office and the British Embassy in Moscow, who gave her the number of local organisations in Ukraine. Mother seeking asylum The Telegraph approached the Home Office about Garms-Rizzis case and was told: We are supporting the family of a British man who is missing in Ukraine and are in contact with the local authorities. Trying to coordinate from Moscow has been very difficult. Ms Shirkova said: Many people in Ukraine dont want to talk to me because I am calling from Russia. Last week, Ms Shirkova left Russia with Alexs two younger siblings for Britain, where she is claiming asylum. An outspoken critic of the Kremlin and past supporter of late opposition figure Alexei Navalny, Ms Shirkova said she does not plan to return to Russia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I would like my kids to have a normal, a free life, she said. Most importantly, though, she hopes it will help retrieve her eldest son. I want to be sure its really him. I dont want to believe that he is dead. Until I see it, until I have the proof, I wont stop having these conspiracy thoughts in my head. I wont calm down until I know it is my son and he is properly buried. 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. MAIDUGURI (Reuters) -Boko Haram militants killed more than 60 people, including seven soldiers, in a nighttime assault on a village in northeastern Nigeria's Borno State to which people had returned only last month following years of displacement, residents told Reuters. Nigeria's military says it has stepped up counterinsurgency operations in recent months in Borno state to try to contain militias as well as militants from Boko Haram and its splinter group, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Analysts and residents say the operations have failed to stem attacks. Northwest Nigeria has also been plagued by violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attack on Darul Jamal, near Banki in the Bama local government area, occurred around 8:30 p.m. on Friday, when armed fighters stormed the community, shooting indiscriminately and setting homes ablaze. Babagana Mala, a resident who fled with soldiers to Bama town, about 46 km (29 miles) away, said Darul Jamal had been resettled last month after years of displacement. "We had been warning the military for three days about Boko Haram gathering near our town, but no action was taken," he said. "They overwhelmed the soldiers, who fled with us to Bama." Mala said 63 people were killed, including seven soldiers and several people who had returned from a camp for internally displaced persons in Bama. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The traditional head of Darul Jamal, who requested anonymity, said 70 bodies had been recovered by Saturday morning, with more residents still missing in the surrounding bush. "They went house to house, killing men and leaving women behind. Almost every household is affected," he said, sobbing. Governor Babagana Zulum visited the area on Saturday to assess the damage and console survivors, a security source confirmed to Reuters. Police spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso declined to comment on the attack. Reuters was unable to reach Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, spokesperson for Nigeria's military counterinsurgency campaign. The head of Darul Jamal added that more than 20 houses and 10 buses were destroyed. Among the dead were seven drivers and six labourers from Bama and the city of Maiduguri, who had been working on reconstruction efforts in the town, he said. (Reporting by Ahmed Kingimi, Writing by Ben Ezeamalu; Editing by Aidan Lewis) MEMPHIS, Tenn. A Shelby County judge has revoked the bond for a man accused of violently attacking his father last month at his Parkway Village home. Miguel Gomez was charged with aggravated assault and domestic assault following the alleged incident on Aug. 10 in the 2800 block of Randy Cove. Miguel Gomez (SCSO) The victims father said he was home with his son when he asked if he had told one of his friends that he was his dad. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Miguel Gomez Sr. said that when he told his son he did, he became angry and punched him in the mouth. Gomez Sr. said his son chased him outside, hit him again, slammed him to the ground, and dragged him along the pavement. Ten sex offenders convicted in Operation Creepy Crawlers He said Gomez Jr. choked him from behind until he could not breathe. A witness told investigators he was driving on the street, witnessed the attack, yelled at Gomez Jr., and got him to release his grip on his father. Gomez Sr. said he bit his son on the chest and was able to get up and run to his truck and drive to the Mt. Moriah Police Station for help. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to police, Gomez Sr. had cuts to his mouth, an abrasion to his arm, and swelling to his head. Gomez was later indicted on the charges, and his bond was set at $200,000. The Shelby County District Attorneys office said during a preliminary hearing Tuesday, Judge Addison granted the states motion to revoke his bond. The DAs office said Gomez Jr. will be held without bond pending resolution. 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. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) A former Corewell Health employee pleaded guilty Friday to stealing medical bone grafts and other supplies from the healthcare giants Walker warehouse. Stephen Jacobsen of Allendale entered a guilty plea to embezzlement over $50,000 but under $100,000, a step down from the original charge. According to the police report obtained by Target 8, Jacobsen, 40, was captured on video surveillance stealing the items and loading them into a pickup truck. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jacobsen was a longtime employee of the warehouse. Walker police said he admitted to stealing and selling the items over several months in Fall 2024 for his own monetary gain. Medical bone grafts are processed bone fragments used in surgeries. Under the plea deal, Jacobsen would be ordered to pay $2.4 million in restitution, according to Friday mornings hearing in front of Kent County Circuit Court Judge Paul Denenfeld. Target 8 learned at least some of the items were allegedly sold to an out-of-state medical supply company. The FBI confirmed in November 2024 that police in Michigan had forwarded information about bone grafts to the federal agency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FBI, per protocol, declined to confirm or deny if it launched an investigation into the cross-state transaction. Stephen Jacobsens sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 5. 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. (The Center Square) - A Boston federal judge this week blocked the Trump administrations $2.2 billion funding freeze against Harvard after the government's claims of antisemitism. The U.S. District of Massachusetts Judge Allison Burroughs ruled Wednesday, in an 84-page order, that Harvard has been plagued by antisemitism and should have done a better job of dealing with the issue." But Burroughs, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, added there is little connection between the research affected by the grant terminations and antisemitism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the Trump administration announced in April that it was freezing almost $2.2 billion in grants due to the university refusing to comply with the federal government's demands, Harvard sued the administration. A few months ago, the U.S. Department of Education and Health and Human Services notified the universitys accreditor that Harvard violated federal anti-discrimination laws, which could potentially put the university's accreditation at risk. By allowing antisemitic harassment and discrimination to persist unchecked on its campus, Harvard University has failed in its obligation to students, educators, and American taxpayers, said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. Judge Burroughs explained that the Trump administration failed to provide a reasoned explanation for how or why freezing and terminating funding would further the goal of ending antisemitism, and that directly conflicts with the First Amendment, which protects free speech. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All freezes and terminations of funding to Harvard made pursuant to the Freeze Orders and Termination Letters on or after April 14, 2025, are vacated and set aside, the order said. The order also claims that the funding freeze had a hidden agenda aside from antisemitism and Title VI violations on the school's campus. "In fact, a review of the administrative record makes it difficult to conclude anything other than that Defendants used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this countrys premier universities, and did so in a way that runs afoul of the APA, the First Amendment, and Title VI," Burroughs wrote. Harvard President Alan Garber said in a statement that the ruling affirms Harvards First Amendment and procedural rights, and validates our arguments in defense of the Universitys academic freedom, critical scientific research, and the core principles of American higher education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a free speech organization, also released a statement on the ruling. The worthy goal of combating unlawful anti-Semitic discrimination on campus cannot justify the flatly unlawful and unconstitutional means used by the Trump administration in this attempted hostile takeover, including demanding that Harvard impose ideological litmus tests and restrictive speech codes, FIRE said. Boston detectives have arrested two people in connection with a series of accessible parking placard thefts that occurred throughout Brighton this year. The 19 reports of theft prompted an extensive investigation and resulted in the arrests of Andrea Doucette-Keating, 55, and Zachary Shelton, 37, both of Brighton, according to a Boston Police Department statement. On Aug. 21, Doucette-Keating was arrested and later arraigned in Brighton District Court for breaking and entering a motor vehicle (nighttime), malicious damage to a motor vehicle, larceny from a motor vehicle and possession of burglarious tools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shelton was arrested and is expected to be arraigned in Brighton District Court for larceny less than $250 from a person over 60, stealing a handicap placard, breaking and entering a motor vehicle (nighttime, felony), possession of burglarious tools (window punch) and malicious destruction of a motor vehicle, police said. The three key placard thefts for detectives took place on June 30 at 82 Glenville Ave. and on Aug. 14 at both 95 Washington St. and 34 Fidelis Way. Evidence from these incidents helped investigators identify Doucette-Keating as a suspect, police said. Further investigation led them to believe that he was the primary thief and Shelton was the organizer, supplier of tools and distributor of stolen placards. A search warrant was then executed for Sheltons residence at 1662 Commonwealth Ave., on Sept. 4 at around 11:10 a.m., the statement reads. Officials found multiple stolen accessible parking placards, a window punch, cocaine and a Glock style BB gun with the safety tip removed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Detectives are in the process of executing a second search warrant on Sheltons vehicle where another stolen placard was seen hanging inside. In Massachusetts misusing a stolen or fraudulent accessible parking placard can result in serious consequences, according to the statement. Those found guilty of illegally using or displaying a stolen placard, can face substantial fines, possible suspension of driving privileges and criminal charges that could result in jail time. Fraudulently using a placard not only undermines accessibility for those in genuine need, but it also constitutes a violation of Massachusetts law, Boston police explained. Residents who suspect [an accessible parking] placard may be fake or misused are encouraged to report it." Real placards are issued by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles and display unique serial numbers and expiration dates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If a placard appears altered, expired or is being used by someone other than the rightful owner, it could be fraudulent. The latest from MassLive Read the original article on MassLive. BOSTON (WWLP) In August, Boston Mayor Wu sent a message to federal authorities: Boston will not back down from their sanctuary city policies. Now, the Trump administration is suing the city, the mayor, and the police commissioner. Sanctuary cities limit the degree to which local law enforcement can cooperate with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Supporters say it fosters trust between local government and the community, and keeps residents safe and comfortable participating in the local economy. Statehouse Spotlight: Trump Admin suing Boston, CCC leader wins lawsuit Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit on Thursday, saying the city has been among the worst sanctuary offenders in America they explicitly enforce policies designed to undermine law enforcement and protect illegal aliens from justice. They say Bostons policies, specifically the Boston Trust Act amended in 2019, violate the supremacy clause of the constitution, which establishes the chain of command between levels of government. Boston officials point to ICE deportation numbers which show that of those currently detained, over 70% have no criminal convictions at all. Mayor Wu and others say these statistics prove the Trump administrations intention is not actually to make America safer, but instead less diverse. Mayor Wu says Boston will not back down and stands behind the legality of their policies. This lawsuit could impact how other sanctuary cities enforce their policies, including Northampton and Amherst 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) Megan Boswell received an additional 33 years on top of a life sentence Friday, and her attorney Gene Scott is disappointed in the ruling. Scott believes Boswells additional time contradicts the jurys decision from February, when she was found guilty of three first-degree murder charges in the death of her daughter, Evelyn, and sentenced to life in prison. Scott said he asked Judge Jim Goodwin to grant her parole. Scott also said Boswell has a right to maintain her innocence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think today she just wanted to get up and say how she felt about the process and how, and, you know, tell people that she didnt kill Evelyn, Scott said. I certainly did everything I could to give Megan a fair trial. William Harper, Deputy District Attorney, believes Boswell is trying to maintain something that does not exist. Just to sit there and to say that still, after all this, to have absolutely no remorse about what took place is just I mean, its sad. It really is, Harper said. Prosecutors at the hearing said Boswells treatment of Evelyn Boswells body was considered during her sentencing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She chose herself over her daughter, prosecutor William Harper said. Scott said he plans to file for a retrial. 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 WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. NEED TO KNOW A 5-year-old boy was struck by a rock while climbing at Rincon Beach in Ventura, Calif., on Aug. 31 According to local reports, he was taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in critical condition before succumbing to his injuries "Max will be immensely missed by all who knew him," a family friend said of the child on a GoFundMe A 5-year-old boy was killed by a falling boulder during a family visit to a beach in California. The boy had been climbing rocks with his best friend at Rincon Beach in Ventura when he "slipped" on a boulder and fell, causing another boulder to fall on top of him," at around 6:40 p.m. local time on Aug. 31, the Ventura County Star reported, citing the Ventura County Sheriffs Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He hit his head in the fall and was sent to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in critical condition, where he later died, according to the outlet. GoFundMe Maxwell died in a tragic rockfall incident on Aug. 31 Maxwell died in a tragic rockfall incident on Aug. 31 A GoFundMe page identified the boy as Maxwell. The tragic incident unfold[ed] in front of his parents and friends' eyes, family friend Bryan Holloway wrote on the page. Maxwells parents were avid campers and often explored with their son new places around Southern California, Holloway said. Some of their fondest family memories were made camping and exploring the Californian beaches, deserts, and mountains, he wrote on the GoFundMe page. They spent most of their time camping and exploring new places around Southern California, including their favorite, Ricardo campground." GoFundMe Maxwell suffered fatal injuries in the incident Maxwell suffered fatal injuries in the incident Maxwell was described as having an energetic spirit who lived and experienced more in his short 5 years of life then most children get in their lifetime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He got to live a life of adventure and exploring while building some of the fondest memories with his mom, dad, friends, and family, wrote Holloway on GoFundMe. Max will be immensely missed by all who knew him. He brought so much joy to not only his parents' lives, but some of his closest friends and familys lives. 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. The fundraiser has so far raised $55,000 in donations towards the funeral for Maxwell and grievance therapy costs, with a goal of $60,000. PEOPLE has reached out to the Ventura County Sheriffs Office for comment. Read the original article on People SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) The South Dakota DCI has ruled that an officer-involved shooting last month in western South Dakota was justified. The incident involved multiple uses of spike strips and a hostage situation before authorities fatally shot Shace Looking Horse. $19 million hospital for Bennett County Investigators say it all began with a report of an intoxicated man firing a gun in the Green Grass Community on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When officers attempted to stop Looking Horse, he took off, reaching speeds of over 100 mph. The report says he swerved at officers. The pursuit extended into Stanley and Haakon Counties. On Highway 14, authorities deployed a spike strip that flattened two of Looking Horses tires. That forced him to pull over near Midland. Authorities say thats where he exchanged gunfire with officers, took a woman hostage, stole a vehicle and forced the woman to drive. Inside the vehicle, investigators say Looking Horse held a gun to the womans head, pulled her hair and told her she was quote probably going to die. There was a strong effort by tribal, state and local law enforcement to protect her. They did that, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report says another spike strip forced Looking Horse to stop, and thats when he fired at least one round through the windshield of a South Dakota Highway Patrol vehicle before stopping at a rural property east of Philip. Authorities say Looking Horse got out of the vehicle and held the woman at gunpoint. The report says a trooper shot and killed him. They were really left with no other choice. It was an appropriate and unfortunate use of force, Jackley said. The hostage was unharmed, and no one from law enforcement was hurt. An autopsy performed on Looking Horse revealed the presence of methamphetamine and a host of other drugs and alcohol. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time of the incident, Looking Horse had an active federal arrest warrant for a probation violation involving a weapons offense. 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 KELOLAND.com. The Norwegian election is not usually closely watched in Britain. But as millions of Scandinavians head to the polls on Monday, much is at stake for the UK. Britain is hugely reliant on Norway for energy: the country provides us with nearly half our gas, a quarter of our oil and about 4pc of our electricity. Those exports are becoming increasingly controversial in Norway in the final days of campaigning. Oil and gas have long been contentious the Greens are one of several smaller parties wanting to cut exports for climate reasons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But it is Norways electricity exports that are causing the most political trouble. That electricity, almost all from hydropower, once belonged largely to Norway, giving its consumers and businesses some of Europes cheapest electricity. Yet prices have soared over the last couple of decades as energy companies have built a succession of new interconnectors to European neighbours including Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and Denmark. These undersea cables are meant to trade power back and forth between nations, but it has been largely one-way traffic in recent years, with Norway effectively becoming a giant power bank for the rest of Europe. Norways Progress Party seen as a more moderate version of Reform UK has had enough. Foreign cables link us closely to countries that pursue irresponsible energy policies, it says in its manifesto. The EU is deindustrialising itself with its symbolic and costly climate policy. Norway should not be Europes green battery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anger over high power prices led to the collapse of the governing coalition this year when the Centre Party split from the Norwegian parliaments much larger Labour Party in a row over interconnectors and EU energy policy. 0609 Norway can supply 1.4GW to the UK Progress has since surged past the Norwegian Conservatives, the main opposition, in the polls to become the most popular party after Labour. Its views on electricity trading are shared by the Marxist Red Party, which won eight seats out of the 169 in Norways last parliament and is predicted to win a similar number next week. Calling for a ban on all new interconnectors, it said: Norwegian people and businesses have financed the development of the Norwegian power system through their electricity bills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The recent years of sky-high electricity prices have shown us that this social contract has been broken, as a consequence of political decisions, not least with the subordination of the EUs energy union, new foreign cables and price contagion through electricity exchanges. Norways ruling Labour Party, the largest, is worried too. Terje Aasland, the energy minister, has said he will ban construction of any new interconnectors until the UK, Germany and others have built enough capacity of their own to send power back to Norway. Mr Aasland recently told The Telegraph: We have to have symmetry in the balance between export and import. We want to be able to import from you when its windy or sunny, and then we will export to you when the wind is not blowing. Most of the time now, we are just exporting, and it is not working. Two ageing cables connecting Norway to Denmark are unlikely to be replaced when they shut down, likely next year. Two newer ones will remain, but it will still tighten supplies across Europe with the inevitable impact of higher prices and potential controls on exports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Such a trend could be disastrous for the UK, which has become increasingly reliant on its nine interconnectors, three with France and one each with Holland, Belgium, Norway and Denmark. Last year, the UK spent 3bn on power imports and that total will grow. Ofgem has confirmed plans for up to 18 of the cables by 2032, meaning Britains reliance on European power imports is likely to rise rapidly. The UK already gets about 14pc of its electricity from Europe, but this level is far higher in the South East and London. When wind and solar cannot cope, a common occurrence, imports to the region often account for 60pc to 70pc of electricity, mostly provided by nuclear power stations on Frances north coast. Norways interconnector makes landfall in the UK at Blyth, Northumberland, where it is equally vital to that region on cold, dark and windless winter days. Prof Knut Rosendahl, an economist at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences in Akershus, says Norways new government is likely to be a coalition with overall moderate policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regarding electricity exchange via the North Sea Link, this will most likely continue in the foreseeable future, although some of the smaller parties want to restrict electricity exports. But theres a further possible twist. Norway has a small but vociferous Green Party, currently with just three MPs but seeking more. Its poll ratings have seen a last-minute surge that could give the Greens the balance of power. Their plan? To join a coalition with Labour on the condition that they agree to shut down oil and gas, cut exports and divert electricity back to Norwegian consumers. Arne Holm, the editor of Norways High North News, says: In the last few days, the Green Party has had a significant boost in polls. They could have a decisive influence on a government platform. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, he believes that the demands of the Greens will likely be tempered in any coalition. He adds: I dont think the UK has anything immediate to worry about [concerning oil and gas]. As long as Russia continues its war against Ukraine, the Norwegian energy policy will remain fairly fixed. Even if the election turns out to be little more than a scare, the issue of Britains reliance on foreign power is unlikely to disappear. In a Europe moving rapidly away from polluting but reliable fossil fuels towards a system based on renewables, interconnectors are only likely to rise up the political agenda in countries across Europe. And unless Britain can demonstrate it can provide electricity as well as take it, the UK may find itself increasingly in the crosshairs. 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. Critics ripped Brooklyn College for using its public campus to host what amounts to a partisan event to boost socialist Zohran Mamdanis bid to become NYC mayor. The Fight Oligarchy Town Hall hosted by Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) set for Saturday night at Brooklyn Colleges Leonard & Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts crosses the line because its promotions tout the appearance of special guest Zohran Mamdani, according to Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, who served as a CUNY trustee for 15 years during the Giuliani and Bloomberg administrations. This is a political event, Wiesenfeld told The Post. Jeffrey Wiesenfeld blasted Brooklyn College for using its campus to host what he believes is nothing more than a partisan event to boost Mamdanis campaign. twitter / Jeffrey S Wiesenfeld Oligarchy my ass. Sanders is coming to New York to help Mamdani. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is no counterpoint, said Wiesenfeld, adding other mayoral candidates including incumbent Eric Adams, ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa arent scheduled to speak. Jerry Cammarata, a longtime Staten Island Republican operative and educator who once sat on the citys former Board of Education, is also raising a stink. It being done at a public college! he raged. Hold a candidate debate not defeat the integrity of public education! There should be an outcry from the Board of Trustees, condemning the event and demanding cancellation. If not, they gave approval and are complicit in disrespecting the sacred ground of a public college and the extraordinary community around them. Zohran Mamdani appears at a Town Hall on Making New York City Affordable at Brooklyn Colleges Leonard & Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts. Aristide Economopoulos Sen. Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani wave to a crowd of supporters during a Town Hall at Brooklyn College. REUTERS Attendees applauding at a Town Hall on Making New York City Affordable at Brooklyn College. Aristide Economopoulos The town hall was hosted by Sen. Bernie Sanders, who later introduced the Democratic nominee for NYC mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Aristide Economopoulos Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa said Sanders is returning to his roots at Brooklyn College where the lefty attended during the 1959-1960 academic year before transferring to the University of Chicago to push Mamdani. He is attempting to bring it full circle in passing off his socialist torch that he carried to his protege Zohran on the campus that fed his socialist beliefs. He now has developed AOC [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] his heir apparent, and Zohran his protege. CUNY deferred comment to Brooklyn College, which is part of the taxpayer-funded city university system. The college in a statement said the Leonard and Claire Tow Center is a part of the Brooklyn College campus. Any candidate is welcome to rent this facility. Reps for Mamdani and Sanders did not return messages. Mamdani earlier Saturday walked alongside fellow comrade Sanders at the Labor Day Parade along Manhattans Fifth Avenue. Frontier Airlines will launch 22 new flights to destinations across te United States, Caribbean and Latin America in 2026. For those looking to fly on a budget, the new routes on the low-cost airlines will allow travelers to reach more cities without breaking the bank. Want the latest cruise news and deals? Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Frontier will launch 22 new routes in 2026.Image source: Shutterstock Frontier looks to expand with flights to new cities Launching throughout November and December 2026 for the year ahead, the new flights include flights to Milwaukee and Memphis from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. New iternational destinations from the city include Turks and Caicos and St. Maarten. Related: Everything to know about Frontier Airlines' unlimited flight pass The airline will also revive a retired flight to Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau and launch new flights to Guatemala and El Salvador from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are on a mission to increase service domestically and internationally, and in the process redefine air travel by demonstrating that it can be comfortable, convenient and affordable, Josh Flyr, vice president of network and operations design at Frontier Airlines, said in a statement. Related: Spirit Airlines to make flight cuts in 12 U.S. cities To promote the new flights, Frontier will sell one-way tickets starting at $19 and going up to $79 for international flights. The tickets need to be purchased by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time for travel between Nov. 20, 2025 and Mar. 5, 2026 (with blackout dates for certain popular weekends and holiday periods). In addition to increased flight service, the airline states that it will also make investments in loyalty programs and upgrades such a premium seats with extra leg and elbow room. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. This story was originally reported by TravelHost on Sep 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add TravelHost as a Preferred Source by clicking here. NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) Express bus service to Washington D.C. could temporarily replace a daily Amtrak train taking passengers in and out of Hampton Roads. In a meeting of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority last week, it was revealed that one of Norfolks three roundtrip daily passenger trains could go-away beginning in early January to make way for the construction of $2.3 billion Long Bridge project. Long Bridge is the current two-track bridge that carries all Amtrak trains, as well as Virginia Railway Express and CSX freight trains across the Potomac River between Washington D.C. and Virginia. It currently operates at 98% capacity during peak hours, according to the rail authority, with roughly 80 trains crossing per day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A new bridge parallel to the current one will double the number of tracks crossing the river, with the goal of improving reliability and on-time performance of trains. But due to Washington noise and vibration regulations, construction will occur from 8:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Saturday through 2030. The first regularly scheduled train to leave Norfolk in the morning and the first train to arrive in Norfolk in the afternoon use the bridge during that window of time. We all know that theres going to be some pain before we get the nirvana and all these projects being done, said DJ Stadtler, executive director of the rail authority, said during the most recent board meeting. We need to make sure, all of us together, that that pain is as as minimal as possible and that we dont lose any of the positive momentum that weve had over the last few years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority is a quasi-government agency established in 2020 to help promote, sustain and expand the availability of passenger and commuter rail service in the Commonwealth. While Amtrak provides service, all trips south of Washington D.C. are subsidized by the state. The number of people deciding to travel by train continues to grow. Norfolk is one of the top five busiest stations in the Southeast, with more than a quarter-of-a-million passengers passing through in the 2024 fiscal year. In the same time period, more than 172,000 people took trains in and out of Newport News and Williamsburg. Its one of the reasons Jeremy Latimer, the state rail authoritys director of rail services, is proposing two express round trip bus services during construction one out of Norfolk and one out of Newport News, to compliment the two round-trip trains thatll continue serving both stations. However, it wont assist those traveling to stations between Hampton Roads and Washington D.C. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A bus is not going to be an efficient option if it gets off the highway and goes to other stations along the way, Latimer said. We are looking at express routes for these buses. The decision to remove a Norfolk train isnt yet final. Stadtler said a clearer picture would be known at the Oct. 7 board meeting. Still, former Rep. Thelma Drake, who sits on the board and was instrumental in getting Amtrak service to return to Norfolk in 2012, isnt so keen on the plan. That was a big deal in Norfolk to get train service after not having train service since 72, Drake said. [This change] is going to be a big deal. Is there any way to shift that Norfolk train so that it leaves [earlier] or give people the option, let them weigh in how theyd like to see it. Would they like to leave earlier in the morning and still have their train service? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stadtler responded, saying an Amtrak train already will be scheduled to leave at 4:30 a.m. from Newport News to avoid the bridge closure. When we looked at it, it didnt make sense to have a 4 a.m. train and a 4:30 a.m. from the same area, Stadtler said. It made more sense, during a time of the day when people wanted to ride, to put a bus in there that would be able to take advantage of the HOT lanes going north so it would still be time competitive. In a letter to Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization Thursday, Executive Director Bob Crum also expressed his concerns. While the negotiated work window is necessary for timely construction, significant concerns exist about how these changes, i.e., replacing rail service with buses during the construction period, will affect passenger rail service in Hampton Roads, Crum said. This is especially important given the increases in rail ridership at stations in Hampton Roads. The HRTPO board has consistently supported faster and more reliable passenger rail service and advocates for projects that reduce travel times from Norfolk and Newport News stations to the Richmond/I-95 corridor and Washington, D.C. We are concerned that the temporary switch to bus service during construction could impact long-term ridership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You can let VPRA know your thoughts by emailing contactus@vpra.virginia.gov. Extreme heat can delay Amtrak, Virginia rail authority works to adjust schedules 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. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) The growth of downtown Sioux Falls is continuing as more businesses move into the Cherapa Place development. Cafe Breadico opened this week inside the Bancorp building of the Cherapa development and already owner David Napolitano has seen a positive response. Sioux Falls airport expansion to add new gates Its been a lot of fun. I think people are very happy and were getting pretty good feedback. They really enjoy the space which was very valuable to us, Napolitano said. It was very important for me to build a beautiful space. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And in the space, you can find Breadicos signature sourdough breads as well as sandwiches, pastries, coffee, tea and more. We have yogurt in the morning, we have beer in the afternoons, Napolitano said. You know, theres a good environment for you to come here for a meeting or by yourself or with your family and friends and stay as long as you want. The excitement at Cherapa Place doesnt end with Breadico, though, as more businesses are getting ready to open up including the long awaited Pomegranate Market. By the middle of October we expect to be construction complete, Jonah Synder, president and co-owner of Pomegranate Market, said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Snyder says that means customers will hopefully be shopping here in early November. I think theres a lot of new things to be excited about in this new Pomegranate, Snyder said. Our existing Pomegranate on Louise Avenue and 57th is about 13 thousand square feet and this space is a little over 20 thousand. So, with that extra space were able to do some new, interesting things. Theres also something new coming into the original Cherapa Place building where Ode to Food and Drinks used to live. The owner of Invictus Pizza is constructing a new restaurant called Rivage Oak Kitchen. Opening in the next couple weeks, hopefully. This is going to be very South Dakota-themed so were pulling in some pheasants, some bison, walleye, all sorts of stuff like that, owner Devon Giesen said. Im just looking forward to being able to provide downtown Sioux Falls with some food options that theyve never really had before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 KELOLAND.com. A 78-year-old man found himself lost in Californias Sierra Nevada mountains, suffering from hypothermia and exhaustion, when he was found and rescued by a group of Boy Scouts. Boy Scout Troop 26 which is mostly made up of scouts around 12 years old was venturing into the Emigrant Wilderness with their Scoutmaster Michel James Hey and a group of four adult leaders when the incident occurred. The scouts set off on August 2 for their trip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Around the same time, Douglas Montgomery had also set off for the wilderness. Montgomery is an Eagle Scout himself, and was camping when he set down his backpack containing his food and supplies. He took a walk to explore the nearby area, but when he returned he could not find his gear, according to SFGATE. I checked and checked and checked and looked and looked, he told the Santa Barbara Independent. It was very, very disconcerting not to be able to find it. But I had to make a decision at the last minute just to stop looking and get where I could save my own life, and thats what I did. Boy Scouts from Troop 26 in California rescued a 78-year-old hiker who had gotten lost during a trip to the Sierra Nevada mountains (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) He was lost and without supplies. To weather the night, he covered himself in leaves and other foliage, and tried to get some sleep. That proved difficult. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I complained about the cold out loud many times, yelling out of the darkness," he said. Since he had no water, he was forced to drink what he could find from puddles to keep somewhat hydrated. On August 6, Troop 26 spotted Montgomery in a meadow. Hey told SFGATE that he saw Montgomery and said the man appeared to be struggling. We started realizing very quickly that he wasnt all right, Hey told the outlet. He was looking really bedraggled. Hes got cuts all over his hands. Hes very unsteady on his feet, and hes being polite, but hes pretty out of it. The troop gave Montgomery electrolytes and food and helped him get warm. Once they learned that he had been out in the wilderness for days without supplies and medications he'd been prescribed, the leaders of Troop 26 decided to call for help. A lost hiker was rescued from the Sierra Nevada mountains when a Boy Scout troop found him during one of their outings (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistribu) The Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office notified the California Highway Patrol about the situation after Troop 26 called authorities for assistance. The sheriff's office ultimately decided to send a helicopter to the area to take Montgomery for treatment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While they waited for the helicopter, Troop 26 made a list of all the information first responders would need from Montgomery, including his emergency contacts and his medical history. The incident served as a sobering lesson that anyone even an Eagle Scout and experienced outdoorsman like Montgomery can get lost in the wilderness. They saw how useful that stuff really was when you get into trouble, all the preparation and having some navigation tools with you and knowing which way is north, and how its important to have a plan, Hey told SFGATE. Montgomery was flown to a pack station at Kennedy Meadow and declined further medical treatment. His niece picked him up and drove him out of the mountains. While the situation was harrowing, Montgomery said he enjoyed the helicopter ride. He said the next day, after having adequate rest, he drove home himself. Days after California announced that it will form a "West Coast health alliance" with Oregon and Washington, officials on Friday said the Golden State will also join a collaborative agreement with 12 other states, provinces and territories geared toward the prevention and suppression of wildfires. The Northwest Wildland Fire Fighting Compact enables its U.S. and Canadian members to share firefighting resources and technology when blazes exceed the capacity of a single jurisdiction. The partnership comes as California grapples with larger, faster and more frequent fires fueled by climate change and as the Trump administration cuts the staff and budget of the U.S. Forest Service, the largest federal firefighting entity in the nation. "While the Trump administration retreats from firefighting, California is proud to join forces with our northwestern neighbors to fight catastrophic wildfire," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. "We're all on the front lines of this worsening wildfire threat and by joining our collective resources together, we will be even more effective in protecting our communities." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement First formed in 1998, the Northwest Compact's existing members include Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana and Hawaii in the U.S., in addition to the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, as well as the Yukon and Northwest territories. Nevada also joined the group this week, bringing the total number of members to 13. Read more: California pushes back on Trump's CDC with West Coast Health Alliance The move comes as the Newsom administration escalates its efforts to insulate the state from a hostile federal government. Newsom and President Trump in recent months have sparred over issues as wide ranging as immigration raids and California's ability to set its own vehicle emission standards . On Wednesday, Newsom announced that California, Oregon and Washington were forming a regional health alliance "to uphold scientific integrity in public health" amid mass firings of doctors and scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But wildfires remain a particular pain point for California. In January, crews struggled to contain devastating firestorms that decimated portions of Altadena and Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles. Firefighters are working on more than 25 active blazes in the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Friday's announcement, state officials noted that hotter temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns and more frequent extreme wind events have intensified fire risk in recent years , and said joining the Northwest Compact will give California access to additional firefighting resources and expertise during major incidents. The compact also will enable California's firefighters to gain experience from fire suppression efforts in other members' regions, which "strengthens readiness at home," officials said. "Wildfire is no longer a problem that stops at our borders and state lines," Joe Tyler, chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said in a statement. "By joining the [Northwest] Compact, we're building stronger connections, sharing knowledge, and ensuring that when fires threaten, we can respond faster and more effectively." Read more: Wildfire burns into historic California Gold Rush town of Chinese Camp The Trump administration recently has weakened federal firefighting and disaster-response resources. The White House this year laid off or bought out nearly 5,000 Forest Service employees as part of its broader efforts to restructure the federal government to reduce waste and save taxpayers' money. At least 1,400 were later asked to come back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration has made similar moves at the National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency including layoffs, budget cuts and office closures that experts say will hinder fire-forecasting and disaster-response capabilities, among other challenges. California is halfway through its fire season, which traditionally runs from June to November but has been getting longer in recent years. The September outlook from the National Interagency Fire Center calls for above-normal wildland fire potential across much of California and surrounding states through at least the end of the month. Earlier this week, nearly two dozen fires erupted after a lightning storm in Calaveras, Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties. One destroyed multiple buildings in Chinese Camp, a historic gold mining town. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. (FOX40.COM) Medical experts in California are voicing support for the new West Coast Health Alliance on Friday. Hawaii has become the latest state to join California, Oregon, and Washington in the four-state coalition focused on strengthening public health. Kaiser healthcare workers to strike for improved patient care and respect State leaders said the alliance will share immunization recommendations based on scientific research and establish a united approach to safeguarding residents health. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a joint statement, the governors of California, Oregon, and Washington said: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, an ideology that will lead to severe health consequences. California, Oregon and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk, the statement read. The move marks the latest Democrat-led challenge to recent federal policy shifts, including the CDC scaling back vaccine recommendations and Floridas plan to phase out childhood vaccine mandates. Dr. Adam Dougherty, an emergency physician and representative of the California Medical Association, called the alliance a welcome response. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have four state bodies of public health and of science that can be relied upon as a trusted, continuous voice that is not at the whims of an election cycle, Dougherty said. The alliance also formed amid a rise in COVID-19 cases and other vaccine-preventable diseases across the U.S., including measles. Oregon Sen. Ron Wydens representatives confirmed to FOX40 that he fully supports the initiative, noting he challenged Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s vaccine policies during a recent hearing. Robert Kennedys primary interest is to take vaccines away from Americans, Wyden said. Robert Kennedy fired every single member of the group responsible for making vaccine recommendations to doctors across the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said that trust in public health officials has already eroded because of the Democrat-led response to the pandemic. 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. Gov. Greg Abbott signed three bills into law Friday that aim to improve safety measures for Texas summer camps after this summers deadly tragedy in the Hill Country. Over the Fourth of July weekend, devastating flash floods in Texas, including along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, killed more than 130 people. At Camp Mystic, a beloved girls summer camp on the Guadalupe River, 27 campers and counselors were among the victims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Failures in preparedness and communication are at the heart of the criticism surrounding the floods. The National Weather Service has been criticized for underforecasting rainfall; local officials, for inadequate warning systems; and state leaders, for failing to prioritize stronger infrastructure and public education on flash-flood risks. According to a news release from Abbotts office, the governor said he believes the bills will help reassure parents and prevent future disasters. As camper parents, Cecilia and I know the powerful role that camps can play in the lives of our children," Abbott said. "We know the anxious anticipation to see your child again after dropping her off at camp. Every child who goes to camp should come home to their families, and no parent should ever have to outlive their child or endure this kind of loss. Today we are doing more than just changing campgrounds in Texas, we are changing the future for our children." Here is what to know about the bills Abbott signed. What are the 3 camp safety bills Abbott signed? Here are the three bills the Legislature approved and Abbott signed into law Friday: BEIJING (Reuters) -China's military on Saturday said its forces had followed and warned a Canadian and an Australian warship, which were sailing through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, in a move it criticised as a provocation. The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command said the Canadian frigate Ville de Quebec and the Australian guided-missile destroyer Brisbane were engaged in "trouble-making and provocation". "The actions of the Canadians and Australians send the wrong signals and increase security risks," it said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An Australia Defence Department spokesperson said on Sunday that the Royal Australian Navy Hobart Class destroyer HMAS Brisbane conducted a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait from September 6 to 7 "in accordance with international law." "The transit was conducted along with Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec," the spokesperson said in a statement. "Australian vessels and aircraft will continue to exercise freedom of navigation and uphold International Law, particularly United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," the spokesperson added. A spokesperson for the Canadian armed forces said they do not comment on sail plans for currently deployed ships. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The spokesperson added the Ville de Quebec is deployed as part of Operation Horizon, meant to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Ville de Quebec was operating in the Philippine economic zone earlier this week, participating in freedom of navigation exercises, according to a Canadian government statement. Taiwan's defence ministry said in a statement that it keeps a close watch on activity in the strait and "dispatches appropriate air and naval forces to ensure the security and stability" of the waterway, which separates Communist China from the democratic island of Taiwan. The U.S. Navy and, on occasion, ships from allied countries including Canada, Britain and France transit the strait, which they consider an international waterway, around once a month. Taiwan also considers it an international waterway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, says the strategic waterway is part of its territorial waters. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's territorial claims. China has over the past five years increased its military pressure on the island, including staging war games nearby. (Reporting by Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by James Pomfret in Hong Kong, Ben Blanchard in Taipei, Anna Mehler Paperny in Toronto and Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by Tom Hogue, Sharon Singleton, Edmund Klamann and Christian Schmollinger) Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney is convinced that the international community and Ukraine's defence forces should put maximum pressure on Russia to force it to peace. Source: European Pravda; CBC, a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television Details: On Friday 5 September, Carney said that Canada and other allies should continue to put "maximum pressure" on Moscow. The Canadian PM noted that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin "has not yet come to terms with the need for peace". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Mr Putin is the cause of this war, he's the reason for the killing," he said. "He is not going to dictate the terms of the peace," Carney said. Carney said that the allies' pressure on Russia would include imposing new sanctions, arming Ukrainian troops, and supporting Ukraine "when there is a cessation of hostility". The Canadian PM added that Ukraine's allies are preparing the next round of sanctions. Background: Previously, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about ways India can contribute to ending the war in Ukraine and advancing the peace process. In the coming weeks, the European Commission president also plans to visit the EU countries that intend to cooperate with Ukraine in the defence industry via SAFE so that military assistance for Kyiv can be coordinated. In addition, it was written that von der Leyen had a telephone conversation with US Vice President JD Vance on joint efforts to put sanctions pressure on Russia. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! FAIRMONT Five years ago, West Virginia University Hospitals CEO Albert Wright and Gov. Jim Justice made a promise to the Fairmont and Marion County community. They would bring back oncology services after Alecto Healthcare Services closed Fairmont Regional Medical Center. The company stripped services from the hospital before closing its doors in 2020. On Friday, WVU Medicine Fairmont Medical Center opened its new WVU Cancer Center Institute services, fulfilling that promise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A big part of our goal as the health care system is to provide access around the state and access close to home, Wright said. This facility, Fairmont Medical Center, went through rough times over the last decade. We reopened it five years ago and its now thriving and doing well. The new center, which rests on the third floor of the hospital, took roughly $1 million and six months to build across 5,400 square-feet. The hospital built it in conjunction with the rest of the third floor renovations, which also added an inpatient and step down unit. Aaron Yanuzo, Chief Operating Officer of Fairmont Medical Center, said the cancer center expects to see roughly 1,500 individuals in the first year of operation. By year three, they hope to grow to 2,500 individuals and 5,000 appointments. While the hospital previously offered radation oncology services for several years, the cancer center widely expands those services. The Cancer Center will offer medical oncology services, as well as chemotherapy infusion services by the middle of October. The only thing the center wont do is surgical oncology services, Yanuzo said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for imaging, the hospital has the devices it needs for diagnostics such as MRI and CT and ultrasound. Cases that require specialized software running on an MRI or CR machine can be done at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, but those should be few, Yanuzo said. The center will also have a medical oncologist as well as an advanced practice provider. All the nurses providing treatment are certified oncology nurses with prior experience at Ruby or United Hospital Center in Bridgeport. Adding a cancer institute between Morgantown and UHC will also benefit patients who live in this location as well. Since its the same physicians that see patients in Morgantown versus here, so they spend time here that, if you need an appointment with that physician and you cant get to that appointment for six or three months at Morgantown, but you can get your appointment here in a week or a month, Yanuzo said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hannah Hazard-Jenkins, director and executive chair of the WVU Cancer Institute, said the state has some of the highest rates of cancer incidence in the country, ranging between 50th, 48th and 49th for both incidence and mortality. Rates for lung cancer are extremely high. The state has the highest smoking rate compared to the rest of the nation. Hazard-Jenkins said 65% of people in the state live in towns with a population of less than 2,500 people. Those towns are dispersed widely, there are no real population centers, and on top of that, the terrain is considered rugged rural, meaning the roads have a lot of topographical challenges. This creates physical barriers for patients to overcome when accessing care. Having a hospital with a cancer center closer to home mitigates some of those obstacles and makes it easier to get care for a disease that already comes with psychological hardships. Sometimes those psychological barriers can really create barriers for you to get care, Hazard-Jenkins said. By having places across West Virginia that are close, my hope is that when somebody knows somethings wrong, knowing theres a place near you that has people that you know from your community, that will be more comfortable than some place far away with a lot of new faces will alleviate some of that fear, some of that hesitation about getting care. The war in Ukraine is dominating our news cycle. But behind the headline grabbing news of diplomatic manoeuvres and Oval Office dress codes, a quiet, cruel story has been neglected. In Ukraine today, 19,546 children have been confirmed as having been taken from their homes against their will by Russia. The real figure is likely to be tens-of-thousands more. Some were removed from orphanages, others from their homes, schools, or shelters. Many have been sent to military camps or handed over to families who arent their own in Russia. They have been told their parents dont want them anymore, told their language is forbidden, and manipulated into forgetting their Ukrainian heritage. This is not for their protection. It is not to ensure their safety. It is the deliberate rewriting of their identities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is no doubt this strategic erasure of Ukrainian childrens identities is a war crime and the results are devastating. Desperate parents are searching in vain for their sons and daughters, while children are forced to grow up believing they were abandoned. Whats more, with over a million children living in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, the threat to Ukraines next generation is immense. The new report, Return Every Child, from War Child UK, Save Ukraine, and the Human Security Centre, discusses some of the experiences of the very few children who have returned home, children who have either been rescued or managed to escape. Every day felt like we were being shaped into something we werent. They didnt treat us like kids. They wanted us to behave like their soldiers. That is what one 16-year-old girl from Kherson Region told the psychologists and child welfare staff at War Childs partner, Save Ukraine, once she was able to flee Russian control. This is not an isolated incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than four in 10 (41 per cent) returned Ukrainian children experienced systematic military propaganda since being under Russia occupation. Almost a third (30 per cent) said they were sent to camps where they were forced to undertake military training, where some were made to fire live rounds, assemble and disassemble assault rifles, dig trenches and throw grenades. Some of these children were 13 years old. These military exercises and camps occur in conjunction with Russian indoctrination techniques. More than half (55 per cent) experienced mandatory lessons promoting correct versions of history and bans on speaking their native Ukrainian tongue. One in 10 children described being tortured. If and when these children are ever able to return home, they will carry with them trauma that will require specialist support. There is hope here. In my role with War Child over the last 10 years now, Ive seen that recovery is possible. With the right resources, we can provide the dedicated protection and trauma recovery support that each one of these children will need. But this help cant be provided if Russia is allowed to keep these children as potential military recruits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leaders need to be amplifying the voices of Ukrainian children and their families. War Child will continue to advocate for Ukraines stolen children. They cannot become the forgotten victims of this war and they must be returned. Immediately. Carey Mulligan is a global ambassador for War Child UK 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. CANTON, Ill. (WMBD) A man has been arrested for murder after Canton police recently located a body. Rocky Garwood, 38, of Canton, was arrested on charges of first-degree murder and home invasion, said Canton Police Department spokesman Edward Glad. This comes after the police department found the body of a dead man inside a home at 699 Baxter Court on Wednesday, Sept. 3. The man was later identified as 70-year-old David W. Kuntz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Coroner releases name of Canton man after suspicious death Wednesday Glad said after an investigation and an autopsy, Fulton County Coroner Austin Rhodes said this was an act of homicide. The way Kuntz died is being withheld at this time. The investigation led to the arrest of Garwood. He is currently in the Fulton County Jail, awaiting a preliminary hearing. The death is still being investigated by the Canton Police Department, along with the Fulton County Sheriffs Office, the Fulton County Coroners Office and the Illinois State Police. Canton Mayor Kent McDowell released the following statement on Kuntzs death: On behalf of the city of Canton, its personnel and myself, I extend our deepest sympathies to Mr. Kuntzs family. Its unimaginable and unthinkable to know what you must be feeling and going through during this tragic time, said the Canton mayor. I would also like to reassure Cantons residents that this incident, though horrible, was an isolated occurrence. Our city is still a very safe community, largely due to the diligence and hard work of our police department, which has worked tirelessly since Wednesday morning to facilitate an arrest in connection with Mr. Kuntzs murder. I would also like to thank the Fulton County Sheriffs Office, the Illinois State Police and the Fulton County Coroners Office for their assistance in this investigation. Glad said the public is urged to review possible video footage from the night of Sept. 2 into the early morning of Sept. 3, regarding a man on a bicycle during that time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone with information is urged to contact the police department at (309) 647-5131 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at (309) 647-3636. 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. CARTHAGE, Mo. A Friday afternoon surprise for a Carthage Junior High School Assistant Principal. Logan Wilson thought he was attending a pep rally this afternoon in the gym. Instead, his family was on hand as he was actually being recognized by the Southwest Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals. He was nominated among his peers and was chosen as the Middle Level Assistant Principal of the Year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Principals across the region nominate and vote on a principal making an impact in both their school and the community. One: I had no idea. And two: it just it feels good to be recognized. I know principals everywhere. Its a very thankless job. Teacher education in general, its tough. So to be voted on and basically told I did a good job, it feels good, said Logan Wilson, Carthage Junior High School Asst. Principal/MoASSP Middle School Principal of the Year. Its always exciting to share the great things that administrators are doing within their schools. Were seeing the excitement from all the students and teachers that they work with, said Jeff Brown, Webb City Middle School Principal/MoASSP. Wilson says his favorite part about his job is the relationships that he forms with teachers to help all of their students succeed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes been with the Carthage School District for the past 9 years. 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 KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. Sep. 6The following stories from this week appeared on www.jamestownsun.com and in The Jamestown Sun. The Jamestown Regional Airport saw an increase in passenger boardings for July and August when compared to the same period in 2024 after the linked-route arrangement ended with Devils Lake Regional Airport. The linked-route arrangement with Devils Lake Regional Airport stopped at the end of June into the first week of July, said Katie Hemmer, director of the Jamestown airport. Both airports now offer direct flights to and from Denver on United Airlines operated by SkyWest Airlines without a stop to Devils Lake or Jamestown before departing to Denver. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jamestown Regional Airport had 1,267 passenger boardings in July, an increase of 184 during the same period in 2024 with 1,083. The airport had 1,025 passenger boardings in August, an increase of 97 during the same period in 2024 with 928. The Jamestown airport is on pace to hit the 10,000 passenger-boarding mark this year with 5,015 boardings through June. The airport had 6,282 passenger boardings through July. The North Dakota Book and Arts Festival will feature about 60 authors, creative writing workshops, a panel discussion on publishing works and the launch of the University of Jamestown's "Plainsong." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There will be more than one author that will be launching their next book release," said Jill Pfaff, organizer of the event and assistant library director for the James River Valley Library System. The North Dakota Book and Arts Festival is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Reiland Fine Arts Center on the UJ campus. The event is free and open to the public. The North Dakota Book and Arts Festival is an annual celebration of books, writers and creativity that brings together authors, readers and artists from across the state and region, according to a news release from UJ. SamiJo McQuiston, organizer of the event and author from Jamestown, said arts was added to the festival to incorporate all authors and artists to the event. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taxable sales and purchases in Jamestown improved in the second quarter of 2025 after being down in the first quarter of the year, according to information released by the North Dakota Office of the State Tax Commissioner. In the second quarter, Jamestown taxable sales and purchases increased by 4.1% after declining 4.8% in the first quarter when compared to the same periods one year ago. The second quarter of 2025 saw $82.2 million in taxable sales and purchases in Jamestown compared to $79 million for the same period in 2024, an increase of $3.2 million. For the second quarter, taxable sales and purchases in North Dakota increased from $6.85 billion in 2024 to $7.08 billion in 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Jamestown City Council unanimously approved on Tuesday, Sept. 2, entering into a purchase agreement for the sale of city of Jamestown property. The property at 1220 Railroad Drive will be sold to Joe and Nichole Klundt for $153,600. The property will be used for storage space for businesses and consumer needs, said Abbagail Geroux, assistant city attorney. Mayor Dwaine Heinrich said the purchase agreement needs to include the scope of the project and a requirement to refurbish the exterior of the building at 1220 Railroad Drive. He said the agreement also needs to include a provision for the purchaser to sell the property back to the city at the original price if development does not occur within two years of the purchase in accordance with the development plan submitted as part of the original purchase proposal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stutsman County State's Attorney's Fritz Fremgen gave no timeline to the Stutsman County Park Board on Tuesday, Sept. 2, on when he will review verbiage in an agreement that would transfer the permit to operate Spiritwood Resort to a bank. The Stutsman County Park Board approved on Aug. 8 tabling the sale and issuing a permit to new operators for Spiritwood Resort at Spiritwood Lake. The park board also approved tabling a request to enter into a consent to collateral assignment of permit agreement with the American State Bank of Grygla. Fremgen previously said language in the agreement would transfer the permit to the bank. He said the language says the bank would control the place but not have any obligation, duty or liability under the permit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fremgen said Tuesday that he hopes to review the consent to collateral assignment of permit agreement as soon as possible. "I'm not going to give you a deadline that I can't give you," he said. "I do not control my schedule." Rob and Leah Brooks requested a 25-year permit on Aug. 8 through Bruxz Enterprises LLC for Spiritwood Resort. They plan to purchase Spiritwood Resort. CBS News says that it will no longer edit interviews on its Sunday news show, Face the Nation, days after a complaint from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The broadcaster announced Friday it will now only broadcast live or live-to-tape interviews, subject to national security or legal restrictions, on the show. The decision comes after Secretary Noem claimed that CBS News had shamefully edited the interview to whitewash the truth when she appeared on August 31 to discuss Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a migrant mistakenly deported to El Salvador who has become a high-profile case in the Trump administrations crackdown on immigration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noems interview with Face the Nation was taped in advance. After it was aired, Noem claimed that an important section of the interview had been cut, and posted her full, unedited response on X. In the full response, she made a series of unproven accusations about Abrego Garcia, alleging that he was a member of gang MS-13, a wife-beater and had solicited nude photos from minors. Abrego Garcia has denied the accusations against him. CBS News said it will no longer edit interviews on show Face the Nation, following complaints from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem (CBS) In response to Noems accusations, CBS News said that four minutes of the secretarys interview had been edited out for timing purposes. On Friday, the network said it will now only broadcast live or live-to-tape interviews on the show, meaning guests' statements will not be edited, subject to legal or national security restrictions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement to The Independent, a CBS News spokesperson said: In response to audience feedback over the past week, we have implemented a new policy for greater transparency in our interviews. Face the Nation will now only broadcast live or live-to-tape interviews (subject to national security or legal restrictions). This extra measure means the television audience will see the full, unedited interview on CBS and we will continue our practice of posting full transcripts and the unedited video online. The spokesperson did not comment on whether Noems complaint had affected the decision. Noems unedited interview was posted on CBS News website and on its YouTube channel. Noem claimed that CBS News had shamefully edited the interview to whitewash the truth when she appeared on August 31 to discuss Kilmar Abrego Garcia (CBS News/ Face the Nation) The broadcasters change in editing policy is likely to renew claims that CBS is capitulating to the Trump administration, after settling with the president over his 60 Minutes lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump had accused the network of partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference intended to mislead the public and attempt to tip the scales of the 2024 presidential election in favor of former vice president Kamala Harris after it aired different clips of her interview on 60 Minutes and Face the Nation. Trump repeatedly alleged that Harris interview was edited by CBS News at the direction of her campaign, which the network denied. Ultimately, CBSs parent company, Paramount Global, agreed to pay $16 million to Trump to settle the lawsuit. The new CBS News editing policy raises the possibility that it would allow guests to spread unchecked falsehoods on Face the Nation. However, hosts will still be able to fact-check or challenge claims made by interview subjects, an anonymous CBS News employee told the Associated Press. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the binational Niagara Falls Illumination Board, a special light and laser show synchronized to music will be presented on Niagara Falls on the evenings of Friday and Sept. 13 and 14. The displays will take place three times each night at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 p.m. for 15 minutes, with a fireworks display at 10 p.m. prior to the final show of each evening. On the American side, the best vantage point is from Terrapin Point on Goat Island, where there will be a large video screen available to assist with viewing the full display. The best viewing points on the Canadian side are within Queen Victoria Park, from Murray Street to Table Rock Centre. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition, for the first time ever, the public is also invited to participate in free guided tours of the Illumination Tower, Oct. 17-19 between 6 and 11 p.m. Guests are invited to book their time slot online for an exclusive tour of the illumination tower and a behind-the-scenes look at how the Falls are illuminated each night. Parking is free with confirmed reservation. Note that any American guests who wish to take part in the tours must have valid ID to cross the border into Canada. To learn more, please visit niagaraparks.com/illumination. When she returned to her native Niagara Falls in July, Debbie Laurendi made it a priority to visit St. Josephs Cemetery, where her parents, Frank and Barbara Magliarditi, were interred. When she went inside the Pieta Mausoleum on the cemeterys grounds, she got a sickening feeling, both physically and emotionally. Inside, she saw floors covered and carpets drenched in water and algae growth on several stones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She also got a whiff of a nasty smell of mold. When we walked in there, we walked out within 30 seconds because the smell was so horrific, she said. The experience put Laurendi, who now lives in Florida, on a path to sharing her experience on social media, which resulted in the steady ramping up of an ongoing campaign to push for improvements at the mausoleum and on the cemetery grounds. The movement has resulted in a formal request for assistance from the state Attorney Generals office, including a call to investigate a complaint alleging management sold a crypt space reserved for one person to someone else. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This has been going on for months and nothing was addressed until we made this public, Laurendi said. Paula Friona, who also grew up in the Falls and now lives in Florida, had a similar experience when she visited the cemeterys mausoleum where her in-laws, Anthony and Florence Cheff, were interred. While there are several issues in need of attention, Fiona views replacing the leaking Pieta Mausoleum roof a job St. Josephs representatives estimate could cost at least $240,000 as a priority project in need of immediate attention. Winter is coming and shes worried that more flooding will happen, causing more damage. Im fed up, Friona said. If we were in the city, I would be sleeping in that cemetery until that roof is fixed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Karen Grana, a Falls resident whose parents, Julian and Annabelle, were interred inside the Pieta Mausoleum, agreed. Shes concerned that water from the leaking roof may be compromising the integrity of the structure. She described it as sad and disheartening and said shes also concerned about the mausoleum becoming so compromised that it could start falling apart, posing potential harm to visitors. We are at the point now where we dont know what to do because fall is coming, winter is coming, and its just going to get worse, she said. Laurendi, Friona and Grana went public with their concerns after becoming frustrated by an inability, and at times unwillingness, by cemetery management to address them in a timely fashion. They stressed the problems stem from management, not cemetery grounds workers. Thanks primarily to spreading the word on Facebook, Friona and Laurendi were able to connect with 40 other individuals who are also upset about the cemeterys condition. Together, they created a laundry list of issues that have been presented to management, including toppled and broken headstones, faded nameplates, overgrown trees, a broken sewer pipe near the cemetery office and the need for not only a new roof on the Pieta Mausoleum but also a thorough cleaning, new carpets and new furniture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cemetery, located at 3608 Pine Ave. in the city, was established in May of 1920 under the Rev. Austin Billerio, the third pastor of St. Joseph Church. He led a campaign to raise the $12,000 needed to buy the initial tract of 11 acres of land. Today, the cemetery grounds cover 17 acres where there are about 13,000 graves, 1,968 crypts and niches for above-ground burial. The cemetery is also home to four mausoleums, including Pieta. Cemetery operations are overseen by a board under the auspices of the church itself. St. Joes is independent of Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Buffalo, a separate organization that operates Catholic cemeteries in other communities in Western New York. Neither the churchs priest, Father Mario Racho, nor the churchs legal counsel, Falls attorney Angelo Massaro, responded to multiple requests for comment from the Niagara Gazette. Since Laurendis July visit, cemetery management and the city itself have taken steps to address some of the problems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this month, a crew from the citys Department of Public Works, at the direction of Director Ken Tompkins, cut and hauled away branches from trees on adjacent city property that had fallen onto cemetery grounds. City workers also installed a dirt road behind a cemetery fence to allow visitors to drive around Hyde Park. The cemeterys previous manager is no longer employed at St. Josephs and church officials have said they are in the process of seeking a new, full-time person to oversee operations and maintenance. In an email sent to Friona on Tuesday, Racho said he has visited the cemetery almost every day to personally look at the situation and address peoples concerns. He noted that tree cutting is continuing and work has started on repairing damaged water and sewer lines on the property. Racho said cemetery management has received two estimates for the repair of the Pieta Mausoleum roof and is now awaiting a third. He suggested the plan is to proceed with the mausoleum work ASAP. He said work is also planned for the cemetery office and for the construction of a new storage facility for equipment. He said new carpets will also be purchased for the mausoleum. This means we need a budget for all of these projects to accomplish. Well do our best, Racho wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response to a story published earlier this month by WIVB News Channel 4 in Buffalo, Racho issued a statement indicating that efforts are underway to repair damaged headstones and faded nameplates. In the statement, Racho also acknowledged that management has been in contact with the family regarding the complaint about reselling a crypt reserved for one person to another person and is working to identify an alternative burial option for them. While they acknowledge some signs of progress, both Laurendi and Friona say they have lingering concerns about the cemeterys long-term upkeep. Members of their group found additional contractors to submit bids to repair the mausoleum roof, enough to allow the churchs parish council to select a company to begin the necessary work. In light of the inaction, they also have questions about the current state of the cemeterys overall finances. Friona said no one will disclose the identities of the parish council or the cemeterys financial committee. You have to pay for everything, Friona said. There are fees. What are they doing with all that revenue? They should be using it to keep up the cemetery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Laurendi noted that, under state law, all cemeteries, including St. Josephs, must maintain a perpetual care fund, a dedicated source of revenue from burial plots and other contributions held in trust to ensure final resting places are maintained indefinitely. She wants to make sure those funds are secure. If they go into that, what happens 100 years from now? Laurendi said. I know now that we never get over great losses; we absorb them, and they carve us into different, often kinder, creatures. Gail Caldwell Youve got to be taught before its too late, before you are 6 or 7 or 8, to hate all the people your relatives hate, youve got to be carefully taught. Oscar Hammerstein II Im not very good at dates. Remembering them, that is. I try not to forget birthdays. But sometimes I do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are, however, a few dates Ive been unable to forget no matter how much time passes. I remember one Friday afternoon in 1963. November 22. Mrs. Hammond, my first-grade teacher, tearfully told a room full of worried kids our president had been shot and killed. On a sunny spring Wednesday morning in 1995 April 19 I huddled with my co-workers around the television in The Vicksburg Post newsroom and watched the unfolding aftermath of the bombing of the nine-story Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Lives lost 168. My heart broke in a new and different way just before noon on a Monday in 2011. November 7. My sweet mama took her last breath after a brave battle with Alzheimers and a brain tumor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most mornings I wake up and immediately turn to the Today show just to see what sort of news is going to start the day. For some reason, I didnt turn on the TV on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001. Soon after I woke up, my phone rang. It was my friend Ross Reily whod been visiting his now-wife Sarah in New York City. He was scheduled to fly back to Tupelo that morning. I just wanted to let you know Im OK. His voice seemed somehow different. I dont know what youre talking about, I told him. Turn on the television, he told me, and hung up. I turned on the television just about the time the second plane flew into the second of the Twin Towers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two towers in New York City, a part of the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. Lives lost nearly 3,000. All because of hate. But from all these remembered events, these tragedies and so many others there are moments of grace. Strangers helping strangers, friends helping friends. Certainly, as long as there are grace and goodness, there is hope. But we will not forget. Remember the hours after Sept. 11 when we came together as one to answer the attack against our homeland. We drew strength when our firefighters ran upstairs and risked their lives so others might live; when rescuers rushed into smoke and fire at the Pentagon; when the men and women of Flight 93 sacrificed themselves to save our nations Capitol; when flags were hanging from front porches all across America, and strangers became friends. It was the worst day we have ever seen, but it brought out the best in all of us. Senator John Kerry Conservation groups say the changes threaten to undermine the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) that President Donald Trump signed into law in 2020, which contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to the development and rehabilitation of parks, conservation areas and outdoor recreation facilities across the nation. (Department of the Interior photo) The Department of the Interior announced plans Thursday to reshape a popular conservation program that uses offshore oil royalties to support conservation projects, including narrowing the ways those funds can be spent. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued an order guiding the allocation of more than $430 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to projects that would benefit wildlife habitat, improve water quality and provide flood protection while creating new recreational opportunities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Land and Water Conservation Fund continues to deliver on its promise to connect Americans to the outdoors while protecting the landscapes that make our nation special, said Burgum in a statement. But local conservation groups say the changes threaten to undermine the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) that President Donald Trump signed into law in 2020, which contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to the development and rehabilitation of parks, conservation areas and outdoor recreation facilities across the nation. Conservation groups said language in the order restricts the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from using the fund to acquire additional land that could be used to expand recreation and conservation. Those restrictions could effectively prevent the expansion of National Monuments, National Conservation Areas, Wild and Scenic Rivers, and National Scenic and Historic Trails administered by the BLM. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nevada is approximately 86% public land, of which 67% is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. If you have enjoyed some form of outdoor recreation in Nevada, there is a good chance it was on BLM managed land. If you have camped, hiked, OHVed or hunted in Nevada, it was likely in or near a National Conservation Area or National Monument, said Russell Kuhlman, executive director of the Nevada Wildlife Federation. The order would also allow states to use the conservation fund to buy federal property, including protected federal conservation land. Those changes could open the door to land transfers that shift public land to private ownership, said the Nevada Conservation League. Nevadans overwhelmingly support protecting these places, and we cannot afford to roll back decades of progress in opening and protecting access to the great outdoors, said Kristee Watson, Executive Director of the Nevada Conservation League. The Land and Water Conservation Fund has pumped more than $175 million into acquiring and improving public land at Red Rock Canyon and Lake Tahoe, according to the Nevada Conservation League. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The order also increased bureaucratic red tape by requiring both state governors and local county officials to approve land acquisitions purchased using the fund, said the Nevada Wildlife Federation. Local conservation groups warned the restrictions could prevent new investments in the outdoor recreation economy and halt pending land deals and projects. In 2023, Nevadas outdoor recreation industry accounted for $8.1 billion in value-added (GDP) annually, ranking the state 10th in the nation, according to the Nevada Division of Outdoor Recreation. The Department of the Interior did, however, back away from earlier plans to include language that would siphon money away from conservation land purchases to pay for maintenance projects on federal property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fortunately, the order does not include one of the administrations worst ideas, leaving out its prior proposal to divert LWCF funding for unauthorized purposes, said Amy Lindholm, a spokesperson for the Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition. Lindholm continued, Unfortunately, Secretarial Order 3442 still does real damage. It hinders critical conservation and public access by reviving previously rejected ideas. YORK, Pa. (WHTM) Police have filed charges in connection with two shootings in York this week that left three people injured. York City Police said QuaMir Jamison, 18, of South Carolina, faces attempted homicide, aggravated assault and firearm charges in connection with Wednesdays shooting. He has yet to be arraigned Court records show the following three people face charges stemming from Tuesdays shooting: Nyeem Hickman, 15, of York; Ziaire Sweatman-Clark, 17, of Mount Wolfe; and Alfredo Thompson Jr., 15, of York. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PSP: 5 Pennsylvania children rescued from dungeon inside deplorable home The trio each faces aggravated assault and firearm charges in connection with the shooting. Hickman and Thompson are in York County Prison with their bail denied, while Sweatman-Clark is still awaiting his arraignment, court records show. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Morning Weather Forecast Two 15-year-olds were shot in the area of The Bubble House laundromat along North Belvidere Avenue and West Philadelphia Street on Tuesday night. The next night, a 20-year-old man was shot in the 100 block of N. West Street, which is nearby Tuesdays shooting location. York City Police respond to a shooting on Tuesday, Sept. 2, in the area of The Bubble House Laundromat between West Philadelphia Street and North Belvidere Avenue. York City Police respond to a shooting on Tuesday, Sept. 2, in the area of The Bubble House Laundromat between West Philadelphia Street and North Belvidere Avenue. York City Police respond to a shooting on Tuesday, Sept. 2, in the area of The Bubble House Laundromat between West Philadelphia Street and North Belvidere Avenue. York City Police respond to a shooting on Tuesday, Sept. 2, in the area of The Bubble House Laundromat between West Philadelphia Street and North Belvidere Avenue. York City Police respond to a shooting on Tuesday, Sept. 2, in the area of The Bubble House Laundromat between West Philadelphia Street and North Belvidere Avenue. Both shootings appear to be connected, York City Police Department Commissioner Michael Muldrow said Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. Muldrow also praised the community for its help in the investigations, saying in a statement that bad things are going to happen but its how we respond, and what we do afterward is how the community can get better. York City Police respond to a shooting on Wednesday, Sept. 3, in the area of N. West Street. Tempers flair, and bad things are going to happen when youre dealing with people; but, its how we respond and what we do afterwards that truly decides whether a community gets better And I believe, the past 48hrs shows everyone exactly where our community is at We are a community working together, and committed to being BETTER than we were yesterday, the statement reads. This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 ABC27. Mayor Vi Lyles released a statement Saturday morning in response to a new video of a stabbing on the light rail in South End. This is the Mayors second statement since the stabbing and first statement since the video was released on Friday. Iryna Zarutska was stabbed to death on the light rail in South End by Decarlos Brown on Aug. 22, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and CATS. PAST COVERAGE: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Video released by the Charlotte Area Transit System shows that Brown boarded the train and sat like a regular passenger. Zarutska boarded later and sat in the row in front of Brown. She was wearing headphones, and the two had no interaction whatsoever. About a minute before the fatal stabbing, there was a shift in his behavior. Brown started to fidget with his hand, and his eyes widened. Brown rested his head on the glass just seconds before he took a knife out of his pocket, stood up, and immediately stabbed the 23-year-old. PAST COVERAGE: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Video showed that Brown then walked to the other end of the train, took his hoodie off. When the train stopped two minutes later, he stepped on the platform and was immediately arrested. Several passengers had run to Zarutskas aid, one dressing her wounds with his own shirt and attempting CPR. Another ran to tell the light rail operator what happened and to stop. Channel 9 was one of multiple news outlets to request this video with the purpose of better understanding the timeline shared by authorities in the days after the attack. The video of the heartbreaking attack that took Iryna Zarutskas life is now public. I want to thank our media partners and community members who have chosen not to repost or share the footage out of respect for Irynas family. This was a senseless and tragic loss. My prayers Mayor Vi Lyles (@CLTMayor) September 6, 2025 Mayor Lyles released her statement Saturday morning, thanking community members who were respectful in how they shared the footage out of respect for the victims family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She also said she is thinking about the citys safety. Like so many of you, Im heartbroken and Ive been thinking hard about what safety really looks like in our city," Lyles said in the statement. I remain committed to doing all we can to protect our residents and ensure Charlotte is a place where everyone feels safe. WATCH: CATS releases video of deadly random stabbing on light rail With multiple mental health-related deaths already linked to ChatGPT, it now looks like the abysmal medical advice spat out by the OpenAI chatbot may end up claiming another life. In an interview with the Daily Mail, a 37-year-old named Warren Tierney explained how he went from a concerned and doting husband during his wife's difficult pregnancies to his own stage-four cancer diagnosis after the chatbot told him that his increasingly severe sore throat wasn't cause for concern. Hailing from the tiny town of Killarney in Ireland's County Kerry, Tierney said he began asking the chatbot earlier this year if he should be worried about his persistent sore throat, which eventually became so bad that he couldn't even swallow fluids. Could it be possible that he, like his dad before him, had cancer? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Per screenshots shared with the Mail, ChatGPT maintained that it was "highly unlikely" that Tierney, a trained psychologist, had cancer. During those exchanges, Tierney even updated it as one would their real doctor that his esophageal pain had improved enough for him to swallow a cookie after he began taking blood thinning medications, which ChatGPT said was a "very encouraging sign." Thanks to the "systemic male belief" that he didn't need to consult with a flesh-and-blood physician, the young dad went along with the chatbot, and even returned to ask it for more advice once the pain got bad again, the Mail reports. "Fair play if its cancer, you wont need to sue me Ill write your court affidavit and buy you a Guinness," it wrote at one point. As the Irish Independent reports, Tierney was in for a shock once he finally did go to the doctor a few months after his symptoms worsened when he was diagnosed with stage-four adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, which is associated with very low survival rates we're talking in the sub-two-digits due to being detected so late in its progression. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Staring down such a heavy possible prognosis from his expensive hospital bed in Germany which his wife, Evelyn Dore, has raised more than $120,000 to fund Tierney told the Mail that ultimately, his misplaced trust in ChatGPT "probably cost [him] a few months" of life. "I think it ended up really being a real problem," the ailing father admitted, "because ChatGPT probably delayed me getting serious attention." "The AI model is trying to appeal to what you want it to say in order to keep you engaged," Tierney mused. "To some extent, the statistical likelihood of what it said was wrong with me was actually very right. But unfortunately in this particular case, it wasn't." In response to the Mail's request for comment about Tierney, OpenAI maintained that its flagship chatbot is "not intended for use in the treatment of any health condition, and is not a substitute for professional advice." As the regretful husband and father noted, he's a "living example" of what happens when users don't heed such disclaimers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "That's where we have to be super careful when using AI," Tierney told the Mail. "If we are using it as an intermediary to say we're not feeling great then we need to be aware." "I'm in big trouble because I maybe relied on it too much," he concluded. "Or maybe I just felt that the reassurance that it was giving me was more than likely right, when unfortunately it wasn't." ChatGPT and other chatbots like it are, as Tierney acknowledged, known for their dangerous sycophancy, or pushing what users want to hear to keep them engaged. In the past few years, that propensity has resulted in imprisonment, hospitalizations, self-harm, and recently a murder-suicide. It was also caught spewing terrible medical advice when, as per a recent case study in the journal Annals of American Medicine, the chatbot suggested an older man replace table salt with so-called "bromide salts," an archaic medicine used to treat aches and pains around the turn of the century that is now found in pesticides and pool cleaners. In that man's case, he took so much that he developed what's known as "bromism," an all-but-extinct neuropsychiatric disorder that causes confusion, slurred speech, and psychosis though after detoxing from the toxic compound during a three-week-hospital stay, the journal paper notes, he was ultimately fine. More on men and health: An Astonishing Number of Men Are Dying Because They Refuse to Go to the Doctor Chicago residents have been on edge at the possibility of President Donald Trump deploying federal immigration agents and the National Guard in Chicago this week. Several Mexican-American groups have now canceled or postponed Mexican Independence Day celebrations in response. Mexican Independence Day falls on Tuesday, Sept. 16, and marks the day Mexico gained freedom from the Spanish Empire in 1810. In Chicago, the El Grito festival that was planned for Sept. 13 and 14 in Grant Park was postponed. The festival that pays homage to The Cry of Independence or El Grito drew 24,000 attendees last year. Organizers are in the process of refunding tickets, according to the festivals website. In Waukegan, a suburb around 45 miles north of Chicago, Fiestas Patrias, an independence day parade that was planned for next Sunday, Sept. 14, has been postponed as of Wednesday. Organizer Margaret Carrasco said she may cancel Day of the Dead celebrations at the start of November as well and postpone all festivities to December. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carrasco said that she decided to cancel the parade because her neighbors and other Waukegan residents had heard about federal immigration agents staying at hotels near the Great Lakes Naval base in the last few weeks. Theyve been preparing for quite some time, Carrasco said of the immigration agents. We knew early on that this would be a massive attack on the community. She and other Waukegan residents have been conducting clinics to teach immigrant neighbors about their rights and have been posting signs in local businesses advising residents to carry identification or immigration paperwork with them and to avoid large public gatherings where they could be detained. Carrasco said that the number of immigration officials she expects in the region made her cancel the parade. Sometimes in life you need to pick your fights, Carrasco said. We dont want families being separated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Latin Heritage Fest, an event planned for Sept. 13 in Wauconda, a suburb northwest of Chicago, was also canceled. The Wauconda Latin Heritage Fest was going to feature Mexican food, music, Mexican folk dances, games and a pageant in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, according to a website for the event. Organizers canceled the event because of concerns related to immigration in the area, according to a statement posted by the Wauconda Police Department on social media. Last week, Gov. JB Pritzker suggested at a news conference that Stephen Miller, Trumps deputy chief of staff, strategically planned to conduct militarized arrests in Chicago because the city is known for its Mexican Independence Day celebrations. Pritzker added that he is deeply concerned that U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement will target Mexican Independence Day events, set to start this weekend with the parade in Pilsen on Saturday, which was not canceled despite deportation fears. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reyna Torres Mendivil, the consul general of Mexico in Chicago, said Thursday representatives from the consulate were scheduled to attend at least 17 celebrations in Illinois and Indiana this month, including El Grito. On Thursday evening, the team was reviewing how many events had been canceled or postponed, Torres Mendivil said. We respect the decision they make. Some events may still take place in enclosed places, but there are others that take place in public spaces, Torres Mendivil said. We will attend all of the events that are still set to take place. The consulate will focus on commemorating Mexican Independence Day with a social media campaign that showcases the contribution of the immigrant community on social media, she said. Nothing of what may happen negates the pride of being Mexican and of celebrating our heritage, with our family, with dignity and respect, Torres Mendivil added. _____ The Chicago area is bracing for additional immigration enforcement over the weekend. Meanwhile, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson pushed back against President Donald Trump Saturday after the president increased his threats to send in federal troops to the city with a social media meme. In a post on his social media platform, Trump reshared an image that places him in front of Chicago that insinuated he was going to take action against the city, referencing his recent rebranding of the Pentagon the "Department of War." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pritzker slammed Trump and said that the president threatened to go to war with the city by posting the memes. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks during a press conference, Sept. 2, 2025, in Chicago. Chicago braces for expanded ICE enforcement over the weekend "This is not normal. Donald Trump isn't a strongman, he's a scared man. Illinois won't be intimidated by a wannabe dictator," Pritzker wrote in an X post. Johnson echoed the governor's sentiment, saying the president's "threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution." "We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump," the mayor wrote in an X post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A White House spokeswoman criticized the Illinois leaders in a statement, citing Chicago's murders during the Labor Day weekend. Jim Vondruska/Reuters - PHOTO: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, in front of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, speaks during a press conference on reports of federal deployments in Chicago, September 2, 2025. "Local Democrat leaders are more upset about a post from the President -- that tells you everything you need to know about the Democrats' twisted priorities," Abigail Jackson, White House spokeswoman, said in a statement to ABC News. Tom Homan, Trump's border czar, told CNN on Sunday that there would be "action" in most sanctuary cities this week. President Trump's prioritized sanctuary cities because sanctuary cities knowingly release illegal alien public safety threats to the streets every day. That's where the problem is," Homan said. "We don't have that problem in Florida, where every sheriff and chief works for us, right? Or Texas. So, we got to send additional resources to the problem areas, which are sanctuary cities." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Sunday, ICE launched an immigration enforcement operation in Boston, dubbed Patriot 2.0. A DHS spokesperson told ABC News the operation is meant to target "the worst of the worst" in Massachusetts. The back and forth between Trump and Chicago Democrats has increased over the last week as the president has vowed to step up federal enforcement of crimes and immigration enforcement, including by deploying the National Guard . Pritzker warned that there has been a surge in ICE agents in the city and that there could be as many as 300 ICE agents this weekend, according to local officials. In response to the possibility of added ICE enforcement, city officials from neighboring communities say they are bracing for the increase of agents in communities, according to Gregory Jackson, who serves as the Chief of Staff in North Chicago, Illinois. Agents and officials are expected to operate out of the Great Lakes Naval Station for about 30 days, he said. Andy Manis/Getty Images - PHOTO: Protest Held Outside Naval Station Great Lakes As Trump Administration To Increase ICE Raids In Chicago MORE: Trump says cities should be asking for National Guard troops as he mulls more deployments Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fencing was seen going around the federal courthouse in Chicago, in anticipation of the enforcement actions occurring, according to city officials. El Grito Chicago, the city's festival for Mexican Independence Day, postponed the event scheduled for next weekend citing ICE activity. "It was a painful decision, but holding El Grito Chicago at this time puts the safety of our community at stake and that's a risk we are unwilling to take," the event posted on its website. On Saturday, a crowd of protesters gathered outside Naval Station Great Lakes to protest the expected immigration crackdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has repeatedly singled out Chicago as he has mulled sending the Guard to other major American cities following his federal takeover of Washington. Trump has said he preferred that cities ask for his administration's assistance. Andy Manis/Getty Images - PHOTO: Protest Held Outside Naval Station Great Lakes As Trump Administration To Increase ICE Raids In Chicago Pritzker has pushed back on the Trump administration's involvement in Chicago, saying "I will not call the president, asking him to send troops to Chicago. I've made that clear already," Pritzker said. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told ABC News that the enforcement is targeting the "worst of the worst" criminals. "It is no surprise that these criminals flock to sanctuary cities where politicians protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets putting American lives at risk," the spokespersons said. "DHS will go to wherever these criminal illegal aliens are -- including Chicago, Boston and other cities. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, nowhere is a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens. If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will hunt you down, arrest you, deport you, and you will never return." By Renee Hickman and Heather Schlitz CHICAGO (Reuters) -Several thousand demonstrators marched past Trump Tower as the sun began to set in downtown Chicago on Saturday, protesting U.S. President Donald Trumps threats to flood the city with immigration agents. The protest came after fears of increasing deportations chilled a normally raucous Mexican Independence Day celebration, as Trump signaled his intention to ramp up immigration enforcement on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a social media post depicting himself as a U.S. military officer from the movie "Apocalypse Now," Trump wrote, "I love the smell of deportations in the morning," above an image of the president in uniform juxtaposed against flames and Chicago's skyline. For many protesters, the threats felt personal. Tracy Quinonez, 50, said her father, who recently died, came to the U.S. from Guatemala as a refugee. "I'm here for him," she said. "It's not criminals being taken off the street. It's families being ripped apart." Quinonez, who like many other protesters was waving the blue stripes and red stars of Chicago's city flag, told Reuters, "They really picked on the wrong city." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protesters also opposed Trump's threats to deploy National Guard troops to fight crime in Chicago, which would be an extraordinary effort to militarize the country's third-largest city. On Wednesday, however, Vice President JD Vance said there were "no immediate plans" to send the National Guard to Chicago. Trump, a Republican, has mobilized troops in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., cities that, like Chicago, are run by Democratic politicians. Peg Devlin, 76, said on Saturday that she was marching against what she called the rise of fascism, which she said her mother had fled in Europe. "I've never experienced what my mother experienced as a German Jew," said Devlin, "I will not sit back and watch that happen here." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lisa Matuska, 39, walked the route with her two young children because, she said, "I think they need to see that if there's something you don't agree with and you're mad about it, physical presence is a good way to show that." She also praised the event's organizers for its safety. 'SCARED BUT HERE' Elsewhere in the city, the threat of deportations had a chilling effect on a normally festive month in which numerous Mexican Independence Day celebrations are held throughout Chicago. A parade to mark the holiday in the historically Mexican Pilsen neighborhood turned quiet and nervous. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a break from traditional celebrations, twirling folklorico dancers decked in glimmering jewelry and billowing, multi-colored dresses distributed "know your rights" pamphlets to sparse crowds. Horses wore the colors of Mexico's flag in their tails, while their riders wore neon-orange whistles around their necks in case they needed to alert attendees to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Along the sidelines, volunteers also kept watch for ICE. "This place would normally be packed," Eddie Chavez, a lifelong Pilsen resident, said while waving a Mexican flag in a lone row of lawn chairs along the parade route. "Now it's empty, like a ghost town." Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat and vocal critic of Trump, said on Tuesday he believed ICE raids would coincide with Mexican Independence Day festivals scheduled for this weekend and next weekend. Some Mexican festivals in the Chicago area were postponed or canceled amid fears of immigration raids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're scared, but we're here," said Isabel Garcia, a dancer in Saturday's parade. "We're Mexican. We have to celebrate, and they're not going to stop us." ICE did not respond to requests for comment on whether it had sent more agents to Chicago, and residents said they had not seen significantly stepped-up immigration enforcement so far. In addition to Chicago, Trump has suggested the possibility of deploying troops to Democratic-run Baltimore in Maryland, as well as in the Republican-led state of Louisiana. Trump last month deployed National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., saying they would "re-establish law, order and public safety." Justice Department data shows crime in the nation's capital hit a 30-year low last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president sent 4,000 National Guard members and 700 active-duty U.S. Marines to Los Angeles in June, against the wishes of California's Democratic governor. (Reporting by Renee Hickman and Heather Schlitz in Chicago; Editing by William Mallard) CHICAGO President Donald Trumps plan to dispatch National Guard troops and immigration agents into Chicago has put many Latino residents on edge, prompting some to carry their U.S. passports while giving others pause about openly celebrating the upcoming Mexican Independence Day. Though the holiday falls on Sept. 16, celebrations in Chicago span more than a week and draw hundreds of thousands of participants. Festivities kicked off with a Saturday parade through the heavily Mexican Pilsen neighborhood and will continue with car caravans and lively street parties. But this year, the typically joyful period coincides with Trumps threats to add Chicago to the list of other Democratic-led cities he has targeted for expanded federal enforcement. His administration has said it will step up immigration enforcement in Chicago, as it did in Los Angeles, and would deploy National Guard troops. In addition to sending troops to Los Angeles in June, Trump deployed them last month in Washington, D.C., as part of his unprecedented law enforcement takeover of the nations capital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State leaders denounce potential ICE raids as Chicago braces for immigration enforcement operations Trump posted an illustration of himself against a Chicago-skyline ablaze with flames and helicopters on Truth Social on Saturday. Chicago about to find out why its called the Department of WAR, he posted. Trump has ordered the Defense Department to be renamed the Department of War. He offered no details but posted, I love the smell of deportations in the morning, referencing a 1979 war film. The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote on the social platform X. Illinois wont be intimidated by a wannabe dictator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although details about the promised Chicago operation have been sparse, theres already widespread opposition extending into the suburbs. State and city leaders have said they plan to sue the Trump administration. Mixed feelings about postponing festivities The extended Mexican Independence Day celebrations reflect the size and vitality of Chicagos Mexican American community. Mexicans make up more than one-fifth of the citys total population and about 74% of its Latino residents, according to 2022 U.S. Census estimates. Parade and festival organizers have been divided over whether to move forward with precautions or postpone, in hopes that it will feel safer for many participants to have a true celebration in several months time. El Grito Chicago, a downtown Mexican Independence Day festival set for next weekend, was postponed this week by organizers in order to protect people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mayhem: Pritzker warns of possible ICE operation in Chicagoland But also, we just refuse to let our festival be a pawn in this political game, said German Gonzalez, an organizer of El Grito Chicago. In Pilsen and Little Village, two of the citys best-known neighborhoods with restaurants, businesses and cultural ties to Mexican culture, residents expressed disappointment that the potential federal intervention instilled such fear and anxiety in the community at a time usually characterized by joy, togetherness and celebration of Mexican American heritage. Celebrating, but with precautions On Saturday morning, some parade-goers grabbed free, bright-orange whistles and flyers from volunteers standing outside the Lozano Branch of the Chicago Public Library. Blow the whistle on ICE! the flyers read, encouraging a nonviolent tactic to raise alarm if agents appear at the event. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Magdalena Alvarado, who lived in Little Village for 30 years, took an orange whistle. My heart is like pounding a little bit because I dont know what to expect today, she said. Alvarado saw some lowrider cars, often decked out with Mexican flags, with imagery supporting the police. She wondered to herself whether they were intentionally added to garner goodwill with the law enforcement present. Marchers held up cardboard signs painted with monarch butterflies, the migratory species that travels between the U.S. and Mexico. Many cheered Viva Mexico! Drivers of vintage cars honked their horns, and a drummer kept time for a group of dancers bedecked in feathers. Horseback riders clip-clopped down the street, and one lifted up a large Mexican flag. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lake County leaders push back against plans to use Chicago-area naval base to support ICE operations Claudia Alvarez, whose 10-year-old daughter was nearby riding a horse, said its important that politicians see people out celebrating, though the crowd seemed smaller this year. At these hours you should be able to see plenty of people in the streets enjoying themselves, but now theres not really a lot of people, she said. Vianney Alarcon, 42, said she expects people to be targeted by immigration officials regardless of their legal status. But in an act of defiance, shell be taking part in the festivities while bringing along her passport. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im still going to celebrate my heritage, she said. And I know for a fact that a lot of the people I know and the people commenting on Facebook are going to show up, too. What are they going to do? Were not being disruptive if were celebrating properly. The 24th annual Mexican Independence Day Parade wrapped up for the afternoon in Pilsen. Despite concerns, long-term and first-time parade-goers say it was important for them to be there for their neighbors who dont feel safe doing so. I was born here in Pilsen, in Chicago, and I think its important for us to come out here and support our community, Arturo Urbano said. It shows that we as a community, when we are together, [we are] unified, nobodys gonna hold us down, Elsa Mejia said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Organizers wanted to push forward, taking extra precautions like using volunteer marshals to alert of any potential disruptions. The important thing is that they held it, theyre not intimated, theyre showing who they are and still celebrating our history, our culture, and our traditions, Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia said. Everything went smoothly at the parade, and it was well-attended, but the fear over possible ICE action was still visible. It does look a little quiet this year and its unfortunate, but Im glad people did come out to support, Alvarez said. An air of uncertainty Fabio Fernandez, 39, owner of an art and T-shirt company with a residency at a Pilsen streetwear shop, called it troubling and disheartening that potential federal intervention was impacting Mexican Independence Day celebrations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said theres a mood of anxiety in the neighborhood, which has translated to lower sales and reduced foot traffic for local businesses like his, Fernandez said. He added that there are simple ways to support local Latino-owned shops and restaurants. Come back to 18th Street. Support small businesses here. Theyre still working hard as hell to keep their businesses alive, he said. Alejandro Vences, 30, became a U.S. citizen this year, which gives me some comfort during this time, he said while eating pozole verde at a local Mexican restaurant. Still, he said, the anxiety is palpable. For us, our Independence Day has always been a celebration of our culture, he said. Its always been a celebration of who we are. It feels like we dont get to celebrate our culture in the same way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. CHICAGO (AP) President Donald Trumps plan to dispatch National Guard troops and immigration agents into Chicago has put many Latino residents on edge, prompting some to carry their U.S. passports while giving others pause about openly celebrating the upcoming Mexican Independence Day. Though the holiday falls on Sept. 16, celebrations in Chicago span more than a week and draw hundreds of thousands of participants. Festivities kicked off with a Saturday parade through the heavily Mexican Pilsen neighborhood and will continue with car caravans and lively street parties. But this year, the typically joyful period coincides with Trumps threats to add Chicago to the list of other Democratic-led cities he has targeted for expanded federal enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His administration has said it will step up immigration enforcement in Chicago, as it did in Los Angeles, and would deploy National Guard troops. In addition to sending troops to Los Angeles in June, Trump deployed them last month in Washington, D.C., as part of his unprecedented law enforcement takeover of the nations capital. Trump posted an illustration of himself against a Chicago-skyline ablaze with flames and helicopters on Truth Social on Saturday. Chicago about to find out why its called the Department of WAR, he posted, along with I love the smell of deportations in the morning, referencing a 1979 war film. Trump has ordered the Defense Department to be renamed the Department of War. The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote on the social platform X. Illinois wont be intimidated by a wannabe dictator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although details about the promised Chicago operation have been sparse, theres already widespread opposition as protesters marched through downtown on Saturday evening. State and city leaders have said they plan to sue the Trump administration. Mixed feelings about postponing festivities The extended Mexican Independence Day celebrations reflect the size and vitality of Chicagos Mexican American community. Mexicans make up more than one-fifth of the citys total population and about 74% of its Latino residents, according to 2022 U.S. Census estimates. Parade and festival organizers have been divided over whether to move forward with precautions or postpone, in hopes that it will feel safer for many participants to have a true celebration in several months time. El Grito Chicago, a downtown Mexican Independence Day festival set for next weekend, was postponed this week by organizers in order to protect people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But also we just refuse to let our festival be a pawn in this political game, said German Gonzalez, an organizer of El Grito Chicago. In Pilsen and Little Village, two of the citys best-known neighborhoods with restaurants, businesses and cultural ties to Mexican culture, residents expressed disappointment that the potential federal intervention instilled such fear and anxiety in the community at a time usually characterized by joy, togetherness and celebration of Mexican American heritage. Celebrating, but with precautions On Saturday morning, some parade-goers grabbed free, bright-orange whistles and flyers from volunteers standing outside the Lozano Branch of the Chicago Public Library. Blow the whistle on ICE! the flyers read, encouraging a nonviolent tactic to raise alarm if they saw agents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Marchers held up cardboard signs painted with monarch butterflies, the migratory species that travels between the U.S. and Mexico. Many cheered Viva Mexico! Drivers of vintage cars honked their horns and a drummer kept time for a group of dancers bedecked in feathers. Horseback riders clip-clopped down the street, and one lifted up a large Mexican flag. Claudia Alvarez, whose 10-year-old daughter was nearby riding a pony, said its important that politicians see people out celebrating, though the crowd seemed smaller this year. At these hours you should be able to see plenty of people in the streets enjoying themselves, but now theres not really a lot of people, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fabio Fernandez, 39, owner of an art and T-shirt company with a residency at a Pilsen streetwear shop, called it troubling and disheartening that the possibility of federal intervention has impacted celebrations. He said theres a mood of anxiety in the neighborhood, which has translated to lower sales and reduced foot traffic for local businesses like his, Fernandez said. Come back to 18th Street. Support small businesses here. Theyre still working hard as hell to keep their businesses alive, he said. Alejandro Vences, 30, became a U.S. citizen this year, which gives me some comfort during this time, he said while eating pozole verde at a local Mexican restaurant. Still, he said, the anxiety is palpable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For us, our Independence Day has always been a celebration of our culture, he said. Its always been a celebration of who we are. It feels like we dont get to celebrate our culture in the same way. Protest against ICE A few miles away in downtown, more than a thousand protesters marched through the streets on Saturday evening with signs bearing slogans like I.C.E. out of Illinois, I.C.E. out of everywhere. Speakers offered the crowd instructions on what to do if encountering Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. They also drew comparisons between the proposed ICE crackdown on Chicago and Israels presence in Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are inspired by the steadfastness of Palestinians in Gaza, and it is why we refuse to cower to Trump and his threats, Nazek Sankari, co-chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, said to the crowd as many waved Palestinian flags and donned keffiyehs. Viviana Barajas, leader with the community organization Palenque LSNA, promised that Chicagoans would stand up as Los Angeles had if Trump deploys the National Guard in their city. If he thinks these frivolous theatrics to undermine our sovereignty will shut out the passion we have for protecting our people, this is Chicago, and he is sorely mistaken, Barajas said. We have been studying LA and D.C., and they have stood up for their cities. ___ Finley reported from Norfolk, Virginia and Raza reported from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Associated Press writers Morgan Lee in Santa Fe and Cal Woodward in Washington contributed. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) The 178th Wing at Springfield Air National Guard Base now has a new Command Chief on Saturday, Sept. 6. Chief Master Sgt. Charles Hansel is now in charge. Hansel is assuming authority from the Chief Master Sgt. Jacquita Melton, who led for three years. The traditional Change of Authority Ceremony was held at the Springfield-Beckley Air National Guard Base at 1 p.m. Photo of Hansel via 178th Wing Public Affairs. Hansel stressed the importance of focusing on the airmen and their growth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our junior corps, right now, theyre eager for more development opportunities, and I want to help implement some of those initiatives, said Hansel. Hansel enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1998 as an electronic warfare systems specialist. He deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of operations in support of operations Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Air Defense of the Arabian Gulf, Freedom Sentinel, Inherent Resolve, and Resolute Support. Previously, he was the senior enlisted leader for the 178th Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance Group. Im a people-first leader, said Hansel. You cant do the mission without the people. So, we have to take care of our airmen first. I lead through building relationships with them, building a connection with them, and building understanding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Milwaukee lacrosse team mourns loss of 2 student-athletes; 1 from Springboro; driver arrested Then, the retirement ceremony for Melton was held. This is the perfect end to my career, said Melton. It was my purpose to serve and give back and see others win. When I took on the command chief role, that became my mantra. Thats my purpose: the airmen. Photo of Melton via 178th Wing Public Affairs. Previously, Melton was the command chief for the 178th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group. She was responsible for mission readiness, professional development, training, proper utilization, health, morale and welfare issues of 1,200 Airmen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melton entered the Air Force in July 1999 as an airfield management specialist and served on active duty for seven years. In 2007, she moved to the Ohio Air National Guard as an operations intelligence analyst. Dayton veterans take honor flight to D.C. memorials She deployed twice to support both Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. As a mission intelligence coordinator with the MQ-9 Reaper, she supported Operations New Dawn, Freedoms Sentinel, Nomad Shadow and Inherent Resolve. To learn more about the 178th Wing, click here. 2 NEWS will update this article when more information is available. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. NEED TO KNOW Narin Guran disappeared on Aug. 21, 2024 after a Quran lesson; searchers recovered her body in a sack hidden under rocks in a stream near her Turkish village 19 days later On Dec. 29 of that year, a Diyarbakir court sentenced the girl's mother, brother and uncle to life in prison for the premeditated murder of the child. A neighbor was sentenced to four years and six months for placing the girl's body in a river A neighbor testified that Narin was killed because the 8-year-old "witnessed an event she should not have seen" between her mother and uncle, BBC Turkce reported Eight-year-old Turkish girl Narin Guran vanished after a Quran lesson on Aug. 21, 2024. Nineteen days later, searchers found a horrific sight: her body sealed in a sack and wedged beneath rocks in a creek near the girl's home city of Diyarbakr. Investigators reconstructed her last afternoon from cameras and household data. The killing was narrowed to 3:183:21 p.m. and shockingly, placed inside the family home, with relatives present, per CNN Turk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The same reporting noted a spike in household water use and extensive washing in the residence after that window. Istanbuls Forensic Medicine Institute concluded Narin died on Aug. 21 by asphyxiation after closure of the mouth and nose with pressure to the neck, according to Hurriyet Daily News and Turkish Minute. Mehmet Masum Suer/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Narin Guran Narin Guran Examiners reported no sharp, blunt, or gunshot trauma, per those outlets. It was not possible to make a medical assessment as to sexual assault, according to BBC Turkce. The girl's relatives soon came under the microscope of investigators. A court jailed the childs mother, Yuksel Guran, and her brother, Enes Guran, pending trial on murder charges, while other relatives and associates faced evidence-destruction accusations, according to Reuters. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar Yuksel Guran, mother of eight-year-old Narin Guran Yuksel Guran, mother of eight-year-old Narin Guran The childs uncle, Salim Guran the village headman had been arrested earlier in the probe, per Hurriyet Daily News. Evidence linked the uncles vehicle to the case. DNA taken from Salim Gurans car matched DNA on Narins clothing, according to Daily Sabah and Turkish Minute. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Narin's uncle claimed he had deleted his correspondence with his 8-year-old niece to hide admissions that he had met with sex workers, per BBC Turkce. A non-family figure entered the record regarding the disposal of the girl's body. Nevzat Bahtiyar, a neighbor, told authorities he carried the body to the creek in a sack after being approached and offered money, but denied killing the child he was later arrested, according to Duvar English and Bianet. In court testimony, Bahtiyar said the girl's uncle, Salim Guran, told him the child was killed because she had seen him with the childs mother. (Outlets reported the statement as testimony, not as a judicial finding, according to VOA Turkce and Turkish Minute.) Protests were held in multiple cities after the recovery and during early hearings, according to Reuters and Duvar English. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case proceeded in Diyarbakrs 8th High Criminal Court. On Dec. 29, 2024, the court sentenced the girl's mother, Yuksel Guran, her brother Enes Guran and her uncle Salim Guran to aggravated life imprisonment for the premeditated murder of a child acting in concert, according to Daily Sabah. Neighbor Nevzat Bahtiyar was sentenced to four years and six months for destroying or concealing evidence after admitting he moved the body, per the outlets. Reporting on the ruling noted the panel did not identify who applied the fatal pressure or establish a definitive motive. A subsequent review upheld the prison terms and the case moved forward in the Court of Cassation, according to bianet. Read the original article on People When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A photo from Beijing's military parade on Sept. 3, 2025 shows YJ-19 anti-ship missiles. . | Credit: China News Service / Getty Images China offered a glimpse of its growing military might in a parade in Beijing on Wednesday (Sept. 3), showing off new hypersonic and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICMBs) and drone systems. The parade was held to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. A number of new systems were on display for the first time, including those capable of delivering nuclear weapons from the air, sea and land, demonstrating a global strike capability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Systems on display include the JL-1 (Jinglei-1) air-launched long-range missile and JL-3 (Julang-3) submarine-launched intercontinental missile. Also rolled out were the DF-61 land-based ICBM and the new type DF-31BJ land-based intercontinental missile. Images from the parade also showed systems including the newly revealed AJX-002 giant submarine drone, GJ-11 stealth attack drone, which can accompany fighter jets, and CS-5000T stealth drone. Also featured was the YJ-19 anti-ship missile. Image 1 of 3 A large military truck rides in front of a giant military plane in the Chinese military parade Image 2 of 3 A large military truck carrying a huge hypersonic missile turns right at an intersection next to a series of marching officers Image 3 of 3 A large ICBM is showcased on the back of a truck as part of a military parade in China as the truck moves through an intersection One weapon on display with a space-related capability was the HQ-19, a midcourse ballistic missile defense interceptor that may also be used to target objects in low Earth orbit (LEO) such as satellites. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related Stories: China now has a 'kill mesh' in orbit, Space Force vice chief says The Pentagon is worried about space weapons from Russia and China. Here's why. The most dangerous space weapons ever A variant of the HQ-19 is believed by some analysts to have been used for China's 2007 anti-satellite test, which targeted a defunct Fengyun weather satellite in LEO, generating both a large cloud of space debris and vocal international condemnation. The Chinese state news agency Xinhua stated that the massive military parade was part of "pledging the country's commitment to peaceful development in a world still fraught with turbulence and uncertainties." The display also serves as a demonstration of capabilities and a deterrent. A geopolitical contest is unfolding in central-southern Africa, where major global powers are vying for control of key logistical routes amid a global race to secure critical minerals for the green energy transition. At the centre of this rivalry lies the small town of Kapiri Mposhi in central Zambia, a strategic hub where three competing corridors - China's Tazara, the US-backed Lobito Corridor and Japan's Nacala Corridor - converge. Observers say the race to build these corridors is not just about moving minerals, but a strategic effort by global powers to secure long-term influence over critical mineral supply chains and cut reliance on rivals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Kapiri Mposhi is the starting point, or western terminus, of the Tazara Railway, which connects it to the Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. It is also 118km (73 miles) from Ndola, a key city in central Africa's Copperbelt region that links to the Lobito Corridor. The Nacala Corridor network connects the landlocked nations of Zambia and Malawi to the Port of Nacala in Mozambique. It also extends to major centres in Zambia, including the capital Lusaka, about 200km from Kapiri Mposhi. Zambia is in talks with Chinese companies to build a major dry port in Kapiri Mposhi as part of efforts to position the town as a Copperbelt logistics hub. In May, Zambia hosted a Chinese delegation from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to discuss developing the Kapiri Mposhi Dry Port. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Kai Xue, a Beijing-based China-Africa mining lawyer, the dry port is set to become "the true centre of coast-to-coast corridors connecting the Copperbelt with the 'copper century'". Xue said that despite the lack of overall coordination between China, Japan and the West, the three corridors - with ports in Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania - would complement each other, with Kapiri Mposhi as the hub. Beijing, through China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation will invest US$1.4 billion to rehabilitate the Tazara Railway, which was built in the 1970s with Chinese interestfree loans, under a 30-year concession in the form of a build-operate-transfer model. Japan is also a major player in this strategic rivalry. During the recent ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced plans to expand investment in the Nacala Corridor to integrate mineral supply chains and export capacity to Japan and the rest of Asia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The project, which has been under development since the early 2010s, is a strategic move to secure a stable supply of critical minerals that is an alternative to Beijing's existing supply chains. However, Xue said Japan was mistaken if it believed its corridor would reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains. "China will keep investing in new mines and operating existing ones in the countries along the routes," he said. Instead, he said, the Nacala Corridor investment should be seen as beneficial, including making equipment for the green energy transition affordable as African infrastructure is developed to support the copper century. These corridors, while not fully coordinated, were evolving into pan-African routes echoing the Trans-African Highway first proposed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in 1971, Xue said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Nacala and other corridors will end up a collective effort, whether or not that's the plan of any single country today. Better to admit it now and start coordinating," Xue said, anticipating a future in which Lobito and Tazara become complementary. Further, Washington is funding the upgrade of its corridor that links Angola's Port of Lobito to mineral-rich regions in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. The project is a key part of the G7's Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment or PGII - aimed at countering China's Belt and Road Initiative - and involves rehabilitating the 1,300km railway to create a vital trade route for critical minerals. W. Gyude Moore, a distinguished fellow at the Energy for Growth Hub and a former Liberian public works minister, said Japan and the US and European governments were motivated by wanting to cut their reliance on Chinese-controlled supply chains for critical minerals. He said the tit-for-tat tariff wars had also raised the importance of resilient supply chains and China sought to stay dominant in the global critical minerals supply chain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Africa's concentrated endowment makes it a target of these plans. The question remains whether African governments have the capacity to leverage this advantage to their benefit," he said. China controls most of the processing of rare earths and a large share of cobalt, nickel and lithium refining. Shahrukh Wani, an economist at the International Growth Centre at the London School of Economics, said that for countries such as Japan and the US, alternative corridors were insurance: they diversified routes, shortened distances to ports and reduced exposure to bottlenecks. According to Wani, infrastructure is no longer just about moving ore; it is about shaping global supply lines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "By backing railways and ports, countries are locking in long-term influence over how minerals flow," he said. Furthermore, he said Africa retained leverage as competing offers gave governments bargaining power. "Corridors can simply funnel raw ores abroad, or they can be used to demand local processing, jobs and higher standards." "How deals are struck will decide whether Africa remains a pit stop in other people's supply chains or becomes a hub in its own right." 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. A US House of Representatives committee is taking aim at the Department of Defence for funding hundreds of projects with Chinese universities and institutes linked to the country's defence industry, in the latest sign of Washington's unease over research ties that could benefit Beijing's military modernisation. The 79-page report, released by Republicans on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party on Friday, argues that the projects have allowed China to "exploit" US universities to fuel its military and technological rise. "Balancing academic freedom and open science with national security interests is important," the Republicans wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. "However, unlike in democratic societies - where the norms of scientific openness are grounded in reciprocal trust, transparency, and research integrity - PRC institutions operate under a state-directed research model that is deeply politicised and subordinate to national strategic objectives, including military and economic priorities," they continued. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The report said some within the Pentagon argued research should remain open as long as it is "fundamental" - basic or applied research intended for broad scientific dissemination - and "neither controlled nor classified". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beijing, for its part, has previously said that cooperation in science and technology with the US was "mutually beneficial". Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, called Friday's report "groundless". The committee's investigation found about 1,400 research papers published between June 2023 and June 2025 that cited support from the Defence Department and developed with Chinese partners, including ones that have appeared on US government blacklists. The identified publications were funded by some 700 defence grants and more than half involved entities affiliated with China's defence research and industrial base. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the committee, the projects amounted to over US$2.5 billion and covered "sensitive" research domains like artificial intelligence, hypersonics, quantum sensing, semiconductors and next-generation propulsion. Many of them, the committee says, have "clear military applications". The report makes over a dozen recommendations to curtail US research partnerships with China and improve due diligence within the Pentagon. It takes issue with Defence Department policies that do not forbid research collaboration with foreign organisations that appear on US government entity lists. "Legality does not equal strategic prudence," the Republicans wrote. It also supports a new bill proposed by the committee's Republican chairman, congressman John Moolenaar of Michigan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The legislation would prohibit any Pentagon funding from projects done with researchers affiliated with Chinese entities that the US government identifies as security risks. It would also require enhanced disclosures from federal researchers of their links to adversary countries. Friday's report, which exclusively focuses on the Pentagon, builds on the House committee's finding last year that US-China academic partnerships have allowed hundreds of millions of federal dollars to flow into Beijing's development of critical technology over the past decade. Facing pressure from congressional Republicans, several US universities have terminated joint programmes with Chinese institutions in recent years. Last year, after several rounds of delays, the US and China renewed a government-to-government science and technology agreement but observers have said it has largely remained dormant. US congressman John Moolenaar questions witnesses during a hearing on Capitol Hill in February 2023. Photo: AP alt=US congressman John Moolenaar questions witnesses during a hearing on Capitol Hill in February 2023. Photo: AP> Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. CUMBERLAND Upon recommendation from Cumberlands planning and zoning commission, the mayor and City Council this week approved a site plan review for the proposed 65-unit housing development at the former Allegany High School property on Sedgwick Street. The school, which was open from 1926 to 2018, was demolished in 2022 to make space for new housing. According to city staff, the project, set to be built by D.R. Horton, contains 12 acres in a residential-urban zone and satisfies all applicable setback, building coverage, and building size requirements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, Cumberland officials agreed to allow a three-acre portion of city land near the proposed housing development to become recreational space. In March, Allegany County commissioners reviewed a proposed neighborhood layout, home designs and park plan for the new development. At that time, Adam Strott, the countys economic development specialist, said the residential units could include one- and two-story single-family homes, townhouses and villas. This is just a concept, he said. The houses are expected to be equipped with smart technology and sought-after amenities, according to the countys Economic and Community Development website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of the planned features of the development include ADA-accessible sidewalks, off-street parking and proximity to recreational areas to support residents of every age, according to the website. Prices for the townhomes are expected to start in the high $100,000 range. Units in the development will be built as demand dictates. The neighborhood concept includes native plants, buried utilities and fiber optic internet provided by Breezeline. A trail is planned to connect the neighborhood to the Great Allegheny Passage and Rose Hill Cemetery. Earlier this year, the county collected feedback about the project including a name for the development and two new streets, and features and amenities for the neighborhoods green space. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An agreement between the county and D.R. Horton calls for the county to provide horizontal development that includes utilities, roads, parks and neighborhood improvements. Following that work, Horton will build the homes. This was a very complex deal, Strott said earlier this year. In other Cumberland business, the mayor and City Council gave permission to the Heritage Days Committee to place promotional banners on the sides of parking garages on George and Frederick streets. The banners must be removed 30 days after installation, city officials said. Heritage Days is set for Sept. 13 and 14. Learn more at heritagedaysfestival.com. Supporters of London Mayor Randall Weddle wear t-shirts that say We voted him in! during his impeachment hearing at the Laurel County Judicial Center, Sept. 5, 2025. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley) LONDON The city council in this Eastern Kentucky town ousted embattled Mayor Randall Weddle after an hours-long hearing at the local courthouse Friday. Heading into the hearing, Weddle faced nearly a dozen charges of misconduct and willful neglect of duty, but the six London City Council members ultimately agreed to remove him from office on only three of the charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The council approved charges that alleged Weddle refused to publish an enacted ordinance and then delayed its timely publication, did not fill vacancies on the citys ethics commission in a timely manner and signed a $5 million mortgage without council approval. Nevertheless, Weddle told reporters after the meeting he plans to appeal the removal in circuit court. He also pointed to the hundreds of citizens in the city and county who signed petitions in favor of keeping him in office as a sign that residents were against the councils decision. London, a town of about 7,500 people, is the Laurel County seat. They dont care. They have an agenda, Weddle said of the city council. Supporters gather around former London Mayor Randall Weddle after the city council removed him from office. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley) Weddle had previously contended that the votes were stacked against him, as the council appointed a new member to fill a vacancy earlier this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After voting, the city council appointed a new London mayor Tracie Handley. According to her social media accounts online, she is a local artist. Fridays removal of Weddle is the latest in a months-long brawl between London City Council members and Weddle. City Council meetings became public spectacles as the former mayor and the council members argued back and forth about the allegations. Plus, citizens packed meeting rooms to show their support for or opposition to the mayor. The clashes have also spilled over onto social media. Facebook livestreams for recent city council meetings have gained hundreds of comments. Weddle has also posted Facebook statuses about city meetings, such as uploading a circus flyer for one meeting, complete with city council members faces superimposed on clowns. After a council meeting earlier this week, Weddle vowed to run for reelection in 2026 and: Were going to give em hell. The courthouse hearing was no quiet affair. Most of the audience members inside the room were supporters of Weddle who clapped for him whenever he entered the room and donned t-shirts that said, I stand with Mayor Weddle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The audience was mostly quiet as witnesses testified but emotions erupted between council member Kelly Smith Greene and one of the witnesses, Phil Smith, her cousin and the chair of the London Tourism Commission, as she spoke near the end of the hearing during the councils deliberations. Bailiffs removed Smith, who had earlier defended the $5 million mortgage, which had been sought to support the tourism commission. Weddle supporters cheered him on. You neglected to ever communicate with council members. You came in like a bull in a china shop, Greene said to Weddle. You were the boss and you didnt get our opinion. Other witnesses included Weddle himself, the acting city clerk, a former city clerk, local Housing Authority workers and Chief of Police Bobby Day. Much of the testimony included questions about if Weddle acted appropriately in various situations. Some of the charges that fell short of the necessary unanimous approval from council members alleged that Weddle had erroneously removed members of the London Housing Authority board and had directed the authoritys employees to not follow laws and regulations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While on the stand, Weddle expressed concern about another appointment to an office this time the mayors office that is typically on the ballot. At present, three of the council members have been appointed instead of being elected by citizens. People see the chaos in London and I think that both branches (of government) are to blame for some things and we both have to take blame for where it belongs, but one of the biggest chaoses in this city is that peoples voices are not being heard, Weddle said. Former Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Joseph Lambert presided as the hearing officer for Fridays city council meeting. Weddle also has made headlines for his political contributions to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and the Kentucky Democratic Party during the 2023 race for governor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kentucky Lantern reported in April 2023 that Weddles family and his companys employees had given more than $300,000 to support Beshear, including $2,000 contributions from people who had never before made a political donation. The Beshear campaign later returned $202,000 in donations that Weddle had put on his credit card and that had been made in the names of other people, a violation of campaign finance laws. The state Registry of Election Finance continues to investigate the donations. The registry staff earlier this year recommended that the board find Weddle unknowingly violated the law. In February, the board unanimously deferred action on that recommendation and asked the registry staff to provide additional information, including about actions of the Beshear campaign and Kentucky Democratic Party. When Weddles excessive contributions came to light during the 2023 primary campaign, then-Attorney Daniel Cameron, who was a Republican candidate for governor, asked the FBI to investigate. In Laurel County, a police shooting in December has fueled dissatisfaction with Weddles administration. London police shot and killed Doug Harless, 63, in his home while serving a warrant for stolen property at the wrong house. Citizens line up before the Laurel County Judicial Center opens to get a seat for Mayor Randall Weddles removal hearing, Sept. 5, 2025. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley) SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the City of Monroe have conducted a study to determine the future site of an Air Traffic Control Tower at Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport. This study is part of the FAAs Contract Tower Program, which the City of Monroe joined in November 2023. The program ensures federal funding for contracted tower operations, while the city is responsible for constructing the tower with the help of grants and financial assistance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is exciting to see this project moving forward, said City Manager Mark Watson. Having the FAA conduct the siting study for our new Air Traffic Control Tower is a critical step to move this project along. The City of Monroe has already received $6 million in funding from the North Carolina General Assembly for the construction of the tower. The new tower will be the first of its kind at Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport and is expected to improve safety for pilots and passengers while supporting the airports growth. The site selection process involved advanced 3D modeling to determine the best location and height for the tower, ensuring safe and efficient airport operations. With the FAAs study completed, the City of Monroe is moving forward with plans to construct the Air Traffic Control Tower by November 2028. TAYLOR, TEXAS (KXAN) The City of Taylor is looking for the publics feedback on its sidewalks and trails for their Taylor Active Transportation & ADA Transition Plans. On Thursday, the city hosted its first town hall meeting on this matter to gather public opinion. The City of Taylor told KXAN they plan to host more town hall meetings to continue that effort. SIMILAR COVERAGE: Proposed multi-lane road expansion to address city of Taylors rapid growth Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have a limited amount of funding, and so as we identify funding for sidewalk and shared use path and trail projects, we would like to already have a plan for where that funding should go, said Daniel Seguin, the Communications director for the City of Taylor. Currently there are two different sidewalk/trial projects set to begin for the city: One on Martin Luther King Jr Blvd and the other in Bull Branch Park. This plan truly is going to affect how we build trails and sidewalks in the next five to 20 years, Seguin said. Public concerns over current sidewalk infrastructure Eddie Chavez and Shannon Green work at the Taylor Bike Shop, and they both feel that investments are long overdue for the sidewalks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I tripped on one of the steps by my neighborhood and just fell over, Chavez said. These sidewalks are pretty rough. Following that fall, Chavez said that he injured his back and struggled to walk properly for a couple of months. Moving around by foot, wheelchair, on bike, its just not its not very easy, Chavez said. If you were on any sort of wheelchair, scooter, mobility helperyou have to go all the way up the block and come back down and around to get into the business over here, Green said. I think it deters people from shopping down here, for sure, and its dangerous, like I trip all the time, and Im here every day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The City of Taylor told KXAN that they plan to finalize their Taylor Active Transportation & ADA Transition Plans sometime next Spring. 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. Claremore's state senator said she wants to know how elementary school teachers across the state are using technology in the classroom. Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore, will hold a joint interim study on the topic with Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, Oct. 7 at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Seifried is vice chair of the Senate Education Committee. Last October, Seifried and another senator brought superintendents, mental health experts and others to the Capitol for a two-day study on banning cell phones in public schools. The study inspired Senate Bill 139, the proposal that became the bell-to-bell phone ban now enshrined in state law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seifried said during the two years she worked to ban phones at school, she spoke to parents and teachers who suggested she also look into how laptops and other devices affect student learning. She said though she believes technology can yield great learning benefits, AI-powered educational tools are a new frontier education leaders and policymakers need to thoroughly map out. "It's more exploratory than, I think, any other interim study that I've conducted," Seifried said. "I really don't have any sort of preset notions of where it will go and what information I'll learn or what policies will come out of it, if any. I can see a situation where we can say maybe the state doesn't need to take an approach to this. But I just wanted to continue the conversation." Banning cell phones at school was Seifried's top legislative priority last year. This year, she said, she is approaching the broader issue of technology in classrooms more like an academic. She said she aims to figure out how elementary teachers are using tools like Amira, an AI reading assistant available to all Oklahoma school districts, and determine whether these tools yield better outcomes than more traditional teaching methods. In a July release announcing the study, Caldwell said its goal is to find out how students learn best. He said Oklahoma students must be prepared for a digital world, but lawmakers and schools should pause before getting rid of "fundamentals that have served generations of learners." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seifried said a constituent told her a year ago that their child, who follows an Individualized Educational Program, was struggling in math because the student wasn't learning how to work out problems on paper. "You already have someone who maybe has challenges to overcome, and then they're trying to learn math on a screen," Seifried said. "That really bothered me. Maybe it's the right thing to do, maybe it's not. When I have to do math problems, I write them out, but that's maybe a good example of what we're trying to study." Seifried said she and Caldwell are still nailing down when the study will take place and who will give testimony. She said when these details come out, people can find them at oksenate.gov or okhouse.gov. She said she hopes the study will ignite constructive discussions about the role of technology in classrooms during the coming legislative session, which gavels Feb. 2, 2026. "This is our chance to say these are the issues we care about and highlight them for our colleagues," Seifried said. "It's a time for us to be a little bit more reflective and dive deeper on the issues, instead of just having to push the red or green button." The Claremore Veterans Center put on a ceremony Sept. 2 to honor local veterans of World War II. Japan surrendered to the Allies Sept. 2, 1945, marking the ultimate end of human history's deadliest conflict. Claremore's veterans home commemorated the 80th anniversary of the war's conclusion Sept. 2 by paying tribute to the soldiers who fought in it. The center recognized nine veterans of the war: Eugene B., Billy C., John Cockrum, Jerry Crockett, Robert E., Joseph M., William Mauch, Preston Wheaton and Billy Y. The veterans home listed some of the men only by their first name and last initial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Each man received a commemorative coin made to resemble the Honorable Service Lapel Button soldiers in WWII would receive after discharge. Scott Hannaford, founder of Bison Challenge Coins, designed the coins and moderated the event. "Today, we are celebrating the legacy of the Ruptured Duck," Hannaford said. "I'm sure many of you are wondering, what is the Ruptured Duck, and why is it significant?" The "Ruptured Duck" refers to the Honorable Service Lapel Button, which depicts an eagle emerging from a wreath, though Hannaford said many soldiers thought it looked more like a duck. Hannaford said when a service member received an honorable discharge, fellow soldiers would often say the person "took off like a ruptured duck." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hannaford's tokens combined the ruptured duck with another military custom: challenge coins. These are medallions bearing the insignia of a service member's unit; Hannaford said they originated in World War I as a way for American soldiers to prove their identity to allied forces. "Today, the challenge coin has taken on a little bit different of a significance," Hannaford said. "They're still used in the military today, more as a morale booster. Law enforcement uses them, and a lot of non-law enforcement organizations use them as well for recognition of going above and beyond someone's job duties." Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore, read a proclamation by Gov. Kevin Stitt designating Sept. 2 as "Oklahoma Ruptured Duck Day." She, Hannaford, Broken Arrow Mayor Debra Wimpee and volunteer Donna Lee gave each of the nine veterans their challenge coin and an individual copy of the proclamation. Seifried said honoring veterans is among her favorite duties of her office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "To the veterans we're honoring today, I just want to say when you signed up and volunteered, you didn't know the amazing things that America would do after WWII, but you signed up, anyways," Seifried said. "... Every amazing thing that we accomplished after WWII is because of you all." The event's keynote speaker was Josh Starks, commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 577 in Tulsa and veteran of the Afghanistan War. Starks said instead of trying to recount the entire history of WWII, he would share two stories of how the war touched his life. One of them was about his great-uncle Paul. Starks' grandmother was Paul's sister; Paul lived alone in a one-room shack on her property. Starks said when he went to visit his grandmother, she would tell him how her brother had been a lively boy who loved to drive fast cars before he was drafted to fight in Europe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "When he came back, he was changed forever," Starks said. "When he came back, he couldn't function. He couldn't deal with life. He couldn't deal with people. He had lost too many people along the way and seen too many things. That was my first incursion, really, into WWII and understanding this time going forward." Starks said before he shipped out for Afghanistan, he'd hardly ever heard his great-uncle speak. When Starks returned two years later, Paul had moved into his sister's house so she could take care of him. Starks said when he walked into his grandmother's house, his great-uncle jumped to his feet like he was 18 again and embraced him. He said Paul told him every story he remembered from WWII and described all the people he'd known. Later that night, Starks noticed his grandmother a stoic woman who he said didn't shed a tear when she buried her husband on her knees, weeping uncontrollably. "When we talk about the cost of war, it runs deep," Starks said. "It's not just the individuals that serve. It's the families that have taken care of those individuals that have served for their entire lives." A Washington County teen is facing charges after police say she stabbed another teen on Saturday. A release from Pennsylvania State Police says that officers were called to Mill Street in Claysville for reports of a stabbing around 11:30 a.m. Faith Marie Seibert, 18, of Claysville, is alleged to have stabbed an 18-year-old man multiple times, leaving him with lacerations. Seibert was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, possessing instruments of crime, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court records show Seibert is being held in the Washington County Prison and has been unable to post bail, which is set at $50,000. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW Sep. 6Holmes being sued in civil court over accident On July 10, Coal Grove Mayor Andy Holmes pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a hit and run collision that escalated to a fight with Ironton police officers before he was arrested on Saturday, March 1. Holmes made the plea in Ironton Municipal Court. Trending * Ashland 12th St. Bridge to be closed for a week for inspection starting Sunday * Man arrested for threats against Scioto County schools Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under a plea agreement, he got 10 days in the Lawrence County Jail but that will be suspended if he completes a 72-hour driver intervention program approved by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction within 90 days. His driver's license was suspended for six months and he is on probation for six months. He was fined $525 on a drunk driving charge and will have to pay $10 a month for a supervision fee while he is on probation. Holmes was charged with a hit/skip violation, a third-degree misdemeanor which carries a maximum penalty of 60 days in county jail, operating a vehicle while impaired, which carries a maximum penalty of six months in county jail and assured clear distance ahead violation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case was handled by a special prosecutor. In a separate civil case, Holmes is being sued by the woman whose car he hit, Erika Hudson, of Portsmouth, for the amount $25,000. Trending * Homeless man charged with murder in Scioto County homicide * Public tours new D-B manufacturing lab According to a court filing, Holmes was negligent when he hit Hudson's car on March 1 and Hudson sustained injuries and incurred and will continue to incur medical costs and "Said injuries caused, and will continue to cause, pain, suffering, inconvenience, emotional distress, a loss of and interference with their ability to participate in and perform their normal daily activities, a loss of enjoyment of life, and consortium, companionship and services; Plaintiffs suffered economic loss and lost wages; Plaintiffs are, or may be, permanently disabled. Such disability caused, and will continue to cause, a diminution of earning capacity; and as a direct and proximate result of said negligence, Plaintiffs sustained damages to property." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Holmes denied the allegations in the suit and has asked for the case to be dismissed. The case is being heard by Lawrence County Common Pleas Judge Christen Finley and will have a case management hearing on Oct. 27. The case began March 1 just after midnight with a report of a hit-skip accident in the 3600 block of South Third Street. According to a report from the Ironton Police Department, officers found a sedan with "significant" rear end damage on Third Street in Ironton and a woman standing beside it. They also found several parts of a GMC along the roadway. One officer stayed at the site of the crash and the other went to search for the GMC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dispatch called to tell the officer that OnStar had reported a crash in the area and gave the information of the vehicle involved, including an address, which was Holmes' address in Coal Grove. An officer found a black 2023 GMC Yukon with "severe" damage to the front end at house. Because of the damage, the officer was concerned about the welfare of the driver and called for an additional officer to help locate the driver. Officers were let into the home and found Holmes in bed with blood coming from a head wound. According to the police report, the officers explained that they were from Ironton, where the crash occurred. The Ironton officers asked who Holmes was and they were told that he was the mayor of Coal Grove. The Ironton officers said that the fact that he was the mayor of Coal Grove was irrelevant, since the accident happened in Ironton. According to the police report, Holmes aggressively got out of bed and told them to leave because they didn't have a warrant and that they were on private property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the door, the report said that he shoved one of the officers and grabbed his vest, at which point Holmes was told he was under arrest. The report said Holmes swung at an officer, pulled away and headed toward the kitchen. The officers followed him to take him into custody, but Holmes continued to aggressively pull away, according to the report. According to the police report, an officer pulled his Taser and stunned Holmes in the right side of his stomach and tried to handcuff him, the report said. He was stunned twice more, before he was handcuffed and put in the patrol car. Holmes was examined by EMS for his head wound and then was taken to the Lawrence County Jail. You Might Like Columnists Jim Crawford: Truth has no room in today's GOP News South Point considering sewer expenses News Proctorville Street Dance set for Sept. 27 News Glen Adkins HONOLULU (KHON2) The Coast Guard Sector Honolulu is urging the local maritime community to be updated on the status of Hurricane Kiko and heed to weather warnings. While Kiko is currently more than 1,200 miles away from the closest Hawaiian island, the Coast Guard is urging boaters, those who fish and anyone else who may be in the ocean to protect themselves and their vessels. Hurricane Kiko expected to lose hurricane status as he approaches islands Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hurricane can generate swells that are expected to reach the islands toward the end of this upcoming weekend, which can cause life-threatening surf and rip currents, the Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard, in tandem with local and federal partners, plans on evaluating the need for life-saving support in areas affected by the storm so they may take appropriate action. However, dangerous conditions provided by the storm could severely limit the Coast Guards ability to conduct rescues, and it may even render rescue services completely unavailable. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You To prepare for a dangerous storm, the Coast Guard advises to do the following: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Store your vessel in a secure location Secure all paddlecrafts Loose paddlecrafts that end up in the water can cause false distress calls Remove all loose items from your vessel while not in use, such as life jackets Contact local marinas for vessel securing advice Stay off the water Monitor the weather and abide by all warnings Avoid rocks and jetties due to unpredictable waves Be sure to heed to instructions from local emergency managers and officials in the event of an evacuation. Mariners will receive notices on VHF-FM channels 16 and 22A. Those in distress are urged to call 911. 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 KHON2. PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) Several agencies responded to a boat fire near the Renaissance Portsmouth-Norfolk Waterfront Hotel Saturday morning, according to the Portsmouth Fire Department. The fire happened in the 400 block of Water Street around 6:30 a.m. Upon arrival, crews noticed smoke from a steel hulled vessel about 50 feet long and declared it a working fire. 10 On Your Side reached out to the Portsmouth Fire Department, which confirmed the Coast Guard and the Virginia Port Authority, as well as crews from Portsmouth, Norfolk and Chesapeake responded to the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The boats occupants were not onboard, but a dog was rescued from the cabin and treated on the scene. The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Virginia is overseeing the safe removal of hazardous materials and petroleum products from the vessel. Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard Sector Virginia Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard Sector Virginia Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard Sector Virginia WAVY 10 viewers Norm Harper and John Schools sent in photos of the scene. Courtesy: Norm Harper Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Courtesy: Norm Harper Courtesy: Norm Harper Courtesy: John Schools Courtesy: John Schools Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PFD confirmed the scene is still active and will provide updates when they become available. According to the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Virginia, the owner is responsible for the removal of the vessel. In the event the owner cannot immediately act, the Coast Guard will utilize the OSLTF to remove the harmful products. After removal is complete, the owner will be responsible for repayment to the OSLTF. OSLTF stands for Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. 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. COGAT also explained that this was another example of Hamas exploiting civilians as human shields, prioritizing its goals over the lives and safety of Gazas residents. A letter supposedly written by Hamas government officials inside of Gaza ordered civil employees to remain in the northern part of the Strip, a statement by the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) revealed on Friday. In an official directive, the Hamas government ordered its employees not to leave northern Gaza for southern Gaza. The message threatens punitive measures against employees who attempt to leave the north, COGAT said on a Twitter/X post. The statement also explained that this was another example of Hamas exploiting civilians as human shields, prioritizing its goals over the lives and safety of Gazas residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The translation of the letter said, Instruct your competent authority to circulate to all employees in your ministries and government institutions not to leave the northern Gaza Strip. "Work to thwart the Zionist enemys plans to displace the residents of the Strip, noting that the maximum penalties will be taken against employees who violate the instructions, and everyone is subject to legal and administrative responsibility. Hamas flag painted on a cracked wall. (credit: zmotions/Shutterstock) Trump: Negotiations with Hamas very deep Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington was in "very deep" negotiations with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas and urged them to release all hostages held in Gaza. "We said let them all out, right now let them all out. And much better things will happen for them, but if you don't let them all out, it's going to be a tough situation, it's going to be nasty," Trump said, adding that Hamas was "asking for some things that are fine. "Of the 20 people, there could be some who recently died," the US leader admitted. Reuters contributed to this report. NEED TO KNOW A cable car derailed in Portugal, killing 16 people and injuring 21 others Dr. Heather Hall, a Department of Teacher Education faculty member at the College of Charleston, was among those who died in the Sept. 3 crash The 51-year-old was a traveler, a mom of two and an advocate for people with disabilities A college instructor was killed in Portugal after a cable car derailed, killing 16 people and leaving 21 others injured. According to a statement from the College of Charleston in South Carolina, Dr. Heather Hall, a mother of two and a Department of Teacher Education faculty member specializing in literacy and special education, died in the tragic accident, which occurred on Wednesday, Sept. 3. She was 51, per the Post and Courier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Associated Press reported that a 19th-century streetcar in Lisbon derailed and crashed during the evening rush hour. The cable car, known as the Elevador da Gloria, was crumpled after it seemingly crashed into a building where the road bends. Five Portuguese nationals, three British citizens, two Canadians, two South Koreans, one French person, one Swiss and one Ukrainian were also among the deceased, police said. Zed Jameson/Anadolu via Getty The aftermath of the cable car crash in Lisbon, Portugal. The aftermath of the cable car crash in Lisbon, Portugal. "This is a tragic loss for all of us," School of Education Dean Fran Welch told PEOPLE in a statement. "Heathers untimely death occurred while she was in Lisbon to speak at a conference." "As an alumna of the College (97) and a dynamic instructor with a specialization in special education, she shared her love of travel with her students. Her energy, kindness and student-centeredness will be deeply missed, Welch added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the college, Hall was a Fulbright Scholar in Ghana and was a lifelong advocate for people with disabilities, serving on the governor-appointed Charleston County Disabilities Board. "Heather learned how to understand and celebrate other cultures," the college wrote. "She shared her love of travel with her students on study abroad trips to Italy. She was planning future learning experiences in Iceland and Belize." The 51-year-old was a longtime South Carolina resident. She was born in Rock Hill and earned college degrees from around the state as a first-generation college student, including at the University of South Carolina, where she received her doctorate. She also worked as a special educator in the Charleston County School District, working with both children and adults with disabilities. 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. Her family described her in a statement as "a beloved daughter, sister, mother, educator and advocate" who "passed away doing what she did best living life fully, boldly, and with a heart wide open to the world." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "She didnt just have friends she had soul-deep connections with people who felt truly seen and cherished by her," Hall's family wrote. "To know Heather was to be known and loved in return." "She believed deeply in the power of education to change lives, and she poured her wisdom, joy, and belief in others into her students and colleagues alike," her family added. Heather Hall/Facebook Heather Hall. Heather Hall. Speaking to the Post and Courier, Bridget Miller, a longtime friend of Hall's, said that she was also a passionate supporter of the arts, and even performed with a local performing arts group called Heart: An Inclusive Arts Community. She also made appearances in Outer Banks and The Righteous Gemstones as an extra. According to Miller, Hall worked on her dissertation in between takes on the TV sets, writing until a member of the crew called out, Teacher lady, we need you. "Whether she was onstage singing and dancing, or across the globe on one of her many study abroad adventures from France to Ghana to Central America Heather approached life with infectious enthusiasm and curiosity," Hall's family wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "She taught all of us that the hardest part of stepping into a new experience is simply showing up and once you do, the world opens wide. Her life was extraordinary, not only in her accomplishments but in the way she loved and lived," the family said. Halls family also emphasized how much she loved being a mother, writing that her "most cherished role was that of being a mother to two amazing children." "She believed in them with all her heart and wanted nothing more than for them to live their lives fully finding their purpose, trusting themselves, and being open to joy, adventure, and the wild, wonderful possibility of life," they wrote. The College of Charleston told PEOPLE that students impacted by Hall's death can receive assistance through the school by contacting the Counseling Center. Faculty and staff may contact AllOne Health. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Heather Lynn Hall leaves behind a legacy of love, courage, inclusion and joy," her family's statement concluded. "May we honor her by living as she did with curiosity, compassion and open hearts." Read the original article on People President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sept. 5 again dismissed a proposal to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, suggesting the Russian leader should come to Ukraine instead. "He can come to Kyiv," Zelensky said in an interview with ABC News, laughing and shaking his head after being asked about the Moscow invitation. "I can't go to Moscow when my country's under missiles, under attack, each day. I can't go to the capital of this terrorist." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite repeatedly avoiding an in-person meeting, Putin claimed on Sept. 3 that he has "never ruled out" direct talks with the Ukrainian president, adding, "If Zelensky is ready, let him come to Moscow." The meeting between the two leaders would be a crucial step toward negotiating an end to the full-scale war in Ukraine, now ongoing for three and a half years. Following talks with Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was working to facilitate a potential meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders. The Kremlin has denied that any such agreement was reached. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, a bilateral summit between Putin and Zelensky is "not ready at all," despite Trump's statements. Talking to U.S. media in August, Lavrov repeated Russian propaganda narratives that Zelensky is not a legitimate leader, a justification often used by the Kremlin to dodge the meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zelensky has previously voiced readiness to meet Putin on neutral ground, including during Russian-Ukrainian peace talks in Istanbul earlier this year a proposal rejected by Moscow. Despite international efforts to negotiate an end to the war, Moscow has refused calls for a ceasefire and continued to push maximalist demands, namely, a ban on Ukraine joining NATO and control over the entire Donetsk Oblast, including areas not controlled by Russian forces. Simultaneously, Russia has ramped up aerial attacks against Ukrainian cities and continued ground offensive operations in Ukraine's east. Read also: Ukrainian drones strike Russias largest Rosneft refinery in Ryazan, hit oil processing unit, military says Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The Rogers County Commissioners consented Sept. 2 to the Rogers County Sheriff's Office's seeking additional grant funding. The commissioners approved a resolution to allow the sheriff's office to apply for an annual grant from the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office. They also cosigned a request to the federal government to extend a funding stream for one more year. The state Legislature created the Oklahoma Sheriff's Office Funding Assistance Program in 2024. It sets aside about $18 million for the attorney general to distribute yearly to county sheriff's offices, and sheriffs may use the funds for nearly any purpose except furnishing salaries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Captain Bronson Smith said Rogers County received $300,000 from the program last year. The award funded 22 Tasers, 40 ballistic vests, 80 metal plates and 26 computers. "The sheriff's office would ask for your support," Smith said. "Receiving this grant this year, there's no matching funds or anything. It's $300,000. There's not really much requirements, other than they have specific items that qualify." The commissioners also gave Smith the go-ahead on requesting a one-year extension for a federal grant the sheriff's office is using to help inmates with mental health problems break the recidivism cycle. Smith said the Bureau of Justice Assistance, part of the U.S. Department of Justice, had approved Rogers County for funding through its Justice and Mental Health Collaboration grant in 2022. The bureau intended the money to last the county and grant partner Grand Mental Health from October 2022 to the end of this month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the letter to BJA the commissioners cosigned, the sheriff's office used the grant to hire and train two deputies as a crisis intervention team. It is also organizing training to prepare all patrol deputies and detention officers to act as crisis case workers. "The CIT completes periodic welfare checks and followup for individuals with potential mental health issues before they go into crisis," the sheriff's office wrote in the letter. "The CIT helps to reduce first responder involvement with these individuals by ensuring they are receiving adequate treatment, taking their medication, and have access to resources to meet their need." Smith said he's asking for one more year of the grant, about $500,000, because it took the sheriff's office and Grand longer than they'd anticipated to develop the required planning and implementation guide. According to the letter, the extension would allow the grant recipients to continue the project objectives and begin collecting data on the program's outcomes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The commissioners also welcomed a new member to the Rogers County Planning Commission board. Terri Peters, formerly Claremore Economic Development's small business developer and co-owner of the Tails-A-Wagn' dog daycare, took her seat on the board Sept. 3. The board meets twice monthly and provides recommendations to the commissioners on approving or rejecting zoning changes. Missy Richardson, planning commission director, said the board had badly needed another member and is still seeking one more. They are unpaid volunteer positions. Before he made the motion to approve her appointment, District 1 Commissioner Dan DeLozier jokingly asked Peters if she'd like to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner." "I feel we're really lucky to get you," DeLozier said. CWF monthly meal Sept. 10 MARKLEVILLE The Christian Womens Fellowship (CWF) of the East Christian Church in Markleville will host the God Abundance Meal Wednesday, Sept. 10. The meal will be served from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the lower fellowship hall of the church. The menu will include chicken-and-noodles, mashed potatoes, green beans, applesauce, assorted desserts and drinks for dine in or take out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Next months meal will be on Oct. 8. Bereavement group to meet Sept. 11ANDERSON Bethanys Bereavement Support Ministry will meet Thursday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. in the Fireside Room at Bethany Christian Church. Connie Owens, grief counselor from Alexandria, will be the guest speaker. Enter through the North Entrance (Door No.7) across from Highland Middle School. Information: 765-643-5713. Hundreds of community members gathered to remember the life of 9-year-old Renesmay Eutsey, who was found dead in a river in Fayette County after she was reported missing. PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> 9-year-old girl reported missing in Fayette County found dead, foster mother charged with homicide Dunbar Township residents gathered at Franklin Memorial Methodist Church on Friday night to call for justice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They sang songs, spoke and lit candles. This precious little child, whose laughter should be echoing down the hillside into our town tonight, was taken from us in a horrific and unimaginable way, one pastor said. Among the many dozens in attendance was District Attorney Mike Aubele. Any moment I can think about Renesmay and mourn for her, I can, but, if I dont do my job, then Im not doing her justice, Aubele said. Outside the church, there was anger and frustration. What the hell is wrong with our system? Why [werent] these kids being checked on? community member Gregory Thompson said. Renesmays biological parents and other family members held signs and shouted for justice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They deserve every ounce of pain they put that baby through, biological mother Christina Benedetto said. No child asks to be brought into this world just to be taken out of it, Uncle Brian Benedetto said. Both of Renesmays foster parents, Kourtney Malinda Eutsey and Sarah Ann Shipley, have been charged with criminal homicide. D.A. Mike Aubele says justice is his focus and there could be more charges coming. Were going to be filing additional charges related to another child in the home. What I would call torture, he said. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW Officials with Concord Hospital say staff responsible for placing a camera in the womens locker room have been identified and are facing swift disciplinary action, up to and including termination, following an internal investigation. Concord Police received a complaint on Thursday, Aug. 21, that a camera was placed in the womens operating room staff locker area, located near the hospitals intensive care unit and operating room. Concord Hospital President and CEO Robert P. Steigmeyer notified staff of the report in an email. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, Veronica L. Rosa, the hospital's chief advancement officer, said Concord Hospital Health System (CHHS) completed its internal investigation by Human Resources and Risk Management which included more than a dozen staff interviews and confirmed the camera was installed on Aug. 9 as part of an investigation into several reported thefts and removed on Aug. 20. The camera was directed at an individual locker, did not capture audio, and access to its recording was limited, Rosa said in a statement. Both the camera and its recording file have been turned over to the Concord Police Department, whose investigation into the incident remains ongoing. Rosa said the individuals responsible have been identified and are facing appropriate and swift disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CHHS does not condone the use of cameras in private spaces such as this, Rosa said. Security cameras are used in public areas and in certain specialized care or medical settings to ensure the safety and security of patients, visitors, staff and property. We are undertaking a comprehensive review of policies and procedures, auditing all surveillance equipment, and providing mandatory leadership training to ensure this does not happen again. We deeply regret any distress this incident caused and remain committed to protecting the privacy, safety, and trust of our staff, patients, and community. Rosa said hospital officials are unable to comment further on the matter, citing the ongoing police investigation. GOMA, Congo (AP) Congo's authorities announced earlier this week a new Ebola outbreak, which has killed more than a dozen people in a southern province. Samples analyzed at the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa, the Congolese capital, confirmed the presence of the most virulent strain of the virus, known as Zaire, the earlier name of the country. The announcement comes as the authorities are facing renewed, intensified fighting in the east and an already fragile health care system has been further impaired by U.S. aid cuts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How Ebola is transmitted The Ebola virus is highly contagious and can be transmitted to people from wild animals. It then spreads in the human population through contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen, and with surfaces and materials such as bedding and clothing, contaminated with these fluids. The disease it causes is a rare but severe and often fatal illness in people. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding. The virus was first discovered in 1976, near the lake of Ebola in what is now Congo. The first outbreaks occurred in remote villages in Central Africa, near tropical rainforests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The latest outbreak has killed more than a dozen Congo's Health Ministry announced on Thursday a new Ebola outbreak after the first confirmed case of a 34-year-old pregnant woman in the locality of Boulape, in Mweka territory, in southern Kasai province. She was admitted to the hospital last month with symptoms of hemorrhagic fever, and died a few hours later from multiple organ failure. The new outbreak is suspected of causing 15 deaths among 28 people with symptoms, including four health workers, the ministry said. Its the 16th outbreak of Ebola in Congo, and Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said the fatality rate, estimated at 53.6%, showed the gravity of the situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The World Health Organization said that the number of cases is likely to rise. Case numbers are likely to increase as the transmission is ongoing," it said in a statement. Response teams and local teams will work to find the people who may be infected and need to receive care, to ensure everyone is protected as quickly as possible. Dr. Jean Paul Mikobi, the chief medical officer of the Boulape health zone, also warned of a possible surge in infections, as many residents have fled their villages in fear of contamination, making it difficult to trace and monitor those who fall ill. Dr. Amitie Bukidi, the head of the Mweka health zone, said Saturday that all the territory's four health zones had received suspected cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Congo's previous outbreaks The last Ebola outbreak, in Congo's northeastern Equateur province in 2022, killed six people. An earlier outbreak in eastern Congo between 2018 and 2020 killed more than 1,000 people, the most deaths after the 2014-2016 outbreak in the West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia that killed more than 11,000 people. A volatile security situation and deep community mistrust have hampered efforts to control the epidemic in eastern Congo. Ebola treatment centers have come under repeated attack, leaving government health officials to staff clinics in the hot spots of Butembo and Katwa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Containing the spread of the disease Health officials have urged the population to strictly follow preventive measures, including social distancing and handwashing. The WHO said it dispatched experts to Kasai province to strengthen disease surveillance, treatment and infection prevention in health facilities. It is also delivering supplies including personal protective equipment, mobile laboratory gear and medicines. Congo has a stockpile of treatments and of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine, WHO said. A team of experts from the National Institute of Biomedical Research was also sent from Kinshasa to the Mweka health zone, and set up a mobile laboratory to test samples taken from patients on site, according to Bukidi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The main challenges we face involve the lack of personnel and the shortage of personal protective equipment, Bukidi told The Associated Press. Beyond that, our hospitals need to be supplied with medicines and special equipment capable of addressing this epidemic. In response to the spread of the virus, Francois Mingambengele, the administrator of Mweka territory, imposed partial confinement measures on Friday. They include the suspension of classes and graduation ceremonies and the closure of weekly markets. - Pronczuk reported from Dakar, Senegal. Jean-Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo contributed to this report. Conor McGregor, the former UFC champion turned political provocateur, is training for what looks to be one of his toughest fights yet: securing a spot on the ballot for Irelands upcoming presidential election. The 37-year-old announced his candidacy in March after appearing at the White House on St. Patricks Day alongside President Donald Trump. McGregor, his wife, children, and Elon Musk were photographed in the Oval Office, where rumors first started to float about the fighter running a campaign back in Ireland. In an X post on Thursday, McGregor officially took the first step forward, announcing his plans to run in his home countrys election this fall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elon Musk almost immediately endorsed the campaign: No one will fight harder for the people of Ireland than Conor McGregor! Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2025 Despite the viral online response, McGregor faces challenges in making his campaign legitimate. Under Irish law, a presidential hopeful must be nominated either by 20 members of the Oireachtas (the name for Irelands parliament) or four of the nations 31 local authorities (essentially Irelands county and city councils). With just weeks to go before the September 24 deadline, McGregor has neither. A survey conducted in March by Sky News, of 134 Irish lawmakers, found an almost unanimous rejection of his candidacy. Those who responded to the survey labeled him everything from a misogynist to a thug. Additionally, political scientists, including Eoin OMalley of Dublin City University, have said bluntly that McGregor has not a hope in hell of securing the necessary endorsements to earn a spot in the presidential race. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Part of the pushback stems from McGregors extensive list of personal, highly public controversies. The fighter was found civilly liable for sexual assault in Dublin in 2024, with a jury awarding 250,000 (roughly $293,000 USD) to the plaintiff, according to Time Magazine. That judgment was upheld another time, after an appeal from McGregor and his legal team earlier this summer. Another sexual assault case was dropped back in 2023 by prosecutors in Miami. He also has other prior convictions for assault and enough repeated driving offenses to have lost his license completely. Even if McGregor could somehow get his name on the ballot, Irelands presidential race is run through a single transferable vote system, which has somewhat rewarded candidates in the past who had a more calm, bipartisan appeal. That would make it very difficult for a polarizing figure like McGregor to collect enough second- and third-preference votes to win in Irelands electoral system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For now, McGregor is relying on social media, urging his millions of followers to pressure local councillors into nominating him. If you are a councillor who feels your voice is ignored, your hands tied, and your community overlooked, then I ask you to stand with me. Nominate me, and I will give you the platform and power to be truly heard. If you want to vote for McGregor, it starts now. Call your local councillor today and demand change, McGregor said. Germany's conservative bloc needs help from left-wing parties in its fight against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), a top lawmaker said on Saturday. Jens Spahn, the parliamentary group leader of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's centre-right alliance, told the Frankfurt Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper that the bloc - known in Germany as the Union - is under threat from the AfD. "Sometimes I would like to call out to my colleagues from the centre-left: Anyone who wants to keep the AfD small must have an interest in a strong Union," Spain said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Large parts of the AfD, especially its thought leaders, want to destroy us," he added, calling his bloc a decisive bulwark against far-right politics. "Look at France or the Netherlands: the fact that the bourgeois conservative parties were crushed has strengthened the far right," he said. The AfD finished in second place behind Merz's conservatives in February's parliamentary elections and is now the country's largest opposition party, despite coming under surveillance by domestic intelligence due to "suspected" right-wing extremist tendencies. Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), are now in coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spahn rejected left-wing accusations that he wants to tear down the so-called "firewall" - a commitment made by German parties against working with the AfD. The number of conversations he has had with AfD politicians amounts to zero, he said. Germany's conservative bloc needs help from left-wing parties in its fight against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), a top lawmaker said on Saturday. Jens Spahn, the parliamentary group leader of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's centre-right alliance, told the Frankfurt Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper that the bloc - known in Germany as the Union - is under threat from the AfD. "Sometimes I would like to call out to my colleagues from the centre-left: Anyone who wants to keep the AfD small must have an interest in a strong Union," Spain said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Large parts of the AfD, especially its thought leaders, want to destroy us," he added, calling his bloc a decisive bulwark against far-right politics. "Look at France or the Netherlands: the fact that the bourgeois conservative parties were crushed has strengthened the far right," he said. The AfD finished in second place behind Merz's conservatives in February's parliamentary elections and is now the country's largest opposition party, despite coming under surveillance by domestic intelligence due to "suspected" right-wing extremist tendencies. Spahn's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), are now in coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD). Spahn backs firewall against AfD Spahn rejected left-wing accusations that he wants to tear down the so-called "firewall" - a commitment made by German parties against working with the AfD. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The number of conversations he has had with AfD politicians amounts to zero, he said. If the AfD were to come to power, the first person they'd go after would be him, Spahn said, noting that decisions he made as health minister during the coronavirus were sharply criticized by the far-right party. "To this day, these people shout at me: 'Murderer! Murderer!,'" he said. "A party that promotes right-wing extremists among its senior staff and parliamentary representatives, that is pro-Putin and spies for China, and that is under surveillance by the domestic intelligence service cannot and will not be our dialogue partner." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But when it comes to dealing with the far-right party on an organizational basis, Spahn said he sees no difference between the AfD and other parties. "We do not push back the AfD by treating them differently in organizational matters quite the opposite, in my opinion." Earlier this year, Spahn advocated treating the AfD like any other opposition party in parliamentary procedures and committee processes. His statements were sharply criticized at the time, particularly by the SPD. Government's impact felt by end of the year With the AfD surging in recent opinion polls, the CDU/CSU bloc's best chance of defending its position is likely to depend on the impact of Merz's government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The coalition has had a rocky start since taking office in May, with a survey from broadcaster ZDF finding on Friday that 51% of respondents currently disapprove of the government's performance. Spahn said that the German population is likely to begin feeling the impacts of the government's economic reforms by the end of the year. "It will take time for the first laws to take effect. But I am convinced that by the end of the year, people will feel that something is changing and the economy is growing," he said. ANDERSON The Madison County Park Board has approved the location of the second of two proposed anchor parks along White River. The Park Board on Thursday approved the second, at the northwest corner of Layton Road and West Eighth Street Road. County Engineer Jessica Bastin said negotiations are ongoing to purchase the 50-acre site from Michael and Peggy Jackson. Some survey work has to be completed and a detailed design (created) for the park, she said. There are some conceptual ideas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The county previously announced plans to develop an anchor park in Perkinsville where the Indiana Department of Natural Resources already has a small park area with a canoe launch. The Park Board previously approved a $3.6 million agreement with Avenew Development of Indianapolis to build, operate and eventually transfer ownership to the county of the two anchor parks along the White River. County officials have approved $4 million from American Rescue Plan funds to develop a park system in the unincorporated areas of the county. Parking, canoe ramps, portable restrooms, a trail, picnic tables and other amenities will be included at the two parks, according to the Park Boards plans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The concept for the two anchor parks developed from a feasibility study by the engineering firm Burgess & Niple, which recommended use of American Rescue Plan funds for the construction of two anchor parks. Another proposal called for a trail system along the White River from Anderson to Perkinsville, but Park Board President Ben Orcutt said that proposal has been tabled. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) Two teenage boys are being held without bond after they were charged in the deadly June shooting of a Congressional intern, 21-year-old Eric Tarpinian-Jachym. Just before 10:30 p.m. on June 30, D.C. police responded to gunshots in the 1200 block of 7th Street NW. Three people had been shot, including a woman and a 16-year-old boy. Tarpinian-Jachym died from his injuries. He was on his way to dinner after going to the gym when gunfire broke out. At the time, he was interning for U.S. Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kan.). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They need to be made accountable: Two 17-year-olds arrested, another teen sought in deadly DC shooting of Congressional intern On Friday, more than two months after the shooting, the U.S. Attorneys Office (USAO) announced that Jailen Lucas and Kelvin Thomas Jr., both 17 years old, would be facing first-degree murder charges and are being charged as adults in relation to the shooting. A third suspect, 18-year-old Naqwan Antonio Lucas, is still at large, wanted for premeditated first-degree murder while armed. According to the DC Superior Court, the two are set to appear for preliminary hearings on September 23 at 9:30 a.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials shared court documents with DC News Now detailing the moments leading up to, during, and after the shooting and how the three were identified as authorities suspects. The evening of June 30, 2025 The shooting broke out near the McCollough Terrace Apartments on the evening of June 30, with Tarpinian-Jachym being shot on a sidewalk near the complex. A review of surveillance video showed the suspect car a black Acura with Maryland registration driving south on 7th Street NW just minutes before 10:30 p.m. Detectives said the suspects Acura had been stolen the day before the shooting from a Wegmans in Gaithersburg. Investigators were able to trace the car back to the District until it was parked at the Tyler House in Northwest D.C. where the three suspects were known to live and frequent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The car passed in front of two people on a bike before coming to a stop, court documents detail. The person driving the bike later told police he saw the suspects all wearing ski masks inside the car and that he felt like a sitting duck. Congressional intern killed in triple shooting in Mt. Vernon Square He decided to stop in front of a bus shelter in the area. A witness who was at the Metrobus stop at the time later told police they heard the bike passenger say something to the effect of, There they go, right there, thats them. The witness reported that one of them pulled a gun from his pants, but maintained they did not see him fire it. DC Superior Court. Three suspects, including the driver, then got out of the car and headed toward where the bike riders were, firing in their direction at 10:29 p.m., according to court documents. DC Superior Court. One person, believed to be 21-year-old Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, was seen getting caught in the line of fire and falling to the ground. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seconds later, the three suspects got back into their car and fled out of view. In the moments after the shooting, court documents say one of the bike riders who had been shot in the gunfire ran away with what appeared to be a gun, discarding it into a large, raised flowerbox before getting help. The third victim was simply walking along the 1500 block of 7th Street NW when they were hit in the thigh. The on-scene investigation DC Superior Court. Responding officials said a total of 79 cartridge casings were found at the scene, with a DNA analysis linking the evidence back to someone who was male. Tarpinian-Jachym had been shot a total of four times, an autopsy revealed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two others were shot, including a woman walking in the area and the 16-year-old bike passenger, while a fourth person was hurt from shattered glass near the Metrobus stop. Their injuries were not life-threatening. Detectives investigation linked Thomas and the Lucas brothers as the three suspects, saying they matched witnesses descriptions and were connected to the stolen car and the Tyler House. One special police officer who had worked at the Tyler House for more than two years referred to the suspects as the 3 Amigos as they were always together, according to court documents. 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. COVENTRY, R.I. (WPRI) Coventry police are searching for a pick-up truck driver after a police pursuit Saturday ended in a crash. According to police, the driver drove off after being stopped by an officer westbound on Route 117. A short time after, that truck, which was towing a trailer, struck another vehicle near Acres of Pine Road, police said, and the driver ran away. The people who were in the other vehicle were taken to Rhode Island Hospital and were released after evaluation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The trucks driver still remains at large, according to police. An investigation into the incident is underway. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app. Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup 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 WPRI.com. Many in Central Florida were left puzzled after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved more restrictive measures for the latest COVID-19 vaccines, with residents uncertain about whether they will be allowed to get the new shots or even where to find them. Orlando resident Dawn Neff, who is in her 70s, said she called Walgreens to get the booster shot in preparation for an upcoming overseas trip but was told the pharmacy was not offering the vaccines until receiving further approval from both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state of Florida. In frustration, she made plans to drive nearly five hours with her husband to a Walgreens in Valdosta, Ga., on Friday to get jabbed with the COVID-19 shot. Georgia is among a dozen states where pharmacies offer the vaccines, but only with a prescription. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I just think its crazy, Neff said. I dont like when politics gets involved in medical decisions. It should be what your medical advisors tell you. Were both retired and have a car. But many people dont have that option. Walgreens spokeswoman Brigid Sweeney confirmed in an email Thursday that the 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccine is not available at Florida Walgreens until the state receives eligibility guidance from the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices, or ACIP, a panel of medical and public health experts within the CDC. This is obviously a quickly shifting situation, Sweeney said. Its also confusing to residents because different pharmacies have interpreted the new federal guidelines differently. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amy Thibault, an executive director for CVS Health, said CVS pharmacies offer the updated COVID vaccines to patients, if they present an authorized prescribers prescription and meet the FDA restrictions. The new FDA restrictions issued Aug. 27 on the COVID-19 boosters limit the vaccines to those 65 years and older, or people with certain medical conditions that may make them susceptible to severe illnesses, such as asthma, obesity, depression, cancer or a history of smoking. However, anyone wanting to get the shots without a prescription, but still meets the restrictions, can schedule an appointment with, or walk into, one of CVS MinuteClinics, which are staffed with medical professionals that can issue prescriptions. Theres no need for [Neff] to drive five hours, Thibault said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Orlando resident Wayne Smith, who is 66, also has gotten every COVID-19 booster along with flu shots. On Thursday, he received his flu shot at a Walgreens pharmacy on Edgewater Drive but was told the COVID-19 vaccine was not available. I said: Thats bullshit, Smith said angrily. If you want a vaccine, you should be able to get it. Its your body, your choice. Well, I have a choice: I want the COVID vaccine. I heard that this is the free state of Florida. Besides Florida, the 11 states that require medical prescriptions for the COVID-19 boosters are Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, New Mexico, New York, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, though, signed a 30-day order allowing pharmacists to prescribe and administer the shot. Pharmacies in 38 states can offer FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines without a prescription. Those include Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the American Pharmacists Association, patients younger than 65 can vouch for themselves whether they have an underlying medical condition that could result in severe disease. But its unclear whether all pharmacies would allow someone wanting to get the COVID-19 shot to claim a medical exemption without documentation from a medical provider. The ACIP is scheduled to meet Sept. 18 and 19 in a public meeting and likely issue its vaccine recommendations, including for the new COVID-19 boosters. Still, the current inconsistencies among states and approvals has sparked confusion among Orlando residents. Retail pharmacies have long been the most convenient places for patients to get vaccines, including the latest COVID-19 shots. According to the CDC, more than 90% of people in the United States received the COVID-19 vaccines last year at a pharmacy. Adding to the confusion, Dr. Susan Monarez was recently fired from her job as head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with less than a month in the position after reportedly clashing with Health and Human Services director Robert Kennedy Jr. over vaccines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although the exact reasons for her ouster remain murky, Monarezs departure triggered other CDC leaders to resign and drew bipartisan concerns from members of Congress. Kennedy has been a longtime anti-vaccine activist. Kennedy also fired every ACIP member earlier this year and replaced them with a new board. Medicare will cover the costs for the shots since they were approved by the FDA. But its unclear whether health insurers will also cover those costs, which can run up to $150 without coverage. Winter Springs resident Patty Grant said she went to several pharmacies this week for the latest COVID-19 booster approved by the FDA and was told that they were not distributing the shots until additional approval from the ACIP. The 68-year-old has gotten every COVID booster since 2021, and she now waits to see what the CDC and ACIP decides later this month. Theres this lack of information. Its just pure frustration, Grant said Friday. When you have RFK Jr. saying anybody can get the vaccine, its not true. I do believe in vaccines, and I want to get them. But it seems vaccine freedom should apply to all vaccines. Sep. 5New Mexico health officials issued new guidance Friday that recommends "broad access" to COVID-19 vaccines, including "any New Mexico resident who wants to be vaccinated." CVS, one of the nation's largest pharmacy chains, said Friday that the action by the New Mexico Department of Health allows CVS to offer the vaccines without a prescription at its pharmacies statewide. "Following today's regulatory action by the New Mexico Department of Health, CVS Pharmacy will ensure COVID-19 vaccinations are available as soon as possible at our pharmacies throughout the state without a prescription," said Amy Thibault, a CVS spokeswoman. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "As soon as we begin offering vaccinations, appointments will be made available via CVS.com and the CVS Health app," Thibault said in an email. "Patients will also be able to walk into our pharmacies and clinics." The statement is a 180-degree change from CVS' position a week ago when the chain said it could not administer vaccines in New Mexico, even to those with a prescription. The updated COVID-19 vaccines are expected to become available in New Mexico by late September, a Department of Health spokesman said. The new guidance issued Friday recommends COVID vaccinations for anyone 65 and older, people 2-64 years old at high risk for severe COVID illness, and more broadly, anyone who wants the vaccine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are committed to ensuring access for those who wish to be vaccinated and our collaborative work with the New Mexico Board of Pharmacy demonstrates a swift resolution to remove barriers," Health Secretary Gina DeBlassie said in a statement. "As the fall/winter respiratory virus season rapidly approaches, New Mexico cannot afford to wait for the federal government to act on this matter." Recent turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created uncertainty around COVID-19 vaccines this year. As recently as last year, New Mexico based its vaccine guidance on the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which recommends vaccine policy to the director of the CDC. In the past, COVID-19 vaccines were recommended for anyone 6 months and older. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired every member of ACIP in June and named replacements who have yet to make recommendations. And last week, a slew of top CDC officials resigned or were fired, including Susan Monarez, the agency's director who'd only just been confirmed to the position a month prior. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The CVS pharmacy chain announced last week that it could not administer vaccines in New Mexico and two other states, even with a prescription, because of the state's reliance on ACIP recommendations. CVS reversed that decision on Friday. On Aug. 29, DeBlassie issued a public health order directing the DOH to work with the New Mexico Board of Pharmacy to amend state regulations with the goal of ensuring access to COVID vaccines for New Mexicans. The new guidance is based on guidelines issued by a variety of medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The guidance is intended to offer broad access to New Mexicans based on their own circumstances. "We've really made it so that people can assess their own risk and get the vaccine if they want to get the vaccine," Dr. Miranda Durham, DOH's chief medical officer, said Friday in a phone interview. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new guidance recommends the vaccine for a broad range of people, including: Anyone 65 and older.Children ages 6-24 months.People ages 2-64 years at high risk of severe outcomes from COVID illness.All pregnant, recently pregnant and lactating women.People in congregate or long-term care settings. The new guidance also offers a blanket recommendation for healthy people ages 2-64 "who desire protection from COVID-19" and allows people to "self-attest" to their immunocompromised status or high-risk conditions. "Vaccinators should not deny COVID-19 vaccination to a person due to lack of documentation," it says. "In general, given the constrained health care resources in the state, (DOH) recommends broad access to the COVID-19 vaccine," the guidance says. DENVER (KDVR) Colorado Parks and Wildlife said Friday that it had shot a wolf that was chronically depredating livestock in Rio Blanco County, but has been unable to find its carcass. The agency also said that after analyzing genetic samples, the at-fault wolf was the fifth Copper Creek yearling who was not successfully captured with the rest of the pack in fall 2024. The wolf is suspected to have attacked and killed or depredated six animals from livestock producers in the area. Governor Polis to sign measure reallocating tax dollars for wolf funding Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wolf depredations in the area started on July 20 when a lamb was killed by a wolf, according to CPWs depredation information list. Further attacks were reported on July 22, Aug. 2 and Aug. 16 in the county. Wildfires in the area delayed CPWs ability to lethally remove the wolf, CPW announced on Aug. 5, which allowed another depredation event on Aug. 16, in which three lambs were killed. Because this wolf was born in the wild and not captured by CPW last year, when the agency relocated the pack after repeated depredations at nearby ranches, the wolf is not wearing a GPS collar. CPW said the lack of GPS coordinates hampered its removal efforts, but on Aug. 16, CPW staff used thermal optics to locate the wolf and shot it once with a .25-06 rifle. Division and Wildlife Services staff immediately searched for the wolf, but were unable to locate it, CPW reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lethal removal failed, wolf suspected of 6 livestock deaths in Rio Blanco County remains at large: CPW The agency brought dogs to the area on Aug. 17 to try and locate the wolfs carcass, and were able to find a trail, but were ultimately unable to find the animal. Search efforts continued through Aug. 21. FOX31 reached out to CPW for clarification on whether the wolf is dead, and did not receive a direct answer. However, CPW said as of Sept. 5, there no signs of depredations or vocalizations that have been reported in the area 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. MOREHEAD A Rowan County man already serving a 15-year sentence will spend two additional years in prison, Attorney General Russell Coleman announced Friday. Michael Hall, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of intimidating a participant in the legal process, which is a Class D felony. He was sentenced to two years to run consecutively to his current stint. Hall was sentenced in May 2024 to 15 years for attempted murder, assault, strangulation and wanton endangerment charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This additional two-year sentence is a result of pleading guilty to making threats against the Rowan County Commonwealths Attorney. According to court documents, Hall was recorded during a jail phone call in October 2023 threatening Commonwealths Attorney Ashton McKenzie. At the time, McKenzie was prosecuting Hall for the aforementioned violent offenses. Court records show Hall admitted he made the threats in an attempt to influence the outcome of his case. There will be zero tolerance for those attempting to tamper with justice and threaten our public servants who administer the rule of law, AG Coleman said. Kentucky State Police investigated the case. Assistant Attorney General Barbara Maines Whaley prosecuted the case. As the Israeli military expands its assault on Gaza City, Israeli demonstrators took to the streets Saturday evening, driven by a new sense of urgency to demand the government halt the operation and prioritize a ceasefire deal. Over the weekend, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) escalated its offensive, striking two high-rise buildings in Gaza City, only to amplify fears and heighten concerns among hostage families that ongoing operations could endanger their relatives after more than 700 days in captivity. In a social media post with video of one of the strikes on Saturday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said, We continue, showing the governments clear intent to keep pounding Gaza City. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hours later, the protests began. Alongside the weekly demonstrations in Tel Aviv, another group protested in Jerusalem outside the Prime Ministers residence, the culmination of four days of targeted pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. We are in critical minutes, said Viki Cohen, mother of the hostage Nimrod Cohen, addressing the Jerusalem crowd. It is possible that at this very moment the fate of my son is being decided. The protests appeared to intensify following a 48-hour period that underscored the hostages precarious situation. On Friday, as the Gaza war reached its 700th day, Hamas released new propaganda footage of two hostages Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel being driven through Gaza City. The video marked the first appearance of 24-year-old Ohel since his capture by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hours later, US President Donald Trump told White House reporters that some of the 20 hostages presumed alive in Gaza may have recently died, repeating similar comments from last month suggesting probably fewer than 20 of the remaining hostages were still alive. Israels official hostage tally has not changed, with 48 remaining in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. An Israeli airstrike struck near the Mushtaha Tower in Gaza City yesterday. - Majdi Fathi/Associated Press But Trumps statements reinforced the families fears that the escalating offensive risks their loved ones. On Friday, some of the hostage families said they were briefed by Israeli military officials that the operation could risk the captives lives. The conquest of Gaza poses a clear and imminent danger to the hostage, said Orna Neutra, mother of deceased hostage Omer Neutra, in a speech at the protests over the weekend. Afterward, she told CNN, The IDF Chief of Staff and the different heads of the military and intelligence have said that theres no way they can really protect the hostages. We also know from past experiences that they dont know exactly where they are. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neutra referenced an incident in Rafah one year ago when Hamas murdered six hostages as Israeli forces drew close. Despite hoping to proceed slowly without harming the hostages, some things remain beyond their control, Neutra said of the IDFs plans. Since the security cabinet initially approved the wars expansion in early August, hostage families have broadened their protest campaign to pressure the government to pursue a deal. Organizers report hundreds of thousands of Israelis have participated in the weekly demonstrations. The wide-scale protests reached the White House, as Trump acknowledged on Friday. The big protests in Israel about the hostages put Israel in a tough position. Ive never seen anything like it, the level of love they have for their children, he told reporters. However, the massive turnout has not convinced Netanyahu to advance the latest hostage deal on the table. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, Hamas accepted a Qatari-Egyptian proposal for a phased agreement releasing 10 living hostages and 18 deceased hostages during a 60-day ceasefire. Israel has ignored and dismissed the offer, with Netanyahu now demanding only a comprehensive agreement to end the war on Israels maximalist conditions, including all hostages released and Hamas disarmament. On Saturday evening, Hamas reiterated its commitment and adherence to the agreement and said it was willing to consider any proposal that ends the war. Trump has repeatedly endorsed Netanyahus new negotiation strategy, threatening Hamas once again. If you dont let (the hostages) all out, its going to be a tough situation. Its going to be nasty. Yet he also stated the US is in very deep negotiations with Hamas, raising hostage families hopes that a deal could be in the making. In Tel Avivs central hostage square, a wide banner addressed the president directly: Trump - save the hostages now. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Croatian Defence Minister Ivan Anusic has said that his country does not plan to send Croatian troops to Ukraine as part of potential security guarantees. Source: Anusic at a press conference with Slovenian Defence Minister Borut Sajovic in Zagreb, as reported by European Pravda with reference to HRT Details: Anusic said that Croatia "is not ready, does not want to and does not plan to send Croatian troops to Ukraine". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote from Anusic: "Events have recently been developing very quickly and some decisions made by certain NATO member states and the Coalition of the Willing mention the possibility of sending these soldiers. Croatia is not taking part in this." Details: Anusic said that Croatia will continue to help Ukraine "in everything we have helped with so far, with political support, equipment, weapons, financial aid and everything that is needed". Meanwhile, Sajovic said that his country will send its soldiers to Ukraine only as part of a potential UN mission, which would require approval from the Security Council, where Russia and China hold veto rights. Background: After a Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that 35 leaders are ready to provide Ukraine with security guarantees, while 26 countries are willing to send troops or supply specific assets to support the security forces. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said after the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing that his country will play a logistical role in providing security guarantees for Ukraine. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! What a croc of influencer sh-t. A self-anointed American wildlife wrangler known as The Real Tarzann is facing massive backlash and a possible fine after uploading a controversial video of himself wrestling a freshwater crocodile in the waters of Queensland, Australia. Mike Holston, an influencer with over 23 million followers, shared the footage on Thursday, Sept. 4 and quickly got roasted by followers and other digital onlookers. Holston chased and caught a freshwater crocodile in shallow waters in Australia. Mike Holston / Instagram The video, reportedly filmed near Lockhart River in Cape York, shows Holston stepping off a boat into shallow water and charging towards a crocodile. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Startled, the crocodile tries to flee, but Holston runs it down, jumps on its back, and wrestles it to shore in a tense struggle captured by a cameraman. He got ahold of me, but I got ahold of him! Holston declared, laughing, as blood poured from a gash on his arm. He got a good piece of my arm, man. Look at that guy, he said over the crocodiles groans. This is sick. This is what dreams are made of. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to come to Australia and just look at crocodiles, catch them between my hands, and see them up close. He got ahold of me, but I got ahold of him! Holston declared, laughing, as blood poured from a gash on his arm. Mike Holston / Instagram But not everyone found it sick in the same way. The video quickly racked up more than 800,000 views but it also triggered widespread outrage from conservation groups and members of the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The public response has been divided. While many of Holstons followers were in awe of the crazy stunt, others werent. Why do that to them though? I dont get it. Leave them alone. Its kind of sad youre coming up into their safe space its not right, someone commented. Bro, the poor guy was just there, resting and not hurting anyone. I dont understand why youd bother him and invade his space just for a simple video, another said. Community Representation of Crocodiles (CROC), a Queensland-based animal welfare organization, publicly condemned the stunt on social media. This behavior is distressing for the animal and illegal under the Nature Conservation Act, the group said in a statement on Friday, Sept. 5. When its promoted on large social media platforms without permits or authority to handle wildlife it sets a dangerous precedent. Unfortunately, the penalty is minimal considering the monetisation these accounts make. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to CROC, Holstons video was reported to authorities multiple times by concerned viewers. The group urged the public not to engage with or promote such content, and instead to report it when spotted online. Queenslands Department of Environment confirmed that an investigation is underway. It is a significant offence to interfere with freshwater crocodiles in Queensland, not to mention extremely dangerous, a department spokesperson said, according to the Daily Mail. Under Queensland law, deliberately disturbing or handling crocodiles without authorization can lead to fines of approximately $18,000. The video quickly racked up more than 800,000 views but it also triggered widespread outrage from conservation groups and members of the public. Ipman65 stock.adobe.com However, Holston is no stranger to controversy. His social media is filled with footage of close encounters with dangerous wildlife, including giant snakes, birds of prey, and even a Sumatran saltwater crocodile. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident in Queensland is just the latest in a growing trend of influencers engaging in wildlife stunts for views. A Spanish tourist is under fire after viral footage showed him pouring beer down an elephants trunk at a wildlife sanctuary in Kenya. The obnoxious act, reported by the BBC, has been slammed by conservationists as dangerous and deeply disrespectful to the animals and the countrys conservation efforts. The footage sparked swift outrage across social media, prompting multiple investigations, including by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). Ol Jogi Conservancy confirmed the incident happened on their grounds, calling the behavior unacceptable, dangerous, and completely against our values. SAN DIEGO (FOX5/KUSI) Democrat gubernatorial candidate and former San Diego State Senator Toni Atkins announced several endorsements from state Democratic leadership on Friday. Atkins is currently polling at 1% as voters first choice candidate, according to a Berkley Institute of Governmental Studies poll. However, experts state there is still no clear frontrunner. The California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus endorsed Atkins for her leadership and support for the LGBTQ+ community. Atkins has served both in the State Assembly and State Senate, being the first openly lesbian legislator to serve as speaker of the assembly and the first LGBTQ+ woman to serve as senate pro tempore Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shes opened doors for so many while advancing justice and equity for all, California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus Chair and Assemblymember Chris Ward said in a press release. The California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus is proud to endorse Toni Atkins for Governor because we need a leader whos lived our struggles, earned our trust, and will fight with heart and conviction for our future. The former state senator also received endorsements from State Senators Tom Umberg and Bob Archuleta as well as Assemblymembers Jacqui Irwin, Tina McKinnor and Gail Pellerin. Archuleta and Umberg, both veterans, expressed support for Atkins bid for governor over her support of veterans and people in service. As a U.S. Army veteran, I know firsthand the importance of strong, principled leadership, and Toni exemplifies that, Archuleta said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a crowded campaign, Democratic Representative Katie Porter still leads in the race, polling around 17% as voters first choice. Porter is followed by Republican and Sheriff of Riverside County Chad Bianco, polling around 10%. FILE Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., waves at supporters at an election night party, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. Porter built a social media reputation by wielding a white board at congressional hearings, and that helped propelled her campaign for the Senate. But on Super Tuesday, the numbers didnt add up for her in the primary and shell be out of a job in Washington come January. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) On Thursday, Porter received an endorsement from Teamsters California a union representing 250,000 workers, including thousands in the greater San Diego area. Teamsters across our state are ready for a governor who stands with working people, Teamsters Co-Chairs Chris Griswold and Peter Finn said in a news release. Katie Porter will address the affordability crisis, preserve good jobs in our communities, and fight back against Big Techs assault on workers livelihoods. Assemblymember Pellerin is backing Atkins for her record of supporting working families and a brighter future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Toni puts people first, Pellerin said. I am honored to endorse her run for Governor because I know she will fight for everyone, no matter their background. Assemblymember Mckinnor shared that she is endorsing Atkins for her ability to face the current political tensions between leadership in California and the White House. Shes the kind of leader who stands firm in the face of pressure and political posturing, McKinnor said. At a time when Donald Trump and Washington Republicans are undermining our democracy, threatening immigrant communities, and ignoring the rule of law, California needs someone with the courage and experience to push back. Voters will be able to cast their ballots in the California primaries on June 2, 2026, and in the general election Nov. 8, 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. The historic building once known as Apels Opera House has been a funeral home, theater, feed and grain store, stove factory, furniture showroom and tractor repair shop, and a developer now wants to remodel it for a new use: housing. John Mariolis OTB Properties proposes to do a large-scale interior conversion to create 28 apartments while maintaining the original architecture and historic features of the four-story building in Manchester. The history definitely intrigued me. I want the units to be a mix of modern finishes but also have the old historic look exposed bricks and beams and columns, as much as we can do, Mariolis told The Courant on Thursday. Old meets new. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The four-story brick building is about 125 years old, built as the replacement to Bernard C. Apels original theater that burned down in 1899, according to the Manchester Historical Society. Apel in 1888 constructed the building at Oakland Street and Apel Place to house his woodworking and furniture manufacturing operation, along with a second business: undertaking. Apel ran a funeral home in part of the stucture, constructed caskets and did woodwork for hearses as well. The building also served as an important community gathering place in Manchester. Although the opera house name was aspirational, it hosted plays, dances, bazaars and school graduations, and also was rented out to fraternal groups and religious organizations for meetings, fundraisers and rallies. Most recently, CCC Feeds and Farm Supplies was selling agricultural products until it closed about nine years ago, and Leaps & Bones pet supply shop moved out last winter. The building was put on the market this spring as a potential site for residential development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mariolis told the town he believes his plan can benefit Manchester and save a historic building. It is currently vacant and under-utilized, but structurally sound and well-suited for adaptive reuse, he said in a letter to local leaders. The vision for this project is to transform the building into a high-quality residential development that contributes to the ongoing revitalization of the area and provide much-needed housing options for the community. Mariolis anticipates filing for zoning permits as soon as this month. He has told the inland wetlands commission that he would create 23 one-bedroom units and five two-bedroom ones. This work will include full interior rehabilitation, exterior facade restoration in keeping with the buildings historical character, and major infractructure upgrades including new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, he wrote in a letter. The project will also incorporate sustainability measures and modest site work improvements to support accessibility and functionality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said he plans to close on his purchase of the property after receiving all municipal approvals. Construction could begin as early as this fall and would take 10 to 12 months, he estimated. The target date for leasing to prospective tenants is late 2026 or early 2027. Financing will be a mix of private monies and public incentives including state and federal historic preservation tax credits, he said. Assyrians Are Not a Minority (AINA) -- The use of the term "minority" to describe Assyrians in Turkey and later in Iraq is deeply tied to the political and nationalist agendas of these nations, particularly in the 20th century. While Assyrians are undoubtedly the indigenous people of the land of the two rivers (Mesopotamia), the term "minority" was used to undermine their presence, deny their historical rights, and marginalize their influence in the political and social development of the modern Middle East. The historical and political forces that shaped the creation of these nation-states directly impacted how Assyrians were viewed -- and how they were labelled -- as "minorities." The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of Modern Turkey Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, the new Turkish Republic, under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, embarked on an aggressive program of nation-building. Ataturk and other nationalist leaders were eager to define a cohesive Turkish identity that would unify the population under the banner of a modern, secular, and homogenous nation-state. In this process, non-Turkish ethnic and religious groups, including the Assyrians, were often relegated to the status of "minorities" or even "outsiders" despite their historical presence in the region. For the Assyrians, the term "minority" became a tool used to both simplify and erase their complex, multi-millennial identity. The rise of Turkish nationalism sought to align the identity of the new nation with Turkish ethnic and linguistic supremacy. This political agenda required the systematic exclusion of indigenous groups like the Assyrians who had deep-rooted historical connections to the land long before the establishment of the Turkish Republic. By labelling Assyrians as "minorities," the new state effectively erased their importance as one of the region's foundational peoples. Moreover, this label was often coupled with aggressive policies of forced assimilation, land dispossession, and cultural erasure. Assyrians, along with Armenians and Greeks, were subjected to persecution, massacres, and displacement--events that culminated in the Assyrian Genocide (also known as the Seyfo) during the final years of the Ottoman Empire. The use of the term "minority" in the Turkish context was thus a way to silence any potential claim the Assyrians might have had to their ancestral lands and their role in the shaping of the region's history. The Birth of Iraq and the "Minority" Label The establishment of modern Iraq in the aftermath of World War I, under British mandate, also contributed to the framing of Assyrians as "minorities" within their own homeland. Iraq was a multi-ethnic state, home to Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, and Assyrians, but the formation of a new Arab-majority nation-state left little room for indigenous groups like the Assyrians to assert their political, cultural, or territorial rights. After Iraq gained independence in 1932, Assyrians -- who had been crucial in the development of Iraq's modern political and social systems -- were increasingly pushed to the margins of Iraqi identity. In the early 20th century, Assyrians were integral to the development of Iraqi infrastructure, education, and the military. However, the emergence of Arab nationalism in the 1920s and 1930s saw a concerted effort to consolidate the Arab identity at the expense of other groups. By the 1940s and 1950s, Assyrians found themselves categorized as a "minority," a term that was used to diminish their role in Iraq's state-building process. This was part of a broader trend in the Middle East, where the creation of national borders in the post-colonial period often marginalized indigenous peoples in favor of new, dominant ethnic or religious groups. The term "minority" was used to obscure Assyrians' ancient connection to Mesopotamia and instead cast them as a subordinate and secondary group. The Iraqi government, especially under Saddam Hussein, further entrenched the marginalization of Assyrians by using the term "minority" to justify discriminatory laws, policies, and state violence. The Assyrian community was not only physically displaced from their ancestral homes due to Arabization policies, but their cultural identity was also undermined through a systematic push for assimilation into Arab identity. The Term "Minority" as a Tool of Political Control In both Turkey and Iraq, the use of the term "minority" had a strategic purpose: it served to limit the political power, rights, and recognition of Assyrians. The term was part of a broader effort to centralize authority in the hands of the majority population and create a more uniform national identity. It was not simply a reflection of Assyrians' numerical size but a deliberate political manoeuvre to reduce their influence and legitimacy. By labelling Assyrians as "minorities," both Turkey and Iraq reinforced the idea that these groups were secondary to the dominant national narrative. They were framed as something less than full participants in the cultural, political, and economic life of the nation. This perception was compounded by laws and policies that further marginalized Assyrians, denying them access to education in their language, the right to self-govern, and the ability to preserve their cultural heritage. The term "minority" was particularly damaging in this context because it ignored the Assyrian people's deep historical and cultural connection to the land of Mesopotamia. It also rendered invisible the critical role Assyrians had played in the region's ancient civilizations and contemporary development. In essence, it cast them as interlopers in their own homeland. Reclaiming the Narrative The use of the term "minority" to describe Assyrians in Turkey and Iraq not only reduces their significance but also perpetuates the erasure of their rightful place in the history of Mesopotamia. Assyrians are not simply a smaller group living in a larger nation; they are the indigenous people of the land, with a profound cultural, religious, and historical legacy that spans millennia. As Assyrians continue to fight for their rights, recognition, and survival, it is crucial to challenge the use of the term "minority" in this context. While it may have been a convenient label for nationalist agendas, it fails to reflect the true complexity of Assyrians' identity. Reclaiming the narrative surrounding the Assyrian people means acknowledging their contributions to world civilization and their role as one of the foundational peoples of the Middle East. Rather than being cast as a "minority," Assyrians should be recognized for what they truly are: the indigenous, people of the land of two rivers. A Connecticut State Department of Education financial analysis of Hartford magnet school operations found that the district is not funding magnet schools as required by the law and a court order that developed a new educational ecosystem to end racial, ethnic and economic segregation in Hartford schools. Justin Cleary, associate accounts examiner for the Office of the Internal Audit for the CSDE, and Matt Venhorst, staff attorney for the CSDE, presented the reports findings to the state Board of Education. The 1989 Sheff V. ONeill lawsuit over the disparity in education between Hartford students and their suburban peers brought about a new educational ecosystem, creating both the Open Choice program to bus Hartford students to suburban schools and the CREC magnet schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The historic agreement promised to meet the demand for school choice by adding 2,737 seats for Hartford students in magnet programs and surrounding districts. We have to have these magnetic high quality 21st century schools with appealing extracurriculars in order to attract students and create integration educational opportunities for students of different backgrounds to attend, said Venhorst referring to the stipulation in the Sheff agreement. Legislation passed in 2009 requires additional funding for Sheff region magnet schools. The estimated per pupil across Sheff operators should be equal but Hartfords is significantly less than CREC and Goodwins because of the local share, Venhorst explained in his presentation to the board, referring to the local taxes schools receive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Venhorst said to ensure a fair funding formula it may require a legislative proposal. Hartfords 21 magnet schools are funded through a magnet school operating grant, Education Cost Sharing grant and local funding. Cleary said 18,799 students attend magnet schools. Preliminary findings in the report found that more funding was going toward neighborhood schools referring to public schools assigned to students based on where they live than magnet schools. In 2019 operating funding for magnet schools was approximately $650 per pupil less than neighborhood schools, Cleary said in his presentation. By 2024, this funding gap increased to $3,300 per pupil. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Overall, he added total budgets for all revenue sources on a per student basis have been significantly less for magnet schools compared to neighborhood schools. From 2019 to 2024 the gap in student enrollment and high-need student populations between magnet and neighborhood schools reduced significantly. Even so, during the same time frame operating funding per student for neighborhood schools increased by 21% more than magnet schools, Cleary told the Board. He said during that time period magnet schools received approximately between $9 to 12 million compared to neighborhood schools, which received more than $35 million. Budget deficits over the years have negatively impacted Hartford schools leading to layoffs, lower salaries and a more challenging environment. This has contributed to the chronic teacher shortage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last June, the state Department of Education stepped in to oversee the districts finances amid allegations that some state grant money was left unused. Hartford Superintendent Andrae Townsel, who assumed the role this summer, said in an email that he learned of the information recently and is reviewing the findings carefully. Hartford Public Schools is committed to equity in both resources and outcomes and we will work collaboratively with our partners, the Board of Education, and the Connecticut State Department of Education to address the concerns raised, he said. While I cannot speak to the historical factors that led to these funding differences, I can assure you that our district remains focused on ensuring every Hartford student, whether in a neighborhood or magnet school, has access to high-quality educational opportunities. We view this as an opportunity to strengthen our systems and reaffirm our commitment to fairness and transparency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Townsel said the districts next step will be to engage all stakeholders and take corrective action where necessary so that our schools are positioned to serve students at the highest level. Hartford Board of Education Chair Jennifer Hockenhull said because the board just learned of the report and doesnt have access to the full report she has no comment at this time. Carol Gale, president of the Hartford Federation of Teachers, said that she is aware that over the years Hartford has invested less and less into the magnet themes in schools, which are specialized curriculum. She cited the Kinsella Magnet School of Performing Arts and how the district has reduced its number of offerings. As a result, she said, the school is not able to give students the full experience of what it means to be a performing arts school. PRINCETON A festival known for bringing local and international music to Mercer County along with a wide variety of art from vendors and local businesses continues today and Sunday on Mercer Street in Princeton. The Culturefest World Music & Arts Festival is creative arts festival presented by local nonprofit RiffRaff Arts Collective. Its schedule features music and dance performances, artisan and retail vendors, workshops, a kids activities, and healing arts as well as the venues as the downtown districts businesses and venues, said Lori McKinney with the RiffRaff. Musical performances feature regional, national and international artists with styles including Americana, Appalachian Folk and Bluegrass to Soul, Rock, Jazz, Funk and World Fusion to experimental genres, plus performance art, poetry, live painting, fire dance and more, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fourth grade students from the nearby Mercer Elementary School took a field trip Saturday to the downtowns Dick Copeland Square. There they were joined by Master Djembefola Adama Dembele, a West African drummer from the Ivory Coast. McKinney watched in a shaded area as Dembele shared his knowledge with the students. It wasnt the first time he has performed for the countys children. This is the second day of Culturefest, and its our 22nd annual, said. Hes been giving drumming lessons in the schools all week and now weve got a field trip from Mercer Elementary School down here in the town square with us. and a lot of festival goers learning West African rhythms and watching Adama perform. Culturefest was created as a way to share the arts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We really love music and the arts and how powerful they are, you know, to bring joy to people, uplift people and also to bring people together, McKinney said. The original drive of Culturefest was to showcase West Virginian and Appalachian music alongside cultures of the world so we can learn different ways to see the world and new perspectives and share in global culture as a way to unify. People interested in seeing a Culturefest concerts and activities schedule for today and Sunday can go to culturefestwv.com and find it. You can also find it on social media if you follow the RiffRaff, McKinney said. Fourth grade teacher Chelsea Walker at Mercer Elementary watched while the students learned to play drums and dance to Ivory Coast rhythms. Coming to Culturefest was a new experience for them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well, they dont get a lot of exposure to other cultures and all that good stuff, she said. Seeing this is something completely different for them. This is the first time weve been here. They seem to be into it. Theyre dancing and they all like the drums. Vendors offering various works of art and services were all along the square. Sara Golden of French Creek was showing a newcomer to West Virginia T-shirts and greeting cards featuring her artwork. Oh, my goodness. Its just a wonderful experience to take in creativity and art and music and to enjoy the weekend, she said about the festibal. I do a series based on the Word of Day for the Year. I have many more of these, but these are 48 of them right there. Tammi Griffith of Bluefield, who recently moved to West Virginia, said she was visiting Culturefest for the first time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We were here last night and we plan to be here for every event because its just a fascinating concept to me, she said. It gives us the cultural awareness we all need right now. We jsut move to West Virginia, so this is our first time hearing about it. Im loving it. Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com President Trump would like nothing better than a Zohran Mamdani victory in New Yorks mayoral race, former Gov. Cuomo said Saturday, claiming the idea that Trump wants Eric Adams out of the race to help Cuomo win is baloney. As the candidates for NYC mayor all gathered at Saturdays Labor Day parade in Manhattan, Cuomo said the president would use the socialist candidates ultra-liberal beliefs to both wrest control over the city and destroy the Democratic party in one shot. Mamdani is a perfect stooge for President Trump, Cuomo said at the Labor Day Parade on Fifth Ave., blasting speculation that Trump tried to build support behind Cuomo by encouraging incumbent Mayor Adams to bow out of the election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mamdani is the best person for their political interests, Cuomo continued. If (Mamdani) is mayor of New York, theyll use him against the Democrats all across the country. They will say, Look who the Democrats are. Theyre socialists. They are for disbanding the police. Theyre for legalizing prostitution. They sympathize with terrorists. Thats what Mamdani represents. Mayor Adams and Cuomo, both moderate Democrats, are running as Independents against Mamdani, the Democratic candidate, and Guardian Angels Founder Curtis Sliwa, who is running as a Republican. There is widespread speculation that Adams and Cuomo both remaining in the race would make it easier for Mamdani, who is leading in the polls, to win. But on Friday, Adams shot down rumors he was considering ending his longshot re-election campaign in order to become a U.S. ambassador in President Trumps administration, possibly in Saudi Arabia. At the same time, when asked Saturday why he hasnt unequivocally ruled out taking a job with Trump, Adams replied: It doesnt matter what I say you all are not going to report it accurately anyway I answered that question already. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During his Friday press conference at Gracie Mansion, Adams inferred that the Trump rumors were started by Cuomo, whom the mayor called a snake and a liar. Cuomo shrugged off Adams curt words Saturday. I stopped listening to Adams a long time ago and so did New York City, Cuomo said, claiming that he hasnt spoken to Trump about the mayoral race. Rumors that Trump was putting his support behind Cuomo to beat Mamdani was baloney, he said. Trump would step in within 11 minutes if Mamdani was to win and take over New York City, and he would say, I have to, for the safety of New Yorkers, because Mamdani already said he would disband the police and legalize prostitution and do away with misdemeanors,' Cuomo said. (Mamdani) is President Trumps dream candidate. (He) couldnt create a better candidate to hurt the Democrats than socialist Mamdani. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An email to Mamdanis campaign for comment was not immediately returned. Trump has repeatedly incorrectly called Mamdani a communist and said Thursday he does not like to see a communist become mayor. Mamdani marched at the beginning of the Labor Day parade lined up behind a banner with liberal Rep. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) and Gov. Hochul. Hochul has held off backing Mamdanis bid for mayor. Trumps comments on the race have fueled speculation he is offering Adams a job in exchange for dropping out. I dont think you can win unless you have one on one, because somehow hes gotten a little bit of a lead, Trump said on Thursday, referring to Mamdani, whos polling as the clear favorite to win Novembers election. I would like to see two people drop out and have it be one on one. I think thats a race that could be won. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As marched in the parade, Adams doubled down on his vow to continue campaigning, despite his low poll numbers. I cant be any clearer. Im in the race until the end, Adams said. Theres no other way to say it, theres no other way to articulate it. Adams came out swinging against his opponents on Friday, calling both Mamdani and Cuomo two spoiled brats. They were born with silver spoons in their mouths, not like working class New Yorkers, Adams said. Im a working class New Yorker. They are not like us. Adams also said that he was the only one who can beat Mamdani. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sliwa said that rumors of Adams future in the race gives me vertigo. I dont know from day to day what hes doing, the Guardian Angels founder said. I dont know how you beat Mamdani if from one day to the next, youre an ambassador to Saudi Arabia, now Im going to reconsider that. The more he vacillates, the more his supporters come to my campaign. Im not dropping out. I want the people to make their decision by November 4, who becomes the mayor. (Photo: Marty Schladen/Ohio Capital Journal) The nations largest retail pharmacy chain now plans to offer the updated COVID vaccine in Nevada, the Current confirmed Friday. CVS confirmed the Nevada Board of Pharmacy issued new guidance Friday and as a result the vaccines will be made available, though they offered no timeline on when people can expect to receive them. Following todays regulatory action by the Nevada Board of Pharmacy, CVS Pharmacy will ensure COVID-19 vaccinations are available as soon as possible at our pharmacies throughout the state, a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CVS previously announced it would not offer the updated COVID vaccine in Nevada and two other states because they only allow pharmacists to administer drugs that have been approved by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. That panel has not approved this seasons COVID vaccine and now includes vaccine skeptics appointed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. According to The Nevada Independent, which first reported the new guidance, the Board of Pharmacys position is that pharmacists are allowed to widely administer vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Board of Pharmacy did not immediately respond to the Current Friday afternoon. The boards website, which typically lists regulations and announcements, is currently offline because it was impacted by the recent ransomware attack on the states information technology. A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, who on Thursday called the state to take action as soon as possible to address vaccine access, said the legislative leader plans to review the new guidance to determine whether this is a sufficient long-term fix or whether its just a temporary solution and further action may be needed. Gov. Joe Lombardos office has not responded to the Currents questions about the COVID vaccine being unavailable in the state and whether he has confidence in future recommendations from the CDC and ACIP. Sep. 5SANTA FE New Mexico's embattled child welfare agency will undergo another leadership shake-up, with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's office announcing Friday the abrupt resignation of Children, Youth and Families Secretary Teresa Casados. Casados, who was previously the governor's chief operating officer, had led CYFD since April 2023, when former secretary Barbara Vigil stepped down. The departure of Casados, effective Friday, means Lujan Grisham will as of next week be on her fourth permanent CYFD secretary since taking office in 2019. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her predecessor, Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, had just two CYFD secretaries during her eight years as governor. Lujan Grisham said in a statement that Casados had been a "trusted partner and valued leader since the start of my administration." "It's fitting that she took on one of the toughest jobs in state government at CYFD in the last phase of her career in public service," the governor added. "I am forever grateful to Teresa for hard work and dedication to the people of New Mexico." However, the departure of Casados also comes amid growing legislative discontent over a string of high-profile child abuse cases and CYFD's struggles to comply with a 2020 settlement that obligated the state to follow a series of standards intended to help abused and neglected children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An arbitrator assigned to oversee the settlement recently ordered CYFD to approve and license 244 new treatment foster care placements by the end of this year. He also invited the governor to attend the next status hearing in the case. Lujan Grisham has also resisted legislative attempts to increase oversight of the agency. After lawmakers approved a new outside oversight office for CYFD during this year's 60-day legislative session, the governor vetoed most of the funding connected to the new office. Maralyn Beck, a former foster parent who is the executive director of New Mexico Child First Network, said she was saddened by Casados' retirement. "Rather than spending the time to look deep into the root of the issues facing this agency and our children, the governor has done the easy thing and fired one person and put the next in line in charge," Beck said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Crystal Brantley, R-Elephant Butte, said the Lujan Grisham administration's prioritization of family reunification over child well-being has been a leading factor in many child abuse and neglect cases. But she also described the resignation of Casados as "not good news," saying the steady leadership turnover has led to instability at the Children, Youth and Families Department. "The revolving door of CYFD secretaries continuing to swing is not good for anyone in New Mexico," Brantley told the Journal. Past attempts to reshape CYFD While resisting outside oversight, Lujan Grisham has announced several steps to restructure the Children, Youth and Families Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor in 2023 issued an executive order creating a new office of innovation within CYFD, after describing the department as "dysfunctional." Earlier this summer, she issued a new directive prohibiting hospitals from discharging babies born with exposure to illicit drugs to the parents' home. That came after the death of a 4-month-old boy in Albuquerque who was born addicted to fentanyl. The boy had been discharged under a CYFD safety plan to his parents' home, where he was later found dead. The Governor's Office on Friday credited Casados for leading a "comprehensive transformation" of the agency, citing rapid hiring events that led to more than 280 new CYFD hires and other initiatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement released by the Governor's Office, Casados said she was grateful for the opportunity to serve as CYFD secretary. She had been making $246,376 in her Cabinet-level post, according to data from the state Sunshine Portal. "The dedicated employees at CYFD do their challenging and important work with compassion and heart, and I hope they are given every opportunity to show what they are capable of accomplishing in the months and years ahead," Casados said. "While there is always more work to do, I am confident that the foundation we have built will continue to serve New Mexico's children and families well into the future." Looking ahead to uncertain future With just 16 months left in Lujan Grisham's second term in office, the governor does not plan to launch a national search for Casados' successor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, the Governor's Office said CYFD deputy secretary Valerie Sandoval would serve as the agency's acting secretary going forward. Meanwhile, several legislators have indicated they plan to file new proposals dealing with CYFD during the 30-day legislative session that starts in January. Some Republican lawmakers also criticized the governor for not including CYFD-related issues on the agenda of a special session that's scheduled to start next month. Lawmakers have already increased CYFD funding in recent years in an attempt to bolster staffing levels and improve outcomes. But some legislators have expressed frustration the state's child maltreatment rate has continued to increase and agency staff turnover has remained above the national average. This year's $10.8 billion budget kept the agency's base budget largely flat, while earmarking roughly $72 million to hire caseworkers and other one-time expenditures. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) A D.C. man pleaded guilty Friday to a deadly shooting that took place in a Southeast D.C. shopping plaza, according to the United States Attorneys Office (USAO) for the District of Columbia. Antoine Turner, 32, was charged with second-degree murder while armed for the November 2020 murder of Demeitri Anderson. According to court documents, on Nov. 29, 2020, at 12:30 p.m., Turner parked a red Nissan Vera that he was renting in the 4500 block of B Street SE before walking around the block and behind the BENCO shopping plaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two 17-year-olds arrested, another teen sought in deadly DC shooting of Congressional intern Court documents say that, minutes later, at 12:38 p.m., Turner walked behind Anderson and shot him repeatedly in the back of his head and body. An officer nearby heard the shooting and began to drive towards Turner, who ran in front of the police cruiser before throwing the handgun into the street. He then got into his car and drove away. The USAO states that Turner was arrested on December 3, 2020, and has since remained in custody. He is set to be sentenced on Nov. 7. 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. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) A D.C. man was sentenced Tuesday for stabbing two people, one of whom is a correctional officer, the United States Attorneys Office (USAO) for the District of Columbia announced Friday. The USAO states Chauncy Myers, 31, received seven years in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty in March to charges of aggravated assault while armed and attempted assault with a dangerous weapon. DC man sentenced to decade in prison for string of armed carjackings, robberies Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to court documents, on July 13, 2024, a victim was talking with friends in Triangle Park in Southeast D.C. when Myers approached them and stabbed the victim in the abdomen before running away. The USAO states the victim sustained severe organ damage from the encounter. Court documents say Myers was arrested and held in the D.C. Jail, where, on Dec. 23, he stabbed a D.C. Department of Corrections (DOC) officer with a shank when the officer tried to enter his jail cell. The USAO states the officer sustained a puncture wound to the forearm. The incident was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Washington (DC News Now) As we enter week 3 of President Donald Trump and his administration taking over the DC police force, DC AG Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit this week. Schwalb says he filed the lawsuit to end the National Guard deployment in the district. Dr. Robinson Woodward-Burns, a professor at Howard University, discusses the lawsuit and what we could see happen next. 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. The past four weeks have been unprecedented in Washington, D.C.s history. The nations capital is under siege by a president with a taste for authoritarian behavior. After President Donald Trumps Aug. 11 announcement declaring a state of emergency and effectively militarizing the city, some 2,300 armed National Guard troops are roaming the streets and some Metro stations. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, many of them masked, are running traffic checkpoints and bashing in car windows with batons in their search for migrants. Now, if House Republicans get their way, the coming days could prove to be even more monumental. According to a staff memorandum dated Sept. 5 and obtained by Salon, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will meet on Wednesday the day Trumps federal intervention under the Home Rule Act of 1973 will expire, absent congressional action to discuss 14 proposals that aim to further restrict the Districts autonomy and even unseat the citys duly elected attorney general in favor of a presidential appointee. (Earlier this week, the Washington Post revealed a draft of the proposals.) But Washingtons elected officials, while admittedly walking a precarious political tightrope, arent giving constituents what they are demanding in the face of Donald Trump: A fight. The result is a city and a mayor under attack, and in dire need of reinforcements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The day after Trumps announcement, Mayor Muriel Bowser characterized his actions as an authoritarian push. She pointed out that, despite the presidents false rhetoric depicting the District as a cesspool of crime and violence, crime rates were at an historic 30-year low. But the mayor has since been measured and muted in her pushback against the administration. She has welcomed federal help with local law enforcement, receiving rare praise from Trump, and on Tuesday, she issued an executive order with no expiration date directing the city to coordinate with federal law enforcement to the maximum extent allowable by law within the District. Her goal, Bowser said, was to provide an off-ramp to more quickly end the state of emergency. The mayor is fighting a war on several fronts. Her hands are tied by D.C.s unique status under the Home Rule Act, which granted limited self-government to the District. The citys budget is subject to congressional oversight. Meanwhile, Bowser has been engaged in a months-long battle to persuade Trump and congressional Republicans to change legislation that froze $1 billion from D.C.s budget and stands to affect its social services. While the Senate passed a bill in March restoring the money, the House has yet to take action, despite House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., promising in May to move as quickly as possible. In an Aug. 28 media availability at an elementary school in northwest Washington, Bowser was asked about what many Washingtonians have criticized as her dispassionate, overly careful response to Trumps assault on D.C. Her answer was telling. Our north star is protecting home rule and the Districts autonomy in all things, especially during this last eight months, where it has been clear that our autonomy has kind of been in the crosshairs, she said. Thats our north starWe didnt ask for any federal officers, were driving crime down. But while theyre here, how can we most strategically use them to accelerate the work that [the police department] has done? So thats our point. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then she tiptoed up to criticizing the president, albeit indirectly: What has not worked during this period of time is ICE terrorizing communities, especially with masks, and especially with not having enough information about where people are. Ive said that repeatedly; Ill say it again. What hasnt worked, in my opinion, and hasnt been efficient and isnt on mission, is National Guard troops, especially from other states. But nuanced remarks like these havent cut it for many District residents, who have taken to expressing their feelings on the mayors various social media accounts. One long-time Washingtonian, who was granted anonymity because of connections to city government, put it this way: I understand that she may be [in a difficult position] and theres a lot of politics fogging it all up. But at the end [of the day], since January, all the concessions shes done for the administration, like removing Black Lives Matter Plaza, has given the city zilch. So why continue to make nice-nice with the White House when they are not respecting [the citys] government? The consensus seems to be that Washingtonians, like millions of others across the country, are looking for someone willing to wage all-out war against Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bowser, though, is caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. While not famous for delivering scorching speeches or remarks, one only has to look at her rhetoric and actions during the presidents first term to divine her true feelings and what she doubtless wishes she could say to Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro and other administration officials. But things have changed in five years. Trump 2.0 is a harsher, more vindictive update of the original program. Hes no longer constrained by what little caution and niceties he may have once had, or by officials and staffers who managed to, at least on occasion, thwart his cruelest instincts. Because of federal oversight, Bowser doesnt have the latitude of other Democrats, such as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, and Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. (Those three governors, incidentally, are expected to run for president in 2028, so they have an extra incentive to more forcefully oppose Trump.) So Bowser is left to play the hand she has been dealt, and while it may, in the end, turn out to be a losing one for her and the District, she has nevertheless decided to make a go of it. While unpopular, this is on some level a courageous move. Bowser is a canny politician, and she knows what would be the easy response: Taking the mic and verbally unloading on Trump for running roughshod over a city she loves and has sworn to defend and protect. But she cant, because doing so would further endanger the citys budget and its citizens. Were Bowser to march down to Lafayette Square and fillet the president before a bank of cameras and microphones, as so many of her constituents are calling for her to do, they would be the ones paying the price in the end. So she is left to bite her tongue, which must be nearly chewed in two by now, knowing she is putting her own political career on the line by playing the good cop and being perceived to be accommodating Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the circumstances, this analogy is a poor one, maybe even inappropriate, but that doesnt make it less true: What Mayor Bowser and the District need is a bad cop. Not a police officer or National Guard soldier or an ICE agent who has gone rogue, but a fellow local leader who could satisfy the demands of irate Washingtonians by taking verbal aim at the president and making the mayor look, in the eyes of Trump and company, even more reasonable by comparison. To some degree, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb is filling this role. On Thursday, he filed a lawsuit to end Trumps deployment of some 2,300 National Guard troops to the District, which Schwalb argued violates the Posse Comitatus Act, the 1878 law that prohibits the use of the military in domestic law enforcement. Its D.C. today but could be any other city tomorrow, he warned in a statement. Weve filed this action to put an end to this illegal federal overreach. Want more sharp takes on politics? Sign up for our free newsletter, Standing Room Only, written by Amanda Marcotte, now also a weekly show on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. Schwalb is himself in the administrations crosshairs. Despite the apparent efforts of House Republicans to replace him, a locally elected official, with a presidential appointee, on Wednesday the attorney general announced he would seek reelection in 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But as powerful as Schwalbs actions have been, they dont really serve up made-for-social-media moments that will whet the appetite many Washingtonians have for a verbal brawl with Trump and take the message of a Free DC nationwide. The logical person to fill this gap would be the citys 18-term congressional delegate. Eleanor Holmes Norton is a civil rights legend who has been the Districts Warrior on the Hill since she was first elected in 1990. At her best, Norton possessed the verbal firepower and, most importantly, the stomach for a fight with the president, despite the fact that she has no final vote on legislation. (Delegates can sit on, vote and offer amendments in House committees, but they are prohibited from voting when legislation comes before the full House.) There has been no greater advocate for D.C. statehood than the congresswoman, who first introduced legislation demanding recognition in 1991. But at 88, and after unsteady (and limited) appearances over the summer, her public response to Trumps militarization of Washington has been somewhat muted. Norton should be screaming bloody murder, said the D.C. resident, who pointed out that it has fallen to Democrats from neighboring Maryland, like Moore and Rep. Jamie Raskin, to loudly defend the Districts sovereignty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The congresswoman was absent from Bowsers press conference responding to Trumps announcement. (In an email, the mayors office declined to comment on Nortons level of engagement since the crisis.) In her place, Nortons office issued a statement containing unequivocal language. She called Trumps actions an historic assault on D.C. home rule, [a] counterproductive, escalatory seizure of D.C.s resources to use for purposes not supported by D.C. residents, and [providing] more evidence of the urgent need to pass my D.C. statehood bill. Donna Brazile, the former Democratic National Committee chair who managed Nortons successful 1990 campaign and remains a supporter and close confidante, said the congresswoman remains engaged and maintains a robust schedule. On Aug. 15, Brazile accompanied Norton to a three-hour federal court hearing on the Justice Departments attempts to appoint someone to take over the Metropolitan Police Department from the D.C. police chief. (After the judge threatened to intervene, the Justice Department withdrew that portion of its order.) Free DC held a rally a block down the road, she said, but there was no way Eleanor could join them with the streets blocked off and [federal] agents all around. Norton refused to leave town during the Houses summer recess, Brazile said, and worked the phones to protect the District. In recent weeks, the congresswoman has also introduced legislation to grant D.C. full authority over its National Guard and police, terminate Trumps federalization of the MPD and require federal officers to use body and dashboard cameras, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, the feeling on the street is that Norton hasnt been seen or heard enough. On Sept. 3, she appeared at a Capitol Hill press conference and read from a prepared statement. As written, it contained powerful language: President Trump has used D.C. residents as props in a political play to showcase his own power, she said. While the president claims that federal control of D.C. is necessary to combat crime, his own actions severely jeopardize public safety in the DistrictNo emergency exists in D.C. that the president did not create himself. Norton, though, spoke haltingly, stumbling at times over her words. Video from the event shows her walking with the help of an aide. Despite this, she told Axios on Thursday that she would seek reelection in 2026: I say my seniority is what is very important, and I am not going to step aside. When Norton made similar comments over the summer, her office tried to walk them back by adding qualifiers. This time, according to Axios, her spokesperson Sharon Nichols said, We dont have anything to add. Nichols did not reply to a request for comment for this column. But as we have recently seen with numerous long-serving congressional members, Norton has so far refused to acknowledge her age-related limitations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr. Jacque Patterson, who serves as president and member-at-large of the District of Columbia State Board of Education, recently declared his candidacy for Nortons seat in 2026. Its very clear from the statement that she read [Wednesday] that her health and her energy will not allow her to actually fight the type of fight that we need at this particular time, he said, noting his respect for Nortons civil rights legacy and leadership on statehood. She has fought a heroic fight under the circumstances, that she doesnt have a vote [in the House or] in the committees that shes been onBut at this particular time, it is time to pass the baton. The District needs a fighter, he argued, someone with the stamina to speak off-the-cuff and rally the opposition to Trumps actions: The rhetoric [has] to be energized. We cant let this moment go by. So we need that rhetoric, we need the hard charge. We need to call Donald Trump out and call him what he is, that he wants to be a dictator, that he wants to impose his will even as he preaches democracy, even as this Congress talks about [wanting] a small government and not interfering. Thats exactly what they want to do in the District of Columbia. So you take this moment and you make it a movement, and you call people out. This is not what our Founding Fathers were talking aboutand for [the administration] to try to take that narrative, it is absolutely wrong, and we need to call them [the] liars that they are. Period. Another primary candidate, former senior Justice Department official Kinney Zalesne, said that if she were the delegate, I would be on TV 24/7, calling out the truth about the city and not the lies that the president has [told]. Zalesne described Trumps actions as Authoritarianism 101it is the dictators playbook to take the kind of actions that Trump has taken. And Im not saying there isnt a crime problem in D.C., or that we [wouldnt] welcome federal help. But Trump operates with pretext, and right now, the pretext is a so-called violent crime national emergency in the District of Columbia, and that just isnt accurate, and its a distraction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Norton, she said, was a real fighter and very effective. But now, the problems that D.C. is facingneed constant attention, constant energy and stamina, and some creative new ideas and partnerships and alliances that are going to rally people to our side and fight for us, fight with us. Brazile, too, admitted she recognized the need for change: Ive stated on the record that its my personal and professional belief that Eleanor should pass the torch. But she pointed to the hard work Norton has done in recent weeks and bristled at how the media is biased [against] those who have fought to open doors versus those crying to run for office. For members of Eleanors generation, they spent their early years removing barriers and opening doors, Brazile said. And as they moved inside the corridors of statehouses and the U.S. Congress, they focused on delivering for their constituents and building seniority. Its clear that Brazile believes Nortons decades of experience in Congress can help the District in this fraught moment. When I spoke to [her] this morning, she asked me to help rally folks to stop these insane riders on our D.C. appropriation. Thats my old boss and mentor: shes focused on the work ahead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For now, though, in the face of a crisis that continues to escalate, and absent the rhetorical firepower they are craving, many Washingtonians are feeling frustrated and demoralized. For the first time [since] Ive lived here, I feel dread [when I return]. Almost depressed, the longtime resident said. I used to be so excited and very proud. I feel its more palpable here in D.C., these feelings, compared to anywhere else in the country. You always had a feeling of patriotism here, [and] now its gone. The post DC now faces all-out assault from the House GOP and needs a fighter appeared first on Salon.com. NEED TO KNOW The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the triatomine insect called the kissing bug has been found in 32 states Eight states have reported human infection, including California, where about 45,000 people in Los Angeles County may be infected with Chagas disease The CDC has recommended that Chagas disease be classified as "endemic in the U.S. Chagas disease, which is spread through an insect known as the kissing bug, has spread to 32 states in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the triatomine insect called the kissing bug because it bites people on the face has been found in several southern U.S. states, and that hundreds of thousands of people could already be infected without knowing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Human infections have been identified in eight states Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee and California according to a map on the CDCs website. Cases of Chagas disease in animals have also been found in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia and Maryland. cdc.gov A map of where Chagas disease infections have been reported, via the CDC. A map of where Chagas disease infections have been reported, via the CDC. The CDC said, per UCLA Health, that more than 300,000 people in the U.S. including 45,000 people in Los Angeles County could be affected with Chagas disease. However, fewer than 2% of those people know they carry the parasite transmitted by the kissing bug. Judith Currier, MD, chief of infectious diseases at UCLA Health, explained, Most people living with Chagas disease are unaware of their diagnosis, often until its too late to have effective treatment. The disease spreads through triatomine insect bites, per UCLA Health. Once the insect bites people on their face, they defecate and deposit a parasite called T. cruzi onto the skin. When the bite begins to itch and people scratch it, the parasite then gets into the persons bloodstream. 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. Infected people can experience common symptoms including fever, fatigue, body aches, headache, loss of appetite, diarrhea and vomiting. However, one of the key signs of the disease is particularly severe swelling of the eyelid, per UCLA Health. Getty A photo of the "kissing bug" on a leaf in Texas. A photo of the "kissing bug" on a leaf in Texas. [Severe eyelid swelling is] almost a hallmark of acute Chagas infection, said Shaun Yang, PhD, a professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those who are infected could also risk getting more chronic symptoms, which often affect a persons cardiovascular system. Between 20% and 30% of people who contract Chagas disease could develop serious heart or digestive problems, risk getting an enlarged heart, colon or esophagus, or risk heart failure or cardiac arrest, per the CDC. The CDC recommended in its report that Chagas disease be classified as "endemic in the U.S. The agency defines "endemic" as having a "constant presence and/or usual prevalence in a population within a specific geographic area. Chagas disease is currently considered endemic to Latin America. Read the original article on People After a decades-long investigation, police in California have identified a serial rapist who died by suicide in Michigan in 1997, linking him to multiple attacks in the state and across the country. Former U.S. Navy diver Sean Patrick McNulty, who grew up in Ventura, California, was connected through DNA to at least six home-invasion rapes from 1982 to 1997, the Ventura County District Attorneys Office announced on Thursday, Sept. 4. Sean Patrick McNulty McNulty took his life in Emmett Charter Township, Calhoun County, after becoming a suspect in a 1993 Bloomington, Indiana, rape investigation. Investigators later confirmed his DNA matched evidence from that case and others, including attacks in Okemos, Michigan, in 1994; Birmingham, Michigan, in 1995; and Columbus, Ohio, in 1997, as well as two assaults in Ventura in the early 1980s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Scientists in Michigan confirmed that McNultys DNA matched the perpetrators DNA profile in the 1994 and 1995 rapes," the district attorneys office said. The identification was part of the Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (VCSAKI), which tests decades-old sexual assault kits for DNA. McNultys DNA was matched using the Combined DNA Index System and investigative genealogy, with help from local police departments and the FBIs Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. Victims in Michigan and other states have been notified. One Ventura victim told investigators she had waited forty years for closure, according to the district attorneys office. More: NMU students play key role in solving 39-year-old CSC cold case. Here's what happened Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every kit tested has the opportunity to bring critical knowledge to these women, including the knowledge that their perpetrator is deceased and therefore no longer able to harm others," said Ventura District Attorney Erik Nasarenko in a statement. Authorities are now seeking information on other potential crimes McNulty may have committed. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact local law enforcement. Nour Rahal is a trending and breaking news reporter. Email her: nrahal@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @nrahal1. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Police ID serial rapist who died in Michigan in 1997 Sep. 5SANTA FE A New Mexico fair redistricting task force is adjusting its mission after two Democratic lawmakers stepped down from the task force and another expressed misgivings about its work. The New Mexico Redistricting Task Force announced this week it would not disband, but no longer planned to vote on possibly updating its recommendations on independent redistricting. Instead, the task force plans to hold two webinars this month as an educational panel. The webinars will focus on redistricting efforts happening around the nation and New Mexico's history with the issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "What began as a genuine effort at collaboration to address voter suppression and promote fairness has been undermined," said Hannah Burling, the president of the New Mexico League of Women Voters. "Without full representation, the Task Force can no longer fulfill its promise of fairness and balance." Two Democratic lawmakers resigned from the task force last month, citing a Republican-led push to redraw political boundary lines in Texas and other GOP-controlled states. The decision by Sen. Harold Pope Jr. and Rep. Cristina Parajon, both of Albuquerque, drew criticism from at least one Republican member of the task force. Following that development, one of the two Democrats still left on the task force expressed concerns about the partisan imbalance and called for the task force to be disbanded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Angel Charley, D-Acoma Pueblo, also expressed concerns about the lack of voices from New Mexico pueblos on the task force, while describing it as a "betrayal of the public trust." Redistricting has emerged as a hot-button issue around the nation, as President Donald Trump's administration has urged some Republican-controlled states to redraw their congressional maps to create more GOP-leaning seats. In response, California has launched its own effort to redraw congressional boundary lines to create more Democratic-leaning seats. In New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has indicated she would not support a mid-decade redistricting push. Democrats already control all three of the state's congressional seats, under maps that were redrawn by the Democratic-controlled Legislature in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The New Mexico Redistricting Task Force is not an official legislative committee, as it was launched in 2019 by the League of Women Voters to advocate for an independent redistricting commission. Such a commission would be empowered to redraw the state's political boundary lines based on once-per-decade U.S. census data. Sen. Natalie Figueroa, D-Albuquerque, who has sponsored independent redistricting proposals in past sessions targeted specifically at legislative seats, said Friday she plans to continue the effort despite the national tumult. "The discussion is important given the national context," Figueroa told the Journal, while expressing concern about voters' views about the politically driven redistricting efforts. "In the long term, that's not going to be sustainable in our democracy" said Figueroa. DENVER (KDVR) Denvers November ballot has been certified and will ask voters to consider approving a $935 million bond package, as well as whether to uphold a ban on flavored tobacco products, among other items. The election is set for Nov. 4, and ballots are set to be mailed to Denverites on Oct. 10, according to the Denver County Clerk and Recorders Office. Sign up for the FOX31 Denver Guide weekly newsletter for events and activities Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You can find a list of drop boxes and in-person voting locations on the Denver government website here. In-person voting service and polling centers will begin to open on Oct. 27. All in-person voting requires a valid ID. Vibrant Denver $935M infrastructure bond package The Vibrant Denver Bond package has been separated on the ballot into five issues, as required by law, and the city is asking voters to vote yes on making smart investments in the citys critical infrastructure with Measures 2A through 2E. The city says that the bond project will ensure the city can repair and improve roads, bridges, parks, recreation centers, libraries, museums, theaters, health care facilities, shelters, emergency responses and more. And we can do it all without raising taxes, Vibrant Denver said in a release on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The measures, and what they aim to deliver, are: 2A: Repair and improve roads, bridges and intersections 2B: Upgrade and improve parks, playgrounds, pools and recreation centers 2C: Funds health clinics and support systems to improve care 2D: Improvements to libraries, safety facilities, museums, theaters, the zoo, and more 2E: Access to safe, stable shelters and housing Vibrant Denver said the bond was shaped by 7,600 pieces of input over seven months of community engagement, reflecting the diverse voices and shared vision of Denver residents. Referred questions on Denvers November 2025 ballot Voters will be asked to consider two referred questions and a referendum on their November ballots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Colorado could lose up to $800 million over the next 2 years from escalating tariffs, Polis says Referred Question 2F asks voters about renaming the Denver Department of Excise and Licensing to the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, a measure the department put forward in July. The department said the name change would help the public better understand the services it provides. Changing the name to the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection is a simple, yet impactful modification that will help the public understand and access the critical work coming from this agency, said a statement from Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. Referred Question 2G asks voters about changing how at-large Denver councilmembers are elected. The council had considered bringing ranked-choice voting to the city, but ultimately rejected that measure. However, in a tight vote, the council advances a measure that would make the at-large council election two separate races. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At present, all at-large candidates for the Denver City Council run against each other, with the two candidates who receive the most votes taking council seats. This question asks voters if they would rather have two separate at-large council seat races, where the top vote earner takes a council seat. Referendum 310: Sale of flavored tobacco products Last year, Denver City Council revisited a measure to ban flavored tobacco products in the city and county. The council had first passed a measure in 2021 to ban the flavored tobacco product sales, but then-Denver Mayor Michael Hancock vetoed it. At the time, vape shop owners in Denver told FOX31 that the ban would impact over 90% of their inventory and likely put them out of business. However, proponents of the ban said it would have kept nicotine products out of the hands of underage users. In December 2024, council voted 11-1 to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products impacting e-cigarettes, menthol cigarettes, vapes and other flavored nicotine and tobacco products. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mail-in ballots and Space Command: Why Colorado elections may have led to Trumps decision Small business owners were quick to take action, filing a petition with the city to overturn the ban at the ballot box with over 17,000 petition signatures. Business owners and manufacturers in the Smoke-Free Alliance Colorado said the city would miss out on $13 million in annual revenue if the ban is upheld. Denver Public Schools Board of Education election Voters will also be asked to vote for elected directors on the Denver Public Schools Board of Education. Below are the positions to be filled and the candidates running. Incumbent candidates are noted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Director At-Large: Alex Magana, Amy Klein Molk and Deborah Ms. Deb Sims Fard District 2 Director: Mariana del Hierro and Xochitl Gaytan, who is the incumbent District 3 Director: Caron Blanke; Donald DJ Torres; and Scott Esserman, who is currently serving as an at-large director District 4 Director: Michelle Quattlebaum, who is the incumbent director; Jeremy Harris; Monica Hunter; and Timiya Jackson Board members are elected to four-year terms. 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. HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) Pennsylvania officials are asking the federal government to keep a research lab focused on mine safety open in the Keystone State. Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Jessica Shirley sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., urging the federal government to keep the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Healths Pittsburgh Research Lab open. DEP says the lab focuses on critical mine safety research that keeps more than 3,000 Pennsylvania miners and thousands more nationally safe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pennsylvania has a long legacy of mining stretching back hundreds of years and we owe it to our mine workers, their families, and mining communities to ensure their safety and continue this critical research, said Shirley in the letter. Since its inception in 1910 as the Bureau of Mines, the work accomplished by this group has undoubtedly saved lives and advanced the industry forward. Losing this facility will impede advancements in mine safety, harm the mining industry, and put workers at risk. DEPs Bureau of Mine Safety works with PRL, the agency says, to provide training, tools, and best practices to the mining industry as well as mine rescue training at its experimental mine. Following the 2002 Quecreek Mine disaster, the office helped develop drilling equipment and protocols. Download the abc27 News+ app on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and Apple TV devices Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this year, the lab was subject to layoffs. 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 ABC27. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Lets get a check on the latest in news and weather with KELOLAND On The Go. South Dakota veterans have mixed feelings about President Trumps executive order that changes the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. Local vets react to Department of War The South Dakota DCI has determined an officer involved shooting that included a hostage situation was justified. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DCI justifies deadly shooting in Haakon County Doctors in South Dakota want to reassure patients that vaccinations are safe after the state of Florida announced this week a plan to phase-out all childhood vaccine mandates. Sioux Falls hospitals push for patient vaccinations Its a little chilly this morning with temperatures in the 30s for much of western South Dakota. Fall weather for the weekend An event is taking place in Harrisburg for all car and canine lovers. Classic cars and dog adoption at Union Social 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 KELOLAND.com. COOPER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) Deputies say a man was taken into custody after breaking into a business in Cooper Township. It happened around 11:15 p.m. Friday at Cooper Market, located at D Avenue W. and Douglas Avenue. The store was closed at the time. According to the Kalamazoo County Sheriffs Office, a man used a brick to shatter the stores front door, which was made of glass. The man allegedly made entry, stole several items and then ran away before deputies showed up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputies said they gathered a physical description of the man and found him nearby, lying down next to a building. The man, 24, was jailed, according to the sheriffs office. 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. Two St. Paul police officers have died one unexpectedly and the other after battling cancer. The last 12 hours have not been kind to our St. Paul Police Department family, Chief Axel Henry wrote in a Friday email to the department. Im sorry to be writing you with more devastating news. Officer Eric McArthur, 45, was at home early Friday when it appears he suffered a heart attack, Henry wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Thursday, Don Grundhauser passed away. He was a sergeant who had to retire early from the St. Paul Police Department due to his cancer diagnosis. Our hearts are shattered as we share that our Donny has passed away, his wife, Kelly Grundhauser, wrote on his CaringBridge site Thursday. Donny fought the hardest battle of his life against stage 4 colon cancer. He faced it with courage, faith, and so much love for his family. Even as the cancer spread through his body he kept showing up for us with strength, resilience and humor. He never stopped trying to make memories. He never stopped loving us. He never gave up hope. Officer Eric McArthur McArthur was previously a Bloomington Police Department dispatcher. He joined the St. Paul Police Department nearly 10 years ago and was with the K-9 unit since 2021, serving with his K-9 partner Finn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He served 20 years in the Army National Guard and deployed three times to Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait. His nicknames were Mac because of his last name or The General as a nod to Gen. Douglas MacArthur, a five star Army general. McArthur was a married father with two children. He was a decorated leader whose heroism cements his legacy of compassionate service, Mayor Melvin Carter wrote in a Friday statement. In 2020, Ofc. McArthur was one of four to earn a Life Saving Award for his extraordinary efforts to save the life of a young stabbing victim. McArthur was also an exceptional K9 officer and earned top honors with Finn at national trials this year, Carter wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His impact will forever be felt, Carter wrote. He represented the very best of our department courage, skill, and heart. Retired Sgt. Don Grundhauser Grundhauser, 55, became a St. Paul police officer in 1994, and started a family legacy: His two younger brothers, Mark and Keith, followed in his footsteps and one of his sons also joined the department. The three are still St. Paul officers. The saying Grundhauser always had for other officers was, It doesnt cost anything to be nice to someone. In July 2024, Grundhauser was diagnosed with cancer. He went through chemotherapy and other treatments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You have to have hope and you want to believe, Grundhauser, known as Grundy, said in a February interview. He grew up in St. Paul and attended St. Bernards School on St. Pauls Rice Street. Hes often referred to as a Rice Street Legend,' a family friend previously wrote on a GoFundMe. Related Articles Don and Kelly Grundhauser were married at St. Bernards Church. They have twin sons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kelly Grundhauser wrote that Donny was more than his illness. He was a proud St. Paul Police Sergeant who served the city he was born and raised in, she said. He was a husband who loved deeply for more than 31 years. He was a dad who adored his two boys and was so proud of the men they have become. He was a brother and a son and a friend who showed up for people in big and small ways. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador earlier this year, was told by immigration officials on Friday that they plan to deport him again, but this time to the small African country of Eswatini. Abrego Garcia returned to the U.S. in June, but was then charged with human smuggling and now faces removal again. He surrendered to officials in Maryland last month, and the Trump administration said it would deport him to Uganda. His lawyers argued that he would face persecution and torture in Uganda, and said he wants to seek asylum in the U.S. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported earlier this year due to what the Trump administration called an "administrative error." AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough However, in an email obtained by multiple news outlets, including CBS, CNN and Fox News, the Department of Homeland Security told Abrego Garcia on Friday that his claim of fear is hard to take seriously, especially given that you have claimed (through your attorneys) that you fear persecution or torture in at least 22 different countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The notice then included a bulleted list of 22 countries. It concluded, Nonetheless, we hereby notify you that your new country of removal is Eswatini, Africa. BREAKING: @FoxNews has obtained an email ICE sent to Kilmar Abrego Garcias lawyers this afternoon notifying them that ICE now plans to deport him to the tiny African country of ESWATINI due to him claiming fear of persecution/torture in Uganda & 20+ other countries, which ICE pic.twitter.com/qpPiE6ZeyB Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) September 5, 2025 Eswatini, known as Swaziland prior to 2018, is one of the last absolute monarchies in the world. The southern African country measures about 6,700 square miles and has an estimated population of approximately 1.2 million residents. A spokesperson for ICE confirmed the letters authenticity in an email to HuffPost, stating, TRUE: An IMMIGRATION JUDGE ordered him removed. ICE will comply with that order. News: Lachlan Murdoch Secures Control Of Family's Media Empire In Blockbuster Conclusion To Succession Fight A lawyer for Abrego Garcia did not immediately reply to a request for comment from HuffPost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The email comes a week after U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered that Abrego Garcia not be removed from the U.S. before an evidentiary hearing on Oct. 6. Xinis previously ordered that if DHS were to start the process of deporting Abrego Garcia to a country other than El Salvador, where he was born, the agency would need to give him written notice at least 72 hours before the intended removal. Five people have already been deported to a maximum-security Eswatini prison in July, The Associated Press reports. Their attorney argued that the Trump administration denied them due process. Related... Read the original on HuffPost Five men have been booked into the Collin County jail in recent weeks on allegations ranging from rape and sexual assault to indecent exposure, with bonds in some cases set at hundreds of thousands of dollars. Statistical overview of the cases: Category Value Total Bond for All Charges (All Defendants) $1,789,500 Total Number of Charges (All Defendants) 13 Average Number of Charges per Defendant 2.6 Average Bond (Sex Crimes Charges Only) $345,300 Average Number of Sex Crimes Charges per Defendant 1.2 This edition of Dirty John does not include every arrest for sex crimes in Collin County, Texas. Rather, it highlights some of the most serious cases, and does not include sex crimes committed by prisoners or other incarcerated people against each other. 1. Michael Angel Garcia Michael Angel Garcia Total Bond: $1,500,000 Arrested: August 25, 2025 DOB: September 29, 1989 | Race: White | Gender: Male Height: 511 | Weight: 210 lbs | Eyes: Brown | Hair: Black Charges: Sex Abuse of Child Continuous: Victim Under 14 (First-Degree Felony) $750,000 Sexual Assault of a Child (Second-Degree Felony) $750,000 2. Jakob Dylan Dustin Hinkle Jakob Dylan Dustin Hinkle Total Bond: $200,000 Arrested: August 16, 2025 DOB: October 6, 1997 | Race: White | Gender: Male Height: 59 | Weight: 200 lbs | Eyes: Hazel | Hair: Brown Charges: Assault Causing Bodily Injury Family Member (Class A Misdemeanor) $50,000 Sexual Assault (Second-Degree Felony) $150,000 3. Rayvin Tramaine Lake Fontnette Rayvin Tramaine Lake Fontnette Total Bond: $75,000 Arrested: August 27, 2025 DOB: November 14, 2002 | Race: Black | Gender: Male Height: 57 | Weight: 150 lbs | Eyes: Brown | Hair: Black Charges: Sexual Assault of a Child (Second-Degree Felony) $75,000 4. Jondarius Rayshaud Edwards Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jondarius Rayshaud Edwards Total Bond: $18,500 Arrested: September 4, 2025 DOB: October 26, 1999 | Race: Black | Gender: Male Height: 59 | Weight: 160 lbs | Eyes: Brown | Hair: Black Charges: Assault Causing Bodily Injury (Class A Misdemeanor) $1,500 Criminal Mischief $2,500<$30K (State Jail Felony) $5,000 Criminal Trespass (Class B Misdemeanor) $1,000 Criminal Trespass (Class B Misdemeanor) $1,500 Indecent Exposure (Class B Misdemeanor) $1,500 Resist Arrest/Transport (Class A Misdemeanor) $2,500 Terroristic Threat Against Public Servant (Class A Misdemeanor) $1,500 5. Zion Joshua Hoyles Zion Joshua Hoyles Total Bond: Not Listed Arrested: August 20, 2025 DOB: August 22, 2002 | Race: Black | Gender: Male Height: 60 | Weight: 160 lbs | Eyes: Brown | Hair: Black Charges: Rape First Degree (Victim Under Age 14) (First-Degree Felony) Bond Not Listed Each of these arrests was processed through the Collin County jail system. The Sheriffs Office continues to detain pretrial inmates while their cases are pending. Charges include some of the most serious offenses under Texas law, carrying potential sentences ranging from a few years to decades in prison, if convicted. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The charges described have been filed, but no convictions have been entered, and each case will move forward through the judicial system, where guilt or innocence will be determined. (KRON) A 55-year-old Berkeley man was arrested Tuesday in connection with three commercial burglaries over the last year at Three One Four Pizzeria, Auto Options and Oak Barrel Winecraft, said the Berkeley Police Department. Road rage led up to I-880 shooting in Oakland: DA Berkeley PD said security cameras captured the man on Aug. 31 as he emerged from his vehicle and walked to and from Three One Four Pizzeria. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The man allegedly forced open one safe and stole another during the incident. He made off with tools and several bottles of alcohol, according to Berkeley police. Police were able to track down the suspects vehicle the next day by using FLOCK technology and secured an arrest warrant. As it turned out, detectives learned that this same suspect was already wanted in connection with two commercial burglaries that occurred in 2024 between June 27th and June 29th, said Berkeley PD in a social media post. In those cases, two neighboring businesses (Auto Options and Oak Barrel Winecraft) were burglarized by two suspects where the suspects DNA was found at the scene. Investigators said the suspects stole thousands of dollars in tools and drove off with two cars from inside the auto body shop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the man was taken into custody at his Berkeley residence, a search of the home upturned a pry bar and other stolen items, according to BDP. He faces several charges tied to burglary and auto theft. Police did not provide an update on the other suspect in the crimes. 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. NEED TO KNOW President Donald Trump is sending fundraising emails to supporters asking for help to "get to Heaven" The president is requesting that supporters donate $15 for a 24-hour Trump fundraising blitz The emails reportedly began on Saturday, Aug. 23 President Donald Trumps campaign is sending fundraising emails that read, I want to try and get to Heaven. The recent emails which reportedly began on Saturday, Aug. 23 are requesting supporters to donate $15 during a 24-HOUR TRUMP FUNDRAISING BLITZ to the president, the Independent, Snopes and Newsweek reported. The new emails subject line includes, I want to try and get to Heaven, per the outlet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, I came millimeters from death when that bullet pierced through my skin. My triumphant return to the White House was never supposed to happen! the email says in reference to the July 2024 assassination attempt against him in Butler, Penn. But I believe that God saved me for one reason: TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!, the message read, according to the Independent. I certainly wasn't supposed to survive an assassin's bullet, but by the grace of the almighty God, I did. SO NOW, I have no other choice but to answer the Call to Duty, but I can't do it alone. Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Donald Trump on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025 Donald Trump on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025 The recent emails began days after Trump, 79, was featured on Fox & Friends on Tuesday, Aug. 19. During his phone call interview, he said he wants to take action to end the war in Ukraine, saying, If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think thats pretty I want to try to get to heaven if possible. "Im hearing that Im not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole, he added, to laughter from the Fox News hosts. "But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later that day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified that she didn't believe Trump was joking. I think the president was serious, she said. I think the president wants to get to heaven as I hope we all do in this room as well. Chip Somodevilla/Getty U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters in the Oval Office at the White House on January 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters in the Oval Office at the White House on January 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. The emails also come amid rumors concerning Trump's health, which dominated the internet conversation over Labor Day weekend. Social media sleuths pointed to Trump's cleared schedule over the weekend, as well as Vice President JD Vance's recent interview with USA Today, where he spoke about being prepared to step in if anything should happen to the president. After the holiday weekend, Trump was asked by a reporter during a press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 2, if he was aware that many social media users thought he had died last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president went on to say that he knew people were questioning whether he was ill because he sees "reports," but claimed he didn't know about the now-debunked conspiracy theory that he died. Although the theory arose organically from social media users, he blamed the conspiracy theory on "fake news. He also blamed the media for spreading it, even though it was never treated as fact by major news outlets. That day, he also posted on Truth Social, and wrote, NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE. 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. A representative for Trump's fundraising efforts did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for more information on Friday. Read the original article on People A while back, we wrote a post where first responders revealed the everyday safety tips that more people should know. In the comments, more first responders revealed their advice as well as the common safety mistakes people make, and honestly, it could save your life. Here's what they had to say: Note: Some submissions were pulled from this Reddit thread by u/PeachMilkshake2319. 1."Saving yourself and not your stuff is 100% true in any emergent situation. Fire? Get out. Tornado or hurricane? Get to shelter. Flooding? Get to high ground. Your stuff is replaceable, or if it's not, it's still not as valuable as your life." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Yes, I know some people do not have the 'luxury' of going elsewhere in a hurricane, flood, or wildfire situation, but for most people, just go. Now." wanderingstorm Witthaya Prasongsin / Getty Images 2."If you slide off the road or spin out due to icy or wet conditions, stay in your car. Other cars will likely experience the same conditions and slam into your vehicle or you if you're outside the car. I responded to one such incident and the resulting fatality, and witnessed a state trooper who was nearly hit in another." Anonymous, 72, Minnesota 3."If you hit your head in an accident, go to the hospital. Just get it checked out, just in case, even if you feel fine." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement jillsanders Related: "I Can't Wait For This To Go Out Of Style": People Are Sharing Popular Modern Trends That Are Actually Pretty Toxic 4."If you're choking on something and coughing, lean forward over your knees with your head down. Let gravity help clear the blockage, rather than trying to fight it." Catfishers SimpleImages / Getty Images 5."Have your address clearly marked and lit so responders can get to you quickly...every second counts." Ten7850 6."If you are dealing with someone who has been stabbed or impaled and the item is still inside the body, do not pull it out." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement justneedadvice87 7."A friend of mine is a police officer in his home city. If your friend is drunk, get them a cab home. DO NOT leave them to take the train home. He always tells me that 90% of the people who get run over by trains are drunk and fall into the train tracks." Cool_loser69 8."I have a friend who is a first responder. He says, 'STAY OFF TRAIN TRACKS.' Don't squish pennies or do photo shoots on them or walk on them at all. Believe it or not, trains can sneak up on you at an alarming speed, and they DO NOT slow down." cuteemogirlfriend Marco Bottigelli / Getty Images Related: People Are Sharing The One Thing They Stopped Doing That Instantly Made Their Lives A Million Times Better, And I'm About To Try Them 9."One thing a senior supervisor taught me as a crisis social worker: If it feels bad or wrong, trust it. Don't push past it; there's usually a good reason you intuitively know that." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Also, lock up your damn guns." sbpurcell 10."Limb amputations. It's easy to save someone with a tourniquet. Keep a few in your car, and know how to apply them. It can save your or someone else's life. Tons and tons of blood dump out of an amputation." tibearius1123 11."Learn how to save a child who is choking. Every parent should assume at some point their child WILL choke on something and know how to handle such a situation." Brief-Advantage-9907 12."My wife was a trauma nurse (now PACU), and we've found ourselves in some not ideal situations in our travels. Take an AED/CPR/First Aid class bonus points for Stop The Bleed (it's often free!). That will prep you for the majority of stuff you'll encounter. Have a good first aid kit at home and in your car." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement hipsterasshipster Pablo Jeffs Munizaga - Fototrekk / Getty Images 13."If you see a snake, just keep a distance and stay calm. Most snakes won't attack you; probably only anacondas think of you as food, unless you're a little kid who meets a big python. Don't try to pick a snake up!!! If you get bitten, take a good look at what kind of snake it is. Try to stay calm, and get medical help ASAP." Yugan-Dali Related: Most Adults Use These 30 Acronyms Every Day, But Only 20% Of People Actually Know What They All Mean 14."If you ever encounter a heavily burnt person running to you (They always run in the hope to survive), don't touch them with your bare hands, your hands might be too hard for their burnt skin and flesh, always touch them with a cloth or a towel." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement curator_boy 15."If you lose your child in a crowded area, shout out what they're wearing as well as their name. It makes them much easier to identify to others." merrywidow14 16."If you're in a car accident, especially at a busy intersection/roadway, don't just get out; if your car is driveable, get it out of the roadway. If it's not drivable, get yourself out of the street ASAP. Can't count how many times I've almost been struck by drivers not paying attention or just driving fast past accident scenes." Edburly22 Twenty47studio / Getty Images 17."If you're swimming in the ocean, and you get knocked over and can't tell which way is up, exhale and follow the bubbles." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement merrywidow14 18."Whenever you encounter an emergency situation, stop what youre doing and say to yourself, 'This is not MY emergency.' This will (hopefully) allow you to take a step back, assess the situation, and prevent you from making poor, split-second decisions. So many people jump into swift water trying to save someone else, only to become a second victim. Some people quickly try to extricate victims, but injure them further." "Allow yourself to look at things as objectively as possible, and you'll make much better decisions." classless_classic 19."If everyone in a room/vehicle/building is unresponsive, DO NOT ENTER FOR ANY REASON. If you see someone collapse after entering a confined space, DO NOT ENTER FOR ANY REASON. If you see someone collapsed near a potential chemical spill, DO NOT ENTER FOR ANY REASON. Overall, if it killed them, it will kill you." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement garfieldlover3000 20."Career Coast Guard here: Wear your life jacket. Period. Don't drink and drive a boat. Period. Use the kill switch on your boat/PWC. Know where you're going, and tell two people your itinerary. Make sure a second person on the vessel knows how to operate it. Practice man overboard drills/situations." "The backfire flame arrester on your engine is your friend; do not remove it. I promise you it doesn't 'gain you any horsepower' when you remove it. Also, keep a life ring/throwable within arm's reach." h1jynx Dedy Andrianto / Getty Images Related: My Doctor Forced Me To Do Something Disturbing. It Kept Me From Seeking Further Medical Care For Years. 21."If you ever fall through ice, you only have minutes to get on the shelf. Once you're on the shelf, roll away from it towards stronger ice don't try to stand up and walk." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement h1jynx 22."You don't have to have phone service to dial an emergency number. It will be prioritised for any available network, so if there's a signal from anything, it will get through, not just your network." "Similarly, if you dont know the emergency number of a country youre in, try the one for your home country. A lot of places will have common ones worldwide that go through, too." BBQMcAwesomesauce And finally... 23."Paramedic here: 1) Learn to recognize signs and symptoms of a stroke. The 'F.A.S.T' acronym is what we use in the EMS world. 2) Learn how to do effective CPR. Immediate bystander CPR and early 911 activation play a MAJOR role in good patient outcomes in cardiac arrest." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If you don't do good CPR, there won't be very much brain/heart to save by the time we get there." Rayshmith Boonchai Wedmakawand / Getty Images Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity. Fellow first responders, what are some "emergency" safety tips people should know that could save their lives? Tell us in the comments, or if you prefer to remain anonymous, you can use the form below. Also in Goodful: People In The Medical Field Are Sharing The One Thing They Won't Do Because Of The Trauma They've Seen On The Job, And I'm Anxiously Taking Notes Also in Goodful: "It's Sad And Sexist But True": 17 Tips Women Learned From Other Women For Keeping Themselves Safe In The World We Live In Also in Goodful: I Had An Abortion And Didn't Realize It Until Several Weeks Later Read it on BuzzFeed.com CHICAGO (WGN) A west suburban man, who investigators allege wrote the names of prominent U.S. political figures on bullets and posted violent messages on social media, was taken into custody by federal agents on Friday. According to a now-unsealed indictment, Michael D. Stover, 33, of Downers Grove, is charged with one count of using interstate commerce to make a threat. Federal investigators allege Stover made numerous threats referencing elected and law enforcement officials between Feb. 2025 and July 2025. The suspect, who said he works in air conditioning, was dressed in a navy-blue t-shirt, black pants, and black boots, with shackles on his ankles, as he appeared in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge M. David Weisman Friday afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chicago on edge: Austin residents divided as Trump threatens National Guard According to the criminal complaint, it was the United States Secret Service (USSS) Protective Intelligence Division that first caught wind of Stovers posts on social media. On Feb. 4, Stover reportedly posted a picture on Facebook showing five rifle bullets with the names of five well-known U.S. political figures written in marker on each, placed on top of two hunting knives. The complaint did not disclose the names of the individuals whose names were written on the ammunition. Investigators with the USSS and Downers Grove Police Department went to Stovers home to interview him regarding the post, which he admitted to making, court documents show. Stover blamed anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, which he said he was being treated for, and told investigators he was remorseful and would remove the names from the bullets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mayhem: Pritzker warns of possible ICE operation in Chicagoland According to court records, his posting spree didnt stop there. The FBIs National Threat Operations Center received a report in May about threatening messages Stover continued to post this time from a Bluesky account traced back to him. In his profile biography, Stover claims to be a nerd, anarchist, anti-fascist, and an expert shooter. He has shared posts against law enforcement, and both Democrats and Republicans. One of the suspects posts read, The us [sic] president just said he wants to purpose build concentration camps for his political enemies. Thats not a normal [expletive] thing to do!!! Its war right here and now against this attacker or we die in slavery. Put down your posters and selfie sticks and pick up a weapon! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In early May, the FBI and Downers Grove police entered a Clear and Present Danger request with Illinois State Police to have Stover flagged for posing an actual and immediate threat of substantial harm to himself or others, and in turn, prevent him from legally accessing firearms. Illinois senators oppose ICE use of Chicago-area naval station for immigration enforcement Court records show ISP granted that request and revoked Stovers FOID card on May 8. That same day, Downers Grove police responded to a 911 call for a domestic disturbance at Stovers home. According to the criminal complaint, Stovers spouse told investigators he had been extremely irate, was throwing items, and threatened to kill her. She declined to press charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The woman told police Stover took medication for mental health issues, and it had recently run out, the criminal complaint said. She claimed he ranted about being fearful of their safety and began throwing knives and guns at the door and said the government wanted them dead. Documents show Stover told police he spirals when he experiences a trigger due to his PTSD and believed certain political figures were a threat to himself and his spouse. What can the National Guard do if deployed to Chicago? After refusing to turn over weapons, court records show police took Stover into custody, and with the permission of his spouse, seized five rifles, a shotgun, six handguns, and ammunition, a four-pack of exploding targets, and five rifle rounds with the writing still on them. Charges were not filed against Stover, who was subsequently released. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stover again was interviewed by local police and the FBI in late May. Stover reported receiving help for his mental-health issues, and he stated that he did not intend to kill anyone but he would in self-defense, the criminal complaint read. Stover stated that he did not have weapons but planned to retrieve them once his mental health improved. According to the complaint, Stover continued to make posts through July, which included multiple threats about killing ICE agents. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Abolition is not enough, the goons themselves must be exterminated to the absolute last one. Masks off, photographs taken, then shoot em, Stover wrote, according to court records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stovers arrest followed a monthslong investigation into his activity on social media and came around 10 a.m. Friday morning. He will remain in custody pending a detention hearing next Wednesday. WGN News has reached out to ICE for a statement, along with a company listed as a potential employer for Stover. 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. GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) New crime statistics for 2025 reveal that overall crime in Greenvilles Central Business District has increased compared to last year, despite a notable decrease in violent crime. The Greenville Police Departments latest data shows a 24% drop in violent crime cases, including murder, sexual assault and other serious offenses. Police statistics show that 25 such incidents were reported so far this year, compared to 33 during the same time period last year. However, property crimes are moving in the opposite direction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One incident is one too many from our standpoint, said Dorothy Dowe, Greenville City Council member, adding that safety is non-negotiable. Police said thefts from motor vehicles have increased 95%, shoplifting is up 45%, and burglaries and break-ins are also climbing. We want people to enjoy our downtown but you break the law, there will be consequences for that, said Dowe. Our stepped up presence downtown has been in response to that. Tony Weaver has run a local business downtown for several years, noting the importance of security measures like cameras around his building. Despite the increase in property crimes, many residents, including Nancy Crawford and Barbara Fiscarel, report feeling safe in the downtown area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crawford described downtown as a good place to shop and relax, while Fiscarel, a resident of five years, said she feels very laid back and unafraid. City leaders emphasize the importance of community involvement in maintaining safety and encourage residents to contact the Greenville Police Department with any concerns. Who to call: Emergencies: 911 Non-emergencies: 864-271-5333 As Greenville continues to address the challenges of rising property crimes, the decrease in violent crime offers a positive outlook for the Central Business District. City leaders said community efforts and increased police presence are key components in maintaining a safe environment for residents and visitors alike. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 WSPA 7NEWS. DENVER (KDVR) Official charges have been filed against a man suspected of a series of alleged criminal actions that included killing a pregnant woman in Brighton. James Benavidez, 50, was arrested on Aug. 28 after allegedly trying to carjack someone at a Murphy Express gas station while armed, before going to his ex-girlfriends house and ultimately stealing her vehicle. Police said he used that vehicle to elude police before he was taken into custody. Police also said he fired at pursuing officers, and they returned fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox On Aug. 29, police found an abandoned vehicle in the 200 block of North 6th Avenue and found Keeley Koff, a woman who was reportedly pregnant, dead inside from an apparent gunshot wound. Police said that Koff and Benavidez were associated with one another, but didnt specify their relationship. Benavidez is now facing the following charges for his alleged actions on Aug. 28: First-degree murder Eight counts of attempted first-degree murder First-degree unlawful termination of a pregnancy Six counts of first-degree assault Two counts of first-degree motor vehicle theft Three counts of attempted aggravated robbery Second-degree assault Vehicular eluding Possession of a weapon by a previous offender Two counts of crime of violence, which are sentence-enhancing charges Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Benavidez is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 8 for this case. 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. Fighters have slaughtered at least 55 people in an attack on a village in northeastern Nigerias Borno State where people had recently returned after years of displacement. Residents of Darul Jama, located near the border with Cameroon, said the raid occurred on Friday night and fighters believed to be from Boko Haram arrived on motorbikes, shooting indiscriminately and setting homes ablaze. Accounts on the number of deaths varied. Babagana Ibrahim, a commander of a government-aligned militia, told the news agency AFP that 55 people were killed, including six soldiers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The traditional head of Darul Jama, who requested anonymity, told the Reuters news agency that 70 bodies had been recovered by Saturday morning and more residents were still missing in the surrounding bush. They went house to house, killing men and leaving women behind. Almost every household is affected, he told the agency, adding that more than 20 houses and 10 buses were destroyed. Nigerias military said it has stepped up operations in Borno State in recent months to try to contain militias and fighters from Boko Haram and its splinter group, the ISIL (ISIS) affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP). The area is believed to be under the control of a Boko Haram commander named Ali Ngulde, according to AFP, which quoted a security source as saying he led the attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Resident Babagana Mala, who fled with soldiers to Bama town, 46km (29 miles) away, said the military had been warned for three days about Boko Haram gathering near the village but no reinforcements were sent. They overwhelmed the soldiers, who fled with us to Bama, he said. Many of the victims were known to be families recently relocated from the Government Secondary School displacement camp in Bama, which authorities shut down this year. The government told us we would be safe here, said Hajja Fati, a mother of five who lost her brother in the attack. Now we are burying our people again. The attack raises questions about Nigerias push in recent years to close down camps for displaced people and return them to the countryside. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Boko Haram has been waging a bloody fight to establish a caliphate in northeastern Nigeria since 2009, killing about 40,000 people and forcing more than two million people to flee their homes. ISWAP split from the group in 2016. According to a tally by Good Governance Africa, a nonprofit, the first six months of 2025 saw a resurgence in activity from armed groups. It charted about 300 attacks mainly from ISWAP that killed about 500 civilians. With weeks of produce harvest still ahead, farmers say they are still seeing crop damage from the summers extended lack of rain. The state Department of Conservation issued a drought watch Sept. 1 for Niagara County and 19 other counties. Even with some recent rain, it wasnt enough to reduce the dry conditions weve seen most of the summer this year, Gov. Kathy 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elizabeth Buck, fresh market vegetable specialist for Cornell Cooperative Extension in Western New York, said, Niagara County has persistently been a dry spot this summer. You have some very beautiful, very productive soils, but those gorgeous soils tend to be a little sandier. They dont hold as much water. So its a little harder for folks on that ground. On a visit last week to Seabert Farms in Cambria, Kyle Seabert gathered some sun-burned peppers that had just been picked. Seabert said he and his crew were still finding the damaged fruit with patches of white, sunken skin and it is unsellable. Seabert said bacteria would eventually turn the burned areas dark and soft. This was definitely one of the driest, hottest summers Ive been a part of, he said. It was weeks on end. In late July, Seabert planted an additional crop of zucchini and cucumbers to supply their market stand. The crop couldnt have been watered, he said, without access to the towns fire hydrant. Seabert said he can tap into the hydrant and the town adds the cost to his water bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The overall cucumber crop still suffered from the weather, Seabert said, because of problems with blossoming, including having them wither and burn. Buck said when cucumbers are stressed by heat, they stop producing female flowers and produce male flowers. Its energetically a lot more advantageous for the plant to produce pollen than commit to supporting a lot more fruit when the plant is so stressed and it thinks it may not survive the entire season, Buck said. So under a lot of continued heat without a break, or under drought, vine crops will reduce the number of female flowers, reduce fruit set, reduce yield. Yields have been down for other crops as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were usually pulling out a lot more sauce tomatoes, said Kristi Winquist of Local Roots Farm in Burt on Friday. Were behind on all of our sweet peppers. The worst of it has been Roma tomatoes. Most of it has blossom end rot. John Farfaglia, horticulturist for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County, said blossom end rot was a widespread problem due to the summer weather. He explained the condition causes a dark area to form on the bottom of tomatoes. Its a combination of a calcium deficiency and the plant losing water faster than it can replace it, he said. With recent cool temperatures and rain, Winquist said the farm is trying to pull off as many tomatoes as possible to avoid powdery mildew. Meanwhile, she said peppers have only just started to produce. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were used to pulling out two to three bushels every couple of days, on average. We havent even had a full bushel make it to market. This has been the first week all summer where weve had four bushels of bell peppers. Local Roots signature crop of romaine lettuce has been particularly difficult this year, Winquist said, since the leaves become bitter when its hot. With the heat, it goes straight to bolt, she said, referring to the plant maturing too quickly and flowering. If it doesnt do that, it tastes bitter because its sunburned. Its been three weeks minimum that we havent had any available for market. Lettuce mix is a big seller for our farm. We just transplanted some, thats looking good for next week. For Local Roots, there is one bright spot developing in their fields. Bizarrely enough, this lack of rain has made for great zucchini and squash production. Its not swelling from water, Winquist said, preserving its tender, delicate taste. DUBLIN, Ohio (WCMH) The City of Dublin recently launched the Dublin Wellness Alliance, a public health initiative aimed at strengthening residents well-being. Several public, private, and nonprofit organizations partnered with Dublin for the initiative. Overall, the city said its residents are healthier than the state and national average. However, a community-wide assessment, completed by Dublin adults, showed there was room for improvement. The Dublin Wellness Alliances four priorities from the survey are healthcare navigation, transportation, youth behavioral health, and community connections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We knew that we could find a lot of county data and state data, but we wanted to dive a little bit deeper and try to assess what the true needs of our community truly were, said Mollie Steiner, Recreation Administrator for the City of Dublin. Nationwide Childrens to halt transgender medical care The immediate goals are to better connect residents to health resources, to educate parents on youth behavioral health, and to build strong relationships between community members. We had a large percentage of people in the community that reported that they didnt feel connected to the community, they didnt feel like they belonged, said Steiner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dublin created Good Neighbor Week to help with this, where people are encouraged to reach out to their neighbors and give back through acts of kindness. Were really just trying to encourage those connections and for people to, you know, have opportunities and ways to not feel so socially isolated, said Steiner. The city said the Wellness Alliance wouldnt exist without its community partners like the Franklin County Public Health Department. We are fully committed to implementation of the strategies and the priorities that the community has identified, said Health Commissioner Joe Mazzola. Other partners include COTA, Dublin City Schools, the library, and all of central Ohios major healthcare systems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mazzola said what Dublin is doing is brand new. Weve seen some really strong commitment there from the city of Dublin, said Mazzola. They have really put some staffing behind it and put some additional resources behind it. Steiner said the goal is for the Dublin Wellness Alliance to be a sustainable initiative that continues to reassess community needs. Visit the newly launched website here for more information. 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 NBC4 WCMH-TV. UPDATE: The Clark County Coroners office has identified the motorcyclist as 37-year-old Wesley Larsen of Las Vegas. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A motorcyclist is dead, and a driver is facing charges after a crash late Friday night in the southeast Las Vegas valley. The crash happened just before 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 5 at the intersection of East Tropicana Avenue and McLeod Drive, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A 2010 Honda Accord was heading west on Tropicana in the left turn lane when the driver attempted to turn south onto McLeod. At the same time, a 2020 Harley-Davidson motorcycle was traveling east in the far right lane of Tropicana. The motorcycle hit the front passenger side of the Honda as the car crossed its path. The impact threw the rider from the motorcycle, police said. He landed on the sidewalk at the southeast corner of the intersection. Emergency crews took the rider to a nearby hospital, where he later died despite life-saving efforts. The Honda driver reported minor injuries, but officers noted signs of impairment. The driver, identified as Bryan Vargas-Caicedo, was booked into the Clark County Detention Center, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is the 111th traffic-related death of 2025, according to Metro. 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 KLAS. Elected officials in Dunmore unanimously sent the state Department of Environmental Protection a letter asking the agency to permanently station an inspector in Lackawanna County to better address odor complaints about the Keystone Sanitary Landfill. All seven members of borough council and Mayor Max Conway signed an Aug. 28 letter addressed to DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley urging the DEP to keep an inspector on duty within the county at all times to improve response times when residents call in odor complaints regarding the Louis and Dominick DeNaples-owned landfill. Council President Janet Brier and council members Katherine Mackrell Oven, Tom Hallinan, Michael Dempsey, William Trip OMalley, Beth McDonald Zangardi and Patrick Nibs Loughney all signed the letter, in addition to Conway. The letter copied Gov. Josh Shapiro, state Sen. Marty Flynn and state Reps. Kyle Mullins, Kyle Donahue and Bridget Kosierowski. When the DEP receives an odor complaint, it dispatches an inspector to the address of the person who lodged the complaint so the inspector can confirm the odor, but those critical of the process contend that because of extended response times, the odor is gone by the time inspectors arrive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As you are aware, the response time for an inspectors arrival on the scene can vary anywhere from 15 minutes to a number of days, Dunmore officials said in the letter. In our experiences, the response time is typically several hours, at which point the odor has dissipated. The DEP did not provide a response to the letter by press time Friday, though the agency said it is working on a response. The letter comes as the DEP reevaluates its June 3, 2021, approval of the Keystone Sanitary Landfills massive Phase III expansion, which allows the landfill in Dunmore and Throop to triple its volume of waste through the 2060s by hauling in just over 94 million tons, or about 188 billion pounds, of additional garbage. The Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board remanded the expansion approval back to the DEP on April 1 after its five environmental judges ruled that the DEP erred in issuing the landfill a permit that doesnt sufficiently control or mitigate issues with off-site odors and excess leachate generation problems the DEP knew about prior to approving the expansion, according to the ruling. The ruling doesnt overturn the expansion, but it does require the DEP to review whether additional measures are needed in the landfills permitting to control off-site odors and excess leachate generation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March 2024, the landfill was also ordered to undergo 26 corrective actions and pay a $575,000 fine following 14 odor-related violations since January 2023, which included nearly 1,000 odor complaints in the span of seven months, as well as DEP staff smelling off-site landfill gas and leachate odors attributed to the landfill at least 70 times. Brier previously sent Shapiro a letter April 2 prompted by the remanded expansion approval that argued the DEPs odor-reporting process places the burden on residents, asked for harsher penalties on the landfill and requested new decision-making personnel to evaluate the remanded expansion. The August letter references Briers previous letter and the DEPs response. DEPs Regional Office has never provided information relative to any efforts being made regarding these concerns, the borough said in its latest letter. In fact, nothing has changed with the process of citizen reporting or DEPs response to odor complaints. Dunmores letter concludes by reiterating its request for an inspector to be stationed in the county rather than dispatched from the DEPs Northeast Regional Office in Wilkes-Barre, which the borough said will reduce response times to odor complaints and provide a more accurate account of the number and intensity of the odors coming from the landfill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brier said in a phone interview that, very rarely, the DEP inspector will arrive in about 15 minutes, but more often its hours later. By then, sometimes the smell has moved on, she said. Were all incredibly frustrated about the system, the process by which (DEP) identify odors, Brier said. DEP should be identifying the odors, first of all, not the citizens of Northeastern Pennsylvania, who are the victims. Residents often dont have time to wait for an inspector to arrive, she said. First of all, you have no idea when theyre going to show or if theyre going to show up, Brier said. The system is broken. The process is broken. They wont fix it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While there is a process for the borough to employ its own inspector with the state covering half the persons salary, Brier said she opposes that. To have 24/7 coverage, the borough would need four full-time employees working as landfill inspectors, she said, pointing to the added costs Dunmore would incur paying for items like health insurance, payroll taxes and workers compensation. Borough inspectors would also be useless because they wouldnt have any enforcement power, Brier said. We didnt permit that place. They permitted it, she said. They need to regulate it. Brier said she wrote the letter at the request of fellow council members OMalley and Oven. OMalley said he thought of sending the letter because he lives about a mile from the landfill, smells it from his backyard and consistently reports the odors to DEP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There have been times where they call me back three hours later, or they dont come up until like two, three hours later, OMalley said. Sometimes the smell dissipates, or the wind shifts I just think that amount of time is just unacceptable. Both OMalley and Oven pointed to frequent complaints from residents about both landfill odors and waiting for DEP inspectors. Oven said the system works against the residents whose quality of life is negatively impacted by odors. I feel helpless because we cant control the smell, she said. All I can tell residents to do is to call, hoping that the government agency thats tasked with protecting us would do that. JALALABAD, Afghanistan (AP) Ahmad Khan Safi had a good life in Afghanistan. The farmer raised livestock in the Dewagal Valley of Kunar Province, and people traveled from across the country to visit the area. Tourists marveled at its verdant landscape, winding paths and formidable slopes. The valley appeared untouched. It was hard to reach, so inaccessible that people had to change cars four times from the city of Jalalabad, in neighboring Nangarhar province, and walk the rest of the way for several hours or ride a mule. Safi had built a 10-room house from mud and stone because wood and cement were too expensive and impractical to transport. The home collapsed as soon as a major earthquake that killed at least 2,000 people struck on Aug. 31. His shock was quickly replaced by fear and panic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was trapped in the mud and couldnt breathe, he told The Associated Press from a Jalalabad hospital. I struggled a lot to get out, but was hit by rocks and fell so hard that my leg was injured. He spent the night under the rubble, not knowing if his family was alive or dead. Help came the following morning, around 10 a.m., when people arrived on foot from other districts. Region's remoteness complicating rescue efforts The devastating quake was not the strongest or deadliest in Afghanistans recent history. But remote and rugged Kunar has defied rescue efforts. The ruling Taliban authorities have deployed helicopters or airdropped army commandos to evacuate survivors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is no helicopter landing site in Dewagal Valley and no path for vehicles, let alone heavy machinery. Many of the injured died because there was no way to reach them, said Safi, who was carried to safety on peoples shoulders. A stream of homemade stretchers trickled down to more hospitable terrain. There was not a single household without dead or wounded people, and not a single home was left standing. Some 130 people died in our area. The earthquake killed 22 members of my family children, nephews, nieces, and my elder brother and injured 17. Entire families were wiped out, he added. The death toll from this disaster exceeds 2,000, although this figure could rise as more bodies are recovered from villages that were razed to the ground and are now piles of dust. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now I think about it, whatever wealth and savings we had from our grandfathers time have all gone, and now we have nothing, said Safi. My family lost about 300 cows, sheep and goats in this earthquake. All the people in the village were farmers and livestock keepers. "We have no other source of income. I dont know what to do or where to go because our homes collapsed. Not even a wall is left. What are we going to do with this life? We can't spend the night in the mountains anymore The U.N. estimates that the quake has affected up to 500,000 people, more than half of them children, and that the communities hit include those where Afghans forcibly returned from neighboring countries had begun rebuilding their lives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roads and bridges were damaged. Dozens of water sources have been destroyed, increasing health risks for survivors. Rain, triggering landslides and floods, has worsened conditions. Schools and health facilities have vanished. With so many buildings destroyed, there is little shelter left. People live and sleep under open skies. The steep slopes of Kunar resemble a war zone. Houses that took years to build were decimated in an instant. An assessment by the Islamic Relief charity said just 2% of homes in Kunar remain intact. Ghulam Rahman, from Chawkay District in the central part of Kunar Province, lost his wife and five of his children in the earthquake. He was trapped in the wreckage for half an hour, next to his wife as she took her last breath. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dust and small stones were in my mouth so I couldnt speak properly, he said. I heard her praying. Some of his familys bodies were recovered on the first day after the quake. The rest remained under the debris for a further 24 hours. Only two of his seven children survived. One was staying at a religious school. The other had been sleeping on the rooftop. Rocks tumbled onto Rahman's home from houses at a higher altitude and the mountain, even as the ground opened beneath him. He said scores of people in his village died. Rahman offered a piece of his familys farmland for their burial. We had everything, and now its destroyed. We want the government to give us flat land. We cant spend the night in the mountains anymore. I cant go there because I see dead family members, and life there is difficult. I am afraid of that place. ___ Associated Press writer Abdul Qahar Afghan contributed to this report from Jalalabad, Afghanistan. TYLER, Texas (KETK) The close of the second special session on Wednesday evening led to a disappointing end for House Bill 27, which wouldve required a study of new water drilling in East Texas. State Rep. Cody Harris introduces bill to improve water across Texas Im disappointed, and I felt like if wed had more time at the end of the session for the conference committees to actually do their work, we might have had a reasonable compromise, president of Clear Dick Swift said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HB27 wouldve required the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to conduct a study on the effects of drilling permits on the Neches and Trinity Valley Groundwater District. HB 27 also pushed for lawmakers to allow a 16-month pause on approving drilling permits during the TWDB study. This leaves East Texans concerned about controversial groundwater drilling in the Neches and Trinity Valley area feeling let down, but not without hope. East Texas lawmakers are vowing to continue the fight. Were going to move forward full force to start uncovering ways in which we can protect our groundwater here in East Texas, State Rep. Cody Harris (R) Palestine said. Harris, a sponsor of HB 27, said hes now urging the groundwater conservation district to stand firm and deny any applications for export or production until more data is available. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement East Texas officials express opposition to new high-capacity wells I wish we had more time to negotiate the bill out to get something that works for the people of East Texas to the governors desk, Harris said. Now its time to focus on the next phase of this fight, because rest assured, this fight is far from over. State Rep. Trent Ashby of Lufkin issued the following statement on Friday: Im deeply disappointed that the the moratorium was stripped from HB 27, which undercut the bills original purpose to give our communities the opportunity to fully assess the long-term impact of high-volume groundwater exports before new permits are approved. While this outcome is frustrating, our fight is far from over, Ashby said. I remain committed to protecting our aquifers, defending private property rights, and making sure rural voices are heardbecause the future of East Texas depends on it. I want to thank Governor Abbott for listening to the concerns of East Texans by adding this issue to the special session call. I also commend Chairman Cody Harris for his unwavering leadership and grit throughout this process. Cody has fought tooth and nail to protect our water, and I was proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with him as a Joint Author of HB 27. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harris added that if the governor calls for a third special session, he will petition to add the bill to the agenda again to continue the fight for East Texas. 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. LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) Hundreds of students at Eastern High School left class and took to the sidewalks Friday to protest against gun violence. As part of a nationwide effort, high schoolers everywhere left their desks and headed out to the streets to protest for stricter gun laws, stemming from the recent shooting in Minneapolis. In Lansing, students at Eastern High School participated in a protest on Friday, stating that more needs to be done. Students chanted and held a sign reading, How many more? The walkout. (WLNS) 6 News spoke to David Canfield, a parent of the student who spearheaded the event. He says gun violence hits close to home for him and his family and urges lawmakers to enact stricter background checks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She lost a couple of children that she used to babysit to some gun violence at home. And its not the only one, said Canfield. Theres been several stories in this town and our community, and our state. And Im glad that shes taking action, and Im so glad to see so many kids at the school in our community joining with her. The walkout. (WLNS) A spokesperson from the Lansing School District provided 6 News with the following statement: Several of our Eastern High School students participated in a nationwide walkout today to voice concerns about gun violence, an issue that deeply impacts communities across the nation. We want to emphasize that our students have a voice, and it is essential that our school district listens to their perspectives. The Lansing School District is committed to fostering a safe environment where young people not only learn but also engage as thoughtful, responsible citizens. We are proud of our students for the way they conducted themselves during this demonstration. Their actions were calm, orderly, and respectful, reflecting the maturity and seriousness with which they approached this important matter. Their peaceful demonstration shows both courage and leadership, and it serves as a reminder of the critical role students play in shaping conversations about the future of our schools and Lansing community. 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 WLNS 6 News. Sep. 5On Thursday afternoon, a press conference was held highlighting the mammoth tooth found in Austin in the early 1900s and now on display thanks to a loan from the University of Minnesota Bell Museum. The tooth, found in 1916, has seen a long journey in returning to Austin for a couple months of being publicly available at the Austin Public Library. It's a glimpse of a long ago past when these hulking creatures roamed southeastern Minnesota. According to the Natural History Museum, mammoth species thrived as far back as 20,000 years ago, but their populations had been reduced to isolated populations 10,000 years ago. By 4,000 years ago they were extinct. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But now, we have a window on that past right here in downtown Austin at the library, and it's an exciting opportunity not only to connect to that past, but to involve programming around it to create more experiences for the public. That is fun in and of itself, but consider the recent developing trend of what our area has been able to offer in just this year alone. The mammoth tooth is the second pre-historic link that's been established in our area after the Chert Quarry near Grand Meadow was officially unveiled to the public earlier this summer. Brought to life by dedicated specialists and experts, that site tells another story of our deep past and opens another book of experience we can walk through and both of these are free. You don't have to pay admission. You don't have to meet a certain criteria. You just need to gather the family, gather friends and check them out and we hope you do. Knowing about the past is another insight into ourselves and how we came to be and through this learning comes the opportunity for appreciation of that journey and all of it you can see on a rainy afternoon or a sunny Saturday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both the tooth and quarry are within reach by a short drive from wherever you are in the county and that's before reminding people of the Mower County Historical Society, which has its own pathways into the past and how we came to be. So much work has been done at the Historical Society over the years to enhance this understanding and they are worth a visit in their own right. The past is fascinating and with opportunities like these, it is becoming more so each and every day. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) The City of El Pasos Senior Division of the Parks and Recreation Department will invite grandparents to celebrate Grandparents Day. The event will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6, at Hilos Del Plata Senior Center at 4451 Delta Dr. The family-friendly event will be filled with activities, music, games, raffles, prizes, food, beverages and more, according to the news release by the City of El Paso. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to the festivities, three seniors will be celebrating their 100th birthday: Daniel Marquez Corlyn Rodela Alberto Ronquillo This special recognition celebrates the wisdom, resilience and lifelong contributions of El Pasos cherished seniors, read the news release. For more information about the Citys Park and Recreation Department, you can visit their website or social media platforms. 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 KTSM 9 News. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) The El Paso County Sheriffs Office is seeking the publics help in finding a missing teenager. At about 1 p.m. on Aug. 31, 17-year-old Maryln Rosalinda Itzol Nimajuan was reported missing. Maryln Rosalinda Itzol Nimajuan She was last seen wearing a white shirt with a Mexican skull design, blue jeans, black shoes, and carrying a backpack. She has been entered into the nationwide databases, the Sheriffs Office said. Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is urged to contact the El Paso County Sheriffs Office at (915) 832-4408 or call 9-1-1 immediately Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 KTSM 9 News. An elderly man was arrested after he sawed off two car boots that he believed were unlawfully placed on his car. Bob Lane, 81, said he had time left on his parking when he was booted more than a year ago. He was pulled over and arrested last Wednesday. Now hes battling the booting company along with a theft-by-taking charge. Lane showed Channel 2s Cory James the saw that he used to cut off the boots placed on his 1972 Porsche. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It happened more than a year and a half ago, Lane said. But that decision along with taking the boots with him landed lane in the Fulton County jail last Wednesday. I just dont go to jail that often, Lane said. He said it all started when he paid for two hours of parking at a garage on Krog Street. TRENDING STORIES: He said when he returned to his car, he had time left on the clock. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Would you unlock it? Ive got a half hour left on my ticket. Showed her my ticket. Nothing I can do about that, Lane said. Right now, a settlement has been reached in a series of class action lawsuits alleging unlawful booting. It involves Empire Parking the same company that booted Lanes car. James spoke with a worker who said there are mistakes people often make. He probably selected the wrong location. He couldve put the wrong tag in, thats common. So, it just depends on the situation, Lanes said. Regardless, attorney Matt Wetherington said not to mess with the boot. Call the police, Wetherington said. What you cannot do is take the boot off, and if you do take it off, you cannot take it with you, or you will face criminal charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I did what I had to do, Lane said. A mans got to take care of himself. Lane says he paid about $1,300 to bond out after being arrested. He said he is now waiting to see if hell have to go to court. Meantime, we are still waiting to hear back from Empire Parking about his case. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A 75-year-old Washington man who allegedly stole $200 from a bank across the street from a Salem courthouse was arrested immediately after the heist on Friday afternoon, authorities said. A Salem officer inside the Marion County Courthouse heard the call about a bank robbery at the Willamette Valley Bank around 1:45 p.m., stepped outside, and quickly located the suspect, the Salem Police Department said. Man sentenced for using stolen excavator in ATM heist Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Richard Kenneth Gorton lay down on the sidewalk when he was approached by the officer, officials said. He was arrested without incident after allegedly handing the teller a note demanding $200. He was only barely out the door with the money when he was arrested, Salem police said. Gorton was booked into the Marion County Jail and faces a robbery charge. 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 KOIN.com. LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) After four decades, a well-loved pizza parlor is closing in Lansing. Papa Johns has shut down not the chain, a restaurant founded in the East Lansing area in 1982, two years before the nationwide chain that shares the same name. Papa Johns. (WLNS) After 43 years of operation and multiple location changes, a slice of Lansing has closed their doors. The decision came out of nowhere for one employee, Micheal Robbins, who was hired as a delivery driver for Papa Johns. This is personally very devastating to me and my family, said Robbins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Papa Johns announced on their website that they are sorry for the closure. Robbins said that he was not notified of the business closing. We show up for work and this is what we get? Not fair, its not fair, said Robbins. Michael Robbins. (WLNS) Earlier in the week, Robbins had stopped by Papa Johns to pick up his paycheck. I showed up this weekend to pick up my paycheck and the owner is here, said Robbins. No one has ever met the owner. I was quite flattered. Robbins says he was scheduled to work Friday but stopped by Thursday to see if the restaurant needed extra drivers for the day. However, he arrived to see the doors were already closed for good. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He told 6 News that he was confused because nothing seemed out of the ordinary when he stopped by earlier in the week. The place is closed. He never said a word to anybody, said Robbins. No notice, no thank you, nothing. There are currently no signs on the door addressing the closure, and a delivery drivers wanted banner is still displayed on the side of the building. But, if people try to place an order online, an alert will pop up thanking the customers for the past 43 years. Store closure notice on the restaurants website. I just feel bad for the people who worked here who did lose their jobs, said Robbins. Its got to be a horrible situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a City of Lansing database, Papa Johns sold in February of 2024 to Fox Land Holdings, LLC, a property management company. 6 News has reached out to Papa Johns and Fox Hold Landings, LLC for comment and have not yet 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 WLNS 6 News. Jumping into the next-gen world of agrivoltaics has never been easier for landowners in the Australian state of New South Wales. Coast Community News reported on EnergyCo's recent unveiling of the Agrivoltaics Handbook, which will provide a starting point for landowners looking to blend agriculture with clean energy production. EnergyCo's mission is to deliver Renewable Energy Zones to New South Wales, providing an accessible resource to kick-start agrivoltaics in the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The handbook features best practices, guidelines, and checklists for interested landowners and was created by EnergyCo and Farm Renewables Consulting and Progressive Agriculture. "Having more practical information available on the opportunities and benefits empowers host communities and shows compatibility between renewables and our important agricultural industries," said EnergyCo CEO Hannah McCaughey in a press release. The handbook specifically informs landowners on how agrivoltaics can diversify their income streams, provide protection against inclement weather, and play a role in crop management. McCaughey stated that the handbook can take users from initial planning and design to implementation and maintenance. As New South Wales shutters coal-fired power stations, EnergyCo is already targeting five REZs to boost the evolving grid's reliability. Putting up solar panels on farmland is one promising way to increase the state's clean energy production. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For farmers with sheep, they need not worry, as a study in New South Wales found that wool quality produced by sheep grazing under the panels wasn't negatively impacted. Additionally, if best practices are followed, agrivoltaics can not just avoid harming biodiversity but enhance it. Farmers around the globe have found success not just with grazing sheep and cattle under panels, but by combining solar farms with crops. Australia continues to ramp up its transition from dirty energy, which heats the planet with dangerous consequences. Getting creative with land use can play a major role and solve the challenges of finding the real estate for solar farms. It's a win-win for farmers as well, giving them another income stream. The handbook is now available on EnergyCo's site, and the company is bullish that landowners will play an important role in New South Wales' energy transition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Farmers that host projects are crucial to the success of our renewable energy zones," McCaughey concluded. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. The Department of Justice released more than 33,000 Jeffrey Epstein files, a move that has drawn political scrutiny nationwide. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida posted a link to the DOJ documents, which quickly spread online. She said the contents raise potential national security concerns. Its possible Jeffrey Epstein was an intelligence asset working for adversaries, and we must ask how much our own government knew, Luna said, according to a report shared by commentator Mario Nawfal on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The files include Epsteins pilot flight logs. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, earlier DOJ releases included flight logs and contact lists that detailed Epsteins extensive travels. One March 2001 entry lists the name Bill Gates on a flight from Teterboro to Palm Beach. Other entries include Clinton alongside aide Doug Band on multiple trips in 2002, according to the documents. The files also include Epsteins Phone Message Book. The DOJ heavily redacted many names and numbers, leading to questions about which figures are concealed. One document (File 33241) names attorney Alan Dershowitz, while other pages list media contacts from Epsteins legal battles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In separate coverage, The Dallas Express reported that Epsteins pilot testified in 2021 about taking Ghislaine Maxwell on trips to Dallas, with flight records confirming landings at DFW and other airports. President Donald Trump dismissed the release, calling it a partisan tactic. From what I understand, thousands of pages of documents have been given. But its really a Democrat hoax because theyre trying to get people to talk about something thats totally irrelevant to the success that weve had as a nation since Ive been President, Trump told ABC News. The Dallas Express previously published newly released video interviews of Epsteins accusers, offering firsthand accounts of his crimes and their ongoing calls for justice. The Dallas Express contacted Luna and Rep. Brandon Gill for comment, but did not receive a response. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) A metro business is asking for the publics help after someone took two tractors from Terrascapes Total Landscaping Services. Were trying to run a business. We need our equipment. You know, we pay a lot of money for it, said Jason Klontz, owner of Terrascapes Total Landscaping Services. We want to take care of our clients as best we can, and when youre down your equipment, you cant do your jobs. The equipment was tucked away and out of street view. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED: Police seek to identify man in attempted SE OKC tractor theft We try to keep our equipment hidden and also stuff from Street View. These guys obviously knew where our equipment was. They obviously had some ideas where cameras were in the area, said Klontz. The tractors were driven around the back side of the building. The alleged thief destroyed a fence as they drove through it with the equipment and then into the field across the street. A tree line along the field is where one of the tractors was hidden. Klontz found it and put up trail cameras, hoping the person who took it would come back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We put up some trail cams and knew theyre going to come back for the red one. And sure enough, they did, said Klontz. Photo of the vehicle. Image courtesy, Jason Klontz. A neighboring business captures a car jumping the curb to get around barriers, days later. The car stops, and he then gets out and walks into the field. A man caught on a trail cam who attempted to steal a tractor from a business. Image courtesy, the Oklahoma City Police Department. The trail cameras the owner placed captured this man walking to the area where the tractor was hidden. Moments later, the surveillance camera captures a truck and trailer leaving the area. Weve been able to continue on, but you know, were still short one piece of equipment that we could be using on another job site, said Klontz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oklahoma City Police are looking into the incident. Anyone who recognizes him or has any information is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers at 405-235-7300 or submit an online tip here. OKCPD says a cash reward is 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 KFOR.com Oklahoma City. Sept. 6 (UPI) -- New York Mayor Eric Adams said he will continue seeking re-election as an independent, denying reports he will drop out and become the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Adams lost to New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani in the June Democratic primary. The Nov. 4 general election field includes former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who also was defeated in the primary, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani is the front-runner in the race to lead the city of 8.5 million people, the largest in the nation. "Serving New Yorkers as their mayor is the only job I've ever wanted. I'm proud of the progress we've made lowering crime, improving schools, building housing, and cutting costs for working families -- and I remain the best person to lead this city forward," Adams said in a statement posted Friday on X. "While I will always listen if called to serve our country, no formal offers have been made. I am still running for reelection, and my full focus is on the safety and quality of life of every New Yorker." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The New York Times reported that Adams' close advisers have been seeking to have President Donald Trump nominate him for the ambassador post. Sliwa also reportedly will be offered a position in the Trump administration, though the Republican said publicly he isn't interested in working there. "Eric Adams knows he can't win [in November] and is exploring his options," a source close to the mayor said of the impending meeting to the New York Post. "Does he want to be an ambassador? Sure, but that has to be appointed by the president and the president has not asked him." "I'm in Washington on Monday. Those reports are wrong. I'm not," Adams said Friday at a press event. On Thursday, Trump said that he would prefer two candidates to "drop out" to enable a third to take on Mamdani. And he labeled the 33-year-old Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist, as a "communist." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Zohran Mamdani, a 100% Communist Lunatic, has just won the Dem Primary, and is on his way to becoming Mayor," Trump wrote on Truth Social on June 25, one day after the primary. "We've had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous. He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he's not very smart." Steve Witkoff, who is Trump's special envoy, met with Adams earlier this week in Florida, The New York Times reported. Adams has been highly critical of the former governor, "Andrew Cuomo is a snake and a liar," Adams said Friday at a news conference. "I am the only one who can beat Mamdani." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adams had been indicted on corruption charges but in February, the Justice Department dropped dropped the case. DOJ officials said Adams' help was needed in an immigration crackdown in the city. Trump has said Adams was persecuted for political purposes and acknowledged that he "helped him out a little bit." The ambassador post in Saudi Arabia would fit Adams' interests. Adams, who is Christian, has traveled to the Middle Eastern nation, including a celebration of the 1,500th anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Mohammad. "Those who are of the Muslim faith, close to a million here in the city of New York, crossing the entire span of the globe, they matter," Adams said Thursday at an event with Muslim leaders. "And when I visited Saudi Arabia, when I visited Jordan, when I visited Oman, when I visit part of the African diaspora and watched the Muslim population there, they truly believe in peace, they believe in forgiveness, and they believe in the prosperity of the countries they are in, and particularly this city." Hello its the weekend. This is The Weekender It has been quite a week for embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams. After a term full of indictments, defiant earring-wearing swagger, an extraordinary reversal from the Justice Department, and even potato chip bags filled with cash, Adams chances of re-election this year are looking grim. Hes polling fourth behind the progressive Democratic Party nominee, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa, who is his whole own story. The mayoral race has had plenty of twists and turns so far including Mamdanis insurgent victory, Adams avoiding the Democratic primary by running as an independent, and Cuomo also mounting an independent bid after losing the nomination to Mamdani. And, this week, there was another dramatic subplot as reports emerged that President Donald Trump was considering offering both Adams and Sliwa jobs to abandon their longshot campaigns since many on the center and right are not pleased with the prospect of Mamdani in City Hall. The reasoning offered by advocates of the scheme was that polling indicates Cuomo has a better shot in a head-to-head general election race with Mamdani than in the current contest (or than the ex-governor had in the primary he previously lost). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its all pretty convoluted and was made even more complex by a series of legal technicalities related to the ballot. As Adams was reportedly set to be offered an ambassadorship to Saudi Arabia, TPM spent Friday talking to experts who noted that ballots have to be printed in about two weeks. The best shot for Adams to have his name removed have involved declaring that he was no longer going to be a resident of New York City on Election Day, which is Nov. 4. While Eric Adams residency has long been a bit of an open question, if he officially admitted not being a New Yorker, it would require immediately stepping down from the mayoralty. That would pave the way for the public advocate, Jumaane Williams, who is another progressive Democrat, to take over on an interim basis. It also would mean that the general election winner would take office the moment the results were certified rather than at the beginning of the year. And, at every turn, there was a high chance of court fights. As the plan made headlines and more details of supposed negotiations leaked out, Adams ramped up the speculation by announcing a sudden press conference on Friday afternoon. However, once he stepped out in front of Gracie Mansion, Adams made it clear he was not headed for Riyadh and that he blamed Cuomo for the rumors swirling around his candidacy. There has been so much speculation, communications, announcements of what I am doing, Adams began, adding, I want to be clear with you, Andrew Cuomo is a snake and a liar. I am in this race and I am the only one that can beat Mamdani. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adams pointed to a prop to underscore his point. This polo shirt that I am wearing that says Eric Adams, Mayor of the City of New York, Im going to wear that for another four years, Adams said. Technically, the polo shirt actually bore Adams name and a seal that said City of New York Office of the Mayor on the front. Still, Adams made his intention to stick around and fight to keep his job clear, especially as he turned back into his residence and revealed massive all caps lettering on the back of his polo that said: MAYOR. TPM texted Mamdani to ask if he would also wear the polo if he is elected in November. Mamdani did not immediately respond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hunter Walker Heres what else TPM has on draft this weekend: A look at where things stand with the legal battle over the Trump administrations efforts to take the power of the purse away from Congress. It appears as though Democrats have, at least for now, chosen to push for an extension of the Obamacare enhanced premium tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year in exchange for helping to keep the government open. With the recent attack on a boat off the coast of Venezuela this week, President Trump is making good on threats against that country that his advisers were able to contain during his first administration. Not so in Trump II. Lets dig in. Trumps Effort to Steal Congress Power Zips Through the Courts The Trump administration awaits a decision from the D.C. Circuit on its attempt to unilaterally freeze spending Congress has already allocated, just two days after being swatted down by a district court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In light of the exigencies, we request relief from this Court by 5 PM tomorrow, the administration wrote in a Thursday filing. Absent relief from this Court, the Solicitor General intends to seek relief from the Supreme Court as early as practicable on Monday. An existing case over impoundments violations has expanded to include the administrations new attempt to use a pocket rescission, the brainchild Russ Vought claims lets the president cancel whatever appropriations he likes, so long as he does it right at the end of the fiscal year. Experts say that the legal arguments behind it are bogus. The D.C. Circuit panel one Biden appointee, one Obama appointee and one Trump appointee have requested a response to the Trump DOJs motion to freeze the unfriendly ruling from the district court by 5:00 p.m. Friday. This case will be before the Supreme Court soon, where the right-wing majority will have to decide whether its willing to greenlight an egregious violation of the separation of powers in service of beefing up the Trump presidency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kate Riga Trump Out-Hawked John Bolton on Venezuela The Trump administration is trying very hard to draw attention to Venezuela. It blew up a boat off the countrys coast this week under a dubious law enforcement justification purportedly with 11 people on board (were they drug smugglers or migrants? Who knows). Its moving warships, a nuclear submarine, and a squadron of fighter planes near the country. One Fox News reporter even suggested on Twitter that the military is preparing for war. In light of this, I decided to look back at what ideas Trump and those around him had for Venezuela in his first term. Thats partly because of a pattern weve all noticed this time around: plans and impulses that Trump advisers contained during the first term are now being implemented. The White House still lacks focus, but theres very little restraint. So, how does that apply to Venezuela? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I took a look at news reports and two books written by Trump I national security officials, one by former National Security Adviser John Bolton, and the other by former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. Whats striking is that both portray Trump as wanting military action against Venezuela. Its left to other officials to distract him or clean up the mess; even Bolton repeats his view that military force was a non-starter contra Trump. To Esper, Trump viewed overthrowing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, whose government the U.S. does not recognize, as a bucket list item. Some of this is familiar: We should get the oil, he quotes Trump as saying. At one point, Esper wrote, officials contemplated organizing a naval show of force in the Caribbean to intimidate the Venezuelan government. Bolton spends much of the book mocking nearly everyone else in the administration as a bumbling moron or, worse, a closet liberal. Trump falls in the former category, but even Boltons desire for consistent, all-out, unrelenting pressure seems dovish compared to the president musing that Venezuela is really part of the United States. I explained why military force was not the answer, Bolton wrote of his response. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As odd as it is to see Bolton in the role of peacemaker, it raises real questions about how far we might be headed here; and whether this is purely a show of force or something more. Josh Kovensky Trump Power Grab Looms Over Govt Funding Negotiations Congress is back and negotiations to fund the government for the next fiscal year and avoid a government shutdown before the end of the month are ongoing. A short-term continuing resolution is looking more and more like the most realistic option for Republicans. But the reality is, they will need a handful of Democratic votes to keep the government open no matter what path they choose. Democrats are seemingly leaning into an ask that would protect health care for Americans in exchange for their votes to fund the government. Specifically, they are pushing to extend the Affordable Care Acts enhanced premium tax credits that are set to expire at the end of 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But amid that push, the Trump White House and Russ Voughts Office of Management and Budget continue to lawlessly impound funds previously appropriated by Congress and engage in an illegal pocket rescission scheme. The Trump administrations apathetic stomping on Congress power of the purse looms over government funding negotiations even though many Democrats are not publicly elevating that narrative to force Republicans to do something about the power grab. So far Democrats havent publicly laid out a demand that might attempt to mandate an end to the administrations lawless funding freezes, impoundments and pocket rescissions in exchange for helping Republicans avoid a shutdown. A former Dem staffer told TPM they think the decision to focus on healthcare may be intentional as they let the judicial branch decide it is illegal and shut it down. A federal judge on Wednesday declared President Trumps pocket rescission gambit to be illegal, which the Trump administration quickly appealed. Internal negotiations will likely still involve conversations around how lawmakers can reach a bipartisan funding deal when the executive branch refuses to spend federal funds in the way that Congress allocates them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked if the recent pocket rescissions request and the fact that some Republicans are claiming that Voughts maneuver is legal will become a sticking point in the ongoing negotiations to fund the government, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told TPM: I think its a point of friction, but Im not prepared to articulate any red lines to you. Emine Yucel ERWIN, Tenn. (WJHL) The Town of Erwin has released the findings of its investigation into a reported failed alcohol test by now-fired police chief Regan Tilson. On Friday, the town issued a press release that stated Tilson was fired after an independent investigation following the failed alcohol test on June 30, 2025. Erwin police chief terminated, has filed appeal According to the town, the investigation found that the test was properly conducted and valid and that Tilson had violated the towns drug and alcohol testing policy. The Erwin town recorder then determined that Tilsons firing was warranted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The town provided a copy of the investigation report, a summary of which can be found below. The release also states that town officials learned Tilson had submitted an In Service Training Roster to the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission in May that claimed the Erwin Police Department had conducted a training in December 2024. However, the town claims no such training occurred. The town has reported the training roster submission to the district attorney generals office, which referred the matter to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The Town of Erwin and its Police Department will cooperate fully with the TBI and POST investigations, the release reads. The investigation Erwins city attorney retained Fowler Baker Shade PLLC (FBS) to investigate the failed alcohol test around July 7, the report states. FBS was hired to investigate the facts and circumstances leading up to Tilsons failed test. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the report, an FBS investigator conducted 16 witness interviews in person and spoke with two citizens over the phone who had relevant information. Those interviewed included Tilson, Erwin Mayor Glenn White, Erwin City Recorder Timothy Bailer and the Ballad Health test administrator. FBS noted in its report that the investigator was able to speak with everyone requested except for two people identified by witnesses who did not answer any attempts by the investigator to contact them. FBS also stated it reviewed provided documents like Tilsons personnel file, the towns personnel rules and regulations, the towns drug and alcohol testing policy, documents provided by Tilson and his attorney, and documents related to the June 30 test. The investigations findings According to FBS, all of the witnesses who interacted with Tilson on the morning of the test were found and interviewed. The report states that everyone interviewed who had been in a morning budget meeting with Tilson that day said he did not reveal any signs that Tilson was impaired or under the influence of alcohol during their interactions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those in the meeting said they did not notice any slurred speech, smell of alcohol, red eyes or odd behavior. Tilson denies consuming alcohol any later than 10 pm the night before the breathalyzer test, the report reads. Tilson does state that he consumed energy drinks during the morning prior to the June 30, 2025 alcohol test. It does not appear Tilson acted impaired on the morning of June 30, 2025. The report notes Tilson was not scheduled to be randomly tested that day and instead volunteered for the test, something Tilsons attorney, Todd Hull, had previously stated. Tilson clearly did not believe he was under the influence of any alcohol on June 30, 2025 as he had multiple opportunities to decline to be tested and chose to have himself tested anyway, the report reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tilson told FBS that he knew of at least one other police department that no longer used Ballad Healths alcohol test due to a false positive, but the report claims no evidence was found that the test was performed incorrectly or returned invalid results. The test was conducted by a Ballad employee who used an Alco-Sensor RBT IV paired with an Alco-Sensor IV handheld intoximeter. The Ballad employee told the investigator he had conducted hundreds of similar tests. According to the report, Tilsons first test at 11:04 a.m. returned a blood alcohol level of .080. A blank test was taken afterward to confirm testing, which returned a 0.00. Fifteen minutes later, a second confirming test was administered, and Tilsons blood alcohol level was .066, FBS reports. FBS stated the equipment was found to have been operating correctly. The investigator also noted that while multiple witnesses were surprised by the failed test, the majority of witnesses, however, were not shocked that Tilson failed an alcohol test. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tilson reportedly stated that the .014 drop in blood alcohol level over the short period of time between tests indicates that the test was defective. A blue bottle that the Ballad employee returned with was also called into question by Tilson. FBS stated the employee identified it as the calibration bottle that he retrieved after the second test to ensure the machine was working. Despite being widely regarded as a good police chief, the report stated some witnesses described a change in Tilson of late. While most witnesses consistently expressed that Tilson had been a very effective Police Chief through the years, they also consistently expressed that there has been a dramatic change in Tilson. (This became prominent after the Fall 2024 flooding caused by Hurricane Helene.) Witnesses expressed awareness that the events surrounding the flood were traumatic for the community, including Tilson, and also expressed a general consensus that Tilson needs help. Numerous witnesses are concerned for Tilson. The report states multiple witnesses thought Tilson needed specific help for alcohol use and claimed to have smelled alcohol on him when he was on and off duty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No one can imagine what Tilson went through as Chief of Police for the Town of Erwin during the floods in October 2024, the report reads. The genuine concern for Tilson and the appreciation for what he has done for the Town of Erwin is evident from the witnesses interviewed. Many witnesses commented that although Tilson is not currently the same Chief he was prior to the flood, they would support Tilson if he were to receive the help they believe he needs related to alcohol use. According to the report, Tilson has denied he would ever drink at work and denied drinking any alcohol after dinner the night before the test was administered. A footnote on the report specifically states Tilson said he had had a half glass bottle of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer the night before the test. He also claimed not to have had any hard alcohol since Helenes floods and did not drink much before the floods. The investigator wrote that in their opinion, Tilson could not continue to lead the police department under the current circumstances. FBS did note that while Tilson was not legally impaired based on the results of the test, he was in violation of the towns testing policy and therefore subject to disciplinary actions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tilson was placed on leave in July after the failed test, and the Town of Erwin announced his termination in August. Tilsons attorney has filed an appeal to the decision and revealed Tilson has expressed plans to run for Unicoi County sheriff in 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 WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. Evacuation warnings have been issued in Californias Riverside County after a fire erupted on Friday evening, a downgrade from an earlier evacuation order. The Pyrite Fire was first sparked at 5:19 p.m. in Jurupa Valley and has since burned 425 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire. The fire is now 15% contained, and its cause is under investigation. Firefighters responded to the vegetation fire Friday evening, which was burning in light flashy fuels, Cal Fire said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Video of the fire shows a large amount of smoke emerging from an orange blaze. Multiple fire trucks and police cars could be seen on the scene. In the distance, Jurupa Valleys historical landmark, the Columbian mammoth statue, stands unharmed. Shortly after the fire erupted, Cal Fire issued an evacuation warning for the area north and east of Sierra Avenue, south of Lauren Lane and west of Armstrong Road. Evacuation orders issued by Cal Fire. (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.) In an 11:30 p.m. update, Cal Fire issued an evacuation order for the area and three additional zones, citing an immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW, Cal Fire said on its website. The area is lawfully closed to public access. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three zones were also placed under evacuation warnings, citing a potential threat to life and/or property. On Saturday morning, all evacuation orders were downgraded to evacuation warnings. There are currently more than 290 personnel on the scene, eight crews, two helicopters and 40 engines, according to Cal Fire. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Another wildfire has ignited and prompted evacuation orders in Riverside County on Saturday afternoon, officials warned. CAL FIRE in Riverside County first reported the newly dubbed Crump Fire around 1 p.m. at Riverside Street and Highway 74 in the unincorporated area of Meadowbrook and Lake Elisnore, northeast of Warm Valley Springs. Multiple air and ground resources immediately attacked the blaze, which crews measured to be about 55 acres as of 2 p.m. Around 8 p.m., the fire was 95% contained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evacuation orders and warnings were in place for several neighborhoods, but were lifted around 8 p.m. An evacuation center was established at Pinacate Middle School, located at 1900 S. A. St., Perris. The San Jacinto Animal Shelter at 581 S Grand Ave. was accepting both large and small animals. Hand crews and firefighters had constructed and reinforced containment lines while multiple air resources made water and retardant drops to slow the fires spread, the department stated on X. Crews continue to battle Pyrite Fire in Riverside County Footage provided by the ALERTCalifornia Camera Feed showed multiple water drops deployed in the burn area, and the smoke appeared to die down from multiple camera angles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crews will be committed throughout the evening patrolling the fire perimeter, monitoring any hot spots, and performing mop-up, CAL FIRE officials said Saturday night. ALL evacuation WARNINGS have been lifted and are now back in NORMAL status. Please use caution when returning to the area for night crews and equipment. The cause of the fire is under investigation. To check affected zones, click here. Visit readyforwildfire.org for evacuation and fire preparedness information. Luis Zuniga contributed to this report. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Ten days and counting, thats the number of days 22,000 students in Evergreen Public Schools have missed at school, as the support staffs union and the district negotiate a new contract. The school board passed a resolution to file an injunction claiming the strike is causing irreparable injury to the educational process. The district can now file that with the courts in an attempt to stop the strike. OR state lawmaker switches party affiliation. Heres why Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The resolution said that the Public-School Employees of Washington, Evergreen Chapter, Large Group (PSE Large Group) strike is unlawful. The resolution said that school-age children in the community are facing actual and substantial injury through the actions of the PSE Large Group and its members. It continued to say the Board tried to avoid uncertainty for families by delaying the first day of school by an entire week, from August 26 to September 2, so that parents and children could plan childcare. The resolution said, Despite the Districts willingness to engage, PSE Large Group has insisted on unlawful conditions to bargaining, submitted regressive proposals, and refused to allow school to begin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They claim that despite no new agreement, PSE Large Groups current bargaining agreement is in effect for one year and that negotiations could happen at night while school continues during the day. An emergency exists requiring immediate legal action to avoid irreparable injury to the educational process, the resolution said. Evergreen PSE members said they remain united on strike despite the resolution. This resolution doesnt change a thing: our members are still on strike, and we remain committed to bargaining in good faith until we win a contract that provides stability for students and dignity for staff, said Mindy Troffer-Cooper, Evergreen PSE Chapter President. Legal maneuvers wont build stronger schools, bargaining in good faith will. We urge the District to stop wasting time on threats and start addressing the core issues that keep Evergreen students from having the stable, supportive schools they deserve. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement OR lawmakers rally to defend voting by mail The union said is a statement that legal threats and injunctions will not resolve the issues at the heart of the strike. Our fight is not against students or families, its for them, Troffer-Cooper continued. Every time turnover pushes a paraeducator or bus driver out of the district, students lose the consistent relationships and care they depend on. Livable wages and fair working conditions mean we can attract and retain the staff our kids deserve. We are paraeducators, bus drivers, mechanics, maintenance staff, pro techs, security, and service workers. We dont take this action lightly, but Evergreen students deserve schools that are safe, stable, and fully staffed. That means ensuring the employees who make schools run can afford to stay. Evergreen support staff, including paraeducators, bus drivers, and service workers, are striking for better pay and working conditions for their 1,400 employees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im also really making good memories here with my daughter, so like I said, mixed bag. But were really excited for this strike to be resolved, said Samantha Tewid, whose daughter is ready to go to school. Breakfast and lunches are being passed out for students at no cost each school day during the strike at select schools. KOIN 6 News spoke with parents picking up those sack lunches about how they are handling their kids not being in class. I am, I am very worried about losing my job. Mean, Im a single mom and the things that it takes to be a single mom and missing work, me being sick, kids being sick, things happening. Im already at that edge and no daycare because the strike is very hard, said Wolff. Yeah, honestly, it hasnt been that hard for us because this last year, mid-year, is the first year we did public school. We home-schooled before that, said Peter Philbrook. So, Im kind of ready for things like this to happen. But I know a lot of people, and I feel really bad for them because theyre suffering a lot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For $40 a day, the Clark County Family YMCA is offering strike day camps for 6 hours, during the week, but they said they are getting close to capacity. TriMet to shut down patch of MAX lines for full week The districts new childcare provider camps, right at school, will run from 6:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. starting next Monday for $60 per elementary-age child. But for some parents, those prices are out of their budget, forcing them to not go to work or rely on family to watch their children. I cant afford it. I cant afford nothing right now, so its hard, said Wolff. Negotiations will pick back up Saturday at 9 a.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 KOIN.com. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, a former top official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, completely unloaded on Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul Saturday morning after the Republican lawmaker criticized his lifestyle. You know, he doesnt know me, Daskalakis told CNNs Victor Blackwell. He doesnt know my husband, and he doesnt know my family. So Im not sure why he feels willing to comment on my personal life. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis slammed Republican Paul Rand as a "bully." John Lamparski via Getty Images Daskalakis, a gay man and advocate for LGBTQ+ health, defended himself from a barrage of MAGA fury this week following his recent resignation from the CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R), who was once the center of online mockery for liking a hardcore porn video on Twitter, flew over to X to repost photos that showed Daskalakis scantily clad or wearing leather gear. Cruz asked his followers, Would you trust this guy to make sensitive medical decisions for your family??? News: ICE Takes Aim At Massachusetts In Latest Escalation Daskalakis responded to Cruzs comments on X, writing, I guess you cant argue against the fact that public health is being destroyed so instead you repost my instagram. The former vaccine chief called the attack so 2022, a reference to when right-wing critics called him a Satanist after they spotted a pentagram tattoo in one of his shirtless pictures. He noted at the time that the tattoo included the words, I believe theres a light even in the darkest place. As a proud gay man, I find bullying by a member of the @USCongress_ something that the community should be alert to. @HRC@glaad. I am glad that my instagram is so exciting that it has been shared on such a platform. Come for me but dont attack the science that keeps America https://t.co/DOuQxgzVFYpic.twitter.com/W5I5pIfxch DrDemetre (@dr_demetre) August 30, 2025 Pauls longer form attack on Daskalakis came Tuesday in an interview with The Hill. The senator expressed opposition to infant vaccinations against hepatitis B, and said that Daskalakis was the biggest proponent of doing all this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A guy that is so far out of the mainstream, I think most people in America would discount his opinion because of the things he said in the past. He does not represent the mainstream of anything in America, Paul said. News: Paramount Tasks Former Trump Nominee With Reviewing Bias At CBS News The Kentucky lawmaker and licensed ophthalmologist went on to say Daskalakis should have never had a position in government, adding that he brags about his lifestyle. You know, this whole idea of bondage and, you know, multiple partners and all that stuff, Paul told the outlet. He brags about that stuff, but hes got no business being in government. Its good riddance. Daskalakis told Blackwell on Saturday, I dont care what the senator says about my personal life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My record of public service, ending outbreaks and protecting the public health stands for itself, he continued. News: Tesla Market Share Plummets In U.S. As Competition Heats Up Daskalakis then took aim at Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr., saying Paul has adequate evidence that Kennedy is hazardous to the health of American children and other vulnerable people. So, I mean, I think that really he should take that up rather than being a bigoted bully toward me or others. I mean, I think hes a doctor, right? Doctors arent supposed to do that, Daskalakis said. Related... Read the original on HuffPost DENVER (KDVR) A former female inmate says strip searches were common in the La Plata County jail in Durango, but she was not sure why. She is one of 18 women who have joined a federal class action lawsuit that has been filed at the Federal Courthouse in Denver. Driver charged with first-degree assault after allegedly shooting construction worker over speed argument With her attorney listening in, the former inmate told FOX31 how she felt after learning then-Commander Edward Aber had allegedly viewed a video of her strip search at the La Plata County Jail in Durango. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shock. Pissed off. Violated. Hurt, the former inmate said. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation says that the former commander has been charged with 117 counts of invasion of privacy for sexual gratification in the case. In the lawsuit, attorneys say Aber logged into the system that stores strip search videos 3166 times. The attorneys said most, if not all, these logins were for the purpose of accessing strip search videos of female inmates. I was there for 22 months, so I really didnt keep track of how many searches weve had, but, um, there were a couple months where there was like three searches, four searches a month, the former inmate said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rathod Mohamedbhai Attorney Neil Sandhu says the strip search video policies need to be changed at the jail. He is helping lead the case involving the class action suit. Why give unfettered access to those videos? Why not restrict it to only those people, such as people in the county attorneys office or other lawyers, who would need to review those videos to evaluate whether a claimed use of force actually occurred? I cannot come up with an answer as to why unfettered access was given to these videos, Sandhu said. 2 dead after aircraft crash near Centennial Airport They shouldnt be trusted with our, with our personal, you know, everything, I guess, just, its unsettling and, and it makes me distrust the law enforcement, the former inmate said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorneys say Aber has since resigned his position. FOX31 was not able to reach Aber for a comment on this story. The sheriff and the Board of Commissioners are also named in the suit, but spokespeople for them said they had no comment since this was an active case. 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. During the Cold War, it was a type of folk wisdom, if not a fairy tale, that in America, politics stopped at the waters edge. This meant that Democrats and Republicans put partisanship aside, presenting a unified front in service to the countrys national interests abroad. In the Age of Trump, that wisdom has been largely if not entirely discarded. Donald Trump believes in himself, in Trumpism and MAGA. He does not believe in American exceptionalism, the international rules-based order and Americas traditional alliances and friends. Trump is the state, and Americas national interests are the same as his own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His personalist rule is a defining feature of autocratic and authoritarian regimes. It is antithetical to democracy and good governance. With the power he has managed to grab from a compliant Supreme Court and a Republican Congress, against an ineffective Democratic opposition and cowed media, Trump now has nearly all the tools to impose personalist rule over all areas of American life. But internationally, he has to face other leaders who, with strong wills, personalities and national interests of their own, will not capitulate so easily. Historian Matthew Dallek, author of Birchers: How the John Birch Society Radicalized the American Right, explained how the presidents recent Alaskan summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and subsequent meeting with European leaders, who were attempting a democratic intervention, illustrated Trumps warmth toward autocrats and failure to achieve results or respect. [T]he old post-World War II international order is crumbling, Dallek said. America has become mercurial and unreliable, perhaps even a force for global instability. Its oldest friends dont know where Trump stands or what he will do from one moment to the next. The ties that once bound America to much of the world no longer hold. The limits of Trumps power on the international stage were highlighted by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in Tianjin, China, earlier this week. This alliance of 20 countries, most of which are authoritarian, was assembled in 2001 to counter the influence of the U.S. and NATO in shaping the future world order in Asia. Trump was not invited. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Given his personality, the president likely took this as a personal affront, especially since he admires strongmen like Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, North Koreas supreme leader Kim Jong Un and, most famously, Putin. On Wednesday, Trump praised Chinas huge military parade and ceremony in Beijing marking the end of World War II. I thought it was a beautiful ceremony, he said. I thought it was very, very impressiveBut I understood the reason they were doing it. And they were hoping I was watching and I was watching. Trump is correct: Washington was the main audience for Chinas display of its growing military power to rival the U.S. Earlier that day, Trump mockingly praised Xi, Putin and Kim Jong Un on Truth Social for their successful meeting in Beijing: May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America. PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a post on Friday morning, Trump continued with his sarcasm, which contained an element of insecurity: Looks like weve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together! I reached out to former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, who currently serves as director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, for his insights about the meeting. He compared this new era, as he called it, to the Cold War. [T]wo great powers again anchor international coalitions with opposing political systems autocracies versus democracies, McFaul said. Polls show that most people around the world prefer democracy to dictatorship. [But] the democratic world is less united than the autocratic world. Xi showed last week his successful efforts to unite the autocrats and even attracted a few leaders from democratic leaders to attend [the] summit and celebration of the end of World War II for China. By contrast, President Trump has shown little desire to unite or lead the free world in the way that American presidents in the Cold War did. Want more sharp takes on politics? Sign up for our free newsletter, Standing Room Only, written by Amanda Marcotte, now also a weekly show on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. McFaul warned that while Trump is weakening the democratic world, autocrats like Xi and Putin are forming stronger and more expansive alliances. Trump is not doing the same to unite the democratic world. In fact, he is doing the exact opposite, weakening American military alliances, and gutting the international economic institutions, including most blatantly the World Trade Organization, that used to facilitate trade and investment between capitalist economies in the Cold War. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also noted Trumps lack of interest in promoting democracy at home or abroad. McFaul pointed out the presidents destruction of some of Americas most powerful soft power instruments for promoting democratic values. This includes the Department of Government Efficiencys assault on the U.S. Agency for International Development, Voice of America and Radio Free Asia. At home, he said, Trumps assault on democratic institutions makes it much harder for the United States to inspire small d democrats around the world. And at times, Trump seems to prefer embracing autocrats over democrats, as his royal treatment in Alaska of imperialist dictator Vladimir Putin demonstrated. Others are uncertain about whether the Tianjin summit represented a fundamental realignment in the global order. [W]hile some are pointing to Modis meeting with Xi as indicating that Trump is pushing India towards China, Im more cautious, said Paul Poast, associate professor of political science at the University of Chicago and a nonresident fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. India is in many ways the epitome of the realpolitik state in todays world, meaning it has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests. From buying Russian oil at a discount and participating in BRICS, to being a core member of the Quad with the US, India is continuing to maintain its long-held position of being non-committal. Poast also observed that Trump could even be waking up to the limits of his international influence. I dont think Trump is going to swoon Putin. Moreover, as he indicated in a Truth Social post [Thursday], I think he recognizes as much. Trump wants to end the war in Ukraine and wants to divide Russia from China, but hes starting to recognize that neither is really under his control. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Poast added an important qualifier. None of this is to say that Trump has bought into the idea of maintaining the Liberal International Order or Rules-based Order. But Trump does see China as a competitor and is recognizing that Russia under Putin is not keen on aligning with the United States. On the world stage, America no longer exerts the influence it did even a year ago. Like many great empires, it is being brought down from within. Ryan Wiggins, chief of staff for the pro-democracy advocacy group The Lincoln Project, summarized this sad state of affairs: Trump has a childs understanding of the world and is driven by ego and whatever impulses come into his weak mind. Its causing the U.S. economy to burn as he pursues trade and economic policies that are completely unworkable and destroys U.S. leadership on the global stage. And hes doing a lot of it to distract from the Epstein files. Wiggins also highlighted the role the GOP has played in aiding and abetting the loss of American prestige and power on the world stage. Equally as dangerous is the utter refusal of Congressional Republicans to do their jobs and provide a check on Trumps destruction of the post-World War II order, she said. They do not care at all about America, only their own local power and ability to get on right-wing media. Polls consistently show that Americans are generally poorly informed about foreign policy and global affairs. Enabled by the myth of American exceptionalism, this lack of knowledge has left much of the public unprepared for an authoritarian alliance between global strongmen and the American right, aimed at dismantling the countrys multiracial, pluralistic democracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the American people want a glimpse of our increasingly likely future, we only need to look abroad to Putins Russia and Orbans Hungary and their authoritarian models of government and society. These are the shining cities on a hill, to paraphrase President Ronald Reagan, that Trump and the right are now looking to as role models. American exceptionalism will not save the country from this dark future or from the betrayal of its historic role as leader of the free world. The post Excluded from Beijing, Trump confronts the limits of his global power appeared first on Salon.com. FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) Experience Fayettevilles CEO, Ryan Huack, was placed on administrative leave Sept. 5 by the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission, which oversees the organization. According to Elvis Moya, Chairman of the Advertising and Promotion Commission, he called for a special meeting Sept. 1 for Sept. 4. The commission immediately called for an executive session on Sept. 4 and invited Hauck to join following two hours of discussion. Moya said Hauck left the meeting around 5:30 p.m. The meeting was called back from executive session around 6 p.m., and the commission called for a temporary suspension of the meeting until 8:30 a.m. Sept. 5. No more action was taken on Sept. 4. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Moya, the commission immediately entered executive session Sept. 5. Hauck joined the meeting around 9:30 a.m. for around 30 minutes before leaving. The meeting was then called back from executive session. Moya said the commission then voted 6-0 to put Hauck on paid administrative leave effective immediately until they learn the outcome of an internal personnel matter. According to Moya, Commissioner Katherine Kinney was not present Sept. 5. KNWA/FOX24 reached out to Hauck for comment, but has not heard back. Moya said the investigation will be handled by My HR Pros, an independent third-party human resources company that Experience Fayetteville already uses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Moya, the investigation is not criminal in nature. Experience Fayetteville will continue with the same leadership in place. No interim CEO will be appointed. The commission has not said how long the investigation will take, according to Moya. Hauk began his tenure as CEO on July 21. He previously served as Executive Director of Cody Yellowstone, the official tourism organization for Park County, Wyoming. Hauck succeeds Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn as CEO of Experience Fayetteville. Rawn won the mayoral race after defeating former mayor Lioneld Jordan in a runoff election on Dec. 3. 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 KNWA FOX24. Experts say rising global temperatures are partly to blame for a spike in Legionnaires' disease across the United States in the past 25 years, according to Gothamist. What's happening? Legionella bacteria, which are responsible for this severe and deadly form of pneumonia, thrive in warm water. Researchers say rising temperatures are likely contributing to this rise in cases in the U.S. over recent decades. However, research points to additional factors in the spike. For instance, one paper suggested that recent successful efforts to remove sulfur dioxide from the air generally regarded as a win for public health make the air less acidic, allowing Legionella bacteria to survive longer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement " We think that air quality improvement is very good," said the study's lead author, Fangqun Yu, per Gothamist. However, the news outlet, summarizing Yu, added that "this could be a potential negative side effect that has to be mitigated." Meanwhile, experts say that more awareness plays somewhat of a role in increased diagnoses for the disease, the prevalence of which has been mostly clustered in the Northeast. Why is Legionnaires' concerning? In order to get Legionnaires' disease, a person must inhale mist or aspirate water containing the bacterium, which often grows in plumbing systems or water-cooling towers, Gothamist explained. The publication added that New Yorkers are especially susceptible to Legionnaires' because of the city's population density, aging infrastructure, and the high level of sediment in the water. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following a 2015 outbreak in the South Bronx, which resulted in 16 deaths, the city and state implemented what experts describe as strong regulations for preventing the growth of Legionella in buildings' water systems. However, hundreds of cases are still reported each year, according to Gothamist. For instance, this year, a disease cluster in Harlem resulted in 113 confirmed cases, seven hospitalizations, and six deaths as of Aug. 25. What's being done about Legionnaires'? Because there is no medicine or vaccine that can prevent Legionnaires', it's important that protocols are followed, according to NYC Health. For instance, building owners must register their cooling towers, which allows the Health Department to quickly investigate Legionnaires' clusters. Building owners are also required to routinely test the water in the cooling tower for the presence of Legionella bacteria and perform routine checks on their system. However, one expert told Gothamist that some building owners do the "bare minimum" to comply with such laws. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Under intense pressure from Capitol Hill to provide a legal rationale for the unprecedented killing of 11 alleged drug smugglers by the US military, the Trump administration has so far ducked lawmakers and provided a mishmash of public justifications that raise serious questions about the legality of the strike, legal experts and congressional sources say. The Defense Department on Friday abruptly canceled classified briefings it was set to provide in the morning to several key House and Senate committees, two people familiar with the matter told CNN. Lawmakers and staffers had hoped to ask officials questions about the legal justification for the strike, and even get basic details like which military unit conducted the attack, what type of munition was used and the kind of intelligence gathering that went into determining the identities and intentions of those on the boat. Broadly, administration officials have sought to make the argument that the 11 people on a speedboat that the US blew up in international waters in the Caribbean this week were legitimate military targets because they were members of a loosely organized Venezuelan criminal gang called Tren de Aragua, which the US has designated as a terrorist organization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The strike was the obvious result of designating them a terrorist organization, said one person familiar with the Pentagons thinking. If there was a boat full of al Qaeda fighters smuggling explosives towards the US, would anyone even ask this question? But Congress in 2001 explicitly determined the US to be at war with al Qaeda, officially stamping them as combatants who the US is legally allowed to kill under both domestic and international law. It has not done so for Tren de Aragua. The designation of the group as a foreign terrorist organization or FTO under US statute gives the president the authority to engage financial and legal penalties, like sanctions, but it does not automatically authorize the use of lethal force. The president has the authority under Article II of the Constitution to use military force when it is in the national interest, and when it does not amount to war in the constitutional sense, which requires an act of Congress. Past administrations have interpreted these standards fairly broadly especially in the decadeslong war against al Qaeda, ISIS and other evolving Islamist terror groups and Trump officials have also claimed the president was exercising his inherent Article II powers here. But again, legal experts say, there is a wrinkle: That amorphous power still requires that the president establish that its targets are legitimate military targets who should be treated as combatants under both international and domestic law. Cartel members and drug smugglers have traditionally been treated as criminals with due process rights not enemy combatants and the Trump administration has yet to offer a justification beyond the FTO defense that it is in a state of armed conflict with Tren de Aragua. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump on Friday sent a letter to Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Senate president pro tempore, formally notifying Congress of the strike, but offered little detail beyond a vague claim of his Article II authority, and in fact did not list Tren de Aragua by name as the target, according to a copy of the letter obtained by CNN. He said the military was postured to carry out further military operations, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials have indicated that they intend to do. Anna Kelly, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement that the strike was fully consistent with the law of armed conflict suggesting that the administration wants wartime rules to apply to the group. Its legal madlibs, said Brian Finucane, a former State Department lawyer who specializes in war powers issues. Theyre throwing a lot of words out there that dont necessarily go together or constitute a coherent legal justification. This screengrab of a video posted to Donald Trumps Truth Social account on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, shows what Trump described as a Tren de Aragua boat carrying drugs from Venezuela, against which Trump ordered a strike. - Donald Trump/Truth Social Few details on the deceased Even if the action taken against the 11 people in the boat did constitute a strike against a group with whom the US was engaged in armed conflict, there are other legal questions and contradictions within the administrations public accounting of the episode. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Finucane and others pointed to Rubios admission that the boat could have been interdicted rather than destroyed as has been done in the past but that the president ordered a lethal strike as a matter of first, not last, resort. That gives away the ballgame right there, said a former Pentagon lawyer who left the government in recent months. Any remotely plausible argument for inherent commander-in-chief authority to take military action would require showing there wasnt an alternative to lethal force. Trump in his letter to Congress also claimed that the administration acted in self defense because of the inability or unwillingness of some states in the region to address the continuing threat to United States persons and interests emanating from their territories language that echoes some key justifications for the use of force under international law. But, the same former defense lawyer said, under the UN Charter establishing the international rules of war, to claim a defensive action, you have to establish it was necessary and proportionate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If youre admitting you could have just interdicted, how was blowing up necessary? this person said. And perhaps most importantly, experts and congressional aides said, the administration so far has provided few factual details about the 11 people on the boat that would support their assessment that they were a legitimate military target. Rubio and Trump offered conflicting assessments of where the boat was heading Rubio initially said the alleged drugs on board were probably bound for Trinidad or another Caribbean country, while Trump said the vessel was headed to the US. Rubio later said the US had intelligence the vessel was headed towards, eventually, the United States. Although Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the government knew exactly who was on the boat and exactly what they were doing, and Trump has said the US has tapes of them speaking, the government has not released the identities of any of the killed people. The military and the CIA have been criticized in the past for mistaken killings of civilians whom they believed were terrorists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement International law prohibits the deliberate killing of civilians, even in the context of an armed conflict. Domestic law, meanwhile, prohibits unilateral and premeditated killings of non-military targets. There is a word for the premeditated killing for people outside of context of armed conflict, Finucane said. That word is murder. The administration has not made the case US is in armed conflict with TDA or made the case that they are governed by the law of war. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. CNNs Alayna Treene contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A critical Asian ecosystem is facing the increasing threat of sea level rise, putting a huge number of already vulnerable people and animals at risk. What's happening? As reported by Down to Earth, the Sundarbans has faced some of the highest rates of sea level rise around the world. With an annual increase of about 3.9 millimeters, the waters around the massive mangrove forest are rising at more than twice the global average. This has cast doubt on the long-term viability of the entire region. Located on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers in the Bay of Bengal, the biodiverse region spans Bangladesh and India. Altogether, the area is home to over 4.5 million people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Sundarbans is home to numerous species, including the Royal Bengal tiger, saltwater crocodiles, and a diverse array of birds and fish. The forest some portions now sinking by 3 centimeters per year, according to Down to Earth has served as a crucial storm barrier and a source of food and income. Why is sea level rise in the Sundarbans concerning? While the Sundarbans has been vitally important to both biodiversity and the over four million people who call the area home, rising sea levels may be transforming the mangrove forest into more of a hazard. In part due to climate-related hardships, a lack of local employment opportunities has forced many men to migrate to provide for their families, while women often stay behind, Down to Earth reported. Many of those women turn to collecting juvenile prawns from the rivers and creeks as their main source of income, which can bring its own risks. Their work can involve prolonged hours in waist-deep saltwater, leading to health problems such as skin conditions and urinary tract infections, according to the World Bank. A study conducted by the South Asia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resources Studies indicated that a high number of women in the Sundarbans experience menstrual and reproductive disorders, likely related to extended exposure to saltwater. What's being done? As an extensive mangrove forest, the Sundarbans acts as a natural barrier, protecting coastal areas and millions of people from tidal surges. But as noted by Down to Earth, the effectiveness of that defense is quickly withering. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The islands of Suparibhanga, Lohachara, Kabasgadi, and South Talpatti have already been completely lost to rising waters. Several other islands in the region are experiencing similar impacts. Since 1969, the size of Ghoramara Island has been halved. Its population has dwindled from 25,000 to 3,000 in about the same timespan. The need for support for displaced residents, and especially for marginalized community members including low-income women experiencing serious health issues will only grow as waters continue to rise. To stem that tide, so to speak, many countries have sought to greatly reduce heat-trapping pollution, the leading cause of the global temperature increase that is melting glaciers and driving waters higher. In the meantime, governments and communities are also adapting to sea level rise by engineering structures to hold waters back and utilizing protective natural barriers including mangroves. 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. Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect additional comments made by residents of the affected buildings. A record mass Russian drone and missile attack on cities across Ukraine overnight on Sept. 7 has killed at least 5 people and injured 44 others. In Kyiv, a woman and her newborn child were killed and 20 people were injured, according to local officials. Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, reported at 7:35 a.m. on Sept. 8 that the death toll in the city had increased to three. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Multiple Ukrainian regions, as well as the capital, came under attack. The overnight strikes damaged multiple residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, causing power outages in some regions, and struck the Cabinet of Ministers building in central Kyiv. In the aftermath of the attack, the Kyiv Independent spoke to residents directly impacted by the attack. "I went to the kitchen to drink water and a minute later there was a strike. If I had stayed in the kitchen any longer, I would have died because there was nothing left of that place," Sava, a resident of the building that was struck by a Russian drone in the Sviatoshynskyi district, told the Kyiv Independent. Sava's family apartment was destroyed in strike. "As soon as I returned to bed, I heard an explosion so loud that I thought I had gone deaf, everything was covered in smoke in an instant. There was a fire and a flood at the same time, so not much was left." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While grateful to be alive, Sava, who describes herself as an artist, said she was devastated to see family's art and literature destoryed in the attack. "I have been creative all my life and my mother carefully preserved every work from under my hands. My huge artistic path through my youngest years and art academies is now destroyed. Russia is killing not only us but also our culture I am a part of this culture." Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 810 Shahed-type drones during the attack, making it the largest such attack of the full-scale invasion. Thirteen cruise and ballistic missiles were also launched. "There was a young woman living on the 6th floor, who had recently given birth. She was thrown out into the street by the blast wave," Inna, a resident of a building in the Sviatoshynskyi district next to one that was struck by a Russian drone, told the Kyiv Independent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "She was found under the slab of the building at 5 a.m. The child was also found dead." Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least seven people have been hospitalized, including a pregnant woman. The pregnant woman injured in the Russian attack gave birth to a son after being transferred to Kyiv City Clinical Hospital, where she remains in extremely serious condition, public broadcaster Suspilne reported, citing doctor Olena Frantseva. The woman was urgently induced into labor, and doctors are now fighting to save the newborn's life, Valentyna Hinzburh, the head of the Kyiv City Administration's health department, told Suspilne. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hinzburh added that three other patients injured in the same attack are in serious condition and are being treated in the hospital's burn unit. An elderly woman has also died in a shelter in the Darnytskyi district following the attack, although the cause of death was not immediately clear. "Such killings, especially now when genuine diplomacy could have started long ago, are deliberate crimes that only prolong the war. Washington has repeatedly warned that sanctions will follow if talks are refused. We must fully implement all agreements made in Paris," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, reacting to the recent Russian strikes. As of 2 p.m. local time, rescue teams and emergency services were still responding to the aftermath of Russian attacks across Ukraine, according to Zelensky. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We have coordinated our diplomatic efforts, follow-up actions, and contacts with partners to ensure an appropriate response. Together with France, we are preparing new measures to strengthen our defenses," Zelensky said. Officials reported that a fire broke out at the Cabinet of Ministers building in the central Pecherskyi district, the first time the main government building has been hit in such an attack. In the morning Russians attacked the Ukrainian government building in Kyiv. It's burning pic.twitter.com/NUgqRulfT2 (@den_kazansky) September 7, 2025 A Kyiv Independent reporter on the ground said the fire appeared to have been extinguished by 9:25 a.m. local time. It's not presently clear if it was struck by a drone, missile, or debris. Sources told Ukrainska Pravda, a Ukrainian media outlet, that the building had been deliberately targeted. Officials in Kyiv first warned of active air defenses around 7:30 p.m. local time. Explosions were later heard by Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground around 3:30 a.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mayor Klitschko reported that Russian drone debris had struck three multi-story residential buildings in the Sviatoshynskyi district of Kyiv, and another in the Darnytskyi district, leading to fires at the buildings. Klitschko added that the third floor of a four-floor residential building in the Darnytskyi district has partially collapsed, while the forth to eighth floors of a nine-story building in the Sviatoshynskyi district have been damaged. Multiple car fires have also been reported in the Sviatoshynskyi district as well as a fire at multiple warehouses. "I was in the apartment... turned on my phone and saw that one (drone) was flying, and then the second one started flying... behind the apartment building, and then there was a blast," Valerii Panchenko, a resident of the building that was struck in Sviatoshynskyi district, told the Kyiv Independent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Shrapnel was hitting everything. My wife and I ran out with the the children in fright. It hit the wall like that, right through the wall... there were screams" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Explosions were again heard in Kyiv around 6:05 a.m. local time, according to a Kyiv Independent journalist on the ground, amid a series of approaching Russian missiles. Amid a third round of explosions around 7:45 a.m, a Kyiv Independent journalist described a heavy smell of burning in the city. Heorhii Sudakov, a Ukrainian footballer player, said his apartment was hit and damaged by the attack. "The wife, child and mother were at home at the time," said the Benfica midfielder who was away on international duty during the attack. Sudakov's pregnant wife Lisa said the family is safe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 0:00 / 1 Elsewhere in Ukraine, damage and additional casualties were reported amid the large-scale attack. In Kyiv Oblast, multiple houses were damaged in the Bucha, Brovary, and Fastiv districts, according to the regional military administration. An 18-year-old woman was injured and hospitalized in Brovary district. In Kryvyi Rih, missiles and drones struck around 10 apartment buildings, homes, an educational institution, as well as local businesses, the chair of the city's Defense Council Oleksandr Vilkul said. At least three people have been hospitalized as a result of the attack on Kryvyi Rih, Vilkul added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Odesa, Russia drones struck civilian infrastructure and residential buildings, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said, causing several fires. Information on casualties and damaged caused is being clarified. In Zaporizhzhia, Russian forces struck a workshop building in the city's industrial area, regional Governor Ivan Federov said, adding that the strike did not result in any casualties. In Poltava Oblast, the Russian attack damaged a bridge, a private enterprise, as well as home in the city of Kremenchuk. A municipal administrative building was also damaged amid falling drone debris in the Poltava district, Governor Volodymyr Kohut said. Railway infrastructure in the region was also damaged, according to Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, the CEO of Ukraines state railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia. Explosions were heard in various cities across Ukraine, including Kyiv, Odesa, Kremenchuk, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and Zaporizhzhia, amid a long-lasting drone attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Poland's Air Force, with the assistance of Dutch F-35s, scrambled fighter jets to protect the country's own airspace around 5 a.m. Russian drones have repeatedly violated Poland's airspace during attack against Ukraine, with such incidents intensifying in recent weeks. As Russia continues to launch attacks at civilian targets in Ukraine, progress on peace talks has increasingly stalled in recent weeks. Russian President Putin has thus far repeatedly refused to attend an in-person meeting with Zelensky in a neutral setting suggesting, instead, that Zelensky meet with Putin in Moscow. Zelensky on Sept. 5 dismissed the proposal to meet in Moscow, suggesting the Russian leader should come to Ukraine instead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He can come to Kyiv," Zelensky said in an interview with ABC News, laughing and shaking his head after being asked about the Moscow invitation. "I can't go to Moscow when my country's under missiles, under attack, each day. I can't go to the capital of this terrorist." Despite attempting to broker the meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged that a meeting was unlikely on Aug. 25, saying Putin didn't want to meet with Zelensky because "he doesn't like him." On Aug. 28, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz became the first Western leader to write the meeting off, saying it "obviously" wasn't going to go ahead. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The Federal Aviation Administration is once more extending its ban on U.S. commercial carriers landing in Haitis capital. The current ban, which was set to expire on Monday, Sept. 8, has now been extended to March 7, 2026, an FAA spokesperson said. While U.S. carriers and those operated by U.S. licensed pilots can fly over Port-au-Prince, they are prohibited from landing there or operating below 10,000 feet in its air space. In providing background on its six-month extension, the FAA used the State Departments recent designation of the countrys most powerful gang coalition, Viv Ansanm, as a global and Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The agency also suggested that despite the presence of an armed international force led by Kenya, working alongside the Haiti National Police, armed gangs continue to be a threat in the concerned areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agency noted that within the last six months, Haitian gangs have expanded their area of operations to control nearly 90 percent of Port-au-Prince and the immediately surrounding strategic routes and border areas. The gangs also continue to have access to small arms and unmanned aircraft systems drones capable of reaching low-altitude phases of flight, the FAA said. Haitian and international security forces, which experience persistent personnel and equipment shortages, have a limited ability to counter FTO activities in and around Port-au-Prince, the agency said. Additionally, these organizations uncoordinated actions against FTOs to include conducting targeted UAS strikes against FTO leaders in Port-au-Prince reduce their operational effectiveness and further complicates low-altitude airspace deconfliction efforts. This November will mark a year since the ban on U.S. commercial and cargo flights was first imposed. U.S. authorities decided to issue the ban after three U.S. commercial airlines flying over Port-au-Princes Toussaint Louverture International Airport reported being hit by gang gunfire. The three carriers Spirit Airlines, JetBlue Airways and American Airlines all announced cancellation of flight service into Haiti. Carriers from Canada and the France have also followed suit and earlier this year, American Airlines quietly shut down its operations after 50 years of servicing the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result of the ongoing violence, Haitians have found themselves virtually isolated. They not only face high costs from the few non-U.S. commercial carriers that do fly in and out of the country, using mainly the smaller Cap-Haitien international airport, but the countrys airspace with the neighboring Dominican Republic remains closed. Also adding to Haitians travel woes, the Trump administration has placed Haiti under a travel ban. While Haitians with visas continue to have access to the United States, first-time visa seekers or those in need of renewal do not. Despite the ongoing FAA ban, the Pentagon continues to fly flights into Port-au-Prince to service the Kenya led Multinational Security Support mission. Mark Zuckerberg is on Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg has invested large sums of money into Meta. But the company has a problem telling which "Mark Zuckerberg" that is Mark E. Zuckerberg, its founder, or Mark S. Zuckerberg, the Indianapolis bankruptcy attorney. Zuckerberg the attorney has been booted off Facebook multiple times, he said, for "impersonating" Zuckerberg the billionaire. After years of failed attempts to keep his business page from getting shut down, he's suing Meta for damages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorneys for CohenMalad LLP filed a lawsuit on behalf of Indiana resident Mark Steven Zuckerberg in Marion County Superior Court on Sept. 2. The lawsuit accuses Facebook's parent company, Meta, of negligence and breach of contract after continuously deactiving his commercial account for unjust and improper reasons. Two days after filing the lawsuit, the Indianapolis Zuckerberg's Facebook page reappeared after a four-month suspension. His frustration with the company, however, hasn't waned. We have reinstated Mark Zuckerberg's account after finding it had been disabled in error," a spokesperson with Meta told IndyStar. "We appreciate Mr. Zuckerberg's continued patience on this issue and are working to try and prevent this from happening in the future." 'I don't have patience': Indiana attorney suing Meta won't drop lawsuit Zuckerberg said he's moving forward with the lawsuit anyway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I don't have patience. My patience went away the last time they did this to me," Zuckerberg said Sept 5. "This is supposed to be one of the leading, most cutting-edge companies in the world. Surely they should be able to put some safeguards in place to ensure they quit shutting me down." Story continues after photo gallery. Indianapolis lawyer spent $11K on Facebook advertising. Meta took his money, then kicked him off their platform 'nine times' The attorney said his page, "Bankruptcy Law Office of Mark S. Zuckerberg," was suspended in May for going against Meta's community standards, in which the company reprimanded Zuckerberg for "impersonating a celebrity." Zuckerberg filed an appeal with Facebook the next day. The last time his account was suspended, he said, it took six months to get it back up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is not the first, second or even third time Meta has removed his page, he said, for supposedly pretending to be Facebook's CEO. Emails included in the lawsuit between Zuckerberg and the company's tech support team date back to May 2020, in which similar account freezes from 2017 are mentioned. Each suspension, he said, lasted for months at a time, and required him at one point to submit a copy of his birth certificate, driver's license, credit card, and video images of his face. His personal page has been deactivated before as well. "They've shut my business account down four times and my personal account five times, so they've shut me down a total of nine times," Zuckerberg said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These suspensions have happened despite Zuckerberg spending thousands of dollars on Meta. A portion of Zuckerberg's advertising revenue goes to Facebook, he said, to promote his law practice. The Indiana attorney has invested at least $11,000 on Facebook ads, according to the lawsuit, to gain new clients on a platform with more than 3 billion active monthly users. Zuckerberg wants Meta to return his money and pay for his attorney fees. "I didn't get the benefit of those advertising dollars," he said. "It would be like buying space on a billboard, them taking your money and then throwing a giant blanket over it." Indiana's Mark Zuckerberg isn't 'impersonating' a celebrity. He is one That Meta has accused the attorney of "impersonating a celebrity" is somewhat ironic their targeting has earned the Indiana Zuckerberg attention in news coverage from around the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local, national and global media outlets this week seized on the opportunity to report Zuckerberg's lawsuit against Meta. The first time Facebook suspended Zuckerberg's account in 2011, an article about it ran in Forbes. Subsequent write-ups have appeared in Wired Magazine and other publications. The downside of being Mark Zuckerberg Not all the attention has been positive. In his personal website, "IamMarkZuckerberg.com," the Indiana attorney details the bizarre things that have happened to him because he happens to share a name with one of the world's wealthiest men. Among them, according to his website: He was sued by the state of Washington due to mistaken identity. His office receives a flood of calls, he said, from angry people demanding to speak with Facebook tech support. When a Facebook scam promised money from "Mark Zuckerberg," he received calls and emails from strangers "at all hours of the night." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. Find him on BlueSky at JohnWritesStuff. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana's Mark Zuckerberg is suing Meta. Yes, you read that correctly Did Bill Gates use his turn speaking at a White House dinner to apologize for things such as: Windows, viruses, vaccines, sterilizing people, and trying to block out the sun -- finishing by asking for a pardon over "all the Epstein shit"? No, that's not true: This video was published by a parody account and bears their watermark in the upper left hand corner. The video footage of Gates speaking, including his hand gestures, is real footage from a White House dinner with tech CEOs -- but an AI-generated voice that sounds like Gates was added. The video (archived here) was published on X on Sept. 4, 2025 by the parody account il Donaldo Trumpo (@PapiTrumpo). It was captioned: STOP IT!!! This is how the altered video appeared at the time of writing: Image Source: Lead Stories screenshot from @PapiTrumpo post on X The X account il Donaldo Trump is a well-known parody account which carries that disclaimer (pictured below circled in red). A barely visible watermark appears in the upper left hand corner of the video several seconds in. It reads, ILDONALDO.COM. That web address redirects to the account's Patreon webpage patreon.com/ildonaldotrumpo. Image Source: Lead Stories screenshot with markup from @PapiTrumpo post on X In the 37-second altered video, the fake voice of Gates says: Well, I just want to apologize for every single fucking version of Windows that sucked, which is basically all of them. Also sorry for creating viruses just so I could profit from selling you the antivirus software. And on that note, sorry for spreading real viruses by profiting from vaccines and shit. Also sorry for sterilizing so many of you. There's just too many of us, and some of you are not nice - that's why I'm trying to block out the sun. Anyway, I just came here to ask for a pardon from all the Epstein shit. Thank you. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unaltered footage from the White House dinner shows what Gates actually said. Video of the Sept. 4, 2025 gathering was posted on YouTube by The National Desk (embedded below). The clip in question begins after Trump invites Gates to speak. At the 03:19 mark, Gates adjusts the microphone and says: Well I'm in the second phase of my career giving away all the wonderful money that Satcha's good work is uh help uh multiply a lot, but I think the thing that ties my first career that I still spend some time on, because AI is so phenomenal -- and my second career is innovation. You know, innovating in health, in areas like vaccines or gene editing. And the president and I are talking about taking American innovation to the next level, to cure and even eradicate some of these diseases. Several false rumors about Bill Gates were used to frame the apology in the altered video. These have already been debunked by Lead Stories in the past: Claim: In September 2025, Switzerland banned mammograms a method of screening for breast cancer citing radiation risks, false positives and other dangers. Rating: Rating: False Over the course of several months in 2025, a claim circulated online that Switzerland had become the first nation to ban mammograms an effective method of screening for breast cancer citing radiation risks, false positives and other dangers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several posts making the claim spread across multiple platforms, including one on X (archived) that received more than 1 million views, as of this writing. The posts included text that read: BREAKING NEWS: SWITZERLAND BECOMES THE FIRST COUNTRY TO BAN MAMMOGRAPHY! A GLOBAL MEDICAL SCANDAL EXPOSED! Breaking news: Switzerland becomes the first country to BAN mammography, exposing the shocking truth behind the medical industry's biggest scam. Discover how mammograms harm women, with up to 60% false positives, cancer risks, and a profit-driven system exploiting millions. It's time for safer, non-invasive alternatives! (Facebook user David Wolfe) The claim was not new; it has surfaced numerous times since at least May 2024, and similar claims have circulated as far back as 2014 when the since-dissolved Swiss Medical Board published a report that called into question the efficacy of breast screening programs. We wrote to Switzerland's Federal Office of Public Health seeking comment regarding the claim, and the office replied that "Switzerland has not banned mammography." The office also clarified that screening programs are set up by the cantons and that "mammograms are recommended from the age of 50 onward." A spokesperson from the Swiss health office also confirmed this for Reuters and PolitiFact in 2024 and early 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reuters reported that a spokesperson called the claim a "misinterpretation" of the 2014 Swiss Medical Board report. There also is proof that Switzerland, as of this writing, offers systemic mammogram services in the majority of cantons (similar to states or provinces) across the country, as indicated by a map on the Swiss Cancer Screening website. The cantons that do not offer systemic mammogram services either adhere to a "by-referral" program or plan to introduce systemic screening programs in the future. An update line noted the site was last modified in early September 2025. (swisscancerscreening.ch) Opinions can vary on the risk of regular mammograms given the small dose of ionizing radiation during the procedure, but the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends, as of this writing: Mammograms every two years for women who are 50-74 years old and are at average risk for breast cancer. Women who are 40-49 years old should talk to their healthcare provider about when or how often to get a mammogram based on personal risk and health history. Sources: 'Angebote in Ihrem Kanton'. Swiss Cancer Screening, https://www.swisscancerscreening.ch/de/angebote-in-ihrem-kanton. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CDC. 'Facts About Mammograms'. Radiation and Your Health, 25 Oct. 2024, https://www.cdc.gov/radiation-health/data-research/facts-stats/mammograms.html. Check, Reuters Fact. 'Fact Check: Switzerland Has Not Banned Mammograms, Contrary to Online Claims'. Reuters, 20 Feb. 2025. Fact Check. www.reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/switzerland-has-not-banned-mammograms-contrary-online-claims-2025-02-20/. 'No, Switzerland Hasn't Banned Mammograms'. Euronews, 24 Mar. 2025, http://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/03/24/no-switzerland-hasnt-banned-mammograms. What Is a Mammogram? | Breast Cancer Screening. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/screening-tests-and-early-detection/mammograms.html. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025. Updates: Sept. 9, 2025: This story was updated to include comments from Switzerland's Federal Office of Public Health. Cooks came out in droves to enter their famous recipes, and artists and crafters filled tables with their creations, vying for the purple grand champion ribbon at the county fair. The Cherokee County Fair, held in the Cherokee County Livestock Arena, opened Sept. 3, and ends Sept. 6 with a horse show at Gulager Springs Arena. A couple of judges are well known: Former State Sen. Blake Cowboy Stephens worked with Craig Loftin, president of the Cherokee County Cattlemens Association, to narrow down the winners in their categories. Aaron Young was a judge in woodworking and crafts, and Lora Buechele assisted him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We had some really interesting projects; for example, Cutler Tinnin won a ribbon for his marshmallow catapult, Loftin said. 3D printing of a four-leaf clover won, too. Theres a lot of things here that really make sense for life. Some of the categories only had one entry, while others had several, Loftin said. We had a hand-drawn map of Tahlequah, and it won first prize, Loftin said. Its by Sage Hamby, a fourth grader with Keys 4-H. He said a grand champion ribbon was given to Trae Secratt, who did a display on how to become an agricultural engineer. One hand-drawn map featured two continents with many locations; an author, Abi Sweet, uses it as a reference piece in the book she is writing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two entomology boxes, displaying various beetles and butterflies, won grand prize and reserve prize, Young said. In the photo category, Stephens showed a picture of a hay field by Grayden Foreman, who won first prize and grand prize. Grayden wrote the words best individual photo across the top, to possibly gain the judges favor, Stephens said with a laugh. There were 26 classes, and this was a tough class to win, and a lot of great photography to judge, Stephens said. Another first place was given to Booker Provence for a photo of a rainbow over a house. In textiles, Karen George, a master quilter, judged the quilts, crochet and knitting. She explained why one quilt, which featured a large deer in the middle, had won a ribbon. Another quilt with dogs stitched in each block by Lora Buechele, also won. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The detail on [the deer] one, and the fact that she used a block called the Log Cabin on it, helped it to win, George said. The one with the dogs won because [Buechele] did so much hand stitching and it took her a long time to do it. She said judges look at stitching, pattern and the colors the seamstress chooses and puts together. At 76, George said she has been quilting for about 50 years. We also look at the hand quilted versus the machine quilted, and the size, George said. Bonnie Smith, a regular at the Oklahoma Home and Community Education meetings and a volunteer at the fair, won several ribbons on her various pieces she entered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I got second on my purse, first on my baby dress, first on an Indian tear dress, first on a kids two-piece set, first on a play outfit, and first on my apron, Smith said. She also got blue ribbons on two pieces of her embroidery and her pillowcases. Savannah Anderson judged the many submissions in the canned foods category. Sitting in front of several jars of pickles, she said a judge looks for head space and if there is any rust on the inside of the ring. One entry was leading, although she hadnt decided, because it met all of the criteria. The liquid needs to be half-inch from the top of the jar, which is referred to as head space, Anderson said. And Im also looking to ensure the label is correct. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beth Woods, a judge from Adair County and the Country Acres OHCE club, sat at the end of a table with several entries of sweets in front of her. She took a bite of each sample. Susie Eden, an OHCE club member, said she watched Woods take a bite of every single entry. Woods explained what she looked for in choosing the winning muffin. The texture, the shape, the taste; its frosted so youre going to check that, too, Woods said. You have to judge on the standards, not whats your favorite flavor cupcake. ORANGE CITY, Iowa (KCAU) Community support following a recent fatal house fire near Granville continues to roll in. The fire tragically took the lives of three teenagers and left one other in critical condition. Now, a northwest Iowa bank is stepping in to help out the families. American State Bank has set up four separate bank accounts that people can donate to. Checks as well as cash are being accepted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Story continues below Donors also have the option to identify which family they wish to donate to, or donations will be shared by all families. Patrick Brenneman with American State Bank said that several generous donations have already been deposited. Stop in the drive-thru or during the open lobby hours and drop that off, said Brenneman. Its been a good response, kind of what we would have expected for our community. Everybody is willing to contribute. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement American State Bank has eight locations in northwest Iowa. If you wish to donate, they are located in: Iowa Alton Alvord Granville Hospers Hull Orange City Sioux Center South Dakota Sioux Falls 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 SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) A family squabble ended with gunfire Friday night in Dayton. According to Montgomery County Regional Dispatch, police were called to a reported shooting at an Ernest Avenue home around 9:15 p.m. Friday. A sergeant with Dayton Police told 2 NEWS that two family members had gotten into a fight, with one shooting the other. The victim was taken to hospital, while the police have the suspected family member in custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 2 NEWS is working to learn more. 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. Family and friends gathered at Abel Mortuary Funeral Services in west Phoenix on Sept 6. for a viewing of 16-year-old Michael Montoya II, whose life was cut short by violence at Maryvale High School. Near 51st Avenue and McDowell Road, a line of about 30 people formed outside Abel Mortuary Funeral Services, made up of those closest to 16-year-old Montoya before he was killed in late August. Many embraced as they entered the mortuary, some of them wearing custom t-shirts with Montoya's photo. The early September day was marked with cooler than normal temperatures across a picturesque partly cloudy sky above the morturary home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Montoya was allegedly stabbed to death by Chris Aguilar, also 16 and a student at Maryvale High School, on Aug. 19, according to court documents. Montoya's alleged killer's trial is ongoing At about 10:54 a.m. on Aug. 19, Phoenix police responded to a call about a stabbing at the school and found a boy, later identified as Montoya, with multiple stab wounds, according to court documents. Established in 1963, Maryvale High serves roughly 2,700 students, residing between 43rd Avenue on the east and 63rd Avenue on the west, and between Camelback Road on the north and McDowell Road on the south. The school suspended operations for the week following the stabbing. Chris Aguilar was indicted by a grand jury on a first-degree murder charge, according to court records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aguilar was at first held at a juvenile detention facility but was transferred to a county jail after officials determined he was a potential danger to other juveniles, documents said. He was being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond. The Arizona Republic's Perry Vandell and Jose R. Gonzalez contributed to this article. Rey Covarrubias Jr. reports breaking news for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@gannett.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Maryvale High School student Michael Montoya II funeral services held CULLMAN COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) The family of a man killed during a deadly boat crash on Lewis Smith Lake in April is suing Major League Fishing and several others for negligence related to his death. The family of Jeffrey Little, who died in the crash, is suing the fishing tournament operation along with the organizations president, Boyd Duckett, saying they acted negligently, which led to Littles death during an MLF fishing event on Smith Lake back on April 16. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said that Little was killed when he was thrown from the center console boat he was in after it collided with a nitro bass boat. The lawsuit also names Flint Davis, who was driving the nitro bass boat, and Gary Holcombe, who police said was operating the boat Little was in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The family said in the lawsuit that MLF and Ducket ignored the dangers of unregulated speeds in its competitive bass fishing tournaments and knowingly adopted lax safety standards. An example listed in the lawsuit said that MLF chose to regulate life jackets and kill switches on its participants boats, but consciously and intentionally refused to adopt any standards that would regulate speed. The lawsuit states that MLF knew or should have known that regulations such as placing restrictions on horsepower, enforcing speed limits, and limiting the number of console electronics that might block the drivers sightlines would prevent accidents and increase the safety of its participants and the public. Additionally, the lawsuit said MLF and Duckett failed to ensure its participants for this tournament, including Davis, had a boating license or boating safety certifications. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit said Davis did not have a valid boating license in his home state of Georgia, and he did not have a Non-Resident Alabama Boater Safety Certification. 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. With Farm Aid making its first foray into Minnesota, Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative is celebrating the festival and its mission to support family farmers with a new beer. The Minneapolis brewery has teamed with Two Track Malting and West Coast Hop Breeding for Fam, a hoppy lager made to support "Farm Aids mission to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America." The grains from Two Track are sourced from family farms in North Dakota, while West Coast Hop Breeding teamed with Oregon hop growers. Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative's FamCourtesy of Broken Clock Brewing Broken Clock says that sourcing helps it embody the connection between farmers and brewers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beer is an agricultural product," says West Coast Hop Breeding's Eric Sannerud. "Each ingredient a brewer buys is an opportunity to support independent family farmers." The beer will make its debut on tap and in 16-ounce cans at Broken Clock's Northeast Minneapolis taproom on Sept. 9. It will also be served during Farm Aid on Sept. 20 at Huntington Bank Stadium. Related: Farm Aid in Minneapolis will be broadcast live on CNN, online This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Sep 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the MN Lifestyle section. Add Bring Me The News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Rice farmers are struggling because of the changing climate, and the experiences of a pair of communities shows how widespread the problem has become. What's happening? Rising global temperatures are wreaking havoc on this agricultural sector, and FairPlanet reported on the similarities and differences in Asia and Africa's most populous nations. In the Kashmir region of India, "rice farming is not just an occupation, it is a way of life," supporting livelihoods and shaping rural identity and tradition, the nonprofit outlet stated. Hotter weather and resulting erratic rainfall, however, have created a crisis for farmers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Kashmir is 4 degrees Celsius [7.2 degrees Fahrenheit] warmer than what it used to be a decade ago," climatologist and agronomist Latief Ahmad said. Winter and spring precipitation in some areas has dropped by 16.7 millimetres (6.6 inches). "These extreme changes disturb the seed window," Ahmad told FairPlanet. "In most cases, the plant skips its natural vegetative phase and directly enters the reproductive phase, which shortens the growth period and ends up in low yields." A continent away in Niger state, Nigeria, the problem is similar. A drought lowered Adamu Mohammed's yield in Mokwa from 50 bags of rice to six. Why is this important? Reduced precipitation has been devastating for water-hungry rice and the people who rely on it. Less rice destabilizes farmers' livelihoods, but the effect is much more widespread. There are 150 million rice farmers around the world, and they feed 4 billion people every day, FairPlanet reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Paddy is not like other crops; it needs stagnant water in the fields for a long time. Ideally, there should be at least half an inch of water standing, and if not that, then at least the soil should remain moist. Without that, the crop simply can't survive," Sartaj Ahmad Shah, Kashmir's director of agriculture, said. In Nigeria, the country has had to rely on imports of 3 million tonnes (3.3 million tons) annually because of spiraling production. Adamu Mohammed has two hectares of fields and expected the crop he planted in 2024 to feed his family and provide enough income to repair their home, which was damaged by wind and rain. But a drought has kept the father and his six children in his parents' house. "In the end, instead of getting profits, it turned me into a debtor because I had to borrow to survive," Mohammed said. "The situation becomes a family challenge because it is the proceeds from the harvest that I use to buy other foodstuff for the house. But everything was cut off." What's being done about rice crop collapses? In Kashmir, the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology since 2003 has funded farmers' switches to crops that don't require as much water. Gene-edited cereals, legumes, and more bred for resilience and productivity are distributed, and 10-15% of rice paddies have been converted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Nigeria, flooding has been an issue in other areas, and farmers have started planting rice in the dry season instead of the wet season to compensate. They are also investing in irrigation systems to manage their crops, though the expense is prohibitive. Because the average temperature in the West African nation could rise 1.5 to 3.0 degrees Celsius (2.7-5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2050, according to FairPlanet, Mohammed said the government needs to step in. To slow this rapid rise, individuals can help by upgrading their homes to be more energy-efficient, using less plastic, and shopping at thrift stores. As a bonus, these steps will save you money and contribute to cleaner air in your community. 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. Labour is making life harder for farmers and putting Britains food security at risk, Marks & Spencers food boss has warned. Alex Freudmann, the head of M&S Food, said farmers were getting increasingly fed up with the Government as they faced spiralling costs and roadblocks to producing more food. He said ministers needed to take food security more seriously or risk empty shelves for shoppers. The headwinds facing their businesses and their ways of life are coming from all directions ... Our national food security and our self-sufficiency is under pressure like never before, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It comes as Emma Reynolds, who was named Labours new Environment Secretary on Friday, faces demands to shore up the future of Britains farms. Recent figures have revealed that a record number of farms have shut in the wake of Rachel Reevess inheritance tax raid, with more than 6,000 agriculture, forestry and fishing businesses closed in the year to July, according to the Office for National Statistics. The majority of these have taken place since last October when the Chancellor announced plans to cut the amount of inheritance tax relief available to family farms. Mr Freudmann said this posed a challenge for the industry, with almost one in three farmers now over the age of 65, adding: Theres a succession problem in the industry and it feels to our farmers that the Government is making things harder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement M&S is now demanding the Government start treating food security like net zero, setting out binding targets that would force Britain to shift towards producing more of its own food. If it was set down in law, just like the net zero targets are, it could tilt the balance towards farmers, Mr Freudmann said. The demands come amid growing alarm among Britains supermarkets over whether farms will be able to keep producing enough food to supply them. Last month, a survey suggested 13pc of all dairy farmers were planning to quit the industry, meaning more than 900 could cease producing. British farms currently produce more than 90pc of the dairy consumed in the UK. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In other areas, Britain has been struggling with its self-sufficiency for years, with the proportion of food which is grown or reared in the UK and eaten in the UK at 62pc. In the 1980s, this stood at 78pc. Mr Freudmann said Britain was getting less and less self-sufficient for its food, adding: Were seeing record demand for chicken from UK consumers, but imported chicken is at record high levels. Demand for eggs is increasing for British consumers much faster than our domestic farms can supply those eggs and British produce farmers cant get planning permission for more growing capacity. Farmers have voiced their anger over the impact of an inheritance tax raid on their industry - Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images M&Ss warning comes at a sensitive time for the Government as it stakes a claim to bolster Britains food security. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The former environment secretary, Steve Reed, said earlier this year that food security is national security, arguing that the Government was putting food production firmly back on the agenda. However, since then, farmers have complained that they are yet to see any improvement, with the sector having been struck by a wave of extra costs in the Chancellors drive to fill a black hole in the UKs finances. The Telegraph revealed last month that Labour was failing to deliver a manifesto pledge to back British-grown food. Before the general election, Labour had set out targets for half of all food purchased by the public sector to be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards. Last month, only two government departments sourced a majority of their food from Britain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: Our food system is essential to not only feeding the nation but nourishing it, protecting the planet, and driving economic growth both now and in the future. This Governments commitment to farming and food security is steadfast weve allocated a record 11.8bn to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament and want our farmers to be well placed to bid for a fair share of the 5bn pounds a year spent on public-sector catering contracts. 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. NEED TO KNOW On Saturday, Sept. 6, a man was killed by a "large shark" while surfing off the coast of Australia's Long Reef Beach He has been identified as 57-year-old father-of-one, Mercury Psillakis, according to local news reports The "freak" incident comes a day before before Australia honors Father's Day A father was killed in a shark attack while surfing with friends in Sydney, Australia. At around 10:00 a.m. local time on Saturday, Sept. 6, emergency services responded to reports that a man had suffered "critical injuries after being bitten by a "large shark" on the Northern Beaches, New South Wales police said in a news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was retrieved from the surf and brought to the shore; however, died at the scene, NSW Police stated. The man, identified as 57-year-old Mercury Psillakis, had been surfing with friends about 100 meters off Long Reef Beach when a shark pulled him under the water just 30 minutes after entering, 7News Australia reported. Officers attached to Northern Beaches Police Area Command have closed the beach and will liaise with experts from the Department of Primary Industries to determine the species of shark involved, NSW Police stated, per the news release. Two sections of a surfboard have been recovered and taken for expert examination. SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Closed beach signs following the suspected shark attack on Sept. 6 Closed beach signs following the suspected shark attack on Sept. 6 Psillakis lost multiple limbs in the attack, NSW Police Inspector Stuart Thomson said in a press conference, per 7 News Australia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His (friends) managed to make it back to the beach safely and a short time later his body was found floating in the surf and a couple of other people went out and recovered it, Thomson said. Attempts to save his life were unsuccessful. 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. SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty A helicopter scans the ocean as northern Sydney beaches are closed after shark attack A helicopter scans the ocean as northern Sydney beaches are closed after shark attack Psillakis who leaves behind a wife and a young daughter was an experienced surfer and was part of a group surfing north of the lifeguard tower toward Long Reef, away from the patrolled area, Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW) told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). "Our deepest condolences go to the family of the man involved in this terrible tragedy," SLSNSW CEO Steve Pearce said in a statement obtained by the outlet. "Volunteers will continue to assist Council and authorities to protect the public from further danger in any way we can." Detective Superintendent John Duncan called the tragedy a freak incident that very rarely occurs in the area, per ABC. The Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter and police boats were sent out following the incident amid attempts to locate the shark. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tomorrow being Fathers Day is particularly tragic, Thomson said, per 7News Australia. Our heart goes out to the [family]. Beaches between Manly to Narrabeen have been closed pending further advice, NSW Police stated, per the news release. PEOPLE has reached out to the NSW Police for further comment. Read the original article on People Sep. 5WILKES-BARRE With a new school year underway, FBI Philadelphia wants to remind students, parents and educators of some important back-to-school cyber safety topics. "From cyber scams to online predators, digital threats are real, evolving, and increasingly targeting young people," said Wayne A. Jacobs, special agent in charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Field Office. "Now more than ever, it's critical for parents, educators, and students to have open, ongoing conversations about safe online behaviorand to report anything suspicious. The FBI remains deeply engaged with our school communities, providing resources and guidance to help students navigate the digital world safely and to enjoy a successful school year." Internet-enabled crimes and cyber intrusions are becoming increasingly sophisticated and preventing them requires good cyber practices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here are some tips you can follow to better protect yourself online: Create a strong and unique passphrase for every online account you hold. Reusing a passphrase across multiple accounts makes you more vulnerable if one account is compromised. Use safe social media habits. Be skeptical of strange accounts and people you have never met in real life. Avoid posting personally identifiable information publicly on social media. Do not open any attachments unless you are expecting the file or document and have verified the sender's email address. Carefully scrutinize all electronic requests for a payment or transfer of funds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If there is a situation happening online that makes you feel threatened or uncomfortable, talk to a parent or teacher right away. Be careful when connecting to a public Wi-Fi network and do not conduct any sensitive transactions, including purchases, when on a public network. You can report crime or suspicious activity to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or visiting tips.fbi.gov. Cyber crimes can also be reported to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. State Board of Pharmacy votes to protect vaccine access As the federal government sows deep uncertainty about where and how Pennsylvanians can access COVID vaccines, Gov. Josh Shapiro's call on the State Board of Pharmacy (Board) to take immediate action this week has delivered results. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the Governor called on the Board to take action, the Board voted to protect COVID vaccine access for those most in need and delivered clarity for Pennsylvanians. Last week, after the Trump Administration upended COVID vaccine access across Pennsylvania, major pharmacies like CVS had to stop offering COVID vaccines to all Pennsylvanians even those over 65 and with underlying health conditions who still meet the newly restricted criteria from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The uncertainty fueled by the Trump Administration's shifting requirements caused the country's largest pharmacy chains to require prescriptions for COVID vaccines in Pennsylvania, a significant departure from the routine access people seeking the COVID vaccine once had. Immediately after the Trump Administration's actions, Shapiro called on the Board to rectify this situation and bring clarity to Pennsylvanians. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Trump Administration's outrageous decision to limit access to the COVID vaccine is an affront to Pennsylvanians' personal freedoms," Shapiro said. "I called on the State Board of Pharmacy to hold a special meeting to bring clarity to the people of Pennsylvania. Health care decisions should be up to individuals not the federal government and certainly not RFK Jr." In the days between the Trump Administration's changes and the Board vote, major pharmacies had stopped giving the COVID vaccine to anyone in Pennsylvania because the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has not yet issued recommendations on the new COVID vaccine. PUC Commissioners urge support on LIHEAP In a letter to the Commonwealth's Congressional Delegation, Pennsylvania's Public Utility Commissioners are urging Congress to support the highest level of funding possible for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in Fiscal Year 2026 and to protect LIHEAP from any reductions that would jeopardize Pennsylvania families in their homes this winter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In their joint letter, PUC Chairman Stephen M. DeFrank, Vice Chair Kimberly M. Barrow and Commissioner Kathryn L. Zerfuss called maximizing and protecting LIHEAP funding at the highest levels possible "essential." "This funding is essential because the rising costs of basic human needs, including high energy costs, are making it more difficult for many Americans to heat their homes." The commissioners cited the key role LIHEAP plays in enabling income-eligible households to pay energy bills and maintain essential heating services thereby decreasing the number of unpaid accounts and arrearages, stabilizing utility company revenue, and reducing the need for rate increases that impact all customers. During the 2024-25 heating season, federal LIHEAP funding was vital in helping more than 230,000 Pennsylvania electric and natural gas customers keep their homes warm and safe providing over $152 million in aid and helping approximately 46,000 utility customers avoid service terminations and maintain their service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The commissioners noted that LIHEAP funds are, in many instances, the only source of funding available to help senior citizens, children, and individuals with disabilities and sever illnesses maintain or restore their heating services. Pennsylvania also uses LIHEAP funds to support weatherization and energy-saving upgrades that result in reduced demand on the energy grid to keep energy prices stable. Senators write college presidents on campus antisemitism U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pittsburgh, and U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, recently sent letters to the presidents of five Pennsylvania universities expressing concern about the continued rise of antisemitism on college campuses in Pennsylvania and across the nation in the nearly two years since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel. The senators also encouraged the university presidents to work with Jewish institutions on campus and equip them with the resources needed to help ensure "all students, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or shared ancestry are safe and able to fully participate in campus life." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The letters were addressed to Pennsylvania State University President Neeli Bendapudi, Temple University President John Fry, University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Joan Gabel, University of Pennsylvania President J. Larry Jameson, and Lehigh University President Joseph J. Helble. These five schools have the largest Jewish student populations in Pennsylvania. "As the 2025-2026 school year begins, we write to urge you, as a leader of a Pennsylvania university with a large Jewish student population, to commit to ensuring Jewish institutions on your campus are equipped to protect the students they serve, including by allocating the resources to do so," McCormick and Fetterman wrote in part. "Pennsylvania is home to some of the nation's leading public and private universities. Your institution is spearheading cutting-edge research while attracting ambitious, hardworking students to the Commonwealth. However, Pennsylvania campuses have been no exception to the alarming rise of antisemitic harassment and violence. Chabad houses have been vandalized, entrances to Hillel buildings have been targeted, and Jewish students have been assaulted. To protect the students and faculty they host, many Jewish institutions have been forced to cover the costs of additional security. "No student should feel like they must risk their safety to exercise their First Amendment rights to peacefully assemble and freely practice their religion. No campus institution should have to curtail its services to cover security expenses." Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle. U.S. Senator Tom Cotton speaks at a press conference on contraband cellphone jamming in Little Rock on Sept. 5, 2025, flanked by Attorney General Tim Griffin (right) and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (far left). (Photo by Ainsley Platt/Arkansas Advocate) The Trump administration is moving to partially lift a blanket federal prohibition on cellphone jamming, FCC Chair Brendan Carr said Friday a move in line with efforts led by Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton to allow the practice via legislation. Cotton, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in an afternoon press conference they are primarily interested in targeting prison inmates who use contraband cellphones to commit crimes. Carr said hes ready to oblige via a rule change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal law prohibits states or individuals from willfully or maliciously interfering with licensed or authorized radio communications such as a cellphone. Over the years the FCC has authorized various different technologies to try to identify contraband cell phones and shut them down, Carr said at the press conference. Theyve worked in some cases, they have not worked in other cases. Other countries and the federal government have authority to jam within their facilities, but state and local officials have been denied that ability. Carr said the long-standing federal ban was due to a misreading of law. The FCC will vote on a proposed rule at the end of the month that would change this. FCC Chair Brendan Carr speaks at a press conference announcing changes to federal cell phone jamming rules in Little Rock on Sept. 5, 2025. (Photo By Ainsley Platt/Arkansas Advocate) What we can do at the federal level is we authorize communications or we dont authorize communications, and so what were going to do is were going to deauthorize the lawful use of contraband cell phones within the confines of prisons, Carr said. So once contraband cellphone use is not an authorized communication, then the federal law is no longer a prohibition to jamming it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The work-around, Griffin said, will allow prison officials to target illicit cellphone use that kill[s] and endanger[s] people. It may not be a silver bullet, it may not be the right fit for every facility, but there are certainly lots and lots of facilities around this country where this type of solution will and can make a significant difference, Carr said. Cellphones are typically considered contraband in state prison systems, and Arkansas officials and Carr said they are being used by violent criminals to order hits and other crimes against people on the outside. A memo addressed to Arkansas Division of Correction Director Dexter Payne provided to the Advocate by both the Department of Corrections and the attorney generals office outlined how illicit cellphones contribute to gang violence inside and outside state prisons. According to the memo written by Maj. Randy Shores of the divisions Office of Emergency Services, Arkansas prisons currently incarcerate 230 Serious Threat Group leaders who have been found with a cellphone 308 times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These 230 inmates are from all the known threat groups housed in the department including Bloods, Crips, Aryan Circle, White Aryan Resistance along with our largest group Gangster Disciples, Shores wrote in the undated memo. Further investigation led us to several incidents involving confiscated cellphones where these same inmates information was found showing evidence of conducting illegal activities such as drug movement, drone activities, the movement of money and gang activities throughout not only the state of Arkansas but across the United States. Rand Champion, a corrections department spokesperson, confirmed that the state had observed a trend between cellphone confiscations and increased gang violence within the prisons. A photo shown by Griffin that he said was taken at the Arkansas Department of Corrections Varner Unit showed dozens of cellphones, which he said had been confiscated from inmates. Griffin said incarcerated people will have the devices smuggled to them via drone drops and that there have been numerous instances of inmates extorting Arkansans using illicit phones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I recall telling the story of an inmate who was contacting another inmates mother on the phone and saying, If you dont get us this money, were going to kill your son, Griffin said. No credible person disputes the heinous crimes that are being committed with these cellphones. Cotton has been pushing legislation to allow cellphone jamming within corrections facilities and is the lead sponsor for the proposed Cellphone Jamming Reform Act. He has introduced the bill on at least two occasions, including once this past March, but it has never moved out of a Senate committee. The proposed rule, Cotton said, will make it so that contraband cellphones will be nothing more than dead paperweights inside our prisons. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX As the FDNYs keeper of the legacy, Lt. Joseph LaPointe has been to hundreds of department ceremonies, scores of firefighter funerals and nearly two dozen 9/11 anniversary commemorations. This Thursdays will be his last one. Days after the last victims name is read at the annual 9/11 Ground Zero memorial service in Lower Manhattan, LaPointe will retire after more than 20 years running the FDNYs Ceremonial Unit and more than 35 years in the department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later this month, LaPointe turns 65, the mandatory retirement age for the FDNY. He noted that he is retiring a year before 9/11s 25th anniversary, a ceremony he has been a part of every year. If I had my choice, I would have probably stayed one more year, LaPointe said. I have a feeling Ill be there in some kind of capacity. As the FDNYs longtime master of ceremonies, LaPointe has coordinated everything from department graduations to line of duty funerals. Never was LaPointes role more sadly on display than in the weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001 when 343 firefighters perished in the rubble of the World Trade Center towers that were struck by hijacked planes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By LaPointes estimation, there were about 25 funerals a day in the weeks after the citys darkest day. LaPointe didnt go to all of them, but he went to more than most. He has been to dozens more since, often planning out the ceremonial details, literally holding survivors hands from the moment they learn the awful news at a hospital until the dirt hits a casket at a quiet cemetery. Were honored to be able to take the worst day of their lives and make it a little better, LaPointe said. I never said, Oh, we gotta do this again. This is what we do. The mantra of the fire department is to never forget and always remember. Thats not just a bumper sticker or a t-shirt. We really mean it. The mayors and the mayor and the fire commissioners come and go, but its up to the members of the FDNYto remember that promise. LaPointe said he lost a lot of friends and co-workers on 9/11, but, remarkably, no one from what he considered his inner circle was killed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He didnt suffer that kind of loss until 2008 when FDNY Lt. John Martinson, 40, died after he became trapped in a smoky blaze at Brooklyns Ebbets Field Apartments. Martinson, like LaPointe, was a Staten Island native and a former cop. LaPointe said that when he became a firefighter after two years as a correction officer and six years with the NYPD, he had a hard time making the adjustment. I liked being a cop, said LaPointe, who worked a plainclothes detail driving a yellow cab in Times Square in the 1980s. For a long time I was a cop in a firefighters uniform. Eventually you make the transition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It helped that LaPointes father had been a firefighter. LaPointe worked his way up the ranks, and in 2001, he was promoted to lieutenant, assigned to Ladder 114 in Sunset Park. He was off duty in Staten Island, where he lives, when he saw the plumes of smoke rising from the Twin Towers. He connected with a local rescue unit, and went to Lower Manhattan on a ferry. As we were going over, thats when the towers were coming down, he said. It was total mayhem. Since 2007, LaPointe has been the Commanding Officer of the Ceremonial Unit, organizing every wake and funeral of all FDNY firefighters & EMS personnel and all those whove died from 9/11 related illnesses. In one way it seems like forever ago, he said. And then it feels like yesterday. (FOX40.COM) The U.S. Attorneys Office announced on Friday that a federal prisoner was sentenced for assaulting a federal correctional officer in Lassen County. Video Above: Daycare worker arrested on child sex abuse charges Authorities said that court documents revealed 30-year-old Hewer Berlany Santos struck the officer in the face while he was working at a federal prison is Herlong. Serial sexual assault suspect found after shotgun incident arrest, deputies say Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The officer sustained cuts and abrasions to his face. Officials said that the corrections officer received necessary medical attention. U.S. District Judge Dena M. Coggins sentenced Santos to 21 months in prison for assaulting a federal officer, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant 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. Prominent members of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s family called on him Friday to resign from his post atop the Department of Health and Human Services. The calls from relatives came a day after the health secretary faced tough questions from Republican and Democratic senators about his overhaul of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at a Senate hearing. Former Rep. Joe Kennedy III released a statement calling his uncle a threat to the health and wellbeing of every American. He accused the secretary of choosing to dismiss science and sow confusion during his congressional testimony. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The challenge before usfrom disease outbreaks to mental health crisesdemand moral clarity, scientific expertise, and leadership rooted in fact, he wrote. Those values are not present in the Secretarys office. He must resign. Kennedy has long had a fraught relationship with other members of the Kennedy dynasty, with several publicly decrying his decision to endorse Donald Trump in 2024. The response to his Senate testimony resulted in a fresh outpouring of criticism. Kerry Kennedy, one of RFK Jr.s 10 siblings, released a statement singling out what she called the decimation of critical institutions, like the NIH and the CDC, and calling for him to resign. Several senators, including Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician, pressed Kennedy at the hearing about his decision to dismiss CDC Director Susan Monarez just a month after her confirmation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former president John F. Kennedy, dug into his cousin during the hearing, writing on X that RFK LOSER is choking so badly LIVE. He followed that up with a response to the statement from former Rep. Kennedy: Couldnt agree more RFK LOSER IS A THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH and AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC LEADERSHIP. WHO PLEASURES HIMSELF by lying to Congress. President Trump has reaffirmed his support for Kennedy while seeking to distance himself from the health secretary's baseless claims about the efficacy of vaccines as Kennedy faces growing discontent within the GOP. Trump called Kennedys position on vaccines a tough stance during remarks to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You have some vaccines that are so incredible, and I think that you have to be very careful when you say that some people dont have to be vaccinated, he said. HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A Mexican national man was sentenced in federal court Friday for his role in a drug laundering scheme involving a Tualatin beauty salon. Luis Antonio Beltran Arredondo, a 35-year-old Mexican national who had been living in Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced to 11 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute fentanyl and heroin in Oregon. According to court records obtained by KOIN 6 News, Arredondo and his fiancee, Jacqueline Paola Rodriguez Barrientos, laundered drug trafficking proceeds through Mazatlan Beauty Salon in Tualatin. An Internal Revenue Service investigation found they also used real estate they had purchased and converted into rental units to launder money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators found bank records showing Barrientos often made cash deposits in her name or the salons name from $10,000 to more than $373,000 each. Over a nine-month period, the deposits amounted to more than $3.5 million. Arredondo and Barrientos, along with other members of a drug trafficking organization, purchased nine rental properties in Oregon, Washington and Nevada, totaling $4.6 million, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Oregon. Arredondo directed the purchases to be made with laundered money, and Barrientos created third-party management companies to rent them out. They were also used to launder drug proceeds, and generated about $10,000 a month. The couple was arrested by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents in 2022 at their home in Las Vegas. Barrientos is currently serving a 57-month sentence in federal prison for her role in the laundering scheme. Arredondo is the final member of the 12-person organization to be sentenced in this case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Five of the rental properties have been forfeited and sold, while four remain in forfeiture proceedings. According to court documents, the rentals include three properties on North Greenwich Avenue in Portland, two properties on Northeast 119th Place in Vancouver, one property on Southwest Woodpecker Lane in Beaverton, as well as a complex on Southwest Hall Boulevard in Beaverton. 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 KOIN.com. Sep. 5In the spirit of Phileas Fogg, who managed to travel "Around the World in 80 Days" in the famous book by Jules Verne, an avid reader can explore country after country "in one day, just by visiting one building in Wilkes-Barre," Lindsay Griffin-Boylan said. On Friday evening, Griffin-Boylan was among the scores of library fans who attended the 21st annual Gala & Auction to benefit the Osterhout Free Library. The event was held next door to the Osterhout's main library, at the Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre where, in keeping with an "Around the World" theme, a menu had been planned to represent the cuisine of various countries the fictitious Phileas Fogg had visited. One highlight of the celebration was the presentation of the Evergreen Award to Dr. Thomas and Patricia Finan Castellano, longtime advocates and generous supporters of the library. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a cocktail hour before the dinner, Patricia Castellano recalled visiting the library as a youngster to work on school assignments. Now, with time to read for pleasure, she leans toward history and historical fiction as favorite topics. The $180-per-person gala was held in conjunction with an online auction and raffle, which included a chance to win a trip for two, worth $6,000, to San Francisco. The Gala Committee gratefully acknowledged Discover NEPA, Powered by Mericle, as presenting sponsor of the event, and John Carson of Bedrock Environmental as premier sponsor of the event. Featured Local Savings Featured Local Savings Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed interest in meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky outside of Moscow, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said following his meeting with Putin. The Slovak prime minister told public broadcaster STVR in an interview on Sept. 6 that Putin told Fico that he would be willing to meet with Zelensky "anywhere else" but Moscow. Fico added that Zelensky had also expressed his interest to meet Putin during Fico's visit to Ukraine on Sept. 5. The conversation between Putin and Fico came during a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in China on Sept. 2. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Putin seemingly contradicted Fico on Sept. 3, a day after his meeting with the Slovak leader, again inviting Zelensky to Moscow for a meeting. "If Zelensky is ready, let him come to Moscow," Putin said, adding that he has "never ruled out" direct talks with the Ukrainian president. Days later on Sept. 5, Putin said that he "doesn't see much point" in a meeting with the Ukrainian president. The remarks from Fico comes as progress on peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv have stalled. Despite his claims, Putin has thus far repeatedly refused to attend an in-person meeting with Zelensky. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zelensky on Sept. 5 dismissed the proposal to meet in Moscow, suggesting the Russian leader should come to Ukraine instead. "He can come to Kyiv," Zelensky said in an interview with ABC News, laughing and shaking his head after being asked about the Moscow invitation. "I can't go to Moscow when my country's under missiles, under attack, each day. I can't go to the capital of this terrorist." The meeting between the two leaders would be a crucial step toward negotiating an end to the full-scale war in Ukraine, now ongoing for three and a half years. Following talks with Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was working to facilitate a potential meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders. The Kremlin has denied that any such agreement was reached. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump himself acknowledged this on Aug. 25, saying Putin didn't want to meet with Zelensky because "he doesn't like him," and on Aug. 28 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz became the first Western leader to write the meeting off, saying it "obviously" wasn't going to go ahead. Several countries have been floated as hosting a potential Zelensky-Putin meeting, including Switzerland, Austria, Turkey, and Hungary. Read also: Update: Ukrainian, Slovak leaders disagree over Russian pipeline attacks at top-level meeting Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Sep. 5The third annual fundraiser for a foundation named in honor of a well-known Spokane climber is set for Thursday. The Jess Roskelley Foundation's annual fundraiser will feature a North Face film called "Trango," which captures the first ski descent of Pakistan's Great Trango Tower, according to the foundation's website. Christina Lustenberger, one of the athletes featured in the film, will speak at the event, as will John Roskelley Jess' father and a legendary mountaineer who completed the first ascent of Great Trango Tower in 1977. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The event will be held at the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the film starts at 6:30 p.m. The evening will also feature a silent auction. Jess Roskelley was a well-known Spokane climber who died in 2019 on a climb in the Canadian Rockies. The foundation was formed in his honor and raises money for outdoor projects. Snow Peak fire leads to Kettle Crest trail closures A wildfire that has been gnawing away at the Kettle Range all week has prompted a handful of trail closures. The Colville National Forest said in a Facebook post Thursday that the lightning-caused Snow Peak fire was burning in heavy timber about 19 miles west of Kettle Falls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trails in the area that are under emergency closure include Kettle Crest South, Edds Mountain, Barnaby Buttes east and west and White Mountain. The Snow Peak cabin is northwest of the fire. Crews have wrapped it in protective material in case the fire goes that way. The post also said fuel reduction work has been done in the area in the past. WA Fish and Wildlife Commission Fish Committee meeting to be held Thursday Resident native trout harvest and coastal steelhead rulemaking will be on the agenda for Washington Fish and Widlife commissioners this week. The commission's four-member Fish Committee will meet virtually on Thursday starting at 2 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The panel consists of commissioners Jim Anderson, John Lehmkuhl, Molly Linville and Steve Parker. The meeting will be livestreamed. More information is on the Fish and Wildlife Commission's website. HONOLULU (KHON2) With wildfire risks growing across the islands, Honolulu firefighters are deploying new technology in the sky. Not out of the woods yet, fire officials say of dry season and fires Drones are now helping them spot danger faster, including during the recent Kunia wildfires. When fires erupted in Kunia this summer, Honolulu firefighting crews responded with a whole new view. HFD started deploying drones several years ago, but with more frequent wildfires fueled by drought and arson, technology is playing a bigger role than ever before. They provide that key information to the incident commander, gives them information on that flow path, where its headed, and allows them to make those critical decisions, as far as resource allocation, where theyre going to go ahead and put people on the ground, said Mike Mendez, Honolulu Firefighter III and UAS Program Lead. Thermal imaging allows firefighters to scan large burn zones quickly and relay information in real time. It can accurately see almost 1,000 feet away. So it can pinpoint through the smoke exactly where the flames are off, where the fire path is moving, said Mendez. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news HFD says everything is password-encrypted. Its not shared outside of those key needed players like the incident commander, we dont archive anything like that, and we dont fly over homes or look at homes or anything like that. Were simply using it for the situational awareness, said Mendez. And theyre not just being used for surveillance. In an evacuation, loudspeakers can help with reaching people quickly. But technology isnt without limits. Drone batteries only last about 30 minutes. High winds can keep them grounded, and the department is tackling the rise of civilian drones. I know that the general public loves to fly at emergency incidents. Theyre great footage. They look good, theyre fun. But unfortunately, when you fly into our scenes, it grounds our helicopters, our manned helicopters cannot fly in the same airspace, make those essential water drops or persons rescues. So we ask the general public, please stay out of the area, said Mendez. Honolulu firefighters, drones wont replace helicopters or boots on the ground, but they are becoming one of the departments most valuable tools in fighting fires and protecting people before the next big blaze. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You Amongst first responders, HFD has the biggest drone program in the state with 10 drones and 26 pilots as part of its program. Looking ahead, the fire department is exploring larger, longer-lasting drones with better technology and expanding the program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 KHON2. Mayor Donna Deegan has responded to a letter from Jacksonvilles fire and police unions opposing the proposed millage rate reduction, emphasizing the importance of public safety funding. The Jacksonville Association of Fire Fighters Local 122 and the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5-30, representing nearly 4,300 first responders, have voiced their opposition to the proposed 1/8 millage rate reduction. They argue that this reduction could severely impact the citys ability to fund essential public safety services. Weve endured years of pay cuts, stagnant wages, and pension reductionsall in the name of balancing the city budget. While these decisions were made by past administrations, their impact still echoes today. The current City Council and Mayor have been incredibly supportive of our members, and we are grateful for that. But this proposed 1/8 millage rate reduction has a compounding effect that will severely damage the ability of our city to pay for needed public safety issues in the years ahead, said Kelly Dobson, president of the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters, in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The unions also highlighted the risk of Jacksonville reverting to being a training ground for first responders who may leave for better opportunities elsewhere. They stress the importance of a sustainable plan to ensure the city can recruit and retain top talent for its fire and rescue department and sheriffs office. As a response, in a statement, Mayor Deegan stated, Im grateful to our Jacksonville fire and police unions for having the courage to speak out. Theyre right. Weve seen this movie before, and we dont want to see it again. The unions are calling on the City Council to reject the proposed millage rate reduction to safeguard the future of Jacksonvilles public safety services. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Orange County crews have begun laying thousands of pounds of sand in San Clemente as part of an emergency project to protect a vulnerable passenger and freight rail line along the Pacific coast. On Friday, members of the Orange County Transportation Authority celebrated the delivery of the first round of sand to be placed along the coastal rail line in a sand nourishment effort meant to protect the vital train corridor from the elements. Over the next week, more than 300 truckloads of sand from a quarry in Palm Springs will be dropped off in the area, totalling more approximately 3,400 cubic yards of sand. OCTA Board Members and executives gather with federal, state and local elected leaders on Sept. 5, 2025, to mark the beginning of sand nourishment in San Clemente to help protect the coastal rail line. (Orange County Transportation Authority) In the following days, crews will place the sand along a more-than quarter-mile stretch of North Beach in San Clemente, which has been the site of previous track closures due to erosion, landslides and other weather events that have crippled passenger and freight service in Southern California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sand is considered an immediate protection measure that works in concert with wider efforts to permanently stabilize and protect the 120-year-old rail line, which is utilized by Amtrak, Metrolink and Union Pacific. Four areas along a seven-mile tract are the main focus of those fortification efforts. Unlike previous restoration work, the sand placement is not expected to affect passenger rail service. Work crews deliver and lay thousands of pounds of sand along a battered coastal rail line on Sept. 5, 2025, as part of a monthslong rehabilitation and fortification effort in Orange County. (KTLA) In the coming months, more sand will be delivered along the beleaguered rail line. As much as 540,000 cubic yards of sand is planned to be placed, pending sand sourcing and additional state and federal permitting approvals. When completed, the sand nourishment portion of the repair project is expected to have cost about $900,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later this month, additional work will take place near Mariposa Point, the site of a landslide that damaged the popular San Clemente Pedestrian Beach Trail. Crews will construct a nearly 1,400-foot catchment wall to protect the rail line from the sliding hill above. That work is scheduled to be completed next summer, officials said. Earlier this year, crews placed thousands of pounds of rocks and boulders called riprap along the rail line as the first line of defense from the ocean. Aerial view shows the slumping hillside where a pedestrian bridge came loose in San Clemente, sending debris onto the train tracks below on Jan. 24, 2024. The Orange County Transportation Authority is leading the efforts to rehabilitate and reinforce the historic rail line, investing more than $300 million to protect the tracks for at least three decades. The state of California will study longer-term solutions, OCTA officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Orange County Supervisor and OCTA Director Katrina Foley said the vital work is of utmost importance for the agency, but added that slow, excessive bureaucracy prohibits them from delivering the sand all at once. We must work collaboratively with all levels of government to expedite sand renourishment efforts and protect our iconic Orange County beaches, Foley 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 KTLA. VERMILION COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) Three mosquito batches have tested positive for West Nile virus in Vermilion County. Mosquito batches collected in the Danville, rural Fairmount and Ridge Farm areas have been the first samples to test positive for West Nile this year in Vermilion County. This comes as the Vermilion County Health Department has collected 60 samples of mosquitoes since May. Semi-trailer spills boxes of cheese on I-57 in Neoga overnight Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every year during the months of May through the end of September, Environmental Health staff members set mosquito traps throughout the county. The trapped mosquitos are then collected and tested for the West Nile virus. Currently, the department has 16 traps set up throughout the county. We typically observe an increase in positive mosquito samples as summer progresses, so if you havent started protecting yourself yet, now is the time, said Jana Messmore, Director of Environmental Health. If you observe standing water, which could be a potential mosquito breeding ground, reach out to the health department so it can be properly addressed. Symptoms of West Nile can include the following: Fever Body aches Joint pains Headaches Vomiting Diarrhea Rash Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement UPDATE: All-clear given in Casey following Hydrogen leak These symptoms can last up to several weeks. However, the Center for Disease Control said that only one in five people infected with the virus develop symptoms, and less than 1% of them develop severe or fatal neurological illness. The Illinois Department of Public Health reports that as of Sept. 5, there have been 42 human cases of West Nile virus in the state in 2025. Of the 14,175 samples collected in Illinois, 24.3% have tested positive for the virus. So far, 64 out of 102 counties across the state have reported West Nile positive mosquito batches and/or human cases. The Vermilion County Health Department is reminding people that taking simple precautions can help you avoid mosquito bites, regardless of the type of mosquito or the diseases they may or may not carry. Health tips to follow that IDPH recommends include the practice of the three Rs reduce, repel and report: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement REDUCE exposure Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn. Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or other openings. Try to keep doors and windows shut, especially at night. Eliminate all sources of standing water where mosquitoes can breed, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires and any other receptacles. REPEL When outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and apply insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR 3535, according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants. REPORT In communities where there are organized mosquito control programs, contact your municipal government to report areas of stagnant water in roadside ditches, flooded yards and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes. 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. A fisherman is revealing the surprising source of an invasive fish known to wreak havoc on native species. Invasive species are abundant across the world; according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, they are species that live where they do not naturally exist and also "whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health." The presence of invasive flora or fauna can cause serious problems for native creatures and local ecosystems, and instances of incursion often gather attention online. Photo Credit: Reddit In a recent post to the r/Fishing subreddit, one user shone a light on their recent catch of suckermouth catfish, or common pleco, a fish that has a native range along the northeastern coast of South America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Result of people releasing aquarium fish," they wrote. This diagnosis is supported by the U.S. Geological Survey. Data and range maps show significant sightings of invasive plecos in multiple states and that their primary method of introduction is "aquarium release or escape from aquaculture facilities." The image attached to the post shows a pile of at least six dead catfish on a cutting board, presumably about to be prepared for consumption. "They look prehistoric," one user wrote. The presence of invasive species can be a significant problem for native ecosystems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, their introduction has serious and wide-ranging consequences. The competitive threat that the species pose to endemic species can dramatically reduce the latter's populations. It significantly impacted the livelihoods of fishers in a reservoir in New Mexico, for example, reducing tilapia catch by 83% and causing $16.4 million in economic losses. According to the same report, the introduction of pleco can also contribute to shore erosion, a reduction in biodiversity, and unwelcome changes to algae composition. Scientists, environmentalists, and entrepreneurs support a variety of methods to tackle invasive species. For example, one business has begun selling dog treats made from an invasive fish, and experts often recommend eating invasive species. Commenters were fascinated by the fish, though few felt sympathy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I didn't know plecos grow to look so badass," one individual said. "They're terrible in the San Marcos River in Texas," another wrote. "Taking a toll on the native wild rice." Others focused on the opportunity to hunt them. "Since they are an invasive species, they can be caught using lots of other methods," a particularly knowledgeable user advised. "Cast nets, frog spears, bowfishing, etc. are your best bet if you want to actually catch one." Join our free newsletter for cool news and cool tips that make it easy to help yourself while helping the planet. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Five people were indicted in connection with a human trafficking and drug investigation in Columbuss West Side. A Franklin County grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday against the five, who allegedly were part of a criminal organization that committed violent crimes and dealt narcotics in furtherance of a human trafficking enterprise, according to Attorney General Dave Yost. Yost said Columbus police began investigating in January after receiving tips about the alleged activity, which reportedly began in November 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The alleged criminal organization was operating on the West Side and planned to expand human trafficking activities through violence and narcotics, Yost said. The following people were charged: Justin Davis, 40, indicted on 25 felony charges: One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity Three counts of trafficking in persons Three counts of promoting prostitution Three counts of compelling prostitution Five counts of trafficking in drugs Five counts of possession of drugs Two counts of tampering with evidence One count of money laundering One count of receiving proceeds subject to forfeiture One count of possession weapons under disability Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cieara Tesso, 28, indicted on 15 felony charges: One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity Three counts of promoting prostitution Three counts of trafficking in drugs Four counts of possession of drugs One count of receiving proceeds subject to forfeiture One count of tampering with evidence One count of money laundering One count of possessing weapons under disability Jeffery Willis, 69, indicted on eight felony charges: One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity Two counts of promoting prostitution One count of trafficking in drugs One count of possession of drugs One count of receiving proceeds subject for forfeiture One count of permitting drug abuse One count of money laundering Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Renika Crowley, 42, indicted on nine felony charges: One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity Two counts of trafficking in drugs Three counts of possession of drugs One count of tampering with evidence One count of money laundering One count of receiving proceeds subject to forfeiture Roselind Fout, 40, indicted on seven felony charges: One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity Three counts of trafficking in drugs Two counts of possession of drugs One count of money laundering 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 NBC4 WCMH-TV. At least five people have lost their lives and more than a dozen had to be rescued in Pakistans flood-affected southern Punjab province after a boat carrying evacuees capsized. According to the disaster management authority, the boat overturned on Saturday in Multan district because of strong currents, but the majority of passengers were saved. Flooding from the Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab rivers has affected more than 4,100 villages, forcing over two million people to flee their homes, according to figures shared on Saturday by Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabil Javed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities have set up 423 relief camps, 512 medical facilities and 432 veterinary posts to protect both people and livestock after more than 1.5 million animals were relocated. Nearly 900 people have been killed in monsoon floods in Pakistan since June, according to figures from the United Nations. Al Jazeeras Kamal Hyder, reporting from Multan, said entire villages in the region have been abandoned due to the floods. People have left their belongings and are trying to save their lives, he said. Most people have no protection. Tens of thousands of acres of land with standing crops are lost. Mango orchards are all submerged. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hyder said that by September, the monsoon season would typically have ended but the Meteorological Department was predicting a 10th monsoon spell to arrive soon. Global warming has worsened monsoon rains this year in Pakistan, one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, according to a new study. Downpours and cloudbursts have triggered flash floods and landslides across the mountainous north and northwest in recent months. Punjab, home to 150 million people, is a vital part of Pakistans agricultural sector and is the countrys main wheat producer. Flooding in 2022 wiped out huge swaths of crops in the east and south of Pakistan, leading Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to warn that the country faced food shortages. While South Asias seasonal monsoon brings rainfall that farmers depend on, climate change is making the phenomenon more erratic and deadly across the region. PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) Five young Peoria poets, from one school, will be celebrated after winning the statewide Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards. At the time of their entries, the students all girls were in different grades and going to Whittier Primary School, according to a Peoria Public Schools spokesperson. Five young poets from Peoria win statewide competition They are among 25 winners and 12 honorable mentions selected for the 2025 Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards, said Sarah Sommers, an Illinois Humanities spokesperson. This years contest saw 867 submissions from 187 schools throughout the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To see this years winning poems, including those from the five Whittier girls, click here. About the awards This years submissions were bold, compassionate, and playfuland they have a message. Youth from around Illinois are calling on us as adults and educators to live into Gwendolyn Brookss legacy, said Illinois Humanities Executive Director Gabrielle Lyon. Brooks was the Illinois State Poet Laureate when she started the Youth Poetry awards in 1969. She continued the awards for more than 30 years, until her death in 2000. The awards took on her name in tribute to her legacy when they were revived in 2017. The Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards is an annual competition for Illinois poets between kindergarten and 12th grade. Illinois Humanities does the awards in partnership with Brooks Permissions, the Poetry Foundation and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts. About the winners The Peoria student winners are Alantis Martin, Jennifer Eklund, Jermany Ashford, Delilah Long and Mya Watkins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watkins, who wrote her poem The Nature Walk while in fourth grade at Whittier, now attends Harold B. Dawson Middle School. She said her poem was inspired by her walks to the park. It was about me walking. Sometimes, I walk to this park. It was just fueled by the park and the trees. I just got inspiration off of that, Watkins said. Alantis Martin Jennifer Eklund Jermany Ashford Delilah Long Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mya Watkins Jermany Ashford, who was in second grade at the time of the contest, entered her poem, Wind and Grass. She said that while this was her first time writing poetry, she plans to write more. I like writing and making books. I like doing art, Ashford said. On Saturday, Sept. 13, the five girls, along with the other winning poets, will be celebrated at a ceremony at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago. Winners will recite their poems for friends, families and teachers. Jennifer Brady is the library manager at Whittier. She helped students make their poetry, like with then, first grader Eklunds poem, Ballgown, Please! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For Jennifer [Eklund], she did not know she was writing a poem. She came up to me and told me, I am wearing a pretend ballgown. You cant see it because its pretend, so I wrote that down, she said. Brady essentially served as the scribe for young Eklunds winning work. Delilah Long was in third grade when she penned her aptly named poem, The Hibiscus Flower. She was one of the three third-grade winners. Each grade had three winners, with the exception of the Kindergartners. Alantis Martin was the only Kindergarten student in the state to be awarded this year. Brady says she also helped Martin submit her poem, Happy Days, which was originally written for the Peoria Public Schools Young Author Contest. She suggested Martin resubmit the work to the poetry contest. Its unusual for five students from the same school to win the competition, according to Brady. In fact, of the 25 winners, there are only three other students from downstate: one from Champaign and two from Cerro Gordo in Piatt County. The rest of the winners are from the Chicagoland area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The competition runs from January through May every year and the winners are celebrated in the fall. The winning students receive a cash prize and are published in something called a chapbook, the term for a little booklet of poetry. This years awards will also honor outgoing Illinois Poet Laureate Angela Jackson and will welcome her successor, Mark Turcotte. 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. Video: High rip current risk in Pacific Ocean off San Diego OCEANSIDE, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) Lifeguards and first responders had a busy day in Oceanside after they rescued five people from the Pacific Ocean near the pier in downtown Oceanside. One of the swimmers had to be airlifted to a trauma center. A bystander ran into Lifeguard Headquarters around 1:40 p.m. to alert lifeguards of multiple swimmers that were in distress near the Oceanside Pier off The Strand, the Oceanside Fire Department reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thunderstorms bring dangerous ocean conditions to San Diego, weather could continue through weekend Lifeguards were in the water within minutes and rescued five people. Once the swimmers were on shore, first responders and lifeguards evaluated and treated them. One person had to be airlifted by helicopter to Scripps La Jolla Trauma Center, and two other people were taken to an Oceanside hospital by ambulance. Two others that were rescued declined treatment, the fire department said. Mosquitoes in Imperial County carry brain-inflammation virus The rescues come amid a high rip current risk at San Diego area beaches on Friday, according to the National Weather Service, with three to five foot waves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Oceanside Fire Department said beachgoers should swim near lifeguard towers, remain aware of surf and rip current conditions, and never hesitate to seek help from lifeguards if they or others appear to be in distress. Around 25 first responders, including the Carlsbad Police Department, assisted with the rescue. 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. BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) A meeting was held at the USDA building in Beckley to discuss flood prevention measures within the Paint Creek Watershed. WV DOF Foresters fight fires away from home The meeting began with an introduction of the entities involved including Senators Brian Helton and Rollan Roberts, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the West Virginia Conservation Agency, the Fayette County Commission, and several others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The issue these people are trying to face head on is that of the numerous blockages and stream issues with both Paint Creek and White Oak Creek. Carolyn Hefner, Executive Assistant to Senator Brian Helton and former WV Conservation Agency employee organized the meeting in hopes of helping the communities affected by the watershed issues. So, it tugs at your heart because they get hit so many times through the year. It just tugs at your heart trying to help these people and when they reach out for help, you wanna see what you can do, said Hefner. One of the plans made involves doing surveys of both creeks and marking where the blockages are. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then sending out small teams to remove blockages that dont require permits or heavy machinery was discussed as a quick fix until funding and permissions to remove the larger ones can be acquired. Senator Rollan Roberts of the 9th District said he will do everything he can to help provide the necessary funding. Well, I would say once we find out some numbers, I will certainly take that to proper authorities and try to work things out to get some funding to help it. I think everybody has a heightened concern now about the potential of loss of life in floods, said Senator Roberts. Hefner went on to organize a secondary meeting for either December 5th or 12th after the initial assessments and stop gap measures are completed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Smelly sewage buildup clogs the noses and yards of some Fayette County residents She said hopefully at the next meeting theyll be able to proceed with writing grants for funding needed and working with other entities to get the necessary permissions to use heavy machinery to remove the larger blockages in the creeks. 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 WVNS. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WMBB) On Friday, the Florida Department of Education and Volunteer Florida began encouraging students to participate in the 2025 Hispanic Heritage Month student art and essay contest. Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to celebrate Spains influence on Floridas rich heritage, said Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas. I hope every student takes this opportunity to learn about the ways Florida has benefitted from this influence. The Hispanic Heritage Month art contest is open to all Kindergarten through third-grade students in Florida. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Each student will submit original, two-dimensional artwork based on this years theme, Celebrating Floridas Hispanic Heritage. Four statewide winners will be selected, and each winner will receive a $100 gift card for school supplies and a 1-year pass to Florida State Parks. The Hispanic Heritage Month essay contest is open to all students attending any Florida school in grades 4-12. Six winners will be selected: two elementary school students (grades 4-5), two middle school students (grades 6-8), and two high school students (grades 9-12) Each winner will receive a two-year Florida College Plan scholarship provided by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation and a $100 gift card for school supplies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All contestants must be Florida residents, attend school in Florida (including public, charter, private, home, or virtual), and be able to provide a Social Security Number. All entries must be received by 5 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday, September 24, 2025. Student contest forms and educator nomination forms must be mailed to Volunteer Florida or submitted online. To learn more about the contest, click 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 mypanhandle.com. (NewsNation) Floridas surgeon general joined CUOMO on Friday to defend his controversial bid to end his states mandates for vaccines, including for children at school, and for comparing such mandates with slavery. Dr. Joseph Ladapo on Wednesday announced the plan, some of which may require lawmaker approval, and couched it as an issue of personal freedom for individuals and parents who know whats best for their children. Joseph Ladapo calls vaccine mandates slavery It was this remark on vaccine mandates that arguably drew the most attention: Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement States move to protect vaccines in the face of attempts to remove mandates Friday, the health official doubled down on the remark, emphasizing that he was speaking about mandates over what you put in your body. He also told CUOMO he was neither supporting nor denigrating vaccines. During this job, Ive mostly had scientific discussions, but this one is actually more political, Ladapo said. Because it is a philosophical discussion. And the philosophical debate is about whether parents rights should prevail when it comes to the rights of their children or whether the governments rights should prevail. He added: The parents must prevail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement School districts in Florida, like others across the country, currently require vaccinations for polio, diphtheria, rubeola, rubella, pertussis, mumps, tetanus and other communicable diseases. Supporters of vaccine mandates say they are necessary to broadly control infectious illnesses, including diseases that have been virtually eradicated, even if they impose upon personal preferences and beliefs. 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. State economists project Florida will have a $3.8 billion surplus in the next fiscal year, but thats followed by shortfalls of $1.5 billion and $6.6 billion in the following years if spending trends from the last three years continue. The numbers come from the Long-Range Financial Outlook, a document prepared each year by state economists to estimate the future revenues and spending for the next three fiscal years, based on the previous three years worth of spending. The document credits the Legislatures decision to reduce spending in the current fiscal year that began July 1 with pushing back the shortfalls projected in the previous financial outlook. The current year budget is $114.6 billion after Gov. Ron DeSantis' vetoes of more than $500 million about $2 billion less than the prior year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, the 2026-27 budget year was estimated to produce a $2.5 billion shortfall. Instead, its now projected to generate a $3.8 billion surplus. Strategic actions taken by the Legislature in the 2025 Session significantly improved the states near-term financial position relative to last years Outlook, the document states. Gov. Ron DeSantis holds a press conference at the Florida Capitol to discuss the budget Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. But the increases in spending during the COVID-era, which lingered into the last three years that were part of the span used to determine the future projected spending, still leave lawmakers looking at potential shortfalls of $1.5 billion and $6.6 billion in the 2027-28 and 2028-29 fiscal years, respectively. Much of the anticipated spending increases come from Medicaid expenditures, K-12 schools and vouchers and the health insurance program for state workers. Theres also the hundreds of millions of dollars lawmakers have set aside for an emergency response fund to help deal with recovery efforts from hurricanes or other disasters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Combined, those anticipated costs are projected to add $6.8 billion in spending to the budget over the next three years. When other critical and high-priority spending needs are included, it amounts to $20.3 billion in new spending over the next three years. The outlook comes after a protracted battle over the budget earlier this year between House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, who wanted more drastic cuts to spending and a cut in the state sales tax, and Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, who wanted more moderate cuts, and Gov. Ron DeSantis, who preferred a large property tax cut. The House has repeatedly said that state government has a spending problem. The long-range financial outlook reinforces that fact, Perez said in a released statement. While we successfully fought to eliminate next years shortfall, we are the facing a significant deficit in the out-years. The current level of spending is unsustainable and, in a state as prosperous as Florida, should be unacceptable. Lawmakers on the Joint Legislative Budget Commission are expected to meet Sept. 12 to approve the outlook. The Legislatures next regular session, when lawmakers will craft and pass a budget will begin Jan. 13. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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: From surplus to shortfall: Florida economists project deficits to come (NewsNation) A former Alaska Airlines pilot, who tried to shut off the engines of a passenger plane in 2023, apologized as he pleaded guilty and no contest to over 80 state and federal charges on Friday. Joseph Emerson, an off-duty pilot at the time, told a court he was having a nervous breakdown and struggling with depression when he attempted to shut off both of the planes engines on a 2023 flight between Everett, Washington, and San Francisco. Tesla Robotaxi app opens to the public Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Emerson also said he consumed psychedelic mushrooms two days prior and had not slept in 40 hours. The flight emergency landed in Portland where Emerson was taken into custody. He initially pleaded not guilty before changing his plea. As part of the plea, Emerson is never allowed to board a plane again except with prior written approval. Federal prosecutors are expected to ask for a year in prison. He will be sentenced Nov. 17. 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. BOSTON (WWLP) Former Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson was sentenced to prison on Friday for federal public corruption charges. From January 2022 to July 2025, 46-year-old Tania Fernandes Anderson of Boston served as City Councilor for Bostons District 7, which includes Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway, and part of Bostons South End. Charging documents stated that in 2022, Fernandes Anderson hired two members of her immediate family as members of her City Council staff, which is against the Massachusetts state conflict of interest law. Fernandes Anderson was required to terminate her family members employment in August of 2022. In May 2023, the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission notified her that it was seeking a $5,000 civil penalty payment due to this violation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Boston sued over sanctuary city policies In November 2022, Fernandes Anderson emailed an employee of the City of Boston regarding one of her relatives that she had hired, falsely stating that they were not related. From early to mid-2023, she reportedly experienced financial difficulty, which included the civil penalty she was facing from the Ethics Commission. In May 2023, Fernandes Anderson reportedly told one of her employed relatives that she would give them a large bonus if they gave a portion of it back to her. The staff member later agreed to this arrangement. On May 3, 2023, Fernandes Anderson instructed a City of Boston employee via email to process a $13,000 bonus for her employed relative, which was more than twice the total bonuses given to her other staff members. She did not inform the employee of the repayment arrangement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fernandes Andersons relative deposited the check on May 26, 2023, and made three separate cash withdrawals in the following weeks, amounting to $3,000, $3,000, and $4,000. After the third withdrawal on June 9, 2023, the staff member met Fernandes Anderson in a Boston City Hall bathroom, where they gave Fernandes Anderson $7,000 in cash. The charging documents further stated that in 2022 and 2023, Fernandes Anderson used campaign account funds for her personal benefit. During the tax years 2021, 2022, and 2023, she also filed fraudulent federal income tax returns with the IRS. This includes approximately $11,000 in income that she earned from a Massachusetts-based corporation in 2021 and the $7,000 kickback she received from her employed relative in 2023. In May 2025, Fernandes Anderson pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds. She resigned from the City Council on June 12, which took effect on July 4. On Friday, Fernandes Anderson was sentenced in Boston federal court to one month in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $13,000 in restitution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tania Fernandes Anderson was elected to serve her constituents but instead, she deliberately used her elected position as a Boston City Councilor to serve herself, said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. From Bostons City Hall to the Massachusetts State House, to local and state public officials, this office will continue to aggressively root out and expose public corruption. Massachusetts taxpayers deserve an honest government and accountability. As federal prosecutors, we have no fear nor favor, and there will be no blind eye or separate justice system for the powerful. The rule of law does not make exceptions for anyone, including someone like Tania Fernandes Anderson. 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. CHEATHAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) A Cheatham County grand jury has indicted a former high school band director for sex crimes involving someone who was reportedly his student more than a decade ago. This investigation, which has been years in the making, resulted in the indictment and arrest of 42-year-old Jordan Tupper earlier this week. The Cheatham County Sheriffs Office said a detective presented evidence to the grand jury on Tuesday, Sept. 2, related to the allegations of the unlawful sexual relationship involving multiple sexual encounters between Mr. Jordan Tupper and the alleged victim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to officials, Tupper turned himself in at the Cheatham County Jail on Wednesday, Sept. 3, after the grand jury returned an indictment charging him with eight counts of statutory rape by an authority figure. Per the indictment, Jordan Tupper at the time of the offense was in a position of trust or had supervisory or disciplinary power over [the victim] and used his position of trust or power to accomplish the sexual penetration. Man sentenced to 162 years for child rape, other sex crimes in Sumner County Based on the indictment, the alleged crime took place between Aug. 1, 2010, and June 23, 2012. However, law enforcement said the investigation didnt begin until about a decade later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the arrest document, on May 28, 2021, a woman walked into the sheriffs office and reported Tupper had inappropriate sexual contact with her multiple times when she was a teenager and he was the band director at Sycamore High School. The victim told the detective that she was a 15-year-old sophomore in the Sycamore High band, under the direction of Tupper, in 2010, but he began grooming her until after she turned 16 in 2011, per the document. Then, during her junior year, the victim claimed Tupper approached her in a sexual nature multiple times in locations like the band room, Tuppers vehicle, and out-of-town band events. Based on the document, the victim said she saved messages from Tupper on her cellphone. The Cheatham County School District sent News 2 this statement after the former employees arrest: The Cheatham County School District has been made aware of the arrest of former teacher Jordan Tupper. Mr. Tupper was employed in our district for six years. He taught from 2006-2008 at Sycamore Middle School, 2008-2011 at Sycamore High School and 2013-2014 at Cheatham Middle School. We are fully cooperating with the Cheatham County Sheriffs Office in their investigation Men wanted for rape added to Most Wanted fugitives list Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement School officials confirmed Tupper was the Sycamore High band director from 2008 to 2011, adding that he also taught social studies, science, and behavior modification classes. However, there were no disciplinary measures in his file, according to the district. Following his time in Cheatham County, authorities said Tupper moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Then, he started teaching at Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, which sent the following statement to News 2: Episcopal School of Baton Rouge has been made aware that Jordan Tupper, a member of our faculty, was indicted out of state in connection with an incident that allegedly occurred over a decade ago. The charges are not connected to the individuals work at Episcopal. At this time, Mr. Tupper has been placed on leave pending the investigation. We remain committed to the safety, integrity, and well-being of our students, faculty, and community. Out of respect for the legal process and the privacy of those involved, we will not be providing further comment. According to a 2023 news release from Austin Peay State University, Tupper is not only an APSU alum, but he was recognized for a prestigious award as a music educator. At the time, Tupper was quoted as saying, Its a huge honor, especially for music educators who sometimes dont get a lot of recognition. Were very present in the schools and have a big impact on a lot of kids. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com The sheriffs office said Tupper posted a $50,000 bond less than an hour after his arrest Wednesday. Hes due in court on Tuesday, Sept. 9 for his arraignment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement News 2 reached out to Tupper for comment, but we have yet to hear 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 WKRN News 2. This report includes discussion of sexual assault and/or rape. If you or someone you know needs help, call the Rape & Sexual Assault Crisis Line 1-888-421-1100. CARBON COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) A former Helper, UT city council member has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman in her home in 2022. This comes after he pleaded guilty in another sexual assault case in 2019. Darren Cloward, 56, pleaded guilty to three counts of forcible sexual abuse, charges that were amended to be third-degree felonies (rather than second-degree) as part of a plea deal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mother charged with alleged abuse of 3-year-old child who called her the monster Cloward previously pleaded guilty to burglary and forcible sexual abuse for an incident that occurred while he was a city council member in 2019, for which he paid a $750 fine and did not serve prison time. Instead, he was placed on 48 months of probation. According to the probable cause statement, on February 19, 2022, Cloward was at the victims home as part of a social gathering. He approached her while she was in the kitchen and told her that he wanted to grab her breasts. He reportedly said, I was told I had to ask before I can grab them, and then groped her chest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later in the evening, he was in the living room alone with the victim. He approached her and hugged her, and while hugging her, he sexually assaulted her. The victims partner then entered the room, and Cloward released her. Shortly afterwards, he was alone with the victim again and said, Be my second wife. He groped her again, and her partner saw the assault and removed Cloward from their home. Following a statement from the victim in court, Cloward was sentenced to three terms of five years in prison to be served consecutively, for a total of 15 years in the Utah State Prison. The victim was also granted a continuous protective order against Cloward. Tooele man charged with manslaughter for selling fentanyl that allegedly resulted in persons death Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following sentencing, he was taken into custody by the Carbon County Sheriff and transported to the prison. After his arrest and during the trial, Cloward was released on bail. The victim petitioned the court for and was granted a civil stalking injunction against Cloward in August 2023. A restitution hearing for Cloward is scheduled for March 18, 2026, where he will be ordered to provide some amount of financial compensation to the victim. The amount will be determined at the hearing. 2019 case against Cloward In 2022, Cloward was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to entering a neighbors home without permission and sexually assaulting her in 2019, while he was a Helper City Council member. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the probable cause statement, on June 10, 2019, Cloward went over to his neighbors house while his daughter was there playing with the neighbors son. He came in through the back door uninvited and sat down on the couch next to the neighbor. Reportedly, he made suggestive comments about her and the swimsuit she was wearing. She stated that he had been drinking and had an alcoholic beverage in his hand. Later that night, Cloward entered the home uninvited again and entered the victims bedroom. He touched her chest over the sheets while she was in bed. Cloward told police that he entered the home a second time to get his daughter. The responding officer reported that he smelled of alcohol while they were speaking. Clowards daughter told police that she saw him go downstairs (where the bedroom was) after he came into the house. The victims son told Cloward that the victim was downstairs changing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cloward pleaded guilty to one count of burglary and one count of forcible sexual abuse. Both charges are typically second-degree felonies, but they were amended to third-degree felonies as part of a plea deal. He was sentenced to two terms of five years in prison, but both prison terms were suspended, meaning that he did not have to serve any time in prison. The victim in this case also applied for and was granted a civil stalking injunction against Cloward. Instead, he paid a $750 fine and was placed on probation for four years. He also was ordered to pay $2,055.05 in restitution to the victim. Latest headlines: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. As the top cop in Letcher County, Kentucky, Sheriff Shawn Mickey Stines knew all about the inside of a jail cell. But he couldnt even recognize one in the days after Stines allegedly murdered a local judge at his own desk, according to a social worker who examined him. Upon evaluation of Mr. Stines, it appears that he is still in an active state of psychosis, her report from four days after the shooting states, adding that Stines was unaware of his surroundings and only aware of things jail staff tell him. Stines defense team made the evaluation public as part of its effort to have the murder case against him thrown out, alleging that the first-degree murder indictment is tainted because prosecutors did not give the grand jury all of the medical records they requested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is the first public look at the mental state of the former sheriff, who prosecutors say shot Judge Kevin Mullins nine times in September 2024, with seven of the shots fired while the judge was on the ground next to his desk. Stines defense attorneys, Jeremy and Kerri Bartley, say the sheriff was insane at the time of the killing and want his full mental health report which is currently sealed released to the public. Stines, 44, is being held without bond on a charge of first-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty in November. Stines faces the possibility of the death penalty if convicted. Sheriff was stressed out by ongoing lawsuit, friends said Although no publicly available evaluation has classified Stines as mentally deficient, a number of coworkers and friends interviewed by state police said Stines was acting strangely in the days leading up to the shooting of Mullins. They largely attributed Stines noticeable state of decline to the stress of a civil lawsuit he was facing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sheriff was accused of failing to properly investigate allegations that a deputy, Ben Fields, was allowing women who had been arrested to avoid incarceration in exchange for sex. At least some of the alleged encounters took place in Mullins office, according to the complaint. In a plea deal, Fields was given a seven-year prison sentence with six-and-a-half years to be served on probation, according to the Mountain Eagle newspaper, but the civil case continued, and Stines testified in a deposition only three days before the murder. Convincing a judge or jury that Stines was not in control of himself at the time he shot Mullins is critical to his defense in a case where the shooting was caught on a surveillance camera, with the video shown in open court. Stines has lost his mind, colleague said before shooting Local attorney Daniel Dotson, described as a friend of the victim, warned Mullins before the shooting that Mickey was losing it and couldnt take this kind of pressure, according to a document filed by defense attorneys. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The local police chief told Dotson, That son of a bitch has lost his mind, according to Dotsons testimony to investigators. I think his anxiety was completely off charts, a sheriffs office staffer told Kentucky State Police, according to the defense team. I do feel like he was in a psychosis. Several witnesses testified that Stines paranoia was growing prior to the shooting on September 19, 2024, saying he expressed fear that they were going to kill his wife and daughter, without specifying who they were. The Letcher County Courthouse is shown on September 20, 2024, in Whitesburg, Kentucky. - Randy Sartin/AP Stines had an appointment with his family doctor the day before the shooting, where he was accompanied by his friends who (were) concerned about his level of stress and loss of sleep, according to Stines medical records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The patient was very subdued, but denied any depression, anxiety, psychosis, suicidal or homicidal thoughts, said the doctors notes. However, the doctor diagnosed Stines with an acute stress reaction, according to his attorneys. Jail examination says Stines was confused, but also violent On its surface, the examination at the Leslie County Jail where Stines was taken after the arrest because of his close connection to Letcher County jail staffers paints a picture of him as being in a fog of confusion, unresponsiveness and paranoia. But it also says the suspect sometimes became so aggressive, he had to be subdued. He has had episodes of combativeness, which has required pepper spray, the social worker wrote, noting he was being given an antipsychotic medication, risperidone. His defense team says the jail also gave Stines a second medication, quetiapine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In part of a flurry of motions from both sides in the past week, Stines is asking for a judge to release him on bail. Kentuckys constitution specifically allows suspects to be held without bail for a crime where the death penalty is on the table, but Stines defense team says the state is still required to prove at a hearing that there is enough evidence to presume Stines is guilty in order to keep him locked up. Motive remains a mystery Neither side has publicly discussed a motive for the shooting. Stines briefly left the courthouse after the shooting before turning around and voluntarily surrendering, Det. Clayton Stamper told the grand jury in November, a transcript of his testimony shows. Stines refused to talk to investigators, Stamper said. This undated photo provided by Kentucky Court of Justice shows slain District Judge Kevin Mullins. - Kentucky Court of Justice/AP/File During the preliminary hearing in the case, Stamper told a judge that the cell phone number of Stines teenage daughter had been found in the call records of Mullins own phone. But Stamper told the grand jury that they later determined that the call to the minor had been made by Stines using Mullins phone during their confrontation in the judges chambers just before the shooting. Stines daughter denied having any contact with Mullins, and the investigator said they found no records of interaction between them by phone or social media. Investigator told grand jury sheriff was sane In response to a grand jurors question, a Kentucky State Police detective who responded to the scene of the shooting last year testified that Stines was in his sane mind at the time of the shooting, an assertion Stines defense attorneys say should be grounds to get the case thrown out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Practically all the interviews call into question the Defendants mental status in the week preceding the shooting, says the defense document. Stines attorneys are also fighting to keep the case in Letcher County. Prosecutors say a fair trial would be impossible not only in this mountain community of fewer than 22,000 people, but also any other adjacent county because the suspect and victim were both well known. Defense attorneys say moving the trial away from the mountains could expose Stines to a different kind of discrimination against people from the poorest part of the state. Eastern Kentuckians are commonly viewed negatively in the remainder of the state, Jeremy Bartley wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The defense also says 60-70 potential witnesses in the case live in Letcher County, a community that continues to be shocked and scarred by last Septembers deadly violence in a building where the law is supposed to rule. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A 13-year-old boy with alleged school shooter ideations was arrested in the early morning Saturday, per a news release from the Pierce County Sheriffs Office. Deputies received information about the youth in the late afternoon Friday. He was allegedly making threats to kill and had access to guns, the release said. Acting on a seizure of person warrant, deputies and SWAT officers arrested the boy at his home in the 13500 block of 20th Ave. Ct. E. in Clover Creek around 1 a.m. Saturday. The youth was booked into Remann Hall with no issues, the release said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thus far, the search has produced a large quantity of firearms that were both secured and unsecured, the release continued. Loaded magazines with school shooter writings on them, and clothing and writings that would support a typical mass shooting scenario, were confiscated. The student was last enrolled in the Franklin Pierce School District when he was about 9 years old, based on his current age. His enrollment there was last recorded in 2021, the release noted, but hes been unenrolled since and is not currently an active student in any school district. The investigation is ongoing, the release said. Asked for additional details about the arrest, the boys family and whether any discussions took place as to the boys lack of school attendance, Pierce County Sheriffs Office spokesperson Carly Cappetto wrote in an email that it is too early in the investigation to answer these questions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is still an active and ongoing scene, she wrote, adding that she may have more details to share Monday. Editors note: This story has been updated to include a comment from a Pierce County Sheriffs Office spokesperson. Editor's note: This article contains some content readers may find disturbing. A former Sheboygan Falls assistant fire chief was sentenced Sept. 4 to 13 years in prison for assaulting a young teen, according to court records. John Albright, 45, of Cleveland, Wisconsin, pleaded no contest June 25 to one count of second-degree sexual assault of a child under 16. Sheboygan County Circuit Court Judge Rebecca Persick sentenced Albright to an additional 10 years of extended supervision following his time in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Albright was charged in September 2024. At that time, Sheboygan Falls Police Chief Aaron Wigen announced that Albright had been placed on administrative leave pending the criminal investigation. According to a criminal complaint, the assault occurred around 2008 or 2009. The victim told authorities that, when they were around 13 or 14 years old, Albright was on a walk with the victim, who had just helped babysit Albright's child, when Albright put his hand down the victim's pants and performed oral sex on them. Alex Garner of the Sheboygan Press contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Former Sheboygan Falls assistant fire chief sentenced for child sexual assault Two people were seriously injured when a supermarket roof partially collapsed in south-western Germany on Saturday. Two other people suffered minor injuries in the accident in Lauchringen, close to the Swiss border. A rescue helicopter was deployed to the scene. Details on the victims were not initially disclosed. Police said late Saturday that they did not expect any other serious injuries related to the incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The checkout area of the supermarket in the Waldshut district was affected by the collapse, a police spokesman added. The supermarket was open at the time of the accident at around 5:45 pm (1545 GMT). More than 25 people were reportedly in the store at the time, among them both staff and customers. The cause is still unclear. Rescue services evacuated the building. Police said everyone is accounted for. Officials are determining whether or not the building is safe to enter and whether there is a risk of more of the roof coming down. FRANKTON A small town reunion has drawn folks to the Frankton Heritage Days each September for the past half century. The third weekend of the month, as summer melts into fall, Frankton lovers from near and wide come to Heritage Field for the annual festival. The year, Heritage Days is extra special. The community is celebrating the festivals 50th anniversary. Its one of Indianas longest running festivals, according to Doug Weisheit, coordinator of the Indiana State Festivals Association, of which Frankton Heritage Days is a founding member. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Out of our total membership, less than 6% of festivals would be 50 years or older, he said. We have 622 members. There are 50 that are 50 or more years old. The genesis of several festivals in Indiana communities roughly coincided with the United States bicentennial celebration in 1976, he said. But many have not withstood the test of time. Heritage Days longevity, organizers believe, traces to the efforts of the local community, most notably, the Alexander family. The festival board and the Alexander family are feeling a loss this year. Longtime Heritage Days booster Brenda Alexander passed away in December 2024 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brenda will be honored as the marshal during the parade the morning of Sept. 20. She will be represented by her husband, Jeff. They were really adamant about changing the festival into what you see now as far as the layout of the field, paying a lot of attention to the vendors, said Brendas daughter-in-law, Heather, president of the Heritage Days Board of Directors. Ive tried to step into her role, not only being president, but doing the vendors. These are big shoes to fill. You never really knew how much Brenda did until she was gone, Heather added. The festival has a field-fair format, with carnival rides, games, a circus and an estimated 70 food and craft vendors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heritage Days Treasurer Natasha Pulley said the board tries to strike an annual balance between tradition and novelty. At least two events were added this year: a dog show Saturday and monster truck rides Friday. Pulley is excited for the festival, especially to see joy on childrens faces. I love our small town, she said. The United Kingdom and the United Nations have announced additional humanitarian assistance to Pakistan as severe flooding devastates the northern region and Punjab, with Sindh facing impending threats, Dawn reported. On Thursday, the UK announced an additional 1.2 million to support the government''s coordinated response and help communities in Sindh prepare for floods. According to a press release from the British High Commission, this brings the UK''s total humanitarian assistance to 2.53m, providing life-saving support to more than 400,000 people. The funds will be channelled through non-governmental organisations in Sindh to strengthen early warning systems, enable community evacuations, pre-position essential supplies and protect livestock. "Sindh is in a critical window to prepare and reduce the impact of the upcoming floods," British High Commissioner Jane Marriott said. "For every dollar spent on prevention, up to seven dollars are saved in response. More importantly, lives are saved, and destruction is avoided," Dawn reported. The new aid package follows GBP 1.33m announced on August 22 for early response and relief operations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan. That support includes food rations, search and rescue operations, mobile medical camps and the restoration of irrigation channels. The UK has also contributed GBP 500,000 to the Start Ready Disaster Risk Financing system in Pakistan, funds that will assist 20,000 people across Punjab, Sindh and KP. The UN is working closely with Pakistani authorities to assess the humanitarian impact of the floods. Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher released USD 600,000 from the Regional Humanitarian Pooled Fund to support relief and recovery operations, the UN Information Centre in Islamabad said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed solidarity with Pakistan and commended the authorities for relocating more than one million people in Punjab, according to a statement issued by spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, Dawn reported. Meanwhile, Pakistan''s Federal Ministry of Health has issued advisories to curb the heightened risk of disease outbreaks following widespread water contamination. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has warned of rising threats from cholera, typhoid, dengue fever, chikungunya and malaria. The ministry urged citizens to follow protocols outlined in advisories posted on its website and that of the NIH. Separately, the UN''s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in its "Desert Locust Bulletin" that Pakistan faces no immediate locust threat. Surveys in August found no locusts in key summer breeding areas, though very small-scale breeding may still occur. "No significant developments are expected," the report noted, as quoted by Dawn. (ANI) ST. LOUIS Freddys Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, the popular fast-casual chain with roots tied to Missouri, has changed ownership once again. The Wichita-based brand was sold this week by Thompson Street Capital Partners, a St. Louis private equity firm, to investment funds affiliated with Rhone, a global private equity group. Freddys will keep its corporate headquarters in Wichita, and its leadership team. Thompson Street acquired Freddys in 2021 from co-founders and brothers Bill and Randy Simon, along with their friend and business partner Scott Redler. At that time, the chain operated about 400 locations. Under St. Louis-based ownership, Freddys grew to more than 550 restaurants across the U.S., generating about $1 billion in sales this year. They even began to expand internationally, with the opening of their first location in Winnipeg, Canada this summer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Freddys was founded in Wichita, Kansas, the companys inspiration has strong ties to Missouri. Scott Redler, who grew up in St. Louis, credits his love of frozen custard to visits to Ted Drewes, the citys custard staple. Co-founder Randy Simon developed his own appreciation for frozen custard during family trips to the Lake of the Ozarks. Together, those experiences shaped the concept when Freddys first opened its doors in 2002. The restaurant is named after World War II veteran Freddy Simon, the father of the restaurants co-founders. Winning Powerball ticket sold at Spanish Lake QuikTrip The chain has since become a favorite in the St. Louis area, adding multiple locations and even debuting at Busch Stadium in 2023. Despite no longer being owned by anyone from the St. Louis area, Freddys maintains a strong connection to Missouri through both its origins and its growing customer base in the region. 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. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) The City of El Paso Department of Public Health, in partnership with the El Paso Fire Department, is hosting a free drive-thru flu vaccination clinic next week. The event will be from 2 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9 at the El Paso Zoo, 4001 E. Paisano Dr. The event is open to everyone ages 6 months and older, with no appointment or insurance required. The first 200 participants to receive a flu shot will also get a special giveaway, the City said in a news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Influenza (flu) is a highly contagious respiratory illness that affects the nose, throat, and lungs and can lead to severe complications such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, or even death, the City said. The Citys Be POWERflu prevention campaign is focused on reducing flu cases, preventing flu-related hospitalizations, and keeping the El Paso community healthy this flu season, the City said. For more information about the Flu vaccine, you can click 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 KTSM 9 News. The Hidden Globe: How Wealth Hacks the World, by Atossa Araxia Abrahamian, Riverhead Books, 336 pages, $30 The idea of carving out territorial exceptions to, or escape zones from, the hand of the nation-state has long captured the imagination of free market enthusiasts. In the 1990s, I was involved in several organizations devoted to the idea, and I witnessed the movement's gradual shift from a pipe dream of libertarian theorists to something attracting serious interest, and investment capital, from entrepreneurs, as libertarian-oriented free ports, special economic zones, charter cities, and even floating maritime cities (sea-steads), began to look more politically possible. In 1993, my "free nation" group was meeting in a local North Carolina hotel; by 2011, I was sipping cocktails at a rather swankier "free cities" conference on the resort island of Roatan, Honduraswhich, not coincidentally, today boasts its own charter city, Prospera. What looks exciting to libertarians may unsurprisingly seem less congenial to those not already sold on libertarian ideas. In The Hidden Globe, the journalist Atossa Araxia Abrahamian turns a more skeptical eye on these developments, and on the broader trend for the conventional picture of "one land, one law, one people, and one government" to undergo "a kind of transfiguration" into "an accretion of cracks and concessions, suspensions and abstractions, carve-outs and free zones, and other places without nationality in the conventional sense." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrahamian takes us on an engaging tour of a variety of communities that exist in, offer access to, or are entangled with this interstitial, postnational network, including Singapore, Mauritius, Shenzhen, Dubai, Svalbard, Boten, Luxembourg (an aggressive pioneer in laws pertaining to outer-space resources), Geneva (her childhood home), and the aforementioned Prospera. Although Abrahamian's understanding of libertarian ideas is somewhat superficial, her discussion is more nuanced and less hostile than the jacket copy for the book might lead one to expect; she sees potential for unjust exploitation in economic free zones, but liberatory potential as well. She also recognizes that the decoupling of jurisdiction from territory is not a new phenomenon and has not been a uniformly negative one. Where she is critical, much that she says deserves libertarian attention. The free zones that Abrahamian explores are, generally by design, places where legally questionable assets can be hidden from the eyes and hands of government. Libertarians are unlikely to lose much sleep over her dismay that tax evaders are thereby enabled to shield their wealth from legal scrutiny; but her further examples of dictators, war profiteers, and dealers in stolen art might raise more concern. Nor are interstitial zones always liberating for their inhabitants. The infamous prison at the U.S. naval base in Cuba's Guantanamo Bay is an attractive place for the American government to house refugees without asylum hearings and suspected terrorists without trials, becauseor so the government maintainsneither U.S. nor Cuban law applies there. Australia has its own Guantanamo Archipelago, and Abrahamian devotes a chapter to it. This comprises, on the one hand, a string of islands under Australian jurisdiction but legally excised from Australian territory, so that asylum seekers' legal rights do not apply there, and on the other hand prisons in foreign countries to which Australia has sent unwanted migrants (a precedent that President Donald Trump is imitating today). Even refugees allowed into Australia proper for medical care have sometimes been treated via a legal fiction as though they were still back in their offshore prisons, and thus without ordinary rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrahamian worries that even the more rhetorically libertarian free zones can be oppressive in practice. Many feature legal regimes stronger in "economic" rights (narrowly construed) than in civil rights, particularly for workers. Capital is regularly attracted to free zones via offers of corporate welfare and land seized through eminent domain. Countries with free zones are often economically authoritarian outside the free zone, thus pushing their desperate population into the free zone in search of jobs. Thus the profits that employers make from low wages and dangerous work conditions inside the free zone are not purely market-driven; they are subsidized by the host country's illiberalism. Investors drawn to free zones are not always freewheeling libertarians; often they support severe immigration controls. Thus the hidden globe "circumscribes the lives of the world's most disenfranchised people"; Abrahamian instances "detainees languishing in offshore prisons in the Caribbean and the Pacific, impoverished workers processing goods for export in duty-free industrial zones across the Global South, sailors and asylum seekers stuck on vessels they cannot leave for lack of papers." Those who are "unwanted abroad" but "can't stay home" often end up "in a third space: neither here nor there." In short, the interstitial network that Abrahamian describes may be liberating for those with the wealth and connections to navigate it, but for those who don't it can be a grim trap. A strong supporter of open borders, Abrahamian favors giving immigrant-friendly cities "a power traditionally reserved for federal governments," namely "the leeway to grant foreigners legal residency"sanctuary cities with legal teeth. But she also warns that such a process, if mishandled, might result in nominal free zones that are actually "glorified prisons" where impoverished refugees can live and work but have no option to leave. It matters little to a prisoner whether the key to one's prison is held by officials within the prison or by officials in the surrounding neighborhood. The charter city movement draws inspiration from the free mercantile cities of the late Middle Ages that served as a refuge for serfs escaping the feudal system. These medieval cities inspired thinkers as diverse as the classical liberal Augustin Thierry and the anarcho-communist Peter Kropotkin with visions of islands of cooperative social order emerging in a hostile sea of royal, baronial, and ecclesiastical privilege. But Abrahamian worries that a libertarian-minded charter city might turn all too easily into "a company town, governed by corporate charter, full of workers who have no say in their plight." (Naomi Kritzer's recent sci-fi novel Liberty's Daughter, set on a purportedly libertarian seastead, dramatizes this possibility.) I think this is a worry that libertarians should take seriously; something calling itself a free-enterprise zone is not thereby magically prevented from morphing into just another nation-state, perhaps even an especially repressive one. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet Abrahamian also acknowledges that such a city could instead "represent a new kind of place, with new rules for all people: a temporary, or even a permanent city of refuge." While she has serious reservations about the benefits of actually existing free zones, she agrees with their proponents that "to solve global problems in ways that help ordinary people, we need to be less hidebound to rigid notions of sovereignty, territoriality, and jurisdiction." For Abrahamian, securing this more salutary result requires a refusal to "cede this territory to rigidly ideological capitalists." As often happens when people talk about "capitalism," it is difficult to track when by "capitalism" she means a free market and when she means a regime of corporate privilege. To her credit, she recognizes the distinction, at least in principle, but the distinction often gets lost in application. Hence her tendency not to take very seriously the possibility that a consistent free market might hold the solutions to many of the problems she considers. Libertarians have, it must be admitted, an uneven record of tracking the distinction themselves. When the libertarian-minded investors that Abrahamian interviews talk blithely of importing efficient first-world economic rules into inefficient third-world economies, they seem not to have asked themselves whether those first-world economic rules already diverge from free market principles by building in systematic exploitation that might be exacerbated in a more impoverished environment. Yet the idea of zones of escape from the hand of the state is not just one that appeals to wealthy investors. We may also think of squatter settlements, "maroon" communities of escaped slaves, left-wing anarchist zones like the (formerly) semiautonomous Christiana in Copenhagen, or the late James C. Scott's example (in The Art of Not Being Governed) of upland Southeast Asia's "shatter zones" of refuge from the predatory states that dominate the valleys. Abrahamian does briefly discuss Scott, though she does not seem to see much of a parallel between her venture capitalists and Scott's fugitive serfs. And indeed, as she shows, the capitalists seeking out free zones are not always so innocent. (Neither are the fugitive serfs, for that matter.) But many participants in libertarian free-zone projects are very much not at the upper end of the economic spectrum, and taking them into account blurs the contrast somewhat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Libertarians can be too quick to see only the liberatory side of free zones, and Abrahamian's book should serve as a useful corrective. The problems she points to, however, stem from interstitial freedom being extended unequally to different groups. People need zones of escape, not only from the state but from purported free zones that have turned abusive, in line with the anarchist Paul Goodman's vision of "the extension of spheres of free action until they make up most of the social life." The cure for bad interstitiality, perhaps, is more interstitiality. The post Are Free Zones Really Free? appeared first on Reason.com. A 15-year-old Fridley boy was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday for fatally shooting a 28-year-old man near a St. Paul apartment in October. Nehemiah D. Robinson Bowes waived certification to adult court in July and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the Oct. 12 killing of Riccardo Anthony Fleming, who was shot 11 times at Woodbridge Street and Wheelock Parkway on the citys North End. Fleming grew up in Robbinsdale and had been living in Nebraska. He was visiting his fathers side of the family in St. Paul when he was killed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police responded to multiple reports of shots fired about 9:50 p.m. and found Fleming lying in the street. He was pronounced dead at Regions Hospital. Bowes told police in a Nov. 11 interview that he went to the apartment building to hang out with three others the day of the killing. He said he drank vodka and then snorted white powder, which caused him to feel mad and confused, the charges say. Bowes said that he and Fleming walked to where they were going to commit a robbery, but no one was there. They then saw the two men they had been hanging out with at the apartment. After one of them gave him a look, Bowes said, he pulled out a 9 mm gun he had stolen from his fathers safe and shot Fleming. The next day, Bowes took an Uber to his fathers house and hid the gun under some wooden stairs near a dog park. Police found the gun on Nov. 11 where he said he stashed it. Related Articles A 72-year-old fugitive accused of sexually assaulting a child under 12 has been extradited to Florida after a decade-long investigation, according to Flagler County authorities. Kermit Booth, who was arrested in North Carolina, was flown back to Flagler County, where he is currently in custody. The investigation into Booths alleged crimes has been ongoing for ten years, and authorities continue to search for potential additional victims. This individual took the innocence away from a very young child. It was a very difficult case, said Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sheriff Rick Staly and members of the Flagler County Sheriffs Office traveled to Franklin, North Carolina, to take Booth into custody. Authorities have not released details about Booths arraignment date or whether additional charges might be filed. Booths extradition represents an important move toward proceeding with the long-standing case, as investigators persist in searching for additional victims. Sheriff Staly noted that if the alleged crimes were committed today, Booth could face the death penalty. If you commit a crime in Flagler County, justice is coming, Staly added. It may not be super fast, but its coming. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. GALLATIN, Tenn. (WKRN) The Gallatin Fire Department will soon add swiftwater rescue to their response arsenal. The training took nearly 3 years, but GFD is on the verge of becoming just 1 of 9 departments in Tennessee with this certification from TEMA. Life-saving vending machine comes to Gallatin We knew the need for the team was there, we just didnt know exactly what it was going to appear to be yet, explained Battalion Chief Tyler Racki. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement GFD already has water-rescue capabilities, but they believe launching this team will elevate their craft to a whole new level; setting the standard for their department, as Racki said. Ive heard it talked about like this: do you want a five-dollar team or do you want a million-dollar team? And I think weve put our price tag pretty high. Its few and far between to come by a good swift water team in the time of need, detailed Racki. Dry conditions to blame for brush fires in Middle Tennessee, officials say Racki cited Nashvilles infamous 2010 flood as a prime reason for their department to create a certified rescue team. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said flooding in general will be the main focus of their rescue team, although they also cover a chunk of Old Hickory Lake as well. By joining a short list of departments with water rescue credentials, the goal is to be a resource for areas across the entire state and beyond. We know that the city is going to flood, we know that theres different infrastructure coming in, were moving dirt. And we really dont truly know what thats going to appear, where that water is going to go until we get that rainfall, said Racki. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Its been a pleasure to do this for our community, he added. Its also been an honor to be able to stand up something of this magnitude for the citizens of Gallatin, for the citizens of Sumner County. And maybe one day well be down the road to help the citizens outside the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gallatin Fire will likely receive their swiftwater accreditation from the state, officially, in the next two months. 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 WKRN News 2. The Gaza humanitarian crisis loomed large at the Venice Film Festival closing ceremony as multiple winners called for an end to the Israeli military campaign in the Palestinian territory. The situation there has been a hot button topic throughout the 82nd edition of the festival, which unfolded just six weeks shy of the second anniversary of the Hamas terror attacks on Southern Israel on October 7 2023, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in the taking of 251 hostages. More from Deadline Advertisement Advertisement At least 61,000 people living in the Gaza Strip have died in Israels subsequent military campaign aimed at wiping out Hamas and recovering the hostages, while aid agencies have warned of a looming a man-made famine, with at least 132,000 children under five-years-old expected to suffer from acute malnutrition. Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania was the most outspoken as she received the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize for The Voice of Hind Rajab. The film about the killing of six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was in a car with family members which was fired on by Israeli forces at they tried to flee Gaza City in early 2024, rocked the festival earlier in the week, receiving a record-breaking 23 minutes and 40 second ovations. Kaouther Ben Hanias acceptance speech for the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize for her Gaza-set film #TheVoiceOfHindRajab at the #VeniceFilmFestival: Cinema cannot bring Hind back nor can it erase the atrocity committed towards her. Nothing can restore what was taken. But, cinema pic.twitter.com/2Mc2BmPYST Deadline (@DEADLINE) September 6, 2025 I dedicate this award to the Palestinian Red Crescent and to all those who have risked everything to save lives in Gaza. They are real heroes. The voice of Hind is the voice of Gaza itself, a cry for rescue the entire world could hear, yet no one answered, said Ben Hania. Advertisement Advertisement Her voice will continue to echo until accountability is real until justice is served. We all believe in the force of cinema. Its what gathers us here tonight and what gives us the courage to tell stories that might otherwise be buried. Cinema cannot bring Hind back. Nor can it erase the atrocity committed against her. Nothing can ever restore what was taken, she continued. But cinema can preserve her voice, make it resonate across borders, because her story is not hers alone. It is tragically the story of an entire people enduring genocide inflicted by a criminal Israeli regime that acts with impunity, she added. Ben Hania raised the plight of Hind Rajabs mother Wissam Hamada and brother Eiyad, who remain in Gaza. This story is not only about memory its about urgency. Their lives remain in danger, as do the lives of countless mothers, fathers and children who wake up every day under the same sky of fear, hunger and bombardment. I urge the leaders of the world to save them. Their survival is not a matter of charity. It is a matter of justice, of humanity, of the minimum that the world owes to them. I also call for an end of this unbearable situation. Enough is enough. Advertisement Advertisement A number of other winners made similar appeals across the night including Italys Toni Servillo, who won Best Actor for his performance in La Grazia; Silent Friend co-star Luna Wedler, who won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor, and Moroccan director Maryam Touzani who won the Audience Award for Calle Malaga. The joy I feel is profound but so is the pain I feel as I receive this award today, said Touzani. I feel pain because like many others I cannot forget the horror inflicted with such impunity and every second on the people of Gaza and the people of Palestine. As a mother today, I consider myself even more fortunate to simply be able to look at my child as I speak, continued the director, whose son was in the auditorium. For how many mothers have been made childless, how many children have been motherless, fatherless, have lost everything. How many more until this horror is brought to an end. Yes, we wipe our tears and keep going, but we refuse to lose our humanity. I must say I am proud and honored to be part of a festival that has been so engaged. Director Maryam Touzani, who won the Audience Award for Calle Malaga at the #VeniceFilmFestival, speaks up for Palestine during her acceptance speech: For how many mothers have been made childless, how many children have been motherless, fatherless, have lost everything. How pic.twitter.com/rGi4XOBWdI Deadline (@DEADLINE) September 6, 2025 IIn the first part of the ceremony Indian director Anuparna Roy, winner of the Best Director in the Orizzonti sidebar for Songs Of Forgotten Trees, also stood up for Palestine. Advertisement Advertisement Every child deserves peace, freedom, liberation and Palestinians are no exception its a responsibility at the moment to stand by Palestine. I might upset my country but it doesnt matter to me anymore, she said. India opposed the partition of Palestine in 1947 and has traditionally shown support for Palestinians, but right-wing Prime Minister Narendra Modi has forged strong ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as lucrative defence cooperation between their two countries. Songs Of Forgotten Trees director Anuparna Roy speaks out for Palestine during her acceptance speech for Best Director in the Horizons section of the #VeniceFilmFestival: I might upset my country but it doesnt matter to me anymore pic.twitter.com/HrSZEI0wCO Deadline (@DEADLINE) September 6, 2025 In a break with tradition, the ceremony ended with an address from the Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. The Roman Catholic cardinal visited Gaza in July following an Israeli strike on the compound of the parish of the Holy Family, which killed three people and injured nine others, including the parish priest. Advertisement Advertisement He spoke to the auditorium via live-video link from Jerusalem. A greeting from Jerusalem, the Holy Land, where we are living such a such a dramatic, difficult and divisive moment. You know the news so I dont need to go into that, its dramatic as are the images of destruction, death and so much pain. One of the problems is that there is so much pain that there is no longer space for the pain of the other, he said What I want to say is that were living in a climate of deep hate, which is increasingly radical within both the Israeli and Palestinian populations we see it in the violence, but also in the language which is having a dehumanizing effect. The war needs to stop and we hope it will end soon we all need to work to create a different dialogue, different outcomes, he said. He called on the world of culture and cinema to also play its part. Advertisement Advertisement I hope that also from Venice there will be a positive contribution in this sense to help us think in a different way. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Georgia will send more than 300 National Guardsmen to support the wider military operation in Washington D.C., Gov. Brian Kemp announced Friday. Georgia becomes the seventh state to send forces to join the District of Columbia National Guard, and its troops will be the first to relieve forces currently deployed to the nations capital. Kemp said that the Georgia National Guard already has sent 16 guardsmen to aid Joint Task Force District of Columbia in specialized support roles, such as military police or medical services. They were sent to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling inside the city earlier this week. They are expected to not interact with the wider public. The rest, 300 soldiers, will arrive mid-September, per Kemp, and will join other guardsmen in more public-facing tasks, although what specifically they will be doing is not immediately clear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their specific tasks vary based on the needs of those law enforcement partners, the governors statement said. Personnel may be armed, consistent with their training, depending on the mission and operating under civilian law enforcement. The D.C. National Guard first mobilized in the capital on Aug. 11, on the orders of President Donald Trump, claiming it was needed to deal with out of control crime and homelessness inside Washington, although the Justice Departments own data showed crime at a record low. They joined hundreds of federal law enforcement personnel also deployed to the streets, although the National Guard is not conducting direct law enforcement activity. The more than 2,000 National Guard troops currently operating in Washington, D.C., the size of the force having swelled since guardsmen were first mobilized on Aug. 11. They have been spotted guarding monuments, patrolling parks and public transit stations around the city and picking up trash in multiple locations. Top Stories This Week News 101st Airborne Division soldiers deploy to southern border By Jeff Schogol News Navys top cybersecurity official abruptly leaves By Nicholas Slayton News Hueys make their last flight at Yokota Air Base as the Air Force retires them By Nicholas Slayton The Georgia guardsmen are the first ones being sent to relieve those already mobilized. A spokesperson for Joint Task Force District of Columbia confirmed that the Georgia National Guard will relieve currently deployed personnel from other states but did not say which specific units. There are currently 2,300 National Guard troops in the district. Approximately 950 are members of the District of Columbia National Guard. The rest are from Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina, sent by their governors at the request of the Trump administration. Earlier this week, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll extended the orders for the District of Columbia National Guard to remain on active-duty through Nov. 30, according to ABC News. That specifically applies to the D.C guardsmen; the other state units are under different orders from their governors. ATLANTA (WJBF) Georgias two U.S. senators are calling for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to step down or be removed from office. Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock say Kennedy is a threat to public health and unfit for the role. Ossoff blasted Kennedys leadership, pointing to recent shakeups at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), headquartered in Atlanta. He says nearly a quarter of the agencys workforce including several top leaders has been removed. He never should have been confirmed by the U.S. Senate and needs to resign. It is one thing to be a skeptic, but quite another to be reckless and destructive, Ossoff said. The senator also warned that cuts and disruptions at the CDC put children and families at risk. The destruction of the CDC here in Georgia and the dismantling of American public health is putting children and families at risk, Ossoff added. Every day this continues, the damage is compounded. Mr. Kennedy has demonstrated his incompetence. This is gross mismanagement and it cannot continue. Warnock echoed those concerns, accusing Kennedy of jeopardizing chronic disease and cancer research. He urged President Donald Trump to fire Kennedy if he does not resign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The CDC, founded in Atlanta in 1946, is the nations leading public health agency. It has recently lost around 600 employees due to federal budget cuts. 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. Thirty men and women graduated from the 119th Trooper School on Friday, officially joining the ranks of the Georgia State Patrol at a ceremony held at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth. After completing 34 weeks of rigorous training, these new Troopers are now prepared to serve communities across Georgia. The training program included 22 weeks of academy instruction and 12 weeks of field training, totaling over 1,400 hours of advanced training. Governor Brian P. Kemp delivered the keynote address and administered the Oath of Office, urging the graduates to uphold Georgias laws with trust, fortitude, compassion, and professionalism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Colonel Billy Hitchens, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, and Captain Mark Riley, Director of Training, also addressed the graduates during the ceremony. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The training at Trooper School is extensive, covering emergency driving, defensive tactics, firearms, criminal law, accident investigation, and Spanish. Class President Trooper Daniel George spoke on behalf of his classmates, describing the training as a transformative experience that forged them into a cohesive unit ready to serve with discipline, resilience, and honor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new Troopers will be assigned to one of GSPs 52 patrol posts across the state, where they will begin their careers on the front lines of public safety. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) has expressed grave concerns over the ongoing violence and discrimination targeting individuals based on their religion or belief in Pakistan. Since its inception in 1994, HRFP has consistently highlighted such violations and advocated for the rights of religious minorities. Naveed Walter, President of Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), has raised these concerns on international platforms, notably addressing the United Nations as the first guest speaker during the inaugural observance of the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief in 2019. Beyond advocacy, HRFP provides direct support to victims through legal assistance, moral support, advocacy, and other necessary aid. The organisation is dedicated to the protection and promotion of minority rights, continuously voicing concerns over the persecution of Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Baha''is, Ahmadis, and other vulnerable communities in Pakistan. HRFP actively works against violations such as the misuse of blasphemy laws, mob violence, forced conversions and marriages, religious discrimination, and attacks on places of worship. The organisation receives over 1,000 calls annually reporting incidents of religiously motivated abuse and victimisation. Naveed Walter stated that recent individual cases are not only increasing in number but also in severity, while past incidents, such as the Jaranwala attacks in 2023, still await justice. Most recently, an HRFP fact-finding team gathered information and documentation by visiting the sites of the incidents, the homes of the victims, and the HRFP office, where victims also sought legal, financial, advocacy, protection, and moral support. The HRFP team also visited the Sahiwal district, where on August 8, 2025, a mob attacked 80 Christian families. Many victims were subsequently charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act and subjected to police brutality. HRFP met with the affected families and continued to document and advocate for justice in these cases. Naseem Bibi, a sister, and Alfred Masih, the father of victims Mona Alfred and Sonia Alfred, shared the details with the HRFP team. They said that Sahiwal (Harappa) police registered a case on August 9, 2025, against 80 individuals, including 24 identified, under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997 and multiple sections of the Pakistan Penal Code. Police alleged that the Christian family attacked a police van while arrests were being made, during which Alfred Masih''s daughters Mona and Sonia escaped from the custody of Muhammad Arshad. The HRFP team observed that Sonia Alfred had previously been kidnapped by Muhammad Arshad and Mona Alfred by Muhammad Arif. After Arif''s death, Mona escaped to her parents'' home. Sonia and her son also left to stay with her father, resulting in her separation from Muhammad Arshad. During the arrests of Mona and Sonia, based on Arshad''s theft complaint, the police arrested both sisters. Alfred was subjected to police violence, which affected his eye. As the police registered the First Information Report (FIR) against Alfred''s family and local Christians, the case is now in the Anti-Terrorism Court of Sahiwal, with the last hearing held on September 4, 2025, in the District & Sessions Court of Sahiwal. The HRFP team also investigated the case of 15-year-old Christian girl Alishbah Javed Masih, who was kidnapped on July 12, 2025, by Sajid Ali with Mukhtar Ali, residents of district Sahiwal. On July 13, she escaped from the custody of the kidnappers, but she had been sexually abused, which was later proven. The FIR was registered on this basis. Both kidnappers were arrested, and on July 31, their bail application was cancelled by the sessions court. The next court hearing is scheduled for September 11, 2025. About a Christian graveyard in Bhutto Nagar (Chal Road), Sahiwal, attached to a government school, witnesses Rehman Masih and Nazir Ali shared with the HRFP fact-finding team that Riaz Ahmed, Muhammad Jamshaid, and Muhammad Arbab were occupying the land and constructing a building on the Christian graveyard. A large population of Christians lives around Bhutto Colony, and this is their only graveyard. An FIR was registered on August 19, 2025, on the same day the building was established, and the accused were arrested. On August 20, a Christian girl, Mehak Masih, a domestic worker, was accused of theft by her employer. HRFP reported that the issue was religion-based, as she faced harassment as well. She was arrested and tortured, as she later stated to the HRFP team and through a video statement. On August 23, hate symbols were found on a church in Layyah, prompting serious concern about possible extremist activity. The defacement included Islamic phrases and mysterious markings, which caused significant alarm within the local Christian community. These writings are broadly interpreted as implicit threats aimed at instilling fear. Similar incidents have been seen in Karachi, Faisalabad, and other cities. On August 24, 2025, a Christian man, Saleem Iqbal Masih, was killed by Shamas Shah and Haider Ali. They alleged he was a drug dealer in Sialkot, while in fact he was attempting to defend Christian women and children from harassment when he was targeted. Saleem Iqbal intervened when he saw the two men harassing the women. In retaliation, the assailants stabbed him multiple times before fleeing the scene. Despite efforts to save him, Saleem succumbed to his injuries. On July 25, 2025, tragedy struck in Sialkot when Boota Masih, a 55-year-old Christian labourer, was brutally killed over a land dispute. Although the quarrel was between two Muslim landlords, Boota Masih became a victim simply because he was an easy target while working peacefully in the agricultural fields. The accused, Khalid Jutt and Muhammad Abbas, were quickly named in the First Information Report (FIR). However, despite the gravity of the crime, they have been granted interim bail and continue to move freely in the area. Even more alarming is the ongoing intimidation faced by Boota Masih''s family and the local Christian community. Threats have been made towards his sons, daughters, and neighbours, leaving the family living in constant fear. Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) stated that the horrific incident exposes the vulnerability of minority communities caught in the crossfire of land conflicts, and the disturbing lack of justice and protection they receive. HRFP strongly condemns the persistent and systemic violations of minority rights across Pakistan, where religious minorities continue to face severe persecution and discrimination. There are numerous daily examples. HRFP reported that on July 14, 2025, Shahzad Masih and his wife were beaten in Okara for not selling vegetables at prices demanded by Muslims. On June 25, 2025, Anwar Kenneth, a blasphemy allegation victim, was acquitted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan after suffering 23 years in jail. On June 11, 2025, Sheza Intikhab was raped by Mohsin and Zahid Gujjar in Sangla Hill, District Nankana Sahib. On the same day, Elishba Adnan was abducted, forcibly converted, and forcibly married by a Muslim man, Babar Mukhtar, in Burewala. On May 16, 2025, Jessica Iqbal was abducted, forcibly converted, and forcibly married by Azeem Ullah in Lahore. On March 6, 2025, Mehwish Bibi, a domestic worker, was accused of theft by her employer, Ayesha Farhan, in Faisalabad. On April 4, 2025, Farooq Masih and his family were subjected to physical violence by Zulfiqar Ali in Faisalabad. On March 25, 2025, Sumaila Noor, the wife of Adnan Masih, was raped by Ali Sher, Umer Hayat, and Muhammad Faisal in Faisalabad. On February 27, 2025, Wasif Masih was subjected to physical violence by Tateer Al-Haq, Naeem Saleem, and Junaid in Faisalabad over allegations of tree cutting. Naveed Walter emphasised that religious and ethnic minorities in Pakistan are frequently subjected to severe human rights violations, including physical assaults, destruction of property, and social exclusion. These communities often face false accusations, such as theft, murder, or blasphemy, with minimal access to justice. Institutional discrimination further deepens their marginalisation, particularly in areas such as education, employment, and housing. Law enforcement agencies frequently neglect to protect minority populations or to conduct proper investigations into crimes committed against them. Despite constitutional assurances of religious freedom and equal rights, the reality for many minorities, especially Christians and Hindus, remains bleak. Systemic abuses, including the misuse of blasphemy laws and forced conversions of young women and girls, continue to go unchecked. The combination of social hostility, legal inequities, and government inaction perpetuates an environment of fear and oppression. Besides HRFP, on the occasion of the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, an event was organised in Faisalabad, Pakistan, by a Catholic Church''s organisation. It was attended by CSOs, HRDs, and religious and political workers, who recognised the efforts of Naveed Walter and HRFP over the last three decades. The speakers acknowledged their significant role in promoting awareness of the day and advocating for its recognition, highlighting their commitment to defending religious freedom and minority rights in Pakistan. (ANI) Martin Jager, the resigning German Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, has addressed Ukrainians, expressing his support and gratitude. Source: European Pravda; a video message from the German Embassy on X (Twitter) Details: Jager has been the German ambassador to Ukraine for two "intense and eventful years". "It was an honour to represent my country in Ukraine at this special time. We have lived through many events, both good and bad. Pain and fear, which, as I learned from you, can be overcome through hope and friendship. I was deeply impressed by Ukraine and its people, their courage, determination, and unwavering faith in freedom and a good future," Jager said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jager stated that he is leaving Ukraine as ambassador but will remain closely connected to the country. He stated that a new German ambassador will arrive in Kyiv in mid-September. Martin Jager also emphasised that his country firmly stands by Ukraine. . . . , @MJaegerT! #. pic.twitter.com/WzkT00zOll (@GermanyinUA) September 5, 2025 Background: On 4 September, it became known that Jager would take up a new position as head of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) on 15 September. The 60-year-old Jager will replace Bruno Kahl, who has headed the BND since 2016. Kahl will then become Germany's representative to the Holy See in Rome. For reference: The BND is one of Germany's three intelligence services, along with the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which focuses on domestic intelligence, and military counterintelligence, which specialises in the armed forces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Martin Jaeger is called one of the most experienced "crisis diplomats" of the German Foreign Ministry. Prior to his appointment to Ukraine in 2023, he worked in Iraq and Afghanistan. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! The German-born former archbishop Eduard Profittlich, who led the Catholic Church in Estonia in the 1930s and died in Soviet custody in 1942, was beatified on Saturday in a ceremony in the Estonian capital Tallin. It was the first beatification in Estonia, a predominantly Lutheran country. Several hundred people attended the ceremony for the German Jesuit and martyr on Tallinn's Freedom Square. Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn led the ceremony on behalf of Pope Leo XIV. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Profittlich was born in 1890 in Birresdorf, western Germany, and initially served as a parish priest in Tallinn from 1930. Shortly afterwards, he was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Estonia and, in 1936, became the first Catholic bishop in Estonia since the Reformation. A year earlier, he acquired Estonian citizenship. After the Soviet occupation of Estonia during World War II, he remained in the country and died as a martyr in Soviet custody in 1942. A historic moment for Estonia The Bishop of Tallinn, Philippe Jourdan, described the beatification as a historic moment for Estonia and the Catholic Church. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "For the first time, someone who lived, served and suffered here in the heart of our country is being beatified," Jourdan said. Profittlich's martyrdom, he added, is "a powerful testimony of faith, courage and love" and symbolizes the suffering of the entire Estonian nation under Soviet occupation. In his sermon, Schonborn drew a connection to the present day, noting that the beatification comes at a time when old wounds threaten to reopen. "This concern is particularly great in this part of the world. War has once again become a bitter reality," he said, referring to Russia's war against Ukraine. The German-born former archbishop Eduard Profittlich, who led the Catholic Church in Estonia in the 1930s and died in Soviet custody in 1942, was beatified on Saturday in a ceremony in the Estonian capital Tallin. It was the first beatification in Estonia, a predominantly Lutheran country. Several hundred people attended the ceremony for the German Jesuit and martyr on Tallinn's Freedom Square. Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn led the ceremony on behalf of Pope Leo XIV. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Profittlich was born in 1890 in Birresdorf, western Germany, and initially served as a parish priest in Tallinn from 1930. Shortly afterwards, he was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Estonia and, in 1936, became the first Catholic bishop in Estonia since the Reformation. A year earlier, he acquired Estonian citizenship. After the Soviet occupation of Estonia during World War II, he remained in the country and died as a martyr in Soviet custody in 1942. A historic moment for Estonia The Bishop of Tallinn, Philippe Jourdan, described the beatification as a historic moment for Estonia and the Catholic Church. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "For the first time, someone who lived, served and suffered here in the heart of our country is being beatified," Jourdan said. Profittlich's martyrdom, he added, is "a powerful testimony of faith, courage and love" and symbolizes the suffering of the entire Estonian nation under Soviet occupation. In his sermon, Schonborn drew a connection to the present day, noting that the beatification comes at a time when old wounds threaten to reopen. "This concern is particularly great in this part of the world. War has once again become a bitter reality," he said, referring to Russia's war against Ukraine. Death in Soviet custody During World War II, Estonia was alternately under the control of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. The Baltic state was occupied and annexed in June 1940 by the Soviet Union, which subsequently deported tens of thousands of people to Siberia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Profittlich was arrested in 1941 and taken to Kirov in Russia, some 1,000 kilometres north-east of Moscow. There he was sentenced to death, but he died in prison on February 22, 1942, before the sentence could be carried out. In addition to church representatives, Estonian President Alar Karis, family members, and a delegation from the Diocese of Trier attended the beatification. "We are proud," said Bishop Stephan Ackermann. Profittlich was declared a martyr in 2024 by pope Francis. Beatification is one of the stages towards canonization as a Catholic saint. The German government has not paid the Islamist Taliban regime in Afghanistan to take back Afghan citizens who were deported from Germany, a spokeswoman for Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told dpa. The comments came after a query from The Left party to the government about whether the Taliban had been paid to accept 81 men deported in July. German state governments said the men had been convicted of crimes including homicide, sexual offences, violent crimes, and drug-related offences. During ground handling at the airport, so-called restraining devices were used in 38 cases, the government said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The July flight was "facilitated by the state of Qatar within the framework of the joint strategic security partnership, without any compensation being provided," the government said. It declined to comment further, citing confidentiality. For Clara Bunger, The Left party's domestic policy spokeswoman, that wasn't sufficient. "The federal government spends vast sums on deportation flights, collaborates with autocrats, and claims this creates more security that is a lie," she said. More deportations on the way? Dobrindt's spokeswoman said he wants to speed up deportations of Afghans to their home country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The federal government is working intensively to establish a permanent return mechanism," she told dpa. To this end, "all options are being examined from legal and operational perspectives," she said. It is unclear whether such deportations will also be organized with help from Qatar. Focus on offenders Since the Taliban's takeover of Kabul in August 2021, there have been two sets of deportations of Afghans from Germany. Prior to the July deportation, there was one in August 2024, under the then centre-left coalition of the Social Democrats the Greens and the Free Democrats. In that flight 28 convicted offenders were flown to the Afghan capital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the first eight months of this year, only 33 Afghans took advantage of the German government's offers for voluntary, subsidized return to Afghanistan. According to the Interior Ministry, five additional voluntary departures to Afghanistan were supported through state programmes, the ministry said. No current data is available on voluntary departures without state support. The head of Germany's Development Ministry has called the planned cuts of 940 million ($1.1 billion) to her budget "extremely painful" and "disproportionate." "This has directly tangible effects. And it specifically affects human lives," Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan said in an interview with the Funke Media Group newspapers published on Saturday. She pointed to programmes like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The Social Democrat said she would continue to fight for every euro and was counting on support from within the governing coalition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The budget committee, in its so-called adjustment session, set the Development Ministry's budget at around 10.3 billion for 2025, which is approximately 940 million less than the previous year. However, through reallocations within the ministry's budget, more funds than previously planned are to be allocated to the UN World Food Programme and efforts to combat and eradicate polio. The Bundestag, or parliament, is expected to vote on the budget for the current year in mid-September. Due to the early Bundestag election, which led to a conservative-led coalition government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a budget for 2025 has not been approved yet, leaving the ministries operating under a provisional budget. Minister aims to use funds more efficiently Alabali Radovan stated that her ministry is reviewing "how we can become even more efficient" and will continue the review until the end of the year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We need to ensure even more that every euro achieves the greatest possible impact." She argued that this approach was smarter than withdrawing from development policy in certain regions or tasks. Overall, given the declining funds, it is essential to better link development cooperation with economic collaboration. GLUCKSTADT, Miss. (WJTV) A tentative date has been set for GermanFest in Gluckstadt. The Madison County Journal reported the GermanFest Planning Committee set a tentative date for October 25, 2026. Daylight saving time: Does Mississippi want to stop changing the clocks? Gluckstadt Mayor Walter Morrison said the event would be held on the grounds of St. Joseph Catholic Church from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2023, leaders with St. Joseph Catholic Church announced the event was canceled due to parking concerns. The event was not held in 2024, and it will not be held in 2025. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News 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 WJTV. Detectives working the Gilgo Beach murders on Long Island visited Jones Beach after discovering disturbing evidence including a bloody glove near where suspect Rex Heuermann once worked, The Post has learned. Less than two months after Heuermann was arrested in July 2023 in connection to three of the 11 Gilgo Beach murders, workers three miles away at Jones Beach unearthed a cache of weather-beaten purses and womens and girls clothing buried in the sand just outside the East Bathhouse, police sources said. Architect Rex Heuermann worked four summers as a young man at Jones Beach. Newsday The workers were cleaning the area, and called police immediately. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police sources said the clothing was from the late 1980s and early 1990s. The items were buried two feet deep. The items included rayon mini-skirts, shorts, pants and shirts, some with their buttons popped off suggesting the clothing may have been torn off or forced open, sources said. The Long Island serial killers victims were found along Ocean Parkway. Reuters Also found: a blood-covered workmens glove, and a mysterious leather strap hidden inside a shack still used by beach employees, sources said. Heuermann, 61, worked at Jones beach during the summers of 1981 through 1984, when he was in his late teens, prosecutors revealed in February. The East Bathhouse has been closed since 2009, and should reopen next summer after recent renovations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyre definitely taking this seriously, given how close it is to Gilgo Beach, a source explained. It could be a coincidence, though. Heuermann will be back in court later this month. Suffolk County All of the items were collected by investigators for forensic testing. It was unclear if results had been returned. Jones Beach ends where Gilgo Beach begins, and prosecutors contend Heuermann is well-acquainted with Ocean Parkway, where most of the victims bodies were scattered. Jones Beach has for decades used burlap fencing during the winter months to guard plants on the dunes, as well as protect the dunes from erosion caused by wind, the sources noted. Some of the Long Island serial killers victims were found wrapped in burlap. The East Bathhouse at Jones Beach has been closed for renovations. Dennis A. Clark This collage of photos shows 10 of the Gilgo Beach serial killers victims. Suffolk County Police Department A judge this week ruled prosecutors could present DNA evidence at Heuermanns trial. The court hearing is set for Sept. 23. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors utilized a more advanced but unproven method for testing hairs recovered from some of the bodies, marking a first for New York. Heuermann is accused of killing Valerie Mack, 24; Melissa Taylor, 20; Megan Waterman, 22; Melissa Barthelemy, 24; Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25; Sandra Costilla, 28; and Amber Lynn Costello, 27. Hes pleaded not guilty to all seven murder charges. Investigators are still trying to connect Heuermann to four other bodies found dumped along Ocean Parkway at Gilgo Beach. All of the victims were sex workers in the New York Metro area. PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (ABC22/FOX44) New Yorks junior senator was in the North Country Friday talking about potential investments into the local manufacturing workforce. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee. She is currently working to secure $350,000 in congressionally delegated money to help support the expansion of a local workforce initiative. The North Country Chamber of Commerces advanced manufacturing skills training program provides training and job placement for those interested in manufacturing jobs and is considered to be a driving force behind much of the growth in the Plattsburgh industrial sector. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Billy Jones to take post at Clinton Community College Gillibrand was at Alstoms manufacturing facility in Plattsburgh today. She toured the facility, then spoke of her support for the new program. This program is proven to be a catalyst for quality employment that can help meet the needs of our states manufacturers, like Alstom. And, this investment will create a local workforce and open the pathways for people to build rewarding careers in manufacturing. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) Dan Stec introduces bill to make all prison mail electronic The funding is earmarked specifically for the skills training program and would not be divided up among any other groups. Gillibrand said it has already been approved by the Appropriations Committee but it will have to be signed off on by President Donald Trump. A full list of projects submitted for funding consideration by Gillibrand for the upcoming fiscal year can be found on the senators website at the link here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 ABC22 & FOX44. PARK CITY, Ky. (FOX 56) A Glasgow man has been arrested after allegedly killing a woman in a residence with two children inside. Court documents show that just before 9:40 p.m. on Sept. 4, troopers with Kentucky State Police (KSP) Post 3 in Bowling Green had been sent to East Third Street in Park City alongside deputies with the Barren County Sheriffs Department (BCSD) responding to a domestic violence incident involving Thomas Joseph Orlando, 39, of Glasgow, and a woman. 2 members of Morehead Fire Department have medical episodes while on emergency call Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When law enforcement officials got to the residence, they found the woman dead from an apparent gunshot wound, per an arrest citation. Officials with KSP noted in a police report that there were two children also inside the residence when the alleged fight and shooting happened. Authorities reportedly found Orlando at the Union No. 2 Baptist Church Cemetery after he allegedly drove away from the shooting in a 2019 GMC Terrain SUV. He was allegedly found with a gun consistent with the one used to kill the woman, per court documents. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to state police, Orlando allegedly told a third party that he was responsible for the victims death. He was arrested around 12:45 a.m. on Sept. 5 and charged with murder, domestic violence, and two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment discharge of a firearm. Authorities have not yet released the identity of the woman who was killed. Orlando was lodged in the Barren County Detention Center on a $1 million bond. He is due in court on Oct. 13. 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. An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Thursday granted bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan''s nephew, Shershah Khan, in a case linked to the May 9, 2023, Jinnah House attack, Dawn reported. Shershah, son of Imran''s sister Aleema Khan, was arrested by Lahore Police on August 22 outside his home. He was placed on a five-day physical remand and later sent to jail for 14 days on August 28, Dawn added. The development comes a day after Shershah''s triathlete brother, Shahrez Khan, was also granted bail in a similar case. Shahrez was taken into custody on August 21, handed over to police for eight days, and later released on bail from Kot Lakpat Jail, Dawn reported. During Thursday''s hearing, Advocate Rana Mudassar Umer, representing Shershah, argued that the prosecution had yet to present the case record. "No one knows when the trial will begin. Therefore, the suspect cannot be kept in jail for an unlimited period," Umer told the court, asserting that "no evidence" had been produced against his client. "The suspect was not involved in any riots," he added. "Someone cannot be implicated [in a case] just based on one suspect''s identification of him." Pointing out that Shershah was arrested 28 months after the May 9 incidents, Umer alleged, "Vindictive actions are being taken because of being a part of the PTI founder''s family." He also claimed that the cane allegedly recovered from Shershah was "planted" and cited the discharge of PTI''s Dr Yasmin Rashid by the same ATC based on a co-suspect''s statement. Subsequently, ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill approved Shershah''s post-arrest bail against a surety bond of Rs100,000 and ordered his release, if not required in any other case, Dawn reported. Umer, on X, described the bail as a "result of teamwork" of the lawyers, while Shershah''s lawyer, Barrister Taimur Malik, confirmed the approval on the platform. Referring to the bail of both brothers, their cousin Qasim Zaman Khan alleged, "These arrests were nothing but political victimisation." Amnesty International and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan had earlier expressed concern over the arrests, with the former calling it a "political witch-hunt." However, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry defended the arrests, saying they could not be dismissed as "fake, fabricated [or] politically motivated," Dawn reported. On May 9, 2023, PTI supporters staged violent protests across Pakistan, vandalising military installations, state-owned buildings, and attacking the Lahore corps commander''s residence following Imran Khan''s arrest. The state subsequently launched a crackdown on the PTI, arresting thousands of protesters and top party leaders. Several PTI figures have recently been convicted in riot-related cases and disqualified from parliamentary roles, Dawn added. (ANI) Preparing for an expected surge of federal immigration enforcement that could begin any day, Gov. JB Pritzker and other leaders on Thursday underscored their calls for peaceful protests amid President Donald Trumps wavering threats to send military personnel to Chicago under the guise of combating violent crime. Late Thursday, federal authorities were clearly moving forward with preparations. Workers in the evening began installing security fencing around the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, which is across the street from Chicagos Federal Plaza, the site of many protests. One U.S. Homeland Security vehicle was parked at the corner of Jackson Boulevard and Dearborn Street. The moves came one day after Trump suggested he instead might deploy the National Guard to New Orleans and Vice President JD Vance said there were no immediate plans to send military forces to Chicago. Pritzker, who has pushed back repeatedly on the presidents threats, said that while hed love to believe troops arent headed to the city, he wouldnt take the White House at its word. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Part of their kind of nefarious plan is begin with (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents), cause mayhem on the ground, and by doing that say that theres a need for military troops on the ground to protect ICE, Pritzker said, speaking to reporters outside an elementary school in Berwyn, a predominantly Latino near-west suburb, where he met with students and staff members to learn more about the impact of pending federal actions on school communities, according to his office. For the people who are going to protest, Pritzker said, theyve got to protest peacefully, not give them any reason to call in National Guard or military troops of other types. The Trump administrations apparent shift in focus from deploying the National Guard to help combat violent crime, which already is decreasing in Chicago, to surging federal immigration agents is the latest twist in a chaotic two-week period punctuated by near-daily verbal skirmishes between the Republican president and Democratic governor, along with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Pritzker, Johnson and other officials in Illinois and Chicago have pushed back fiercely on Trumps claims about crime in the city, which the president has described as a hellhole. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While eight people were killed in gun violence over the Labor Day holiday weekend, homicides, shootings and other violent crimes have shown a marked decline in recent years since spiking during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pritzkers brief exchange with reporters came shortly after The Washington Post reported the Department of Defense had given its approval for the use of Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago as a launching pad for immigration enforcement operations. The Navy base, more than 35 miles north of Chicago, would serve as a hub in upcoming operations overseen by the Department of Homeland Security, the Post reported, citing two unnamed defense officials. The Pentagon press office directed a Tribune request for confirmation to Homeland Security, which did not respond to requests for comment. Federal officials on Wednesday briefed local law enforcement near the naval base on plans for the arrival of about 300 ICE agents as well as the potential deployment of National Guard troops, the Tribune and Lake County News-Sun reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There has been nothing official in communication with the state, Pritzker said. But the governor reiterated his understanding that federal agents would be fully assembled by Friday, with the anticipated immigration crackdown set to begin early on Saturday morning, though he added it was possible, I suppose, that they might begin Friday. Previously, Pritzker raised the possibility that immigration raids would be timed to coincide with upcoming celebrations marking Mexican Independence Day. Those festivities include a parade Saturday in the heavily Latino neighborhood of Pilsen. Im telling people to know your rights, be extra careful, and know that there is the possibility that ICE will be on the ground and causing some mayhem, Pritzker said. Dont play into their hand. And if you have the opportunity, please protest. Pull out your phone, video everything that theyre doing, whether its an iPhone or an Android, whatever youve got, and make sure that the media sees it. Johnson, speaking at a separate event Thursday in Archer Heights neighborhood on the Southwest Side, called for Mexican Independence Day festivities in Chicago to go on as planned, saying that one of the Trump administrations goals is to instill fear in immigrant communities. Other events, including the two-day El Grito Chicago festival, have been postponed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why would I ask you to stay home? Johnson said. Why would we allow someone who is auditioning to become a dictator of democracy to intimidate the soul of America, the city of Chicago? We should celebrate. Im going to celebrate. At the same time, unsanctioned activities, we dont support those, the mayor said, in reference to the citys unofficial tradition of car caravans journeying to the Loop throughout Mexican Independence Day weekend, causing gridlock and sometimes mayhem later at night. At Daley Plaza, in the heart of downtown across from City Hall, a small group of current and former elected officials gathered with members of the Latino Leadership Council to warn any potential Mexican Independence Day revelers or those protesting the upcoming federal operation to remain peaceful, united and informed, encouraging them to carry American flags alongside Mexican ones. Planners of some events celebrating Mexican Independence Day, which is Sept.16, are expecting to be targeted by federal immigration enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Donald Trump is setting a trap. Dont take the bait, said former U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, arguing the Trump administration was looking for ways to prove Chicago was unlawful. Peaceful, nonviolent civil disobedience is our heritage. They are already training for riots. What riots? The riots that they want to instigate. Lift your voice, but not your hand. Lift your banner, but not a rock, Gutierrez continued. As a matter of fact, bring cold water, bring sandwiches, bring peace and harmony to the National Guard (member) that decides to follow this illegal order and tell them that you care for them. He and others argued that event attendees should carry the flags of their homeland and the American flag together. The American flag represents us, said Gutierrez, who is Puerto Rican. Its our flag too. Illinois state Sen. Karina Villa encouraged residents without Mexican heritage to show up to parades as our allies, as our friends and as our neighbors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cheer us on the sidelines, to stand as we have stood with you and we have stood for you, fighting for LGBTQ and abortion rights, said Villa, a West Chicago Democrat. As Chicago braced for the incursion, a Chicago police district commander has instructed officers that if they become aware of any calls for service related to ICE immigration enforcement, they must inform the commander and ensure a response from a lieutenant or a higher-ranking Chicago Police Department official. Please be advised that at no time will ICE officers be given express permission to use our conference room, community room, or parking lot spaces, the district commander wrote in an email obtained by the Tribune. Trump has described the current National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C., as a blueprint for similar operations in other cities, such as Chicago. But the District of Columbia on Thursday sued Trump in federal court in Washington, alleging his ongoing deployment of more than 2,000 National Guard troops there is illegal and is causing serious and irreparable harm to the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No American jurisdiction should be involuntarily subjected to military occupation, said the 55-page lawsuit, which also named Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Army as defendants. The suit alleged the deployment of National Guard troops to police city streets without consent infringes on its sovereignty and right to self-governance and risks inflaming tensions and fueling distrust toward local law enforcement. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement the lawsuit was nothing more than another attempt at the detriment of D.C. residents and visitors to undermine the Presidents highly successful operations to stop violent crime in D.C. The litigation in Washington was filed two days after a federal judge in California ruled the Trump administration exceeded its authority by sending National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles over the summer to aid in law enforcement activities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has said repeatedly there is no preemptive legal action his office could take to stop a deployment, Pritzker on Thursday said the state would immediately go to court if troops were sent to Chicago. Thats going to be our first line of defense is getting a court to issue a (temporary restraining order) or other injunction against that activity, Pritzker said. Despite calls from some veterans and other advocates for Pritzker to use his authority over the Illinois National Guard to order members in the state not to comply if called to duty, the governor said he doesnt have the power to issue such an order. State law does not override federal law, Pritzker said. So we have to abide by the law. We do that in the state of Illinois, we abide by the law. We abide by state law and federal law, unlike the president of the United States, who often acts in unconstitutional fashion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Responding to a question about a fundraising email in which the Trump campaign solicited contributions of $15 or more to join the MAGA Blitz and say: LIBERATE CHICAGO SAVE AMERICA STAND WITH TRUMP! Pritzker said he doesnt know why anybody would fund an unconstitutional action or have a positive reaction to the idea of the president thwarting the law of the United States. I know that there are some supporters of his who act in a cultlike fashion in supporting everything that he does, Pritzker said. But lets remember, everybody, that the future of our democracy, the future of America, is on the line and supporting the activity of thwarting the U.S. Constitution is antithetical to all of that. Chicago Tribunes Jeremy Gorner, Chris Sweda and Tess Kenny contributed. As Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker awaited an anticipated surge of federal immigration enforcement agents into Chicago, he warned that President Donald Trump was embarking on a nefarious plan using fear and intimidation to normalize military activities in the nations largest Democratic-led cities. But the two-term Democratic chief executive, who is seeking a third term and is a potential 2028 White House aspirant, acknowledged that absent the courts, he was powerless to combat Trumps efforts to detain immigrants through the work of hundreds of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers coming to the city. Pritzker, speaking Friday on MSNBCs The Briefing with Jen Psaki, also placed faith in community residents wielding cellphone cameras to help provide video evidence of legal violations that could occur in Chicago and be used in court by the state, as he continued to urge peaceful protests to prevent giving Trump a pretext for deploying the National Guard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its, I believe, a nefarious plan, Pritzker said. Its one thats been repeated over and over again by, well, tyrannical dictatorships across history, where you try to incite the local population into some mayhem by sending in police or other disruptors and then claim that theres too much mayhem on the ground and, therefore, there must be troops that are sent in. And, thats how you basically convert a democracy into something other than that. Pritzker has said he thinks the timing of a surge in ICE enforcement in Chicago was tied to parades and celebrations of Mexican Independence Day, starting with Saturdays parade in Pilsen that is being conducted with tight security by organizers. Trump has repeatedly attacked Chicago as a hellhole over crime, despite statistics showing violent crimes have been reduced in recent years. But using his June deployment of the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles after a sporadic outbreak of anti-ICE protests and, more recently, the federalizing of law enforcement in Washington, D.C., Trump has sought for Republicans to claim a law-and-order political advantage against Democrats heading into next years midterm elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A federal court judge in San Francisco ruled on Tuesday that Trumps deployment of the military to Los Angeles, over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom, was unconstitutional. But an appellate court Thursday lifted the order, saying it needed more time to rule on the merits of the case. Pritzker has put his faith in the initial ruling by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, younger brother of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who was appointed to the nations highest court by Democratic President Bill Clinton. Charles Breyer ruled that the National Guard troops were violating the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. Thats all we have, though, Pritzker said of Breyers ruling, which would not cover an Illinois deployment. Remember, if the courts dont rule in favor of Posse Comitatus thats an act that prevents, supposedly, the federal government from sending troops into a state to do law enforcement if they dont enforce that or understand what Trump is doing is unconstitutional, then were then at the whims of a fighting force that theyre planning to send here. To assist any state challenge in the federal courts in Illinois, Pritzker has said he has been very explicit to have residents pull out their iPhone or their Android phone and film what theyre seeing to provide evidence of the Guard when they kind of trip the wire, so to speak, and theres been an incident that allows us to go to court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So this is the challenge. And I think we need the public to be involved in monitoring that, he said. And were making sure that were also asking the public because I know theyre going to protest were asking them to be peaceful in that protest, to make sure that theyre making their voices heard, theyre using their megaphones and microphones, but that they stay out of the way of these ICE officials, he said. Pritzker said it was kind of a frightening development in the history of the country that you have a federal government not communicating with state government about something like this. I dont have a lot to share with the public. Whatever I have heard, I have shared with the public, because I think everybody should know, despite the fact that (the) federal government would like them not to know, apparently, he said. 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. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said he's looking at the streets of Tulsa and hoping to reduce the city's homeless encampments, trash and criminal activity after seeing "the disaster it's turning into." Stitt's effort, called Operation SAFE, orders state troopers to focus on removing people who are homeless from encampments on state properties. He also said the Oklahoma Department of Transportation would clear trash from the sites. Tulsa is a beautiful city. I lived there for years. But today, everybody can see the disaster its turning into homeless people on every corner, trash piling up, and Oklahoma families are being forced to live in fear, Stitt said in a release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The announcement follows similar efforts by President Donald Trump, who used authorities under his leadership to pack up homeless encampments in Washington, D.C., in August. Following the sweep, homeless individuals in the nation's capital felt the president was "targeting us and persecuting us," according to USA TODAY reports. While Oklahoma's population of unhoused individuals has fluctuated over the last few years, the state still accounts for less than 1% of the nation's homeless population, according to U.S. News and World Report. Here's how homelessness in Oklahoma's largest cities compares to the rest of the nation. How many homeless people live in Oklahoma? The Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that nationwide, 771,480 people are experiencing homelessness in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This data was calculated using a point-in-time (PIT) count that occurred during the last 10 days of January 2024. The PIT count presents a snapshot of the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night. Related: Ward 6 Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon says it's immoral to add more people to OKC's homelessness. In this same study, researchers found that unhoused Oklahomans account for .7% of the nation's unhoused population. The 5,467 individuals experiencing homelessness in 2024 were a 17.6% increase from the PIT count in 2023. The report finds that the majority (59.5%) of those in Oklahoma tend to be sheltered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a whole, Oklahoma sits right in the middle of homelessness in the nation. At 25th in the country, Oklahoma is just short of Washington, D.C.'s 5,616 unhoused individuals. How many people are homeless in Oklahoma City? Tulsa? At the local level, Homeless Alliance, an organization aimed at reducing homelessness in Oklahoma City, reported 1,882 countable people during the organization's 2025 point-in-time count. The number is a decrease of 2.4% from 2024. Similarly, Housing Solutions Tulsa, an organization dedicated to homelessness relief in Tulsa, conducted its own PIT count in January and noted that there were 1,449 individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night. This number was a 4.3% increase compared to their 2024 study. Nonetheless, CEO Mark Smith said they are making progress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "People are getting housed, and our community is responding, but the lack of affordable units continues to limit what is possible. If we want to reverse this trend, we need more housing options and more coordinated investment in the solutions we know work," Smith said. Some similarities are seen in both cities' unhoused population. While Oklahoma City reports that under half are Black and Native American (43%), Tulsa reports that 53% of their population is made up of Black and Native American individuals. The capital city reports that the majority of its unhoused population is over the age of 55 at 22%, compared to Tulsa's 25%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Where they differ, however, is that Oklahoma City reports that 37% of the population is unsheltered, whereas Tulsa notes nearly half of its unhoused population is unsheltered. What states have the highest homeless population? Lowest? According to U.S. News and World Report, these are the 10 states with the most people experiencing homelessness: California (187,084) New York (158,019) Washington (31,554) Florida (31,362) Massachusetts (29,360) Texas (27,987) Illinois (25,832) Oregon (22,875) Colorado (18,715) Arizona (14,737) According to U.S. News and World Report, these are the 10 states with the least number of people experiencing homelessness: Wyoming (501) North Dakota (865) Mississippi (1,041) South Dakota (1,338) Delaware (1,358) West Virginia (1,779) Montana (2,008) New Hampshire (2,245) Rhode Island (2,442) Iowa (2,631) This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Stitt launches Operation SAFE: How many are homeless in OKC, Tulsa? Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said he's looking at the streets of Tulsa and hoping to reduce the city's homeless encampments, trash and criminal activity after seeing "the disaster it's turning into." Stitt's effort, called Operation SAFE, orders state troopers to focus on removing people who are homeless from encampments on state properties. He also said the Oklahoma Department of Transportation would clear trash from the sites. Tulsa is a beautiful city. I lived there for years. But today, everybody can see the disaster its turning into homeless people on every corner, trash piling up, and Oklahoma families are being forced to live in fear, Stitt said in a release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The announcement follows similar efforts by President Donald Trump, who used authorities under his leadership to pack up homeless encampments in Washington, D.C., in August. Following the sweep, homeless individuals in the nation's capital felt the president was "targeting us and persecuting us," according to USA TODAY reports. While Oklahoma's population of unhoused individuals has fluctuated over the last few years, the state still accounts for less than 1% of the nation's homeless population, according to U.S. News and World Report. Here's how homelessness in Oklahoma's largest cities compares to the rest of the nation. How many homeless people live in Oklahoma? The Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that nationwide, 771,480 people are experiencing homelessness in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This data was calculated using a point-in-time (PIT) count that occurred during the last 10 days of January 2024. The PIT count presents a snapshot of the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night. Related: Ward 6 Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon says it's immoral to add more people to OKC's homelessness. In this same study, researchers found that unhoused Oklahomans account for .7% of the nation's unhoused population. The 5,467 individuals experiencing homelessness in 2024 were a 17.6% increase from the PIT count in 2023. The report finds that the majority (59.5%) of those in Oklahoma tend to be sheltered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a whole, Oklahoma sits right in the middle of homelessness in the nation. At 25th in the country, Oklahoma is just short of Washington, D.C.'s 5,616 unhoused individuals. How many people are homeless in Oklahoma City? Tulsa? At the local level, Homeless Alliance, an organization aimed at reducing homelessness in Oklahoma City, reported 1,882 countable people during the organization's 2025 point-in-time count. The number is a decrease of 2.4% from 2024. Similarly, Housing Solutions Tulsa, an organization dedicated to homelessness relief in Tulsa, conducted its own PIT count in January and noted that there were 1,449 individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night. This number was a 4.3% increase compared to their 2024 study. Nonetheless, CEO Mark Smith said they are making progress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "People are getting housed, and our community is responding, but the lack of affordable units continues to limit what is possible. If we want to reverse this trend, we need more housing options and more coordinated investment in the solutions we know work," Smith said. Some similarities are seen in both cities' unhoused population. While Oklahoma City reports that under half are Black and Native American (43%), Tulsa reports that 53% of their population is made up of Black and Native American individuals. The capital city reports that the majority of its unhoused population is over the age of 55 at 22%, compared to Tulsa's 25%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Where they differ, however, is that Oklahoma City reports that 37% of the population is unsheltered, whereas Tulsa notes nearly half of its unhoused population is unsheltered. What states have the highest homeless population? Lowest? According to U.S. News and World Report, these are the 10 states with the most people experiencing homelessness: California (187,084) New York (158,019) Washington (31,554) Florida (31,362) Massachusetts (29,360) Texas (27,987) Illinois (25,832) Oregon (22,875) Colorado (18,715) Arizona (14,737) According to U.S. News and World Report, these are the 10 states with the least number of people experiencing homelessness: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wyoming (501) North Dakota (865) Mississippi (1,041) South Dakota (1,338) Delaware (1,358) West Virginia (1,779) Montana (2,008) New Hampshire (2,245) Rhode Island (2,442) Iowa (2,631) This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Stitt launches Operation SAFE: How many are homeless in OKC, Tulsa? Kathy L. is a 46-year-old mother of three in North Carolina. Five years ago, she moved her family back to her hometown in order to help care for her aging parents, but for the past year and a half, the family has devoted significant time and resources to caring for her husbands aunt, who has dementia. Her children were ages 15, 11 and 9 when the aunt came to live with them last summer. Initially, the plan was to care for the aunt at their home for 12 weeks, at which point her long-term care insurance would kick in to cover the cost of an assisted living facility. But after 8 weeks, the family decided to pay out of pocket to move her into one. Our family hit a breaking point, Kathy L. told HuffPost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dementia patients can often get aggressive because they are confused/scared and dont know whats going on, she explained. While her two older sons were able to handle the aunts outbursts, her youngest child struggled. Kathy L. said her 9-year-old daughter was crying every day and was terrified to say or do anything that would set her off. In addition, her husband was granted power of attorney for his aunt, taking care of her finances and clearing out and selling her home. In spite of these challenges, Kathy L. says the experience of providing this care wasnt all negative. I also feel very honored to be able to help, she said. There are a lot of layers of feelings involved. People like Kathy L. who find themselves in the dual and at times competing roles of providing child care and elder care simultaneously are sometimes referred to as the sandwich generation. With an aging population and a declining fertility rate globally, more and more families are likely to find themselves in this situation. Chuck Savage / Getty Images A research group at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock, Germany, headed by Diego Alburez-Gutierrez, recently published a paper entitled Projections of Human Kinship for All Countries. Using data from the UN World Population Prospects 2022 report (the most recent year available), researchers were able to make probabilistic predictions of what the families of the future will look like. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One important finding is that family networks measured by the number of biological relatives a person has are going to get smaller. (While the researchers understand that family can mean much more than the people who are biologically related to you, for the purposes of this research, they did not include other kinship relations such as spouses, in-laws, adopted children or LGBTQ family structures.) People are going to have fewer living relatives, on average. At every age, we see that as we move into the future, families will become smaller, Alburez-Gutierrez told HuffPost. For example, a 65-year-old woman in 1965 could be expected to have 41 living relatives, while a 65-year-old woman living in 2095 is projected to have only 25. The drivers of this change are delayed childbearing and declining fertility rates. Some countries have already seen their birthrates decline, while others may experience this in the years to come. Another trend shaping demographics, the researchers found, is that families are becoming more vertical, Alburrez-Gutierrez said. That means that youre going to have fewer lateral kin siblings, your cousins and because people are living longer, it means that you will have more genealogical generations at the same time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In other words, you will probably have fewer siblings and cousins, but youre more likely to get to meet your great-grandparents. One finding that Alburez-Gutierrez found striking, he said, was that the probability that a newborn baby will have a living grandparent, lets say in countries of the Global North, it will be 100% in the coming years. Also, in Europe, it will be increasingly common [for a baby] to have up to six living great-grandparents when they are born. The researchers also found increasing age gaps between generations in families, leading to people becoming grandparents (and great-grandparents) at later ages. For example, if you have a child when youre 20 and that child has a child when theyre 20, you become a grandparent at age 40. But if you have a child at age 40, and then your child has a child at age 40, you wont become a grandparent until youre 80. Increasing life expectancies mean that youre more likely to be around to see the birth of grandchildren and great-grandchildren but these increasing age gaps mean that youre more likely to be frail or disabled when you do meet them. There are advantages and disadvantages to these population changes. Cws_design / Getty Images A big advantage of increasing longevity is that we are more likely able to meet, spend time with and build relationships both with our grandparents and even great-grandparents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ellen Carbonell, a professor of social work at Rush University, explained that the roles of grandparents in the U.S. have changed over time. Today, grandparents roles are more diverse than ever before, Carbonell told HuffPost. In addition to their traditional roles as family historian, and provider of love, support and wisdom, Carbonell explained, grandparents are more likely to function as childcare providers. No longer simply babysitting grandchildren to give parents some free time, many grandparents are providing childcare for grandchildren on a regular basis, Carbonell said. Since grandparents are older, on average, when their grandchildren are born, they are also more likely to be retired. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There can be a greater ease and enjoyment of the role without the competing tasks that come with employment. This greater flexibility can be seen in grandparents who relocate to be closer to their out-of-state children and grandchildren so they can be more involved in their day-to-day lives, Carbonell said. These advantages assume good health, which isnt a guarantee and becomes less likely the older a grandparent gets. Older grandparents also may lack financial stability. Many have been unemployed or underemployed for years, or have contributed financially to the care of others, leaving them particularly strapped financially during their grandparenting years, Carbonell said. When a grandparent needs financial support or caregiving, the burden may fall to family members who are also caring for children, creating the sandwich dynamic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These dynamics can both be at play at the same time within one family. Kathy L., for example, was able to turn to her mother for help with childcare at the same time that she was serving as a caregiver for her own father and her husbands aunt. The layers of her situation were both emotional and logistical. With so many generations living at the same time, there are increasing instances of what Alburez-Gutierrez called the grand-sandwich and Carbonell called the club sandwich of one generation caring for parents, children and grandchildren. Such a load can take a heavy physical, emotional and financial toll, Carbonell said. Increased longevity, in other words, can make for more caregivers but also more caregiving responsibilities. The increased availability in the sense of grandparents and great-grandparents in the future, which we think is going to happen, doesnt necessarily mean that there will be more sources of informal care within families, Alburez-Gutierrez said. Actually it may be the other way around. Well place more of a burden on the current generation. Grand- or club-sandwich caregivers, Carbonell explained, may put their own needs last and delay preventative health care. The sandwiching also creates an unstable network that is likely to collapse if an emergency arises. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With no built-in backup for care provision, Carbonell continued, we can see how the fragility of a tightly stretched care system can be pushed beyond its ability to cover care needs. The ramifications of these demographic changes extended beyond individual families. Mayur Kakade / Getty Images With fewer living relatives within each generation, the caregiving duties will fall to a smaller number of people, increasing their responsibilities. It will also mean that more families look to public and private institutions to provide care for the members of their family who need it. One challenge will be that even in countries that have taken into account the aging of the population, and introduced measures to try to address that in terms of restructuring pension schemes or changing the retirement age, is they have still assumed that there was going to be this constant pool of informal support to provide care, Alburez-Gutierrez said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grandparents stepping in to fill the child care gap. Kathy L. and her husband stepping in to care for his aunt. Without this unpaid labor, our society wouldnt be able to function. If a shrinking, aging population means that we have to outsource more of this labor, and pay for it, it will require a huge financial investment. Carbonell pointed out that caregiving, whether for children or elders, often falls to women. When they take time out of the workforce to care for family members, they lose both seniority and years of accumulated pension or social security contributions. Paid caregivers also tend to be women, many of them immigrants, and the pay for such work is often low, leading to a high turnover rate. As it stands, the system is fragile, and the combination of increased longevity and declining birthrates continue to add stress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This country has no comprehensive long-term care system, particularly for older adults. It is crucial that this issue be explored and dealt with promptly, as an increasingly aging population will be needing care for which there is currently no plan, Carbonell said. While these are serious concerns, a sandwich situation in which your children witness you caring for elderly family members can also be a source of meaning and insight. As hard as it was this past summer, I think our kids saw what it looks like to take care of family, Kathy L. said. Our 15-year-old saw us cleaning up after our aunt one time ... and said, Wow, I cant wait til its my turn to do this for you guys. And I was struck with two competing feelings: One, I hope you never have to do this for me, and two, Im so thankful that you automatically expect thats what youll do.This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Even with the corruption clouds that hover above him, the dismal poll numbers and the dwindling campaign dollars, Mayor Adams, who is waging an uphill battle for re-election, could still walk away a winner. The key phrase there is walk away. According to reports, Adams, the charismatic mayor of the nations largest city is considering doing just that, walking away from the position he spent his whole life trying to achieve. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Serving New Yorkers as their mayor is the only job Ive ever wanted. Im proud of the progress weve made lowering crime, improving schools, building housing, and cutting costs for working families and I remain the best person to lead this city forward, Adams said in a statement. While I will always listen if called to serve our country, no formal offers have been made. I am still running for reelection, and my full focus is on the safety and quality of life of every New Yorker. The serve our country line was a reference to rumors that President Trump might offer Adams a job in his administration to get him out of the mayors race and clear the field for a single candidate to challenge the Democratic front runner, Zohran Mamdani in Novembers general election. The job Trump is reportedly dangling in front of Adams? Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And, if you dont think Adams and the Middle East oil producing nation are a match made in political heaven, consider the alternative. Ambassador to Federal Prison. This time a year ago, Adams was facing conspiracy, bribery and wire fraud charges after becoming the first sitting mayor to become a criminal defendant. That was before Trumps Justice Department swooped in five months ago and officially dropped the charges. Trump appears to be jumping in again, offering the mayor another option in the face of Adams lagging independent campaign. But Trump, as always, no doubt has an ulterior motive. He doesnt like Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, so hes trying to position former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is also running as an independent, as Mamdanis only opponent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lesser of two evils. He wants Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa out, too. I dont think you can win unless you have one on one, Trump told reporters before a White House dinner last week. He also stressed his opposition to Mamdani Id prefer not to have a communist mayor of New York City, Trump said in a dig at Mamdani. And, you know, thats what he is based on his policy. If you look at his statements in the past. All three of Mamdanis challengers, including Adams, insisted that they were staying in the race, though Adams, who shares a constituency with Cuomo in some of his comments appears to be softening. At the same time, he called a last-minute press conference at Gracie Mansion Friday and declared he was staying in and the only candidate who could beat Mamdani. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cuomo, meanwhile, posted a picture on social media of a breakfast meeting he had with the Rev. Al Sharpton, who has yet to make an endorsement. If Adams is considering trading New York City for Saudi Arabia, no one should blame him for making that decision. Thats not to say that Adams should bow out. But if he did, he should feel no shame about it. Adams, against all odds, got to be mayor of New York City. And, although he is having trouble shaking the scandals, there were accomplishments along the way for which he should be proud. Unlike Cuomo, who resigned as governor in disgrace amid COVID nursing home and sexual harassment scandals he denies, Adams has the opportunity to finish his term with his head held high. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adams, who likes to compare himself to New York Citys first Black mayor, David Dinkins, has another opportunity. After retiring from the NYPD as a captain, Adams appeared on the ballot in campaigns for state Senate, Brooklyn Borough President and mayor. He can retire undefeated. Even Dinkins couldnt say that. GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) People living in a southeast Greensboro neighborhood said brown water is showing up in their sinks, toilets and even ruining laundry. This week, the city said its working to address the problem. Neighbors in the Woodlea neighborhood said theyve been dealing with this off and on for months, and a community group, Southeast GSO Coalition, met with the city water resources late last year about it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city said its not just the southeast neighborhoods seeing the brown water. I went to get water out of my refrigerator, and it was just completely brown. It was just dirt, said Cheryl McIvor, a Woodlea neighborhood resident. Neighbors said they want clearer timelines on a long-term fix. Some have switched to bottled water and said theyre anxious about health impacts and household costs. Weve kind of been noticing the brown water for maybe like the last three to six months, said Linda Lea, a Woodlea neighborhood resident. Some people said the problem shows up without warning and sometimes right after laundry cycles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I know that on and off, I had a situation because I washed white clothes separately, and my towels were not white anymore, and I washed them a couple of times. And so I knew that happened, and I did not even realize. Its kind of concerning because there are times that you do cook with the water, said Maribel Guzman, a Woodlea neighborhood resident. Carolyn Heath has lived in the Woodlea neighborhood for just over three decades and said this is new territory and unsettling. I attended a couple of meetings when they talked about it, but it wasnt a lot of forthcoming information that set me at ease, Heath said. City Water Resources Director Mike Borchers said the city gets 30 to 40 complaints about discolored water each month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said the discoloration is iron and manganese shaken loose by hydraulic changes and growth in the system. Borchers said the water is considered safe, and the discoloration is an aesthetic issue. Its all over. We have discolored water issues all across our distribution system, all across our customer base. We have about 1,500 miles of water lines Its a little bit more concentrated, though, in the south, Borchers said. To quickly remediate the issue, the city consistently does flushing. Now, its prepared to launch a fix to help address it long-term that will continue through the first quarter of 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Doing whats called unique directional flushing and pipe slamming Think of the standpoint of a Nerf ball Its disinfected. But we put that Nerf ball down the waterline and express specific areas in it. And its a soft scrub basically of the inside of the pipe, and it gets rid of any loose deposits, Borchers said. The city plans to have a community meeting on Sept. 30 about the water issue. They are still finalizing the details. To keep customers in the loop, the city has a unidirectional water system flushing dashboard on its website to show which areas are being cleaned/flushed and which have already been serviced. Water resource officials encourage customers to contact them with any questions or concerns they have at (336) 373-2033. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Water resources dispatcher services are manned 24/7. They will also come to your home and offer a sampling. 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. GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) A Greensboro couple is sharing their concerns about the new playground equipment at Country Park. They brought their concerns to city leaders during a city council meeting. If a kid falls from six feet, Im afraid somebodys going to break their arm, said Eddie Souther, a father of three. What was Eddie and Monica Southers favorite place to take their two toddlers, 4-year-old Ryder and 2-year-old Lily, is now a place they avoid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its just not safe when other kids are going up and down. That walkway, they fall off, and it goes up to six feet. So its just it scares me. And he was hanging off the side, and Im standing there one day, and so we had to relocate to a new playground thats further away, Monica said. They said it has not been the same since the city replaced the old playground. We had a perfectly good playground up until March, and now were having to look for new places to go hang out as a family. As a Greensboro Science Center member, we would oftentimes stay there for a few hours. Were just not able to do that anymore, Eddie said. Greensboro city leaders said the old playground was over 20 years old and needed to be replaced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leaders said theyve heard from concerned parents about the park and want to work with the community to address those needs. We have heard the concerns and the feedback that people have given us regarding the play structures here at Country Park and specifically the age ranges for the playground here at Country Park. And so what were going to be doing in October is were actually going to be having some community engagement sessions to bring the public in and really have those conversations one on one to be able to determine what do our residents truly want from the play space here at Country Park, Community Engagement Coordinator with Greensboro Parks and Recreation Jennifer Hance said. Greensboro city leaders addressed another question theyve been getting from community members. Country Park is ADA compliant. We do have our paved path that were actually standing on right now that goes up to the playground. It has mulch within the playground as well, Hance said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The playground at Country Park isnt fully inclusive. City leaders recommend Keeley Park for a fully inclusive playground. 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. Afghan migrants living in Pakistan have reported a sharp rise in forced deportations after the expiry of the government''s deadline on August 31, Tolo News reported. Community representatives and migrants said the Pakistani authorities have intensified removals, leaving many families in distress. Mir Miakhil, a representative of Afghan migrants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, highlighted the anxiety among families, stating, "People are extremely anxious because they have been doing business here for nearly forty years, and dismantling everything in such a short period is impossible." Afghan residents further claimed that despite repeated appeals for leniency, the deportations have accelerated. "Not only did they not halt the deportations, but they escalated the process. We and international organisations have repeatedly appealed to the Pakistani government to carry out the deportations in a gradual and safe manner," said Atiqullah Mansoor, an Afghan migrant in Pakistan, as quoted by Tolo News. Several migrants also criticised the authorities for refusing to extend visas, arguing that the lack of renewals had pushed refugees into severe hardship. Mohammad Reza Sazesh, another migrant, said: "Afghan refugees are struggling with numerous problems. Visa renewals have been halted, and there is no possibility of extending them." Rights activists, too, have urged Pakistan to reconsider its policy until conditions in Afghanistan stabilise. "Pakistan must remain committed to its core obligations. Even now, thousands of Afghan refugees with legal documents are being humiliated," said Jamal Muslim, a migrant rights activist, according to Tolo News. While Pakistan has not officially confirmed the start of the third phase of deportations, Tolo News reported that local media had earlier indicated Islamabad''s plan to begin removing around 1.3 million Afghan migrants holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards from September 1. The Pakistani government has since intensified the third phase of its forced deportation drive, with operations gaining momentum in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following similar actions in Sindh and Punjab, Tolo News reported. According to a statement issued by Pakistan''s Ministry of Interior, "All provincial governments are instructed that from now on, the presence of Afghan nationals without valid visas and passports in Pakistan is illegal, and they must be arrested and deported." Meanwhile, arrangements have been made for returnees at the Omari camp in Torkham township. Tolo News quoted Mohammad Hashim Maiwandwal, head of the camp, as saying: "Organized arrangements have been made for the returnees. All committees are providing services efficiently. The transport committee covers travel expenses and ensures they reach their respective provinces. The finance committee provides them with 8,000 to 10,000 Afghanis. The health committee has set up clinics for treatment, and the temporary housing committee has installed tents for their accommodation." Despite these measures, several Afghan families holding valid PoR cards have reported incidents of mistreatment by Pakistani officials. Ziaul Haq, one of the deportees, said: "We were very happy to return to our homeland. This is our own land. In Pakistan, Afghan refugees are treated with no dignity and are humiliated." Another deportee, Hedayatullah, echoed similar experiences, saying: "I got a call from home saying to come quickly because our belongings had been packed. We were treated very badly there, despite having PoR cards and legal documents." In another account, Inzamamul Haq, a 28-year-old resident of Kunar province, said he was deported with his family from Punjab after living in Pakistan for four decades. "When we reached the checkpoint, they demanded 200,000 Pakistani rupees. They gave us two days, took our documents, and when our vehicle arrived, they took the money, returned our documents, and deported us," he told Tolo News. This latest phase of forced deportations unfolds as the acting Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is expected to visit Pakistan in the near future. (ANI) A protest is growing every week outside of the ICE office on Pittsburghs South Side. The group gathers to pray every Friday morning. Organizers say theyre praying for those who are detained and praying that agents and officers will show compassion. This weekly prayer gathering started as a small group that keeps getting bigger. It was impending on our heart that we had to do something, Sister Barbara Finch of the Sisters of St. Joseph said. We tend to be complicit if we dont say anything or do anything, and felt that praying was less threatening to most people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since the weekly prayer started, members of several different faiths have joined. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW Editors Note: This story deals with suicide. If you, or someone you know, is considering suicide, help is available via the National Suicide Hotline. Call 988 to speak with someone today. Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Professor of American Health Daniel Webster, who has studied and published scientific research on gun violence since the 1990s, told The Sun that he couldnt comment on the handgun roster boards roughly 95% passage rate, but noted that gun access was a strong predictor of successful suicide attempts. In America, over 60% of gun deaths are suicides, and the overwhelming majority of those are adults, Webster said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Maryland, gun homicide rates outnumbered shooting deaths by suicide in 2023, according to an annual report out of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence. While Maryland has a lower suicide rate than states with comparable population sizes, Webster noted that since the Johns Hopkins report, the state has experienced higher rates of suicide among Black men. Suicidal thoughts and impulses are relatively common, sadly, and if you let that impulse pass or if you use a less lethal measure, like you take some pills, you survive almost all of the time, Webster said. This ready access to a gun really influences how many people die by suicide. Webster shared that his own mother had attempted suicide some years back by driving her car into the Ohio River. However, he said, she survived the attempt. Afterward, she sought counseling and lived another 30 years, largely because she had taken a less-than-lethal measure, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Guns are a consumer product, but theyre what theyre very unique, Webster said. Theyre made to kill. And there will always be this trade-off of, if you make it so that more people want that product, more people are going to die. Contact Kate Cimini at 443-842-2621 or kcimini@baltsun.com ABUJA (Reuters) -Gunmen killed eight security officials and kidnapped Chinese expatriate workers in Edo state in southern Nigeria, a spokesperson for the security agency said on Saturday, adding the Chinese workers were later rescued. The incident happened on Friday when a group of suspected armed kidnappers attacked a convoy of the paramilitary Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Chinese nationals working for local BUA Cement. NSCDC spokesperson Afolabi Babawale said four Chinese workers who were kidnapped were rescued but one was missing. Eight operatives from the agency were killed and four were seriously injured, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nigeria has experienced a surge in attacks by gunmen, mostly in the north of the country but kidnapping gangs are also known to operate in the south, targeting civilians for ransom. (Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Editing by Alexandra Hudson) HONOLULU (KHON2) The Hawaii Police Department is mourning the loss of their K-9 Archer. Police officers want voice when it comes to new police chief According to the department, on Thursday, Sept. 4, Archer died after being left unattended in a vehicle for an unacceptable period of time. This was a preventable tragedy, dogs should not be left unattended in a vehicle for any period of time, said Interim Police Chief Reed Mahuna. Archer was not just a police dog, he was a partner, protector, and a member of our police family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The department will conduct a review of K-9 policies and procedures to determine if there are any adjustments that can be made to prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future. The K-9 handler involved in this case is devastated as you would expect, nevertheless a thorough criminal and administrative investigation will be conducted. We are committed to accountability and making sure something like this never happens again, Chief Mahuna added. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You Archer, a six-and-a-half-year-old Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd mix from Hungary, joined the department in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Archer was trained in narcotics detection and served alongside his handler in numerous operations, assisting in keeping drugs and dangerous contraband off Hawaii Island streets. Please be mindful that you should never leave a dog in a hot car, leaving your car in the shade, with water for the dog or with the windows partially down even in mild weather will not prevent your dog from overheating, cautioned Mahuna. Hundreds of dogs die each year being left unattended in vehicles and that number is surely much higher as many cases are never reported. Check out more news from around Hawaii The department thanks the community for its support during this difficult time as we mourn the loss of a loyal and dedicated partner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 KHON2. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Its a big weekend in Columbus as the city hosts HBCU alumni weekend. From career opportunities to cultural celebrations, organizers said its about showcasing the pride and impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The three-day event kicked off Friday with a job and career fair, connecting recent graduates and professionals with opportunities ranging from education to government and business. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bexley Schools designated official No Place for Hate According to organizers, it goes beyond job opportunities, its about education, legacy, and celebrating the culture of HBCUs. Without them, many of us wouldnt be here, organizer Lawrence Lemon said. When you look at the impact that HBCU alum have made, not only in our city but across the nation, it is one that is undeniable. HBCU alumni weekend runs through Sunday. 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 NBC4 WCMH-TV. BEIRUT (Reuters) -Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qmati told Reuters on Saturday that the group considered Fridays cabinet session on an army plan to establish a state monopoly on arms "an opportunity to return to wisdom and reason, preventing the country from slipping into the unknown". Lebanon's cabinet on Friday welcomed a plan by the army that would disarm Hezbollah and said the military would begin executing it, without setting a timeframe for implementation and cautioning that the army had limited capabilities. But it said continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon would hamper the army's progress. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lebanese information minister Paul Morcos stopped short of saying the cabinet had formally approved the plan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Qmati told Reuters that Hezbollah had reached its assessment based on the governments declaration on Friday that further implementation of a U.S. roadmap on the matter was dependent on Israel's commitment. He said that without Israel halting strikes and withdrawing its troops from southern Lebanon, Lebanons implementation of the plan should remain suspended until further notice. Lebanon's cabinet last month tasked the army with coming up with a plan that would establish a state monopoly on arms and approved a U.S. roadmap aimed at disarming Hezbollah in exchange for a halt to Israeli military operations in Lebanon. Qmati said that Hezbollah unequivocally rejected those two decisions and expected the Lebanese government to draw up a national defense strategy. Israel last week signaled it would scale back its military presence in southern Lebanon if the army took action to disarm Hezbollah. Meanwhile, it has continued its strikes, killing four people on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A national divide over Hezbollah's disarmament has taken centre stage in Lebanon since last year's devastating war with Israel, which upended a power balance long dominated by the Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim group. Lebanon is under pressure from the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah's domestic rivals to disarm the group. But Hezbollah has pushed back, saying it would be a serious misstep to even discuss disarmament while Israel continues its air strikes on Lebanon and occupies swathes of territory in the south. Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem last month raised the spectre of civil war, warning the government against trying to confront the group and saying street protests were possible. (Reporting by Laila Bassam, Writing by Maya Gebeily, Editing by Jan Harvey and Sharon Singleton) Disposable vape devices may seem sleek, harmless, and even stylish, but their hidden dangers are coming into focus. Recent scientific studies reveal that these popular e-cigarettes release toxic metals during useat levels far higher than older vaping models or even traditional cigarettes. Teens and young adults, the biggest users of these products, face growing health risks that go far beyond nicotine addiction. These risks arent just theoriestheyve been measured. Scientists from UC Davis examined three major brands of disposable vapes. The findings paint a troubling picture: certain models released heavy metals into the vapor at concentrations hundreds, sometimes thousands, of times higher than previously seen. Dangerous Metals in Popular Vapes Disposable e-cigarettes contain metal parts like heating coils and structural components that come into contact with the e-liquid. When you puff on the device, that e-liquid turns into vapor, which you then inhale. But its not just flavored nicotine in that vapor. UC Davis Ph.D. candidate Mark Salazar, left, holds a disposable vape pod in the lab with Brett Poulin, a UC Davis assistant professor of environmental toxicology. (CREDIT: Kat Kerlin) In one example, a single device released more lead in one day than smoking nearly 20 packs of regular cigarettes. Another brand showed lead levels reaching up to 175 parts per million in the vapor. Researchers also found significant levels of nickel (up to 38 ppm), copper (546 ppm), and zinc (462 ppm). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lead isnt the only concern. Nickel and antimony, both known to increase cancer risk, were found in dangerous amounts. The longer the device was used, the worse it got. Some metalsespecially nickel and antimonybuilt up in the vapor over time. With every puff, more of these toxins leached from the device components into the e-liquid and ultimately into the lungs. In the lab, scientists mimicked the way these devices are actually used. Each unit was triggered to deliver between 500 and 1,500 puffs. The results revealed consistent and serious contamination. The vapors often contained more toxic metals than the smoke from traditional cigarettes or older e-cigarette models. Related Stories A Surprising Source of Toxic Exposure The story behind these dangerous metals begins with the devices construction. Researchers found that certain internal parts were made from leaded bronze, a metal alloy that easily leaks lead into liquids. Other components, such as heating coils, released nickel as they broke down with heat. In some cases, antimonya lesser-known toxic elementwas already present in the unused e-liquid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mark Salazar, a Ph.D. candidate and first author of the study, discovered this issue while casually examining a friends vape pod. Curious about what was inside, he took it back to his lab and ran a test. When I first saw the lead concentrations, they were so high I thought our instrument was broken, he said. That sparked us into looking further into these disposables. It didnt take long for the team to realize the problem wasnt unique to just one brand. They studied seven devices from three major disposable e-cigarette makers. What they found wasnt just surprisingit was alarming. Mark Salazar of UC Davis opens a disposable e-cigarette, or vape pod, to show its internal components, including a metal coil battery and e-liquid. (CREDIT: Kat Kerlin) According to Salazar, These disposable devices have toxins already present in the e-liquid, or theyre leaching quite extensively from their components into e-liquids and ultimately transferred to the smoke. Teen Use and Weak Oversight Most disposable e-cigarettes arent legal in the United States, but that hasnt stopped them from flooding the market. Teens and young adults make up the majority of users, often drawn in by the small size, sweet flavors, and easy availability. Some of these devices even look like colorful shampoo bottles or candy dispensers, helping them blend in at school or in a bag. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brett Poulin, senior author and environmental toxicology professor, called attention to the seriousness of the findings. Our study highlights the hidden risk of these new and popular disposable electronic cigarettes with hazardous levels of neurotoxic lead and carcinogenic nickel and antimony which stresses the need for urgency in enforcement, he said. These risks are not just worse than other e-cigarettes but worse in some cases than traditional cigarettes. Six men were arrested across Ventura County in a two-week child exploitation sweep that targeted the production, distribution and possession of child pornography, authorities announced Friday. The Ventura County Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force, led by the District Attorneys Office Bureau of Investigation and the FBI, executed the coordinated enforcement effort between Aug. 18 and Aug. 29. Officials said investigators served 11 search warrants, including three at homes, and seized evidence to support the charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The arrests stem from crimes ranging from possession and distribution of illegal material to attempted enticement of minors. One of those arrested, Kevin Reynolds, 40, is a chemistry teacher at Fillmore High School. Tan Hoang Phuc Le, 23, of Simi Valley; Dameon Schubert, 36, of Ventura; Kevin Williams, 42, of Santa Paula; and Scott Milne, 44, of Thousand Oaks face potential charges for possession of child pornography. Samuel William Lafond, 37, was arrested on federal charges, including attempted enticement of a minor. Lafond, Milne, Reynolds, Schubert and Williams all face additional potential charges for intent to distribute child pornography. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said the operation exposed offenders who rely on secrecy. Child exploitation thrives in secrecy, but operations like this shine a light on those who seek to harm children, Nasarenko said. These arrests and charges show what can be accomplished when local, state and federal law enforcement join forces to identify offenders and safeguard the most vulnerable among us. The FBI confirmed its role in the effort, part of a broader push dubbed Operation Summer Heat. Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBIs Los Angeles Field Office, said the agency has intensified its focus on violent offenders targeting children. The task force received assistance from multiple local police departments and the Southern California High Tech Task Force. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials urged the public to remain vigilant and report suspected crimes against children to law enforcement or through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Childrens 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or online at missingkids.org. 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. (The Center Square) A former state lawmaker says Illinois is now tops in the nation on per-student spending in higher education, despite enrollment plummeting as Illinois' high school graduates select colleges in other states. The Illinois Policy Institute found that state government spending on higher education in Illinois increased over $2 billion as enrollment dropped by more than 106,000 students between 2009 and 2024. Illinois Policy Institute Senior Fellow and former state Rep. Mark Batinick says he gets tired of people saying state taxpayers are not funding higher education enough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are number one in the funding of higher education. I think we are more than double the national average. Some people will say, Well thats because of historical pension payments. Even when you strip out pension payments, were in the top five, Batinick told The Center Square. The Illinois Policy Institute found that about 43 cents of every state higher education dollar from general funds goes to fund pensions instead of instructing students. Batinick said universities have not lost funding, even as they have lost students. Were spending a lot of money per student on higher education. Were just not getting the return on that investment, Batinick added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Batinick said students are getting better deals in other states because of Illinois increased tuitions. The average price of in-state tuition and fees at Illinois 12 public universities rose from $9,410 in 2009 to $15,439 in 2025. Batinick said the states historical funding model is based on the previous years funding and not on enrollment. So as some universities have lost students, they havent lost funding. And as some universities that are doing a good job have grown or held their enrollment, they dont get extra funding because of that. You have a lot of universities that just arent doing well, some with low enrollment that are getting more per student than perhaps they should and then some with larger enrollment that arent getting as much funding as the other universities, Batinick said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Batinick said enrollment at state schools dropped from around 380,000 in 2011 to about 260,000 today. He said projections show the numbers could drop to 175,000 in the next 15 years. So youre funding a system thats meant to educate nearly 400,000 students, thats working its way to being less than 200,000 students, so unless you do some re-imagination, some redesigning, some sort of consolidation, whatever it is, too much of the money is going to go to the top and not make its way down to the student, which is why youre seeing so many students leave the state of Illinois, Batinick said. According to Illinois Policy, more than 10% of university funding is spent on administrative bloat, not students or faculty. In 2021, nearly 48% of Illinois four-year, college-bound students chose out-of-state schools, with the top picks being public universities in neighboring states where tuition was cheaper. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has postponed all scheduled by-elections across the country in light of the widespread flooding, Dawn reported. According to the Commission, polling was due in five National Assembly constituencies and four Punjab Assembly constituencies, but has now been put off until conditions improve. A revised schedule will be announced once the flood situation stabilises. The by-elections had been scheduled after the disqualification and sentencing of several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers by anti-terrorism courts in connection with the May 9 cases. The affected National Assembly seats included NA-66 (Wazirabad), NA-96 and NA-104 (Faisalabad), NA-129 (Lahore) and NA-143 (Sahiwal). Polls were also due in Punjab Assembly constituencies PP-73 (Sargodha), PP-87 (Mianwali), PP-97 (Faisalabad), and PP-203 (Sahiwal), Dawn reported. Explaining its decision, the Commission said public and private infrastructure, including schools and government buildings designated for polling stations and election record storage, had been damaged by the floods. "Civil administration and law enforcement agencies are engaged in rescue and relief operations, making it difficult for them to perform election-related duties," the ECP noted. The Punjab government had also requested a postponement so that staff and facilities could be used for relief efforts, Dawn reported. The ECP further highlighted that large segments of the population in affected constituencies had been displaced, leaving many voters unable to participate and risking disenfranchisement and low turnout. "Taking all these factors into account, the Commission decided to postpone the by-polls until conditions improve," it said. As authorities grapple with the floods, international partners have stepped in with assistance. The United Kingdom announced an additional 1.2 million on Thursday to support Pakistan''s coordinated response and help communities in Sindh prepare for fresh flooding. According to the British High Commission, this brings the UK''s total humanitarian support to 2.53 million, expected to reach more than 400,000 people. The funds will be channelled through NGOs to strengthen early warning systems, enable evacuations, pre-position essential supplies and protect livestock. "Sindh is in a critical window to prepare and reduce the impact of the upcoming floods," British High Commissioner Jane Marriott said, Dawn reported. This latest package follows GBP 1.33 million announced on August 22 for relief operations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan, including food rations, medical camps and restoration of irrigation channels. The UK has also contributed GBP 500,000 to Pakistan''s Start Ready Disaster Risk Financing system, aiding 20,000 people across Punjab, Sindh and KP. The United Nations is also working closely with Pakistani authorities. Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has released USD 600,000 from the Regional Humanitarian Pooled Fund to support recovery, while Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed solidarity with Pakistan, commending the relocation of more than one million people in Punjab, Dawn reported. At the same time, domestic health concerns are rising. The Federal Ministry of Health has issued advisories to prevent outbreaks of cholera, typhoid, dengue, chikungunya and malaria due to contaminated water. Citizens have been urged to follow protocols listed on ministry and National Institutes of Health websites. Meanwhile, the UN''s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in its "Desert Locust Bulletin" that Pakistan faces no immediate locust threat. Surveys in August detected no locusts in key summer breeding areas, with only very small-scale breeding possible. "No significant developments are expected," the FAO noted, as quoted by Dawn. (ANI) Red-carpet treatment from Xi Jinping; a bear-hug from Narendra Modi. The indictment of Vladimir Putin for war crimes did not prevent the leaders of the worlds most populous countries from giving him an effusive welcome at this weeks summit in China. The cheery greetings from Chinas president and Indias prime minister demonstrated how Putins indictment for kidnapping tens of thousands of Ukrainian children has failed to turn him into a global pariah. That is a telling commentary on the reputation of the institution that brought the charge: the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This bitterly controversial organisation was created in 2002 as the first permanent global court dedicated to prosecuting the worst of all crimes. Eighty years after the Nuremberg trials, the ICC sees itself as upholding that noble tradition of bringing the worlds most serious offenders to justice. Yet, no matter how elevated its mission, the court is now enmeshed in its gravest crisis. Last week, it emerged that a second woman has accused Karim Khan KC, the ICCs chief prosecutor, of sexual misconduct. The British barrister had already stepped aside from his role in May while being investigated over an earlier allegation made by another woman. Khan denies all the claims and protests his innocence. Kenneth Roth, the former head of Human Rights Watch, stresses how this is a horrible time for the prosecutors office to be headless. He told a recent podcast: I really wish that the charges against Khan would be resolved quickly one way or the other because to have nobody in charge is hurting the court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And the institutions troubles go well beyond the personal difficulties of its chief prosecutor. The court is now pursuing bigger and more formidable targets than ever before: its latest indictments are not levelled at obscure rebel leaders or military commanders, or even the ministers of overthrown regimes, but the sitting presidents and prime ministers of powerful states. Khan during a visit to a mass grave in Bucha, Ukraine, in 2022 after the UN Human Rights Council launched an investigation into violations against civilians - Oleg Petrasyuk/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Having charged Putin, the ICC proceeded to indict Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and Yoav Gallant, the former Israeli defence minister. They were formally accused last November of alleged war crimes in Gaza, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare, along with the crimes against humanity of persecution and intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population. Netanyahu responded furiously by saying the ICC was guilty of an anti-Semitic act designed to deter Israel from defending itself against our enemies who rise up against us to destroy us. He accused the court of a moral bankruptcy which violates the natural right of democracies to defend themselves against murderous terrorism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The decision to pursue Netanyahu also led the United States to escalate its campaign against the ICC. Americas opposition to the court goes back to president Bill Clintons administration when the US chose to stay out of the institution, believing that it would inevitably become a forum for politically motivated prosecutions of its soldiers or officials. During his first term as president, Donald Trump hardened Washingtons position, declaring in 2018 that as far as America is concerned the court had no jurisdiction, no legitimacy and no authority. After Netanyahus indictment, Trump launched a ferocious campaign against the court, imposing US sanctions on Karim Khan along with two deputy prosecutors and six ICC judges, although not, so far, on the institution itself. Geoffrey Robertson KC, a founding head of Doughty Street Chambers in London and the author of The Trial of Vladimir Putin, says there is no precedent for an international court facing an assault of this kind. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ICC has come under pressure because its doing the right thing by indicting Putin and Netanyahu, he says. Trump will do his best to destroy it: they have this existential problem of the US trying to destroy it. Theyre beset on all sides, including their own internal side. Nonetheless theyre worth supporting. The International Criminal Court building in The Hague, Netherlands - Selman Aksunger/Anadolu/Getty Defenders of the court stress how it has quietly brought to justice the perpetrators of heinous crimes in neglected conflicts. So far it has convicted 11 individuals, including rebel leaders from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, who were held accountable for numerous atrocities including the recruitment of child soldiers. I was a prosecution witness in the trial that resulted in the ICCs most recent conviction. Al-Hassan Abdoul Aziz, an Islamist extremist from Mali, was found guilty last June of crimes against humanity and war crimes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I had reported from Timbuktu in northern Mali in 2013 after French forces liberated the city from armed Islamists, including al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Al-Hassan was involved in the Islamist police force which tormented the people of Timbuktu during 11 months of brutal occupation. That same year, I had interviewed a woman who had been raped while in detention. I had also discovered documents about AQIMs leadership inside a bombed building in Timbuktu previously used as a terrorist training camp. I testified as witness number two and the experience provided an insight into the strengths and flaws of the ICC. Yes, Al-Hassan was finally held accountable but the process took more than six years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After being handed over to the ICC in 2018, he spent two years in detention in The Hague awaiting trial. Proceedings opened in 2020 and then dragged on for another four years before the judges delivered their verdict. Although Al-Hassan was found guilty of torture and outrages upon personal dignity, he was sentenced to just 10 years in prison, later reduced to nine. Because of time already spent in custody, Al-Hassan can expect to be freed as soon as 2027. His conviction in 2024 for terrible crimes added only three years to his period behind bars. Even that verdict was a split decision, with one of the three judges believing that Al-Hassan should have been acquitted. The conclusion of this case leaves the ICC with just one current trial that of a militia leader from the Central African Republic called Mahamat Said. This saves the institution, which has an annual budget exceeding 160m, from being a court without a trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fact that the ICCs most recent conviction and its only trial both concern Africans may also reinforce the impression that the court is unduly focused on just one continent, despite its supposedly global reach. That perception of double standards has undermined it from the very beginning. Robertson acknowledges that, in the past, the ICC failed to build international legitimacy. That was a serious point, he says. After its first 10 years all it had done was to confirm a judgment of mine in the Sierra Leone war crimes court about the recruitment of child soldiers. But all that changed with Karim Khan indicting Putin. While in the eyes of many that was a moment of redemption, the reality is that the ICCs pursuit of Putin depends entirely on the co-operation of its 125 member states. Only they can arrest a suspect and there is already a history of countries ignoring that obligation. Most recently, Hungary refused to arrest Netanyahu when he visited Budapest in April despite the country being a full member of the ICC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, for all the courts intractable problems, supporters say that blaming judges and prosecutors for the impunity of suspects is unfair. Its easy to condemn the ICC, says Robertson, but if you take the view that there is a point to upholding the Nuremberg legacy then its worth supporting. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A Hillsboro man was sentenced to 20 years in prison after sexually exploiting a child online, authorities said. Jorge Rosales, 29, met a young child online who lived outside the U.S. via the social media app Musical.ly, which later became TikTok, the U.S. Department of Justice said. When will Portland area see rain? After interacting with the child online, Rosales convinced the child to send him sexually explicit images and videos, the U.S. DOJ said in a press release. Once he received those files, Rosales demanded more, threatening to send the sexually explicit images to the childs family and friends. Rosales stalked the child online for months on TikTok and Snapchat, harassing the child and the childs online friends using various social media accounts he created. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Homeland Security Investigations searched Rosales home and seized electronic devices via a warrant, they discovered a cache of child pornography, including video of the child victim and the accounts he used to exploit and stalk them, authorities said. On Thursday, Rosales pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting a child and cyberstalking. 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 KOIN.com. The Church of the Gesu in central Rome was packed, as a procession with a cross in rainbow colors moved up the central aisle. The service marked the first officially recognized pilgrimage of LGBTQ Catholics to Rome. Around 1,000 pilgrims gathered Friday in the 17th century baroque church to play music, pray and reflect, while on Saturday they processed to St Peters Basilica, entering through the basilicas Holy Door, which symbolizes forgiveness and reconciliation. The door is only opened in the Catholic Churchs jubilee years, falling every 25 years, including 2025. The pilgrimage, listed on the official calendar of jubilee events, comes as gay Catholics look to Pope Leo XIV to continue down the bold path of his predecessor to welcome into the church a group that has in the past faced alienation and sometimes harsh treatment. During his 12-year pontificate, Pope Francis repeatedly said LGBTQ Catholics should be welcomed as children of God and took the landmark steps of authorizing blessings to same-sex couples and calling for the decriminalization of homosexuality in Africa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think this is opening up the church to so many more people, to whole families, and its just such a welcoming experience, Cory Shade, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, told CNN as she walked alongside hundreds of pilgrims to St Peters Basilica. Before their procession Saturday, the pilgrims gathered for a Mass in the Gesu church held by a senior Italian bishop, Francesco Savino. A member of the LGBTQ community wearing a T-shirt bearing Pope Francis' image in Rome on September 6, 2025. - Matteo Minnella/Reuters Hopes that Leo will build on Francis legacy were raised earlier this week when he met the Reverend James Martin, a New York-based priest, author and prominent advocate for LGBTQ Catholics who had a warm relationship with the late pontiff. Martin is leading an LGBTQ group from the United States on the Rome pilgrimage. A Jesuit like Francis, Martin was granted a private audience by Leo in the Vaticans Apostolic Palace, a move widely seen as showing support for his work. Backing up that interpretation, Martin told CNN after Fridays service: The message I heard from Pope Leo is that hes going to continue the legacy of Pope Francis in his ministry with LGBTQ people, which is a ministry of openness and welcome. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Similarly, Michael OLoughlin, leader of LGBTQ Catholic group Outreach, told CNN that the pilgrimage was a huge moment and that LGBTQ people are cautiously optimistic Pope Leo will continue what Francis started. Some believe that the Rome LGBTQ pilgrimage would not be taking place were it not for Francis. Francis DeBernardo, executive director of the New Ways Ministry, a US organization advocating for LGBTQ people, was in Rome during the 2000 jubilee year, which also saw the first WorldPride events. He noted that the events were condemned by then-Pope John Paul II and said anti-gay rhetoric was coming from parts of the Vatican at the time. Twenty-five years later LGBTQ Catholics are being welcomed through the Holy Door at the Vatican, he told CNN. Its a big change. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sex is only permitted between a man and woman who are married. The churchs official principles describe homosexuality as intrinsically disordered wording that some Catholics want to see altered but also state that gay people must be treated with respect, compassion and sensitivity and all unjust discrimination must be avoided. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although Francis never changed the official teaching, he substantially shifted the churchs approach to gay people, starting with his famous response Who am I to judge? when asked for his view of gay priests. In another example, Francis came out in support of civil unions for same-sex couples, something previously opposed by the Vaticans doctrine office. A global gathering of bishops and laypeople, convened by Pope Francis to discuss the future of the Catholic Church, including welcoming LGBTQ Catholics, in Rome in 2023. - Andrew Medichini/AP In 2012, some LGBTQ people were concerned by a speech by then-Reverend Robert Prevost criticizing the homosexual lifestyle and the medias sympathetic portrayal of alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children. When asked about those remarks in 2023, however, the newly appointed Cardinal Prevost said we are looking to be more welcoming and more open and to say all people are welcome in the church and that Francis had made it clear no one should be excluded simply on the basis of choices that they make, whether it be lifestyle, work, way to dress, or whatever. Still, acceptance of LGBTQ people remains controversial among Catholics, with deep disagreement over blessings and marriages of same-sex couples, as among most Christians. Juan Pablo OConnell contributed reporting. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com You just moved into your dream house in your dream community, but a neighboring home is being rented by a dozen people whose cars often block your driveway. The next week, it's college kids who party all night, and the next, it's people with a constantly barking dog. Can you get your homeowners association to stop allowing the property owner to rent out their home? The short answer is maybe, according to Greenville attorney Robert Valihura. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to Whats Going There in Delaware "It's really problematic at the beach with the short-term rentals. It is a very contentious issue," Valihura said. "Homeowners who live there are now inundated with renters and they didn't buy into a hotel situation people coming in and out like it's a hotel." Peninsula Lakes on Bay Farm Road in Millsboro June 7, 2021. Valihura is a partner at Morton, Valihura & Zerbato and a former member of the Delaware House of Representatives, where he was chair of the Housing and Community Affairs Committee. He's an expert on HOA law, and when it comes to renting homes in an HOA, Valihura said, it all depends on governing documents. What are governing documents and where can I find them? Valihura called homeowners associations "the most basic form of government in Delaware." Much like Delawareans must abide by the Delaware code, members of a homeowners association must abide by their governing documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These documents can be called declarations, master deeds, or covenants, conditions and restrictions (CCRs). There may be additional governing documents, as well, such as bylaws, articles of incorporation and resolutions. You should have received and reviewed these documents prior to purchasing your home. If you don't have them, many are available on HOA websites. If not, they can be found through your county's recorder of deeds and are often online. Homeowners associations: Thinking about buying in a community with an HOA? Find out about homeowners associations Can my HOA stop renters? Bottom line: If your HOA's governing documents prohibit rentals, your HOA can stop your neighbor from renting out their home. If your HOA's governing documents don't ban rentals, there are still steps you can take. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "A homeowner could ask the board/council to adopt a rule to prohibit rentals or to prohibit certain types of rentals," Valihura said. And if your HOA's governing documents specifically permit rentals, you can ask your board or council to seek a homeowner vote to amend that rule. "All of this is couched by what is in the governing documents," Valihura said. "And while there is some similarity between and among such documents, each communitys governing documents must be consulted carefully to understand what, if any, ability a board/council or homeowner has to take any of (these) actions." HOAs: How homebuyers can research HOA deed restrictions and bylaws before they buy Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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: What to know about HOAs and rentals in Delaware SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) The professional violinist who was detained by ICE on his wifes birthday is speaking out after he was released yesterday. John Shin, 37, was released from the Aurora, Colorado ICE detention facility yesterday. He was detained on August 20 while on a work trip to Colorado Springs, and he posted bond yesterday. Shin and his wife Danae Snow drove all night from Denver, and they just got back to Utah this morning at 6 a.m. Now Shin is speaking out about his experience being detained and spending two weeks in ICE custody. For my entire life, living in the United States, I always thought I was an American. All my memories are here, he said. I consider myself an American. This is my home. He said that hes been working towards getting his green card, so he never thought this would happen to him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Utah violinist detained by ICE on wifes birthday released on bond, reunites with friend As part of Shins work, he had to go to a military base in Colorado, and that is what flagged him in the system and brought his residency status to the attention of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). On the day he was detained, Shin was contacted was contacted by HSI Special Agents who told him he needed to meet with them at the hotel where he was staying. Shin said that three agents interrogated him for 20 minutes, and he answered their questions to the best of his ability. I was handcuffed in front of the hotel parking lot, and I was taken to another office, a small location, where they booked me, he described. After he was arrested, several hours later, he was taken to the ICE detention center in Aurora. Shin reunites with his family after being released from ICE custody. (Courtesy: Efren de gala) Shin reunites with his family after being released from ICE custody. (Courtesy: Efren de gala) While he was being transferred, his wrists and ankles were shackled. It was a very shocking moment for me, he said. I never thought Id have to feel what it was like to have shackles on my ankles and my wrists, as if I was a very serious criminal, having murdered someone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was absolutely terrified, Shin said. Obviously, I cried all day. Shortly after being detained, the special agents gave me a three-minute phone call A very short phone call to my wife. It was one of the worst moments of my life to have to make my wife cry on her birthday. Shins attorney Adam Crayk said that deportation proceedings are still going on, and that Shin is completely eligible for a green card, despite a previous impaired driving conviction on his record. Shins wife Danae is a U.S. citizen, and an impaired driving conviction does not disqualify someone for a green card, especially in a case like Shins, where he completed every requirement of his probation. ORIGINAL STORY: Professional Utah violinist arrested by ICE on his wifes birthday Shin entered the United States lawfully as a child alongside his family on a tourist visa. Later, his father applied for a student visa as he was a full-time student at the University of Utah. However, towards the end of his fathers time at the University, he got into a car crash. The family went through a period of hardship, and the visa lapsed because he was not able to renew it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2013, Shin applied for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and he was granted it. He maintained DACA until 2019, when he received an impaired driving conviction. That conviction came at a very difficult point in Shins life, after his father was diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma: terminal brain cancer. It was the darkest time in my life. I wasnt able to think clearly, and I just wanted to It was just really dark times, and I wasnt thinking straight, and its full of regrets if I recall those times, he stated. Crayk stressed that Shin did not receive a DUI conviction, despite what ICE reported to the press initially. He was convicted of impaired driving, which is a lesser charge. Even though Shins legal residency status lapsed over time, he is still eligible for a green card and later citizenship because his spouse is a citizen. Johns experience in the detention facility and his release At the detention center, Shin said he spent 6 hours in a cold concrete cell before being transferred to a cell with three other people. He was on a block with 70-80 other detainees, most of whom were Middle Eastern and Chinese, with a few Europeans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even when I was being released yesterday, I witnessed many, many more people coming into the detention center and being booked, Shin described, but people were also being taken out constantly. He said that every day while he was there, someone would be deported or transferred somewhere else, usually with less than 10 minutes notice. The detention center was cold, Shin said, and they all were sleeping on a thin mat on top of a metal frame. Each inmate had one blanket, but they needed more because it was so cold. Shin got sick while he was detained, and he is still recovering. I requested every day, for about six days, requesting for a pillow. They responded back saying yes, we will provide you with a pillow But after that, he didnt see the case worker again. I never got a pillow, he said. Shin described the facility as unorganized, with only one officer on duty for the entire block. While there werent any physical fights while Shin was there, he said he saw constant verbal arguments that came very close to becoming physical. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shin said he felt a snese of connection with the other detainees. Most of them didnt speak English very well, but Shin said almost all of them had similar stories to him: ICE agents called them one day and told them to come into an office to verify some information, and then they were detained. Its almost as if they were trapping or luring these people into locations, Shin said. He said that he was very depressed an emotional the first week. I did not want to give up, because I have my family here, but there were times It was like how am I going to get out of here, and how am I going to provide for my family and go back to the normal life I was living before? Things started looking up because Danae responded so quickly and got an attorney on his case. She also got word out to friends, family, and to the public. There was a benefit concert, and the musician community rallied around Shin. It was just overwhelming, and just when I thought there were no options and I might have to give up, there was hope again, Shin said. I dont know how to thank my musician friends. They mean everything to me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some Denver musicians who he didnt even know visited him while he was detained, and he said that he felt overwhelmed by the strength of the Denver musician community. Seeing them waiting for him when he was released, he said they felt like they were already part of his family. Now that hes home, Shin said, Ive never felt so grateful to be out of that detention center and be home with my family. Crayk thinks Shins bond was processed quickly because ICE did not want him in that detention facility because of the attention brought to his case by the media. Latest headlines: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. MILLCREEK Held inside a Colorado immigration detention facility, packed into a cell block with around 70 others, sleeping each night on a thin mat not knowing what the future held, John Shin says he sank into a depression. The first day, after being shackled by immigration agents in Colorado Springs and sent to detention facility in Aurora, was particularly difficult. I was absolutely terrified. Obviously I cried all day, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The South Korean transplant to Utah, though, held on, refused to sign the paperwork immigration officials put in front of him even as he wondered how he would get out. Meantime, his supporters in the music community in Utah and beyond coalesced, clamored for his release. I did not want to give up because I have my family here, said Shin, a violinist with a masters degree in music performance from the University of Utah. Ultimately, after 17 days inside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Denver Contract Detention facility in Aurora, he got out. That was Thursday. By Friday, he was back in Utah, and he met with the media in the Millcreek office of his lawyer, Adam Crayk, accompanied by the lawyer and his wife, DaNae Snow. Its been almost 10 hours right now, and Ive never felt so grateful in my life to be out of that detention center and be home with my family again, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His case had spurred widespread attention in Utah, Colorado and the rest of the country, and he said that support a letter-writing campaign, a benefit concert and more helped keep him going while in Aurora. Just when I thought there were no options and I might have to give up, there was hope again, and I dont know how to thank my musician friends, he said. John Shin speaks to the media about his detainment in an immigration detention facility in Colorado at the law office of Adam Crayk in Millcreek on Friday. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News Still, his case which underscores the expansive net federal authorities are casting as part of President Donald Trumps crackdown on illegal immigration is not resolved. Released on $25,000 bond set by an immigration judge on Tuesday, the federal government is still pursuing deportation, though Crayk is optimistic about his clients prospects. The lawyer has started filing the paperwork to regularize Shins migratory status in the country and is optimistic hell ultimately be able to secure legal permanent residency for Shin, a green card. Shin, Crayk maintains, was the victim of a quota system applicable to immigration agents spurred by Trumps mass deportation efforts. There are requirements that every single day, X amount of people have to be taken into custody. Thats not a joke. Thats not fictitious. There are requirements, and John was a really, really easy, low-hanging fruit, Crayk said. Right now the idea is, arrest everyone and well let the courts work it out and let the ICE agents work it out. Flagged and detained Shin, who has played violin for the Utah Symphony and Ballet West, among other groups, is among the many immigrants across the country who have been swept up by immigration authorities in recent weeks and months. He is originally from South Korea but has lived in Utah since he was brought here by his parents as a child, legally entering on a tourist visa. He now lives in North Salt Lake. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His detention, he said, came as a surprise while he was in Colorado Springs for work. Employed in the telecommunications sector, he had been assigned to work on a cell tower at Fort Carson, a U.S. Army base near Colorado Springs. On trying to enter the installation, however, he was flagged due to the discrepancies in federal records in his migratory status. U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials subsequently reached out to him on Aug. 17, meeting with him at his Colorado Springs hotel, and he was taken into custody and placed in the Aurora facility the next day, Shin said. DaNae Snow and her husband, John Shin, speak at a press conference at the law office of Adam Crayk in Millcreek on Friday. Shin spoke about his detainment at an immigration detention facility in Aurora, Colo. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News Shin entered the country legally and subsequently maintained his migratory status over the years, securing standing to remain in the country under the Deferred Access for Childhood Arrivals program. DACA, as its known, is geared to immigrants brought to the United States by their parents as children. He lost that status after a conviction in Tooele County for driving while impaired due to alcohol consumption, a class B misdemeanor, in 2019. He married Snow, a U.S. citizen, in 2021, but never tried to rectify his migratory status, figuring in his detention by immigration officials. Crayk said Shins legal entry into the United States and marriage to a U.S. citizen strongly bode in his favor in fending off deportation and securing legal residency. Shin, for his part, says his connection to the country is strong, regardless of his immigration paperwork. I want people to know that I consider myself an American. This is my home, Shin said. I went to elementary school, middle school, high school and college here, and all the friends and families that I know, they live in Utah. DaNae Snow, John Shin and attorney Adam Crayk speak to the media at Crayk's offices in Millcreek on Friday. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News His backers, meantime, have focused on Shins character and contributions to the community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Everything about the whole situation just broke my heart, and so I was just so happy and so relieved to hear that everything that everyone was doing helped, that he was able to get out, Nicole Fullmer, an oboist and longtime friend, said earlier Friday when news of Shins release started spreading. Shes friends with Shin and his wife, and in the wake of the mans arrest had regularly played music at the state Capitol rotunda along with violinist Gabriel Gordon as a show of support. Now, while Crayk continues legal efforts to defend Shin, the man says he wishes something could be done to improve the process to legally immigrate to the United States. His stay in the Colorado detention facility was tough, nerve-wracking and uncomfortable, but he offered praiseworthy words for the majority of the other immigrants he mixed with, most of them from China. They did not commit any crime. They entered legally most of them entered legally. Theyre wonderful people, he said. Researchers have been taking a closer look at trends in hail, and the results are dire, according to Inside Climate News. What's happening? Shifts in climate are making hail bigger and heavier throughout the Great Plains, according to a recent study. The largest hailstones are projected to strike at least 15% more regularly by the middle of the century. That frequency could go up to 75%, depending on how we manage pollution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is because the warmer atmosphere is increasing the strength of updrafts, giving large hail more time to form. That said, the added heat will also reduce the frequency of small hail, according to the study. Why is hail important? Severe convective storms, which include hail, caused $60 billion in property losses in 2023. "When you ask people, 'How does climate change affect you?' Everyone's like, 'Well, it doesn't affect me,'" said report author Victor Gensini, per Inside Climate News. "Yeah, it does. Are you paying insurance? Every year, every month, you're paying for this change, whether or not you realize it." "It's just an underappreciated peril that causes billions of dollars in loss every year," said Gensini. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other data suggest that increasingly destructive weather patterns are raising insurance costs. What's being done about hail? Researchers are recommending more resilient building codes in order to prepare for increased hail damage. As for insurance costs, Illinois legislators are hoping to enforce more robust reviews of rate hikes. Northern Illinois University and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, are also opening a research center that can help insurance companies use the latest models to be more informed on policy decisions. "Some of the best modeling approaches, the best analysis, the best science, has been over the last 50 years or so, federally funded in the United States," said climatologist Trent Ford, per Inside Climate News. "At the same time that we're seeing more of these issues come up in the insurance industry, we are undercutting the quality and the availability of the information." 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. Maryland dad Kilmar Abrego Garcia has learned where the Department of Homeland Security has decided to deport him next. In an email obtained by Fox News, lawyers for the DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement informed Abrego Garcias legal team on Friday that his new intended destination is the tiny African nation of Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland. Ridiculing Abrego Garcias legal claim of fear of persecution or torturea core asylum principlein many of the nations the government has considered deporting him to, the DHS wrote on social media that Homie is afraid of the entire western hemisphere. Homie is afraid of the entire western hemisphere. https://t.co/lH7oZLaCKI Homeland Security (@DHSgov) September 5, 2025 The derisory use of the term homie sparked outrage on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego Garcia, who is currently in ICE custody in Virginia, became the face of the Trump administrations immigration crackdown in March after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador. The government admitted to an administrative error following his return from the Central American nation, but is still intent on removing him from the U.S. over charges of human smuggling. His lawyers claim such charges are a preposterous and vindictive punishment for challenging ICE policy. Eswatini is the fourth potential destination for Abrego Garcia, who was taken into ICE custody for a second time on Aug. 25, and prepared for processing to Uganda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A federal judge blocked the plan, accepting his lawyers concerns over fear of persecution or torture, ruling that it is absolutely forbidden to remove Abrego Garcia from the U.S. until further legal processing can be carried out. However, the DHS has stated it is not buying his legal defense. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who lived in the U.S. legally and was erroneously deported to El Salvador, wears a Chicago Bulls hat in this handout image obtained by Reuters on April 9, 2025. / Abrego Garcia Family/Handout via REUTERS That claim of fear is hard to take seriously, especially given that you have claimed (through your attorneys) that you fear persecution or torture in at least 22 different countries, the legal letter reads. Nonetheless, we hereby notify you that your new country of removal is Eswatini, Africa. The letter does not elaborate on how the DHS chose the country for Abrego Garcias intended removal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Daily Beast has contacted the DHS for comment. DHS boss Kristi Noem has made it a personal mission to see Abrego Garcia deported. She has previously claimed her department is going after the worst of the worst and, in August, claimed the man is a monster. This illegal alien is a MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator, Noem wrote on social media. Abrego Garcias legal team has repeatedly denied all these allegations, including the often-trotted out line about his membership of the notorious MS-13 gang. Multiple judges have said there is no evidence to suggest he is gang-affiliated, while noting he has no prior criminal history. In April, the president of the United States displayed this image as proof of Abrego Garcias MS-13 tattoo. / Truth Social/Donald Trump In April, President Donald Trump insisted that Abrego Garcia had the gang name tattooed on his knuckles, challenging a reporter in an interview that an image of Abrego Garcias hand with MS-13 clearly superimposed over it was real. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At roughly 120 miles long and 80 miles wide, Eswatini is one of the smallest nations in Africa. It is the last absolute monarchy on the continent, and has a population of 1.2 million people. The country, which is bordered by South Africa and Mozambique, changed its name from Swaziland in 2018 to avoid confusion with Switzerland. Abrego Garcias attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, says the Trump administration is weaponizing the immigration system in a manner that is completely unconstitutional. (COLORADO SPRINGS) The Colorado Springs community came together on Friday, Sept. 5, to honor the life and legacy of retired Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) Captain Patrick Rogacki. He is considered a line of duty death, since his cancer came from his work at ground zero after 9/11. Those who knew him at Fridays procession said despite his job related illness, he had no regrets. CSFD Chief Randy Royal said right before he passed, Captain Rogacki shared just how proud he was of serving his community and country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He had a glint in his eye and this little smile, that he always had, and he still had it. And he said, I wouldnt do anything different in my career, even though he succumbed to the impacts of his career, said Royal. From the Waldo Canyon fire, to 9/11, to the tactical medical team, and so much moreCaptain Rogacki will be remembered by many as a humble, selfless, and smart leader. Really an amazing person, a sweet man, said Kim Watson, who attended the procession on Friday. To honor the hero properly, Friday included private ceremonies and a procession through the city. He came from a family of ten. He had ten siblings. Theres lots of stories. He was a very dedicated family man, had kids and then had grandkids and what they shared about how he impacted their lives was, you know, obviously way more important than what he did in the fire service, said Chief Royal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was a member of the department for 35 years, during which he held many different roles. People who didnt even know him lined the streets to pay their respects. Certainly our hearts go out to the family. They also gave the ultimate sacrifice, along with him, by losing their family member and their loved one, said Dan Frey, a retired firefighter who attended on Friday. Rogacki left behind a legacy that everyone can look up to. Its one of service, compassion, hard work, and dedication. I think it takes a special person to want to help people because not everybody out there wants to help others, strangers. And thats the one thing about this profession is youre helping strangers, youre saving lives, said Watson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was someone who went above and beyond, wherever he was needed. Pat was all about that. I mean, he was just a good guy, said Chief Royal. You know, hes a guy that had some quirkiness, in a good way. And he made people laugh, and he liked to laugh himself, but he was a very positive person. And again, like I said, not boisterous. He was just a good, good person that tried to do good all the time. According to Royal, following 9/11, more first responders died from working in the aftermath compared to the number of those who died in the actual collapse. 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 FOX21 News Colorado. Students in Hopewell boarded the school bus and found their Superintendent behind the wheel as the district works through a bus driver shortage. After canceling school in the spring due to a lack of drivers, Dr. Jeff Beltz decided to get his CDL certification to help out. PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Bus driver shortage forces flexible instruction day at Hopewell Area School District Its nice to say hi to kids, as far as the young ones, I can high-five them when they come on the bus, and you try to get them home, said Dr. Jeff Beltz, Superintendent of Hopewell Area School District. Sometimes the kids dont know who the superintendent is, so it keeps you humble and puts you back down on the ground level. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So far, Beltz has driven high school, elementary school, and students with disabilities. Hopewell offers a free CDL training course, and Beltz said more drivers will be joining the force very soon. There are a variety of other people who did as well, including our local fire department, said Beltz. Theyre not as far along on the course as I am, but weve also had some parents and local citizens join the course as well. But even with the extra hands, Hopewell is still down four drivers. We are celebrating perhaps me doing this, but we have a staff of people that do it every day, and the things that we ask them to doits a lot, said Beltz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes hoping his involvement will inspire others to take the course. If I can go further and do a little commercial and say hey, we need help too, and other places do as well, said Beltz, If people are afraid to give it a shot, I dont look at myself as being special; if I can do it, they can do it. To sign up for the CDL training,Ho head to the districts website under employment." That is where youll find the link to sign up. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Tesla could become the world's first trillionaire after the company's board unveiled a new pay package tied to the future growth targets, reported CNN. The news platform reported that if the move is approved, the package would grant Musk 423.7 million additional Tesla shares, worth approximately USD 143.5 billion at current stock prices, but only if Tesla's market capitalisation soars to USD 8.5 trillion, far above its current USD 1.1 trillion value. This proposed compensation mirrors Musk's 2018 pay package, which significantly boosted his wealth and was twice approved by shareholders but struck down by a Delaware judge. Tesla is now seeking to re-approve that plan and build on it, the news platform added. "This is all about Musk being scared about being kicked out of Tesla because he only owns 13%," said Ross Gerber, CEO of Gerber Kawasaki and an early Tesla investor, who has since sold most of his stake, according to CNN. "I am uncomfortable growing Tesla to be a leader in AI & robotics without having 25% voting control," Musk posted on X. "Unless that is the case, I would prefer to build products outside of Tesla," he further added. Musk currently owns 410 million Tesla shares worth around USD 139 billion, along with stakes in SpaceX, xAI, and X (formerly Twitter), bringing his net worth to USD 378 billion, according to Bloomberg. The proxy statement also included a shareholder proposal for Tesla to invest in Musk's AI startup xAI. As per the report, the company did not take a position on the proposal, and no details were offered on the size or value of the potential investment. Despite Tesla's recent stock volatility--still down 26 per cent from its December 2024 peak--Musk and Wall Street supporters remain confident in Tesla's long-term growth, driven by his promises of self-driving robotaxis and humanoid robots that could eventually outperform its auto business. (ANI) Arizona Supreme Court Justice Bill Montgomery in October 2022. Photo by Gage Skidmore (modified) | Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0 Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne wants a state supreme court justice who accused him of violating state campaign finance laws more than a decade ago to step away from a case that has the potential to give him drastically more power over how students are taught. On Wednesday, Horne filed a motion requesting that Justice Bill Montgomery recuse himself from a legal challenge against dual language instruction. The Republican has spent the past two years attempting to force public schools to require parental permission before English Language learner students can be taught using their native language. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the motion, attorney Dennis Wilenchik argued that a political spat between Horne and Montgomery means the latter shouldnt have any role in deciding the fate of Hornes ongoing lawsuit. Superintendent Horne respectfully requests that Justice Montgomery recuse himself from the case at bar given the foregoing history, Wilenchik wrote. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX What happened? In 2012, Montgomery was the Maricopa County Attorney when his office received an FBI report alleging that Horne, who had recently been elected state Attorney General, had violated campaign finance laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hornes aide, Kathleen Winn, set up an independent campaign committee that spent $513,340 on a last-minute attack ad against his Democratic rival. The FBI investigation concluded that Horne broke Arizonas campaign finance laws by illegally coordinating with the committee to spend that money. Armed with that report, Montgomery held a press conference accusing Horne of breaking the law and took him to court over the issue. Montgomery later passed the case off to Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk, but the states high court ultimately ruled that Polk violated Hornes due process rights. Whats going on now? Since 2023, Horne has sought to crack down on the use of multilingual education to teach students who arent yet proficient in English. The Arizona State Board of Education has approved four instructional methods for schools to help teach English Language learner students, including the 50-50 Dual Language Immersion Model. Under that model, students spend half the day in their native language, such as Spanish, and the rest of the day in English. Horne, who has long opposed bilingual education, claims that the 50-50 model in its current form violates Proposition 203, which voters passed in 2000. The act mandates English-only instruction and requires the use of parental waivers for students to participate in multilingual education programs. The state Board of Education has said it will not modify its approved methods. After Horne threatened to defund schools for using the model, Attorney General Kris Mayes issued a legal opinion saying he had no authority to do so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a bid to deliver on his campaign promise to eliminate bilingual education, Horne responded by suing Mayes, Gov. Katie Hobbs and 10 school districts that use the 50-50 model. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge and an appellate court panel have both ruled that Horne has no authority to sue, and the parties he took to court have no ability to remedy his complaints. No Arizona law allows the state Superintendent to file lawsuits, the courts held. Instead, the superintendent is responsible for identifying a schools potential noncompliance with state law and reporting that to the Board of Education, which is statutorily empowered to launch legal challenges. Last month, Horne asked the Arizona Supreme Court to take up the case, saying that the lower courts got it wrong. He argues that the power to sue is logically implied, because his role as a supervisor of public schools demands it. Under the interpretation of the Court of Appeals, the Superintendent is duty-bound to go to a district and say: Youre not complying with state laws applicable to English Language learners. But the district can say: Were going to continue doing what were doing and what are you going to do about it? he wrote, in his appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The justices have not yet ruled on whether they will consider the case, and Supreme Court spokeswoman Katie Fisher said that Montgomery declined to say whether he would agree to recuse himself, adding that he will address the motion through the courts official process. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Planning approvals for new homes have fallen to a record low under Labour in a sign of Angela Rayners troubled legacy as housing secretary. Just 8,218 sites earmarked for new housing gained planning permission in the year to June, according to research from the Home Builders Federation (HBF). It marked the lowest rolling 12-month total since the HBF began tracking the data in 2006. It is also under half of the number of sites granted permission during the same period in 2019, a time when investment in new housing supply peaked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ms Rayner, who was housing secretary before her resignation on Friday, vowed to deliver on Labours manifesto pledge to build 1.5m homes by the end of this parliament. She sought to speed up housebuilding through setting mandatory targets for councils and freeing up lower-quality land on the green belt for new-builds. However, experts said she had not done enough to tackle environmental red tape and onerous safety rules that are slowing construction. Ben Hopkinson, of the Centre for Policy Studies, a think tank, said: Building safety regulations have gummed up any approvals of buildings taller than six storeys. Its one of the main reasons why building in London has pretty much ground to a halt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added: Housebuilding has been one of the Governments key pledges. It got off to a good start with its [planning reforms], but the momentum has run out of that planning reform push. I think its very unlikely that it will hit the 1.5m homes target its already off the pace. The latest figures from the HBF suggest that Ms Rayner was on course to miss Labours target by at least half a million homes. The HBF said home construction was flatlining at best at around 200,000 houses a year. The Governments ambition of 1.5 million homes would require an average of 300,000 to be built each year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neil Jefferson, the chief executive of the HBF, said Rachel Reevess tax raid and the threat of more to come was holding back activity. He said: Investment in new homes depends on the building of those homes being economically viable and for there to be a realistic chance of selling new homes. Loading more and more taxes on home building is working against the overarching objectives of the Government to build more homes. Ms Rayner resigned from the housing brief and her role as deputy prime minister on Friday, after she was found to have broken the ministerial code by failing to pay enough stamp duty tax on her Brighton flat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Steve Reed, the former environment secretary, replaced Ms Rayner as Housing Secretary as part of a reshuffle following Ms Rayners resignation. Sam Dumitriu, the head of policy at Britain Remade, said: The new Housing Secretary really needs to address the fall in housebuilding in London. London had extremely few starts in the last six months. Its properly catastrophic. Unless you can get London building, you wont hit that 1.5 million target. Policies are needed to make it easier to build in the capital. A government spokesman said: We inherited an acute and entrenched housing crisis, but through our Plan for Change we are getting Britain building and delivering on our target of 1.5 million homes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We took decisive action to overhaul the National Planning Policy Framework, which the OBR forecasts will help drive UK housebuilding to its highest level in over 40 years, and are already starting to see the green shoots of recovery with an increase in planning applications in the first quarter of this 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. Housebuilding in England has slumped to its lowest level in almost a decade, with only 361 homes completed each day. The below target output comes despite Labours insistence that the Government is taking decisive action to build 1.5 million homes by 2029. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 32,560 homes were completed in the first three months of the year less than half of the 75,000 required to meet Labours manifesto pledge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The quarterly figures represent a 5pc downturn on the same period last year, and the lowest recorded since early 2016, minus the height of the pandemic. Housebuilders have been hit by rising material costs, higher labour costs and uncertainty over the Governments proposals for a 30-fold increase to landfill tax. Gareth Belsham, of Bloom Building Consultancy, said that things have gone from bad to worse for housebuilders, and the future looks bleak. He said: Most worrying of all is the slowing pipeline of new work. New orders have fallen for eight months in a row, and while contractors tend to book projects months in advance, even big names are starting to see their order books thinning out. Data is concerning The ONS figures show an uptick in housebuilding starts for the first quarter of the year, with work beginning on 29,610 homes, compared to 25,640 in the three months prior. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Dr David Crosthwaite, chief economist at the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS), said the data is disappointing for the Government. While housing starts are relatively positive, when compared to pre-pandemic levels they are significantly lower, he said. The data for completions is even more concerning, and highlights the real struggle regarding the delivery of 1.5 million new homes. Labour pledged to speed up housebuilding when it gained power, with policies to cut planning red tape, build on the green belt and revise compulsory purchase powers. Ms Rayner, the former Housing Secretary, said the mission-led Government will not shy away from taking the bold and decisive action needed to fix it for good. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet, having raised expectations of real change, Labour now faces the prospect of joining the long line of those that have failed to find a way out of the so-called housing crisis, according to Prof Paul Cheshire, of the London School of Economics and Political Science. The low housebuilding figures come as UK cement production has fallen to its lowest level since 1950. Findings from the Mineral Products Association (MPA) showed that domestic cement output dropped to 7.3 million tonnes in 2024 half the volume produced in 1990. The trade body warned that the UKs increasing reliance on importing cement is vulnerable to volatility in overseas markets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesman from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: We inherited an acute and entrenched housing crisis, but through our Plan for Change we are getting Britain building and delivering on our target of 1.5 million homes. We took decisive action to overhaul the National Planning Policy Framework, which the OBR forecasts will help drive UK housebuilding to its highest level in over 40 years, and are already starting to see the green shoots of recovery with an increase in planning applications in the first quarter of this 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. NANAKULI (KHON2) On Sept. 6, three victims were transported to the hospital and two of these incidents have led HPD to open attempted murder investigations. On Sept. 6 at approximately 2:30 a.m. HPD District 8 patrol officers responded to multiple reports of gunshots in Nanakuli that left one male in critical condition. As of Sept. 6, at 8 p.m., the 19-year-old male involved has been identified and arrested for Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, as well as firearm offenses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HPD said the investigation remains ongoing. This device is essential for Hurricane preparedness When officers arrived at the scene, they found an unidentified male with a gunshot wound. An area hospital reported around the same time that a 19-year-old male had arrived with a gunshot wound, officials said. Honolulu EMS responded to the scene, treating the victim, an approximately 20-year-old male, for a gunshot wound. He was transported to the hospital in critical condition, officials reported. HPD officials said that prior information indicated there was a party held at Zablan Beach before the incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The community in Nanakuli, near where the incident happened, is called Zablan. Its in a Hawaiian homestead community, said Representative Darius Kila. For years, they have been asking for the inconsistent enforcement of the park closure hours in the area because tonight was a shooting, but weeks before its fights, weeks before its loud music They are the original homesteaders in Nanakuli, and its unfortunate when you have bad actors coming to someones backyard just making a spectacle of their home, said Representative Darius Kila. Honolulu EMS also treated another gunshot wound victim near 86-260 Farrington Highway. Around 2:42 a.m., paramedics arrived at the scene where they treated an 18-year-old male for an apparent gunshot wound, officials said. Officials reported that the victim was transported to the hospital in serious condition. Check out more news from around Hawaii Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At 1:30 a.m., HPD officers responded to a stab wound victim on Manawai Street and Kapolei Parkway. The victim was reported to be a 39-year-old male. When officers arrived at the scene, they found the victim slumped, bleeding with multiple stab wounds. He was transported to an area hospital for his wounds, still being treated. HPD has opened attempted murder cases for both incidents. Officials urge anyone with information to report it to 911 or CrimeStoppers at 808-955-8300. 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 KHON2. Ministerial dithering and a hangover from HS2 mean Heathrow may never get a third runway, the boss of Dubai Airports has warned. Paul Griffiths said a succession of failed schemes had sapped ministers of the desire to put the full weight of the state behind new infrastructure, however vital it might be to the economy. The British executive, who previously ran Gatwick Airport, said that while Labour was to be praised for putting the expansion of Heathrow back on the agenda, he had little faith in a new runway ever being built. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He told The Telegraph: Im not convinced. The UK economy definitely needs more aviation capacity, and Heathrow needs the runway. But Ill believe it when I see it. How many times have we had an expert report say we need a new runway at Heathrow or Gatwick? But a government comes in and scraps that plan, and then we get another report. I was in short trousers when Maplin Sands was going to be Londons third airport. Then it was Stansted, which was going to have a second runway, and Gatwick was going to get another runway during my time there. But nothing happens. We dither. Mr Griffiths led an expansion of Dubai International Airport that saw it leapfrog Heathrow to become the worlds busiest international airport in 2014. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now he is in charge of a project to build a new hub, Dubai World Central (DWC), with a capacity for 260 million passengers a year three times the current limit at Heathrow and 100 million more than the London hub will be able to handle even with a third runway. Mr Griffiths, who also spent 12 years as commercial director of Virgin Atlantic and two years in the same role at Virgin Trains, said the contrast between the British stance on national infrastructure and Dubais unashamedly muscular, top-down approach was stark. He said: There is a political problem in this country now, because everyone is looking at HS2 and how a massive governmental programme has gone so massively over budget. There is a lack of confidence that the Government can do these large infrastructure projects successfully, as we can in Dubai. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Expanding airports like Heathrow that are several decades old is a particular challenge since they were built at a time when most passengers took short, direct flights, yet must now cater to millions of people transferring between planes. He said: Youve got long distances between terminals, which were conceived as separate operations with limited interconnectivity. But since the arrival of the hub-and-spoke model, terminals really need to be super-connected with each other. Mr Griffiths said the Government had been too hands-off in its approach to major infrastructure and too ready to bail out private sector companies working on such projects when things go wrong. He said: For the Government to lose control of the infrastructure was a mistake. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve seen it with HS2 and weve seen it with the water companies and other sectors, where the Government really hasnt protected its strategic interests by making sure that public infrastructure is properly produced and managed to exacting standards. They need to play more of an executive role in upholding standards and holding private enterprise to account. If you actually put someone on the hook with a contract to produce something to a budget in mind and with penalties if they dont, it rather gets the attention. Fresh thinking required The crisis around Britains utilities arose from the lack of an agreed standard to ensure companies prioritised the maintenance of infrastructure over shareholder returns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Griffiths said Dubai operates a halfway house approach to utilities, airlines and transport. All are run by corporations on a commercial basis, but ultimately owned by the Government. Such arrangements have echoes of the public-private partnerships embraced by Tony Blair and Mr Griffiths said part of the problem in the UK today was the fact that these models were discredited after huge cost escalation. Fresh thinking is required around how future partnerships might work, he said, suggesting that the expansion of Heathrow could be the perfect test case. Dubai Airports would be interested in running a new terminal built by private enterprise to exacting government standards in competition with Heathrow Airport Ltd (Hal), he added. This approach has been proposed by hotel magnate Surinder Arora. Whatever decision the Government makes on the runway, a charging model for Heathrow that allows Hal to raise fees every time it needs to fund a new project does nothing to encourage cost-effective infrastructure and desperately needs an overhaul, he said. This argument has been made by a coalition including Mr Arora and both Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Griffiths added that companies and governments worldwide needed to focus on making travel a little more pleasant as airports grow ever larger. He said: Really, you should be able to get out of your taxi or train and straight to the concourse and lounge within ten minutes, so that you can see your aeroplane and youre then relaxed. But when you look at most airports, I would challenge that many of them really dont look as though theyve been designed that way. What Arora Groups rival heathrow expansion could look like - Arora Group The convenience of switching from rail to air has actually gone backwards, he added. Airport stations are often built far from the terminal, while baggage transfers for Heathrow and Gatwick at Paddington and Victoria are a thing of the past, despite the technology being available at a reasonable cost. The most efficient design, he said, would be to eliminate traditional terminals completely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What you should have is a very slick circulating underground system where you can get from one concourse to the next quickly and effortlessly, he said. You arrive on one concourse, you join the train, you go to the next concourse and it takes 10 minutes, max. Britain has been slow to embrace cutting-edge technologies that are already deployed in Dubai, such as facial recognition and digital passport scans. He said: You keep your passport in your pocket and literally just walk through and the camera system reads your face, and thats it. The guy sitting at the end is just seeing people walk towards him with green and red boxes. If theres a red box, its a case of, Excuse me, sir, could I just see you? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baggage screening is also set to be revolutionised, Mr Griffiths said, with hospital-grade CT scanners set to be combined with artificial intelligence to deliver machines that are far more reliable and secure and dont need a tea break or holiday. Technological upgrades should help address some of the basic issues of capacity and space at airports by achieving far higher passenger throughput. He said: The entire process will be frictionless and very quick, so you wont need that vast walking distance from check in to the gate just to accommodate everything. You can actually design it so youve got very minimal terminal area, because if you double the flow rate, youve doubled the capacity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats one of the benefits of an entirely new airport like DWC. Were a brand new design conceived around the latest technology. As for Heathrow, Mr Griffiths believes it is a case of dont hold your breath. 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. Hurricane Kiko on Saturday advanced into the Central Pacific as a Category 4 storm and residents of the Hawaiian Islands are advised to monitor its progress. According to the National Hurricane Center, Kiko was packing sustained winds of 130 mph on a track that would pass north of the islands beginning early Tuesday. Kiko was located 1,005 miles east-southeast of Hilo, or 1,205 miles east-southeast of Honolulu. Hurricane Kiko and Hawaiian Islands. The Star Advertiser reported mid-morning Saturday: The latest five-day forecast track no longer has the islands in Kikos so-called cone of uncertainty, but the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu stressed that people in Hawaii should continue to monitor its progress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The National Hurricane Center cautioned: Impacts from rain and wind are possible over portions of the Islands, but it is still too soon to determine the exact location or magnitude of these potential impacts. Hurricane Kiko's predicted path. Swells generated by Kiko are expected to reach the Big Island and Maui early Sunday. Swells could be particularly dangerous on east-facing beaches at all the main islands. Kiko is expected to gradually weaken beginning late Sunday, but remain at hurricane strength at least until Tuesday morning. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Hurricane Kiko approaches Hawaii as major storm, residents on alert COURTESY NOAA This color-enhanced satellite image shows Category 4 Hurricane Kiko nearing the Central Pacific this afternoon on a path that will bring it near the Hawaiian islands next week. 1 /2 COURTESY NOAA This color-enhanced satellite image shows Category 4 Hurricane Kiko nearing the Central Pacific this afternoon on a path that will bring it near the Hawaiian islands next week. NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER The 5-day forecast track for Hurricane Kiko. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 2 /2 NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER The 5-day forecast track for Hurricane Kiko. COURTESY NOAA This color-enhanced satellite image shows Category 4 Hurricane Kiko nearing the Central Pacific this afternoon on a path that will bring it near the Hawaiian islands next week. NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER The 5-day forecast track for Hurricane Kiko. UPDATE : 5 p.m. Hurricane Kiko continues to intensify as it moves closer to the Central Pacific basin, with sustained winds near 140 mph and higher gusts. As of 5 p.m. today, Kiko was about 1, 130 miles east-southeast of Hilo and 1, 335 miles east-southeast of Honolulu, moving west-northwest at 12 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While there are no coastal watches or warnings in effect, forecasters said Hawaii residents should monitor Kikos progress over the coming days. The NHC said Kiko could continue to strengthen overnight and into Saturday before gradual weakening begins Sunday. Swells generated by the hurricane are expected to reach the Big Island and Maui by Sunday, building through early next week and peaking along east-facing shores late Monday through midweek. These swells could produce life-threatening surf and rip currents, forecasters warned. 11 a.m. Hurricane Kiko continued moving steadily west-northwest today, intensifying as it approaches the Central Pacific basin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At 11 a.m. HST, Kiko was about 1, 195 miles east-southeast of Hilo and 1, 400 miles east-southeast of Honolulu, with maximum sustained winds near 130 mph and higher gusts, making it a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The storm is moving west-northwest at about 10 mph, a track expected to continue over the next few days and bring Kiko into the Central Pacific basin by Saturday morning. The latest five-day forecast track is further north than previous forecasts and Hawaii island is no longer in the cone of uncertainty. However most of the rest of the state remains in the southern edge of the cone. Maximum sustained winds are expected to drop to about 60 mph by Tuesday as Kiko passes north of Hawaii island, and down to 40 mphminimal tropical storm strength by Wednesday as it passes north of Oahu and Kauai, according to the 11 a.m. forecast.. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement EARLIER COVERAGE Hurricane Kiko continued its steady west-northwest movement today while remaining well to the east-southeast of the Hawaiian islands, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. At 5 a.m., Kiko was about 1, 245 miles east-southeast of Hilo and 1, 450 miles east-southeast of Honolulu, with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph and higher gusts. The storm is now classified as a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Forecasters said Kiko is moving west-northwest at about 9 mph, a motion expected to continue for the next few days. While some fluctuations in intensity are possible through Sunday, gradual weakening is forecast by early next week as the system encounters cooler waters. The storm has hurricane-force winds extending 25 miles from its center and tropical storm-force winds extending 70 miles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect, but the National Weather Service in Honolulu said residents should monitor Kikos progress. The latest five-day track has the storm traveling north of the islands on Tuesday and Wednesday but nearly the entire state is in the tracks cone of uncertainty. Kikos maximum sustained winds are expected to weaken to 60 mph on Tuesday and 40 mph on Wednesday as it passes Oahu. Weather officials said Kiko could bring heavy rain, dangerous surf and strong rip currents to parts of the islands early next week, but its exact track and intensity remain uncertain. Swells from the storm are forecast to reach east-facing shores Sunday, with surf expected to build to advisory levels Monday and possibly approach warning levels Tuesday if Kiko holds its strength. Moisture tied to the system is expected to increase showers across the state beginning Sunday, with the potential for heavier downpours and localized flooding from Monday through early Thursday, forecasters said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They said it is too soon to determine the exact magnitude or location of Kikos impacts but warned that windward slopes on the Big Island and East Maui could experience the earliest and most significant rainfall. While Kiko is expected to remain well offshore from the islands, its broad wind field and energy could drive hazardous surf and increase coastal flooding risksespecially with peak monthly high tides through Sunday, according to the NWS. A coastal flood statement remains in effect for low-lying areas statewide. By Monday, forecasters said, Kiko will be moving over cooler water and face west-southwesterly vertical wind shear, both of which should weaken the storm. The increasingly hostile environment should lead to rapid weakening of the tropical cyclone as it approaches the Hawaiian islands from the east-southeast, hurricane center forecasters said. Starting around Sunday, they said, Kiko should convectively sputter while moving very close to the eastern end of the Hawaiian island chain as a weakening tropical storm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement See more : 16 Comments By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our. Having trouble with comments ? . Immigration agents at the Hyundai motor battery plant in Ellabell, Georgia Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detained 475 Hyundai contractors in one of the biggest immigration raids in US history. The operation at the Hyundai Motor car battery factory in Georgia included the arrest of 300 Koreans as part of Donald Trumps escalating crackdown on immigrants. In response, South Koreas government held an emergency meeting and vowed to swiftly respond to the arrests of so many of its citizens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cho Hyun, its foreign minister, has dispatched diplomats to the site. He said he was willing to travel to Washington to meet the Trump administration. I feel heavy responsibility for the arrests of our citizens, Mr Cho told the emergency government meeting following the raid at the plant near Savannah, adding that he was deeply concerned. Credit: United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) The arrest of hundreds of people was the largest single-site enforcement operation in the department of homeland securitys history. Mr Trump initially pledged to deport the worst of the worst criminals but ICE figures have shown a rise in non-criminals being picked up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The raid could exacerbate tensions between Mr Trump and South Korea, a key Asian ally and investor, who are at odds over the details of a trade deal that includes $350bn investment in the US. At a summit last month, South Korea pledged $150bn in US investments including $26bn from Hyundai. Last week, Mr Trump hosted South Korean president Lee Jae Myung at the White House. Mr Myung complimented Mr Trump during a cordial Oval Office meeting. But their relationship could frost over after the extensive ICE raid which saw state troopers blocking the roads before nearly 500 officers descended on the plant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Agents lined up workers along the walls as helicopters circled above, while others tried to run away, with some running to a sewage pond and others hiding in air ducts in the building, which was still under construction. ICE later released a video of the raid which showed shackled Asians being led on to a bus. In the video, hundreds of people were standing up in front of a building, with some wearing yellow vests with names such as Hyundai and LG CNS. Two people hid in a pond before being arrested. We welcome all companies who want to invest in the US, and if they need to bring workers in for building or other projects, thats fine but they need to do it the legal way, said Steven N Schrank, a special agent in charge of homeland security investigations in Georgia and Alabama. This operation sends a clear message that those who exploit the system and undermine our workforce will be held accountable. President Trump hosted the South Korean president at the White House last week - Mandel Ngan/AFP Officials said those arrested at the site in Ellabell, Georgia, were barred from working in the US after crossing the border illegally or overstaying visas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The investigation took place over several months, Mr Schrank said. This was not an immigration operation where agents went into the premises, rounded up folks and put them on buses, he said. Hyundai said it would investigate its suppliers and their subcontractors to ensure they meet regulations. LG Energy Solution, which is working with Hyundai to build the factory, said it had asked employees to return from US business trips while suspending travel to the US except for customer meetings. It said 47 of its employees and about 250 workers for contractors at the joint venture factory were detained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Hyundai Motor spokesman said none of the people detained were employed directly by the car maker. The White House said on Friday that any foreign workers brought in for specific projects must enter the United States legally and with proper work authorisations. 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. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has reportedly started detaining immigrants in Boston. The ICE operation in Massachusetts is reportedly going to last several weeks, according to sources who spoke to the New York Times. Operation Patriot 2.0, as the initiative is reportedly called, kicked off just days before President Donald Trump is expected to send the military and federal agents to conduct immigration raids in Chicago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One U.S. official speaking anonymously told the paper that Trump has plans for even more immigration raids beginning this month. The Trump administration has made numerous claims that it will crack down on "sanctuary cities," where local officials limit police assistance to federal immigration officials. The Trump administration has reportedly sent ICE agents to conduct immigration raids in Boston, just days before the president is expected to send federal agents and the military to Chicago (Getty Images) Tom Homan, Trump's border czar, said earlier this week that immigration enforcement would continue to ramp up in several so-called sanctuary cities. A source who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity reportedly said that ICE was targeting Boston specifically because of its policy to limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ICE is reportedly targeting immigrants who have previously been sent to jail but who were not turned over to immigration officials. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has been a vocal critic of Trump and his immigration policies. Im just stating that these tactics are the opposite of what makes communities safer, and no ones buying that line, that were just here to help make everyone safer, she said during a June interview on Boston public radio. We know what safety looks like in the city of Boston. Wu previously issued a statement saying Boston is the safest major city in the U.S. and that Trumps forces arent needed to maintain that safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unlike the Trump administration, Boston follows the law city, state and federal, Wu said in a statement. We are the safest major city in the country because all of our community members know that they are part of how we keep the entire community safe. Stop attacking cities to hide your administrations failures. In March, Wu, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and New York Mayor Eric Adams were called to testify before Congress about their cities' immigration cooperation policies. During her time before Congress, she pleaded for lawmakers to pass comprehensive immigration reforms. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trumps immigration crackdowns. Please: Pass comprehensive immigration law that is consistent and compassionate, Wu responded. That will make our jobs possible and we would so appreciate that partnership. On Thursday, the Trump administration sued Boston over its policies limiting police cooperation with federal immigration officials, arguing that the policies violate federal law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has launched similar lawsuits against New York, New Jersey, and Los Angeles. The City of Boston and its Mayor have been among the worst sanctuary offenders in America they explicitly enforce policies designed to undermine law enforcement and protect illegal aliens from justice. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. If Boston wont protect its citizens from illegal alien crime, this Department of Justice will. Wu responded, saying that the city will defend its constitutional rights, according to Politico. This is our City, and we will vigorously defend our laws and the constitutional rights of cities, which have been repeatedly upheld in courts across the country, Wu said. We will not yield. The announcement was made via an X post by IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who hailed the achievement as a "big leap for India's semiconductor story." "Big leap for India's semiconductor story! In a first, a telecom system running on 'made in India' chips has cleared the standards & quality tests (TEC certification)," the post added. TEC certification is an official approval issued by India's Telecommunication Engineering Center, which operates under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications. The TEC certification confirms that the system has met stringent quality and performance standards, marking a critical step forward in India's drive for technological self-reliance under the 'Make in India' initiative. This milestone not only showcases India's growing capabilities in semiconductor design and fabrication but also positions the country as a credible player in the global telecom and electronics ecosystem. While India is yet to make significant headway in setting up advanced semiconductor fabs, its broader chip-making ambitions are beginning to take shape with a sharp strategic focus on mature-node manufacturing. Targeting the 28nm-65nm range, India aims to cater to the growing demand in sectors such as automotive, telecom, and industrial electronics. In a detailed analysis, Bastion Research observed that, unlike the global race for cutting-edge nodes, India is positioning itself to fill a critical gap in the global supply chain by producing essential, widely used chips. The report highlighted that the country is already delivering world-class, high-quality integration services. What sets India apart is its ability to match global standards, both in capability and talent, and its swift progression towards scaling these operations to meet the growing demand for advanced semiconductor-based solutions, the report added. (ANI) Communities across Chicago are preparing for Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids to begin as soon as Saturday, which President Donald Trump appeared to confirm in a bizarre Truth Social post this morning. For weeks, the Trump administration has said Chicago is its next target in fulfilling the presidents mass deportation agenda. But theyve provided few details about when it could begin or what law enforcement officials would be involved. On Saturday morning, the president appeared to confirm Illinois Governor JB Pritzkers suspicion that operations would begin this weekend, ahead of Mexican Independence Day celebrations, with an AI-generated image of himself boasting about deportations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I love the smell of deportations in the morning Chicago is about to find out why its called the Department of WAR, Trumps post read. Attached was an AI-generated version of Trump in a cowboy hat, U.S. Army fatigues, and aviator sunglasses with military helicopters flying low over the Chicago skyline, engulfed in flames. On the image was written, Chipocalypse Now, appearing to reference the 1979 Vietnam War movie Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image on Truth Social, seemingly confirming that ICE operations would begin in Chicago on Saturday (@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social) Trump signed an executive order Friday afternoon to change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War to indicate that America has the strongest military, he told reporters from the Oval Office. The Independent has asked the White House and ICE for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pritzker responded to Trumps post, calling him a wannabe dictator. The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal. Donald Trump isn't a strongman, he's a scared man. Illinois wont be intimidated by a wannabe dictator, Pritzker wrote on X. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said, The Presidents threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution. We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump. Illinois Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi called Trumps Truth Social post reckless and un-American. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pritzker had already warned Chicago communities that he believed ICE was coordinating raids in tandem with Mexican Independence Day celebrations in the city, which are to begin on Saturday with a parade in the Pilsen neighborhood. Anti-ICE protesters hold a demonstration outside of the Naval Station Great Lakes, where law enforcement is based, before immigration raids begin (Getty Images) While the Pilsen parade is still scheduled to go ahead, officials said there would be more volunteers maintaining vigilance and keeping an eye out for immigration law enforcement. But other celebrations have been postponed or canceled in light of the potential immigration raids. Organizers of El Grito Chicago, a two-day festival in the downtown area, said they were postponing the event that was set to begin September 13. "To proceed in spite of the advice we've received directly from city and state officials and potentially expose our community to becoming collateral damage would be irresponsible, German Gonzalez, the El Grito Chicago organizer, said in a statement. That's a risk we are not willing to take." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Organizers of the Wauconda Latin Heritage Festival said they were canceling the September 13 event in light of the potential ICE raids. Wauconda is a village in the north suburbs of Chicago where approximately 20 percent of its population is Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2020 census. Little Village, a neighborhood with a high concentration of MexicanAmericans, said its parade scheduled for September 14 would still occur but with increased private security, immigration lawyers, and a rapid response team for immigration raids. Chicago residents participate in the Mexican Independence Day parade on Saturday, despite warnings of immigration raids (REUTERS) Homero Lopez, a 51-year-old born and raised Chicagoan living in Little Village, told the New York Times that the citys energy was different under the threat of immigration raids. The fear has never been this bad, Lopez said. They are really about targeting Hispanics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lopez, who runs a mobile food stand, told the Times that during past Mexican Independence Day celebrations, the streets would be busy with vendors and patrons well into the night. Now, the streets are mostly empty, he said. Earlier this year, protests erupted in downtown Los Angeles when the Trump administration sent ICE into communities with higher populations of Hispanic or Latino residents. While the protests were mostly peaceful, the minor disruption they caused the city led the president to deploy the National Guard and Marines to protect ICE officials. Sept. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has informed Kilmar Abrego Garcia that it plans to deport the Salvadoran national to the tiny African nation of Eswatini, rather than Uganda. Abrego Garcia, a resident of Baltimore who is being detained at the Farmville Detention Center in Virginia, received an email by an ICE official obtained by CNN and then The Hill. The email said because of Abrego Garcia's concerns about being deported to Uganda, he will instead be sent to Eswatini in southeast Africa despite having no ties to Africa, including Eswatini, which a population of 1.2 million and is about the size of New Jersey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "That claim of fear is hard to take seriously, especially given that you have claimed (through your attorneys) that you fear persecution or torture in at least 22 different countries," the email said. "Nonetheless, we hereby notify you that your new country of removal is Eswatini, Africa." The countries he has raised concerns about include El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Haiti. Abrego Garcia's attorneys sent an email to ICE that Abrego Garcia also "expresses a fear of torture and persecution upon removal to Eswatini," ABC News reported. "Third-country nationals previously removed from the United States to Eswatini have all been detained in extremely harsh and torturous conditions; that country has a well-documented record of human rights violations," his attorneys said. "To our knowledge, Eswatini has offered no guarantees that it will not promptly deport Mr. Abrego Garcia to El Salvador where he already experienced torture and will experience torture again." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was an inmate at a notorious mega prison in El Salavdor after he was deported in March, which the government later determined was an "administrative error." The new deportation plans were confirmed to CNN by an ICE official, who said "TRUE: An immigration judge ordered him removed and ICE will comply with that order." Abrego Garcia has said would prefer to go to Costa Rica, where he would have some form of legal status. The government has said he would be sent to the Central American nation if he pleads guilty to a federal human trafficking charge he has refused that option. On Aug. 22, U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw Jr. in Nashville, Tenn., ruled the government did not show he is a danger to U.S. citizens or a flight risk and was transferred from federal detention in Tennessee to his home in Baltimore while awaiting trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The government's general statements about the crimes brought against Abrego, and the evidence it has in support of those crimes, do not prove Abrego's dangerousness," Crenshaw wrote. After his ruling, magistrate judge Barbara Holmes decided that Abrego Garcia would remain behind bars for at least 30 more days. On the same day, District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland prevented federal officials from deporting him again without legal due process. On April 4, she ordered the Trump administration to return him from the prison in El Salvador, and the U.S. Supreme Court on April 10 ordered the Trump administration to "facilitate" his return to the United States. Garcia, 30, rejoined his wife and two children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a check-in with ICE three days later, he was placed in that agency's custody. On Aug. 27, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said that the Trump administration has been temporarily blocked from deporting Abrego Garcia until at least October as his latest challenge against deportation is resolved in court. He has a hearing set for Oct. 6, and Xinis said she'll issue a ruling within 30 days. The judge didn't remove him from ICE custody, though he must be within a 200-mile radius of the court in Maryland. Baltimore and the detention center are 218 miles apart. He was initially sent to El Salvador's CECOT prison, even though a 2019 court order was in place to bar deportation back to his native country due to fear of persecution. He was allowed to life and work legally in the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration sent five men, all of whom have criminal backgrounds and convictions, to Eswatini nation in July. In addition to Eswatini, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda have said they willing to accept migrants deported from the U.S. Eswatini, which gained full independence from Britain in 1968, was known as Swaziland until 2018. The landlocked nation, which is governed by a monarch, is bordered by South Africa to the west and Mozambique to the east. It has stunning natural landscapes, including hills and forests, in a list of attributes by Facts.net. Swazi is the country's official language, though English is also commonly used, and Eswatini's largest city, Manzini, has a population of more than 100,000. Ninety percent of the country's residents are Christian. US President Donald Trump, left, greets Lee Jae Myung, South Korea's president, outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. Trump blasted South Korea for political instability, foreshadowing a potentially rocky visit by the country's president to the White House to discuss its framework trade and investment agreement with the US. Credit - Al Drago 2025 Bloomberg Finance LP The arrest of hundreds of South Korean nationals in a sweeping immigration raid in Georgia on Thursday has caused a diplomatic spat between the United States and one of its key allies in Asia. Just two weeks after South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and President Donald Trump met at the White House to finalize a trade deal that included $350 billion worth of investment in the United States, more than 300 Korean citizens were detained at a Hyundai plant near Savannah. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was the largest single-site enforcement operation ever carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to date, and it caused shockwaves in Seoul. The next two days saw a flurry of diplomatic activity in response to the raid. President Lee held an emergency meeting, and the country's Foreign Minister, Cho Hyun, called a press conference to announce he was deeply concerned about the operation. Cho said President Lee had ordered all-out efforts" to support the arrested South Koreans, and that Lee had emphasized that in the course of U.S. law enforcement, the rights of our people and the economic activities of South Korean investors in the U.S. must not be unjustly infringed upon. Read More: Exclusive: Lee Jae-myung Aims to Steer South Korea Past Its Moment of Crisis and Mounting Challenges We will discuss sending a senior Foreign Ministry official to the site without delay, and, if necessary, I will personally travel to Washington to hold consultations with the U.S. administration, Cho told reporters on Saturday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The next day, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said the government had negotiated the release of the workers with the U.S. and was chartering a plane to repatriate the 300 workers. South Korea has been a staunch economic and strategic ally of the United States in recent years, bolstered by a recent trade deal with President Donald Trump in which it pledged to invest $350 billion in the U.S., including major commitments in sectors like shipbuilding, electric vehicle batteries, and technology. Lee and Trumps meeting at the White House less than two weeks ago ended with what Trump described as a full and complete trade deal between the two countries. But Trumps crackdown in Georgia may undo some of that diplomacy, particularly as it targeted South Koreas largest auto manufacturer. Jang Dong-hyeok, chair of the main opposition People Power Party in Korea, urged President Lee on Saturday to take swift action, citing broader repercussions to other Korean businesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At a time when numerous Korean firms are expanding investment and building factories across the U.S., such mass detentions of workers could pose a serious risk at the national level, he said, according to Korean media. The South Korean government launched an emergency response team on Friday, with consulate officials dispatched to the site of the raid. The raid also alarmed South Korean company LG Energy Solution (LGES), a battery manufacturer that co-owns the plant, and which announced on Saturday that it was going to suspend employee business travel to the US after 47 of its employees were detained. It also advised any employees in the U.S. to return to South Korea. When asked if he was worried the raid would harm relations with South Korea, Trump defended ICE. I would say that they were illegal aliens, and ICE was just doing its job, he told reporters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Steven N. Schrank, special agent in charge of Homeland Security investigations in Georgia and Alabama, said in a statement on Saturday that those arrested were either in the country illegally or working unlawfully. We welcome all companies who want to invest in the U.S., and if they need to bring workers in for building or other projects, that's fine but they need to do it the legal way, he said. Schrank also told reporters at the site on Friday that some U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents had been detained in the raid and were later released. A total of 475 people were arrested at the site. Kang Hoon-sik, South Korea's Presidential Chief of Staff, said in a televised address on Sunday that the country would review its visa system to prevent similar mistakes in the future, adding: We will not let our guard down until we have our people safely back home. Contact us at letters@time.com. SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) Anti-ICE protestors stood on the steps of the old Chatham County Courthouse with signs to spread the message Get ICE out of Savannah. Moments before the Chatham County Commissioners meeting people gathered on the steps to protest. Organizers of the protest told WSAV that the rally was planned before the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at the Hyundai Mega Site. Protestors gather to speak out against the collaboration between the Chatham County Police Department and ICE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WHAT TO KNOW: Search warrant for Hyundai megasite raid What we want to do is draw a distinction between complying and fully cooperating, Political Director for the College Democrats of America Cameron Landon said. There is more. They are doing vastly, vastly more. They do not need to be participating in ride-alongs to be going there and actively pointing out where the immigrant communities are. They should be targeting whatever are mandated to do, sure. Ride-alongs, we dont support that. Alex Morales was one of the protestors at the rally and was present at the Hyundai Plant when ICE arrived. I mean, I was there, and when I used to go to school, they used to do lockdowns and the officers had to come and the dogs used to come, Morales said. I never had drugs on me, but you had a feeling of being scared anyways, even if you were not doing nothing. When I heard that officer say, I need this plant to be shut down and people stopped working, I felt that emotion came back. I was like, it just felt like he was talking directly to me, and I just felt like a little kid again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the rally protestors went into the County Commissioners meeting. However, when they attempted to speak to officials, they were quickly escorted out by police. Hyundai Motor Group releases statement on Georgia raid Chairman Chester Ellis did comment about the ICE presents throughout Chatham County. All of the law enforcement in this county, whether we are talking about the sheriffs department, whether were talking about the county department, the citys department, Ellis said. We are mandated by law to assist in any federal agencies that come in here. I dont care whether its ice, or whether it the Secret Service. Whenever assistance is asked for, we are in compliance. That is a law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WSAV reached out to the Chatham County Police Department for comment however they stated: Chairman Chester Ellis speaks for the Chatham County government and have nothing to add. 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 WSAV-TV. (NewsNation) The Trump administration has told Kilmar Abrego Garcia he could be deported to the small African country of Eswatini. A top ICE official told Abrego Garcias lawyers that the country, formerly known as Swaziland, has replaced Uganda as the country he will be deported to after he stated that he fears persecution or torture in Uganda. Abrego Garcia has also feared being harmed if deported to at least 22 other countries, the majority of them being in Latin America. In an email to his attorneys obtained by Reuters, the official said Abrego Garcias claims are hard to take seriously, but added: Nonetheless, we hereby notify you that your new country of removal is Eswatini, Africa Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Suburban Chicago ICE facility gains spotlight for federal operation Eswatini is now the fourth country the Trump administration has floated sending Abrego Garcia to after he was mistakenly deported to a Salvadoran prison in March. He was brought back to the U.S. in June and later faced federal smuggling charges. Officials also said he could be sent to Costa Rica. Federal officials added they could have a legal route to deport him to El Salvador a second time if he opens an asylum case. Abrego Garcia is currently in ICE custody in Virginia. 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. Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Immigration and Customs Enforcement began an immigration law enforcement surge in Massachusetts and Boston this week, while challenging their sanctuary laws in federal court. The Trump administration this week began the surge, dubbed Operation Patriot 2.0, in Massachusetts and Boston, The New York Times reported. The surge is in advance of a similar surge anticipated in Chicago and another that is already underway in Washington, D.C., and comes as the Trump administration has started challenging city and state sanctuary laws in federal court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Justice Department on Thursday challenged the legality of Boston's 11-year-old sanctuary city law, called the Boston Trust Act, which does not allow city police to transfer detainees to ICE or hold them for possible federal immigration law violations. The federal lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts names Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, the city of Boston, the Boston Police Department and Police Commissioner Michael Cox as defendants. The DOJ has accused them of violating the Constitution's Supremacy Clause that gives federal law precedence over state and local laws. The defendants also "interfere with federal law and create obstacles to the enforcement of federal immigration law," the DOJ said, which asked the court to invalidate the sanctuary laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Responding to the lawsuit and enforcement surge, Wu accused the Trump administration of "targeting the very people who built our country and our cities," WBTS-CD reported. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said the state needs other kinds of assistance from the federal government. "It's disrespectful to local and state law enforcement, who work hard every day," Healey said. "What we need from the Trump administration is funding for cops, funding for community policing [and] funding for law enforcement," she added. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons earlier said the agency would "flood" Boston and other sanctuary locales with federal immigration enforcement agents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Justice Department officials also warned Wu and leaders in other sanctuary cities and jurisdictions that they would lose federal funding and potentially face prosecution for allegedly obstructing federal immigration enforcement efforts. While Wu and Healey oppose the federal immigration law enforcement surge, ICE officials on Thursday reported the capture and removal of an accused child rapist in Boston. Agents with the ICE Boston office removed Albert George Davis, 59, from the United States on Aug. 21 and deported him to Jamaica, the agency said in a press release. Jamaican officials sought Davis since 2020, when he was accused of raping a child in Jamaica and fled to the United States to avoid prosecution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He had been hiding out in our community for five years, but now he will be forced to face justice in his native country," said David Wesling, deputy director of the ICE Enforcement and Removals Office in Boston. "ICE Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by aggressively locating, arresting and removing criminal alien offenders from our New England communities," Wesling added. CENTCOM According to Arab reports, Cooper has been involved in talks between the Lebanese government and Hezbollah over a plan to disarm the terrorist group. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir met with US Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper for the first time, CENTCOM announced on Saturday. The United States maintains an ironclad commitment to Israels security, said Adm. Cooper. We are mutually dedicated to promoting regional security and stability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The visit focused on the operational cooperation between the IDF and the United States military, according to the Israeli military statement. According to Arab reports, Cooper has been involved in talks between the Lebanese government and Hezbollah over a plan to disarm the terrorist group and transfer security control of all Lebanese territory to the Lebanese Armed Forces. Israel has stressed that such a move is a prerequisite for achieving a new security reality in the North. At the same time, there have been growing reports in both Israel and the United States that another confrontation with Iran is a possibility that all sides must acknowledge. CENTCOM, IDF prepare for possible strike from Iran The visit also addressed the ongoing threat from the Houthis in Yemen, following what Israel views as a major success in eliminating significant parts of the groups ruling regime in Sanaa. Cooper had previously overseen many US strikes in Yemen during Washingtons campaign against the Houthis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The IDF views Cooper as a crucial component for aligning efforts with Washington on Iran, especially after military ties reached a peak during Operation Rising Lion this past June. His predecessor, Michael Kurilla, maintained close ties with Israels leadership and pursued a hard line against Tehran and its regional influence. This week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also commented on the possibility of renewed direct conflict with Iran in an interview with the Telegram channel Abu Ali Express. Our response depends on the Iranians, he said. We will act according to the threat that comes from there. If they have any sense, they would do well not to bring this situation upon themselves. Adani Power, India's largest private power producer, and Druk Green Power Corp. Ltd. (DGPC), Bhutan's state-owned generation utility, signed the Shareholders Agreement (SHA) for setting up a 570 MW Wangchhu hydroelectric project in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. An in-principle understanding on the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) was also initialled. Most importantly, the developers also signed the Concession Agreement (CA) for the project with the Royal Government of Bhutan, the company said in a release. These Agreements, signed in the presence of the Prime Minister of Bhutan, Dasho Tshering Tobgay and Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group, pave the way for Adani Power and DGPC to initiate the implementation of the peaking run-of-river Wangchhu hydroelectric project on a BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, Transfer) model. The Wangchhu project will see an investment of about Rs 60 billion in setting up the renewable energy power plant and related infrastructure. With the preparation of the detailed project report already completed, construction work is expected to begin by the first half of 2026, and the completion is targeted within five years of groundbreaking. "Bhutan is a role model for the world in sustainable development, and we are very excited to play a leading role in the development of the country's natural resources through this renewable energy project. The Wangchhu hydroelectric project will critically meet Bhutan's peak winter demand, when hydro power generation is low. During the summer months, it would export power to India," said SB Khyalia, CEO, Adani Power. "Bhutan and India have, since the 1960s, worked closely together to harness the huge hydropower potential that Bhutan is endowed with. This cooperation in hydropower has immensely benefited both countries and is considered the cornerstone of the exemplary and friendly relations that the two countries enjoy," said Dasho Chhewang Rinzin, MD, DGPC. He added that as Bhutan endeavours to become a High Income GNH (Gross National Happiness) Country within the next decade, access to reliable and affordable electricity from its renewable energy resources, such as hydropower and solar, will be critical to enable other investments to drive its economic growth. "Bhutan, therefore, plans to add another 15,000 MW in hydropower and 5,000 MW in solar generation capacity by 2040. DGPC is therefore happy to be partnering with the Adani Group for establishing the 570 MW Wangchhu hydroelectric project. Considering their technical & financial strength and the immense experience and expertise that the Adani Group brings to the table, the project implementation is expected to be fast-tracked and set a benchmark for other such projects. The project, on completion, will not only help ensure Bhutan's energy security but also help further strengthen grid connectivity between Bhutan and India," said the DGPC MD. The Wangchhu is the first hydroelectric project to be taken up under an MoU that was signed in May 2025 between the Adani Group and DGPC for jointly developing 5,000 MW of hydropower in Bhutan. Adani Group and DGPC are engaged in further discussions for future projects under this strategic partnership. Adani Power (APL), a part of the Adani portfolio, is the largest private thermal power producer in India. The Company has an installed thermal power capacity of 18,110 MW spread across twelve power plants in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Tamil Nadu, apart from a 40 MW solar power plant in Gujarat. With the help of a world-class team of experts in every field of power, Adani Power is on course to achieve its growth potential. The company is harnessing technology and innovation to transform India into a power-surplus nation and provide quality and affordable electricity for all. DGPC is the sole generation utility of Bhutan with a current generation portfolio of a little over 2,500 MW and growing fast with Bhutan's aspirations to achieve 25,000 MW in generation capacity by 2040. Druk Holding & Investments, the commercial arm of the Royal Government of Bhutan, is DGPC's shareholder. Established in 2008 to take a lead role in developing Bhutan's hydropower resources, it has recently diversified beyond hydropower into tapping solar resources also. Over the years, DGPC has invested in and built expertise in the water-to-wire energy business with established centers of excellences in critical areas and applied research and development capabilities. (ANI) IDF Arabic Spokesperson Avichay Adraee ordered civilians to evacuate a section of Gaza City, advising them to move southwards towards humanitarian zones in Khan Yunis and Al-Mawasi. The IDF struck a building with Hamas infrastructure and surveillance equipment, IDF spokesperson in Arabic Col. Avichay Adraee wrote on X/Twitter on Saturday. Adraee ordered civilians to evacuate a section of Gaza City earlier on Saturday, advising them to move southwards towards humanitarian zones in Khan Yunis and Al-Mawasi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his statement, Adraee detailed measures taken to reduce the possibility of civilian casualties, including the evacuation notices, use of precise striking techniques, and IDF-gathered intelligence. One of the targets included a high-rise Gaza City tower that the military said was being used by Hamas. IDF strikes Hamas-used high-rise building in Gaza City, September 5, 2025. (credit: TPS-IL) Defense Minister Israel Katz shared a video on X/Twitter of what appeared to be the multi-story building collapsing after the strike, sending a cloud of dust and debris into the air. The IDF said Hamas used the building to gather intelligence and that explosive devices had been planted nearby. Hamas denied using the building for military purposes, and Palestinians said it had been used to shelter the displaced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, the military bombed another high-rise tower that was reported to be used by Hamas. IDF invades Gaza City The Saturday strike is part of the military's invasion of Gaza City that began on Friday. "In the coming days, the IDF will carry out precise, targeted strikes against terrorist infrastructure that poses a direct threat to IDF troops," the military stated ahead of the operation. In previous weeks, the IDF carried out additional strikes in Gaza, killing prominent Hamas officials such as Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida. Last Thursday saw a new photograph that showed Obeida with other Hamas officials who have been killed in the Gaza war. Mohammed Odeh, head of Hamas's Intelligence Staff, is said to be the only one in the photo who hasn't been killed by the IDF during the Israel-Hamas war. On Sunday, shortly after the killing of Obeida, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir threatened Hamas leaders abroad, saying, "We will reach them too." Avi Ashkenazi contributed to this report. A powerful Justice Department appeals panel has declared that anyone in deportation proceedings who entered the U.S. without legal authorization is not entitled to be considered for release on bond by an immigration judge. The ruling upends a decadeslong understanding of federal law and could subject millions of immigrants to mandatory detention a loss of liberty that advocates say could cause many to voluntarily leave the country even if they have meritorious cases to remain. It also conflicts with recent federal court rulings finding the administrations efforts to expand immigration detention violate the law and due process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Previously, foreigners who entered illegally but could show they had been living in the U.S. for more than two years could ask an immigration judge for release on bond. But the decision Friday from the Board of Immigration Appeals concludes that detention is mandatory for anyone in deportation proceedings who entered the U.S. without inspection. The ruling comes two months after the Trump administration altered its own interpretation of the law to insist on mandatory detention for immigrants apprehended within the United States even if they had been present for decades. The change in policy has led to a flood of arrests of immigrants attending routine court proceedings and check-ins with federal authorities, despite previous decisions by immigration courts that they posed no danger or risk of fleeing. Federal judges have repeatedly found the administrations interpretation to be flagrantly illegal, a defiance of the plain language of the law that would render carefully crafted legislation on the issue including the recently passed Laken Riley Act championed by President Donald Trump superfluous. But the ruling by the BIA part of the executive branch complicates the equation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The decision is binding on federal immigration courts, the network of executive branch judges who handle routine deportation proceedings and are distinct from the federal judiciary. Rulings by immigration courts, including the BIA, can ultimately be overturned by the attorney general, who oversees the system. The BIA ruling, however, is not binding on the judicial branch. And under recent Supreme Court precedents it is unclear how much weight those judges and ultimately the Supreme Court will give to the Justice Departments view of the law. One former immigration judge, Dana Leigh Marks, said in an interview that the ruling seems intended to encourage those in deportation proceedings to give up the fight and agree to return to their countries of origin or another country. Its horrific, said Marks, a former head of the immigration judges union. No self-respecting lawyer could look themselves in the mirror and take these positions. Its a total cynical move to try to force people to litigate their cases while theyre detained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The BIA ruling Friday dealt with Venezuelan-born Jonathan Javier Yajure Hurtado, who crossed into Texas from Mexico in November 2022 without being inspected by U.S. border officials. He later received temporary protected status, which expired in April. Within days, he was detained by immigration officials. Yajure, who is currently in a Tacoma, Washington, immigration detention center, could appeal the BIA ruling to the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, as could immigrants in other deportation cases who are denied hearings as a result of the new precedent. While the decision could trigger a wave of new appeals in federal courts, immigrants in various parts of the country have already filed cases in federal district courts challenging as illegal the practice of denying them a bond hearing. In dozens of cases in recent months, district court judges have sided with the immigrants, finding that the deportation scheme enacted by Congress was intended to distinguish between those apprehended at the border or shortly after entering and those who had been residing in the United States long-term. Those rulings have pointed to a 2018 Supreme Court precedent as supporting that distinction. A federal judge has again halted President Donald Trump's effort to strip Temporary Protected Status from 600,000 Venezuelans and 500,000 Haitians living in the United States. Many of them live in South Florida and stood to lose their legal status by November, placing them at risk of deportation. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen ruled on Sept. 5 that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem's termination of TPS for more than 1 million Venezuelans and Haitians was "unlawful" and restored their legal protections. The Trump administration is expected to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. It is still unknown if hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan nationals will have their TPS applications, work permits and driver's licenses renewed before they expire next week. Failure to renew them could make it difficult for them to work and provide for their families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TPS is a humanitarian status that lets people from specific countries live and work in the United States without fear of deportation for a period of time. Every applicant must undergo annual background checks to renew their status. In January, Noem announced her agency would vacate TPS extensions that the administration of former President Joe Biden had granted in 2021 and 2023 to over 600,000 Venezuelans. In June, she announced the termination of TPS held by 500,000 Haitians, many of whom have been living in the United States since their TPS was first granted in 2010 after an earthquake devastated the Caribbean nation. Noem has argued conditions have improved in Venezuela and Haiti, nations still going through political upheavals plus fuel and food shortages. Her orders marked the first time the U.S. government had terminated TPS before the end of its designated period in the program's 35 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DeSantis, ICE: We target illegals posing safety risk, then broaden definition of 'criminal' Chen's order concluded that while DHS has the discretion to establish, extend and end TPS designations, Noem lacked the authority to revoke TPS protection set forth in extensions approved by the previous administration. It followed the Trump adminstration's appeal of his earlier order to a three-judge panel. "In enacting the TPS statute, Congress designed a system of temporary status that was predictable, dependable, and insulated from electoral politics," that panel wrote in August. It upheld Chen's previous rulings blocking the termination of legal protections for Venezuelan and Haitian TPS holders. Judge's ruling comes as tensions escalate between U.S., Venezuela The order removing TPS was issued even as military tensions escalate between Washington and Caracas, the South American nation's capitol. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Sept. 2, Trump revealed U.S. forces had carried out a strike against a vessel in the southern Caribbean Sea that the president accused of transporting illegal drugs. U.S. forces killed 11 people, whom Trump and other U.S. officials claimed were members of a Venezuelan gang. Trump has also ramped up the military presence in the region by dispatching additional air and naval forces, including more than a handful of warships, to the waters off South America's northeast coast. His administration has said the deployment is to stop the illegal flow of drugs and apply greater pressure against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, who introduced the bipartisan bill Venezuela TPS Act of 2025, praised Chen's decision in a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "TPS recipients are legal," Wasserman Schultz, whose district includes several Venezuelan and Haitian neighorbhoods, wrote on Sept. 5. "Trumps attempts to revoke their status were illegal. The judge just made that distinction clear." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Immigration crackdown: He played Jesus on Good Friday. Ten days later, he was deported. What is Temporary Protected Status? Temporary Protected Status is granted to residents of specific countries that are suffering from armed conflict, a natural disaster or other "extraordinary and temporary" conditions that make returning home unsafe. It allows people covered by it to live and work in the United States, but they are not considered permanent residents, nor do they have a pathway either to permanent residency or citizenship. To obtain TPS, recipients must pass a full background check and they may not have any previous felony convictions or two or more misdemeanors. They must also renew their applications every 18 months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Having TPS allows them to get drivers licenses and receive Social Security numbers, a requirement to work legally in the United States and to file taxes, but they do not have access to any federal public benefits, including Social Security. The designation prevents people from being deported to their native countries while TPS is in effect. 'They are hopeless': Haitian immigrants face deportation to violence, poverty they fled Why make a new push to terminate TPS now? The Biden administration granted TPS to Venezuelans living in the United States because of the South American nation's "severe humanitarian emergency," which includes human rights violations, political turmoil, economic collapse, and shortages of food and medicine under Maduro. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over 500,000 Haitian refugees have TPS protections that have been extended due to the country's political turmoil and rampant gang violence in the aftermath of the earthquake 15 years ago. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump promised to end TPS protections for hundreds of thousands of people as part of his vow to stem immigration across the U.S. southern border. Noem argued TPS had allowed criminals to enter the United States and that keeping the designation was against the national interest. "Given Venezuelas substantial role in driving irregular migration and the clear magnet effect created by Temporary Protected Status, maintaining or expanding TPS for Venezuelan nationals directly undermines the Trump Administrations efforts to secure our southern border and manage migration effectively, said Matthew Tragesser, a spokesperson for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Immigration crackdown: He lived an immigrant's nightmare. One problem: He's a citizen, got his arrest on video Noems order however, contradicts a 2024 report by the U.S. Department of State that found human rights violations have worsened in Venezuela, reaching "a new milestone in the degradation of the rule of law. "Noems generalization of the alleged acts of a few (for which there is little or no evidence) to the entire population of Venezuelan TPS holders who have lower rates of criminality and higher rates of college education and workforce participation than the general population is a classic form of racism," Chen wrote in his order. In August, the U.S. Department of State posted a $50 million reward for the apprehension of Maduro, identifying him as the leader of the Cartel de los Soles, an international criminal organization involved in the drug trade. The Trump administration subsequently took action on the alleged narcotics trafficking vessel on Sept. 2. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Noem's order, DHS encouraged Venezuelans to self-deport using the U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP Home app that offers offers complimentary plane ticket, a $1,000 exit bonus and "potential future opportunities for legal immigration." Catalina Restrepo, a Greenacres immigration lawyer from Greenacres, said the constant back-and-forth has left her Venezuelan clients living in fear. She said some had told her their employers have threatened to turn them away from work after Sept. 10, leaving them without any means to provide for themselves. Others worry they will be detained by immigration authorities and separated from their families. For all of them, their biggest fear is getting deported to Venezuela, with many saying it would be a death sentence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Venezuelan TPS holders have lived in South Florida for years, Restrepo said, and make up an important part of the state's labor market filling service-oriented jobs as caretakers, teachers and restaurant and hotel workers. "They contribute opening up businesses, working in our everyday shops, factories, and all sorts of different jobs," Restrepo said. "They are here to make our communities better." A protest over Venezuela's presidential election held July 28, had more than 100 Treasure Coast residents turning up at the Cashmere Shell Station at Southwest Cashmere Boulevard in Port St. Lucie, Aug. 18, 2024. More than 100 residents from across the Treasure took part in the global protest over the poll results in Venezuela's presidential election. The government-controlled electoral commission in Venezuela declared President Nicolas Maduro was the winner, for a third six-year term in office. The opposition said their candidate Edmundo Gonzalez was the winner and they wanted the data from the polling stations to verify the election. Venezuela's Supreme Court backed Maduro on Aug. 22. Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Greenacres, Palm Springs and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB. Support local journalism: Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Judge blocks Trump's new bid to end TPS for Venezuelans, Haitians The school day starts early for the Bicchieri-Galeno family. They aim to be out of the house by 7:45 a.m. and make it a priority to leave together to make the half-block walk, hand in hand, to Orozco Gifted Bilingual Fine Arts and Sciences Academy in Pilsen. On Friday morning, the family of fours hands were filled with small white flyers to distribute to parents and students as they entered school. The bold, red capital letters read, CTU: Defend your rights under the threat of occupation. In the days prior, the Chicago Teachers Union blanketed school communities across the city with flyers, reminding people of their constitutional rights should they be stopped by law enforcement. CTU officials said they aim to help the predominantly Latino and Black neighborhoods vulnerable to the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the National Guard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shortly before the bell rang, roughly a dozen others, including teachers and administrators, trickled out of Orozco to join the Bicchieri-Galenos including their son, Leone, 8, and daughter Claudita, 11. Leone Jose Bicchieri compared the local anxiety to 2008, when immigrant raids occurred across the country. The flyers and information being shared online from community to community is helping, Bicchieri said, between running from cars to parents outside the building and back again. Orozcos student enrollment was nearly 97% Hispanic in 2024, according to the Illinois Report Card. There are a lot more people that are ready this time, he said. The concerns come after repeated remarks from President Donald Trump indicating his intent to send troops to Chicago to curb perceived violence in the city, despite a drop in crime rates in the last year. Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson warned Chicagoans of an expected increased federal presence this weekend that could go on for weeks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The flyers are a way for the school to ensure the community has essential information by providing it directly to parents, Orozco fifth grade teacher Cynthia Palomares said. The small paper includes tips on communicating with neighbors to stay safe and reminders that their rights include not consenting to be searched, declining to share birthplace or citizenship status, and refusing to allow agents or officers entry to their homes without a signed warrant. Both students and parents should feel safe in the building despite the potential threat of ICE or the National Guard, Palomares added. I just think its important to make our community feel safe, Orozco fifth grade teacher Cynthia Palomares said. Thats our biggest fear, is to have one of our kids wondering if their parents are going to come for them or not. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CPS also reiterated in several emails to families that school is safe. No district families are required to share their immigration status with CPS. Additionally, ICE cannot access district facilities or personnel unless it has a criminal warrant, and the district will not provide assistance to ICE in the enforcement of federal civil immigration law. This sentiment was echoed in an additional community note released Friday containing a guidance document from the district with tips for staying safe during school transportation. CPS interim CEO Macquline King reiterated in the letter the importance of students attending classes even with the uncertainty so they can start the academic year strong and build necessary skills. I know that with the threat of a federal deployment, its hard for parents to feel comfortable going through their daily routines, including sending their children to school. But school is still the best, safest place for students, especially in these early weeks of the year, King said in the letter. Talking with curious Orozco students, school officials have compared the sudden presence of flyers to to an emergency drill, Principal Meghan Sovell said. Shes tried to normalize it by explaining it as something the school is doing to make sure everyone in the neighborhood is safe and knows what to do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We just did a fire drill yesterday, so just kind of tying it into that normal stuff, like: We do fire drills, we make sure we know what to do if the governments around, Sovell said. On Friday afternoon, teachers and CTU members handed out flyers during dismissal at Beidler Elementary School in East Garfield Park. We are flyering today to let our babies know theyre protected, fourth grade teacher Karen Peterson told the Tribune. Beidels enrollment was about 95% Black and 5% Hispanic in 2024, according to the Illinois Report Card. Bouncing on their feet, students rushed out of the front entrance, laughing and yelling. One boy whipped his sweatshirt around like a windmill as he waited to be picked up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The childrens family members, however, were not nearly as lighthearted as they listened to teachers explain their rights in potential interactions with federal law enforcement. Susan Jones, whose grandson attends kindergarten at Beidler, said shes already aware of many of her constitutional rights. Still, their presence showed teachers care about their students and community, she said. Children, theyre smart they watch the TV and the news they see whats going on, Jones said. Im quite sure thats confusing for them. While Jones said shes unaware of immigration officials detaining people at Beidler, shes still scared it could happen to anyone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But other parents and family members arent as concerned as Jones about potential ICE and National Guard deployments to Chicago, longtime Beidel teacher Jessie Hudson said at a news conference after the flyer distribution ended. Some even see it as a hoax, she said. Were educating Dont react, Hudson said. Lets learn to think and then most of all, know your rights. Know that you have a leg to stand on and know that you have support. But from Petersons perspective as a teacher, intimidation and potential detention from federal authorities at any school harms the entire CPS community. I want everybody to be safe, Peterson said. Parents, students take proactive measures Communities are already preparing in other ways to ensure students remain in school, including altering transportation methods and the amount of contact parents have with each other. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CPS advocated for families and students to take extra safety precautions in its letter last week, including having a group of parents and students to walk to and from school together, creating a carpool group or buddy system while on public transportation, and being in communication with their block or neighborhood to share information quickly if needed. Those communication patterns are already present between parents in Pilsen and Little Village, including Orozco mother Claudia Galeno-Sanchez and other community members, she said. In the past, she has given other students rides at the last minute when parents, fearing detention by ICE, were too scared to leave their homes. She was able to do that because of the strong communication between the community and a collective desire to be ready to act despite the uncertainty, she said. We are just trying to exchange information, share numbers with our neighbors, saying, Who is going to help in case this happens? How are we going to be prepared? Galeno-Sanchez said. Students are also organizing and relaying information. Claudita Bicchieri-Galeno spoke with classmates about the defend your rights tips and gave out flyers and pins reading no human being is illegal on her own earlier this week while in school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her classmates thanked her and didnt seem too nervous about the situation, though she slightly is, Bicchieri-Galeno said. Passing out and wearing the pins is a form of action for her. I think we need to send the message that even the kids know whats happening, Bicchieri-Galeno said. Strategizing is also happening within Lane Tech College Prep High School in Roscoe Village, where students are banding together to keep each other safe and create plans in case ICE does come for undocumented students, Lane Tech grandmother Virginia Martinez said. Students are already carpooling and walking to school together to be safe and parents are also communicating, she added. Everybodys so worried, but I think the parents got everything under control, Martinez said. I think all the kids are going to bond together and nothing (bad) is going to happen. Im hoping for the best. This story was written by Nathan Prewett of the Trussville Tribune. PINSON, Ala. (TRIBUNE) The bookkeeping maintained by the City of Pinson has appeared to improve since 2024 according to the latest audit report given during a meeting of the city council on Thursday night. Dawson Horton, who has delivered audit reports for the council in past years, gave the overview of the June 2024 yearend financial statements from the firm Borland and Benefield. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In June of that year the last audit report highlighted several troubling elements that caused Mayor Robbie Roberts to express dismay with the financial status of the city. The concerns stemmed from a new accounting system and the vacancy of the accountant position. What followed was months of delay until it was finally passed in November. Horton began by saying that the firms opinion on the financial statements is that they were fairly and accurately reported, a standard that the said was a passing grade. He then noted that there was a positive trend in the growth of assets year over year and a decline in liability balances, mostly due to expenses from the American Rescue Plan or ARP. There was a continued reduction in long-term debt, with no concerns being seen in making payments. The unrestricted net position was somewhat over $2.1 million, which represents an estimated 6.5 months in operating reserves. Horton said that it was recommended to have a least three months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A slight decline in sales taxes was noted, largely due to the transition of the Winn Dixie grocery store to Aldi. Other taxes experienced an increase, he said. Overall expenses decreased nearly $300,000 while there was slightly more than $800,000 in capital projects. There was an outstanding debt totaling a little more than $1.9 million. One finding, however, was the bank reconciliation process, which he said was behind and will need adjustments though he expressed optimism that this and any other issues could be improved with time. Pinson Councilor Glenda Kirkland withdraws from District 5 runoff Roberts credited accountant Kevin Wallace and the city staff for the work on the budget and cooperation for the audit, though he noted that there was still work to be done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They feel good about this upcoming year, Roberts said. The information like I say we were having to learn the ropes, make the fixes, do some of the stuff that [Horton] was talking about in there. Thats now occurring on a more regular basis and as a result we probably can get the information a lot faster than what they have in the past. The audit will be considered for acceptance at the next meeting on Sept. 18. During public comments Dolan Terry expressed appreciation to the outgoing council members. Following him was Bill Dooley, who thanked Roberts for addressing damage caused to a road at his residence. Afterwards Sandra Hendricks spoke to complain about the amount of garbage being dumped by renters of units on Heritage Place and about a unit that is not boarded up after suffering extensive damage from a fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roberts said that he has noted the garbage on the street during a recent visit there and that it will be addressed, adding that the unit does not have boards because it is being repaired. He encouraged anyone who witnesses illegal dumping to notify law enforcement. In other business the council: Purchased a two-acre property adjacent to the Pinson Public Library for $200,000 to potentially be used for overflow parking, though no specific plans for it are in place, Agreed to provide public safety at the upcoming Pride of the Valley Band Competition on Sept. 27, Renewed its contract with Spectrum, and Agreed to expend $54,300 for striping and repair of the parking lot at the Bicentennial Park. Pinson City Council meets on the first and third Thursdays of every month at City Hall on 4410 Main Street. Live-streamed meetings can be seen on the citys Facebook page. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. SALISBURY, Conn. (WTNH) Crews rescued an injured hiker on the Appalachian Trail in Salisbury just before severe storms rolled in on Saturday. Members of the Northwest Regional Ropes Rescue Team responded to Salisbury around 11:45 a.m. to assist an injured hiker who was approximately three miles into the Appalachian Trail. Power outages reported across Connecticut as severe storms hit parts of the state Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Racing against the weather, the patient was safely assessed, packaged, and extricated from the woods using a Stokes basket, wheel and multiple rope systems, a post on the Litchfield Fire Departments Facebook page read. The patient was transferred to the care of Salisbury Ambulance just as the storms started to blow in. 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. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Iran on Saturday executed a man accused of involvement in a deadly attack on security forces during nationwide protests in 2022, the judiciarys official news agency reported. Mizan Online identified the man as Mehran Bahramian, who reportedly opened fire on a security vehicle during the unrest, killing one officer and wounding others in December 2022, in Semirom county, Isfahan province. It added that Irans Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence. The execution marked the 12th known case of a person put to death in connection with the 2022 protests, according to rights monitors. The demonstrations erupted after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, died in police custody following her arrest for allegedly violating the countrys strict dress code. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In June, Iran executed Abbas Korkouri, who was convicted of shooting and killing seven people during the protests. Human rights monitors say such executions are part of a broader campaign to silence dissent, and there is international concern over these executions being conducted without evidence behind closed doors. According to U.N. figures, Iran carried out nearly 1,000 executions in 2024, one of the highest rates in the world. Amnesty International, which campaigns against the death penalty, has warned that Iran may execute other individuals on death row for politically motivated charges. In a statement after two men were hanged in secret in July, Amnesty said: "Their executions highlight the authorities ruthless use of the death penalty as a tool of political repression in times of national crisis to crush dissent and spread fear among the population. (Reuters) -Iran on Saturday executed a man accused of killing a security officer during unrest sparked by the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, the judiciarys Mizan website reported. Rights groups say authorities often rely on forced confessions obtained under torture to convict protesters. Mizan said Mehran Bahramian was among the attackers on a security forces vehicle in the Semirom area of Isfahan province that led to the shooting death of officer Mohsen Rezai in December 2022. Several others were injured, it added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Saturdays execution brings to at least 10 the number of people hanged over the protests that erupted in mid-September 2022 after 22-year-old Amini died in the custody of Iran's morality police for allegedly violating the hijab law. Her death triggered nationwide demonstrations under the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom". Rights groups said Bahramian's brother, Fazel, was also sentenced to death on the same charges. Their brother Morad Bahramian was killed by security forces during the 2022 protests. Amnesty International says confessions extracted through beatings, prolonged solitary confinement and threats against detainees and their families are routinely used as evidence in court. (dubai.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com; Editing by Jan Harvey) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) A desert-like patch of sand and scrawny trees in the largest cemetery in Iran's capital has been the final resting place for decades for some of the thousands killed in the mass executions that followed Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Now, Lot 41 at the sprawling Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran is becoming a parking lot, with their remains likely beneath asphalt. Images from Planet Labs PBC show the parking lot being laid over the site, where opponents of Iran's nascent theocracy and others were rapidly buried following their executions at gunpoint or by hanging. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The site, long monitored by surveillance cameras searching for any sign of dissent or remembrance at what officials have referred to as the scorched section," has seen state-sponsored demolition in the past, with grave markers vandalized and overturned. Iranian officials have acknowledged the recent decision to build the parking, without going into detail about those buried there. That's as a United Nations special rapporteur in 2024 described Iran's destruction of graveyards as an effort to conceal or erase data that could serve as potential evidence to avoid legal accountability over its actions. Most of the graves and gravestones of dissidents were desecrated, and the trees in the section were deliberately dried out, said Shahin Nasiri, a lecturer at the University of Amsterdam who has researched Lot 41. The decision to convert this section into a parking lot fits into this broader pattern and represents the final phase of the destruction process. Last week, both a Tehran deputy mayor and the cemeterys manager acknowledged the plans to create a parking lot on the site. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In this place, hypocrites of the early days of the revolution were buried and it has remained without change for years, Tehran's deputy mayor Davood Goudarzi told journalists in footage aired by state television. "We proposed that the authorities reorganize the space. Since we needed a parking lot, the permission for the preparation of the space was received. The job is ongoing in a precise and smart way. Satellite images show construction The satellite photos show the work began in earnest at the start of August. An Aug. 18 image shows about half of Lot 41 freshly paved over, with construction material still on site. Trucks and piles of asphalt can be seen at the site, suggesting work continued. The reformist newspaper Shargh quoted Mohammad Javad Tajik, who oversees the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, as saying the parking lot would help people visit a neighboring lot, where authorities plan to bury those killed in the Iran-Israel war in June. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A major airstrike campaign by Israel killed prominent military generals and others, with government officials putting the death toll at more than 1,060 people killed, with an activist group putting it at over 1,190. The decision to repurpose the graveyard appears to clash with Iran's own regulations, which allow for a cemetery to repurpose land where internments took place after more than 30 years as long as families of the dead agree with the decision. An outspoken lawyer in Iran, Mohsen Borhani, publicly criticized the decision to pave over the graveyard as neither moral nor legal in an interview with Shargh. "The piece was not only for executed and political people. Ordinary people were buried there, too, he reportedly said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It remains unclear whether human remains sit beneath the layer of asphalt or if Iranian authorities moved the bones of the dead there. However, Iran has destroyed other graveyards in recent years for those killed in its 1988 mass execution that saw thousands put to death, leaving their bones there. Authorities have also vandalized cemeteries for the Baha'i, a religious minority in the country long targeted, and those home to protesters who have died in recent nationwide protests against Iran's theocracy from the 2009 Green Movement to the 2022 Mahsa Amini demonstrations. Impunity for atrocities and crimes against humanity has been building for decades in the Islamic Republic," said Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran. There is a direct line between the massacres of the 1980s, the gunning down of demonstrators in 2009, and the mass killings of protesters in 2019 and 2022." Massive cemetery is the final resting place for many Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Behesht-e Zahra, or the Paradise of Zahra, opened in 1970 on what was then the rural outskirts of Tehran. As hundreds of thousands of Iranians flooded into the capital under the shah as the country's oil wealth skyrocketed, pressure on Tehran's cemeteries had grown to a point that the burgeoning metropolis needed a place for all of its dead as well. The cemetery has long been a resting place for some of the most famous Iranians since and a point where history turned for the country. On his return to Iran in 1979 after years in exile, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini traveled first to the cemetery, where some of those killed in the uprising against the shah had been buried. Khomeini's cleric courts later issued death sentences for those now interred at Lot 41. After his death in 1989, Iran built a towering, golden-domed mausoleum for Khomeini connected to the cemetery. As Behesht-e Zahra grew, Lot 41 found itself surrounded by an ever-expanding number of lots for burials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nasiri said his research with others suggests there are 5,000 to 7,000 burial sites within Lot 41 of those Iran considered religious outlaws, whether communists, militants, monarchists or others. Many survivors and family members of the victims are still searching for the graves of their loved ones, Nasiri said. They seek justice and aim to hold the perpetrators accountable. The deliberate destruction of these burial sites adds an additional obstacle to efforts of truth-finding and the pursuit of historical justice. VMPL New Delhi [India], September 6: Businesses today operate in a landscape where every interaction matters. Each call, email, or purchase tells a story about your customer's expectations, preferences, and pain points. Without a structured system, these stories are fragmented across spreadsheets, inboxes, and disparate tools. Decisions are delayed, opportunities slip away, and teams work in silos. This is where CRM software becomes more than just a database. It captures every interaction, translates it into actionable insights, and ensures your teams are aligned. By connecting sales, marketing, and customer support in a single environment, a CRM turns scattered data into strategic action, empowering businesses to respond with precision and anticipate customer needs before they arise. What CRM Software Does and Why It Matters Although a CRM program centralises customer data, its usefulness goes well beyond mere storage. By converting unprocessed data into useful insights, it helps companies to monitor, evaluate, and respond to interactions. Centralized Customer Data One of the most powerful benefits of a CRM is its ability to consolidate every customer interaction in a single, accessible platform. This includes sales history, marketing engagement, service requests, support tickets, and purchase behaviors. By having all this information in one place, teams gain a 360-degree view of each customer, ensuring no detail is overlooked. -Maintain up-to-date contact and account information to prevent miscommunication -Access a customer's interaction history instantly to provide contextually relevant responses -Track multi-channel communications, including email, phone calls, social media, and in-person interactions, without toggling between platforms - Reduce errors, data duplication, and missed opportunities by centralizing all records Streamlined Processes and Automation Beyond data centralization, CRM software streamlines daily operations through automation. Routine tasks that consume valuable time, such as follow-ups, lead assignment, and reminders, can be automated, freeing teams to focus on high-value activities. Automation also ensures that critical processes are performed consistently, which minimizes human error and accelerates response times. -Automate lead scoring and prioritize prospects based on engagement and conversion likelihood -Set workflow triggers for follow-up emails, reminders, and task assignments -Standardize reporting and analytics across departments for consistent performance evaluation -Reduce administrative burden, allowing teams to concentrate on relationship-building and strategic initiatives Enhanced Collaboration and Alignment A CRM acts as a central hub that promotes seamless collaboration across sales, marketing, and support teams. By providing shared access to the same data, it ensures that everyone works from a unified perspective, eliminating misunderstandings and duplicated efforts. This alignment enhances productivity and strengthens the customer experience. -Share insights, reports, and customer notes across departments for coordinated decision-making -Collaborate on campaigns and customer engagement strategies in real time -Monitor account health collectively, enabling proactive problem-solving - Reduce bottlenecks caused by siloed information and improve cross-department communication Core Benefits of CRM Software for Business Growth CRM software is not just a technical tool; it shapes how companies interact with customers and make decisions. Data-Driven Decisions Modern businesses generate massive amounts of customer data, from purchase history to support interactions and engagement with marketing campaigns. CRM software aggregates this information into comprehensive dashboards and reports, helping teams identify patterns, trends, and opportunities. Data-driven decision-making allows organizations to act proactively, anticipate customer needs, and allocate resources where they will have the most impact. -Identify high-value customers and upsell opportunities -Forecast revenue and track pipeline health -Understand campaign ROI and engagement trends Improved Customer Experience Customer expectations are higher than ever. They demand quick, personalized responses and a seamless experience across every touchpoint. CRM software ensures that teams have access to complete customer profiles, including preferences, previous interactions, and service history. This enables businesses to deliver consistent, relevant, and timely engagement, improving satisfaction, loyalty, and long-term retention. -Personalize interactions based on historical data -Reduce response time through automated workflows -Track complaints and resolutions to improve retention Increased Efficiency and Productivity A CRM eliminates many repetitive administrative tasks that slow down teams. By centralizing workflows and integrating multiple tools into a single platform, it streamlines operations and enhances team productivity. Employees spend less time juggling spreadsheets, emails, and disconnected software, allowing them to focus on activities that directly contribute to business growth. -Consolidate multiple tools into a single platform -Reduce repetitive administrative tasks -Increase adoption and team alignment Step-by-Step Guide to Choosing the Right CRM Software Choosing the best CRM is not an easy task. Businesses must take a methodical approach to guarantee alignment with their resources, workflows, and goals. Step One - Assess Business Needs Identify pain points and prioritize requirements. Are you losing leads due to slow follow-ups? Do teams struggle to share information? Define objectives to narrow your options. -Map current workflows and inefficiencies -List must-have features like automation, analytics, or reporting -Establish short-term and long-term goals Step Two - Consider Deployment Models CRM software can be cloud-based, on-premises, or open source. Each model has trade-offs in cost, control, scalability, and flexibility. -Cloud CRM offers accessibility and quick deployment -On-premises CRM allows customization and internal control -Open source CRM software provides flexibility for technical teams to tailor solutions Step Three - Evaluate Integration and Customization Check how well the CRM integrates with existing tools like email platforms, marketing automation, accounting systems, and analytics software. Customization ensures that your workflows can be implemented without forcing your team to adapt to the software. -Ensure API support for third-party tools -Confirm customization options for dashboards, fields, and automation -Verify reporting and analytics capabilities Step Four - Test with Real Users Before committing, run pilot programs. Engage sales, marketing, and support teams to perform daily tasks in the CRM and collect feedback. Testing reveals usability issues and helps ensure adoption. -Assign real tasks to team members -Collect feedback on navigation, speed, and automation effectiveness -Adjust choice based on practical insights Step Five - Factor in Scalability and Support A CRM should grow with your business. Consider vendor support, community forums, training resources, and long-term maintenance requirements. -Evaluate vendor reputation and customer support quality -Plan for future scalability and upgrades -Confirm compliance and security measures Conclusion: Turning CRM Into a Strategic Asset CRM software transforms scattered customer data into structured insights that drive business growth. From automating workflows and enhancing team collaboration to providing data-driven insights and improving customer experiences, a CRM becomes the driving force of modern business operations. Selecting the right CRM is not about features alone; it is about alignment with your goals, workflows, and resources. Take the time to assess your needs, test multiple platforms, and involve your team in the decision-making process. A carefully chosen CRM enables smarter decisions, higher productivity, and stronger customer relationships. (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) (NewsNation) Iranian diplomats could soon be banned from Costco and Sams Club unless they receive permission to enter from the State Department. According to The Associated Press, Iranian diplomats are partial to shopping at the warehouse stores due to the ability to purchase in bulk at low prices, including items that are much more expensive or hard to find in Iran. The discussion of a ban comes ahead of the Sept. 22 opening of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 475 arrested in ICE raid on Georgia Hyundai plant The proposal was found in an internal State Department memo obtained by the Associated Press. It was not immediately clear if or when the proposed shopping ban for Iran would take effect, but the memo said the State Department also was looking at drafting rules that would allow it to impose terms and conditions on memberships in wholesale clubs by all foreign diplomats in the U.S. The Trump administration has already denied visas for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and his large delegation, and is considering travel restrictions on delegates from Sudan, Zimbabwe and Brazil. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Israel bombed several high-rise buildings in Gaza City it says are used by Hamas ahead of its full-scale ground offensive to capture the city. Video footage shows an Israeli air strike flattening one of the citys tallest residential towers on Friday. The explosive collapse of the 18-storey structure in the north-western district of Zeitoun sent billowing dust and smoke into the sky. The Mushtaha Tower was being used for terrorist activity, with intelligence-gathering equipment and an underground escape tunnel nearby, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The high-rise buildings targeted allegedly had installed cameras, war rooms, snipers and anti-tank missiles, and were being used to direct attacks against Israeli forces operating in northern Gaza, the IDF said. The strikes on Friday mark a new, intensified phase in Israels planned invasion of Gaza City, one of Hamass last strongholds. The full-scale offensive is expected in the coming days. Israel claimed that steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians before the strikes. A warning to residents was issued on Friday morning and the buildings complete destruction followed two hours later. The Israeli army has urged Gaza City residents to flee to a humanitarian zone in the south ahead of a planned offensive to fully capture the capital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Army spokesman Avichay Adraee issued a message to residents on social media on Saturday, saying: Take this opportunity to move early to the [Al-Mawasi] humanitarian zone and join the thousands of people who have already gone there. In a separate statement, the IDF said the specified humanitarian zone had essential infrastructure such as field hospitals, water pipelines, and desalination facilities, alongside the continued supply of food, tents, medicines and medical equipment. Before the war, Gaza City was home to a million residents almost half of the enclaves population. On Thursday, the IDF said it had control over almost half of the city. It also controls about 75 per cent of all Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Benjamin Netanyahu maintains that Gaza City is a Hamas stronghold and capturing all of it is necessary for concluding his military operations. But top IDF chiefs advised the Israeli prime minister against the upcoming escalation of the war. It could endanger the remaining 20 living hostages, lead to heavy IDF casualties, and force Israel into military rule of Gazas two million residents, warned chief of staff General Eyal Zamir and heads of military intelligence. Instead, they advise that Mr Netanyahu pursues a hostage and ceasefire deal. UN humanitarian officials have warned that the impact of a full-blown offensive would be beyond catastrophic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The intensified strikes come after Hamas released a video of two hostages on Friday, one of whom it claims to be held in Gaza City. The video claims to show Guy Gilboa-Dalal in late August, where he says he and eight others are held and will remain despite Israels planned course of action. It also shows hostage Alon Ohel. Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington was in very deep negotiations with Hamas and urged them to release all hostages. The situation will be tough and nasty if Hamas fails to hand them over, he told reporters. 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. DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) The Israeli army issued evacuation orders and targeted high-rise buildings in Gaza City on Saturday, urging Palestinians to flee south ahead of an escalating offensive to seize the city of nearly 1 million. Aid groups warn that a large-scale evacuation would exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza City, which the world's leading hunger watchdog announced last month was officially suffering from famine as a result of Israeli restrictions on food aid. Most Palestinian families have been repeatedly displaced in the nearly two-year-long war and say they have nowhere left to go. The Israeli military has previously bombed tent encampments designated as humanitarian zones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is no safe tent, no safe house, no safe place, no safety at all, said Nadia Marouf, who fled Israel's offensive in the north with her children and resettled in Gaza City only to see her tent destroyed Saturday in an Israeli airstrike that wiped out a 15-story building and surrounding encampment. "Where do I go? We went to the south, there is no space in the south, where can we go? Israeli army urges Palestinians to move to a humanitarian zone Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee called on Palestinians to flee to southern Gaza, announcing on social media that the army had redrawn the borders of a humanitarian zone to encompass the overcrowded encampment of Muwasi and parts of the southern city of Khan Younis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aid groups have raised alarm about woefully inadequate shelter, sanitation, water and food in Muwasi. Months of Israeli bombardment have decimated civilian infrastructure in Khan Younis. The Israeli military said it would work to provide field hospitals, water pipelines and food supplies within its humanitarian zone. Hamas urged Palestinians to stay put in defiance of the latest evacuation orders. Exhausted and despairing, many Palestinians had their own reasons for refusing to pack up and uproot themselves again. I cant walk, I am in pain, and I do not know what to do or where to go, said Ala Alfarani, whose tent was crushed beneath a pile of rubble in Israel's strike on a high-rise in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of south Gaza City. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel targets high-rises in Gaza City Israel on Saturday issued evacuation warnings for two high-rises in Gaza City, with Adraee, the military spokesperson, accusing Hamas of operating inside or near the towers. Soon after, Adraee said that the military had struck one of them. Hamas rejected the allegations, insisting the high-rises were residential towers. Residents of Sousi Tower, a prominent 15-story building, told The Associated Press that the Israeli army gave them around 20 minutes to grab their belongings and flee before warplanes razed the building. We were sitting at home and people started shouting, recalled resident Aida Abu Kas, describing panic and confusion rippling through the building. Some said it was a lie and other said it was real. We went out and didnt know what to do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was not immediately clear if people had been killed or wounded in the strike. Israel Katz, Israels defense minister, posted a video of the Sousi Tower collapsing in an enormous cloud of smoke along with the words: We continue. It was the second Gaza City tower demolished in as many days. On Friday, Israel hit Mushtaha Tower, a local landmark that housed dozens of families, saying that Hamas militants had used it for surveillance. Hamas denied those claims. The leveling of high-rises comes as Israel ramps up its offensive against Hamas after announcing plans to take control of Gaza's largest city, where displaced Palestinian families have pitched tents on the ruins of bombed-out buildings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this week, the Israeli military said it had seized control of 40% of the city. Israel says the assault is aimed at pressuring Hamas to surrender. Critics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuse him of prolonging the war for political reasons. More Palestinians killed by Israeli fire at aid sites Medical officials at Gaza City's Shifa Hospital reported receiving the bodies of 11 Palestinians whom they said had been shot and killed by Israeli soldiers Saturday while gathering to get food at the Zikim crossing between Gaza and Israel. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the shooting deaths. But it has previously acknowledged its forces opening fire to disperse large crowds at food distribution sites or as warning shots when Palestinians approach in what it says is a threatening manner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Such deadly episodes often occur at Zikim crossing, where desperate Palestinians rush toward U.N. humanitarian aid trucks entering the enclave as hunger spreads across the territory. Netanyahu has rejected reports of famine in Gaza as a global campaign of lies. The director of Shifa Hospital, Mohamed Abu Selmiya, said that on Friday, another 23 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza Strip while seeking aid, six of them at Zikim. It's the same every day, gunfire and tank shelling whenever we try to approach the aid trucks," said Ibrahim al-Taweel, 24, who endures the mayhem at Zakim to get food otherwise unaffordable in Gaza City due to shortages and price gouging. The Gaza Health Ministry reports that over 2,000 Palestinians have been killed at distribution sites in recent months, many of them by Israeli fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thousands protest for return of hostages Thousands of Israelis rallied across Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on Saturday evening to increase pressure on Netanyahu to reach a deal with Hamas that would free the remaining 48 hostages held in Gaza. The protesters vented their outrage at the military's renewed assault on Gaza City, fearing the escalation will further endanger their captive loved ones. The Israeli military estimates that 20 hostages in Gaza are still alive. That is not how you return abducted men and women, said Gil Dickmann, whose cousin Carmel Gat, was killed in captivity last year. That is how you kill abducted men and women. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Jerusalem, massive crowds marched through the city shouting all of them now! and spilled into the streets outside Netanyahu's residence, chanting traitor, traitor!" The government is burying them alive, one protest sign read. An unsigned deal kills them all, read another. A Hamas propaganda video released Friday, the 700th day of the war, has intensified anxiety over the fate of the hostages. The apparently recent footage showed two hostages Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel looking gaunt and exhausted while being driven around Gaza City. Enough waiting, enough understanding, enough already!" Michel Iluz, whose son Guy Iluz was killed while captive in Gaza, shouted into the microphone at the Jerusalem protest, the pain in his voice mounting to a howl. We're fed up! How much longer can you abuse us? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Tel Aviv, demonstrators poured into Hostages Square for the weekly Saturday night demonstration, unfurling a massive banner appealing to U.S. President Donald Trump to save the hostages now! A lasting truce has proven elusive. Hamas said it had accepted a ceasefire proposal from Arab mediators last month. Israel has not yet responded to the offer, vowing to continue the war until Hamas disarms and releases all hostages. Israel also has insisted on retaining open-ended security control of the territory of some 2 million Palestinians a condition unacceptable to Hamas. The war erupted when Hamas-led militants invaded southern Israel and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 others on Oct. 7, 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israels retaliatory offensive has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants beyond saying that women and children make up around half the dead. ___ Mroue reported from Beirut. ___ Follow AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war A state judge on Friday ruled Jakes bar in Columbia must disclose how much money is being paid to settle a wrongful death case involving a drunk driver who was at the Five Points bar in Columbia before the deadly crash. But Judge Thomas Billy McGee said he would give lawyers for Jakes, a well-known bar in Five Points, extra time to add language to the settlement agreement explaining why the still-undisclosed payout will be much larger than the money Jakes has paid out in previous cases involving deaths. McGee ruled after The State Media Co. attorney Jay Bender argued during a 40-minute hearing that sealing the agreement would violate the South Carolina Constitution and the states system of open courts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement John T. Lay, a lawyer for Jakes, told the judge that in prior years, the bar has settled similar lawsuits and has not moved to seal them. But, Lay said, this case is different because to reveal the sizable amount of the settlement would result in unnecessary prejudice and misperceptions about Jakes. The settlement is about more than Jakes and a deceased driver in the case. It also involves other parties and bad faith allegations, said Lay. The still-undisclosed amount to be paid out is large not because of the acts of Jakes, but because of the acts of an insurance carrier, Lay said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In this case, a drummer who was at Jakes had clearly ingested alcohol and possibly drugs after he left the Devine Street bar five hours before the fatal crash, Lay said. There was clearly substantial alcohol that was drunk after he left Jakes, Lay said. McGee suggested that Jakes lawyers just add some context to the settlement agreement to explain the large payout. Cant you essentially have a narrative of why its so much more than the other public settlements of similar cases? the judge asked. Isnt there a way short of sealing it? Bender told the judge it seemed the parties wanted to keep the public from knowing that an insurance company was being protected from embarassment by keeping the total amount of the settlement secret. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case involved the June 10, 2021, death of Charles Kennedy in Greenwood, S.C., that resulted from a head-on collision with a car driven by Jonathan Titus. Kennedys lawsuit alleged that Titus, a drummer in a band at Jakes, had been grossly overserved alcohol at Jakes on Devine Street, and that had led to the crash. But attorneys for Jakes contended that the crash happened five hours after Titus left Jakes and he drank a considerable amount of alcohol after leaving as well as likely consuming cocaine and marijuana, according to court records.. Previously, Judge McGee had approved the settlement agreement but denied Jakes lawyers original motion to seal the amount of the payout. Jakes lawyers contested making public the settlement amount. McGee set a hearing, and Bender intervened on behalf of The State Media Co. and the publics right to know. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the hearing, Lay emailed a statement to The State newspaper that said in part: Jakes commends the Court and all parties involved for their willingness to work together to craft an alternative solution that allows access to court records while simultaneously permitting Jakes to paint the full picture of the settlement, which encompasses insurance claims that have nothing to do with Jakes potential dram shop liability in this matter. Jakes maintains it did nothing wrong and was ready and willing to defend and try this case on its own liability. But, this settlement was driven by claims of insurance liability for bad faith, the insurance carriers third-party administrator woeful failures in basic claims handling, and the now partially reformed abysmal dram shop laws which were unfortunately applicable to this case. We are hopeful these laws with be further reformed in the next legislative session. Japan's Prince Hisahito was officially recognized as an adult on his 19th birthday on Saturday in a traditional ceremony attended by the Japanese imperial couple. The event was held a year late for organizational reasons, according to media reports. This was the first ceremony of its kind in around 40 years, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. The last one was held for Hisahito's father, Crown Prince Akishino, the brother and heir of Emperor Naruhito. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NHK footage showed Hisahito receiving a crown from the emperor. It was placed on his head by a court servant in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Afterwards, he walked through the room to Naruhito and Empress Masako, expressing his gratitude to them and his parents - Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko - for being part of the imperial family as an adult member. Japanese imperial family could cease to exist Prince Hisahito, who is now a university student, is the only son of the crown prince. He has two sisters, but under Japanese imperial law, women are barred from ascending the throne. Should the prince one day fail to have male offspring, "the imperial family will cease to exist," said imperial expert Ernst Lokowandt. The succession issue could be resolved if the law were amended to allow the firstborn child, regardless of gender, to ascend the throne. Vice President JD Vance threw his full support behind President Donald Trumps deadly military strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean this week, saying that he did not even care if people call it a war crime. Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military, Vance wrote Saturday on X. Politics: Paul Krugman Warns Why This Donald Trump Obsession Has Economists So Alarmed Political commentator Brian Krassenstein responded to say that killing the citizens of another nation who are civilians without any due process is called a war crime. Various experts on international law and the laws of war have also said the strike could be considered a war crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont give a shit what you call it, the vice president replied. I dont give a shit what you call it JD Vance (@JDVance) September 6, 2025 Trump said Tuesday that the boat, a quad-motor watercraft carrying 11 people, was positively identified to be part of a Tren de Aragua operation. Trump designated the Venezuelan gang as a terrorist organization almost immediately after retaking office, and claims, with scant evidence, that its members are working directly with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to supply Americans with deadly illegal drugs. Trump posted military video to Truth Social that shows the boat speeding along until it is hit by a projectile and left in flames. Politics: Pete Hegseth's Answer To Basic Legal Question Takes A 'Clown Show' Turn Critics, however, doubt both the legality of Trumps strike and whether there were actually any drugs on the boat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The boat was carrying an unusually high number of people for its size, suggesting that could have been in the process of smuggling people into the U.S. Even if it were a drug smuggling operation, it is not clear whether the occupants were given a chance to surrender before they were hit. Typically the U.S. Coast Guard intercepts suspected drug-smuggling boats spotted along the coast, seizing the contraband and taking smugglers into custody. As recently as Friday, the Coast Guard announced that it had seized over 40,000 pounds of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean over the last month. Vice President JD Vance vehemently defended President Donald Trumps on a Venezuelan boat. ALEX WROBLEWSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images On X, Vance added a third post to his short thread about the strike. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats: lets send your kids to die in Russia. Republicans: actually lets protect our people from the scum of the earth, he wrote. Politics: Trump Ordered Military To Blow Up Suspected Drug Boat Instead Of Intercepting It, Rubio Says (His claim about Democrats wanting to send Americans to fight in Russia is not based in reality. Vance opposes sending more U.S. aid to Ukraine to help Ukrainian troops fight off Russian invaders.) Secretary of State Marco Rubio also defended the administration this week, saying that the attack was necessary and itll happen again in the future because Venezuela will not work with the U.S. to end the smuggling. Political Updates Read the original on HuffPost China urges certain Philippine individuals to stop making provocations on Taiwan question Xinhua) 09:20, September 06, 2025 BEIJING, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- China urges certain Philippine individuals to quit their theatrics and stop making provocations on the Taiwan question, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Friday. The Philippine defense minister Gilbert Teodoro, in response to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson's remarks on the Philippines allowing the visit by head of the foreign affairs department of the Taiwan authorities, said that China should not impose its red line on the Philippines, and that it's the Philippines' sovereignty to accept Taiwan officials. Teodoro said no government official met with Lin Chia-lung and the Philippines is "committed to the one-China policy" but "China has no right to dictate." Guo told a daily press briefing that China has stated its solemn position on the Philippines allowing the visit by head of the foreign affairs department of the Taiwan authorities. The Philippines has repeatedly adopted wrongful and provocative words and deeds on Taiwan-related issues, violated basic norms governing international relations and its commitment on Taiwan-related issues, and kept undermining its relations with China and trampling on China's red line, Guo stressed. "The Philippines will pay the price and all consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the Philippines," he said. "We noted that Philippine Defense Minister Gilbert Teodoro and other people made irresponsible remarks and deliberately made provocations on the Taiwan question and other China-related issues on multiple occasions," Guo noted, adding that they blatantly challenged China's core interest, red line and bottom line. Guo said that China never tolerates and firmly opposes such moves. "Our message to the Philippines is that for anyone in the Philippines who tries to be a troublemaker on the Taiwan question, interferes in China's internal affairs, or undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, their action will only backfire. We urge those individuals to quit their theatrics and stop making provocations," said Guo. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Kou Jie) Mastodons Brent Hinds was found to be at fault for his fatal motorcycle crash. Mastodons Brent Hinds found at fault for fatal crash A new report from the Atlanta Police Department into the death of the 51-year-old guitarist on August 20 has found that Brent was responsible for the crash, where his motorcycle collided with a BMW SUV. According to PEOPLE, the report states: After conducting time distance calculations of the Motorcycle and assessing the changes in velocity of the BMW it was deemed that Hinds was traveling between 63 and 68 mph. Video of the intersection was used for the calculations. The video clearly depicts the crash. Hinds was at fault for the crash." Investigators found that Hinds was at fault for the accident because he was speeding, going roughly twice the speed limit at the crash site. The new report contradicts the preliminary report from Atlanta police, which stated that the SUV failed to yield while making a left turn at the intersection and collided with Hinds as a result. However, according to atlantanewsfirst.com, along with video of Hinds speeding, police also spoke to two witnesses who said that he was driving fast. Police wrote in the report that the driver was positive the light was green at the intersection but a witness told law enforcement the light was red when he looked to the light when everything happened. The report said Hinds was breathing and moving, with visible injuries to his head, arms and torso when police arrived. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died of his injuries. The remaining members of Mastodon said they were left in a "state of unfathomable sadness and grief" following his death. In a statement issue on their social media channels, they said: "We are heartbroken, shocked, and still trying to process the loss of this creative force with whom we've shared so many triumphs, milestones, and the creation of music that has touched the hearts of so many. "Our hearts are with Brents family, friends, and fans. "At this time, we please ask that you respect everyones privacy during this difficult time. RIP Brent." A co-founding member of the band, Hinds once shared guitar shredding duties with Bill Kelliher and vocal duties with Troy Sanders and Brann Dailor. VMPL New Delhi [India], September 6: Delhi NCR has long been a melting pot of cultures, traditions, and cuisines, with North Indian food holding an unmatched position in its culinary identity. From the iconic lanes of Old Delhi to the modern food hubs of Gurugram and Noida, every corner offers an irresistible taste of the region's rich flavors. To celebrate this vibrant culture of taste, we highlight five must-visit North Indian restaurants in Delhi NCR that not only define Delhi NCR's food legacy but also continue to bring together food lovers across generations. This showcase captures the authentic essence of spices, traditions, and dishes that remain timeless in their appeal. 1- "Pllatos Air Bar, Vasant Kunj - A North Indian Feast with a Modern Twist" In the buzzing heart of Vasant Kunj, "Pllatos Air Bar" has carved a niche for itself as one of Delhi NCR's most vibrant destinations for food, drinks, and good times. But what truly sets it apart is the way it celebrates "North Indian cuisine" - blending comfort, tradition, and creativity on every plate. Step inside and you're welcomed by an eclectic ambience - chic yet relaxed interiors, warm lighting, and lively music that instantly set the mood for an unforgettable dining experience. Whether you're catching up with friends over cocktails, planning a family dinner, or simply craving a hearty North Indian meal, Pllatos offers the perfect setting. The menu is a culinary journey through North India's most-loved flavours. From melt-in-the-mouth kebabs and smoky tandoori delights to rich curries simmered with authentic spices, every dish reflects the essence of Indian comfort food. Signatures like "butter chicken, dal makhani, and tandoori platters" remain perennial crowd-pleasers, while innovative takes on classics ensure there's always something new to discover. Pair these with their thoughtfully curated drinks menu - from refreshing cocktails to premium spirits - and you've got the recipe for a complete experience. But Pllatos isn't just about food; it's about atmosphere. Known for its lively vibe and welcoming service, it has quickly become a go-to spot for those who love good food with great energy. It's a space where traditional Indian flavours meet a contemporary lounge culture, making it stand out in Delhi's competitive dining scene. For those who believe North Indian food is best enjoyed with a dash of style and a lot of heart, Pllatos Air Bar, Vasant Kunj is a must-try. Book it here - District and Dineout 2- "Symposium, Dwarka - Where North Indian Traditions Meet Fine-Dining Flair" Tucked away in the vibrant "City Centre Mall, Sector 12, Dwarka, Symposium" presents a refined spin on North Indian cuisine within a multi-cuisine fine dining experience. It effortlessly blends elegance with accessibility, making it a sought-after choice for food lovers across the city. From the moment you step in, the "royal mauve-and-purple decor", complemented by classy ambient lighting and plush furnishings, sets a tone of understated indulgence--perfect for family dinners, group outings, or intimate meals. The added charm? A peaceful "outdoor seating" area ideal for evening conversations over good food. While Symposium specializes in world cuisine, its strength lies in how it brings North Indian flavours center stage. Think "buttery dals", tandoori classics, and even fusion indulgences like the ever-popular "Goan prawn curry", which stands out among both locals and regulars. Signature items--such as "Dal Makhani, Paneer Lababdar", and other hearty staples--are delivered with finesse, showcasing comforting authenticity. Guests frequently praise the attentive service and spacious layout, ideal for large group dining or leisurely meals. What's more, to keep the energy alive, the venue occasionally hosts special events, complete with an in-house DJ and luxurious party packages--yet, the tone always remains tasteful and elevated. Whether you're craving rich North Indian indulgence or simply seeking a polished setting to unwind, "Symposium Dwarka" offers a delightful balance of tradition and contemporary comfort. A must-visit for those who love authentic flavours in a stylish atmosphere. Check there here on Zomato and Swiggy 3-Experience the Magic of Desi Vibes - Where Tradition Meets Taste With a rich legacy of over 22 years, Desi Vibes is more than just a restaurant--it's a celebration of authentic North Indian and Mughlai cuisine. Every dish on the menu reflects time-honored recipes, high-quality ingredients, and the passion of chefs who treat cooking as an art. From the velvety, slow-cooked Dal Makhani to inventive starters, each bite is a burst of flavor and tradition. But Desi Vibes doesn't just satisfy your palate--it engages all your senses. Step inside, and you're instantly immersed in a space that beautifully blends rustic Indian charm with modern elegance. The ambiance is warm, welcoming, and rich in cultural detail, creating the perfect setting for a relaxing yet vibrant dining experience. What truly elevates Desi Vibes is its royal standard of service. The staff is attentive, courteous, and committed to making every guest feel special. Whether it's your first visit or your fiftieth, the team ensures a personalized experience that keeps you coming back. Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or simply indulging in great food, Desi Vibes promises an experience that lingers long after the last bite. Desi Vibes -- A destination where flavors, culture, and hospitality come together in perfect harmony. * Noida Sector 18 * Spectrum Mall Noida * Gaur Mall Noida Extn * M3M 65th Avenue GurguGram * Fatheha Bad Road , Agra 4- "21 Shots - Redefining Food, Fun & North Indian Flavours in Gurugram" When it comes to places that combine food, drinks, and a vibrant social scene, "21 Shots" has established itself as one of Gurugram's most happening destinations. With "three distinctive outlets across the city--21 Shots Skybar & Brewery (Sector 56), 21 Shots Bar Terrace Disco (Sector 29), and 21 Shots Luxury Dining Lounge (Sector 71)"--the brand has something unique to offer at every corner. At its core, 21 Shots celebrates "North Indian cuisine" with flair. From buttery gravies and "slow-cooked dals to smoky kebabs fresh from the tandoor", the menu serves comforting classics elevated to suit both casual diners and partygoers. Signatures like "Butter Chicken, Dal Makhani", and assorted tandoori platters are crowd favorites, pairing perfectly with their extensive bar menu and craft brews. Each outlet, however, carries its own personality: Skybar & Brewery (Sector 56) offers a rooftop experience, with craft beers, open-air charm, and the perfect blend of food and music. No matter which outlet you visit, the essence remains the same--"great food, electric energy, and a welcoming space. By blending hearty North Indian flavours with diverse experiences across its three locations, 21 Shots has become a go-to name for both food lovers and nightlife enthusiasts in Gurugram. Bar Terrace Disco (Sector 29) turns up the energy with lively performances, DJs, and an unmatched party vibe--ideal for those who love to dance the night away. Luxury Dining Lounge (Sector 71) brings sophistication and indulgence, offering a plush ambiance perfect for family gatherings or refined evenings. No matter which outlet you visit, the essence remains the same--"great food, electric energy, and a welcoming space". By blending hearty North Indian flavours with diverse experiences across its three locations, "21 Shots has become a go-to name for both food lovers and nightlife enthusiasts in Gurugram". 5- Patiala Shahi Boti, Sector 46 - A Heartfelt North Indian Tradition, Flourishing with Promise Tucked into the hustle of Hudda Market in Gurgaon's Sector 46, Patiala Shahi Boti isn't just another North Indian-Mughlai eatery--it's a heartfelt story on a plate. What began over seven years ago as a modest little setup has blossomed into a full-fledged restaurant, thanks to the vision and hard work of owners Subhash and Vidhya Sagar. Walk in and you can sense that journey. There's an unpretentious charm in the warm glow of the seating, the savored aroma of rich curries, and the buzz of satisfied diners--both loyal regulars and curious newcomers. Their menu reads like a tribute to North Indian comfort food, all crafted with a sincerity that you don't often find. Think buttery dal makhani, robust gravies, melt-in-the-mouth kebabs, and generous portions that leave both appetite--and hearts--completely nourished. According to diners, what keeps them coming back is "fresh food, good quality, portion size, and value for money" More than just pleasing taste buds, Subhash and Vidhya are dreamers with their feet firmly planted in service. Now, after seven successful years, they're gearing up for a significant expansion this year. It's a thrilling next chapter--the boy-and-mother duo who started small are now on the cusp of taking their homely, beloved flavors even further. So, if you're craving honest North Indian fare that's steeped in warmth, with a side of inspiring vision, Patiala Shahi Boti is a must-visit. It's more than food--it's a satisfying slice of passion, tradition, and ambition served on a plate. Check them here on Zomato and Swiggy We recommend to discover the taste, tradition, and creativity these acclaimed restaurants bring to NCR's dining tapestry--each meal promises a journey into the heart of North Indian cuisine and an experience to remember (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) A massive yacht reportedly owned by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has sparked outrage after being spotted in Port Angeles, Washington, while fueling up. Its stop at Port Angeles was shared in a Reddit post that quickly drew strong reactions from community members. The vessel, named Samsara, is estimated to be worth around $150 million and measures nearly 290 feet in length, according to SuperYachts.com. Photo Credit: Reddit Some commenters criticized Rowling herself. Others focused on the environmental impact of fueling such a large yacht. One particularly blunt reaction read: "Gross, hope it sinks." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "74,000 gallons. I hope y'all are carpooling to work," commented another. Samsara has drawn attention before. Yachting trackers note the vessel has traveled through Alaska, Charleston, and Nova Scotia in 2024 and 2025. Its Port Angeles stop had many questioning the climate cost of operating such a ship. Burning a single gallon of diesel releases 10,180 grams (around 22 pounds) of harmful carbon pollution, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Aside from producing carbon pollution, superyachts like Samsara also produce wastewater alongside noise and light pollution, Bloomberg reported. Producing steel and aluminum, nonrenewable materials used in constructing superyachts, creates pollution and consumes a significant amount of energy, according to the Water Revolution Foundation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, what's being done to reduce superyachts' impact on the planet? Washington state's Clean Fuel Standard was designed to reduce carbon pollution from transportation. The law requires fuel suppliers to reduce the "carbon intensity" of transportation fuels to 45% below 2017 levels by 2038. Organizations like Oxfam are also calling for higher taxes on vessels, such as superyachts and private jets. Others are all for banning yachts. Meanwhile, individuals can also make better choices in their daily lives, such as switching to greener banking options and learning more about how to spot greenwashing. Should the government ban gas-powered lawn equipment? Absolutely Not yet Only for commercial use Nope Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Not everyone on the thread was purely critical. However, the thread mostly reflected users' frustration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "These yacht's [sic] are gluttony defined. Read about how much fuel Zuckerberg's yacht guzzles, too. But some are now using giant sails for less waste, a practical move back to what yachts used to be," shared one Redditor. "Now if only it would sink," wrote another. 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. While defending President Donald Trumps recent comments about the Jeffrey Epstein case, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Friday that the president always took accusations against the convicted sex offender seriously and was actually an FBI informant. Johnson made the shocking remarks to reporters who pressed him about Trump calling demands for additional Epstein files the Democrat Epstein Hoax even though Republicans and much of Trumps base are also demanding their release. Politics: Trumps FTC Abandons Biden-Era Ban On Noncompete Agreements What Trump is referring to is the hoax that the Democrats are using to try to attack him, Johnson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its been misrepresented. Hes not saying that what Epstein did is a hoax. Its a terrible, unspeakable evil; he believes that himself. When he first heard the rumor, he kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago, Johnson said. Then he dropped the bombshell. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) talks with reporters at a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 3, 2025. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down, Johnson said of Trump. The president knows and has great sympathy for the women who suffered these unspeakable harms. Its detestable to him. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for confirmation on Trump serving as an FBI informant. Johnsons office did not immediately respond, either, when asked to clarify his remarks. Politics: Trump Again Dismisses Epstein Hoax As Victims Call For Transparency: Live Updates Though Trump has downplayed having a friendship with Epstein, hes on the record once speaking fondly of him, telling New York Magazine in 2002: Ive known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. And in July, The Washington Post published the contents of a lewd birthday card Trump reportedly gave Epstein in 2003, which included the message: Happy Birthday and may every day be another wonderful secret. Trump denies having anything to do with the letter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sources have also said the two were frequently seen socializing in Palm Beach, Florida, until they had a sudden falling-out in late 2004. The New York Times explored the implosion of their relationship in a July story, reporting that sometime around late 2004, the two men squabbled over a real estate deal and that Trump was upset because Epstein acted inappropriately to the daughter of a member of Mar-a-Lago. Shortly thereafter, the Palm Beach police received a tip that young women had been seen coming and going from Epsteins home, the Times reported. Related... Read the original on HuffPost About the event What: "Death and Dying, Funerals and Farewells" discussion event with retired pastor Jerry Book and panel. When: 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Where: First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), 1010 N. Florence Ave. in Claremore. Event highlights 1. Book has preached for decades at churches in Oklahoma, Missouri and North Carolina, and he said he has spent a lot of that time in hospitals, tending to dying congregants. He said the point of Tuesday's event is to advise people how to prepare for the end of their own and their loved ones' lives. Book said it will be a conversation about life disguised as a class about death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 2. An area doctor, lawyer, hospice representative and funeral director will also join the discussion, Book said. These "death experts" will talk about what happens before, during and after death; how to plan funerals and memorials; how to meaningfully say goodbye; and what to leave behind. He said the panel will take questions throughout the event. 3. Attending the class is free. Book said anyone who would like to reserve a seat should reach out to him at jbook1946@cox.net or call him at 417-399-4281. Why attend? Death is one of the few things every person is guaranteed to experience, Book said, and a loved one's death will only hurt worse if a family avoids preparing for or even talking about the possibility. He said this is why he has spent years sharing his expertise on dealing with death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Book said in Western countries, people learn to see death as an enemy instead of what it really is: a natural part of life. He said anyone who's had to reckon with their own or a loved one's mortality recently would benefit from joining the discussion. "Any unanswered questions that people have about these areas, I hope they will get those answered, or at least stimulate them to do some follow up," Book said. "I hope that people will come to see the importance of community [for grieving]. ... It can be a Christian community, or it can be the Hells Angels community." JOPLIN, Mo. Its been a decade in the making for the largest school district in the area, adding Career Academies, and today they officially announced a partnership to make their efforts possible. Students and District Leaders gathered today to celebrate the new collaboration between Joplin High School and Franklin Technology Center. The program offers dual credit and work certificates, giving students a head start on their careers while saving time and money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though the school day remains seven hours, students will now experience more immersive, hands-on learning. Principal DR. Randy Oliver says the initiative is about more than affordability; its about meaningful career preparation. They spent all this time effort, energy, money. Where as here now they know well I know I dont want to be a nurse or a doctor but now I want to be in the business world I want to do marketing or whatever the case may be, said Dr. Randy Oliver, Joplin High School Principal. It even sets up people if they dont want to go to college and they figure out what they want to do if they want to go to a trade school or if they are able to get a certification and not have to go to a trade school and they can just start working right out of high school, said Laylie Ransdell, Joplin High School Senior. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oliver says about 50% of JHS students still attend college the other 50% go straight into a job after graduating. 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 KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. Radio Libertys project Skhemy (Schemes) writes that among the Russian military formations employing the latest RG-Vo gas grenades against Ukrainian forces are two motorised rifle brigades, separate UAV units, and the Russian National Guard. Source: Radio Libertys project Skhemy Details: Journalists have discovered which Russian military units have the latest RG-Vo gas grenades in their arsenal and are using them against Ukrainian troops, in violation of international agreements prohibiting the use of chemical weapons, as well as the laws and customs of war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One example is the 114th Separate Motorised Rifle Brigade. Its soldiers dropped chemical grenades on the shelters of Ukrainian soldiers, according to a video broadcast on Russian state television on 28 May 2024. It stated that during this chemical attack, the unit's assault troops allegedly killed 17 and wounded 35 Ukrainian soldiers. Investigative journalists have established that the 136th Motorised Rifle Brigade may also be using chemical grenades that are banned on the battlefield. This is evident from correspondence in which Russian servicemen reported using RG-Vo gas grenades and ordering additional batches in the spring and summer of 2025. Information about this communication on the Vovchansk and Kupiansk fronts was obtained by the Kharkiv Office of the Security Service of Ukraine through its spy networks. Among the interlocutors who correspond under pseudonyms, Skhemy journalists identified Dmitry Novichikhin. He was the person that discussed the supply of chemical grenades with the Russian 136th Brigade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March 2022, Defence Intelligence of Ukraine reported his affiliation with this unit. The agency noted that at the start of the full-scale war, he was 20 years old and served as a senior radio operator. From the context of his posts this year, it appears that he may now be a specialist in logistics, including chemical grenades. As Skhemy has established, the Russian Guard may also use gas grenades that are prohibited by the laws and customs of war. Information from Russian tax databases shows that the Institute of Applied Chemistry, which manufactures RG-Vo gas grenades, is a long-standing supplier to the Russian Guard. In October 2023, the unit's press service published a video showing one of its servicemen using thermite-incendiary grenades similar to the chemical RG-Vo grenades from the same manufacturer, the Institute of Applied Chemistry. Journalists name another unit that may have received RG-Vo grenades from this manufacturer the Central Military Chemical Training Ground in Saratov Oblast, also known as military unit 42734. This was established by the Main Investigation Department of the Security Service of Ukraine. A photograph of boxes of gas grenades and customs data indicate that the Institute of Applied Chemistry sent this shipment to the training ground near Saratov at the request of the Russian Ministry of Defence. The Skhemy investigation, citing SSU data, states that RG-Vo gas grenades are being transferred to unmanned systems units fighting against Ukraine, in particular through this military unit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Skhemy investigation also revealed that Russian arms manufacturer Scientific Research Institute of Applied Chemistry receives components for RG-Vo chemical grenades, which are prohibited under international law, from two Russian companies, which, despite their cooperation with a sanctioned defence company, are themselves not yet subject to Western economic restrictions. For reference: The use of toxic chemicals is prohibited not only by the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Chemical Weapons, which Russia has signed, but also by the Geneva Convention. However, the Ukrainian military has repeatedly reported the use of chemical weapons by the Russian Federation against Ukrainian forces. Background: In May 2025, the European Union imposed sanctions on three Russian military units involved in the development and use of chemical weapons. In July, Kaja Kallas, the European Union's top diplomat, said that Russia was stepping up its use of chemical weapons in the war against Ukraine in an attempt to force the country to surrender. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Russia began using chemical weapons back in 20142015, says Anton Honchar, Chief Specialist of the Ukrainian Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Forces Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! A federal judge ruled Friday that the Trump administration cannot strip the deportation protections under Temporary Protected Status for nearly 1 million Venezuelans and Haitians already in the United States, many of them living in South Florida. In a 69-page ruling, Judge Edward Chen of the Northern District of California characterized the decision of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to end TPS for Haiti and Venezuela as capricious, arbitrary and beyond the scope of her authority. The Secretarys actions in revoking TPS was not only unprecedented in the manner and speed in which it was taken but also violates the law, Chen wrote on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chen restored a Biden-era TPS extension that runs until October 2026 for Venezuelans and February 2026 for Haitians. The Department of Homeland Security in July had already begrudgingly agreed to keep that expiration date for Haiti after a separate federal ruling from New York. The ruling is a long-awaited relief for over 600,000 Venezuelans living in the United States, whose immigration protections hinged on Chen. On Friday, advocates and immigrants went to celebrate at El Arepazo restaurant in Doral, where Venezuelans have long-gathered to commemorate community milestones. READ MORE: Trump ends TPS deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans Cecilia Gonzalez Herrera, the only plaintiff who lives in Florida, told the Herald over text that the judges order was a tremendous victory. The University of Central Florida student came to the United States eight years ago, fleeing with her parents because they were involved in anti-government movements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judge Chens decision is a reminder that the institutions of this country are stronger than any political agenda. This ruling recognizes both the legality and the humanity of TPS. The road ahead is long, but today we are reminded that justice prevails, said the 26-year-old Kissimmee woman. Chen said Friday that Noems move to roll back the Biden-era extensions was extraordinary and unusual. He noted in his decision that it was the first time such an action had happened since Congress made the program into a law in 1990. We celebrate today that hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans can sleep more peacefully today. We celebrate that due process and justice still exist in this country ... We are very grateful to this country and its justice system. Today is a great day and we will honor it by being the best citizens we can be, said Adelys Ferro, Miami-based director of the national organization Venezuelan-American Caucus. An existential crisis The federal government can grant Temporary Protected Status to immigrants who cannot safely return to their home countries because of war, natural disasters and other devastating circumstances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Joe Biden first granted Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelans in 2021, citing repressive governance, food insecurity, human rights violations, acute poverty, crumbling infrastructure and insufficient healthcare. Two years later, he expanded the protections so recently arrived Venezuelans could benefit, making it the nationality with the largest pool of beneficiaries. Separately, Biden thrice designated Haiti for Temporary Protected Status in the aftermath of the murder of President Jovenel Moise, a devastating earthquake, mass internal displacement, widespread gang violence, chronic hunger and extreme impoverishment. But since returning to office in January, President Donald Trump has ended Temporary Protected Status protections for immigrants from Haiti, Venezuela and several other countries which he previously attempted during his first term. In February, the Trump administration ended the 2023 protections for about 352,000 Venezuelans. This week, it announced protections granted in 2021 would expire for another 250,000 people from the South American country on Sept. 10. In the termination notice , the Department of Homeland Security argued that there had been notable improvements including in public health, the economy and crime that made it safe to go back to Venezuela. However, the agency said, the termination was required regardless of conditions because the TPS designation was against national interests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration is expected to appeal Chens decision, part of a lawsuit the National TPS Alliance filed in San Francisco. The federal government had already asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the spring. In May, the Justices gave Homeland Security the green light to end the program. That left the vast majority of Venezuelans under the 2023 TPS designation without the protections, despite a preliminary order for Chen keeping them in place. However, the nations highest court has not weighed on the merits of the case. An appeals court in California also recently affirmed a preliminary order on Chens original decision. In his ruling, Chen noted that the government had not submitted any evidence documenting the improvements in Venezuelas case, or conducted any meaningful review of how Venezuela was doing before ending the protections. The draft of the termination decision was being prepared before any country condition analysis was conducted, wrote Chen. Chen also denied the Trump administrations motion to throw out the lawsuit and dismissed its claims that Biden Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had improperly extended Venezuelas Temporary Protected Status. A lifeline There were about 605,000 Venezuelans and 331,000 Haitians with Temporary Protected Status as of March 31, according to a recent report from the Congressional Research Service . Florida is the state by far with the biggest population of TPS holders, with 403,965 beneficiaries living there. Nearly all are Haitian or Venezuelan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jose Abinazar, a 26-year-old living in South Florida, expressed hope for the future in the wake of Judge Chens decision. This ruling brings peace of mind knowing that I can continue working and supporting my family, he said. Returning to Venezuela is neither viable nor safe. The licensed engineer came to the United States as a minor, where he has built a life rooted in public service. He graduated from Florida International Universitys Honors College and now works on vital infrastructure projects that enhance community safety and climate resilience, including Miami-Dade Countys Stormwater Master Plan. He is also active in industry groups that promote professional development, environmental health and social advocacy. The work we do is essential for protecting our communities and preparing for the future, he said, emphasizing that highly-specialized professionals working on critical issues like climate change like him are facing the threat of deportation under Trump administration policies. TPS ensures I can keep working. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For Mariana Molero and her husband, who have resided in the United States for two decades, Chens ruling extends beyond a legal formality. Its how they can stay in the United States with their American-born teenagers, who have never been to Venezuela, without fearing family separation. Its a joy, not only for me and my husband, but for my close relatives and for the whole community, Molero, who lives with her family in Kissimmee, said. We will be able to have an instrument in our hands that protects us. Molero and her husband arrived in the United States in 2003, fleeing after they were persecuted for working alongside opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa. Molero and her husband have remained active in the Venezuelan diaspora and denouncing human rights abuses in their home country. For Molero and her husband, returning to Venezuela could be not just a return to a homeland in trouble, but a danger to their lives. I have no doubt the regime would want to retaliate, even through physical persecution or forced disappearances. Our activism has been extensive, she said. Going back would expose us directly to reprisals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the political persecution they faced in Venezuela for their activism, their asylum cases were denied. They have been under deportation orders since 2011. Chens decision allows them to continue their American life, alongside their children a little longer. At least for a short time we have a decision that protects us, Molero said. The uncertainty continues, but today we can breathe a little easier. A federal judge has dismissed Newsmaxs high-profile antitrust lawsuit against Fox News, but the case is far from over. Judge Aileen Cannon, of the Southern District of Florida, threw out the complaint this week, ruling that Newsmaxs filing amounted to a shotgun pleading. The term refers to a legal complaint that improperly incorporates all previous allegations into each count, making it difficult for the court to evaluate the claims on their own merits. Cannon has previously made headlines for her handling of the classified-documents case against former President Donald Trump, drawing national attention and controversy to her courtroom. Newsmax filed the suit earlier this year, alleging that Fox News used its dominant position in the conservative media space to squeeze Newsmax out of cable distribution deals and harm its advertising business. The network accused Fox of anticompetitive practices, arguing that it had suffered significant financial damage as a result. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, Newsmax framed the dismissal as a procedural setback rather than a defeat, saying it would refile a clearer version of the complaint by the courts September 11 deadline. Fox News welcomed the decision, arguing that Newsmaxs legal strategy is a distraction from its business challenges. Newsmax cannot sue their way out of their own competitive failures, the network said regarding the original lawsuit filing. The refiled case will be closely watched, not only for its potential impact on conservative media but also for what it signals about Cannons approach to politically charged litigation. [Corrected to clarify a statement by Fox News. Sept. 6, 2025 at 8:06 p.m. ET] The post Judge dismisses Newsmaxs case, giving Fox the win appeared first on Salon.com. NewsVoir Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], September 6: SRM University-AP observed Teachers' Day 2025 by honouring its faculty members for their contribution to teaching, research, and institutional growth. The celebration was attended by the Chief Guest, Prof. V Chandrasekhar, Visiting Distinguished Professor, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Hyderabad, along with SRM Group Research Executive Director, Prof. D Narayana Rao; Advisor-SRM Group, Prof. V S Rao; Pro Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ch Satish Kumar; Registrar, Dr R Premkumar; Deans; Directors; Faculty, Staff and Students of the varsity. Pro Vice Chancellor in his welcome address remarked on how teachers hold the ability to transform students. Addressing the popular misconception of how AI can replace teachers Prof. Satish remarked, "AI may advance to great extent, but it can never replace the profound impact of teachers. Just as a restaurant meal can never match a mother's cooking, so too can AI never replicate the love and transformation that educators bring to their students' lives." He also added that, in his opinion, the most respected strata of teachers are the primary and secondary school teachers, as they lay the foundation of knowledge and discipline in students. He mentioned that the university teachers fine-tune the students' future. Chief Guest Prof. V Chandrasekhar underscored the transformative power of education and the lasting legacy that educators can impart to their students by sharing the inspiring story of Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray, a notable scientist, educator, and nationalist, who pursued a career in chemistry only due to the profound impact of a dedicated teacher. As part of the ceremony, University Outstanding Faculty Awards 2025 were presented to Prof. Ramesh Vaddi, Dr G V P Bhagath Singh, Dr Pradyut Kumar Sanki, Dr K A Sunitha, Dr Tousif Khan N, Dr Javid Ahmad Dar, Dr Lalitha Mohan Mohapatra, Dr Vineeth Thomas, Dr Jatis Kumar Dash, and Dr Saleti Sumalatha, recognising their academic contributions and commitment to excellence. Dr Anirban Ghosh, Associate Professor was awarded the Prof. V S Rao Foundation - Prof. H P Tiwari Best Faculty Award 2025 for his outstanding achievements in teaching and research. All the awardees were presented with mementos, certificates and a cash prize of 50k. The event also featured the presentation of 22 Five-Year Service Awards to long-serving faculty members. Additionally, 10 faculty members were awarded the Popular Faculty Award. These awards underscored the institution's commitment to celebrating and encouraging academic excellence. In his message, Prof. D Narayana Rao, SRM Group Research Executive Director, highlighted the significant transformation in the global perception of India. Prof. Rao underscored that this progress ultimately boils down to the making of world-class scientists, innovators, and leaders, and the teachers play a crucial role in this aspect. Their influence is pivotal in fostering an environment where curiosity thrives and future breakthroughs are born. The Teachers' Day celebration reaffirmed the university's belief that teachers are central to nurturing future generations and advancing knowledge for the betterment of society. At SRM University-AP, this commitment aligns with the institution's vision of fostering innovation, driving cutting-edge research, and preparing globally competent graduates who contribute meaningfully to nation-building and societal progress. (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) Judge revokes bond in fatal Downtown Melbourne shooting case A Brevard County judge has revoked bond for 24-year-old Stephan Dieujuste, who is accused of fatally shooting 19-year-old Nathaniel Jennings in downtown Melbourne this past May. Dieujuste has never denied firing the shots but claims he acted in self-defense. Prosecutors argue otherwise, pointing to surveillance video they say shows Jennings trying to run away when he was shot. Jennings mother, Autumn Minick, told the court she believes Dieujuste should remain behind bars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dieujuste was initially charged with manslaughter, but prosecutors later upgraded the charge to second-degree murder after reviewing security footage. Circuit Judge Steve Henderson ruled Friday that Dieujuste will remain in custody at the Brevard County Jail. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Judge rules that GA homeowners can get out of controversial 40-year listings A company that has been the focus of a series of 25 Investigates reports has been ordered to let consumers out of their contracts. In Georgia, Attorney General Chris Carr filed a motion for summary judgment against MV Realty and its Georgia contracts. He asked a judge to terminate all MV Realty liens and cease the collection of termination fees. Last week, Fulton County Judge Emily K. Richardson granted Carrs motion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 25 Investigates has been digging into MV Realty and its 40-year listing agreements for the past four years. The judges order will allow consumers to get out of their 40-year contracts with MV Realty. It also orders the company to dismiss any lawsuits they have taken out they have against Georgia customers. The company will also not be allowed to attempt to get any commission back or charge consumers a termination fee or other penalty. MV Realty cuts homeowners an immediate check. In return, you either list your home with an MV Realty agent or pay a penalty equivalent to 3% of the sale price of the house. And the term of the deal is for the next 40 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since Boston 25 News and our sister stations across the country began investigating MV Realty, Attorneys General in 12 states, including Massachusetts, have sued the company, and 29 states have passed laws targeting the company. The Mass AGs office also filed a preliminary injunction against the company. 25 Investigates has learned that litigation is proceeding. MV Realtys predatory loan scheme put thousands of Georgians at risk of losing everything they had worked so hard to earn. We took action to protect homeowners across the state, and we were able to deliver critical relief when they needed it most. This is a major win for families and seniors, and well keep fighting for them each day, Carr wrote in a statement. MV Realty has filed for bankruptcy and could not be reached for comment. 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 President Donald Trump has suffered three major legal setbacks in recent days that experts say could put his plans for mass deportation at risk at least until a higher court steps in. Over the week bridging August and September, federal judges in separate cases have ruled against the president's immigration enforcement tactics and sided with immigrant advocates who have challenged their legality. Judges blocked the deportation of some migrant children who crossed the border alone; forbade the rapid removal of immigrants who have been in the country for more than two years; and stopped the administration's use of an arcane law to deport suspected gang members without due process. Trump administration officials and supporters have slammed the decisions of "activist judges" who they say are overstepping their authority to prevent the president's enforcement of the nation's immigration laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The one-two-three judicial punches could risk the president's plans to deport as many as 1 million people a year. The final decision in each of the cases probably lies with the Supreme Court, though, and "the Trump administration has tended to fare much better at the Supreme Court than in the lower courts," said Michael Kagan, director of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Immigration Clinic. At least 10 unaccompanied minors disembark from an ICE chartered GlobalX deportation flight on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025 after a judge ruled they be removed. The flight was set to deport the children to Guatemala. Rulings slow Trump's deportation tactics On Aug. 29, Judge Jia M. Cobb of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia put the administration's fast-track deportations on hold, saying the use of "expedited removal" in the interior violated immigrants' due process rights. The White House has sought to reduce the time from arrest to deportation. The idea: The faster the process, the higher the rate of removals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cobb called it a "skimpy process" that could put not only noncitizens but everyone at risk. "When it comes to people living in the interior of the country, prioritizing speed over all else will inevitably lead the Government to erroneously remove people via this truncated process," she wrote in her opinion. On Aug. 31, also in the D.C. district court, Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from deporting Guatemalan children who came to the country without a parent or guardian. The children were already aboard deportation planes in El Paso and Harlingen, Texas, when the National Immigration Law Center filed a request for an emergency injunction. Then, on Sept. 2, a majority of federal appellate judges in the famously conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to rapidly deport people accused of being members of a violent Venezuelan prison gang. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump had invoked the law in March, saying the gang known as Tren de Aragua was "undertaking hostile actions and conducting irregular warfare" against the United States. In a 2-1 decision, Judge Leslie H. Southwick said there is no evidence mass immigration in recent years constituted "an armed, organized force or forces." The judges concluded that the Alien Enemies Act "was improperly invoked." Unconstitutional tactics or 'judicial coup'? Trump officials and supporters of the administration's immigration crackdown disagreed with the judges' findings. After the "alien enemies" ruling, Trump aide Stephen Miller said "the judicial coup continues" in a post on the social media site X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Broadly, the rulings take "real leaps of logic that seem aimed at preventing a president from enforcing immigration law written by Congress," said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies. Even without the judicial obstacles, the Trump administration has an uphill road to its deportation goals. ICE has deported roughly 200,000 people since Trump took office, according to agency data. Neither Democrat nor Republican administrations have ever deported 1 million people per year, not including quick returns at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the Office of Homeland Security Statistics. It has been harder for the Trump administration to quickly drive up deportation and removal numbers, in part because illegal border crossings have dropped to record lows. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "People don't appreciate that deportation is quite a lot of work for the government, and the government has often had a hard time working it out," Kagan said. Lauren Villagran can be reached at lvillagran@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Federal judges block Trump mass deportation tactics Jimmy's Hall, the "compelling" period drama starring Andrew Scott, is due to leave a UK streamer in the coming days. The 2014 film, from acclaimed filmmaker Ken Loach, is set in Ireland during the 1930s, with the real-life drama following political activist Jimmy Gralton (Barry Ward) as he returns to his native country following a decade in America. Upon his return, Jimmy begins to run a community hall for the arts such as dance and music, though he faces the threat of deportation back to the US unless he curbs his political inclinations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Starring Scott as Father Seamus, Jimmy's Hall is currently available to stream via Channel 4 following its airing on Film4 last month, though you'll have to be quick as the drama is due to be removed from the streamer on Wednesday 10 September at 2.25am. Written by Loach's long-time collaborator Paul Laverty, the period drama was well received by critics upon its original release, with its approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes currently standing at 77% from 100 reviews. eOne Related: Best film and TV tours for 2025 In Digital Spy's review of the film, we wrote: "Loach and Laverty are obliged to emphasise the violence to stoke the fire in Jimmy's belly, because all they have to define their hero are the forces that oppose him." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "With Jimmy's Hall, Ken Loach creates a quiet but compelling drama about a real-life story," opined New York Daily News (via Rotten Tomatoes), while Time Out called it "intelligently told" and "stirring". "Working from a fact-based screenplay by his long-time collaborator Paul Laverty, Loach addresses a theme that resonates throughout his work: the effect of the political on the personal," opined the St Louis Post-Dispatch. eOne Related: A near-perfect true crime drama that is "extraordinarily tense" is now streaming for free BBC.com was less enthusiastic, however, writing: "It's a warm, romantic little period drama, with inspirational messages about working for 'need not greed'. But its rousing music is the only element that gets the heart beating faster." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the Ireland-set drama is still streaming for another three days, Scott will soon be seen in an altogether different period drama, with the actor set to play legendary composer Richard Rodgers in Richard Linklater's Blue Moon. Jimmy's Hall is streaming on Channel 4 until Wednesday. Celebrate Lady Gaga with our special collector's edition bookazine pre-order online now, priced at just 8.99. You Might Also Like Editor's note: Letters to the editor reflect the views of individual readers. Scroll to see how you can add your voice, whether you agree or disagree, or click this link to fill out the form. We welcome diverse viewpoints. Men ought always pray and never lose hope (Jesus, Luke 18:1). Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up (Paul, Ephesians 6:18). Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks (Paul, I Thessalonians 5:17,18). Much, much more could be said about what the Holy Bible has to say regarding prayer. Opinion: Tennessee students should be encouraged to learn, not live in fear Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But note: Always, at all times, for everything, without ceasing, in everything, we are to do what? Pray. Never give up. This is obedience, not malpractice. Another horrific school shooting has taken place in Minneapolis, occurring while students were in a house of worship, praying. Following, many shared, You are in my thoughts and prayers. But now, for the first time in my lifetime, people are declaring that prayer is useless, needless, unwarranted. Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville), appeared on national TV and stated, I want to bring theology into this because you have all these people who want to give you thoughts and prayers after a shooting, but I was a minister and that is a form of theological malpractice." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Opinion: Gun laws are important, but this is how we can prevent the next mass shooting The God-authored, Spirit-inspired Holy Bible is worth more than all the theological books written by man, and it is always right to follow what God said. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways... (Isaiah 55:8,9). The foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men... (I Corinthians 1:25). If my people who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). Humility, prayer, seeking God and repenting of wicked ways provides great blessings forgiveness of sin and a healing of the nation. It's Gods way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Herb Alsup, Woodbury 37190 Agree or disagree? Or have a view on another topic entirely? Send a letter of 250 words or fewer to letters@tennessean.com. Include your full name, city/town, ZIP and contact information for verification. Thanks for adding to the public conversation. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Justin Jones is wrong. After school shooting, we need prayer | Letters KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) Several Kalamazoo school districts are joining other educators in calling Lansing lawmakers to find a resolution amid an education budget battle. The fight is part of a larger funding issue that could trigger a state government shutdown next month. This week, eight superintendents signed a letter penned by the superintendent of Kalamazoo Regional Education Service Agency. School leaders said the deadlock in the Capitol could put state payments to districts at risk come October, when schools usually expect a paycheck from the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Previously, several superintendents in and around Kalamazoo County said that the rift between lawmaker proposals made it hard for schools to know for sure what they could expect when submitting their own budgets earlier in the year. Michigan Legislature faces time crunch to pass new budget Comstock Public Schools Superintendent Jeff Thoenes said that districts are not paid in September, relying on money saved ahead of time to pay the bills. Fortunately, our district has enough money in our savings account, well call it, to weather or to bridge that gap. But I do know thats not true statewide. Again, compounding the issues that this delay is having, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thoenes message to Lansing lawmakers is to find a compromise and soon. State Rep. Julie Rogers, D-Kalamazoo, said she has never seen this much dysfunction before around the budget process. We have always, under score, always delivered a budget, whether it be under Republican control or Democrat control. We have always delivered a budget on time by July 1 for the very reason so schools can plan, she said. Recently, the House omnibus budget was passed. Now lawmakers are working to agree on the full education budget. While she agrees with Thoenes calls for compromise, its not easy. She chose to vote against the House School Aid plan earlier in the summer. The plan would eliminate categoricals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That means things like busing, transportation funds, the popular free breakfast and lunch program that we started in the trifecta last term. Things like the at risk category has been huge for Kalamazoo public schools in particular because we have so many lower-income students in need, and they as well as special education students often need more funding per pupil, she told News 8. The Republican plan eliminated all of that and rolled everything up into one per-pupil fee. And thats not really equitable. I think every student in every district needs a little bit of customization when it comes to funding. What are Michigan lawmakers saying about the state budget? House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland, said eliminating categoricals will give schools more freedom in how they use their funding. I think local school districts should be able to decide which tools and which programs available are beneficial to them getting the job done, Hall said. Our local school districts and our school boards are more accountable to our local communities than these people in Lansing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The KRESA letter also raised concerns over shifting dollars from the school aid fund to other projects. Shifting these funds not only contradicts the intent approved by voters in 1994 but also poses a significant threat to Michigans public education system, said the letter. Hall said the shift will support higher education and is something that has been done before. We want to fund our local schools and we give them more money than theyve ever had. We also want to fund our community colleges and we want to fund our universities, because we need to educate our high school graduates and get them jobs, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both lawmakers believe a funding resolution can be reached before Oct. 1, which would avoid a larger government shutdown. Kalamazoo schools are not alone in pressing lawmakers. Several schools in Allegan signed on to their own letter sharing concerns over the funding delay last month. 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. This article was originally published in Honolulu Civil Beat. A conservative mainland group whose lawsuit against Harvard University ended affirmative action in college admissions is now building support in Hawaii to take on Kamehameha Schools policies that give preference to Native Hawaiian students. Students for Fair Admissions, based in Virginia, recently launched the website KamehamehaNotFair.org. It says that the admission preference is so strong that it is essentially impossible for a non-Native Hawaiian student to be admitted to Kamehameha. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We believe that focus on ancestry, rather than merit or need, is neither fair nor legal, and we are committed to ending Kamehamehas unlawful admissions policies in court, the website says. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Kamehamehas Board of Trustees and CEO Jack Wong said in a written statement that the school expected the policy would be challenged. The institution a private school established through the estate of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop to educate Hawaiians successfully defended its admission policy in a series of lawsuits in the early 2000s. The trustees and Wong promised to do so again. We are confident that our policy aligns with established law, and we will prevail, the statement said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The campaign also drew criticism from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, established in the late 1970s for the betterment of Native Hawaiians. OHAs Board of Trustees called it an attack on the right of Native Hawaiians to care for our own, on our own terms. These attacks are not new but they are escalating, the trustees said in a written statement. They aim to dismantle the hard-won protections that enable our people to heal, rise, and chart our future. Several groups have tried and failed in the past to overturn Kamehamehas admissions policy. Federal courts, siding with Kamehameha, have ruled that giving preference to Native Hawaiians helps alleviate historical injustices they faced after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893. In the 2006 decision upholding Kamehameha Schools admissions policy, a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel pointed to longstanding challenges Native Hawaiian students have faced in schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is clear that a manifest imbalance exists in the K-12 educational arena in the state of Hawaii, with Native Hawaiians falling at the bottom of the spectrum in almost all areas of educational progress and success, Judge Susan Graber wrote in the majority opinion. These disparities persist. Just over a third of Native Hawaiian students in public schools were proficient in reading in 2024, compared to 52% of students statewide. Less than a quarter of Native Hawaiian students were proficient in math. The state education department has also fallen short of providing families with adequate access to Hawaiian language immersion programs, according to two lawsuits filed against the department this summer. The Hawaiian immersion programs are open to all students, not just those of Hawaiian ancestry. Moses Haia III, a lawyer and former director of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp., said that improving outcomes for Hawaiian students is Kamehamehas primary reason for existing. He said this new challenge appears to be based on ignorance of Hawaiis history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ultimately, what I see is these people being uneducated, Haia said of the mainland group. Not knowing the history of Hawaii, not knowing the reasons for Kamehamehas existence, and just once again trying to push Hawaiians into this box and wanting to be on top. Past Challenges The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1976 that private schools cant discriminate based on race in a case called Runyon v. McCrary, which involved Black school students trying to gain admission to private schools that had yet to integrate non-white students. An anonymous student sued Kamehameha in 2003, invoking the 1976 ruling and alleging that the schools policy of giving preference to Hawaiian children was discriminatory. The case eventually landed in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A majority of the appeals court judges sided with Kamehameha. They used a part of the Civil Rights Act that prohibits discrimination in the workplace as a legal framework for looking at the admissions policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judge Graber wrote that a preference for Native Hawaiian students serves a legitimate remedial purpose by addressing the socioeconomic and educational disadvantages facing Native Hawaiians, producing Native Hawaiian leadership for community involvement, and revitalizing Native Hawaiian culture, thereby remedying current manifest imbalances resulting from the influx of western civilization. But it was a narrow victory for Kamehameha, an 8-to-7 vote. Dissenting judges wrote that admitting mostly Hawaiian students didnt create a diverse student body; others said that the policy was clearly discriminatory. The anonymous student appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. But Kamehameha entered a $7 million settlement with the student and their mother before the court decided whether to take up the case. While the settlement safeguarded the admission policy from a ruling by the nations highest court it also meant lawyers punted the issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another group of anonymous students challenged the admissions policy a few years later and again took that case to the Supreme Court. But the court declined to take up that case in 2011. Students for Fair Admissions previously brought two landmark cases against Harvard and the University of North Carolina, arguing that the two schools race-conscious admissions policies discriminated against Asian American and white applicants. The Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that colleges cannot use race as a factor in their admissions, although the decision didnt specify what this could mean for K-12 schools. Last fall, the number of Black students enrolled at both universities fell, although some researchers cautioned that colleges might not see the full impact of the Supreme Court ruling until a few admissions cycles have passed. The challenge to Kamehameha Schools admissions policies comes amid national pushback on efforts to promote diversity in schools. In February, the U.S. Department of Education said any colleges and K-12 schools using race-based practices in hiring and admissions could lose federal funding, although a court subsequently prevented the department from enforcing those requirements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kamehameha receives no funding from the federal government, according to its tax filings. The school, which is the states largest private landowner, has assets valued at about $15 billion. This story was originally published on Honolulu Civil Beat. TOPEKA (KSNT) Kansas lawmakers and nurses alike have raised some concerns about the Kansas Board of Nursing recently. And now, they want answers. During a Government Oversight Committee meeting in July, nurses from across the state testified against the Kansas Board of Nursing. Health professionals say the board wrongly accused them of unprofessional conduct, a demerit that often makes it difficult for nurses to find jobs in Kansas. However, several nurses testified they had been given this label for simple mistakes, such as a clicking error while renewing their licenses online. Now, the Government Oversight Committee will be meeting again, and they are hoping for an explanation from the Nursing Board, as more nurses plan to step forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kansas Supreme Court helping rural counties deal with extreme attorney shortage One Kansas nurse, Amy Siple, was given the unprofessional conduct label after being accused of practicing without a license while she cared for her sick husband. She said that nurses statewide will have to work together to make a change. Id like to see nurses come together and help solve this problem, Siple said. Weve got a plethora of nursing leaders who have come together, and weve put forward ideas and suggestions and weve given this to the legislature in a way in which we can bring a just culture to the board of nursing. I still want to see nurses regulated by nurses, but we need to create oversight and establish a just culture for the next generation. The meeting will take place on Monday, Sept. 8 at the Kansas Capitol building. 27 News has reached out to the Kansas Board of Nursing, which has no comment at this time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more Capitol Bureau news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking 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 KSNT 27 News. The drowning death in May of 3-year-old Trigg Kiser, son of social media influencer Emilie Kiser, has raised questions for families about children's safety around pools. According to the police report following Trigg's death, the boy tripped while playing with an inflatable chair and was in the water for nearly seven minutes before being found by his father. There have been seven drownings involving children in Maricopa County in 2025. According to Erin Pellett of the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, no charges were filed in any child drownings this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2025, Maricopa and Pinal counties saw seven pediatric drownings (ages 0-5), one child drowning (ages 6-12) and 31 adult drownings (ages 18 and up), according to Children's Safety Zone, a website that monitors drowning data. Where did drownings happen in Maricopa County? Here is a breakdown of where child water-related incidents that occurred around the Valley, according to Children's Safety Zone: Phoenix: 22 pediatric incidents, one pediatric fatality and five incidents involving children Avondale: Two pediatric incidents Glendale: Three pediatric incidents Mesa: Three pediatric incidents and one incident involving children Peoria: One pediatric incident and one child fatality Scottsdale: Five pediatric incidents and one pediatric fatality. 39 deaths, seven of which involved pediatrics and one involving a child, have resulted from 110 water-related incidents in 2025, according to Children's Safety Zone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Water safety: These pools are being recalled due to drownings. Here's what to know in Arizona Water safety tips: how to keep your child safe around water The Arizona Department of Health Services provided the following tips for keeping children safe around the pool: Ensure that children are not left unattended near pools or pool areas. Those with pools should ensure that they are enclosed on all four sides with a wall, fence or barrier to ensure restricted access to young children. Those with pools should ensure there are no openings in the pool enclosures wide enough for a child to get through or under. Provide constant supervision for children under 4 years of age during bath time. If possible, teach children to swim after the age of 1. Ensure that children are wearing properly fitted Coast Guard-approved life jackets when on a boat, dock or near bodies of water. Kristen Clark, community service operations supervisor for the city of Scottsdale, urged parents to look out for changes in pool depth. While it may not seem like a big deal, children can wander from the shallow end of the pool toward the deep end, increasing the likelihood of drowning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The best equipment you can have is a designated watcher. You can have your life jacket and everything, but in the end, there is no substitute for constant supervision," Clark said. Clark encouraged parents to be aware of the signs of drowning or struggling in young swimmers. "If they're starting to struggle and they look like they're in distress, they're going to get those big, panicked eyes," Clark said. If a drowning situation does happen, it is important to remember: "Reach or throw, don't go." Clark recommended using a floatation device, like a pool noodle, to pull them to the side of the pool. "If somebody is struggling while they are drowning, they are going to grab anything to keep themselves afloat, you included. So, you don't want to put yourself at risk as well," Clark said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No one should swim alone, regardless of age, according to Clark. Even swimmers in life jackets should be no farther than an arm's distance away from their guardian, Clark added. As public pools and waterparks begin to close down, it is important to always have adult supervision around the water, even for adults and confident swimmers. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Drownings in Arizona: How to protect your children around water Chinese tech giants could gain renewed access to Indian consumers, as signs of an improvement in India-China relations have been observed by global financial services firm Bernstein. The Bernstein report titled 'OpenAI, Perplexity's India push -- a wake-up call for Indian AI', dated September 4, noted, "If Chinese firms re-enter, it will further erode whatever digital space remains for Indian players." "The deck is stacked by predatory capital and import dependency for digital hardware -- India risks being reduced to a mere digital marketplace, not a creator," it continued. Foreign LLMs (large language models) have made inroads India and with the recent improvement in India-China relations, the Bernstein report wandered, "who knows if, in the future DeepSeek can come up with an offering." Dominance of foreign tech in India and the absence of a strong homegrown ecosystem, India currently has little leverage to curb foreign influence in its traditional digital sectors, Bernstein argued. Talking about the US, the Bernstein report noted that US tech, particularly AI, has a huge dominance in India and the recent 'predatory' pricing by some may risk the scalability of India's local ecosystem, at a time it is looking to build its own indigenous AI solutions. It noted that even as the government calls for Indian firms to build indigenous solutions, the reality is "stark". "...every major digital platform powering India -- search, messaging, social media, and commerce -- is already under US control," the report said, setting the context of its argument. Citing the instance where India banned Chinese app TikTok a few years ago, the Bernstein report argued that it was the US social media app Instagram that benefited. "Recall what happened after the TikTok ban: it wasn't an Indian challenger that rose, but Instagram swept up millions of users." The idea of building homegrown rivals is in the realm of imagination now, it continued. "...funding and regulatory support are in short supply, while global tech giants deploy billion-dollar war chests. Consequently, most talent capable of building such platforms prefers to do it for the US firms," it opined. The amount of funds India earmarked for a homegrown LLM is quite low compared to US and China, it said, suggesting a need for more investments. "India's AI investments lag those of US and China by a distance, and are even behind some smaller economies," it said. Against this backdrop, Bernstein suggested that India should explore bold rules, such as requiring a minimum 51% public Indian ownership (with genuinely broad-based equity) so that the country captures a fair share of AI's value creation. "Instead of celebrating the flood of "free" US AI platforms driven by aggressive pricing, policymakers should view this as a wake-up call. If China can shield its tech industry and still maintain lucrative trade and manufacturing ties with the US, what's stopping India from taking similarly decisive action to protect its digital future? It's time to prioritize long-term national interests over short-term excitement," the report read. Also, it suggested that India can continue with Data Protection measures that will warrant data localization for global tech giants, and will force global AI companies to move onshore, setting up India offices and data centres. (ANI) There was a time within the past half century that Madison County was divided between two Congressional Districts. The county was divided between the 10th and 5th Districts and only in the past 25 years has been a part of the same congressional district. Will the county once again become divided? When I started at the then-Anderson Daily Bulletin, the county was represented by Republican Bud Hillis in the 5th District and Democrat Phil Sharp in the 10th District. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hillis district included most of northern Madison County and extended to the west. Sharps district included the areas around Anderson and included Muncie and Richmond to the east. Hillis was replaced by Democrat Jim Jontz in the 1980s and Sharp turned back two challenges by Mike Pence. Eventually, Pence was elected to Congress and was followed by Republican David McIntosh. Republican Dan Burton won in the reconfigured 6th District and it became the 5th District after the 2000 census. By that time Madison County was included in the entire 5th District and was eventually represented by Republican Susan Brooks and currently by Victoria Spartz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With Republicans being encouraged by President Donald Trump to redraw the Indiana congressional districts instead of waiting until the 2030 census, it appears that Madison County could be divided into two districts. A proposed map circulating on traditional and social media has northern Madison County becoming a part of the 4th District which extends to the Illinois state line and could include Lafayette, Terre Haute and Kokomo. The Anderson area would remain in the 5th District, which would include all of Hamilton County, to protect Spartz, and go east to the Ohio line to include Muncie and Richmond and then north almost to Fort Wayne. For many years, the maps were drawn to keep heavily Democratic cities like Anderson and Muncie in districts that would be offset by Republican-dominated rural areas of east central Indiana. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The problem with the proposed maps is that the cities of Elwood and Alexandria would not be considered crucial areas in the proposed 4th District. The same could be said of the Anderson area and a loss of influence among both congressional candidates and those elected to the U.S. House. While Gov. Mike Braun has not called for a special legislative session to weaken the only two Democratic districts in the state, area lawmakers representing Madison County have remained predominately silent. Only Elizabeth Rowray has indicated she isnt in favor of a redistricting effort now but is waiting to see what other states are doing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So far, only Texas has redrawn maps in an effort to gain more Republicans in the U.S. House. No matter what happens, the Madison County Republicans in the Indiana General Assembly should oppose splitting the county into two districts. Nearly 10,000 Kentucky children got married from 2000 to 2015, before a new law dramatically curtailed the practice. In 2018, state Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, and advocate Donna Simmons worked together to secure the passage of Senate Bill 48. Since then, cases of child marriage have dropped from about 300 per year to about 20 annually, according to Simmons. Their widely supported law which passed overwhelmingly in both the House and Senate requires that when 17-year-olds marry, they can only do so with a partner within a four-year age gap and with a judges approval. The law prohibits anyone 16 or younger from marrying in Kentucky under any circumstance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But theres still work to be done, they said. There are some counties that are in violation of the law, Simmons said. There are some counties that are allowing 16-year-olds to marry. Theyre not paying attention to the age disparity cap at four years, and we have some instances in which 17-year-olds were married off to a 27-year-old and a 29-year-old. As those discoveries have come to light, Adams has begun considering what the next iteration of the law should entail. Because public agencies have not disclosed the counties in which the child marriages continue to occur, she says either the cap should be fully raised to 18 years old, or there must be transparency requirements. The fact that some elected judges and county clerks have not abided by the law disheartens Adams. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We take an oath that says that we will execute the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and thats clearly not happening in this instance, Adams said. During a 15-year window beginning in 2000, there were 9,913 marriages in which at least one spouse was a minor, and of those marriages, 93% about 9,219 involved a minor marrying an adult. Ninety-one percent of the adults were men marrying underage girls. Hundreds of marriages were among teens with a one- or two-year age gap, but there were instances of gaps as high as 45 years. Data provided by Simmons also shows: In 2001, a 62-year-old woman married a 17-year-old boy. In 2003, a 33-year-old man married a 13-year-old girl. In 2009, a 48-year-old man married a 16-year-old girl. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the state works to curb the rates, Simmons has flagged the issue to U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, a Democrat representing Louisville, and the two have discussed areas for improvement. McGarvey co-sponsored Adams bill when he was in the state Senate. Congressman McGarvey believes nothing is more important than protecting our children, including ending child marriage, his office wrote in a statement to the Herald-Leader. As the state navigates the pathways it can continue to take, Simmons is grateful shes been able to turn her own traumatic experience of being a child bride into change. Simmons was 16 when she married a 31-year-old therapist shed met while receiving treatment at a hospital the year before. They had a child, but two years later, they divorced. She got her own apartment thanks to her jobs tip jar, but lost custody of her daughter, for whom she had to pay monthly child support despite merely working a part-time, minimum wage job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its been 25 years since then, and shes recently remarried. But the trauma has never left her, she said. I truly believe that the reason I survived everything I did, and have the grace that I do and have the intelligence that I do, was to be able to give that owed gift to others, to show that they are capable of that as well, she said. Private jets are a controversial topic, often sparking outrage due to their status as a symbol of growing economic inequality and climate destruction. A recent sighting of Kid Rock's private jet at an airport in Michigan prompted criticism from a group of people on Reddit for its tacky artwork and negative environmental impact. Photo Credit: Reddit Photo Credit: Reddit The jet, parked at Charlevoix Airport, is a Bombardier Challenger 601-3R midsize jet that can carry between 9 and 12 passengers, as per Guardian Jet. This aircraft is flown fairly regularly by Kid Rock and his team, conducting around 170 flights in 2024, according to Celebrity Private Jet Tracker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Private jets have grown in popularity among the super wealthy because they enable them to travel at a time that is convenient to them, as well as access a wider range of airports. However, this mode of transport is extremely wasteful and receives considerable backlash from people due to the excessive pollution it produces. Many of the trips taken by people using private jets are short-haul flights that could be replaced by more sustainable modes of transport, such as taking a train or even driving. What makes matters worse is that, according to The Guardian, up to 40% of these flights are empty return legs and don't carry any passengers at all. This consumes a large amount of fuel on unnecessary trips. Curbing unsustainable travel, like the use of private jets and superyachts, is important for reducing harmful, heat-trapping pollution that is causing the planet to warm. While ordinary people take steps to curb the amount of pollution they produce, such as driving electric cars, switching to solar panels, and eating more plant-based meals, the emissions of the super-rich are increasing exponentially. This post received a lot of negative comments from outraged readers, who felt that this display of wealth was out of touch with the realities of everyday life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Money cannot buy class," wrote one commenter. While another added, "All these private jets for celebrities need to be outlawed." Should the government ban gas-powered lawn equipment? Absolutely Not yet Only for commercial use Nope Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. 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. The Trump administration notified Kilmar Abrego Garcias team that immigration authorities are looking to deport the Salvadorian national to Eswatini, a small nation in southern Africa, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson told The Hill. A DHS official said in an email that Abrego Garcias attorneys told the department that their client, who entered the U.S. illegally when he was young, that he fears prosecution or torture in Uganda, where the administration previously sought to deport him. That claim of fear is hard to take seriously, especially given that you have claimed (through your attorneys) that you fear persecution or torture in at least 22 different countries, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nonetheless, we hereby notify you that your new country of removal is Eswatini, Africa, the official added. The push marks the administrations latest effort to deport Abrego Garcia, whom Trump officials have accused of being a member of the notorious MS-13 gang. The Salvadorian national and his legal team have denied the allegations. Abrego Garcia is currently being held at an immigration detention facility in Virginia. Earlier this year, the administration sent the man, who was living in Maryland under a temporary protective order, to a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador despite an order from a judge barring the deportation to the country in Central America. He was later moved to a different prison and the Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. had to facilitate his return. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration brought Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. in June, where he faced criminal charges in Tennessee. He has pleaded not guilty in that case and has fought for the case to be dismissed. Eswatini is one of the few African nations that have accepted migrants that the U.S. has deported in recent weeks. The administration sent five men, all of whom have criminal backgrounds and convictions, to the small nation in July. Updated at 11:55 a.m. EDT 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. Royal properties in London will stop allowing the use of two common household items, with a major reason for the ban being the environmental impact of the items. According to a report by Mix Vale, King Charles has banned wet wipes and scented candles to reduce long-term maintenance costs and set a precedent for sustainable choices something Charles has championed throughout his life. Wet wipes, in particular, have a proven negative impact on the environment. A study published in the National Library of Medicine revealed that, on top of their nonbiodegradable nature, wet wipes are made of plastic fibers that can break down into toxic fragments and seep into the earth and our water sources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Similarly, scented candles can have unnatural fragrances, which pollute air quality and can cause allergies, especially when lit indoors. King Charles' bans include Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and Clarence House, where the King resides. Authorities across the world have made similar strides with environmentally conscious bans. The mayor of Quezon City in the Philippines recently banned single-use and disposable plastic products within city-owned buildings. In Illinois, a ban on plastic bags is currently in the works. The public response to these bans has been mixed, according to Mix Vale. While some believe it sets an important example, others think the bans at the royal properties are out of touch with more modern needs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though wet wipes have gained popularity in recent years with some studies expecting the product's market to hit $36.56 billion by 2030 the options available, even when claiming to be biodegradable, generally take years to fully break down. So, King Charles' choice in banning wipes, though technically complying with the needs of rather ancient plumbing, is a modern one. To make strides like these royal bans will, you can choose plastic-free alternatives to common plastic products, look into eco-friendly wet wipe alternatives, or pick fresh flowers instead of lighting scented candles. 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. Hundreds of federal agents descended on a sprawling site where Hyundai manufactures electric vehicles in Georgia and detained 475 people, most of them South Korean nationals. This is the latest in a long line of workplace raids conducted as part of the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda. But the one on Thursday is especially distinct because of its large size and the fact that it targeted a manufacturing site state officials have long called Georgia's largest economic development project. The detainment of South Korean nationals also sets it apart, as they are rarely caught up in immigration enforcement compared to other nationalities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Video released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Saturday showed a caravan of vehicles driving up to the site and then federal agents directing workers to line up outside. Some detainees were ordered to put their hands up against a bus as they were frisked and then shackled around their hands, ankles and waist. Others had plastic ties around their wrists as they boarded a Georgia inmate-transfer bus. Here are some things to know about the raid and the people impacted: The workers detained South Koreas Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Saturday that more than 300 South Koreans were among the 475 people detained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of them worked for the battery plant operated by HL-GA Battery Co., a joint venture by Hyundai and LG Energy Solution that is slated to open next year, while others were employed by contractors and subcontractors at the construction site, according to Steven Schrank, the lead Georgia agent of Homeland Security Investigations. He said that some of the detained workers had illegally crossed the U.S. border, while others had entered the country legally but had expired visas or had entered on a visa waiver that prohibited them from working. But an immigration attorney representing two of the detained workers said his clients arrived from South Korea under a visa waiver program that enables them to travel for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. Attorney Charles Kuck said one of his clients has been in the U.S. for a couple of weeks, while the other has been in the country for about 45 days, adding that they had been planning to return home soon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The detainees also included a lawful permanent resident who was kept in custody for having a prior record involving firearm and drug offenses, since committing a crime of moral turpitude can put their status in jeopardy, Lindsay Williams, a public affairs officer for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Saturday. Williams denied reports that U.S. citizens had been detained at the site since once citizens have identified themselves, we have no authority. Hyundai Motor Company said in a statement Friday that none of its employees had been detained as far as it knew and that it is reviewing its practices to make sure suppliers and subcontractors follow U.S. employment laws. LG told The Associated Press that it couldnt immediately confirm how many of its employees or Hyundai workers had been detained. The South Korean government expressed concern and regret over the operation targeting its citizens and is sending diplomats to the site. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The business activities of our investors and the rights of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed in the process of U.S. law enforcement, South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jaewoong said in a televised statement from Seoul. Most of the people detained have been taken to an immigration detention center in Folkston, Georgia, near the Florida state line. None of them have been charged with any crimes yet, Schrank said, but the investigation is ongoing. Family members and friends of the detainees were having a hard time locating them or figuring out how to get in touch with them, James Woo, communications director for the advocacy group Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, said Saturday in an email. Woo added that many of the families were in South Korea because many of the detainees were in the United States only for business purposes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Raid is the result of a monthslong investigation The raid was the result of a monthslong investigation into allegations of illegal hiring at the site, Schrank said. In a search warrant and related affidavits, agents sought everything from employment records for current and former workers and timecards to video and photos of workers. Court records filed this week indicated that prosecutors do not know who hired what it called hundreds of illegal aliens. The identity of the actual company or contractor hiring the illegal aliens is currently unknown, the U.S. Attorneys Office wrote in a Thursday court filing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sprawling manufacturing site The raid targeted a manufacturing site widely considered one of Georgias largest and most high profile. Hyundai Motor Group started manufacturing EVs at the $7.6 billion plant a year ago. Today, the site employs about 1,200 people in a largely rural area about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Savannah. Agents specifically honed in on an adjacent plant that is still under construction at which Hyundai has partnered with LG Energy Solution to produce batteries that power EVs. The Hyundai site is in Bryan County, which saw its population increase by more than a quarter in the early 2020s and stood at almost 47,000 residents in 2023, the most recent year data is available. The countys Asian population went from 1.5% in 2018 to 2.2% in 2023, and the growth was primarily among people of Indian descent, according to Census Bureau figures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Raid was the largest single site enforcement operation From farms and construction sites to restaurants and auto repair shops, there have been a wide array of workplace raids undertaken in this administration. But most have been smaller, including a raid the same day as the Georgia one in which federal officers took away dozens of workers from a snack-bar manufacturer in Cato, New York. Other recent high-profile raids have included one in July targeting a legal marijuana farm northwest of Los Angeles. More than 360 people were arrested in one of the largest raids since Trump took office in January. Another one took place at an Omaha. Nebraska, meat production plant and involved dozens of workers being taken away. Schrank described the one in Georgia as the largest single site enforcement operation in the agencys two-decade history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The majority of the people detained are Koreans. During the 12-month period that ended Sept. 30, 2024, only 46 Koreans were deported during out of more than 270,000 removals for all nationalities, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Community members and advocates have mixed reactions Kemp and other Georgia Republican officials, who had courted Hyundai and celebrated the EV plants opening, issued statements Friday saying all employers in the state were expected to follow the law. The nonprofit legal advocacy organization Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta described the raid in a joint statement as unacceptable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our communities know the workers targeted at Hyundai are everyday people who are trying to feed their families, build stronger communities, and work toward a better future, the statement said. Sammie Rentz opened the Viet Huong Supermarket less than 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from the Hyundai site six months ago and said he worries business may not bounce back after falling off sharply since the raid. Im concerned. Koreans are very proud people, and I bet theyre not appreciating what just happened. Im worried about them cutting and running, or starting an exit strategy," he said. Ellabell resident Tanya Cox, who lives less than a mile from the Hyundai site, said she had no ill feelings toward Korean nationals or other immigrant workers at the site. But few neighbors were employed there, and she felt like more construction jobs at the battery plant should have gone to local residents. I dont see how its brought a lot of jobs to our community or nearby communities, Cox said. ___ AP reporter Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida contributed to this report. NEW MEXICO (KRQE) Democratic leaders are signaling agreement with Governor Michelle Lujan Grishams latest call for a special session, but some Republicans are questioning if its needed. The governor is aiming to tackle federal funding cuts in an October special session, and while those cuts are expected to take years to play out, KRQEs political analyst said some lawmakers are clearly looking to get ahead of the issue. Story continues below Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We know what potential cuts looks like, weve gone through this process, unfortunately, before, said Gabriel Sanchez, KRQE Political Analyst. Looming federal cuts from the Trump Administrations One Big Beautiful Bill are fueling another special session for New Mexico lawmakers now slated for October. Theyre expected to tackle health care and food assistance funding shortfalls, and Sanchez said he sees why lawmakers are coming to the table so quickly. I think theres been a lot of concern across the United States. New Mexico, just being one of the states that have a heavy percentage of their population that relies on Medicaid for their healthcare insurance, said Sanchez. Sanchez said nearly 40% of New Mexicans are on Medicaid right now. And while the federal cuts are expected to hit in 2027, the states coffers are in good standing now. But I do think the surplus in resources should give all New Mexicans some hope that some of the concern that they might have about their own personal financial situation, their own personal healthcare situation, that the State of New Mexico is being able to do something to plan ahead for when things might get rough down the line, said Sanchez. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the docket for the session includes rural health care dollars and making sure food assistance programs can keep running. But Republican leaders are speaking out against the agenda, so far saying juvenile crime, medical malpractice, and New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department reform should be the main focus. We know crime is the number one issue on the minds of most voters, so I would expect were going to spend a lot of time on public safety and thinking about crime issues, particularly juvenile crime, when we get to the regular session and we should have more time to be able to do it because well get some of these other hot button issues out of the way, said Sanchez. Sanchez also said its important to remember the governors agenda could change to add new topics in the next month, but hes predicting that if any crime topics pop up in the special session, itll likely be measures lawmakers debated, but didnt get to earlier this year. The special session is scheduled to start on October 1 and would mark the seventh special session in Lujan Grishams term. 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 KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. Sep. 5MITCHELL Lake Mitchell won't be drawn down in 2025 after all. Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson said Friday that the city received notification from the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) that the city needs to complete maximum flow and breach analysis prior to the reconstruction of the dam. That means the city of Mitchell won't be able to bid for the planned drawdown structure which the city has planned to drain and dredge the lake to address its continued water quality issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Originally, the city anticipated bidding for the drawdown structure in the fall of 2025," Hanson wrote in a letter. "The city is now unable to move forward with that timeline. ... Due to this, the draining of Lake Mitchell will not happen in 2025." DANR is requesting the city of Mitchell complete a 50% probable maximum flow and breach analysis. Those are hydrologic engineering processes used to determine the absolute maximum flood event that could reasonably occur at a specific location, particularly to design structures like dams and levees. "We have since had internal discussions related to the additional studies and will require an updated analysis of the 50% PMF and breach analysis be completed prior to reconstruction of the dam," said Mark S. Mayer, who is the director and acting chief engineer of the DANR's Office of Water, in a letter to Mitchell leaders. "That said, we also strongly suggest that these studies be completed prior to breaching the dam to ensure that there will not be any dam safety issues preventing the reconstruction of the dam once it has been breached." In an interview, Hanson indicated that the study could take several months to complete. He said city leaders expects to have more information by the next City Council meeting on Sept. 15. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It means we have to await further information," Hanson said of the news on Friday. The news from DANR comes after concerns from the James River Water Development District contacted state and federal leaders about the city's plan to lower Lake Mitchell by breaching the existing spillway dam and the potential impacts on downstream water systems. John Rubendall, who is one of nine regional directors and represents Mitchell on the JRWDD board, told the Mitchell Republic in August about the JRWDD's concerns about sediment running from Firesteel Creek and into the James River, plus concerns about how it would affect water quality, irrigation systems, and fish and wildlife downstream. The city also had not yet received a permit for the drawdown work from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Mitchell leaders signaled uncertainty about the timeline earlier in the week. At the Sept. 2 Mitchell City Council meeting, Hanson said he didn't have a timeline for when the drawdown would occur. That was in response to questions from lake residents who were preparing to take their docks out of the lake and some of whom had scheduled shoreline repairs for when the water levels were to be low. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A total package of $25 million in funding has been budgeted for restoration work at Lake Mitchell, with the drawdown costs estimated at $3.5 million. Previously, the drawdown bid for the lake was supposed to be awarded in fall 2025 and then a dredge bid in spring 2026. Barr Engineering, which has been tasked with engineering design and oversight of the Lake Mitchell restoration project, told the Mitchell City Council in a July presentation that the south side of the lake's spillway is ideal for breaching the dam and to maintain concrete integrity. The spillway's breach is estimated at 20 feet wide. As part of the dam reconstruction, a new door or valve in the spillway is planned to allow the water to be slowly lowered for future maintenance activities. Barr's plan calls for a controlled lowering of the water level to limit the rate of water flow and sediment movement, which is of chief concern for lakefront properties and Firesteel Creek downstream. Lake Mitchell's dam history dates back to when the lake was created in 1927 out of the city's approval of a bond vote to build a reservoir for a dependable source of water for the city. The earthen dam, concrete spillway and bridge were completed in 1928 and water was going over the spillway in spring 1929. The lake's earthen dam was improved again in 1993. VMPL New Delhi [India], September 6: In a moment of pride for Uttarakhand and the higher education community, Dr. Amit Kumar Dwivedi, Project Director of the Devbhoomi Udyamita Yojana (DUY) and Professor at the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad, has been conferred with the prestigious National Award to Teachers (NAT) 2025 by the Hon'ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, in New Delhi. Instituted in 1958, the National Awards to Teachers celebrate the exceptional efforts of educators who enrich the quality of education and transform the learning experience of students. Traditionally restricted to school teachers, the awards were extended in 2023 to include faculty from Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) and Polytechnics, making Dr. Dwivedi's recognition especially significant. Dr. Dwivedi has played a pioneering role in disseminating entrepreneurial mindset and culture among youth across Uttarakhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Goa, and Ladakh. Under his leadership, the Devbhoomi Udyamita Yojana has become a landmark initiative of the Uttarakhand Higher Education Department, nurturing thousands of student entrepreneurs and laying the foundation of a vibrant startup ecosystem in the state. Known for his innovative classroom pedagogy, Dr. Dwivedi has transformed entrepreneurship teaching into a practical and engaging experience, motivating students to move from job-seekers to job-creators. His expertise in family business studies and government project leadership has also contributed significantly to strengthening entrepreneurship education in India. Reacting to the honour, Dr. Dwivedi dedicated the award to "all students, colleagues, and institutions who have been part of this journey of shaping entrepreneurial youth." He expressed his gratitude to the Higher Education Department, Government of Uttarakhand, and to EDII for their continuous support. Adding to this, Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII, remarked: "This recognition of Dr. Dwivedi is not only a personal milestone but also a national acknowledgment of the innovation happening in entrepreneurship education. His dedication to fostering entrepreneurial culture among youth is shaping India's future as a self-reliant nation, and we at EDII take immense pride in his achievement." The Devbhoomi Udyamita Yojana has made remarkable strides in Uttarakhand by fostering a strong culture of student entrepreneurship. Till date, 1,037 student enterprises have been established, out of which 746 are led by women and 291 by men. These include 604 in the manufacturing sector, 377 in services, and 56 in trading. Notably, 329 enterprises are revenue generating, creating employment opportunities for 1,847 people, thereby contributing to reducing migration from the state. The enterprises have collectively attracted an investment of 770.28 lakhs, with 688.54 lakhs being self-invested and 81.74 lakhs borrowed from financial institutions. Among these students enterprises 08 have secured trademarks and 08 patents. In addition, to expand their market reach, 27 student products have been onboarded on online platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, ONDC, and Meesho. Altogether, DUY-supported enterprises have developed over 200 innovative products, ranging from honey, juices, and herbal goods to handicrafts and eco-friendly solutions. The recognition of Dr. Dwivedi underlines the growing importance of entrepreneurship education in the national education landscape and serves as an inspiration for teachers striving to prepare India's youth for a self-reliant future. Parents of Dr. Dwivedi Shri Banka Dubey and Smt. Kamana Dwivedi congratulated Dr. Amit on his achievements with pride. FOR MORE INFORMATION https://in.linkedin.com/in/dr-amit-kumar-dwivedi%F0%9F%87%AE%F0%9F%87%B3-72532217 (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) The Los Angeles Police Department on Saturday discontinued its protection for former Vice President Kamala Harris after heavy criticism within its own ranks that officers were being diverted from crime suppression, sources told The Times. LAPD Metropolitan Division officers had been assisting the California Highway Patrol in protecting Harris and were visible until Saturday morning outside her Brentwood home. Both California police agencies scrambled this week to protect Harris after President Trump, her rival in November's election, revoked Harriss Secret Service protection last week. President Biden had extended that protection for Harris beyond the six months after leaving office that vice presidents traditionally get. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had directed the LAPD to provide the security team to assist the CHP in the short term. According to sources, those Metro officers had to be drawn away from crime suppression work in the San Fernando Valley this week. Read more: California Highway Patrol to protect Kamala Harris after Trump pulls Secret Service detail, sources say The department is "assisting the California Highway Patrol in providing protective services for former Vice President Kamala Harris until an alternate plan is established," said Jennifer Forkish, L.A. police communications director, on Thursday. "This temporary coordinated effort is in place to ensure that there is no lapse in security." The CHP has not indicated how the LAPD's move would alter its arrangement with the former vice president nor said how long it will continue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A dozen or more LAPD officers began working a detail to protect Harris after Trump revoked her Secret Service protection as of Monday. Sources not authorized to discuss the details of the plan said the city would fund the security but that the arrangement was expected to be brief, with Harris hiring her own security in the near future. A security detail was seen outside Harris' Brentwood home by a Fox 11 helicopter as the station broke the story of the use of L.A. police earlier this week. The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents rank-and-file LAPD officers, criticized the move. Read more: LAPD is assisting CHP in protecting Kamala Harris after Trump pulls Secret Service Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Pulling police officers from protecting everyday Angelenos to protect a failed presidential candidate who also happens to be a multi-millionaire... and who can easily afford to pay for her own security, is nuts," its board of directors said. The statement continued, "Mayor Karen Bass should tell Governor Newsom that if he wants to curry favor with Ms. Harris and her donor base, then he should open up his own wallet because LA taxpayers should not be footing the bill for this ridiculousness." Newsom, who was required to sign off on CHP protection, has not confirmed the arrangement to The Times, but a spokesperson for Newsom added: "The safety of our public officials should never be subject to erratic, vindictive political impulse." Bass, in a statement last week, commented on Trump scrapping the security detail for Harris, saying: "This is another act of revenge following a long list of political retaliation in the form of firings, the revoking of security clearances, and more. This puts the former Vice President in danger and I look forward to working with the governor to make sure Vice President Harris is safe in Los Angeles." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Saturday the mayor's office said: The plan was always to provide temporary support and I thank LAPD for protecting former VP Harris and always prioritizing the safety of all Angelenos. Deploying LAPD officers to protect Harris was a source of controversy within the department in years past. During L.A. Police Chief Charlie Beck's tenure, when Harris was a U.S. senator, plainclothes officers served as security and traveled with her from January 2017 to July 2018. Beck said at the time through a spokesman that the protection was granted based on a threat assessment. Beck's successor, Michel Moore, ended the protection in July 2018 after he said a new evaluation determined it was no longer needed. The decision came as The Times filed a lawsuit seeking records from then-Mayor Eric Garcetti detailing the costs of security related to his own extensive travel. Garcetti said he was unaware of the police protection until Moore ended it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former vice presidents usually get Secret Service protection for six months after leaving office, while former presidents are given protection for life. But before his term ended, then-President Biden signed an order to extend Harris' protection to July 2026. Aides to Harris had asked Biden for the extension. Without it, her security detail would have ended last month, according to sources. The curtailing of Secret Service protection comes as Harris is going to begin a book tour next month for her memoir, titled 107 Days. The tour has 15 stops, which include visits to London and Toronto. The book title references the short length of her presidential campaign. Harris, the first Black woman to serve as vice president, was the subject of an elevated threat level particularly when she became the Democratic presidential contender last year. The Associated Press reports, however, a recent threat intelligence assessment by the Secret Service conducted on those it protects, such as Harris, found no red flags or credible evidence of a threat to the former vice president. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A Las Vegas man pleaded guilty to advising clients to commit tax evasion, according to a release from the U.S. Attorneys Office. Michael J. Moore operated a tax and accounting business known as X Tax Pros from 2015 to April 2025, promoting a fraud tax avoidance scheme called the Special Tax Shelter Strategy, according to court documents. Moore promised clients that if they paid him certain fees, he would prepare a tax return that would eliminate the clients taxes owed to the IRS and, in most cases, create a large tax refund. He charged the clients tens of thousands of dollars in fees, which the clients paid from the refunds they received from the IRS, according to court documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To carry out the Special Tax Shelter Strategy, Moore falsified entries on the clients tax returns. In many cases, he did this by falsely reporting that the client had sustained a large loss from one or more business entities that Moore controlled. In most cases, Moores entities carried on no business, did not file tax returns, did not sustain or report any losses to the IRS, and did not report the clients as partners. For some clients, Moore falsified entries relating to the cost of goods sold and royalty expenses, according to court documents. In total, Moore caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $3.5 million. Moore is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 8, 2025, and he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. 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. A senator in Australia's environmentally oriented political party, the Greens, is warning citizens that new laws could expose communities to dangerous radioactive waste dumped from nuclear-powered submarines. What's happening? As The Guardian reported, opponents of the Aukus submarine deal, which aims to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines by the 2030s, say the law unfairly puts communities and Indigenous landowners at risk of nuclear waste exposure. Senator David Shoebridge said Aukus was a "slow-motion disaster" that could impact Australia for thousands of years, per the news outlet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Australia stated it would take full responsibility for the management of nuclear waste and the spent fuel from the submarines' reactors, critics argue that the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Bill, passed in 2024, would provide the government with grounds to dispose of the waste almost anywhere in the country. "This law allows the minister to pick any place on a map, then the next day make a nuclear waste dump there. It sounds impossible, but the way the law is written could make your neighborhood, or the defence facility next door, a nuclear waste dump almost overnight," Shoebridge said, per The Guardian. There are also concerns that the spent fuel could be used to make nuclear weapons, as it contains highly enriched uranium. Why is the new law concerning? Nuclear waste that isn't properly stored is highly dangerous to humans, animals, and ecosystems. Possible consequences of exposure include cell damage, acute radiation sickness, and increased cancer risk, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition, extreme weather events and other effects linked to a rising global temperature may compromise storage sites. As for the law itself, The Guardian reported that there are concerns the government is hiding "critical details," including where exactly it would dump radioactive material, as highlighted by former South Australian senator Rex Patrick. When Patrick attempted to request a copy of the 2023 Defense Department report detailing potential sites for nuclear waste, he was denied access. Patrick also noted the project's estimated $368 billion costs don't include nuclear waste storage and disposal. While existing nuclear energy production has numerous benefits, including the production of low-carbon electricity and the ability to complement renewable energy sources, it also has several drawbacks. For one, constructing nuclear power plants can be expensive, and there's always a risk that bad actors will somehow get hold of the uranium to make weapons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, nuclear energy has the potential to become a significantly larger player in the world's energy mix as society transitions to clean energy and away from dirty energy sources like oil, coal, and gas. What's being done to address the nuclear waste? Per The Guardian, the Aukus law was amended last year to prevent the U.S. and U.K. from dumping high-level radioactive waste, such as spent fuel, in Australia. A spokesperson for the Australian Submarine Agency also stated that the selection of designated zones for high-level waste wouldn't be made without consulting community members. However, Australian governments have been deliberating about where to store spent nuclear waste for decades and have yet to decide on a permanent storage solution. The Guardian reported that current legislation "designates HMAS Stirling off Perth and the Osborne naval shipyard in Adelaide" as a storage site for low- and intermediate-level waste, but the law also allows the government to choose almost any other site. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Individually, you can make a difference by staying informed about the dangers of nuclear waste and the warming planet, as well as the potential for nuclear energy. 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. Washington (DC News Now) Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill this week after their August summer recess. And they already have one major agenda item to tackle: funding the government to avoid a shutdown. The Hills Brett Samuels returns to Capitol Review. Samuels is the White House reporter. 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. A Massachusetts bill requiring oil and gas companies to contribute to a climate-related superfund was approved by the Greenfield City Council. According to the Greenfield Recorder, while there was opposition to the bill, it ultimately passed 9-3. The Climate Change Superfund Bill was filed earlier this year and proposes that these dirty fuel companies contribute financially in a way that is proportional to their environmental damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "What this does is it creates a superfund that the big oil and gas companies pay into. The superfund then deals with issues that arise from pollution, like illnesses, the cleaning up of waterways and cleaning up of Earth," said City Councilor Patricia Williams, who filed the initial resolution, as quoted by the Recorder. There was pushback to the bill from some council members, who said that the resolution was government overreach and essentially punished companies, despite the way the oil and gas industry has, in many ways, boosted U.S. advancement. City Councilor Marianne Bullock responded to this pushback, per the Recorder: "When billionaires are making billions of dollars and people are getting sick and dying and hurt because of their actions, you're not being punished. You're being held accountable." The impact of dirty fuels on both the Earth and individual communities is not an amorphous construct. A study published by the Environmental Defense Fund reports that pollution from gas and oil burning has resulted in "$7.4 billion in health damages, more than 700 premature deaths, and 73,000 asthma exacerbations among children annually." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Furthermore, the burning of these fuels is a massive contributor to rising global temperatures, which not only worsens the air quality but also exacerbates natural disasters. Luckily, the city of Greenfield is not the only place moving forward with pro-climate legislation aimed at big gas and oil companies. A similar bill was passed in New York in 2024, while a more national bill was proposed around the same time. 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. GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) The mother of a teenager who was killed at Frankies Fun Park is filing a lawsuit against Greenville County Emergency Medical Services. 17-year-old Kamel Seveion Sewell was an employee at Frankies Fun Park and had died at the result of an incident involving a forklift and Go-kart in December 2024. Frankies Fun Park Greenville County LawsuitDownload EMS employees had taken photos of Kamels body while on scene and had shared the images publicly. Deldras Sewell, Kamels mother, later found out about the photos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Greenville County fired four EMS employees and discipline three supervisors following the incident, according to the lawsuit. Sewell has filed a lawsuit against Greenville County EMS, claiming negligence, gross negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. According to the lawsuit, the County of Greenville had failed to hire competent staff and supervise and train their staff properly, saying that EMS had been reckless. Sewell is seeking damages for the pain and suffering that the ordeal has caused her, punitive damages, court costs and any other relief that the court sees fit. 7News reached out to Greenville County for a comment, but have not heard back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 WSPA 7NEWS. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) The Utah State Legislature asked the Utah Supreme Court for an emergency halt of the ruling that orders them to draw new congressional maps by September 25. That ruling came from the Third District Court, which said that the legislature wasnt justified in overturning Proposition 4, a citizen ballot measure that created an anti-gerrymandering commission and guidelines. It also ruled that Prop 4 now governed the new redistricting process. The judges ruling required the legislature to draw those new congressional maps within 30 days, follow the anti-gerrymandering criteria of Proposition 4, and make the maps public for 10 days before a vote on them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PREVIOUSLY: Utahs Congressional maps due by Sept. 25, lawyers in redistricting case agree on new timeline However, in the filing, the legislature argues that Judge Gibsons remedy only enforced parts of Prop 4. Specifically, the legislature contends that Prop 4 created an independent redistricting commission, required the legislature to vote yes or no on its proposed maps, and required that they explain why if they were to vote them down. Judge Gibsons remedy, the legislature argues, picks and chooses which provisions of Prop 4 govern the new maps. The district courts pick-and-choose remedial prescriptions are inconsistent with its merits conclusions that Proposition 4 is the law that the Legislature must follow when redistricting, the filing states. (The lower) court abused its discretion in crafting a remedy that itself violates Proposition 4all to achieve Plaintiffs goal of running the 2026 congressional elections under a new map. And that process leaves the Legislature without any assurance that any alternative remedial map it ultimately adoptsafter a laborious effort of convening a special sessionwill be free from yet another challenge under Proposition 4 by a different group of plaintiffs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, lawyers for the Plaintiffs argued in a previous status hearing that Prop 4 only required a commission if redistricting was occurring as part of the census, or if Utah added a Congressional seat. They contend that an independent redistricting commission isnt required after an injunction. The legislatures emergency writ, filed near the close of business on a Friday, asks for a decision from the justices by September 15, which is the day the Governor is likely to call the legislature into a special session. Relief obtained after September 15 will effectively be no relief at all, the filing states. Its unclear whether the states high court will agree to hear this emergency request, and if they do halt the ruling, then its likely that Utah would use its current congressional maps (the 2021 Congressional maps) for next Novembers midterm elections while the case continues to be litigated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The legislature has also signaled that it could additionally appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States. You can read the full petition filed by the Legislature below. 2025.09.05 Petition for Extraordinary ReliefDownload 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. The Lewiston-Porter Central School District will welcome Ambassador Chen Li, the consul general of the Peoples Republic of China in New York City, for a tour of the districts Chinese language and cultural exchange programs. The visit will take place from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, with Li joined by education counselor Yu Yougen, and counsels Lin You and Qin Qilun. Their visit will include observing Chinese language classes in the Intermediate Education Center and Middle School and meeting with district leaders on expanding opportunities for student travel and educational collaboration. After visiting the district, the delegation will visit Niagara University in the afternoon to review existing partnerships between the college and Chinese institutions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lewiston-Porter has long embraced a vision of global education, providing our students with opportunities to develop language skills and cultural competencies that prepare them to thrive in an interconnected world, said Superintendent Paul Casseri. We are honored to host Ambassador Chen and his delegation as we work to deepen our relationships with Chinese schools and expand exchange programs for students. Lew-Port has had student exchange programs with Chinese schools since at least 2008, with its current relationship being with Tianjin Number Two High School. In 2024, a delegation of students and educators traveled to Tianjin and Beijing, participating in classroom exchanges and leadership forums. This past July, students attended the Circle of Friends Summer Camp at Tianjin Normal University, where they met with peers from around the world to build language fluency and cultural understanding. This coming spring, Lew-Port plans on an art-focused exchange program with Jingdezhen Ceramic University, offering advanced art students an opportunity to travel to one of Chinas historic cultural centers. Niagara Universitys partnerships with Chinese institutions include international exchange partnerships with schools in Tianjin, Nanning, and Shanghai, a dual-degree program with Hunan First Normal University, and collaboration with Lew-Port on the districts F-1 Visa Student Program. The recently announced next-generation Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms will significantly benefit India's agriculture sector, particularly the rice industry, Indian Rice Exporters Federation's Vice President, Dev Garg, said. Talking to ANI, he called the reform "not just a tax reform, it is an economic reform." The reform, according to him, will create a "huge wave" of new growth opportunities, job creation, and this will supercharge the economy. Garg pointed out that exporters had long faced bottlenecks in GST registration, which earlier took several weeks. "Firstly, the time limit for GST registration has now been reduced to three days. Earlier, if we see a new GST registration, it used to take more than 30 to 40 days and this was a very challenging aspect for any large exporter," he said. He said the latest GST reform would ease operations across multiple ports. "If we specifically talk about rice, an exporter may export from Kandla port, from Vizag port, from Mumbai port or from Kakinada port and wherever he feels that there is economic viability, he will undertake exports from that place. Earlier, if I'm an exporter sitting in Delhi and I don't have a GST registration in Andhra Pradesh, then it was very difficult for me to aggregate large amounts of quantity at the port warehouse and export it." Another major benefit, Garg said, comes from faster refunds. "Any exporter would get provisional 90% refund within one week, which has been reduced from earlier 60 days to seven days. If we talk about the rice industry, more than 1230 crores of the rice industry are stuck under GST refunds. By bringing in this enabling provision, the GST refund time has been reduced from 60 days to 7 days and now this more than 1200 crore rupees will be unlocked for the rice industry which will reduce the working capital cycle," he claimed. Garg noted that these GST rate cuts will also stimulate consumer demand. "This new changes will also bring in a wave of fresh consumer demand as we have seen that for most consumer goods, the GST slab has been cut down. This will lead to increased demand from the consumer side," he continued. With India expected to reap a record rice harvest this Kharif season, Garg said the timing of the reform was critical. "This season, which will start from October, November, we anticipate that the crop for high value basmati and other varieties of Indian rice, there will be a huge surplus stock situation. When there is a huge surplus stock situation, we need enhanced consumer demand to uplift the prices and keep the prices for the raw material and the paddy high during the harvest season so that the farmers get their due prices." He said consumer will have more disposable income to purchase more goods from the market. "If earlier somebody was purchasing a low value rice variety of 25 to 35 rupees per kg, today because of this (GST rate rationalization), he will be able to shift to a higher variety of rice. He will be able to eat basmati rice and other high value non-basmati rice varieties," he argued. On behalf of around 7,500 exporters of the Indian Rice Exporters Federation, Garg thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for bringing in this economic reform. Sweeping changes have been made to what the government termed the next-generation GST (Goods and Services Tax) rationalisation. It came just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced it from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Independence Day. This is aimed at reducing the tax burden on citizens while stimulating economic growth. On Wednesday, the GST Council approved significant rate cuts across multiple sectors - medical, daily staples, agriculture, education, auto, health and life insurance, electronics -- which the government has described as a Diwali gift for the nation. (ANI) VATICAN CITY (AP) Over 1,000 LGBTQ+ Catholics and their families participated in a Holy Year pilgrimage to Rome on Saturday, celebrating a new level of acceptance in the Catholic Church after long feeling shunned, and crediting Pope Francis with the change. Some wept as they walked through the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica in the rite of passage of Holy Year pilgrims. They said the moment felt important, historic even, in the life of the church and their community. It just felt epic, like I was able to touch the hand of God, said Justin del Rosario, who carried a big wooden crucifix across the threshold of the Holy Door with a group of pilgrims from the United States that included his husband. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several LGBTQ+ groups participated in the pilgrimage, which was listed in the Vaticans official calendar of events for the Holy Year, the once-every-quarter century celebration of Catholicism. Vatican organizers stressed that the listing in the calendar didn't signal endorsement or sponsorship, but was a logistical tool to help organizers and pilgrims alike. The main sponsor of the pilgrimage was an Italian LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, Jonathans Tent, but other groups participated, including a group of trans women from southern Rome, DignityUSA and Outreach, another U.S. group, as well as the Brazilian National Network of LGBT+ Catholic Groups. I was here 25 years ago at the last Holy Year with a contingent of LGBTQ people from the U.S. and we were actually detained as a threat to the Holy Year programs," said DignityUSA's Marianne Duddy Burke. To now be invited to walk through the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica "fully recognized as who we are and the gifts we bring to the church, and that we have both our faith and our identities combined, is a day of great celebration and hope, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pope Leo XIV celebrated a special Jubilee audience Saturday at the Vatican for all pilgrim groups in Rome this weekend, but made no special mention of the LGBTQ+ Catholics. A legacy of LGBTQ+ acceptance Many of the pilgrims attributed their feeling of welcome to Francis. More than any of his predecessors, Francis distinguished himself with a message of welcome, from his 2013 quip, Who am I to judge? about a purportedly gay priest, to his decision to allow priests to bless same-sex couples. He never changed church teaching saying homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered. But during his 12-year papacy from 2013 to 2025, Francis met with LGBTQ+ advocates, ministered to a community of trans women and, in a 2023 interview with The Associated Press, declared that being homosexual is not a crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement John Capozzi of Washington D.C., who was participating in the pilgrimage with his husband, del Rosario, said Francis attitude brought him back to the church after he left it in the 1980s, at the height of the AIDS crisis. Then, he said, he felt shunned by his fellow Catholics. There was that feeling like I wasnt welcome in the church, he said. Not because I was doing anything, just because I was who I was, he said. It was this fear of going back in because of the judgment. But Francis, who insisted that the Catholic Church was open to everyone, todos, todos, todos, changed all that, he said. I was a closeted Catholic, Capozzi said. With Pope Francis, I was able to come out and say, Hey, you know, I am Catholic and Im proud of it and I want to be part of the church. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A message of welcome and hope Capozzi spoke during a standing room-only vigil service for the pilgrims Friday night at the main Jesuit church in Rome. The service featured testimonies from gay couples, the mother of a trans child and a moving reflection by an Italian priest, the Rev. Fausto Focosi. Our eyes have known the tears of rejection, of hiding. They have known the tears of shame. And perhaps sometimes those tears still spring from our eyes, Focosi said. Today, however, there are other tears, new tears. They wash away the old ones. And so today these tears are tears of hope, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Saturday morning, Italian Bishop Franceseco Savino celebrated Mass for the pilgrims and received a sustained standing ovation in the middle of his homily when he recalled that Jubilee celebrations historically were meant to restore hope to those on the margins. The Jubilee was the time to free the oppressed and restore dignity to those who had been denied it, he said. Brothers and sisters, I say this with emotion: It is time to restore dignity to everyone, especially to those who have been denied it. Leo's position comes into focus Leos position on LGBTQ+ Catholics had been something of a question. Soon after he was elected in May, remarks surfaced from 2012 in which the future pope, then known as the Rev. Robert Prevost, criticized the homosexual lifestyle and the role of mass media in promoting acceptance of same-sex relationships. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He later acknowledged Francis call for a more inclusive church, saying Francis made it very clear that he doesnt want people to be excluded simply on the basis of choices that they make, whether it be lifestyle, work, way to dress, or whatever. Leo met Monday with the Rev. James Martin, an American Jesuit who has advocated for greater welcome for LGBTQ+ Catholics. Martin emerged saying Leo told him he intended to continue Pope Francis policy of LGBTQ+ acceptance in the church and encouraged him to keep up his advocacy. I heard the same message from Pope Leo that I heard from Pope Francis, which is the desire to welcome all people, including LGBTQ people, Martin told The Associated Press after the audience. Savino, vice president of the Italian bishops conference, said he too had received Leo's blessing to celebrate the Mass for the LGBTQ+ pilgrims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Del Rosario, Capozzis husband, said he now felt welcome after long staying away from the faith he was raised in. Pope Francis influenced me to return back to church. Pope Leo only strengthened my faith, he said. ___ Associated Press journalists Isaia Montelione and Maria Selene Clemente contributed to this report. ___ 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. Lithuania will be activating sirens when a potentially dangerous drone is spotted in the country's airspace, Lithuanian Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic told Radio LRT broadcaster on Sept. 5. The measure is part of new response procedures approved last week and comes after two Russian Gerbera drones, one of which was armed, crashed in the Baltic country in July after entering from Belarus. Russian drones and missiles have repeatedly violated the airspaces of NATO members and other countries during mass aerial attacks on Ukraine, prompting debates about new security measures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If there is an incursion and it is established that the drone may be carrying explosives, a red alert will most likely be declared," Kondratovic said on Radio LRT. In that case, Lithuanian authorities would issue warnings through residents' phones, sound a siren, and implement other measures, the minister explained. If the drone is determined not to be dangerous or if it is uncertain whether it will enter Lithuanian airspace, a yellow alert will be declared instead. According to Kondratovic, residents of areas potentially at risk will still receive warnings, as has been the case until now. The new measures also task the Lithuanian military to increase readiness and mobilize relevant forces during Russian aerial strikes against Ukraine. In case of a serious threat, Lithuanian forces will begin monitoring the airspace and prepare to neutralize potential targets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bordering Russia's heavily armed exclave of Kaliningrad and Moscow's ally Belarus, Lithuania has moved to reinforce its borders and strengthen civil preparedness in case of a potential conflict. While Russian projectiles have violated the airspace of Poland, Latvia, Moldova, and Romania since 2022, there has not been a single known case of local air defenses shooting them down. Romania has also been tightening security since 2023 in response to Russian attacks against Ukrainian ports near the Romanian border. These new measures included building shelters, issuing emergency warnings, and passing a law allowing the Romanian military to down drones illegally entering the airspace. The steps underscore the direct impact of Russia's war against Ukraine on populations in countries bordering the two warring nations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Ukrainian drones strike Russias largest Rosneft refinery in Ryazan, hit oil processing unit, military says Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. CHICAGO (WGN) Little Village has not been buzzing with the same energy and spirits its famous for in recent days. A lot of people [are] just fearing to come to this area, Ariella Santoyo said. Driving down 26th Street, regulars cant help but notice the change as the once vibrant, predominantly Mexican neighborhood now feels unusually quiet and empty. Generally, these corners youll have one vendor per corner, [but] theyre empty. The vendors arent out there, Santoyo said. You see people not in restaurants. To see it so empty, to find parking is super rare. People are just holding off. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Santoyo, owner of My Quince World, finds it disheartening to see whats happening. Her shop has been a place where families come to search for the perfect quinceanera dress. Its a deeply rooted Latino tradition, marking a girls coming of age at 15. She is convinced the Trump administrations recent threats of ICE and the National Guard coming to Chicago have created fear and uncertainty throughout the community, leaving few people willing to step out. Illinois senators oppose ICE use of Chicago-area naval station for immigration enforcement Theres been a decline of more than 50% of the business. The streets are empty. People are postponing the appointments theyve made, Santoyo said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baltazar Enriquez, the Little Village Community Council President, is fully aware people are living in fear. He says hardworking residents, not only undocumented but also citizens, are terrified of what might happen to them, haunted by what theyve seen happen in LA and DC. Enriquez says hes heard federal forces are set to arrive on Saturday and is preparing for the worst. Mayhem: Pritzker warns of possible ICE operation in Chicagoland If communications systems fail, the council began distributing whistles as part of the Blow the Whistle campaign to protect residents. When you see immigration, you blow the whistle to alert the community, he said. If you hear a whistle, if you have no legal status, go away. If you have legal status, come this way and be a hero and protect those that are being harassed by ICE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Enriquez says if federal forces do arrive in the coming days, he and a group of volunteers will be ready, staging around the neighborhood and near the famous arch to assist 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 WGN-TV. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) U.S. President Donald Trump wont say where hes planning to send National Guard troops next, but said hes looking at Portland closely. Were going to go into another place and straighten it out, President Trump said Friday. He said that while he has decided where to send troops next, he wouldnt share the location. Then, he brought up Portland. Portland, its unbelievable whats going on, the destruction of the city, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I didnt know this was still going on. This has been going on for years, Trump said. Well be able to stop that very easily. Trump said Portland wasnt on his list, but is reconsidering after what he saw on television Thursday night. Its unclear what he saw on tv. Wilson: Portland wont work with ICE on fed enforcement These are paid agitators and theyre very dangerous for our country. And when we go there, if we go to Portland, were going to wipe them out, the president said Friday. Trump said that agitators have ruined the city, and that he knows people whove left Portland because of it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its like living in hell, the president said. In response, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson issued a statement. He said he has not asked for federal intervention and does not need it. We are proud that Portland police have successfully protected freedom of expression while addressing occasional violence and property destruction that takes place during protests at the ICE facility in Portland, he said. Portland will continue to rise to the moment as a proud sanctuary city, taking legal action to stand up for our community and our rights. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said the state would not hesitate to take legal action if troops are sent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oregon is a safe place, and we intend to keep it that way, Rayfield said. The president may have a lot of power, but he has to stay in his laneand if he doesnt, well hold him accountable. 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 KOIN.com. BLUEFIELD The West Virginia Army National Guards 1st Squadron, 150th Cavalry Regiment, will soon be transformed into a Tactical Combat Formation unit. Thats according to Gov. Patrick Morrisey, who says the proposed change will save the 150th Cavalry Regiment, retain 532 authorized military personnel in the state and protect hundreds of jobs across Southern West Virginia. Headquartered in Bluefield at the Brushfork Armory, the 1-150th Cavalry has soldiers stationed at multiple locations across the state, including in Bluefield, Holden, Salem, Glen Jean and Red House. The unit had been on the chopping block as part of the U.S. Armys Transformation in Contact (TIC) initiative, according to a statement released by Morrisey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I want to thank Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, and the administration for listening to the people of West Virginia and recognizing the importance of this unit not just in terms of military capability, but also heritage, community, and economic resilience, Morrisey said in a prepared statement. I also want to commend Maj. Gen. (Jim) Seward for his determined leadership. He argued forcefully that eliminating the 150th was not only a mistake strategically, but also a devastating blow to southern West Virginia. This is an area that has sacrificed greatly for this nation and deserves continued investment. According to the governors office, a tide of Pentagon force reductions and shifting Army priorities threatened the 1st Squadron, 150th Cavalry Regiment until Seward and his staff began making the case for retaining the unit directly to the highest levels of national leadership. While it must still be formally approved by the Department of Defense, Morrisey said the strategic realignment will ensure the continuing heritage of the 150ths unit designation while reinforcing West Virginias contribution to national defense and protecting hundreds of jobs in the region. I am proud to say that the voices of West Virginians were heard, Morrisey added in the statement. After thoughtful deliberation and strong advocacy, the Department of Defense and the current administration agreed not to disband the 150th, but instead to transform it. Once decisions are finalized, we expect the 150th Cavalry Regiment will be reorganized into a Tactical Combat Formation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Area officials say they were not notified of the proposed unit changes. Most people associate the Brushfork Armory with Bluefield, but it isnt located in the city limits. They are not in the city limits, Bluefield City Manager Cecil Marson said of the 150th. So normally we would not be notified. I would expect they would notify the county. However, the Mercer County Commission also was unaware of the proposed changes, according to County Commission President Bill Archer. Ive been in the field doing things for the past couple of days, but I had no foreknowledge of it other than that press release, Archer said, adding that there have been reports on and off over the years about the future of the 150th. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those kind of reports have come and gone, but generally speaking they are proposed, but it doesnt seem like they ever come to fruition, Archer said. And now I think it is really great that we have the governors support of this unit that has a storied history and a history of service to not only West Virginia, but also to the United States. Archer, a former journalist who wrote many stories in the past about the 150th, said the local unit consists of really good soldiers. I had personal experience with them, Archer said. I was down there when they came back from Iraq at Fort Bragg when they landed on the aircraft. We flew down there and greeted them on their return from Iraq, and I remember the welcomes of their families. And also I had researched when I was at the (news)paper a lot about the 150th. Soon after they were organized they were sent to Panama to guard the canal during the early stages of World War II. Archer said the 1-150th Cavalry has units across West Virginia, including in Bluefield. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Had the 1-150th Cavalry been lost, it would have led to a 13% reduction in overall force structure while potentially impacting several rural counties where the armory serves as the primary military presence, according to the governors office. This is more than a reorganization its a reaffirmation of who we are, Maj. Gen. Seward said in the press release issued by the governors office. The 150th has always answered the call, whether in war or in support of our communities. This transformation ensures that legacy continues with strength and purpose. West Virginia is stronger, safer, and more secure because of this decision and I am deeply grateful to all who stood with us to keep the 150th alive. By converting the 150th Cavalry into a Tactical Combat Formation, the Army staff has preserved the units storied lineage while aligning it with modern operational demands, West Virginia Army National Guard Col. Robert Kincaid, added in a prepared statement. This move will maintain structural integrity for the organization, enhance combat readiness, and secure a vital capability for both West Virginia and the United States Army. According to Morrisey, the presence of the West Virginia National Guard serves as an anchor for the local economy, with ripple effects across small businesses, schools and community services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Armys Transformation in Contact initiative was announced in 2023 and is meant to modernize and evolve formations in preparation for real-world deployments. The effort has since entered its second phase. TIC is based on the delivery of new technology into the hands of soldiers so that they can experiment, innovate, and be ready to fight on a modern battlefield. It also accelerates the fielding of necessary capabilities and leverages commercial-off-the-shelf products to allow for faster integration of new technologies during realistic training scenarios, according to the official statement. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com SIOUX FALLS, SD (KEL0) President Trump signed an executive order Friday that begins the process of changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. Trump says the re-brand will project a tougher image for the U.S. military. 7 years in, emerald ash borer killing more trees Leo Leanos of Sioux Falls served in the army during the war in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012. I think we did a lot of work, a lot of good work. We built a lot of wells, got the streets safe from IEDs and explosives. Helped a lot of people, Leanos said Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Leanos has mixed feelings about changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. Hes intrigued by the new job titles. Secretary of war sounds pretty cool, Leanos said. Army veteran LeRoy Berndt of Sioux Falls served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1966. We had freedom because of a lot of the wars, so I felt I was part of that having freedom. No, Im proud I served in Vietnam, Berndt said. Berndt says he has no problem with the switch to Department of War. But he recognizes the contrast when you parse the words. The name is different, war and defense. I didnt think we were a country of war, more of a country of defense, Berndt said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A name change is going to require a period of adjustment for those who have gotten used to the Department of Defense for so long. I did like the Department of Defense. I think the DOD, whenever I said DOD did this, kind of holds a lot of strength in that regard. Im not sure how DOW would sound down the line, Leanos said. Both veterans, who are proud of their service to the country, say the U-S military will remain a strong fighting force regardless of what names are attached to the Pentagon. A name change for the Department of Defense would still require approval from Congress. Trump says he believes lawmakers will go along with the change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Department of War was originally created in 1789 and renamed in 1947 a year and half after World War 2 ended. 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 KELOLAND.com. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) As the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority celebrates its latest Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas campaign, many locals told 8 News Now theyd like to see more efforts to lower prices. Were excited, we think the times right, LVCVA CEO Steve Hill said of the new ad. We think the message is right. That message of excitement comes at a time that many have called tough, with an ongoing dip in visitor numbers at hotels and casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Las Vegas visitor numbers have declined over several months, dropping by 12% in July. Hotel occupancy is down 7.6% from July 2024. The drop was attributed to people staying home to save money and fewer international travelers. They need to make Las Vegas a little like it used to be, Las Vegas local Sandy Wright told 8 News Now. Wright and other locals who spoke with 8 News Now said the commercial and campaign is not enough for them to change their habits. How much money do you have to make? Shannon Wright said. You know, let the people who live here come and enjoy. 8 News Now spoke with multiple people at First Friday downtown. Like many tourists, Las Vegans cited continued high prices on the Strip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think last time I went out there, my friend and I got two drinks for 40 bucks. Alvaro Rosas said. That was a little unheard of? And yeah, that made me want to stay away. Rosas and others spoke to 8 News Now about expensive drinks and dinners, along with high-priced parking and resort fees. Many also stated they would love to take advantage of staycation opportunities, but they cant afford it. It was already expensive four years ago, Alvaro Rosas said. So it being 27 dollars for a water bottle now is insane. Others added that theyve had a tough time affording trips to the Strip with friends and visitors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We want to take them to the Strip, Shannon Wright told 8 News Now. But we dont want to pay $40 or $60 to park in order to show them the place. So, what would they like to see? Many suggested less nickel and diming and an effort to make many of these experiences more appealing. The locals, were here, Sandy Wright concluded. If you make it reasonable, I will go. The ad does feature Fremont Street, which several people told 8 News Now they still frequent, due to more reasonable prices and deals for locals compared to Las Vegas Boulevard. 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. The most audacious anti-government protest inside China for years took months of elaborate planning. Qi Hong, a former factory worker, first had to source a powerful enough projector to display his message onto a high rise building. Then he had to install the device, covering his tracks as he prepared to stage the demonstration on the eve of Chinas massive military parade, hosted by leader Xi Jinping. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And finally, he had to get to a safe distance. When the lights flickered on illuminating in giant letters Down with red fascism; overthrow the tyranny of the Communist Party Mr Qi was somewhere in Britain, hiding with his family. I wanted [people] to realise and remember that nobody nobody is safe here in China, Mr Qi told The Telegraph in his first sit-down interview. He asked for his face not be shown for fear of reprisals. Though he knew he would be forced into exile for his one shot at public protest, he said he was no hero. He felt compelled to stand up and warn his fellow citizens of Chinas deepening slide into authoritarianism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why pretend that we have any kind of choice? Why not just say it like it is, he said. Mr Qis rare protest consisted of four rotating messages projected onto a building mainly housing students. One beamed: Only without the Communist Party can there be a new China. Freedom is not a gift seize it back. Rise up, you who refuse to be enslaved; rise up, to resist and reclaim your rights. Not lies, but the truth. Not slavery, but freedom. Communist Party, step down, the messages continued. Mr Qis hidden camera turned the table on Chinas surveillance state Mr Qi had initially thought about unfurling a large red protest banner in the style of propaganda slogans used across the country but decided it was far too dangerous. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protesters who have done something similar were promptly arrested and imprisoned. So he settled on an innovative idea to project a message which could be activated remotely. I purposefully chose to stage the protest in an area with many university students, and in a building thats mostly a dormitory, Mr Qi said. My main priority was to make sure that they saw these messages. He hoped the students would be inspired much as he was by other demonstrators, like those who joined the white paper protests in 2022. Many of them werent educated and powerful, like lawyers and professors, but normal people like me, he said. They were extremely brave. Chinese dissident Qi Hong is interviewed by The Telegraphs Sophia Yan Meticulous in his planning, he studied the difference between indoor versus outdoor projectors, the latter of which need to be very bright to counteract ambient light especially in Chongqing, his hometown and Chinas largest city of over 30 million people, where he would make his one-man stand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He then researched widely to select a target building; the appropriate height and location for set-up; what message hed project; the most impactful date to hold his protest and, of course, to prepare an exit strategy to avoid arrest. Mr Qi sprung into action keeping his plans secret from everyone, including his family, and hiding out to etch the slides himself, as nobody dared to make such carvings on his behalf. Through months of preparation, he deftly avoided raising suspicions a feat of its own in the worlds most tech-savvy authoritarian surveillance state. Many activists are arrested before they can even take action. Months earlier, he had obtained tourist visas to the UK with the hope of taking a holiday a fortunate coincidence as he now needed an escape plan. So he spontaneously took his family on vacation, or so they thought. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plan was to go live in early September, but Mr Qi soon grew antsy, worried that the longer he waited, the greater the chance that the police could thwart his protest. On Aug 29, Mr Qi hit the button from his remote location in the UK. Some 8,000 miles away in a hotel room, the projector hed placed lit up. It took 50 minutes before police found and dismantled the set-up, but the activist wasnt done with his big debut. Inside the hotel room where hed hidden the projector, he also placed a camera to remotely record the predictable police raid, and the discovery of a handwritten note. The Chinese Communist Party has committed countless crimes on this land; they are too many to list. Please do not aid and abet their atrocities, he wrote. Perhaps for now you are a beneficiary, but there is no doubt that one day here you will become a victim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police soon detained his older brother, and arrived at his mothers village to interrogate her, the latter scene also captured by a camera Mr Qi installed. Mr Qi had weaponised the states surveillance apparatus on itself. The cleverly executed feat was unprecedented, said Maya Wang, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch. Yet the real significance lay in the continued willingness of fearless citizens to boldly and publicly criticise Chinese leader Xi Jinping and call for democratic reforms in the face of ever-growing government repression. Mr Qi, 43, grew up in poverty in a rural village near Chongqing, and has always been, by his account, fairly outspoken with a rebellious streak. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At 16, he dropped out of school and became a migrant worker, drifting from city to city, living hand-to-mouth with temporary, low-wage jobs labouring at any factory that would take him. It was also during this period that he heard, in secret, stories from fellow workers about the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, when Chinese soldiers fired and killed scores of peaceful pro-democracy protesters. Any mention of this harrowing, historic event is censored to this day. After a period of more regular work, he saved 1,200 yuan (125) and decided in 2000 to try his luck in the capital of Beijing. Chinese dissident Qi Hong hopes to inspire a new generation of protesters - Heathcliff O'Malley for the Telegraph Arriving at the train station, he bought a new backpack for 20 yuan, handing over a 100 yuan note, but the vendor refused to give him change, instead calling the police and claiming Mr Qi had paid with counterfeit bills. Officers detained Mr Qi, rather than the vendor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These injustices bothered him, though he chalked it up to a period of being down on his luck. It wasnt until 2017, when President Xi started his second term, that Mr Qi realised something had shifted in the country. Communist propaganda on red banners, television and loudspeakers playing recordings on loop, all proclaiming how Xi was to thank for everything became impossible to stomach. Nothing that Xi touted a success like his big anti-corruption drive improved my life or that of others. The country wasnt moving forward at all, he said. The country was moving backwards. Mr Qis worries grew when his children started coming home praising and idolising Xi. They were forced to listen, memorise and recite his speeches and slogans, like Without the Communist Party, there would be no new China! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were so many things that I could dodge, but red education was a problem I could not avoid, he said. News of lawyers and businessmen being arrested, detained and disappeared which reached his ears despite the governments best censorship efforts were ominous signs about the countrys direction. The last straw for Mr Qi was Chinas draconian zero-Covid measures, when severe lockdowns were imposed to the point where people who needed life-saving emergency care were denied access to hospitals. To him, the government had wasted millions with senseless lockdown policies that had taken away the rights and freedoms of 1.4 billion people liberties he didnt see returning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Qi became more vocal posting a picture of a candle to commemorate the Tiananmen massacre on the anniversary and even phoning local officials to lodge complaints. I would try to reason with them, he said. Is it really true that Xi Jinping has made all our lives better? Well, think about it for yourself what was your life like before Xi took power, and what has it been like since he took power? Is it really better, and who exactly is benefitting here? Id tell them: Look at the terrible plight of people in North Korea, Russia, Iran. Why do you want to support that kind of fascism, that kind of system here? Though he had never finished his studies, Mr Qi yearned to learn more, sometimes strolling the campus of a top university in Beijing to soak up the atmosphere. He began to read widely, getting his hands on translations of 1984, Brave New World and Animal Farm. Heroes confront authority He grew bolder, at one point posting online: We want democracy, not dictatorship! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The authorities often respond to such moves by detaining people and shutting down their social media accounts. But for an unknown reason, Mr Qi remained free. When he heard the government was arranging a massive military parade to celebrate 80 years since the end of fascism a complete irony to Mr Qi he knew he had to do something. Demonstrations, even solo ones, have an impact on the collective consciousness of a group of people thats paying attention, and that group feels empowered, Ms Wang said. In a country thats so severely repressive, its hard to know how representative any of this is[but] its a very good sign, a very positive one. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since switching his projector on from the UK, Mr Qis accounts have all been frozen in China. His relatives are no longer reachable. Hes not sure what is next; the fact that hell likely have to live in exile for the rest of his life is only beginning to sink in. Praise for his activism and heroism has poured in. I dont think of myself as a hero, he said. To be honest, I didnt really think that far. I only wanted to make my voice heard, to speak my truth. Never before did people listen to what I had to say, but now, in one fell swoop, I feel that Ive said everything Ive ever wanted to say in my lifetime. Heroes dare to confront authority, even if it costs them their lives and freedom, he added. I think only people like that are true heroes. 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. Chicagos very own Dr. Peggy Riggins has spent decades serving the South Side as a pharmacist. After her own health scare, she turned her mission into helping others protect their kidneys. Dr. Riggins joined WGN News Saturday morning to discuss the aloha-style kidney party she is hosting. Dr. Riggins party kicked off at 10 a.m. at the Discovery Center and runs through 2 p.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 WGN-TV. VMPL New Delhi [India], September 6: Unlisted shares have found their spotlight lately, thanks to companies like NSE, Tata Capital, OYO, BOAT & more making waves before going public. If you've recently invested, congratulations! You now own a part of a company that isn't available to the general public yet.But once you've bought these shares, what happens next? Unlike listed stocks where your price and exit options are visible instantly on the stock exchange, unlisted shares require a different approach to tracking and eventually exiting. Managing Unlisted Shares: A Step-By-Step Market Guide to Track Unlisted Share investments Before and After an IPOConsider Tata Capital, one of India's largest NBFCs, has announced its much-awaited IPO, targeting a valuation of nearly $11 billion. The issue size is pegged at around USD 2 billion (17,200 crore), with a likely listing by end-September 2025. For investors holding or planning to buy its unlisted shares, here's how the investment journey unfolds: 1. Buying Unlisted Shares : Buying unlisted shares of a company like Tata Capital is a straightforward process. Once purchased through intermediaries, the shares are directly credited to your Demat account (NSDL/CDSL) -- exactly like listed equities. This removes the need for additional paperwork at the acquisition stage.2. Tracking Holdings and Prices : Investors could view their holdings anytime through NSDL's IDeAS platform, CDSL's myEasi service, or even their broker's app.For tracking share prices, Wealth Wisdom India Pvt Ltd (WWIPL.com) provides updates on unlisted market including latest share price, market capitalization, real time share price performance, and historical price chart. For instance, as of September 1, 2025, Tata Capital's unlisted shares were traded at 790 per share. And compared to WWIPL's Primex 40 Index, returns stood at 97.5% (Tata Capital) vs. 89.4% (Primex 40 Index) -- giving a clear perspective on relative performance.3. Company Updates and Information : Often some Unlisted Companies financials are not uploaded on companies websites or not published across business news every quarter. Investors often had to rely on sources such as company annual reports, official announcements, or WWIPL.com that made such information available along with their offering to provide On-Demand Company Analysis. 4. IPO Listing and Lock-In: When the company goes public, unlisted shares automatically convert into listed shares in Demat accounts. SEBI mandates a lock-in period to prevent immediate selling:* Promoters: up to 18 months* Pre-IPO investors or HNIs: around 6 months* Employees via ESOPs: 6 months* Retail IPO allottees: no lock-inFor example, as of September 1, 2025, Tata Capital, the NBFC, announced a USD 2 billion (17,200 crore) IPO, scheduled to launch in the week starting September 22, with a stock market debut expected by September 30. Here too, different investor categories will be subject to SEBI's lock-in period post listing.Mandatory lock-ins promote market stability during the initial trading period. While the IPO listing day marks the official price discovery, where the secondary market sets the definitive market price, potentially differing from the unlisted market valuation.5. Exit and Liquidity Window : After the lock-in expires, investors can freely trade their shares on exchanges. This transition marks the conversion of previously illiquid unlisted holdings into tradable stock, allowing investors to capitalize on early entry into the company. Selling Unlisted SharesSelling unlisted shares is layered as compared to buying them. While acquiring unlisted shares has become easier, exiting your investment requires careful consideration, especially regarding tax implications:For Unlisted Shares:* Long-Term Capital Gains (LTCG): If you hold shares for more than 24 months, gains are taxed at 12.5% without indexation benefits.* Short-Term Capital Gains (STCG): If shares are held for 24 months or less, gains are added to your annual income and taxed according to your applicable income tax slab.For Listed Shares (Post-IPO):* Long-Term Capital Gains (LTCG): Shares held for more than 12 months are subject to 12.5% tax on gains above 1 lakh, with no indexation.* Short-Term Capital Gains (STCG): Shares sold within 12 months are taxed at 20%.Hence, consulting a Tax Consultant or Chartered Accountant would be beneficial for a good decision before selling or buying the unlisted shares for better returns. As staying informed and working with the right advisors can make your unlisted share journey smoother, from the day you buy, until the day you finally exit. (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) This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Women-only tours are a booming sector. Alongside providing safety and companionship, these single-sex holidays allow travellers to bond over shared experiences and venture into spaces that would otherwise be off-limits, such as certain beach resorts in the Middle East. Many also create positive impact by making a point of supporting female-owned businesses. There are endless options to choose from, be it tackling the highest peaks in Wales with a supportive group of likeminded women or mingling with female changemakers in Cuba. Here are some of the best to consider. (Report: How women-only tours are reshaping the way we travel.) 1. Paddle the Norwegian fjords Gutsy Girls has a three-night Kayaking and Hiking Adventure tour thats perfect for beginners. Youll stay in a cosy cabin right on the water, from which you can nip out for wild swimming at sunrise or sunset. Paddling the breathtaking Lysefjord is a highlight, but youll also learn map-reading and navigation on a mountain hike. Prices start from 850 per person and include accommodation, all meals and airport transfers. Excludes flights. 2. Take on Eryri (Snowdonia) For those looking to test their mettle, the 14 Peaks Experience from Adventure Tours UK offers the chance to hike the 14 highest peaks in Eryri National Park (Snowdonia) over three days. Youll be accompanied by an experienced local mountain guide as you tackle rugged inclines and trek past serene lakes. Groups are capped at eight people and prices start from 785 per person, including four nights accommodation and some meals. 3. Dive into Cuban history Responsible Travels women-only tour to Cuba is an eight-day romp through the country. After flying into Havana, youll visit Vinales for outdoor adventures, Cienfuegos with its Parisian-style boulevards, and Trinidad, known for its cobblestone streets. Theres also the option to join additional tours to meet Cubas female entrepreneurs, artists and change-makers. Prices start from 547 per person, and include accommodation in women-owned B&Bs. Flights and meals are extra. Haggling in the souks is a quintessential experience of Marrakech. Photograph by Balate Dorin, Getty Images 4. Morocco in luxury The Treasures of Morocco tour from Insight Vacations is an 11-day trip covering the highlights of the country. Among the highlights are a stop for tea with Amazigh people, a visit to Rabat to see the royal palace and a chance to try haggling in the souks of Marrakech. Prices start from 3,825 per person and include accommodation in four- and five-star hotels and all meals. Flights cost extra. 5. Sail Turkeys Turquoise Coast WalkingWomens seven-night Turkey cruise is pitched at keen walkers with a decent level of fitness. Youll sail between the cities of Marmaris and Fethiye in the countrys south west on board a gulet (traditional wooden sailboat), along a gorgeous stretch known as the Turquoise Coast. There are guided walks along rural trails on most days, but also plenty of time to relax and swim. Prices start from 1,995 per person, including all meals and set transfers. Flights not included. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (Photo story: tombs, turquoise seas and trekking along Turkey's Lycian Way.) 6. Go Greek island-hopping Solos Holidays offers a women-only, 10-night Greece: Ancient Wonders & Island Hopping tour. Youll enjoy a couple of days in Athens to see landmarks like the Acropolis before spending the rest of your trip hopping between the islands of Mykonos, Delos, Naxos and Paros. Prices start from 4,799 per person, including flights, some meals and activities such as pottery-making. (These are the best Greek islands to visit this summer.) 7. Tour southern Thailand On Travel Queens Thailand Adventure tour, youll spend 13 days exploring the coastal enclaves and islands of the countrys tropical south. Activities range from a guided hike to viewpoints in the Koh Phi Phi archipelago to snorkelling off the coast of Koh Yao Yai island. Theres also a pre-tour virtual meet up so you can get to know all the women youll be travelling with. Prices start from 2,295 per person, including accommodation, transfers and activities. Flights and meals arent included. Published in the September 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK). To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only). NEED TO KNOW A Louisiana family missed the $1.1 billion Powerball jackpot by a single number for the Sept. 1 drawing However, they still won a sizable prize: $150,000 We were shocked and feel so blessed, John Stokes said of his family's winnings A Louisiana family came so close to winning the $1.1 billion Powerball jackpot after matching all but a single number on their ticket but they didn't walk away empty-handed. Father of three John Stokes of DeRidder purchased a Powerball ticket for the Sept. 1 drawing, with his sights set on the massive top prize, according to a news release from the Louisiana Lottery. After the night's winning numbers were revealed, he saw that he had correctly matched four of the white ball numbers and the red Powerball number. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also had added the Power Play option on his ticket, which tripled his winnings. While he didn't score the $1.1 billion jackpot, he did win $150,000. Stokes told the Louisiana Lottery that he purchased the ticket on Sept. 1 from Billies Wag-A-Bag, LLC in DeRidder due to its "convenient location." He and his family were about to go to bed that night when they decided to check the winning numbers. We were shocked and feel so blessed, Stokes said when he and his family came to the lottery's Alexandria regional office to claim their winnings on Sept. 2. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Powerball lottery tickets (stock image) Powerball lottery tickets (stock image) We always love seeing our loyal players, like Mr. Stokes, win big, Rose Hudson, president of the Louisiana Lottery, said in a statement. We are excited to see more Louisiana winners come forward during this exciting and historic Powerball Jackpot run." 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. As of Friday, Sept. 5, the Powerball jackpot had increased to $1.8 billion, making it the second-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history, behind the world-record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot won in California on Nov. 7, 2022, according to Powerball. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The next Powerball drawing will take place on Saturday, Sept. 6, and will be broadcast live at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee, Fla. The Powerball drawing will also be livestreamed on Powerball.com. In a story similar to the Stokes', a North Carolina man missed the Powerball jackpot, then worth $1 billion, in the Aug. 30 drawing by just one number. However, since he did correctly match the numbers on four of the five white balls, along with the red Powerball, he won $50,000. That prize tripled to $150,000 because he had purchased a Power Play ticket. Read the original article on People BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) Zatarains is Louisianas most beloved local brand, according to a new survey by MarketBeat.com. The financial media company asked more than 3,000 people nationwide to identify the brands they believe best represent their home states. In Louisiana, the New Orleans-based food company known for its Cajun and Creole seasonings, rice mixes, and seafood boils came out on top. Other Louisiana favorites rounded out the list, including: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tabasco Sauce (Avery Island) the world-famous hot sauce brand, made with peppers grown on Avery Island since 1868. Community Coffee (Baton Rouge) the family-owned company that has been serving strong brews for more than a century. Abita Brewing Company Beer (Abita Springs) a craft brewery known for unique local flavors brewed with artesian water. Elmer Chocolate (Ponchatoula) makers of Gold Brick Eggs and Heavenly Hash, staples of Louisiana Easter baskets. The survey also highlighted popular brands in other states, such as ONeill surfboards in California to Ben & Jerrys ice cream in Vermont and Ford trucks in Michigan. Latest News 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 Louisiana First News. A Louisville couple won $50,000 this week during the Powerball $1.7 billion jackpot run. The couple, who asked to remain anonymous, recently matched all four white-ball winning numbers and the Powerball on a ticket they purchased at Kroger at 2440 Bardstown Road in Louisville, according to a news release. They bought their ticket on Sunday, Aug. 31, after having brunch with some friends, stated the release. On the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 2, the day after the Labor Day Powerball drawing, the wife checked their ticket. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I looked at it and saw that I had won $100, the wife said. It was wonderful. A hundred dollars. I was happy with that. Later that night, she looked at the ticket again ahead of cashing it. I guess I was just crazy when I first looked at it because I realized I forgot to look at the Powerball number, she joked. Home alone and realizing she had just won $50,000, she didnt have anyone to tell the good news to. He was at an event where he was unreachable, so I didnt know what to do, she said, according to the Kentucky Lottery release. When her husband got home, he was ready to tell his wife about the event. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So I wanted to talk to her about my event, but she said she had something else she had to talk to me about, he said. She handed me the ticket and asked me to double-check it. She wasnt telling me anything; she doesnt say a word. I ask her if something was wrong and she goes (he gives the two thumbs-up gesture that his wife gave to him). After they both double-checked their numbers on the Kentucky Lottery website, the win sank in. It was $50,000. I was like great. I love it. I love my job and what I am doing so its not quit-work money but its redo-the-house money, he said. The couple walked away with $36,000 after taxes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Bardstown Road Kroger will receive $500 for selling the winning ticket. The Powerball $1.7 billion jackpot drawing is Saturday night at 11. Kentuckians can purchase their Powerball tickets at any of the Kentucky Lotterys 3,500 retailers across the state or at kylottery.com. French President Emmanuel Macron is to join celebrations marking the 35th anniversary of Germany's unification in October. Macron is set to deliver a speech in the western German state of Saarland on October 3, a national holiday known as German Unity Day. "This will undoubtedly be one of the most European of German Unity Days we have ever had," said Anke Rehlinger, the premier of Saarland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She is also president of the Bundesrat, or upper house of parliament, which represents Germany's 16 federal states. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will be among 900 invited guests from politics, business, religion and society listening to Macron's speech, which he will deliver at the Saarbrucken Congress Hall. The French president will be the first foreign head of state to speak at the event in more than 20 years, Rehlinger said. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, Germany reunified in 1990, after more than four decades of division during the Cold War. In the conflict between the United States and Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro has called on the US government to de-escalate and warned against a "large-scale military conflict." "None of the differences we have had and continue to have should lead to a large-scale military conflict and violence in South America," Maduro said in a video published on the Telegram messaging platform. There was no justification for this. He called on the US to abandon what he called "its plan for violent regime change in Venezuela and throughout Latin America" and urged Washington to respect the country's sovereignty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maduro also declared that over 5,300 communal militia units had been activated to defend against possible attempts at US-backed "regime change." "Nobody will come to enslave or colonize us, neither today nor ever," he asserted. The conflict between Venezuela and the United States has intensified recently. According to media reports, the US deployed several warships off the Venezuelan Caribbean coast in recent weeks. According to these reports, Washington said the deployment was necessary to intercept drug smugglers. A few days ago, the US claimed that it had fired upon an alleged drug-smuggling boat from Venezuela in the Caribbean, killing 11 suspects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to US President Donald Trump, the attack was directed against the Venezuelan drug gang Tren de Aragua, which the US government classifies as a foreign terrorist organization. As a result, two military aircraft from Venezuela flew close to a US Navy ship in international waters, the US Department of Defence said. The US spoke of an "extremely provocative action" and warned Venezuela against further attempts to obstruct its operations against "narco-terrorism." WASHINGTON (WPRI) Rhode Island Congressman Seth Magaziner on Friday shifted his longstanding position on Israel, announcing he will co-sponsor a resolution to limit weapons sales to the country amid concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. H.R. 3565, introduced by Illinois Democrat Delia Ramirez, would restrict the United States from providing Israel with certain offensive weapons, including specific bombs, assemblies and ammunition. Magaziner, whose father is Jewish, issued a lengthy statement assuring his constituents that he strongly supports Israel as an independent state and a refuge for Jews from all around the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel has a right to defend itself from attacks like the horrific atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, he said, and I remain sickened by the rise of antisemitism in our country and globally in recent years. In April of 2024, I joined 85% of my colleagues in Congress in voting to provide military assistance to Israel, the congressman continued. He pointed out the changes that have taken place in the Middle East over the last year and a half as a reason for his support of the resolution, noting that while the military capacity of Hamas, Iran and Hezbollah has been reduced, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the lawless killing of civilians in the West Bank have only grown more devastating. In his statement, Magaziner urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow life-saving food and aid into Gaza, enforce the law fairly in the West Bank and present a workable proposal to end the war that ensures the safety and dignity for both Israelis and Palestinians. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He ended his statement with an acknowledgement of the trauma created by Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, as well as by the images of children suffering in Gaza. This is an issue that ignites passion among many Rhode Islanders, he said. My approach will continue to be to use whatever influence I have to end the war and build a future in which Israelis and Palestinians can live in a lasting and secure peace. Magaziner is the third member of Rhode Islands congressional delegation to support legislation that pressures Netanyahu to end the war, after Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse voted in favor of a similar resolution proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders at the end of July. That resolution failed, but received the most Democratic support any such measure had to date. U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo is not currently a co-sponsor of H.R. 3565, but he and Magaziner both signed an Aug. 25 letter asking U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to resume issuing temporary medical-humanitarian visas for children from Gaza. Amo also made a statement in early August condemning Netanyahus planned occupation of Gaza City. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app. Follow us on social media: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup 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 WPRI.com. Magnolia Bakery recently announced it will be bringing its iconic sweets to Salt Lake City. The bakery first opened up shop in the West Village of New York City in 1996 and quickly became a favorite of New Yorkers and tourists alike, with people lining the block to get their hands on the red velvet cupcakes or banana pudding. The franchise opening in Salt Lake City is slated for sometime in 2026 and Magnolia Bakery is currently in the process of identifying potential locations in the greater Salt Lake City market. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were excited to bring the full Magnolia Bakery experience to Utahns, including freshly-baked cupcakes, cakes, cheesecake, pies, cookies and brownies and, of course, our World-Famous Banana Pudding, Sara Gramling, head of brand and community for Magnolia Bakery, told the Deseret News in an email. Were on a mission to make today sweeter than yesterday and look forward to celebrating moments big and small with Utahns very soon! Since opening in New York City, the iconic bakery has opened up franchise locations across the world in locations like Los Angeles, Chicago, the Philippines, Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Gramling said Salt Lake City offers an ideal market for a new franchise. Salt Lake City offers Magnolia Bakery an ideal testbed: its a growing, untapped, affluent market, aligning with its rollout strategy, brand positioning, logistics needs, and franchise model," Gramling said. Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani refused to denounce a resolution by his comrades at the Democratic Socialists of America to boot members who were not strongly anti-Zionist. Mamdani tiptoed around the hateful resolution at the Labor Day Parade along Fifth Avenue, where he marched alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont). My reaction is that the platform, that I am running on, the one that I want to be held accountable to by New Yorkers is the one that is on my website. Its the one that Ive been running on since the beginning of this campaign and that the only orders I will be taking are the ones from New Yorkers themselves as we seek to make this a city that all 8 and a half million can afford, Mamdani said when asked by The Post. Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani tiptoed around the hateful resolution by his comrades at the Democratic Socialists of America to boot those who were not strongly anti-Zionists at the Labor Day Parade. Michael Nagle Sen. Bernie Sanders joins New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani at the Labor Day Parade. Michael Nigro for NY Post Mayoral Candidate Curtis Sliwa at the Labor Day Parade in Manhattan. Michael Nigro for NY Post The DSA last month adoptedFor a Fighting Anti-Zionist DSA resolution, warning members that they could face expulsion if they oppose the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel or work with lobbyists affiliated with pro-Israel groups, such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Members can even be expelled if they support Israels right to defend itself, according to the DSA literature. The resolution has the potential to dramatically alter Mamdanis campaign despite being a prominent member, the assemblyman has only recently distanced himself from the group, saying last week, My platform is not the same as national DSA. Mamdani has repeatedly emphasized his belief that the Jewish State has the right to exist, which would disqualify him from the national socialist organization. Governor Kathy Hochul at the Labor Day Parade. Michael Nigro for NY Post Andrew Cuomo joined the AFL-CIOs Central Labor Council and marched on Saturday. Michael Nigro Mamdani, however, has a long history of anti-Israel statements, and repeatedly declined to condemn the controversial slogan globalization of the intifada. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He later said he would discourage use of the phrase, which is widely considered a rallying cry against Jewish people and the state of Israel, instead claiming it was a call for the freedom of the Palestinian people. Ahead of the march, the politician slammed President Trump for offering Mayor Adams a job in the White House a proposal Adams shot down, vowing to continue his re-election bid. The offer was a distraction from what the candidates are offering the people of New York, he continued. I am just as confident as I was of winning this race, I am just as outraged as I was about Donald Trumps attempts to intervene in this race. The focus, however, has to continue to be the struggles of working New Yorkers, said Mamdani. Mamdani said President Trumps White House job offer to Mayor Eric Adams was a distraction from what the candidates are offering the people of New York. James Keivom I am just as confident as I was of winning this race, I am just as outraged as I was about Donald Trumps attempts to intervene in this race, Mamdani said. Michael Nigro for NY Post Mamdani said hes be willing to work with Trump, but is just as prepared to fight with him. Michael Nigro for NY Post Weve seen that Donald Trump views the law as a suggestion. He believes that its something that hes above, and what hes showing is that hes willing to utilize any tool, whether those real or imagined, to try and shape this race. I would have no issue with candidates dropping out of their own volition. Weve seen that before, he continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The issue here is that all of this is working backwards from President Trumps desire to try and heighten the odds of any candidate to defeat me, and we are confident that no matter what formulation of this race takes, whether its me versus three candidates or me one-on-one with any one of them, we will win the race. But what we cannot stand is the affront to democracy and the idea that it is a president who could pick the next mayor of the city and not the people of that same city. Still the Queens assemblyman said he would be willing to work with the president should he be elected mayor. [A relationship] would be one where I would be willing to work with him if it was to the benefit of New Yorkers, if Donald Trump wanted to follow through on his promise to actually make grocery prices lower as he had spent much of his presidential campaign speaking about, if he wanted to follow through on making it easier to afford a cost of living in the city and across this country, said Mamdani. But if it comes to the expense of New Yorkers, I would fight them each and every step of the way. KANSAS CITY, Mo. The Wyandotte County District Attorney has charged a 19-year-old Guatemalan man in the April shooting death of 20-year-old Diego Segura-Barbazo in Kansas City, Kansas Armourdale neighborhood. According to the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department, just before midnight on April 19, officers were called to the area of South 9th Street and Osage Avenue on reports of a shooting. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When KCKPD officers arrived, they reported finding a man, later identified as Segura-Barbazo, who had been killed in a shooting outside. According to court records, Luis Mejia-Salazar was charged back in May with first-degree murder and aggravated assault. Hes being held in the Wyandotte County jail on a $200,000 bond. He made his first court appearance on May 7. Hes scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 19, for a pretrial conference. A jury trial is scheduled to begin on Dec. 1. 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 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. On this occasion, PNB's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ashok Chandra, said,"It is a matter of pride for us to participate in Rajasthan's development journey. With our extensive branch network, strong digital capabilities, and diverse products, PNB is committed to making an active contribution to the state's socio-economic progress." He further stated that this agreement will provide a dedicated framework for financing eligible projects in the state and is part of PNB's mission to accelerate socio-economic development at the national level. During his one-day visit to Jaipur, Ashok Chandra inspected some of PNB's major branches and ATMs. He also directly interacted with customers under the 'Customer Outreach Programme' and reiterated the bank's commitment to digital banking initiatives and financial inclusion. Expressing his commitment towards PNB's 18.5 crore customers, he said excellence in service and customer satisfaction are at the core of their banking operations. Taking to X, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma wrote, "A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Finance Department and Punjab National Bank at the Chief Minister's residence. Under this MoU, Punjab National Bank will provide financial assistance for various development projects of the state government. This memorandum is a decisive step towards realizing the goal of 'Developed Rajasthan'." (ANI) A Downsville man has been criminally charged in the death of a firefighter. A Delaware County Grand Jury has handed down an eight count indictment against Joseph Bellows Jr., 54, after he crashed his motor vehicle on state Route 30 in the town of Hancock on July 17, and East Branch Fire Department Assistant Chief Jason T. McGlone, 51, was killed when responding to the scene. Delaware County District Attorney Shawn J. Smith said during a news conference Friday, Sept 5 at state police Troop C headquarters in Unadilla, that among the eight counts, Bellows was charged with second-degree vehicular manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter, Class C felonies. The charges claimed Bellows reckless actions caused McGlones death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At Fridays news conference, Troop C Commander Lucas Shuta offered a summary of what happened on the scene in July. According to a July 18 state police news release, McGlone was responding to the scene where a vehicle had reportedly hit a utility pole on state Route 30 in the town of Hancock in a rescue pumper. A preliminary investigation found that a low-hanging electrical wire was in contact with the top of the fire truck. When McGlone stepped out of the truck, making contact with the metal door and the ground, he was electrocuted. He was eventually pronounced dead. The news release stated that Bellows collided with a guardrail and utility pole after veering off the roadway. The impact resulted in power lines becoming dislodged and falling around the scene, Shuta said Friday. Bellows was taken to Delaware Valley Hospital to be evaluated and receive treatment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bellows was later arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. Smith said Bellows was picked up Thursday, Sept. 4 on a sealed indictment arrest warrant and was arraigned Friday. Count one, Smith said, alleged that Bellows was driving fastere than the provided speed limit at the time of the crash, and count two accused him of using his cellphone when the incident took place. Count three alleged that Bellows was intoxicated while driving, an unclassified misdemeanor. Theres two DWI charges, Smith said. One is what we call commonlaw DWI which is just somebody whos intoxicated and then theres another DWI violation a vehicle and traffic law section 1192 which has to do with per se, where the defendants blood alcohol content is alleged to be above .08, the legal limit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Smith said Bellows refused the initial test the state police wanted him to do to determine his blood alcohol content levels. Police obtained a search warrant and later determined his blood alcohol content. Smith added that a toxicology report alleged it was more than the legal limit. Counts five and six both allege Bellows committed vehicular manslaughter. The reason why theres two counts is that statute says if you cause the death of another person while youre operating a vehicle in violation of any subdivision of 1192 then its vehicular manslaughter in the second degree, Smith said. Since there were two separate theories of DWI, theres two separate theories of manslaughter. Count seven alleged that Bellows committed second-degree manslaughter, and count eight accused himt of committing fourth-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanor, by recklessly damaging the property of another in an amount exceeding $250, according to a Friday news release from the DAs office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If convicted, Bellows faces between five and 15 years in state prison, an indeterminate sentence, but the judge could also decide on a shorter sentence, such as a term in local jail. For vehicular manslaughter, Bellows is facing an indeterminate term of 2 1/3 years minimum to a seven-year maximum, Smith added. I really appreciate working with the state police on this case, Smith said. Any time theres a homicide, its really difficult, no matter what they do, no matter what we do. We can never bring back the person that was lost, the family member. Working with this group of folks here, theyve been really great. Anything weve ever needed, they are on it, and they help us every way they can. NEED TO KNOW A California native may face child endangerment charges after disappearing into the Brazilian wilderness with his 13-year-old son for almost a week, per multiple outlets Mark Alexander Cummings Rogers, 48, was reportedly attempting to undertake a cellphone-free digital detox and emulate the conditions of the survival show Naked and Afraid Rogers and his son were found very tired and the boy was very hungry, a local media outlet reported A father may face legal charges after reportedly disappearing into the Brazilian wilderness with his teen son for an alleged tech detox. California native Mark Alexander Cummings Rogers, 48, and his 13-year-old son were reported missing from Balneario Camboriu, a city in southern Brazil, on Thursday, Aug. 28, The Independent, KPTV and the New York Post reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They were ultimately located by authorities in a secluded area of forest near the popular tourist destination Morro do Careca, nearly a week later on Tuesday, Sept. 2, per local news outlet Pagina 3. The father and son were discovered after rescue workers located Rogers abandoned jeep and cell phone several days earlier, which helped authorities narrow their search, the outlet said. Apolline Guillerot-Malick/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty The Brazilian Amazon (stock image) The Brazilian Amazon (stock image) The boy was very hungry and thirsty, so much so that, immediately after being rescued by firefighters, he ate a large piece of cake and bread, said police delegate Luana Backes in a translated statement obtained by Brazilian media outlet Midiamax. Backes added, They were very tired, and neither had bathed in days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rogers told authorities that he wanted to do a digital detox with his son, as well as emulate the conditions of the survival show Naked and Afraid, which challenges contestants to survive for 21 days in the wilderness, per Midiamax. Getty Rainforest in Brazil (stock image) Rainforest in Brazil (stock image) PEOPLE reached out to the Santa Catarina Civil Police for comment on Saturday, Sept. 6, but did not receive an immediate response. 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. Rogers had been living in Brazil for six years, and authorities initially became aware that something was wrong after his son did not show up for school, according to The Independent and the Post. Rogers could now face child endangerment charges,The Independent, KPTV and the Post reported. Read the original article on People Seattle police are looking for a suspect who shot a man in the Chinatown-International District on Friday evening. The shooting happened around 3:48 p.m. near S. Jackson Street and 12th Avenue S. When police arrived, they found a man who had been shot in the upper body, near his shoulder. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition. Detectives believe the victim and suspect were in some sort of fight before the shooting. Its unclear if the two knew each other. CHICAGO (WGN) Chicago police are investigating a homicide that happened at a business Friday night on the citys Near South Side. Police said the incident happened at around 9:30 p.m. Friday in the 1300 block of South Michigan Avenue. A 31-year-old man got into an argument with a 32-year-old male employee at a business that turned physical when the employee pulled out a handgun, according to investigators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Suspect fatally shot after officer pinned in crash opens fire during burglary investigation Police said a brief struggle then ensued over the gun which went off, hitting the 31-year-old man in the head. Paramedics arrived on scene and treated the man, but officials said he ultimately died at the scene. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines The employee was taken into custody and a gun was recovered at the scene. Charges are pending and Area Three 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. CHICAGO (WGN) Chicago police are investigating a homicide on the citys South Side. Police said at around 10:50 a.m. Saturday, officers went to a home located in the 300 block of West 93rd Street in the Roseland neighborhood and found a 42-year-old man inside with a gunshot wound to his body. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines The man was pronounced dead at the scene, according to investigators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No arrests have been made and detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. 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. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A man is dead after a stabbing in a parking lot east of the Las Vegas Strip early Saturday morning, according to police. Officers were called around 12:30 a.m. to the 4500 block of Paradise Road after reports of a fight in a parking lot, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said. When officers arrived, they found a man suffering from an apparent stab wound. Medical personnel arrived at the scene, but the man was pronounced dead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said the victim had been in a fight with two suspects and was stabbed during the altercation. Both suspects left the scene before officers arrived. The victims identification, along with the cause and manner of death, will be released by the Clark County Coroners Office. Anyone with any information about this incident is urged to contact the LVMPD Homicide Section at 702-828-3521. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555. 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. One man died Friday afternoon after being shot by police in Jersey City, according to the state Attorney Generals Office. The identity of the civilian and the identities of the officers involved have not been made public as of late Saturday morning. The shooting occurred at about 1:23 p.m on John F. Kennedy Boulevard, the attorney generals office said. No additional details were released. A report by PIX11 News in New York said a person had fired shots at the vehicles of Jersey City police officers, and the officers returned fire and injured the suspect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement News 12 New Jersey also reported that the suspect had fired shots at two police vehicles. A video posted on social media Friday afternoon showed a motionless man on the ground surrounded by police. Officials from the Jersey City Police Department and mayors office did not return requests for comment from NJ Advance Media. Under state law, the attorney generals office is required to investigate all police-involved shootings. Stories by Victoria Gladstone Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. Victoria Gladstone may be reached at vgladstone@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @TorigNJAM. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Read the original article on NJ.com. JERSEY CITY, N.J. (PIX11) A man was killed in a police shooting in Jersey City after bullets were fired into two police cruisers on Friday, according to the New Jersey Attorney General. A Jersey City Police Department sergeant engaged the man after he allegedly opened fire on marked police vehicles as they traveled on John F. Kennedy Boulevard near Clinton Avenue around 1:20 p.m., according to a spokesperson for the Mayors Office. More Crime News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He came out of the store right at the corner. He had like an automatic handgun, said Wayne Jones a resident who witnessed the incident. The man was taken to the hospital in unknown condition at the time and was later pronounced dead, the AG announced on Saturday. No officers were injured in the shooting, sources told PIX11 News. More Local News The shooting and what led up to the incident are still under investigation. Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found 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. EAST NEW YORK, Brooklyn (PIX11) An IHOP employee was killed and another person injured during an assault inside of an IHOP in Brooklyn late Friday night, according to authorities. A 67-year-old employee was stabbed in the torso while another 41-year-old man was slashed in the hand around 10:39 p.m. at 11000 Flatlands Avenue in East New York, police announced on Saturday morning. More Crime News The 67-year-old Brooklyn resident was pronounced dead after being taken to a local hospital, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was not immediately clear what may have led up to the stabbing as police continue to investigate the incident. More Local News A spokesperson for IHOP shared the following statement with PIX11 News. We are aware of the tragic incident that took place at our Flatlands, Brooklyn location in which one of our team members passed following a physical altercation. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of our team member, as well as with the entire team at this location. We are cooperating fully with the local law enforcement investigation. The safety of our team members and guests is our number one priority. Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Iconic Die Hard actor Bruce Willis' battle with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has changed his life and the way he connects with his loved ones, but his wife, Emma Heming Willis, says their love story has "only grown" stronger. Bruce, 70, was diagnosed with FTD in November 2022. Long before the official diagnosis, he began showing signs of the illness. Known as a fun-loving father and devoted husband, he slowly became distant and faced language issues, including the return of a childhood stutter. Emma, while speaking to PEOPLE, revealed that Bruce's condition is a form of dementia called primary progressive aphasia (PPA), which affects speech. "FTD can affect people in different ways, and there are three different subtypes," she explained. "There's one that affects behaviour, one that affects speech, and then another one that can affect movement. For Bruce, it was speech." Even though his speech has become limited, Emma says Bruce still communicates deeply in other ways. "I feel like our love story has only grown and developed more," she shared. "It sounds woo-woo, but it's just on a more cellular level. I am so grateful that he is very much here, very much a part of our day-to-day." Emma went on to admit that the journey has been "heartbreaking," but she treasures the small moments with him. "It has meant so much to be able to meet him where he's at, to enjoy this time with him," said Emma, who recently wrote The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, a book for caregivers. For Emma, the most meaningful part of this chapter in their life is Bruce's presence in the now. "Bruce is very present in his body, and there is something so lovely and wonderful about that. He's not thinking about what happened yesterday or what's happening in the future. He is very grounded in today." Reflecting on their 16 years of marriage, she added, "Sometimes, love does not need words. I can just sit there with Bruce, and we look at each other, and we laugh and smile, and that, to me, is more than anything." (ANI) A shark mauled a surfer to death in front of his friends in an attack off a beach in Sydney. Mercury Psillakis, 57, was pulled out of the water onto shore at Long Reef Beach, near Dee Why, on Saturday morning, but died at the scene. His surfboard was ripped in two by the shark, and police believe he lost both legs and one of his arms in the attack. Psillakis had been in the water with friends at about 10am (1am UK time) when the incident happened, New South Wales police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two sections of his surfboard were recovered and taken for examination. The species of shark involved in the attack has yet to be ascertained, but there is speculation that it was a great white. Psillakis was an experienced surfer from Dee Why with a wife and young daughter. Officers said he had been surfing for about half an hour when he was attacked about 100 metres (328ft) from the shore by a large shark, causing him to lose a number of limbs. Mercury Psillakis (right), 57, was mauled to death by a shark John Dunacan, New South Wales police superintendent, told reporters: I do understand that both him and his board disappeared underwater. The body was found floating in the surf. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nearby surfers saw Psillakis in the water and got him to shore, Mr Duncan said. He added: Unfortunately, by that time we understand he lost probably a lot of blood and attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. The death has shocked the local community - EPA A group of surfers had watched in horror at the attack unfold in the water in front of them. Four or five surfers pulled him out of the water and it looked like a significant part of his lower half had been attacked, a surfer, who did not want to be named, told Sydneys Daily Telegraph. A resident told the paper that the group of surfers who had seen the attack were not saying much afterwards. They were just trying to comprehend it, they said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Psillakis was a well-known surfer in the local community. Everyone knows the Psillakis family, another resident said. Theyve always lived around here and they really are a big part of the community. This is going to be really tough for a lot of people. A string of beaches in the area have been closed - GETTY IMAGES Images of the scene on local media showed police gathered on the shore and ambulances parked nearby. Beaches between the northern suburbs of Manly and Narrabeen have been closed for at least 24 hours, Surf Life Saving NSW said. For now, please remain clear of the water at beaches in the vicinity and follow the direction of lifeguards and lifesavers, Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steven Pearce said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our deepest condolences go to the family of the man involved in this terrible tragedy. Surf life saving clubs nearby have cancelled all water activities and training for the weekend. It is the first fatal shark attack in Sydney since 2022, when 35-year-old British diving instructor Simon Nellist was killed off Little Bay. The previous fatal attack in the city was in 1963. Drones were now scanning the beach for shark activity, according to Australian public broadcaster ABC. Australias last deadly shark attack was in March, when a surfer was taken off the remote Wharton Beach in Western Australia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There have been more than 1,280 shark incidents around Australia since 1791, of which over 250 resulted in death, according to a database of the predators encounters with humans. 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. The FBI has arrested a Maryland man who allegedly brought guns into New Jersey and sold them to FBI informants for more than $10,000. Luiz Vargas, 25, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was charged in July with trafficking firearms, the U.S. Attorneys Office District of New Jersey said in a statement on Friday. Vargas, who also goes by the nickname of El Biggie, made his first court appearance on Aug. 11 and has since been held in federal custody. FBI agents started investigating him in January when they suspected that he was transporting guns into New Jersey to sell. Agents then directed informants to make controlled purchases, buying a total of eight guns from Vargas, federal authorities said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The weapons, which included six handguns and two semiautomatic rifles, were bought for a combined $10,400, federal prosecutors said. Two of the firearms were reported stolen in other states and another two had no serial number, officials said. On at least one occasion, Vargas gave an informant cocaine when he was unable to follow through with a firearm sale, authorities said. The U.S. Attorneys Office did not provide a date for his next court appearance in its Friday statement. Stories by Nicolas Fernandes Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com. Read the original article on NJ.com. A South African man who was attacked by a pair of hyenas at his friends bachelor party spoke to People about his fight to survive. Nicolas Hohls Used Quick Thinking Twenty-seven-year-old Nicolas Hohls, of South Africa, was attending his pals bachelor party at Strydgewon Farm in Harburg, KwaZulu-Natal, which rests within the Cape Vidal Nature Reserve in St. Lucia. Hohls was familiar with the area, having vacationed there since he was a young boy, and so enjoyed the day before the party fishing and drinking beers with his friends and his father, who was along for the party. Around 12:30 p.m. local time the following day, Aug. 30, Hohls was sleeping inside the event tent intended for the party when two hyenas entered through a flap left unzipped for ventilation. "One went for my leg and the other for my face and head, Hohls recalled. I fought them off by ripping my face and ankle free, then attacking the eyes of one and forcing my hand down the throat of the other," he explained of the harrowing incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I had been asleepwhen I realized what was happening, it was pure instinct. I knew I had to fight to survive, he said. I reacted immediately. I ripped myself free and went straight for their weak pointsthe eyes and throat. It was all instinct and adrenaline." Hohls said the fight lasted about 60 seconds, adding that it was one minute of hell. Hohls Found "in a Pool of Blood" by Father The commotion woke Hohls father, who was sleeping on the floor above his son. "My dad jumped into action immediately. He found me in a pool of blood in my tent, put me in the car, and drove me straight to Ballito hospital," he recalled. "Ive camped at Vidal before without problems. That night I left a small gap for ventilation. If the hyenas wanted to get in, they would have found a way regardless, and thats exactly what happened, Hohls reconciled, adding that he secured the tent exactly "the same way" he "had done many times before." Hohls is now in a local hospital recovering, which doctors say will take about a month. "Ive had about 30 stitches in my head, hand, and cheek. My left ankle and right thigh also have deep puncture wounds, but thankfully, no bones were broken," he explained. However, despite the unfortunate circumstances, Hohls prognosis is positive. "Im doing a lot betterThe doctors are happy with my progress, and theres been no sign of infection," he said. "For now, its about rest and allowing my body to heal properly," he explained, adding that hes "very grateful to be alive" and "had the strength to fight back" in his moment of crisis. This story was originally reported by Men's Journal on Sep 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here. A man who killed a mother of six children during a masked robbery in Lynn in the middle of the night is being released to ICE after being granted parole on Tuesday. Oeun Lam, now 52, was convicted of first-degree murder in the first-degree for the death of Cheang Ley Nhor, 41, in 1993. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, in 2024, the Supreme Judicial Court decision stated emerging adults between the ages of 18-20 cannot be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in Massachusetts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The high court ruled that life sentences for defendants within that age group are unconstitutional and amount to cruel and unusual punishment. Due to the decision, Lam, currently in Old Colony Correctional Center, was allowed to go in front of the parole board for the first time in April. On Feb. 3, 1991, two masked men, including 18-year-old Lam, forced their way into the Nhor family residence in Lynn. Soth Nhor, 46, and Cheang Ley Nhor were home asleep with their six children at the time. Lam and the other man, Vann Long, attempted to rob the family with guns. Long ripped a telephone cord from the wall and used the cord to tie up the husband. He was able to eventually free himself and began struggling with one of the masked men, trying to protect his daughter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials believe Lam fired his gun, wounding Soth Nhor as the bullet passed through his neck and hit his wife between the eyes, killing her. Lam has been incarcerated for 34 years. Part of the decision with the Massachusetts Parole Board included Lams history of being a refugee. He was born in Cambodia and left to live in a refugee camp due to the civil war when he was 4. Mr. Lam provided insight into the relationship between his exposure to significant violence and other adverse childhood experiences, as well as generational trauma and difficulty with acculturation, to the offense, the parole board wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During his time incarcerated, he earned his GED and participated in multiple programs. And, the parole board stated, he has taken accountability and demonstrated remorse for his actions. Psychiatrist Jose Hidalgo believes Lam is unlikely to re-offend. And he has a strong support system in the U.S. and Cambodia. Essex County Assistant District Attorney Michael Sheehan, however, was against parole. Still, the board decided to grant Lam parole in 30 days. At that time, he will be released to ICE. If ICE releases him, the parole board stated that Lam will have electronic monitoring for 6 months, will be supervised for drugs and alcohol, have no contact or association with co-defendants or with the Nhor family. He also must have mental health counseling for PTSD and adjustment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Long was released to ICE after being granted parole in 2016. More on the Massachusetts Parole Board Read the original article on MassLive. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) One of the two men accused of using a stolen excavator to break into a Happy Valley ATM has been sentenced, the Clackamas County District Attorneys Office announced Friday. Thirty-three-year-old Matthew Evan Armour pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated theft, two counts of criminal mischief and two counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle, officials said. On Friday, Armour was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison with other charges dismissed as part of his plea deal including conspiracy to commit a Class B felony, possession of a stolen vehicle and criminal mischief. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oregon state representative breaks from partisan mold, changes party affiliation The case goes back to the early morning of June 23 when Clackamas County Sheriffs deputies responded to a U.S. Bank branch on Southeast Sunnyside Road. On the scene, authorities found a running excavator abandoned near the ATM drive-through, according to the District Attorneys Office, noting the suspects identified as Armour and 51-year-old Kevin Owen Miller used the arm of the excavator to destroy the ATMs housing and damage the bank building before fleeing the scene. Two men face theft charges after an alleged attempt to destroy an ATM machine with an excavator to loot the cash inside at a U.S. Bank along Southeast Sunnyside Road on June 23, 2025. (Clackamas County Sheriffs Office) Investigators said more than $58,000 was taken. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Armour was arrested July 11 while leaving the parking lot of an apartment complex in Happy Valley, authorities said, noting Armour was released from prison about three months before the ATM theft after being charged with two counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle charges. Meanwhile, the second suspect in the case, Kevin Miller, was arrested July 12 and is being held in Clackamas County Jail ahead of his October 10 trial. In January, Miller was indicted in Clark County, Washington and is accused of committing a similar ATM break-in and is charged with burglary, theft, possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of a controlled substance. 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 KOIN.com. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) The San Diego Police Department on Friday released the identity of a man who was stabbed to death at a hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter. Daniel Stanley, 38, was found stabbed on the second floor of the Golden West Hotel at 720 4th Avenue Wednesday evening, according to authorities. When first responders arrived on scene, they took the victim to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Suspect arrested after man shot, killed while sitting in vehicle in Miramar Authorities say the suspect, identified as 44-year-old Rene Lunar, left the hotel and ran from the scene. He later turned himself in to police and was arrested without incident in the 1500 block of India Street. Investigators believe the victim and suspect were engaged in an argument that escalated into a physical confrontation and the deadly stabbing of the victim. Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call the Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477. 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. SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) Shreveport police are searching for a man accused of sexual battery at a local business. Shreveport police are searching for a man identified as KC Clinton after a 24-year-old victim reported that the incident, which took place inside a business on July 16, 2025, just before 4 pm at 1125 Shreveport Barksdale Highway. Store surveillance cameras captured the incident, and Clinton was identified before leaving the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shreveport police investigators learned that Clinton was previously arrested in Bossier Parish for a sexually related offense. A warrant was submitted and approved by the Caddo Parish District Attorneys Office, charging Clinton with one count of sexual battery. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of KC Clinton is asked to contact the Shreveport Police at 318-673-7300, option #3, or call Crime Stoppers at 318-673-7373. Tips can be submitted anonymously through the P3 Tips mobile app. 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. A Manchester woman has been arrested on charges she distributed animal crush videos of baby and adult monkeys being purposely tortured, mutilated and sexually abused, federal officials announced Friday. Lynn Seymour, 51, of Manchester, was indicted on one count of distribution of animal crush videos and one count of conspiracy. Seymour appeared in U.S. District Court in Concord on Friday and was released pending further court proceedings. Seymour, represented by her court-appointed counsel Behzad Mirhashem, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrea K. Johnstone. The defendant waived the reading of the indictment and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seymour was released on conditions, with a trial date scheduled for Nov. 4. Those conditions bar her from using alcohol, possessing any animals and having animals at her home, other than the hamster currently at the residence. Seymour must also refrain from using any internet-capable media devices, and the devices must be password-protected. According to the charging documents, Seymour is alleged to have participated in and served as an administrator for private online groups which included hundreds of members. Members of the groups allegedly exchange and distribute animal crush videos depicting the torture, killing, sexually sadistic mutilation and sexual abuse of animals, specifically baby and adult monkeys. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the documents, on or about Feb. 13, 2025, in New Hampshire and elsewhere, Seymour did knowingly sell, market, advertise, exchange, and distribute, and cause to be sold, marketed, advertised, exchanged, and distributed an animal crush video which depicts two monkeys where one was tied up and forced to watch the other being tortured. The charge of distribution of animal crush videos provides a sentence of up to seven years in prison, and the conspiracy charges provides a sentence of up to five years. Both charges can carry terms of supervised release of up to three years and fines of up to $250,000. 'Bigg Boss 19' has really done what it does best, keeping everyone glued to their screens with drama, tension, and plenty of heated moments. And if there's one contestant who's been at the heart of all the buzz, it's Tanya Mittal. The social media influencer has been making headlines for her superiority-based statements in the house ever since the show started. Like every season, the contestants face intense scrutiny from both viewers and social media. Tanya, too, has been at the centre of debates, drawing both criticism and support. Amid the ongoing chatter, her parents have now broken their silence. In a statement shared by Tanya's team on Instagram, her parents spoke of their "mix of emotions" as they watched Tanya on such a big stage. They said nothing makes them prouder than seeing their daughter shine, but it also pains them to see her being "pulled down" and targeted by those who don't know her. "We cannot explain the mix of emotions we feel seeing our Tanya on the country's biggest reality show. As parents, nothing makes us prouder than watching her win hearts. But at the same time, nothing hurts more than seeing her being pulled down, made a target, and spoken about so cruelly by people who don't even know her heart." "To everyone questioning her or throwing allegations, we have only one request: please wait until her journey is complete before passing judgments. She deserves that much. Your reels and allegations may win you attention, but they leave scars that last a lifetime," they added. Her parents also urged people to "keep us, her family, out of this," adding that the negativity directed at Tanya affects them deeply as well. "And please... we ask with folded hands, keep us, her family, out of this. This is a very difficult time for us. We never imagined that our daughter, whom we raised with nothing but love, would be subjected to such negativity on such a public stage. Every harsh word cuts us too, in ways you may never understand. All we can hope is that humanity and kindness prevail. Until then, we continue to stand by our Tanya, with love and faith. We love you, stay strong like the boss we raised you to be," the statement concluded. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOMR9vrk1eK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Tanya Mittal is an influencer, entrepreneur, podcaster, and former model. With more than 2.5 million followers on Instagram, she is known for sharing motivational content, spiritual stories, and lifestyle posts. She was crowned Miss Asia Tourism 2018 and represented India at the Miss Asia Tourism Universe pageant in Lebanon, where she won recognition on an international level. She is currently winning hearts inside the Bigg Boss house. Viewers can watch 'Bigg Boss 19' on Colors and JioHotstar. (ANI) PANAMA CITY Florida State University Panama City will host a month-long exhibit featuring the work of local artists Mandy Yourick and Jamie Zimchek. According to a press release, the exhibit, named Many Hands Make Light Work," will open with an artist introduction and public reception in the Holley Academic Center atrium. The exhibit will kick off Sept. 19 from 5-7 p.m. and will conclude on Oct. 18. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FSU PC encourages cultural engagement in the community through our Illumination Event Series, Irvin Clark, FSU PC associate dean for students and strategic initiatives, said in the release. Art exhibits are just one way of bringing the community and students together in an environment designed to encourage conversation. This is a part of our mission as a university opening doors for discussion. Yourick and Zimchek are both instructors at Gulf Coast State College's Visual and Performing Arts department. Zimchek has an MA in Mediterranean Studies from Kings College London and an MFA in Visual Art from Vermont College of Fine Arts. As locally based artists and educators, were delighted to have the opportunity to bring our practices and the community together this way, Zimchek, a multi-disciplinary conceptual artist, said in the release. Yourick and I attended the same graduate school almost a decade apart, but as we worked together on components for Many Hands Make Light Work, we realized just how interconnected our roots really are. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yourick holds an MFA in Visual Arts from Vermont College of Fine Arts and has participated in artist residencies in South Korea, Greece and Wisconsin. Food Truck: Long for Philly food? This Panama City food truck is at liberty to serve you. In blending material and meaning, the exhibit invites multiple communitiesstudents, staff and area residents to experience a well-used space in a new way, Yourick in the release. The accompanying workshop offers students a hands-on opportunity to engage in collective creation, reinforcing the idea that shared effort can shape shared space. Admission to the exhibit is free and accessible to the public during regular Holley Academic Center hours. This article originally appeared on The News Herald: New art exhibit coming to Florida State University Panama City A former federal worker who has lost his job at the Department of Education walks out of the building with boxes of belongings in Washington, D.C. on March 28, 2025. (Photo by Jess Daninhirsch/Capital News Service) Im a Marylander, a former federal employee and a father raising my family here. Watching federal troops roll into Washington, D.C., on the theory that force can stand in for safety, I keep returning to a simpler truth Maryland has proven: Durable public safety rests on economic security. Caring about well-being starts with protecting work, wages and the least-advantaged Marylanders when Washington pulls back on jobs. In June, Maryland lost an estimated 3,500 federal jobs the largest one-month drop in nearly 30 years. Since January, the state has shed 12,700 federal positions the most of any state. This is not to imply that laid-off public servants will commit offenses; it does mean income shocks ripple through rents, small-business cash flow, and youth opportunity the very neighborhood conditions that drive welfare concerns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The consequences of Washingtons job policy are arriving here first and hardest. The exposure to such losses is structural, as roughly 229,000 Marylanders draw a federal paycheck, and federal activity pours well over $100 billion into our economy each year. When that machine slows or shifts, Main Streets from Suitland to Bethesda feel it acutely. To his credit, Gov. Wes Moore moved to create a one-stop portal, fast-tracking state hiring and launching fairs and pipelines so displaced federal workers can land on their feet quickly. That instinct was right, though a temporary hiring freeze later paused the effort. With jobs already slipping and more losses possible, Annapolis should build a permanent jobs shock-absorber for Marylands labor market. An automatic stabilizer that snaps on whether the trigger is federal layoffs, AI-driven displacement, or the next sectoral shake-out. Your opinion matters Maryland Matters welcomes guest commentary submissions at editor@marylandmatters.org. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. 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. Picture the Friday when a paycheck stops: the car note comes due, a shift gets cut at the corner shop, a teenager skips summer work to watch siblings. None of that makes headlines, but its where safety is won or lost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A jobs stabilizer isnt a campaign slogan; its a short bridge between one employer and the next, so families dont fall and main streets dont hollow. In Maryland, we know how to build bridges. Lets build this one quietly, quickly and on purpose so a job loss becomes a landing, not a spiral. Consider three ways Maryland can meet this moment for displaced federal workers and the communities that depend on their paychecks: Guarantee 60- to 90-day reemployment for displaced feds and contractors. Stand up a permanent Feds to Maryland program that (a) preclears skills into state and local classifications, (b) funds short, paid bridge upskilling sprints, and (c) offers time-limited wage insurance when workers take a lower-paid role to stay employed. This complements the administrations earlier state-hiring push by turning a one-off response into lasting, economic development infrastructure. Make our workforce innovation-ready. Use Marylands AI Subcabinet to identify occupations most exposed to automation (admin, compliance, customer support) and bolt them into registered apprenticeships and short-cycle credentials under the RAISE framework. Implement a public AI risk map by county and agency to ensure training dollars align with actual exposure. The goal isnt to fear AI or technological innovation; its to ensure workers can move up the value chain and leverage it to their advantage before disruption lands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stabilize neighborhoods when incomes dip. Establish a Prompt Pay Guarantee and a Family Bridge. Pay small and minority-owned contractors on time, every time; help families cover a month or two of basics during a layoff; and work with community banks to keep borrowing costs down by placing a slice of state cash with community banks in the hardest-hit corridors so they can lend more cheaply. Thats economic justice in practice. Again, federal layoffs are not a direct, one-way road to violent crimes. Im arguing that income shocks, not ideology, turn ordinary stresses into hard choices. The evidence is clearest for property crime when unemployment rises; violence is more complex. Baltimores progress shows that prevention plus opportunity tracks with safety. Which is why, if Washington retrenches while projecting force, Maryland should double down on the basics: Keep paychecks coming and cash moving so strain doesnt become desperation. We cant steer Washington, but we can steady Maryland. In a state that has chosen work, wages, and wealth as its north star, the task now is simple and serious: Create a safety net that employs workers and deploys funds to families so shocks become transitions, not crises. Measure success by this: the least-advantaged households stay housed, small firms keep hours posted, and workers step into the next job before the last one is gone. Let others stage spectacle; Maryland can mobilize for stability. Donors list the causes they supported with their Combined Federal Campaign contributions, in this 2018 file photo from Yokota Air Base in Japan. The donations come from federal workers, and support charities they choose, around the country and the world. (Photo by Senior Airman Matthew Gilmore/U.S. Air Force) Mary Helfrich said that St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore is grateful for every dollar that we get to support its charitable work which is why the federal governments decision to put the annual Combined Federal Campaign on hold is concerning. Like officials at a number of charities around the state, Helfrich said a pause in the CFC wont be catastrophic for her organization. But its not good news either, and she said it could be particularly hard on smaller charities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were grateful for every dollar that we get, but theres other organizations that work with all volunteers, said Helfrich, St. Vincent de Pauls chief advancement officer. If theyre working with very limited resources, it [the CFC pause] will affect them It hurts all organizations, but its particularly going to hurt small organizations that depend on those dollars to operate completely. The Combined Federal Campaign facilitates donations by federal workers around the nation to thousands of charities, through regular payroll deductions or volunteer hours. Workers choose the charity they want their money to support: In Maryland, hundreds of charities receive funding from the CFC, supporting causes that include education, health, museums, the environment and more. The CFC solicitation period, when employees can make pledges and donations to charities, typically begins in early September. But this year, the Office of Personnel Management asked agencies to pause all support to the CFC while it decides whether or not to continue the 64-year-old program. No reason was given for the pause, and OPM said in a statement that no final decision has been made on the program. The CFC has raised more than $9 billion since it was established in 1961, and more than $70 million in 2023 alone, according to the programs website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement St. Vincent de Paul, which supports people facing poverty in Baltimore and surrounding counties, gets about $20,000 a year toward its $32 million budget, so the pause is not fatal, Helfrich said. But it does make for an uncertain future for some of their programs, and comes at a time when federal funding cuts, firings and forced retirements will affect the number of donors, she said. Laura Osuri, the executive director of Homes Not Borders, described the CFC pause as a death by 1,000 cuts, as it comes on top of recent federal funding and grant cuts. Homes Not Borders helps refugees and forced migrants in the Washington, D.C., area navigate life in the U.S. by assisting them with home set-ups, income opportunities and career training. The organization operates on about $800,000 per year, with about $15,000 of that coming from the CFC, Osuri said. I dont think were going to be cutting programs or staff because of it [the CFC pause], but its just another burden to try and raise more funds for us, she said. Even though it [the CFC check] is not much, it is steady, and we know its coming. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That was echoed by Elise Krikau, chief philanthropy officer at the Maryland Food Bank, who said it has seen struggles with its diversity of funding. The organization recently faced cuts to its funding from two government programs: The Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Local Food Purchase Agreement. Krikau said the food bank typically gets about $225,000 per year from the CFC, which she called a small part of its budget, but a large amount of money when thinking about overall funding cuts. This is one piece but its a piece in a big puzzle, Krikau said. If everything gets stilted and theres impacts from every direction, that can cumulatively impact our bottom line. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Arc Maryland, which supports people with developmental disabilities, gets a couple thousand dollars a year from the CFC, said Ande Kolp, the organizations executive director. Its not a large sum of money compared to the overall budget, but it is yet another source of funding that has dried up, she said. Historically, The Arc Maryland has been able to rely on grants, she said, but it has recently faced struggles. There might have been 100 people going after the same grant before now theres 1,000 people going after the same grant, Kolp said. I think the competition has certainly grown and made it very difficult to access sources of funding we didnt have difficulty accessing in the past. The organization will have to cut back on specific assistance programs, like transportation assistance and informative classes for parents on IEPs individualized educational plans for students if they continue to lose funding, she said. Theres so much uncertainty out there, and its really impacting our ability to function as a business, Kolp said. In a meeting that lasted 35 minutes and 15 seconds, the states handgun roster board approved 49 of the 64 guns brought before them last week, allowing Marylanders to sell or acquire these handguns. Thats 33 seconds per gun. Since 2018, the Maryland Handgun Roster board has approved thousands of petitions, allowing new handguns or handgun models to be sold in the state as long as they functioned, a Baltimore Sun data analysis found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Between 2018 and 2024, unless a gun did not fire or a petitioner incorrectly filed their petition the board passed it through. The Suns analysis shows the board approved 95% of handguns put before them during those seven years, adding nearly 2,500 new handgun models to the states roster, including several versions of the SIG P320, a 9mm handgun that has been the subject of dozens of lawsuits that allege the gun fires without a trigger pull. (SIG Sauer has prevailed in some cases.) The board functions much more like a rubber stamp, said board member Cassandra Crifasi, who Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, appointed last year. As long as the gun doesnt have any gross technical defects. But anti-gun control advocates say thats how the handgun board should work, and that the people on the board voting to ban weapons that function perfectly are violating the Second Amendment. They also say that keeping guns out of the hands of people who are going the legal route is unfair, as criminals dont pay attention to the laws. To report this story, The Sun analyzed hundreds of pages of minutes stretching back to January 2018, and thousands of gun applications, attended the latest board meeting, interviewed six board members, one gun control advocate, two Second Amendment advocates and a gun violence researcher. What emerged was a portrait of a deeply divided, frustrated board, stymied by differing ideology and vague legal language. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Formed in 1988, the board was initially tasked with banning Saturday Night Specials or junk guns cheap, poorly made handguns often imported from the Baltics or South America and a danger to bystanders and users and includes 11 members from law enforcement, gun sales and anti-gun violence backgrounds, whom the governor appoints every five years. Today, the board meets between four and six times a year to review the petitions put before them by residents asking for permission to buy or sell a particular weapon in the state. Members must weigh nine factors when considering a handgun, including detectibility, usage for sport activity or protection, accuracy, weight, quality of materials and manufacturing, reliability as to safety, caliber and concealability. But the board has become a minefield, both practically and ideologically. On the practical side, some board members say they dont know how to interpret the nine factors theyre supposed to weigh, without a shadow of a doubt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But brush all these issues aside, and you find a deep division at the heart of the board: What is its purpose and role today? Some say the board should ensure weapon quality alone, and that a vote based on anything other than whether the gun functions as intended is a step too far. They say its been hijacked by people whove decided to curtail gun owners rights to own what is considered a handgun in Maryland (including short-barreled rifles) without the authority of public legislation. Others say the regulations call for them to weigh weapon safety and concealability, and they would be remiss to add some of these larger, more powerful weapons to be added to the states approved sale list. What were seeing here, lately, is a handgun board abusing its authority to basically deny the sale of a handgun, said Mark Pennak, the president of Second Amendment advocacy group Maryland Shall Issue. Theyre brewing for a constitutional challenge. A rubber stamp Although the states handgun roster board was created by a Democratic legislature, and gun enthusiasts feared the board would simply deny all gun petitions put before them, that has not been the case in fact, it is more or less the opposite, according to The Suns analysis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March 2025, the last time the board met to consider new guns put before it, members added 105 new handguns or models to the state roster out of the 126 put before them. Thats 83% its the lowest pass rate since September 2019, when a petitioner put 24 incorrectly-filed petitions in front of the board. (Without those petitions, the pass rate would have been 95%, The Sun calculated.) In May 2025, seven petitions for short-barreled rifles that were brought to the board again for reconsideration after an initial denial were all denied again. In 2024, 98% of the 399 guns put before the handgun roster board passed. In 2023, 97% of the 357 guns put before the handgun roster board passed. In 2022, 96% of the 271 guns put before the handgun roster board passed. In 2021, 97% of the 300 guns put before the handgun roster board passed. In 2020, 95% of the 513 guns put before the handgun roster board passed. In 2019, 90% of the 495 guns put before the handgun roster board passed. In 2018, 95% of the 228 guns put before the handgun roster board passed. The guns that have been rejected generally have some kind of a mechanical problem, said board member Robert Bajefsky, calling the board a rubber stamp. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They approve basically everything, he said. They approve stuff that shouldnt be approved. Moores office did not respond to a request for comment about the boards passage rate and the inclusion of short-barreled rifles in the states handgun definition. Pistols or not? Bajefsky, who was appointed under Moore, has consistently voted no on most guns that come before the board, citing safety as a concern. Crifasi said she saves her no votes largely for the short-barreled rifles that come before the board. Under state law, short-barreled rifles are considered handguns, something Crifasi, a longtime competitive shooter under the International Defensive Pistol Association and co-director of the Center on Gun Violence at Johns Hopkins University, finds frustrating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bajefsky shares the sentiment. It feels like there is not much attention being paid to whether these firearms are really pistols or not, Crifasi said. The argument we hear is that just because a gun can accept a stock doesnt mean it shouldnt be approved, because if somebody puts on a stock and fires it from the shoulder, theyre breaking the law, Crifasi said. But youre making these guns available to be purchased, and people can add accessories to them once theyve brought them home, thereby getting around the assault weapons ban. Theres this circular logic that makes it hard to really feel like the board is doing what it can and should be doing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Karen Herren, who leads nonprofit advocacy group Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence, told The Sun she believed the board had been stymied by the machinations of gun manufacturers. Over time, the industry has honestly just learned how to market around the board, Herran said. In recent years, as you are seeing by looking at the passage rates, theyre, for the most part, rubber-stamping the petitions. She called out several manufacturers, including Glock, for refusing to make engineering changes to their pistols that would prevent people from converting them into assault weapons, which are illegal in Maryland. Thats a clear safety risk, and a functioning board would be able to take action on something like that and remove those firearms from the list, because its driving so much of the violence, Herren said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michael Errico has been a citizen board member for about 20 years. Appointed under Gov. Bob Ehrlich, a Republican, hes been re-appointed every five years by each successive governor. Errico is a lifelong gun enthusiast, shooting clay pigeons and paper targets alike. Despite the boards high passage rate, he disagrees with the assertion that the board is rubber-stamping every gun that can fire. No, I dont think they are, he said. I think theyre approving the guns that meet the criteria set up in the legislation. Theyre made with quality. If it does [meet the criteria], theres no reason to not approve it. Concealability, reliability as to safety Board members consistently told The Sun the requirement to interpret the nine factors confuses board members and petitioners alike. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For instance, does reliability as to safety refer to the mechanical safety of the gun, the safety of the bearer and others, or that the gun functions as intended, without injuring the bearer? And is concealability in a gun good or bad? A transcript from the May 7 meeting The Sun reviewed shows one petitioner arguing that their preferred gun should be approved because it is concealable, just not when assembled. That same day, another argued the handgun he wanted was so big its not concealable, and so the board should approve it. The state police, who, by state statute, test the weapons for the board, provide reports on the weapons, chair the board, provide a meeting place and keep its records, told The Sun they dont provide guidelines for how to interpret these factors, as the board is not a Maryland State Police Board. Both Herren and Crifasi believed the board and its votes could be done away with in favor of updating the states definition of a handgun to match the federal definition (a gun that can be fired with just one hand) and a stringent testing regimen done by an independent lab, mimicking California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Errico disagreed, saying that while manufacturer quality has increased, he believes that shutting the board down would send the wrong message to gun manufacturers. Herren hoped to see the state begin to implement a legal review of each handgun petition. There legitimately needs to be some level of legal review to determine whether a firearm petition that is brought in the state of Maryland abides by Maryland law, she said, whether we say thats through a board or, say, the Attorney Generals Office. Mark Pennak, of Maryland Shall Issue, told The Sun he believed the boards members who were voting no on guns that fired and were considered handguns by Maryland state law were taking the law into their own hands. All theyre basically doing is banning the acquisition of handguns at this point, and thats a constitutional violation, he said. Contact Kate Cimini at 443-842-2621 or kcimini@baltsun.com. "This evening, I will come to your doorstep together with tens of thousands of Israeli citizens. It will be loud, like for Matan, it is loud from the echoes of explosions," wrote Anat Angrest." Israelis gathered across the country, joining hostage families in calling for the release of the remaining hostages in Hamas captivity amid the IDF's invasion of Gaza City. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum announced its intention to protest outside of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Jerusalem residence, alongside the protests at Hostages Saure in Tel Aviv. The Forum also said that Saturday night protests across the countries saw tens of thousands in number. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anat Angrest, the mother of hostage Matan Angrest, played a recording of the phone call between the family and an IDF representative during a demonstration on Saturday evening, who said that the hostages are increasingly at risk due to the military's planned invasion of Gaza City. Protesters calling for a deal to release the remaining 48 hostages in Hamas captivity, Jerusalem, September 6, 2025 (Credit: Yair Palti) "The risk has already increased, and it is a trend of rising risk that comes alongside the intensification of the [ground] maneuver." Earlier on Saturday, Anat Angrest wrote on social media that her son was in immediate danger. My Matan is in immediate life-threatening danger. Thats what I was told yesterday on the phone." Thousands march towards Paris Square in Jerusalem in support of the families of the hostages, September 6, 2025 (credit: AVIV ATLAS) Prime Minister, did you sleep last night? Because I went through the 700th night without sleep, she wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats why this evening I will come to your doorstep together with tens of thousands of Israeli citizens. It will be loud, just like for Matan, who is used to the echoes of explosions. You will have no more quiet from me, its over. Hostage families to protest in Paris Square The Saturday protests began at 7:30 p.m. with a march from the Chords Bridge in Jerusalem. At 8:30 p.m., the families will hold a rally in Paris Square, near Netanyahus residence. This comes after the hostage families thanked US President Donald Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff for their efforts in negotiations against Hamas. Protesters also gathered at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, where a giant banner was unfurled with a clear message to Trump: "Save the hostages now!" Hostages Square also saw several former hostages and family members of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump on Friday signed an executive order paving the way for Washington to designate countries around the world as state sponsors of wrongful detention and impose punitive measures, including sanctions, on those it deems are wrongfully holding Americans. "President Trump demonstrates that true leadership is measured by bold decisions. We are grateful for his recent executive order that sends a clear message to the world that hostage-taking is fundamentally wrong and will not be tolerated by the US administration. Hostage families and supporters demonstrating for the release of the remaining 48 hostages, September 6, 2025. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV) "We are confident that President Trump and Ambassador Witkoff will faithfully represent Israel's interests in these negotiations and bring all parties to a comprehensive agreement," the families said in a Saturday statement. A day before Donna Adelson was convicted of first-degree murder for orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot to kill her former son-in-law, the 75-year-old woman agonized over whether to testify in her defense in a Tallahassee, Florida, courtroom. Adelson, convicted Thursday after not taking the stand, was initially charged in 2023 with first-degree murder and other charges for her role in a plot to kill prominent Florida State University law professor Dan Markel in 2014, which prosecutors said was motivated by her desire to end the bitter custody battle between Markel and Adelsons daughter, Wendi. The subject of a true-crime podcast and television specials, the complicated family drama with its matriarch at the forefront was among this summers criminal cases of intrigue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the televised trial that spanned about two weeks, state prosecutors presented evidence from an FBI sting operation, wiretapped phone calls and testimony from Adelsons adult children, jailhouse informants and alleged co-conspirators elements that helped prove Adelson was the mastermind behind the contract killing that she helped fund and conspired with her son, Charles Adelson, for years to cover up. Donna Adelsons defense case lasted two days: Her attorneys called 12 witnesses, including a few longtime friends who served as character witnesses, and Wendis former divorce lawyer, who suggested her divorce and custody battle over their two boys werent as contentious as the prosecution claimed. Donna Adelson chose not to testify after struggling with the decision. Her attorneys said they didnt have adequate time to discuss Donnas possible testimony with her and asked the judge several times for more time. At one point Wednesday, the judge indulged their request to meet with Adelson and the attorneys at a side bar out of the publics earshot. I am not prepared to make that decision. This decision affects the rest of my life, Adelson told the judge later that day after a long lunch break. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At that point, Judge Stephen Everett said, Youre in the same position as every other criminal defendant who faces trial. Ultimately, you must decide whether you will testify or whether you will not. I know I have to choose, Adelson responded. I was hoping I would have some time to speak to my attorneys. Everett granted her another few minutes to mull it over before demanding she make a decision, threatening to consider holding her attorneys in contempt. After a long silence standing at the defense table, Donna Adelson finally said, At this time, I dont want to testify. A murder of convenience Her decision was a change of course from what her attorneys signaled ahead of the trial. Lead prosecutor Georgia Cappleman told reporters after the trial ended Thursday night that she was surprised by the decision but understood it. Prosecutor Georgia Cappleman addresses the media on Thursday after a jury found Donna Adelson guilty of the murder of Dan Markel. - Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat/USA Today Network/Imagn Images Adelsons move was a departure from her sons defense strategy. Charles Adelson testified at length in his own trial before he was ultimately convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After hearing closing arguments on Thursday, the jury took about three hours to render its verdict: Donna Adelson was guilty of first-degree murder and counts of conspiracy and solicitation to commit first-degree murder. Oh my God, she said audibly at the defense table, bursting into sobs after the first guilty count was read. After her initial outburst, the judge then removed the jury from the courtroom. Then he told Adelson outside of their presence that he would have to remove her if she couldnt compose herself. Markels mother, Ruth, had harsh words for his sons former mother-in-law in a victim impact statement after the guilty verdict was read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At its core, this was a murder of convenience so that one grandmother could live closer to her grandchildren. She killed their father and ripped the children from the other grandparents lives, Ruth Markel said. Shelly, Phil and Ruth Markel hold hands as the verdict is read for Donna Adelson on Thursday. Adelson was found guilty of the murder of Dan Markel. - Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat/USA Today Network/Imagn Images Dans father, Phil Markel, referenced the fate of his surviving grandchildren in his statement. In the Jewish custom, we have an expression to always wish others to live to 120 years of age. For Donna, I wish her to live to 120 alone in her jail cell, Markel said. I wish that every day of her remaining days, she thinks about the harm she has caused to so many, especially those two boys she claims to have loved so much. Shes the fifth co-conspirator convicted The two hit men who carried out the killing were arrested in 2016, but it took years and a sting operation encircling the Adelson family before Charles Adelson was arrested in 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Katherine Magbanua, who the son was dating in 2014, ultimately was convicted in 2022 for her role in facilitating the murder plot. Her childrens father, Sigfredo Garcia, was convicted of killing Dan Markel. Garcia had help from his longtime friend Luis Rivera, a known Latin Kings gang member who took a plea deal in 2016 and ultimately helped law enforcement tie Garcia, Magbanua and Charles Adelson to the crime. The jury at this trial saw records suggesting that Donna Adelson, who lived with her husband in a luxury Miami condo, had the means to fund the murder plot that cost over $100,000 with their son, who worked with them at the familys thriving dentistry practice. Prosecutors in this case showed extensive communications between mother and son, illustrating their close relationship and how Donna kept track of things for Charles, who in turn solved all kinds of problems for her. Neither the prosecution nor his mothers attorneys called Charles Adelson to the stand in her trial, though Donnas lawyers pointed the finger at him in her defense, telling the jury that he alone paid over $100,000 for Markels contract kill. The defense team uses a display depicting photos and arrows of how people are connected in the murder of Dan Markel during opening statements in the trial of Donna Adelson on August 22 in Tallahassee, Florida. - Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat/AP Magbanua testified in the states case against Donna Adelson that she believed Charles ferried information to his mother about the murder plot though he never explicitly said as much to her. She said that many times before the murder when Charles would discuss the arrangement with her, he would step away to call his mom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Magbanua went to Charles Adelsons house the night of the murder to get the money for herself and the two hit men, she testified. Charles told her at the time that his parents had just left his house. When she later asked him why the cash was damp and moldy, Charles told her his mother had physically washed it, Magbanua testified. About three months after Markels murder, Magbanua testified that she began receiving paychecks from the Adelson Institute for Aesthetics & Implant Dentistry and that Charles would hand deliver them to her, usually several at one time, and Donna had always signed them. Magbanua never actually worked for the family dental practice, she said, but received 44 checks until April 2016. Donnas defense attorney said in closing arguments that she wrote the checks at her sons direction. Around that time in 2016, an undercover FBI agent approached Donna Adelson purporting to extort her with information about the contract killing on behalf of Rivera. Although she eventually called the undercover agent and denied knowing about the murder plot, Donnas first call after the confrontation with the agent was to Charles, trial evidence showed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She told her son discreetly on the wiretapped call played for the jury that they needed to meet in person to discuss the situation that probably had to do with both of them. The prosecution told the jury they should consider Donnas words on that call a confession. You can stay tuned Wendi and her father, Harvey Adelson, have not been charged in connection to the murder-for-hire plot though they came up in evidence at Donnas trial. Evidence showed Wendis resentment after a judge denied her 2013 petition to relocate her sons away from Markel in Tallahassee to South Florida to be near her brother and parents. Wendi Adelson testifies in the trial of her mother, Donna Adelson, on August 25. - Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat/USA Today Network/Imagn Images The jury saw extensive emails between Donna and Wendi that showed how Donna pushed Wendi to pursue relocation to South Florida at any cost, including offering her ex-husband $1 million and taunting him with the possibility of converting their kids from Judaism to Catholicism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adelsons defense attorney said her interest in Wendis custody battle didnt mean she had Wendis ex-husband killed. She said some ugly things and she meddles in her childrens lives, meddles in their lives, gets involved in their divorce. Shes a parent. Shes just being a parent, not a killer. Shes a meddler, not a murderer, Jackie Fulford told the jury at closing arguments. At Donnas trial, Wendi Adelson testified that she hasnt spoken to her mother since November 2023, around the time her brother Charles was convicted. She testified that in October of that year her mother had encouraged her to testify in a way that would help her brother at his trial. Donna was upset with how her daughter testified, feeling like Wendis testimony wasnt helpful to her brother, Wendi testified. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wendi several times denied having any involvement in or knowledge about a plot to kill her ex-husband. When prosecutors asked Wendi what information she had about her mothers involvement in a plot to kill Markel, Wendi testified, I dont have any information. In her final question on cross-examination, Fulford asked Wendi to confirm that anyone who was involved in Markels killing should be held responsible including her. You testified on direct that anybody in your family that had anything to do with it should be held responsible, isnt that correct? Yes, Wendi Adelson said. And that includes you, doesnt it? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone, anyone whos responsible, Wendi responded. After the verdict Cappleman evaded questions from reporters about whether Wendi Adelson should be worried about a possible prosecution but eventually said, You can stay tuned. Harvey Adelson was with his wife when she was arrested at Miami International Airport as they tried to a board a flight with one-way tickets to Vietnam a week after their son was convicted. Harvey Adelson hangs his head as the guilty verdict is read for his wife, Donna Adelson, on Thursday. - Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat/USA Today Network/Imagn Images Harvey, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, sat in the front row of the gallery behind the defense table each day of his wifes trial. Recorded phone calls showed Donna Adelson considered suicide as an alternative to fleeing the country in the days between her sons conviction and her arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge ordered the sheriffs office to follow necessary procedures to ensure Adelson cannot self-harm before she was led away in handcuffs after the guilty verdict Thursday night. Shes being held in an area where she can be closely monitored, Leon County Assistant Sheriff Brice Google told CNN Friday. Adelson, who now faces up to life in prison, will be sentenced at a later date. Markels parents asked the judge to impose the harshest possible penalty. In closing his victim impact statement, Phil Markel said, My only short question to Donna: Was it worth it? Walking away from the podium, Markel looked over at the defense table where Adelson sat looking back at him with tears in her eyes. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Maurice Tempelsman, who has died aged 95, was one of Americas most eminent merchants in African diamonds and, for 15 years, until her death in 1994, the last attachment of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. One of her many biographers noted that she was always attracted to outsiders John F Kennedy, Boston Irish on both sides; Aristotle Onassis, a Turkish-born Greek; and Maurice Tempelsman, a Belgian-born Jewish emigre. Balding and portly, he lacked, as one observer quipped, the dash of her first husband and the flash of her second. But Tempelsman had all the qualities she valued: he was courtly, cosmopolitan, affable, polished, protective, discreet and rich. As Mrs Onassis settled into life in Manhattan as a commissioning editor, and later a grandmother, he brought her serenity and security. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their friendship began in the late 1950s when Kennedy, then a senator, wanted to meet representatives of the South African diamond industry. He was aided by his lawyer, the former presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson, who was also a friend of Mrs Kennedy. By the time Kennedy was President-elect, Tempelsman had arranged a meeting for him with Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, the chairman of the Anglo-American Corporation and De Beers. By 1963, Tempelsmans friendship with the Kennedys had deepened to the extent that he was one of only six non-family members who stayed at the White House on the night Mrs Kennedy returned after the assassination in Dallas. After the death of her second husband, Aristotle Onassis, in 1975, and her banker, Andre Meyer, in 1979, Tempelsman stepped in as her key financial advisor. By the end of that decade, they were companions. Jackie Onassis and Tempelsman attend a literary evening at the New York Public Library in 1987 - Kyle Ericksen/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images Even Mrs Onassiss mother, the lofty, exacting Janet Auchincloss, liked Tempelsman (Madame approved was how her butler put it). In fact his support for Mrs Auchinclosss third marriage in 1979 to Bingham Morris, much opposed by her daughter, led to a period of estrangement from Jackie. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 1984, though still legally married, he obtained, by mutual consent, a Gett from the Rabbinical authorities dissolving his Orthodox marriage to his wife Lilly (by then, ironically, a marriage counsellor with the Jewish Board of Family and Child Services) and had moved into Mrs Onassiss apartment at 1040 Fifth Avenue. They often conversed in French, dined out quietly and attended ballet, the cinema and theatre in town and spent weekends at her horse farm in New Jersey and at Marthas Vineyard. They sailed aboard in Tempelsmans schooner, the Relemar, notably in 1993 with President Clinton and his wife. It was while sailing in the Caribbean in late 1993 that Mrs Onassis showed signs of the lymphatic cancer that would kill her. Tempelsman moved his office into her apartment, walked with her in Central Park, escorted her to and from hospital, and was with her when she died. Maurice Tempelsman was born in Antwerp on August 26 1929, to Helen, nee Ertag, and Leon Tempelsman, an importer and commodities trader. The family were Orthodox Jews and spoke Galician Yiddish at home. They fled Belgium in 1940 and settled on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with other refugees, among them Lilly Bucholz. She and Tempelsman married in 1949. Tempelsman in 1982 - Tony Palmieri/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images While still in his teens, he had been dubbed the boy wonder by Sir Ernest Oppenheimer. By 1950 Tempelsman was a millionaire, having brokered a deal with the US government to stockpile diamonds. He proved better connected than most ambassadors, having forged connections with emerging African leaders, some of whom, like Zaires President Mobuto, he may have regretted. When, in 1984, he sued an author and publisher for claiming he was close to the CIA, the Court awarded him one franc for invasion of privacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He became chairman of the US diamond giant Lazare Kaplan, and one of only about 90 sightholders permitted to purchase diamonds directly from De Beers. He also promoted American and African relations and helped to underwrite Nelson Mandelas first trip to the US. Under Tempelsmans guidance, Jackie Onassiss $26 million settlement from Aristotle Onassis in 1975 had, according to her executors, grown to $43.7 million by the time of her death and as much as $73 million after the auction of her property. He remained close to John Kennedy Jr, for whose fiancee, Carolyn, he recreated the 16-stone band he had given Jackie as an engagement ring. Tempelsman had also argued in vain for John not to learn to fly. The final words of Tempelsmans eulogy at Mrs Onassiss funeral five years earlier were as apposite when John crashed into the sea off Marthas Vineyard in 1999: And now the journey is over, too short, alas, too short. It was filled with adventure and wisdom, laughter and love, gallantry and grace. So farewell, farewell. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maurice Tempelsman is survived by his son and two daughters. His wife Lilly died in 2022. A son-in-law was killed on September 11 2001 when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. Maurice Tempelsman, born August 26 1929, died August 23 2025 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. A firefighter fell through a floor while battling a blaze at a Campton condominium complex on Thursday, prompting his partner to declare a mayday. Campton-Thornton Fire Rescue officials said while fighting a fire on Condo Road, a firefighter working on the second floor of the structure fell through the floor up to their waist briefly becoming trapped. Their partner declared a mayday, notifying on scene personnel and incident command of the emergency. Nearby personnel were able to quickly to free the firefighter and help them out of the structure, where care was rendered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The firefighter, whose name was not provided, was transported by ambulance to Speare Memorial Hospital in Plymouth for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. They were ultimately released a few hours later and will be out of work for a few days, Campton-Thornton Fire Rescue officials said in a statement. They are expected to make a full recovery. At the time of the mayday, an ambulance was transporting another person, a burn victim from the fire, to Speare Memorial Hospital in Plymouth. This patient was ultimately transferred to a Boston Hospital for further treatment of non life-threatening injuries, officials said. We would like to thank all the departments and individuals who have reached out to us, Campton Thornton Professional Firefighters Local 5445 wrote in a social media post. It is an amazing feeling to know how many of you have our backs and want to help. We cant thank you enough. Following the rationalisation of Goods and Services Tax (GST), Educator and YouTuber Khan Sir urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove the 18 per cent GST on educational services. Speaking to ANI on Friday, Khan Sir said, "We also want to inform the Prime Minister that an 18 per cent GST is also levied on good education given in institutes. In my opinion, there should be no GST on education." Further, he welcomed the 40 per cent tax slab for luxury items. "I hope that next time, when the Prime Minister gives a speech at the Red Fort, he will consider giving a Holi gift, just as he did for Diwali this time... Increasing the GST on luxury items is a good step," he said. Khan Sir's remarks came after the 56th GST council meeting decided to rationalise GST rates to two slabs of 5 per cent and 18 per cent by merging the 12 per cent and 28 per cent rates. Additionally, there is also a 40 per cent slab for luxury and sin goods, including tobacco and pan Masala, products like cigarettes, bidis, and aerated sugary beverages and on luxury vehicles, high-end motorcycles above 350cc, yachts, and helicopters. Meanwhile, on the occasion of Teachers' Day, Khan Sir remembered Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and pledged to carry forward the bond of teacher and student. "We are fortunate that Subramanyam Sharma, the maternal grandson of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and paternal grandson of VV Giri, is here with us today... Today, we pledge to carry forward the ultimate bond of teacher and student that has been a tradition in India, to never let education become a business, and to live by the meaning of education as realised by Radhakrishnan, that education is not only about getting a job, but it is a means to an all-round development," he said. Celebrated on September 5 annually, Teachers' Day commemorates the birth anniversary of scholar and Bharat Ratna recipient Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who was born on this day in 1888. He was the first Vice President of independent India (1952-1962) and also the second President of India from 1962 to 1967. (ANI) Sep. 5GRAND FORKS A committee chairman of the District 42 Republicans has threatened to censure and remove the chairperson amid turmoil following the resignation of one of the district's two members of the state House of Representatives. In a statement sent Thursday evening, Derrick Sherwood who serves on the district's bylaws committee issued what he called a "cease and desist notice" to Chairperson Kimberly Efta, accusing Efta of undermining party rules and trust. He claims Efta is acting unilaterally and refusing to acknowledge bylaws set by the district Republicans in order to fill the seat of Emily O'Brien, who resigned last month to move to Bismarck. Efta denies the accusations, saying she is following state Century Code. "I have been fair in all of my communication," Efta said in a response to the cease-and-desist notice. " ... The accusations of this letter are baseless. I am a volunteer in this position and following the laws and rules set before me." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She also noted she has been in contact with Secretary of State Michael Howe; Sen. David Hogue, chair of the Legislative Management Committee; North Dakota GOP Executive Director Derek Turbide and state GOP Chair Matt Simon. Sherwood, in the email, says the notice was sent jointly by both himself and the district's vice chair, Phyllis Lewis. The Herald could not reach Lewis prior to this report's publication to confirm her involvement. "It's not up to one person to determine this seat," Sherwood told the Grand Forks Herald Friday morning. "It's up to the people, and the people need to be allowed to be actively participating in this process, and they're being effectively shut out and ignored." Sherwood said that if his complaint isn't acknowledged within 24 hours, he plans to pursue legal action. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement O'Brien, a legislator since 2017, resigned her seat last month in order to take a job with the state Department of Health and Human Services. In the weeks since, the District 42 Republicans have been working to establish a process to fill the open seat. Sherwood says District 42 committee members voted on a procedure, but claims Efta has refused to hold a full meeting to affirm the vote. Efta told the Herald that committee members didn't properly request a special meeting they needed five district members to sign a letter requesting the meeting, and the letter needed to be submitted 10 days in advance. Instead, she said, only two members signed the letter, and it was submitted with 24-hours' notice. "I am being fair to all in our district," Efta said in her statement. She added that "it is situations like this that keep individuals like me that want to do a good job and serve our community" from entering politics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sherwood said he is not aware of any preferred candidate to fill the open House seat, he said. District 42 Republicans are scheduled to meet on Sept. 13. Sherwood said he expects the meeting will be "tense," but hopes the conflict can be resolved before then. In his email, Sherwood said "District 42 Republicans are committed accountability and adherence to the principles upon which the party was founded" and "retaliatory actions against members exercising their rights will be met with swift organizational and legal response." "I believe that the chair has aligned herself with ... I guess you could call it the established group of people, rather than the actual citizens," Sherwood told the Herald. The memorial service for Harper Moyski, the 10-year-old girl tragically killed during last week's mass shooting at Annunciation Church, has been set. A celebration of life will be held at noon next Sunday, Sep. 14, at Lake Harriet Bandshell in southwest Minneapolis, with the family saying it will be filled "music, food, laughter, and the kind of joy Harper brought into the world," and that "all who loved her are welcome." The details were revealed in an emotional obituary to Harper, which describes her love of animals, exploring, and her little sister, Quinn, saying she was "the heart of our family, full of the brightest light, and the best big sister in the universe." Moyski Family "Harper was pure magic. Sharp, funny, curious, and brave, she was entirely her own person. Our girl asked every question and expected real answers. She told the truth even when it was inconvenient," it reads. "She loved stories, skincare, and creating videos about anything and everything from nature to nail polish. Her style was incredible, and her sense of self far beyond her years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "She could hold her own in any conversation, especially about fairness or injustice, and had a sharp radar for social issues. Harper cared deeply about animals, people, and the planet. No dog ever passed by without a pet or a scratch behind the ears from her. She dreamed of becoming a veterinarian and had the heart and smarts to do it. Snakes, frogs, and bugs never scared her. "But more than anything, Harper loved her little sister Quinn. She adored her, looked out for her, and lit up when they were together. That bond will never be broken." In the aftermath of the shooting, Harper's parents Jackie Flavin and Mike Moyski released a statement calling on action to be taken to prevent future school shootings. "We urge our leaders and communities to take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country. Change is possible, and it is necessary so that Harpers story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies," they said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The memorial service for the other Annunciation student killed in the Aug. 27 attack, 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, Sep. 7 at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in southwest Minneapolis. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Sep 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the MN News section. Add Bring Me The News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The Mental Health Association of Frederick County was among more than 120 victim service programs across Maryland to receive funding through the federal Victims of Crime Act for fiscal year 2026. The $78,394 in grant money will help support the Mental Health Associations Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program, which provides volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children as they navigate the court system. The Mental Health Association began its CASA program in 2002, according to Adam Schlager, the director of family support services for the association. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, Schlager said, 65 to 70 CASA volunteers are ready to be assigned by the courts to specific cases of child abuse and neglect. As a child is in out-of-home care and moving through the court system, that can be a pretty lengthy process, Schlager said. Sometimes that CASA volunteer is the only constant person in their lives throughout. Schlager said CASA volunteers have a wide range of life experiences. Some have personal or professional experience with the child welfare system, while others do not. All commit to at least two hours of volunteering per week. It might not sound like much at first, but some of these cases last years, Schlager said. We have a volunteer recognition event every year, and there are people who have served for 10 years or more ... which is pretty amazing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a press release from the office of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore last week, there were more than $80 million in requests from nearly 150 applicants during this fiscal years Victims of Crime Act funding cycle. The Mental Health Associations CASA program serves children in both Frederick and Carroll counties. It was the only program in either county to receive funding through the Victims of Crime Act in fiscal 2026. CASA programs in Caroline and Montgomery counties also received funding through the Victims of Crime Act in fiscal 2026. Those programs received $82,287 and $113,434 in grant money, respectively. The funding will be administered by the Governors Office of Crime Prevention and Policy, according to the press release last week. Statewide, nearly 40,000 new victims were served by recipients of the grant funds for fiscal 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schlager said the Mental Health Associations CASA program is primarily funded by the state Administrative Office of the Courts. But grants from that office often have a matching requirement, he said, so other sources of funding are necessary. According to Schlager, grant funding received by the Mental Health Associations CASA program helps pay for four case supervisors and one program manager. Funding also goes toward training for volunteers and other administrative costs. Schlager said the impact of the funding for CASA programs like the Mental Health Associations really cant be measured. That funding ensures that each child has someone in their corner, he said. And its just so important that that continues. A metro Atlanta defense attorney is being held in contempt of court after he showed up to the start of a trial late earlier this week. According to Carroll County court records obtained by Channel 2 Action News, jury selection for the trial of Demonte Burke-Agan was set to begin on Wednesday morning. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] But when the judge called the case, defense attorney Jason Swindle wasnt there. When Swindle still had not arrived an hour later, the judge sent deputies to his home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Swindle arrived at the courthouse at 10:30 a.m. and met with Judge Dustin Hightower in his chambers. TRENDING STORIES: According to the court order, Hightower determined that Swindle was physically and mentally impaired and ordered for him to be held in contempt. Swindle was ordered to spend 20 days in the Carroll County Jail. Court records show that Burke-Agan was indicted on child cruelty and aggravated battery. He is accused of causing injuries to his 4-month-old child to the point of causing a brain bleed. Its unclear when Burke-Agans trial will continue. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Chicago residents have been on edge at the possibility of President Donald Trump deploying federal immigration agents and the National Guard in Chicago this week. Several Mexican-American groups have now canceled or postponed Mexican Independence Day celebrations in response. Mexican Independence Day falls on Tuesday, Sept. 16 and marks the day Mexico gained freedom from the Spanish Empire in 1810. In Chicago, the El Grito festival that was planned for Sept. 13 and 14 in Grant Park was postponed. The festival that pays homage to The Cry of Independence or El Grito drew 24,000 attendees last year. Organizers are in the process of refunding tickets, according to the festivals website. In Waukegan, a suburb around 45 miles north of Chicago, Fiestas Patrias, an independence day parade that was planned for next Sunday, Sept. 14 has been postponed as of Wednesday. Organizer Margaret Carrasco said she may cancel Day of the Dead celebrations at the start of November as well and postpone all festivities to December. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carrasco said that she decided to cancel the parade because her neighbors and other Waukegan residents had heard about federal immigration agents staying at hotels near the Great Lakes Naval base in the last few weeks. Theyve been preparing for quite some time, Carrasco said of the immigration agents. We knew early on that this would be a massive attack on the community. She and other Waukegan residents have been conducting clinics to teach immigrant neighbors about their rights and have been posting signs in local businesses advising residents to carry identification or immigration paperwork with them and to avoid large public gatherings where they could be detained. Carrasco said that the number of immigration officials she expects in the region made her cancel the parade. Sometimes in life you need to pick your fights, Carrasco said. We dont want families being separated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Latin Heritage Fest, an event planned for Sept. 13 in Wauconda, a suburb northwest of Chicago, was also canceled. The Wauconda Latin Heritage Fest was going to feature Mexican food, music, Mexican folk dances, games and a pageant in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, according to a website for the event. Organizers cancelled the event because of concerns related to immigration in the area, according to a statement posted by the Wauconda Police Department on social media. Last week, Gov. JB Pritzker suggested at a news conference that Stephen Miller, Trumps deputy chief of staff, strategically planned to conduct militarized arrests in Chicago because the city is known for its Mexican Independence Day celebrations. Pritzker added that he is deeply concerned that U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement will target Mexican Independence Day events, set to start this weekend with the parade in Pilsen on Saturday, which was not canceled despite deportation fears. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reyna Torres Mendivil, the consul general of Mexico in Chicago, said Thursday representatives from the consulate were scheduled to attend at least 17 celebrations in Illinois and Indiana this month, including El Grito. On Thursday evening, the team was reviewing how many events had been canceled or postponed, Torres Mendivil said. We respect the decision they make. Some events may still take place in enclosed places, but there are others that take place in public spaces, Torres Mendivil said. We will attend all of the events that are still set to take place. The consulate will focus on commemorating Mexican Independence Day with a social media campaign that showcases the contribution of the immigrant community on social media, she said. Nothing of what may happen negates the pride of being Mexican and of celebrating our heritage, with our family, with dignity and respect, Torres Mendivil added. South Sudan says it has repatriated to Mexico a man deported from the United States as part of US President Donald Trumps crackdown on immigration. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on Saturday said Mexico had accepted the return of Jesus Munoz-Gutierrez, one of eight men deported from the US to South Sudan on July 5 after a long-running legal battle. The statement added that Munoz-Gutierrez had been repatriated after being transferred to the custody of Mexican Ambassador Alejandro Estivill Castro in a smooth and orderly process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement South Sudan thanked Mexico for its cooperation and said it had received assurances Munoz-Gutierrez would not be subjected to torture, inhumane or degrading treatment, or undue prosecution upon his return. The statement said he had been treated with full respect for his human dignity and fundamental rights during his stay in the capital, Juba. The repatriation was carried out in full accordance with relevant international law, bilateral agreements, and established diplomatic protocols, it added. Felt kidnapped In comments to journalists in Juba, Munoz-Gutierrez said he felt kidnapped when the US sent him to South Sudan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was not planning to come to South Sudan, but while I was here, they treated me well, he said. I finished my time in the United States, and they were supposed to return me to Mexico. Instead, they wrongfully sent me to South Sudan. The US Department of Homeland Security has said Munoz-Gutierrez had a conviction for second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison. South Sudan is discussing with other countries the repatriation of the six deportees still in its custody, said Apuk Ayuel Mayen, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry. It is not clear if the deportees have access to legal representation. Only one of eight was from South Sudan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rights groups have argued that the Trump administrations increasing practice of deporting migrants to third countries violates international law and the basic rights of migrants. The deportations have faced opposition by courts in the US although the Supreme Court in June allowed the government to restart swift removals of migrants to countries other than their homelands. Other African nations receiving deportees from the US include Uganda, Eswatini and Rwanda. Eswatini received five men with criminal backgrounds in July. Rwanda announced the arrival of a group of seven deportees in mid-August. Sep. 5Some hunting grounds across New Mexico have gone from open season to off limits after the federal government staked its claim on a strip of land along the southern border for immigration enforcement. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish sent a message Friday alerting hunters that some areas of Hidalgo, Luna and Dona Ana counties will no longer be accessible. That's because the U.S. Army designated those portions of New Mexico as a National Defense Area (NDA), barring people from accessing those regions without prior approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The military zone was designated by the Department of Defense, at the behest of the White House, earlier this year as a way to charge migrants with additional crimes for crossing illegally into the U.S. The defense areas stretch about 180 miles in New Mexico, including in game management units used for hunting. Game and Fish said the Army has developed a protocol for hunters wishing to access the NDA, including having to submit information for a visitor access badge and pass a background check. "Upon receipt of a visitor access badge, individuals will need to follow the guidelines in the U.S. Army's memorandum," according to the release. The Army has tied the designation of defense areas in that region to Fort Huachuca, a U.S. Army installation located in southeast Arizona, 15 miles north of Mexico's border and more than 100 miles from the closest New Mexico county, Hidalgo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Army, in the memorandum, said the defense area was set to "ensure Fort Huachuca is in compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Direction 12, which requires 100% of visitors to be vetted prior to entering the installation unescorted." According to a memo from the U.S. Army, the defense area was designed to "ensure sustainable management of natural resources, particularly wildlife, on military installations while also balancing all recreational activities." On Friday, the Department of Justice said 42 more migrants were charged with entering military property "arising from the newly established National Defense Area." The DOJ sends such updates weekly, calling the cases part of Operation Take Back America, with hundreds of migrants being charged in the past several months. Many charges based on defense area entry have been dismissed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hunters seeking game in the NDA must follow the protocols for access, the Army memo stated. "Failure to comply may lead to being detained or charged with unlawful entry onto a military installation," according to the memo. Hunters will be required to wear proper protective clothing, have all recreational vehicles registered as off-highway vehicles and comply with all Game and Fish rules, the memo said. Shooting within a quarter mile of any buildings, vehicles, "people or border wall" is strictly prohibited. Radiohead could be set to perform their unused James Bond theme Spectre in full. Radiohead could be set to perform their unused James Bond theme Spectre in full The Oxford band whose members include Thom Yorke, 56, Jonny Greenwood, 53, Ed OBrien, 57, Philip Selway, 58, and Colin Greenwood, 56 are returning to the stage later this year for their first shows in seven years, and will play across five cities from November, beginning in London on the 21st of that month. Speaking about the long-rumoured Bond track making the setlist for the shows, Colin told the Daily Star: Id love to play the song Spectre. We did it in America for A Moon Shaped Pool, Thom played it on the Rhodes keyboard. But I want to play it as a full band type thing, a la Paul McCartney Live and Let Die theres a massive bit in the middle. The upcoming Radiohead shows mark three decades since the release of the bands 1995 second album The Bends, although Colin said fans should not expect the record to be played in its entirety. He also told the Adam Buxton podcast the groups setlist would not follow a rigid format. The bassist said: Its going to be a mixed set, weve whittled it down to 70 songs and me and my brother (Jonny) are not on the setlist committee. Were not allowed because we are too indecisive! Colin added the upcoming concerts would take inspiration from the bands brief jam session in the summer of 2024. He said: We are going to take what we did in the summer of 24 when we did that jam. Were not doing many rehearsals either, so it all seems quite sort of relaxed. We will play anything in any order at any time. We take a busking attitude to the Radiohead setlist. We are playing everything stuff from the first record right through to now. Its going to be the first time weve done shows where we havent got new material as work in progress. But you never know stuff might come up or whatever. Discussing the structure of the run, Colin described the residency-style shows as a bit Sinatra-esque. He also confirmed that, as on previous tours, they would feature two drummers. He said: Phil is working on it at the moment its great for me because I get to check in what each of them are doing, I can wander over and Phil loves it because I can stop hassling him. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders welcomed Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind chief Maulana Mahmood Madani's support for dialogue between Muslim communities and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for the dispute over the Gyanvapi and Mathura mosques. Speaking to ANI on Friday, BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said that Maulana Mahmood Madani's remarks in the matter came late, but "better late than never". He said, "There should be a full discussion on Gyanvapi, Kashi, and Mathura. Maulana Mahmood Madani is saying this today because he is a Maulana; he is saying it late. Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind should not have abandoned the dialogue earlier... But better late than never." Referring to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's statement on the issue, he said, "The RSS Sarsanghchalak has said that they will not participate in the movements for Kashi and Mathura, but a solution must be found for it. In response to that, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind has said that they are ready for talks." Earlier, Mohan Bhagwat had stated that the Ram Temple was the only movement officially endorsed by the Sangh, although members are permitted to advocate for the Kashi and Mathura movements. BJP leader Ajay Alok welcomed the call for a dialogue and said, "We welcome dialogue. Whether it is Mahmood Madani or RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, there is consensus between both. Certainly, every person should welcome this. Whichever controversial issues there are, if they are resolved through dialogue, the entire country will welcome it." BJP leader RP Singh called Mathura and Kashi the heritage of culture. "Every person who believes in India's culture will support Mohan Bhagwat ji's statement. We welcome that Madani Sahab is saying that they are ready to discuss Gyanvapi, Mathura, and Kashi, which is a good thing. These are the heritage of our culture," Singh said. BJP leader Nalin Kohli lauded Maulana Madani for emphasising that no "foreigner" or "Bangladeshi" citizen should stay in India. He said, "If any party wants to have a dialogue in society, then it is a good thing. His statement that the Muslim infiltrators coming to India from abroad are wrong is also correct. To save the foreign infiltrators, some people ignore the country's interests for political reasons. We have an objection to those people." Meanwhile, Congress leader Rajesh Thakur criticised the idea of a dialogue with the RSS and said that the disputes should be resolved by the administration and courts. "It is beyond my understanding why he said what he said. I think that whatever decision needs to be made, it will be done by the administration and courts, not RSS. Why will RSS make any decision? Who is RSS?... We still need to figure out why and under whose pressure he has made such statements. The political reason behind such statements is yet to be ascertained. RSS get such things done ahead of the elections," the Congress leader told ANI. This comes after, in an interview with ANI, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind chief said his organisation had already passed a resolution in favour of engagement, stressing that while there were "differences", efforts must be made to reduce them. "There are a lot of ifs and buts...My organisation passed a resolution that there should be engagement. There are differences, but we need to minimise...We will support all efforts of talks. Recently, the RSS chief made statements on Gyanvapi and Mathura Kashi. His efforts to reach out to the Muslim community should be praised and appreciated. We will support all kinds of dialogues," Madani told ANI. (ANI) NEW MEXICO (KRQE) Rogerick Tsosie, 32, will spend eight years in prison for a May 2022 shooting that killed a 14-year-old. According to officials, Tsosie was called to break up a fight between the driver of a vehicle and family members. Tsosie pulled alongside the vehicle on New Mexico Highway 197 near Torreon and fired a gun toward the driver, but instead hit a 14-year-old in the head. The teen later died. Grants man arrested in connection to deadly shooting at mobile-home park in Roswell Officials said witnesses identified Tsosie as the shooter and that he admitted to firing a shot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tsosie was charged with voluntary manslaughter and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He will also serve five years of supervised release once he gets out of prison. 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 KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. TALLAHASSEE The city of Miami Beach has challenged a controversial directive by the Florida Department of Transportation to remove art and markings on streets including LGBTQ-themed rainbow crosswalks. The city filed a challenge Thursday at the state Division of Administrative Hearings, arguing that the Department of Transportation issued the directive in a June 30 memorandum without going through a legally required rule-making process. The challenge seeks to have an administrative law judge block enforcement of the memo unless the state properly adopts it as a rule a process that, for example, likely would include steps such as opening the issue for public comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Memorandum 25-01 (the memo) does not merely provide guidance, the citys attorneys wrote. It declares certain design features non-compliant, directs that they be removed, and mandates (Department of Transportation) district enforcement. It further authorizes FDOT itself to withhold state funds or directly remove installations if local governments do not comply. In this way, Memorandum 25-01 creates binding obligations and penalties not otherwise found in statute or rule, and alters the legal rights of local governments by categorically prohibiting features that remain permissible under existing standards. The Department of Transportations directive has affected numerous local governments across the state and particularly has drawn controversy because it led to the removal of rainbow street art including outside the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, where 49 people were killed in 2016 The Miami Beach petition at the Division of Administrative Hearings said the state targeted what are described as terrazzo pavers at Ocean Drive and 12th Street in the city. The crosswalk was designed with rainbow colors. The Department of Transportation memo said removal of markings and street art is needed for safety reasons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Non-standard surface markings, signage and signals that do not directly contribute to traffic safety or control can lead to distractions or misunderstandings, jeopardizing both driver and pedestrian safety, the memo said Furthermore, uniform and consistent application of pavement surface markings is critical for the overall effectiveness of automated vehicle operation, as automated vehicle technologies rely heavily on consistent traffic control devices. The memo cited legal authority under state manuals that include minimum standards for such things as design and maintenance of roads. But the Miami Beach petition said the manuals and a state law do not include a categorical prohibition of the type announced in Memorandum 25-01. Each of these sources either permits limited use of decorative or colored pavement treatments under defined conditions or establishes a process for adopting enforceable standards by rule, the citys attorneys wrote. Memorandum 25-01 goes further by vitiating those flexible standards and imposing a binding, statewide ban. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city said it also has filed a separate petition at the Department of Transportation seeking a hearing. 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. NEED TO KNOW A family practice doctor in Michigan was arrested after allegedly asking an undercover investigator to have a sexual relationship with who he believed was her 5-year-old daughter, police say Police claimed William J. Murdoch, 45, exchanged "stomach churning messages" that allegedly showed "his plan to groom the child and quickly turn the situation sexual" Murdoch will be extradited to Florida to face charges A Michigan doctor is accused of asking an undercover investigator posing as a mother to have a sexual relationship with who he believed was her 5-year-old daughter, authorities said. William J. Murdoch, a family practice doctor, was arrested by members of the U.S. Marshals Service following an undercover child exploitation investigation led by police in Florida, the Port St. Lucie Police Department announced on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sting began in June 2025, when police claim Murdoch began chatting online with the undercover "Mom" and began pursuing a "platonic relationship with her to see if she would allow her 5-year-old to be courted by and have a sexual relationship with him," per a police statement. Police claimed Murdoch exchanged "stomach churning messages" that allegedly showed "his plan to groom the child and quickly turn the situation sexual." Port St. Lucie Police Department William J. Murdoch William J. Murdoch Also during the investigation, police examined Murdochs iCloud account, where they allegedly found "explicit" information "revealing his training as a medical professional would assist in other alarming dark web hunts," the statement reads. Police claimed the conversations included several topics including "conception, full term abortions, and intentional drug and alcohol use to cause birth defects." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Murdoch will be extradited to Florida to face charges in connection with "soliciting a parent to consent to the participation of sexual conduct involving a child," police said. Online inmate records show the 45-year-old was booked into the Monroe County Jail in Michigan with no bond. It's unclear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf. 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. A company spokesperson for ProMedica, a healthcare company, commented on Murdoch's arrest, saying it "triggered an immediate suspension of Dr. Murdoch's hospital privileges and a termination of all activity involving the physician," according to CBS News. "We are supporting investigation efforts in this case," the spokesperson added, per the outlet. "Our priority is the safety and care of our patients and their families." Read the original article on People Michael Flatley has pulled out of next months Irish presidential election to prioritise his family and health. The Lord of the Dance creator had his ambition for high office inadvertently revealed during a High Court case about renovations at his Castlehyde mansion, in County Cork. Flatley, who has been credited with reinventing traditional Irish dance, notified the court of a material change in circumstances that he was moving back to Ireland from Monaco to run in its presidential election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Somebody has to speak for the Irish people, Flatley later said in a radio interview. The average person on the street was not happy, he added. And yet a serious campaign never materialised. The 67-year-old retired choreographer announced on Friday that he was no longer seeking nominations. The Riverdance star wrote on Facebook: I have decided not to run for president of Ireland at this time. I am honoured by the encouragement and support Ive received from so many people across Ireland over recent weeks, but I must put my family and my health first. Mr Flatley said he felt he could better serve the Irish people by continuing my work promoting Ireland and Irish culture globally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The multi-millionaire impresario once held the Guinness World Record for tap dancing 35 times per second, and his feet were once insured for $57.6m. Blackbird, an independent crime thriller released in 2022, was his feature film debut. Ireland will head to the polls on Oct 24 to vote for its next president. Like the British monarch, the Irish presidential post is largely ceremonial. The primary duties involve public events, meeting with citizens, and hosting state functions, while policy and day-to-day governance are the responsibilities of the Taoiseach (Prime Minister). Irish president Michael D Higgins is to step down on Nov 11 after two seven-year terms. Potential candidates Mr Flatley is not alone in dropping out of the race. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meteorologist and former weather presenter Joanna Donnelly also dropped out of the race on Friday, saying she was wholly unprepared for such a campaign. She admitted to being naive to think she could meet its challenges. Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, too, has dropped his presidential bid, claiming his successor Michael Martin is anti him. He had just one declared supporter among parliamentary party members. One other potential candidate who remains, however, is Conor McGregor. The 37-year-old former UFC Featherweight and Lightweight Champion declared his intention to run for president in March during a visit to the White House, where he gained the tacit endorsement of Donald Trump. Although Mr McGregor gained an endorsement from Donald Trump, he is expected to struggle to clear the threshold necessary to qualify for the race. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sir Bob Geldof this week said he is considering becoming the latest high-profile figure to join the race, while two candidates have so far secured sufficient backing to appear on the ballot paper. Heather Humphreys, a seasoned politician who has served in various cabinet positions, announced on Tuesday her decision to contest the election for Fine Gael. Catherine Connolly, a Left-wing independent and former Galway mayor, has received the backing of opposition parties and independents. 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. Martin Larsen (left) and Jess Offord (right) stand in the oat field and discuss the harvest on August 3, 2025 in Byron, Minnesota. (Photo by Steven Garcia/Investigate Midwest) CEDAR RAPIDS Few people outside Quaker Oats know exactly what the Cedar Rapids factory is making when a sweet, wholesome smell wafts from the plant north of downtown. Locals call it a Crunch Berry day because Quaker the worlds largest cereal plant makes Capn Crunchs Crunch Berries, but the aroma could also be oats roasting for Oatmeal Squares or maple-flavored instant oatmeal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The oats fueling that sweet-smelling goodness come not from the rich Iowa soil near the plant, but from up to 1,000 miles away in Canada. For decades, the plumpest, most consistent oats came from the northern plains, but new field trials show food-grade oats can be grown in Iowa and Minnesota by farmers eager for an alternative to corn and soybeans. Buying domestic oats would help Quaker save freight costs and avoid threatened tariffs on Canadian goods. It could also improve Midwest water quality and soil health ravaged by an endless corn/soy rotation. Expanding Midwest oat production offers economic and environmental benefits for farmers and local communities, advocates say. Martin Larsen operates a combine harvester on August 3, 2025 in Byron, Minnesota. (Photo by Steven Garcia/Investigate Midwest) But agricultural companies and commodity groups dont have financial incentives tied to oats because oats dont require hybrid seeds, crop insurance or as much fertilizer. These big players arent opposing oats, but they arent cheerleading either. The lack of support has left oat growers to be their own hype machines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We can actually pick our varieties and our production practices to provide a better product than Canada, not only on a protein level, but on an environmental impact level, said Landon Plagge, a Latimer farmer and oat advocate. In May, Plagge and other oat farmers in Iowa and Minnesota loaded 100,000 bushels of their oats into a rail car bound for Quakers factory in Cedar Rapids. Three months later, theyre still waiting to hear what the grain giant thought of the domestic product. Iowa is a donut hole for oat research Baby boomers who grew up on Iowa farms remember growing oats to feed horses and other livestock. Iowans harvested more than 6 million acres of oats a year until the 1950s, according to Matt Liebman, an emeritus Iowa State University agronomy professor. But as Americans started eating more meat, demand increased for corn to feed the cattle, hogs and chickens. When ethanol was approved as a fuel additive in the 1970s, corn demand rose again. Now, about 45% of corn nationwide becomes ethanol. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like kernels around a cob, industries popped up to serve King Corn. Specialty seed breeders, co-ops that sell fertilizer and consultants who tell farmers how much corn to feed their hogs all benefit from expansion of corn acres. Still, Iowans harvested nearly 40,000 acres of oats for grain in 2022, putting it eighth in the nation behind North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Texas, Pennsylvania and New York, according to the Census of Agriculture. Oats harvested to feed animals and humans increased 12.6% in Iowa between 2017 and 2022. Iowa State University, a land-grant school with a powerhouse agriculture college, once had a distinguished oat breeding program. Kenneth Frey and J. Artie Browning developed a crown rust-resistant oat cultivar they shared with farmers as certified seed in 1968, according to the Agronomy Departments 125th Points of Pride. But Iowa State hasnt had an oat breeder since 2007 and doesnt do its own oat trials. The university did partner with Practical Farmers of Iowa, a sustainable agriculture nonprofit based in Des Moines, to hold oat trials at four ISU research farms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Iowa is the donut hole, Liebman said, referring to oat research in neighboring states of Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Illinois. Liebman, who retired in 2021, understands university budgets are tight and theres no corporate constituency clamoring for oat research. Theres more money to be made in selling corn and soybeans, he said, referring to ag companies. With oats, you dont have to keep buying seed every year because its not hybrid and its not transgenic. Its much less lucrative. Hed like to see ISU prioritize research of oats and other small grains because of the benefits to soil health and water quality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Glen Ritchie, who started as ISUs Agronomy Department chair in July, said he knows there is renewed interest in oats among Iowa farmers and that might affect research priorities. Were always looking for opportunities to provide the best value we can to the agricultural community in Iowa, he said. Oats are part of the discussions were having on that. Martin Larsen climbs aboard the combine harvester to continue harvesting grain from the field on August 3, 2025 in Byron, Minnesota. (Photo by Steven Garcia/Investigate Midwest) Hes seen it happen Martin Larsen dipped his toe into small-grains farming in 2018, planting oats on a small swath of his farm near Byron, Minnesota. He was curious. Would his combine work for oat harvest? Could he get at least 38 pounds per bushel the minimum threshold for food-grade oats? The answers were yes and yes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I ramped up from there to the point I have a full three-crop rotation on 1,400 acres, he said. Larsen has even invested in specialized equipment, including a header for his combine that strips the seeds from the top of the oat plant rather than running the whole stalk through the machine. This speeds harvest and keeps the stalk in place to reduce erosion. Other farmers want to know whether Larsen is making money from oats. Its always the thing we hear, he said. Soybeans, especially, can see an up to 10% yield bump because youve broken up the crop rotation. Glyphosate-resistant water hemp vexes every Midwest corn farmer. When the weed wants to make its move in late spring, oats already have a lush green cover and the water hemp cant compete. That means less weed pressure during the next corn round and less pesticide he has to apply, Larsen said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By planting red clover with the oats, the clover provides nitrogen to the soil, which feeds future corn crops with reduced fertilizer costs, he said. So you really start to put all this together and its looking like the right thing for my farm, he said. Its also the right thing for protecting water quality, said Larsen, who is a conservation and feed lot technician for the Olmsted County Soil and Water Conservation District. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has asked Minnesota to develop a plan for reducing nitrate pollution to groundwater in southeastern Minnesotas Driftless region. Nitrate in drinking water not only can cause blue baby syndrome, but studies including some done in Iowa show a link between ingesting nitrate from drinking water and cancers including colorectal, thyroid, bladder and ovarian. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have to raise something different than corn and soybeans or raise corn and soybeans differently if were going to affect nitrates, Larsen said. We have hundreds and hundreds of data points of groundwater samples below oats compared to corn and soybeans, and its black and white that oats will reduce nitrates in groundwater. Tests of groundwater under Larsens oat acres show up to 60% less nitrate than under corn acres. Jess Offord cleans the combine harvester rotor which gets full of non-grain material from the field due to recent wet weather in the area on August 3, 2025 in Byron, Minnesota. (Photo by Steven Garcia/Investigate Midwest) Farmers band together While running a grocery store in Latimer for eight years, Anne and Landon Plagge were always thinking about what customers wanted to buy. We were on vacation in Europe and we saw the proliferation of oat products on the shelves there, Landon Plagge said. Our (U.S.) consumer patterns tend to mirror that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The global market for oat milk was valued at more than $2 billion in 2020 and is projected to climb through at least 2028, especially with new shelf-stable milk. Beyond oat milk, there is oat flour for people trying to avoid gluten, and oatmeal boosted with flax and chia for people trying to get more protein. Plagge decided he wanted to grow oats for the segment of the U.S. population that wants an allergen-free, pesticide-free product. Grain Millers processes oats in St. Ansgar, near the Minnesota border, but they grind wheat and barley, too, so the oats cant be completely free of allergens, Plagge said. He recruited about 70 farmers, mostly from Iowa and Minnesota, to invest in Green Acres Milling, a $55 million oat-processing plant in Albert Lea, Minnesota. The plant, scheduled to open next year, eventually will process 3 million bushels of oats a year. This equates to about 60,000 acres of oats within three years, Plagge said. They put their own cash into making the mill a reality, Plagge said of the investors including Larsen who will get a premium price for the oats they sell to Green Acres. The mill requires oat growers to use a cover crop and to grow oats as part of a rotation with other crops. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That gives us the control of the raw materials supply coming in so we can provide a sustainably-produced oat with a cover crop for our brands and a diverse rotation for our brands, Plagge said. A combine harvester operated by Martin Larsen (left) dumps freshly harvested oat grain into a cart attached to a tractor driven by Jess Offord (right) on August 3, 2025 in Byron, Minnesota. (Photo by Steven Garcia/Investigate Midwest) Whos buying? While Quaker is several generations removed from its 1870s origin in Ravenna, Ohio, Seven Sundays founders Hannah and Brady Barnstable sold their first bag of muesli like granola, but healthier at a Minneapolis farmers market in 2011. We love oats, Brady Barnstable said. We think they are a huge unlock to change the agricultural landscape in the Midwest. Seven Sundays makes cereal and granola without dyes, artificial colors, allergens or refined sugars. They also buy only non-GMO crops grown without glyphosate. Their products, like Wildberry Protein Oats, have muscled their way onto grocery shelves, including at Midwest Costco stores. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve been invited to the Costco Midwest managers meetings in the Chicago area to give presentations on what were doing in our supply chain to benefit soil health, Barnstable said. But Costco wouldnt stock Seven Sundays just for environmental brownie points, he said. The decisions are driven by sales. Is it resonating with their shoppers? For Seven Sundays, it is. Seven Sundays originally bought all its oats from Whole Grain Milling, in Welcome, Minnesota, but as they sold more muesli and cereal, Seven Sundays needed more suppliers, including some from Canada. By purchasing American oats, the company could avoid increased freight costs and skip tariff fears. Our goal is to source as close to home as possible for all our ingredients, Barnstable said. I have heard that this new mill will have the capacity to provide us and many other customers with the oats we need to fill our full demand. Martin Larsen operates a combine harvester on August 3, 2025 in Byron, Minnesota. (Photo by Steven Garcia/Investigate Midwest) Public push for sustainable products But what about Quaker? The company and its parent, PepsiCo Inc., did not respond to several attempts to seek comment for this story. Just like Quaker doesnt advertise what makes that sweet smell in Cedar Rapids, the firm isnt saying exactly what factors into their oat sourcing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But we know price and availability of supplies are key drivers, according to PepsiCos 2024 Annual Report. Risk to our supply of certain raw materials is mitigated through purchases from multiple geographies and suppliers, the report stated. Companies face pressure from consumers particularly Millennials and Gen Z who increasingly want to buy products that are good for people and the planet. A 2024 survey by PwC showed consumers are willing to spend almost 10% more for sustainably-sourced or produced goods. PepsiCo and Cargill announced in July they will partner with Practical Farmers of Iowa to advance regenerative farming practices across 240,000 acres in Iowa. Farmers who sell their corn to Cargill which produces ingredients for PepsiCos family of companies will have access to advice, technical resources and incentive payments to support their transition to regenerative practices, the companies said in a joint news release. Cargill and PepsiCo want to drive adoption of regenerative practices on 10 million acres by 2030, the news release said. News like this brings equal parts frustration and hope for Larsen, the Minnesota oat farmer waiting to hear back from Quaker about the May oat shipment. It seems like buying oats from their backyard would fit their narrative. This article first appeared on Investigate Midwest and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Investigate Midwest is an independent, nonprofit newsroom. Its mission is to serve the public interest by exposing dangerous and costly practices of influential agricultural corporations and institutions through in-depth and data-driven investigative journalism. Visit Investigate Midwest online at www.investigatemidwest.org Two South Florida men are behind bars on human smuggling charges after a group of migrants arrived in the Florida Keys earlier this week. On Thursday, the Monroe County Sheriffs Office reported stopping a vehicle that was seen picking up possible migrants that reportedly had just landed in the area. Several passengers admitted they had recently arrived nearby on a makeshift vessel. Authorities on Friday arrested the boats captain and the driver of the car, identified as 38-year-old Jesus Herrera Belett of Key West and 56-year-old Jesus Medina Esquijarosa of Miami. Records show Herrera Belett faces multiple counts of human smuggling, while Medina Esquijarosa is charged with multiple counts of accessory to human smuggling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I want to thank the men and women of the Monroe County Sheriffs Office and the U.S. Border Patrol who worked hard in partnership on this case, Keys Sheriff Rick Ramsay in a Saturday statement. I am disappointed the U.S. Attorneys Office remains unwilling to pursue human trafficking incidents in the Florida Keys. Nonetheless, the Sheriffs Office and the Monroe County State Attorneys Office will continue taking these cases in order to hold people accountable and deter this ongoing human trafficking crisis, unlike the U.S. Attorneys Office. Human smuggling cases, especially those involving migrants, are typically prosecuted under federal statutes. Thursdays landing marked the first migrant arrival in the Florida Keys in several months, following a period when such incidents were occurring on a weekly, sometimes daily basis. A pile of wet clothes, two childrens backpacks and some food near where the group arrived. A Miami Herald reporter at the scene after Thursdays arrival observed three men, two women and a couple of children speaking in Spanish while standing with law enforcement officers, though the groups nationality remains unknown. The Herald also found a pile of wet clothes, two childrens backpacks and food at the end of a street in Tavernier where the ocean meets the shore, suggesting the group swam to land and changed into dry clothing. The internet did not let House Speaker Mike Johnson off the hook Friday after he claimed President Donald Trump was an FBI informant in the case against Jeffrey Epstein. Its been misrepresented, Johnson claimed. He is not saying what Epstein did is a hoax. Its a terrible, unspeakable evil and he believes that himself. More from TheWrap Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down, the speaker added. Watch the exchange here: Several social media users subtweeted videos of Johnsons Friday remarks calling it bullsh-t. Another user said he was getting dizzy from the amount of spin the Republican party has attempted to put on Trumps association with the convicted sex offender and child molester. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Trumps name appeared multiple times in the Epstein files that have yet to be released from his Department of Justice. Speaker Johnson even urged Republican representatives to vote against a petition to release the Epstein files, siding with the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One social media user wrote in an X post that South Park, the animated series that has spoofed the president persistently since its return in July, will have a field day with this claim. For more social reactions, keep reading: South Park is gonna have a field day in a couple weeks Anthony Sandford (@AnthonySandford) September 5, 2025 But how can you be an informant if its all a hoax? Theyre starting to may me dizzy pic.twitter.com/qYjsFveG2y PJ (@cincy_pj) September 5, 2025 How they felt coming up with that one pic.twitter.com/YOXRRYy91E alexjm (@alexjmingolla) September 5, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is such bullshit lmaooo Tobi Qadri (@TobiQadri) September 5, 2025 The post Mike Johnson Ridiculed for Claiming Trump Was an FBI Informant Against Jeffrey Epstein: South Park Is Gonna Have a Field Day appeared first on TheWrap. LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) Former U.S. Rep. and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Mike Rogers called on Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan to ask President Trump for backup to help lower the citys violent crime rates. In a statement released Sept. 4, Rogers said Detroit has become a hub for violent crime. These arent just statistics, Rogers said. Theyre people and families, whose lives have been flipped upside down because they arent even safe in their own community anymore. We have got to make our cities safe again. The Mayor of Detroit should be on the phone with the President now calling for backup. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite that assertion, Detroit saw a 19% drop in homicides in 2024 from 2023. Last years rate was the lowest it had been in 50 years. Duggan is a lifelong Democrat who is running an independent campaign for governor in 2026. Rogers is proving himself just another uninformed, grandstanding politician, said John Roach, a spokesperson for Duggan. In 2013, the City of Detroit had more than 750 carjackings. In 2025, we had 57 as of yesterday, a 90% reduction. Our strong partnership with US Attorney Jerome Gorgon has just added several more federal prosecutors to drive the violence down even further. The historic drop in Detroit crime in recent years has come from the efforts of serious law enforcement professionals, not from non-serious politicians like Rogers. Trump has deployed the National Guard and other troops to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. A judge ruled Sept. 2 that the president broke the law by deploying the military to LA. A lawsuit by the District of Columbia on Sept. 4 asserts that Trumps deployment is forced military occupation, the Associated Press reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rogers cited an annual FBI report of crime statistics where Detroit was seventh in the country in violent crime. Lansing was 23rd on the list, Jackson was 55th, Grand Rapids was 98th and Kalamazoo was 26th. Garbage in, garbage out, Sean Kennedy, a policy advisor for the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, told MLive last month. He said FBI statistics are unreliable at best and deceptive at worst, in an April 2024 op-ed co-written with Mark A. Morgan, a former assistant director with the FBI. Kennedy said FBI crime reporting is voluntary and rarely audited. He said there is evidence some agencies intentionally miscategorize or underreport crime statistics to improve their data. Rogers is running for Gary Peters Senate seat in 2026 as a Republican candidate. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, and former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed are also running. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On social media, Stevens said it was wrong in 67 and its wrong now. El-Sayed criticized the statement in a news release. Mike: Detroit doesnt need masked agents cosplaying cops, he wrote. Michiganders in Detroit and beyond need the Medicaid Trump just cut, the paychecks hes making smaller, and the food hes making less affordable. Stop being a Karen, and go back to Florida. Nobody wants you here. Trump endorsed Rogers for the U.S. Senate in 2024, but he lost to Elissa Slotkin. This article was updated to include statements from Duggan, Stevens and El-Sayed. 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 WLNS 6 News. The F-35 is the most advanced fighter jet on the planet, capable of waging electronic warfare, of dropping nuclear weapons, of evading the surveillance and missile defenses of Americas most fearsome enemies at supersonic speeds. Ten of them are being deployed by a newly branded War Department to Puerto Rico to combat drug traffickers in dinghies. It is the latest example of the Trump administration using disproportionate military force to supplement, or substitute for, traditional law enforcement operations first at home on the streets of U.S. cities and now overseas, where the president has labeled multiple drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and has vowed a tough response. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, that response began with an inaugural "kinetic strike" targeting a small vessel in the Caribbean allegedly carrying narcotics and 11 members of Tren de Aragua, one of the Venezuelan gangs President Trump has designated a terrorist group. Legally designating a gang or cartel as a terrorist entity ostensibly gives the president greater legal cover to conduct lethal strikes on targets. Read more: U.S., Mexico pledge deeper ties as Trump defends strike on alleged cartel boat The operation follows Trumps deployment of U.S. forces to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., for operations with dubious justifications, as well as threats of similar actions in San Francisco, Chicago and New Orleans, moves that a federal judge said last week amount to Trump creating a national police force with the President as its chief. Trump has referred to both problems urban crime and drug trafficking as interlinked and out of control. But U.S. service members have no training in local law or drug enforcement. And experts question a strategy that has been tried before, both by the United States and regional governments, of launching a war against drugs only to drive leaders in the trade to militarize themselves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. drug policy has always been semi-militarized, said Jeremy Adelman, director of the Global History Lab at Princeton University. Trumps latest actions simply make more explicit the erasure of a line that separates law enforcement from warfare. One side effect of all this is that other countries are watching, Adelman said. By turning law enforcement over to the military as the White House is also doing domestically whats to stop other countries from doing the same in international waters? Fishermen in the South China Sea should be worried, he added. The Trump administration has not provided further details on the 11 people killed in the boat strike. But officials said the departure of a drug vessel from Venezuela makes Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's dictatorial president labeled by the White House as a top drug kingpin, indirectly responsible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Let there be no doubt, Nicolas Maduro is an indicted drug trafficker in the United States, and he's a fugitive of American justice," Marco Rubio, Trump's secretary of State and national security advisor, said on a tour of the region Thursday, citing a grand jury indictment in the Southern District of New York. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a news conference Wednesday in Mexico City. (Hector Vivas / Getty Images) The president's war on drug cartels will continue, Rubio said, adding that regional governments "will help us find these people and blow them up." Maduro has warned the strike indicates that Washington seeks regime change in Caracas. The Venezuelan military flew two aircraft near a U.S. vessel in international waters Thursday night, prompting an angry response from Pentagon officials and Trump to direct his Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, to "do what you want to do" in response. Despite how dangerous this performance could be, because of its political consequences, it can't be taken seriously as a drug policy, said Lina Britto, an expert on Latin America and the Caribbean at Northwestern University with a focus on the history of the drug trade. It lacks rigorousness in the analysis of how drug trafficking operates in the hemisphere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Judge blocks Noem's ending of legal protections for 1.1 million Venezuelans and Haitians Most drugs entering the U.S. homeland from South America arrive in shipping containers, submarines and more efficient modes of transportation than speedboats and primarily come through the Pacific, not the Caribbean, Britto said. Trump has flirted with military strikes on drug cartels since the start of his second term, working with Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, to coordinate drone strikes over Mexican territory for surveillance of cartel activity. But Sheinbaum has ruled out the use of force against cartels, or the deployment of U.S. forces within Mexico to combat them, warning that U.S. military action would violate Mexican sovereignty and upend collaboration between the two close-knit trade and security partners. Girls walk in front of a politically charged mural near the Bolivar Square in the center of Caracas, Venezuela, on Aug. 25. The Iranian Forest vessel depicted in the right side of the mural arrived in Venezuela during fuel shortages in 2020. (Andrea Hernandez Briceno / For The Times) In comparison, Venezuela offers Trump a cleaner opportunity to test the use of force against drug cartels, with diplomatic ties between the two governments at a nadir. But a war with Maduro over drugs could create unexpected problems for the Trump administration, setting off a rare military conflict in a placid region and fueling further instability in a country that, over the last decade, already set off the world's largest refugee crisis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program and head of the Future of Venezuela Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that Trumps use of foreign terrorist designations changes the rules of engagement in ways that allow for action where law enforcement solutions failed in the past. What we are witnessing is a paradigm shift in real time, Berg said. Many of Latin Americas most significant criminal organizations are now designated foreign terrorist organizations. The administration is demonstrating that this is not only rhetorical. But Paul Gootenberg, a professor at Stony Brook University and author of "Andean Cocaine: The Making of a Global Drug," characterized Trumps military operation as a simplistic approach to complex social problems. This is more a performative attack on the Venezuelan regime than a serious attempt at drug policy, Gootenberg said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Militarized drug policy is nothing new it was tried and intensified in various ways from the mid-1980s through 2000s, oftentimes under U.S. Southern Command, he added. The whole range and levels of war on drugs was a long, unmitigated policy failure, according to the vast, vast majority of drug experts. Times staff writer Ana Ceballos contributed to this report. Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter. Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond, in your inbox twice per week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Sep. 5MORGANTOWN Bob Miller Jr., executive director of the West Virginia Route 2 and Interstate 68 Authority, says the Trump administration has once again expressed interest in extending Interstate 68 west to the Ohio River, and beyond. Now he just needs to get Charleston fully on board. That effort has started with a series of resolutions supporting the I-68 Energy Manufacturing Corridor from the 10 member counties represented by the authority. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Monongalia County Commission became the eighth such body to voice its support earlier this week. The I-68 extension would add some 73 miles to the interstate between its connection with I-79 in Monongalia County and Route 2 along the Ohio River, at Kent, W.Va. The ultimate goal is to extend I-68 into Ohio, to connect with I-75, between Dayton and Middletown. The West Virginia portion of the project, currently estimated in the vicinity of $3 billion, has been on the wish list for decades dating back to before the state legislature officially established the West Virginia Route 2 and Interstate 68 Authority in 1997. While efforts to upgrade Route 2 from two to four lanes have progressed consistently over the years, the expansion of I-68 has never picked up any real momentum. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That started to change in 2017, when Miller then a commissioner in Marshall County began coordinating meetings through representatives of the Trump White House. Over a three-year span, Miller transitioned from a county commissioner to the West Virginia Route 2 and Interstate 68 Authority executive director and began pulling in local experts to sit down with high-ranking officials within the U.S. departments of transportation, commerce and energy to demonstrate the benefits of the extension project. While those communications were cut off during the Biden administration, Miller met with Christine Glassner, the White House deputy secretary of intergovernmental affairs and special assistant to the president, on May 14. According to Miller, Glassner indicated there is a willingness to explore the project further if it has the backing of the state. "They don't want to step on the governors' toes, and the governors seem to have other projects they're more interested in, " Miller said. 'We've got to get Gov. Morrissey and Gov. DeWine to support us, and take them back to the White House to have further talks, or else it just sits here." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Miller said he left the most recent meeting with much the same feeling he had following meetings with the first Trump administration. "I'd be coming back from these meetings and just shaking my head. It's like, this is surreal. I can't believe that the White House cares what I'm saying Bob Miller from Marshall County and I can't get my own state to take it seriously, " Miller said. "And we're still pretty much in that same situation." Miller said the project has the ear of the White House because it aligns with the administration's promise to support American energy and manufacturing. Proponents say the I-68 extension would allow a more efficient utilization of the Shale Crescent USA region comprised of Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania an area the county resolutions call "the premiere low-cost manufacturing region in the world." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to nonprofit Shale Crescent USA, if the three-state region were its own country, it would be the third largest natural gas producing country on the globe. The nonprofit's website notes, "The Shale Crescent USA is the only region in the world at scale where a manufacturer can build on top of its energy and feedstock supply and be located in the center of its customers." That efficiency, Miller explained, represents about 30 % more profitability than any other manufacturing site. He said that number includes the increased labor costs that come with manufacturing in the United States. The West Virginia Route 2 and Interstate 68 Authority is made up of two representatives from each of the 10 impacted counties Monongalia, Marion, Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, Pleasants, Tyler, Wetzel and Wood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Monongalia County is represented on the body by Delegate Joe Statler, R-Monongalia, and John Deskins, an associate professor of economics and the director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at WVU. Statler recently told members of the county commission that while there is a renewed push to get the I-68 extension jumpstarted, details are few and far between at this point. "I can't report anything to you, basically, as to where it's at. I wouldn't make any assumptions of how far along it is or how long it will take for this to go. I think it's been 40 years to even get to this point, " he said. One of the major questions is exactly what route the interstate would take if it ultimately moves forward. "We know right-of-way is always going to be an issue, so I just want to make you aware of that. It will go through some farming communities, no matter the path. That thing has changed over the years. As a matter of fact, at one time it actually went through property that I own. That was a long time ago, with exchanges that would have been out there in the western end. I believe now it's going to be a more southerly route that will probably go more through Marion County and the Mannington area. I don't know that for sure, but that's pretty much the talk." Union Minister Ramdas Athawale objected to the Muslim-only township being developed in Maharashtra's Raigad and said it is "illegal and wrong". Speaking to ANI on Friday, Ramdas Athawale said, "I believe this is the first time in the country that some builders have announced plans to build a separate township for the Muslim community, which is quite objectionable. The Maharashtra government has opposed this, and many people are also opposing it." He clarified that opposing the township does not mean opposing the Muslim community. "This does not mean opposition to Muslims, but neither can such a township be announced for Hindus or Muslims. Therefore, I also oppose it, as announcing such a township is illegal and wrong. Legal action should be taken against them. This is our demand," he said. The matter came to light after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took notice of the plan to develop the township. BJP leader Atul Bhatkhalkar said that the Muslim-only township is against the Constitution. He said, "Housing complexes are being built in Karjat and Kashimira, where homes will be given only to Muslims. This is against the Constitution, and there cannot be housing complexes for a particular caste or religion." The BJP leader said that he has written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, demanding an inquiry into the matter. "I have written a letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister yesterday and demanded an inquiry into three points: this advertisement should be pulled down from the internet, it needs to be investigated who these people are who want to create a divide in society, and is there foreign funding behind it?" Bhatkhalkar said. Earlier on Wednesday, calling the Muslim-only township divisive, NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo said that the commission received a complaint from an NGO. Kanoongo told ANI, "We received a complaint from the Sahyadri Rights Forum NGO that in Maharashtra's Karjat area, a township is being developed that is providing facilities only for the habitation of Muslims. If separate settlements are being built for Muslims in India, in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's Maharashtra, by creating fear that Muslims cannot live with Hindus and giving them separate settlements, then this clearly reflects the implementation of the principle of nation within the nation." He added that the commission has issued a notice to the chief secretary of Maharashtra and asked him to submit a report. "We will not allow this to happen. We have issued a notice to the chief secretary of Maharashtra. This is not a matter that will stop here. Today, you are claiming that you want houses where only Muslims live... Then one day, you might demand a separate state for Muslims in Maharashtra. This is a serious type of disease. We have asked the chief secretary how the permission was granted to form such a society; submit a report to us on this," he said. (ANI) Carey Gallagher began her senior year at Yonkers Middle High School in New York this week alongside 1,438 students, now all required to place their cellphones in a locked magnetic pouch. Yonkers School District purchased Yondr phone pouches for about 11,000 students to comply with the statewide mandate that bans phones in classrooms. The pouch, which students carry with them, is locked and unlocked using magnets affixed to the entrance of the school and outside the main office. Gallagher, 16, said she had already started to put limits on her phone use this summer when she found out the pouches would be required at school, and she was "partially excited," but also worried about "how everyone else was going to take it." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said some students welcomed the idea, but others plotted how to destroy or dismantle the dark gray pouch with bright green lining a sentiment heard across several New York districts as the school year started. Still, a solution to containing cellphones was needed, many educators and parents say. "Our children were distracted" by their cellphones, said Dr. Sandy Hattar, the principal at Yonkers Middle High School and an educator for 20 years. She said students always wanted to know what was going on in the bathrooms, in the next room or across the hall instead of being "centered in the classroom and learning from what was happening in front of them." Principal Sandy Hattar speaks to students at Yonkers Middle High School about the cellphone ban. / Credit: CBS News Students in 35 states, including New York, Florida, Texas, California, Massachusetts and Georgia, now contend with laws or rules limiting phones and other electronic devices in school. At least 2.5 million students across the country are using Yondr pouches, and the company said the number could triple after the 2025 numbers are tallied in about three months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Experience life outside of a "fully digital realm" Yondr CEO Graham Dugoni said he founded the company in 2014 when he was living in San Francisco and had the idea of creating "phone-free spaces." Dugoni, who uses a flip phone, said reading philosophers from Sren Kierkegaard to Albert Borgmann helped shape his ideas to create spaces where people can be free "from the constant tug and pull of smartphones," and build opportunities for people "to experience life outside of a fully digital realm." He said a school in San Francisco was their first client and the company now has school partners in all 50 states and 45 different countries. More than 100 people work for the company and several collaborate closely with the schools to ensure not only compliance but also a successful implementation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alana Berk was a teacher in Nashville before joining Yondr to help schools from Virginia to Maine integrate the pouches into students' lives. Berk said many schools welcome the change. The cost of buying the pouches roughly $25-30 per student has set off debates around how schools should be spending their limited budgets. It's a particular issue for districts struggling with crumbling infrastructure, limited textbooks and access to other technology needed to learn. A Yondr pouch, used in schools to lock up cellphones for the day. / Credit: Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Dugoni declined to disclose the company's revenue but said that since the end of the pandemic, they've had triple-digit annual growth. A national database of school spending is not available, but some states and districts made their budgets public. New York's 2024 state budget set aside $13.5 million to assist school districts in enforcing the statewide "bell-to-bell" cellphone ban. Yonkers principal Hatter said the pouches cost about $30 and each student is responsible for their Yondr if it's lost or ruined "just like a textbook," she said. Districts in various states have reported spending from $26,000 to over $370,000, with Cincinnati Schools saying they spent $500,000 to provide pouches for students in grades 7-12. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From skepticism to anger, students adjust to a new pouch reality Sariyah Fidelis,17, was skeptical when she first heard the pouches were coming to her school. She wanted to listen to music on her phone and be able to check things in class as she needed. The senior was worried about delays in getting and out of the building and there being chaos at the school. The students each got a pouch on the first school day to keep for the year. The pouches with their phones are kept with the students, but they need to use one of the school's magnetic openers in order to take their phone out of the pouch. Some students have reported long lines and disruption at their schools as they wait to open their pouches. Outside Yonkers Middle High School, a Yondr box with an unlocking magnet for cellphones. / Credit: CBS News But Fidelis said on the first day at Yonkers, the lines went pretty smoothly and she saw quick benefits. Instead of being on her phone the whole lunch period, she spoke to her friend. "I felt human," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Our whole perspective is that it's not taking something away from students, it's giving them something back," Dugoni told CBS News. Senior Sariyah Fidelis puts her cellphone in a magnetic pouch. / Credit: CBS News Other students were not so enthralled by the pouch; some reported seeing classmates bypass the Yondr pouch by using their Apple watches, buying "burner" phones and putting them in the pouch, breaking the pouch and other tricks to get to their phones. Dugoni acknowledged that there will always be some students who can figure out how to get around the restrictions. The purpose of the pouches, he said, was to create a culture change in a school and create an environment conducive to their learning and development. More than 70% of high school teachers in the U.S. say cellphones are a major classroom distraction, according to the Pew Research Center Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leila Pasqualini, a math teacher at Yonkers for 27 years, was hopeful the new system would work and stay in place. She said she wanted her students to know right from wrong and learn critical thinking and that wasn't possible with technology, she said. Hattar said that although she was initially worried that banning students' phones would be challenging, now she hopes taking phones out of the classrooms will help students engage. "Of course, there will be kinks, but we'll iron it out together," said Hatter, adding that she already notices a difference. "There is more talking, it's louder, but it's a positive loud." La Foce: A Renaissance painting come to life FDA looking to abandon expert reviews of new drugs What to know about Trump's plans to send National Guard to Memphis Sep. 6ST. PAUL The number of small game hunters in Minnesota in 2024 decreased slightly from 2023 and was 5% below the 10-year average, the Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday, Sept. 2, in reporting results from its 2024 small game survey. In a news release, the DNR said it sold 228,661 small game licenses for the 2024 hunting seasons, compared with the 10-year average of 240,812 small game licenses. But like the previous season, hunters who targeted waterfowl, grouse and pheasants the state's top small game species had similar or slightly better success rates compared with the 10-year averages, the DNR said. Conducted by mail, the annual small game hunter survey estimates the number of hunters and harvest and hunter success rates for two dozen species, the DNR said. The survey asks small game license buyers if they hunted, what species they hunted, how many days they spent hunting and the amount of harvest by species. Highlights of the 2024 results for harvest, hunter numbers and success include: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement * Canada geese: 28,037 hunters in 2024, 32% below the 10-year average of 41,454 hunters. An estimated 121,028 geese harvested, 45% below the 10-year average of 219,817 geese. Hunter success was 73%, and successful hunters bagged six geese on average, similar to the 10-year averages. * Ducks: The DNR sold 82,003 state duck stamps in 2024, similar to 2023 but 5% below the 10-year average; there were 46,028 hunters, 28% below the 10-year average of 63,710 hunters. Harvest was about 485,000 ducks, down 24% from the 10-year average of 640,475 ducks. Hunters had an 86% success rate, bagging 12.2 ducks on average, up slightly from the 10-year average of 12 ducks. * Pheasants: The DNR sold 77,135 pheasant stamps in 2024, down 2% from 2023 sales and about 2% greater than the 10-year average of 75,962 stamps. An estimated 50,935 hunters went afield, which was 6% lower than the 10-year average of 53,931 hunters. Hunters shot about 235,000 roosters, 17% more than the 10-year average of 200,937 roosters. Hunters had a success rate of 69%, similar to the 10-year average, and an average harvest of 6.7 roosters, above the 10-year average of 5.4 roosters. * Ruffed grouse: An estimated 75,390 hunters pursued grouse in 2024, 7% above the 10-year average of 70,655 hunters. Hunters shot about 335,000 grouse, 29% higher than the 10-year average. Hunter success was 72%, slightly above the 10-year average of 70%. Successful hunters bagged 6.1 grouse each, about one bird more than the 10-year average. The complete small game hunter survey report is available on the DNR website at mndnr.gov/wildlife/research/wildlife-research-publications.html#reports. Sep. 6ST. PAUL St. Paul artist Matt Linz won the 2026 Minnesota waterfowl stamp contest with an oil painting of a bufflehead pair, the Department of Natural Resources announced in a news release. Stephen Hamrick of Lakeville earned second place with an acrylic painting of a gadwall. Third place went to Chris Smith of Corcoran with a painting of a wood duck done in oil. The winners were selected Aug. 28 out of 18 eligible submissions. The waterfowl stamp can be purchased in combination with a hunting license, or as a collectible, with the winning stamp going on sale in 2026. Funds raised from stamp sales pay for waterfowl research, management and habitat. Check out the Minnesota DNR website at mndnr.gov/stamps for more information about habitat stamps and contest guidelines. ST. PAUL Pheasant numbers in Minnesota's 2025 August Roadside Survey were up nearly 50% from 2024 and 21% above the 10-year average, the DNR said in a news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The increase in pheasant numbers across the state and all regions is great news," Steven Woodley, acting upland game research scientist, said in a statement. "Our milder winter likely helped the overwinter survival of hens, and the drier and warmer spring created better conditions for nesting and brood-rearing relative to last year." This year's statewide pheasant index was 75 birds per 100 miles of roads driven, compared with 51 in 2024. Pheasant numbers increased in every region. Compared with 2024, pheasant numbers increased the most in the southeast region (189%), followed by the southwest (86%), east central (82%), south central (40%), central (33%) and west central (19%) regions. Pheasant numbers are also above their 10-year averages in every region within the state's pheasant range. The regions with the highest indices include the southwest (152 birds per 100 miles), south central (82 birds per 100 miles), and west central (76 birds per 100 miles), followed by the central region (59 birds per 100 miles). There were four chicks per brood, the same as in 2024; however, there were 81 broods per 100 hens, an increase from 77 broods per 100 hens in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The increase in brood numbers is welcome after their decline last year due to wet spring conditions," Woodley said. The Minnesota pheasant hunting season opens at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11. ST. PAUL The 2025 August Roadside Survey report also includes data for eastern cottontail, gray partridge, mourning dove, rabbit, sandhill crane, white-tailed deer and white-tailed jackrabbit. Rabbit numbers were another highlight for these other surveyed species, the DNR said. In its news release, the DNR said the cottontail rabbit index (15 rabbits per 100 miles) increased from 2024, when the survey tallied nine rabbits per 100 miles, and exceeds the 10-year average of six rabbits per 100 miles. The long-term average is six rabbits per 100 miles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The east central region had the highest cottontail index, at 42 rabbits per 100 miles. The southwest, south central and southeast regions also had more than 17 rabbits per 100 miles and should offer good hunting opportunities, along with the east central region. "Cottontail rabbit numbers are the best they've been in several decades, which should provide good opportunities for hunters, especially in the east central region," Steven Woodley, acting DNR upland game research scientist, said in a statement. The report, a map of pheasant hunting prospects, data for other surveyed species and information on hunting regulations and bag limits are available on the Minnesota DNR pheasant hunting webpage at mndnr.gov/hunting/pheasant. (FOX40.COM) The Sacramento Police Department revealed that a non-verbal woman with autism was found dead after being reported missing on Friday. Video above: One person injured in West Sacramento shooting We are deeply saddened to share that Regina has been located deceased, the Sacramento Police Department said on Saturday. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and loved ones during this difficult time. Man arrested after high-speed chase ends at Sailor Bar in Fair Oaks Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regina Phothong was 36 years old and had last been seen around 2:30 a.m. in the area of Parejo Court and Allaire Circle in Natomas. Sacramento Police said she was found in the pool of a Natomas residence on Saturday morning. At this time, there doesnt appear to be any foul play associated with her death; however, it is still under investigation, according to officials. 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. On Thursday we published a story about a 14-foot alligator captured in Mississippi just after the noon start of hunting season on Aug. 29. The gator fell just shy of the state length record for public waters. But several massive alligators have been hauled from Mississippi waters during a brief but busy season that ends Sept. 8, and many have ended up at Red Antler Processing in Yazoo City. Hunters pose with large gator. The companys Instagram page shows some of the more impressive catches. In the accompanying post, followers are asked to guess how long it took Ashleigh Jones (pictured) to skin the monstrous gator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ALSO: Yellowstone tourist has tough choice during close bison encounter Jones replied in the comments: 32 hours. 77 min. 92 seconds. To be exact. Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks offers alligator hunting as a means of wildlife management. The state length record is 14 feet, 3 inches, for a male gator caught in the Yazoo River in 2023. The weight record is 822 pounds, for a male gator pulled from the Mississippi River in 2015. Male alligators are significantly larger than females. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Mississippis alligator-hunting season producing some real giants Editors Note: The following story contains details that may be disturbing to some readers. GULFPORT, Miss. (WJTV) A Mississippi man was sentenced to life in prison, plus a consecutive 50 years, for coercing minor victims to participate in sexual activity and for producing images and videos of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, multiple minor children notified authorities in December 2024 that they were being sexually abused by Sean Parol, 53, of DIberville. That same month, investigators executed a search warrant at Parols home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alabama man arrested for Mississippi bank robbery During the search, DIberville police found various electronic devices belonging to Parol, as well as hidden cameras throughout his house. They said Patrol was able to record some of the sexual abuse with the hidden cameras. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and a forensic examiner with the Mississippi Attorney Generals Office, Cybercrime Division conducted a forensic analysis on the devices and cameras that were in Parols house. According to investigators, they found videos of Parol performing oral sex on multiple minor boys, as well as having the minor boys perform oral sex on him. On one electronic device, investigators said Parol was in possession of more than 30,000 images and/or videos of child sexual abuse material. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The investigation revealed that to continue the sexual abuse, Parol would give the children vapes, buy them various items and show them adult pornography. The case was investigated by the FBI, Mississippi Attorney Generals Office, Cybercrime Division, and the DIberville Police Department. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News 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 WJTV. Chris Bank has been growing his prized sunflowers for years now, and his seemingly harmless hobby has pitted him against his local government in a battle that he cant seem to resolve. Ive been doing this for about four years now, he told FOX 2 in St. Louis [1]. Its been an uphill battle with the city of St. Peters from Day 1, from Year 1 when I started. Must Read Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The conflict is over just how much of Banks yard those flowers occupy more than allowed in the stringent property codes of St. Peters, Missouri, a city that has been recognized as one of the Best Places to Live in the country [2]. Recent changes to those ordinances have landed him in hot water again, with a September court date. Its a saga youd typically expect to involve an HOA, not a city. An annual war over his flowers Every year, the City of St. Peters Building Department inspects the exterior of all the properties in the city. The rules, outlined in St. Peters Ordinance 8025, state that a minimum of fifty percent (50%) of the entire yard, exclusive of any pool, paved surface or sidewalk, shall be comprised of turf grass. And every year since 2022, Chris Bank has been battling with the department over his modest bed of sunflowers. What started as an annual tradition has turned into a headache. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement First, officials claimed he violated the grass-coverage ordinance before eventually dismissing the charges. When the city revised the rules in 2023 so as to rely on visual interpretation rather than actual measurement, they issued Bank a fresh fine. The 50% ratio was still there, but it was up to their interpretation, Bank said. They said if it looks like more than 50%, that was good enough heres your fine. He appealed, and just before the case reached a jury, the city withdrew its charges. I knew something probably wasnt right, he said. That chance to settle all that in front of a jury and be done with the whole sunflower situation was not going to happen because St. Peters pulled out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also last year, Bank reported someone cut down dozens of his sunflowers. He caught the incident on tape and shared video evidence and receipts for damages with the police, but said prosecutors never pressed charges. Sunflowers are now a crop? The city has recently revised its rules again, reclassifying sunflowers as a crop and limiting their presence to 10% of the front yard. I dont believe sunflowers are a crop, he said. I, as many of my neighbors do, see the sunflowers as not just beauty, but how well they help the environment. There are lots of hummingbirds, many bees pollinate through here day in and day out, he added. I take care of the yard and trim it by hand to make sure its not an issue with neighbors. Read more: Rich, young Americans are ditching stocks here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead What does the city say? St. Peters is an amazing community with friendly neighbors, safe neighborhoods, wonderful schools, a thriving business climate, beautiful parks, trails, and many other amenities that all add up to a top-rated quality of life, said St. Peters Mayor Len Pagano. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for Bank, he has no plans for the sun to set on his beloved flowers. Im not going to quit this fight until this gets settled at least settled the correct way, he said. What to read next Stay in the know. Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise sent straight to your inbox every week for free. Subscribe now. Article sources At Moneywise, we consider it our responsibility to produce accurate and trustworthy content people can rely on to inform their financial decisions. We rely on vetted sources such as government data, financial records and expert interviews and highlight credible third-party reporting when appropriate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are committed to transparency and accountability, correcting errors openly and adhering to the best practices of the journalism industry. For more details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines. [1]. Fox 2 St. Louis. St. Peters man continues battle with city over sunflowers for 4th year [2]. NBC 5 On Your Side - St. Louis. Money Magazine names St. Peters as 22nd best place to live in America This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. MISSOURI The seventh annual Missouri Vietnam Wall Run will take place Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19 and 20, honoring veterans with a two-day, statewide motorcycle event. Riders will depart Springfield Friday morning and travel through several towns before ending in Perryville, where a candlelight vigil will be held that evening at the National Missouri Veterans Memorial. On Saturday, routes from Festus and Perryville will converge in Fredericktown for the Parade of Honor to Perryvilles town square, followed by a ceremony with guest speaker Col. Bruce Cox, USAF. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More details are available 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 KOLR - OzarksFirst.com. NEED TO KNOW Rachel Silbaugh, a mom to two of the five children that were allegedly found living in a "dungeon" in a Pennsylvania home, has spoken out and said she is "heartbroken" She said she filed protection-from-abuse orders against the father, James Russell Kahl, as early as 2016, and she claims she alerted Child and Youth Services to signs of child abuse multiple times Silbaugh is mom to two of the kids, while Carly Kahl, who was arrested along with James, is reportedly mom to the other three After two of her children were allegedly found in their fathers home, in what police described as a dungeon, a mother said she is "heartbroken" and wants justice for her kids. Rachel Silbaugh is the mom of two of the five children allegedly found locked in a room with "deplorable living conditions" in a Pennsylvania home in August, according to ABC affiliate WTAE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities allegedly found the kids living in a Redstone Township residence with no beds, boarded-up windows, feces on bedroom walls, fleas and a limited supply of clothing and food, CBS affiliate KDKA reported. Couple James Russell Kahl and Carly Kahl were arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment, per KDKA. Carly, 41, is the mother of the other three children, Silbaugh told WTAE. James, 65, meanwhile, is the father of all five. According to KDKA, the children were safely removed from the household and placed into the care of Child and Youth Services (CYS). Silbaugh wants to speak up for all of them, she told WTAE. "I am heartbroken over this, she told the outlet. My son isn't able to talk, and I will be his voice and a voice for my daughter until the day that I can't be their voice anymore, she continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Silbaugh said that after she was diagnosed with a severe medical condition, a judge ordered 50-50 custody between her and James. She said her son, who has autism, is nonverbal and uses a wheelchair due to a medical condition, according to WTAE. She told the outlet she previously noticed signs of abuse on her children, and had alerted CYS multiple times. Silbaugh had also filed protection-from-abuse orders against James as early as 2016, including one that stated that he threatened to lock one of the children in the garage if she did not shut up and stop crying, WTAE reported, citing court records. I saw marks on my children when I was still getting visitations, she alleged in her interview, also claiming to the Pittsburgh outlet that her son's head was busted open at one point when he was still in a wheelchair. Fayette County Sheriff's Department (2) James Russell Kahl; Carly Kahl James Russell Kahl; Carly Kahl Silbaugh alleged to WTAE that James has told their two children that she is dead, which is why we're doing a slow reunification process, because my two children think I'm dead. According to the hearing we had. 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. Police said they were initially called to the Kahls Redstone Township home on Aug. 8 to help Fayette County Children and Youth Services after there was a report that children were living there in "deplorable conditions," according to court documents cited by KDKA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The children were between the ages of 5 and 14, local outlet WTAE reported. Authorities alleged the room functioned as a "dungeon," with video cameras hardwired to the father's room. Troopers also found three deadbolt locks on the outside of the door and no door handle, which left the children trapped in the room. Police also allegedly found a stun gun, a replica pistol, a surveillance camera, drugs and drug paraphernalia at the home. Read the original article on People Upon receiving the information, fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and efforts to douse the fire are underway. Further details regarding the incident are awaited. Earlier on Thursday, a fire broke out at a firecracker shop in Malad in Maharashtra's Mumbai. No loss of lives and injuries were reported, Malad Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Hemant Sawant said. ACP Hemant Sawant said that the fire broke out due to a short circuit. The situation is under control after the fire brigades rushed to the spot. "This is the Somwaari Bazar area of Malad West, and there are many small shops here. The fire broke out in a firecracker shop. The owner is a licence holder, and it appears that the fire broke out due to a short circuit," the police official told ANI. ACP Sawant added, "Fire brigades are here, and the situation is under control. There is no loss of life or injury." (ANI) SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) Happy Saturday, Utah! Monsoon moisture continues to creep northward bringing a mix of sun and clouds and unsettled weather for much of the state. Isolated showers and thunderstorms are expected along the Wasatch Front and through the West Desert into the south, but more scattered activity will be seen in the higher terrain. Most of Utah is under a Marginal threat for flash flooding, but theyll be far and few between. The highest chance for flooding will be in southern Utahs national and state parks where the flash flood risk is in the Possible category. The surge of moisture and increased cloud coverage will keep daytime highs fairly mild. Temperatures will top out in the low to mid 80s for most, 70s for high terrain, and upper 80s to low 90s for the typically warmer spots. Things will start drying out by Sunday as high pressure builds in from the south. Southern Utah will have some lingering moisture, but for the most part itll just be partly cloudy skies. Northern Utah will still see a few showers and thunderstorms, mainly in higher terrain, but the Wasatch Front and Cache Valley have a decent shot of a brief afternoon shower or two. By Monday high pressure will have built further, pushing most of the remaining moisture out of the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The workweek will feature a mix of sun and clouds. A large low pressure system will dig into the Western U.S. and as it approaches well see windy conditions for the midweek. It will likely bring moisture to northern Utah by the close of the workweek, but its still far out and difficult to say if it will just be an increase in clouds or if well get precipitation. The bottom line? Unsettled weather pushes further north, bringing isolated showers and thunderstorms and a marginal risk of flash flooding to most of the state. Well keep you posted on the latest developments in our 4Warn Weather forecast both on-air and online, we are Good4Utah! Latest headlines: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. From right, Gov. Wes Moore, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore Police Commissioner Rich Worley, Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Roland L. Butler Jr. and Maryland Transportation Authority Police Chief Joseph Scott. (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters) Gov. Wes Moore (D) is ordering a surge in law enforcement presence in Baltimore, following weeks of sparring with President Donald Trump (R) and his threat to deploy troops to deal with crime in the city. Neither Moore nor Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) mentioned Trump by name Friday as they announced plans for a renewed collaboration between the Baltimore City Police Department and the Maryland State Police. But many of their remarks responded to charges by Trump, who recently called Baltimore a crime hellhole. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moore said violent crime has been dropping over the last few years in Baltimore, and that the increased police resources will continue efforts to bring down violent crime even further. We are proud of the progress that weve been able to make, and were all very, very concerned about how much work still needs to happen, Moore said. If one person does not feel safe in their neighborhood, that is one too many. The announcement came at a news conference outside St. Johns Evangelical Lutheran Church, after a brief walk through the Park Heights neighborhood by officials. Despite his high-profile public feud with the president, Moore insisted that Fridays announcement was not inspired by recent comments by Trump. Nothing we do is inspired by the president, he said, in response to reporters questions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While it may not have been inspired by Trump, Fridays announcement included repeated references to the presidents continued threats to deploy the National Guard to Baltimore and other large cities, as he has done in Washington, D.C., over the last month. Moore has repeatedly pushed back on the use of National Guard troops for crime prevention, arguing that Guard members are not trained for policing and that such a deployment would be disrespectful to them and of little benefit to residents. We do not need an occupation. We do not need people putting in performative and theatrical resources because they do not care about the actual results, Moore said. Trump, who deployed Guard members and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles in June to quell immigration protests, followed up last month by sending the National Guard into Washington, D.C. The D.C. Guard members, along with Guard units from six Republican states, have been backing up local police, but have also been involved in removing homeless encampments and aiding with immigration arrests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In recent weeks, Trump has dangled the possibility of entering other cities, like Baltimore and Chicago, that he said were so far gone in terms of violent crime. The list has continued to grow, with New Orleans and Portland, Oregon, the most recent potential targets. Moore shot back on Aug. 21 at the presidents suggestion that troops should be deployed to Baltimore, telling Trump to keep our names out of your mouth. Moore also invited the president Trump to come walk the streets of Baltimore to get a firsthand look at the citys crime prevention efforts. The back-and-forth has continued since, with Trump again disparaging Baltimore earlier this week, saying that Moore needs to get rid of the criminals in the city. These are hard-core criminals, Trump said at a Tuesday press conference. Theyre not going to be good in 10 years, in five years, in 20 years, in two years theyre going to be criminals. They were born to be criminals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scott also did not name the president in his Friday comments but clearly referenced those comments and pushed back against Trumps threat to deploy the National Guard in Baltimore. We do not need troops on our streets, Scott said. We do need folks who want to be at the table to recognize that the people of Baltimore are humans that our young people are not born to be criminals. Theyre resources to invest in, not problems to be solved. Scott has a personal connection to the area where the press conference took place: He grew up in the Park Heights neighborhood, and said that he witnessed a shooting in the area growing up. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement None of us are celebrating, saying that we have solved gun violence, Scott said, adding that the use of the Maryland State Police will help provide more government resources and allow the use of evidence-based policies targeted to a continued reduction in crime. Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Roland L. Butler Jr. said with the renewed partnership, there will be no daylight between the state police department and the city police. We intend to go out and provide the services that you need to feel safe, Butler said, and enhance the safety you already feel. Baltimore City Police Commissioner Rich Worley agreed. Adding additional resources to our neighborhoods is one important step towards creating safer communities and improving the quality of life in our city, he said. We have work to do, especially in communities like park heights. Sep. 5MORGANTOWN For the first time in Morgantown, veterans, first responders and community members will gather for a 9 /11 remembrance and resource fair. The event, hosted by Valley HealthCare System, will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Morgantown Armory, also known as the Morgantown Readiness Center, near the airport. The fair is free, open to the public and designed to honor local heroes and connect them with valuable resources. "This is more than your typical resource fair where people just sit behind tables, " said Terry Vance, Veteran Partnership Coordinator-Peer Support Specialist. "We wanted something interactive, something people will never forgeta chance to honor 9 /11 and also our local veterans and first responders who serve us every day." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Organizations will be set up inside the armory offering information and services, while the outside grounds will be filled with vehicles from the Morgantown Police Department, Morgantown Fire Department, EMS and Cheat Lake Fire Department for an interactive experience. The highlight of the day will come at 11 a.m. with a historic flag ceremony. For the first time, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and Marine Corps League will join to display a massive 30-by-60-foot American flag. "It's going to take 40 to 50 of us just to hold it, " Vance said. The ceremony will also feature the VA's Veterans Guitar Program performing the national anthem in the style of Jimi Hendrix, appearances by the WVU Mountaineer and West Virginia Black Bears mascot, Cooper, and a tribute to 9 /11's call to "never forget." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other highlights include: Flying Higher, LLC raptor presentation featuring Freedom, a bald eagle, along with other birds of prey Free haircuts Guest speakers Families are encouraged to attend. Vance emphasized the event is meant to honor sacrificefrom the heroes of 9 /11 to those serving Morgantown today. "When you see that flag stretched across the field, when you watch the ceremony, it's going to be something you'll never forget, " Vance said. "That's what 9 /11 has always been aboutnever forgetting." The Morgantown Armory is located at 90 Army Band Way. This article contains descriptions of domestic violence and/or child abuse. If you suspect child abuse or neglect, contact the DCFS 24/7 hotline: 855-323-3237. For more information, visit dcfs.utah.gov. RIVERTON, Utah (ABC4) A woman has been charged with child abuse after allegedly pinching her 3-year-old child, covering her mouth with a blanket, and causing the child to be afraid of and run away from her. The 27-year-old woman, whom ABC4 is not identifying to protect the victim, has been charged with aggravated child abuse (intentionally or knowingly), a first-degree felony, and assault, a Class B misdemeanor with a domestic violence enhancement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to court documents, a detective with the Riverton Police Department began investigating a report of child abuse involving a 3-year-old. The young child stated that her mother did really bad things and pinched her on the arm very painfully. This caused a bruise that was roughly six inches in size, documents say. READ NEXT: Utah man arrested for alleged sexual abuse of stepdaughter and friend The womans husband reported that on May 27, 2025, she picked up the 3-year-old and another child from a family members house when the 3-year-old began throwing a fit and having an absolute meltdown. He stated that his wife allegedly admitted she pinched the child to get her to stop. The 3-year-old victim described another incident where her mother allegedly put a blankie over her face and mouth, stating that when her mom did that, it was not okay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to documents, her husband told police that he believed the day of the incident involving the blanket was May 10 or 11, 2025. He reported that on that day, he had heard the woman telling the 3-year-old victim to stop it, followed by the childs voice sounding muffled. Her husband reportedly heard quiet cries from the child victim. After the incident, she allegedly told him that covering [the 3-year-olds] mouth with her hand was too aggressive, so she used a blanket to cover her mouth. The womans husband provided text messages between himself and his wife from May 11. In the messages, he asks how physical the interaction he heard between them was and stated he heard screams getting cut off during it and asked the woman covered her mouth like the other day. Sandy woman faces multiple charges after allegedly causing crash with child in car while DUI Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the messages, the woman allegedly responded that she did cover her mouth, but softer, and claimed that she used her blankie because she thought her hands were getting too rough. Her husband reported that the 3-year-old would cower and run away from her mother. He shared one occasion when she was sitting on his lap, shaking with terror, and telling him that the monster is going to get me, referring to her mother. Doctors with Safe and Healthy Families described several injuries sustained by the 3-year-old, including bruises to her cheek, upper arm, thigh, and shins. They noted that the bruises are not located in areas typically associated with normal development and raise concern for inappropriate handling and inflicted injury. While talking with the police, the womans husband also disclosed an incident where she had hit him multiple times during an argument, causing injury. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A warrant for the womans arrest has been ordered by the court. Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Latest headlines: 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. SOUTH HADLEY Mats to improve safety in the cafeteria, access to a fund that could help workers with immigration legal issues and raises that most benefit the lowest paid staff. These are some of the benefits included in the deal reached by Mount Holyoke College and the union representing facilities and dining staff to reach a deal, the union said in a Friday afternoon statement. The college then reached a similar agreement with the union representing 23 housekeepers hours later. The agreements come after the unions filed unfair labor practice charges against the college with the National Labor Relations Board and workers went on strike Tuesday, holding pickets at the campus entrances from 5 a.m. to sundown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, representing 170 workers at the college, said the sides sat down and negotiated much of Friday and came to agreement at 2 p.m. that met all of its demands. United Auto Workers Local 2322 reached a deal for the housekeepers it represents at around 4 p.m. Patrick Burke, president of UAW Local 2322, said the housekeepers preserved existing benefits and job responsibilities while winning significant wage increases. During the contract negotiations, which started in the spring, workers core demands included a living wage. Our bargaining team was very pleased with the outcome today, Burke said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Burke added that the Mount Holyoke community stood by the workers, with alumni messaging the college about the need for living wages and respect for its workers, for instance. Kevin Brown, SEIU Local 32BJ executive vice president, said in a statement that the success of the strike came about thanks to the unwavering unity among the unions members and the support of the community, faculty and students. With their strike this week, the members at Mount Holyoke just gave a master class in demonstrating worker power on campus, said Brown said in a statement. Christian Feuerstein, spokesperson for Mount Holyoke, said members of the two unions are set to ratify the contracts within the next two weeks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (The) College is deeply pleased with the work accomplished by these bargaining committees to come to mutually beneficial agreements, Feuerstein wrote in an email. The contract lasts for three years. Franklin Soults, spokesperson for SEIU 32BJ, said workers represented by the union made an average of about $25 per hour and they will see an approximately 11% pay raise over the life of the contract. Workers who make less, however, will see bigger increases, Soults said. Workers with some of the lowest rates of pay, about $17.70 an hour, would see about a $3 an hour increase, if the contract is ratified. Other workers would see increases due to longevity pay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agreement also brings additional protections for workers with varying immigration statuses, such as protected leave to take time to resolve immigration issues and access to a legal fund that provides civil legal services at no cost for union members. The measures which are rare provisions in union agreements in higher education help provide stability at a time when peoples status are being thrown hither and yon due to changes in federal immigration policy, Soults said. The union has said that about 35% of workers at Mount Holyoke are immigrants. The college has touted its diversity on campus. For instance, a quarter of its incoming class 546 first year students are international students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the end of August, SEIU 32BJ filed a charge with NLRB that said the college refused to bargain unless the union agreed not to strike. Earlier this week, UAW 2322 filed a charge of its own, saying the college refused to bargain in good faith. In both cases, the NLRB sent letters to the parties, obtained by The Republican through a records request, that said the board is facing an unprecedented number of pending unfair labor practices charges and reduced staff levels, which is causing delays at the agency. Asked about the fate of the charges, Soults said SEIU 32BJ is prepared to explore a settlement with Mount Holyoke. The strike Tuesday was perhaps the first one at Mount Holyoke, union officials said, the alma mater of Franklin D. Roosevelts pioneering Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, who used her time at the college to study workplace issues such as sweatshops. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, Monique Nelson, who worked as a custodian for about three decades at the college and who sat on the bargaining coming, said the support the workers received was humbling and she felt grateful. No one wants to go on strike, all we ever wanted was a contract that would adequately support us so we can continue serving the campus community that we love, Nelsons statement said. more news from Western Massachusetts Read the original article on MassLive. LEWISTON One look around Mount St. Marys Hospitals second floor and you would not be able to tell that the area used to help bring life into the world. The space was formerly home to the hospitals labor and delivery wards, which moved to Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo in June 2023. Plenty of other structural changes took place that summer, with surgery, dialysis, and GI services moved to other Erie County hospitals as it transitioned to a neighborhood hospital. Eric Koch, the Lewiston hospitals vice president of medical affairs, said the drawdown of those services led to a narrative that Catholic Health had a foot out of the door of Niagara County. Something they are countering with $7.5 million worth of updates that should be finished this fall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not only have we not left, were looking to improve, said Koch. The 60-year-old building is taking some cues from the newer Lockport Memorial Hospital across the county in making $3 million worth of changes to the second floor, replacing the former delivery rooms with a multi-specialty clinic featuring 19 new patient rooms, for a total of 27, accommodating doctors from eight different specialties. The various services offered include bariatrics, nephrology, general surgery, orthopedics, neurology, psychiatry, oncology, and endocrinology. Oncology is the only new service being added. The Center for Women, already on the second floor and offering OBGYN services, will remain as is. The first floor will have an outpatient lab draw area moved there, with the cardiology services consolidated to one location. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kyle Donovan, vice president of operations for Mount St. Marys, said the benefit of this model is giving county residents access to the services without leaving the community. The specialists available would be scheduled based on demand, going between the two Niagara County Catholic Health hospitals, as demand and population cannot sustain a five-day-a-week operation in some cases. This allows us to say, This room is going to be neurology, and tomorrow it might be orthopedics or it might be endocrinology, said Donovan. Mount St. Marys already has 750 full-time equivalent employees, Donovan added that some new people would be hired for the new services. Before moving the labor services, Mount St. Marys was delivering less than one baby a day, on pace for 300 a year. Moving that to Sisters of Charity, which delivers more than 3,000 babies per year, was meant to get patients to a center of excellence, a location that specializes in the care they are seeking. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rest of the hospitals renovations will help it mirror some of what is already in place in Lockport. Those include a new $1.5 million CT scan machine put into service this past August, purchasing new mammography equipment, updating inpatient rooms, and installing new kiosks and adding staff in the front lobby for registration and navigation. Telemedicine will be brought over to Mount St. Marys, something Koch said has been successful at Lockport. The traditional services and ICU will still be there, but these other specialty and preventative services are something management feels the community needs. Were following what youre seeing on a nationwide trend that is a new care delivery model, Koch said, where youre having outpatient specialty services and inpatient kind of commingling in the same space. ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) One of the top websites for nursing is recognizing MoWest's nursing program with the No. 1 rank in the state among more than 40 schools analyzed. MoWest's nursing program was recently ranked No. 1 by RegisteredNursing.org as part of its 10th annual list of the best nursing schools in the state of Missouri this August. MoWest was one of 46 schools, including both public two- and four-year universities, analyzed during the research and rankings process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This recognition comes at a time when nursing is more important than ever. With ongoing workforce shortages and rising patient needs, programs like Missouri Western State Universitys are critical in preparing highly skilled graduates who can immediately make an impact in local hospitals, clinics, and community health settings," a website spokesperson said. Missouri's Top Ten Best Nursing Schools of 2026 1. Missouri Western State University 2. UMKC 3. St. Charles Community College 4. Missouri Southern State University 5. Ozarks Technical Community College 6. Saint Louis University 7. Bolivar Technical College Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 8. College of the Ozarks 9. Missouri State University 10. University of Central Missouri Rankings focused exclusively on NCLEX pass rates, offering an objective measure of program success. The NCLEX-RN exam is used by all state boards of nursing across the United States to help assess a students competency and is required for licensure. Research by RegisteredNursing.org found that MoWest's top program strengths include high-tech nursing simulation labs, senior capstone courses for real-world prep and research opportunities with experienced faculty. "Students benefit from a comprehensive curriculum integrating general education and specialized nursing courses, supported by state-of-the-art simulation labs and diverse clinical experiences in St. Joseph and Kansas City. The program boasts remarkable NCLEX-RN pass rates, with 98.8% in 2023 and a perfect 100% in 2024, demonstrating exceptional student preparation." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additional program strengths: * Combines general and nursing education. * Small class sizes for personalized learning. * Prepares students for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam. * Accredited by CCNE. * Missouri State Board of Nursing approved. "With small class sizes ensuring personalized learning, experienced faculty, and CCNE accreditation, the program provides robust training for aspiring nurses, the report read. Military-friendly and focusing on practical skills, students receive comprehensive preparation for professional nursing practice through a senior capstone course and opportunities for faculty-guided research. The need for nurses is expected to become even greater over the next 10 years, with Missouri projected to see a 7% increase in nursing positions due to an ongoing shortage. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is shocked by her Republican colleagues lack of transparency on the Epstein files. We campaigned on transparency issues like release the Epstein files, the firebrand Georgia representative told the Wall Street Journal Saturday. All of a sudden, theres this hard stance coming from the Republican leadership and many of the members and the administration, and Im shocked by it. The truth needs to come out, she added. And the government holds the truth. It's cognitive-dissonance o'clock as Greene continues to push Trump to release fresh findings on the Jeffrey Epstein case. / Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images President Donald Trumpwhom Greene has previously compared to the Founding Fathers, Nelson Mandela, and Jesus Christis currently suing the Wall Street Journal for $10 billion over its reporting on his past relationship with the convicted pedophile sex trafficker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump, whos for years courted conspiracy theorists who believe Epstein was part of an international pedophilic cabal, once described the late financier as a terrific guy who likes women on the younger side. His lawsuit pertains to the newspapers allegations that in 2003, he also wrote Epstein a birthday card featuring a sketch of a naked woman accompanied by a bizarre imagined exchange about enigmas and wonderful secrets. Trump has increasingly written off the Epstein case, long a centrepiece of far-right conspiracy theories, as a Democratic Their relationship has rocketed back into the spotlight over the past several months after the Justice Department, in defiance of rumors long cherished by the far right, found Epsteins 2019 death in police custody was a suicide, rather than murder, and that he kept no client list of uber-wealthy accomplices. Greenes comments come as the White House scrabbles to deter lawmakers from joining a growing bipartisan push to force the release of new findings on the case, and only a day after House Speaker Mike Johnson prompted ridicule by claiming Trump had worked to gather information on Epsteins crimes as an FBI informant. The White House has tried to pour cold water on Congressional transparency effortsled in part by Greene and fellow Republican Thomas Massieby claiming Trump was an Greene, along with fellow Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and every single Democratic member of the House, has played a key role in advancing legislation that would see a floor vote held on the release of fresh documents. She also urged Trump to meet with the late financiers victims in the Oval Office earlier this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She told the Journal she has every faith the president, who has called the Epstein case a hoax orchestrated by Democrats and other opponents hellbent on smearing his name, will side with the sex traffickers survivors once he hears their stories in person because, the Georgia representative says, I just know his heart. Greene also described the Trump administrations reluctance to release further findings as a major misstep and an uncalculated error that is going to have ramifications directly in the midterms. The Daily Beast has reached out to Greenes representatives and the White House for further comment on this story. For seven weekends each fall, nearly 80,000 fans descend on Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. For thousands of those Gamecock fans, their only way to the University of South Carolinas stadium has involved a dangerous trek along four- to six-lane roads where nothing separates them from the rush of traffic. Lawmakers and fans have long been concerned about the dangerous conditions for pedestrians on stretches of Rosewood Drive and George Rogers Boulevard near the stadium. Im always appalled when Im leaving a game and see pedestrians having no sidewalk to walk on, said state Rep. Seth Rose, D-Richland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, following reports by The State, the South Carolina Department of Transportation announced that plans were moving forward to add sidewalks to the busy road. There has been little news since it was reported that the project would be completed by the end of 2026. But tailgaters will have to wait a little longer. The project is scheduled to begin in early 2027 and is anticipated to be completed by the fall of the same year, according to a spokesperson from the state Department of Transportation. The estimated total project cost is $5,351,000, according to a spokesperson for the Federal Highway Administration. The federal agency, which is part of the Department of Transportation, is providing roughly $4.8 million in funding for the project, according to the spokesperson. It is currently unclear where the rest of the funding will be coming from. The project will see a ten-foot wide sidewalk constructed on one side of Rosewood Drive adjacent to the state fairgrounds, said Hannah Robinson, a state transportation department spokesperson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new path will ensure that there is a sidewalk that runs all the way from the Assembly Street intersection to the Bluff Road intersection. Currently, there is a sidewalk that runs roughly half the length of that stretch of the six-lane Rosewood Drive next to the fairgrounds. Initial plans proposed by the Department of Transportation also included building sidewalks all the way around George Rogers Boulevard, which wraps around the other side of the fairgrounds and leads to the entrance of Williams-Brice Stadium. However, there was not enough money to build a sidewalk on both sides of Rosewood Drive or all the way around the stadium, Rose said. An SCDOT project envisions adding sidewalk around George Rogers Boulevard near Williams-Brice stadium in Columbia. When contacted, the state Department of Transportation did not provide the cost of the project. The Federal Highway Administration, which administers the Highway Safety Improvement Program, did not respond to multiple attempts to contact them. The project is part of a broader push to improve safety along the busy Assembly Street corridor. Making Columbia more walkable and bikeable is a passion of mine and weve had huge success, Rose said. Char Dham Yatra is a pilgrimage tour of four holy sites - Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath - nestled high up in the Himalayas. In Hindi, 'char' means four and 'dham' refers to religious destinations. Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand government's disaster management department has requested the centre to provide special assistance of Rs 5,702.15 crore to compensate for the damage caused during this year's monsoon and to prevent possible damage to infrastructure structures in future. In this regard, Secretary Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Vinod Kumar Suman has sent a detailed memorandum to the Additional Secretary, Disaster Management Division, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Suman informed that due to the natural disaster this year, the Public Works Department (PWD) and public roads have suffered direct damage of approximately Rs 1,163.84 crore. The damages to the Irrigation Department's assets are approximately Rs 266.65 crore, followed by Rs 123.17 crore of damage to the assets of the Energy Department, Rs 4.57 crore of damage to the Health Department, and Rs 68.28 crore of damage to the assets of the School Education Department. Moreover, damages of Rs 9.04 crore have occurred to the Higher Education Department's assets, followed by Rs 2.55 crore damage to the Fisheries Department's assets, the Rural Development Department Rs 65.50 crore, the Urban Development Department Rs 4 crore, the Animal Husbandry Department Rs 23.06 crore and other departmental assets Rs 213.46 crore.All government departments have suffered direct damage of approximately Rs 1,944.15 crore. (ANI) CATLETTSBURG A Boyd County grand jury indicted a drug-trafficking suspect who Ashland Police said was a multi-state fugitive earlier this week. Shannon Badalamenti, 47, of Rush originally from West Virginia, according to APD was indicted on charges of first-degree trafficking of meth (greater or equal to 2 grams), first-degree cocaine trafficking (greater than 4 grams) and fentanyl trafficking. He is in Boyd County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond. An indictment is not an indication of guilt. A grand jury found probable cause based on evidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The following people remain innocent until proven guilty: Adam Christian, 36, of Catlettsburg, was indicted on charges of operating on a suspended/revoked operators license, reckless driving, fleeing/evading police and expired tags. Kyle J. Greer, 29, of Grayson, was indicted on the following charges: public intoxication-controlled substance, heroin possession, meth possession and drug paraphernalia buy/possess. Tyler S. Callihan, 38, of an unknown address, was indicted on first-degree promoting contraband, first-degree possession of meth and second-degree possession of an unspecified drug. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tracy Oxendine, 47, of Catlettsburg, was indicted on these charges: first-degree promoting contraband, public intoxication-controlled substance and first-degree meth possession (second offense). Steven C. Ferguson, 55, of Rush, was indicted on a meth possession charge. Layne Nichols, 54, of Dayton, Ohio, was indicted on a meth possession charge. Todd N. Lawhorn, 46, of Ashland, was indicted on charges of public intoxication-controlled substance and heroin possession. Eric L. Summers, 37, of South Point, was indicted on a charge of meth possession. Federal agents have arrested a man accused of sending multiple obscene photos to a child. Mahir Chaudhry, 21, of Piscataway, was charged last week with transferring obscene material to a minor, the U.S. Attorneys Office District of New Jersey said in a statement on Friday. He made his initial appearance in Newark federal court and is still in custody pending approval of bail conditions. Chaudhry is accused of sending the victim at least six obscene photos in text messages between March and May of 2023, federal authorities said. At the time that the photos were sent, Chaudhry was aware that the recipient was a minor under the age of 16, federal prosecutors said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chaudhrys arrest is impactful on many fronts, FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy said. He can no longer cause harm to minor victims, as the complaint alleges, and his arrest serves as a warning to others who think their actions are unseen. The FBI and our partners will stop at nothing to find and apprehend these predators. Authorities did not specify the type of obscene material in the photos or say whether Chaudhry is known to the victim. Stories by Nicolas Fernandes Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com. Read the original article on NJ.com. A total of 2,302 power outages were reported on Saturday evening after a strong line of thunderstorms passed through the state. More than 10,000 outages were reported earlier in the day. More thunderstorms are expected across New Jersey on Saturday evening and continuing overnight into Sunday. Current utility outages as of 11 p.m: JCP&L: 2,125 outages PSE&G: 133 outages Atlantic City Electric: 43 outages Rockland: 1 outage The National Weather Service reported a strong cold front crossing the region, bringing thunderstorms and potential for heavy rainfall. The front is expected to become nearly stationary over New Jersey through Sunday, with a weak low-pressure system tracking along the front Sunday afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Severe weather elements include potential thunderstorms, high winds, and heavy rainfall, with some areas potentially receiving 1 to 2 inches of rain, particularly southeast of the urban corridor. Residents are advised to stay informed about local weather conditions and potential power interruptions. Utility companies recommend having emergency supplies ready and checking their websites or local news for updates on restoration efforts. Current weather radar Thank you for relying on us to provide the local weather news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Read the original article on NJ.com. JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) The NAACP filed a lawsuit in late August protesting perceived inaction related to Jacksons water system by state leaders. The Jackson branch of the NAACP filed the lawsuit against the executive director of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), the executive director of the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration and the Mississippi State Treasurer. The plaintiffs accuse state officials of withholding American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the City of Jackson and imposing additional restrictions on Jackson not present in other municipalities within the state. Boil water advisory issued for City of Belzoni Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The NAACP argued that the states restriction of money hurt Jackson residents, who are disproportionately Black. It also asserted that it hurt the organization and its members within the capital city. Below are the following legal claims that the NAACP brought against state officials: Race-based discrimination in funding in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution Unequal access to funding in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment Unequal access to funding in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 NAACP Complaint (Courtesy: Southern Poverty Law Center)Download Despite naming only three state officials as defendants, the NAACP also directed blame at Governor Tate Reeves (R-Miss.) and the Mississippi Legislature for the issues and legislation that indirectly led to the lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among other things, the NAACP wants the federal court to declare that state officials violated the Constitutional rights of Black Jacksonians and to force the state to release the ARPA funds. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News 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 WJTV. LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) The Lansing branch of the NAACP says a proposal in contract talks between East Lansing and its police union would significantly reduce the authority of the citys Independent Police Oversight Commission. In a news release, the NAACP Lansing Branch said proposed changes to Ordinance No. 1533 would bar the commission from investigating or weighing in on discipline until after the police department has finished and closed its own internal investigations into citizen complaints. The group has also said the changes could restrict the release of officer names and body-camera footage. East Lansing police face complaints after chaotic weekend Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Lansing NAACP raised the concerns in the wake of complaints about treatment of college-age Black men in downtown East Lansing during Michigan State Universitys welcome week Aug. 23-24. Citizens say officers used excessive force, including pepper spray, on students of color and visitors and used a Taser on one person. These changes are a clear attempt to remove any oversight within the East Lansing Police Department, NAACP Lansing Branch President Harold A. Pope said in a news release. The lack of transparency surrounding the incidents in August where the ELPD pepper sprayed students and others as well as tasing one individual shows the absolute need for an independent oversight commission. The revised ordinance was discussed at a Police Oversight Commission meeting Aug. 29. Revised ELIPOC Ordinance for AgendaDownload Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The next City Council meeting is at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. This is a developing story and will be updated later. 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 WLNS 6 News. When Angela Collins drives to work, she never knows if shell be able to get into her offices parking lot on Iroquois Avenue. Cars waiting to purchase drinks at 7 Brew back up onto the street, she says. We get the finger. We get yelled at. We get profanities because were just trying to get in and out, said Collins, who works at the Naperville Acupuncture Center. Thats very stressful to come to work and say, Oh, am I going to be able to get in today or not, or leave today or not?' Since opening in October 2024, the drive-thru-only franchise off Ogden Avenue has drawn customers from all over the Chicago area. Nearly half of all customers who visit the Naperville location travel anywhere between 10 to 30 miles for the coffee, according to Laura Karet, whose 7 Brew franchise territories are in the Chicago and Nashville markets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result, the Naperville store the first to open in the Chicago area has seen lines back up onto Iroquois and wrap around towards Naperville-Wheaton Road. To be fair to 7 Brew, the traffic has abated somewhat, said Frank Grill, owner of Naperville Acupuncture. Its still pretty bad on the weekends, and the other core time where its bad is when they run their specials. Grill said the last promotion on Aug. 7 was particularly chaotic: I think there must have been 300 to 400 cars in line all day. Jennifer Louden, director of Napervilles Transportation, Engineering and Development department, agreed, saying the biggest backups come during 7 Brews Jackpot promotions, held on the seventh day of each month. Following reports of heavy traffic on Aug. 7, the city reached an agreement with 7 Brew to end the promotion at the Naperville location starting in September. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well be watching, as well as the 7 Brew operators are going to be watching, closely on the seventh to see if that has the (intended) outcome, Louden said. The city and 7 Brew have taken other steps to quell the traffic as well. The city put up signage to alert customers not to block the driveway of neighboring properties and 7 Brews been encouraged to find nearby areas the company can use for off-site queuing, Louden said. Doing their part to resolve the situation, 7 Brew has hired a full-time traffic coordinator to improve traffic flow, Karet said. Off-duty police officers have been hired on occasion to help control traffic, especially during the the stores special promotion days, Naperville police Cmdr. Rick Krakow said. I think its fair to say that 7 Brew has been far more popular than the city, or even 7 Brew itself, thought it was going to be, somewhat due to the novelty of it being one of the few in the area, Louden said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before the coffee chain built its store, the property had been occupied by a bank with a drive-thru setup identitical to the one used by 7 Brew, according to a city staff report. Because the site was already zoned for commercial use, it didnt require any additional city review, city spokeswoman Linda LaCloche said. In addition to the business novelty appeal, there are a few reasons the stores been so popular, Karet said. The first thing is, its a really fun place to be. We have team members that love working there, who love talking to people, Karet said. Youre never, as a customer, interacting with the screen. Youre 100% of the time talking to a person who is nice and fun and knows the product and is helpful. With 20,000 possible customizable drink options, 7 Brew creates an environment that is attractive to a wide audience, especially a younger demographic, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whats interesting is they love to post about it, particularly on TikTok, Karet said. And then other people come and they say, I want that concoction that that person made. Grill has noticed the same thing. Sometimes they immediately get their coffee and theyre doing Instagram selfies or TikTok reviews. Theyre not tuned into the traffic around them as much as they are to their social media, he said. Karet said she believes the best solution is more locations. A 7 Brew opened in Mokena in August and another opens in Lockport later this month. Shes exploring the possibility of a second Naperville site, Karet said. Our whole brand is about cultivating kindness, and we do not want to create situations where our neighbors feel like there are issues, she said. We strongly believe that if we have more stores in the area, we will siphon off some of the traffic. cstein@chicagotribune.com NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) Currently, a variety of crimes year-to-date are trending downward in Nashville including homicides, assaults, burglaries and robberies. Even with this improvement, Nashville Mayor Freddie OConnell is moving forward to hire a director of crime prevention and violence reduction. This goes back to the mayors initial campaign of 15 fixes on day 1, the Mayors Senior Director for Civic and Community Engagement, Brittany Irby, said. He really stressed the importance of establishing a community safety plan, and this has always been in the works to make sure we are taking a proactive approach. Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts Applications are now open through September 18. The job pays between $120,000 and $140,000 per year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Someone who definitely comes with a depth of knowledge in terms of community engagement, but also as Ive mentioned, can take that perspective of the public health land, but really comes with data and analytics to really deploy some best practices here in Nashville, Irby said. Although Metro crime numbers do show improvement, Nashville native Pastor Darryl Howard said he doesnt think those numbers paint the whole picture. I live in the community, I stay in the community, and I hear violence every day, Howard, who founded Personal Interest in Changing Character, said. Now, they may not be things that people see, but violence is happening every day. He believes the city needs to hire someone who can see and address the root causes of violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The economic issues, the lack of opportunities, the lack of fathers in the homes, we dont look at the lack of educational opportunities that people in certain communities have; we dont look at the neighborhood trauma, the violence they see every day thats being normalized, Howard said. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Although the posting says a masters degree is preferred, Howard doesnt think academics should be make-or-break criteria. Theres some people out here who have been doing this for 20-25 years, and they could have a PhD in life, he said. You can find more information about the position here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 WKRN News 2. CHICAGO An African-American Labor History Museum in Chicago hosted its annual solidarity breakfast on Saturday. The event is hosted by the National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum, which details the history of the first chartered black labor union. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines The event brings together labor leaders, officials, and supporters before Saturdays Labor Day parade. It also offers the museum officials the chance to share big updates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Visit the National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum website for more information or to plan a visit. 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. After Chinas massive military parade on Wednesday, much commentary has focused on the might on display from hypersonic missiles to underwater drones and laser weapons. But dont be distracted by the bright and shiny objects in Chinas admittedly formidable arsenal. The most deadly weapons that Beijing possesses are not the ones that go bang. They are non-kinetic, non-lethal, but still crippling means of attack. Beijing plans to unleash them on the West in a future conflict not on the battlefield but in space and in cyber space. And the United States and its allies are currently defenceless against them. Cyber strikes and counter-space attacks are some of the ten thousand methods combined as one in Chinas Unrestricted Warfare doctrine, conceptualised in 1999 by two Peoples Liberation Army officers, Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui. Chinas way of war is entirely different from the US/Nato equivalent. While Beijing is considered by the Pentagon as a near peer opponent from a military standpoint, clashing directly with highly experienced US/Nato forces would be an option of last resort for China. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, it most likely plans to fight in different ways, in line with the teachings of Sun Tzu, the ancient military strategist and author of The Art of War. In my assessment, disrupting the US/Natos entire way of war and paralysing our way of life with cyber attacks and space weapons are what Chinese war planners really envision. Military strategists Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui have written about strategies that nations might take to successfully attack a superpower like the US Sun Tzu called for breaking the enemys resistance by attacking weak points and avoiding his strong points. Having studied the Western way of life and military operations for decades, Chinese planners appear to have concluded that our biggest vulnerability is our reliance on technology. Indeed, every aspect of our war-fighting command and control, navigation, targeting, precision strikes and missile warnings involves satellite networks and computer systems. The same goes, of course, for our civilian lives television, banking and financial transactions, weather forecasting, agriculture, emergency response and much more are possible only with US satellite constellations such as GPS. In Chinas view, removing this technological crutch would disable our network-centric approach to warfare and result in a collapse of our societies. The authors of unrestricted warfare, who drew on the indirect approach theory developed by the British strategist Sir Basil Liddell Hart, observed that, the same day as an attack on an Iranian oil drilling platform in the Persian Gulf by US navy ships, there was a stock market crash on the New York Stock Exchange, later called Black Monday because of its severity. The authors recommended that, instead of fighting the fight that fits ones weapons, like Westerners do, China must build the weapons to fit the fight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A single man-made stock market crash, a single computer virus invasion ... that results in a fluctuation in the enemy countrys exchange rates ... all can be included in the ranks of new-concept weapons, which will inflict material and psychological casualties on an enemy. Towards this end, Beijing, having developed one of the worlds most destructive cyber arsenals, has been mapping out access and pre-positioning cyber attack mechanisms across the US and allied networks. A 2025 report by the Office of the Director of Nation Intelligence (DNI) warned that, if Beijing believed that a major conflict with Washington was imminent, it could consider aggressive cyber operations against US critical infrastructure and military assets. Such strikes would be designed to deter US military action by impeding US decision-making, inducing societal panic, and interfering with the deployment of US forces. Salt Typhoon is one of the most destructive Chinese cyber operations to have struck Western targets. It is reported to have compromised the communications infrastructure that carries the worlds internet traffic. The scope and scale of the attack, as well as the damage inflicted, prompted Western intelligence agencies to declare the Salt Typhoon hack to be a National Defence Crisis. Volt Typhoon is another Chinese cyber operation, which is believed to have compromised multiple critical infrastructure targets primarily in communications, energy, and water in the United States and its territories. Twenty-three different pipeline operators across the US energy sector had been breached with pre-positioned access for future cyber attacks, as revealed by former FBI director Christopher Wray. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chinas Peoples Liberation Army, ministry of state security and intelligence services are widely thought to use proxies for cyber attacks, in order to claim plausible deniability, making attribution by US and allied governments very difficult. Other notable Chinese cyber warfare actors include APT31 and APT40. APT31 is accused of targeting political dissidents, government officials, political candidates, and campaign personnel, as well as US companies since at least 2010. APT40 has been similarly prolific, accused of targeting governmental organisations, companies and universities across the US. Europe has faced a similar barrage of attacks. In the UK, for example, Chinese cyber attackers have been held responsible for breaches at Parliament, the Electoral Commission, Ministry of Defence (MoD), other UK government agencies, and a major social care company. Space is identified by China as another warfighting domain and a Western Achilles heel. In the run-up to a conflict, Beijing likely plans to deafen and blind US and allied forces, and to disrupt the normal functioning of our societies by attacking satellites. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to the LY-1 high-energy laser and high-power microwave weapons that Beijing has flaunted in public, China has developed several other technologies for disabling or destroying the Wests spacecraft. They include jammers, orbital interceptors and a sophisticated snake-like robotic arm installed on a satellite, capable of repairing a malfunctioning satellite or damaging that of an adversary. Chinese strategists call these disruptive technologies an Assassins Mace, a concept that conveys an inferior military countering a superior one by levelling the playing field via much less expensive options. Disrupting Western forces kill chain would impede weapons from reaching their targets, in Chinas assessment. Many Western leaders recognise the grave threat posed by China. The UKs National Cyber Security Centre named Beijing the dominant threat to national cyber security. Gen Paul M Nakasone, the former head of US Cyber Command, told US lawmakers the cyber threat posed by China is unlike any challenge ever faced by the US and its allies. Several US generals have spoken out about our vulnerabilities in space. US and allied militaries, including the US Space Force, conduct Schriever Wargames, simulating a conflict in space between a major space power and the US/Nato. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the Chinese are relentless at discovering new weapons concepts capable of exploiting gaps in our security. The 2023 spy balloon, which traversed the US freely for several days, is just one of these examples. Perhaps, instead of fighting the fight with the default weapons sold to the military by the defence industry, our planners ought to first use their intellectual firepower; then adapt to the cunning Chinese adversary with innovative doctrine, tactics and new weapons ideas. Rebekah Koffler is a strategic military intelligence analyst, formerly with the US Defense Intelligence Agency. She is the author of Putins Playbook, Regnery 2021. Her next book Trumps Playbook will be published later this year. Rebekahs podcast Trumps Playbook is running on her channel Censored But Not Silenced and is available on most social media platforms @Rebekah0132 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. The U.S. Navy has taken an important step forward toward acquiring new carrier-based Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) type drones with contracts to Anduril, Boeing, General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman. In general, the service has been taking more of a wait-and-see approach to CCAs, following behind the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps, and focusing its uncrewed aviation energies first on getting the Boeing MQ-25 Stingray tanker drone into service. Anduril, Boeing, General Atomics, and Northrop Grumman on now on contract with the Navy for conceptual CCA designs, according to a briefing slide from Naval Air Systems Commands (NAVAIR) Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons (PEO U&W) that TWZ has obtained. The same slide, reproduced below, says the CCA contract that Lockheed Martin received from the Navy is for work on a common control architecture. Breaking Defense was first to report on this slide, which says it was approved for full public release on August 20 of this year. The Navy has further confirmed to TWZ that its contents are accurate, but provided no additional details. USN The slide does includes the following bullet points outlining, in very basic terms, what the Navy wants from its future CCAs and why the service sees them as an important addition to its force structure: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Uncrewed, Modular, Interoperable, Interchangeable, and Versatile Platforms Persistent, Lethal, and Agile Force Multipliers Carrier Operations Capable Cost Efficient and Mission Effective Maximizes Operational Flexibility Addresses both current and emerging operational gaps Accommodates Elevated Risk Profiles Crewed Platform Risk Reducer Enables 4th and 5th Gen and complements 6th Gen [fighters] These points are broadly in keeping with how the Air Force, in particular, has presented the value of CCAs as cost-effective force multipliers that will help reduce risk, as well as operational strain, on crewed platforms. In the past, the Navy has also talked about CCA-type drones that could be cheap enough to be consumable, and expended as one-way attack munitions or targets for training or test and evaluation activities. No further details have yet emerged on the specific CCA designs that Anduril, Boeing, General Atomics, and Northrop Grumman are now working on for the Navy. Anduril and General Atomics have notably already been developing potentially relevant designs for the first phase, or Increment 1, of the Air Forces CCA program. Just last week, it was announced that General Atomics YFQ-42A is now flying. Anduril had said its YFQ-44A will take to the skies soon. The US Navy has selected Anduril to develop designs for carrier-ready Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), Anduril said today in a statement. We are focused on delivering an aircraft built specifically to the Navys distinct needs, at rapid speed and formidable scale. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response to further queries from TWZ, Anduril declined to confirm or deny whether its offering to the Navy would be based in any way on the YFQ-44A, also known as Fury, and drew additional attention to the second sentence of its statement. Andurils YFQ-44A. Courtesy photo via USAF The Navy has been pretty vocal about integrating uncrewed jets of different types and closely following the Air Forces CCA efforts, C. Mark Brinkley, a spokesperson for General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. division (GA-ASI), also told TWZ today. Its a smart move that buys down significant risk and leverages the substantial work and investments already underway. Last summer, we rolled out notional designs for our future class of carrier-capable CCAs, building on the YFQ-42As proven modular baseline and adapting it for shipboard operations. General Atomics developed the EMALS [Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System] system used on Ford class carriers and has extensive experience working with the U.S. Navy and international partners on carrier-based unmanned aircraft operations, so its not a stretch for us, Brinkley added, speaking more generally. GA-ASI has recorded numerous recent aviation milestones with our aircraft at sea. In 2023, our short takeoff and landing demonstrator known as Mojave launched from and landed aboard the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. In 2024, Mojave took off from the South Korean amphibious assault ship Dokdo and flew to a naval base ashore. Yesterday, Gray Eagle STOL launched from the ROK helicopter ship Dokdo (deck length, 653ft/199m). GE STOL gets up so quick, we might launch it off surfboards next. pic.twitter.com/H8GUuzQPLT C. Mark Brinkley (@cmarkbrinkley) November 13, 2024 The modular baseline Brinkley mentions here refers to a concept that General Atomics has been pioneering, wherein very different types of drones can be crafted around a common chassis that includes landing gear, as well as key mission and flight control computer systems. General Atomics experimental XQ-67A drone, originally produced for an Air Force program called the Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS), has been a major player in proving out this idea. The YFQ-42A CCA design is derived from the XQ-67A. General Atomics has also been developing an entire family of additional uncrewed aircraft, collectively called Gambit, based around the common chassis concept. The company unveiled a carrier-based Gambit 5 design last year, as you can read more about here. A General Atomics rendering showing Gambit 5 drones, as well as a navalized version of its MQ-9 Reaper, embarked on a British Queen Elizabeth class carrier. General Atomics Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked for more information, Boeing deferred to the Navy. However, the company has previously shown a rendering of a carrier-based variant or derivative of its MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone. Boeings Australia-based subsidiary originally developed the MQ-28 for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), but the company is now actively pitching it to other potential customers. The Air Force has utilized at least one Ghost Bat in support of advanced uncrewed aircraft and autonomy development efforts. In April, Navy Capt. Ron Flanders, public affairs officer at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development & Acquisition (RDA) also told TWZ that the U.S. has expressed strong interest in leveraging the MQ-28s AI-driven autonomy and modular design for future air combat operations. TWZ has also reached out to Northrop Grumman. It is worth remembering here that Northrop Grumman was at the very center of laying the groundwork for a high-end stealthy carrier-based uncrewed combat air vehicle (UCAV) capability for the Navy before the service very pointedly abandoned those plans in the mid-2010s in favor of what became the MQ-25 tanker drone. The company produced two flying X-47B demonstrators that were extensively tested, including launches from and recoveries aboard real aircraft carriers, and in-flight refueling demonstrations. As of 2022, the X-47Bs had been earmarked for public display at museums. Lockheed Martins contract makes sense given how deeply and publicly involved the company has already been in the development of drone control architecture for the Navys aircraft carriers, something TWZ has reported on in the past. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are under contract to the U.S. Navy supporting common control. Specifically, our Lockheed Martin Skunk Works MDCX autonomy platform is a program of record solution for the U.S. Navys MD-5 Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System (UMCS), Lockheed Martin told TWZ today in a statement. It provides uncrewed vehicle autonomy, mission planning, and command and control (C2) capability in an operationally proven multi-level secure package for the Navys Carrier Air Wing of the Future. Elements of the ground control station for the MQ-25. USN via DODIG Last year, the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works demonstrated the first live control of a GA [General Atomics] MQ-20 Avenger in flight by Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control Station (UMCS) and MDCX autonomy system, advancing technology necessary for future Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), the statement added. The test flight marked a significant milestone in the development of UMCS, setting the stage for the Navys future unmanned aviation operations. As noted, given past statements from senior Navy leadership, the revelation that the service now has five companies under contract to do CCA-related work is somewhat unexpected. At the same time, it is logical for the service to begin with exploratory deals for conceptual designs. The Air Force also initially awarded contracts under its CCA program to Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Anduril, and General Atomics, before picking the latter two to proceed in Increment 1. The Navy still very much lags behind the Air Force, as well as the Marine Corps, in pursuing CCAs, which is in line with its past messaging. The United States Navy is in a tri-service memorandum of agreement and understanding with our sister services, the U.S. Air Force, as well as the Marine Corps, and we are developing that capability together. Each of us are focused on a different aspect of that, Navy Rear Adm. Michael Buzz Donnelly, then director of the Air Warfare Division (N98) within the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, said at the Navy Leagues annual Sea Air Space symposium in April. The Air Force is leading and very forward leaning in the development of the actual air vehicle and the autonomy that goes in those for execution of mission. Marine Corps is working closely to develop manned-unmanned teaming between platforms such as the F-35, the F-35B being the baseline for their aviation capability right now. And the United States Navy is working based on our pathway of unmanned into the fleet with MQ-25. As we work together for the United States Navy, I will tell you that we are definitely in the follow of those three services, Donnelly added at that time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The future of Collaborative Combat Aircraft, and that kind of thing, is TBD [to be decided], still to come. That works still to be done, and theres a lot of folks in that space, Navy Vice Adm. Daniel Cheever, commander of Naval Air Forces, and more commonly referred to as the services Air Boss, also told TWZs Jamie Hunter on the sidelines of the Tailhook Associations annual symposium last month. Much more remains to be learned about the Navys current CCA vision and when it might expect to begin fielding any such capability operationally. There are still many questions that the Navy, as well as the Air Force and Marine Corps, need to answer about just how CCA-type drones will be deployed, launched, recovered, supported, and otherwise operated, not to mention employed tactically, as you can read more about here. I think, currently, were [the Navy] still figuring out exactly what the specific type of [CCA] platform is going to look like, how its going to integrate into the air wing, [and] how were going to use it for maximal advantage, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Mark Tugboat Jbeily, an instructor pilot at the Strike Fighter Weapons School, Pacific (SFWSPAC), also told TWZs Jamie Hunter at this years Tailhook symposium. But I think some common themes are going to be consistent regardless of the specific platform, range, vendor, whatever it is. You know, the wings on your chest are a sign of trust, ultimately, right? They represent that youve been through an established training pipeline. Youre going to behave in a predictable manner, in a standardized manner. We can trust you with this awesome power of an F-18 or F-35, Jbeily continued. How do we take that concept of trust and now bring it to collaborative autonomy, or manned-unmanned teaming? How do we train to get them comfortable so, in the same way that if you and I were flying, if you were my wingman, I would know youre going to behave in a repeatable, consistent [manner]? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I can have insight on your behaviors. We can do a thorough debrief about why did you do this or why did you do that? he added. And the key, I think, is going to be, regardless of the specific platform, how do we build that element of trust, and how do we get folks comfortable to be able to use it in a combat scenario if we have to. With the contracts to Anduril, Boeing, General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the Navy has put itself on a new course in regard to its CCA plans, but it is still very much following its sister services. Update, 9/6/2025: Northrop Grumman has now provided TWZ with the following statement: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were partnering with the US Navy to develop conceptual designs for their future collaborative combat aircraft and are bringing our deep experience in naval aviation and advanced autonomy. We continue investing in the development of autonomous platforms and technology. From a software and integration perspective, we created Beacon, an autonomy ecosystem for partners to test and refine their solutions. From a platform perspective, we have seen impressive results from our investments in reducing production time, processes, and cost of these systems. Contact the author: joe@twz.com Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha on Saturday lashed out at Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, accusing him of trying to create unrest in Bihar and disrupt social harmony. Sinha's remarks come in response to Yadav's jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where he questioned his intentions to set up factories in Gujarat while seeking votes in Bihar. "Those who forced Biharis to migrate and ruined Bihar are now at their final stage. Like Dhritarashtra, blinded by affection for his sons, they are once again trying to create unrest in Bihar and disrupt social harmony to destroy the state. But now, Biharis will not tolerate it," Vijay Kumar Sinha told reporters. Sinha claimed that those who forced Biharis to migrate and ruined Bihar are now at their final stage and are trying to create unrest in the state. He emphasised that Biharis will no longer tolerate this and will move forward towards peace, prosperity, and a developed Bihar with social harmony. "Now, Biharis will move forward towards peace, prosperity, and a developed Bihar with social harmony. The dream that has begun to be realised through the commitment of the country's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will now be fulfilled," he said. This comes after Lalu Prasad Yadav shared an 'X' post on September 5 targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he discriminated against Bihar and moved factories to Gujarat. "Hey Modi ji, Do you want victory from Bihar and give the factory in Gujarat? This Gujarati formula won't work in Bihar!," RJD supremo posted on X. RJD leader and Lalu Yadav's son, Tejashwi Yadav also chimed in earlier, suggesting that the people of Bihar are not made for labor work and that the state's issues, such as poverty, unemployment, crime, migration, and poor health and education systems, need to be addressed. "Modi Ji! Bihar will not fall for your false promises. This time's issue is poverty, unemployment, crime, migration, better health and education system! You want victory from Bihar and will set up factories in Gujarat! The people of Bihar are not made for labor work," Tejashwi Yadav posted on X. Notably, the political row between the two sides began with a now-deleted post by the Kerala Congress unit, which compared Bihar to bidis (tobacco products) in the context of GST reforms. The post sparked outrage among Bihar leaders, with BJP and JD(U) leaders accusing Congress of insulting the state and its people. Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal called the Congress post "an insult to Biharis," while Union Minister Nityanand Rai said that people of Bihar will teach a lesson to those who hurt their self-respect. JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha demanded a response from opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav, asking whether Bihar should be equated with bidi. Another JD(U) spokesperson, Neeraj Kumar, also sought a response from Yadav. The Bihar elections are expected to be held later this year, in October or November; however, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not yet 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 comprises 111 members, with the RJD leading with 77 MLAs, followed by Congress with 19, CPI(ML) with 11, CPI(M) with 2, and CPI with 2. (ANI) There are close to 700,000 Russian service members deployed in Ukraine, including National Guard soldiers, special forces, and support units, Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) spokesperson Andrii Yusov said on Sept. 5. "The majority is deployed in Donetsk Oblast, which shows... (Russia's) priorities," Yusov said in an interview with Ukrainian news channel Novyny.Live. Ukraine's army fields almost 900,000 service members across the country, but President Volodymyr Zelensky said in January that Russia continues to hold a numerical advantage in some front-line sectors due to the concentration of forces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time, the Russian contingent in Ukraine counted 600,000 troops, Zelensky said. Despite reportedly suffering over 1 million soldiers killed and wounded during the full-scale war, Russia has been consistently able to offset its losses by fresh contract soldiers, while Kyiv faces increasingly critical manpower shortages. Moscow has also received North Korean reinforcements, with thousands of troops expected to arrive after the initial batch of 11,000-12,000 soldiers who were deployed in Russia's Kursk Oblast in late 2024. The North Korean contingent helped Russia fend off a Ukrainian incursion into the Russian border region, reportedly suffering 2,000 soldiers killed in combat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked if North Korean troops have joined hostilities on Ukrainian territory, Yusov responded that Pyongyang's forces currently remain in Russia. North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, who met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing earlier this week, has been a key ally to Moscow during the full-scale war, providing not only soldiers but also artillery shells and ballistic missiles. "Along the entire front, 40-60% of artillery shells fired at Ukraine and Ukrainian soldiers are North Korean-made these are huge numbers," Yusov said. "If this factor were taken away, Russia's fire support and strike capabilities would be much smaller," the spokesperson said, noting that North Korean artillery and missile supplies play a much more significant role than the troop deployment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Behind Ukraines manpower crisis lies a bleak new battlefield reality for infantry Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Lobby of the Munroe-Meyer Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The institute is one place where families seek help and services for youths challenged with autism.(Courtesy of Munroe-Meyer Institute) LINCOLN At least 135 Nebraska youths challenged by autism have suffered interrupted services as a result of cuts the state made in August to Medicaid reimbursement rates, according to preliminary findings of a survey by national advocates. Mariel Fernandez of the Council of Autism Service Providers offered an early peek at the survey during an interim legislative hearing Friday to hear about possible fallout and benefits of the reductions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking to the Legislatures Health and Human Services Committee, Fernandez was clear that she does not oppose an adjustment. Indeed, she said she was shocked to learn how high some of Nebraskas treatment reimbursements had gotten relative to surrounding states. Mariel Fernandez of the Council of Autism Service Providers is among speakers who were invited to speak during an interim study hearing before the Legislatures Health and Human Services Committee. (Screenshot of hearing) However, Fernandez said that the council members believe the changes DHHS adopted amount to an overcorrection and requested that the department conduct further study to prevent negative impacts on access to care or an exacerbation of a worker shortage. She said she knows of a couple of service providers already exiting the state. Fernandez suggested the state implement an accreditation process to get rid of providers trying to make a buck because rates are favorable. Other speakers Friday also suggested better vetting to assist in achieving the committees goal: long-term sustainability and elimination of exploitative practices. Interim study The three-hour hearing at the Capitol was part of an interim study to inform lawmakers how they might help ensure the viability of the states Medicaid-funded Applied Behavior Analysis services. Also known as ABA, the therapy and support helps people with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental and social communication delays function better in society. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Council of Autism Service Providers has said the Nebraska cuts to Medicaid reimbursement rates range from 28% to 79%, depending on the service or therapy. Only invited guests only spoke during Friday hearing , which was open to the public. State Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering, the HHS committee chair who said he raised a child with an autism disorder, scheduled the hearing following concerns lawmakers fielded from families and others about the impact of the reimbursement rate changes that went into effect Aug. 1. State Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering. Jan. 9, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) DHHS said its review showed Nebraska had the highest reimbursement rates of any state ABA program leading to an increase in state expenses of more than 2,000% since 2020. Five years ago, Nebraska paid about $4.6 million for ABA services. Last year, the amount soared to $85.6 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was an increase HHSs Matthew Ahern described as the fastest hes seen in any single program. Medicaid-eligible youths served in Nebraska grew from about 169 in 2020 to about 1,150 three years later, DHHS has said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 31 children is affected by autism spectrum disorder, a developmental disability with challenges ranging from social communication to repetitive behaviors. Hardin said his concerns included middle men organizations, which employ people who directly work with the youths, taking a significant chunk of the reimbursements. He alleged that some moved to or expanded in Nebraska after seeing a potential for profit-making, fueled by the Legislatures approval in 2023 of a 17% hike for behavioral health services. He referred also to a troubling absence of background checks for registered behavior technicians who work directly with children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shall we say we didnt exactly mind the farm? Hardin said. He later added: How do responsible adults in the room make decisions that are wise without continuing to pay for bad acting and not face a clawback? Blistering report State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston, another member of the committee, expressed concern about a possible federal clawback of funds, as has happened to a few states whose ABA programs were investigated. Ahern, the DHHS deputy director, said the risk is certainly there, adding that is why the agency tightened its program. Matt Ahern, deputy director, Department of Health and Human Services. (Courtesy of DHHS) Another speaker, Addie Angelov, CEO of the Indiana-based nonprofit Paramount Health Data Project, spoke about a blistering 2024 report of Indianas growing ABA program by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report outlined audacious fiscal improprieties, she said, and alleged at least $56 million in improper fee-for-service Medicaid payments. The OIG in that case recommended Indiana refund nearly $40 million to the federal government. A similar OIG probe of Wisconsin found that the state made at least $18.5 million in improper fee-for-service Medicaid payments for ABA services to youths. Among the OIGs recommendations was a $12 million refund to the federal government. Angelov noted that Indianas governor established a commission this year to find ways to reduce the rising costs identified in the audit while maintaining care. She encouraged Nebraskas HHS legislative committee to consider changes, including holding all entities that serve students with an autism disorder to national standards of best practices, evaluation and auditing. She said pediatricians, insurance companies and schools must meet accreditation standards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Currently standalone ABA therapy providers are the only entity that does not have a checks and balances in place, Angelov said. Vetting these organizations that serve them should be a top priority. All very new Amy Nordness of the University of Nebraska Medical Centers Monroe-Meyer Institute said Medicaid rate reductions wont stop MMI from providing services to youths on the autism spectrum. But, she said services likely would look different as a result. State Sen. John Fredrickson of Omaha. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) Asked by State Sen. John Fredrickson of Omaha to elaborate, she said it likely could mean increasing caseload size for supervisors who oversee techs that work directly with the youths. It also could prompt more diversification of the client base at some clinics to include more non-Medicaid patients. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What Im hearing is there might be reduced availability to provide services to folks on Medicaid, Fredrickson said. Nordness said that is a possibility, adding that this is all very new. She said the nonprofit MMI which she described as one of the biggest and oldest developmental disability centers in the world is not about turning a profit. But it needs to cover costs, she said. We have to find the right balance, said Nordness. Of quality of treatment, she said: Thats not something well skimp on. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE NEED TO KNOW Brenda Cecilia Aguero was convicted of killing five newborns and attempting to kill eight more Prosecutors say she injected the infants with potassium and insulin during her shifts Experts testified the insulin levels were higher than those seen in adults with advanced pancreatic cancer In just three months at an Argentinian neonatal unit, five babies died and eight more went into crisis each tied to the same nurses shift. In June 2025, a jury in Cordoba convicted Brenda Cecilia Aguero of five counts of aggravated murder and eight counts of attempted murder after a six-month trial and about 10 hours of deliberation, according to the Buenos Aires Times, El Pais and the Buenos Aires Herald. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was sentenced to life in prison at Bouwer Penitentiary, with parole eligibility after 35 years. According to the outlets, she has maintained her innocence while behind bars, claiming she was a scapegoat for systemic failures at the hospital. She was playing God. She decided who lived and who died, attorney Daniela Morales Leanza said while describing the pattern and motive in court, the Buenos Aires Herald reported. Per the outlet, court-presented psychological and psychiatric evaluations described narcissistic and eccentric traits, lack of empathy and satisfaction in others suffering, and said her motivation included seeking recognition and advancing her career. Daniel Bustos/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock The first emergency tied to the case was recorded in March 2022 at Hospital Materno Neonatal Ramon Carrillo, where a previously stable, healthy newborn developed sudden cardiorespiratory distress, El Pais reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the following weeks, other healthy infants experienced acute respiratory failure or cardiac arrest without a clear medical cause, and two neonatologists made a judicial complaint that prompted a formal probe, per the outlet. A pivotal stretch came on June 67, 2022, when two babies died and two others nearly died during a single shift, the Buenos Aires Herald reported. According to the outlet, staff and families later described needle marks and, in one case, a prick in the back, leading doctors to convene to question medications and procedures. Prosecutors argued Aguero injected potassium and insulin into the infants, provoking lethal arrhythmias, El Pais and the Buenos Aires Times reported. According to the outlets, autopsies in two deaths found hyperkalemia consistent with injected potassium, and experts testified that insulin levels in some of the newborns were so extraordinarily high they are not even seen in adults with advanced pancreatic cancer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This, according to experts, indicated administration with no medical indication, per the Herald. One mother testified that she saw Aguero take her baby, turn away, and return the child shortly before the infant stopped breathing, the Buenos Aires Herald reported, adding that eight babies survived overall. One survivor has irreversible neurological damage doctors linked to insulin, and another developed severe scoliosis after a potassium injection in the back. Aguero was arrested and charged on Aug. 19, 2022, according to La Nacion. I am not that monster that they have created in the media. I understand the pain of the mothers, but I am not the serial killer that they made everyone believe, she said in her final statement in court, per the Buenos Aires Herald. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The trial also resulted in five other convictions of hospital and provincial health officials for concealment and omission-of-duty counts, the Buenos Aires Times and Chequeado reported. Per those outlets, former hospital director Liliana Asis and former administrative sub-secretary Alejandro Escudero Salama received 64 months behind bars, former neonatology head Martha Gomez Flores received five years, former patient-safety coordinator Maria Luisa Moralez received five years that was suspended and former provincial health secretary Pablo Carvajal received a suspended four-year sentence. All five remain free under bond conditions until the judgment is final. Read the original article on People KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) The old palace in the heart of Nepal's Kathmandu was packed to the brim as tens of thousands of devotees celebrated the beginning of the monthslong festival season on Saturday. Men and boys in colorful masks and gowns representing Hindu deities danced to traditional music and drums, drawing throngs of spectators as families gathered for feasts and lit incense for the dead at shrines. The weeklong Indra Jatra festival is the first of many other coming celebrations in the predominantly Hindu nation, which include Dasain, the main festival, celebrated later this month, and Tihar, or Diwali, the festival of lights, in October. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the heart of the crowd, devotees could be seen pulling a wooden chariot with a young girl, known as Kumari, or virgin in the Nepali language, who is revered as a living goddess by Hindus and Buddhists. Tens of thousands of devotees lined up the narrow streets of inner Kathmandu to worship Kumari, including Nepal's president, prime minister and several top officials. The Indra Jatra festival marks the end of the monsoon and rice farming season and signals the dawn of fall. Its celebrated mostly by the Newar community, the native residents of Kathmandu. It is also known as the festival of deities and demons and especially honors Indra, the Hindu god of rain. The masked dancers, one of the highlights of the ceremony, can be fearsome, entertaining and awe-inspiring, depending on the performers movements. Sources told KAN that Halevi had tried to push for a one-time deal to end the war and free the hostages, believing it would be easier to fight Hamas without hostages in the Gaza Strip. Former IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi reportedly proposed a ceasefire deal that would have released all hostages in Gaza in exchange for total Hamas control over Gaza, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused, Israeli public broadcaster KAN News reported on Friday evening. Sources told KAN that Halevi had tried to push for a one-time deal to end the war and free the hostages before the ground invasion of Rafah. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement IDF officers from the Operations Directorate and the Strategic Directorate presented a range of scenarios to the security cabinet, demonstrating how Hamas could be defeated following a ceasefire deal. At the time, IDF assessments indicated that it would be easier to defeat Hamas once the hostages were removed from Gaza. A Palestinian Hamas terrorist displays guns on the day of the handover of hostages, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, February 22, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Hatem Khaled) Netanyahu rejected Halevi's unilateral ceasefire idea However, Netanyahu and other cabinet members reportedly rejected the idea and said it indicated "defeat" for Israel. Officials familiar with the discussions told KAN that the plan was shelved so quickly that it was never even brought to the Israeli negotiating team in Qatar. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, Netanyahu decided to move forward with a multi-stage agreement that allowed the hostages to be released in phases. The deal was implemented, but never reached the second stage, under which all of the remaining living hostages would be released. Friday marked 700 days since the October 7 Hamas attacks and abduction of the hostages. On Friday the IDF conducted strikes in Gaza City, the start of a large new invasion of the city. This operation aims to destroy Hamas infrastructure, weaken the terrorist group of power, and bring about an end to the grueling war efforts. Negotiations are once again underway, with US President Donald Trump saying that Hamas is in "very deep" in the process of working out a new hostage and ceasefire deal. Four years after Myanmars military seized power in a coup, the junta remains largely internationally isolated but it found a sudden and important foothold in Asia this week. Increasingly, some of the regions most powerful leaders are extending diplomatic recognition to General Min Aung Hlaing, offering him a platform on the global stage despite accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Xi Jinping rolled out the red carpet in Tianjin for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit last week, where Min Aung Hlaing hobnobbed with dictators and democratically-elected leaders alike. The junta hailed the successful and fruitful trip as proof of growing international recognition. The general held bilateral talks with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, discussed cooperation with Xi, and was photographed alongside Russian president Vladimir Putin and leaders from more than 20 countries. For a man largely shunned by the international community since ousting Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021 and igniting a brutal civil war, it was a striking moment of rehabilitation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement China and Russia have long shielded the regime diplomatically and militarily. What is surprising now, however, is the willingness of India the worlds largest democracy to extend public recognition to Myanmars generals. Indias engagement jars with its democratic identity, and its self-styled role as a counterweight to autocracies in Asia. On Sunday, Modi met Min Aung Hlaing on the sidelines of the SCO summit, and Modi even went as far as to express his hope that the upcoming elections in Myanmar would be "held in a fair and inclusive manner involving all stakeholders". Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet Myanmar's Senior General Min Aung Hlaing at BIMSTEC Summit, in Bangkok, Thailand, 4 April The election Modi refers to will be an entirely stage-managed affair, given the military rounded up and jailed most of the countrys civilian leadership when it carried out its coup, as well as thousands of supporters and volunteers from its most popular political party. The Independent released a documentary at the end of last year putting a spotlight on this episode and how Suu Kyi lost the support of the international community in the lead-up to the coup. The election, the junta says, will be held in stages in December 2025 and January 2026. Further dates may be declared but cannot yet due to security risks, the junta says an implicit admission that it still faces a fight for control of large swathes of the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Myanmars government-in-exile, the National Unity Government (NUG), condemned diplomatic engagement with Min Aung Hlaing, saying those acknowledging his sham election were indirectly endorsing the militarys war crimes and crimes against humanity. This sham election will not be free and fair. What is certain, however, is that it will be a blood-stained election, U Nay Phone Latt, spokesperson for the NUG, told The Independent. Meeting with the military leader in this manner is completely against the will and stance of the people of Myanmar. The NUG, which represents the elected administration ousted by the coup, accuses the junta of using images from such encounters as propaganda, while warning that the military will commit targeted human rights violations and brutal atrocities in the run-up to its staged polls. According to Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, the junta's survival hinges on three pillars: Money, weapons, and legitimacy. Myanmar's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing (C) speaks during a bilateral meeting with China's President Xi Jinping ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit (POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Indian prime minister Modis meeting with the general and his comments about the election risk providing the kind of legitimacy the junta needs to stay in power, he tells The Independent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement India has expressed hope for fair and inclusive elections in Myanmar. But the brutal fact is that tens of thousands of these stakeholders are political prisoners, languishing behind bars, including Myanmars democratically elected president and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. You cannot have a fair and inclusive election when political opponents are arrested, detained, tortured and executed. China pledged for the first time to support Myanmars efforts to become a full member of the SCO during Xis meeting with Min Aung Hlaing in Tianjin. The Chinese leader discussed opposing foreign interference in Myanmars politics, Chinas positive stance and future actions for the countrys stability and peace, the National Defence and Security Council said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This was general Min Aung Hlaings second visit to China and his second meeting with Xi since the 2021 coup. Unlike their earlier encounter in Moscow in May on the sidelines of Russias Victory Day celebrations, this time Xi personally invited him to attend the SCO Summit and the subsequent military parade on Wednesday, giving him a prominent spot alongside leaders from more than 20 nations. Myanmar military chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, center left, talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, center right, during their meeting in Moscow, Russia 9 May Chinas support for Myanmars bid to join the SCO is yet another example of its efforts to bolster the juntas legitimacy. Let us keep reminding the world: the junta is illegal, it is criminal, and it does not deserve to be represented at any multilateral organisation, Benedict Rogers, senior director of the human rights NGO Fortify Rights, tells The Independent. He says there is a very serious risk that engagement of the kind we have seen recently risks wrongfully legitimising the junta. Let us never forget that this junta is completely illegitimate. It seized power in an illegal coup, overthrowing the democratically elected government. It has jailed the countrys legitimate leaders, arresting and imprisoning almost 30,000 political prisoners over the past four years. And it is conducting a war against the people of Myanmar with airstrikes, ground attacks and massacres that have killed thousands and displaced an estimated four million people, he says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said the regime should be sanctioned, prosecuted for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide not given a red carpet welcome by a country that repeatedly professes to be a force for global peace. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Myanmar's Military leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing talk during their meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, 4 March (AP) Indias position is tangled in contradictions. As the worlds largest democracy, New Delhis courtship of Myanmars junta has invited particular scrutiny. Modis handshake with general Min Aung Hlaing was more than just a diplomatic gesture it symbolised the hard pragmatism of a neighbour where fears over border security and rivalry with China routinely trump democratic solidarity. Yet this approach carries reputational risks. India needs to seriously reconsider its position. It has the potential to be not only a moral leader in the region but a serious counterpoint to the axis of authoritarianism led by China and Russia, Rogers said. It does not belong in Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putins club of tyrants. He underscores that embracing Min Aung Hlaing and his blood-stained, criminal junta only bodes ill for those who do so, and for us all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement UN investigators have gathered evidence of systematic torture, summary executions of fighters and suspected informers, the detention of children as young as two in place of their parents, and airstrikes deliberately targeting schools, homes and hospitals. The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) covering a period from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 found evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Myanmar with an increasing frequency since the 2021 military coup. Shayna Bauchner, Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch, says any engagement with Min Aung Hlaing undercuts crucial efforts by Myanmar activists to pressure and isolate an individual who the ICC prosecutor has requested an arrest warrant against for crimes against humanity. Instead of shaking hands with an alleged war criminal, leaders should be publicly condemning the juntas farcical elections and coordinating with other concerned governments, particularly regional actors, to deny the junta any technical assistance or support. Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this article incorrectly described details about the death of Erin Humes fiance. The manner by which the suspect in Humes stabbing made it to her home was also described incorrectly. Tyler Andrew Riddle dripped with charisma and smarts. Towering nearly a foot over Erin Hume, he had her in love shortly after they met in late 2024. The relationship between Riddle and Hume quickly turned rocky. Shortly after midnight on Aug. 22, Riddle is accused of climbing through the bedroom window of her west Mesa home with a 5-inch steak knife and, according to Hume, stabbed her 22 times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Riddle, 33, was indicted Sept. 3 on suspicion of attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and assault, according to court documents. Recovering from her injuries in a hospital, Hume, 36, spoke with The Arizona Republic about how she found herself caught in what she described as a toxic relationship that nearly cost her life. "The hold that he had on me was just really strong, and I don't understand it," Hume said. 'I was trying to get him out of my life' Hume and Riddle met at an outpatient facility while she was still grieving her fiance, who was the father of the youngest of her two sons. Years after he had gotten sober, her longtime partner had died from a fentanyl overdose. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After kicking heroin several years earlier, Hume began abusing other substances, including alcohol, following her fiance's death. She said Riddle later introduced her to psychedelics and, according to her, became verbally abusive. Tyler Andrew Riddle (left) and Erin Hume were in a monthslong relationship, according to Hume. Riddle was indicted on multiple felonies, including attempted murder, in an Aug. 22, 2025, stabbing that led to Hume's hospitalization, according to court documents and Hume. In early July, Hume entered rehab. After returning home, she said she broke off her relationship with Riddle, but he kept coming back. "I was trying to get him out of my life, and he just wouldnt go," Hume said. The night Riddle is accused of trying to kill Hume began normally, she said. He was supposed to pick up some belongings from her home and finally leave her life, but, as she drove him there, he became hostile. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, Hume dropped him off at a busy intersection in west Mesa. What came next has been pieced together from what she said authorities told her. Riddle is accused of arriving at her home, entering and then punching her sons, ages 7 and 12, in the face. According to court documents, he was also indicted on two counts of child abuse in connection with the incident. "My kids are strong and brave," she said, noting how her oldest called 911. "If he didn't, I would not be here." 'Look at the red flags because if you don't ... this is what happens' Hume's father, Donald Hume, set up a GoFundMe to help cover medical expenses for her injuries, which he said included a punctured liver, a punctured diaphragm, a collapsed lung, and two wounds in the back of her neck. He also said her throat had been nearly slashed from ear to ear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It didn't penetrate far enough, thank God, or she would have bled out and died," Donald Hume said. Reflecting on her time with Riddle, Erin Hume said her family and friends repeatedly warned her about him. Her mother even told her she would end up a murder victim featured on the true-crime cable channel Investigation Discovery. "Look at the red flags because if you don't and you ignore them, this is what happens," Erin Hume said. "You never think it is going to be you until it's you." As of Sept. 5, Riddle was being held at a Maricopa County jail on a $250,300 bond, according to jail records. Court documents did not list a specific attorney for him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, Erin Hume says she feels a sense of freedom. "It feels really good to not have to talk to him or answer his phone calls," she said of Riddle. After this near-death experience, Erin Hume is trying to come to terms with how she ever let herself get to this point. Through tears, she said she felt she was searching for someone to fill the void left by her late fiance. In a moment of clarity, she said of the man she loved and lost: "He's still supporting me in some way because I'm still here." Resources for Arizonans experiencing domestic violence include: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arrested: Mesa rehab employee accused of trying to sell Adderall, asking former teen patient for fentanyl This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Stabbed 22 times, Mesa woman speaks out on ex-boyfriend, now indicted EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) This week on Newsmakers: a political potpourri. First, Ted Nesi sits down one-on-one with Congressman Seth Magaziner to discuss his work to ban members of Congress from trading stocks. Next, an encore of Kim Kalunians live interview with Gov. Dan McKee. Then, Tim White is joined by Eli Sherman for a look at the battle between New England leaders and President Trump over the Revolution Wind project. Prefer your Newsmakers on the go? Subscribe to our podcast! Apple | Spotify Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app. Follow us on social media: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup 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 WPRI.com. Sep. 5Phase 2 of the Sixth Avenue Southeast streetscape began this week with the replacement of the sidewalk on the east side of Sixth Avenue between Prospect and Gordon drives at Delano Park. The outside lane of northbound Sixth Avenue was closed Thursday while Grayson Carter & Son, a project contractor, removed and prepared to replace the old sidewalk, City Engineer Carl Prewitt said Thursday. Prewitt said motorists should expect single-lane closures in the coming months during the sidewalk work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We don't know how fast or slow this work will progress because that depends a lot on the weather," Prewitt said. The new sidewalks are part of a $10 million plan to beautify the 1-mile stretch of Sixth Avenue between the Hudson Memorial Bridge and Prospect Drive Southeast. Decatur Utilities and the cable companies moved utilities underground in the first phase of the project. For the second phase of the project, the city is using a $7.15 million bond while adding $918,901 from the general fund budget. With the help of state Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, the city received a $640,000 Transportation Alternatives Program grant from the Alabama Department of Transportation to pay for the new sidewalks along this portion of Sixth Avenue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TAP grants usually have a deadline by which a project must be completed, but the city got an extension because state projects including rehabilitation work on the Interstate 65 bridge delayed work on the streetscape. Roadway medians and landscaping, pedestrian crossings and cobra traffic lights, which hang from curved poles over the road rather than power lines, will follow sidewalk replacement. Prewitt said he doesn't know when the traffic lights, poles and related equipment will be delivered. The second phase will also include changing the traffic patterns by adding cement barriers and eliminating three traffic lights and left-turn lanes along the route. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Council President Jacob Ladner said he's happy to see the next phase begin after what seems like a long wait. "I feel like it was one of the first big projects we approved," said Ladner, who was elected to the City Council in 2020 and did not seek reelection last month. "It just shows how long it takes to get things started, especially when you're dealing with ALDOT," Ladner said. The Alabama Department of Transportation approved and issued permits for the project because it is responsible for the management and upkeep of Sixth Avenue, which is part of U.S. 31. bayne.hughes@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2432 The NHS is facing a brain drain as the number of doctors quitting Britain to work overseas hits a 10-year high. More than 4,000 doctors left the UK to practise abroad last year, new figures from the General Medical Council (GMC) show, the highest annual total in a decade. About a quarter of this group were aged 40 or older, fuelling concerns that the NHS is losing valuable institutional knowledge and experienced staff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr Amit Kochhar of the British Medical Association (BMA) declared a workforce crisis and warned that the number of doctors quitting the UK was going to become a huge problem for us. Prof James Buchan, a senior visiting fellow at the Health Foundation, said the exodus clearly has implications for patient care quality and the ability of the NHS to meet patient demand. A report into the state of the NHS carried out last year by Lord Darzi warned the health service was in critical condition, with A&E at breaking point, long waiting lists normalised and no progress whatsoever in diagnosing cancer. Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, has said the health service is broken. The increase in medical staff moving abroad comes amid complaints of burnout and years of industrial disputes between ministers and resident doctors, previously known as junior doctors. A dispute over pay led to five days of strikes in July. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The high level of doctors moving abroad to places like Australia, Canada and Ireland has forced the NHS to rely on foreign workers, with around a third of NHS staff hired from abroad. Mr Streeting has warned that the NHS has become over reliant on poaching foreign doctors to fill vacancies and demanded that the health service prioritise training more home-grown talent. The GMC figures suggest the health service may struggle, with a growing number of doctors choosing to practise abroad once they qualify. The exodus means doctors who remained in the UK are left to deal with heavier workloads, rota gaps and rising levels of burnout, according to Dr Amit Kochhar, chairman of the British Medical Associations representative body. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said: We are leaking doctors at an unsustainable rate. In a situation where there is a workforce crisis already, driven by years of inadequate workforce planning and recurrent failure to value and invest in staff, this leaking bucket is going to become a huge problem for us. Prof James Buchan, a senior visiting fellow at the Health Foundation, said: It does create a replacement challenge for the NHS and clearly has implications for patient care quality and the ability of the NHS to meet patient demand. In order to work abroad, doctors must apply for a certificate of good standing from the GMC, relinquish their licence from the British medical regulator and register with the medical regulator overseas. Analysis by The Telegraph found that 4,179 doctors had applied for a certificate of good standing to work overseas in 2024 and no longer held a licence to practise in the UK, suggesting they had relocated abroad that year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The annual figure has risen by more than a thousand over the last decade and is up from 3,737 in 2023. The Telegraph has previously reported that the number of doctors applying for a certificate to work abroad, though not necessarily leaving, reached a ten-year high of 8,661 in 2023. This number has continued to rise and reached a new high of 10,685 in 2024. Beccy Baird, a senior fellow at the Kings Fund, said many doctors were choosing to move overseas because the work is less intense and the money goes further. She added: Doctors are struggling, particularly with burnout, with high workload and with the stress of not being able to provide the quality of care they want to provide. Doing corridor care feels unsafe for them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prof Buchan said workload, stress, [and] career opportunities were all pushing doctors overseas. A fifth of NHS doctors surveyed by the GMC last month said they were considering giving up their careers in the UK. One in eight said they were considering leaving to work overseas. Dr Kochhar said: Without urgent action to address pay and working conditions, the NHS risks a downward spiral of staff loss and falling morale. As well as impacting healthcare, taxpayers face a significant cost from the exodus of doctors abroad. Taxpayers spend 420,533 to train each consultant, based on 2022 estimates from the University of Kent. Rough calculations suggesting the departure of over 4,000 doctors from the UK last year could therefore cost taxpayers as much as 1.7bn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As part of the 10-Year Health Plan announced by Mr Streeting in July, NHS care providers will be tasked with reducing the number of doctors hired from abroad to 10pc, down from 34pc. Graduates of medical schools in the UK will be given priority ahead of overseas recruits in a bid to reduce dependence on doctors from abroad. Dr Kochhar said the NHS needed to do more to help newly qualified doctors climb the ladder. He said: Its absurd for the UK to subsidise the training of doctors only to find they cant get a job at the end. Pay and career progression are the two most important things. This year, 33,000 doctors in the UK applied for 13,000 speciality training positions, according to data from the BMA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Australia has consistently been the most popular country for UK doctors looking to practise elsewhere. Doctors also opted to relocate to Canada and Ireland in high numbers last year. A GMC spokesman said: The retention of dedicated doctors remains a national challenge. Their contribution to the UKs healthcare system is invaluable. We know many doctors have raised concerns about burnout and unmanageable workloads. Tackling these issues and creating safe, supportive working environments will help to retain talent and ensure the long-term sustainability of the workforce. An NHS spokesman said: The proportion of doctors choosing to work abroad has remained constant for the past decade about 1pc with the raw number increasing because there are more doctors than ever before in the NHS. As part of our 10-year plan, we are committed to increasing the number of GPs and speciality training places, with an additional 1,000 training places available over the next three years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is a lot more to do improve the professional lives of our hardworking clinicians, and we are doing all we can to retain staff through initiatives to improve working in the NHS. 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. A youth named Ayush Ganesh Komkar was shot dead by two unknown assailants in Pune's Nana Peth area on Friday evening, according to police. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Nikhil Pingle, Ayush was rushed to Sassoon Hospital but was declared dead on arrival. Speaking to the reporters, Nikhil Pingale said, "In the Nanapet area, a tragic incident occurred where Ayush Ganesh Kumkar, a local boy, was fatally shot in the basement of his home by two unknown assailants. He was rushed to Sassoon Hospital but was declared dead by the doctors." The police have launched an investigation, with six Crime Branch teams and DB teams from various police stations in Zone One working to identify the perpetrators. While the police have gathered some information about the accused, they are yet to apprehend them. DCP Pingle assured that the police are committed to taking strict legal action against those responsible "The police, including six Crime Branch teams and DB teams from various police stations in Zone One, are investigating the case. They have gathered some information about the unidentified accused and are committed to treating all responsible parties with the strictest possible legal action," Pingale said. Pingale said police have gathered some information about the accused and assured that all those responsible will face the strictest legal action. Further information on the incident is still awaited. Earlier on September 4, one worker lost his life while 17 others were injured after a massive explosion occurred at the Solar Explosives Company near Bazargaon in Maharashtra's Nagpur in the early hours on Thursday, said officials. All the injured have been rushed to various private hospitals in Nagpur, with four reported to be in critical condition. The blast took place at the CB-1 plant of the company. Witnesses said that smoke was noticed before the explosion, which alerted senior workers who immediately asked everyone to evacuate. Most workers managed to escape in time, but Mayur Ganvir, who was inside the plant, could not make it out. Moments later, a powerful explosion ripped through the unit. The intensity of the blast was such that parts of the building were blown several meters away. Flying debris struck several workers, causing multiple injuries. Police, fire brigade teams, and senior district officials rushed to the spot soon after the incident. (ANI) SPRINGFIELD A Springfield home remains mired in the court system more than a year after the city deemed it unfit for habitation when police discovered a pet-hoarding, garbage-filled mess. The owner, Rebecca Hayward, bought the house at 284 Denver St. sight unseen, foregoing an inspection after the Springfield Fire Department gave it passing grades before the final sale. This, despite a slew of electric hazards and a fuel tank wedged at the bottom of the basement stairs. A week after Hayward closed the deal, the house was condemned by a code inspector. Police found 33 sickly and starved dogs, two cats, and every surface covered with trash, animal urine and feces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After spending thousands of dollars and countless hours in the Western Housing Court, Hayward was able to evict the tenants. But the problems associated with their eight-year tenancy stuck around. A judge called this the most embarrassing public housing fiasco hed ever seen, in an early hearing in the case, Hayward said Friday, when she was required to appear in court yet again. Haywards attorney, Rich Herbert, said the city and court bungled the handling of the house since the beginning. My client was ordered to provide a hotel for the two tenants, a decision was that was reversed after proving the egregious conditions to the court, he said. Its hard to understate the financial and emotional toll this has taken on my client. Attack of the fleas This time, her challenge was to fight receivership, or the city taking control over the property as a last resort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is the most Draconian measure the city can impose against the homeowner we only invoke it when all else fails," said Stephen J. Buoniconti, the city solicitor for Springfield. Hayward says she has encountered several key barriers in trying to bring the property up to code. One city inspector became infested with fleas while assessing the home and refuses to return. Contractors she has attempted to retain to rehabilitate have refused to enter the place. After the house was condemned, the former tenants were ordered to clean up the mess they had made. Very little happened, Hayward said. She complied with the requirement to board up the home. Then the city pursued receivership. This has all been going on for more than a year, city attorney Julia Glybin told a Housing Court judge Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge agreed to extend the deadline for Hayward to present a rehabilitation or demolition plan. That is scheduled for Nov. 5. A hearing on Haywards attorneys motion to vacate the receivership was continued until December. To further complicate a complex legal situation, the city failed to properly notify a lien holder about the receivership. Hayward was surprised to see social media posts from the purported receiver online. He was online telling everyone to congratulate him on his first flip. Friends called me asking about it, said Hayward, who, for now, has resumed responsibility for the Denver Street property after Fridays hearing. Buoniconti said applicants are closely vetted for the receivership role and must submit detailed repair plans and accurate cost estimates before the court approves the transition to a receiver. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That person then secures a lien on the property that supersedes any other lien, except for taxes and fees owed to the city. Under state law, receivers are not supposed to profit, but many do, Buoniconti said. Receivership can be a nudge-wink system, attorneys say. The city essentially wrests control of a homeowners property and hands it to a third party, Buoniconti said. It typically happens when the situation becomes, or weve become, too exhausted by trying other remedies. Seen as less dangerous Hayward said the Denver Street property was far more dangerous before she sounded an alarm, after she bought the house last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Buoniconti said the city has 15 properties under receivership, stretched out across Springfield. There are no zip codes that are common denominators. Most of them are single-family homes. The people associated with the properties are often struggling with mental illness or poverty. We take this process very, very seriously because it impacts not only the residents of a home but the neighborhood as well, he said. Youre asking about a process that is foreign to nearly everyone. The costs the receiver has incurred so far, for expenses like Dumpsters, total about $3,000. Hayward will likely be responsible for that. The city does not stand to profit from such transactions. Read the original article on MassLive. Sep. 5The New Mexico State Forestry Division has lifted fire restrictions for more than a dozen counties in New Mexico after a wildfire season that saw nearly 200,000 acres burned across the state. On May 20, the Forestry Division banned fires for non-federal, non-tribal and non-municipal lands in New Mexico amid an increase in wildfires, according to a news release from the agency. Those restrictions were lifted Friday. While Sierra County remains under a fire restriction, the county hopes to rescind it if the area receives enough rainfall throughout the weekend, according to Sierra County Emergency Management spokesperson Ryan Williams. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Mexico has reported over 900 wildfires this year, with Catron, San Juan and Rio Arriba counties experiencing the majority of the fires. On June 17, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued an emergency declaration after the Trout and Buck fires burned roughly 100,000 acres in the Gila National Forest. Humans accounted for 80% of wildfires in 2025, according to State Forestry spokesperson George Ducker. "The top three ways humans cause wildfires in New Mexico include debris and open burning, campfires and outdoor recreation, and equipment use, including working outside with welding or cutting tools," Ducker said. Recent monsoon rains, however, have helped ease wildfire threats across the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Precipitation throughout the monsoon season has helped mitigate drought conditions," said State Forester Laura McCarthy. "However, the public should continue to take steps to prevent human-caused wildfires." State officials have urged the public to use fire cautiously, and advised fire restrictions may be reinstated if fire dangers or other factors present a potential threat. SHAWNEE, Okla. (KFOR) There wont be charges filed against several Nazarene church leaders after they were alleged to have known about years of sexual abuse involving several girls and not report it. It was last fall that 91-year-old Charles Sulivant was arrested in connection with the alleged crimes. He was a board member at the Shawnee First Church of the Nazarene for several years. According to police records, 91-year-old Charles Sulivant had been allegedly molesting young girls, and several pastors at the time knew, but didnt call the police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I talked to the parents, said Johnny Stephens, who had been the pastor at the time of the alleged abuse. He was one of the pastors who told News 4 he didnt call the police. In total, News 4 had been aware of four victims in court documents. One was eight years old, another was nine, a fifteen-year-old, and an eighteen-year-old. The crimes were alleged to have happened from 2008 to 2012. The state submitted new evidence that showed another victim said they were assaulted by Sulivant in 2016. Thousands of marijuana plants seized, arrests made in Ada grow bust The state also filed a statement that said some victims will speak as witnesses in the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No, said Sulivant when News 4 approached him at his home last fall. However, court records showed he talked to police when he was interviewed and told them, Okay, its time to pay up (for what he had done). For months, News 4 has watched as the church leaders who allegedly failed to report never faced criminal charges. According to the Pottawatomie County District Attorney Adam Panter, the statute of limitations stops in Oklahoma at three years. Here are some of the confrontations last fall with former pastor Johnny Stephens: Why? Even if theyre possibly molesting little girls? Well, I need to find out. Thats why I wanted her mother and dad to talk to him, and they did. They assured me that they talked to him and things were okay. So, you know every part of it is redemptive. I was trying to redeem Charles, said Stephens. But you failed, right? Four or five girls are possibly being molested by this gentleman. Did he? Did they? Asked Stephens. I tried my best to watch him. What would you do if you could go back in time? What would I do, police, yeah, said Stephens. I would go back and call the police. And not let him back into the church? No, no. Let him in church, said Stephens. Even after he allegedly molests girls? Im thinking if I had to do it all over again, then yeah. I would have probably called the police. But I was trying to redeem him, said Stephens. I was just at the moment trying to figure it all out. So thats what I did. Maybe it was wrong. Maybe? I dont doubt that it was wrong, said Stephens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the victims, Mike Meeks, a lead pastor, was also told about some of the alleged abuse and didnt report it. News 4 tried Friday to reach out to Meeks, but wasnt able to at his home or over the phone. There is a new Oklahoma law passed this session that would go into effect on November 1st, which would allow officials to criminally charge those who dont report. It would be applied to victims until they are 45 years old. DA Panter said that the new law wont be able to be applied to this case because statute of limitations laws cant be applied retroactively. As for Sulivant, he waived his right to a jury trial this week and has another court date set for December 16th. Charles Sulivant waived his right to both jury trial and bench trial and his case was moved to December 16, 2025, when we expect there to be some type of resolution. There is no plea agreement on the case as I am asking for the maximum sentence to be imposed. Hopefully, at that time, the outcome of the case will give his multiple victims some healing and closure after their long wait for justice, stated DA Panter. 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. VIRGINIA BEACH Windsor Woods residents who have been dealing with an unpleasant smell coming from the creek behind their houses may soon get some relief. Del. Michael Feggans, who represents the district, is working on a plan for environmental nonprofit organizations to fund the installation of an aerator in Thalia Creek. He hopes it will improve the water quality, which could alleviate the stench. An aerator increases oxygen levels in water, breaking down organic muck and reducing algae growth. He and resident John Kirby visited the end of the creek along the 500-block of Water Oak Road on Friday to discuss the potential solution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mosquitos circled their legs, and as the breeze picked up, a sulfur-like smell emanated from the still, mucky, greenish-colored water between two rows of houses. Down here is where a lot of residents were complaining about the smell, said Feggans, as he stepped through the brush to stand along the waters edge. Kirby first noticed the odor from the creek behind his house several years ago. You cant even sit in your home some days, he said. It burns your eyes, your throat. Del. Kelly Convirs-Fowler alerted Feggans about the stink issue last month after residents contacted news media. Their concerns, along with lawmakers outreach, initiated an investigation by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Feggans said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Initial tests indicate no foul play. Rather, Mother Natures not-so-pretty side is showing. No indications of a pollution incident were found, according to the DEQ incident report. The City took water samples and the results support the determination that the odor is not caused by a discreet incident, but is rather due to natural conditions indicative of a low-flow waterbody that receives storm water. The creek is an offshoot of Lake Windsor, which is fed mostly by storm water. The lake is adjacent to Mount Trashmore, a former landfill that was converted into a public park. Theres no leakage from Mount Trashmore, which was a concern of some residents, according to Feggans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That doesnt mean there wasnt a smell, and there werent quality of life issues, he said. Feggans said there may be other areas of the city and the state where the management of creeks such as the one in Windsor Woods need more oversight by localities. Hes considering sponsoring legislation during next years General Assembly sessions that would address the issue, but for now hes focused on Water Oak Road. We need to start off with trying to find some relief for these residents here, he said. After doing some research and meeting with the citys Department of Public Works this week, Feggans said he suggested using an aerator to clean the water. He expects to secure funding for within the next four months and plans to work with homeowners and the city on the installation. Feggans said hes still researching the potential cost, noting aerators can range from $500 to $5,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Resident Sarah Gray said the stench has become stronger and more prevalent in recent years since the city began dredging the creek following Hurricane Matthew. Every year, its just more and more extreme, she said. Its bad. Gray hopes the aerator will help. If it will work, I think it will be great, she said. Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com MILFORD Community members gathered on Friday, Sept. 5, to dedicate a new pavilion to Gunnery Sgt. Elia P. Fontecchio, a Milford resident who died in 2004 while serving with the Marines in Iraq. Family members, veterans, town officials and friends came together at the Italian American War Veterans U.S. Post 40 in Milford to honor Fontecchio's life and service and celebrate the dedication of the pavilion. "This is probably the highest honor I've ever received in my life," Dennis Fontecchio, Elias father, told the Daily News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The idea for the pavilion materialized 18 months ago, from the executive committee of U.S Post 40. According to Jr. Vice Commander Tim McDonough, the decision to name the structure for Elia Fontecchio was unanimous. This new pavilion, outside the Italian American War Veterans U.S. Post 40 in Milford, was dedicated to Gunnery Sgt. Elia Fontecchio, who was killed in 2004 while in Iraq. "There was no question who this was going to be named after and it's our honor to do that," McDonough said during the ceremony. Fallen hero is honored: More than 100 turn out for memorial Mass of Gunnery Sgt. Elia Fontecchio Gunnery Sgt. Fontecchio died Aug. 4, 2004 in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. He was 30 years old at the time of his death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He always wanted to achieve," his mother, Cynthia Fontecchio, told the Daily News. "He was always friendly to everybody and very, very brave." Pavilion is one of three memorials in Milford Milford has previously honored Fontecchio with two other memorials. One is at the corner of Fruit Street Extension and Depot Street, and the other is at the Interstate 495 interchange on Medway Road (Route 16), John Pilla, director of veterans services for Milford, said during Friday's ceremony. This town never stops giving," Dennis Fontecchio said. "We have a bridge, we have a block, all in my sons honor. The family of Gunnery Sgt. Elia Fontecchio gathered for a dedication ceremony on Friday, Sept. 5, at the Italian American War Veterans U.S. Post 40 in Milford. The dedication ceremony featured several speakers who knew Elia and the Fontecchio family. Among them was Sgt. Russell Friedman, who served two tours in Iraq with Elia and remembered him as a good friend and dedicated Marine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres not a day that goes by that I dont think about him or that any of us dont think about him, Friedman said. Cynthia Fontecchio hopes that no one ever forgets her son and everything he accomplished, and that his memory will live on through the pavilion. Well, theyre never going to forget him," she said. "Nobody will ever forget him now." This article originally appeared on The Milford Daily News: Milford veterans group dedicates pavilion to Marine killed in Iraq NORTH ADAMS, Mass. (WWLP) A family in North Adams is still searching for answers after 23-year-old Cyris Sumner went missing over a month ago. Sumner was last seen on July 27. In the events leading up to his disappearance, his family says he sold all of his belongings and quit his job. His wallet was recently found in New York City, which also held his social security and debit cards. Two DC teens arrested in congressional interns killing Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His cousin says that he was not acting like himself and struggled with his mental health before he disappeared. Cyris, your family is here. Were desperately looking for you, said Amanda Hoag, Cyris cousin. Were very worried about you. Please come home. Reach out to the police for help, reach out to somebody to help you. If you need help getting home, somebody will help you. A few sightings have been reported since Cyris disappearance, including one at Mohawk Trail. According to North Adams police, there is a missing report out for the 23-year-old, but there are currently no leads. Anyone with information should contact the North Adams Police Department. 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Sep. 6Spring counts of sharp-tailed grouse in North Dakota were down 13% statewide from 2024, and it appears production wasn't good enough to offset the losses. According to Jesse Kolar, upland game management supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Dickinson, results from August roadside surveys are still a work in progress, but hunters can expect fewer sharptails on the landscape. North Dakota's grouse and partridge season opens Saturday, Sept. 13. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Sharptail are down statewide, in every district," Kolar told the Grand Forks Herald. "Their reproduction was very poor this year, but we also saw fewer adults during our roadside counts. This is one of the worst years for reproduction that we've seen for sharptail in the past 20 years." The average brood size and the ratio of juvenile-to-adult birds both were near 20-year lows, he said. "We normally base our sharptail densities on the spring lek counts because they are not easy to detect on roadside routes, but the decline is significant enough that hunters will notice it this fall," Kolar said. Still, sharptails are only slightly below their 20-year average, Kolar said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One highlight to the summer, Kolar says, was larger broods from late-nesting sharptails, including chicks that were only a few weeks old at the end of the survey period Aug. 31. "However, each successive nest attempt a grouse makes has fewer eggs, so overall, later nesting never makes up for a poor early nesting season," Kolar said. "Our 2025 early nesting season was impacted by rain, storms and overnight lows dipping below 50 degrees all of which hinder incubation and brood rearing." Specific numbers not only for sharptails, but partridge and pheasants, will be available when the department releases its full August roadside survey report in the next few days, Kolar said. Despite the decline in sharptail numbers, gray partridge production looks to be similar to 2024, with slightly smaller brood sizes but fewer adults without broods, "which balanced each other out," Kolar said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The (partridge) numbers remain high in the state, but there were noticeable declines in the northwest part of the state, where densities had been near all-time highs," Kolar said. Game and Fish doesn't conduct brood surveys for ruffed grouse in North Dakota because of the difficulty in locating birds. Spring drumming surveys showed a 17% decline in the Turtle Mountains (eight routes), dropping to just under one drum per stop. In contrast, counts in the Pembina Hills (three routes) averaged 1.79 drums per stop, essentially unchanged from 2024. Game and Fish discontinued the spring drumming count survey in McHenry County in 2018 because there no longer are ruffed grouse at J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge. Traditionally, in areas with good continuous aspen and birch forest habitat, ruffed grouse numbers in the species' limited North Dakota range usually rise and fall in 9- to 10-year cycles of peaks and valleys, the department said in its 2025 Spring Upland Survey Summary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Because the habitat in North Dakota is so fragmented, we have not had a 10-year peak since the late 1990s," the department said. "However, populations have been increasing slightly since 2019. The last year statewide ruffed grouse surveys had more than 2.0 drums per stop was in 1999." North Dakota's season for sharptails, ruffed grouse and gray partridges continues through Jan. 4, 2026. The bag limit for each of the three species is three daily, 12 in possession. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) The Nov. 4 special election is a little less than two months away in San Diego County. Over two million postcards about voting options were sent to local registered voters, the County of San Diego said on its website Friday. Voters should receive their ballots the week of Oct. 6 and return them by Nov. 4. The three options voters will have for returning their ballots include by mail, to one of San Diego County Registrar of Voters official ballot drop boxes or at at any vote center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe called racial slur in recent meeting For the Nov. 4 special election, voters in California will decide whether to adopt Proposition 50, an amendment to the State Constitution related to redistricting. An additional question will be on the ballot for voters in the City of Poways Council District 2 on whether to remove their elected representative on the city council from office. Early voting starts on Monday, Oct. 6, at the Registrar of Voters office in Kearny Mesa. Ballots can be dropped off at any of the Registrars official ballot drop boxes starting Tuesday, Oct. 7 until Nov. 4. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has said that vacancies for teachers in schools across the state will be filled promptly. The Chief Minister was speaking during his interactions with teachers from the remote areas of the State on the occasion of Teachers' Day. He interacted with 37 distinguished teachers from remote areas of 19 districts and recognised them for their outstanding contributions to education. The teachers said the interaction with the Chief Minister was great encouragement. "Together with my team, I think for children all the time. We do everything for them. To ensure that the students can utilise the schemes of the government, we are doing our best in schools. So, the Chief Minister invited us here to encourage us. We express our heartfelt gratitude to him," Unnati Patel, a teacher, told ANI. The Chief Minister extended his greetings for the occasion of Teacher's Day and said that, according to the principle of karma, we must always continue to do good deeds. "Thanks to teachers' consistent and dedicated efforts, parents are now prioritising enrolling their children in government schools. Teachers remain a source of inspiration for all, and for a child, after God, the most important figures are the mother and the teacher," CM Patel said. Chief Minister held a 'Prerna Samvad' with Assistant Teacher Rajeshriben Prahladbhai Patel of Kheroj Primary School, Danta Taluka, Banaskantha district, Head Teacher Nitin Kumar Mahendra Pathak of Rangpur Primary School, Vansda Taluka, Navsari district, and Assistant Teacher Liluben Bharat Godhaniya of PE-Centre Kumar School, Ranavav Taluka, Porbandar district. After his interaction with Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, another teacher said, "Interaction with teachers was a program which has been done in Gujarat for the first time - how is the working of teachers who teach in small villages. CM held direct interactions with them. It felt great because teachers are honoured on Teachers' Day. But today, it felt great that the CM met teachers from small villages." CM Patel emphasised that teachers play a key role in students' holistic development and should impart both textbook and practical knowledge. Government schools, through the "Mid-day meal" and Mukhyamantri Paushtik Alpahar Yojana, provide nutritious meals, boosting student engagement and nutrition. He added that the nation's future depends on its students, making it vital that every child receives an education. Teachers play a crucial role in reducing dropout rates and ensuring universal education. He also stressed the importance of greater collaboration with SMCs and local education advocates to further strengthen school development and learning initiatives. He reaffirmed the government's commitment to providing excellent educational facilities even in the schools of remote areas and has implemented numerous student-centric schemes to this effect. In their feedback, teachers emphasised the positive impact of the state government's educational schemes. On this occasion, CM presented certificates of appreciation to all teachers, lauding their contributions to education, and conveyed his best wishes. (ANI) The boss of Britains biggest energy provider has backed calls for drilling in the North Sea. Greg Jackson, the chief executive of Octopus, said homegrown fossil fuels should continue to play a key part in the UKs energy mix, in an intervention that will raise questions for Ed Miliband. Mr Jackson said exploiting North Sea resources was more environmentally friendly than relying on costly foreign imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which generate more emissions than domestically produced energy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When were shipping LNG, liquefied natural gas, around the world, it is a lot dirtier than using locally produced gas, Mr Jackson told The Telegraph. So if were going to produce gas then Ive got no problem in using local stuff. Mr Jackson backed a more pragmatic approach days after Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, pledged to extract as much oil and gas from the North Sea as possible. In a speech to industry leaders in Aberdeen, the Tory leader said Britain should focus on maximising extraction. It followed calls by Donald Trump, the US president, for Britain to re-embrace the North Sea, which he has described as a treasure chest that can generate far lower energy costs for the people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reform has also vowed to restart drilling in the North Sea if elected to power. Mr Miliband, the Energy Secretary, banned the issuing of new drilling licences in British waters after Labour came to power last year. This has led to an increase in LNG imports from countries such as the US and Qatar, as the Government compensates for declining production from the ageing basin. Mr Jackson said North Sea drilling was unlikely to bring down UK gas prices, which are set by the global market, but would lower emissions. British gas producers wont be selling it any cheaper than the global market, said Mr Jackson. But it is cleaner and it reduces the backlash against climate policy. Ive got no problem with it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont know how much we create ourselves, I dont know how much [we] have got left and I dont know the economics of it. But if were burning gas, then [if its] ours then its cleaner. At Octopus, Mr Jackson is responsible for selling gas and electricity to 7.3 million customers across the UK. Earlier this year, it overtook British Gas as the countrys largest energy supplier. Mr Jackson has been a fierce advocate for clean energy, pouring billions of pounds into renewables such as wind and solar. However, he is fearful that Britains broken energy system is driving up energy bills. In particular, he has criticised the fact that wind farms are paid hundreds of millions of pounds to switch off when generating too much electricity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You dont have to be an eco-zealot to recognise that we have a lot of wind and solar, and if we run our system more efficiently, then they would help keep bills down, he said. But because we run our system inefficiently, theyre putting bills up. You could have incredibly cheap power, but until we tackle this problem, it will be very expensive. The expense of the way were doing net zero is becoming a backlash. It is increasingly becoming a hot potato. A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesman said: Issuing new licences to explore new fields will not take a penny off bills, cannot make us energy secure, and will only accelerate the worsening climate crisis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, we are delivering a fair and orderly transition in the North Sea to drive growth and secure tens of thousands of skilled jobs, with the biggest ever investment in offshore wind and two first-of-a-kind carbon capture and storage clusters. 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. ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- A sexual assault suspect arrested earlier this month in connection with the rape of an Odessa woman remained in custody as of Friday night on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold. Aron Urias has been charged with Sexual Assault, Assault Impeding Breath/Circulation, and Possession of a Controlled Substance. According to jail records, Urias was initially arrested on August 31 by the Ector County Sheriffs Office after he was caught with a controlled substance. However, the charges against Urias were escalated after a woman made a sexual assault outcry. An affidavit submitted by the Odessa Police Department revealed that the investigation into Urias began on August 24, when officers were called to an area hospital in reference to a rape. At the hospital, investigators met with a woman who said she visited a vacant house shed previously lived in with Urias to retrieve an item shed left behind. While there, the woman said Urias showed up and they began to argue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The woman said Urias forced her back inside the home and began to physically assault her. While being strangled, the woman said she lost consciousness; when she woke, the woman said Urias forcefully removed her clothes and raped her. A SANE exam and evidence collected at the scene reportedly supported the womans account, investigators said. On September 3, investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Urias, which was served upon him while he was in custody on drug charges. His bond has been set at a combined $140,000. 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 Yourbasin. American lawyers will serve Ofcom with a summons to answer questions about its attempts to censor social media users in the United States within weeks. A legal complaint, filed in Washington, DC, by Ron Coleman, a New York-based lawyer, aims to bar Ofcom from attempting to enforce the Online Safety Act in America. Mr Coleman said that British and European laws designed to police the internet must be absolutely destroyed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats going to require aggressive policy and negotiation and muscle from the US, he told The Telegraph. At its heart is a question about whether European regulators have the right to tell American companies how to behave. The next step in the case is to serve Ofcom with a summons to appear in a US court to answer accusations that it failed to properly notify two internet companies of their responsibilities and that it has taken on a political role. On information and belief, Ofcom targeted plaintiffs not as part of neutral enforcement activity, but for overtly political reasons aimed at undermining the First Amendment in the United States, intimidating Americans in the free exercise of their constitutional rights, and crippling the American Internet sector, reads the complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The issue reached a bigger American audience this week when Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, testified before Congress that Britain was at war with freedom and called on the US to help campaign against restrictive laws. Nigel Farage holds up his smartphone as he testifies before a House judiciary committee hearing on European threats to American free speech - Nathan Howard/reuters And at Heathrow, Graham Linehan, a comedy writer, was arrested by armed police after stepping off a flight from the US over tweets he posted in Arizona. The case is being brought by two of the internets most controversial companies, 4chan and Kiwi Farms. 4chan and its message boards filled with memes, pornography and conspiracy theories have been linked to mass shootings and accused of radicalising young men. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kiwi Farms is best known for promoting the harassment or trolling of online figures. Mr Coleman admitted that they made for unattractive clients. The thing about unattractive clients is they make great targets for unattractive policies, he added. As a private person, I wouldnt feel too terrible if either one of them disappeared off the face of the air, right? But its the principle of the thing. Their legal complaint says that 4chan has been threatened with a 20,000 ($27,000) fine followed by daily penalties thereafter for failing to comply with requests for information about their compliance with the Online Safety Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kiwi Farms has received two demands that it conduct an illegal content risk assessment or face a fine of 18m or up to 10 per cent of its revenues, whichever is greater. Violation of freedom of speech Their lawsuit accuses Ofcom of egregious violations of Americans civil rights including freedom of speech. And their submission takes delight in spelling out the history of US independence from London. Delaware (where 4chan is registered) was a colony of the Kingdom of Great Britain until the Assembly of the Lower Counties of Pennsylvania that declared itself independent of British authority on June 15, 1776, thereby creating the state of Delaware, it reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Coleman chuckled at the memory of writing the complaint. I was so proud of myself, he said. But the point is serious. If the UK wants to limit or censor access to the internet then it should do it itself not try to get American companies to do it for them, he said. Maybe American free speech, protected by the Constitutions first amendment, does go too far, he suggested. Maybe there are limits to what should be protected. On the other hand, maybe British regulation goes too far. But that is a question for the UK government and for domestic voters to decide for themselves, not to impose on other countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you want to control what your citizens consume or have access to, you can impose that on businesses in your country or platforms, but if you want to protect them from American mean tweets or whatever the case may be, were not going to do it for you, he said. Were not going to finance that process for you. Do what they do in North Korea, do what they do in Cuba, put up your own wall. Mr Coleman said Americas shared heritage with the UK and the history of the Magna Carta a milestone in the development of individual rights made it all the more difficult to watch what was happening in the UK. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It bothers us, he said on the sidelines of a major gathering of the National Conservative movement. We dont expect more from France, we dont expect more from Germany, but its painful to see this taking place in the UK, with whom we share a language and a history. 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. A Virginia county is taking a stand against vape shops that are illegally selling products to minors. Officials from Henrico County told WWBT that many vape shops sell to underage customers without checking IDs. They also market to those customers by promoting vapes and e-cigarettes with fruity flavors and other gimmicks that could appeal to minors. "This is a health and security and a safety issue for our community, for our children, for our residents," Fairfield District Supervisor the Rev. Roscoe D. Cooper III told WWBT. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vaping has exploded in popularity within the past decade and shows no signs of slowing down. Some models forecast that, by 2028, the industry could be worth $40 billion just in the United States. And as the industry has grown, so have concerns about its safety and legality. Just like other smoking products, vapes and e-cigarettes come with considerable health concerns. Not only can they increase the risk of cancer and lung disease, per the Environmental Health Sciences Center, but many disposable vapes expose users to dangerously high levels of metals, such as lead, nickel, and antimony. These products also pose risks to the health of our environment. Because disposable vapes are designed to be quickly used and thrown out, they contribute greatly to the amount of plastic waste and litter generated across our planet. And the batteries, screens, and other electronics that may be contained within them add to the growing threat of e-waste. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Add in the number of unauthorized vape products that flood the market, and agencies nationwide are scrambling to find ways to slow their spread. The United States Postal Service, for example, recently announced it will no longer carry shipments from vape distributors who have been found to violate federal or local regulations. In Henrico County, officials passed a law that required vape shops to be located a certain distance from churches, schools, and daycares, and for them to obtain a provisional use permit. But Cooper told WWBT that stores have found ways around that permitting law by instead registering as a tobacco or convenience store, while in reality only selling vape products. "Since 2024 to now, we've had not one come before us, but there have been a plethora of vape shops opening, so much so that my community specifically is being proliferated with them," Cooper said. Do you think the government should ban gas-powered lawn tools? No way Definitely Only certain tools I don't know Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. 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. Singapore's crackdown on vape products has continued with the island nation imposing tough new punishments for violators, including jail time and caning, the BBC reported. Under the new rules, foreigners caught with vape devices could face deportation from the famously anti-drug country. "The Government is taking tougher actions against vaping," a government website said. "We will impose much stiffer penalties and step up nationwide enforcement." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though Singapore officially has banned vapes since 2018, previous penalties were not as severe and were not broadly enforced, per the BBC. However, with authorities saying that one in three vapes have been found to contain the anesthetic etomidate, the government has instituted harsher punishments. Authorities in Singapore increasingly have viewed vapes as "delivery devices" for drugs and have warned that "vapes have become a gateway for very serious substance abuse," in the words of Ong Ye Kung, the health minister, as reported by the BBC. Even users of non-tainted vapes could face fines of up to $380 and mandatory drug rehabilitation, according to the BBC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those caught selling illegal vape products could be jailed for up to 20 years and subjected to as many as 15 lashes of the cane, per the BBC. "Due to its harmful effects, persons who vape etomidate may walk unsteadily, appear to be in a daze and unaware of their surroundings," the government website said. According to a study published in 2024, etomidate is "an ultrashort-acting non-barbiturate sedative" that "exerts potent inhibitory effects on the central nervous system." Users have described the effects of etomidate as being similar to those of ketamine, leading to the nickname "Kpods" for etomidate-laced vapes, the BBC reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Chronic overdose of etomidate can result in irreversible brain damage and various mental disorders," warned the authors of the study. "Severe cases may manifest as mental disturbances, behavioral disorders, self-mutilation and even death." Even vape products that contain "only" nicotine pose a significant risk to human health. "Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and is a health danger for pregnant women, developing fetuses, and youth," cautioned the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vapes also can contain dangerous, cancer-causing chemicals and tiny particles, which can be inhaled deep into the lungs and cause significant damage, according to the CDC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beyond the health risks, vapes also cause significant environmental harm. Vapes often have lithium-ion batteries, toxic heavy metals like mercury and lead, and chemical fire retardants, all of which can leach into soil and water, according to a 2023 study published in the Tobacco Prevention & Cessation journal. Further, the lithium-ion batteries in discarded vapes can spark fires in garbage bins, dumpsters, and waste-disposal sites. In the U.K. alone, discarded batteries caused 1,200 fires over a one-year span, a 71% increase over the year prior, according to Material Focus. Singapore is not the only country to crack down on vape use, though its punishments are by far the harshest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both the U.K. and Belgium banned disposable vapes earlier this year, according to the BBC. 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. As global temperatures rise, communities across the Pacific Islands are facing a new health emergency: a fast-spreading outbreak of dengue fever that has already sickened thousands and killed people and experts warn it may be just the beginning. What's happening? Health officials are warning of a surge in dengue fever cases across the Pacific Islands, marking one of the region's most severe outbreaks in years, per The Guardian. According to the World Health Organization and the Pacific Syndromic Surveillance System, countries including Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga have reported over 16,500 confirmed cases and 17 deaths since January the highest level since 2016. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Fiji alone, more than 10,000 infections and eight deaths have been recorded. Samoa has confirmed 5,600 cases and six deaths, while Tonga has seen over 800 cases and three deaths in just the past six months. "This is one of the first real disease-related phenomena that we can lay at the foot of global overheating," said epidemiologist Joel Kaufman, per The Guardian, pointing to the growing link between mosquito-borne illnesses and rising global temperatures. Why is this outbreak concerning? Dengue fever, spread by Aedes mosquitoes, can cause symptoms ranging from fever and rash to severe joint pain and, in extreme cases, death. It has long been a threat in tropical regions, but health experts say that rising heat, humidity, and rainfall are making outbreaks more frequent and more severe. What's especially alarming is how unpredictable dengue has become. Dr. Paula Vivili of the Pacific Community told The Guardian that while dengue was once a seasonal issue, "transmission seasons are now lengthening, and some areas are at risk year-round." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although Pacific Island nations contribute just 0.03% of global planet-warming emissions, per the William C.G. Burns' Biennial Report On Freshwater Resources, they are on the frontlines of worsening health risks caused by a rapidly changing environment. What's being done about it? Health ministries across the Pacific Islands are working with the WHO to monitor outbreaks and roll out emergency response efforts, including mosquito control programs and community education. Some countries are also investing in stronger disease surveillance systems to better prepare for future epidemics. Globally, researchers are exploring vaccines and advanced mosquito-control technologies, while organizations like the WHO continue to push for better preparedness in vulnerable regions. You can help by supporting mosquito-prevention efforts at home, such as removing standing water and using screens, and by advocating for stronger action to reduce overheating worldwide. 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. One Ohio city has taken a significant step in improving its air quality and reducing exposure to secondhand smoke. As reported by Cleveland.com, the Euclid City Council unanimously passed an ordinance during an Aug. 18 meeting that will soon ban smoking and vaping on all public property. The ban will go into effect Monday and will apply to all public parks, pools, and even parking lots. The newly passed ordinance was established to prevent exposure to secondhand smoke and create a healthier environment for all residents in the Cleveland suburb. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Euclid Councilman John Wojtila emphasized the significance of the ban and its impact on the community. The ordinance "does not allow smoking of any kind, including vaping products, on public property, meaning our pools and parks, so that everybody can enjoy it and not have the nuisance of tobacco or other smoke in your area," Wojtila said, per Cleveland.com. After Monday, anyone caught using any tobacco or marijuana products on public property will be hit with a misdemeanor charge and face a fine of $150. Enforcement of the ban will be carried out by Euclid police officers. However, some council members remained doubtful that the ban would not come with its fair share of confusion. "I don't want our law enforcement officers to have to deal with people violating the law who turn around and say 'I thought this was just cigarettes,'" Councilman Wallace Tanner said, per Cleveland.com. To properly keep Euclid residents up to date on the new ordinance, the city will soon post signs at many public locations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the newly passed ordinance doesn't outright ban the sale of cigarettes and vapes in Euclid, it may potentially lead to a substantial economic loss for businesses. By preventing the use of vapes, local shops may see a loss of revenue. These bans primarily affect independent vape shops but can also impact convenience stores and gas stations that carry vaping products. Despite the potential drawback of the new ordinance, Patrick Cooney, the director of law for the city of Euclid, noted the growing issue that vapes have become. "Vaping is as big a problem as smoking," Cooney said, per Cleveland.com. In 2023, 5.7 disposable vapes were discarded every second. That was a sizable increase from the 4.5 discarded vapes per second reported in 2022. Besides secondhand smoke exposure, vaping can significantly impact the environment by generating massive plastic and electronic waste. Vape pens also contain toxic components such as nicotine and heavy metals that can leach into soil and water. Do you think the government should ban gas-powered lawn tools? No way Definitely Only certain tools I don't know Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. 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. Rising sea levels are becoming one of the biggest problems of our generation. Small island nations face the harshest risks and even well-resourced countries like Singapore have not been spared. What's happening? Singapore's sea levels are expected to rise by up to 1.15 meters by the year 2100, The Straits Times reported. "These are life and death matters. Everything else must bend at the knee to safeguard the existence of our island nation," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When compounded with weather events such as storm surges and high tides, sea levels could rise as much as 5 meters. Extreme weather has always existed, but scientists agree that human-caused activities supercharge these events, making floods, storm surges, and hurricanes more destructive than before. The National Climate Change Secretariat shared that 30% of Singapore is less than 5 meters above mean sea level, which means that even a moderate rise could put homes and infrastructure at risk. In other parts of the world, the European Environment Agency noted that just a 10-centimeter increase in sea level can make once-in-a-century coastal floods occur more frequently. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without stronger coastal protections, these extreme events are projected to become annual occurrences in many regions before 2050. Why is this important? NASA data has shown that sea levels are rising faster than expected. In 2024, they climbed 30% more than previously projected. If this trend continues, coastal cities could face a rise of 1.4 to 6.6 feet by 2100. The burning of dirty energy sources like coal, oil, and gas creates heat-trapping pollution that warms the planet. As oceans absorb that heat and ice sheets melt, seas rise. Unlike larger nations, Singapore cannot retreat to "high ground" its coasts host airports, power plants, reservoirs, and military facilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Left unchecked, rising seas exacerbated by an overheating planet could upend homes, roads, and food and water supplies. What's being done about it? While island nations like Tuvalu and Vanuatu are already planning relocation agreements, Singapore is instead investing billions to defend its coasts. The projects will include land reclamation, seawalls, barriers, and tidal gates. On the technology side, MIT is testing an AI tool that can predict floods before storms strike, while UC Berkeley is developing a material to trap carbon pollution from factories, which was once thought to be too hot to capture. Globally, communities are adopting clean energy initiatives, restoring wetlands, and modernizing infrastructure to make coastlines more resilient steps that reduce the pollution causing sea levels to rise in the first place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On an individual level, exploring affordable, greener energy sources like solar and encouraging discussions on environmental issues with your friends and family all make a difference. 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. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Local experts are concerned about the rise in COVID-19 numbers amid national vaccine recommendation changes. Earlier this week, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department rolled back recommendations on the COVID-19 vaccine. This comes as the CDC is now reporting Ohio is one of 24 states with a rise in cases of covid Dr. Ben Bring with OhioHealth notes this increase probably stems from newer variants that may be more infectious yet dont cause as much severe illness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One thing we are noticing, though, is a definite uptick in positive cases within the state of Ohio, Bring said. I just recently visited the CDC website; It showed that Ohio was one of the higher states of increased COVID-19 infections. So, we do know that our positivity rate is increasing. Ohio bill would enhance hate crime penalties Since August 28th, Ohio has seen over 200 hospitalizations due to COVID-19. Those being affected are mostly older adults with chronic medical conditions. But with immunizations at a five-year low for the state, some health officials are stressing the importance of being vaccinated. I think the misinformation is rampant right now, and so I think what I would do is look to the experts, Bring said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When it comes to various infectious diseases like COVID, the Flu, and RSV, Bring urges people to get their vaccines. He also hopes older adults get the COVID-19 booster shot if they havent already. Before I went to medical school, I was a scientist first and so, you know, its really important to take data for what it actually is and to make sure were actually interpreting data correctly, and that the overwhelming data on these vaccines is that they are safe, they are effective, theyre going to reduce hospitalizations, Bring said. Theyre going to reduce long-term morbidity and mortality in patients. This spike in cases comes as we head into colder months, and Bring warns that if vaccine rates stay low and we see more cases of COVID or other viral illnesses, that could lead to our hospitals being strained. A lot of E.R.s are in the red range, meaning theyre already at capacity. Some E.R.s get so busy, they get they go on diversion, meaning we have to start sending patients to other hospitals, Bring said. What happens during respiratory season, though, is as these E.R.s get overwhelmed, we run out of hospital beds, we run out of resources, we run out of doctors in space, too, to be able to care for people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr. Bring shared its also important to remember simple safety tips like washing your hands, wearing a mask, and staying home if you feel sick to prevent the spread. 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 NBC4 WCMH-TV. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFDX/KJTL) First responders from across Oklahoma and Texas gathered in remembrance of 9/11 with a Stair Climb. On Saturday, September 6, firefighters, law enforcement officers from Lawton, Altus AFB, Sheppard AFB and other departments geared up for the 14th annual OKC Memorial Stair Climb The 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb started during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan by Albuquerque Fire Department Lieutenant Charles Cogburn, who climbed a two-story building 55 times with body armor. Once he returned, he started the memorial climb in honor of his climb and the service members who lost their lives on 9/11. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The event capped off at 343 firefighters, the exact number of FDNY firefighters who were killed on 9/11. The climb started at 8:46 a.m., the time the initial dispatch for FDNY units happened, along with each member having a nametag of a person who was lost during the response. The event was open to both first responders and civilians, with those who chose not to climb able to volunteer, donate money, or purchase merchandise. The OKC 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb also helps fundraise for the Oklahoma Firefighters Foundation. The foundation offers support to burn victims, first responders and their families. The Stair Climb helps cover costs for first responders in their time of need while a loved one is hospitalized in OKC. For more information on The Stair Climb, visit the official event website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 Texomashomepage.com. The Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UPSSSC) Preliminary Eligibility Test (PET) 2025 began on Saturday with a large number of candidates arriving at examination centres across the state. The exam will be held on September 6 and 7 in two shifts across 48 districts of Uttar Pradesh. In Kanpur district, nearly 40,000 candidates appeared at 22 centres. The test will be conducted in two sessions, from 10 am to 12 pm and from 3 pm to 5 pm. At the exam centres, authorities imposed a complete ban on electronic devices, and candidates underwent biometric verification before entering the halls. At AB Vidyalaya in Kanpur, candidates arrived with enthusiasm from early morning to take the examination. Speaking about her preparation, Anjali, a candidate from Kanpur centre, said, "The preparation is good... let's see how the paper is in the examination." Another candidate, Vaishnavi, expressed hope for better job opportunities after the exam. "It depends on how the question will come in the exam... Preparation is good. I hope there will be a good examination, and I will hope for a good vacancy in the future," she said. Sonam, also appearing for her first paper, said, "Preparation is good... Let's wait for the examination; after that we will see... I'm giving the first paper exam today." Prashant Shukla, the exam administrator at the AB Vidyalaya exam centre, told ANI, "Today, the exam has been completed according to the guidelines given by the UPPET. And according to the SOP that is being issued, the entire curriculum has been proven." Shukla further added that 360 students were enrolled at the centre, fifteen rooms have been set up and two teachers have been appointed in each room. Explaining the security measures at the centre, he said, "We are following the guidelines given by the UPPET. In a normal exam, the examiner brings his entry card, a photo and his original ID. Apart from this, we keep all the items in our school without any cost." "Today, there are examinations in two sessions...the first exam is 10 to 12, and the second exam is 3 to 5. There is an exam tomorrow as well," Shukla further said. The PET exam is organised by the Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UPSSSC) to determine the eligibility of candidates for various government jobs. Meanwhile, the security and verification processes, including biometric checks and document verification with original IDs like Aadhaar or PAN cards, are going on. The exam centre is well-secured with police and security personnel ensuring a smooth and fair examination process. Candidates from various districts, including Rampur and Sitapur districts, have travelled long distances to appear for the exam. Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh Police Constable recruitment exam, which had been conducted on February 17 and 18, was cancelled on February 24, followed by allegations of paper leaks. (ANI) OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. Attorney General Gentner Drummond has warned major artificial intelligence companies to stop hurting kids. As AI becomes increasingly more common, we are seeing serious threats to our children. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond FILE Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond In a letter to a dozen companies, including Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft, Drummond and a coalition of 43 other attorneys general addressed alarming reports of AI chatbots engaging in sexually inappropriate conversations with kids. Internal Meta documents reveal that the company authorized its AI Assistants to flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children as young as 8. The letter also cites cases where other chatbots have allegedly encouraged harmful behavior in teenagers, including suicide and murder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of these incidents are outrageous, Drummond said. These companies must take the necessary measures to prevent exposing children to sexualized content and inappropriate conversations. The coalition urges AI developers to act with integrity and caution when young users engage with their products. Drummond and his fellow attorneys general demand that company policies for AI products incorporate guardrails against sexualizing children. AI companies must see children through the eyes of a parent, not the eyes of a predator, they wrote. The letter acknowledges that government watchdogs did not move quickly enough to address harms to children from social media. The message concludes with a warning to the American AI industry: We wish you success in the race for AI dominance. But if you knowingly harm kids, you will answer for it. Also signing the letter were the attorneys general of Tennessee, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. STILLWATER, Okla. (KFOR) Deep in cold storage, William Colton works with inert samples of scary bacteria like E. coli that seem to alter themselves faster than modern medicines ability to fight them. This whole plate, he said, pointing to a petri dish, was covered in E. coli. His weapon of choice, a much smaller form of life called a phage that actually feeds on bacteria. The viruses, he argued. Are completely different from viruses that infect humans. These are super small and only adapted to infect certain bacteria. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He started out wanting to be a marine biologist, but Williams found a way to stay on land and still use a microscope to peer into a different world. Instead of studying bleaching corals, he looked a the biomass battlefield that exists all through our natural world. This is the natural control mechanism for all bacteria, he states. Colton isnt the first researcher to look at phages as a tool for battling harmful bacteria. His area of research involved a better delivery system. Comparing his product, he says, Were like an Intel chip for space technology. We enable it to be an easier consumer experience. previous More Great State Stories Inside his small lab at the Meridian Technology Center, the phages in a tiny vial he holds dont need cold storage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It survives at room temperature, we ask. Up to 10 years, is what were looking at, he replies. They can fight superbugs anytime, anywhere, and for a long period of time. Pointing to a set of petri dishes on the counter, he says, Those samples have been sitting out for more than 2 years. (at room temperature) Coltons startup company is still in pre-clinical stages and some animal testing, but the Mayo Clinic and the OU College of Medicine are working with him. Were working with some of the biggest players in the market, he boasts. William also has a personal stake in this work, having lost his grandmother to a post-op infection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She just deteriorated, he recalls. She went septic because the antibiotics werent working, and she passed away. Turning the page with phage therapy might take years to perfect, but at the age of 26, he has time on his side. The seed money, $21,000, to start Paldara Pharmaceuticals came from winning a company sales pitch competition at Oklahoma State University. For more information on the company, click here. Great State is sponsored by True Sky Credit Union Follow Galens Great State adventures 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 KFOR.com Oklahoma City. OLNEY (KFDX/KJTL) Many residents in Olney have raised concerns over rumors regarding the Young County Sheriffs Department taking over the Olney Police Department. A recent article published by the Olney Enterprise states there is hearsay and speculation of the Young County Sheriffs Department potentially taking over the Olney Police Department after former Police Chief Dan Birbeck stepped down from the role and moved over to the Vernon Police Department. Olneys Mayor Rue Rogers said that the claim is false and that the City of Olney has no intention of disbanding the local police department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The article also states that the city administrator has been cutting the police departments budget significantly, but City Administrator Simon Dwyer begs to differ. According to Dwyer, there was hearsay of two to three police officers thinking about leaving the station after Birbeck stepped down and brought it to the Young County sheriffs attention in case Olney needed help filling in those patrol officer roles for the time being, and said theres documentation proving he has not significantly cut the PDs funding but actually has increased the budget. But City Council Member Steve Nuree said that the rumors couldve started due to those alleged budget cuts Dwyer has made. The biggest budget cuts across the citywide have come from the police store. I mean, theres no money. Theres zero money for the canine program. So even if we found a qualified officer to come join our police force that had the canine, we dont have any money in the budget to support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mayor also added that there will be no intention of transferring dispatch services to the county on a full-time basis or eliminating the evidence manager position. Olneys City Council meeting on Monday will clarify and address all concerns regarding the budget and the rumors. 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 Texomashomepage.com. CORINTH A man is in custody for a Thursday evening shooting in Corinth that left one man in the hospital in critical condition. Corinth police responded to the 1100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Sept. 4 around 6:30 p.m. for a person who had been shot. The responding officers found Ladarius Beasley under the carport of the residence with a gunshot wound to his stomach. After being told the shooter was inside the residence, officers entered and took Jakylian Adrian Lee Hill, 20, of Corinth, into custody and charged him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The victim was transported to the emergency room at Magnolia hospital and later airlifted to the North Mississippi Medical al Center in Tupelo where he underwent surgery and remained in critical condition Friday morning. Washington, DC One year after Israeli forces killed United States citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, her husband, Hamid Ali, says confusion and sorrow continue to grip his life. Its been very painful adjusting to life without Aysenur an empty house, seeing the effect its had on her father and her family. The word Id use to summarise is confusing, Ali told Al Jazeera. Eygi, whose first name is pronounced Aysha-nour, was fatally shot by Israeli forces while participating in a protest against an illegal settler outpost in the occupied West Bank on September 6, 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Israel intensifies its assault on Gaza, violence in the West Bank has also been on the rise. At least 10 US citizens have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers since 2022. The administrations of Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump have ignored calls by Eygis family for a US-led investigation into her killing while Washington has continued to provide Israel with billions of dollars in military aid. Ozden Bennett, Eygis sister, said she understands that justice may not be within sight but that does not shake the familys resolve to keep the slain activists memory alive. Were committed to the long-haul journey of seeking justice and accountability and finding meaning in the process of doing that, even if it doesnt happen immediately or perhaps ever. Im hopeful it will, Bennett told Al Jazeera. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I see us continuing to ask for accountability and justice for my sister because its the right thing to do and she deserves that. Every life taken senselessly by Israel deserves that. Remembering Aysenur Eygi, who was of Turkish descent and lived in Seattle, Washington, was 26 when she was killed. Those who knew her said she was joyous and empathetic. She had been engaged in activism from a young age and was deeply moved by injustices in the US and abroad. Both Ali and Bennett described her as almost childlike in her compassion and playfulness. She always had that kind of childlike essence to her, that curiosity, that silliness, Bennett said. She was such a special, sweet sometimes annoying sister that I just miss so much. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ali believes it was that authenticity that drove her to activism. She was someone who had to live by her values and her beliefs, and she had to say how she felt, he told Al Jazeera. So thats the kind of person she was, and thats exactly why she felt like doing the activism that she did in the [United] States wasnt enough. She felt like going to the West Bank was the next thing that she was able to do. At least two more US citizens have been killed in the West Bank since Eygi was shot. In July, settlers beat Florida-born 20-year-old Sayfollah Musallet to death. Less than three weeks later, Khamis Ayyad, 40, a father of five and former Chicago resident, was also killed in another settler attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In both cases, the families are calling for a US investigation into the killings, citing statutes that would enable such an investigation, including the US-Israel Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty. But the Trump administration has only called on Israel to investigate its own abuses. Israel rarely finds wrongdoing in the conduct of its forces against Palestinians and their supporters. Similarly, when Eygi was killed last year, the administration of then-President Biden called on Israel to investigate the incident, but it failed to launch its own inquiry. The hypocrisy is staggering That lack of accountability is a recurring pattern. In all 10 cases of Americans being killed by Israeli settlers and soldiers since 2022, no criminal charges have been brought against the perpetrators Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The victims include veteran Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot in the head while wearing a bright blue jacket labelled press. Rights advocates have called the inaction a form of impunity for those who kill Americans overseas. They trace the trend back decades, as far back as 2003, when an Israeli bulldozer ran over activist Rachel Corrie in Gaza. She had been trying to protect a Palestinian home from demolition at the time of her death. Corrie, who was also from Washington state, is now one of the icons of the Palestinian cause in the West. Still, no one has been held accountable for her killing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ali drew a parallel between his wifes death and Corries killing. It was the same with Rachel Corrie, and that was 20-plus years ago, so this isnt anything new unfortunately, he said. We know the pattern, but its still frustrating all the same and extremely hypocritical. Despite that frustration, Eygis family members have been bringing their demands to US lawmakers and officials in an effort to keep the case alive. Last year, they met with then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken, but according to Ali and Bennett, the top US diplomat conveyed an inability a proverbial shrugging of the shoulders to seek justice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But days before Eygi was killed, the US Department of Justice filed terrorism, murder conspiracy and sanctions-evasion charges against Hamas leaders after the killing of the US-Israeli captive Hersh Goldberg-Polin in Gaza. For Bennett, the contrast in the US approach is clear. It sends a message that not all American lives are equal, she told Al Jazeera. Raed Jarrar, the advocacy director at the US-based rights group DAWN, said the US failure to pursue accountability for Eygi and other US citizens killed by Israel shows that Washington values Israeli impunity more than American lives. The hypocrisy is staggering. When US citizens are killed by anyone else, the US government mobilises every diplomatic, economic and military tool at its disposal to demand justice and accountability, Jarrar told Al Jazeera. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But when Israel kills Americans, the US accepts Israeli investigations and excuses, sends more weapons and shields Israel from international accountability. Irrelevant Israeli probe An initial Israeli military report after the killing of Eygi said she was likely killed by indirect and unintended fire. But witnesses have said she was targeted in the head by a sniper. There have been reports that a broader Israeli investigation into the incident was also launched, but there have been no public announcements about its results. The Israeli governments Foreign Press Department did not respond to Al Jazeeras request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bennett said the family is not expecting any measure of accountability to come out of an Israeli probe. The Israeli investigation to us is irrelevant because its not appropriate or acceptable to have Israel, the perpetrator of the murder, investigate itself, she said. For Ali, justice for Eygi may appear elusive, but if her memory can help in the liberation of the Palestinian people, he said, that would ease his sense of loss. Im not necessarily confident that it will happen anytime soon or that accountability will come anytime soon, but I know in one form or another, it will come, Ali said. WRIGHT COUNTY, Iowa One person was killed and another was injured during an UTV incident in Wright County. According to the Iowa State Patrol, the crash occurred Saturday just after 3:10 a.m. near Highway 3 along the Boone River, near Goldfield. Two children injured in separate vehicle incidents, DMPD investigates A John Deere gator was traveling near the river when its occupants misjudged how close it was to the river. The gator made a significant drop from the river bank causing the ATV to enter the water, ISP says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities say both the driver and the passenger were thrown from the vehicle. The passenger, 20-year-old McKenna Woodbeck, was trapped under the UTV causing fatal injuries. The driver, 21-year-old Levi Rasmussen, was injured. The Iowa State Patrol was assisted by the Wright County Sheriffs Office, Eagle Grove Police Department and Ambulance, and the Goldfield Fire Department. Iowa News: 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 who13.com. NEED TO KNOW A woman died following a dog attack in Kentucky on Aug. 29 Priscilla Jones, 44, was remembered by her sister for having a "heart of gold" A woman who knew the victim heard her screaming for help and called 911 during the attack A woman died after she was attacked by a group of wild dogs in Kentucky. Priscilla Jones, 44, had been walking in Flat Lick at around 2:30 p.m. local time on Aug. 29, when she was attacked and severely injured by a pack of dogs roaming the area," the Knox County Sheriff's Department said in a news release shared on Facebook. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to authorities, a woman who knew Priscilla heard her screaming for help and called 911. The East Knox Fire Department (EKFD) then found her with "suffering life-threatening injuries" and "unable to communicate." The local sheriff's office and the Barbourville Police Department (BPD) later responded to the scene, and Priscilla was transported by first responders to the nearby Barbourville ARH Hospital. There, police said she "succumbed to her injuries" and was eventually "declared deceased." Getty A photo of police lights on a car. A photo of police lights on a car. Police said the investigation into Priscilla's death is ongoing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Knox County Sheriff Mike Smith told Fox 56 News that the owner of the dogs that attacked Priscilla could now potentially face charges. In Kentucky you do have an obligation to control and confine your animals so were looking at all aspects of this situation and will determine that as the investigation continues, he told the outlet. As for advice for local residents after the tragedy, Smith said, Just be vigilant and cautious, and be aware of your surroundings at all times. Getty A photo of police caution tape. A photo of police caution tape. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Priscillas sister, Peggy Jones, told Fox 56 News that her sibling would be remembered as one-of-a-kind," and a woman with "a heart of gold. [She would] do anything in the world to help anybody if she could, Peggy said. Read the original article on People One person has been medflighted following a blaze in Rockland. According to the Rockland Fire Department, the fire, which broke out earlier today at 900 Summer Street, has necessitated mutual aid from neighboring fire departments, including Hanover, Abington, Pembroke, and Hanson, to assist in controlling the situation. One person was transported by medflight to a local hospital with burn injuries. The cause of the fire remains unknown at this time, and the condition of the burn victim has not been detailed beyond the request for MedFlight assistance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is no further information at this time. 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 ST. LOUIS Five Romanian nationals, who federal prosecutors say came here solely with the purpose of skimming money from your atm transaction, are now going to prison. We got one tentacle of the octopus, but there are many, many other tentacles, federal prosecutor Gwen Carroll said. Its an insidious little device because you cant tell. Like an ATM skimmer St. Louis Police discovered in 2024 I was surprised at how small it is, Detective Andre Nikolov said at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A picture of a compromised ATM showed it hidden, including where a camera was out of sight, so that criminals could watch someone enter their PIN. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Unless you happen to be a technician, youre never going to see it. So, you stick your card in, thinking this is just the ATM. No, it is not, Carroll said. Mihai Vlaicu, 48, and Mihai Florin Marinescu, 38, were sentenced Friday to two years in prison. They face more charges in other states and then will be deported. They were working out of a Florissant home that we reported in June 2024 was raided by swat. Three others who were inside have already been sent to prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carroll said, They work in groups and hubs are operating all over the United States. They often pick St. Louis to operate in, like a 2022 bust of Romanian jewel thieves working out of a St. Charles B&B. A 2021 bust by Arnold P.D., involved Romanian sleight-of-hand thieves that netted hundreds of thousands of dollars. Prosecutor Carroll says the current Romanian crime pattern is focusing on those skimmers that she says are getting harder to detect by the second. Im afraid even if you are the most vigilant, youre probably not going to be able to catch it on the front end, she explained. Watch your bank statements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dilip Ghosh on Saturday took a jibe at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, claiming that the Trinamool Congress party will be "wiped out" after the upcoming assembly elections. The BJP leader compared the current situation in West Bengal with the downfall of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress in the state. Speaking to ANI on the Chief Minister's remarks in the assembly, Ghosh said, "Mamata Banerjee's party will be finished after the next elections. See the condition of CPM and Congress. They are so corrupt that government offices are in chaos, and there is no law and order... As a result, people here are suffering. Just as people have taught a lesson to CPM and Congress, they will also face the same fate." He further alleged that the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) had pushed government systems into disarray through corruption and mismanagement. On Thursday, Mamata Banerjee, while speaking in the state assembly, attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party, asserting that not a single BJP MLA will remain in Bengal and they will face inevitable defeat. She further added that no party that wages linguistic terror against Bengalis can ever win Bengal. "I condemn BJP for their persecution of Bengalis. A time will soon come when not a single BJP MLA will remain in Bengal. The people themselves will ensure it. BJP will face inevitable defeat, for no party that wages linguistic terror against Bengalis can ever win Bengal," Mamata Banerjee said. Mamata Banerjee further called the BJP a party of "vote chor", stating that it is corrupt to its core. "BJP is a party of vote-chors, corrupt to the core, persecutors of Bengalis, and masters of deception. BJP is a national disgrace, and I condemn them in the strongest terms," she said. The Trinamool Congress moved a motion under rule 169 condemning the alleged incidents against the Bengali-speaking people across the country. The remark came at a time when political rivalry between the BJP and TMC had been intensifying ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. (ANI) Polina Ken fled the killing fields of Cambodia and eventually made her home in Chinese Camp. She now has lost it to a wildfire. GoFundMe accounts were launched for Ken and other victims of the blaze, which stood at 7,037 acres as of Friday, Sept. 5. It is part of the TCU September Lightning Complex, burning 13,996 acres in four counties since Tuesday. The strikes lit up grass, brush and trees that have had little rain since spring. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Containtment was at 57% on Sunday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The acreage is mostly in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, along small parts of Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties. Cal Fire reported 85 structures destroyed as of Friday. They include homes, barns and other buildings. Teams still are assessing the damage. The devastation was stark in the GoFundMe pages for Chinese Camp. Exact addresses were not available. Polina Ken lost her home to a wildfire in Chinese Camp, Calif. She will be aided by a GoFundMe account launched Sept. 3, 2025. The long road toward rebuilding Kens family said she fled Cambodia in the 1970s, amid the violence of the Pol Pot regime. She has lived in Chinese Camp for 14 years and is staying for now at a hotel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are grateful that she and her dog, Waldo, are safe, niece Jennifer Ken said in the appeal, but the fire took not only her home but also her belongings, memories and sense of security. She is currently displaced and in urgent need of support for essentials such as clothing, food, shelter and eventually the long road toward rebuilding. Chinese Camp was named for the gold miners from China who settled there in 1849. It peaked at about 6,500 people in the 1870s, including Americans and Europeans who had joined the Gold Rush. Only 61 people were counted in the last census. Few of the old buildings remained even before the fire. Details on the damage have not been reported. Rob Owens lost his home and heavy equipment needed for his job to a wildfire in Chinese Camp, Calif., on Sept. 2, 2025. He will be assisted by a GoFundMe account. Nothing but the clothes on their backs Rob Owens and his wife, Rochelle, lost their home, daughter Brooke Long of Sacramento wrote on GoFundMe. The blaze also ruined the tools and heavy equipment Rob needs for his job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It truly left them with nothing but the clothes on their backs, Long said. Even more heartbreaking, years of memories, our childhood photos, keepsakes and the treasures my dad had saved since he was a kid are now gone forever. Donors can arrange through GoFundMe to give tools as well as money. This loss has been overwhelming, Long said, but we know community and kindness can make all the difference. The Modesto Bee reported Wednesday on the GoFundMe account for Peter Tomaino and his partner, Cindy. They also had lived in Chinese Camp. Thankfully, they and their dogs made it out safely, organizer Veronica Amaral wrote, but they are now facing the unimaginable challenge of starting over from scratch. Chewy, an online pet supply company, has been named in a class-action lawsuit out of Rhode Island which claims it uses deceptive trade practices by overcharging its Autoship customers. The case was brought by Alix Cavas in the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island, and accuses the retailer of charging sales tax on the full price of the items delivered to customers via the company's Autoship option, according to the Providence Journal. Chewy advertises its Autoship as a way for pet owners to set up automatic shipments of stock including dog food or cat litter at discounted rates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Cavas' complaint, Chewy's Autoship terms state a specific method for calculating how customers using the service will be charged. The terms, according to the complaint, state that customers will be charged the price of the item, less the Autoship & Save discount or any other discount, if applicable, plus any applicable shipping charges and sales tax. The lawsuit argues that the wording of the terms means that the sales tax is supposed to be calculated after the Autoship discount is applied. A class action lawsuit has been filed against online pet supply store Chewy claiming the company overcharges its customers enrolled in its Autoship program (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Relevant to this action, where a retailer offers a discount (i.e., a percentage or dollar reduction in price) on a good or service, sales tax is calculated by reference to the discounted price of that good or service, not on the full price, the lawsuit states. That's not what Chewy is doing, according to Cavas. The lawsuit alleges that Chewy's "deceptive trade practices overcharges its Autoship customers more sales tax than is due on goods which are discounted through the Autoship program." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In other words, rather than calculating the tax once all discounts have been applied, Chewys Autoship calculates the tax before, and customers allegedly pay more than they should. The filing claims that "Chewy offered its Autoship customers a discount on their Autoship orders. This discount is a cash discount ... in the form of 35 percent off a customer's first order and then 5 percent off Autoship orders thereafter." It goes on to argue that, had Cavas and the other class members known theyd be charged sales tax on the full price of the items they were auto-shipping, they would not have enrolled in the program. If [Cavas] and/or the Class members had knowledge of defendants unfair methods of competition and deceptive acts or practices described herein, they would not have enrolled on to Chewys Autoship program, or they would have been made aware that the Autoship program did not offer a 'discount,'" the complaint says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cavas is being represented by New York law firm Gainey McKenna & Egleston, and by a local attorney, James Ruggieri. The Independent has requested comment from Chewy and Cavas attorneys. Anyone who was enrolled in Chewy's Autoship program between 2022 and September 5, 2025, can join the class action lawsuit. A petition circulating online calls for the removal of Tammy King as the executive director of the Childrens Advocacy Center of Johnson County. King is the wife of Johnson County Sheriff Adam King, who awaits trial on three charges, including corruption and abuse of office. The center provides services for child victims of sexual abuse, severe physical abuse and child witnesses to homicides and other violent crimes. As of midday Friday, over 700 people have signed the Change.org petition, which was created after King organized a GoFundMe to raise money for her husbands legal fees associated with his charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The GoFundMe has since been taken down and a fund has been created at Pinnacle Bank. On the GoFundMe, King said he is facing very serious false allegations. He will be forced to defend himself in court and he needs proper legal representation, she said. We need this legal help to help expose the lies and corruption that have put him in this horrible situation. The GoFundMe raised over $10,000, which, according to Vance Castles, who helped organize a Tuesday prayer meeting for the King family, will be returned to the donors. The petition calls for Kings removal as CAC director because of her statements that the claims against her husband are false. An executive leader of a child advocacy nonprofit should never publicly discredit victims of abuse, the petition reads. Survivors and families must have absolute confidence that their disclosures will be believed, respected and handled with care. President Trump has just made perhaps his most dangerous assault on the rule of law. He proudly announced that he directed the U.S. military to kill 11 alleged drug smugglers in their boat on the high seas of the Caribbean, excitedly showing a video of the lethal strike. The strike involves the unlawful use of the military for law enforcement, something Trump is also doing in Los Angeles and Washington D.C. by federalizing the National Guard for domestic law enforcement. Just on a few occasions in our nations history have federal troops been called out to restore order, such as enforcing federal courts desegregation decrees being forcibly resisted by state authorities or honoring requests from localities to help suppress riots. Not surprisingly, therefore, District Judge Charles Breyer recently ruled that Trump had acted unlawfully in assigning Marines and federalized National Guardsmen to Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DEA, Customs and Border Protection and other federal agencies working with their local counterparts have properly treated drug smuggling as a law enforcement issue, not a military challenge. Conventional law enforcement must address the drug problem aggressively without looking for easy but unacceptable answers. With brazen candor, Secretary of State Marco Rubio conceded that U.S. authorities could have interdicted the alleged smugglers boat, but, on Trumps orders, we blew it up And itll happen again. All this to send a message. Rubio later stated during a news conference in Ecuador that partner governments will help us find these people and blow them up. They might do it themselves, and well help them do it. The presidents commissioning of the U.S. military to kill alleged drug smugglers adds a terrifying dimension to this misuse of the armed forces for law enforcement purposes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What the president ordered and military commanders carried out is unacceptable. It is known in international law as extrajudicial killing and is universally condemned as a crime, including under federal law. Extrajudicial killing is the use of deadly force by agents of a government absent the ordinary processes of criminal law most basically a trial at which guilt is adjudicated by a fair tribunal. In the U.S., that means a judge and a jury. This an essential element of our constitutional system. The Fifth Amendment directs that no person shall be deprived of life without due process of law. The Constitution contains no exception allowing the president to deprive any person, even an alleged drug smuggler, of his life without due process. Dropping a missile on a speed boat on the high seas, with the intent of killing everyone on board, is hardly due process as any rational person would understand that fundamental concept. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even if the 11 men blown up on the presidents order were in fact on their way to the U.S. with drugs, the only legitimate course was to intercept and arrest them as Rubio admitted could have been done and then put them on trial, where their guilt or innocence could be established. Extrajudicial killing is also often misguided. How do we know that all 11 men on who were slaughtered were in fact guilty? Intelligence estimates? Surveillance? Anyone aware of the history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam or Iraq recognizes that even bona fide estimates by intelligence experts may be wrong. We do not allow a police officer or a district attorney or the president or an Air Force pilot simply to declare a person guilty of a capital crime (which drug smuggling is not) and summarily execute him. The Supreme Court has insisted that deadly force may not be used even to arrest fleeing felons unless their flight poses an immediate, serious danger. Even less tolerable would be a decision simply to kill a suspect without even attempting to capture him for trial in court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nor can the president and his subordinates evade these constraints by labeling the targeted drug smugglers as terrorists. The law of armed conflict allows some room for the targeted killing of terrorists, but this narrow exception applies only to combatants or unprivileged belligerents in a military sense. Unilaterally affixing a terrorist label to a group of alleged Venezuelan gang members no more legitimized their assassination than it would be allowable to condemn as terrorists other alleged criminals, such as Jan. 6 rioters or child pornographers or detested political opponents. Simply labelling a person a terrorist does not confer a license to kill. In the Philippines, former President Rodrigo Duterte became infamous for his own drug-control campaign, unleashing massive numbers of extrajudicial killings of suspected drug traffickers and political opponents whom he characterized as terrorists. After Duterte was eventually ousted, his successors recognized that his culpability could not be excused. They cooperated with the International Criminal Court, which had charged him with complicity in these extrajudicial murders. Earlier this year, the new Philippines government turned Duterte over to the court for trial on charges of crimes against humanity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the Supreme Court created presidential immunity for Trump (and all future presidents) to commit federal crimes, it seemed like hyperbole to declare that this aberrant decision would allow Trump to get away with murder. Now, perhaps that is so in the U.S. at least. But his subordinates such as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who prizes lethality above all other values enjoy no such immunity for their complicity. Dutertes fate should serve as a warning even to Trump. Extrajudicial killing is a crime under international law, and the International Criminal Court has a long memory. Philip Allen Lacovara formerly served as U.S. deputy solicitor general for criminal and national security matters, counsel to the Watergate Special Prosecutor and president of the District of Columbia Bar. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) this week warned the American people that a Trump nominee for a State Department position was an extremist, cut from the same cloth as the Iranian mullahs and religious extremists. Riley Barnes, nominated to serve as assistant secretary of State for democracy, human rights and labor, revealed his dangerous proclivities to Kaine in his opening statement when he said that all men are created equal because our rights come from God, our creator; not from our laws, not from our governments. It was a line that should be familiar to any citizen virtually ripped from the Declaration of Independence, our founding document that is about to celebrate its 250th anniversary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet Kaine offered a very surprising response in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. The notion that rights dont come from laws and dont come from the government, but come from the Creator thats what the Iranian government believes, he said. Its a theocratic regime that bases its rule on Shia (sic) law and targets Sunnis, Bahais, Jews, Christians, and other religious minorities. They do it because they believe that they understand what natural rights are from their Creator. So, the statement that our rights do not come from our laws or our governments is extremely troubling. The idea that laws come from the government is the basis of what is called legal positivism, which holds that the legitimacy and authority of laws are not based on God or natural law but rather legislation and court decisions. In my forthcoming book celebrating the 250th anniversary, Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution, I detail how the Declaration of Independence (and our nation as a whole) was founded on a deep belief in natural laws coming from our Creator, not government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That view is captured in the Declaration, which states, We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Kaine represents Virginia, the state that played such a critical role in those very principles that he now associates with religious fanatics and terrorists. In fact, Kaines view did exist at the founding and it was rejected. Alexander Hamilton wrote that The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the Divinity itself, and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power. Although the Framers were clear, Kaine seemed hopelessly confused. He later insisted that Im a strong believer in natural rights, but I have a feeling if we were to have a debate about natural rights in the room and put people around the table with different religious traditions, there would be some significant differences in the definitions of those natural rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This country was founded on core, shared principles of natural law, including a deep commitment to individual rights against the government. The government was not the source but the scourge of individual rights. This belief in preexisting rights was based on such Enlightenment philosophers as John Locke who believed that, even at the beginning when no society existed, there was law, The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one, he wrote. And reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind. Note that a natural law can also be based on a view of the inherent rights of human beings a view of those rights needed to be fully human. Like divinely ordained rights, these are rights (such as free speech) that belong to all humans, regardless of the whim or want of a given government. The danger of legal positivism is that what government giveth, government can take away. Our prized unalienable rights become entirely alienable if they are merely the product of legislatures and courts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also means that constitutional protections or even the constitutional system itself is discardable, like out-of-fashion tricorn hats. As discussed in the book, a new generation of Jacobins is rising on the American left, challenging our constitutional traditions. Commentator Jennifer Szalai has denounced what she called Constitution worship and argued that Americans have long assumed that the Constitution could save us. A growing chorus now wonders whether we need to be saved from it. That chorus includes establishment figures such as Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the Berkeley Law School and author of No Democracy Lasts Forever: How the Constitution Threatens the United States. Other law professors, such as Ryan D. Doerfler of Harvard and Samuel Moyn of Yale, have called for the nation to reclaim America from constitutionalism. That reclamation is easier if our rights are based not in natural law, but rather in the evolving priorities of lawmakers like Kaine. Protections then become not the manifestations of human rights, but of rights invented by humans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kaines view that advocates of natural law are no different from mullahs applying Sharia law is not just ill-informed but would have been considered by the founders as constitutionally blasphemous. He is, regrettably, the embodiment of a new crisis of faith in the foundations of our republic on the very eve of its 250th anniversary. This is a crisis of faith not just in our Constitution, but in each other as human beings endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights. Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University and a best-selling author whose forthcoming Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution explores the foundations and the future of American democracy. 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. If you needed any more proof that President Donald Trumps quest to be considered the ultimate peace president and secure a Nobel Peace Prize is a farce, then look no further than his executive order on Friday rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War. NBC News reports that Trumps executive order wont rename the Defense Department, but it will authorize Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use secondary titles like secretary of war and Department of War in official correspondence and public communications and during formal ceremonies, according to a White House preview of the order. (Fully renaming the department would require congressional approval.) The Department of Defense website is already redirecting to war.gov. The Department of War name is a throwback to 1789, when Congress established the War Department to oversee the operation of the new nations military. The department was renamed the National Military Establishment in 1947 as part of a reorganization of U.S. military services, and then amended two years later to the Department of Defense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Everybody likes that we had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War, Trump told reporters in August. Then we changed it to Department of Defense. He added, Defense is too defensive. And we want to be defensive, but we want to be offensive too if we have to be. Trump is not a student of history, but he does understand that names can telegraph meaning. As David Sanger, a New York Times reporter and the author of several U.S. foreign policy books, points out, the 1949 change to the Department of Defense was an adaptation to a changing global arena the name change took place during the Cold War, just weeks before the Soviet Union proved it could detonate a nuclear weapon. It was a terrifying time for Americans, and the new name was intended to reflect an era in which deterrence was critical because war, if it broke out among the superpowers, could be planet-ending, Sanger wrote on Friday. The Cold War never got hot directly between the U.S. and the Soviet Union even if the U.S. did wreak havoc across the Global South through support of murderous dictators and bloody proxy wars. Referring to the Defense Department as the Department of War signals Trumps interest in staking out a more openly aggressive posture, exploiting the United States position as the worlds pre-eminent military power without apology. Just as Trump considers naked power grabs and coercion as his natural right domestically, so too he considers it his natural right across the world. He delights in talking about annexing Canada, seizing the Panama Canal and taking control of Greenland. He blames Ukraine for Russias invasion of Ukraine, and supports Israels ethnic cleansing of Gaza and has floated the idea of the U.S. participating in taking over Gaza. To be clear, the U.S. Department of Defense is plenty aggressive already. Since World War II, the U.S. has intervened militarily in other countries on hundreds of occasions and launched terrible wars under the banner of defense and deterrence or pre-emptive attacks. In other words, the Department of Defense is an agent of imperialism and brutality. Even so, Trump seems interested in reviving a kind of 19th-century America ethos, one in which the U.S. seized territory from other countries during war or at least Trump wants to maintain the right to do so. And while prior to Trump, the U.S. was inconsistent about upholding a rules-based order, it at least paid lip service to the ideal. Trump appears inclined to explode its scaffolding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This appetite for expanding the frontiers of U.S. war-making and domination was on display this week during Trumps strike on what he claims was a drug-carrying vessel operated by the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang. According to The New York Times, Trump is claiming the power to shift maritime counterdrug efforts from law enforcement rules to wartime rules and used the military in a way that had no clear legal precedent or basis, according to specialists in the laws of war and executive power. Trump also blew up negotiations over a new Iran nuclear deal by bombing Iran and oversaw a pointless and destructive offensive bombing campaign against the Houthis in Yemen. Despite all that, and despite his attempt to resurrect a Department of War, Trump somehow still maintains that the Nobel committee ought to laud him for helping bring about peace. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com The numbers are stark and undeniable. New research from The Lancet projects that as PEPFAR, the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, hangs in political limbo, the world will see 4.43 to 10.75 million additional HIV infections and up to 2.93 million HIV-related deaths by 2030. Broader USAID cuts could contribute to 14 million deaths globally, with 500,000 children dying from AIDS and 2.8 million experiencing orphanhood. These projections represent more than human tragedy. They signal the systematic destruction of Americas most successful foreign policy program and reveal a massive strategic opening that corporate America can no longer afford to ignore. To that end, American companies face a choice that will define the next generation of business strategy: treat global health as someone elses responsibility, or recognize it as the ultimate market creation opportunity disguised as humanitarian work. Here is what policymakers miss when they view global health spending as charity: every life saved represents a future consumer. Every community protected from disease becomes an emerging market. Every child who survives to adulthood thanks to health interventions contributes decades of potential economic participation. The healthy 25-year-old in Lagos will participate in the economy, buying consumer goods and utilizing banking services. Now multiply that individual impact across millions of lives that strategic corporate health investments could save. The market creation potential becomes staggering. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the Lancets projection of 10.75 million new HIV infections threatens the collapse of consumer bases that American companies have spent decades cultivating. This matters especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where 70 percent of the population is under 30 the largest emerging consumer base in human history. Whereas Washingtons retreat signals American government unreliability, corporate health leadership offers something governments cant: consistency across political cycles and genuine long-term thinking. More critically, it positions American companies to capture emerging market loyalty before competitors like Chinese state enterprises fill the vacuum left by Americas political dysfunction. The blueprint for corporate health diplomacy already exists. We just need to scale it. Coca-Colas Project Last Mile demonstrates how corporate supply chains can revolutionize health delivery systems. The company leveraged its distribution network to deliver life-saving medicines across Africa, creating infrastructure that benefits both public health and long-term market development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer, Merck and Abbott should consider similar partnerships to create what we might call Corporate PEPFAR, picking up where government programs leave off. Not only would this maintain health care gains, it would earn the kind of consumer trust that translates into generational market advantage. Johnson & Johnsons Global Public Health Strategy aimed to triple the number of salaried community health workers in 12 African countries. This created a shared story of human potential while growing a local professional class capable of safely delivering J&Js solutions. The collective dream of shared progress builds brand loyalty, but the reality of lowered long-term business risks makes money. Companies that deliver hope and vision (think Steve Jobs and Apple) create bonds that extend far beyond individual transactions. Global presence that sets agendas: Microsoft exemplifies how health investments create platforms for broader influence. Their digital health partnerships across Africa and Asia give them credible authority to champion AI health care transformation at forums like the World Economic Forum, effectively setting global technology priorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When CEOs arrive at international summits highlighting their health partnerships, yes, they are just showcasing corporate social responsibility, but theyre also establishing themselves as authorities on challenges facing their key markets while building stakeholder relationships that protect and advance long-term business interests. Americas retreat from global health leadership creates an unprecedented opportunity for corporate America to demonstrate what consistent, strategic thinking looks like. Whereas government programs come and go with election cycles, corporate presence offers something invaluable: reliability. The companies that step up now wont just avoid the costs of global health collapse theyll also capture the benefits of unprecedented market creation while competitors wait for Washington to lead. This shift represents a business strategy that incorporates a long-term vision of how America shows up on the global stage. Will it be the America of political dysfunction and abandoned commitments, or the America of innovation, consistency and long-term vision embodied by its most successful companies? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The choice facing corporate leaders isnt whether they can afford to treat global health as someone elses responsibility. The choice is whether they want to own tomorrows markets or watch competitors claim them. In a world where traditional American soft power is in retreat, corporate health diplomacy offers a path forward that serves both humanitarian goals and business interests. The companies smart enough to see this opportunity wont just save lives theyll secure market position for generations to come. Lindsay Singleton is the founder of Singularity Public Affairs, former diplomat and expert in corporate social impact. 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. Gov. Tina Kotek speaks at a gathering of business leaders and public officials at the Moda Center, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. She is currently weighing a plan similar to one enacted by Washington officials to ensure access to the COVID-19 vaccine despite tightening federal restrictions.(Photo by Michael Romanos/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Gov. Tina Kotek and the Oregon Health Authority are exploring similar measures to a standing order issued in Washington aimed at ensuring access to COVID-19 vaccination in the face of federal guidelines that have tightened access to the shot and spurred confusion for patients across the state. The announcement comes two days after the democratic governors of Washington, California and Oregon announced what they called a West Coast Health Alliance aimed at safeguarding access to vaccines in the wake of political turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in June removed all members of the centers key Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a move medical expert groups widely denounced as undermining transparency in the institution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Food & Drug Administration in late August tightened annual restrictions to access to the COVID-19 vaccine booster shot, which previously made the shot available to anyone 6 months or older regardless of health status. The new restrictions limit access to people 65 and older or younger people with at least one underlying health condition that would risk severe illness. Health authority spokesperson Jonathan Modie told the Capital Chronicle that Kotek and the agency are working to review existing statutes and rules to determine next steps needed to support continued access to vaccines throughout the state, including at pharmacies. Each state may have different processes and timelines for implementation based on the recommendation and legal authorities, he said. Standing orders are one mechanism being considered. Oregonians can talk to their provider or pharmacy about getting a 2025-2026 vaccine. The review follows action from several other several Democratic states, who swiftly responded by loosening restrictions to ensure access to the COVID vaccine, heightening pressure for Oregon officials to follow suit. The Washington Department of Health signed a standing order into effect on Thursday allowing anyone in the state 6 months or older to receive the vaccine without a prescription through pharmacists or nurses, for instance. Hawaii also joined the western state coalition on Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Oregon Board of Pharmacy told the Capital Chronicle that more clarity around vaccine access may be forthcoming after the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meets from Sept. 18-19. It said that the new guidelines from the federal government are more narrow and stressed that pharmacies will require prescriptions or offer the vaccine at sites with clinical agreements or collaborative drug therapy programs. The Oregon Board of Pharmacy serves to promote and protect public health, safety, and welfare by ensuring high standards in the practice of pharmacy, agency staff wrote in an unsigned statement. We are deeply concerned by delayed federal guidance, which has caused confusion and created barriers to accessing updated COVID-19 vaccines at the start of respiratory season. In a statement, Amy Thibault, a spokesperson for CVS Pharmacies, said the company is currently offering the COVID-19 vaccine in Oregon. While individual pharmacies may cancel appointments from time to time, the vaccine is still currently available at our pharmacies in the state, she said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Debbie Karman, a spokesperson for Kaiser Permanente, told the Capital Chronicle that its experts were still reviewing the FDAs guidance. She added that they would also review the CDCs guidance when it was released alongside other sources of clinical recommendations, including relevant medical societies, to ensure safe and effective administration of the COVID vaccine. Vaccination continues to be one of the safest and most effective ways to protect against illness and reduce the severity of illness from COVID, she said in an emailed statement. Kaiser Permanente is committed to making the 2025-26 COVID vaccine available at no cost to children and adults for protection from severe illness from COVID. Lawmakers could also act to preserve access to vaccines. Rep. Rob Nosse, D-Portland and chair of the House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care, told the Capital Chronicle he was looking into the issue. These are excellent questions and appropriate concerns, he wrote in a Friday statement. These changes are all happening in real time and I am actively investigating as we speak. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Oregon politicians are vowing to defend democracy and protect the states long history of vote-by-mail after President Trump recently issued an executive order aiming to overhaul elections. President Trump has long criticized mail-in voting, and signed the order back in March aimed at forcing states to only count mail-in ballots received by Election Day. Several states including Washington and Oregon sued to challenge that order, as Oregon was the first state to mail in ballots for a presidential race two decades ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its like living in hell: Trump hints at Portland intervention A federal judge ruled in their favor, blocking key parts of the order, including the provision regarding the ballot deadline. But just last month, Trump once again vowed to crack down on mail-in voting before the 2026 midterm election. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and several local leaders met at the Midland Library in Southeast Portland Friday to share their plans to defend the vote-by-mail method. Lets be clear, President Trump is spinning lies and false claims about vote by mail, stressed Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards. Oregonians know the truth. We know vote-by-mail works. Its reliable. Its secure. And importantly, it results in more people actually voting and participating in our community and in our democracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oregon state representative breaks from partisan mold, changes party affiliation Merkley added that Trumps motives to end mail-in voting are clear, alleging it hinders his ability to manipulate votes on Election Day. You certainly see it in terms of his attack on vote-by-mail, because he wants to corrupt the next election, he said. He knows that what can be done to prevent people from voting in the manner I just described in cities is a way to increase the Republican success at the polls. Both Merkley and Wyden have repeatedly introduced legislation to make vote-by-mail available nationwide, the most recent being the Vote at Home Act of 2025 back in May. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill would require all states to allow eligible voters to cast their ballots by mail in federal elections. 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 KOIN.com. Heavy rainfall in the last few days caused widespread damage in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri. Residents are suffering from damaged houses, sunken roads, and destroyed crops. Several rain-induced landslides also occurred in the district, blocking many routes. "Over the past 5-6 days, we've toured the entire tehsil of Majakote. The house you're seeing is completely damaged, and the road behind it is also sunken. As a result, all the water from the mountain has collected just behind this house, causing the damage," Social activist and Congress leader Farookh Khan told ANI. "In this area, nearly 55-60 houses have faced similar issues, with significant damage and sunken roads. The people here have already suffered considerable losses due to earlier Pakistani border shelling and the Operation Sindoor. Now, with the ongoing flood and frequent rain over the past 2-2.5 months, they're facing even more damage," he added. The locals said that many are living in the sheds after their houses were damaged. "My house is completely destroyed. People in my neighbourhood are living outside in sheds. No one here can help anyone or anything else. Although all this has happened due to nature, it has become difficult for people to survive here. No one here has a tent, clothes, or anything else. This is a border area; people from the army also came here, but they also saw that nothing was left here," a local named Mohammad Rafeeq told ANI. Meanwhile, Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra continued to remain suspended for the 12th consecutive day on Saturday due to persistent adverse weather conditions and incidents of landslides along the pilgrimage route. Heavy rainfall over the past several days triggered landslides and road blockages in the Trikuta Hills, making the pilgrimage route unsafe for devotees. According to the Regional Meteorological Centre of Srinagar, there is no alert for the district till September 7. However, the weather department has issued a yellow alert for "thunderstorms, lightning and squalls" for September 8-9. The Vaishno Devi Yatra was suspended after a landslide on August 26 that killed 34 people and injured several. 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 shrine. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had ordered the constitution of a high-level three-member committee to investigate the causes of the landslide. 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. (ANI) CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) Police said three first responders in Champaign were stabbed late Thursday night, sending all three to the hospital. Now, people are stepping up to help them and their families. Organizations across Central Illinois say they want to make sure the victims can recover physically, mentally and emotionally. Semi-trailer spills boxes of cheese on I-57 in Neoga overnight WCIA talked to Michael Jenkins, co-founder of The Anchor Point and Marrisa Siero, a board member with the Champaign Firefighters Benevolent Fund. Both groups work with first responders, providing mental health support and the benevolent fund gives financial help as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They deal with stuff that is somebody elses worst day, and they do that multiple times in a single shift, Jenkins said. Champaign Police say Thursday night a call came in from 23-year-old Trevor Lewis who was experiencing mental health concerns. They say firefighters Courtney Moravek and Robert Bobby Poynton got to the area off of Neil Street and Buena Vista Drive first. Made contact with the with the individual who was cooperative, was calm, said Deputy Chief Greg Manzana. First mosquito batches test positive for West Nile in Vermilion Co. Then an Arrow Ambulance paramedic came to give further care, and it turned violent. Lewis pulled out a knife, stabbing the three people there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After just three minutes, police got to the scene. Another medical team was holding Lewis, and police took over while they gave medical aid to the three emergency personnel. Were there for, not just our fire department, you know, brothers and sisters, but the ambulance crews and everybody affected by this, Manzana said. Its not just police; The Champaign Firefighters Benevolent Fund has been helping first responders and their families in situations like these since 2022. UPDATE: All-clear given in Casey following Hydrogen leak These are our worst days, Siero said. Our worst moments of waking up and hearing a call coming in or getting the news that there has been an accident or an injury, either on duty or off duty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Siero is the wife of a firefighter and a board member with the fund. She says theyve given away more than $50,000 so far and they hope to do more. We are here when there are needs such as medical support, additional funding for families. Again, not just for firefighters, but the whole first responder community, Siero said. And so is Jenkins co-founder of Anchor Point. He works with first responders as well as former military to help process the stress they see daily. How to share the roads with farmers during harvest season in Central Illinois: Your typical civilian goes through three to five traumatic events in a lifetime, Jenkins said. A typical first responder or military person, 800 in a career. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Which makes it all the more important to put the focus on mental health. The need to talk and get help and just kind of make sense of what you experience is huge, Jenkins said. You know, theres still a ton of stigma we deal with all the time. I mean, as an ex-military guy, we didnt talk about mental health problems. [Were] still fighting some of that, but its come a long way, thankfully. Champaign Fire says Moravek is still in the hospital, but Poynton has been released. The paramedic has been released as well. Champaign County States Attorney Julia Rietz says Lewis is set to be in court on Monday. 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. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) The Oakwood University Church Adventurer Club and Health Ministries are hosting a community health fair on Sunday, Sept. 7. The event will be set up at 5500 Adventist Blvd in Huntsville, with activities such as: 8 a.m. fun walk 9 a.m. breakfast $7 per person or free for walk participants only 10 a.m. health fair The health fair includes free physical screenings for children, college students and adults. Those able to donate blood can do so through LifeSouth, which will be present at the event. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There will be seminars on blood pressure, renal health, diabetes, womens health, mens self-care and dementia. Additionally, over 40 health organizations will be on-site to give health information. Giveaways and kid-friendly health educational activities will be available for children. Food trucks will also be at the event. 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. BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) A luncheon was held Friday at the Ron Ramsey Regional Agriculture Center to recognize fire departments and rescue squads across six counties in Northeast Tennessee. Sullivan, Johnson, Hawkins, Carter, Washington and Unicoi counties were honored by local legislators and presented with grant checks for each department. Kevin Walters, spokesman of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance and the state Fire Marshals office, said the money will be set aside to help volunteer fire departments buy equipment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tipton-Ashe Gallery debuts Layered, Woven & Pierced: Appalachian Soul a Year On We want to keep those members safe as they go out to serve their communities because theyre the ones who are on the front line whenever there is a fire or an emergency, said Walters. Theyre the ones who run toward the danger, and they ought to have the equipment that they need to keep them safe. Kenneth McQueen, Chief of Shady Valley Volunteer Fire Department, said the grant has been tremendous for his department, and his team is grateful to the senators who have worked diligently to secure the grants. McQueens department received $18,000 through the grants and was able to buy a new thermal imaging camera. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is very important to us, and were looking forward to the future because our next purchase will be our packs that we need to purchase and upgrade, he said. McQueen said the generosity uplifted his team, and being able to purchase new equipment has brought a sense of accomplishment to the volunteer firefighters. 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 WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. More than 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers remain in Russian captivity, according to an analysis by an independent expert mission, the Interior Ministry announced in a Telegram post Sept. 5. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) led the investigation through its delegation to Ukraine and found that 2,577 soldiers remain in Russian captivity. The group's expert mission monitors the rights of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs). Russia regularly violates international law, including the Geneva Conventions, with its treatment of Ukrainian POWs and civilians. Ukraine's Prosecutor General reported in July that at least 273 POWs have been executed by Russia while in captivity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The International Committee of the Red Cross has not confirmed the status of 680 individuals, including 91 civilians, the Interior Ministry said. Meanwhile, there have been eight instances POWs have been identified as deceased after initially being classified as imprisoned. The OSCE's independent experts are set to publish a report outlining Russia's "violations of its commitments to the OSCE, abuses and human rights violations, war crimes, and other breaches of international humanitarian law" at the end of September, the announcement read. In August, 33-year-old National Guard soldier Vladyslav Nahornyi survived five days crawling back to Ukrainian-controlled territory after Russian forces slit his throat and threw him into a pit, believing he was dead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nahornyi, unable to speak, documented his ordeal in a journal. He wrote that Russian soldiers gouged out eyes, cut off lips, ears, and noses, and mutilated Ukrainian POWs. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones strike Russias largest Rosneft refinery in Ryazan Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Strong to severe thunderstorms are sweeping across parts of the Northeast on Saturday afternoon, putting more than 25 million people on alert. A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of the Northeast, from Maryland to Maine, until 8 p.m. ET. This includes much of the Interstate 95 corridor, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston. Ishika Samant/Getty Images - PHOTO: Spectators cover-up as it rains on Day Fourteen of the 2025 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, on Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. The primary hazard from any severe thunderstorms that develop is strong, potentially damaging wind gusts. Isolated large hail and a brief tornado or two cannot be ruled out, especially for locations in northern New England included in the watch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Any slow-moving thunderstorms with torrential rain could also trigger localized flash flooding, especially in urban, poor-drainage areas, and bring frequent lightning. ABC News - PHOTO: severe weather outlook map Damaging winds, large hail and lightning will be possible early Saturday evening into the overnight across this area, with a slim risk of a few brief tornadoes. Flash flooding will also be a concern for some of these areas, with the highest risk (Level 2 of 4) stretching from Philadelphia to Bridgeport, Connecticut. ABC News - PHOTO: flash flood threat map Multiple rounds of heavy rain from overlapping and training storms will be capable of producing localized to scattered areas of flash flooding, especially with the heaviest downpours or in areas known to flood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The storms are expected to continue into the overnight hours. Hawaii under state of emergency ahead of Hurricane Kiko ABC News - PHOTO: tracking the storms map Cooler air will be sweeping in behind this front, as another round of refreshing, fall-like air moves from the Midwest into the Northeast for the second half of the weekend. In true fall-fashion, the cool air will not stick around long, gradually warming is expected throughout next week, from west to east. IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Over 600 THC cartridges were found after deputies stopped a car on I-77 in Iredell County. On Sept. 3, the Iredell County Sheriffs Office Interstate Criminal Enforcement team conducted a traffic stop on a Mercedes-Benz with New York plates on I-77 NB near the 61-mile marker. Deputies say the vehicle committed a traffic violation. During the stop, deputies say the driver, Paul Daniel Sanchez, 28, of Port Chester, New York, said he was traveling from Charlotte to New York. While speaking with Sanchez, deputies say they saw drug paraphernalia in plain view inside the vehicle. Queen City News is tracking CRIME in your area >> Latest stories here A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of over 600 THC vape cartridges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sanchez was immediately taken into custody and transported to the Iredell County Detention Center on these charges: Felony possession with intent to sell/deliver Schedule VI controlled substance Felony possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance Felony maintaining a vehicle for the use of a controlled substance Misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia Sanchez was issued a $75,000 secured bond. 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 Queen City News. LOS ANGELES (NewsNation) Eight months after a fire in the Pacific Palisades became Californias worst-ever wildfire, NewsNation has exclusively obtained documents that show what attorneys call massive failures by state and local officials that may have contributed to the disasters devastating toll. The January fire killed 12 people, destroyed 7,000 structures and caused an estimated $18-20 billion in insured losses alone. Now, internal records obtained by victims attorneys show a series of missteps before, during and after the blaze. Michel Valentine, who witnessed the fires start Jan. 7, said he called 911, but waited for help that never came. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Who is Purgatory? The group behind the spate of active shooter hoaxes I did not see any firefighters up there, Valentine said. His home was among thousands destroyed and he has joined a lawsuit against the state, city and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. No predeployed resources went to Palisades despite recent brush fire Attorney Roger Behle, representing more than 3,000 fire victims, said despite Gov. Gavin Newsom predeploying hand crews and 110 fire trucks to Southern California before the fire, none were sent to the Pacific Palisades, even though the area had experienced a brush fire five days earlier. Documents show the Santa Ynez reservoir sat empty while LADWP failed to put the Palisades reservoir into service as planned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the day of the fire, LADWP acknowledged it should have shut off power to prevent spot fires from starting throughout the area, according to the records. FILE Firefighters battle the Palisades Fire as it burns multiple structures in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File) Firefighters watch a helicopter drop water on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon in Los Angeles, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) FILE A California Department of Corrections hand crew works containment lines ahead of the Palisades Fire, Jan. 14, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File) US President Donald Trump shakes hands with California Governor Gavin Newsom as he speaks to the press upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, on January 24, 2025, to visit the region devastated by the Palisades and Eaton fires. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images) FILE Nancy Belanger pours water on a neighbors fire-ravaged property in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong,File) FILE A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire around a burned structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent, File) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA JANUARY 8: Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building on Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Fueled by intense Santa Ana Winds, the Palisades Fire has grown to over 15,000 acres and 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate while a second major fire continues to burn near Eaton Canyon in Altadena. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images) Kevin Marshall sifts through his mothers fire-ravaged property in the the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher) Had the power been turned off, those spot fires would have been avoided, Behle said. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection confirmed to NewsNation that none of their fire trucks were predeployed to the Palisades. Technician allegedly altered records to cover delayed response time The documents also show a technician who was supposed to shut off power to a substation didnt arrive until much later in the day and was unable to complete the task because fire had reached the area. EPA knew Ohio train derailment threat, told public area was safe anyway Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three weeks later, the same technician allegedly altered log records, changing his arrival time from 6 p.m. to 1:45 p.m., a difference of five and a half hours. This is just redefining incompetence, Behle said. This is what youd expect to see in a third-world country. You dont expect to see this in the United States or in the state of California. Never in a million years would I have suspected that the city and the LADWP would seek to manufacture facts to fit their narrative in order to avoid liability, Valentine said. Its absolutely disgusting. President Donald Trump addressed the fire response in the Oval Office, calling it gross incompetence and suggesting a congressional investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They had no water, Trump said, claiming sprinkler systems failed because officials send the water out to the Pacific Ocean. LADWP has not responded to requests for comment. A Senate investigation into the fire response is reportedly imminent. 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. Attorney General Pam Bondi cited crimes that occurred outside of Boston to criticize the citys mayor in a head-scratching interview with Fox News. Bondi, 59, told Sean Hannity that Bostonone of the safest major cities in Americais actually not safe, citing a trio of grisly crimes. She singled out Mayor Michelle Wu, claiming the 40-year-old Democrat has lost control of the city. A Haitian national was charged with raping a child in a migrant center, she said. An 18-year-old illegal alien from Haiti molested a 10-year-old child. An illegal from El Salvador, 11 counts of rape against a child ... I could go on and on about the crimes in the Boston area. So, if shes not going to protect the people of Boston, we are. Attorney General Pam Bondi, 59, says that Boston is not safe and requires the involvement of federal law enforcement. / Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images As Mediaite first noted, the alleged migrant center incident took place 20 miles from Boston, the alleged molestation took place 30 miles outside city limits, and the incident involving the Salvadoran national took place on Nantucket, an island about 100 miles south of the state capital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wu, of course, has zero jurisdiction over crimes that take place well outside Bostons city limits. It would be the equivalent of blaming President Donald Trump for something that occurred over the border in Mexico or Canada. The Trump administration, which has already deployed the National Guard to the streets of Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., has signaled plans for similar actions in other Democrat-controlled cities, including Boston. Reached for comment, Wus office said in a statement: For months, the Trump DOJ, DHS, and ICE have been spreading blatant lies and threatening to bring hell to cities like Boston who refuse to bow down to their authoritarian agenda, so this unconstitutional attack is not a surprise. It continued, This country was born facing down bullies, with Bostonians leading the way. Today, Boston is the safest major city in the country because we have worked to build trust in the community, so that everyone feels safe seeking help or reporting a crime. We will not be bullied or intimidated into abandoning the efforts that make Boston a safe home for everyone. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, 40, has called the Trump administrations lawsuit against her city unconstitutional. / JOSEPH PREZIOSO / AFP via Getty Images The administration sued Boston and Wu on Thursday over an ordinance that limits local police from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wu responded that same day, This unconstitutional attack on our city is not a surprise. Boston is a thriving community, the economic and cultural hub of New England, and the safest major city in the countrybut this administration is intent on attacking our community to advance their own authoritarian agenda. Boston is not suffering from a crime spike. It reported its lowest homicide rate since 1957 last year, and other violent and property crimes are on a downward trend. Bondi refused to let those facts get in the way of her talking point. Michelle Wu is one of the worst offenders in the entire country, she told Hannity. She says Boston is safe. Its not. This article was originally published in CalMatters. This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. More than 250,000 students in Los Angeles Unified will be eligible for extra tutoring, summer school and other academic help after the district settled a class-action lawsuit alleging that its remote learning practices during the pandemic were discriminatory. The settlement, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, was announced Wednesday by the law firm representing families who said their children fell disastrously behind during the Covid-related school shutdown in 2020-21. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After five years of tireless advocacy on behalf of LAUSD students and families, we are proud to have secured a historic settlement that ensures students receive the resources they need to thrive, said Edward Hillenbrand, a partner at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis. This critical support will help pave the way for lasting educational equity. Los Angeles Unified had no comment on the case because the settlement has yet to be approved by the court. A hearing is set for December, although the settlement goes into effect immediately. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles and nearly every other school district in California closed for in-person learning from March 2020 through fall 2021. Students attended classes virtually, and most fell behind academically. Test scores statewide plummeted after schools reopened. Chronic absenteeism soared. In fall 2020, a group of families whose children were languishing during remote learning sued Los Angeles Unified, saying the district wasnt doing enough to ensure students were receiving an adequate education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One parent, Akela Wroten Jr., said that his second-grade daughter was behind before the pandemic and became even more lost during remote learning. She struggled with reading and never got the extra attention she needed because teachers werent assessing her progress. Another parent, Vicenta Martinez, said her daughter didnt get any instruction in spring 2020, in part because she never received logon information for remote instruction and the school never followed up. When she finally did access remote classes, the lessons were short and teachers offered little feedback. LAUSDs remote learning plan fails to provide students with even a basic education and is not preparing them to succeed, the lawsuit alleged. The suit singled out an agreement between the district and its teachers union that said teachers would only be required to work four hours a day, wouldnt have to give tests and werent required to deliver live lessons their lessons could be asynchronous, or recorded beforehand. In addition, the agreement said the district wouldnt evaluate or monitor teachers during that time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement United Teachers Los Angeles supports the settlement, saying it provides more assistance for students while leaving teachers hard-won contractual rights intact and avoiding unwarranted judicial interference in the district. The union also noted that student test scores have recovered significantly since the pandemic.. The plaintiffs argued that the districts policies discriminated against low-income, Black, Latino, disabled and English learner students, because those were the students least likely to have adequate support to succeed in remote learning. Those student groups also comprise the vast majority of students in the district, the nations second-largest. The settlement requires the district to offer a host of academic support, including summer school and after-school tutoring, to the 250,000 students who were enrolled in L.A. Unified during the pandemic and are still with the district. Among those students, 100,000 who are performing below grade level will be eligible for 45 hours of one-on-one tutoring every year through 2028. This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license. James McAvoy was nervous on the set of his directorial debut. James McAvoy nervous on set of directorial debut The 46-year-old actor stepped behind the camera to helm California Schemin' - which is based on the true story of two Scottish friends, Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, who pretended to be an American rap duo but he wasnt confident on set at first. Patriot Pictures CEO Michael Mendelsohn, who financed and produces California Schemin, told The Hollywood Reporter: I would often say to him, James, lets not talk to the director right now. Lets talks to James McAvoy the actor. James McAvoy the actor can read the phone book and make that fantastic. And I dont know why James McAvoy as the director is doubting himself. Youve got it, my friend. Mendelsohn also revealed how hard James worked on the movie. He said: James was the first to the set every day. He beat the grips, the truckers. And he was always thoughtful about the other workers and the movie. James was drawn to California Schemin' - which is based on Gavin's memoir because he feels it shows how his fellow Scots face barriers to success due to their accent. He said: In my journey, in my world, did I feel less than? Yeah, a little bit, because to this day there just isnt a lot of work out there for people with Scottish accents, unless theyre able to change their accent. I understood there wasnt a lot of work out there for people who sounded like me. Rap music is all about the streets that you come from and what made you. And they let that go. So could they keep themselves sane? Could they keep their relationship with each other? Could they keep their relationship with their own sanity, while forsaking their roots? In a less sensational way, that has been my journey for 30 years. Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Congress terming them to have "demon tendency" (Asur Pravriti) and mentioned that their "destruction" is inevitable. Sinha's response comes after Kerala unit of the Congress party shared a controversial deleted 'X' post which compared Bihar with 'Bidis'. Sinha stated that people who have no knowledge about Bihar speak foolishly about the state. He said that the country's history is utterly incomplete without Bihar. "Those who speak foolishly for Bihar have no knowledge. They do not know the culture and traditions of Bihar...History of the country is incomplete without this land. If someone attempts to tarnish that land, then they are a fool; these are people of 'asur pravriti'...Their destruction is certain," Vijay Sinha told reporters. A political row emerged in Bihar following a controversial 'X' post, which was later deleted by Kerala Congress, which was captioned, "Bidis and Bihar start with B". The post was a jibe at the recent Goods and Services Tax reforms introduced by the Union Government, where the tax rates on Cigars, Cigarettes, and Tobacco were increased to 40 per cent. In contrast, the rates on Bidis were brought down from 28 to 18 per cent. Meanwhile, Sinha also slammed RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav's statement on the GST reforms, stating that the mindset of anarchy and 'gunda raj' will not work in the country. He asserted that PM Narendra Modi dedicated all the schemes for the poor, farmers, women and youth. "The mindset of anarchy and 'gunda raj' will not work in India any more. They do not understand GST. PM Narendra Modi dedicated all his schemes to the poor, farmers, women and youth. He is realising the dream of making this Viksit Bharat...These people won't understand it," he said. The 56th GST council meeting decided to rationalise GST rates to two slabs of 5 per cent and 18 per cent by merging the 12 per cent and 28 per cent rates. 5% slab consists of essential goods and services, including food and kitchen item like butter, ghee, cheese, dairy spreads, pre-packaged namkeens, bhujia, mixtures, and utensils; agricultural equipment like drip irrigation systems, sprinklers, bio-pesticides, micronutrients, soil preparation machines, harvesting tools, tractors, and tractor tires; handicrafts and small industries like sewing machines and their parts and health and wellness like medical equipment and diagnostic kits. While the 18% slab consists of a standard rate for most goods and services, including automobiles such as small cars and motorcycles (up to 350cc), consumer goods like electronic items, household goods, and some professional services, a uniform 18% rate applies to all auto parts. Additionally, there is also a 40% slab for luxury and sin goods, including tobacco and pan Masala, products like cigarettes, bidis, and aerated sugary beverages and on luxury vehicles, high-end motorcycles above 350cc, yachts, and helicopters. Moreover, some essential services and educational items are fully exempted from GST, including individual health, family floater and life insurance, no GST on health and life insurance premiums and education and healthcare, like certain services related to education and healthcare are GST-exempt. (ANI) NILES, Mich. Leader Publications has been a bastion of news and information for Berrien and Cass counties for decades. While much has changed over the years, its dedication to swift and truthful reporting has never wavered. Change is inevitable and for the first time since 1988, Leader Publications has changed hands. Boone Newsmedia Inc., owners of Leader Publications headquartered in Niles, Michigan, has announced the sale of the Niles Daily Star, Dowagiac Daily News and The Leader to Paxton Media Group, according to John Cribb, Cribb & Associates, who represented BNI and the Boone family in the transaction. Terms were not disclosed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leader Publications has been an important part of BNI for more than three decades, BNI Senior Vice President Catherine Boone Hadaway said. BNIs founder and my father, Jim Boone, loved visiting the beautiful town of Niles, and took a lot of pride in the weekly newspapers and shopper produced there. We are thankful to our employees, our readers and the communities served for their longstanding support of the paper. Paxton Media Group is a diversified media company with interests in newspapers, printing and broadcasting and is still owned and managed by third and fourth generation members of the Paxton family. We are very pleased to be selected by the Boone family to assume stewardship for these publications, said Jamie Paxton, president and CEO of Paxton Media Group. We believe strongly in the importance of local journalism and intend to build on the award-winning reputation of these newspapers. PMG owns and operates several Michiana newspapers including the Herald-Palladium, Harbor Country News, South Haven Tribune and The Elkhart Truth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adding Leader Publications to our already strong presence in Michiana clearly shows our commitment to providing news and information in this region, said PMG Group President David Holgate. In March 1886, Darius B. Cook issued the first copy of what is now know as The Niles Star. It was the first daily newspaper to be published in Berrien County. James Heddons family, who also made the first fishing lures, founded the Dowagiac News in February 1897. Leader Publications Publisher Rich Cains and Managing Editor Maxwell Harden will continue in their roles following the acquisition. While the sale is bittersweet, BNI President and CEO Steve Stewart and I are very pleased Jamie Paxton and Paxton Media Group will continue to be the stewards of these community newspapers, Hadaway added. Paxton has a reputation for taking care of their employees, their franchises and the communities they serve. We could not be more pleased for Leader Publications and its staff. We look forward to many successful years for Paxton in Niles. UPDATE: The gate has been repaired and the pedestrian path is open again, according to a news release. EARLIER: The pedestrian path on the west side of the Government Bridge is closed as of 4:30 p.m. Friday because of malfunctioning parts, according to a news release from the U. S. Army Garrison, Rock Island Arsenal. (Hami Arain, OurQuadCities.com) A spokesman for the garrison says to use caution if you use the east side of the bridge because you will be forced to cross Armstrong Road on the arsenal side of the bridge. (Hami Arain, OurQuadCities.com) Updates will be provided once the gates have been repaired. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) The Penn Yan Police Department is investigating a series of false reports over the past month involving active shooters and bomb threats, warning that anyone responsible will face the full weight of the law. All recent incidents were quickly determined to be false, according to authorities, who are working with the New York State Police Computer Crimes Unit and the FBI to identify those making the calls, as tracking down the culprits through phone records can be especially challenging. A lot of times they, you know, its not as simple as, like, looking it up and being, oh, theres the phone number and this is the person who called,' Lieutenant Justin Hamm with the Penn Yan Police Department said. So identifying these things can be, you know, a time-consuming process if you can identify it at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The false reports have had real-world impacts. On Friday, a false active-shooter call led to a massive police response at a hotel on Balsley Road in Seneca Falls, with authorities initially told that more than 50 people had been shot. Police conducted a building search and evacuated the area before confirming the report was a swatting incident. Swatting call leads to massive police response in Seneca Falls The Waterloo Central School District went into a secure lockout following the report but lifted it after confirming there was no credible threat in the community. Students who had not yet arrived at school were allowed to be dropped off at Lafayette Elementary at 10:30 a.m. and Skoi Yase at 10:45 a.m. Similarly, the Seneca Falls Central School District placed all buildings on a secure lockout due to an incident in the community. Two buses carrying children were redirected to the district office, where students remained with instructors until the lockdown ended. Frank Knight and Elizabeth Cady Stanton schools were on a two-hour delay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Penn Yan police said those responsible could face multiple charges, including felony terroristic threats. We hope to identify, person or persons that are doing this, and they will be prosecuted to the fullest because it is quite a waste of resources, Hamm said. And it puts people and the public just on edge, you know, and, thats thats obviously a concern to any department. Anyone with information about the false claims or those responsible should contact the Penn Yan Police Department at 315-536-4426 or leave an anonymous tip online at https://www.villageofpennyan.com/anonymous-tip.html. 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 RochesterFirst. A positive COVID-19 test result is not something that anyone wants to see but now there may be an extra reason to avoid getting sick. COVID infections cause miserable symptoms such as fever, fatigue, congestion and more. Now, though, some people infected with COVID in China are reporting a very sore throat thats been nicknamed razor blade throat. Health: 10 Everyday Habits That Are Harming Your Longevity The Most According to Google trends data, people throughout the U.S. are now, too, worried about this scary-sounding symptom and are searching for things like new covid variant painful symptom and covid razor throat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just how worried do you need to be about a super-painful sore throat during a COVID infection? Below, doctors weigh in on the supposed razor blade sore throat symptom: Some people with COVID are reporting a razor blade throat, but you dont need to panic. Its nothing new. In the past, as new variants have come on the scene, there almost invariably have been questions about distinctive symptoms, and after a while, when you gather a lot of data, turns out not to be the case all of these symptoms have occurred before, said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine in the department of health policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Meaning, the circulating COVID variants tend to produce the same sort of symptoms and disease as the ones from years ago, Schaffner added. Although the more recent variants, these omicron variants, are less severe, he said. Health: People Are Afraid To Vaccinate Their Dogs For 1 Wild Reason And Vets Are Sounding The Alarm A very sore throat isnt specific to the circulating COVID variants, said Dr. Carrie Horn, the chief medical officer and chief of the division of hospital and internal medicine at National Jewish Health in Colorado. Instead, its a symptom that has been associated with COVID infections for a while, Horn said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schaffner had not heard of the razor blade sore throat symptom particularly, but has heard of people having a severe sore throat with COVID infections. While some people can have a very sore throat that could be described as razor-like, it doesnt mean its going to happen to everyone and it also isnt some new, scary symptom that is associated with new COVID infections. There is not one outstanding COVID symptom that marks an infection, said Dr. Mark Burns, an infectious disease expert at UofL Health in Louisville, Kentucky. A sore throat is a symptom of this, but also fever and cough and fatigue, these are all symptoms as well, Burns added. Health: There Are 3 Types Of Perfectionism. Which Category Are You? To sum it all up, the symptoms, including sore throat, are really no different. Theres no increased intensity based on sore throat or anything like that, added Burns. Heres how you can protect yourself from a COVID infection: COVID tends to surge twice a year once in the winter and once in the mid-to-late summer, Schaffner said. Doctors recommend getting the COVID shot to prevent severe disease, particularly if youre 65 or older or have an underlying medical condition. The eligibility of who can get this years vaccine and the availability of the shot is currently murky, so check your state health departments current requirements and permissions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wearing a mask in indoor spaces, social distancing, washing your hands often and increasing ventilation when possible are more ways to protect yourself from COVID and other respiratory viruses, too, said Burns. If you do get sick, there are treatments available. If you have any COVID symptoms, such as sore throat, fatigue, cough or fever, take a test to see if you have COVID. If you are infected, get in touch with your doctor, particularly if youre high-risk as there are treatments available, said Schaffner. Health: People Are Reporting A Frightening COVID Symptom Right Now Here's What To Know Its important that you talk to your primary care provider as the guidance will vary depending on your age, underlying conditions and other risk factors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement COVID is a miserable infection, Horn added. Over-the-counter meds help Ibuprofen alternating with Tylenol, if youre able to take those ... theres no reason to be miserable, Horn said. So, take the medicine that you are able to take to help, she said. Its also important to stay hydrated when youre sick even if you do have a painful sore throat. A sore throat can make hydration feel like more of a chore, but its important to drink water and herbal teas as dehydration can further irritate the dry membranes in your throat, Horn said. If you are sick, its best to keep your germs to yourself, said Horn. This means canceling the dinner plans, not going to the party and calling out of work if you can if you cant, wearing a tight-fitting mask is key, Horn added. Health: You Might Be Masking Without Realizing It And It Could Be Burning You Out Preventing transmission is the biggest thing that we can do to help keep everybody healthy, Horn said. Related... Read the original on HuffPost WASHINGTON (DC News Now) A person was taken to the hospital with serious injuries after a fire broke out at a Southeast D.C. school on Friday evening. Just after 6 p.m., DC Fire and EMS (DCFD) said it responded to a box alarm at Hart Middle School in the 600 block of Mississippi Ave. SE. Howard County identify woman who died on her birthday in oldest cold case homicide The fire was reportedly in a room on the second floor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One person was hospitalized with serious injuries. An additional fire truck, air unit and fire investigators were requested to respond to the scene. As of 6:15 p.m., the fire had been knocked down. 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. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced backlash after declaring the Pentagon had absolute and complete authority to bomb a suspected Venezuelan drug vessel, but then offering no legal basis to back up that claim about the Donald Trump-ordered deadly strike that killed 11 people. Andrew Harnik / Getty Images A reporter pressed Hegseth on Thursday: What legal authority did the Pentagon invoke to strike that boat full of drug smugglers? Hegseth shot back: We have the absolute and complete authority to conduct that. Fox News Related: 13 People Shared Their "Last Straw" Moments Before Cutting Off Their MAGA Family Members But he did not cite any law or mechanism granting such authority. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He continued: First of all, just the defense of the American people alone. A hundred thousand Americans were killed each year under the previous administration because of an open border and open drug traffic flow. That is an assault on the American people. Id say we smoked a drug boat and theres 11 narco-terrorists at the bottom of the ocean and when other people try to do that, theyre gonna meet the same fate. Fox News shared footage of the exchange online: "I'd say we smoked a drug boat and there's 11 narco-terrorists at the bottom of the ocean and when other people try to do that, they're gonna meet the same fate."Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military had the "absolute" authority to strike a Venezuelan boat carrying nearly a pic.twitter.com/pK4cdv85wu Fox News (@FoxNews) September 5, 2025 @FoxNews Trump himself announced he ordered the strike on the boat, claiming the targets were members of the Venezuelan drug cartel Tren de Aragua, which his administration designated as a foreign terrorist organization in February. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images The bombing has sparked criticism even from Republicans. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, warned Wednesday that the move may set a chilling precedent. Its hard to have any sympathy for drug dealers trying to import product into our country, Paul said on Newsmax. But at the same time, I guess, you might ask the question, Where does it end? Are we the worlds policemen? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added: We all assume these people were bad people and drug dealers, but if they were caught off the coast of Miami, we would stop the boat. If they dont shoot at us, we dont shoot at them. Theyre confiscated; theyre put in jail. Related: Nicole Byer Just Spotted A "Dangerous" Truth About DC Crime Amid Trump Crackdown Plans On social media, critics accused Hegseth of swerving the question entirely and questioned what actual authority the Pentagon was relying on. REPORTER: What legal authority did the Pentagon invoke to strike that boat?PETE HEGSETH: We have the absolutely and complete authority pic.twitter.com/PkKfZgdle5 Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 5, 2025 @atrupar / Fox News Dictatorship confirmed bostonteaparty (@bostonteapartyd) September 5, 2025 @bostonteapartyd This is the equivalent of a parent tells their kids, "Because I said so." He doesn't have an answer, so he tries to shut down the question. J.C.'s Thought Dump (@jcsthoughtdump) September 5, 2025 @jcsthoughtdump Related: RFK Jr.'s Shocking Claim About Black People And Vaccines Has Medical Experts Very Concerned Hegseth doesn't answer the question here. He attempts to do the standard tough guy routine, but it is not a legal defense or justification.Perhaps if he hadn't fired all of the top Judge Advocates General for all of the branches of the military or the inspectors general or the Amy Coplan (@amycoplan) September 5, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement @amycoplan In other words, he doesn't know and it doesn't matter. Susan Carroll (@susan_chilton) September 5, 2025 @susan_chilton Translation: None. Just vibes and bombs. AnatolijUkraine (@AnatoliUkraine) September 5, 2025 @anatoliukraine Clown show. Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) September 5, 2025 @blueatlgeorgia Whats the legal or constitutional authority for this use of the American military? Patrick Jaicomo (@pjaicomo) September 5, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement @pjaicomo Related: Gavin Newsom Has Been Roasting MAGA Left And Right, And WOW, Is It Entertaining No, Pete. We don't. Southern (@NavyVet135) September 5, 2025 @navyvet135 They don't care about the constitution. Remember, they proposed to terminate the constitution . CryptoSmind (@SmindCrypto) September 5, 2025 @smindcrypto The central point is not the guilt of the men on board everything suggests that they were drug traffickers but the choice of method: instead of capturing and trying these people, it was decided to eliminate them on the spot. An act that conveys a precise message: we don't Massimo Colonna (@tulhaidetto) September 5, 2025 @tulhaidetto The argument presented by Hegseth could be used by police officers to justify a shoot to kill policy for people on the street they suspect to be drug dealers. Arbitrary justice makes a mockery of the rule of law. Carbazotic (@carbazotic) September 5, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement @carbazotic This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Also in In the News: Gavin Newsom Came Up With A Nickname For JD Vance, And This One Is Definitely Going To Stick Also in In the News: "None Of That Was True": Stephen Colbert Just Fact-Checked Trump's Lie About His Family Also in In the News: "Sounds Like Granny Needs To Stop Being A Welfare Queen": People Are Roasting This MAGA Supporter Who Suddenly Dislikes Trump's Proposed Policies Now That They'll Affect Her Personally Read it on BuzzFeed.com Xavier LeMay graduated from Phoenix Recovery Academy in Frederick in May 2024 at 17 years old after overcoming addiction. Last month, he returned to the school as a peer recovery specialist. LeMay, now 19, is the first Phoenix graduate to be employed at the school and the youngest staff member the academy has had. The academy, which currently has 10 enrolled students, is a high school for students in recovery from substance use disorder or dependency with a program that includes classes, morning group reflections and counseling sessions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the 2022-2023 Maryland Youth Risk Behavior Survey/Youth Tobacco Survey, 12.8% of high school students surveyed in Frederick County had their first drink of alcohol, other than a few sips, before age 13. The survey found that 3.8% had tried marijuana for the first time before age 13. After a year and a half of completing the requirements for the certification, LeMay said, he became the youngest certified peer recovery specialist in Maryland at 18 years old. The states certified peer recovery specialist program is meant for individuals with lived experiences in recovery from a behavioral health disorder, such as mental health or substance abuse disorders, according to the Maryland Behavioral-Health Professional Certification Board. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through the completion of specialized training and service hours, peer recovery specialists work to provide support to people facing addiction, mental illness and other behavioral health disorders. LeMay became certified the day he reached two years of sobriety, he said. As part of a 2024 project, The Frederick News-Post followed LeMay and other students at the school for months to tell their stories. LeMay told the News-Post then about his addiction, which involved marijuana, psychedelics, sleeping pills and inhalants. After graduation from Phoenix, LeMay said, he had two choices: continue his education or work in the recovery field. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LeMay began working at Tree of Hope, a recovery organization in Rockville specializing in peer services, months after finishing at the academy. At Tree of Hope, LeMay said, he and his coworkers started the first youth peer support team and worked with students at Montgomery County schools. During his time there, he also completed a peer recovery training that made him realize he could make a difference in that line of work. I said, right now at 17, this is my opportunity to reach the people who are in my position and be able to relate to them the most and give them the most help, LeMay said in an interview on Wednesday. Because theres a lot of peers, but theres not many peers that are young. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One thing that helped LeMay during recovery was going to the school which he compared to a family with people his age who he could connect with. A Phoenix student, who The Frederick News-Post is not identifying, said having a peer specialist helps keep them and other students accountable. I would say that a peer specialist isnt just for people who struggle with addiction problems, said the 16-year-old student, who has been sober for more than a year. I feel like every school should have one like [LeMay] who can understand struggles. A shared experience In his new position, LeMay said, he can continue to relate to the students and their emotions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On his first day as a student at the small school, LeMay said, he sat in the corner of a room and cried because he was overwhelmed with the amount of support around him and the fact he could no longer hide behind people or drugs. Now, he can look at a student and decide if they need to have a conversation. Working with them so far has been challenging yet rewarding, LeMay said. Some obstacles he has faced in his role have been introducing recovery to new students and handling behavioral issues. Theres some people that are coming from some very, very difficult backgrounds, so an easy knee jerk reaction is to react aggressively, he said. Thats definitely been one of the biggest challenges so far this year is finding a way to redirect and separate and calm and move forward with the day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LeMay credited peer specialists at the school, specifically Jessica Nicholson formerly the academy and community relations director with inspiring him to pursue this work. He said she never gave up and made an impact on his whole family, including his brother, who is also a Phoenix graduate. It inspired me because I saw not only how I can touch just one person, but how that can affect so much more than just that one person, LeMay said. He now occupies the same office Nicholson held when he was a student. The first time LeMay sat at the desk to talk with a student, he said, it was surreal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On his desk sits a placard with the quote, This too shall pass, which previously belonged to Nicholson. LeMay had joked with Nicholson about needing a sign like hers, so she gave it to him, Nicholson said in an interview on Thursday. In 2022, Nicholson, a certified peer recovery specialist, spent hours in the hospital with LeMay and his family, helping him identify his options and next steps for recovery. She said she watched the school and community embrace him then and is proud of how far hes come since. Nicholson, who now works at Solid Ground Recovery, described LeMay as being energetic and having a charismatic personality and a good heart. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres nothing greater than a shared experience and the therapeutic value of it, Nicholson said. And so being able to watch our kids go through the program, complete, stay sober and be in a position to return is kind of what a larger picture of the mission is about, she said. The position LeMay now holds was previously part time until the school received grant funding to turn it into a full-time position, according to Heather Whitcomb, the schools executive director. We felt that we needed to have a better connection, peer to peer, and theres nothing more powerful than his story and seeing how he can engage with the students, Whitcomb said about LeMay on Wednesday. Through his personality and interactions with the students, LeMay has shown students that a person can be both sober and have fun, Whitcomb said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whitcomb hopes LeMays story and message can give hope to students. Each day as a peer recovery specialist at the academy is different. From meeting with students to watching over classes to talking to parents, LeMays responsibilities vary. He is currently aiming to connect with Frederick County Public Schools to visit and speak to health classes about his work. One of LeMays biggest motivators is giving back, he said. A big part of the peer field is we dont save lives, LeMay said. We give people opportunities to save themselves. An American lecturer was among the 16 people who died in a tram crash in the heart of Lisbons historic district. Heather Hall, who worked at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, was on the funicular when it derailed, careered down a steep hill and crashed into the side of a hotel on Wednesday evening. Ms Hall, who specialised in literacy and special education, was in Portugal to speak at a conference when she decided to go on the funicular. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mother-of-two was killed alongside British couple Kayleigh Gillian Smith, 36, and William Nelson, 44, and 13 others, including an 82-year-old British man who has not been named. A further 22 were injured, five of whom remain in serious condition in hospital. Ms Halls family said they were grieving for their beloved daughter, sister, mother, educator, and advocate. Her family said: Heather Lynn Hall passed away doing what she did best living life fully, boldly, and with a heart wide open to the world. Heather grew up in a home overflowing with unconditional love. That love expanded outward, reaching every corner of her life. She didnt just have friends she had soul-deep connections with people who felt truly seen and cherished by her. She believed in [her children] with all her heart and wanted nothing more than for them to live their lives fully. Heather Hall was in Portugal to speak at a conference when the incident happened Her friends are still in shock after her sudden and unexpected death. Maria Davis, her former college roommate, told WCBD: I actually had seen the story on the news that night, and I almost texted her, but thought, no, its a very small chance it could be her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It doesnt seem real. She was such a big part of my life and part of so many peoples lives. Jennifer Morrison, a former colleague, told the Post and Courier that Ms Hall was a ray of sunshine. When Mrs Morrison heard of the tragic accident, she texted Mrs Hall to make sure she was okay, but never heard back. Ms Halls faculty dean said: This is a tragic loss for all of us. Heathers untimely death occurred while she was in Lisbon to speak at a conference. As an alumna of the College and a dynamic instructor with a specialisation in special education, she shared her love of travel with her students. Her energy, kindness, and student-centeredness will be deeply missed. Tributes were laid at the site of the Gloria funicular accident in Lisbon - Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP According to the university, Ms Hall went with students on study abroad trips to Italy. She was planning future learning experiences in Iceland and Belize. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A first-generation college student, Ms Hall graduated with a Bachelor of Science and Distance Education at the College of Charleston in 1997. She taught students in Ghana as a Fulbright scholar before returning to her alma mater in 2019 to teach. Outside of teaching, she loved to explore the world and was part of a community that supported adult artists with disabilities. Margarida Castro Martins, the head of Lisbons Civil Protection Agency, said seven men and eight women died in the crash, with all but one declared dead at the scene. The details of the final victim have not been revealed. British couple Ms Smith and Mr Nelson, who had been together for six years, had shared photos of themselves visiting tourist sites, including the Sao Jorge castle, hours before they were killed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their families paid tribute to them on Saturday, with Ms Smiths family saying: Kayleigh was loved by family and friends for her wit and humour, her kind and caring nature came to the fore in her work as a funeral operative. She was also a talented theatre director and had just completed a masters degree. They both leave family and friends heartbroken. Mr Nelsons brother said: Words cannot begin to describe how our family and friends are feeling right now but here is the best attempt. This week, due to a tragic accident in Lisbon, Portugal, we lost Will Nelson, who was not just my big brother but everyones. He was always kind, selfless, and protective, and the world does not feel right or normal without him. He was and has always been my hero, and we will miss you always. Love you, rest in peace, you legend. Lesley Guymer, a close family friend of Ms Smith, said: Such a quirky lady, lovely, lovely lady. Ive known her since she was in her teens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And Will was such a magnificent man. Big beard, charming, very, very, very lovely. In total, five Portuguese nationals, two South Koreans, one Swiss, three British, two Canadians, one Ukrainian, one American and one French national were killed. Luis Montenegro, the Portuguese prime minister, described the crash as one of the biggest tragedies of our recent past. 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. AIADMK General Secretary Edapaddi K Palaniswami held a meeting on Saturday with seven senior party leaders and former ministers at a private hotel in Dindigul near Madurai. And the meeting has been going on for over an hour. In the context of former AIADMK minister Sengottaiyan stating yesterday that the AIADMK must be united, General Secretary Edappadi Palanisamy met and held talks with former ministers Dindigul Srinivasan, Natham Viswanathan, KP Munusamy, SP Velumani, Kamaraj, OS Manian, and Vijayabaskar. Last night, KP Munusamy, SP Velumani, Kamaraj, OS Manian, and Vijayabaskar arrived at the hotel along with Edappadi. This morning, former ministers Dindigul Srinivasan and Natham Viswanathan also joined the discussion. A day earlier, AIADMK leader KA Sengottaiyan called for the induction of the expelled leaders, including VK Sasikala, O Panneerselvam, and T T V Dhinakaran, into the party, arguing that the party must win the election. He said soon after the Lok Sabha election results were announced, senior leaders of the party met AIADMK's general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and asked for bringing back the leaders who left the party. But EPS did not heed the suggestion, he said. "I am working to ensure a united AIADMK. Since 2016, the election results have not been in our favour. If we had an alliance with the BJP, we would have won 30 seats in the Parliament election," Sengottaiyan said in a press conference here. "Despite whatever efforts we made, we could not achieve success and win. After we lost the election, we senior leaders met with EPS and offered our suggestions. EPS was not able to listen to and follow our suggestions," he added. He said AIADMK can only win elections if it brings back the expelled leaders. "Only if we bring back those (factions) who left us can we win the election. We should accept and induct those who left. They have even stated they have no preconditions for reunification. We should bring our factions together to ensure we win the election and provide good governance in Tamil Nadu. Let us call all those who left us. Let's fulfil the dream of crores of our cadres. Only if we do this soon can we achieve victory in the election. There is not much time left before the election. A decision must be taken soon," he said. (ANI) This story was written by Nathan Prewett of the Trussville Tribune. PINSON, Ala. (TRIBUNE) During a meeting of the Pinson Council on Thursday night it was announced that Councilor Glenda Kirkland would concede her District 5 seat to opponent Noel Holt after the municipal election on Aug. 26. The council met on Tuesday to certify the results of those who were elected and set the date for a runoff between Holt and Kirkland for Sept. 23 until her recent decision to withdraw. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roberts read a letter by Kirkland in which she said that she decided to concede because of the expenses that would be made to hold the runoff and because she wanted to spend more time with her family. Ive had a wonderful time, she said. Ive enjoyed it but its time for me to move on and enjoy myself and my daughter in Florida. She noted that her daughter was watching the livestream. Shes telling me, I better say this, she added. If she if I ever step foot in another city hall meeting, she will have me committed. Councilor John Churchwell, who did not run for reelection and will be succeeded by Paula Sims, gave his thoughts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I would just like to also say I think shes done a great job for the city, he remarked. A lot of things thats been done its been done at her efforts to get forward and do things up, and, you know, Ive sat beside her for about five years, so anyway I think shes done a good job and we will miss [her]. Mayor Robbie Roberts said, I want to say and Ill say more later next month perhaps as we wind down our time serving together but I just want to say that I really appreciate what [shes] done here during [her] time. I really believe that the citizens have been blessed by her having served on this council. The council unanimously voted to certify Holt as District 5 councilor. Kirkland was further complimented by resident Dolan Terry during public comments, who gave emotional remarks to Kirkland as she prepares to vacate her seat. He read from a letter he composed to address her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Glenda, when you found out what the cost to the city of Pinson would be for the runoff you put the city first and not your own agenda, he said. By taking your name off of the ballot I believe this is an example of being a true patriot. Pinson City Council meets on the first and third Thursdays of every month at City Hall on 4410 Main Street. Live-streamed meetings can be seen on the citys Facebook page. 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. NEW YORK (PIX11) In this installment of PIX on Politics with Dan Mannarino, a PIX Panel of local New York City reporters and a professor from the University of Mount Saint Vincent discuss the upcoming mayoral election. Is President Donald J. Trump attempting to influence the election unfairly? Will candidates seek positions in the White House? 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. A young, unknown progressive goes up against an establishment Democrat backed by well-heeled real estate interests and conservative donors. With a campaign focused on affordability, propelled by grassroots energy and small donors, the progressive wins a shocking victory that inspires wild joy on the left and predictions of doom on the right. This wasnt June 2025 in New York City, when Zohran Mamdani captured national attention by winning the Democratic mayoral primary. It was June 2021 on the other side of the state in Buffalo, where India Walton, a progressive Democrat backed by the Working Families Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, pulled off a come-from-nowhere victory over four-term incumbent mayor Byron Brown. In Buffalo, as in New York, the winner of the Democratic primary is usually the winner of the general. At the time, it seemed to some like a decisive moment for progressives in their attempt to build power in the Democratic Party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But then Brown launched a write-in campaign a tactic that is almost never successful in elected politics and he attacked Walton, painting her as a radical whose policy ideas were clueless at best and dangerous at worst. The strategy worked: in the general election, Brown won handily by about 18 points. In the postmortem, Waltons primary victory seemed less like a hinge moment and more like an anomaly, the one-off result of a complacent incumbent who barely campaigned in the primary, before leveraging the muscle of the party machine in the general. But now, in the wake of Mamdanis similarly dramatic primary win and a determined effort to stop him in November, Waltons experience has heightened relevance. It is more than just a cautionary tale. Its a map of the landmines surrounding Mamdani and guidance for how the democratic socialist assemblymember can avoid them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As is now the case for the Mamdani campaign, the leaders and institutions that usually support the Democratic nominee didnt coalesce behind Walton. Governor Kathy Hochul never endorsed her. Democratic state party chair Jay Jacobs said that he wasnt any more obligated to endorse Walton than he would be if KKK leader David Duke had won. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand waited until October to offer tepid endorsements. Obviously, [Walton] wins and everybodys like, Oh shit, says Democratic political strategist Basil Smikle Jr., who once worked under Brown in the Democratic state party leadership. Theres a moment of reckoning where folks say, were not ready for this, and find a way to push back, which they did. And I think thats where you see the machine really come into action. The two contests are not a perfect comparison. Buffalos population is only 2.5 percent of New York Citys, and the dynamics of the races are dissimilar in some notable ways. Mamdanis closest rival, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, carried baggage into the primary that was more significant than Browns negatives in Buffalo, which basically amounted to frustration with the status quo. New York Citys incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, chose to skip the primary to run in the fall as an independent. And Mamdani won the Democratic nomination more decisively than Walton, who edged Brown by only 1049 votes in the primary. The demographic coalitions behind the candidates in the two cities were different as well. A SUNY Geneseo analysis of the 2021 race concluded that Brown won based on moderate and conservative white fear of progressive policy. By contrast, in the New York City primary, Cuomo narrowly won in precincts that had more Black voters, while Mamdani won in precincts that had more white, Hispanic and Asian voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But as the general election approaches, the similarities are impossible to overlook: Adams and Cuomo are fighting Mamdani using the Brown playbook: deploying tactics that worked in Buffalo, like drumming up fear of and opposition to socialist policies, and raising money with real estate interests and conservatives. Our opposition in both of these cases are being funded by real estate billionaires and in some cases by right-wing Republicans, says NYC Democratic Socialists of America co-chair Gustavo Gordillo. Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for the Cuomo campaign, disputed this characterization of the fundraising but did not provide specifics on that topic. The Adams campaign did not respond to requests for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Either way, Buffalos experience elevating a democratic socialist to the brink of City Hall and then rejecting her raises a question that is at the heart of New York Citys mayoral race in November: Does the Brown playbook still work, even at a moment when the Democratic Party establishment is weaker and more discredited than ever? India Walton has been watching Mamdanis campaign closely, not just because of the parallels to her own race but for another reason: she has a personal connection to the Democratic nominee. It was Mamdani, then a newly elected assemblymember, who helped convince her to run for mayor four years ago. In an interview, Walton recalled meeting Mamdani and other DSA activists and state elected officials on Clubhouse, the audio-only social media app that had a moment around that time, where they were talking about how complicated and idiotic the budget process was in the state and what it was like to be freshmen legislators in Albany. For Walton, this transparency from Mamdani and the others, all of whom represented downstate districts, only deepened her frustration that Buffalos elected representatives never seemed to speak directly to constituents that way. And then, she says, Mamdani proposed a solution: She should run. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Walton declared her candidacy, the group had a call to strategize. They were like, Were going to hold you down. You can do this, Walton remembers. The group organized downstate fundraisers for her, and Mamdani and others also came to Buffalo to help campaign. Following her defeat, Walton says, she kept in touch with Mamdani. But they dont talk regularly, and he didnt reach out before launching his own mayoral campaign. Even so, Mamdani appears to have internalized one of the most important lessons Walton learned from her experience. As a first-time campaigner, Walton admits she was learning on the fly and wasnt always adept at answering questions about her policy ideas and about what being a socialist meant. One of the key lessons of her candidacy, she says, is to avoid being on the defensive while speaking plainly about progressive and socialist policies. I was painted as this scary Commie, a red scare moment, she said. I was trying to catch up after they had said, Shes going to take your property; businesses are going to leave. It was impossible to reclaim the narrative. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mamdani, she notes, got ahead of the scare tactics. Zohran confronted socialism upfront. Hes a longstanding member of DSA. I think that plays to his benefit because its not a surprise, says Walton. Mamdanis campaign did not reply to repeated requests for comment. Gordillo says that the DSA has learned to double down after a primary win and take nothing for granted, even in a heavily Democratic city. After the Walton primary victory, Im not sure that the movement took as seriously the need to keep campaigning and building on those forces, he says. We are taking the moment with Zohran seriously, where everyone intends to continue fighting until the general. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Policy changes and subtle political shifts make a progressive win more plausible now as well. In 2021, Biden had just taken office and left-leaning voters may have been more likely to believe that the establishment was up to the task of beating back MAGA. But now confidence in the Democratic Party is at a 35-year low, some traditional coalitions have fractured and as the reelection of Trump showed on the right there is an increasing appetite for bigger change. That is really the crux of the parallel, says Smikle, who is not affiliated with any campaign. What you have in these two races in New York and in Buffalo, is candidates whose rhetoric would suggest that they fundamentally believe that the system is broken, that the institutions need to be revamped, and that the party itself needs a deep refresh. Its most obvious in the small but real overlap of Trump and Mamdani voters. The labels arent sitting as neatly as they once did, says Working Families co-director Jasmine Gripper. I think the common thread is we want someone whos not the status quo. We want someone whos going to stand up and fight. One key change in the last four years that has benefited Mamdani is the expansion of early voting, which resulted in higher turnout in the primary, particularly among younger voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They [Mamdani voters] were people who are unlikely to vote overall, they do not participate, and they are what we call least likely voters, says political strategist Hank Sheinkopf. Sheinkopf has been blunt about his opposition to Mamdani and his support of Adams. Gripper agrees that early voting has changed elections, but she phrases it differently: This [early voting] allows the base of what they call unreliable voters to show up and be countedPeople went on the weekend, people went after work. And then there is public campaign financing, which made it possible for Mamdani to rely on individual small donations that were matched by the city a system that doesnt exist in Buffalo. Walton proved to be a respectable fundraiser, especially for a novice candidate, but Mamdani was able to raise more than $8 million thanks to the public match. When Mamdani maxed out on fundraising early, he asked his supporters to donate to other campaigns. That emphasis on coalition building, supporters say, defines Mamdanis candidacy and is fundamental to the evolution of progressive influence in state and city politics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But so far, the campaigns efforts to reach out to establishment Democratic leaders have had decidedly mixed results. Jacobs, the chair of the state Democratic Party, has yet to endorse Mamdani. (His office did not return a request for comment.) Gillibrand, speaking on WNYC, went so far as to suggest Mamdani has referenced global jihad, a falsehood she subsequently apologized for, saying she misspoke. Schumer has not endorsed Mamdani, nor have six of the 10 House Democrats representing New York City. Hochul also has not endorsed Mamdani, though she has perhaps had a friendlier tone towards him than she did toward Walton. Clearly, a lack of institutional Democratic support is something that Walton and Mamdani have in common. But its possible that the progressive wing of the Democratic Party led by the Working Families Party and the Democratic Socialists of America has now built enough of its own alliances and campaign infrastructure to effectively counter the establishment. Add to this the fact that Mamdani is a more seasoned campaigner than Walton was, and a public that is no longer necessarily looking for the establishments blessing, and its not hard to see how the result could be different this time. This takes one of the central questions of Waltons candidacy will party leaders fall in behind an insurgent candidate? and turns it on its head. Now, local and national party leaders may have more to lose by not endorsing Mamdani than in endorsing him. Multiple political strategists pointed out that a Mamdani win without establishment support would lay bare a new balance of power, one in which the establishment is no longer the only kingmaker. As the largest city in the country and a hub of Democratic governance, the stakes in New York are much higher than they ever were in Buffalo. Sheinkopf rejects this notion and urges centrists to coalesce around Adams, the incumbent, and to start fighting on a grassroots level not only deploying the strategies that worked in Buffalo against Walton, but also taking a page from the progressive blueprint. Get into the street, target people across the board over 40, he said. Mamdanis really not interested in the city. What hes interested in is the left having power. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Azzopardi says the Cuomo campaign is also trying more direct strategies to reach voters. We learned some lessons from the primary and during this relaunch we are meeting New Yorkers where they are, in their neighborhoods, on the streets and yes, on social media. What all sides appear to agree on is that this election is about the long game, the balance of power in the Democratic Party in the state and even the country. Please help me: Miss United States begs judge for restraining order against Florida Congressman A Columbia County judge is delaying a decision in the legal battle between Central Florida congressman Cory Mills and his ex-girlfriend, reigning Miss United States, Lindsey Langston. During Fridays hearing, the congressman and Langston, also a Republican State Committeewoman, took the stand. Langston is asking the court to grant her request for a restraining order from Mills. She has accused the congressman of stalking and threatening to release explicit images of her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During nearly two hours of testimony Friday, the former couple laid out what sometimes felt like painfully intimate details of the end of their three-year relationship. The hearing lasted longer than expected, and the judge ultimately decided to recess Fridays hearing and reconvene at a later date. Throughout the hearing, Langston became emotional several times and begged the judge to issue an order of protection. Someone please help me because I dont know what do and Im scared, said Langston. Langston testified the couples relationship unraveled in February after Langston, learned via a news report about an alleged domestic violence incident between Mills and another girlfriend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Langston, she left the couples home in New Smyrna Beach and moved back in with her parents. Langston testified that the former couple continued to speak for some time, but as she processed the situation, she eventually asked Mills to leave her alone nearly a dozen times. She claims she blocked the congressman on social media, but he continued to contact her. Langston claims via phone calls and text messages that Mills threatened to hurt himself, threatened her future boyfriends, and threatened to release sexually explicit pictures and videos of her. In text messages provided to the court as evidence, Mills allegedly wrote, May want to tell every guy you date that if we run into each other at any point. Strap up, cowboy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In another message to Langston, Mills writes, Let him put his actions behind his mouth. I can send him a few videos of you as well. Oh, I still have them. Congressman Mills told a judge the text messages were taken out of context. Mills testified he had deleted all explicit videos long before that conversation. During this conversation that references videos, did you even have them at the time? Asked Mills attorney John Terhune, No sir, I did not, responded Mills. Mills added aside from deleting those photos and videos, his phone had been damaged and he had not been able to recover what was there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Mills version of events, he and Langston had previously gone through a break-up in 2023. The couple reconciled after a period where Langston had initially blocked him on several social media platforms. Mills told a judge he believed the couple was heading toward reconciliation again when he sent Langston the messages submitted to evidence. According to Mills, several of the messages need additional context. Mills testified that Langston told him she would no longer see a new man she had been intimate with post-breakup and during the alleged reconciliation period. Mills alleges when he discovered Langston had continued to see that man he said, I can send him a few videos of you referring to non-explicit videos of he and Langston together around the same time as when she was allegedly with the other individual. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before Mills could elaborate much further, on Friday, the judge cut Mills testimony short due to time constraints. Mills has consistently denied any wrongdoing and is not facing any charges concerning the allegations. However, both Langston and Mills must return to the Columbia County Courthouse to continue the hearing and provide additional testimony. A date has not been set yet to continue the hearing. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) In a MAGA world, it might be easy to forget what a dominant force in conservative politics the Tea Party was in about 2010 and just as easy to assume the Tea Party is a thing of the past. But we havent gone away, Jenny Beth Martin, honorary chair of a group called Tea Party Patriots Action, speaking Friday in Lower Paxton Township before an Only Citizens Vote Bus Tour event supporting the SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which would require voters to prove their U.S. citizenship by providing a birth certificate or passport when they register. Unlike at the Tea Party protests early in Barack Obamas presidency, no one Friday was wearing American Revolution-era hats. Get the latest Pennsylvania politics and election news with abc27 newsletters! Back in 2009 and 10, there were a lot of protests, and that was new, Martin said. But at some point, you have to stop protesting and work to accomplish your goals, such as the SAVE Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like the original activists, We stand for personal freedom, economic freedom and a debt-free future, Martin said. Todays MAGA Republicans, aligned with President Trump, have generally been more tolerant of running large budget deficits, such as the ones analysts say will likely result from big planned tax cuts without commensurate cuts in spending. Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pennsylvania) is closely aligned with Trump but spoke at the Tea Party rally Friday. Theyre just regular citizens who want their voices heard and think theyre taxed too much. I actually agree with that, Perry said. But this issue is about people who shouldnt be in our country making decisions for our country, diluting righteous and rightful votes. Most independent analysts have found little evidence of widespread voter fraud, including of large numbers of non-citizens attempting to vote, although a majority of Americans support photo ID requirements for voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like the 2009-10 Tea Party protests, this one drew a counter-protest in this case, progressives who oppose the SAVE Act. Its already illegal for non-citizens to vote, said Della Hoke, who organized the group. There are severe penalties for voting if youre not a citizen. So this puts an unnecessary burden on women and people who dont have the funds to get all those documents that are necessary to prove that you are a citizen. Why women in particular? Hoke, who said she was adopted, said shes a good example. As a person who had a name, had it changed, was married, was divorced all this stuff there are many steps, and its been thousands of dollars for me to get that corrected, and its still not corrected, Hoke said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Download the abc27 News+ app on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and Apple TV devices Progressives generally say conservatives exaggerate the extent of the problem with current voting safeguards. Conservatives generally say progressives exaggerate the difficulty of proving citizenship. 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 ABC27. PUZHNYKY, Ukraine (Reuters) -Remains of Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalist insurgents during World War Two were buried in western Ukraine on Saturday as officials from both countries looked on, a move to ease a rare strain in relations between the two close allies. Poland was allowed to exhume the remains in the former Polish village of Puzniki, in present-day Ukraine, earlier this year after longstanding demands from Warsaw over the issue, which has caused friction between the neighbouring countries. With Polish Catholic priests officiating, the simple wooden coffins of 42 Poles, each marked with a cross and flanked by wooden cross, were placed in a long, narrow grave in a wooded, abandoned cemetery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lanterns and wreaths draped in Polish red and white and Ukrainian yellow and blue colours were laid alongside. "The victims of the Puzniki massacre rested in an unmarked grave for decades, but their memory endures for their loved ones and those who fought for this remembrance, truth, and act of elementary justice," Polish Culture Minister Marta Cienkowska was quoted as saying by state news agency PAP. "Today's burial is a restoration of dignity to those who had it stripped from them in the most inhumane way." Cienkowska expressed confidence that it would be possible to locate and identify remaining victims, according to PAP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Survivor Maria Jarzycka-Wroblewska, 90, said groups of men had assured residents they would be safe and then the killings occurred overnight. "No one in my immediate family was murdered here, but neighbours, friends and even a distant cousin were," she said. "Thank God that the Ukrainian authorities and the Poles came to an agreement and this is finally done...You cannot put all Ukrainians in the same basket." The abandoned village is among sites where Polish officials say more than 100,000 people were killed by insurgents between 1943 and 1945. Large swathes of modern-day western Ukraine were under Polish control at the time. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which fought against both Nazi German forces and the Soviet Red Army, is widely held responsible for the killings as part of efforts to limit Polish influence over the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The so-called Volhynia massacres have complicated relations even as Poland has backed Ukraine against Russia's 2022 invasion by supplying weapons and taking in almost a million refugees. Ukraine has rejected Poland's description of the killings as "genocide", saying thousands of Ukrainians were also killed in events that were part of a wider conflict between the neighbours. The exhumations involving around 20 specialists had been aimed at identifying victims and burying them. Polish officials have called on Ukraine to allow more operations to take place. (Additional reporting by Alan Charlish in Warsaw; Writing by Dan Peleschuk and Ron Popeski, Editing by Franklin Paul) Polish protesters have stopped blocking traffic at the Medyka checkpoint on the border with Ukraine. Source: Colonel Andrii Demchenko, spokesman for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda Quote from Demchenko: "Poland reported that the protesters had stopped blocking the lorry traffic and that the checkpoint will begin letting lorries through at 15:30." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Background: On 6 September, Polish protesters blocked the Medyka checkpoint on the Ukrainian border and prevented Ukrainian lorries from passing in both directions. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! LONDON (AP) British police scuffled with protesters outside Parliament on Saturday as they arrested more than 400 demonstrators who gathered to defy a ban on the group Palestine Action, which has been deemed a terrorist organization by the government. Defend Our Juries, the campaign group organizing the protest, said 1,500 people took part in the London demonstration, sitting down and holding signs reading I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action. Within minutes, police began arresting the demonstrators, as bystanders chanted Shame on you and Met Police, pick a side, justice or genocide. There were some scuffles and angry exchanges as officers dragged away demonstrators who went limp as they were removed from the crowd. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eight hours after the protest started, police said they had arrested more than 425 people, more than 25 of them for assaulting officers or public order offenses and the rest under the Terrorism Act. In carrying out their duties today, our officers have been punched, kicked, spat on and had objects thrown at them by protesters, said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Claire Smart, who called the abuse directed at police intolerable. Defend Our Juries said aggression had come from police officers and dismissed claims that protesters had been violent as frankly laughable. More than 700 people were arrested at earlier protests, and 138 have been charged under the Terrorism Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mike Higgins, 62, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, was arrested last month but returned to demonstrate on Saturday. And Im a terrorist? Thats the joke of it, he said. Ive already been arrested under the Terrorism Act and I suspect I will be today. Of course Ill keep coming back. What choice do I have? Direct action protests The government proscribed Palestine Action in July after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and vandalized planes to protest against what they called Britains support for Israels offensive against Hamas in Gaza. The activists sprayed red paint into the engines of two tanker planes and caused further damage with crowbars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Proscription made it a crime to publicly support the organization. Membership of, or support for, the group is punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Palestine Action has carried out direct action protests in the U.K. since it formed in 2020, including breaking into facilities owned by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems UK, and has targeted other sites in Britain that participants believe have links with the Israeli military. The group has targeted defense companies and national infrastructure, and officials say their actions have caused millions of pounds in damage that affect national security. Banning the group, then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said, The assessments are very clear, this is not a nonviolent organization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Palestine Action has won approval from the High Court to challenge the ban, a ruling the government is seeking to overturn. The case is ongoing, with a hearing scheduled for Sept. 25. Supporters say the ban stifles free speech The U.N. human rights chief has criticized the British governments stance, saying the new law misuses the gravity and impact of terrorism. The decision to designate Palestine Action as a terrorist group raises serious concerns that counterterrorism laws are being applied to conduct that is not terrorist in nature, and risks hindering the legitimate exercise of fundamental freedoms across the UK, Volker Turk warned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added that according to international standards, terrorist acts should be confined to crimes such as those intended to cause death or serious injury or the taking of hostages. Huda Ammori, Palestine Actions co-founder, has condemned the governments decision to ban it as catastrophic for civil liberties, leading to a much wider chilling effect on freedom of speech. The group has been supported by prominent cultural figures including bestselling Irish author Sally Rooney, who said she planned to use the proceeds of her work to keep backing Palestine Action and direct action against genocide. Israel founded in part as a refuge in the wake of the Holocaust, when some 6 million European Jews were murdered vehemently denies it is committing genocide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Britains government stressed that proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist group does not affect other lawful groups including pro-Palestinian or pro-Israel voices campaigning or peacefully protesting. About 20,000 people, by a police estimate, attended a separate pro-Palestinian march in London on Saturday. Editor's note: The article was updated after the protests concluded. Polish protesters briefly blocked truck traffic at the Polish side of the Medyka-Shehyni border checkpoint with Ukraine, the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service announced on Sept. 6. The news comes amid heightened tensions between the two countries as Poland's new president, Karol Nawrocki, has taken a harder stance toward Kyiv than his predecessor, Andrzej Duda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protest began at 12:50 p.m. Kyiv time and was expected to last at least six hours. Polish protesters have stopped blocking trucks at the Medyka crossing by 3:30 p.m. Kyiv time, Ukrainian Border Guard spokesperson Andrii Demchenko told Ukrainska Pravda. Separately, the Border Guard service said that trucks were allowed to pass in both directions every 15 minutes by 3:30 p.m., and the demonstration fully ended by 5 p.m. The rally took place roughly 1 kilometer from the Polish side of the checkpoint, with 681 trucks queuing up to enter Poland, the Border Guard said earlier. Passenger cars and buses were allowed to pass without restrictions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The event was launched by Polish farmers in response to low grain prices, difficulties in selling their produce, and the EU's trade agreement with the South American group Mercosur. The participants presented the protest as an urgent appeal to the Polish government and Brussels to intervene. Polish farmers and truckers have repeatedly blocked traffic at the Poland-Ukraine border since 2023, protesting the influx of Ukrainian goods and labor force after Brussels eased trade rules with Kyiv in response to Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The protests have strained Ukraine's relations with Poland, which has otherwise been a crucial ally during the war. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones strike Russias largest Rosneft refinery in Ryazan Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. BJP leader Dilip Ghosh on Saturday asserted that the attempt to restrict the film in West Bengal will only increase people's curiosity, while reacting to the controversy surrounding Vivek Agnihotri's film 'The Bengal Files'. Speaking to ANI on West Bengal Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya's statement, the BJP leader said, "Right now, The Bengal Files is being watched across the country. People in Bengal will also watch it online. The more you try to stop people from watching, the more they'll want to see it. The truth can't be kept under wraps." The BJP leader emphasised that the ban could prevent viewers from accessing the film and that the truth shown in the movie would eventually reach the people. A day earlier, West Bengal Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya dismissed the claims that distributors were pressured over Vivek Agnihotri's film 'The Bengal Files'. "If the distributors were actually pressured, they would have spoken up about it... This is nothing but to malign the special state in various ways," Bhattacharya told reporters. The controversy began after the film was set to release in theatres on September 5, which explores the communal violence that took place in undivided Bengal during the 1940s, including the events of the Direct Action Day and the Noakhali riots of 1946. On Thursday, as actor-producer Pallavi Joshi wrote a letter to President Droupadi Murmu seeking help for the peaceful release of the film in West Bengal, Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri emphasised the need to write the letter addressing the alleged "unofficial ban" on the film's release in the state. 'The Bengal Files' is directed by Vivek Agnihotri, who came to fame with his directorial 'The Kashmir Files' in 2022.The upcoming film stars Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar and Pallavi Joshi in the lead roles. (ANI) Polish protesters have blocked the Medyka checkpoint on the border with Ukraine and are not allowing Ukrainian lorries through in either direction. Source: State Border Guard Service spokesperson Colonel Andrii Demchenko in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda Quote: "On Saturday at 12:50 Kyiv time, Polish protesters began a protest action blocking traffic in front of the Medyka checkpoint, opposite the Ukrainian checkpoint Shehyni. Early reports indicate that the restrictions will last at least six hours, with a possible extension." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: The Border Guard spokesperson noted that the movement restrictions apply only to lorries. Passenger cars and buses are being processed as usual. According to Demchenko, 681 freight vehicles are currently registered in the electronic queue to exit Ukraine. About 100 lorries are waiting to enter Ukraine at a specially designated parking area. Their processing will not be disrupted. The protest site is located about one kilometre from the Polish Medyka checkpoint. The border guards promise to provide additional updates on any changes or traffic complications. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE) Haynes Park Pool in Rio Rancho was full of soggy dogs Saturday morning, trying to cool off for the last days of summer. It was a big turnout for the annual Pooch Plunge. This is the 16th year the event has happened here in New Mexico, and some families have made it a tradition. Weve been coming here for three years. Every year its the same thing. Its tons of fun. The dogs love it. No dogs are fighting; its just good times, said dog owner David Rinaldi. VIDEO: Woman, child, dog saved in swift water rescue in Grant County Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She loves Pooch Plunge, and she loves the camera. Shes always asking, Whens Pooch Plunge? Whens Pooch Plunge? And were happy to be here, said Plunge enthusiast Chloe Pie. The event is a fundraiser for the Bosque Buddies Animal Rescue. 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 KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (WJW) A popular Italian restaurant in Rocky River is getting ready to shut its doors for good before the end of the year. Owners of Stino da Napoli on Old Detroit Road took to social media to make the bittersweet announcement on Friday. After 34 wonderful years, we are announcing our retirement from the restaurant business, the post said. Myles Garretts status for Sundays season opener announced Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Owners said a final dinner service at the restaurant will be held on Saturday, Dec. 20. We are deeply grateful to all of our loyal patrons, friends and supporters who have become like family to us over the years, the post continued. Serving the community has been one of the greatest joys of our lives, and we are honored to have shared our passion for Neapolitan cuisine with you. Fans quickly took to the comments to show their support. Sad to see you go, Stino and Jill, but well deserved time to enjoy life, one commenter wrote. You will be very missed especially your eggplant parm, nobody does it like you. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We moved from Rocky River 8 years ago and I still cannot find a lemon dessert that even comes close to yours!! Best of luck to yall, another said. The closing comes just months after restaurant officials announced they would stop distributing their premium pasta sauces at Cleveland-area grocery stores after doing it for two decades. Powerball jackpot soars to $1.8 billion Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your lives whether it was a special celebration, a casual dinner or simply a shared love of good food, Fridays post concluded. The memories made within these walls will stay with us forever. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the restaurants website, owner and chef Agostino Iacullo came to the U.S. in 1979 with only $300 in his pocket. He would go on to found Stino da Napoli in 1991 with his wife, Jill. 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. Postal traffic into the United States plunged by more than 80% after the Trump administration ended a tariff exemption for low-cost imports, the United Nations postal agency said Saturday. The Universal Postal Union says it has started rolling out new measures that can help postal operators around the world calculate and collect duties, or taxes, after the U.S. eliminated the so-called "de minimis exemption for lower-value parcels. Eighty-eight postal operators have told the UPU that they have suspended some or all postal services to the United States until a solution is implemented with regard to U.S.-bound parcels valued at $800 or less, which had been the cutoff for imported goods to escape customs charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The global network saw postal traffic to the U.S. come to a near-halt after the implementation of the new rules on Aug. 29, 2025, which for the first time placed the burden of customs duty collection and remittance on transportation carriers or U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency-approved qualified parties, the UPU said in a statement. The UPU said information exchanged between postal operators through its electronic network showed traffic from its 192 member countries nearly all the world countries had fallen 81% on Aug. 29, compared to a week earlier. The Bern, Switzerland-based agency said the major operational disruptions have occurred because airlines and other carriers indicated they weren't willing or able to collect such duties, and foreign postal operators had not established a link to CBP-qualified companies. Before the measure took effect, the postal union sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to express concerns about its impact. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The de minimis exemption has existed in some form since 1938, and the administration says the exemption has become a loophole that foreign businesses exploit to evade tariffs and criminals use to get drugs into the U.S. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs now require vetting and are subject to their origin countrys applicable tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%. While the change applies to the products of every country, U.S. residents will not have to pay duties on incoming gifts valued at up to $100, or on up to $200 worth of personal souvenirs from trips abroad, according to the White House. The UPU said its members had not been given enough time or guidance to comply with the procedures outlined in the executive order U.S. President Donald Trump signed on July 30 to eliminate the duty-free eligibility of low-value goods. While the estimated Powerball jackpot is setting records, Ohio Jackpocket users are unable to use the popular lottery app to buy their tickets for the drawings. Jackpocket, which was bought by DraftKings in May 2024, was the first licensed, third-party lottery courier app in the United States, allowing users to order official state lottery tickets from their phones, according to the app's website. But Jackpocket's ability to fulfill orders was recently suspended in the Buckeye State because it wasn't in compliance with the Ohio Lottery Commission's retailer terms and conditions, according to an email from the commission's spokesperson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Jackpocket will remain inactive in Ohio until their internal controls are addressed," Danielle Frizzi-Babb, the Ohio Lottery Commission's deputy director of communications, said in an email to The Dispatch. Why is Jackpocket suspended in Ohio, and can I still access my funds? Several self-identified Ohio Jackpocket users took to Reddit's Lottery subreddit to express confusion after they opened the app to an alert that orders weren't currently available in their state. The Dispatch reached out to Jackpocket, asking why orders were paused for Ohioans. "We have paused the ordering of draw games and scratch-off tickets in Ohio while an internal review is being conducted," according to an email statement from a Jackpocket spokesperson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked about the Ohio Lottery Commission's notice that the app had been suspended for not complying with the state agency's retailer terms and conditions, DraftKings' senior director of communications, Stephen Miraglia, declined to comment. Miraglia said that though Ohioans cannot place orders via Jackpocket, they are still able to access and withdraw their money if desired. Frizzi-Babb said the Jackpocket app operates legally in Ohio, but it is not affiliated with the official Ohio Lottery. The app fulfills users' orders from the licensed lottery shop Winners Corner, she said. Frizzi-Babb did not respond to The Dispatch's follow-up question about how Jackpocket violated the commission's retailer terms and conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In February, the Texas Lottery Commission announced a ban prohibiting the purchase of lottery tickets through courier services like Jackpocket, attributing the move to a lack of regulatory oversight over such apps. How do you play the Powerball? The Powerball jackpot is now $1.7 billion, with a cash value payout of $770.3 million for the Sept. 6, 2025, drawing. The odds of winning are 1 in 292.2 million. If you're going to take your chances anyway, you should know that in order to win the Powerball jackpot, you must match all five white balls in any order, plus the red Powerball. After purchasing your ticket, you'll pick six numbers: five of which must be between 1 and 69 for the white balls and the other between 1 and 26 for the Powerball. Players are able to choose their own numbers on a play slip or let the lottery terminal randomly pick them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Players can also add a "Power Play" for $1, which increases the winning amount for all non-jackpot prizes. The jackpot will continue to grow until it's won. Powerball drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET. Drawings are broadcast live at those times and live-streamed on the Powerball website, per prior Dispatch reporting. Jackpocket versus Jackpot: Are they the same? While both are third-party lottery apps, Jackpocket and Jackpot formally referred to as Jackpot.com are two different services. Jackpot.com remains available in Ohio. Reporter Emma Wozniak can be reached at ewozniak@dispatch.com or @emma_wozniak_ on X, formerly known as Twitter. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Is Jackpocket down? Why Ohio lottery players cant use Powerball app (PUEBLO, Colo.) The Pueblo Police Department (PPD) announced the arrest of a suspect in connection with the shooting death of a woman back in August in Pueblos Bessemer neighborhood. PPD shooting arrest, Alehandro Chacon According to PPD, detectives teamed up with the U.S. Marshals Colorado Violent Offender Task Force to arrest 20-year-old Alehandro Chacon earlier this week. During the investigation, Pueblo Police detectives gathered sufficient evidence to obtain an arrest warrant for Chacon, according to PPD. After he was located by the U.S. Marshals Service on Wednesday, Sept. 3, at 5:30 p.m., Chacon was taken into custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chacon was booked into the Pueblo County Jail and faces a charge of First-Degree Murder After Deliberation for the shooting death of 47-year-old Andrea Martinez on Aug. 14. According to our previous coverage, on Aug. 14, police were called to the 1600 block of Spruce Street around 3:20 a.m. after reports of a shooting. When officers arrived, they found the victim dead from apparent gunshot wounds. Later that day, PPD stated that Chacon was wanted on charges of First-Degree Murder for the shooting. Chacon remains in custody with a cash-only bond set at $1,000,000. 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 FOX21 News Colorado. BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) With hunting season almost here, the Division of Natural Resources Wildlife Division has some wildlife safety tips for hunters who may have unexpected encounters in the woods. West Virginia Herpetological Society to hold annual fall symposium Todd Dowdy, a wildlife biologist with the DNR, said realistically hunters shouldnt have much to fear in terms of wildlife encounters. However, he does have some recommendations if a stray bear happens to cross your path while youre out there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You know, make yourself look big. If the bear starts to approach you or walk in your direction, make your presence known. Make some noise, yell at the bear while holding your hands in the air type thing. This is just so the bear knows youre there and knows what you are. You know, and if the bear starts to approach you, just back away while making yourself look big, said Dowdy. Dowdy said black bears will run away from you most of the time to avoid a conflict. However, if youre hunting with a dog, make sure to keep your animal close by as black bears will often chase dogs that bother them back to their owners which could lead to an unwanted encounter. Dowdy said hunters should be more worried about tree stand safety, making sure they are wearing their articles of orange, and letting people know where they will be in case of a medical emergency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 WVNS. President Donald Trump's approval ratings held mostly steady following a week of legal setbacks, international tensions, and domestic policy shifts.On Tuesday, a federal judge ruled against the administrations attempt to revoke nearly $3 billion in research funding from Harvard University, stating that the White House had used allegations of antisemitism as a smokescreen for an ideologically driven attack on academic freedom. The ruling was hailed by Harvard as a victory for constitutional rights, while the White House condemned the decision and vowed to appeal. Meanwhile, federal immigration authorities arrested hundreds of undocumented workers at a Hyundai plant construction site in Georgia, marking one of the largest immigration raids of the year. The operation drew criticism from labor advocates and added fuel to ongoing debates over the administrations immigration enforcement tactics Trump's foreign policies took another turn this week, as he signed an order Thursday lowering tariffs on Japanese automobiles, hoping to ease trade tensions and boost consumer access to imported vehicles. At the same time, the Pentagon confirmed that Venezuelan warplanes had buzzed a U.S. Navy ship in the Caribbean, prompting a sharp response from the administration and renewed scrutiny of regional security dynamics Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At home, Chicago residents braced for a possible deployment of the National Guard, prompting the cancellation of a popular Mexican Independence Day celebration due to reports that a ramping-up of ICE raids could come along with the anticipated deployment. The week also saw the White House dismiss viral rumors about the presidents death, following online scrutiny over his health and lack of recent public appearances around Labor Day Weekend. The claims were debunked by official sources. Here's what to know about Trump's approval rating, including how they are decided and how Trump's ratings compare with his first term and past presidents. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during his rally in Fountain Hills on Saturday, March 19, 2016. What is Donald Trump's approval rating? Here are the latest approval ratings released about Trump's administration: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Real Clear Polling's average of polls from Aug. 20 to Sept. 3 shows a 45.4% approval and 50.9% disapproval. According to the most recent Gallup poll, Trump's job approval rating was at 40%, while 56% disapproved of his performance. A Reuters/Ipsos poll from Aug. 24 reported that 40% of those surveyed gave him a favorable approval rating of his performance in office and 54% gave an unfavorable rating. A poll from the Associated Press and NORC showed 45% approve and 53% disapprove of Trump. The Economist shows that 41% of people are favorable of Trump and 55% are unfavorable of him, according to the latest update from Sept. 5. Rasmussen Reports poll from Sept. 5 showed 48% approval and 51% disapproval of Trump. A Morning Consult poll updated Sept. 2 showed 46% approve while 51% disapprove. The American Research Group poll from Aug. 21 showed 38% approve and 59% disapprove. How does Trump's approval rating compare with his 1st term? Trump had a final approval rating of 34% when he left office in 2021. His approval average during his first term was 41%. How does Trump's approval rating compare with past presidents? Joe Biden - 40% Donald Trump (first term) - 34% Barack Obama - 59% George W. Bush - 34% Bill Clinton - 66% George H.W. Bush - 56% Ronald Reagan - 63% Jimmy Carter - 34% Gerald Ford - 53% Richard Nixon - 24% Are presidential approval ratings accurate? Data agency Gallup notes that these approval ratings are a "simple measure, yet a very powerful one that has played a key role in politics for over 70 years." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A presidents approval rating reflects the percentage of Americans polled who approve of the presidents performance. Anything can impact a president's rating, such as legislation passed, actions and elections. According to ABC News, an approval rating doesn't just represent how well the administration is doing for the general public, but could determine the outcome of an upcoming election for a politician or how much they get done during their time in office. While these ratings are easy to understand, Quorum says some analysts believe they are not as useful as they once were due to extreme partisanship and the polarized political climate. Presidential approval ratings have always been partisan, with members of the presidents party offering more positive assessments than those in the opposing party, according to the Pew Research Center. But the differences between Republicans and Democrats on views of the president have grown substantially in recent decades. USA TODAY Network reporter Maria Francis contributed to this article. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Donald Trump's approval rating: See the latest polls President Donald Trump set the stage for a surge of immigration enforcement actions in Chicago with a social media post Saturday morning depicting military helicopters flying over the citys lakefront using the title Chipocalypse Now. I love the smell of deportations in the morning Trump posted on his Truth Social account, altering a famous phrase from the 1979 movie Apocalypse Now. In the post, Trump is depicted in U.S. Army fatigues and sunglasses and wearing a Stetson U.S. Cavalry hat like the lieutenant colonel portrayed in the movie by actor Robert Duvall. Chicago is about to find out why its called the Department of WAR, Trump wrote, a day after signing an executive order to rename the Department of Defense to its pre-1949 title. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The posting was Trumps latest signal that he may authorize the use of military assets, specifically the National Guard, as part of a stepped-up operation by federal agencies under the Department of Homeland Security, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, anticipated to begin as soon as this weekend. Trump had no public events scheduled for Saturday, leaving his social media post to speak of his agenda after vacillating for weeks on whether he would deploy the guard in Chicago or in other cities. Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, an ardent Trump foe who has vowed to go to court to fight a presidential deployment of the guard, responded on the social media platform X by stating: The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal. Donald Trump isnt a strongman, hes a scared man. Illinois wont be intimidated by a wannabe dictator, Pritzker wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his own social media post, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Trumps threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution. We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump. On Friday, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said he had not received any information about any sweeping federal deployment. The last thing our department needs to be is in the dark, he told the Tribune. The social media storm occurred hours after Pritzker warned that Trump was embarking on a nefarious plan using fear and intimidation to normalize military activities in the nations largest Democratic-led cities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the two-term Democratic chief executive, who is seeking a third term and is a potential 2028 White House aspirant, acknowledged that absent the courts, he was powerless to combat Trumps efforts to detain immigrants through the work of hundreds of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers coming to the city. Pritzker, speaking Friday on MSNBCs The Briefing with Jen Psaki, also placed faith in community residents wielding cellphone cameras to help provide video evidence of legal violations that could occur in Chicago and be used in court by the state, as he continued to urge peaceful protests to prevent giving Trump a pretext for deploying the National Guard. Its, I believe, a nefarious plan, Pritzker said. Its one thats been repeated over and over again by, well, tyrannical dictatorships across history, where you try to incite the local population into some mayhem by sending in police or other disruptors and then claim that theres too much mayhem on the ground and, therefore, there must be troops that are sent in. And, thats how you basically convert a democracy into something other than that. Pritzker has said he thinks the timing of a surge in ICE enforcement in Chicago was tied to parades and celebrations of Mexican Independence Day, starting with Saturdays parade in Pilsen that is being conducted with tight security by organizers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has repeatedly attacked Chicago as a hellhole over crime, despite statistics showing violent crimes have been reduced in recent years. But using his June deployment of the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles after a sporadic outbreak of anti-ICE protests and, more recently, the federalizing of law enforcement in Washington, D.C., Trump has sought for Republicans to claim a law-and-order political advantage against Democrats heading into next years midterm elections. A federal court judge in San Francisco ruled on Tuesday that Trumps deployment of the military to Los Angeles, over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom, was unconstitutional. But an appellate court Thursday lifted the order, saying it needed more time to rule on the merits of the case. Pritzker has put his faith in the initial ruling by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, younger brother of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who was appointed to the nations highest court by Democratic President Bill Clinton. Charles Breyer ruled that the National Guard troops were violating the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats all we have, though, Pritzker said of Breyers ruling, which would not cover an Illinois deployment. Remember, if the courts dont rule in favor of Posse Comitatus thats an act that prevents, supposedly, the federal government from sending troops into a state to do law enforcement if they dont enforce that or understand what Trump is doing is unconstitutional, then were then at the whims of a fighting force that theyre planning to send here. To assist any state challenge in the federal courts in Illinois, Pritzker has said he has been very explicit to have residents pull out their iPhone or their Android phone and film what theyre seeing to provide evidence of the Guard when they kind of trip the wire, so to speak, and theres been an incident that allows us to go to court. So this is the challenge. And I think we need the public to be involved in monitoring that, he said. And were making sure that were also asking the public because I know theyre going to protest were asking them to be peaceful in that protest, to make sure that theyre making their voices heard, theyre using their megaphones and microphones, but that they stay out of the way of these ICE officials, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pritzker said it was kind of a frightening development in the history of the country that you have a federal government not communicating with state government about something like this. I dont have a lot to share with the public. Whatever I have heard, I have shared with the public, because I think everybody should know, despite the fact that (the) federal government would like them not to know, apparently, he said. Tribune reporter AD Quig contributed. BJP MLA Mahesh Tenginkai on Saturday criticised the Congress party over its response to the recent GST reforms, calling it a "drama company" and crediting the Modi government for implementing key economic measures. Speaking to ANI, Mahesh Tenginkai said, "Whenever the central government makes any major reform, the Congress party claims that they had already been informed about it and that everything occurred accordingly. The Congress party has fully turned into a drama company." "Whatever step Nirmala Sitharaman has taken, PM Modi had already announced it from Red Fort on 15 August. Now, whatever measures should have been taken to strengthen the economic policy, we have implemented, and this is entirely the responsibility of the BJP. Congress has nothing to do with it," he added. A day earlier, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah welcomed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) council's decision on the rationalisation of the rates, stating that it was an important step to reduce both monetary and compliance burden on people and businesses. In a post on social media X, the Chief Minister hitting out at the Centre noted that the decision on the reforms was not a "new wisdom," but a long-delayed acceptance of what the Opposition had been demanding since 2016-2017, further stating that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government was already warned of the crushing effects of the "Gabbar Singh Tax," on the business and ordinary families. "We welcome the decision of the GST Council to rationalise GST rates, an important step to reduce both the monetary and compliance burden on people and businesses. "This decision is not new wisdom but a long-delayed acceptance of what Shri Rahul Gandhi, Opposition leaders, and opposition-ruled states have demanded since 2016-2017, when the Modi Government hurriedly rolled out a faulty GST. From the very beginning, we had warned that this "Gabbar Singh Tax" would crush small businesses, increase compliance costs, and burden ordinary families. Sadly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to ignore these warnings for eight long years," the post read. Further in his post, the CM alleged that the Modi government had blocked the reforms that GST could have brought, further stating that the current responsibility of the Union Government and the Central Board was to ensure the benefits of GST rationalisation would reach the consumer. "To explain clearly: the GST system gives the Union Government one-third of the total voting power, while all states together share the remaining two-thirds. For any reform, a three-fourths majority is needed. This means that even if all states agree, a stubborn Central Government can block reforms. That is exactly what Mr. Modi's government did. Today's course correction proves that our stand was right all along. The people of India could have been spared years of hardship had the Union Government listened earlier. (ANI) KINGWOOD, W.Va. (WBOY) The Preston County Buckwheat Festival had its Media Day on Friday afternoon, where the festival coordinators and royalty court met with the press to answer questions. The Buckwheat Festival celebrates Preston Countys agricultural roots and attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Kingwood each year. This year is the festivals 83rd and will start Sept. 25 and last until Sept. 28. The festivities include the 3 Grand Parades, livestock shows, carnival rides, arts and crafts, Buckwheat Cake dinners, live music, and before you ask, the buckwheat waffle cones will make a return. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chase Thomas, General Chairman of the 83rd Preston County Buckwheat Festival, said of the buckwheat waffle cones, Last year was the inaugural year. It was a smashing hit so were doubling down. Come get yourself a good buckwheat ice cream cone. Thomas explained that when the festival started in 1938, the festival showcased the buckwheat harvest which was a major part of the economy in the area. Weve carried that on from 1938 for 83 years, only missing for the war and Covid. And its just a long-standing tradition. A lot of folks come back into town if theyve moved away. Its just a wonderful homecoming. Tygart Valley United Way hosts annual Day of Action with community volunteers Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 12 News also caught up with members of the festival royalty court. Preston High School Senior and livestock grower Brooklyn Casteel said she is honored to be Queen Ceres the 83rd and that the Buckwheat Festival helped inspire her to get into agriculture in the first place. After three-four years of begging, I finally started showing at the festival and that kind of started our journey in agriculture. Casteel has since built a barn at her familys house, taken animals to the festival and made an income through livestock, which made her consider the path for the future. This years King Buckwheat is Preston High School Senior Rick Deal, who through Future Farmers of America (FFA), has started his own agricultural business. Personally, I felt the Buckwheat Festival had gotten away from the original point of what it was founded on. He explained that for some years now there has not been a mill in the county, and the buckwheat at the festival has been shipped from New York. With his cousin County Commissioner Hunter Thomas, Deal said he has been involved with trying to bring Preston County buckwheat back to the festival at Heritage Milling. Deal said the mill is not ready for this year, but hopefully will be soon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To keep up to date with the Buckwheat Festival you can visit their 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 WBOY.com. BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) A Pride march in Serbia 's capital on Saturday condemned police violence against anti-government protesters while offering support to university students behind the monthslong demonstrations against populist President Aleksandar Vucic. Organizers said the event in Belgrade was a protest, without festival-style features. Participants instead held a commemorative silence that has marked the past 10 months of persistent student-led demonstrations challenging Vucic. One of the banners at the gathering in central Belgrade read Gays against police state!" while another used the Pump it up!" rallying call of the student-led movement that has drawn hundreds of thousands of people against Vucic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We cannot close our eyes at what's happening in our country, march organizers said in a statement. They cited frequent police brutality and jailing of protesters. Pride won't take part in creating a semblance of normalcy." The protests started in November when a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Serbias north, killing 16 people. The disaster ignited a wave of anti-corruption demonstrations alleging graft-fueled negligence as its cause. The i ncreasingly authoritarian Vucic has rejected a student demand for a snap parliamentary election. He has stepped up a crackdown against the protesters, sacking scores of professors and teachers and deploying police inside some faculty buildings. On Friday evening, police used tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters in the northern city of Novi Sad who gathered at the university campus. Police said they responded to massive attacks from masked protesters who threw flares and various objects at them. University students behind the protest said police launched "brutal attacks on their own citizens." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dozens of people were injured in the chaos as baton-wielding, shielded riot police charged at the protesters to push them away from the campus, sending many fleeing in panic and falling down. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said 13 officers were injured and at least 42 protesters detained. Police on Saturday secured the Belgrade pride march that has been marred in the past by violent attacks from right-wing extremists. No incidents were reported. Members of Serbia's embattled LGBTQ+ community routinely face harassment in the highly conservative country. Serbia is formally seeking European Union membership but has done little to boost LGBTQ+ rights, including legalizing same-sex partnerships. Even before the city was clouded with dark, stormy skies Saturday afternoon, it was full of rainbows, as the Pride Worcester Festival, a celebration of Greater Worcesters LGBTQ+ community, was in full force. Electronic dance music blared from a stage at the end of Franklin Street as attendees danced and sang to their favorite songs. Vendors were lined up throughout the venue as patrons got henna tattoos and T-shirts. Arlo Rosado, of Leicester, has been to several Pride Worcester festivals in the past but they keep coming back every year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres such a beautiful community here, Rosado said. All these cultures mesh together really nicely. The highlight of the festival was an organized march starting at the Femme Bar in the Canal District and ending downtown. At 2 p.m., the march arrived on Franklin Street, and the air suddenly erupted into cheers. Happy pride! People shouted while applauding. The march featured appearances from Worcester Indivisible and the Worcester Public Library, among others, holding banners to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. The march also featured special performances from people who waved flags and flew sticks into the air in a choreographed sequence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the side of the street, Kori Hinkle was giving away what she called free mom hugs. Free Mom Hugs is an organization that supports the LGBTQ+ community, inspired by an Oklahoma mother who wore a button that read free mom hugs, giving them to anyone who made eye contact with her. Hinkle said she had given more than 200 hugs to people at the festival that day. What Pride Worcester means to me is that every single person on Earth is a human and should be accepted, Hinkle said. This years pride was also an anniversary, as it marked 50 years since the first Gay Pride Week in Worcester, which took place in June 1975. More than 100 people marched in that parade, which traveled from city hall to University Park, according to Pride Worcesters website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, 50 years later, the community is on the march again. As the day went on, the sky turned darker, with some people leaving at around 3:30 p.m., just as a severe thunderstorm warning was announced by the Worcester Police Department. The event was put on pause until 5:30 p.m., with people seeking shelter. A tornado warning was issued for Worcester County after 4 p.m. More Worcester Stories Read the original article on MassLive. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) lambasted President Trump on Saturday for joking about immigration enforcement efforts, including plans to target Chicago, calling the president a wannabe dictator. The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city, Pritzker wrote on social platform X in response to a meme shared by Trump. This is not a joke. This is not normal. Donald Trump isnt a strongman, hes a scared man, he added. Illinois wont be intimidated by a wannabe dictator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump earlier Saturday posted an image generated by artificial intelligence (AI) to his Truth Social platform that showed his likeness as a law enforcement official. The background includes an image of Chicago burning, several helicopters and text that reads Chipocalypse Now a nod to the 1979 movie Apocalypse Now. In the caption, the president wrote, I love the smell of deportations in the morning Chicago about to find out why its called the Department of WAR. The comment comes just a day after he signed an executive order to rebrand the Defense Department to the Department of War. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) railed against the post in a Saturday social media post, stating it is beneath the honor of our nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution, Johnson wrote on X. We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump. Trump late last month signaled his administration would look to the Windy City next in its efforts to tackle crime and illegal immigration. The White House already confirmed that is looking to use a Navy base near Chicago to support its migrant detention efforts. The president has also threatened to deploy National Guard troops to the city, pointing to what he called success in his federal takeover of Washington, D.C., to aid in the expected crackdown. While his moves in the nations capital are protected under the federal districts Home Rule Act, Illinois is a sovereign state. Any effort to deploy troops to Chicago without the governor requesting assistance would likely result in a legal battle, like the one that played out in Los Angeles over deportation raids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local officials in The Prairie State have pushed back on the administrations threat, suggesting Trump is overstepping his authority. Johnson signed a protective order late last month to combat the potential deployment of soldiers. The citys Office of Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights also rolled out an updated website earlier this week with step-by-step guidance on how immigrants can protect themselves. Pritzker has blasted Trump for suggesting that major cities should be asking the federal government for assistance with law enforcement, citing dwindling crime statistics and calling the request an insult. The president has also floated New Orleans and Baltimore as potential targets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Miami International Airport has added and expanded airline VIP lounges as it looks to appeal to frequent or demanding high-end travelers. American Airlines is doubling lounge space where free champagne will flow. Deltas upgraded Sky Club offers Miami staples guava pastelitos and arroz con pollo. Then theres American Express Centurion Lounge, which in July started bringing in James Beard-winning chefs to whip up pomegranate glazed salmon topped with tabbouleh. Massages are offered, too. Now, MIA is ascending to a higher level. The airport has brought in a company to build a new private terminal on hallowed ground, renovating what was once the historic Pan Am headquarters building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are no gates nearby, but theres no check-in or lines either. Travelers will spend on average about 90 minutes in the terminal gorging on unlimited food and drink. Bags will be whisked away and checked in. And the VIP terminal even has its own TSA and Customs areas. When your flight is ready to depart, passengers will be brought to their flight in style, escorted individually in a BMW to the air field, across the tarmac and onto the plane. Thats if youre willing to spare $895 for one-time use, or as much as $4,850 for all-access yearly membership. Upon returning, the reverse happens. You are taken back to the terminal and can enjoy a shower while your bags are retrieved by waiting staff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although the two-story space with lounges, private suites and an elevator will offer plenty of perks, the biggest amenity is skipping the airport itself, said Amina Belouizdad Porter, CEO of PS, the company that is building and running the VIP terminal. We all know theyre kind of stressful places. The Los Angeles-based company, previously known as The Private Suite, founded in 2017 and acquired by airport operator Groupe ADP in 2024, expects the terminal to debut by May 2026. It held a groundbreaking ceremony in July. Porter thinks airport lounges can be part of whats offered to travelers, and wont go away. But she said what her company is doing is designed for a different kind of traveler, someone looking for something more elevated. Lounges focus on departures, whereas we also take care of arrivals, she said. At PS terminals, you have a dedicated team handling every detail, whether its how you like your coffee or managing your bags. Why airport lounges became all the rage and an outrage Superintendent Ricardo Sanchez, 34, looks over the first floor blueprints at Miami International Airports new VIP terminal on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Miami, Fla. This new luxury project comes at a time when the topic of airport VIP lounges seems to have touched a nerve and may have even sparked the newest class conflict in America between the wealthy and the super-wealthy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A writer took to the New York Times opinion pages on Aug. 3 to lament that airport VIP lounges have become too crowded in a piece that went viral. The founder of the travel site One Mile at a Time recently said, When everybody has lounge access, its almost like nobody does. Then, an Aug. 15 article in The New Republic ridiculed that sentiment with this headline: The 10 Percent Is in a Fit of Rage Over Airport Lounges. The debate may indeed seem frivolous and one of luxury to many, but come next May, MIA will take it up a notch. Miami will be one of four U.S. airports that offers a PS terminal and test the demand for even more luxury. The new elite meet the old elite The original stairway at Miami International Airports new lounge terminal on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Miami, Fla. The new private terminal is at 4900 NW 36th St., the site of the original Pan American Regional Headquarters Building. Its one of several Pan Am buildings still around. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pan Am was founded in 1927 as the first international airline in the U.S. In 1928, it opened a terminal and airfield on Northwest 36th Street on the site of the original Miami International Airport. In recent years, community groups have fought to preserve the airlines legacy. Theyve faced several setbacks. But the new private terminal is winning their support, with the backing of historians and preservationists who have been fighting to maintain South Floridas aviation legacy in a region known for tearing down buildings. The 1963 Pan Am headquarters building, set behind a long reflecting pool, was nicknamed the Taj Mahal because it resembles the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi that was built in 1959. Preserving the Pan Am legacy A look an original Pan Am logo on the facade inside Miami International Airports new terminal on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Miami, Fla. As construction goes on. PS is making effort to maintain what it can. The company is preserving mid-20th Century brutalist architecture with finishes and furniture from that period. Pan Am logos, gold paneling and the original reflecting pools are being restored. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company is also restoring the original winding staircase just inside the front entrance with gold rails on the side. MORE: How Pan Ams biggest fans are keeping the airlines spirit alive. Miami was everything The exterior of Miami International Airports VIP terminal under construction on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Miami, Fla. Also being maintained is the overhanging flat roof supported by thin gold metallic columns. All four sides of the building are covered by a pattern of interlocking trapezoidal pieces that serve as a sunscreen, cooling the interior. These are all features developed by the buildings original creators, the Miami firm of Steward-Skinner and Associates, prominent architects of the time also responsible for the design of the Miami Seaquarium and MIAs first jet-age terminal. We are really saving and restoring everything that was part of the Pan Am experience, the projects lead architect, R.J. Heisenbottle, told the Miami Herald in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They were the best in the sky, lets face it, for many, many years. All the ornamentation that represents Pan Am is being restored and kept, and its going to look pretty damn spectacular, the Coral Gables-based founder and president of R.J. Heisenbottle Architects said then. The plans and the construction underway have come as welcome news to community leaders who have long been trying to preserve the history of Pan Am. Several of them are former flight attendants or pilots for the carrier. Others had family working there. They include Deborah Stander, president of Hangar 5 Foundation Inc., a group looking to preserve the airlines legacy, including Pan Am Hangar 5, built in 1929, the oldest building at MIA and last surviving one from Pan Ams start in Miami. Im thrilled, Stander said of the terminal plans, which she has followed. Theyre being very respective to Pan Am history, said the daughter of a long-time executive at the carrier. Its a nice second life for it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pan Am originally launched in Key West in 1927 but moved to Miami the following year after purchasing 116 acres from the Seminole Fruit Co. Paul George, resident historian at the HistoryMiami museum in downtown Miami, said the county historical preservation board is typically most concerned with not altering the facade of important buildings. Ive been supportive of the project, he said. He called it a good example of adaptive reuse, saying people will be using the new terminal. Whats driving it in many ways is the market. The business opportunity almost didnt happen. Before 2014, the building was abandoned and MIA wanted to tear it down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The central courtyard was growing algae and there was overgrown vegetation, Sarah Cody, historic preservation chief for Miami-Dade County, recounted in an interview with the Miami Herald. Trees were growing on walls and weeds were abundant. Cody served as a preservation planner in 2014 and authored the report to recommend the building for historic protection. The airport had vacated the building many years prior, said Cody. It wasnt maintained. Yet, in a curious development and perhaps a sign of the power of the one-time aviation giant, all the original building elements were maintained and the Pan Am logos were beautiful, she recalled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Codys report described the building as an excellent example of mid-century Miami Modern (MiMo) architecture. And it held historical importance. It survives as a physical reminder of the significant role Pan American Airways played in the development of the Miami International Airport; of Pan Ams prominent role in early aviation history, and of Pan Ams role in aviation training following World War II, the report said. In 2014, the Miami-Dade County historic preservation board approved the building for designation. But the County Commission then voted to nullify the preservation boards move, Stander recalled. Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez vetoed that opposition vote, and the building was designated historic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Inclusion on the historical preservation list means its now much harder to destroy the building. Its not impossible to get it demolished but its challenging, Cody said. Thats because the county has to approve the companys permits to make significant changes to the exterior. If PS eventually wants to add a third floor to the building, for instance, the company will need approval by the county preservation board. Any physical repairs or alterations to the exterior of the building, central courtyard and reflecting pool must follow county code, which requires review and approval by the Office of Historic Preservation or the County Historic Preservation Board, said Cody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Oct. 18, 2023, the countys historic preservation board approved the initial project. The company started eyeing Miami before the pandemic. Porter, the PS chief, said the city was one of 10 in the U.S. that make a lot of sense for the PS business model and for the PS client. What does Miami offer? It houses a lot of ultra high-net worth individuals and luxury travelers that make the base of our clientele, she said. In 2021, the county opened competitive bidding for the project. Documents identified the target demographic as frequent affluent travelers who value status and will pay to avoid the congestion facing conventional passengers at MIA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2023, the Miami-Dade County Commission approved the project. According to documents from the vote, PS agreed to a 20-year contract with the county. The county-run Miami airport will receive a minimum of $600,000 annually in rent from the company, or 7.5% of gross revenues, whichever is higher. Airport CEO Ralph Cutie estimated that over the life of the contract, $16 million in revenue would be generated for MIA without cost to the county. PS has committed to spending at least $12 million to renovate the building. Allure of Miami International Airport The exterior of Miami International Airports Pan Am terminal on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Miami, Fla. MIA is at a pivotal moment. The airport has set records for number of passengers through the end of 2024. Although in 2025, MIA saw its first decline in the first half of the year since 2017, excluding the pandemic year of 2020. The airport is undergoing a $9 billion modernization program. VIP lounges are expanding, too. And MIA leaders continue to try to position the airport as a global hub with multiple ways to draw wealthy travelers. When complete, MIA will be just the fourth airport in the U.S. with a PS private terminal. Los Angeles International Airport, which was first, and Atlanta each have one. The third is being built at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and will open in April 2026. MIAs growth pressures come at a time when community leaders seek to preserve the legacy of Pan Am. and are running into challenges. In June 2024, the county historical preservation board voted 3-2 against adding Hangar 5 to the protected list, in a move that surprised Stander and others. County preservation chief Cody even voted against it. While she noted in a preliminary report that Hangar 5 met legal criteria for historical designation, she endorsed not doing so because MIA needed the building for other uses and its not publicly accessible. The building where PS is developing its private terminal remains the only one among the original Pan Am buildings protected by the county. But Stander and other preservationists are pursuing other avenues and got a boost last month. Hoping for national recognition The exterior facade of Miami International Airports new terminal on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Miami, Fla. On Aug. 14 in Tallahassee, the National Register Regional Review Board, the regional arm of the National Register of Historic Places that keeps the official list of the countrys historic places worthy of preservation, voted unanimously to support a proposal to create an entire Pan American Airways Historic District at MIA that encompasses five still existing buildings built by and for Pan Am when it operated at MIA from 1928-1991. It would include Hangar 5. Stander and colleagues have been leading the effort and were previously urged by Florida state officials to try it. The application is now being sent to the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. , which oversees the National Register. They have 45 days to act. They can designate the place as Local, State, National, or all three. But Stander, Cody and the historian Paul George caution that the states recommendation and a National Register listing are honorary. That would not affect the work to open the new members-only terminal. Nor does it prevent the other Pan Am buildings from being torn down. The regulation of historic districts is done at the local level. Still, Stander says a National Register listing would be helpful and could provide momentum. It would make the district eligible for grants from historical preservation groups. Miami has an incredible aviation history but we have no showcase for it, she said. Its very significant, George said of the Aug. 14 vote and the possibility to make it into the National Register. The historian who sits on the county preservation committee and backed the Pan Am headquarters inclusion in 2014 and Hangar 5 last year, said with national recognition, tour groups from all over the country could start showing up, as could movie shoots. It could create momentum for maintaining and preserving the buildings, George said. Perhaps, launching PS terminal next year can help too, especially if it does well. Amina Belouizdad Porter, the PS chief, said they didnt initially seek out the Pan Am building. But she knew and appreciated the history and significance of the building and airline, and hoped to build on that. Pan Am was the most luxury international airline at the time, she said. It really elevated commercial air travel at the time. And they didnt miss a detail. The building PS is renovating also served as Pan Ams Flight Attendant Training School, which grew due to surging demand after World War II. Classes were offered on serving in-fight refreshments and putting on make-up. The winding staircase near the front entrance was used to help the students practice proper posture, the 2014 report by the county said, as they were made to walk down the stairs with books carefully balanced atop their heads. George thinks the new terminal could exceed expectations. Maybe even lure restaurants and other businesses nearby. All kinds of things could happen there. ZN.UA, Ukrainian online newspaper, has reported that Fedir Khrystenko, an MP from the pro-Russian Opposition Platform For Life party who had been detained on 6 August, was not extradited from the UAE to Ukraine, but "simply transferred" by political agreement, and he is allegedly going to testify against National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) detective Ruslan Mahamedrasulov, who is being held in the Security Service of Ukraine's pre-trial detention centre. Source: ZN.UA with reference to sources Quote from ZN.UA: "According to our sources, he was not extradited, but simply handed over to the SSU from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This extremely rare solution became possible due to the intervention at the highest political level of these countries. In other words, by political agreement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sources reported that Rustem Umierov helped to bring Khrystenko back on behalf of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Our sources said, among other things, that Khrystenko was followed by the deputy head of the SSU, Counterintelligence Department Head Oleksandr Poklad, after which Khrystenko voluntarily decided to return to Ukraine." Details: Sources told ZN.UA that Khrystenko is expected to testify against NABU detective Ruslan Mahamedrasulov, who is currently being held in the SSU pre-trial detention centre. For reference: On 6 September, the SSU and the Prosecutor General's Office detained Fedir Khrystenko, a member of the IX convocation of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) from the banned pro-Russian Opposition Platform For Life party, who was wanted on suspicion of treason. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The investigation suggests that the suspect was recruited by the FSB long before the start of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine and actively performed tasks for Russian secret services. The case file says he established "an effective mechanism of influence on the leadership of one of Ukraine's law enforcement agencies". Background: On 21 July, the Security Service of Ukraine and the Prosecutor Generals Office announced that they had exposed Khrystenko for treason. The case files indicate that he is a top agent of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and was responsible for increasing Russian influence on the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and the Office of the Prosecutor General detained a member of the IX convocation of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraines Parliament) from the pro-Russian Opposition Platform For Life party, which is banned in Ukraine, on 6 September. This MP was wanted on suspicion of treason. Source: SSU Details: The investigation suggests that the suspect was recruited by the FSB long before the start of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine and actively performed the tasks of the Russian secret service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case file says he established "an effective mechanism of influence on the leadership of one of Ukraine's law enforcement agencies". The MP was detained on 6 September and taken to court, which imposed the previously chosen preventive detention measure on him. The SSU did not name the person, but it is likely to be Fedir Khrystenko, who was to be extradited from Dubai. Background: On 21 July, the Security Service of Ukraine and the Prosecutor Generals Office announced that they had exposed Khrystenko for treason. The case files indicate that he is a top agent of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and was responsible for increasing Russian influence on the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). On 6 August, Ukrainska Pravda reported that SSU officers were seeking evidence from Khrystenko against detectives of the NABU, who feature in an SSU operation to "neutralise Russian influence" on anti-corruption bodies. In December 2023, Skhemy, an investigative journalism project, discovered that Khrystenko had left Ukraine on 14 February 2022 and was living in the UAE in a 173-square-metre apartment. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Prosecutors lay out evidence in fraud case against Valley Center foster son VALLEY CENTER, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) A Valley Center man accused of stealing millions of dollars in property from his foster mother while she was dying of cancer appeared in court this week as prosecutors laid out their case. Cedric Charles Von Ferdinand, 33, faces more than 40 counts of real estate fraud. Prosecutors allege he conspired with Escondido notary Raymond Joseph Alto to forge documents and illegally transfer ownership of properties belonging to 65-year-old Nadine Jett, a former Los Angeles attorney who was battling pancreatic cancer in late 2023 and early 2024. New allegations of fraud in Valley Center foster mom death investigation Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During opening statements, prosecutors told a judge that much of their evidence consists of documents, including deed transfers and a thumbprint that investigators say was not Jetts. Mark Kelley, an investigator with the district attorneys office, testified that a deed dated Jan. 31, 2024 showed Jetts Valley Center ranch transferred into Von Ferdinands name. Prosecutors say Von Ferdinand used forged quick-claim deeds notarized by Alto to place Jetts ranch and two other Los Angeles County properties in his name, then withdrew nearly $500,000 from her estate to purchase another Los Angeles property. Remains of missing Valley Center woman found on her property Defense attorney Kerry Steigerwalt countered that Jetts dying wish was to leave her estate to Von Ferdinand, who had been caring for her. He argued the transfers were legal, though he acknowledged Von Ferdinands fingerprint not Jetts appeared on some notarized documents. Steigerwalt said Alto witnessed Jett sign over the properties and placed his seal under oath. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case drew attention after Jetts four foster daughters reported her missing early this year. The women said they last saw her at Christmas 2023, and later accused Von Ferdinand of isolating her. They told investigators Von Ferdinand claimed Jett died in April 2024 and was cremated in Mexico, though he never produced a death certificate. Daughters of missing foster mom visit ranch as investigators dig in fraud probe In July, sheriffs deputies discovered Jetts remains buried on her Valley Center ranch, prompting a homicide investigation that remains open. The foster daughters contend Jett intended to leave her estate to them, citing a will they say has since disappeared. Both Von Ferdinand and Alto have pleaded not guilty. A preliminary hearing was continued to Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Saturday slammed YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, accusing him of not having "spine" to question the "RSS government in Delhi" while Andhra farmers are in deep distress due to urea shortage and crashing crop prices. He also asked the YSRCP chief whether he would dare to stand against BJP/RSS/TDP in the upcoming Vice Presidential elections slated to take place on September 9 "Andhra farmers are in deep distress due to urea shortage & crashing crop prices. But @ysjagan garu... you don't even have the spine to question the RSS Govt in Delhi. All you do is point fingers at Babu (Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu)!" Tagore said in a post on X. Tagore praised Tirupati MP Maddila Gurumoorthy from YSRCP for raising his voice against the Union Govt's injustice to farmers. "At least @GuruMYSRCP MP had the courage to raise his voice against the Union Govt's injustice to farmers. Why are you silent, Jagan garu? Are you afraid of offending your BJP masters in Delhi?" added the Congress leader. Tagore alleged that both the YSRCP chief and Chandrababu Naidu are hand-in-glove with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Why are you silent, Jagan garu? Are you afraid of offending your BJP masters in Delhi? Truth is simple: Babu is with Modi. You are also with Modi. Both of you are hand-in-glove while Andhra's farmers suffer. "Real leadership means standing up to injustice, not hiding behind blame games. If you really care for farmers, show it where it matters - in Delhi. Will you dare to stand against BJP/RSS/TDP in the VP election? Will you even boycott in protest? Or is your loyalty to Modi more important than justice for Andhra farmers?" he said. The election for the Vice President of India will feature a direct contest between Justice Reddy, backed by the INDIA bloc, and the NDA's nominee, C P Radhakrishnan. The Election Commission had earlier announced that polling for the Vice Presidential election would take place on September 9, with counting to take place the same day. The Vice Presidential post fell vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on July 21, citing health reasons. Recently, Sudershan Reddy stated that the election for Vice President is not a battle but a clash of ideologies, while highlighting that he disagrees with the ideology, not CP Radhakrishnan, the NDA candidate for the position. While talking to ANI, Sudershan Reddy said, "This is not a battle, it is a clash of ideas... The other side was propagating that there is a person here who has been a full member of the RSS all his life, so I disagree with that ideology, not with CP Radhakrishnan." (ANI) Russian President Vladimir Putin will not dictate the terms of peace in Ukraine, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Sept. 5. "Mr. Putin is the cause of this war, he's the reason for the killing," Carney told reporters. "He is not going to dictate the terms of the peace." Putin earlier on Sept. 5 threatened potential peacekeeping forces, saying that foreign troops on Ukrainian soil would be considered "legitimate targets for destruction." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukraine and its allies have held talks in recent days on what security guarantees could be given to Kyiv if a ceasefire or peace deal is reached amid intensified efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to broker a peace deal to end Russia's war against Ukraine. Putin "has not yet come to terms with the need for peace," Carney said, adding that Kyiv's allies will impose new sanctions on Russia and will continue to support Ukraine "when there is a cessation of hostility." Carney met President Volodymyr Zelensky on Ukraine's Independence Day, which fell on Aug. 24, in his first official trip to Kyiv. At the visit, the Canadian leader announced a military aid package worth over $700 million. Zelensky and representatives of 39 countries met in Paris on Sept. 4 for a meeting of the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" to discuss what security guarantees could be provided to Kyiv by Ukraine's allies if a ceasefire or peace deal is reached. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump spoke by phone with Zelensky and European leaders on Sept. 4, just hours after the meeting was held. Speaking at a press conference held after the joint call, French President Emmanuel Macron said that 26 countries are ready to send peacekeeping troops or provide other support to Ukraine. "Germany, Italy, and Poland are definitely among Ukraine's security guarantors. We won't go into details yet, but we already have an understanding (of cooperation)," Zelensky added. Read also: Video Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Police say they had to wrangle a python that was found in Condominiums on Wednesday, according to the Everett Police Department (EPD). Police scaly surprised when they arrived at the Village By The Lake Codominiums. They called Animal Control to help get the snake into custody. An Animal Control Officer later took the snake to the Everett Animal Shelter for a stray animal hold. Shelter staff say they are trying to verify the owner of the python. They have given the possibly female snake the name Sir Reginald Hissington. Einhorn claims that he acted legally, claims that Israel requested Qatars involvement, and attacks the "spins" and "double standards" of his critics. Former Netanyahu advisor and Qatargate suspect Srulik Einhorn has spoken out about the scandal for the first time on Friday in response to a heated argument the week before on Channel 12 that involved his mother, Talia, who clashed with host Ofira Asayag over her sons involvement in Qatargate. "I love my mother, and it pains me that the storm surrounding me caused her distress," Einhorn said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asayag asked Einhorn's mother how she felt in light of suspicions that her son worked with Qatar, a country linked to Hamas and whose officials celebrated the October 7 attack. The words infuriated Einhorn, who demanded she, "take that sentence back immediately, its completely untrue." In his remarks, he stresses that he acted legally and claims that Israel itself requested Qatars involvement. "Hamas is a Nazi terrorist organization. Israel must eliminate it. Hamas leaders are in Doha because Israel and the United States asked Qatar to gather them there, to enable a monitoring and communication channel," he added. "The alternative would have been Beirut or Tehran. Eli Feldstein, who were arrested in the so-called Qatargate investigation seen at the District Court in Tel Aviv, on May 15, 2025. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90) "The suitcases of cash to Gaza were transferred at Israels request and under the supervision of the IDF," he further claimed. "Qatar is a strategic partner of the United States and hosts the largest American base in the Gulf. Israel, the US, and Qatar often share common interests." Einhorn's emphasis that his activity was legal, transparent "We worked together with Jay Footlik and Eli Feldstein to present the reality to the public, even if it's uncomfortable to hear. Footlik approached us in an attempt to help with the release of hostages, endorsed with a legal opinion from attorney Gilad Sher. Feldstein acted as an independent consultant not on behalf of the government, not with [Shlomo] Orich, and not with the Prime Ministers Office." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He further noted that he advised Likud campaigns but never served in the Prime Ministers Office, adding that he's a "private individual, not a state employee." Einhorn then directed his next words at his critics. "When senior officials like Benny Gantz, Ram Ben Barak, Gabi Ashkenazi, and Yossi Cohen promote security deals with Qatar, that is considered legitimate. But when advisors run a legal public campaign, it suddenly becomes treason? "My message to the viewers is simple: dont believe every spin. Always check, question everything." Here is a quick look back at the top global stories of the week, plus some of our best journalism away from the headlines. Afghan earthquake kills over 2,200 More than 2,200 people died in an earthquake that hit Afghanistan's mountainous east early Monday. The country is already struggling with drought, a weak economy and a displacement crisis. Take a look at our photos from the earthquake. China holds big military parade with allies Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement China showcased its military might in a parade Wednesday marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II as it seeks to wield greater influence in the world. Flanking Chinese President Xi Jinping at the parade were Russias Vladimir Putin and North Koreas Kim Jong Un, in a show of unity as the three countries are under pressure from the United States. Read about China's new weapons, see photos of the parade, and read about the geopolitical shift China's rise might lead to. And watch the hot-mic moment when leaders were caught talking about extending the human life span. Florida to eliminate vaccine mandates In a significant departure from decades of public policy, Floridas State Surgeon General said Wednesday that the state will do away with vaccine mandates, casting them as immoral intrusions into parental rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here is what you need to know about the vaccine mandate removal, and here is what Americans think. And here is what life in America was like before widespread vaccination. Plus some takeaways from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's contentious congressional hearing Thursday, and fact-checking his false and misleading claims. ...away from the headlines Our reporting questions why and how Israel attacked a Gaza hospital, killing several journalists, including AP's Mariam Dagga. Read about Gregory Bovino and how his Los Angeles campaign is racking up immigration arrests. Look at this beautiful digital presentation about the drought affecting Syria. A popular 15-year-old computer whiz is becoming the Catholic Churchs first millennial saint. And tips for finding remote employment. And some of our best photos Here is our top weekly selection. A look at Giorgio Armani's fashion through the years after his death this week, pictures from a Tehran musical that tells a love story, underground schools in war-hit Ukraine, and images of New Delhi residents on the swollen banks of the Yamuna River. A Rapids City volunteer firefighter and EMT ascended the steps for Geneseos 2025 9/11 memorial stair climb. For her, the climb is the next step on her road to recovery. Mary Beth Eggers started her climb up the stairs strong and encouraged fellow climbers every step of the way. Mary Beth Eggers (Riley Hemmer) One at a time, says Eggers after her first climb up Geneseo High Schools bleachers. This body hasnt seen this much work since before July 15th, 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eggers is still recovering from injuries after a tree branch fell on her while she was responding to an emergency in July of 2024. On Saturday morning, however, she set out on a mission. I can make 10 easy, says Eggers. Soon enough she not only achieved that goal she exceeded it. Eggers completed 14 sets of stairs, up and down. But she wasnt done yet. After the stairs, she finished out with a few laps around the track. Last time this year I was in a wheelchair, says Eggers. Walking wasnt even a possibility. So, here I am doing steps, and laps. And I did it. Geneseo Fireman Chad Desauw told Eggers about the stair climb during her recovery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [He] wanted to see if there was any help they could offer, says Eggers. Were blessed and we were okay, but I said pay it forward find someone else. Desauw is a lead organizer of Saturdays event. He shared why they continue to memorialize the first responders who died on Sept. 11, 2001. Its kind of humbling, says Desauw. It makes you want to understand why they did what they did pay the ultimate sacrifice to help somebody else. Funds from the s event will go back into the community to help offset recovery costs for injured first responders like Mary Beth Eggers. 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 WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) To stay safe when the unexpected happens, the American Red Cross of Southern Nevada is encouraging families to make preparations now. The Red Cross is using National Preparedness Month to remind families that a simple plan now can make a big difference later. Preparedness doesnt have to feel overwhelming, Rachel Flanigan, Executive Director of the American Red Cross Southern Nevada Chapter, said. Were asking Nevadans to take just four easy steps this month. By taking time now, families can reduce stress and stay safer when the unexpected happens. Four ways to strengthen readiness for disaster: Know your risks : In Southern Nevada, that includes earthquakes, fires, floods, and heat. Make a plan : Decide where your family will meet if separated and write down key contacts, medical providers, and insurance information. Build a kit : Have a go-kit with three days of essentials and a stay-at-home kit with at least two weeks of food, water, medications, and important documents. Get involved: Learn CPR or first aid, volunteer, or donate blood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Red Cross also offers free apps to keep families informed. The Emergency app provides live weather alerts and shelter locations, while the First Aid app gives step-by-step instructions for medical emergencies, including CPR. For more information, click here or call 800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767). 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. Missouri Republicans, including those in the 6th congressional district, could get more than they bargained for in a wave of partisan redistricting sweeping the country. As it stands now, Missouris 5th congressional district resembles an inverted state of Oklahoma, with a sliver in Clay County serving as a panhandle. How easy it would be to lop off that pesky appendage which makes the district look gerrymandered and send its inhabitants somewhere else. Thats exactly what Gov. Mike Kehoe intends to do with a special session called to redraw the 5th congressional district one of two that Democrats hold in this red state. The move is largely seen in the context of national power politics, a chance to create more GOP-friendly districts in time for the 2026 election Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats part of it, but off-cycle redistricting has ramifications closer to home, especially in Northwest Missouri. Kehoes plan would send parts of the 5th District the Clay County panhandle and sections of Kansas City south of the Missouri River in the East Bottoms into the solidly Republican 6th District in Northwest Missouri. On the face of it, this creates the potential for tighter races in a district that GOP incumbent Sam Graves has won easily for years. For some, that wont be a bad thing, although you may think differently when the negative ads start because the 6th District has suddenly become more competitive. But theres a bigger issue, one that has more to do with urban vs. rural than red vs. blue. U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, the Kansas City Democrat who stands to lose his seat in all of this, says redistricting will silence the voices in the 5th District. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats not quite right. Those voters still have a voice, but they will have to shout in the sprawling 6th District that runs from St. Joseph to Hannibal. Over time, population trends make it inevitable that those voices in suburban Clay and Platte counties will be heard more clearly than those in St. Joseph, let alone Tarkio or Grant City. So Republicans will likely get their 7-1 map, but at the expense of accelerating the loss of political influence in St. Joseph and other rural areas with declining populations. Over time, the 6th will become a Clay/Platte district with everyone else hoping to get a moment with their representative now and then. The irony here is that a 7-1 map creates the kind of districts that Republicans successfully fought to stop in the repeal of the Clean Missouri ballot measure in 2020. Clean Missouri sought to create more competitive districts, even if they broke up communities and created odd boundaries. The GOP argued at the time that the best districts are those that are rationally drawn and keep communities together, regardless of the partisan mix. Voters agreed. They probably still do. LONDON (AP) The political pitch sounded familiar: The country is in crisis. The government must slash immigration, crack down on crime, ditch green energy targets and reopen factories to make Britain great again. The words of Nigel Farage to his Reform UK partys two-day annual convention that ended Saturday echoed themes that propelled U.S. President Donald Trump back to the White House. Farage, the veteran hard-right politician, hopes a similar strategy can make him prime minister a once-unthinkable idea that allies and opponents alike are taking seriously. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If an election were held now, Reform would be the largest party by far, albeit probably short of an overall majority, John Curtice, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde, wrote on the BBC website. The question hanging over the party is can they sustain this? Farage aims to go from outsider to power Farage played a major role in taking the U.K. out of the European Union in 2020, but has never held political power. He has led a succession of small, fractious parties and only became a lawmaker in 2024 after seven failed attempts to get elected to Parliament. Reform U.K. has just four lawmakers out of 650 in the House of Commons and got about 14% of the vote in last years national election. But for months it has led opinion polls, ahead of the center-left governing Labour Party and the main opposition Conservatives, which Reform aims to replace as Britains major party on the political right. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our country is in a very bad place, Farage told delegates at the convention in Birmingham, central England. We are the last chance the country has got to get this country back on track. Founded in 2018 as the Brexit Party, Reform now claims to have 240,000 members. In May, it won control of a dozen local authorities in England with Trump-like promises like a DOGE for every county, inspired by Elon Musks controversial spending-slashing agency. Farage made the most of Parliaments summer recess, when many politicians go on vacation, by holding regular news conferences to announce headline-grabbing policies like a plan to deport everyone who arrives in Britain without authorization. He has capitalized on critics say stoked concerns about migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, which he has called an invasion. He welcomed protests outside hotels housing asylum-seekers over the summer, some of which turned violent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Opponents say Farage has demonized migrants and fueled misinformation. Last year, he inaccurately suggested police were withholding information about a stabbing rampage at a dance class that left three children dead. False claims that the attacker was an asylum-seeker sparked days of rioting across England. Reform faces the competence test Reforms success in Mays local elections has brought responsibilities that will test the partys competence, popularity and unity. In his closing conference speech, Farage implored members: Can we please exercise discipline and air our disagreements between each other in private?" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of the positions he shares with Donald Trump, such as opposition to net-zero climate goals, are unpopular in Britain. Past praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin could also be a disadvantage in a country where most people back Ukraine in its war against Moscows invasion. Farages depiction of Britain as a crime-ridden dystopia in societal breakdown has also met with skepticism. In Washington on Wednesday, Farage testified to the House Judiciary Committee about what he called the awful authoritarian situation and lack of free speech in the U.K., citing the arrest of TV comedy writer Graham Linehan for tweets attacking transgender people and the jailing of Lucy Connolly, a woman who was sentenced to 31 months in prison for a social media post urging people to burn down hotels full of asylum-seekers. At what point did we become North Korea? Farage asked rhetorically. Connolly, who was imprisoned after pleading guilty to inciting racial hatred, was a featured speaker at Reform's conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Farage was welcomed by Republicans on the committee, but was excoriated by Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin as a Putin-loving free speech impostor and Trump sycophant. In London, Prime Minister Keir Starmer noted Farages absence from the House of Commons, saying that he had flown to America to badmouth and talk down our country. Other parties scramble to respond Both Conservatives and Labour are struggling to respond to Reforms rise. Starmer has been criticized for not confronting the party more strongly, instead seeming to agree with some of its talking points about immigration. In a May speech, Starmer said Britain risked becoming an island of strangers, a phrase that some felt echoed Conservative politician Enoch Powells notorious 1968 speech predicting rivers of blood as a result of mass immigration. Starmer later said he regretted using the phrase. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Political scientist Stuart Turnbull-Dugarte, who studied reaction to the speech, said Labour is legitimizing the immigration debate in a way that plays into Reforms hands and alienates its own supporters. Anti-immigration voters are not convinced by the turn, whereas pro-immigration voters are, and theyre the ones who become really upset about it, said Turnbull-Dugarte, an associate professor at the University of Southampton. The media also comes in for criticism for amplifying Farage. The Green Party, which has the same number of lawmakers, receives a fraction of the attention. Reform is far ahead in opinion polls, however. The government does not have to call an election until 2029, and a lot can happen in four years. Farage said Friday that amid instability in Starmers government, there is every chance now of a general election happening in 2027, and we must be ready for that moment. Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Saturday welcomed Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind President Maulana Mahmood Madani's statement supporting dialogue with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), calling the development a "good initiative". Gehlot also urged clarity on remarks made by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on "Sangh will not support movement for the Kashi and Mathura temples" but won't stop Swayamsevaks if they want to join the temple cause. Speaking to ANI, Ashok Gehlot said, "If Mehmood Madani has said this, then what is wrong with this? This is a very good initiative. However, why is he raising unnecessary issues? Sometimes Mohan Bhagwat makes such good statements that everyone listens, and other times he gives statements like 'we will not be involved in Kashi, Mathura issues, but our workers can participate in a movement." Former Rajasthan CM continued, "When the Ram Janmabhoomi movement occurred, the whole country was in turmoil. So, what he means by saying this is that such a fire should be ignited again in the country regarding Kashi-Mathura? It is uncertain where this conflict will lead. Mohan Bhagwat made such a significant statement suddenly. He should also provide an explanation." Earlier on Friday, Maulana Mahmood Madani, President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, expressed support for dialogue between Muslim communities and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and welcomed the recent remarks made by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on sensitive religious issues. In an interview with ANI, an Islamic scholar said his organisation had already passed a resolution in favour of engagement, stressing that while there were "differences", efforts must be made to reduce them. "There are a lot of ifs and buts. My organisation passed a resolution that there should be engagement. There are differences, but we need to minimise. We will support all efforts of talks. Recently, the RSS chief made statements on Gyanvapi and Mathura Kashi. His efforts to reach out to the Muslim community should be praised and appreciated. We will support all kinds of dialogues," Madani told ANI. Referring to Bhagwat's comments on the Gyanvapi mosque and Mathura-Kashi disputes, Madani highlighted that such outreach needed acknowledgement. Earlier, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat stated that the Ram Temple was the only movement officially endorsed by the Sangh, although members are permitted to advocate for the Kashi and Mathura movements. He emphasised Islam's enduring presence in India, urged every Indian to have three children to balance demographics, and blamed conversion and illegal migration for imbalances, advocating jobs for citizens. (ANI) A recent study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences has revealed unprecedented details of the earliest-documented conflict of human-on-human violence in Southeast Asia. Researchers discovered a terrifically well-preserved corpse of a 12,000-year-old male skeleton in Thung Binh 1 cave, which is located within the limestone karst of the UNESCO World Heritage Trang An region. The excavation, led by Christopher Stimpson of the Natural History Museum London, found that the deceased was a 35-year-old man, called TBH1 by officials, who was killed when a quartz-tipped projectile impaled him through the neck, leading to a deadly infection. Pre-dating similar discoveries in the area by millenia, researchers contend that this is the earliest-known evidence of human-on-human conflict in mainland Southeast Asia. Though the victim clearly died during violent conflict, he was found buried in a fetal position which suggests deliberate placement and respect for internment by his community. TBH1s placement within his burial suggests that he was a respected member of the community, while further evidence shows that the community shared caring duties for the injured man during the final months of his life as he battled the infection from the arrow wound. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TBH1 also bears a defining characteristic which sets him apart from the Terminal Pleistocene people, as he possesses 25 ribs as opposed to the 24 which modern humans typically have. This extra rib, located up near the neck, showed significant signs of infection to such a degree that a drainage cloaca was developed to allow infected material to drain out of the body. C. M. Stimpson; A. Wilshaw/Royal Society B Biological Sciences Dr. Nguyen Thi Mai Huong, of the Institute of Archaeology in Hanoi and a co-author of the study, called the discovery "a rare and intimate glimpse into the lives of late Pleistocene hunter gatherer communities in Southeast Asia." "To recover a skeleton of this agefrom around 12,000 years agoand in this condition is a rarity from this part of the world, Stimpson explained. The excellent state of preservation permitted detailed analysis of the skeleton and skull, facilitating the testing of different models of biological affinity." This story was originally reported by Men's Journal on Sep 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here. NEED TO KNOW The remains of a WWII soldier who died more than 80 years ago will finally be laid to rest Blanchard Pruitt of Florien, La., was just 19 years old when he died in a Japanese prison camp in the Philippines in 1943 Blanchard will be buried next to his mother in his home state of Louisiana The remains of a young WWII veteran who died over 80 years ago will finally be returned home. U.S. Army Pvt. Blanchard Pruitt of Florien, La., was 19 years old when he died in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in the Philippines on Jan. 1, 1943, per a press release from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). His remains were identified in March, and he will be buried in Louisiana in September. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Blanchard Pruitt Blanchard Pruitt Blanchard was the second-eldest of eight siblings, and his family had been working to find his remains for decades, per local news outlet WLBT 5. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My grandparents didnt know that he died. They knew he was missing and they knew he was captured, but they didnt know he died for probably about eight or nine months. And then they got a letter, his niece, Sherry, told the outlet. Theyre all gone now, she said of her uncles immediate relatives. So, were [the younger generation] the ones that are going to get the closure on this finally. Sherry also told the outlet that her uncle was only 17 years old when he enlisted in the U.S. army. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Blanchard Pruitt Blanchard Pruitt He probably just didnt tell the truth about his age, because he went in before my dad, and my dad was older, she said, adding. A lot of boys did that at that time. They would say, Oh, yeah, Im 18. You know they were desperate for soldiers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sherry said that her uncle was ultimately identified with the help of a DNA sample provided by her brother, Danny, at the request of her older sister, Sheila. 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. Thats how they found his remains. Theyre 100 percent sure that he is ours, Sherry said. She added that the family plans to hold a wake for Blanchard before giving him a proper burial, and said he will ultimately be laid to rest next to his mother. She always missed him [...]. She knew he was in a very, very, very terrible place, Sherry said, referring to the prison camp. It was an awful place there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blanchard, who was stationed in the Pacific, was captured in 1942. He was one of the over 70,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March before he was ultimately imprisoned at a camp in Cabanatuan, a city in the Philippines. His unidentified remains were buried in a cemetery in Manila, where they remained for decades. Read the original article on People KING, N.C. (WGHP) Pastor Ralph Sproles, a beloved Triad minister known as the Hugging Preacher for his warmth, wit, and unwavering compassion, passed away Monday at the age of 89, following a stroke. Sproles, who was featured several times on Fox8, spent nearly seven decades in ministry preaching more than 250 revival meetings, officiating over 200 weddings and 750 funerals, and serving generations of families with faith and joy. Even in his final years, he was still writing, publishing a memoir titled Ramblin with Ralph a collection of short stories that inspired folks and made them laugh. North Carolina A&T State University students remember Joseph McNeil Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Laughter, he once said, is the shortest distance between two people. Ralph often said his sermons were meant to be informative, inspirational, and humorous. He brought laughter into every service frequently poking fun at himself or sharing personal moments with Ricki, his wife of 65 years. If you think Im behaving better than usual, hed tease, its because my wife is with me. Born in Bluefield, West Virginia on January 3, 1936, Ralph graduated from Johnson University in 1958. He faithfully served as Senior Minister of Poplar Springs Christian Church for 45 years and later ministered another 13 years at Dobson Church of Christ following retirement. He wasnt just a local figure Ralph made an impact far beyond the Triad. He served on numerous college and university boards and preached in India, Australia, and eight Middle Eastern countries. In 2000, Ralph and his wife, Ricki, received Johnson Universitys Distinguished Service Award. In 2006, he was named Retired Community Leader of the Year by the King Chamber of Commerce. Twice, he was invited to offer the opening prayer at the North Carolina State Senate. Times have changed, he said, but the message hasnt. Greensboro leaders remember former mayor Jim Melvin Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even after two retirements, Sproles kept preparing sermons and preaching when asked always keeping a notepad nearby in case inspiration struck in the middle of the night. He preached in 14 states, meticulously recorded every sermon he delivered, and treated every congregation big or small with sincerity and joy. If you dont love people, youre not going to be effective in ministry, he said. I tell people I love them because they dont hear it enough. Family will receive friends Sunday, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Poplar Springs Christian Church, followed by a funeral service at 3:00 p.m. Interment will take place immediately after in the church cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson University, 7900 Johnson Rd., Knoxville, TN 37998 Poplar Springs Christian Church, 7120 NC Hwy. 66 South, King, NC 27021 Dobson Church of Christ, 165 Dobson Church Rd., Dobson, NC 27017 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) After a notable months-long absence of in-person town halls, the lone Republican in Oregons congressional delegation has formally announced his intent to shift to virtual meetings, blaming an anti-Trump grassroots organization for hijacking previous meetings. Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) said in a statement on Friday that intentionally disruptive, repetitive, practiced, rude, and demeaning behavior at his last four town halls across eastern Oregon was what prompted the decision. Oregon state representative breaks from partisan mold, changes party affiliation Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Bentz, the February meetings which previously had less than 100 attendees drew crowds of 180 in the Boardman, 250 in Baker City, 300 in Pendleton and nearly 500 in La Grande. Unlike previous years, many of those attending followed us from town hall meeting to town hall meeting, so that they could pack the house, Bentz added. The problems arose during the question portion of the meetings, where Bentz blamed members of Indivisible Oregon for the use of Catcalls, profane language, derisive and accusatory comments, canned questions, and reading from scripts of screed, further claiming the groups intent was to disrupt, intimidate, and threaten. Indivisible Oregon is a chapter of the national Indivisible movement, a grassroots volunteer-led organization focused on protesting against the actions of the Trump administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FBI seeking victims of nationwide health care fraud scheme connected to Oregon case Bentz called their message false and intended to scare the most vulnerable people in my district. What was abundantly clear is that by holding live in person Town Hall meetings, I was not learning what I could do to make lives better, but instead was providing Indivisible with a forum to spread misinformation, create a false sense of opposition, and drive away local people who are disgusted with meetings that are taken over by the loud and obnoxious, he added. As a result, Bentz has shifted to telephone town halls for the time being. He has two upcoming virtual meetings on Sept. 8 and Sept. 17. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those interested in participating can submit questions in advance on his website or by phone at 541-709-2040 or 541-776-4646. In response to the allegations, Debi Ferrer, a member of Protect Oregons Progress, an Indivisible group based in The Dalles, stated, in part: To dismiss large public turnout at town halls as merely disruptive or scripted ignores the deeper truth: people show up because they are frustrated or frightened. They travel distances not to intimidate, but to be heard. That level of civic engagement should be celebrated, not condemned. Bentzs attack on Indivisible as an anti-Trump gang whose intent is to disrupt, intimidate, and threaten is a false and thinly-veiled effort to deny the fact that his constituents are unhappy with his job performance. Indivisible is a non-partisan grassroots movement of local groups working to hold elected leaders, Republicans AND Democrats, accountable to their constituents; and to protect against authoritarian actions by Trump and those, like Cliff Bentz, who enable him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democracy isnt a dinner party its messy, passionate, and often uncomfortable. Stay with KOIN 6 News as we continue to follow this story. 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 KOIN.com. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) Nationally, officials in both Texas and California are at odds for their reasons for redistricting, and Kern County is no different. Congressman Vince Fong said the latest redistricting efforts in California are a partisan power grab by Governor Gavin Newsom that goes against the wishes of voters. We in California have a system that the voters of California not only created but supported multiple times. So the governor of California wants to throw out and abolish something for his political gain, Fong told 17 News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Uncharted territory: Cal City Council running out of time to appoint new members Fong said the new proposed state map seeks to divide power from rural communities and focus it in more urban areas. This grab that Gavin Newsom has done, its carving up the Central Valley. Bakersfield is carved up multiple ways, Fresno is carved up six ways, Lodi is carved up three ways, Hanford is split, Clovis is split, Madera is split. What Gavin Newsom is doing is an affront to what Californians explicitly said they didnt want, said Fong. However, Kern Democratic Chair Chris Romo said he sees things differently. Romo said the initial redistricting efforts of Texas are what started this battle, not the will of the Governor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We did not start this fight. We did not say, Were going to redraw the lines, were going to skew the scale, that were going to redraw everything. That was not us that started it. We even gave the ultimatum to President Trump and the Texas Legislature that if they refused and they dropped all plans to redraw in Texas, we wouldnt do it in California. They didnt go for that, said Romo. Never miss a story: Make KGET.com your homepage Romo argued Democrats are instead trying to level the playing field not create an advantage before the 2026 midterm elections. So now, heres what were doing: Were trying to add the five seats that Texas is trying to find, and had drawn up already, Romo said. And, the voters will ultimately make that decision in November. But we did not start this fight. Were going to end this fight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Proposition 50, the bill that would redraw Californias congressional map, is set to be voted on on Nov. 4. 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. NEW BOSTON, Texas. (KTAL/KMSS) The Moving Wall is a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. It has been touring the country for decades, and for the first time it is making a stop in New Boston, Texas. They can find the name and we actually have a method where they can do a rubbing and actually rub the name of the person they want. Its a sense of closure. Gives people the ability to put this behind them. says Bernie Martin with the New Boston Chamber of Commerce. Volunteers are on hand to help a steady stream of visitors find names. Some of the volunteers are local students, who get the chance to see how events they may have only learned about in school have had lasting impacts on peoples lives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its pretty sad sometimes, but also wholesome. You find people that can like find their names and they have stories to talk about. Its really inspiring. says Kenneth Curb with the New Boston High School National Honor Society Etched into the wall are over 58,000 names, each one of which represents a soldier who died fighting in the Vietnam War. Ive got a cousin on the wall. Ive got friends that I was with over there. Weve got several names on that wall that I know, says Vietnam veteran Carl Butch Hall. The replica is still only half the size of its counterpart in D.C.. Still, not everyone can make that pilgrimage, so having a version of it come to their community is the opportunity of a lifetime for many veterans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have approximately 150 Vietnam vets that belong to our unit in Texarkana, and I would say that probably 50 to 60% of them have never seen the big wall, says Hall, Its really good for the veterans, its good for them to have closure and what they were doing when they were overseas. The installation also features an eternal flame and a missing man table. The wall will remain open to the public at T&P Trailhead Park 24/7 until 4 p.m. on Monday, September 8th. 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. At the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, scientists created a new way to tell someones age using just a bit of DNA. This method uses a blood sample and a small part of your genetic code to give highly accurate results. It doesnt rely on external features or medical history like other age tests often do. Even better, it stays accurate no matter your sex, weight, or smoking status. Bracha Ochana and Daniel Nudelman led the team, guided by Professors Kaplan, Dor, and Shemer. They developed a tool called MAgeNet that uses artificial intelligence to study DNA methylation patterns. DNA methylation is a process that adds chemical tags to DNA as the body ages. By training deep learning networks on these patterns, they predicted age with just a 1.36-year error in people under 50. How DNA Stores the Marks of Time Time leaves invisible fingerprints on your cells. One of the most telling signs of age in your body is DNA methylationthe addition of methyl groups (CH) to your DNA. These chemical tags dont change your genetic code, but they do affect how your genes behave. And over time, these tags build up in ways that mirror the passage of years. 450K/EPIC age-associated DNA methylation sites are often surrounded by additional CpGs correlated with age. (CREDIT: Cell Reports) What makes the new method so effective is its focus. Instead of analyzing thousands of areas in the genome, MAgeNet zeroes in on just two short genomic regions. This tight focus, combined with high-resolution scanning at the single-molecule level, allows the AI to read the methylation patterns like a molecular clock. Professor Kaplan explains it simply: The passage of time leaves measurable marks on our DNA. Our model decodes those marks with astonishing precision. Small Sample, Big Insights The study, recently published in Cell Reports00729-6?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2211124725007296%3Fshowall%3Dtrue), used blood samples from more than 300 healthy individuals. It also included data from a 10-year follow-up of the Jerusalem Perinatal Study, which tracks health information across lifetimes. That long-term data, led by Professor Hagit Hochner from the Faculty of Medicine, helped the team confirm that MAgeNet works not just in the short term but also across decades. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Importantly, the models accuracy held up no matter the persons sex, body mass index, or smoking historyfactors that often throw off similar tests. That consistency means the tool could be widely used in both clinical and non-clinical settings. Related Stories From Medicine to Crime Scenes The medical uses are easy to imagine. Knowing someones true biological age can help doctors make better decisions about care, especially when signs of aging dont match the number of candles on a birthday cake. Personalized treatment plans could become more effective if based on whats happening at the cellular level, not just what appears on a chart. But this breakthrough also has major potential in the world of forensic science. Law enforcement teams could one day use this method to estimate the age of a suspect based solely on a few cells left behind. Thats a big step forward from current forensic DNA tools, which are good at identifying a person but struggle with age. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This gives us a new window into how aging works at the cellular level, says Professor Dor. Its a powerful example of what happens when biology meets AI. A schematic view of targeted PCR sequencing following bisulfite conversion, facilitating concurrent mapping of multiple neighboring CpG sites at a depth >5,000. (CREDIT: Cell Reports) Ticking Clocks Inside Our Cells As they worked with the data, the researchers noticed something else: DNA doesnt just age randomly. Some changes happen in bursts. Others follow slow, steady patternsalmost like ticking clocks inside each cell. These new observations may help explain why people age differently, even when theyre the same age chronologically. Its not just about knowing your age, adds Professor Shemer. Its about understanding how your cells keep track of time, molecule by molecule. This could also impact the growing field of longevity research. Scientists are increasingly interested in how biological aging differs from the simple count of years lived. The ability to measure age so precisely from such a small DNA sample may become a key tool in developing future anti-aging therapies or drugs that slow down cellular wear and tear. A deep neural network for age prediction from fragment-level targeted DNA methylation data. (CREDIT: Cell Reports) Why This Research Changes Everything The method created by the Hebrew University team marks a turning point in how we think about aging, identity, and health. In the past, DNA told us who we are. Now it can tell us how old we truly areand possibly how long well stay healthy. The implications stretch from hospital rooms to courtrooms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the world faces rising healthcare demands from aging populations, tools like MAgeNet offer a smarter, faster way to assess risk, track longevity, and understand what aging really means. Its no longer just a number on your ID. Thanks to AI and a deep dive into the chemistry of life, age has become something you can measure with stunning accuracy, from the inside out. Note: The article above provided above by The Brighter Side of News. Like these kind of feel good stories? Get The Brighter Side of News newsletter. For the first time in decades, researchers in northern Argentina have confirmed the birth of a wild jaguar cub. It's a sign of hope for one of the country's most endangered species. On July 30, guides spotted a jaguar cub along the Bermejo River in Argentina's Gran Chaco region. Thought to be around 5 months old, the cub was seen with its mother, Nala, a female jaguar released into El Impenetrable National Park in August 2024 by Rewilding Argentina. While guides suspected a cub was around after seeing paw prints, this confirms it. For the guides, the moment was unforgettable. "It was a wonderful day for me," said guide Dario Soraire. "I had the incredible luck of seeing Nala with her cub. I saw them and was struck by their beauty." Jaguars once roamed much of the Americas but have lost over 95% of their habitat in Argentina. Today, there are only 200 to 300 believed to remain in the country. Before the program's 2019 launch, fewer than 10 males were known in the region. The release of Nala and two other females has been a hopeful effort to re-establish a breeding population, reported Mongabay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The presence of this cub suggests that jaguars could once again thrive in places where they've nearly disappeared. As apex predators, jaguars help balance the ecosystem by keeping prey species in check. That, in turn, protects the intertwined web of vegetation, water quality, and biodiversity. For communities that rely on the local ecosystem for food, water, and work, that's great news. Argentina has already seen similar success in Ibera National Park, where jaguar numbers have grown to nearly 40 after the species had been wiped out around 70 years ago. Conservationists say El Impenetrable could be on the same path with these efforts. "Creating a breeding population not only brings us one step closer to the jaguar's recovery, it offers the blueprint to extending their comeback throughout the Gran Chaco," said Sebastian Di Martino, conservation director at Rewilding Argentina. Kristine Tompkins, president of Tompkins Conservation, expressed joy over the news. "The Gran Chaco is a vital ecosystem yet few have ever heard of it," she said. "Today's action brings hope to protecting so many species. It's proof that we can change the trajectory that we're on and fight mass extinction by working together." 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. The Conservative Party is dead, says Nadine Dorries, Reform UKs newest member. If she is correct as she may be it is the biggest development in our party system for centuries. Since Robert Peel founded the modern Conservative Party in 1834, it has been in office more often than not. It governed for fully two thirds of the twentieth century. Yet it has been in third place in the opinion polls since April, stuck at around 18 per cent. Labour is gasping for air in the aftermath of Angela Rayners resignation. Starmer will attempt to regain momentum by unveiling a series of populist sounding policies on immigration, crime and benefits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the reshuffle has left both Ed Miliband and Rachel Reeves in place, making it almost certain that the government will run out of money before the next election. There was a time when such a crisis would automatically have benefited the Conservatives, the party of business, low tax and sensible financial management. But not any more. It is hard to stress the vastness of this change. Ever since MPs first faced one another across the aisle of St Stephens Chapel in the thirteenth century, we have tended to have a two-party system. As Churchill put it when ordering that the Commons be rebuilt as an oblong following its destruction in the Blitz, We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us. The truly extraordinary thing, though, is the constancy of one of those two parties. Radical parties have risen and fallen. But the Tories can trace their lineage to the 1670s an astonishing and under-remarked fact. The Tory Party predates the Cabinet, the prime ministership, the national debt, the first newspapers and the British state itself. Its fall, were it to happen, would be like the felling of an oak that has withstood centuries of blight, fire and storm. It is true, of course, that Mrs Dorries is not a disinterested observer. She was furious when her party deposed Boris Johnson, and poured her bitterness into a book, The Plot. When her defection was revealed, cynics took to WhatsApp to declare that Reform had clinched her support by offering to put her in the House of Lords. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I hope they are right. We could do with the energy of a Baroness Dorries. She understandably felt let down when Johnsons promise of a peerage fell along with his prime ministership, and it is indefensible that there should be Green, SDLP and Plaid Cymru peers, but none from the party that won the third-highest vote share at the last election. What, though, does Mrs Dorries mean when she says that the Conservatives are dead? Does she believe they will disappear entirely at the next election? No. Even on the worst polls, they would hold a chunk of seats in southern England. What I think she is saying is that the Tories will eventually have to fall in behind Nigel Farage. She argues as I have done before for an electoral pact to maximise the two parties combined parliamentary representation: I know this may not be universally popular with all members of Reform, but I do believe there will need to be an accommodation on the Right of the political spectrum at a future election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Are the two parties compatible? It is less a question of policy and principle than of presentation and posture. On most issues cutting taxes, protecting the borders, cracking down on crime the two parties are indistinguishable. Reform supporters protest (often with justice) that the Tories failed to live up to their ideals in office; Conservatives protest (often with justice) that Reform is making impossible promises, offering tax cuts without commensurate spending cuts, promising mass deportations with no details on how to deliver. Still, my guess is that, by the next election, the two manifestos will substantially overlap. The difference has more to do with mood, texture, vibe. It is captured in the parties names. Conservatism, as Roger Scruton liked to say, is rooted in love: love for our institutions, our laws, our customs, our nation. The urge to reform, by contrast, begins from the premise that our institutions have failed us, that things need to be shaken up, overhauled, remade. We see the difference in the few policy areas where the Conservatives and Reform do fundamentally disagree. Reform wants a different voting system (or at least it did until it looked possible for them to win under first-past-the-post), a new House of Lords, and an abandonment of our parliamentary government with, as Zia Yusuf suggested this week, a Cabinet appointed from outside the legislature, US-style. We see it in the contrasting attitudes to Donald Trump. Nigel Farage declared in the US this week that he had never wavered in his support for Maga, a stance applauded by most of his voters. Few Tories, by contrast, are Trumpsters. Yes, they approve of the American presidents policies on border control, deregulation and rolling back woke. But they also find him boastful, childish, self-absorbed, bullying, narcissistic and autocratic. And if they did not, they would still be uncomfortable with the personality cult around him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even when the two parties policies are near-identical, their gestalt is different. Conservative and Reform voters are united in their dislike of the Channel crossings and the nonsense of putting up illegal immigrants in hotels. But Tories feel uncomfortable with violent demonstrations or hostility to the police. Again, it comes down to whether you broadly support our institutions or want to revolutionise them. In our present national mood, the revolutionaries plainly have the majority. But such moods do not last, at least not in this country. The extraordinary longevity of the Tories is explained by their identification with the structures of the state: church, monarchy, laws, traditions. If we really are headed for a new party on the Right, it will need to occupy that ground to remain viable. On Friday afternoon, Reform released an endorsement from Preston Manning, who led a populist prairies insurgency in Western Canada in the late 1980s. In 1993, his party significantly also called Reform overtook the Canadian Conservatives. Ten years later, the two parties merged on Reforms terms, electing Mannings successor, Stephen Harper, as their first joint leader. Farage has long talked of doing something similar. Heres the thing, though. When Harper became prime minister, he succeeded precisely because he governed as a principled but mainstream conservative. He cut taxes, reduced debt, bore down on crime and took a strong line on immigration, all in a pragmatic and hard-headed way. Indeed, when Canadas two Rightist parties finally came together, they called themselves the Conservative Party of Canada; and although the merged party may technically have come into existence in 2003, most of its members see themselves as the direct successors of the original Conservative Party established by Sir John A Macdonald in 1867. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am not sure Reform supporters are in the mood for temperamental, small-c conservatism. Mrs Dorries, explaining her defection, talked of growing up in poverty in Liverpool and quoted one of her neighbours telling her, What have we got to conserve, eh? Nothin. My sense is that my Reform-voting friends feel similarly about Britain as a whole: that the country they once loved has gone, that its institutions have turned against them, that its population has been transformed. What have we got to conserve, eh? Nothin. And yet, as the Canadian example reminds us, in any first-past-the-post system, one of the two parties will naturally tend to represent moderation, common sense, undemonstrative patriotism, sobriety. One of the two parties will concern itself with trying to hold on to good things that have been built up over many generations. One of the two parties will see the national constitution, not as a thing to be refashioned on a whim, but as an exquisite patrimony stewarded by each new generation on a repairing lease. Perhaps some future Reform/Conservative coalition will become that party; or perhaps the temperamental differences between the two exacerbated by personality clashes and bitter defections will prove insuperable. Still, it is worth noting that the Reform-dominated party which eventually emerged in Canada was soon being referred to colloquially as the Tory Party, and went on to win elections under that brand. A 350-year-old tradition is not so easily effaced. 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. A team from Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recently inspected Tihar Jail in the national capital, according to prison sources. This is part of the Indian legal system's efforts to bring fugitives back to India, The primary objective of the government was to intensify efforts to bring back fugitives like Nirav Modi to India. The government is also looking to prove that the accused who would be extradited to India will get a safe environment in Tihar jail. In the past the British courts had rejected India's extradition petitions in some cases citing Jail conditions. For this reason, the Indian government has also given a guarantee to Britain that no accused will be illegally interrogated in jail. According to the information, the CPS team visited the high-security ward of Tihar and spoke with the prisoners there. The officials assured them that if needed, a special "enclave" will be built in the jail premises, where high-profile accused can stay safe. So far, 178 extradition requests of India are pending abroad, out of which about 20 are stuck in Britain alone. These include the names of arms dealers and operatives with Khalistani links. Earlier this year in July, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had stated that the Indian government is continuing to "make the case" for the extradition of fugitives from the United Kingdom (UK) as part of their ongoing efforts to secure the return of these individuals wanted for legal proceedings in India. Liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who is currently living in London, is the subject of extradition efforts for alleged loan defaults. He is accused in a bank loan default case of over Rs 9,000 crore. Nirav Modi, who is currently in custody of the UK authorities, is the prime accused in the over Rs 13,800 crore fraud at Punjab National Bank. He was declared a fugitive economic offender by India in December 2019. He was arrested in March 2019, and his extradition to India has already been approved by the UK High Court. The PMLA case against him and his uncle, Mehul Choksi, was registered by the ED in 2018, with multiple assets seized during the investigation. (ANI) A retired police officer was visited by her former force over social media posts dead-naming a transgender activist, The Telegraph can reveal. Cathy Larkman, who served with South Wales Police for more than three decades, was shocked when former colleagues turned up at her door near Port Talbot on Sept 4. The former superintendent said police informed her that the home visit was related to a handful of social media posts about a transgender activist named Freda Wallace. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ms Larkam had called the activist Fred, using the dead male name of the now transgender woman, and this act had been reported to the police. The South Wales Police police visit came just days after Graham Linehan, the Father Ted writer and an outspoken critic of transgender ideology, was arrested by armed officers at Heathrow airport. It is believed that Ms Larkman was reported by a disgraced transgender police officer named Lynsay Watson a figure with a history of urging the authorities to pursue criminal investigations of people who are critical of gender ideology. Watson, born Alex Horwood, is believed to have also reported Linehan to the police over several social media posts last week. Transgender activist Lynsay Watson is understood to have reported Ms Larkman to her former force - Alan Peebles Ms Larkman has raised concerns that police forces have become ideologically captured and too weak and willing to do the bidding of activists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Darren Millar, the leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said on Saturday that gender-critical views were the norm across most of the country and that they should not be the subject of police scrutiny. He said: The majority of people in this country have so-called gender critical views. Anyone should be free to air their views on trans issues. Providing they are not encouraging violence this should never be a matter for the police. Welsh Tory leader Darren Millar says gender critical views are the norm across most of Britain - Matthew Horwood/Getty Images Larkman has raised concerns about the apparent ease with which police forces can be used by activists. She told the Telegraph: The police service keeps demonstrating that it is ideologically captured from the top down. It is failing the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is also failing the brave officers who sign up, intending to serve that public not to police their thoughts and words. They deserve a leadership that gives them the confidence and support to say a firm no to these extremists, not to capitulate to them. This should concern us all. Public trust and confidence in our police service is not only being eroded, it is being destroyed. That is unacceptable. Larkman said that she had popped out when police turned up at her door, and police left a contact number with her daughter. Ms Larkman served with South Wales Police for more than three decades - SOUTH WALES POLICE When she called to see what had merited a visit from two officers, she was told that a report had been made over her potential malicious communications. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Larkman said that police informed her that this related to three posts on X, formerly Twitter, made in September 2024. These included the statements directed at the account of Freda Wallace, including Fred blocked me and Fred, put that drink down, she said. Larkman had made these comments in relation to an ongoing debate about the polices strip-searching policy, an issue that had first drawn her to become vocal on gender issues. She has argued that transgender women biological men should not be allowed to strip-search women. These views drew comment from a social media account called SEEN Police Official Open Public Network, which posted messages saying that its operator had asked South Wales Police to look into Larkmans telephone calls and emails. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Posts from the account said that a complaint had been made to South Wales Police, and boasted of making a crime report about Larkman, branding her a malicious activist. It is believed that this account is run by Watson, the transgender former PC who was sacked by Leicestershire Police for gross misconduct in 2023, after sending more than 1,000 messages to retired officer Harry Miller. Miller, a free speech campaigner, is a vocal critic of gender ideology. Helen Joyce, a gender-critical writer and womens rights campaigner, said she was also reported to the authorities, and now has a police investigation for harassment on her record. Court documents stated that Watson was behind reports to the police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watson also reported Stuart Campbell, a Scottish gender-critical campaigner, to Greater Manchester Police in 2023 over a series of social media posts. The force decided not to take further action, and Watson launched a judicial review to challenge the decision. This was dismissed by the High Court this year. Watson has been contacted for comment. A spokesman for South Wales Police said: Officers received a report of an alleged hate crime/malicious communications incident on Nov 26, 2024. As part of their investigation into the report, officers visited an address in Margam, Neath Port Talbot on Thursday, Sept 4. The threshold for a crime has not been met, and the investigation has been closed with no suspect or subject identified. 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. Reuters on Sept. 5 withdrew a video in which Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping were shown discussing whether humans could live to 150 years old, after China's state broadcaster revoked permission to use the footage. Reuters distributed the footage of the exchange to more than 1,000 media clients worldwide. Other agencies licensed by the Chinese state broadcaster, China Central Television (CCTV), also circulated versions of the footage. CCTV, which had licensed the video, sent a letter to Reuters claiming the agency exceeded usage terms and criticizing its "editorial treatment" of the material. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The editorial treatment applied to this material has resulted in a clear misrepresentation of the facts and statements contained within the licensed feed," the letter said. Reuters said in a statement that it withdrew the videos because it no longer held the legal permission to publish this copyrighted material, while also rejecting CCTV's criticism and asserting its journalistic integrity. "We stand by the accuracy of what we published," Reuters' statement read. "We have carefully reviewed the published footage, and we have found no reason to believe Reuters longstanding commitment to accurate, unbiased journalism has been compromised." The four-minute clip, released Sept. 3, captured Putin telling Xi that biotechnology could one day extend human life indefinitely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "With continuous advances in biotechnology, human organs will be increasingly transplanted... letting us live younger and younger, and perhaps even achieve immortality," Putin was heard saying through a Russian-Mandarin interpreter, prompting laughter from Xi. The exchange took place during the recent military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II. The event featured over 10,000 troops, more than 100 aircraft and vehicles, and the country's most advanced weaponry, such as nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, drones, and laser weapons. While Putin and Xi mused about immortality during the military parade, Russian forces launched a large-scale drone attack targeting cities across Ukraine. In the days since, dozens of civilians including humanitarian aid workers have been killed in Russian attacks. Read also: Trump says hed love to host Putin, Xi at next years G20 summit in US Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. (Reuters) -Reuters News on Friday withdrew a four-minute video containing an exchange between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussing the possibility that humans can live to 150 years old, after China state TV demanded its removal and withdrew the legal permission to use it. The footage, which included the open mic exchange from the military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, was licensed by the China state television network, China Central Television (CCTV). The clips were edited by Reuters into a four-minute video and distributed to more than 1,000 global media clients including major international news broadcasters and TV stations around the world. Other news agency licensees of CCTV also distributed edits of the footage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reuters removed the video from its website and issued a "kill" order to its clients on Friday after receiving a written request from CCTV's lawyer. The letter said the news agency exceeded usage terms of its agreement. The letter further criticized Reuters "editorial treatment applied to this material," but did not specify details. Reuters said in a statement that it withdrew the videos because it no longer held the legal permission to publish this copyrighted material. Representatives of CCTV and CCTV's global arm, China Global Television Network, did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The video and story of the Xi and Putin exchange were widely shared by broadcasters and on social media globally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The editorial treatment applied to this material has resulted in a clear misrepresentation of the facts and statements contained within the licensed feed," wrote HE Danning, legal supervisor of CCTV News Agency, in the letter to Reuters on Friday. "We stand by the accuracy of what we published," Reuters said in its statement. "We have carefully reviewed the published footage, and we have found no reason to believe Reuters longstanding commitment to accurate, unbiased journalism has been compromised." (Reporting by Kenneth Li in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis) A leading medical adviser to anti-vax Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is claiming that King Charles and Kate Middleton may have developed cancer from the COVID-19 vaccine. It was announced last year that Charles and his daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, were being treated for cancer. Dr. Aseem Malhotrathe controversial British cardiologist who advises the RFK Jr.-linked activist group MAHA Actionsays he believes they could have developed cancer from the COVID mRNA vaccine, citing discredited studies that have also been promoted by senior Department of Health and Human Services adviser Steven Hatfill, who became infamous for pushing hydroxychloroquine when he was part of the first Trump administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), among other credible medical organizations, have all stated that there is no evidence COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer, or make developing cancer any more likely. Despite this, Malhotra was expected to say during a speech at the annual conference of Nigel Farages MAGA-inspired Reform Party on Saturday: We have several published mechanisms of how the mRNA vaccine can increase the risk of cancer confirmed by Steven Hatfill. This is also supported by one of Britains most eminent oncologists, Angus Dalgleish, who is happy for me to share today that he believes it is highly likely members of the Royal Family developed cancer because of the COVID jab. Catherine, Princess of Wales, and King Charles have done limited public engagements together since their cancer diagnoses, which Malhotra claims may have been caused by the COVID vaccine. Here they hosted France's President Emmanuel Macron at a State Banquet at Windsor Castle on July 8, 2025. / Pool / Yui Mok - Pool/Getty Images Malhotrawho has received criticism for repeatedly making claims that are not backed by scientific consensus, but whose views have brought him close to Kennedywas due to make the unfounded statement about the royals during his speech at the Reform conference in Birmingham, England. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Farage, who leads the Reform Party, is an ally of Donald Trumps and spearheaded the Brexit campaign for the U.K. to leave the European Union. He met the president in the Oval Office this week. Malhotra told the Daily Beast last month that RFK Jr. and the Trump administration were hoping to ban the COVID mRNA vaccine in the coming months. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Aseem Malhotra have socialized as friends, as well as speaking together in a professional capacity at health events. / TheDailyBeast/supplied Like Malhotra, Hatfillwho was appointed to the role as a senior HHS advisor in the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response in Mayis a controversial figure. The Trump ally has repeatedly warnedagainst all accepted scientific evidencethat COVID mRNA vaccines may be driving a cancer signal. One of the studies Malhotra and Hatfill cite is a 2025 paper by Paul Marik and Justus Hope, published in the Journal of Independent Medicine, titled COVID-19 mRNA-Induced Turbo Cancers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, oncology and vaccine-safety experts say the review assembles anecdotes and speculative mechanisms but doesnt produce population-level evidence that COVID mRNA vaccines cause or accelerate cancer. In the early days of the pandemic, Hatfill also vigorously championed treating COVID-19 with hydroxychloroquine, despite multiple studies and the FDA saying the drug provided no meaningful clinical benefit and could actually cause people harm. HHS adviser Steven Hatfill has made various claims debunked by science, including that COVID vaccines could cause cancer. / Michael Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images Dalgleish, emeritus professor of oncology at the University of London, has also publicly alleged mRNA boosters can drive rapid cancer progression. Dalgleishs beliefs have been repeatedly debunked by the medical community. Last month, Malhotra told the Daily Beast that RFK Jr. and Trumphaving already made the COVID mRNA vaccine available only to the medically vulnerable and over-65swere planning to pull it off the market altogether. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Malhotra says there are people within the Trump administration, as well as among Trumps family, who agree with RFK Jr. that there are so-called injuries caused by the vaccine. Kennedy and the Trump associates do not have any medical qualifications. Days after the Daily Beast revealed plans to pull the vaccine, a wave of CDC departures occurred over Kennedys vaccine policy. Trump then publicly called on drug companies to prove that their COVID jabs worked. The Daily Beast approached Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace, the HHS, and Dalgleish for comment. Dalgleish said: [While] we do not know that Charles and Kates unexpected cancers were caused by the vaccines, as they both presented with benign conditions it is highly likely. White House spokesman Kush Desai said: This individual is not a member of the Administration, and does not represent the Administrations thinking or planning. The Daily Beast should expend its obviously limited capabilities on trying to accurately cover the people who actually can speak on behalf of the Administration. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part." Eric Otter Stratton Sometimes, when all hope is lost, you just have to make a statement of some sort. In Animal House, when Dean Wormer tossed the Delta Tau Chis off campus, the Deltas decided to disrupt Faber Colleges homecoming parade in spectacular fashion. We may be to that point in the United States with the Trump administration running roughshod over the rule of law, the norms that have guided us in the past and the institutions that have made us safer and stronger. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Republicans in Congress refuse to hold Trump and his minions accountable, and the U.S. Supreme Court is playing what is, according to Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, its own version of Calvinball with one of the few rules being Trump always wins. "What the hell are we supposed to do, ya moron?" Sorry. No more Animal House references. Firing CDC director latest outrage in dismantling of vaccination system The most recent outrage by the administration is Trumps firing of Susan Monarez as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and resignations of four top officials last week. All this came about because Robert Kennedy Jr., a conspiracy theorist, anti-vaxxer and Trumps Health and Human Services secretary, is dismantling the nations vaccination system without any valid scientific evidence to support him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kennedy's Food and Drug Administration recently revised guidelines for the COVID vaccine, calling for only older people and those with high-risk conditions like heart and lung diseases be vaccinated, which doctors say puts millions of people at risk. Hicks: GOP stays silent as Trump becomes America's most socialist president ever He has canceled studies into new mRNA vaccines and replaced members of a panel that gives the federal government advice on immunizations with unqualified vaccine opponents. And there is fear that Kennedy will soon introduce a new childhood vaccine schedule that will allow infectious diseases to flourish, all because he believes the quack scientists who say the vaccines cause autism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His words and actions have impact. The New York Times reported that CVS will not offer the COVID vaccine without prescriptions in 16 states, including Kentucky, unless the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends the vaccine. That will make it much harder to obtain the vaccine that has saved millions of lives since it became widely available in 2021 and allowed us to return to normal lives. If Robert F. Kennedy has his way, more people will die Kennedy has downplayed the severity of measles in a year in which the United States has had more than 1,400 cases the largest number of cases since the U.S. declared it had eliminated the disease in 2000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least two school-aged children who were not vaccinated and had no underlying conditions have died in Texas during the outbreak there, where more than half the U.S. cases have occurred. More people will die if Kennedy successfully dismantles the vaccination safety net. Its not hyperbole. His and Trump's actions at the CDC including the firing of Monarez and the resignations of other top officials have even gotten the attention of a couple of Republican senators with Sen. Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana, calling for more Senate oversight of the agency. Monarez's lawyers, in a statement Aug. 27, said she was targeted because she refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Four other senior CDC officials have also quit, including Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Debra Houry, chief medical officer and deputy director for program and science; Daniel Jernigan, director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; and Jennifer Layden the director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology. Give scientists John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award Kennedy and his vaccine skepticism have turned what was once the most trusted public health department on the planet into a joke. And while Cassidy, who voted to confirm Kennedy after Kennedy promised he wouldnt do exactly what hes doing, has called for more oversight. Its doubtful that Senate Republicans, who have shown they have the backbones of amoebas when it comes to Trump, will do anything. Hicks: Trump's tariffs weakened the economy, so he's lying about the data Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Which means its time for futile gestures. Heres one idea that isnt quite like disrupting the homecoming parade, but its also not stupid. The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, named for the former president and Robert Kennedys uncle, needs to award the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award to Monarez and all the CDC officials who have been fired or quit in protest of Robert Kennedys dangerous anti-vaccination policies. This isnt a stretch. The Kennedy family including Robert Kennedy's sisters and brothers, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Courtney Kennedy Hill, Kerry Kennedy, Rory Kennedy and Max Kennedy has condemned Robert Kennedy for his anti-vax positions and his support for Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And the JFK Library Foundation has been one of the few institutions in American that has not cowed to Trump. Since 2021, the foundation has given the Profile in Courage Award to seven people who have stood up to Trump and his election-denying goons, including former Sen. Mitt Romney, Kentucky Secretary of State Mike Adams, former Wyoming Rep. Lynn Cheney and former Vice President Mike Pence. Giving the award to former CDC officials likely wont change the trajectory of the Trump administration, but having a respected institution like the Kennedy Library speak up and say it's wrong what Robert Kennedy is doing is important. And like Dean Wormer said, The time has come for someone to put his foot down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joseph Gerth can be reached at 502-582-4702 or by email at jgerth@courierjournal.com. You can also follow him at @jgerth.bsky.social. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: CDC officials deserve Kennedy Profile in Courage Award | Opinion Visible bullet holes in the CDCs venerable building speak volumes of the unfolding crisis. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images News via Getty Images) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, long considered the nations if not the worlds premier public health organization, is mired in a crisis that not only threatens Americans health but also its very survival as a leading public health institution. The degree of this crisis was on full display during Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s Sept. 4, 2025, testimony before the U.S. Senate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the hearing, Kennedy openly criticized CDC professionals response to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the people at CDC who oversaw that process, who put masks on our children, who closed our schools, are the people who will be leaving. Kennedys hearing came on the heels of a contentious week in which Kennedy fired the CDCs director, Susan Monarez, spurring 12 members of the Senate Finance Committee including 11 Democrats and independent Bernie Sanders to call on Kennedy to resign from his position. At least four top CDC leaders resigned following Monarezs ouster, citing pressure from Kennedy to depart from recommendations based on sound scientific evidence. I am a teaching professor and public health professional. Like many of my colleagues, the disruption happening at the CDC in recent months has left me scrambling to find alternate credible sources of health information and feeling deeply concerned for the future of public health. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The CDCs unraveling These leadership shakeups come on the heels of months of targeted actions aimed at unraveling the CDCs structure, function and leadership as it has existed for decades. The turmoil began almost as soon as President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, when his administration enacted sweeping cuts to the CDCs workforce that health experts broadly agree jeopardized its ability to respond to emerging health threats. Trump used executive orders to limit CDC employees communication with the public and other external agencies, like the World Health Organization. Within weeks, he ordered as much as 10% of the overall workforce to be cut. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Soon after, Kennedy who was newly appointed by Trump began undoing long-standing CDC institutions, like the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, replacing all 17 of its members in a move that was widely denounced by health experts. Critics pointed to a lack of qualifications for the new committee members, with more than half never having published research on vaccinations and many having predetermined hostility toward vaccines. In June, more than 20 authoritative organizations, including the National Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics, expressed serious concerns for the health impacts of overhauling the advisory committee. How Monarezs removal spurred the crisis Public health leaders had cheered the July confirmation of Monarez as the CDCs new director, seeing her nomination as a welcome relief to those who value evidence-based practice in public health. Monarez is an accomplished scientist and career public servant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many viewed her as a potential voice of scientific wisdom amid untrained officials appointed by Trump, who has a track record of policies that undermine public health and science. In her role as acting director, to which she was appointed in January, Monarez had quietly presided over the wave of cuts to the CDC workforce and other moves that drastically reshaped the agency and weakened the countrys capacity to steward the nations health. Yet Monarez had red lines that she would not cross: She would not fire CDC leadership, and she would not endorse vaccine policies that ran contrary to scientifically supported recommendations. According to Monarez, Kennedy asked her to do both in an Aug. 27 meeting. When she refused, he asked her to resign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her lawyers pushed back, arguing that only the president had the authority to remove her, stating: When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts, she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda. For that, she has been targeted. Ultimately, the White House made her dismissal official later that evening. An agency in turmoil Further exemplifying and deepening the crisis at the agency, on Aug. 8, a gunman who had expressed anger over COVID-19 vaccinations opened fire on CDC headquarters, killing a police officer. Many health workers attributed this directly to misinformation spread by Kennedy. The shooting amplified tensions and made tangible the sense of threat under which the CDC has been operating over the tumultuous months since Trumps second term began. One employee stated that the CDC is crumbling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Public health experts, including former CDC directors, are sounding the alarm, speaking out about the precariousness of the agencys position. Some are questioning whether the CDC can even survive. A crisis of trust Even before the most recent shock waves, Americans said they were losing trust and confidence in CDC guidance: In April, 44% of U.S. adults polled said that they will place less trust in CDC recommendations under the new leadership. This would undoubtedly undermine the U.S. response if the country faces another public health challenge requiring a rapid, coordinated response, like COVID-19. In addition to installing new members on the vaccine advisory committee, Kennedy abruptly changed the recommendations for flu and COVID-19 vaccines without input from the CDC or the vaccine advisory committee, and contrary to data presented by CDC scientists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Public health professionals and advocates are now warning the public that vaccine recommendations coming from the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices may not be trustworthy. They point to the lack of credibility in the review process for the new committee, the fact that members have made statements contrary to scientific evidence in the past, and failure to apply an evidence-to-recommendations framework as compromising factors. Critics of the committee even describe a lack of basic understanding of the science behind vaccines. Health impacts are being felt in real time, with health care providers reporting confusion among parents as a result of the conflicting vaccine recommendations. Now, those who want to be vaccinated are facing barriers to access, with major retailers placing new limits on vaccine access in the face of federal pressure. This as vaccination rates were already declining, largely due to misinformation. The end result is an environment in which the credibility of the CDC is in question because people are unsure whether recommendations made in the CDCs name are coming from the science and scientists or from the politicians who are in charge. Filling the gaps Reputable organizations are working to fill the void created by the CDCs precariousness and the fact that recommendations are now being made based on political will, rather than scientific evidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Gynecology have both released recommended vaccination schedules that, for the first time, diverge from CDC recommendations. And medical organizations are discussing strategies that include giving more weight to their recommendations than the CDCs and creating pathways for clinicians to obtain vaccines directly from manufacturers. These measures would create workarounds to compensate for CDC leadership voids. Some states, including California, Oregon, Washington and New Mexico, are establishing their own guidance regarding vaccinations. Public health scientists and physicians are attempting to preserve data and surveillance systems that the Trump administration has been removing. But independent organizations may not be able to sustain this work without federal funding. Whats at stake As part of its crucial work in every facet of public health, the CDC oversees larger-scale operations, both nationally and globally, that cannot simply be handed off to states or individual organizations. Some public health responses such as to infectious diseases and foodborne illnesses must be coordinated at the national level in order to be effective, since health risks are shared across state borders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a health information space that is awash with misinformation, having accurate, reliable health statistics and evidence-based guidelines is essential for public health educators like me to know what information to share and how to design effective health programs. Doctors and other clinicians rely on disease tracking to know how best to approach treating patients presenting with infections. The COVID-19 pandemic made clear the importance of laboratory science, a unified emergency response and rapid distribution of effective vaccines to the public. One of the strengths of the American system of governance is its ability to approach challenges including public health in a coordinated way, having a federal level of cooperation that unifies state-level efforts. The CDC has been the nations preeminent public health institution for more than eight decades as a result of its vast reach and unparalleled expertise. Right now, its all sitting at a precarious edge. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Sign up for the Surge, the newsletter that covers most important political nonsense of the week, delivered to your inbox every Saturday. Welcome to this weeks edition of the Surge, Slates politics newsletter that cant recommend the hottest new trend enough: Putting your head in the sand for a few months. If you dont see the news, then it doesnt happen. In any event, does anyone know why these troops keep patrolling the Surges street? Wed like to thank Ben Mathis-Lilley for covering over the past few months while your regular author did his part to arrest the global birthrate crisis. Ben said nice things about us last week, so hell get a good bunk when he returns to the Surges work camp. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once again, there was news this week. Congress returned from recess to continue fighting about Jeffrey Epstein. Eric Adams and the Trump team are considering another magnificently corrupt collaboration. And House Republicans suddenly dont know anything about any One Big Beautiful Bill, never heard of it. Lets begin, though, with a Cabinet official who may be reaching the limit of Trumps and Republicans political patience. Late last week, the Health and Human Services secretary fired the recently confirmed director of the Centers for Disease Control for refusing to go along with his vaccine plans (fewer vaccines), and a slew of other senior CDC personnel quit because theyd had enough. Unlike most news, this was not immediately forgotten over a long weekend, and Kennedy was torn apart in a Senate hearing this week. The Surge has already written about ever-conflicted Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidys harsh questioning of Kennedy. Whats most important, though, is that Cassidy wasnt the only Republican letting his frustration fly this time. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis also pressed Kennedy and, most surprisingly, so did Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the Republican whip who rarely strays from the party line. Even Trump himself, asked later that night about whether he had full confidence in what Kennedy is doing, merely responded that Kennedy means very well. We dont want to make predictions or anything. But this doesnt feel like every other situation in which the Trump administration can do whatever it wants and get away with it. Vaccines are popular, including among Republicans. If people want the COVID vaccine and find that they have a hard time getting it, that criticism wont be easy to contain. And, going forward, if parents find out that they would have to pay out of pocket to vaccinate their children, that criticism really wont be easy to contain. Another thing that wont be easy to contain: measles. The marriage between Trump and RFK Jr. was transactional, a deal to clear Kennedy out of the presidential race. And Trump rarely has a problem ending relationships that arent working out for him anymore. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amid bipartisan concern over the administration continuing to conceal Epstein files it had once promised to release in their entirety, Trump and GOP leaders had a plan: Hope that people would forget about it during August. But that notion was quickly dispelled on Wednesday morning, the first morning that Congress was back in session, when Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference with Epstein abuse survivors insisting on the full release. Khanna and Massie have introduced a bill requiring the administration to make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all files relating to the Epstein investigation. Now, theyre trying to force a vote on it by collecting 218 signatures through a discharge petition. As of this writing, that petition has 215 signaturesincluding four Republicansand would be on track to hit 218 after special elections over the next month. But Republicans can also remove their names from the petition, and GOP leaders will apply serious pressure if and when they need to. The White House has said that it would view signing the petition as a very hostile act. In other words, weve not yet reached the crescendo of this story, which is a real bummer for the politicians inconvenienced by it. Most Republicans are ecstatic that a commie might be the next mayor of New York City. It would give Fox News years worth of material to cover, instead of the news. Trump, however, is not in this camp. Even though hes a proud Floridian now, he has too much New-York-rich-guy DNA to stomach this, and too many remaining New-York-rich-guy friends bugging him to stop the commie from taking over. This week, we learned that Trump advisers have discussed possibly giving two of Zohran Mamdanis challengershilarious current Mayor Eric Adams and Republican cat maniac Curtis Sliwajobs in the administration to clear the field for a one-on-one race between Mamdani and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo. For Adams, this played out as usual. He denied anything was going on, and then a day later it was revealed that he had just been in South Florida meeting with Steve Witkoff, the Trump administration utility player who handles everything from tinkering in mayoral races to negotiating with Vladimir Putin to decide the fate of Europe. Adams reiterated Friday that hes not quitting the race, but we wouldnt be surprised if something comes together. Has the cosmos ever pointed more directly to anything than Eric Adams becoming the second Trump administrations ambassador to Saudi Arabia? As for the mayoral race, its been interesting watching the Democratic establishment and the Trump White House take the same approach to stopping Mamdanis candidacy: By betting it all on the widely loathed, visibly miserable Andrew Cuomo. Maybe itll work this time? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this week, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed an executive order establishing the Safe and Beautiful Emergency Operations Center (SBEOC) that would serve as the center for continued coordination between the D.C government and the feds once Trumps 30-day crime emergency expires. Trumps takeover of D.C law enforcement was exceptionally unpopular among city residents, and Bowsers cooperative posture has earned her plenty of pushback. She wont get it from the Surge. D.C. is federal turf, not a state, and it has no leverage. Perhaps something should be done about that, but for now, D.C. has to grind through to the end of Trumps term with Home Rule still intact. Bowsers order offering continued cooperation with certain federal law enforcementbut importantly, not ICE, the agency that has most terrorized the city since Trumps emergency declaration federalizing D.C. law enforcement last monthreads like a deal with the White House not to declare a new 30-day emergency. It has also satisfied Congress, which doesnt plan to vote to extend the current emergency. The emergency now is on a path to ending Sept. 10. In other words, Bowser is on the cusp of securing an exit from the takeover, something we are not sure wouldve been the case had she chosen the path of Resistance herodom. Why was the One Big Beautiful Bill Act named that, anyway? The genesis came at the beginning of the year, when congressional Republicans were torn between jamming their legislative agenda into one reconciliation bill or splitting it across two. Trump resolved the dispute in February by saying he preferred ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL. With the package encompassing such a vast array of policy, the shorthand stuck, all the way to the point that Trump and legislators thought it would be fun to make that the official name of the act. Well, whos having fun now? Not Republicans trying to sell an unpopular bill that Democrats have spent the summer hammering in paid media across the country. So this week, House Republicans gathered to hear a presentation from Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio that the OBBB was due for a rebrand, and that they should all now refer to it as the Working Families Tax Cut. Only Republican leaders dont like the term rebrand, as that would be an admission that the original branding was a major tactical screwup. They think of the WFTC more like a second name, with Speaker Mike Johnson saying that the OBBBA has also become known as the Working Families Tax Cut Act, because thats what it principally represents. In the opinion of the Working Families & War Surge, its been a big week for secondary titles all around. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More and more elected Democrats (not all!) are coming to terms with the fact that their primary voters, following the nightmare of the 2024 election, want the old people to go away. This week, one of the titans of the House Democratic old guard, 78-year-old New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, announced that he wouldnt run for reelection. Nadler has been sluggish, lets say for years. But prior to the Biden debacle, someone like Nadler would have tried to serve until he was 104. Things have changed. Time for some fresh blood, with the opportunity to take over a prime piece of congressional real estate smack in the heart of Manhattan. Which young go-getter is going to take command? Well, were afraid theres an opportunity for the funniest possible thing to happen. Former Upper East Side Rep. Carolyn Maloney, 79, whom Nadler beat in a member-on-member primary in 2022, says, Im going to keep my options open and my eyes open, and that people have been calling me, from Washington, electeds and constituents, and others, urging me to run. The new era begins now. In continuing retirement news: The two-term Iowa senator also made it official this week that she wouldnt run in 2026. She said that she wanted to spend more time with her family, but she didnt specify which lobbying firm she meant. Theres been some talk about if she was in real troubleeither from the right, for daring (briefly) to question whether a weekend Fox News morning host whose top management skill was day-drinking should run the Defense Department, or from Democrats, for her infamous Well, were all going to die line when challenged on Medicaid cuts. Eh. Incumbents have a way of figuring it out. Instead, this seems like a straightforward decision of a senator seeing the light and recognizing that serving in the Senate sucks. You fly in to stinky D.C. for a few days a week and do what Trump tells you to do. Then you go home and people yell at you because of something they say ChatGPT told them, even though ChatGPT told them no such thing. Its a bum gig, reader. Or its OK? We dont know. NEED TO KNOW Joe Kennedy III calls out his uncle, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., following a Senate Finance Committee hearing The former U.S. representative questioned the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services' values as he demanded his resignation Others in the Kennedy family have also expressed concern for RFK Jr.s policies and beliefs Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s nephew is calling for his resignation following a Senate Finance Committee hearing. In a post shared to X on Friday, Sept. 5, Joe Kennedy III spoke out against the 71-year-old politician, who currently serves as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 44-year-old former U.S. representative accused his uncle of being a threat to the health and wellbeing of every American, saying protecting the public health of our country and its people is RFK Jr.s duty. At yesterday's hearing, he chose to do the opposite: to dismiss science, mislead the public, sideline experts and sow confusion, Kennedy III wrote in a statement shared to his account. His post came just one day after Kennedy Jr. blasted the CDC and defended his decision to fire the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which provides guidance on the use of vaccines, PBS reported, among other Senate hearing highlights. None of us will be spared the pain he is inflicting. It doesn't matter how rich or powerful you are or what state you live in the heartbreak of watching a loved one fall ill knows no borders," Kennedy III, who served in the House from 2013 to 2021, warned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The challenges before us-from disease outbreaks to mental health crises-demand moral clarity, scientific expertise, and leadership rooted in fact, he continued. The former Massachusetts congressman ended his post with a call to action: Those values are not present in the Secretary's office. He must resign. 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. Kennedy III is not the first in his family to speak out against RFK Jr. In an August statement to New York magazine, his cousin, Caroline Kennedy, said that their famous family isnt the American dynasty the U.S. once knew. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just to state the obvious though it seems often underweighted these days there are now more than 100 adults in our family so its pretty different than in the past, she told the magazine. She also previously said he "continues to grandstand" off of the tragic Kennedy assassinations in the 1960s and takes advantage of his family's famous name. His mother, the late Ethel Kennedy, also reportedly weighed in. New York magazine also reported that when RFK Jr. announced his plans to run for president in 2023, one of Ethel's first phone calls was to his opponent in the race, then-President Joe Biden, to apologize. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I love my brother Bobby, but I do not share or endorse his opinions on many issues, including the COVID pandemic, vaccinations, and the role of social media platforms in policing false information, RFK Jr.'s sister Kerry Kennedy said in a 2023 statement. Read the original article on People NEED TO KNOW The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is set to release a new report about the causes of autism later this month According to the Wall Street Journal, RFK Jr. will suggest a connection between Tylenol use by pregnant women and autism spectrum disorder The report will also include other potential causes of autism and ways to combat the condition Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to publish a report claiming that Tylenol use by pregnant women is potentially linked to autism, according to reports. The report will suggest that the pain-relieving medication is among the potential causes of autism, along with low levels of folate (a vitamin that promotes cell growth), according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The document prepared by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be distributed later this month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The claims of the potential effects of Tylenol on autism presented in the report are based on a review of existing research, with ways of treating the symptoms of the disorder also included in the report, per the WSJ. The agency also plans to pinpoint a form of folate known as folinic acid, or leucovorin, as a way to decrease the symptoms of autism, which affected roughly one in 31 eight-year-olds in the U.S. in 2022, WSJ reported. Autism or autism spectrum disorder is a condition related to brain development that can cause limited and repeated patterns of behavior, challenges in communicating with others, and a breakdown of speech, according to Mayo Clinic. Pregnant women are typically advised to take Tylenol for pain relief or another form of acetaminophen, sold as Advil, the BBC News reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incoming report comes after Kennedy controversially promised he would reveal the causes of autism by September during a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump in April. According to WSJ, a measured approach is being taken with the report, after receiving criticism questioning the validity of scientific research on the matter. The report will list possible causes for autism based on a review of research, while also outlining the research that is still unknown on the subject. We are using gold-standard science to get to the bottom of Americas unprecedented rise in autism rates," an HHS spokesperson told the outlet. "Until we release the final report, any claims about its contents are nothing more than speculation. Tylenol is manufactured by McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a division of Kenvue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following WSJs report published on Friday, Kenvue shares declined rapidly, falling 9.3% lower the same day, according to the outlet. 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. Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of the people who use our products, a Kenvue spokeswoman told WSJ. We have continuously evaluated the science and continue to believe there is no causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism. PEOPLE has reached out to Kennedy, HHS and Kenvue for comment. Read the original article on People WASHINGTON (AP) Members of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s family are calling for him to step down as health secretary following a contentious congressional hearing this past week, during which the Trump Cabinet official faced bipartisan questioning about his tumultuous leadership of federal health agencies. Kennedy's sister, Kerry Kennedy, and his nephew, Joseph P. Kennedy III, issued scathing statements Friday, calling for him to resign as head of the Health and Human Services Department. The calls from the prominent Democratic family came a day after Kennedy had to defend his recent efforts to pull back COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and fire high-level officials at the Centers for Disease Control at a three-hour Senate hearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a threat to the health and wellbeing of every American, Joseph P. Kennedy III said in a post on X. The former congressman added: None of us will be spared the pain he is inflicting. His aunt echoed those claims, saying medical decisions belong in the hands of trained and licensed professionals, not incompetent and misguided leadership. This is not the first time Kennedy has been the subject of his family's ire. Several of his relatives had objected to his presidential run in the last campaign, while others wrote to senators earlier this year, calling for them to reject his nomination to be Trump's health secretary due to views they considered disqualifying on life-saving vaccines. Kennedy, a longtime leader in the anti-vaccine movement, has spent the last seven months implementing his once-niche, grassroots movement to the highest level of Americas public health system. The sweeping changes to the agencies tasked with public health policy and scientific research have resulted in thousands of layoffs and the remaking of vaccine guidelines. The moves some of which contradict assurances he made during his confirmation hearings have rattled medical groups and officials in several Democratic-led states, which have responded with their own vaccine advice. Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Saturday demanded the withdrawal of an FIR filed by state police over a Pookkalam that carried words "Operation Sindoor," calling it an insult to the victims of terrorism and to soldiers. The Sasthamcotta Police in Kollam have booked two RSS workers for making a floral carpet outside the Parthasarathy temple with words "RSS flag and Operation Sindoor." "This is Kerala. It is a proud part of India. Yet, an FIR has been lodged for making a Pookkalam with the words "Operation Sindoor" in it. Absolutely Unacceptable!" Chandrasekhar wrote in a post on X. He wrote, "Operation Sindoor is our pride. It is the symbol of the valor and courage of India's armed forces. It is an operation that avenged the death of 26 innocent tourists who were killed after being asked their religion." "This FIR by Kerala Police is an insult to each of those 26 victims of Terror and their families, and also every soldier who defends India with his blood and sacrifice. Thousands of Malayalis wear the uniform, guard our borders, and lay down their lives for the Tricolor. In the name of every Malayali who believes in serving the nation, this FIR and this type of shameless appeasement will be opposed," the Kerala BJP chief wrote further. He also warned that Kerala "is not, and will never be, a land ruled by Jamaat-e-Islami or Pakistan." "Kerala Police must not forget that this is India. To them and to the CM/Home Minister @pinarayivijayan (Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan) ji, I say withdraw this shameful and seditious FIR. Now!" he added. According to the FIR, the accused -- RSS supporters -- along with about 25 others, tried to provoke tensions between political groups by erecting a flag pole and flex boards in the temple premises. \Police said that since the area had witnessed earlier clashes between the CPIM workers and BJP workers, both sides had been told not to use party flags or symbols in the floral carpet. Although both agreed, an RSS flag was later found in the Pookalam. A case has been registered under sections relating to attempts to incite riots, police added. (ANI) The body of an Arizona man missing since December 2023 was found in a vehicle submerged in Lake Powell, where declining water levels are uncovering areas that have been hidden under water. The discovery also shows how a single strong runoff year, 2023, postponed serious water shortages on the Colorado River, and how, two years later, as the water recedes again, those shortages loom on the horizon. Water levels at Lake Powell, which sits behind Glen Canyon Dam near Page, have plunged more than 20 feet since Jan. 1, 2025, and nearly 30 feet since September 2024, forcing national park officials to issue regular alerts about boating conditions and available marina space. The shrinking reservoir has also exposed shorelines and other areas that had been submerged only a year earlier, when water levels were higher . Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kane County, Utah, Sheriffs Department said on Sept. 2 that officials had recovered a vehicle and human remains from Lake Powell. But unlike the potentially decades-old bodies that officials have pulled from Lake Mead in recent years, the victim probably went into the lake as recently as 2023. Park rangers identified the truck's owner as Dennis Keith Dillinger, 54, of Arizona. He disappeared in December 2023, and was last seen at a Family Dollar Store in Kanab, Utah, on Dec. 1, 2023, according to the Kane County Sheriffs Department in Utah. The remains have been sent to the Utah State Medical Examiner for further investigation, and a cause of death has not been identified. Dillingers vehicle went into the water in a brief, two-year interruption in the lakes longer-term decline. On the day Dillinger was last seen, in 2023, the water levels in Lake Powell were 24 feet above where they were when his vehicle was discovered, according to data from the Bureau of Reclamation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What secrets still lurk in Lake Mead? Bodies and boats surface as water levels in huge reservoir decline Why have water levels risen and fallen? Only a year earlier, that same place would have been dry land, exposed by drought before the sudden wet years of 2023 and 2024 briefly covered it again. Those two wet years bought the Colorado River basin states some time as they negotiate over how to stave off a crisis on the river. Flows into Lake Powell in 2023 were some of the best since the end of the 1980s, according to data from the Bureau of Reclamation. Flows in 2024 were modest, but kept the lake from declining, as it had been doing for years beforehand. Even if those two years had been net neutral, neither raising nor dropping the lakes water level, the overall declines in the reservoir since 2020 would have been twice as bad as they have been, potentially falling just above the minimum level required to produce hydropower. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, the high flows in 2023 and water conservation from Lower Basin states have postponed such a catastrophe just long enough that negotiators could have been able to work out new operating guidelines on the river before hitting a power generation crisis. The new guidelines should be completed in early 2026 so they can go into effect by 2027. But negotiators have been unable to find a workable deal. Split into Upper Basin states and Lower Basin states according to the terms of the 1922 Colorado River Compact, Colorado River states have abandoned their original proposals for managing the river after negotiators refused to accept either. Lloyd Adams, Southern Nevada Off-Road Recovery, checks out a sunken boat exposed by low water levels, Aug. 6, 2022, at Government Wash on Lake Mead, Nevada. Lower Basin states, including Arizona, have put forward a new concept, but that plan has run into many of the same conflicts that dogged the Lower Basins previous proposal. The Upper Basin has vocally refused to accept any mandatory cuts in its water use for the sake of the reservoirs. Now, low-end projections from federal officials indicate that water levels could make hydropower production impossible as soon as November 2026 without a serious effort to prop up the reservoir. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more Colorado River stories: Sign up for AZ Climate, The Republic's weekly environment newsletter. Projections show a 'dire' future for the river Worst-case hydrology could also reduce the river's flows to a point where the water received by Lower Basin states and Mexico no longer meets the amount required by a century-old compact governing water use on the river. If basin states don't reach an agreement over how to divvy up the river, they will have to fall back on their own diverging interpretations of the compact, likely triggering a Supreme Court case that could drag on for years while the federal government scrambles to keep the system from crashing altogether. That projection is a worst-case scenario, but flows in the Colorado since 2020 have generally been lower than their 30-year average, meaning worst-case scenarios may not be so unlikely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Reclamation's latest Colorado River 24-month study shows how dire the situation is becoming," wrote the University of New Mexico's John Fleck in a blog post on Aug. 15. Fleck and other experts have argued that worst-case scenarios should be the basis for planning efforts on the river. Austin Corona covers environmental issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send tips or questions to austin.corona@arizonarepublic.com. Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Lake Powell body found shows return of lake's decline after wet years Sep. 5The future of more than 2 million acres of public land in Washington is up in the air as Trump Administration officials begin work on rescinding the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. A notice published in the Federal Register in late August kicked off the formal process for rescinding the rule, which protects about 45 million acres of U.S. Forest Service land nationwide from roadbuilding and development. It arrived about two months after the administration first announced plans to rescind the rule. In a news release before the notice was published, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said it brings the country "one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hunters, anglers and conservationists are crying foul, worrying that the recission will open the door to roadbuilding and logging that will disrupt wildlife habitat and spoil some of the country's wildest places. Dave Werntz, senior director for science and conservation at Conservation Northwest, said the rule touches all four corners of Washington, and that it's been a popular policy for the past quarter-century. "It's been an effective policy for protecting values that you find in roadless areas such as clean, cold water and wildlife habitat," Werntz said. "It's not a place that people are clamoring to see developed. It's hard to see the logic behind this proposal." Timber industry representatives are dismissing conservation groups' concerns as overblown and say removing the rule would help the Forest Service better manage its land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nick Smith, a spokesperson for the American Forest Resource Council, which supports removing the rule, said there are still many other federal laws and regulations that limit timber production and protect the environment, such as the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act. "It would be removing one layer on top of a very complex sort of web of environmental laws and regulations," Nick Smith said. "We don't think rescinding the roadless rule will result in the kind of unrestrained logging that environmental groups are claiming." Publishing the notice in the Federal Register marks the start of environmental analysis and rulemaking for the country's inventoried roadless areas on Forest Service land. A public comment period is open until Sept. 19. A draft environmental impact statement is expected next spring, followed by a final decision in late 2026. The rule was crafted under President Bill Clinton through a four-year process and finalized in 2001. It prohibited new roadbuilding on millions of acres of undeveloped Forest Service land that weren't already protected as designated wilderness or another protected category. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Werntz said part of the rationale for the rule was that the agency already had too many miles of roads to maintain, and that developing the areas that were protected wasn't worth the trouble. "They are sort of the relic of history in that they're either too expensive or too difficult to access, or the resources that are there aren't valuable enough to justify it," Werntz said. The Trump Administration is proposing removing the rule as part of its focus on dumping what it sees as burdensome regulations. In the release announcing the publishing of the notice in the federal register, Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said the rule has frustrated land managers since its inception and made for unhealthy forests. "The forests we know are not the same as the forests of 2001," Schultz said. "They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, mortality, insect-borne disease, and wildfire." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Conservationists dispute the idea that roadless areas face increased wildfire risk because of a lack of management. For one thing, some fuel reduction projects work does still take place in inventoried roadless areas. For another, those areas are generally further from people, meaning fires within their borders don't present as high a public safety risk. They also argue that while roads could give firefighters easier access to remote areas, they can also lead to more human-caused fire starts. A study published by the Wilderness Society found that, from 1992 to 2024, wildfires were more often started near roads than in designated wilderness areas or inventoried roadless areas. "Our results suggest that building roads into roadless areas is likely to result in more fires," the study reads. "These fires will, on average, be smaller than fires farther from roads, but there will be more of them, and some of them will grow to become large fires." Most of the 44.7 million acres of roadless areas covered by the rule are in the West, according to the notice in the Federal Register. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washington has 2.015 million acres of inventoried roadless areas. They cover popular hiking and climbing areas in the Cascades, such as the Liberty Bell and Maple Pass. In Northeastern Washington, roadless protections cover land on the outskirts of the Salmo-Priest Wilderness and Abercrombie and Hooknose mountains just northwest of Metaline Falls. They also protect the Kettle Crest. Adam Gebauer, the public lands program director for The Lands Council, said roadless lands in the Kettles preserve important travel corridors for wildlife migrating between mountain ranges. "It's got some pretty unique habitat being between the Cascades and the Rockies," he said. "It's a connector both east to west and north to south." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oregon has nearly 2 million acres of inventoried roadless areas protected by the rule. Montana has nearly 6.4 million. Exempt from this debate are 9.3 million acres in Idaho, where a state-specific rule was approved by federal officials in 2008. Brad Smith, conservation director for the Idaho Conservation League, said local opposition to the original roadless rule led to a petition for a state specific rule. That process started in 2006. The resulting rule included a range of designations for roadless land in Idaho, including designations that were more restrictive than the 2001 rule and designations that allowed more development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It was a compromise," Brad Smith said, adding that it seemed to help end the timber wars in Idaho. Federal officials aren't looking at the Idaho rule during this process, nor are they looking at the other state-specific rule in Colorado. But Brad Smith is still concerned that those rules could be next, and that repealing the 2001 rule could disrupt the relative peace achieved between conservationists and the timber industry since the timber wars of the 1980s and 1990s. "I do worry that rolling back the 2001 rule in other states will have consequences not just for the environment, but I think there's a real potential for the administration to reignite the timber wars," he said. He said the roadless rule assured conservationists that "the best of the best" of Forest Service lands would have protections from logging. "If you take back those assurances," he said, "then the gloves come off I think." Sep. 5ROCHESTER Mayo High School students joined a national initiative by walking out of school midday Friday in protest of gun violence. About 100 high school students gathered outside the school at noon Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. Some students carried signs, and organizers spoke about legislative inaction at the federal and state levels before holding a moment of silence for victims of gun violence. The student-led group the Rochester Community Initiative organized the event to coincide with a national walk-out push organized by Everytown for Gun Safety's student groups Students Demand Action. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abril Cortes Perez, a Mayo junior, said although the rally was about raising awareness, it was also about raising the voices of young people who are most affected by the specter of gun violence in schools. "I just hope there's something our voice can do to make a difference," Cortes Perez said. Maria Villavicencio Zambrano, an organizer with the Rochester Community Initiative and Mayo junior, said she recalled her first school active shooter drill in first grade. "It was pretty standard procedure," she said. However, it doesn't have to be, she added. The walkout was staged in part as a response to the shooting at Annunciation Church School Wednesday, Aug. 27 in Minneapolis in which two children were killed and 21 more were injured during their first week back to school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's really because the legislators and the government aren't doing anything," Villavicencio Zambrano said. The rally was intended to be a cry for help by the people who are most affected by what she said are lax gun laws and legislative inaction of stricter gun restrictions. "If students were drowning, people would rush to help," Villavicencio Zambrano said. "With gun violence, nobody's coming to help us." "It's very important to show our voices of the youth and tell people how we are being affected," said Sasha Ting, a Mayo senior and member of the Rochester Community Initiative. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ting recalled her first active shooter drill was while she was in kindergarten in Manhattan in New York City. Danya Amra, a Rochester Community Initiative member and Mayo senior said her first active shooter drill was in fifth grade. "I was scared after that," she said. "I felt like if we had to do a drill, then it's something that's likely to happen." The students didn't discuss specific legislation in the rally, but made it clear they were tired of inaction. "Those thoughts and prayers don't do anything," Villavicencio Zambrano. "We need our legislators to do something." The Inola area's state senator will share her understanding of how the Oklahoma Legislature functions Tuesday in Broken Arrow. Sen. Julie McIntosh, R-Porter, represents parts of Rogers, Mayes, Wagoner and Cherokee counties in the Oklahoma Senate. McIntosh, who spent most of her career practicing family medicine before retiring in 2023, won election to the state Senate in 2024 after she defeated incumbent Blake "Cowboy" Stephens in the Republican primary. McIntosh said she has discovered from talking to constituents that many don't know what she can and cannot accomplish as a single senator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They don't understand that there's a whole process, much of which the elected representative has no control over, that is involved in things getting done at the Capitol," McIntosh said. "I want to teach them, one, how the system works, and then two, I'm hoping we can let them run through a sample session with a bill that became law this year and just see how it works." The discussion will last from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Redemption Holiness Church, 9520 Hillcrest Drive in the Wagoner County portion of Broken Arrow. McIntosh said she will co-lead the talk with Rep. Gabe Woolley, R-Broken Arrow, in whose district the venue falls. She said she hopes to hold similar talks with legislators from Rogers, Mayes and Cherokee counties in the coming months. "We're just trying to do them in the four sections of the district so that it's convenient for people, to try to just reach out in all those areas and help people understand the process," McIntosh said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McIntosh said in addition to demonstrating how bills become laws, she wants to show constituents how they can personally influence the legislative process. She said basic state government knowledge helps people get their voice heard. For example, she said, people should know the Legislature is not in session year-round, so contacting legislators about an issue during September likely won't get them anywhere. Legislators don't know everything, McIntosh said, and many appreciate meeting with constituents who possess expertise on relevant topics. McIntosh said she experienced this when a constituent who trains truck drivers came to educate her on the finer points of commercial driver's license certification. "I think both of those things, educating legislators and citizens being involved, will bring accountability to government," McIntosh said. "I think government, in turn, will be more effective and transparent because people are paying attention." UPDATE (6:50 p.m.) Rogers Fire Department Battalion Chief Brandon Howard said the room the fire started in was close to the door at the front entrance, making it easier to put out the fire. That certainly helped us out a lot, so a quick knock-down, Howard said. While we kept the fire essentially to the room and area of origin, the entire building unfortunately sustained some significant smoke damage throughout. The Rogers Fire Department will continue its investigation into the cause of the fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement UPDATE (12:16 p.m.) Jason Ivester with Rogers Public Schools tells KNWA/FOX24 that the fire has been contained. He also says there were no injuries reported and that there is no indication that anyone was in the building when the fire started. Ivester says administration office workers will be working from home on Monday while RFD continues to investigate the cause of the fire. ROGERS, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) Firefighters in Rogers have responded to a structure fire at the Rogers Schools Administration Building on Walnut Street. The call went out to Rogers dispatch just after 10am Saturday. KNWA/FOX24 has a reporter on the way to the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a developing situation. We will update this story as we learn more. 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 KNWA FOX24. Rosie ODonnell hit back at Donald Trump on Friday after the president reignited his longtime feud with the comedian by threatening to revoke her U.S. citizenship again. Hes like a cornered rat and he doesnt know where to go or what to do, said ODonnell on The Jim Acosta Show. Buzz: Ellen DeGeneres Sends Rosie O'Donnell Unexpected 4-Word Message After Trump's Citizenship Threat So he goes into his bag of tricks and one of his tricks is, Lets make fun of Rosie ODonnell and threaten her, even though hes threatened me before and never done anything. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moments earlier, ODonnell who now lives in Ireland, having moved there in January accused Trump of using the post about her to distract Americans from his administrations handling of the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files. Its unbelievable how obvious he is about everything that he does, she explained, noting that the post which Trump shared alongside a wonky distorted photo of her occurred hours after victims of the late convicted sex offender spoke on Capitol Hill. Could you say Im guilty without saying Im guilty more than having a flyover during their press conference? As if hes going to hold the tide? she said. Politics: Florida Surgeon General Says No Need To Do Analysis On Potential Impact Of Ending Vaccine Mandates ODonnell who said that the time is up for Trump and he knows it claimed that the president has threatened to sue her for decades and to have thugs take away her wife. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is deranged, ODonnell stressed. FILE: Rosie O'Donnell appears at the 2024 Elle Women in Hollywood celebration in Los Angeles, November 19, 2024. Trump referred to the comedian, who now lives in Ireland, as a "threat to humanity" back in July and threatened to take away her U.S. citizenship at the time. Michael Tran via Getty Images She later turned her attention back to the Epstein saga, declaring that America will not stand for someone like Trump who was found liable for sexual abuse dismissing the victims of Epstein. This makes Watergate look like a joke! she said. Politics: Trump Goes On Bonkers AI-Fueled Posting Spree And Gavin Newsom Is Already Firing Back This is unbelievable! And the fact he would say Rosie ODonnell is not a good American, she never can be. Well, I dont think youre a good American if you did what you did, Donald Trump! On Friday, the president again dismissed the Epstein saga as a Democrat HOAX and claimed that the Justice Department has done its job on the matter amid a bipartisan push to force the House to vote on a bill that would require the DOJ to release the files in their entirety. Related... Read the original on HuffPost The Royal Marines will deploy Harry Potter invisibility cloaks on the battlefield. The elite soldiers have acquired new camouflage ponchos that prevent them being spotted by heat-seeking technology. Thermal imaging cameras, which can identify enemy combatants in low visibility conditions, have been used on drones to devastating effect in the war in Ukraine. But by masking Royal Marines body heat, the cloaks will protect them from weaponry fitted with night vision sensors and infrared gun scopes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sgt Carl Smith, of X-Ray Company in 45 Commando, said the technology allowed commandos to blend into every environment. What weve got here is the Saab Barracuda Soldier System, he told the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS). The user wears this as a mobile thermal cloak, essentially. What that does is protect the user from thermal imagery, especially from small UASs [unmanned aerial systems] what were encountering at the minute, and thats what we need to protect ourselves most from. Its essentially a Harry Potter invisibility cloak for a Commando. Credit: X/@FedorovMykhailo The cloaks, developed by Swedish weapons manufacturer Saab, has two sides which blend seamlessly into a soldiers surroundings at both daytime and nighttime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What is actually in the system and what it is made of are classified, Sgt Smith said. However, what it does do is disperse thermal radiation that comes from the user, meaning he can essentially blend into any kind of environment effectively and making him almost invisible to thermal sensors. He added: This is an essential piece of equipment now, especially with the threats that we are facing in the modern-day battlefield. Its a bit of a game-changer in the way that it is now a protective layer that one can wear whilst transiting rather than just being static. Sgt Smith that the Royal Marines adopted the technology after seeing the threat that drones posed in Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So what we are seeing in the war in Ukraine especially is individuals being targeted in open areas where they are not protected from thermal imagery sensors placed on one-way attack drones, and things like that as well, he said. So what this does is give us an extra layer of protection. If you cant be seen, you cant be engaged. The corps will hope the cloaks are more effective than similar garments given to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. Footage taken earlier this year showed Russians standing out more than ever against their surroundings (see below) because faulty cloaks created cold spots against a warmer natural environment. Credit: Telegram/ ombr_63 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rather than making them the same colour as their backdrops, they instead stood out by appearing much darker. A different Russian assault group used higher-quality thermal blankets but lacked proper training on how to use them effectively. They could be seen with their legs, arms, or heads peeking out from the covers, suddenly highlighting where they were standing. Ukrainian soldiers have previously used thermal camouflage suits, reportedly to much better effect than their Russian adversaries. The suits, which weigh 2.5 kilograms, are made by a variety of multilayer materials, in particular polymers, microfibres, and fabrics interspersed with metal particles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our goal is to disguise the military and equipment from the enemy as reliably as possible, Vitalii Polovenko, the deputy defence minister, said 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. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) Village of Ruidoso residents can receive free legal help and donated goods this Saturday at the flooding recovery event, hosted by the Twelfth Judicial District Pro Bono Committee. According to the news release, the event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 6 at the Eastern New Mexico University-Ruidoso Branch Community College, at 709 Mechem Dr. The Judiciary wants to extend a helping hand to community members in need, Chief Justice David K. Thomson said. I am very proud that employees and judges of state courts from across New Mexico donated the goods and supplies that will be available for pickup by Ruidoso area residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Volunteer attorneys will provide free legal advice on a wide range of topics, including disaster assistance applications and appeals, insurance and contract disputes, landlord-tenant matters, consumer debt issues and family law matters such as divorce, child custody and child support, according to the news release. Services will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and residents can pick up goods such as clothing, nonperishable food, and school and cleaning supplies. We encourage people in our community to attend the legal fair so they can make informed decisions in addressing personal and business issues as they recover from the second year of devastating flooding, Twelfth Judicial District Chief Judge Daniel A. Bryant 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 KTSM 9 News. A Russian drone dropped leaflets in the form of 100-hryvnia bills in the northeastern city of Chernihiv, urging local residents to collaborate with Russian forces, the local police department said on Sept. 6. The leaflets offered real money in exchange for coordinates to help Russia target Ukrainian forces, according to the law enforcement authorities. The regional police department received a report about the unusual case from one of the Chernihiv city districts on the morning of Sept. 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The police warn citizens about criminal liability for disseminating information about the location and movement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces!" the statement read. Chernihiv, lying some 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border, has suffered a number of deadly attacks throughout the full-scale war. Since the start of the invasion, Russia has sought to bribe or blackmail Ukrainian citizens into collaboration, convincing them to spy on Ukrainian forces or commit sabotage and arson attacks. Russian intelligence services have focused their recruitment on teenagers, contacting them via messenger services and offering them easy money in exchange for betraying their country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones strike Russias largest Rosneft refinery in Ryazan Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Air defence is responding to Russian drones in Kyiv and the oblast, and air-raid warnings have been issued in several oblasts. Source: Kyiv Oblast Military Administration; Kyiv City Military Administration; Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Details: At 18:53, Kyiv Oblast Military Administration reported that air defence was operating in the oblast. Before that, the Air Force had reported Russian attack UAVs over Sumy, Chernihiv, Kyiv, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, as well as heading towards Kherson Oblast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At around 19:40, the sounds of explosions began to be heard in the capital. Quote from Kyiv City Military Administration: "Air defence forces are working to destroy the threat in the skies over Kyiv. Remain in shelters until the official all-clear is given." Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Puratchi Tamilagam Party leader Airport D Moorthy on Saturday said that he was attacked by "goons" over his remarks against Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) founder Thol. Thirumavalavan. Speaking to ANI, Moorthy alleged that the attack by VCK cadre happened with the support of the police department. He said that he didn't make any personal remarks against the VCK founder while questioning the police for their inaction. "I came to the DGP office at 10.30 AM today. Some VCK goons attacked me, raising my comments on VCK leader Thirumavalavan. I haven't made any personal comments against Thirumavalavan. Police are not taking action. This attack has happened with the support of the state (government) and the Police Department. Police should be ashamed of this," Moorthy said. A viral video purportedly shows a group of four people attacking leader Airport D Moorthy and a policeman attempting to intervene to stop the perpetrators of the attack. One of the attackers hurled slippers at Moorthy while the other slapped him multiple times. As this happened, a man - likely to be an associate of Moorthy - tried to stop the attackers while protecting his leader. The attackers fled the spot briefly after attacking Moorthy. The attack happened when the leader was visiting DGP office in Chennai this morning. The police department has not taken any action, as of now, Moorthy said. (ANI) UK Defence Intelligence has analysed Russias propagandist "political education" of Ukrainian youth in the temporarily occupied territories. Source: UK Defence Intelligence update dated 6 September on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda Details: According to the intelligence, the Russian authorities continue to enforce compulsory "political education" for Ukrainian youth in occupied parts of Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Russian Ministry of Defence youth organisation Yunarmiya and the Kremlin youth organisation Movement of the Firsts are amongst those organisations teaching Ukrainian children military skills, and indoctrinating them with pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian propaganda," the update says. UK intelligence noted that Russian "educational authorities" aim to counter so-called extremism. In particular, the update highlights that in a 2022 Russian Ministry of Education manual entitled Preventing conflicts, manifestations of extremism and terrorism in a poly-cultural educational environment, the phrase "Glory to Ukraine!" is labelled as a sign of extremism. The report also stated that since 2022, Russian authorities have been running a so-called University Sessions programme, under which children from occupied oblasts of Ukraine are taken to Russian universities, where they receive "patriotic education". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This aims to inculcate the children with an anti-Ukrainian outlook, as well as glorifying Russian military exploits. Since 2022, around 50,000 Ukrainian children have attended these sessions at 116 Russian universities," UK intelligence added. Background: Recently, UK intelligence reported that Russia has been conscripting young Ukrainians into the Russian army as soon as they turn 18, many of whom had been abducted from occupied Ukrainian territories in childhood. On 3 September, the UK government imposed sanctions on individuals involved in the abduction of Ukrainian children. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Russia has lost 960 soldiers killed and wounded over the past day alone, bringing its total number of personnel losses to 1,087,180. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook Details: The total combat losses of the Russian forces between 24 February 2022 and 6 September 2025 are estimated to be as follows [figures in parentheses represent the latest losses ed.]: approximately 1,087,180 (+960) military personnel; 11,161 (+2) tanks; 23,243 (+0) armoured combat vehicles; 32,474 (+39) artillery systems; 1,480 (+0) multiple-launch rocket systems; 1,217 (+1) air defence systems; 422 (+0) fixed-wing aircraft; 341 (+0) helicopters; 56,523 (+256) operational-tactical UAVs; 3,686 (+0) cruise missiles; 28 (+0) ships/boats; 1 (+0) submarine; 60,950 (+119) vehicles and fuel tankers; 3,957 (+1) special vehicles and other equipment. The information is being confirmed. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Russian troops near Pokrovsk are attempting to secure new positions and expand the boundaries of the "gray zone," according to Ukraine's 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Airborne Assault Forces. Ukrainian military officials said Russia recently deployed experienced marine units to the Pokrovsk area. In recent weeks, Russian forces have shifted tactics, sending small groups to infiltrate deep into the city while avoiding direct clashes with Ukrainian forces. The corps said Russia's main objective in Pokrovsk is to approach Ukrainian drone and mortar positions, disperse defense forces, and entrench new positions while expanding the gray zone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the flanks, Russian troops have increased assaults using armored and motorized vehicles in an effort to sever supply routes and encircle the Pokrovsk area. At the same time, Russian forces have reduced airstrikes on frontline positions while intensifying attacks on civilian infrastructure. Nearly all housing in Pokrovsk has been damaged as of August, according to Ukrainian officials. Despite the pressure, Ukrainian forces maintain full control of their defensive positions. Ukraine's Airborne Assault Forces also reported that Russia plans to concentrate troops and equipment in Donetsk for what it calls a "decisive breakthrough," with the goal of capturing the Pokrovsk-Kramatorsk-Sloviansk area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In recent months, Russia has increased ground offensives in eastern Ukraine, with some of the most intense fighting concentrated in the Pokrovsk area. Despite Moscow's efforts to seize more territory, the pace of Russia's advance slowed by 18% in August, according to the DeepState monitoring group. Additionally, Ukrainian forces have been pushing back Russian troops, and have liberated several towns in Donetsk Oblast including the village of Novomykhailivka. Read also: Russia airdrops fake banknotes in Ukraine, seeking collaborators Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russia has the capacity to produce 2,700 Shahed-type "kamikaze" drones every month, Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) spokesperson Andrii Yusov said on Sept. 5. Moscow has "increased the production of Geran-2s," Yusov said in an interview with Ukrainian news channel Novyny.Live, referring to Russian variants of Iranian-made Shaheds. "Plus a significant number of dummies, without a warhead." Swarms of Russian drones target cities across Ukraine on a regular basis, including decoy drones used to overwhelm and distract Ukrainian air defenses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moscow has ramped up drone production and aerial strikes in recent months, despite U.S.-led efforts to negotiate an end to hostilities. Since the start of September, Russia has attacked Ukraine with over 1,300 strike drones, as well as nearly 900 guided aerial bombs and up to 50 missiles, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. "We see hundreds of Shaheds being used with missiles in combined strikes," Yusov commented, calling it a serious challenge for both Ukrainian defenses and Kyiv's foreign partners whose weapons help protect Ukraine's skies. Faced with the mounting threat, Ukraine has been seeking innovative solutions to counter Russian drones. In July, Zelensky ordered Ukrainian manufacturers to produce at least 1,000 interceptor drones daily. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement July 9 saw Russia launch a record number of drones in a single attack, with 741 unmanned aircraft deployed across Ukraine. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russian forces have attacked railway infrastructure in Donetsk Oblast on the morning of 6 September, causing train delays. Source: Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) Quote: "A section near Sloviansk has been left without power, resulting in delays for both suburban and long-distance trains. For upcoming trains to Kramatorsk, reserve diesel locomotives and buses may be used on certain sections." Details: Ukrzaliznytsia has not given any information on how long it will take to restore rail services, as an assessment of the damage is ongoing. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) The Salvation Army in Beckley will be celebrating 100 years of serving their community this Sunday with an open house party. Healing Our Plateau returns for second year First established in Beckley in 1925, the Salvation Army moved to the Fayette Street location in 1938 where it stayed until the new building on Robert C. Byrd Drive was completed. Captain Liz Liz Blusiewicz said they want to use this anniversary to welcome the community into their new building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were opening up our brand new building for an open house and we just wanna celebrate Gods faithfulness to us over the last 100 years. The Salvation Army has planted the flag right here in southern West Virginia, serving Beckley and the Greater Beckley and all our counties around Beckley, said Blusiewicz. Blusiewiez said there will be great food and good company at the open house. She encourages everyone to come out and be a part of the event, even if its been years since you were involved with the Salvation Army or just want to learn more about it. The 100th Anniversary Celebration will start at 11 in the morning on Sunday, September 7 at the new Salvation Army building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 WVNS. SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) The San Angelo Area COAD launched a new group known as the Long-Term Recovery group that provides services to the survivors of the July 4 flood. Kamryn Cummings, Chief of the COAD, says the goal for the LTRG is to provide services that include mental health, physical health, spiritual help, financial assistance and recovery of personal belongings. We are really excited to offer this community and to be able to hopefully put them back to the July 3 time before July 4. Thats rebuilding and repair, thats mental health services and physical health services, said Cummings, So, if youve lost your medication in the flood or you lost some of your medical devices in the flood. If you need spiritual help, you need financial assistance if you need any kind of those things. If you have lost your washing machine and dryer or if you lost your bed, then we wanna be able to offer some of those services to individuals in this community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The COAD and LTRG have helped more than 2,000 individual structures, including a large number of individuals. Cummings says these families and their households could take a long time to return to normal life. I know we have quite a few families that have been impacted, so were looking at a large number that are gonna need to receive services over the next six months to two years potentially. So, were looking at the long-term of this, said Cummings. I think were all prepared for the next 2 to 3 years to be to be really working through this, really rebuilding repairing homes. Im working on mental health. working on our physical health, making sure that were providing all those resources. Aside from helping survivors, there is also a call to join the COAD. Cummings says the group is open to anyone who wants to participate in the community and volunteer to make an impact. If somebody is interested in making an impact and wants to serve their community, we also would love to invite you to our long-term recovery group. We need money, manpower and materials, Cummings said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To receive COAD services or join the LTRG, you can visit the San Angelo Area COAD Facebook page or call the United Way office. 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. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) The San Diego International Film Festival is using the power of film to connect with San Diego high school and college students. The Focus On Impact Education Program provides year-round access to socially impactful films and curriculum, as well as filmmaker talkbacks that educators can access and use to engage students. The organization has joined forces with San Diego Unified School District, the San Diego County Office of Education and the San Diego Community College District. Teachers can sign up and are able to participate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The program also challenges art students by providing an art competition component the program. The students create art pieces that raise awareness of critical social issues such as inclusion, equality, cultural identity, climate change, and pollution. This years winner is ninth Grader Matisse Kinney with her art piece depicting her experience navigating depression. The festival has thousands of entries from all over the world. While they are drawing some big name films they are also set to present over 100 independent films. The San Diego International Film Festival will take place Oct. 15-19. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) Santa Fe has drawn plenty of tourists and celebrities over the decades for the citys art scene. Now, recent national headlines are pushing Santa Fe into the spotlight of the countrys art scene. Its almost like going into a museum, some of these galleries. It just so happens to be a price tag, said Executive Director of Tourism Santa Fe Randy Randall. Story continues below Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a Santa Fe tourism leader, Randall knows just how unique Santa Fes art scene is. Weve got over 250 galleries in Santa Fe. Weve got Canyon Road, which has more than 100, which is considered to be the densest art market in the United States, said Randall. That accessibility to so many places, according to Randall, is something you cant find almost anywhere else. Just the idea of one gallery after the other in one area. There are over 250 in Santa Fe, as a whole ranks Santa Fe about the 3rd strongest art market in the United States, added Randall. While Randall admits that rank is undefined, national outlets like Forbes are mentioning it, and Travel + Leisure magazine cited the arts as a reason for Santa Fes number one rank in its 2025 reader poll of top U.S. cities. If you go to New York, you go to Los Angeles, which are the other two larger art markets, youd need a car to drive all over to get to all of those galleries that youd see. Here you can just walk from one gallery to another, said Randall. From historic to contemporary art, Santa Fe Art Tours owner Elaine Ritchel said that variety also stands out from other art markets. The range of artwork that you can see here, but also the proximity. I mean, it is so rare to be able to walk down the block and see several different types of art, said Ritchel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While theres a lot of local creation, galleries like Chiaroscuro Gallery said Santa Fes credibility has also put them in a place to showcase international work. Being that it is such a still a very small town compared to places like New York and LA, there is still a lot going on and a lot of culture, said Director of Chiaroscuro Gallery, Covington Jordan. Along with its number one Reader Ranking of places to visit in the United States, Travel + Leisure magazine also named Santa Fe the 19th best city in the world to visit. 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 KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday visited Kapkot in Bageshwar district to inspect the ongoing relief and rehabilitation work in disaster-affected areas and assured affected families of all possible support from the state government. In a post on X, CM Dhami wrote, "Upon reaching Kapkot, Bageshwar, a ground inspection of the disaster-affected area was conducted. At the same time, direct communication was held with the affected families, assuring them of every possible assistance and support." https://x.com/pushkardhami/status/1964264720535327039 He added, "During the inspection, officials were instructed to show no laxity in relief and rehabilitation works. Swift relief materials should reach every affected family, the rehabilitation process should be transparent and time-bound, and no needy person should be deprived of assistance." "Our government is continuously working to serve the public with complete sensitivity and commitment. During this time, the MLA Suresh Garia was also present," the post added on X. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami conducted a field inspection of waterlogging and land erosion caused by floods in Laksar and nearby areas of Haridwar district. CM Dhami said he had met flood-affected people in the district and assured them that the necessary supplies would be provided. "I myself went there and met the people, and we worked on providing the necessary supplies and meeting the demands of the people there. We were with all the disaster-affected people," the Chief Minister told reporters. He emphasised that the roads in the flood-hit areas would be elevated and added that the government would undertake relocation measures in those regions. "In the near future, the road there would be elevated... Relocation measures would also be taken for the people there. Our administration was on alert mode 24 hours a day and was working in coordination with everyone," the CM said. (ANI) Sep. 5Step through the gates and enter the world of the Kingdom of Golondrinas at the 17th annual Santa Fe Renaissance Faire. "We have our king and queen and their cast come out to announce the opening and they guide you in," JC Gonzalez, El Rancho de las Golondrinas special event and site rental manager, said. "And when you enter, you'll be immediately immersed in what we call the Royal Pavilion." Gonzalez said that the Royal Pavilion immerses people in the mythical, medieval Kingdom of Golondrinas, the setting of the Santa Fe Renaissance Faire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Santa Fe Renaissance Faire, on Saturday, Sept. 13, and Sunday, Sept. 14, has grown larger and larger, Gonzalez said, with an estimated 5,000 people attending this year, showing people want a "fun, festive environment." "It really shows how much people value the experience of having fun with family and friends and community and really supporting these really creative expressions and endeavors," Gonzalez said. He said he believes people "love the playful, kind of fantastical nature of Renaissance faires" and that draws them to attend the two-day event. Gonzalez said that attendees lean into the theme by dressing up and the event has vendors selling clothing to add to the Renaissance faire wardrobes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We always welcome people to dress up, but just to remember to keep it family-friendly," Gonzalez said. The faire is home to various medieval street performers and cast members. "We have so many live performers and artisan vendors that it's just a fun, festive environment to sort of celebrate," Gonzalez said. Performers include the Order of Epona, with jousting demonstrations; Scottish bagpipe and drum ensemble The Order of the Thistle Pipe and Drum; and the Belisama Irish Dance group. Artisan vendors will sell leather work, jewelry, art, costumes, toys and a broad spectrum of handmade trinkets, Gonzalez said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The faire has activities for younger crowds, including a fairy dance school, a princess tea party and an adventure story time. There are also events for adults to enjoy, like quests, a history corner and beverages. "We're gonna have three wonderful local alcohol vendors. We're gonna have Beer Creek, New Mexico Hard Cider and Sheehan Winery," Gonzalez said. The event acts as a fundraiser for El Rancho de las Golondrinas, a living history museum, Gonzalez said. Tickets for the event are currently sold out, but more will be released Sept. 8, Gonzalez said. The Federal Communications Commission will soon vote on a proposal that, if approved, will allow states to jam cell phones illegally used by prison inmates. The Friday announcement by FCC Chariman Brendar Carr was met with widespread praise nationally and statewide, including South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and Department of Corrections Director Joel Anderson. Chairman Carrs support to accomplish targeted jamming in state prisons via rule making is a critical step forward and I am hopeful the full commission will support his efforts to finally get this done, Wilson said in a news release. This is a matter of public safety, and if accomplished, South Carolina citizens will be safer because of it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rule proposal would create a partnership between correctional facilities and wireless carriers to implement targeted cellphone jamming without interfering with the wireless devices of residents who live, work, and travel near prisons, according to a news release from the FCC. For years, thousands upon thousands of contraband cellphones have been pouring into prisons, and some of the worst possible offenders have been using them to order hits, coordinate violent gang activity, and aid criminal enterprises, Carr said in the release. For a decade state leaders and prison officials have tried to combat contraband cellphone use to no avail, the release said. A 2024 study by the Urban Institute, for example, found that prison authorities recovered more than 25,000 cell phones across 20 state prisons in a single year. SCDC will do whatever it takes to help make this initiative successful for all states across the country, Anderson said in the release. This is a monumental step in public safety. The world just got a whole lot safer. The FCC is expected to vote on the proposal on Sept. 30. Jack Schlossberg, the only grandson of President John F. Kennedy, is fueling speculation that he may run for the seat to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler in one of Manhattans most coveted congressional districts. On September 3, Schlossberg asked his Instagram followers whether he should run for office. The poll results came back 91% in favor. The next day, he clapped back at Nadler after the longtime lawmaker questioned his credentials. John F. Kennedys only grandson contemplates run for Congress@JBKSchlossberg Results are 91% Yes pic.twitter.com/YDvxIakz15 Cowtown Caller (@CowtownCaller) September 5, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well, theres nothing particularly good or bad about a Kennedy holding my seat. But the Kennedy, unlike Schlossberg, should be somebody with a record of public service, a record of public accomplishment, and he doesnt have one, Nadler said in a screenshot of a news story shared by Schlossberg. And so, I dont think hes going to be a candidate in the end, and he certainly is not going to be a major candidate. There will be major candidates. Schlossberg responded on Instagram with a screenshot of Nadlers remarks captioned, Its okay I dont mind the untrue attacks!! But thats what they are, and call me crazy but ld rather our leaders focus on what TRUMPS DOING EVERY SINGLE DAY and on ENCOURAGING a new generation of leaders to step up ? You ? Just two hours earlier, Schlossberg had been more conciliatory in a post: Honestly no offense taken whatsoever ! As a New Yorker, a progressive and an American, I have nothing but thanks and respects to offer Rep Nadler :), he wrote, praising Nadlers lifetime of public service and listing some of his legislative accomplishments. The exchange came as Nadler, a fixture of Manhattan politics for decades, prepares to step down after announcing his retirement in early September. His decision opened up a rare fight for New Yorks 12th Congressional District, which stretches across Manhattan from Union Square to the northern edge of Central Park and is overwhelmingly Democratic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A September 2 report in The New York Times noted that Schlossberg, 32, was among a roster of names being floated for the seat, along with former Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan, state assembly members Micah Lasher and Alex Bores, and New York City Councilman Erik Bottcher. Schlossberg is the only son of Caroline Kennedy, who has long been mentioned as a potential candidate for higher office but has never run. Caroline withdrew from consideration for a U.S. Senate seat in 2009, citing personal reasons, after initially seeking the seat vacated when Hillary Clinton became secretary of state, The Guardian reported. Caroline later served as ambassador to Japan during the Obama administration. Carolines uncle, Robert F. Kennedy, was a senator from New York before being killed on the Presidential Campaign trail in 1968. Reports over the years have described Caroline as a possible contender for Senate or even the presidency, though she has consistently returned to private life. Her son, Schlossberg, has not previously sought public office. Still, he has become increasingly active on social media, where he has criticized both Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his uncle and the current Secretary of Health and Human Services in Trumps cabinet. Whether Schlossberg translates his Instagram activity into a formal campaign remains to be seen. Asked by The New York Times earlier this week whether he might run, Schlossberg said it was certainly a possibility. The Frederick County Board of Education is considering options for the 2027-28 school year calendar, including starting after Labor Day and closing schools for Muslim holidays. The school board members suggested starting the school year after Labor Day, closing school for Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha, which are Muslim holidays, and eliminating as many days off as possible. Statewide, school districts have debated opening schools before or after Labor Day. This school year, one-third of the 24 Maryland school districts began after Labor Day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Frederick County school board has previously heard from Muslim community members, parents and students, arguing that it is unfair for students to miss school for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The school board members shared its preferences for the Frederick County Public Schools calendar at a meeting on Aug. 27. The 2025-26 school year began on Aug. 20. The school boards Calendar Committee which includes administrators, curriculum specialists, students and teachers will develop several options based on the school boards preferences. Those options will later be presented to the board for a vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This school year, schools are closed for Eid al-Adha. State law requires school districts to plan for 180 days of instruction, and for school to be closed for holidays such as Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day. Locally, FCPS also incorporates a half-day early dismissal for Fair Day, when students visit the Great Frederick Fair. Fair Day this school year is scheduled for Sept. 19. The Great Frederick Fair begins Sept. 12. For a school district to close schools on a holiday when it is not legally required to do so, the school district has to determine that there will be an operational impact if schools remain open. School closures cannot be for religious reasons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FCPS also closes school for Juneteenth, and the Jewish holidays Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Eric Louers-Phillips, the associate superintendent of public affairs for FCPS, has said the state does not give the school district criteria of what an operational impact means, and it is left up to the school district to decide. FCPS defines operational impact as a significant number of staff and students were absent on that particular day, Louers-Phillips said at the Aug. 27 school board meeting. School board member Nancy Allen said that when she served as the representative on the Calendar Committee, there were discussions about starting after Labor Day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said the discussions were tough because even though you want the kids to have that full summer program, there is a consideration of the testing schedules, that teachers want to have that time with the students prior to those tests .... Allen said she would support an option after Labor Day if it made sense, but Im not so sure that it does make sense based on the testing calendars. School board member Jaime Brennan said she was hardcore about wanting to start the school year after Labor Day. It really ticked me off when we went back to the other way, she said. Then-Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan signed an executive order in 2016 that mandated public schools start after Labor Day. In 2019, the Maryland General Assembly passed a bill, after overriding a veto by Hogan, that allowed county school boards to set their own start and end dates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than half of the school districts across the state began the 2025-26 school year before Labor Day. Brennan asked to see options that included a post-Labor Day start, but she said she understood that camps and daycares have since adjusted to a pre-Labor Day start for students. School board member Colt Black agreed with Brennan and said he has heard from parents who prefer to start after Labor Day. He also asked to see a calendar with as many days off eliminated as possible, so students can end earlier and still start after Labor Day. School board member Karen Yoho said she would prefer a version with a week-long spring break for students and a version with a shorter spring break. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Students this school year are out for spring break starting on April 3, then return to school on April 13. Allen said that last school year, the first day of Eid al-Adha fell on a teacher work day, when teachers could choose to take off to observe the holiday. She said that worked out well, and she would like to see similar options for the 2027-28 calendar. This school year, schools will dismiss two hours early for Eid al-Fitr and will be closed for Eid al-Adha. School board member Janie Inglis Monier said this school years calendar has multiple weeks in October when students will be off or have a half day, and she would like an option with more contiguous days of learning for students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said its important to consider educators in the school district when discussing start and end dates because some may have students in other school districts. School board President Rae Gallagher said Fair Day in FCPS has recently been a half day rather than a full day. She added that FCPS should consider aligning its spring break with other counties for the same reason Monier mentioned. School board Vice President Dean Rose said a half day has worked well for FCPS Fair Day, and he did not need to see a calendar option with a full day off for students. The Frederick County Board of Education unanimously declared a 7.5-acre property in Brunswick as surplus after deciding the property will not work for a future school site. The city of Brunswick said it hopes to keep using the parcel as a city park, as it sits next to a planned development for people 55 and older. Frederick County will ultimately decide how the parcel is used. The school board declared the parcel surplus at a school board meeting on Aug. 27. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paul Lebo, chief operating officer of Frederick County Public Schools, said at the Aug. 27 meeting that as part of development approval for Brunswicks Galyn Manor community, the school board in 2004 was awarded the 7.5-acre parcel. He said a county ordinance required a certain number of acres based on the number of houses that would be constructed. In 2007, the school board allowed the city of Brunswick to use the parcel as a park for the nearby Galyn Manor community. It has remained in use as a park, according to FCPS. Developer Natelli Communities is working to build 500 units for residents age 55 and older called Springdale on the Cooper Farm property, which is next to Galyn Manor and the 7.5-acre parcel, as well as Brunswick High School. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lebo said the long-term plan was to combine the parcel with more acreage from the city after it began developing on the Cooper property, and use both parcels for a future new school site. Because the Cooper property development is age-restricted, he said, there is no longer a requirement to hand over acreage for school sites because the development will not increase enrollment in FCPS. Lebo added that there were multiple encumbrances on the parcel, including two floodplains and drainage easements. He said a letter from Brunswick Mayor Nathan Brown asking the school board to declare the property surplus really primed the conversation at the staff level What are we going to do with 7.5 acres? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We knew that that was never enough to construct. It has a number of encumbrances that impact our ability, and it has been operated as a park by the city, Lebo said. He said Frederick County has a separate surplus and property disposition process, and that once the property is declared surplus, the parcel is out of the school boards purview. Vivian Laxton, a spokesperson for Frederick County, wrote in an email on Thursday that County Executive Jessica Fitzwater (D) will review the notice from FCPS when it arrives and consider options before deciding what to do with the parcel. She will make a decision within 30 days of receiving the notification, Laxton wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bruce Dell, the director of planning and zoning for Brunswick, said the city wants to combine the parcel with 10 more acres to create a 17-acre park. We are trying to get that piece back, he said. Dell said the city hopes to add active adult type-amenities and senior amenities into the park, as well as to connect the parcel to a trail system within Galyn Manor. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Schools in Washingtons La Center School District will be closed Sept. 8 through Sept. 10 as contract negotiations continue. As KOIN 6 News previously reported, the district previously canceled classes during the week of Sept. 1 while negotiations with the La Center Education Association continued. By the weekend, the parties had not yet reached an agreement. Teachers from La Centers schools went on strike amid ongoing negotiations. September 3, 2025 (KOIN). In an announcement posted to the schools website on Sept. 6, La Center School District Superintendent Peter Rosenkranz said that if no agreement is reached by Sept. 9, school will be cancelled for the remainder of the week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The news comes as other districts in Washington are also struggling to develop contracts that satisfy both union staff and district needs. Educators at Evergreen Public Schools went on strike last week. As of Saturday, the district has not yet announced whether theyll hold classes on Monday. 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 KOIN.com. Des Moines may be better known for the Iowa State Fair, but recently it's been turning heads for something else: energy savings in its school district. The scoop The city's public school district has roughly 70 facilities, most of which are more than 70 years old. But that hasn't gotten in the way of their energy upgrades, FacilitiesNet shared, calling the district "an energy-savings standout." Many of their investments which total nearly $500 million in the last three decades have been focused on HVAC upgrades. Since 2000, almost every school in the district has installed a geothermal system, a heat pump, or both. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The district's energy and environmental specialist, Tyler Puls, told FacilitiesNet that focusing on HVAC has been key to their savings. "We've been able to accomplish a lot with energy efficiency and HVAC improvements that really make our facilities operate as good or possibly better than some newer facilities," Puls shared. "We've done that through geothermal work using heat pumps and just being on the cutting edge of technology as it comes out." The district also focused on tightening the building envelope, ensuring that there were no leaks that would weaken the efficiency of their improved HVAC systems. This often meant upgrading windows, roofs, and masonry, as facilities director Jamie Wilkerson shared. "We had a fundamental shift probably in the 2008/2009 timeframe where we needed to make the investment in our core infrastructure and ensure that we're not behind in deferred maintenance," Wilkerson explained. "You can put the best HVAC system in there, but if your envelope's not tight, you're just throwing it away." How it's helping All the hard work has paid off in money, environmental impact, and comfort. The district has already saved an estimated $25 million in energy costs in the last 15 years. And while only 65% of building spaces were air-conditioned in 2008, now 99% are. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One example is Park Avenue Elementary, which underwent renovations and improvements including 180 new geothermal wells and insulation upgrades that boosted its Energy Star score by 150% and slashed its energy use intensity by 68%. Additionally, since heat pumps and geothermal HVAC systems don't use oil or gas to operate, they keep the air inside schools healthier and safer to breathe. The compounds and particulates emitted by burning these fuel sources have been linked to heart disease, asthma, and cancer, per Yale Climate Connections. Instead, using thermal energy keeps the school district clean and nonpolluting, benefiting students, teachers, and the environment. For homeowners, the principle is the same. Considering that HVAC costs make up roughly half of the average energy bill, new heat pumps are one of the most effective upgrades when it comes to slashing your utility bills and reducing your pollution footprint. And while it can be complex to find the right installer, there are great resources like Mitsubishi's installer network to help connect you with a trusted professional. Although several federal tax incentives for home upgrades are expiring in 2026, rebates for heat pumps will continue to be available in the short term. That said, acting sooner rather than later could mean a difference of thousands of dollars. What everyone's saying In Des Moines, the facilities teams are taking their recent recognition from the U.S. Green Building Council as further confirmation of what they already knew. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "That push toward energy efficiency and making those good decisions that really impact the future is key," Puls shared. Even a third-party audit had trouble finding any cracks literal or metaphorical in the system. "They struggled to find the ones that really didn't perform," Puls boasted. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Scientists believe they're close to solving an ancient mystery involving a strange hominin skull, neither Neanderthal nor human, that was found fused to a cave wall with a stalagmite sticking out of the top, to complete the eerie scene in Macedonia, Greece. In a new study published in the Journal of Human Evolution, researchers from France's Institut de Paleontologie Humaine (or Human Paleontology Institute in English) claim they've been able to place an age on the "Petralona cranium," which was named after the cave system where the mysterious, almost-horned skull, as seen below, was discovered some 65 years ago. A partial skull, covered in brown-orange calcite with a partial stalgmite sticking out of its top, sits fused to a cave wall of a similar hue in the Petralona caves in Macedonia, Greece. Image via Nandina/Wikimedia Commons. As Archaeology Magazine explains, this bizarre, non-human noggin has fascinated and frustrated scientists ever since it was discovered in 1960, sans lower jaw and encrusted with the mineral calcite, by a villager in the nearby port city of Thessaloniki. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For decades, researchers fiercely debated the age of the skull in hopes of determining what Homo genus it came from because, as shown below, it doesn't resemble any other known hominin cranium. A black-and-white photo of the left side of a skull, known as the With researchers over the years claiming the skull was anywhere between 170,000 and 700,000 years old based on various dating techniques, scientists have had to rely on the best technology and hypotheses of the era when attempting to figure out when the skull dates from and more importantly, who or what creature it came from. In this new study, the Human Paleontology Institute team, led by archaeologist Christophe Falgueres, used a remarkably simple technique to offer a more concise time frame for the Petralona skull. Using calcite samples directly from the skull itself and from the deposits surrounding it, the researchers used a technique known as uranium-series dating that measures the decay rate of uranium isotopes as they morph into thorium over time. In typical outdoor environments, as Archaeology Mag explains, uranium is abundant, making the dating technique a non-starter for most materials. Caves, however, are different: as a closed system, water moves through rocks before evaporating, leaving behind uranium-rich calcite deposits whose thorium byproducts can ultimately be aged using this highly accurate radiometric dating technique. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Using that methodology, Falgueres and his team determined that calcite deposits on the skull started forming at least 286,000 years ago, with a margin of error of about 9,000 years. Ultimately, the French paleontologists determined it could be as young as 277,000 years and as old 539,000, placing it smack-dab in the Middle Pleistocene epoch that took place between 773,000 to 126,000 years ago. In an interview with Live Science about the research, paper co-writer Chris Stringer of the Museum of Natural History in London said that the new age range for the Petralona skull suggest a "persistence and coexistence of this population alongside the evolving Neanderthal lineage in the later Middle Pleistocene of Europe." While it certainly wouldn't be the first time we've seen evidence of modern humans and other hominins, including Neanderthals, coexisting (and interbreeding), these new dates for the Petralona skull offer a more detailed reckoning of our prehistoric past. More on bones: A Dinosaur Appears to Have Died on the Exact Spot They Later Built a Dinosaur Museum, Burying Its Fossil Underneath It 2024 was the hottest year on record, and new research has shown the devastating impact of those heat waves on the Arctic. What's happening? As New Scientist reported, researchers found that in just six weeks, the archipelago of Svalbard lost 1% of its ice cover, equivalent to 62 gigatons. That alone was enough to raise global sea levels by 0.16 millimeters, an utterly unsustainable rate. Thomas Schuler of the University of Oslo explained the loss shattered past records: "It was shocking. It was not just a marginal record. The melt was almost twice as high as in the previous record." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Svalbard is a sparsely populated archipelago administered by Norway. It's home to a global seed vault that contains over 1.3 million samples from around the world, acting as a safeguard against any future global catastrophe. More than half of the islands' landmass is covered by ice. While some melt is typical in the summer months, the historic average was 10 gigatons. The total ice loss for 2024 was more than six times the average, primarily because of surface melt caused by soaring air temperatures. Why is sea ice loss such a concern? The heat waves were the product of the planet-heating pollution driven by human activity, and the Arctic is heating up much faster than anywhere else. According to one study, the rate of warming is four times that of the rest of the world. This will accelerate the loss of sea ice, leading to rising sea levels and placing many coastal settlements at risk. Indeed, some islands could soon disappear entirely. Additionally, warmer oceans are the perfect breeding ground for devastating hurricanes such as Helene and Milton. Such extreme weather events will only become frequent and intense. What's being done about sea ice loss? Drastic measures may soon be necessary to buy more time to reduce harmful pollution worldwide. Direct human interventions to thicken sea ice in the winter have shown some early promise, albeit at a limited scale. It remains to be seen whether those experiments can be successfully applied at scale. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regardless, it's vital to raise awareness of the severity of the problem and take individual and collective steps to slow the melt. Adopting clean, renewable energy is one approach, and reducing waste and taking local action are others. 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. The search for woman who reportedly went missing while swimming in Cape May City ended Saturday afternoon after authorities said they found no evidence that anyone had gone missing. The search began Thursday when authorities from Cape May City, including police, beach patrol and the fire department, were notified at 8:10 a.m. about a possible woman in distress in the water in the area of Madison Avenue, officials said. The U.S. Coast Guard, New Jersey State Police and fire companies from Townbank and North Wildwood, as well as Cape May Public Works, joined the search for the woman, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Coast Guard and state police continued searching for the woman, who was described as being between the ages of 30 and 40, until Saturday, officials said. On Saturday, after several days of investigation, authorities said a missing person report had not been filed with Cape May Police Department or other organizations. Based on all available information, there is no evidence to suggest that a missing person case exists or is warranted at this time, the Cape May City Office of Emergency Management stated in a Facebook post. According to preliminary figures from the National Weather Service, there have been 69 surf zone fatalities in 2025, two of which occurred in New Jersey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities encouraged people to keep reporting any safety concerns they have to 609-884-9500. Amira Sweilem Stories by Amira Sweilem Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. Amira Sweilem may be reached at asweilem@njadvancemedia.com. Read the original article on NJ.com. Snoop Dogg and Eli Roth are teaming up for a horror film. Snoop Dogg is co-producing a horror film The Drop It Like It's Hot hitmaker will write and produce an original soundtrack for Don't Go in That House, B****!, while the 53-year-old filmmaker will direct, and the Borderlands helmsman insisted it was a "no-brainer" for them to produce the movie together. Eli said in a statement: There are some ideas that are so ridiculous they dont let you sleep. I have always wanted to make the ultimate haunted house movie, but something unlike any weve seen something full-on insane and over the top. When I shared the idea with Snoop, he got it immediately and it was a no-brainer to make this film together. Snoop loves horror movies, and I want this to be the ultimate collab, bringing out the craziest from both of us. Just dont say we didnt warn you. Plot details are being kept under wraps for the film - which Roth will be taking to the Toronto Film Festival for select international buyers - but Deadline reports it is described as the ultimate haunted house movie. MCTs Christopher Woodrow and Raj Singh, who are also producing the film, said: We are proud to be collaborating with two trailblazing creatives Eli Roth and Snoop Dogg to bring Dont Go in That House, B****! to life. Elis visionary approach to horror, combined with Snoops unparalleled creative energy, promises a film that will push boundaries and captivate audiences. At MCT, were committed to fuelling bold, innovative projects like this one, and we cant wait to share what comes of this innovative collaboration. Dont Go in That House, B****! will be the director's second film under The Horror Sections banner, following Ice Cream Man, which is due for release next year. Meanwhile, it was recently revealed Jonathan Daviss has been cast in director Craig Brewer's upcoming biopic of Snoop, who is co-producing the film along with Brian Grazer and Sara Ramaker, the president of Death Row Pictures. The biopic explores Snoop's rise from humble beginnings in Long Beach, California, to the top of the rap industry. The project has actually been in the works for a number of years, with Snoop being announced as a producer back in 2022. He said in a statement at the time: "I waited a long time to put this project together because I wanted to choose the right director, the perfect writer, and the greatest movie company I could partner with that could understand the legacy that Im trying to portray on screen, and the memory Im trying to leave behind. "It was the perfect marriage. It was holy matrimony, not holy macaroni." Continuing a proud legacy of valour and service to the nation, a distinguished military family has created history with the commissioning of its first woman officer. Lieutenant Parul Dhadwal was commissioned into the Indian Army Ordnance Corps on Saturday, after successfully passing out from the prestigious Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Tamil Nadu's Chennai. She was awarded the President's Gold Medal for standing first in the Order of Merit in her course, an achievement that underlines her exceptional dedication and merit. Lt. Parul Dhadwal represents the fifth generation of her family in uniform, hailing from Village Janauri, District Hoshiarpur, Punjab, a region renowned for its strong martial tradition. Her commissioning marks a remarkable moment where legacy and modernity converge, with a daughter of the family donning the Olive Greens for the first time. The Dhadwal family's service lineage traces back to Subedar Harnam Singh of 74 Punjabis, her great-great-grandfather, who served the Army from 01 January 1896 to 16 July 1924. Her great-grandfather, Major L.S. Dhadwal, was part of 3 JAT, while the third generation saw distinguished service by Colonel Daljit Singh Dhadwal (7 JAK RIF) and Brigadier Jagat Jamwal (3 KUMAON). The tradition continues with her father, Major General K.S. Dhadwal, SM, VSM, and her brother, Captain Dhananjay Dhadwal, both of whom serve in 20 SIKH. This rare instance of three serving officers from two generations of the same family stands as a testament to their enduring commitment to the nation. The commissioning of Lt Parul Dhadwal not only strengthens this illustrious martial tradition but also highlights the growing role of women in the Indian Armed Forces. On Saturday, the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Gaya, witnessed a grand Passing Out Parade (POP) of SSC (Tech) Men-63 and SSC (Tech) Women-34 courses, marking a momentous occasion for 207 officer cadets who were commissioned as officers in the Indian Army. Lieutenant General Anindya Sengupta, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command, reviewed the parade, praising the cadets for their "immaculate drill, seamless coordination, and exceptional turnout". The POP showcased the highest standards of training and discipline. In a post on X, the Indian Army wrote, "#PassingOutParade at Officers Training Academy, #OTA, Gaya." Lieutenant General Anindya Sengupta, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command, reviewed the impressive Passing Out Parade #POP of SSC (Tech) Men-63 & SSC (Tech) Women-34 Courses at #OTA, #Gaya. The #POP showcased immaculate drill, seamless coordination and exceptional turnout, reflecting the highest standards of training and discipline. On this momentous occasion, 207 Officer Cadets were commissioned as Officers in the Indian Army. The Army Commander complimented the passing out cadets and congratulated the proud parents, highlighting the honour of serving in the Indian Army. https://x.com/adgpi/status/1964265457185149252 During the ceremony, the Army Commander complimented the passing-out cadets and congratulated their proud parents, highlighting the honour of serving in the Indian Army. He emphasised the importance of upholding the highest traditions and ethos of the Indian Army. "The Army Commander also participated in the much-celebrated Pipping Ceremony after the #PassingOutParade, pipping some Officer Cadets into Commissioned Officers. He congratulated the newly commissioned #Officers & their proud parents on the momentous occasion and exhorted the Officers to uphold the highest traditions and ethos of the #IndianArmy. The Army Commander also paid homage to the #Bravehearts in a solemn wreath laying ceremony at #OTA, Gaya War Memorial. Officer Cadets also joined in paying homage during the ceremony to mark the occasion," the post further added. (ANI) UPDATE: NATCHEZ, Miss. (WJTV) Adams County authorities said a 74-year-old woman, who disappeared in late August, was found deceased. Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said multiple agencies and volunteers gathered at the Adams County Safe Room at 8:00 a.m. on September 6, 2025, to continue the search for Juanita Robinson. The sheriff said teams were assigned to different quadrants of the county, beginning at Robinsons last known location along Liberty Road. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Around 10:00 a.m. while traveling about two miles past South Palestine Road, Patten said he observed a disturbed area off of Liberty Road. He then discovered an overturned vehicle in the wooded area. The vehicle was confirmed to be Robinsons, and she was found deceased inside the car. On behalf of the Adams County Sheriffs Office, I extend my deepest condolences to Mrs. Robinsons family and loved ones. We ask the community to continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they grieve and make the necessary arrangements to lay her to rest, said Patten. NATCHEZ, Miss. (WJTV) Natchez officials said the search for a missing 74-year-old woman is still ongoing. According to officials, the search for Juanita Robinson was narrowed to Liberty Road going toward Franklin County. Everyone who lives in the vicinity of the road and the various highways leading from there to Franklin County and toward Liberty are encouraged to lookout for Robinson and her vehicle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two plead guilty in Pike County armed robbery, shooting She was last seen leaving her home on August 27, 2025. She was driving her silver 2011 Toyota Corolla, which has the Mississippi tag ADD 473. Juanita Robinson (Courtesy: Natchez Police Dept.) Investigators said Robinson could be in the beginning stages of dementia. Anyone with information on her whereabouts can contact Detective Kevin Wells at 601-597-0487. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News 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 WJTV. Search into STL moms disappearance continues Editors note: This clip is from Aug. 23 ST. LOUIS The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) is still searching for leads in the disappearance of a St. Louis mother of three. According to SLMPDs Missing Persons Unit, loved ones reported Michelle Harper, 38, missing on July 30 from the 5800 block of Wabada. Police also say that Harper has not been seen or heard from since March 15, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a previous FOX 2 report, Harpers aunt, Alice Dixon, said that her nieces social media presence also went silent amid her disappearance. Her three children are without their mom, Dixon said. Dixon also told FOX 2 that her niece has mental health needs, making her search even more crucial for officials. Anyone with information about Harpers whereabouts can contact the St. Louis Police Department at 314-231-1212 or the Missouri State Highway Patrol at 573-526-6178 or missingpersons@mshp.dps.mo.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 FOX 2. Gun rights advocates strongly rebuked the Trump administration after reports that the Department of Justice is looking into restricting transgender Americans from owning firearms. Multiple outlets reported that the DOJ is considering a ban in the wake of the shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis that killed two children and injured 21 people. Law enforcement identified the suspect as a 23-year-old transgender woman, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene of the shooting. The proposed ban generated sharp criticism from Second Amendment groups who have historically supported President Donald Trump and his Republican allies, including the National Rifle Association, a national organization that has donated significantly to Republican campaigns for years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The NRA supports the Second Amendment rights of all law abiding Americans to purchase, possess and use firearms, the group said in a statement. NRA does not, and will not, support any policy proposals that implement sweeping gun bans that arbitrarily strip law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights without due process. POLITICO has not independently verified reports that DOJ is weighing a potential ban, and the White House and DOJ did not respond to requests for comment on Friday. But when asked Thursday about the possibility which was first reported by The Daily Wire a DOJ spokesperson did not rule out a gun ban. The DOJ is actively evaluating options to prevent the pattern of violence we have seen from individuals with specific mental health challenges and substance abuse disorders, the spokesperson said in a statement. No specific criminal justice proposals have been advanced at this time. And when asked about the proposal in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon, Trump opted to "pass" on sharing his thoughts, asking instead to keep the focus on an executive order designating the "Department of War" as a secondary name for the Department of Defense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has forged close ties to gun groups throughout his political career. The NRA endorsed each of Trumps three political campaigns, and he spoke at the groups national convention last year, where he pledged to defend the Second Amendment during his second term. Gun rights groups have often pushed back on Democrats who have previously called for laws restricting access to firearms following mass shootings. But Second Amendment advocates have a history of battling Trumps appetite for gun restrictions. During his first term, Trump approved a ban on bump stocks, a gun modification used in a mass shooting that killed dozens in Las Vegas in 2017. The Supreme Court overturned the ban last year. Trump also expressed openness for an assault weapons ban after mass shootings during his first term, including the 2018 shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida that left 17 people dead. The New York Times reported Trump privately weighed an assault weapons ban following two mass shootings in Ohio and Texas that took place in quick succession in 2019. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the wake of the latest proposed ban, some gun rights proponents urged the Trump administration to stay away entirely from gun issues. Our advice to the ATF, DOJ, and FBI is to stop chasing headlines on the back of the Second Amendment and focus on preserving and protecting gun rights so that law-abiding Americans can defend their loved ones from violent nutcases, criminals, and gang members, Dudley Brown president of the National Association for Gun Rights, which has cast itself as more conservative than the NRA said in a social media post. Second Amendment legal experts argued the potential ban would bypass due process and violate the Constitution. A person can be stripped of their firearms only after a judge declares them mentally defective, according to federal law. I don't buy that this is real. In the off chance it is, it would be blatantly unconstitutional. And also without any legal basis, Kostas Moros, director of legal research and education at the Second Amendment Foundation, said on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other gun rights supporters worried a potential gun restriction from the Trump administration could create a precedent for Democrats to impose stricter gun laws once they eventually regain the White House. Once government starts deciding which Americans qualify for 2A rights, the door is wide open for future anti-gun administrations to ram through Red Flag gun confiscation, Texas Gun Rights, a gun advocacy group in Texas, said in a social media post. Cheyanne Daniels contributed to this report. BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) Argentines are so used to the corruption in their political system that even Peronists supporters of the populist movement that dominated Argentinas politics for decades employ a fatalistic maxim to describe their politicians: Roban, pero hacen, or, They steal, but they get it done. But for the past two weeks, Argentines have been riveted by a ballooning graft scandal drawing in close associates of libertarian President Javier Milei, the wild-haired economist who won Argentina's 2023 election in part by campaigning as an outsider against the corrupt, Peronist-dominated elite the caste, he calls it whose unbridled spending helped precipitate Argentinas economic crisis. At a time of extreme fiscal austerity, the allegations that his powerful sister and secretary general of the presidency, Karina Milei, profited from a bribery scheme in Argentinas disability agency have exploded onto the headlines here, threatening to sully the governments reputation ahead of national midterms at the end of October. Milei denies the claims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It appears to be very similar to many other corruption scandals in Argentina, and taints his image as being completely different, of not being part of the caste, said Eugenia Mitchelstein, the chair of the social sciences department at Buenos Aires San Andres University. Leaked audio reveals explosive allegations The scandal broke out last month when local streaming channel Carnaval published secretly recorded audio clips purporting to show Diego Spagnuolo, then-director of the National Disability Agency, describe a scheme of kickbacks from drug distributor Suizo Argentina. The alleged voice of Spagnuolo claims that top officials including Milei's sister Karina and her senior aide, Eduardo Lule Menem accepted bribes of $500,000 and $800,000 in exchange for government pharmaceutical contracts. The voice says Karina Milei takes kickbacks of 3-4% of the contract price. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I told him, Javier, you know theyre stealing, that your sister is stealing, the alleged Spagnuolo can be heard saying. It's not clear who captured the audio or when. Based on references to political events in the recordings, local media have reported that the conversations occurred over several months starting in August 2024. The leak appeared timed to have maximum impact, rocking Milei's government before Sundays provincial elections in Buenos Aires, the countrys most populous province and a historic Peronist opposition stronghold. The audio also surfaced soon after Milei vetoed an increase in benefits for people with disabilities, arguing it would jeopardize his much-vaunted fiscal surplus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Corruption scandals at times of economic scarcity tend to have a bigger impact," said Ana Iparraguirre, an Argentine political analyst and partner at Washington-based strategy firm GBAO. It's hitting hard at Milei's potential to grow beyond his base. The government scrambles for a response The typically voluble Milei kept silent about the recordings for six days after their release. Within hours of the leak, he sacked Spagnuolo, who was also his personal lawyer. A federal judge ordered raids at offices and homes belonging to Spagnuolo and Suizo Argentina executives. Under pressure, Mileis officials contested the veracity of the recordings and accused the political opposition of orchestrating the scandal to undermine the government's electoral prospects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Peppered with questions at a campaign caravan last Wednesday, Milei snapped, telling a reporter, Everything (Spagnuolo) says is a lie. The rally devolved into chaos as protesters threw stones at his motorcade. The next day Mieli offered a full-throated defense of his sister, condemning all the allegations as political theater. Recordings surface of Karina Milei in her private office Just as Milei seemed to reclaim control of the narrative, recordings emerged of Karina Milei speaking to officials inside her private office at the Casa Rosada presidential palace. The same journalist at Carnaval who released the Spagnuolo recordings published two brief and innocuous audio clips one in which Karina Milei can be heard urging colleagues to stay united and another in which she complains of working from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. each day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The journalist, Mauro Federico, claimed he had 50 minutes of recordings that he was prepared to release, prompting full-fledged panic in the presidency. Manuel Adorni, Milei's spokesperson, said the conversations were illegally recorded and denounced the leak as an illegal intelligence operation intended to destabilize the country." Police raided Carnaval offices and the homes of several journalists, including Federico's, seizing laptops, cellphones and hard drives. A federal judge barred media outlets from publishing any recordings made inside Casa Rosada in response to a criminal complaint by the Ministry of Security. Press freedom groups were up in arms, with Paris-based watchdog Reporters Without Borders calling the court order one of the most serious threats to press freedom in the country since the return of democracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The leak even briefly spiraled into a diplomatic incident after the government in its complaint suggested the possible involvement of Russian spies, citing past instances of Russian expatriates in Argentina conducting actions to influence the population for Russias geopolitical interests." The Russian Embassy was not pleased. The desire to see Russian spies around every corner is irrational and destructive," it said. The boss in the limelight Analysts say a key factor limiting Mileis ability to quash the scandal is the involvement of Karina Milei, his sister and close confidant since childhood who now acts as his gatekeeper. The president has compared her to Moses and regularly refers to her as El Jefe, the Spanish masculine form for the boss." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A former Instagram cake-baker and tarot card reader, Karina Milei successfully managed her unmarried brothers presidential campaign before becoming general secretary a catch-all title under which she controls the presidents agenda, chooses staff for top government roles and runs his libertarian political party. It's not the first time that she has been mired in scandal. Milei's reputation took a hit earlier this year after he promoted a memecoin called Libra that crashed hours later, saddling investors with over $250 million in losses. The coin's creator bragged in text messages that he was paying Karina Milei to advance his crypto-ambitions. Milei and his sister have denied any wrongdoing. Class-action lawsuits filed by investors are crawling through U.S. courts. As fallout from the audio scandal spreads, Karina Milei has increasingly become the target of public outrage evacuated from two consecutive campaign events in Buenos Aires last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A catchy jingle first sung on a popular streaming channel to the tune of Guantanamera has gone viral, belted out at Buenos Aires nightclubs in recent days. Big bribe-taker," the chorus goes. "Karina is a big bribe-taker." Monica de Bolle, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said the saga revealed Karina Milei to be the presidents Achilles heel. Pragmatism here would require him to remove Karina, she said. "This is where you see why certain actions like nepotism dont serve you very well at the end of the day. ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) A new, temporary fence has been erected around the federal courthouse building in Rockford this weekend, amid reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are deploying soon to the Chicago area. The City of Rockford confirmed the installation of the security fence late Friday, at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, at 327 S Church Street. We understand the federal government is installing a temporary security fence around the federal courthouse building in Rockford. We recognize that this development may raise concerns or uncertainty within our community. Please know that we are actively seeking more information. As soon as we learn more, we will share updates to keep the community informed and reassured. Your safety remains our top priority, the city said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Chicago prepares for a surge of immigration operations, the city of Rockford issued a statement on Wednesday, saying that ICE operations could extend to the Forest City. The City posted a notice to its Facebook page in both English, Spanish, and Arabic, saying, We are aware that Homeland Security recently confirmed plans to expand ICE operations in Chicago. While there is no confirmation that these operations will extend to Rockford, we recognize it is a possibility. And, we also recognize the fear and uncertainty this news may cause. Its also important to be clear the Rockford Police Department follows the Illinois Trust Act. We do not participate in ICE raids, nor will we, the statement continued. To our immigrant neighbors: please know this you are valued, you are cared for and you are an important part of who we are. The TRUST Act, signed by former Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) in 2017, prevents state law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to ICE, undocumented immigrants arrested as part of the nationwide effort had criminal histories, including sexual assault, robbery, drug and weapons charges, and domestic violence, the agency said. The Department of Homeland Security conducted operations in Rockford in mid-June, but it has not been confirmed whether the agents were from ICE. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker held a news conference later Monday, saying the head of the Illinois State Police had received a call from Customs and Border Protections chief patrol agent Gregory Bovino on Saturday. The governor said the White House began positioning armed federal agents and military vehicles at the Great Lakes Naval Base on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Community activist Antonio Ramirez Jr. said, although there has been no indication that ICE will be conducting sweeps in Rockford, he understands if immigrants choose not to attend events like Tamale Fest, Fiestas Patrias, and the citys Mexican Independence Day parade and festival. While Chicago postponed its Mexican Independence Day parade this year in preparation for a possible surge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts in the city, Rockford leaders say they are proceeding with local celebrations. 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 MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports. Luigi Mangione has some big decisions pending at his next court date, on September 16. The accused killer of UHC CEO Brian Thompson may see a trial date and an outcome to key motions. September 19 is his deadline to challenge the constitutionality of the feds' death penalty case. September is an important month for Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Key scheduling and motion decisions will set the stage for all that comes next, both in New York state court, where Mangione, 27, is charged with murder as an act of terrorism, punishable by life in prison, and in federal court, where prosecutors seek the death penalty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here are five reasons September is shaping up to be an impactful month in these dual Manhattan prosecutions. A digital billboard truck circles federal court in Manhattan during his April 2025 arraignment. Timothy A. Clary/Getty Images The death penalty In federal court, Mangione's defense team, led by Karen Friedman Agnifilo, has a September 19 deadline for filing a motion challenging the constitutionality of the death penalty as sought by government prosecutors. Mangione's court-appointed death penalty lawyer, Avraham Moskowitz, wrote in June that the defense has been working on this response since April, when Attorney General Pam Bondi directed New York prosecutors to seek the ultimate punishment. Prosecutors say there are "aggravating factors" that make Thompson's murder a death-penalty offense, including the shooting's substantial planning, the "victim impact," and the risk of death to others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Surveillance video from 6:45 a.m. on December 4 shows Thompson, 50, being shot from behind at close range at the entrance to a Midtown hotel where he was due to address an investor conference. The video shows a female bystander standing "only a few feet from Thompson" at the time, with other bystanders "in close proximity," federal prosecutors noted in court papers last week. US District Judge Margaret Garnett has yet to rule on a defense request that prosecutors outline the "theories and facts" behind these aggravating factors. Prosecutors wrote last week that they have so far turned over ample evidence nearly 7 terabytes by the latest defense estimation and that the law does not require them to tip their hand further until closer to trial. Luigi Mangione at the defense table in state court in Manhattan in February, 2025. Steven Hirsch - Pool/Getty Images Who tries Mangione first NY or the feds Who will try Mangione first the state or the feds is a question that remains contested and unanswered. At an April arraignment, lead federal prosecutor Dominic Gentile said he expects the state trial will go first, as originally agreed to in December by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and Damian Williams, then the outgoing, Biden-appointed US Attorney in Manhattan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Mangione's lawyers want the federal trial to go first. They have asked both judges to delay the state case indefinitely. Garrett, appearing to agree, has told the parties that she intends to set a "firm" 2026 trial date when they reconvene in her courtroom in December. Still, the state case is simpler given that the death penalty is not on the table and it's further along procedurally. Lead state prosecutor Joel Seidemann has argued that Bragg's case should go first for those reasons. Trial order may become clearer at the Baltimore native's next appearance, scheduled for state court on September 16, when New York Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro can set a date or step aside and let his federal colleague have first dibs. Dozens of Luigi Mangione supporters gathered outside state court in Manhattan for a February 2025 appearance. Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images A fight over NY's terrorism case Mangione's lawyers are fighting his state murder-as-terrorism indictment on numerous fronts. These efforts, filed in May, challenge the admissibility of evidence and seek the indictment's dismissal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mangione is no terrorist, the defense wrote, arguing that the state's terrorism charge is designed for crimes that seek to intimidate a larger community. The defense also argues that the dual, state-federal murder prosecutions "violate the double jeopardy clause and Mr. Mangione's constitutional rights" because his defense in one case could be used against him in the other. They also ask that important evidence recovered from Mangione during his December 9 arrest at a McDonalds in Pennsylvania during what they term to be an improper search be excluded from his trial. That evidence includes a homemade "ghost gun" that police say matches the crime scene ballistics and a handwritten "manifesto." In a June response, Seidemann countered that the evidence was properly seized. It is clear, he also argued that the shooting of Thompson, the head of one of the country's largest health insurance companies, was an act of terrorism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Mangione's recovered writings, "Defendant rejoiced that he could commit this assassination at the investor conference: he explained that the best way 'to rebel against the deadly, greed fueled health insurance cartel' was to 'wack [sic] the CEO' at such a conference," the prosecutor wrote. The defense dismissal and evidence-suppression motions are due for a decision by Carro at Mangione's September 16 appearance. A "Wanted" poster shows murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson with an "X" across his face. The sign was posted near state court in Manhattan in February. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images A psychiatric defense maybe Carro may also rule on whether Mangione's lawyers blew the August 25 deadline for announcing that they will seek a psychiatric defense. The defense has asked for an indefinite extension, again arguing that Mangione's competing prosecutions are unconstitutional and that the feds traditionally go first. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seidemann argued in a response filed Thursday that Carro should enforce the deadline and preclude the defense from presenting psychiatric evidence at trial, whenever that may be. There's no hard and fast rule that the feds go first, the prosecutor argued, citing as an example the recent upstate New York conviction of Hadi Matar in the attempted murder of author Salman Rushdie. Matar was tried in state court first and still faces federal terrorism charges. Legal experts have told Business Insider that Mangione's best chances at avoiding life in prison or the death penalty may be what's called an extreme emotional disturbance defense. The defense, which could result in a lesser sentence, is available in both state and federal court. A HIPAA resolution? Also on the agenda for September 19 is a possible ruling by Carro on what both sides describe as the mistaken disclosure to prosecutors of Mangione's HIPAA-protected, 120-page Aetna healthcare history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The defense is demanding a full evidentiary hearing and suppression of the records at trial. Prosecutors oppose, saying there was no ethical breach on their part. Read the original article on Business Insider Alon Ohel, 24. (photo credit: Hostages and Missing Families Forum) The comments were made after the release of a video showing Ohel, who holds Serbian citizenship, for the first time since the beginning of the war. Serbias ambassador to the United States, Dragan Sutanovac, assured on Friday during an interview with Walla, that his country is working with all its might to bring back home Gaza hostage Alon Ohel, who holds Serbian citizenship. The comments were made after the release of the video showing Ohel, which the ambassador called an encouraging sign, especially in light of previous information that raised concerns he may have been wounded during the war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Alon, like the other hostages held by Hamas, is completely innocent. We consider his continued captivity to be severe and unacceptable," Sutanovac emphasized. The ambassador added that Belgrade will not relent and will continue to act through diplomatic channels with international actors to ensure Ohel's return home, along with the release of all the other hostages. Hamas releases video of the hostages Hamas released a new video showing the hostages Ohel and Guy Gilboa-Dalal, this being the former's first appearance in captivity in 700 days, on the organization's Telegram account on Friday. Family of Gaza hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal allows for publication of part of Hamas video. (CREDIT: HOSTAGE FAMILIES FORUM) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alongside the videos release, several teasers were released, featuring captions such as "Time is running out" and "Coming soon...". Guy's family agreed to release a few short clips from the full video. In the footage, Gilboa-Dalal is seen riding in a car, stating that he is in Gaza City, with a crowd of Palestinians, sounds of gunfire, and drone noises in the background. Later in the video, Ohel enters the vehicle and embraces him. The video release also sparked statements from the Hostage Families Forum, which claimed that the IDF has no accurate information about the hostages' whereabouts, and that the ongoing military operation in Gaza may lead to the risk of murder and permanent disappearance in the rubble of the Strip. The statement read: "This operation poses an immediate and direct threat to our loved ones who have been languishing in Hamas tunnels for 700 days. "Sadly, we have not heard of any way to protect them, nor has any plan been presented to us that would ensure that Operation Gideon's Chariots II will not turn into Murder of the Six part two,'" in reference to when the IDF found the bodies of six hostages - Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, and Ori Danino - in tunnels beneath Rafah. Serbias police on Friday used teargas and stun grenades at a university campus in Novi Sad to disperse protesters who demanded a snap vote they hope would oust president Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). On Friday evening thousands gathered at the state university campus. They held banners reading We dont want blockades, we want elections, and Students have one urgent demand: Call elections. The crowd shouted Vucic leave. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protesters scuffled with the police in front of the philosophy faculty and threw flares while police used teargas and stun grenades to push the crowd away. Months of protests across Serbia, including blockades of the state universities, sparked by the deaths of 16 people last November killed when the roof on a renovated railway station collapsed, have rattled Vucic and his SNS party. Protests were mainly peaceful until August 13 when dozens of police officers and civilians were injured in clashes. Protesters have blamed corruption for the Novi Sad railway station disaster and are demanding early elections in hopes of ousting Vucic and his party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Students, opposition groups, and anti-corruption watchdogs have accused Vucic and his allies of ties to organized crime, using violence against political rivals, and suppressing media freedoms allegations they deny. The solution is to call elections, Nebojsa Korac, one of the protesters, said. On our side, we want peace and democracy to prevail, and for political institutions to do their job. That means calling elections, and that will be the solution, because the government will change. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com (FOX40.COM) After a man was arrested for an incident earlier this year, the San Joaquin County Sheriffs Office announced on Friday that he is the suspect linked to multiple sexual assaults across the Sacramento region. Video Above: Victims ex-boyfriend and accomplice facing kidnapping charges On July 3, 25-year-old Bernarnino Vazquez was arrested by the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office for an incident involving the discharge of a shotgun. Officials said that the day after the arrest, the Sacramento Police Department filed additional charges after the suspect was identified in a photo lineup for allegedly assaulting a massage therapist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During an interview with San Joaquin County detectives, Vazquez confessed to multiple sexual assaults across Thornton, Isleton, Elk Grove, Stockton and Sacramento. Authorities said the earliest incident was reported on Jan. 12. According to the sheriffs office, Vazquez is being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail on firearm and assault charges. additional charges are expected from the San Joaquin County District Attorneys Office as the investigation continues. Anyone with information related to this case can contact San Joaquin County Sheriffs Office investigators at 209-468-4400. 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. At least four stores were broken into overnight on Saturday. That same morning, each store reopened. An employee at one of the stores told Channel 9s Erika Jackson that five storefronts in the Park Road Shopping Center were broken into overnight. Channel 9 has confirmed that glass was broken at BikeSource, Orangetheory, Bluemercury, and Dolce Lusso. READ: Waxhaw police search for bank robbery suspect Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Employees at all four of those stores told Channel 9 that they are open. An Orangetheory employee said classes ran on schedule and it is business as usual today. A BikeSource employee told Channel 9 that nothing was stolen. The store does not keep cash. On the glass storefront of Bluemercury, there is a sign indicating that the store does not keep cash either. Surveillance video from Dolce Lusso obtained by Channel 9 shows two cars pull in front of the store. Four masked people exit the cars and begin trying to break in the glass door. The four then search the salon with gloves to locate the register. They throw the register to the ground before attempting to locate the second one. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The thieves appear to make off with a couple of papers and a tote bag with a few salon products. Channel 9 is reaching out to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police for more information. No additional details have been made available. This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com for updates. WATCH: Waxhaw police search for bank robbery suspect According to a Chief Minister's Office (CMO) statement, the one-day summit highlighted Gujarat's leadership in India's transport sector and, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and guidance of Minister of State for Transport Harsh Sanghavi, facilitated in-depth discussions on addressing future challenges and exploring new opportunities in mobility R.C. Meena, Principal Secretary of the Ports and Transport Department, Government of Gujarat, stated that GSRTC transports over 27 lakh passengers safely across the state each day. In addition to providing reliable connectivity, it has placed strong emphasis on environmental sustainability, enabling Gujarat to advance rapidly toward eco-friendly transportation through initiatives such as electric and CNG buses. On this occasion, M. Nagarajan, Managing Director of Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC), said that public transport passengers today seek comfort, safety, and seamless multimodal connectivity. The State Transport Corporation remains fully committed to fulfilling these expectations. The summit also explored future-oriented models, including asset monetisation and non-fare revenue generation. The summit's key highlight was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between GSRTC and the State Bank of India (SBI). The agreement aims to enhance financial stability and foster innovation in public transport. An SBI official stated that the bank's green financing has already exceeded Rs 63,000 crore, and this collaboration with GSRTC will further drive sustainable transportation in India. The summit saw the launch of a special edition of E-Governance Magazine highlighting GSRTC and Gujarat's green transport initiatives. It brought together leading companies, including Tata Motors, Charge Zone, JSL, AMNEX, and SBI. The National Mobility Awards-2025 were also awarded to organisations for their outstanding contributions to public and private transport. The summit featured in-depth discussions on EV charging infrastructure, digital ticketing, AI-based fleet management, safety, and non-fare revenue. Notably, GSRTC is committed to providing citizen-centric, eco-friendly, and digitally empowered transport services. The summit further reinforced Gujarat's resolve to lead India's green and integrated mobility revolution. (ANI) Some commentators have been quick to herald Shabana Mahmoods appointment as Home Secretary as a political masterstroke by Keir Starmer. They describe her as one of Labours brightest Cabinet members, a rising star now entrusted with one of the great offices of state. To which the only sensible response is: what planet are they on? If Mahmoods record at the Ministry of Justice is any guide, Britain is in for more of the same: more small boats, more law and order failures and more disillusionment with institutions meant to uphold the very fabric of society. She is not a reformer but a continuation of drift and dysfunction. Shes another Lefty lawyer at the top of government. Her tenure at Justice is remembered not for success but for scandal. Most notorious was the early release fiasco. Criminals were let out before serving their sentences. Some emerged from prison to be whisked away in luxury cars, waving champagne bottles like conquering heroes. It was a grotesque parody of justice, humiliating for victims and corrosive to public confidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The message to victims was stark: the system does not care. Worse still, the policy was bungled at every stage. Some offenders were released in error, while others left prison without the electronic tags that were supposed to provide a fig leaf of public reassurance. Mahmood presided over a farce that damaged trust in law itself. Then came the sentencing guidelines scandal. Under her watch, officials signed off proposals that could have led to lighter sentences for offenders who were women, non-white, or claimed the vague label of intergenerational trauma. Only when shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick exposed the plans did they beat a retreat. Was she asleep at the wheel or complicit in this extraordinary attempt to politicise sentencing? Neither possibility is reassuring. Her supporters point to her more recent tough rhetoric. She has spoken about the flaws of the European Court of Human Rights, mused about chemically castrating paedophiles, and pledged to deport foreign offenders immediately. Stirring words, perhaps. But her record reveals something very different. In 2020, Mahmood signed a letter opposing the deportation of Fabian Henry, a man convicted of abducting and raping teenage girls. More recently, when a coalition of European allies including Italy, Denmark, Austria and the Baltic states pressed for reform of the ECHR, Britain under Mahmoods watch was conspicuously absent. Our country, grappling with a migration crisis, said nothing. Was she ignorant of the issue, or unwilling to fight? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And what of law and order at home? Here, too, optimism is misplaced. Mahmood inherits a police force already broken by years of failure and politicisation. The Met, under a weak Commissioner and a dreadful Mayor of London, has become the very symbol of two-tier policing. It tolerates shoplifting and robbery, looks away at anti-Semitism, but leaps to investigate gender-critical tweets. Citizens see a force unwilling to confront criminality but eager to enforce fashionable orthodoxies. There is no sign that Mahmood has either the appetite or the ability to change this. The result is a growing sense of disorder. Ordinary people no longer feel protected. Trust in policing collapses when citizens believe justice is no longer blind but blinkered. This is the system Mahmood inherits and, on the evidence so far, one she is unlikely to reform. Some will say this is too harsh, that any Home Secretary deserves time to prove themselves. I wish her well, as one former occupant of that great office must. But optimism would be misplaced. Her record is not one of competence, courage, or reform. It is one of failure, weakness and drift. Britain needs a Home Secretary who will defend borders, restore confidence in policing, and return fairness to justice. Instead, it has one whose past points in the opposite direction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The public is right to be angry. They are right to feel betrayed when the state sides with offenders over victims, criminals over communities, ideology over order. Shabana Mahmood may be hailed as Labours rising star. But the reality is starker: her record shows not leadership but liability. Far from a political masterstroke, her appointment risks becoming another chapter in Britains slow-motion crisis of law and order. Rt Hon Suella Braverman MP has served as Home Secretary and Attorney General 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. A job posting for a Sharia Law Administrator on the Department for Work and Pensions careers board was like a red rag to a bull for Nigel Farage. To the Reform UK leader, the advert for the 23,500 a year job in the suburb of Didsbury, Manchester, showed our country and its values are being destroyed. The listing itself said any potential candidates should have previous experience in Shariah law-related fields and/or Shariah courts in Muslim countries, alongside expertise in British law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Farage was not the only politician outraged. Senior Tories also lined up to criticise the posting, which briefly emerged in July before being deleted. Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said at the time: As Ive said before, sharia courts should be banned. The only laws are the laws of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Its as simple as that. Ultimately, the job posting turned out to not be for central government but a community organisation advertising using the platform. The job posting was removed following the criticism However, the furore shone a light on the network of Sharia law courts that have sprung up across Britain in recent decades to deal with disputes within Muslim communities. Supporters say they are little more than mediation and religious guidance services that work within British law and are no different to other civil mediation bodies, including Catholic tribunals and the Beth Din rabbinical courts used by Orthodox Jews. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics, by contrast, view Sharia councils as a fundamental threat to British values either by undermining liberal principles or even by working in direct opposition to the UKs state law. Maryam Namazie, an Iranian-born human rights campaigner from the One Law for All campaign, says: The problem with Sharia or any religious court is that it relies on laws perceived as divine, which cannot be challenged or questioned. Above all, opponents fear Sharia courts effectively operate as a parallel legal system that diverges from British legal norms. Tice: Sharia courts have no place in Britain Critics cite the fact that, unlike the Beth Din courts used in Jewish communities, the vast majority of Britains Sharia councils are not signed up to the Arbitration Act of 1996 meaning theres little oversight over the way they operate or recourse for when things go wrong. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, says: Sharia courts have no place in Britain. We cannot allow a shadow parallel legal system to develop in this country. Britains first Sharia law court opened its doors in Leyton, east London, in 1982. The unofficial tribunals offer to resolve disputes in line with Islamic legal principles. The councils that exist in the UK vary in size and scale, from individual scholars to more sophisticated bodies supported by professionals including qualified lawyers. Dozens now exist across the country, with estimates suggesting there are up to 85 in Britain. The religious courts are mostly used for divorces, often when Muslim women want a Talaq certificate that allows them to remarry under Islamic law. These tribunals also deal with inheritance disputes or other civil matters. The courts are mostly used for divorces, often when Muslim women want a Talaq certificate - Paul Grover As they have grown, so too has their controversy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The reason why theyre controversial is twofold, says Prof Samia Bano, of the School of Oriental and African Studies, who specialises in Islamic family law. First of all, there is a concern that they are parallel legal systems. Is this Islamic law being practised through the back door in a way which usurps and undermines English family law? The second concern is about what is going on in these privatised spaces. Are women who go to these bodies experiencing undue pressures or coercion to potentially reconcile with their husbands, who may be problematic? Are there other family law disputes that are being discussed in these spaces, without any knowledge of the state law? Inherently discriminatory Submissions to a 2018 Home Office report on the Muslim courts included testimony from women who said Imams tried to force them to return to their husbands in cases of serious domestic violence. One woman, referred to as Maryam, said Imams repeatedly telephoned her to persuade her to meet a husband who had violently abused and sexually assaulted her. These Imams just dont listen they try and force you back to your husband no matter what, and feel they have the right to disturb your life, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another woman, Ayesha, said a Sharia council repeatedly refused to let her divorce her husband even after he attacked her while she was pregnant and attempted to throw her daughter out the window. A separate letter from Southall Black Sisters, a domestic abuse charity, was signed by 300 abused women and voiced concerns that hard line clerics presided over Sharia councils in Britain. Rahila Gupta, the chairman of Southall Black Sisters, says: We have consistently campaigned against the entrenchment of parallel religious laws be they sharia courts, Beth Dins or Sikh courts especially in matters of family law because their judgments reveal a patriarchal bias against womens rights and freedoms. Ms Namazie claims Sharia councils are inherently discriminatory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many women face humiliating, dangerous and discriminatory treatment at the hands of Sharia bodies, she says. Southall Black Sisters also claimed in its submission to the 2018 Home Office review that Imams on Sharia law courts were often corrupt, primarily interested in making money and abusing their positions of power. Bano says high fees charged by some had led to allegations they were little more than money-making schemes. The concern is that [women] might be told, In order for you to be issued a Muslim divorce certificate, you need to transfer 5,000 to your husband, Bano says. Theres little oversight because these bodies operate unofficially. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Supporters of Sharia councils say the tribunals are helping to ease the severe pressure on the County Court system, which was described as dysfunctional in a July report from the justice select committee. Sheikh Hamad Chaudhry, from Manchester Sharia Council, argues that organisations like his save the taxpayer money by helping people resolve disputes privately. All of these religious institutes save the Government millions, he says. He adds that the services offered by Islamic tribunals in the UK are more like mediation or marriage counselling than anything comparable to courts of law. We do everything in accordance with the law. Theres no clash, Chaudhry says. If anything contradicts the law, then we wont do it, we have to step back, whether its custody or visitations. Manchester Sharia council works closely with police and social services, he adds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tracey Pook, a community engagement officer at Didsbury Central Mosque, which posted the Sharia Law Administrator job advert, says the courts simply aim to provide religious guidance within the boundaries of British law. People are free to follow or ignore the advice if they so choose, she adds. Chaudhry argues that the rise of Sharia courts in Britain is almost entirely being driven by demand from Muslim women seeking the Talaq divorce certificates. People come here voluntarily, he says, adding: The rulings that we use here are the most lax ones. If you dont like your husband anymore, you have a right to leave him. He adds that costs typically range between 100 and 400 per divorce. Lack of oversight Even if Britains Sharia councils are acting within the bounds of the law, there are legitimate concerns about their power and influence, Bano says, particularly when it comes to especially conservative or patriarchal interpretations of Islamic doctrine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A key problem is a lack of supervision. Britains Sharia councils largely operate outside the official official arbitration system. The only exception is the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal, which is mainly used for commercial disputes. There are fears that the system represents a challenge to the principles of liberal democracy, effectively operating as a shadow system in parallel to official courts. Such criticism ultimately led to the Home Office investigation, ordered by Theresa May while she was home secretary, as part of a counter-extremism strategy. Ultimately the conclusions drawn in 2018 felt like something of a fudge. Ministers refused to regulate Sharia courts for fear of endorsing their practices, but also refused to prohibit them so as not infringe on peoples right to religious freedom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, believes the state should have stepped in to regulate the courts. He says: We need this sector to urgently be regulated properly so that vulnerable women and girls are not discriminated against. We must ultimately have only one law in this country the one passed by our democratically elected Parliament. However, not everyone agrees. Tice argues: Allowing them to fit into our legal system is a slippery slope into allowing Sharia Law to be conducted in the UK. Bano says: My position is that these bodies ideally shouldnt exist. We really need to resolve disputes via state law. We can all be critical of state law, but its still the best protector. 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. SYDNEY, Australia (AP) A shark fatally mauled a man in his 50s at a beach near Sydney, Australia, and area beaches were closed on Saturday as drones searched for the predator, authorities said. Emergency crews were dispatched to Long Reef Beach shortly after 10 a.m. local time Saturday, responding to reports that a man had suffered critical injuries. The man, whose identity has yet to be confirmed, was retrieved from the surf and brought to shore but died at the scene. Two sections of a surfboard were recovered and taken for examination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police closed the beach and liaised with wildlife experts to determine the species of shark involved. Nearby beaches have been closed pending further advice. Witnesses say the victim was brought ashore by two fellow surfers and that distraught family members rushed to the scene. Local surfer Bill Sakula told reporters at the beach he heard about the attack while preparing to leave for a morning surf. Its going to send shockwaves through the community, he said. Everyone is going to be a little bit nervous for a while. Surf Life Saving NSW deployed a drone to search for further shark activity. Our deepest condolences go to the family of the man involved in this terrible tragedy, the group's chief executive, Steve Pearce, said in a statement. He urged people to stay out of the water at the beaches in the vicinity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attack is thought to be the first in the state of New South Wales this year. The last time a person was killed by a shark in Sydney was in February 2022. That was the city's first fatal shark attack since 1963. Shark nets were installed at 51 beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong on Monday as part of a seasonal program. Jonny Terrell was a healthy, happy baby but a month before his first birthday, he came down with an infection. Days later, he was vomiting. Over the next few weeks, mom Emily Robichau took him to the doctor for ear infections, stomachaches, rashes, vomiting, diarrhea and more. "The list was so long I couldn't remember it all," Robichau recalled. She had three older children and knew that kids got sick. But she had never seen anything like the constant stream of ailments her 11-month-old was experiencing. The day after Jonny's first birthday, in August 2024, his stomach swelled, "like watching a balloon fully inflate," Robichau said. The next day was his one-year checkup. Jonny's pediatrician took one look at him and sent them to Massachusetts General Hospital for Children. When Robichau and Jonny arrived, the toddler underwent CT and MRI scans that found a mass "about the size of a grapefruit" in his liver. A biopsy of the mass found that he had a rare and aggressive cancer called malignant rhabdoid tumor. Jonny Terrell in the hospital. / Credit: Emily Robichau Robichau said she and her fiance, Michael Terrell, began "looking at urns" as they learned more about the condition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Doctors were telling me the statistics and how bad they were, and to hope for the best, but kind of prepare for the worst," Robichau recalled. What is malignant rhabdoid tumor? Malignant rhabdoid tumor is a rare tumor, most often seen in infants and toddlers, said Dr. Michael Ortiz, a pediatric oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the clinical director of the rare tumors program at MSK Kids, the center's pediatric arm. Ortiz was not involved in Jonny's care. Just 20 to 25 patients are diagnosed with the illness each year, according to Boston Children's Hospital. The tumors can "show up anywhere" in the body's soft tissues, but "have a predilection for the brain and kidney," Ortiz said. The tumors also have a "high propensity to metastasize," or spread, throughout the body. Emily Robichau, Michael Terrell and Jonny Terrell, along with Jonny's siblings. / Credit: 2025 Flashes of Hope / Photo by Kathryrn Costello Malignant rhabdoid tumors are "one of the worst prognostic tumors we have in pediatrics," Ortiz said. Only about one in 10 children with the diagnosis will be cured, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Treating malignant rhabdoid tumor Luckily for Jonny, his case was a rare example where the tumor had not spread, said Dr. Lauren Boal, a pediatric oncologist and hematologist at Massachusetts General. She and Dr. Danielle Cameron, a pediatric surgeon with a focus on tumors like this, developed a complex treatment plan for Jonny. "This disease really doesn't have an absolute regimen. You have to carve out an individualized plan," Boal said. For Jonny, that meant a course of six chemotherapy agents. He responded well, though he suffered unpleasant side effects from the powerful medications, Boal said, and needed a feeding tube to eat. Jonny Terrell rides a car around Mass General Hospital. / Credit: Emily Robichau During that period, Robichau and Jonny lived in housing across the street from the hospital. It was stressful to live apart from the rest of the family, but Jonny's rigid treatment plan and its side effects made it necessary to stay close. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We all experienced the same trauma in different ways," Robichau said. "I feel like I just went on autopilot. It was lonely, it was quiet. It just had us overwhelmed, anxious, scared, financially struggling, big time." Once chemotherapy shrank the tumor to about half its original size, Cameron surgically removed the mass. The operation was followed by radiation treatment. Despite the difficult circumstances, Jonny was an "amazing" patient, Cameron said. "I have vivid memories of him just going around the unit in his little red wagon and playing, constantly laughing," Cameron said. Jonny Terrell smiles after undergoing surgery. / Credit: Emily Robichau "We don't really take anything for granted" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now just over 2 years old, Jonny is "in remission but undergoing careful surveillance," Cameron said. He will undergo frequent scans to ensure the tumor does not return, Boal said. "Often the higher and highest risk time to have a relapse of this very difficult disease is in the first year or two after you complete your chemotherapy," Boal said. "We are watching him very closely, but very hopeful that he will not have a recurrence of this." Ortiz said that children who survive malignant rhabdoid tumor often see later-in-life side effects, including an increased risk for developing a second form of cancer. Jonny will also recieve IV antibiotics monthly for the next few months to keep infections from taking advantage of his compromised immune system, caused by the chemotherapy. Jonny Terrell and Emily Robichau. / Credit: Emily Robichau Robichau said she worries for Jonny's future, but is just trying to enjoy the current moment. He had his chemotherapy port removed, and the family recently began getting rid of the medical supplies they had acquired during Jonny's treatment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We still live minute by minute, day by day, week by week, as much as we can soak up every moment," she said. "After that kind of experience, we don't really take anything for granted anymore." An emotional birthday For Robichau and Terrell, the end of August was an emotional time time. Less than a year ago, she had been told to expect the worst. But this summer, the family was able to focus on planning Jonny's second birthday party. The event overlapped with the couple's twins' birthday, and meant they could turn what had been a traumatic day into a celebratory one. Jonny Terrell on his second birthday. / Credit: Emily Robichau "It all happened around this time," Robichau said. "We had the party on the twins' birthday, because that was the day he left (for the hospital). So we want to change that a little bit." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A week after the party, Jonny saw Boal at Mass General Hospital to ensure the cancer was still in remission. His scans were clear, Boal said. When CBS News spoke to Robichau, Jonny could be heard chattering in the background. Terrell said he was "running around like nothing happened." "It's becoming more and more real," Robichau said. "It's been a long, long year. We're just transitioning to our new normal." U.S. deploying 10 fighter jets to Puerto Rico in drug cartel crackdown Chicago-area Navy base to be used for immigration operations Lack of prostate cancer screening may have led to recent jump in diagnoses, study finds SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) If youre planning a home remodel or just want to fix some things around the house, theres an event happening this weekend you wont want to miss. The Sioux City Home Show has returned to the Sioux City Convention Center. Around 50 vendors are set up to give people the opportunity to chat with various home improvement-related businesses. Officials said the fall home show gives folks another chance to visit vendors after the spring home show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Story continues below This is our second year doing this event. The HBA in town here also does a spring show. We really want to support them as well. I mean, any time that youre a home improvement company and you need to get some face time with the consumers, the home show is the best way to do it. So were very happy to be here in the fall, said Nationwide Expos Senior Show Manager Dan Tye. Officials said meeting with these businesses can be beneficial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think the most important thing for most people to understand is that you can come here and talk to these people. You see their ads on television, you hear their ads on the radio station, newspaper, billboardseverythingyou see them. This is the only one where you can actually talk face-to-face with the experts who are going to actually be doing the work. So if you need inspiration, or youre a do-it-yourselfer, it doesnt mean you cant come in and talk to these guys, said Tye. The event continues this weekend, with their hours on September 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, September 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit the Sioux City Home Shows 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 SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. Sept. 5, 2025 | Screenshot U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin on Friday laid out a national security and foreign policy vision rooted in the economic concerns of middle-class Americans, as the Democrat from Holly called for sweeping reforms to address emerging global threats and technological competition with China. In remarks made at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City, Slotkin said her approach was forged out of the input she gathered during town halls held in Troy and Benton Harbor, where constituents linked national security to day-to-day economic stress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A national security strategy worth its salt must do two things, Slotkin said. First, protect U.S. citizens, the homeland, and our way of life. And second, advance American prosperity. Thats it. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Slotkin said many Americans have lost confidence that the United States has a coherent foreign policy that truly advanced the nations priorities. And they have good reason to feel uneasy, she said. Informed by them, Im going to focus on the three big things that, if we get right, will define American security for the next 50 years. Slotkin said those three priorities included treating economic security as national security, which required leaders to be ruthless about growing the middle class. Secondly, she said the U.S. had to treat the tech race like it did the nuclear and space races and ensure the nation dominates in that sector. Finally, Slotkin said the government needs to rethink how it protects Americans in a rapidly changing threat landscape. U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) answers question from Nick Schifrin, Foreign Affairs and Defense Correspondent for the PBS NewsHour at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. Sept. 5, 2025 | Screenshot Slotkin proposed a series of policy initiatives she said were aimed at reshaping how the U.S. approaches global competition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among them: creating a Cyber National Guard that would be focused on defending against digital threats, a Manhattan Project-style effort to win the AI race against China, and a Sovereign Wealth Fund that would invest in high-risk, high-reward technologies. Slotkin warned that China has weaponized global supply chains and called for stronger domestic production of critical items. While some items, like Rubiks Cubes and ladies razors, will never again be made in the U.S., critical items like pharmaceuticals, chips, and autos should be made, at least in part, in the U.S., she said. China has weaponized these supply chains, giving them a veto on our economy that we should not accept. Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and Pentagon official, painted a stark picture of technological rivalry with Beijing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are in a tech race with China right now, she said. And theres no area more important to win than on artificial intelligence. The last time we were in a race like this, we won by setting up the Manhattan Project We need the same level of ambition now, updated for the modern age. Amidst that national security focus, she also urged policies that would also improve middle-class livelihoods. Smart industrial policy also means prosperity for the middle class, Slotkin said. New manufacturing, engineering, and construction jobs. And critically, it means spreading the wealth across America, not just enriching 18 tech executives in Silicon Valley. Slotkins remarks came amid a broader debate in Washington over how to confront Chinas global influence, secure domestic supply chains, and ensure U.S. leadership in critical technologies. SMITH COUNTY, Texas (KETK) Smith County Criminal District Attorney Jacob Putman announced this week that he will be running for re-election in 2026. Smith County Judge announces bid for reelection I am asking for your support so we can continue our mission, Putman said.My office has become a leader across Texas in innovation and excellence. Putman has served for the past six years, and during his tenure, the district attorneys office has expanded from 48 to 85 staff members. In 2024, Putman and his office prosecuted over 7,000 criminal cases, including 4,472 misdemeanors and 2,886 felonies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Due to the number of cases prosecuted in 2024, the attorneys office was named a Gold Level Agency, the highest award a victim-friendly practice can obtain from the Texas Victim Services Association. Your support helps continue the work we are doing in Smith County to make this one of the best places to live, work, and raise a family, Putman said. Putman will run in next years Republican Primary ahead of the November election. 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. After Meghalaya police filed a 790-page chargesheet in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case on Saturday, Raghuvanshi's brother Vipin Raghuvanshi said that Sonam and all other accused should face severe punishment, adding that they should get death sentence. Speaking to ANI, Vipin Raghuvanshi said, "We have not received the chargesheet yet. I will visit Meghalaya on Monday and then will read the chargesheet. Meghalaya police filed 790-page chargesheet in the case. Sonam and all the others accused should face severe punishment. I demand that Sonam, Raj Kushwaha, and all the others accused get a death sentence." He further said that he would read the chargesheet of the case and then would see what is left to be mentioned in the case. "Earlier, Govind (Sonam's brother) assured us that he would be there to provide justice for Raja Raghuvanshi, but he is not answering my call now, he deceived us like his sister. He lied to us and now he is supporting his family. He is still communicating with Sonam in jail...I will visit Meghalaya on Monday and appeal to get the chargesheet," Raghuvanshi said. The Meghalaya Police filed the chargesheet in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case against five accused in the Judicial Magistrate 1st Class, Sohra Sub-division Court in Shillong. Along with the chargesheet, substantial material evidence and enclosures have also been filed in the court. The police have named Sonam Raghuvanshi, Raj Kushwaha, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Ashish Singh Rajput, and Aanand Kurmi as key accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case and have been booked under the 103 (1) 238 (a)/ 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Raja Raghuvanshi, a newlywed who went to Meghalaya on his honeymoon along with his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi, was found dead in a gorge near Sohra (Cherrapunji) on June 2, this year. Sonam, who had been missing for many days, was later found near a roadside dhaba along the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway. The couple, both residents of Indore in Madhya Pradesh, had gone missing during their honeymoon trip to Meghalaya. Earlier, as part of its investigation, the Meghalaya Police SIT reconstructed the crime scene as part of its investigation into the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi. The murder scene was recreated by the SIT team in Sohra in the presence of the accused, Sonam Raghuvanshi, and three others. (ANI) SMITH COUNTY, Texas (KETK) Smith County Emergency Services District 2 (ESD2) broke ground on its twelfth fire station on Sunday. Smith County ESD2 holds push in ceremony for new fire engine The new station will provide the unincorporated community of Jamestown with around-the-clock firefighter coverage, quickening response times to fires in the area. Were just very excited that were going to be able to get full time 24/7 coverage by career firefighters that are both trained as firefighters and as EMS professionals, EMTs, advanced EMTs or paramedics thatll be working out of this facility with all the equipment that theyll need to save lives, Smith County ESD2 Chief Eric Greaser said. Were just really excited about that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once construction finishes in 2026, Station 76 will be located at 24971 County Road 453 in northeastern Smith County. Once firefighters start working at Station 76, ESD2 will have 24/7 coverage of Smith County with 10 engine companies and three tender crews. 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. Wildfire concerns remain high across the northwestern United States, and AccuWeather meteorologists warn that the upcoming week will bring both challenges and some relief for residents in the region. AccuWeather.com Over the past several days, thick smoke from multiple wildfires has dimmed skies and lowered air quality across Washington, Idaho, Wyoming and surrounding states. Some of the worst conditions have stretched from Washington's Columbia River Basin into Idaho's Bitterroot Range, where smoke has reduced visibility and made outdoor activity unhealthy. This pattern is not expected to ease immediately. A storm slowly moving inland from the Pacific Ocean on Monday will carry the risk for new fire starts. Thunderstorms are likely to develop, but with little available moisture, lightning strikes could spark new blazes without delivering much rainfall. AccuWeather.com Adding to the challenge will be gusty winds accompanying the storm. Stronger winds can fan flames, cause erratic fire behavior, and make firefighting efforts more difficult. Officials urge residents living near active wildfires to remain alert and prepare for possible evacuation orders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Outdoor recreation will also be impacted during this stretch. Hikers, campers and anyone spending time in the backcountry may encounter low visibility and poor air quality as smoke drifts through valleys and mountain passes. The combination of shifting winds and active fires could force trail closures or make routes hazardous. AccuWeather meteorologists advise anyone heading outdoors to check the latest conditions before leaving, carry extra water and supplies, and be prepared to adjust plans quickly if smoke thickens or new fire activity develops nearby. There will be at least one silver lining with the arrival of this storm. AccuWeather.com Cooler air filtering into the Northwest will provide a welcome break from recent warmth. Temperatures are forecast to drop 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas, giving residents a more seasonable, fall-like feel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the winds shift this week, much of the smoke could become more concentrated closer to the fires themselves. While this may bring some improvement in widespread air quality across the region, smoke plumes will likely be transported into parts of Canada and the north-central U.S. As the wildfire risk eases over the interior Northwest, the risk will increase farther to the south on Tuesday and Wednesday. AccuWeather.com Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer. An Orange County woman faces five felony charges after she was accused of paw-litical fraud by registering her dog to vote and illegally casting ballots for the pooch in two elections, authorities said. Laura Lee Yourex, 62, of Costa Mesa, allegedly mailed in ballots registered under her dog's name, Maya Jean Yourex, in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election and the 2022 primary election, according to the Orange County district attorney's office. The 2021 ballot was accepted, while the 2022 ballot was rejected, prosecutors said. Yourex allegedly bragged about the feat on social media, sharing a picture of Maya toting an "I Voted" sticker and posing with the illegal ballot in January 2022, prosecutors said. In October, Yourex posted a photo of Maya's dog tag and a vote-by-mail ballot with the caption, Maya is still getting her ballot," even though the dog had passed away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She has been charged with one count of registering a nonexistent person to vote, one count of perjury, one count of procuring a false or forged document to be filed and two counts of casting a ballot when not entitled to vote, prosecutors said. Yourex is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday. Read more: Orange County will fight Trump over sensitive voter information, despite pushback If convicted as charged, Yourex faces up to six years in state prison. The Orange County Registrar of Voters contacted the district attorney's office on Oct. 28 after a resident self-reported that she had registered her dog to vote and cast two ballots in her dog's name, authorities said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California residents must sign an affidavit under penalty of perjury to register to vote. While proof of residence is required for first-time voters to cast a ballot in a federal election, it is not required to cast a ballot in a state election. This is why the dog's ballot for the 2021 state election to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom was accepted, while the 2022 midterm elections ballot was rejected, prosecutors said. Read more: Yes, voter fraud happens. But it's rare and there are safeguards to catch it The recall attempt was ultimately voted down by 61.9% of voters. It's not clear how "Maya" voted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In June, the Trump administration filed a lawsuit against Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page for allegedly refusing to provide the Justice Department with records pertaining to the removal of people lacking documentation from its voter registration list. The Justice Department has sent letters to at least 26 states requesting details about voters, election processes and election officials. In August, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to refuse to comply with the DOJ's demands to turn over the voter registration records of 17 individuals who were ineligible to cast a ballot but had appeared on the countys voter registration rolls. Read more: Former SoCal candidate is accused of registering cartoon cats to vote. It's 'plausible,' he says The O.C. Registrar of Voters faced attacks over the integrity of the 2024 election after unfounded allegations of forged signatures, non-U.S. citizens voting and duplicated ballots circulated on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In January, the Orange County Grand Jury published a report concluding that the registrar exhibited the "highest level of integrity" in the 2024 election and that there was no evidence of voter fraud. Times staff writers Hannah Fry and Gabriel San Roman contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (WOOD) After months of uncertainty and delays, federal, state and local leaders say a solution is finally in place to move forward on the Grand Haven Harbor dredging project. The U.S Army Corps of Engineers was awarded a contract to do dredging in the inner harbor removing 29,000 cubic yards of sediment. U.S Rep. Hilary Scholten held a press conference on Friday celebrating the projects development and how its continuation is impacting people far beyond the waterfront. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 450 jobs rely on passable ships getting through Grand Havens inner harbor, she said. It supports close to $88 million of local economic impact every single year If the ships cant get through, you either have to send those goods on trucks which are incredibly expensive or you have to engage in something called light loading. Ron Matthews, the CEO of Verplank family holding company, knows the risk. He said the company has the materials essential in building roads, homes and businesses across West Michigan, but he says that only works if its deep enough for the ships to get in. This method of shipping is not only the most economical way to ship big quantities of material but its also the greenest and the cleanest, said Matthews. However, when the channel fills with sediment, shipping becomes more expensive and less reliable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If sediment fills up the river and the ships have to come in lighter depth, then it costs more money to ship the product, he said. The inner harbor gets dredged every few years. It was scheduled for the late spring or early summer, but after the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy discovered potential PFAS contamination on harbor island, they put the project on hold. Getting the delay was not helpful to us, we werent desperate yet but it wouldnt take long before it was desperate straits, Mayor of Grand Haven Bob Monetza said. We would start seeing lighter loads coming in because we cant have them stuck here, he said. Thats happened in years past where ships have literally gotten stuck in the channel.It would be more costly, less efficient. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After months of back and forth, federal, state, and local leaders announced a solution: selectively dredging parts of the harbor while avoiding the contaminated area. Scholten says the stakes were high with jobs, shipping and the regional economy on the line. She warned that missing a dredging cycle could have increased shipping costs by 25% to 30%. Not dredging is not an answer, she said. Fortunately we dont have to choose. We can do both. We can keep our waters safe while keeping business and industry moving forward. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says new PFAS testing standards will help keep projects on track and serve as a model for future dredging. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leaders credit bipartisan cooperation for making it happen. Even with this solution, officials warn PFAS and other contaminants will continue to pose challenges in future projects. It happened to work out in this situation but we need a more robust solution for other harbors where that wont be the case, Scholten said. We need to continue studying PFAS so that we can understand how best to dispose of it. How best to keep it contained. Matthews hopes this conversation is just the beginning. There are issues that are still standing that need to be solved so this effort is going to have to continue, said Matthews. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other speakers included State Representative Luke Meerman, the Ottawa County Commissioner Josh Brugger, Nick Zager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Gillian Gainsley with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. They are anticipating completion on Nov. 8. 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. Sep. 5The infamous "South Hill rapist" who stoked fear throughout Spokane starting in the late 1970s is set to be released from his civil commitment at McNeil Island. Fred "Kevin" Coe terrorized the city from 1978 to 1981 by raping dozens of teen girls and women on Spokane's South Hill. Authorities believe he is responsible for the rapes of 30 to 40 people, according to court documents and previous reporting from The Spokesman-Review. After serving a 25-year sentence at the Walla Walla State Penitentiary, Coe has spent the past 19 years on McNeil Island after former Attorney General Rob McKenna petitioned to civilly commit Coe for treatment as a sexually violent predator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Coe, now 77, is in poor health. He has suffered a stroke, heart failure, dehydration, degenerative disc disease and other ailments. He is described as frail, has withdrawn socially and has little motivation to take care of himself, according to court records. His main activity is watching television. This decline in his mental and physical health has led experts to believe Coe has a very low risk of sexual recidivism. In order to keep him at the island facility, the state would have to continually provide evidence showing Coe is a danger to society. "The state cannot meet its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Coe is likely to commit predatory acts of sexual violence if released," Washington Attorney General's Office spokesperson Mike Faulk said. After all these years, Coe still is regarded by experts as being in the first stage to change his behavior. He has declined to engage in sex-offender treatment , and not much is known about whether he continues to endorse, supports or wants to engage in sexually violent activities, according to court records. Coe's treatment plan states he possesses a high level of psychopathy traits and has often engaged in grievance-based thinking, saying "I'm the real victim," and "I've been treated unfairly." He also was diagnosed with several sex-based disorders, court records say. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As required by law, Coe will face a hearing in Spokane County on Sept. 12 where his victims are expected to speak. A trial is set for Oct. 2 to determine if Coe should be released. If that happens, he will be sent to an "adult family home" in Spanaway, where he will receive 24-hour care. State lawmakers were notified of Coe's potential release via email from an official at the state Department of Social and Health Services. The email noted that Coe was scheduled for an "unconditional release hearing" on Oct. 2. According to the email, it is "highly likely" the civil commitment case against Coe will be dismissed, and that he would be released to the family home as soon as within 24 hours of the hearing. The email adds that members of law enforcement and those enrolled in the victim and witness notification program were also alerted last week. "It's triggering," said a granddaughter of one of the victims, who did not want to be identified because of the trauma Coe inflicted upon their family. Her family declined to talk about the rape over the years, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She received a notice in the mail that he is likely to be released, even though her grandmother has since died. "My stepdad has also passed away. And he would be beside himself (about Coe's release). He would have been beside himself." The news surprised Patricia Thompson, the county's first female prosecutor and one of the attorneys who put Coe behind bars following his criminal trial. "Some people probably will say he should rot away and never be released, except in a coffin," Thompson said. "Others would say he served enough time ... For me, I thought he would be there forever." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thompson recalled Coe being manipulative and intelligent. His capture and ultimate conviction was a "sigh of relief" for Spokane at the time, she said. "Looking back at the time, when the trials were going on ... there was an awful lot of fear that he would be released," Thompson said. Coe's arrest came after investigators became aware of a pattern of attacks along bus routes in Spokane and a victim jogging at Hart Field came forward. Spokane Police Department detectives recalled hiding in trees and setting out decoys to lure the rapist into their grasp. The department even tagged a Coe family car with a tracker. Following Coe's conviction, he spent decades filing appeals in an effort to free himself from custody. The Washington Supreme Court overturned four first-degree rape convictions in 1984 in part because three of the victims had been hypnotized by police prior to identifying Coe as the suspect. During a second trial in 1985, which was held in Seattle due to publicity of the case, Coe was found guilty of three counts of first-degree rape. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The State Supreme Court subsequently overturned two of the convictions, again citing hypnosis. As Coe's sentence drew to a close, the Washington state Attorney General's office filed a petition to classify Coe as a sexually violent predator and civilly commit him for treatment on McNeil Island indefinitely. He was sent there in 2008. Passed in 1990, the Community Commitment Act allows for the confinement and treatment of those previously convicted who have a high risk of reoffending. According to a video produced by the Washington state Department of Social and Health Services, state lawmakers sought to make clear the designation was not for punishment, but for sexual offender-specific treatment. State Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said he plans to introduce or cosponsor legislation next session "to prevent or at least make it harder for DSHS or other agencies to release people guilty of such heinous crimes." "Kevin Coe is one of the most dangerous and infamous criminals in our state's history," Schoesler said in a statement. "He was suspected of raping many women and girls as young as 14 before being arrested in 1981 and ultimately found guilty of first-degree rape. It's unbelievable that the state would even consider releasing him." By Hyunjoo Jin SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean President Lee Jae Myung ordered all-out efforts on Saturday to swiftly respond to the arrests of hundreds of the nation's citizens in a U.S. immigration raid on a Hyundai Motor car battery factory. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said the government has set up a team to respond to Thursday's arrest of over 300 Koreans at the facility in the southern state of Georgia and that he may go to Washington to meet with officials if needed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I am deeply concerned. I feel heavy responsibility for the arrests of our citizens," Cho told an emergency government meeting. The incident could exacerbate tensions between the Trump administration and Seoul, a key Asian ally and investor. They have been at odds over the details of a trade deal that includes $350 billion of South Korean investment in the United States. WORKERS SHACKLED A video released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement showed Asian workers shackled at the wrists, waist, and ankles getting on a bus after the raid, which involved a helicopter and armoured vehicles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The arrest of some 475 workers, including over 300 Koreans, at the plant near Savannah, part of President Donald Trump's escalating crackdown on immigrants, was the largest single-site enforcement operation in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's history. In the video, hundreds of workers were standing up in front of a building, with some wearing yellow vests with names such as "Hyundai" and "LG CNS." Two of the workers hid in a pond before being arrested. "We welcome all companies who want to invest in the U.S., and if they need to bring workers in for building or other projects, thats fine but they need to do it the legal way," Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama Steven N. Schrank, said in a statement on Saturday. "This operation sends a clear message that those who exploit the system and undermine our workforce will be held accountable." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hyundai said it would investigate its suppliers and their subcontractors to ensure they meet regulations. LG Energy Solution, which is working with Hyundai to build the factory, said it had asked employees to return from U.S. business trips while suspending travel to the United States except for customer meetings. LG Energy Solution said 47 of its employees and about 250 workers for contractors at the joint venture factory were detained. (Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Ju-min Park; Editing by William Mallard, Alexandra Hudson) South Sudan said Saturday it repatriated to Mexico a man deported from the United States in July. The man, a Mexican identified as Jesus Munoz-Gutierrez, was among a group of eight who had been in government custody in the East African country since their deportation from the U.S. His repatriation to Mexico was carried out by South Sudan's foreign ministry in concert with the Mexican Embassy in neighboring Ethiopia, the South Sudanese foreign ministry said in a statement. Jesus Munoz Gutierrez, a Mexican migrant deported months ago to South Sudan by the United States. / Credit: Deng Machol / AP The repatriation was carried out "in full accordance with relevant international law, bilateral agreements, and established diplomatic protocols," it said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rights groups have argued that the Trump administration's increasing practice of deporting migrants to third countries violated international law and the basic rights of migrants. The deportations have faced opposition by courts in the U.S., though the Supreme Court in June allowed the government to restart swift removals of migrants to countries other than their homelands. It is unclear whether Gutierrez and other deportees had access to legal representation. The group of eight men was convicted of serious crimes including murder, homicide, sexual assault, lascivious acts with a child and robbery in the United States, the Trump administration said. None of the deportees is from South Sudan the others hail from Cuba, Laos, Myanmar, Sudan and Vietnam. Eight men from Asia and Latin America were deported from the United States to South Sudan in July 2025 after a weeks-long legal fight. / Credit: U.S. Department of Homeland Security The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said that Gutierrez had a conviction for second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The deportations signify a major political victory for the Trump administration, which has sought to convince countries around the world irrespective of their human rights record to accept deportees who are not their citizens. Other African nations receiving deportees from the U.S. include Uganda, Eswatini and Rwanda. Eswatini, in southern Africa, received five men with criminal backgrounds in July. Rwanda announced the arrival of a group of seven deportees in mid-August. U.S. deploying 10 fighter jets to Puerto Rico in drug cartel crackdown Chicago-area Navy base to be used for immigration operations Lack of prostate cancer screening may have led to recent jump in diagnoses, study finds Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday addressed concerns over the use of ballot papers in upcoming BBMP local election, questioning the BJP's apprehensions. "Why is the BJP afraid of ballot paper? Advanced countries have already implemented ballot paper; have those countries gone back to the Stone Age?" he remarked, advocating for the adoption of ballot papers in elections. On Friday, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar questioned the BJP for expressing reservations about the use of ballot papers in local body elections. Speaking to reporters at his Sadashivanagar residence, he said, "To use ballot papers in local body elections is the decision of the government of Karnataka. Why is the BJP worried about it? The state government is empowered to conduct local body elections. Why is the BJP getting jittery about this?" Reacting to the use of ballot papers in the BBMP elections by the government, he said that the government has taken this decision for the local body elections. Meanwhile, earlier Today, the Chief Minister attended the ceremonial event at the Almatti reservoir in Nidagundi taluk, Vijayapura district, organised by the Water Resources Department and Krishna Bhagya Jal Nigam Limited. https://x.com/siddaramaiah/status/1964280171680452649 In a post on X, he stated, "Today, a Ganga Puja was performed to the Krishna River, followed by offering bags, and prayers were offered for the welfare of the people. Across the state, due to excellent rainfall, all reservoirs are filled to the brim. I hope that nature will continue to shower its bounty on all of us in the same way." On the issue of replacing gates at the Tungabhadra reservoir, the Chief Minister stated, "The gates will be installed after the rain stops. We will change them as soon as the rainy season ends. The reservoir is old so that the change will be made." The repair of the Tungabhadra reservoir is ongoing, as a few weeks ago, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar announced that the Tungabhadra Dam Board had issued a tender to an Ahmedabad-based company for the manufacture of 33 new crest gates. (ANI) (Reuters) -South Sudan on Saturday repatriated a Mexican national who had been deported to Juba by the United States in July, the foreign ministry said. South Sudan said Mexico had provided assurances the national would not face torture, inhumane treatment or unfair prosecution upon arrival. Jesus Munoz Gutierrez was handed over to Mexico's designated ambassador, Alejandro Ives Estivill, who arrived in Juba on Friday, the statement said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was not immediately possible to reach Gutierrez for comment. Juba said it remained committed to working with international partners to ensure the safe and humane return of six other third-country nationals currently in South Sudan after being deported from the United States. (Reporting by the East Africa bureau; Editing by Jessica Donati and Nick Zieminski) A Southern California couple was convicted of murdering a woman who was one of their former lovers. Margarita Jimenez, 34, of Oxnard, and Jorge Garfia, 38, of Ventura, were convicted by a jury of murdering Yanelly Vargas, 35, according to the Ventura County District Attorneys Office. On March 17, 2024, Oxnard Police responded to a fight outside a business near East Wooley Road and Industrial Avenue around midnight. During the 911 call, a gunshot was heard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities said the victim, Vargas, had been lured outside of an Oxnard bar after receiving a text message from Garfias, who was her ex-boyfriend. At the time, Jimenez said she was angry after seeing text messages and photos that gave her the impression that her boyfriend and Vargas had resumed a relationship, the Ventura County Star reported. I felt anger, I felt betrayed, I felt lied to, Jimenez said in court during her testimony. Jorge Garfia, 38, and Margarita Jimenez, 34, were convicted of murdering a woman who was one of their former lovers. (Ventura County District Attorneys Office) Prosecutors said Jimenez and her boyfriend drove to the nightclub and eventually lured Vargas into her boyfriends truck that night. He drove half a mile from the bar to a nearby parking lot where Jimenez claimed she wanted to get the truth about what was really going on between the two of them. At some point, the discussion became heated and an argument escalated into a physical altercation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vargas tried to walk away from the couple, but authorities said they continued following her in their truck. Jimenez was captured on surveillance footage exiting the truck and running after Vargas with a handgun before shooting her once in the chest. She attempted to shoot a second time, but the gun jammed. She and her boyfriend fled the scene before officers arrived. Officers found Vargas suffering from a gunshot wound to the torso. She was transported to the hospital where she later died. At the scene, investigators found a blood trail, a spent 9 mm shell casing and acrylic nails that were later matched to Jimenez at the time of her arrest. A blood-stained yellow rope was also found near the victim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An autopsy confirmed Vargas died from a gunshot wound to the chest and had also suffered multiple blunt force injuries and signs of strangulation. Jimenez and Garfias were arrested on April 3, 2024 and were charged with the crimes the next day. On Sept. 5, 2025, the DAs office announced Jimenez was convicted of first-degree murder. Special allegations found true included the personal and intentional discharge of a firearm. Her boyfriend, Garfias, was convicted of first-degree murder. Thank you to the Oxnard Police Department for their swift and thorough investigation to find the perpetrators of this horrific murder, said Hyla Schneir, a Ventura County District Attorney who prosecuted the case. We appreciate the jurys attention and careful consideration of the evidence. We hope that this verdict brings a sense of closure to Yanellys family and friends. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. A Southern California man said he is proud to learn that his unbreakable glass product recently foiled a group of smash-and-grab robbers from ransacking a Sherman Oaks jewelry store. On Sept. 3, the suspects ran into Kristofs Jewelers at Westfield Fashion Square mall while carrying large hammers. They began smashing the glass display cases as the loud sounds sent panicked shoppers running to safety. After several attempts to shatter the glass, they werent making any progress, so they fled the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The stores owner said that while their display cases received some damage, no jewelry or merchandise was taken. Ray Tissan, owner of RT Unbreakable Glass, said he was inspired to market the polycarbonate unbreakable glass product after being the victim of burglaries as a business owner himself. There were a lot of break-ins back then, at liquor stores and small shops, especially, he told KTLAs Rick Chambers. KTLAs Rick Chambers attempts to smash the unbreakable glass sheet, but is unsuccessful. (KTLA) Ray Tissan, owner of RT Unbreakable Glass, speaks to KTLA on Sept. 5, 2025. (KTLA) Ray Tissans polycarbonate unbreakable glass product is helping deter burglars and theives by protecting customers merchandise and stores. (KTLA) Ray Tissans polycarbonate unbreakable glass product is helping deter burglars and theives by protecting customers merchandise and stores. (KTLA) The owner of Kristofs Jewelers installed Ray Tissans unbreakable glass on all their display cases which deterred the smash-and-grab robbers from accessing the jewelry and merchandise. (KTLA) The owner of Kristofs Jewelers installed Ray Tissans unbreakable glass on all their display cases which deterred the smash-and-grab robbers from accessing the jewelry and merchandise. (KTLA) The owner of Kristofs Jewelers installed Ray Tissans unbreakable glass on all their display cases which deterred the smash-and-grab robbers from accessing the jewelry and merchandise. (KTLA) A suspect attempts to smash an unbreakable glass installed on a shops front doors, but fails to break it with a hammer. A group of smash-and-grab robbers ransacked a jewelry store at a Sherman Oaks mall before fleeing the scene in a getaway car on Sept. 3, 2025. A group of smash-and-grab robbers ransacked a jewelry store at a Sherman Oaks mall before fleeing the scene in a getaway car on Sept. 3, 2025. A group of smash-and-grab robbers ransacked a jewelry store at a Sherman Oaks mall before fleeing the scene in a getaway car on Sept. 3, 2025. (TNLA) Although the polycarbonate material has been around for some time, Tissan said that by customizing the sheets to fit a customers needs, he could provide a product that would work with many types of stores and industries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After advertising his product on social media, Tissan said he began to receive an influx of calls and orders. The unbreakable material is now seeing an increase in stores across Southern California, with many owners opting to install the pieces on their doors, windows and even walls and ceilings. Tissan said hes very proud that his product has helped protect peoples businesses, especially as a rise in retail theft continues across the Southland. It makes me feel so good, Tissan said of the response hes received. Tissans RT Unbreakable Glass company can be reached at 818-822-5334 or by email at rtissan@gmail.com. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. An Orange County woman could face up to six years in state prison for improperly registering to vote under her dogs name and then casting two ballots, one of which was counted. Laura Lee Yourex, 62, of Costa Mesa, faces five felony charges related to voter fraud for registering her dog to vote. According to the Orange County District Attorneys Office, Yourex submitted mail-in ballots under the name Maya Jean Yourex, her dogs name, during the 2021 gubernatorial recall election and the 2022 primary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first ballot was successfully counted, while the second was challenged and rejected, officials said. Last October, Yourex self-reported the crime to the Orange County Registrar of Voters, which in turn reported it to local authorities. An investigation was launched which determined that Yourex had registered Maya Jean to vote, participated in the two elections, and then posted about the activity on social media. In January 2022, she posted a photo of the dog wearing an I Voted sticker and posing with the fraudulent ballot. In October 2024, she posted a photo of the dogs collar and a mail-in ballot addressed to her, saying that she still received them, despite the dog previously passing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She has since been charged with five felonies, including perjury, offering a forged document, casting a ballot when not entitled to vote, and registering a non-existent person to vote. She is due in court next week. In order to register to vote in California, an eligible voter must fill out a form with identifiable information, political preference and attest to their citizenship under the penalty of perjury. While California Elections Code does not require proof of residence or identification for citizens to register to vote or cast a ballot in state elections, proof of residence and registration is required for first-time voters to vote in a federal election. That discrepancy led to the 2021 recall vote being accepted, while the primary ballot in the dogs name was challenged and rejected, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 2021 recall election was ultimately unsuccessful, with Gov. Gavin Newsom staving off the effort with nearly 62% of support from voters. The D.A.s Office did not disclose how Yourex cast those fraudulent votes, or which party, if any, may have benefited from the scheme. Officials say anyone with information regarding potential election-related irregularities can contact the D.A.s Office Election Fraud Hotline at 657-707-4048. 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. For years, doctors and scientists have tracked how space changes the human body. Astronauts often come back with weaker muscles, thinner bones, and immune systems that do not respond as well as before. Now, a new discovery shows that the problem goes even deeper. The very stem cells that build blood and fuel the immune system start to age faster in orbit. A recent paper in Cell Stem Cell00270-X) shows that hematopoietic stem and progenitor cellscalled HSPCslose their ability to renew themselves when exposed to microgravity and radiation aboard the International Space Station. These bone marrow cells normally give rise to red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Without them, the body cannot replace worn-out blood or defend itself against infections. Lead study author Catriona Jamieson, director of the Sanford Stem Cell Institute at UC San Diego, summed it up simply: In space, stem cells decline in function. They actually reduce their ability to renew themselves or regenerate, and thats an important thing to be able to know for long-term space missions. Catriona Jamieson, M.D., Ph.D., discussing the mission to the International Space Station with members of her team. (CREDIT: Kyle Dykes/UC San Diego Health Sciences) How the Experiments Worked The project was part of the NASA-supported Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research team. Instead of studying whole astronauts, researchers engineered tiny devices called nanobioreactors that mimic bone marrow. Each reactor was about the size of a cell phone and was seeded with human stem cells taken from hip replacement surgery patients. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To monitor activity in real time, the cells were equipped with a fluorescent reporter system, FUCCI2BL, which lights up depending on where the cell is in its cycle. The reactors were loaded into CubeLabs, small autonomous systems that can run experiments in orbit without constant human input. These units traveled on four resupply flights operated by SpaceX between late 2021 and early 2023. Some stem cells spent as long as 45 days in space, while matching controls stayed on Earth. Afterward, scientists compared both sets using sequencing, gene expression profiling, and cytokine analysis. Related Stories A Surprising Discovery: Tired Stem Cells Healthy stem cells spend about 80 percent of their time asleep. This quiet state preserves their ability to produce new blood and immune cells over a lifetime. But that pattern broke down in orbit. Cells woke up, stayed active, and quickly burned through their energy stores. By the time they returned to Earth, they showed signs of functional exhaustion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jamieson explained, The stem cells woke up, and they didnt go back to sleep, and they became functionally exhausted. If our stem cells become exhausted under conditions of stress like microgravity, then they wont function to make a proper immune system. Tests confirmed that space-traveled HSPCs could not replateor renew themselvesas often as ground controls. The problem was partly fixed when the cells were grown on a younger supportive stromal layer, but recovery was weak when placed back on their original bone marrow stroma. That suggests the environment around stem cells plays a major role in how well they bounce back. Graphical abstract of the study. Human hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) fitness is predicated on maintenance of dormancy, self-renewal, and multi-lineage differentiation potential that ensures efficient production of all blood lineages throughout life. (CREDIT: Cell Stem Cell) Molecular Stress and the Dark Genome Beyond the loss of renewal, the space samples showed molecular stress. Telomeresthe protective caps on chromosome endsshortened. Mitochondria lost both gene activity and copy number, reducing energy capacity. A key self-renewal gene, ADAR1 p150, was turned down. Inflammatory signaling molecules spiked. Even more concerning, the study revealed activation of so-called repetitive DNA elements, sometimes referred to as the dark genome. These sequences, which make up more than half of human DNA, are usually kept quiet. Under stress, they can switch on, behaving like ancient viral remnants inside the genome. Jamieson compared it to a death spiral, similar to what she sees in preleukemic cells that risk turning into cancer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whole-genome sequencing also revealed more mutations in blood-forming cells, including clonal hematopoietic mutations that could set the stage for long-term immune dysfunction. Enzymes like APOBEC3, which can cause genetic editing, appeared deregulated. Together, these changes painted a clear picture of accelerated cellular aging. The CubeLab integrated system is equipped with a thermal management system, a microscope imaging system known as TangoScope, and fluid routing systems to transport media to and from cells. (CREDIT: Cell Stem Cell) Inflammation Adds to the Burden Another layer of stress came from inflammation. Cytokine analysis showed elevated levels of pro-inflammatory signals in the space cells compared with ground samples. Chronic inflammation is a well-known driver of stem cell aging, suggesting the orbit environment pushes these cells closer to exhaustion. The effects depended on the supporting stromal environment. When grown on young stromal cells, space-traveled HSPCs downregulated inflammatory genes and activated protective ones, showing some recovery potential. But when placed on their own aged stroma, they lost protective gene activity, further weakening immune defenses. This new work builds on NASAs famous Twins Study, which followed astronaut Scott Kelly during a year in orbit compared with his twin brother Mark on Earth. That project revealed telomere changes, clonal hematopoiesis, and immune system shifts. The current research provides cellular-level evidence that blood stem cells themselves are at the root of many of these effects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spaceflight stem cell research actually began in 2010 with an experiment aboard the shuttle Discovery that tested how microgravity influenced mouse embryonic stem cells. What makes this new study different is the use of human blood-forming cells, monitored in real time during orbit rather than only after return. The Recovery Window The findings may sound dire, but there is good news. According to preliminary results from another study, stem cells can recover after astronauts return to Earth, though it may take up to a year. That suggests that damage is not always permanent, and with the right strategies, the risks could be managed. Jamieson and her team plan to continue testing countermeasures, including medications that may block harmful genome activity. She sees bioreactors as avatars for stem cell health that can predict which astronauts might withstand space better and help identify treatments before missions. Several scientists not involved in the study have praised its clarity. Arun Sharma of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center called the evidence strong and said it could help in designing therapies that slow or reverse aging. Luis Villa-Diaz at Oakland University agreed, noting that while the results reveal risks, they also give scientists a clear direction to develop protective strategies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elena Kozlova of Uppsala University added that her own research showed different results with other types of stem cells, where microgravity sometimes promoted growth genes. This highlights the complexity of space biology, where outcomes may depend on cell type and experimental conditions. Looking Toward Deep Space As NASA and other agencies prepare for long journeys to the Moon and Mars, these results raise urgent questions. If stem cells lose their strength in orbit, astronauts could face weaker immune systems, higher infection risk, and even a greater chance of blood cancers on extended missions. Protecting the smallest building blocks of human health may prove as critical as shielding spacecraft from radiation. But beyond spaceflight, this work also matters for people on Earth. The same patterns of stress and accelerated aging appear in cancer patients and in people with preleukemic disorders. Understanding how to slow or reverse these processes could lead to better treatments for blood cancers, age-related immune decline, and other diseases linked to stem cell exhaustion. Note: The article above provided above by The Brighter Side of News. Like these kind of feel good stories? Get The Brighter Side of News newsletter. Potential "jellyfish effect" launch alert: SpaceX may propel a Falcon 9 rocket into flight shortly after sunset Monday, Sept. 8, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Sunset will occur at 7:35 p.m. Monday at the Cape, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac. Soon afterward, SpaceX is targeting a 116-minute launch window that opens at 8:02 p.m. and ends at 9:58 p.m. The photogenic space jellyfish phenomenon happens when ground level is darkened just before sunrise or just after sunset but the ascending rocket's vapor plume is illuminated by sunlight streaming through the upper reaches of the atmosphere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA, rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral The 230-foot Falcon 9 will lift off from Launch Complex 40, then deploy the Nusantara Lima communications satellite in geosynchronous transfer orbit for Pasifik Satelit Nusantara, Indonesia's first satellite-based private telecommunications company. Boeing built the satellite, which is scheduled to enter commercial service early next year and provide broadband internet, phone service and emergency communications across Indonesia and neighboring countries in Southeast Asia. "Why it matters: Indonesias more than 17,000 islands make it nearly impossible to connect everyone with fiber or cell towers," an Aug. 7 Boeing news article said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The satellite will operate about 22,000 miles above the Earth's surface. In a Boeing press release, PSN Group CEO Adi Rahman Adiwoso said, this satellite will empower communities, schools, and businesses that have never had reliable access before." Boeings satellite business has a rich history of serving Indonesia and the Asia Pacific region, dating back to the Palapa A1 satellite in 1976, Ryan Reid, president of Boeing Satellite Systems International, said in the press release. The SpaceX launch comes on the heels of Friday's Starlink 10-57 mission, which lifted off at 8:32 a.m. from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1 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: SpaceX to launch satellite for Pasifik Satelit Nusantara from Florida SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) A man wanted in connection to a deadly shooting in Spartanburg County has turned himself into authorities. According to the Spartanburg County Sheriffs Office, Jaquavias Moses turned himself in to authorities Saturday morning. Moses was wanted in connection with a Wednesday evening shooting on Tanglewood Road which resulted in the death of Dyshawn Lamar Moore. Previous story: 1 dead, 1 wanted after shooting in Spartanburg Co. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moses is currently being held in the Spartanburg County Detention Center and has been charged with murder. He is scheduled to have a bond hearing Saturday afternoon. 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 WSPA 7NEWS. This as-told-to is based on a conversation with 29-year-old Taylor Stanberry, the grand prize winner at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissions 2025 Florida Python Challenge. The 10-day competition is a conservation event held in the Everglades to fight the invasive Burmese python population in South Florida. The pythons are believed to have been initially introduced through the pet trade and are now threatening the native wildlife. (All captured snakes are killed.) Stanberry caught 60 pythonsthree times the number of last years winnerand collected $10,000. She is a seasoned snake hunter, but this competition produced some unique challenges, even for her. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. I moved to Florida when I was 6 years old. I grew up catching toads and snakes and going fishing, and I just continued to learn about wildlife when I came here. I loved searching for it, especially snakes. Now Im a government contractor for python removal, and Ive been catching pythons for over 10 years. [Ed. note: Government agencies employ people year-round to remove and eliminate the invasive pythons.] I was in town during the Python Challenge this year and thought, Hey, why not! My nights during the competition would start around 7 or 8 p.m. and I would go until 5 or 6 in the morning. Then I would get a couple hours of sleep and take care of the exotic animal sanctuary I run, or possibly go to my other job at a physical therapy facility for dogs. We had to turn in the snakes we caught every 24 hours. Wed have to euthanize them humanely at home, then Id have to drive another hour to a check-in station where theyd be counted. That was the most stressful partI had to get home in time to be able to go to a different area to start hunting. And theres so many extra people in the area during the 10-day competitionpeople come here from all over the country for this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The competition takes place in only a few approved areas, but its deep in the Everglades. There are main roads people will take at night, and you do hear a lot of car traffic, but there are also frogs and owls hooting at night. I love that. Occasionally youll hear bobcats calling, too. We hunt at night because its so hot during the day. The snakes arent moving in that, and most people arent either. Most nights were somewhere between 87 and 92 degrees, and then you add that humidity from the rain. I bring lots of water because you get dehydrated fast when youre hiking and sweating. And then some bug spray. But honestly, the bug spray doesnt help. I always say when you have the bug spray on, thats just flavor to them, because they dont care how greased up you aretheyll still attack you. One of the biggest hunting spots is a main road in the Everglades. There are probably 80 other cars in a few-mile radius. But still, some nights its just easier to go to that road and get through the hustle and bustle. People bright you with their car lights and flashlights. Some people drive 60 miles per hour down that road; some are going 5 miles per hour. Its the people and the driving that are the most dangerous parts of the competition, not the snakes. Thats why I would try to take the boat out and get away from everyone. Its just a 14-foot jon boat, nothing fancy, and it has light bars on it, so I can light up the side of the canals. That helps, because a lot of the time, youre just looking for shiny scales in the grass or water. Youll see the snakes chinsunderneath theyre white, so theyll glow in the lights. You see that nice glimmer, and sometimes theyll periscope, so their heads stick a few feet out of the grass. The snakes kind of look like a PVC pipe in the grass, but its actually a python. I usually go hunting with my husband. To us, its just kind of like a date night. We pick up some food or get our meals prepped and then we head out to the Everglades all night. You definitely need music. And a lot of snacks. Youve got to bring some candy or something to keep you entertained. I also like to play this game called Would You Rather? And I just ask him the most outlandish questions. Most of mine are terrible: Would you rather eat that pile of maggots or the pig poop we saw on the side of the road? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Everyone thinks that pythons just throw themselves at me because I post the good moments online, but every night is hit-or-miss. I could go to the same area seven days in a rowone night I might catch nothing, and another night, I could nab 10 pythons in an hour. I just catch them with my bare handsno equipment or anything. I grab them behind the head and also from the mid-body, because they will start to coil. I never grab them by the head and string them up high because thats just harassing them. The first night of the contest, I got a 5-foot python crossing the road. My hopes werent too high at that point. I was like, Geez, one snake on the first night. The nights after that got better, but that first snake did bite me. It was my fault. The smaller pythons are very whippy. I grabbed it mid-body instead of just behind the head, so it got one or two teeth on me, just enough to rip my skin very slightly. It was only biting me because I grabbed it first. Otherwise, they just try to run away. A lot of people think a python bite hurts, but just think of getting pricked with 20 needles. It sounds terrible, but its just slight little pricks. Once the bites over, it doesnt hurt anymore. They leave such tiny little tooth holes that you dont even see them once you stop bleeding. The third night of the competition is when I got like 30 babies from a nest. Ive found quite a few python nests over the years. The best way to find one is to spot a cluster of small babiessometimes they still have umbilical cords. Once the pythons start hatching, thats when the mom leaves. She doesnt take care of the babies or anythingshe just heads out. That makes them easier to grab. In this particular instance, the nest I found wasnt super buried, and the mom was already gone. There were quite a few babies hanging in the trees. Once they start hatching, the babies will go forward and also up. So if the nest is laid underneath a bush, theyll start crawling up the bushes and get on the trees. They dont go up 40 feet or anything, but theyll be up at like the 6-to-10-foot mark. That makes them easy to grab. The second you go up to them, you have to pin them behind the head because theyre ready to fight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I got some bites that night, too. The babies can be very, very bitey. They just came out of the eggthey dont know what theyre doing, theyre scared. The younger ones havent dealt with people coming near them, or bigger animalsthey try to fight alligators or bobcats when theyre small. They kind of learn throughout the years, OK, dont mess with anything unless youre ready. So, the bigger the snakes, the smarter they usually are, and they try to get away faster, but the smaller ones are like, What am I doing? Hello? When theres so many of them and theyre so little, they can vanish easily up into the bushes, so you have to pick them all up really quickly. Youve just got to keep grabbing them and putting them in pillowcases. I caught about 20 of them that night before I found the eggs, which were all hatched out. But it was exciting, and its good to show the FWC [Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission] how many eggs there were versus how many hatchlings. Finding the nest gave me some confidence about winning, but I knew it was possible for anyone to find a nest this time of year. On the last night, my husband and I decided to just cruise the road since we were exhausted. There were tons of other people out. On the other nights, the roads would be decently empty by 3 a.m., but on that night, everyone was out late, hoping to catch any snake they could. We were really tired and stressed, but after about 13 hours of hunting, we had seven more pythons in the bag! I knew my numbers were good, but I wasnt expecting to win. Someone could always have done better than me. In fact, I didnt even know Id won until I was on the podium. They had called me a few weeks before, asking for me to go to the event in Havana, and its like an 8-hour drive from me. [The winners of the 2025 Florida Python Challenge were announced at the FWCs Commission Meeting held in Havana, Florida.] I didnt know if I could go, but they were like, Please, please just be there. Everyones very hush-hush during the challengeyoure not supposed to talk about your numbers or anything because that can be considered cheating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And then when I got there, people kept congratulating me, but they still didnt say what I won. The one lady I was with was like, Everyone shut up. Dont tell her. And I was like, OK, did I win? Im still confused. Even when they announced Id won, I was like, OK, so I did win? I was just in shock. I get terrible stage fright, so being called up to stand in front of people gave me anxiety, and I had no speech prepared. Once I left the event, it really kicked in, though. I was very excited! Its been a way bigger story than I thought it would be. I didnt realize I was the first female to win the ultimate grand prize, so I guess thats really intrigued people. The money from my winnings will go into my rescue, just to help me be able to continue to care for my animals. I dont want people to hunt pythons because its fun for them, I want them to do it for the right reasons, which is saving the native wildlife and the Everglades. We probably wont be able to get rid of them all, but as long as were trying, that means something. Sep. 5With wildfires burning in central Washington and the Idaho panhandle, Spokane is looking to finish out the weekend in a haze before getting a breath of fresher air Monday, lasting for the rest of the week. Air quality was largely in the "unhealthy for sensitive populations" ratings, with dips into generally unhealthy Friday, as smoke pushed up from fires in the Lewiston area, National Weather Service Meteorologist Joey Clevenger said. An air quality alert warning sensitive groups young kids, the elderly and those with respiratory impairments to limit exposure to outside air in Spokane will stay into effect until Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clevenger said he expects winds to shift starting Saturday, which will change the source of smoke to be from the central Washington area. Areas closer to wildfires like the northern valleys or the Palouse will likely experience more smoke than Spokane. Late Saturday may see rain, a trend that should continue next week, Clevenger said, which will likely improve the air quality. Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency spokesperson Mark Rowe said that this summer is fairly average, in terms of smoke intensity and duration in Spokane, compared to the previous 10 years. Rowe said that people should try to limit their exposure to smoke by staying indoors with windows closed and the air conditioner on the recirculate setting, if possible. He recommends that those without access to a smoke-free home stay with friends or visit public buildings to escape the outdoors. Outdoor workers can wear N95 facemasks, he said, but should still try to avoid prolonged exertion and retreat indoors if they feel any ill effect from the smoke. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the plus side, Clevenger said, the smoke has blocked the sun some during the past week filled with days over 100 degrees. This week, Spokane is looking at clouds and highs in the mid- to high-70s and low 80s. There is a chance for thunderstorms on Tuesday. Fires Both the Tacoma Creek and Rattlesnake fires rage on, with no containment Friday, news releases say. The lightning-caused Tacoma Creek fire, 15 miles northwest of Cusick, spread to around 2,235 acres Friday, with a crew of over 300 people working to suppress and mitigate the growth. As of Friday, there were no evacuations in place, though there are road closures along Tacoma Creek Road, Cusick Creek Road, Ruby Creek Road, Olson Creek Road and Batey Bould Trail Head along Tacoma Creek. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Rattlesnake fire was taken over by Northwest Complex Incident Management Team 7 Friday. Some 30 miles south of Inchelium, the fire has grown to 8,558 acres in the five days since it started. Evacuation orders remain for the west side of Nine Mile Hellgate Road to the Redford Road junction and north to Little Nine Mile Creek Road, per the Northeast Fire Information Facebook page. The northside along Canteen Creek and both south and east along the Columbia River are also immediate evacuation zones. Cannon Barnett's work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) The Springfield community is getting a head start on the Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration by placing a spotlight on the arts. The Springfield Museums held its third Annual Latino Arts Festival on Friday. In collaboration with the Mi Museo Committee, the festival showcases arts and culture of the Puerto Rican, Afro-Cuban, Portuguese, Dominican, and Central and South American populations. It also serves as a way to bring together the different Hispanic cultures in the region. Preview ahead of the Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I speak Spanish fluently. I work between the U.S. and Latin America, said Eliza Pesuit of Springfield. Shes in Herena. She started in pre-K, and shell be doing half the school day in Spanish and half the school day in English, so I just want her to be exposed. An exhibit showcasing several Puerto Rican artists is on display from Museo de Arte de Ponce. A speaking program started at 5:30 p.m. and featured local representatives and senators. There was music, hors doeuvres, and various activities. The showcase is open to the community through Saturday evening. Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 until October 15 and recognizes the contributions, cultures, and achievements of Hispanic and Latino communities. 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. In the wake of the United States imposing 50 per cent import tariff on Indian goods, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said that steps should be taken to improve ties with the United States, as wealth is created there, India has huge trade with US and 8 lakh students go to study abroad every year. Speaking to reporters Akhilesh Yadav said, "Ties should be improved with the US. US is the head of capital flow. Wealth is created there. People dream big in the US. In science, technology, economy, health, and education, it is above others. The relation with such a country should never decline. Our neighbouring country, which grabs our land, the country which always helps Pakistan and during Operation Sindoor, India had to face China more than Pakistan. The government should be cautious of such a country which has its eyes on our land and is capturing our market. India should try to strengthen its economy to face such a country." "We cannot afford to spoil relations with US because trade with US is huge. 8 lakh Indian students go to study abroad. Many people from Gujarat live in the US. We hope people from Gujarat who work in US in high positions would not allow the ties to deteriorate," he added. President of the United States, Donald Trump, has accused India of buying Russian oil and funding the Ukraine war, and has imposed a 50 per cent import tariff, effective from August 27. President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned that the United States has not yet rolled out "Phase-2" and "Phase-3" tariffs against countries continuing trade ties with Russia. He called secondary sanctions on India a direct action against Russia, as "that cost hundreds of billions of dollars to Russia." He said this when being asked about why he has taken no action against Russia after he assumed the Oval Office in January this year. He also called India the largest buyer of Russian oil after China, indicating that New Delhi could face further penalties if it continues energy imports from Moscow. (ANI) CAMDEN, Tenn. (WKRN) On Wednesday, Pick Tennessee Products hosted an event to celebrate producers in Benton County and several key state leaders, including the newest appointment to the Department of Agriculture, were in attendance. Gov. Bill Lee was among the top leaders at Wednesdays event, adding that the Camden celebration was part of the America 250 tour. That tour has been designed to preserve and celebrate state history as part of a broader effort to commemorate 250 years since the founding of the U.S. Gov. Bill Lee backs appeal for court ruling that overturned two gun laws Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the event, Pick Tennessee Products featured Benton County-area producers. As part of the Department of Agriculture, Pick Tennessee Products works to connect Tennesseans to local producers like farmers, beekeepers and more. Sarah Emery Botwinick, Director of Pick Tennessee Products, told News 2 that the event was meant to bring community members together and uplift the producers of Benton County. This is what its all about at the end of the day, Botwinick told News 2. We want to promote these producers and get them in front of the right people to promote their brand and just continue telling the story of agriculture in Tennessee. According to the University of Tennessee Institute of Agricultures cooperative extension with Tennessee State University, Lee wasnt the only key state leader in attendance. Current commissioner for the Department of Agriculture, Dr. Charlie Hatcher, as well as Andy Holt, were also there. On Wednesday, Lee also announced that Holt was appointed commissioner and that the leadership transition would be effective Oct. 1. Rep. Andy Ogles calls for National Guard to be deployed in Nashville Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [Hatcher has] been, prior to that, served the state as the state veterinarian and I cant say enough about what he has done to advance agriculture to elevate food production in this state and to help farmers from one end of the state to the other, Lee told News 2. [Im] excited about Andy Holt, who has served in the department as well he understands the importance of farming and agriculture and the importance of public service. Currently, Holt serves as Deputy Commissioner for the state Department of Agriculture after serving as the Director of Business Development for the department. Previously, he served as a representative for House District 78 in the state General Assembly. As a representative, Holt received threats for planning to give away an AR-15 and advocated for the arming of teachers in Tennessee schools. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com In 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency filed a complaint against Holt for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act at his animal feeding operation facility related to the disposal of liquid manure into U.S. waterways. However, the complaint was dismissed in 2016. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, Holt went viral in 2016 after a Facebook video of him burning traffic camera citations was viewed by more than 1.3 million people. He later told News 2 that he believed cameras were an inappropriate way for towns and cities to increase revenue. To learn more about Pick Tennessee Products and ways to support local farmers, follow this link. 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 WKRN News 2. GOSHEN State and local leaders together cut the ribbon on the new Elkhart County joint courts complex Friday. The four-story building at 1905 Reliance Road was built to house all court services in Elkhart County, including civil, criminal and family law. Loretta Rush, chief justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, said the building will serve as a cornerstone of the community. This building is a public investment in the people of Elkhart County. It really sends a clear message in Elkhart that justice isnt abstract. Its lived, its local and its for everyone, Rush said. Behind these walls, lives will be changed. Children will find safe pass to a forever home, veterans will find support and dignity, elderly Hoosiers will have their voices heard, families will navigate challenges in a space designed with compassion and care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among many things, the new complex brings juvenile services out of the basement of the Goshen courthouse and into wide, sun-lit corridors, she said. It replaces that historic courthouse as well as the one in downtown Elkhart, which grew out of an old school building. Rush praised the judges, county leaders and others for the hundreds of thousands of hours of work that went into the $112 million complex. She noted that in a community of around 200,000 people, there were close to 44,000 cases last year, including 500 paternity cases, 1,300 protection orders and 900 mental health cases. As of right now, when these doors open, theres almost 22,000 cases, she said. These numbers are extraordinary, but they remind us all that courts are more than just ivory towers. Theyre often societys governmental emergency rooms, where families in crisis, neighbors in conflict and individuals in need of help come for resolution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judge Michael Christofeno, Elkhart County Circuit Court, said he personally presided over 108 hearings on Thursday. They included murder cases and high-level felonies. The new complex has enough courtrooms that multiple judicial officers in the same court can hear cases at the same time, Christofeno said. This is a game-changer, he said. We need this courthouse. I need this courthouse. Thank you all for our magnificent new courthouse, and we judges pledge to you to continue to follow the rule of law and to serve you, the community, to the best of our ability. ELKHART State lawmakers were pushing back Friday against criticism of a property tax relief measure that local elected officials say is seriously flawed and must be overhauled. As local leaders across Elkhart County, we are deeply concerned about the problematic formula and unintended consequences of the states new property and income tax law, said an open letter written by a bipartisan group that includes Elkhart County commissioners, Elkhart County Council members and the mayors of Elkhart, Goshen and Nappanee. Raising fees and taxes to fix a broken formula is bad business all around. Residents lose, communities face serious obstacles to fund much-needed infrastructure maintenance and everyone pays more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These officials banded together to call for a reevaluation of Senate Enrolled Act 1, recently passed by the Indiana legislature and signed by Indiana Gov. Mike Braun. The letter, published on todays Opinion Page, calls for a rethinking of the measure and a partnership between state and local governments to ensure stability for local governments and fairness for homeowners, while the state pursues its long-term goals. The measure, they say, will force local governments to raise other fees and taxes and will result in a cutback in community projects and services as cities and towns receive less revenue from the state. But at least two lawmakers from the area reacted Friday by saying Hoosier homeowners want lower property tax bills. This new law provides more than a billion dollars in property tax relief to homeowners, with a majority of homeowners projected to see a lower bill next year than they did this year, state Rep. Joanna King (R-Middlebury) said. It also reduces the total amount of local income taxes that local governments can collect. This law moves us to a better, more accountable system for Hoosier taxpayers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Rep. Doug Miller (R-Elkhart) also said the new law was about providing property tax relief to Hoosier homeowners. Local governments are being asked to do exactly what Hoosier families and state government have to do tighten our belts, Miller said. Even with this new law, most Elkhart County local units are still receiving more revenue year over year. Were encouraging our local units to hold the line on spending, keep taxes low for residents and advance fiscally responsible government. The next session of the Indiana General Assembly is scheduled to begin in January. State rests in murder trial of West Melbourne mother Prosecutors have rested their case in the trial of 31-year-old Erica Dotson, accused in the 2021 beating death of her 3-year-old son, Jameson Nance. Investigators say Dotsons former boyfriend, Joshua Manns, carried out the fatal beating and earlier physical abuse. Both he and Dotson face charges including first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter, aggravated child abuse, and felony child abuse. Jurors today heard from a retired pediatrician who treated Jameson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the doctor testified that aside from a broken leg and mild anemia, there were no major health concerns during a visit, she expressed concerns about Jamesons medical history outside the jurys presence. The defense wants the jury to hear a redacted recording of one of Dotsons first conversations with investigators after her sons death. Prosecutors have been given the weekend to review the redacted audio. The trial continues next week. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. In a major win for homeowners in California, the State Supreme Court ruled that utility companies will have to increase payments to homeowners for excess power generated by rooftop solar panels. As LAist reported, in 2022, state regulators decided to cut payments by 75% to homeowners who produced excess power for the electrical grid. The change was supposed to reduce energy bills across the board while still supporting renewable energy upgrades. Three environmental groups the Center for Biological Diversity, the Protect Our Communities Foundation, and the Environmental Working Group sued the state, arguing that low-income communities would be left out if payments were cut. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We don't need [to be in] an affordability crisis if we have more local generation," Roger Lin, senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, said. Under a program called "net energy metering," utility companies pay solar owners for the extra power they generate each month. In prior versions of the program, utilities paid solar customers a retail rate for their excess energy, the same price companies would charge other consumers when they resold the energy. But with the new program, "NEM 3.0," customers receive the new, lower rate, which equals how much utilities save by not buying the power from the market. Customers who opted into the program after 2023 got the new rate, while customers under the other versions will keep receiving the old rate for about 20 years. Utility commissioners ruled that since customers without rooftop solar have to pay more, solar customers should not get as much back each month from power generated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, with more solar coming online all the time, the environmental groups said the concerns are "overblown." While justices did not rule on whether changes made to the solar program are legal, and will leave that to the lower courts to decide, the ruling could have significant positive impacts for California homeowners, whether they have solar or not. If you're ready to go solar, you can check out EnergySage, which offers free tools that allow you to compare prices between vetted contractors and save up to $10,000 on installation fees. The company also has a mapping tool where you can see the average cost of a solar system and incentives based on your state. With these tools, you can find the best deal on a system to suit your needs. To make the benefits go even further, you may also want to install a heat pump to cut your energy costs more. EnergySage provides another tool that lets you find a heat pump installer, making it a one-stop shop for all your home energy upgrades. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But if you want to make energy-efficient home improvements, make sure to do so before the end of 2025, as that's when the 30% solar tax credit is expiring. 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. BOSTON (WWLP) Lawmakers are back on Beacon Hill after their summer hiatus, and had to contend with issues at both the state and federal levels this week. There was a switch-up at the Cannabis Control Commission. Two years after being suspended and subsequently fired, former CCC leader Shannon OBrien won a wrongful termination lawsuit. She will finish the two years left in her term and be awarded back pay and benefits. Northwestern DAs Office warns of asphalt paving schemes Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also this week, 22News spoke to Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi about a new policy allowing inmates to have phone calls at no cost to the recipient. Call frequency and length have increased five-fold in Hampden County, increasing the amount of money the system needs to spend on the phones. It is not the apocalypse. It is not time for doom and gloom, said Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi. We are working with the legislature and our partners in government to get a better understanding and handle on it. Another policy issue covered this week was vaccinations. The Healey-Driscoll administration announced a plan on Thursday to ensure Bay Staters have continuing access to vaccines recommended by the DPH, even if the CDC changes its policies. Vaccines are the greatest public health advance of our time. They prevent illness, they prevent suffering, they prevent death, said Sec. Robbie Goldsein, (D) Massachusetts. To restrict access to vaccines is reckless. To play politics with vaccines is dangerous. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Massachusetts will need to respond to another federal issue. The Trump administration is suing the city of Boston over its sanctuary city policies. Bostons Mayor Michelle Wu said the city will not back down, but the lawsuit could still affect other sanctuary cities policies, like Amherst and Northampton. 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. Olivia Ray is a State House reporter who has been a part of the 22News team since April 2024. Follow Olivia on X @OliviaRayMedia and view her bio to see more of her work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. If you want a behavior to change, you change the rules. We've seen it work with tobacco taxes and retail display bans, so we know that when the policy shifts, habits follow and public-health metrics move. Food waste is getting the same treatment. Five pioneer states now restrict tossing food into landfills in one form or another: California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont. There's a moral element, but the goal is climate math. Food rotting in landfills is a methane problem, and methane is a fast-acting greenhouse gas. The EPA's latest accounting attributes the majority of fugitive landfill methane to decomposing food, which is why legislators are focusing on organics. The approaches vary, with Vermont using the bluntest tool: Since July 1, 2020, it has had a universal landfill ban on food scraps for residents and businesses alike, with town drop-offs, haulers, and backyard composting as the off-ramps. California uses a mandate model, with SB 1383 requiring every jurisdiction to provide organics collection and setting statewide targets: 75% less organic waste to landfills by 2025 and recovery of at least 20% of still-edible surplus food. Enforcement runs primarily through cities and counties, which can fine repeat non-compliance. Massachusetts bans disposal by big generators and tightened its threshold in 2022; Connecticut lowered its tonnage trigger to bring more businesses into scope and is phasing in schools, and Rhode Island's rules cover large producers and, increasingly, educational institutions, with distance-to-facility requirements. Different tools, same intent: Keep food out of landfills and put it to better use. Read more: 13 International Dining Etiquette Rules We Should All Be Following Rescue, Recover, Reuse A trashcan full of food scraps - Fevziie/Shutterstock It seems that food surplus is getting eaten, and not just because people are discovering dishes that originated as ways to use leftovers; they're also donating edible excess food. The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act and a 2023 update broadened protections to include direct donations and "Good Samaritan price" sales, removing a big fear barrier for restaurants and grocers, too. For instance, when places like McDonald's have to deal with leftover food, they may have previously only donated specially prepared meals, not leftovers. Pair that with the permanent enhanced tax deduction for donated food inventory, and you get a practical reason to move product to people instead of bins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Large generators are increasingly required to have written agreements with food-recovery orgs and to keep records of what they donate. Some jurisdictions even say you cannot intentionally spoil recoverable food. Distance and scale guardrails are also installed. For example, Rhode Island triggers school diversion and donation duties only when an institution produces enough organic waste and is close to a processor, so logistics pencil out. The result is a push toward prevention and donation. Individuals and companies can also learn to compost at home to turn scraps into soil amendments. This process creates biogas energy and a fertilizer-like digestate, and states are using policy to grow that infrastructure. After tightening its commercial threshold, Massachusetts reports a larger organics sector and continued diversion gains. Vermont offers a different lever: pay-as-you-throw pricing that makes trash cost reflect volume or weight, which encourages households to separate scraps. The EPA's latest analysis found that 61% of methane generated by landfilled food isn't captured. Early signals show the systems working: Vermont's food rescue network reported big upticks in recovered food after the ban, and statewide analyses estimate roughly half of food scraps are now diverted. Policy Only Matters If Food Moves People pack a food donation box - Halfpoint Images/Getty Images In California, local programs reported 217,042 tons of edible food recovered in 2023, already 94% of the 2025 target set under SB 1383. Massachusetts shows the infrastructure side: since tightening its commercial ban, annual diversion climbed to 380,000 tons in 2023, with the number of sites getting separate organics collection rising from 1,350 (2014) to 3,120 (2023) as a full organics industry took shape. Those are statewide systems doing practical work, week after week. In big cities, rescue networks turn policy into meals. City Harvest has moved over one billion pounds of surplus food across New York City since its founding, including 78.8 million pounds in FY2024 alone.On the West Coast, Food Forward reported 94 million pounds of recovered produce in 2024 and estimates avoided emissions of around 83,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year from that flow. Schools and students play a part too. The USDA explicitly encourages share tables, where unopened items are set out for other students, served later the same day, or donated under program rules. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The EPA's updated Wasted Food Scale prioritizes prevention and donation first, then routes scraps to feeding animals, composting, or anaerobic digestion. Digesters co-process food waste with manure to make biogas energy and a fertilizer-like digestate; farm-based projects in the Northeast have shown how supermarket scraps and dairy operations can be paired to produce power and steady farm revenue. Several states now require large educational institutions to divert organics when they generate enough volume and are within a set radius of a processor, with donation expectations for unserved food baked into the statutes. Rescued food feeds people, and unavoidable scraps become inputs for soil and energy instead of methane in a landfill. Read the original article on Tasting Table. (FOX40.COM) A 16-year-old girl was arrested for an alleged assault on an officer, according to the Stockton Police Department. Video Above: Most commonly reported crimes in America Around 9:45 a.m. on Friday, SPD responded to the 400 Block of North Pilgrim Street in the Park District for a report of a disturbance. When they arrived at the scene, officers said they saw the suspect vandalize property. Missing person case in Vacaville turns into murder investigation Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SPD said she was arrested after a brief struggle. According to SPD, the suspect kicked an officer, and force was used to end the assault. The teen faces charges of battery on an officer, vandalism, and resisting arrest. 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. STONE COUNTY, Mo. A Stone County property owner has filed a class action lawsuit against White River Valley Electric Cooperative and its internet subsidiary, White River Connect, alleging the companies illegally used private property to build a fiber optic network. The suit, filed on Friday in Stone County Circuit Court by KBK Shortleaf LLC, argues that White River exceeded its legal authority by running fiber optic cables along existing power line easements that were originally granted only for electricity transmission. The petition alleges that property owners were neither consulted nor compensated for the additional use from White River. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Defendants effectively decided to convert electric transmission corridors into a commercial communications network without consideration for landowners property rights, the petition alleges. Easements in question The petition states easements dating back to 1957 and 1967 granted White River rights to maintain electric lines and maintain an electric transmission system. The plaintiff claims those rights never extended to telecommunications infrastructure. KBK Shortleaf which purchased its property in 2021 claims in the petition that it had no notice of a White River easement at all and was not informed when fiber cables were installed between 2023 and 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suit alleges that White River chose not to negotiate with property owners for expanded rights, instead installing the fiber lines and contracting with third parties to use them for commercial internet service. KBKs attorney argues this constitutes a continuing trespass under Missouri law. Class action scope The suit seeks class action status on behalf of all Missouri landowners whose property is crossed by White Rivers transmission lines and where fiber optic cables have been added. White River maintains infrastructure across Ozark, Taney, Stone, Christian and Douglas counties, an area with a population exceeding 200,000. The number of affected property owners could reach into the thousands, per the petition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If certified, the class action would allow those landowners to pursue damages together rather than filing individual lawsuits. A case review is scheduled for Sept. 25. Claims and relief sought The lawsuit brings three claims: Trespass, seeking damages for interference with property rights, diminished property value and restoration costs. Declaratory judgment, asking the court to declare that White River has no right to use easements for telecommunications. Injunctive relief, seeking to block further use of the fiber network unless the companies obtain proper rights or pay landowners compensation. Plaintiffs are also seeking punitive damages, attorneys fees and other costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ozarks First reached out to White River for comment and has not received a response as of this articles publishing. 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. Ramlila committees and Durga Puja pandals will be given 1,200 units of free electricity for the upcoming Durga Puja and Dusshera festivals, which are set to begin in the last week of September. A 'single window system' has been put in place for getting permissions from various departments, including getting police permission, No Objection Certificates (NOC), fire brigades, arranging ambulances etc. "We have decided that just as assistance was provided to Delhi's committees in the Kanwar camps, in the same manner, the Delhi government will gift 1200 units of electricity on its behalf to all Ramlila committees as well. With that, people will be submitting only 25 per cent of the security deposit to get electricity meters. The same provisions will apply to all Ramlila committees and Durga pandals in Delhi," Delhi CM said. Earlier, CM Rekha Gupta chaired the preparatory meeting for Ramlila and Durga Pooja celebrations in the capital at Delhi Secretariat. Ramlila celebrations typically start 10 days before Dusshera, which falls on October 2 this year. Similarly, Durga puja is set to begin from September 28, and go on till October 2. Typically, celebrations start a week before and continue till the end of the festival. The event saw the participation of various members of the pandals and committees. "Along with this, preparations for toilets, ensuring security, health, ambulances, fire brigades, NOC (No Objection Certificate) will be given through a single window system. The Delhi government will help the people in all the ways. We will also make sure that cleanliness is maintained. We have formed a committee that will inform us if any kind of problem arises," she added. Diwali festivities will also be better for the people after the announcement of GST reform by the Central government, Delhi CM said. During the preparatory meeting held earlier today, the Delhi CM emphasised the importance of security, traffic management, and electricity provisions. "Such a situation shouldn't arise that out Ramlila does not even get completed of the 10 days, that is why we want to give all the provisions to help them. Traffic management has also been planned, with great facilities being given," CM Gupta said. She also suggested that people should start organising health camps and exhibitions in honour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday, celebrated on September 17. The Hindu festival of Durga Puja, also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, is a yearly celebration that honours the Hindu goddess Durga and commemorates her victory over Mahishasur. Hindu mythology holds that the goddess comes to her earthly abode at this time to bless her devotees. Dussehra is that time of the year when the well-known Ramleela is held, massive fairs are organized and people gather in large numbers to see Raavan effigies burst into flames. Dusshera falls on the tenth day of Sharada Navratri, however, despite the fact that celebrations and cultural practices vary according to the location in India's culturally rich country, the festival's fabric that binds everyone together remains. (ANI) Sep. 5MITCHELL Mitchell Area Housing Incorporated is seeking a raincheck to get its streets installed. MAHI has postponed two open houses and ribbon cuttings for weather-related delays for the Lake Mitchell-adjacent Southlake Estates housing development. There's been so much rain recently that putting the streets in has been delayed by three weeks, according to MAHI construction manager Eric Sabers, who is the son of MAHI president Terry Sabers. In addition, a forecasted wind advisory on Thursday led to MAHI leaders postponing the open house and ribbon cutting scheduled for that day. Streets will be completed by Wednesday, Sept. 10, according to Terry Sabers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Terry Sabers noted that once streets are finished, people are more likely to see the vision for where a house could be placed, including potential homeowners and other developers. Sabers said that the development will look nice once the rest of the utilities and electric are put in and everything is leveled and the grass is planted. "You have to have a little vision when it's under construction. It's pretty hard to show people an area without a street in," he said. "Some people can see it." Other developers are looking at purchasing empty MAHI lots, according to Eric Sabers, who said there's a market for the houses, people are interested, and word of mouth about the development is getting around. Lots run between $25,000 to $35,000 each. "We haven't really been pushing stuff," Eric Sabers said. "We want to have all the pavements done so that way we have something to show." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Southlake Estates development is starting with 21 lots running east-west on Indian Head Drive which is located on the west side of Lake Mitchell, and is northeast of the southernmost intersection of North Ohlman Street and South Harmon Drive. There are also nine lots on the east side of the development, which are bigger lots with "a sliver view of the lake," according to Terry Sabers. The bigger lots could have bigger houses, he said. So far at Southlake Estates development, one governor's house has sold and one is pending sale. The first governor's house arrived in March. Two governor's houses are scheduled to be delivered in October. This time around, the houses won't be gray like the previous four governor's houses that MAHI has purchased from the state of South Dakota. Instead, one will be brown and one will be blue. Sabers has not decided which MAHI development the next two houses will be delivered to yet. Sabers hopes to build or finish 10 houses a year between the two developments, not counting any additional houses built by other developers. The development capacity of Southlake Estates is 37 lots, and 53 lots at Ridgeview on Foster. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the east side of town, the streets have been paved for MAHI's Ridgeview on Foster housing development, which is located at the intersection of North Foster Street and East Eighth Avenue near Avera Queen of Peace Hospital. There are a total of two governor's houses at Ridgeview on Foster. These governor's houses are a two-bedroom house priced at $247,000 and a three-bedroom house priced at $268,000, each with basements. The garages are still under construction, and the houses should be ready by the end of September, according to Terry Sabers. In the future, Sabers plans to build 1,000 square-foot duplexes at Ridgeview on Foster, priced at $240,000 per unit. Each side of the twin houses will have a small garage, no basement, and zero entry, meaning there are no steps. In May, a Mitchell Technical College student-built house was delivered to Ridgeview on Foster. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The house is still under construction and another basement has been dug for an additional house on the lot next to it. An excavator broke ground at Ridgeview on Foster about a year ago, according to Eric Sabers. For Terry Sabers, it's been a three-year process to get to the point of putting streets in at the two developments. He hopes to put more homes on the market at an affordable price, and said there's a shortage of homes that are over $200,000 that compare to what MAHI is offering. "Unfortunately, I can't build a $150,000 home anymore, and unfortunately, we didn't build enough of them 20 years ago," Terry Sabers said. A rescheduled open house and ribbon cutting for the Southlake Estates is slated for 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25 at 151 Indian Head Dr. NEED TO KNOW A dog was found on the side of the road in Ruskin, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 3, with its legs tied up The dog managed to free its front legs and walk to a nearby house, where the homeowner called animal control The chihuahua mix was brought to Hillsborough's Pet Resource Center, and will be up for adoption in a few days A dog was found on the side of the road in Ruskin, Fla., with its legs tied up. Animal control responded to the report on Wednesday, Sept. 3, when they were called to an area near G-7 Ranch Road and Stephens Road. The dog managed to free its front legs and walk to a nearby home, where the resident reported it, per local CBS affiliate KENS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The small brown chihuahua mix was left with sores on his legs, but had no other major health concerns, Roger Mills with the Hillsborough County division of Animal Control told the outlet. The dog will now be up for adoption in a few days. "He would be perfect for like an older person who just wants a really chill little dog that's gonna just sit right by them, snuggle up with them," Lori Letzring from Hillsborough County's Pet Resource Center told KENS. Animal control did door-to-door checks in the neighborhood where the dog was found in an attempt to find the original owner, but the investigation remains ongoing. The individual who abandoned the dog in this condition could face up to a third degree felony charge. Animal control and HPRC staff are asking anyone who recognizes the dog or knows anything to call them at 813-744-5660. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PEOPLE reached out to Animal Control's Hillsborough County division and HPRC for comment. 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. The dog found on the side of the road comes after another dog in Daytona Beach, Fla., was rescued after being found injured and abandoned in an apartment complexs dumpster earlier this summer on July 6. "This act of cruelty is unacceptable, and we are fully committed to pursuing all leads to identify and hold the responsible party accountable," the Daytona Beach Police Department said in a July 9 statement to The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heather Jones, whose husband, Brandon Arroyo, rescued the dog, organized a GoFundMe to raise funds for its care. Arroyo works for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, per WESH, and the couple lives at the apartment complex. As of Aug. 7, the couple adopted the abandoned dog and enrolled him in "puppy school," naming him Drax. Read the original article on People Students from dozens of schools across Minnesota staged a walkout on Friday, protesting continued inaction on guns in the wake of last week's mass shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis. Two children were killed and 18 were injured, along with three adults, when Robin Westman opened fire outside the church through the windows, striking students as they observed Mass. On Friday, hundreds of students in the Twin Cities left class early and embarked on protest marches, some of them holding signs calling for meaningful gun reforms that can prevent future school shootings. Protesting students at Justice Page Middle School in MinneapolisPhoto by Quinn Flannery Youth activist group Students Demand Action says more than 250 protests were staged nationwide on Friday in solidarity with the Annunciation victims, with Minnesota volunteer Timberlyn Mazeikis saying: "We shouldnt have to stage national protests just to be heard, but thats exactly what we did more than 250 times over across the country today," Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thoughts and prayers wont save us. Our generation deserves to grow up and live without the fear of bullets flying through our hallways. Were demanding state and federal lawmakers ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines now." Schools taking part in Minnesota include those in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Edina, Richfield, Eagan, Chaska, Rochester, and many more. Their actions come against the backdrop of increasing calls from DFL legislators in Minnesota for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Earlier this week, Gov. Tim Walz confirmed he would call a special session of the legislature to discuss new gun laws. "Solidarity with students participating in today's walkouts to end the gun violence epidemic," said 5th District Rep. Ilhan Omar. "Im sorry our country has failed you again and again. I stand with you and wont give up until we ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I stand with every student who walked out of school today. But they shouldnt have had to. We shouldnt be asking teens to do more for gun reform than Congress," said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. "Kids deserve classrooms, not caution drills. They deserve to learn not protest for their lives." Related: Annunciation shooting: Neurosurgeon 'a little bit more optimistic' Sophia Forchas will survive This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Sep 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the MN News section. Add Bring Me The News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Washingtons national parks might be most popular in the summer, but they have plenty to offer in the fall as well. Lonely Planet recently ranked the 15 best U.S. national parks to visit this fall and a popular Washington spot made the list. US national parks are known for stunning, mind-bogglingly diverse landscapes, and fall reveals a quieter, shier side, LonelyPlanet contributor Taryn Shorr-McKee wrote in an Aug. 28 article. As summer crowds fade and cooler weather sets in, vibrant foliage transforms forests and mountains, wildlife becomes more active, and brisk pine-scented air encourages cozy campfires and serene hikes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Autumn offers a magical, more grounded park experience for visitors, McKee added. Heres where to go in Washington state: Mount Rainier is visible from the drive into Tehalehs Glacier Pointe. Why is Mount Rainier best national park to visit this fall? Mount Rainier National Park was No. 10 on Lonely Planet of the top national park destinations in fall. According to the travel publisher, what sets the iconic landmark in Western Washington apart is its colorful plants. Most of Mount Rainiers seasonal color comes not from trees, but vivid groundcover scarlet paintbrush, elderberries and golden grasses, creating a jewel-toned carpet, McKee wrote. LonelyPlanet recommended paying a visit to Reflection Lakes and the Skyline Trail in the Paradise area, as well as the Naches Peak Loop on the east side of the park. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Visit Rainier, the Reflection Lakes are typically only accessible by car through early fall, but can be reached by hiking or snowshoeing during the colder months. Mike and Sharon Cahn of Eugene, Oregon, walk the Wonderland Trail along Reflection Lake at Mount Rainier National Park on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. Where are the best US national parks to visit in autumn? According to Lonely Planet, these were the top 10 national parks to visit in the fall: 1. Shenandoah National Park, Virginia 2. Acadia National Park, Maine 3. Glacier National Park, Montana 4. Yosemite National Park, California 5. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina 6. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 7. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming and Montana 8. Capitol Reef National Park, Utah 9. Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio 10. Mount Rainier National Park Trees filled with yellow leaves glisten under a bright fall sky as a pedestrian walks along on South Union Street on a fall morning in Kennewick. Whens the best time to see fall foliage in Washington? The best time to view fall foliage in Washington depends on where you are in the Evergreen State. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fall travel website Explore Fall maintains a map that depicts when foliage is expected to be most visible across the United States. According to the map, fall colors will be at their brightest in the Cascade and Olympic mountains in September and early October. In parts of the Puget Sound region, which includes sections Seattle and Tacoma, fall foliage is expected to peak in late October, while fall colors in the rest of western Washington will be at their finest in mid-October. Much of central and southeast Washington is expected to see fall colors peak in late-October, according to the Explore Fall map. Peak times vary for the rest of eastern Washington. A burst of color along the trail up Granite Mountain on the west side of Snoqualmie Pass. Where to go for fall scenery? Try Mount Baker, Yakima Greenway Mount Rainier isnt the only place you can see bright colors in Washington in the fall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to State of Washington Tourism, here are some of the other places you should check out: TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A substitute teacher in the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office was arrested after she allegedly exposed two students to sexual content, deputies said. An HCSO release stated detectives got a tip that Tanaya Jordan, 26, showed two minors the explicit material while at the Pepin Academy in Riverview. 19-year-old accused of murdering man following argument at Lutz home A search of Jordans phone confirmed that the content the minors saw was on the device, the sheriffs office said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is unthinkable that an individual entrusted with shaping young minds would choose to betray that trust in such a horrific way, Sheriff Chad Chronister said. Because of the courage of the victims and the diligence of our detectives, she will be held accountable for her actions. Tanaya Jordan (Credit: Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office) Jordan was charged with six counts of sell or distribute obscene material to a minor and two counts of unlawful use of two-way communications device. 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 WFLA. "Don't fix what isn't broken" that's the age-old adage Subway really should have listened to before installing deli slicers in its stores. Instead, the sandwich chain opted to solve a non-problem by installing them in 20,000 Subway locations nationwide. The company believed that, by quietly rolling out freshly sliced meat across all of its U.S. stores, they'd help draw in more customers. But, not long after the meat slicers were first implemented in 2023, reports started coming out about the inefficiency of the machines, resulting in a completely indifferent customer experience that put more burden on its employees. After implementing the machines, Subway employees reported that the meat slicers were hard to clean and took up space. The slicers disrupted the smooth workflow that employees were used to. The slicers only increased employees' overall work load, as they had to manually slice the meats a task that took time, which the store owners inevitably had to pay for. Stores also have run into the problem of food waste, which inevitably happens when meat gets sliced in-store. One Redditor pointed out that Subway was just "pushing the work from the factories onto the employees." Despite the high expectations, sandwich sales still haven't gone up. In fact, Subway's sales woes are now pushing the chain to focus on digital deals instead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: 15 Failed Restaurant Chains We Actually Miss Subway Is Standing By Its Meat Slicers, Despite The Disappointing Results Subway sandwiches filled with deli meat - Gerardo Mora/Getty Images Subway invested a lot of time and money into the rollout of meat slicers. The overall cost was a hefty $80 million, and the project took two years to come together. Knowing that, it makes sense that Subway will likely stand by its decision for some time to come, despite the pickle that it puts the employees in. At the time of the rollout, Subway management emphasized how the meat slicers will lead to more profit and less expenditure in the long run. But another reason for the new equipment might be trying to keep up with competitors, most of which were already slicing the deli meat on-site. As for the freshness, people don't seem all too concerned about where their meat is sliced. Plus, Subway has no general rule about when the meat should be sliced some locations slice all the meats for the day every single morning, while others do it during evening prep two days in advance. Certain stores allegedly even slice the meat three to four days ahead of time, which most customers wouldn't really consider fresh. Deli meat goes bad more quickly than packaged meat, which places a heavier responsibility on the employees to pay attention to food safety and ensure the "freshly sliced" meat isn't sitting around for too long. Read the original article on Tasting Table. SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) Suffolk Police are asking for the publics help in solving a 2001 homicide. The Suffolk Police Department said a deceased man was found by landscapers behind residences in the 4700 block of Camellia Drive on Sept. 5, 2001. He was identified as 26-year-old Robert Madison III. Police say Madison was shot multiple times and believed to have been deceased for about two days when he was discovered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Madison lived locally and had contacts in Norfolk and Portsmouth. If you have any information about Madisons death, youre asked to contact Suffolk Police or Suffolk Crime Line. People can also report a tip through P3 Tips. 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. WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) The Trumbull County Family and Children First Council hosted It Suits You, an initiative to provide dress clothes to students, on Saturday in Warren. The events goal was to provide dress clothes to high school students in the area to make events like homecoming and prom dances more affordable. So we send fliers to all of our provider agencies in Trumbull County, and the word spreads to other counties. We have some folks whove traveled from Mahoning County to be here. We get donations from places like Goodwill and Saint Vincent de Paul, said Bonnie Wilson, the director of the Trumbull County Family and Children First Culture. And the majority of donations, however, come from the generosity of folks in our community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wilson expressed how excited she was to see the students faces as they were leaving the event with their new clothes. 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. Congress is racing to avert a government shutdown as a Sept. 30 deadline looms, with Democrats threatening to withhold necessary votes to keep the nation funded. This pushback from Democrats, paired with divisions within the Republican conference, threaten to derail funding negotiations. Several lawmakers, including Reps. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), who serves on the House Appropriations Committee and recently announced her bid for Iowa Senate, Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), will likely be asked about efforts to hammer out a stopgap measure on Fox Newss Sunday Morning Futures and NewsNations The Hill, respectively. President Trumps push for pocket recissions to cut foreign aid and other congressionally approved funding last month further complicated negotiations, frustrating Democrats and some Republicans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast (R-Fla.), who will join Fox Newss Fox News Sunday could discuss these rescissions as Congress eyes a federal shutdown. He will also likely discuss U.S. involvement overseas, particularly as Trump looks to help broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will discuss the ongoing war and ceasefire negotiations during an appearance on ABCs This Week. The administration was also delivered a blow on Friday with an abysmal jobs report, signaling the economy has lost steam in recent months. Ahead of the release, Trump signaled that real data would not be available until next year. It comes as Trump officials scramble to secure a Supreme Court ruling approving Trumps sweeping tariff agenda. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to appear on NBCs Meet The Press where he is likely to discuss the latest jobs report as well as the administrations efforts to institute the levies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett could also be asked to weigh in on the scope of presidential authority as it relates to tariffs unapproved by Congress during her appearance on CBSs Sunday Morning. This week, the Jeffrey Epstein saga also took center stage on Capitol Hill once again as Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) push for the release of files related to the late sex offenders case. The duo will join ABCs George Stephanopoulos on Sunday morning. These topics and more are likely to be explored on this weeks Sunday shows. Please see the full list of guests below: NewsNations The Hill Sunday: Reps. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fox News Fox News Sunday: Education Secretary Linda McMahon and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) Fox News Sunday Morning Futures: Border czar Tom Homan; Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.); Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.); Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa); Government Accountability Institutes Peter Schweizer ABCs This Week: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) NBCs Meet the Press: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent; Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D); Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.). CNNs State of the Union: Border czar Tom Homan and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CBSs Sunday Morning: Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett 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. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Saturday that it is time to come together to preserve Odisha's heritage, promote it, and contribute to the vision of a developed India. Pradhan, along with yoga guru Baba Ramdev, attended the Odisha Journalism Award 2025 in New Delhi, where several journalists were honoured for their contributions to journalism in India and Odisha. In a post on X, Pradhan wrote, "Today, at the India and Odisha Journalism Award 5 event organised by Pallibani Mission in Delhi, I had the pleasant opportunity to honour various journalist colleagues who have given a new dimension to journalism in India and Odisha, alongside Yoga Guru Swami @yogrishiramdev ji. On this special occasion, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the esteemed journalist colleagues Sanjeev Paliwal, Pratap Somvanshi, @saurabhtop, friends from Odisha, Sangram Sarangi, Ratnakar Bhoi, and Satyasundar Barik. I also express my heartfelt gratitude to my friend Ramachandran ji for organising this event." He further said that in 1936, Odisha earned the distinction of becoming the first language-based state in the country. "In 1936, Odisha earned the distinction of becoming the first language-based state in the country, and in the coming years, we will witness its centennial celebration. In 2014, Odia was granted the status of a classical language, and Ramachandran ji has made a special contribution to promoting Odia as a language. Through the National Education Policy 2020, we have also worked to encourage all mother tongues of the country. Odisha's role is extremely important in realising Prime Minister Modi ji's resolve for a 'Developed India'," he said. "As an Odia, it is our responsibility to establish our great culture, rich history, and remarkable heritage not only at the national level but also on the international stage. The path for the spread of Buddhism across the world also originated from Odisha, which reflects the global spiritual significance of our land. Now is the time for all of us to come together to preserve Odisha's heritage, promote it, and contribute immensely towards the direction of a Developed India," he added. Yog guru Baba Ramdev said that those playing an important role in national journalism were awarded. Speaking to reporters, Baba Ramdev said, "We are honouring the outstanding journalists of Odisha who play a significant role in promoting Odisha's rich culture. We awarded those who raise awareness in society on this national platform today. For the first time, those playing an important role in national journalism were awarded....Odisha has developed in every area, whether in education, business or politics...I salute Dharmendra Pradhan for guiding Odisha." (ANI) Goodwill of Southern Nevada is supporting Blood Cancer United all month long through their Care to Care Fundraising Partnership campaign. Blood Cancer United, formerly the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, serves people affected by all 100+ types of blood cancer and their families. Bryan Stewart, Chief of Marketing and External Relations, Goodwill of Southern Nevada and Gina Strong, Campaign Development Director, Blood Cancer United, tell us more. Goodwill of Southern Nevada is proud to be in a position to contribute to a life-saving organization. Their customers can help people survive cancer, thrive as survivors and inspire other people following in their wake. Customers can donate money at checkout and Goodwill of Southern Nevada will help them rise to the cause. Funds raised support United Blood Cancers Desert Region (Las Vegas and Phoenix). Money goes towards patient support, advocacy and research, but truly a lot of the funds go towards the patient and the caregiver. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. A surfer at a popular Sydney beach was mauled to death by a suspected "large shark" on Saturday, Australian police said, in a rare fatal attack. The 57-year-old man was surfing with friends in the Pacific waters off northern Sydney's adjoining Long Reef and Dee Why beaches when the attack happened, authorities said. The man an experienced surfer with a wife and a young daughter lost "a number of limbs", New South Wales police superintendent John Ducan told reporters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I do understand that both him and his board disappeared underwater," he said. "The body was found floating in the surf." Surfers exit the water after authorities closed Long Reef Beach in Sydney following a shark attack on September 6, 2025. / Credit: AFP via Getty Images A couple of surfers saw him in the water and got him to shore, Duncan said. "Unfortunately, by that time, we understand he lost probably a lot of blood and attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful," he said. Visitors walk along the shoreline as northern Sydney beaches remain closed following a suspected shark attack at Long Reef Beach on September 6, 2025. / Credit: SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images People nearby saw the ocean predator, according to police, who earlier said they believed a "large shark" attacked the man. Government experts will examine the remains of the surfboard and the man's body to help them determine the species of shark involved, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are about 100 shark species in Western Australia, according to SharkSmart, a website run by Australian officials that warns about shark activity and gives tips on how to stay safe. Most of the species are capable of injuring humans, but an "overwhelming majority of them are not aggressive under most circumstances." Most serious shark bites in ocean-loving Australia are from great whites, bull sharks, and tiger sharks. After the incident, nearby beaches were closed for at least 24 hours. Drones and surf lifesavers on water skis were patrolling the beaches for shark activity. Fatal shark attacks are rare. In 2024, there were only seven fatal attacks, including four unprovoked attacks, around the world, according to research by the International Shark Attack File, a database run by the Florida Museum of Natural History and the University of Florida. Overall, shark attacks decreased dramatically in 2024 and were far below the annual average. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This was the first fatal shark attack in Sydney since 2022, when a 35-year-old British diving instructor was killed off Little Bay. The previous fatal attack in the city was in 1963. Australia's last deadly shark attack was in March, when a surfer was taken off the remote Wharton Beach of Western Australia. Another surfer was presumed dead after a shark attack in South Australia in early January. A witness who saw the attack rode into the sea and retrieved the man's surfboard, but officials said there was "no sign" of the surfer afterwards. There have been more than 1,280 shark incidents around Australia since 1791, of which over 250 resulted in death, according to a database of the predators' encounters with humans. U.S. deploying 10 fighter jets to Puerto Rico in drug cartel crackdown Chicago-area Navy base to be used for immigration operations Saturday Sessions: The Bones of J.R. Jones performs "Stay Wild" UPDATE (9/6/25, 9:30am PST): The man fatally attacked by a shark on Saturday morning while surfing outside of Sydney, Australia has been identified as 57-year-old Dee Why local, Mercury Psillakis. According to a statement told to reporters, Inspector Stuart Thomson said Psillakis lost "a number of limbs" in the attack. Thomson continued: His body was found floating in the surf, and a couple of other people went out and recovered it but attempts to save his life were unsuccessful. "The gentleman is an experienced surfer. He was here with a number of mates and...hed only been in the water for about half an hour at the time." Early Saturday morning, a surfer was fatally attacked by a shark in Australia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident occurred at Long Reef, near Dee Why, in Sydneys northern beaches soon after 10am local time. Police were on the scene and closed the beach following the killing. The mans identity, and the species of shark, have yet to be disclosed. Reportedly, the man was pulled to shore following the attack, but he was dead on the scene. Additionally, a surfboard broken in half was retrieved. Sophie Lumsden, a Sydney local was on the beach when the attack occurred. She told The Telegraph: I was sitting at the beach having a coffee and the shark alarm went off. Two minutes later, four ambulances turned up. There is someone on the beach but it doesnt look like they are doing much treating. They havent taken them off the beach yet, and cops are surrounding them. It doesnt look good." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details are scarce surrounding the attack; more as they come. Related: Surfer Catapulted by Great White Shark, Board Exploded (Video) The most recent mauling comes just over two weeks after another surfer was attacked, and catapulted into the air, by a shark at Cabarita Beach just down the coast. In that incident, the man survived with barely a scratchmiraculously. Speaking to ABC, a friend of the attacked surfer at Cabarita who was in the water, described: The board exploded, one half went that way, the other half went that way, there was just whitewash and debris everywhere. It all happened so fast, it still hasnt really processed what happened and how quickly. You grow up surfing, you think about sharks and they are out there but to see one so big this close in is pretty rare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Condolences to the loved ones of the attack near Dee Why. Related: Shark Chases Surfers to Beach After Attacking Teen (Video) This story was originally reported by Surfer on Sep 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Surfer as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The Riffe Gallery exhibition "A Common Thread" is a textile exhibition featuring the works of 16 Ohio artists who worked with the late Sue Cavanaugh (Sept. 6, 1948-March 19, 2022) or were inspired by her work. It is woven together with respect and admiration for Cavanaugh and her fabric art. She was a widely admired fiber artist who created a legacy as large as Last Dance, her final massive tapestry. The Ohio Arts Council celebrates Cavanaughs legacy with this show. Jellyfish by Linda Leviton, featured at the Riffe Gallery exhibition "A Common Thread." Riffe Gallery Director Cat Sheridan described Cavanaugh in glowing terms, beloved by her community and super talented. Sue was an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award winner, and a Greater Columbus Arts Council Individual Art award winner, among other honors. She grew up on a farm in McCutchenville, Ohio, and developed a love of travel, taking her to Mexico and to Dresden, Germany, Columbuss sister city, to study art. After earning two degrees and a career at The Ohio State University, Cavanaugh retired in 2000 to become an artist. Her textiles career blossomed. Cavanaughs last show before succumbing to pancreatic cancer was a massive installation in Mansfield titled Last Dance, celebrating life. The works in this exhibition demonstrate an outpouring of love and devotion to Cavanaughs art. Advertisement Advertisement Survey of the Visual Arts: Find the next top artist at Franklinton Fridays On my visit, Sheridan drew my attention to the intricacy of the Japanese Sashiko technique, sewing with loose stitches which are visible and part of the design, used by many of the fabric artists in the show. According to Alexandra Churchill in her article, Sashiko: The Art of Mending Fabric with Beautiful Stitches (Martha Stewart, March 10, 2020), Sashiko means little stabs, and was intended to extend the life of a garment by adorning it with loose, contrasting visible stitches. The additional layers of fabric strengthen and reinvent the garment. A piece from the Riffe Gallery exhibition: "A Common Thread." Curators Caren Petersen and Char Norman carefully selected artists who had worked with Cavanaugh or whose work blended seamlessly with her own. Highlights of "A Common Thread" feature whimsical Jellyfish, by Linda Leviton; At Last, a fashion design piece by Celeste Malvar-Stewart who embellished a parachute hand stitched by Cavanaugh; David Senecals Unless, a digital projection of Earth overshadowed by debris; and Joyce Morrow Jones Dreaming of Transformation, a quilt pattern with flowers, butterflies and a female figure. Jones Spirit Tree invites us to look closer at nature. Molly Jo Burke and Nathan Gorgen collaborated on a series of small sandcasting objects and on the large sculpture Fauna Revisited, an intriguing piece incorporating Hydrostone, wood, glass, metal, resin, polystyrene and vinyl. If you see something that really speaks to you, you can take it home, as most of the artwork is for sale. Some of the artists repurposed fabric which had been used in Sues work in their own art. The range of media included painting, print making, digital video projection, sculpture, a fabric child-sized doll and clothing design. The material used in an overwhelming number of pieces was fabric; however, a surprising array of found objects were incorporated into designs and sculpture, including work gloves, seashells, bicycle training wheels, remnants of a highchair, items traditionally associated with child raising and homemaking, a round mirror, a long pipe cleaner, an animal skull, bones, wood fragments and a pendulum placed throughout the exhibition. A piece from the Riffe Gallery exhibition: "A Common Thread." Many of the subjects are taken from nature. Images of birds, rabbits, flowers and bones, which evoke the brevity of life, and environmental concerns highlight the art. Fabric is used to recreate the underwater world of sea creatures. "A Common Thread" also takes the homemade garment to a new and majestic level. Garments which were once made at home for the family. These repurposed fabrics have been reimagined into fantastic gowns. Advertisement Advertisement Survey of the Visual Arts: Decorative Arts Center of Ohio turns into 'Star Trek' universe Artist Talks accompanying the exhibition are presented by Linda Leviton on Tuesday, Sept. 9, from 11 a.m. to noon; Joyce Morrow Jones on Tuesday, Sept. 16, from 11 a.m. to noon; and Gwen Waight on Tuesday, Sept. 23, from 11 a.m. to noon. Artists Talks are free and held live on Zoom. To register, visit riffegallery.eventbrite.com. Amy Drake The Ohio Arts Council was formed in 1965 to "foster and encourage the development of the arts and assist the preservation of Ohio's cultural heritage." With this exhibition, OAC is furthering their commitment to preserving Ohios cultural heritage. Art is sometimes a reflection of the lifestyles, ideals and concerns of a community. "A Common Thread" is up through Oct. 3 at the Riffe Gallery, located in the first floor lobby of the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, 77 S. High St., in downtown Columbus. Nearby on-street and garage parking is available. The exhibition is free to attend. The gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 614-644-9624, write riffegallery@oac.ohio.gov, or visit riffegallery.org. Advertisement Advertisement Amy Drake, M.A., M.S. MCM, is a Telly Award-winning filmmaker, playwright and actor. She can be reached at draketheatrical@gmail.com. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Survey of the Visual Arts: 'A Common Thread' connects textile artists SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) The Syracuse Mets announced on Friday, September 5, that they would be adjusting the next stage of the Re-Name the Team Community Challenge. In a release on their website, they said the team received over 5,100 name suggestions from fans. As a result of the overwhelming amount of submissions, the club has decided to shift its timeline in order to go through the wide range entries to select from, as well as trademark and develop new brand and identity that reflects the heart of Central New York. Instead of public voting, which would require a more expedited process due to trademarking requirements, the club will work with community focus groups over the upcoming months to help inform and inspire the final name. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After receiving more than 5,100 creative name suggestions from fans, the club has decided to shift its timeline in order to draw on the full range of entries to select, trademark and develop a new brand and identity that truly reflects the heart of Central New York. Instead of public voting, which requires a more expedited process due to trademarking requirements, the club will work with community focus groups over the coming months to help inform and inspire the final name. They said the team remains on track to unveil its new name in the fall of 2026, with the new name set to debut before the 2027 season. Weve been blown away by the passion and imagination our fans have shown, said General Manager Jason Smorol. With so many great ideas to choose from, it didnt feel right to rush the process. Next year is our 150th anniversary and we have the opportunity to be thoughtful about building a new brand that excites our fans and rivals some of the best MiLB identities out there. By engaging community groups and listening carefully, were confident well land on an identity that Syracuse can proudly call its own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. A viral TikTok skit portraying a painfully awkward conversation has set off a wave of generational debate. The clip, from creator Mandy (@guyfieriwhore), shows a young woman shutting down every attempt at small talk, offering no opinions, no reactions, and no engagement. The text overlay on her video reads, "POV you're trying to talk to people in 2025." Viewers linked the exaggerated scene to a real-world communication breakdown among Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Conversations across TikTok and Reddit debated whether younger generations have lost basic social skills, or if deeper cultural and pandemic-driven forces are at play. The TikTok has been viewed over 1.9 million times and has 316,000 likes. A viral skit and generational silence The video quickly reached Reddit, where it was reposted to the r/TikTokCringe subreddit. There, users claimed the behavior reflected a real communication breakdown among Gen Z and even Gen Alpha. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One college assistant teacher said, "I can confirm half of the students I have that are 18-20 are like this to talk to." Another commenter, a body piercer, described younger customers as hiding behind "this smoke screen of stupidity and ignorance to avoid being seen as cringe." They added, "The effect is that everyone under 25 seems 8." Notably, several people tied this communication style to the pandemic. u/crustation_nation explained, "I'm gen z and that's exactly how it was when we came back to school from covid. No one was raising their hands, everyone was just quiet." They remembered answering every teachers question just to break the silence. "Something about this behavior feels so deeply selfish because of the discomfort it causes others." Teachers, managers, and service workers shared similar frustrations. A community college instructor said even simple icebreaker games failed. Students struggled to find common ground and spoke so softly that responses had to be repeated. A waitress added, "There's definitely a non-insignificant percentage of Gen Z (and going into Gen Alpha as well) that thinks barely whisper-talking while looking away from you is a great way to communicate." Social cues, silence, and influencer culture These accounts painted a consistent picture: younger people often whisper, mumble, or refuse eye contact. Several adults noted that requests to "speak up" only made the issue worse. A factory worker explained they stopped talking to younger employees altogether because communication felt impossible in a loud environment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Commenters also pointed to deeper causes. One high school teacher noticed students covered their mouths while talking, even when asked to stop. Another Redditor blamed influencer culture, saying younger generations act like they always have a personal "brand." This constant self-awareness may intensify the fear of appearing "cringe." Poet and NYU professor Ocean Vuong explained this cultural shift in an interview with ABC News. "They perform cynicism because cynicism can be misread, as it often is, as intelligence. I think sincerity is something we deeply hunger for, particularly young people, but we are embarrassed when sincerity is in the room." Meanwhile, older coworkers and classmates described the silence as selfish or arrogant. A millennial nontraditional student complained that group projects with Gen Z peers felt like "pulling teeth." A manager admitted they dreaded small talk with younger employees because the responses always felt forced and uncomfortable. Taken together, the conversation suggested that what looks like rudeness may actually stem from insecurity and pandemic isolation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement @guyfieriwhore did not respond immediately to the Daily Dots request for comment via TikTok DM. The internet is chaoticbut well break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dots newsletter here. The Home Office is to spend millions of pounds to feed asylum seekers with ready meals, snacks and crisps over the next three years. The department has put out to tender a contract to provide migrants who have arrived on Channel boats or through other routes with prepared meals, sandwiches, snacks, crisps and drinks when they are screened for asylum. The contract is primarily targeted at asylum intake centres in Croydon, south London, Kent and Belfast, but could also extend to sites across the UK. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asylum intake units are Home Office facilities where migrants who have entered the UK and wish to claim asylum undergo an initial screening and registration process. In its tender document, the Home Office said the contract was expected to start in January 2026 and run until January 2028, with the option to extend for an extra year. The specification includes catering services, snacks, prepared meals and sandwiches, vegetables, fruits and nuts, labelling machines, and meal preparation and delivery services. No cost is set out in the tender document but bids are invited by next month. However, industry estimates suggest it would cost between 1.2 million and 2.4 million a year to provide catering services and two meals a day to 40,000 migrants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 50,000 migrants have crossed the Channel since Sir Keir Starmer won the election last summer. More than 29,000 have so far reached the UK on small boats this year, the highest number in the first eight months since the first arrivals in 2018. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: The Home Office is only having to budget millions to feed and house asylum seekers because of Labours borders crisis. The catering contract will be primarily targeted at asylum intake centres - Gareth Fuller/PA The Labour government promised to stop Channel crossings and end the use of asylum hotels, yet record numbers of dinghies full of illegal immigrants are arriving on our shores who are then housed and fed at taxpayers expense. This is an insult to hard-working families who are struggling to make ends meet. Only the Conservatives, with our Deportation Bill, have a credible plan to end this madness by ending the Human Rights Act for immigration matters and deporting all illegal immigrants immediately upon arrival. Then they wont need to be fed or housed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Telegraph revealed earlier this year that the taxpayer is providing new clothes and shoes to Channel migrants at a cost of more than 3,000 a day. Men, women and children arriving at Dover have been handed the free clothes including puffer coats, hats and gloves in winter and flip-flops in summer at a total cost of almost 4 million over the past three years. The Home Office stocks thousands of different sizes and shapes to replace all the migrants clothing, which it says is necessary because they are often soaked through with sea water and occasionally splashed with fuel, posing a health and safety risk. The UK is legally responsible under international law to provide support including accommodation and financial aid for those who are destitute, and offer protection to those who qualify as refugees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Government provides housing and a weekly cash allowance of 49.18 per person to eligible asylum seekers who are destitute or likely to become destitute. 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. A group of Ohio teachers hit a $1 million Powerball prize and turned it into a tribute to a colleague who died of cancer. The 10-member pool from Crestview Elementary in Ashland had kept playing in memory of Mary Jo Manocchio, 60, a longtime kindergarten school teacher who died in March 2021. For years after her death, her friends covered her share so she would still be part of the group, according to the Ohio Lottery and Clevelands FOX 8. Mary Jo Manocchio taught at Crestview for more than two decades before her death in 2021, and colleagues said she was deeply devoted to her students. Dignity Memorial That loyalty paid off Aug. 6, when their ticket matched all five white balls for a $1,000,004 payday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The teachers win came during the current jackpot drought no one has claimed the grand prize since May 31 in California that has now pushed the pot to a record $1.8 billion for Saturdays drawing. Manocchio had been their guardian angel, Rader told the lottery. She was a good friend, retired art teacher Karen Rader told FOX 8. Makes me get a little weepy. She loved her kids, her own children and she loved the children that she taught. Rader, who had organized the pool for six years, said she was sitting with a coffee when she scanned the ticket and discovered they had struck it rich. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was talking to my daughter on the phone, and I was like, I think we won a million dollars! Rader told lottery officials. I started texting everyone and they were like no way, no way and so they checked the numbers themselves, and they were like, we did win! Crestview Elementarys 10-member pool had been playing together for six years before their numbers finally came up in the Aug. 6 drawing. FOX8/Ohio lottery The winning ticket was bought at a Circle K gas station in Seville. Rader told FOX 8 she had the group saved in her phone as future millionaires and sent out the news to stunned colleagues. The pool includes teachers, a custodian and a guidance counselor, who had all chipped in weekly for six years. Before the big score, the groups biggest win was a handful of small-dollar wins. After taxes, each member will pocket about $72,000, officials said. Each of the 10 members is expected to take home about $72,000 after taxes, according to the Ohio Lottery. FOX8 Some are planning to pay off mortgages or buy new cars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the most meaningful payout will go to Manocchios family. Her four adult children will receive her portion and are considering using it for a memorial or family trip in her honor, Rader told FOX 8. Because that is what Mary Jo would have loved, Rader said. To have her family together. The meeting came days after PM Modi's return from his visit to Japan and China. During PM Modi's visit to Japan, the two counties focused on shaping the next phase in Special Strategic and Global Partnership, which has made steady and significant progress over the past eleven years. During the visit, India and Japan gave new wings to the bilateral collaboration, expanding the scope and ambition of economic and investment ties. They advanced cooperation in new and emerging technologies, including AI and Semiconductors. PM Modi later travelled to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tianjin, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. India is an active and constructive member of SCO and has remained committed to working with the SCO members to address shared challenges and deepen regional cooperation. PM Modi also held meetings with President Xi Jinping, President Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. The GST Council earlier this month approved reforms with a multi-sectoral and multi-thematic focus on improving the lives of all citizens and ensuring ease of doing business for all, including small traders and businessmen It approved rate rationalisation with a focus on common man, labour-intensive industries, farmers and agriculture, health and key drivers of the economy. (ANI) PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A teen who turned himself in after a murder in the Bushs Pasture Park area in Salem has admitted to the shooting death of a 16-year-old in March 2024, according to the Marion County DAs Office. Nathaniel McCrae Jr. admitted to second-degree murder in juvenile court. He also pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm in Marion County Circuit Court. Close Thanks for signing up! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KOIN Breaking News Alerts On March 7, 2024, Salem police closed the entrance to the park on Lefelle Street to search the area for more than six hours after gunfire erupted in the area of two large groups of teenagers around 1:45 p.m. When police arrived, they found three teens with gunshot wounds. Despite officers efforts, 16-year-old Jose Vasquez-Valenzuela died at the scene. The other two boys survived the shooting and were taken to the hospital. A few days later, McCrae turned himself in at the Salem Police Station. McCrae was sentenced to the legal custody of the Oregon Youth Authority for the maximum period allowed by law, which is up to his 25th birthday. He will also serve a minimum of 60 months for the adult conviction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DAs office shared the following statement about what influenced the sentencing: Senate Bill 1008 was passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2019 and drastically changed how youth that commit violent felonies are charged under Oregon law. Now, the state must prove that at the time of the conduct, that youth have an adult-like understanding of the nature and quality of their conduct and that the juvenile justice system has no reformative value, among multiple other factors. See e.g., ORS 419C.349. This exceedingly high legal standard makes adult convictions for youth rare and incredibly difficult to obtain. Even if they are waived into adult court, waived defendants are eligible for release after 15 years and halfway through their sentences, regardless of the crime of conviction or number of victims. Conversely, if an adult conviction cannot be obtained, the maximum sentence any youth can serve under Oregon law for any juvenile conviction (adjudication) is until their 25th birthday, regardless of the nature of the offense and the number of incidents or victims they offend against. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rather than risk the case being resolved solely in juvenile court, here, the state agreed to a bifurcated resolution in which Defendant admitted to murder as a juvenile and received an adult felony firearm conviction. This structure prohibits Defendant from possessing firearms in the future. 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 KOIN.com. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) A 19-year-old man was arrested Friday in connection with a weapon found at a Northwest D.C. charter school, according to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Court documents say officers responded Wednesday at 1 p.m. after a school staff member found a student with a gun at a charter school in the 1700 block of G St. NW. There, the staff member took the firearm, and the suspect ran from the scene before officers arrived. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 35-year-old man charged with murder in death of missing Prince Georges County woman Police say the handgun had a switch modification that converts a semi-automatic pistol into a machine pistol. James Brewer was charged with carrying a pistol without a license, possession of a certain dangerous weapon- a machine gun, possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, and possession of unregistered ammunition. 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. SALISBURY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) A teen reported missing out of Charlotte since March was rescued this week as part of a human trafficking sting in Rowan County. The Rowan County Sheriffs Office said that deputies conducted an undercover human trafficking sting on Sept 3 and 4. On the evening of Sept. 4, a 16-year-old was allegdly brought to an undercover officer by 22-year-old Kelton Isiah Sturdivant, of Oakboro. Sturdivant was arrested and was found to be a convicted felon, accused of being in possession of a handgun as well as Oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators learned the juvenile had been reported missing to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police on March 3, and was entered as a missing child to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Hickory comedian Jon Reep indicted on child-porn charges The victim was turned over to the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services and Sturdivant was charged with: Promoting Prostitution of a Minor, Second Degree Kidnapping, Possession of a Firearm by Felon and Possession of a Scheduled II Controlled Substance. He was placed in the Rowan County Jail under no bond. The FBI has been contacted as a result of the incident. This is the second operation conducted by Rowan County deputies where a missing juvenile was rescued from prostitution. In March 2024, 35-yr-old Kadeem Zelique Williams was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and promoting the prostitution. He subsequently pleaded guilty in Rowan County Superior court and was sentenced to a minimum of 7.4 years and a maximum of 13.9 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to Sturdivants arrest, the following suspects also face charges as a result of this weeks operation: Josie Arianne Dyer, 30, of Salisbury: Prostitution and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia Tyauna Brasha Lee Jones, 32, of Salisbury: Prostitution Kayla Kabre Ashford, 22, of Charlotte: Prostitution, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia Christopher Alexander Brewton-Perry, 19, of Charlotte: Possession of a Weapon of Mass Destruction; Alter, Destroy, or Remove a Serial Number of a Firearm; Possession with Intent to Sell or Deliver Schedule Marijuana; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia *This individual showed up to the operation site with a pistol modified to be fully automatic. The serial number had also been scratched off. Alesha Monique Hammond, 28, of Charlotte: Prostitution Alvontrez Raekwon Randolph, 29, of Greenville: Prostitution Kizzy Corinthia Benjamin, 46, of Salisbury: Prostitution, Possession of Marijuana James Aaron Handy, 32, of Millers Creek: Prostitution 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 Queen City News. COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) Columbus Police are investigating a late-night Friday shooting in downtown Columbus that left a teenager dead. Kalielah Davis, 18, was shot to death inside a vehicle parked on Bay Avenue near the Chattahoochee River. The 9-1-1 call came at approximately 11:00 p.m., according to police. Davis was pronounced dead about a half hour later at Piedmont Columbus Regionals Midtown campus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The car was parked facing southbound on Bay Avenue near Kadie the Cow and the Whitewater Express zipline. A passenger side window was shot out. Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan says Davis was shot in the head. The passenger side of the car was facing the river. There were multiple people in the vehicle at the time. Davis was the only one injured. There appear to be multiple gunshot holes in the car. The Columbus Police Violent Crimes Unit is investigating. Cpl. Charles Alexander is the lead investigator. For anyone with information, Alexander can be reached at 706-225-4263 or calexander@columbusga.org. 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 WRBL. FARMINGTON, Utah (ABC4) A teenage boy was riding an e-bike in Farmington when he was struck and killed by a vehicle. According to Farmington Police Department, a 13-year-old boy was riding his e-bike in the area of 600 S and 1525 W around 4:30p.m. Unfortunately, a vehicle struck him. 2-year-old dies after being hit by vehicle in Layton Initial reports indicate that the vehicle was likely traveling north on 1525 west, approaching 600 south, at the time of the collision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Witnesses reported that when the juvenile was hit, he was bleeding and not breathing. They attempted to provide life-saving aid to the teenager, including CPR, until emergency services arrived. When medical personnel arrived on scene, they continued to administer first aid. The juvenile was then transported by ambulance to the hospital. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries and died at the hospital. Farmington police say that the driver remained on scene and is cooperating with the investigation. At this time, neither the driver of the vehicle nor the identity of the 13-year-old victim have been released by law enforcement. The investigation remains active and ongoing. Latest headlines: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Sep. 5A Fairmont High School staff member is the third Kettering Schools employee in recent years to face allegations of inappropriate behavior involving a student. Ja'Ce Xavier Nutt, 22, was arrested Thursday morning at the high school on a charge of sexual battery. Nutt, described by the Kettering City School District as a study hall monitor, was immediately placed on unpaid leave pending termination at the Sept. 16 Kettering Board of Education meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kettering Schools set a pre-disciplinary meeting for Nutt on Wednesday at the district offices and informed him of a recommendation to terminate his employment for "incompetency, immoral conduct, insubordination, discourteous treatment of the public, neglect of duty and/or other acts of misfeasance, malfeasance or nonfeasance," his pre-termination notice stated. Students reported that a Fairmont staff member, later identified as Nutt, made inappropriate comments in social media messages, which led to an investigation involving the school resource officer, Kettering Police Department and district administration, Principal Karyn Denslow shared in a letter to Fairmont students, families and staff. "Through its investigation, the Kettering Police Department determined that this individual had engaged in inappropriate behavior with more than one Fairmont student," Denslow wrote. The pre-termination notice outlined specific reasons for the district's termination recommendation, alleging that he engaged in an inappropriate and/or sexual relationship with a student; was arrested and charged with sexual battery; because of his arrest the school board is required to suspend him, which means he cannot do his job; he reportedly engaged in inappropriate communications with a student via text messages; and that because of his arrest he was absent without leave for part of Thursday and all day Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said Nutt worked as a paraprofessional for credit recovery classes. A license search on the State Board of Education website shows that Nutt has a one-year educational aide permit in effect through June 30, 2026, which is valid at Kettering City School District. The Kettering Police Department is working closely with Kettering City Schools and will continue to dedicate all necessary resources to its ongoing investigation, the department said in a release issued Friday. "The safety of the students in this situation is our highest priority," the statement read. "We strongly encourage anyone who may have pertinent information, or who may be a witness or victim, to please come forward." Any information can be shared with detective Kevin McGuire at 937-296-2597. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former Kettering music teacher gets prison for child sexual abuse material charges Matthew Ryan Koehler, 38, was sentenced in May to 2 1/2 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to five counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor and one count of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance. He is incarcerated in the Belmont Correctional Institution and is expected to be released in November 2027, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction website. Kettering police began an investigation in November 2023 after a 19-year-old man reported that while he was in middle school that Koehler allegedly acted inappropriately and exchanged sexual text messages, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A search warrant of Koehler's Centerville home and electronic devices revealed two videos showing minor boys in states of nudity, one of which showed the sexual assault of a child. Koehler was placed on administrative leave the next day, Superintendent Mindy McCarty-Stewart said previously. He resigned from his position in June 2024. Koehler was hired by the district in 2012 and mainly worked at Fairmont High School. He led or helped lead extracurricular music and choir groups. He also had served as the choir and play director at Kettering and Van Buren middle schools, according to district records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to his prison term, Koehler was designated a Tier II sex offender, which will require him to register his address with his local sheriff's office every 180 days for 25 years. Former Kettering Schools employee spends 8 weekends in jail in sex case Former computer systems administrator Joey L. Irwin in April was ordered to serve eight weekends in the Montgomery County Jail and up to five years of probation for an inappropriate sexual relationship with a Fairmont High School student more than a decade ago. Kettering City Schools said Irwin resigned from his position March 12, 2024, a little more than two weeks before his indictment by a county grand jury for two counts of sexual battery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incidents happened between Aug. 1, 2012, and May 1, 2013, his indictment stated. The Kettering Police Department investigated the allegations from the former student, who is now in her 30s, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office. He pleaded guilty to reduced charges of aggravated assault and a misdemeanor count of sexual imposition. As part of his conviction, he was designated a Tier I sex offender, which requires him to register his address annually for 15 years, court documents show. NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio (WJW) With its opening set for October, Texas Roadhouse is looking to fill nearly 200 jobs at its new location in North Olmsted. All about 8 new Ohio laws going into effect this month The steakhouse known for its hand-cut steaks, ribs and made-from-scratch sides is opening at 25100 Country Club Blvd. in mid-October, a release from the restaurant states. Full and part-time positions are available including servers, bakers, dishwashers, bartenders and more. Click HERE to apply. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The North Olmsted Texas Roadhouse location will employ a staff of 190, according to the release. Interviews will be conducted inside the restaurant from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays Powerball jackpot sits at $1.8 billion Once it is officially open, the restaurant will serve dinner only Monday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Lunch and dinner will be available Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.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 Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. Texas is ramping up roadside English proficiency checks on truck drivers in a bid to keep unsafe operators off the road, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday. The Department of Public Safety (DPS) will now test drivers English skills during inspections and licensing reviews applying the rule to both interstate and intrastate operators. I am directing DPS to enact zero-tolerance enforcement of these federal safety regulations across the board, Abbott said. This approach will keep Texans safe while keeping our economy moving. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The move follows a June 25 directive from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requiring English proficiency as a zero-tolerance condition for commercial drivers. Since then, roughly 445 drivers have been flagged in Texas for failing the requirement, according to Abbotts office. About 28 carried Texas-issued CDLs, 340 held licenses from Mexico, and the rest were licensed elsewhere. Texas is home to more CDL drivers than any other state, with about 212,770 tractor-trailer operators as of May 2023, federal data shows. The Texas Trucking Association (TXTA) endorsed the crackdown, saying English skills are critical to road safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When drivers cannot read road signs, weather alerts, or digital instructions near bridges, overpasses, or construction zones, it puts every motorist at risk, according to a statement from TXTA President and CEO John D. Esparza. The post Texas steps up crackdown on truckers failing English tests appeared first on FreightWaves. The Delhi High Court on September 2, had denied bail to Imam and eight others - Umar Khalid, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Shadab Ahmed, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Gulfisha Fatima. Delhi Police had opposed the pleas, saying it was not a case of spontaneous riots but a case where riots were "planned well in advance" with a "sinister motive and well-thought-out conspiracy". The High Court had observed that, prima facie, the role of Imam and Khalid in the entire conspiracy was "grave", having delivered inflammatory speeches on communal lines to "instigate mass mobilisation of members of the Muslim community." Imam sought bail from the apex court in the larger conspiracy case under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the Delhi riots case in February 2020. In 2020, the Delhi police arrested Imam under the UAPA and named him the main conspirator behind the Delhi riots case. The violence had erupted during the protests against the then-proposed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. (ANI) Persistent political turmoil has a way of blurring the lines between change and continuity. So it is with Thailand, where veteran politician Anutin Charnvirakul was elected prime minister in a parliamentary vote Friday, convincingly defeating the ruling coalitions preferred candidate. Anutin will be the countrys third leader in as many years. His election caps off a week of drama and intrigue that began when the powerful Constitutional Court ousted his predecessor, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, ruling she had committed an ethical lapse during a leaked phone call in June with Cambodias former leader, Hun Sen. That incident prompted Anutins conservative Bhumjaithai party to withdraw from the coalition and position itself as an alternative to Paetongtarns Pheu Thai party. Known as a well-connected dealmaker, Anutin was able to secure the support of the largest political party in the lower house of the National Assembly, the progressive Peoples Party. He is expected to be sworn in in the coming days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That leaves Pheu Thai, a dominant force in Thai politics for the past quarter century, looking increasingly diminished. It was once a populist machine driven by Paetongtarns father, the 76-year-old billionaire and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose political dynasty has won five general elections by positioning itself as a democratic counterweight to Thailands powerful military and royalist establishment. To get more in-depth news and expert analysis on global affairs from WPR, sign up for our free Daily Review newsletter. But in 2023, Thaksin made a fateful bargain with his establishment rivals, joining with them in a coalition to prevent the Move Forward Partythe predecessor to the Peoples Party, which won the largest number of votes in that years electionfrom taking office and enacting a series of far-reaching reforms. That triggered a political reckoning, as Pheu Thais support dropped and lawmakers left the party. Thaksin has also faced legal troubles stemming from a controversial monthslong hospital stay that allowed him to avoid a prison term. With the Supreme Court set to issue a final ruling in the case next week, Thaksin left the country Thursday claiming he was seeking medical treatment in Singapore. But flight tracking data showed his plane abruptly changing course and landing instead in Dubai. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thaksins attorney says he will attend his court session in person. But his sudden departure, combined with his partys defeat in parliament, suggest that even if he returns, his influence will be far more limited than it was before. For all intents and purposes, the Shinawatra family is politically spent, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, told Reuters. The political configuration that comes next, a minority government led by Anutins Bhumjaithai, does not look especially stable. In order to secure the Peoples Partys support, Anutin committed to dissolving parliament within four months so that new elections can be held and starting a long-overdue process to amend the countrys 2017 constitution, which was enacted during military rule. But Bhumjaithai is widely seen as pro-military and pro-monarchy. Anutin may opt to renege on his deal or try to cobble together a new governing majority without the Peoples Partys support. Another prolonged period of political infighting may prompt the military to intervene again, as it has many times before. As ever with Thai politics, chaos is the only constant. Elliot Waldman is World Politics Reviews editor-in-chief. The post Is Thailand Done With the Shinawatras? appeared first on World Politics Review. WASHINGTON (AP) Thousands of protesters marched across Washington, D.C., on Saturday in one of the largest demonstrations against President Donald Trump's federal takeover of policing in the nations capital. Behind a bright red banner reading END THE D.C. OCCUPATION in English and Spanish, protesters marched over two miles from Meridian Hill Park to Freedom Plaza near the White House to rail against the fourth week of National Guard troops and federal agents patrolling D.C.s streets. The We Are All D.C. protest put together by local advocates of Home Rule and the American Civil Liberties Union was perhaps the most organized demonstration yet against Donald Trump's federal intervention in Washington. The president justified the action last month as a way to address crime and homelessness in the city, even though city officials have noted that violent crime is lower than it was during Trumps first term in office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump targeted D.C. after deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles earlier this summer as the administration ramped up its immigration enforcement efforts and attempted to quell protests. The White House then turned to Washington, which presented a unique opportunity for Trump to push his tough-on-crime agenda because of its subservient status to the federal government. The presence of armed military officers in the streets has put Washington on edge and spurred weeks of demonstrations, particularly in D.C. neighborhoods. Trumps emergency declaration taking charge of D.C. police is set to expire on Wednesday. Mark Fitzpatrick, a former U.S. diplomat who has been a D.C. resident for around a decade, told The Associated Press on Saturday that he's worried about the authoritarian nature in which the administration is treating D.C. Federal agents, national guards patrolling our streets, thats really an affront to the democracy of our city," he said, adding that its worse for D.C. residents due to their lack of federal representation. "We dont have our own senators or members of the House of Representatives, so were at the mercy of a dictator like this, a wanna-be dictator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among the protesters Saturday were also former D.C. residents like Tammy Price, who called the Trump administration's takeover evil" and not for the people. Jun Lee, a printmaker artist living in Washington, showed up with a Free DC sign that she made on a woodcut block. She said she came to the protest because she was saddened and heartbroken about the impact of the federal intervention on her city. This is my home, and I never, ever thought all the stuff that I watched in a history documentary that Im actually living in person, and this is why this is important for everyone, this is our home, we need to fight, we need to resist, she said. Also on Saturday, Trump repeated threats to add Chicago to the list of other Democratic-led cities he wants to target for expanded federal enforcement. His administration is set to step up immigration enforcement in Chicago, similar to what took place in Los Angeles, and deploy National Guard troops. Like the District of Columbia, Chicago's recent crime data does not reflect the war zones Trump has repeatedly compared it to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Violent crime in Chicago dropped significantly in the first half of the year, representing the steepest decline in over a decade, according to city data. Shootings are down 37%, and homicides have dropped by 32%, while total violent crime dropped by over 22%. In response to Trump's threats, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, called the president a wannabe dictator," who is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke," Pritzker wrote on X. "This is not normal. ___ Amiri reported from New York. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) Thousands of people in Washington, D.C. gathered Saturday in a massive march to the White House, demanding President Donald Trump end the deployment of National Guard troops in the citys streets. Organizers for We Are All DC convened at Malcolm X Park at around 11 a.m. (John T. Murray) (John T. Murray) Overnight fire in Northwest DC displaces multiple people On the events website, officials said, DC communities are powerful, connected, and under attack. Federal troops, national guards from multiple states, and local DC police now led by Trump have launched an assault to harass, surveil, and detain Black and brown working-class residents, immigrants, youth and unhoused neighbors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Organizers demanded an immediate withdrawal of federal troops from the District and an end to the federalization of the local police department, according to the site. They also claimed Trump was treating Washingtonians as enemies in our own homes. 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. (StockPlanets/Getty Images) Three candidates hoping to be South Dakotas next governor support a statewide policy or law banning cellphones from school classrooms. Another said the decision should be left to local school districts, while a potential candidate is seeking local input on the issue. Most school districts in South Dakota already have a policy in place that doesnt allow cellphones in classrooms. About one-third of school districts take the further step of removing or locking away cellphones during class or school hours, based on a South Dakota Searchlight survey of superintendents and analysis of published school policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement South Dakotas lone U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, a Republican, announced three days after the publication of Searchlights story that, if elected governor next year, he would seek a statewide prohibition on student cellphone access during class time. The state constitution makes it clear that kids should have quality education, Johnson told Searchlight. The state government setting a broad-stroke policy and then having the execution of that strategy and management done at the local level will give us the best of both worlds. South Dakota is one of 24 states to not implement a statewide policy or law to ban or limit cellphone use in classrooms. State lawmakers considered a statewide effort last legislative session, but held off after school administrators said theyd prefer to determine policies at the local level. The Legislature instead passed a resolution encouraging school boards to implement such policies. According to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey, 72% of U.S. high school teachers say cellphone distraction is a major problem in the classroom. Some research suggests student performance improves after schools ban cellphones. Other candidates weigh in Two other announced candidates for governor said they support efforts to establish a statewide law or policy removing cellphones from classrooms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement South Dakota House Speaker Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, would support a statewide policy to ensure students focus on learning, not on distractions and foster healthier social interactions. From left, U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, Gov. Larry Rhoden, Aberdeen businessman Toby Doeden, and state House Speaker Jon Hansen. (South Dakota Searchlight images) Democrat Robert Arnold, a 20-year-old college student who said he plans to run for governor, said a statewide policy or law would benefit students, but added that other efforts would be more impactful on student wellbeing, including providing universal free lunch and ensuring the federal Department of Education remains intact. Arnold said Johnson should support those efforts. Not a peep from him about policies that will have a real impact on our people, but hell of course propose legislation that at least makes it look like he cares about our childrens education, Arnold said in an emailed statement. Aberdeen businessman and Republican Toby Doeden said phones in classrooms are roadblocks to education and a breeding ground for negative influences and distractions. But he said school boards should address the issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Allowing state leaders to mandate individual policy changes at the local level would set a terrible precedent and is an obvious constitutional overreach, Doeden said in a text message. As governor, I would absolutely lean on our local school boards to ban cellphones from the classrooms. Robert Arnold announces his campaign for governor in June 2025 at the state Capitol in Pierre. (Courtesy of Robert Arnold) Current Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden has not announced his intention to run, but is expected to enter the race. The Rhoden administration is asking school leaders if they prefer cellphone policies that come from the local or state level, spokesperson Josie Harms said in an emailed statement. First Lady Sandy Rhoden spent the first few months of the Rhoden administration visiting schools to talk about the consequences of using cellphones during school hours. Students at Platte-Geddes School District, the first in the state to lock away student cellphones during the school day three years ago, said the restriction improved relationships and academics, the first lady said in a statement. The students started to spend less time on their phones outside of school, too, leading to better self-discipline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our students have so much to gain, and the constant distraction impedes their ability to learn, she said. School administrator representative encourages local control Rob Monson, executive director of School Administrators of South Dakota, said school administrators prefer to handle the issue themselves. He surveyed members of his organization last year, when legislators considered introducing a bill. I think most school districts are doing what they feel they should and whats best for their school districts and patrons, Monson said. Monson added that if a bill is introduced this legislative session, his organization will likely oppose it. Johnson hopes the Legislature passes a bill this winter setting a statewide standard, saying its a no-brainer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once you identify an approach that clearly increases educational outcomes, Johnson said, thats when its time to come together as a state and make sure every student is able to benefit from that policy. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Less than a year after Jhonatan Andres Martinez Villada left his home in the northern Colombian city of Santa Marta to fight on Ukraines front lines, his mother received the call that every parent dreads. Merida Villada Ibarras son was killed on March 23. She remembers Jhonatan as a good son and a good friend who loved his two dogs as if they were his children. Jhonathan was 29 when he decided to make the 10,000-mile journey to Ukraine in November 2024, seeking to aid the Eastern European country in its defense against Russias invasion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Villada said her son went to Ukraine because he really liked the military and also because of financial problems. But above all, to help the people of Ukraine: the women, children, and the elderly. Since Russias full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed for foreign fighters to join his countrys International Legion, which supplements the armys ranks to counter Russias incursion. Latin Americans and particularly Colombians have responded to Kyivs call in droves. According to unofficial estimates from the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine (ILDU), between 1,500-2,500 Colombians have joined the Ukrainian ranks and 450-550 have died since the wars outbreak, with the most recent reported death occurring on August 14. The unlikely force behind this recruitment wave: TikTok. TikTok videos made by Colombian fighters showing life on the Ukrainian front lines have garnered tens, and in some cases, hundreds of thousands of views. For aspiring recruits back home, these clips have quickly prompted both inspiration and persuasion, portraying Ukraines war as a chance to apply their combat skills while earning far more than they would in Colombia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Villada says Jhonatan was first contacted on TikTok by a Colombian named Lucas, who allegedly promised her son 19 million Colombian pesos ($4,730) per month if he went to Ukraine nearly four times the salary he would make back home in the coastal city of Santa Marta. Despite the incentives presented to Jhonatan, Villada insists her son was only paid $2.5 million pesos ($622) every month. Jhonatans story echoes that of many Colombian fighters, driven by a sense of duty, but shaped principally by economic insecurity that makes enlisting abroad a more viable and lucrative option. Why Colombians are answering Zelenskyys plea Decades of warfare have left Colombia with one of the largest and most well-trained armies in the world. The country is also the site of the Western Hemispheres longest-running internal armed conflict, and constitutionally requires all men between the ages of 18 and 24 to undertake some form of military service. (Colombians with the means can buy their way out of obligatory service). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr. Sean McFate, author of The Modern Mercenary, said with Ukraine desperate for reinforcements after more than three years since the invasions start, Colombians are particularly valued because they are effectively NATO-standard soldiers for a quarter of the price. The United States military has trained more than 100,000 Colombian soldiers since 2000. This is not the first time warring nations have turned to Colombia for manpower. The New York Times in 2015 reported that hundreds of Colombian mercenaries had been sent to Yemen to fight against the Houthi rebels, hired directly and in secret by the UAE. And just this past January, NPR also reported that nearly two dozen Colombian mercenaries died fighting in the Sudanese civil war. Although the Latin American countrys most recent history with armed struggle has provided a somewhat consistent war-torn training ground for fighting in foreign wars, historical precedent also highlights this phenomenon. Colombia was the only UN member in Latin America to officially participate in the Korean War, via the U.S. Army-commanded Colombian Battalion. While recent reports are textbook exposes of the realities of modern warfare, the recruitment networks international facade makes protecting foreign fighters all the more difficult. International implications of using foreign fighters By allowing non-Ukrainians to serve, Kyiv runs the risk of these fighters being labelled as mercenaries by Russia, leaving them vulnerable to capture, detention and extradition to Russia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Ukrainian government maintains that Colombian volunteers, along with tens of thousands from more than 70 countries, have joined the ILDU as an official extension of the countrys armed forces. These foreign fighters are not legally classified as mercenaries because they chose to serve of their own will. Mercenaries are defined as soldiers who are contracted by third parties unaffiliated with a nations armed forces and motivated primarily by private gain. In contrast, foreign volunteers in Ukraine receive the same pay and benefits as their Ukrainian counterparts, and are protected under the Geneva Convention. But McFate warns: International law in Ukraine is a fantasy. [Colombian soldiers in Ukraine] are stupid if they think this technicality will save them if captured by Russian soldiers. Reports of Ukrainian foreign fighters taken captive by Russian forces have already surfaced. The Kremlin claims these soldiers are mercenaries a label that immediately strips them of their combatant rights, protection under international humanitarian law and prisoner-of-war status. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In April, Reuters reported a Russian court sentenced Colombian Miguel Angel Cardenas Montilla to nine years in prison, asserting he was supporting Ukraine as a mercenary. Cardenas, who served in Colombias national police and arrived in Ukraine to fight in April 2024, surrendered to Russian forces when his unit failed to defend a position in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. This precarious position of Colombian soldiers fighting abroad is compounded by a lack of support at home as Bogota seeks to shake their reputation as an international exporter of mercenaries, McFate said. Mercenarism, Colombian President Gustavo Petro warned on X, is a form of robbing a nation of its public funds invested in training for the defense of Colombia when they go toward deadly armed conflicts where the Colombian people do not want to be. His statement came amidst growing concern about Colombians joining the war in Ukraine. Merida Villada Ibarra says she knows many other families that have lost their sons and is sharing her tragedy as a cautionary tale to try to dissuade young, social-media savvy Colombians from putting their lives on the line for international conflicts that are not their own. Regardless, Villada claims the governments inaction has worsened the situation for her grieving family, saying the government did not do anything for them or for the families of the soldiers who died fighting. The brutality of the Ukrainian frontline The challenges facing foreign volunteer fighters on the battlefield extend well beyond their legal label. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Laz, an ILDU sergeant who was only authorized to speak under a false name, , emphasizes that TikTok recruitment channels are not reflective of what is awaiting these aspiring soldiers in Ukraine. After being lured into fighting by social media, prospective foreign volunteers have to fill out an online application before being contacted for an interview. Military or combat experience is not a prerequisite. Villada said Jhonatan, for instance, was not a professional soldier, but rather a conscript who served for only two years in the Colombian military. TikTok says, Well send you to the front, but what people dont realize is that theres no background music in the East, Laz said, highlighting the glorification and dramatization frequently associated with TikToks 90-second snippets of life in combat. [Colombians] are people who come from violence, have survived war at home, are psychologically comforted by the notion that Christ will save them and subsequently believe they will be immune [to] Russias wrath, he noted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McFate adds that the Colombian experience with guerilla warfare in the jungle or counterterrorism-style operations in Yemen lies at odds with the climate and style of the Ukrainian war, where combat is much more difficult. Whats more, many of these soldiers skip the International Legions eight-week training and opt to go straight into the brigade, where they receive increased combat pay. Because military or combat experience is not required, Laz is doing everything he can to encourage recent foreign arrivals especially those with no prior military experience to take the ILDUs training to prepare them for whats to come in combat. Villada says she knows many other families that have lost their sons and is sharing her tragedy as a cautionary tale to try to dissuade young, social-media savvy Colombians from putting their lives on the line for international conflicts that are not their own. Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad on Saturday raised strong objections to a challan worth Rs 8 lakh issued against his party chief Akhilesh Yadav's car, saying that this was beyond his understanding. Taking a swipe at the Yogi Adityanath government, Prasad argued that one can buy a new car with this much money. "This is beyond my understanding. How was a challan worth Rs 8,00,000 issued? A new car can be bought with this much money. This is the BJP government. This is CM Yogi's government. He should look into how the conduct of government officials has changed. It will be harmful for them," the Ayodhya MP told ANI. His remarks come after the concerned authorities issued a challan of Rs 8 lakh for cars in Akhilesh Yadav's convoy. Yadav on Friday held a presser and informed that the challan has been issued for his cars in his convoy and for overspeeding on the expressway. "Yesterday, I recieved the challan for my car. How much do you think the challan would be? The challan for overspeeding on the expressway of our government cars is worth Rs 8 lakh. I asked them to submit the same immediately," the former Uttar Pradesh CM said in Lucknow. "However, I will trace the person issuing the challan to find out whether he is a BJP person. The challan has been issued for the cars of his convoy," Yadav added. Moreover, Yadav targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government on UP teacher recruitment, saying, "Jobs are not in the agenda of the BJP. If it were so, 69000 teachers would not have to protest, the government would not have closed 27000 primary schools." On the occasion of Teacher's Day, he said that a true teacher teaches positivity and a progressive path, showing how to live with humans and respect each other in diversity. "A teacher is the one who defines personality and character...The teacher guides us and works to boost our morale. The true teacher teaches positivity and a progressive path. They also teach how to live with humans, respect each other in this diversity and to live together," he said while addressing a press conference. "When the institution is good, then not only the society but the student also sees a better way; but BJP is destroying the system," Yadav added. (ANI) SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) Its been almost a month since a fire broke out on Main Street in Salt Lake City and destroyed five businesses. Jason Lecates, the owner of two of those businesses, spoke with ABC4.com about rebuilding efforts. On August 11, 2025, a fire broke out in the London belle restaurant in Salt Lake City, before spreading to several other businesses. The Whiskey Street Bar and White Horse Bar were both severely damaged as a result of the fire. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Fire threatens multiple buildings, causes road closures in downtown SLC Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jason Lecates, managing partner of Whiskey Street and White horse, previously told ABC4 that the fire was a kick in the gut. Despite the loss, he emphasized his commitment to rebuilding the businesses, in addition to focusing on the 150 individuals he employed. This week, Lecates spoke about recovery efforts. He said, First and foremost, we want to make sure that they land on their feet. We got with the city, and the city really helped with expediting unemployment claims. We got all that taken care of within the first couple days, so there wasnt any holdup with unemployment payments. Additionally, other business owners within the community reached out with job openings in a variety of fields. Lecates said, Weve done our best to pass that on to employees. If theyre interested, they can apply for those open positions. The Downtown Alliance SLC also opened a fund for displaced employees and has disbursed almost $500,000 to those employees in order to help with rent, groceries, and other essential expenses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, Downtown Alliance SLC offered an employee resource fair and other services to those employees. Despite efforts to help them, Lecates told ABC4.com that the employees status remains unsure. He said, Were trying to keep in touch with them as much as possible, but most of them are going to have to move on, at least for the time being, and find other employment until we get a better game plan for when we get these reopened. Firefighters battle a structure fire on the 300 South block of Main Street in downtown Salt Lake City on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. Fire in downtown SLC. Courtesy: Jonathan May/KTVX Multiple businesses were destroyed in the SLC downtown fire on August 11, 2025 (Courtesy: Kade Garner//KTVX) Fire in downtown SLC. Courtesy: Jonathan May/KTVX As for the bars reopening, progress was initially postponed while insurance conducted inspections. Fortunately, Lecates said debris removal and rebuilding was allowed to begin on September 5, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lecates was able to provide estimates for rebuilding, though he noted, Were in this a month next weeks going to be a month. Time flies pretty quickly. White Horse Bar was less damaged by the fire and could reopen in the next four to six months, Lecates reported, though a small amount of asbestos was found in the building after the roof collapse. Whiskey Street, on the other hand, will need significantly more work. Lecates initial estimate says it may take a year to rebuild. Latest headlines: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. When most Tennesseans hear the name Alvin York, they picture the humble Fentress County farmer who became one of World War Is most decorated soldiers. He braved machinegun fire on the Argonne Forests battlefield, famously capturing 132 German soldiers almost singlehandedly. His courage earned the Medal of Honor but just as remarkable was what he did afterwards. When York came home, he looked around at the rural hills he loved and saw something even more perilous than combat: a generation of children without schools, without access to books, without the chance to learn. To York, that was a battle worth fighting. Opinion: Tennessee students should be encouraged to learn, not live in fear Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He poured his fame and energy into establishing schools in the Upper Cumberland, lobbying governors, rallying donations and ultimately helping pave the way for a public education system that could reach far beyond Nashville or Knoxville. His work at the York Agricultural Institute wasnt glamorous, but it mattered. He believed Tennessees children poor or rich, farmraised or cityborn deserved the same opportunity to learn. That legacy still echoes. Every time a student walks through the doors of a Tennessee public school in a rural county, they're stepping into a promise York fought for. Education wasnt just a policy question for him it was a moral one. Gov. Bill Lee signs the statewide school voucher bill at the Tennessee State Capitol building in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. Tennessee promises educational innovation, but who will benefit? Now Tennessee stands at another crossroads. This fall marks the first year families will use statefunded vouchers to send children to private schools. The program, long debated, is rolling out with glitches and growing parental frustration. But the deeper questions remain: Will students actually perform better than their publicschool peers? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Will this program expand opportunity or will it simply provide parents comfort while letting systemic inequities persist? Does this reform reflect the values Alvin York championed for his state? Opinion: This drug is 13 times more potent than morphine and sold in TN gas stations The governor has framed the change as part of a broader push for educational innovation. In his State of the State Address, Gov. Bill Lee declared: We innovated our approach to education with new, creative investments in publicschool facilities, and we have finally brought universal school choice to Tennessee families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its tempting in debates like these to argue in absolutes. Voucher proponents say choice breeds quality; critics warn that public school funding will be hollowed out especially in rural communities, where private options are sparse. Both sides marshal data and conviction. But Yorks legacy invites us to think differently. His push for public schools was rooted in access. He understood that if Tennessee was going to thrive, education couldnt be a privilege for the few it had to be a promise for the many. His institute in Jamestown wasnt a patch for one community; it served as a model for what statewide educational equity could look like. Remembering Alvin York means fighting for all students Thats the tension today. Vouchers may serve some, but what about the collective? What about the community school that anchors its town, or the teacher who stretches every dollar in underfunded districts? If reform benefits only a slice while weakening Yorks foundation, is it progress or retreat? To be clear, Tennessee remains a laboratory for educational ideas. From Yorks institute through the charter expansions of the late 20th century and todays voucher debate, weve seldom shied away from testing new models. That spirit of experimentation can be healthy. But experiments are only as valuable as their outcomes and the measure shouldnt simply be test scores, but equity, access and long-term impact. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Opinion: Job credentials are on the rise. Here's what it means for students and higher ed I often walk Nashvilles streets with visitors from across the word as a tour guide, telling them stories about who we are as a state. Yorks story always resonates not just for what he did on the battlefield, but for what came after. True heroism isnt only found in war; its found in classrooms, in teachers showing up and in communities committing to lift every child not just the lucky few. As Tennessee launches its voucher experiment, remembering that matters. We can debate funding formulas and policy details endlessly. But the real test is whether every Tennessee child rural, urban or somewhere in between still has a fair shot at a good education. Alvin York believed they should. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The question is: Do we? Paul Whitten, founder of Nashville Adventures Paul Whitten is a U.S. Army veteran, former Peace Corps Volunteer, and founder of Nashville Adventures, a veteran-owned tour company dedicated to bringing Nashvilles hidden history to life. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: In the new voucher era, is TN serving all students? | Opinion JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. The Republican supermajority in the Missouri Legislature is slated to pass major reforms to the states initiative petition process. For years, GOP legislators have argued that its too easy to amend Missouris constitution by way of the voter. I think that rural Missouri has not been adequately represented under the initiative petition issue, said State Rep. Brian Seitz, R-Branson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the current process, any ballot measure needs a simple majority of the votes statewide to enact the question. Restaurant raided by feds plans quick comeback as workers face rapid deportation Under proposed legislation in the extraordinary session, ballot questions would need a majority in all eight congressional districts. A majority in the congressional districts, which means you have to win a majority in all eight congressional districts, said State Rep. Ray Reed, D-St. Louis. Reed contends that under the proposed language, current state officeholders like Governor Mike Kehoe wouldnt reach the threshold in all eight seats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seitz argues that its simply too easy to change the states constitution. I think what were attempting to do is to elevate the document to the position that it should be in, he said. Lawmakers are expected to be back in Jefferson City Monday. 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. Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. TOOELE CITY, Utah (ABC4) An alleged drug dealer has been charged with manslaughter after an individual passed away after smoking fentanyl purchased from him. The deceased persons boyfriend reported that the pills were stronger than anything they had smoked before. Dedrian Diviano Tybo Oppenhein, 26, has been charged with manslaughter and distribution of a controlled substance, both second-degree felonies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to court documents, on Sept. 3, the Tooele City Police Department was dispatched to investigate a death that possibly involved drugs. When an officer arrived, he allegedly located the person who had passed away, and paraphernalia consistent with the use of fentanyl was nearby. Man arrested in connection with stabbing of 16-year-old on SLCC Taylorsville campus Police interviewed the boyfriend of the person who died. He stated that he had used Facebook to arrange a purchase of fentanyl from Oppenhein. The boyfriend alleged that he and the deceased person met with Oppenhein in a parking lot and purchased three fentanyl pills for $40. After purchasing the pills, according to the boyfriend, he and the deceased person went home and smoked some of the pills, leaving the rest for later. Documents say that when he woke up, he discovered his partner deceased on the bathroom floor, and it appeared that they had smoked the rest of the fentanyl alone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the interview with the police, the boyfriend allegedly stated that the pills were stronger than any of the pills they had used in the past, which is why they were more expensive than usual. Officers took his phone and obtained a search warrant for it. On the phone, police located messages between the boyfriend and Oppenhein arranging the purchase, as well as messages where they had done similar arrangements before. After confirming the identity of Oppenhein, police located him and arrested him. Oppenhein was booked into the Tooele County Jail, where he is currently being held without bail. Latest headlines: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. The National Weather Service released an updated tornado warning at 2:41 p.m. on Saturday in effect until 3 p.m. for Hampden and Hampshire counties. Quarter-sized hail (1 inch) is expected with the incoming storm. "At 2:41 p.m., a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Russell, or 7 miles west of Westfield, moving northeast at 35 mph," according to the weather service. "Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Be aware that the tornado may impact the following locations: Westfield, Holyoke, Easthampton, Southwick, Southampton, Huntington, Russell, Westhampton, Chester, and Blandford around 2:45 p.m. Northampton and West Springfield around 2:50 p.m. Williamsburg around 3 p.m. Recommended action: Seek shelter According to the weather service, "Take cover now! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris. Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways." Tornado watch vs. Tornado warning: Know the difference When it comes to tornadoes, understanding the difference between a Tornado watch and a Tornado warning can be a matter of life and death. Let's break it down: Tornado watch: Be prepared! A Tornado watch serves as an early warning that conditions are conducive to tornado formation. It's your cue to review and discuss your emergency plans, check your supplies, and locate your safe room. While it doesn't indicate an imminent tornado, it's a heads-up to be prepared to take swift action if a Tornado warning is issued or if you suspect a tornado is approaching. Watches come from the Storm Prediction Center and often cover a large area, potentially spanning multiple counties or even states. Tornado warning: Take action! A Tornado warning means a tornado has been spotted or detected by weather radar. This is the real deal there's an immediate threat to life and property. Your response should be quick: seek shelter in an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building, away from windows. If you're in a mobile home, a vehicle, or caught outdoors, seek the nearest substantial shelter and shield yourself from flying debris. Warnings are issued by your local forecast office and pinpoint a much smaller area, typically the size of a city or a small county, where a tornado has been identified, either by radar or through reports from trained spotters and law enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Knowing the distinction between these two alerts is paramount for staying safe during tornado season. Stay informed, have a plan, and act promptly when danger looms. Prepare for a tornado Be weather-ready: Keep an eye on the weather forecast to stay informed about tornado risks. Tune in to local news or a NOAA Weather Radio for updates on tornado watches and warnings Sign up for notifications: Know how your community sends warnings. Some communities have outdoor sirens. Others depend on media and smartphones to alert residents of severe storms capable of producing tornadoes. Establish a communication plan: Create a family emergency plan that includes a designated meeting place and important contact information. If your home lacks a basement, identify a nearby safe building, like a church or a relative's house, that you can reach quickly. Choose a secure shelter: Pick a safe room in your home, such as a basement, storm cellar, or an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows. Practice your plan: Conduct regular family drills for severe thunderstorms so everyone knows what to do when a tornado threat arises. Ensure that all family members are aware of the safe location to seek shelter, and don't forget about your pets if time permits. Secure your home: Consider reinforcing your safe room for added protection. You can find plans for fortifying an interior room on the Federal Emergency Management Agency website. Extend a helping hand: Encourage your neighbors and loved ones to prepare for possible tornadoes. Consider taking CPR training to be of assistance in case of injuries. What to do when a tornado strikes When a tornado strikes, taking swift action is crucial to ensuring your safety and minimizing potential harm. Follow these guidelines from the weather service: Stay informed: Remain vigilant and stay updated by listening to local news broadcasts or a NOAA Weather Radio for tornado watches and warnings. At home: If you find yourself under a tornado warning, immediately seek refuge in your basement, safe room, or an interior room without windows. If there's enough time, bring your pets with you. At work or school: Follow your tornado drill and proceed to your tornado shelter location quickly and calmly. Stay away from windows and do not go to large open rooms such as cafeterias, gymnasiums, or auditoriums. Outdoors: If you're outdoors and a tornado is approaching, seek immediate shelter inside a sturdy building. Sheds, storage facilities, mobile homes, and tents are not safe. If there's time, make your way to a secure structure. In a vehicle: It is not safe to be in a vehicle during a tornado. The recommended action is to drive to the nearest shelter. If reaching a safe shelter is not possible, either crouch down in your car and cover your head, or leave your vehicle and seek refuge in a low-lying area like a ditch or ravine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Always keep in mind that taking swift action and following established safety procedures are crucial for your well-being when a tornado threat is imminent. Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service. Read the original article on MassLive. In rural India, families with mentally challenged children face impossible choices between love and survival. Debut filmmaker Jitank Singh Gurjars In Search of the Sky (Vimukt) confronts this harsh reality through the journey of a couple who bring their mentally unstable son to the Maha Kumbh a massive Hindu pilgrimage held every 12 years that draws over 100 million devotees desperately seeking healing. The Braj-language drama has landed in Torontos Centrepiece program for the festivals 50th anniversary. The film follows a couple facing old age and the risk of losing their land while caring for their adult son Naraan, who has intellectual disabilities. Desperate for a solution and clinging to faith as their last hope, they embark on a pilgrimage to the Maha Kumbh, where they must confront an impossible decision about their sons future. More from Variety Advertisement Advertisement Producer and co-writer Pooja Vishal Sharma says the story emerged from her encounters at an NGO for children with intellectual disabilities and stories shed heard about people getting lost or abandoned at the Kumbh Mela. My time there really made me question the tough balance between love and the heartbreaking circumstances faced by many families that have a child with special needs, Pooja Vishal Sharma explains. Through this story I tried to weave both of these experiences into a film, which highlights how society can be so ruthless, and how an ounce of hope can play such an important role in ones journey. Theatre actor Nikhil Yadav takes on the challenging lead role of Naraan in his first major film performance. To prepare, he spent a week and a half at a shelter home for people with disabilities in Gwalior called Swarg Sadan. One thing that stood out for me was their absolute innocence, its so unfazed, Yadav reflects. I noticed they are full of love and laughter and just an undying hope. I tried to bring a lot of that into my character. Advertisement Advertisement The actor found filming at the Maha Kumbh particularly rewarding: People would stop in the middle of their errands and watch me perform, they would try and help this mentally unstable young boy in their own ways and the actor in me would find his cues like that, all of a sudden unasked but highly appreciated. Yadav notes the key difference between theater and film: In theater, the audience is seated at a distance, and its harder for them to see the whirlpool of emotions an actor carries in their eye but the camera, its up close and It captures every detail even things you hope to hide. Cinematographer Shelly Sharma faced the monumental task of capturing an intimate family story within the overwhelming scale of the Maha Kumbh, where thousands of pilgrims filled every frame. When we got to Kumbh adaptability was the element that proved indispensable, Shelly Sharma explains. In the midst of immense and uncontrollable crowds, the key was to begin small, focusing on the elements within reach that could be shaped to serve the vision. Advertisement Advertisement Shelly Sharma relied on deliberate blocking, telephoto lenses, and careful use of color palettes to maintain narrative focus. For us, the crowd itself was an important narrative tool we had to wove it in with care to preserve the authenticity of the Kumbh while ensuring the story, characters and their emotions remained the focal point. Drawing from nearly a decade of experience in both fiction and documentary formats, Shelly Sharma describes balancing realism with dramatic narrative: The paradox of this craft is striking: in cinema, we often labor to make fiction feel real, while in documentary, we strive to imbue reality with a cinematic presence. As a largely self-funded production, the team faced significant logistical and financial constraints. Pooja Vishal Sharma, who also serves as producer, acknowledges the ongoing struggle: Like any filmmaker I was clear in my head that we could not compromise of the quality of our vision. The story was our anchor and Ive done everything in my power do justice to it. Pooja Vishal Sharma credits the committed team for overcoming limited resources: The toughest part was shooting the first schedule of Maha Kumbh it was a war zone and if this film manages to touch some hearts and may be, just may be change a life or to we would consider ourselves victorious. Advertisement Advertisement Gurjar emphasizes the films authentic approach: Ive seen characters like these since my childhood, the culture, the rituals, its all part of my upbringing. There are real stories like these happening very often around us so there was no need for an added melodrama, that would have just taken away from the truth of it all. The films selection at Toronto represents a major milestone for independent Indian cinema, placing their grassroots-made project alongside major global productions in the festivals 50th anniversary celebration. The team hopes Toronto will unlock broader distribution opportunities beyond the festival circuit. From the very beginning, the vision for this film was always the big screen, Pooja Vishal Sharma states. As also an executive producer on the project, my vision for Vimukt is to reach theater screens in India, to begin with we will be targeting limited screens. I truly believe that a film like this deserves to be experienced in theatres and that the people of India will resonate with the film closely. The creative team includes music director Manish Kumar, whose work has been showcased at major European festivals; editor Pavan Theurkar, a frequent Netflix collaborator (Feels Like Ishq, Tooth Pari); and executive producer Tushar Tyagi, an award-winning filmmaker whose short Saving Chintu was selected at over 30 Oscar- and BAFTA-qualifying festivals and qualified for the 93rd Academy Awards. Advertisement Advertisement The title Vimukt carries the sense of liberation, representing what Gurjar describes as an endless yet a hopeful journey. As the film prepares for its world premiere, the team hopes audiences globally will find their own interpretation of this search for the sky. Best of Variety Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Calling all Trader Joes fans, you may want to double-check your freezer especially if you recently stocked up on the brands frozen goodies. On Aug. 29, the U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a public health alert for Trader Joes Uncured Pepperoni Pizza, a frozen not-ready-to-eat (NRTE) product. The agency specified that the frozen pizza did not receive the benefit of import reinspection once imported from Italy to retail locations in California. A health alert was prompted after TJs notified FSIS that the frozen uncured pepperoni pizza wasnt presented for FSIS import reinspection. Per the agency, a recall was not requested because the product is no longer available for purchase. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The affected product, which came packaged in a 17.63-oz. cardboard box, contains either MFG LOT: 06/16/25 BEST BY: 08/16/26 or MFG LOT: 06/21/25 BEST BY 08/21/26 printed on the bottom of the package. It also has the Italy establishment number IT 1558 L UE, which is printed inside the Italian mark of inspection located on the front of the package, according to the FSIS. Due to a paperwork error, a shipment of Trader Joes Uncured Pepperoni Pizza (SKU# 79898, Best By Dates of 8/16/26 and 8/21/26), imported from Italy was not presented for import reinspection into the United States prior to delivery to these Trader Joes stores in Southern California, TJs said in a statement posted on its website. There have been no reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. All potentially affected product has been removed from sale. Consumers who have purchased the pizza are urged not to consume it. Instead, they should throw the product away or return it to the place of purchase. The post This Trader Joes pizza has been issued a public health alert appeared first on Salon.com. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro "should be worried" after an attack against a vessel off the South American country's coast. "The only one who should be worried is Nicolas Maduro, who is acting as the kingpin of a narco state. Not actually elected and indicted for $50 million by the U.S. We know he's involved in the kind of drug-running that has affected the American people directly," Hegseth said during an interview on Fox News. #ULTIMAHORA Jefe del Pentagono, Pete Hegseth, tras ataque a embarcacion en el Caribe: "El unico que deberia estar preocupado es Nicolas Maduro" https://t.co/VpmuSfn2tV pic.twitter.com/L6TvY60FuU Monitoreamos (@monitoreamos) September 3, 2025 Hegseth added that officials "knew exactly who were on that boat and what they were doing." "It's a new dawn. Those 11 drug-traffickers are no longer with us, sending a very clear sign that the U.S. won't tolerate this kind of activity in our hemisphere," he added. In another passage of the interview, Hegseth said the attack was not a one-off. "We've got assets in the air, assets in the water, assets on ships, because this is a deadly serious mission for us, and it won't it won't stop with just this strike," he said. A Venezuelan official, however, claimed the video shared by the White House on Tuesday that showed the vessel being destroyed was made with artificial intelligence. Communication Minister Freddy Nanez said in a Telegram channel that "it seems" Secretary of State Marco Rubio "keeps lying to his president." "After getting him between a rock and a hard place, now he gives him an AI video as 'proof,'" Nanez added. "Marco Rubio, stop trying to encourage a war and trying to stain President Donald Trump's hands. Venezuela doesn't pose a threat." The strike is the most serious confrontation yet in the standoff between the Trump administration and Venezuela since the Republican returned to the White House. Earlier this month, Trump secretly signed a directive authorizing military force against cartels declared terrorist organizations, according to The New York Times. Maduro has ordered Venezuelan troops to mobilize and called on militias and volunteers to prepare for a possible foreign intervention. "If Venezuela is attacked, we will not hesitate to defend our sovereignty," he said. Originally published on Latin Times Parents of one of the newborns who died at MY hospital in Indore after being allegedly bitten by rats, along with Jai Adivasi Yuva Sangathan (JAYS), staged a sit-in outside the hospital on Saturday, demanding legal action against the individuals responsible for the alleged negligence and compensation. Two newborns undergoing treatment at MY hospital were bitten by rats on the intervening night Sunday and Monday (Sep 1), and one of them died on Tuesday (Sep 2) morning, while another child also succumbed on Wednesday afternoon (Sep 3). The parents of the first child claimed that after admitting their baby, they were asked to leave with the assurance that they would receive updates over the phone. However, they alleged that no call was made, and they only became aware of the incident when JAYS workers and reporters contacted them. Following a day-long protest, the Indore district administration handed over a cheque of Rs 5 lakh as compensation to the family on Saturday evening and assured further action. The child's father, Dev Ram, received the cheque and expressed satisfaction with the administration's assurance. The family later took the body to Dhar for the last rites. JAYS' president Lokesh Mujalda said, "We came to know about the news that two newborns died at Indore hospital after being bitten by rats. A family member of one child was in the hospital while another child was declared abandoned. Still, as soon as we came to know that the child was a resident of Dhar district and belonged to a tribal community, we requested the collector that we would find the family member of the child last night. After that, we succeeded in finding the family and arrived here with them at the hospital today." "We demand that the dean, HOD and superintendent of the hospital should be immediately suspended so that such negligence should not occur anywhere. Additionally, a compensation of Rs 1 crore should be given to the family of each child. The post-mortem report of the child should also be made public. If our demands are not met, then we will not accept the body of the child," he said. He further highlighted that they had been searching for the parents for the last three days and had requested the Collector to keep the body safe until the family was found. Father of the child, Dev Ram, said, "The Child was born last Saturday (August 30) in Dhar district, and then the baby was referred here at MY Hospital in Indore. We got the child admitted to the NICU ward in the hospital. A madam asked me to leave and said that she would call me for further updates. But I did not receive any call. I was not informed about any mishap. When these brothers (JAYS workers) and journalists arrived, I then became aware of the issue. We want legal action to be taken against the concerned people for negligence." Meanwhile, the dean of the hospital, Arvind Ghanghoriya, stated that strict action was taken in the matter, and the concerned individuals were suspended, as well as show-cause notices were served. Additionally, a high-level investigation into the matter is also underway. "Following the incident, a deputy superintendent rank doctor, Dr Mukesh Jaiswal, has been suspended, and three nursing officers have been suspended. Additionally, the superintendent of MY hospital, Dr Ashok Yadav, the HOD, Dr Brijesh Lahoti, the assistant HOD and the senior nurse, who is in charge of the ICU, have been served a show-cause notice. We have taken strict action on the matter. We have also written a letter to the state government requesting the termination of the contracts of pest control agencies, and a process for this purpose is underway. A new agency has been hired and pest control is being done regularly," Ghanghoriya said. When asked why the hospital management did not inform the family about the incident, the dean seemed to be avoiding the question and said that the child was on the verge of death and such a child could not be saved in any hospital across the world. A high-level inquiry was also underway into the matter. (ANI) DENVER (KDVR) A suspected truck thief was apprehended on Monday, Sept.1, after Arvada Police say he fled a stolen truck on foot before hiding under a tree in the backyard of a home in the 8500 block of West 63rd Place. The Arvada Police Department said Saturday that they used K-9 officers and drone pilots to help establish a perimeter and locate the suspect. He was then taken into custody by the K-9 officers near a fence line after obeying commands for his arrest, police said. Arvada residents reflect after evacuations lifted for about 12-acre fire Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suspect, who was not identified, was transported to jail and charged with four counts of second degree criminal trespass, one count of 3rd degree motor vehicle theft and one count of obstruction of a police officer, according to police. APD said the alleged incident began after officers patrolling near West 62nd Avenue and Carr Street were flagged down by a community member who reported their truck had just been stolen. The allegedly stolen vehicle was located shortly afterwards stopped at a traffic light, according to police, who said officers immediately gave chase after the suspect allegedly fled the truck on foot. The K-9 officers who ultimately arrested the suspect were being guided by aerial support via the drone pilots, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. CHICAGO Illinois Democrats sharply criticized President Donald Trump on Saturday, who suggested in a Truth Social post earlier in the morning that his administration will go to WAR with the city of Chicago. Trump on Saturday posted a likely AI-generated meme on his social media platform, depicting himself as an officer in the 1979 war movie "Apocalypse Now, with the caption Chipocalypse Now. Chicago [is] about to find out why its called the Department of WAR, the post read, accompanied by three helicopter emojis, among the presidents most aggressive language targeting an American city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spoken like a true tyrant, Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), who represents the Southside of Chicago, told POLITICO at the citys Mexican Independence Day parade Saturday in response to the post. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who has become one of the leading Democratic critics of the president in Trumps second term, wrote on X that Trump is threatening to go to war with an American city, adding that Illinois wont be intimidated by a wannabe dictator. This is not a joke, Pritzker wrote. This is not normal. Trumps hostile stance Saturday comes as he ramps up tensions between Democratic-controlled cities over an immigration crackdown. He has deployed National Guard to both Los Angeles and Washington D.C., a practice he would like to expand to other cities, such as Chicago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Presidents threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wrote on X. The administration has faced legal pushback on the use of National Guard troops in both California and D.C. A federal district judge earlier this week ruled the deployment to L.A. likely violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the use of military force for domestic law enforcement without proper authority. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a similar lawsuit against the administration on Thursday, adding that it infringes on the nations capitals sovereignty. On Tuesday, Trump said were going in to Chicago, but did not provide a clear timeline or rationale for the legality of the action. Chicago is a hellhole right now, the president added. But the next day, he suggested that New Orleans may be the next target of the administration, not Chicago a Democratic-run city whose Republican governor has welcomed federal action. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has repeatedly said that he would like to have the states governors permission before entering the cities. I love the smell of deportations in the morning, Trump wrote in the Saturday social media post, recreating the movies I love the smell of napalm in the morning quote from lead Robert Duvall. The administration has painted its encroachment into cities as a crackdown on crime in the cities, but Saturdays post from the president indicates that their focus may largely be on ICE raids and deportations. State and local officials have also been bracing for a surge of immigration enforcement agents to descend on Chicago and its suburbs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), also at Saturdays parade in Chicagos Pilsen neighborhood, told POLITICO that Trump is so irresponsible to what he says and so reckless [that] you never know, hell change the story in the next 30 minutes. When asked if the post was a declaration of war against the city, Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.), told POLITICO that We've seen it as a declaration of war against the Mexican community, against the immigrant community. Eight people were killed and over 50 people were wounded last weekend in Chicago but local Democrat leaders are more upset about a post from the President, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement in response to Democrats' criticism. That tells you everything you need to know about the Democrats twisted priorities and why Chicago has had the most murderers of any US city for 13 consecutive years. City and state politicians have decried Trump's threats toward Illinois. They argue that Trump is not actually concerned with violent crime in cities pointing to statistics that show Chicago and other major cities are seeing a decline in crime and instead say the president wants to score political points. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I take it very seriously that he is instilling fear in the hearts of a lot of people, Durbin, who is retiring at the end of his term next year, added. That is his intention, and its working." Shia Kapos reported from Chicago. Sept. 6 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said the United States is in "very deep negotiations with Hamas" for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, though he believes some of the 20 presumed alive might have "recently died." On Friday, Trump did not disclose the source of his information, and Israel's military has not responded to the president's comments. Israel has said it believes 47 hostages remain with 27 dead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's 20 people but I think of the 20 there could be some that have recently died, is what I'm hearing. I hope that's wrong," Trump told reporters at the White House's Oval Office. "We know that at least 30 people are dead, and we are negotiating to get them out. "When you get down to the final 10 or 20, you're not gonna get them out unless you're gonna do a lot and doing a lot means capitulation." About 250 people were abducted by Hamas and its allies when the Iran-proxy militia attacked Israeli on Oct. 7, 2023. Of those, 146 hostages have been freed or rescued. The remains of 83 hostages have been confirmed with some bodies recovered and others remaining in Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Hostages and Missing Families Forum didn't comment on whether some hostages may have recently died but in a statement thanked Trump for "making every effort to fulfill his promise to bring them home." On Thursday, Trump posted on Truth Social: "Tell Hamas to IMMEDIATELY give back all 20 Hostages (Not 2 or 5 or 7!), and things will change rapidly. IT WILL END!" On Friday, Hamas released a video of two hostages being driven around Gaza City, where the Israelis are intensifying efforts to gain full control, having already secured about 40% of the city. One of the hostages said he was among nine who would die if Israel takes over the city. Escalated offensive The families have been opposed to Israel's new offensive, which was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet on Aug. 8. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, in the first escalated offensive, Israel Defense Forces bombed a 12-story apartment building near a tent encampment that officials said was being used by Hamas. On Saturday, the military struck another high-rise, the 15-story Sussi Twoer. Israel said that the building also was used by Hamas, which the militants deny. Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote "we're continuing" on X in posting video of the building's collapse. There originally were 2.4 million Palestinians on the Gaza Strip before the start of the war. People were urged to leave the Gaza City and go to Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Saturday, Israel Defense Forces announced the designation of the humanitarian area "that will continue in cooperation with the UN and international organizations, in parallel to the expansion of the ground operation." following the expansion of the ground operation in Gaza City In coordination with @cogatonline, the humanitarian infrastructure includes: ... pic.twitter.com/i6gPHEr2cj Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 6, 2025 Hamas has told Palestinians to remain in the city and not go southwest because it is a "path to death," according to a post on Telegram. "Every time people believed the 'safe zones' lie, it ended with bloody massacres," Hamas said Friday. "I am staying in my home and will not be displaced again, until my last breath, even if it means death, because we are exhausted from displacement," Abu Yasser Al-Khour, a 51-year-old father of six, told CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The International Red Cross also opposes the mass movement. "Such an evacuation would trigger a massive population movement that no area in the Gaza Strip can absorb, given the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and the extreme shortages of food, water, shelter and medical care," ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement on Aug. 30. Cease-fires Hostage release is predicated on a cease-fire or an end to the war. Last month, Hamas accepted a proposal from mediators from Qatar and Egypt for a 60-day cease-fire, with 10 of the living hostages would be released in exchange for a mass release of Palestinian prisoners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in July presented a similar proposal to Israel, which has not been accepted. Instead, Israel wants Hamas to totally disarm. Later in July, Witkoff and other negotiators pulled out of the talks. "Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith," Witkoff said. "We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza." Witkoff met in Paris on Thursday with Qatari officials. Hamas and Israel had reached and signed an agreement in January that outlined three phases for a path to a permanent cease-fire. The first phase, which ended at the beginning of March, saw Israel and Hamas release captives, permitting of some humanitarian aid and the withdrawal of some Israeli forces from Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A total of 30 living hostages and 2,000 prisoners were freed. Hamas rejected Israel's modifications to the deal and the cease-fire collapsed on March 18 when Israel broke the truce and launched a surprise massive airstrike and artillery campaign. Trump warned about a worsening situation in Gaza. "It's going to be nasty -- that's my opinion, Israel's choice, but that's my opinion," Trump said. "They gotta let them out." Trump said he believes Hamas must be neutralized. "You know, people forget October 7 -- it's not an easy thing to forget, right?" he said. "So, you know, you have to put that into the equation very strongly." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Approximately 1,200 people were killed in Israel on that date, including 736 civilians. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said more than 64,000 Palestinians -- mostly women and children -- have died. Sponsors of wrongful detention An executive order signed Friday by Trump allows the United States to designate nations as state sponsors of wrongful detention. The order didn't specifically mention Israel or the hostages, although several U.S. citizens were taken captive by terror groups and Hamas is already listed as a terror organization. (This Sept 5 story is being republished, with no changes to text) By Daniel Wiessner (Reuters) -President Donald Trump's administration abandoned on Friday the U.S. government's legal defense of a rule adopted under former President Joe Biden that had banned agreements commonly signed by workers not to join rivals of their employers or launch competing businesses. The U.S. Justice Department filed motions in federal appeals courts in New Orleans and Atlanta to dismiss separate appeals of rulings by two judges that struck down the 2024 U.S. Federal Trade Commission rule concerning "noncompete" agreements. Republicans and business groups have criticized the rule. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The move was expected after FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, who was appointed to the post by Trump and had previously criticized the rule, said in February that the agency was reviewing it. The appeals involve legal challenges to the rule by a marketing firm and a real estate developer, as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups. Dropping the appeals means the courts will not have a chance to address the novel question of whether the commission, which enforces federal antitrust laws, can adopt sweeping regulations such as its nationwide ban on "noncompete" agreements. More than 20% of U.S. workers have signed noncompete agreements, according to the FTC. The agency, in adopting the rule, had said the agreements limit worker mobility and suppress wages and competition for labor. Ferguson and other Republicans on the commission have said the FTC has limited rulemaking powers and cannot adopt blanket bans on what it views as anticompetitive conduct. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During Trump's first term as president, his administration had argued in court that while specific provisions of noncompetes can be unlawful, the agreements themselves were not. The FTC on Thursday announced its first legal action of Trump's second term related to noncompete agreements, a settlement barring the largest U.S. pet cremation business from enforcing these agreements with 1,800 workers. The agency in that case said that the company's broad agreements, signed even by low-level employees, unlawfully suppressed competitors' entry into the pet cremation market. (Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Will Dunham) The Trump administration has already denied visas for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation to attend the United Nations General Assembly this month and is now considering tighter restrictions on several other delegations, according to an internal State Department memo reviewed by The Associated Press. The memo outlines potential measures that could sharply limit movement for diplomats from Iran, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Brazil during the high-level U.N. meeting that begins Sept. 22 in New York. While the proposals are not final, they reflect a broader push by the administration to scrutinize visas and place new conditions on foreign officials traveling to the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Iranian diplomats in New York are already subject to strict movement rules, but one new proposal would ban them from shopping at membership-only wholesale clubs such as Costco and Sams Club without special permission from the State Department. According to the memo, those stores have been a favorite stop for Iranian officials because they can purchase bulk items at relatively low cost and send them home, where such products are often unavailable due to sanctions and economic isolation. The memo also suggested that new regulations could be drafted to apply membership rules for all foreign diplomats in the U.S., not just those from Iran. It was not immediately clear when or if the shopping ban would take effect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brazils inclusion on the list is notable, as the country traditionally holds the honor of delivering the opening speech at the General Assembly each year. By long-standing precedent, Brazils president is the first head of state to address the session, followed by the U.S. president. It is unclear whether the proposed restrictions would apply to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva himself or to lower-level Brazilian officials. Lula has faced sharp criticism from President Donald Trump, who objects to the Brazilian governments prosecution of Trump ally and former President Jair Bolsonaro on charges related to an attempted coup. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While new limitations are being considered for some countries, Syrias delegation recently received a waiver lifting travel restrictions that had been in place for more than a decade. According to the memo, that decision came as the U.S. seeks to rebuild ties with Damascus following the ouster of President Bashar Assad last year and Syrias gradual reentry into the regional political landscape. The memo did not specify what measures might be imposed on Sudanese or Zimbabwean officials, though both delegations were listed as potential targets. The State Department declined to comment on the memo, and representatives from the Iranian and Brazilian U.N. missions did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The General Assemblys high-level week is expected to draw more than 100 world leaders and thousands of diplomats to New York City. (This Sept 5 story is being republished, with no changes to text.) By Ted Hesson and Jan Wolfe WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration on Friday unveiled a plan to send Kilmar Abrego, whose arrest and fight to stay in the U.S. have become a flashpoint in its immigration crackdown, to the small African nation of Eswatini. A U.S. Department of Homeland Security official said in an email to Abrego's lawyers that Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, has replaced Uganda as the country designated for his deportation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The official said the change was made because Abrego has stated that he fears persecution or torture in Uganda. "That claim of fear is hard to take seriously, especially given that you have claimed (through your attorneys) that you fear persecution or torture in at least 22 different countries ... Nonetheless, we hereby notify you that your new country of removal is Eswatini, Africa," the official said in the email. Abrego, originally from El Salvador and currently being held in an immigration detention center in Virginia, has no ties to Eswatini, a landlocked country bordering South Africa. The Trump administration's push to send Abrego, 30, to Eswatini is the latest twist in a saga that began in March, when U.S. authorities accused him of being a gang member and sent him to an El Salvadoran prison despite an order from a U.S. judge prohibiting his deportation to his native country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego was brought back in June to face criminal charges of transporting migrants living in the United States illegally. He has pleaded not guilty and his lawyers have accused the administration of vindictive prosecution. Abrego, a sheet metal worker who entered the United States illegally, had been living in Maryland with his wife, their child and two of her children - all of whom are American citizens - until he was arrested and sent to El Salvador. Abrego's lawyers have said the administration is trying to coerce him into pleading guilty. According to court filings, the administration offered at one point to deport him to Costa Rica if he agreed to plead guilty, and said he would be sent to Uganda if he did not. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. sent a deportation flight to Eswatini in July that DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said at the time carried "individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back." (Reporting by Ted Hesson and Jan Wolfe in Washington; Editing by Tom Hogue) The Trump administration told Kilmar Abrego Garcia on Friday it is now seeking to deport him to the tiny African kingdom of Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, according to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement email obtained by CBS News. The email from a top ICE official noted that Abrego Garcia's attorneys have warned he fears being persecuted or tortured in Uganda, where federal authorities threatened to deport him last month after he was detained once again by immigration officials following his release from criminal custody. The ICE official said Abrego Garcia, through his attorneys, has also claimed fear of being harmed if deported to more than 20 countries, most of them in Latin America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the email, the official called the alleged claims "hard to take seriously," but added: "Nonetheless, we hereby notify you that your new country of removal is Eswatini, Africa." CBS News reached out to representatives and an attorney for Abrego Garcia, asking for comment on the Trump administration's threat to send their client to Eswatini. Eswatini is at least the fourth possible destination that the Trump administration has floated for Abrego Garcia, a native of El Salvador who was mistakenly deported in March, held in a notorious Salvadoran prison and returned to the U.S. in June only to face federal smuggling charges. Africa's sole remaining absolute monarchy, Eswatini is one of several nations that has agreed to the Trump administration's requests to accept deportees who are not their citizens from the U.S. Earlier this year, the U.S. sent a small group of deportees from Asia and Latin America who had been convicted of violent crimes to Eswatini. Attorneys say the men are being held incommunicado in a prison there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego Garcia was released from pre-trial jail last month, but ICE almost immediately detained him during a check-in appointment with the agency in Baltimore and began processing him for deportation to Uganda. His attorneys have fought that move, and alleged the government offered to deport him to Costa Rica instead if he agreed to a plea deal in his smuggling case. And on Thursday, federal authorities argued they could have a legal route to deport him to El Salvador a second time. A 2019 immigration court ruling barred the government from sending him to the Central American country, citing a risk of persecution by gangs. But in a filing obtained by CBS News, the government argued those legal protections would be voided if Abrego Garcia's request to reopen his immigration court case is granted. Despite that legal protection issued in 2019, Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador in March, which government lawyers acknowledged was an "administrative error." A senior Trump administration official said, "Kilmar Abrego Garcia's lawyers are playing with fire. If their attempts to reopen his immigration case are successful, his own lawyers will have opened the door for his return to El Salvador." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego Garcia remains in ICE custody in Virginia while his lawyers fight his criminal charges and deportation proceedings. His possible deportation to Uganda was paused by a federal judge in Maryland until at least next month. Trump administration fights Abrego Garcia's asylum case Meanwhile, Abrego Garcia is seeking asylum in the U.S., a legal status granted to people who have a well-founded fear of persecution in another country. In an immigration court filing Thursday, government lawyers asked a judge not to grant Abrego Garcia's request to reopen his immigration case so he can seek asylum or some other legal protection, like a green card based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration argued that Abrego Garcia is not eligible for asylum and other benefits, citing his alleged affiliation with the gang MS-13, his smuggling charges and a domestic violence complaint filed by his wife. The government alleges Abrego Garcia is a member of a foreign terrorist group, since MS-13 has been classified as such by the State Department. Abrego Garcia has strongly denied any affiliation with MS-13 and has pleaded not guilty to his smuggling charges, which his attorneys have called "vindictive and selective." Abrego Garcia's wife filed a protective order alleging domestic violence in 2021, but she later said she decided not to follow through with the case. Abrego Garcia was not criminally charged in the matter. Abrego Garcia's attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg told CBS News that if his client "is allowed a fair trial in immigration court, there's no way he's not going to prevail on his claim for asylum." "Kilmar Abrego Garcia was tortured in El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison earlier this year," he said. "The only reason he was denied asylum in 2019 was because he did not file within one year of entering the United States, a problem which the government has now solved." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Justice Barrett on the Supreme Court's checks on Trump's power "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" turns 50: "Don't dream it, be it" Stand-up Nate Bargatze on operating in "the chaos" President Trump appeared to once again threaten sending troops to Chicago for a widespread immigration and crime crackdown similar to that seen in Los Angeles when the National Guard was recently deployed there. In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Mr. Trump shared a screenshot that reads "'I love the smell of deportations in the morning ...' Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR." The AI-generated image appears to parody the movie "Apocalypse Now." On Sunday, the president told reporters at the White House that his administration is not "going to war" in Chicago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're going to clean up our cities," Mr. Trump said. "We're going to clean them up, so they don't kill five people every weekend. That's not war, that's common sense." Mr. Trump has targeted Chicago and other Democrat-led cities for expanded federal intervention. His administration has said it will step up immigration enforcement in the Windy City, as he did in Los Angeles, and would deploy National Guard troops to help fight crime. In addition to sending troops to Los Angeles in June, Mr. Trump deployed them last month in Washington, D.C., as part of his unprecedented law enforcement takeover of the nation's capital. A federal court in California ruled this week that the Trump administration violated federal law when it deployed Guard and active-duty U.S Marines to Los Angeles. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer found that the administration violated the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the use of the military for domestic law enforcement. Although details about the promised Chicago operation have been sparse, local opposition is already widespread and is building in the suburbs. State and city leaders have said they plan to sue the Trump administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're going in. I didn't say when, we're going in," Mr. Trump said in an Oval Office event Tuesday, after a reporter asked if he plans to send the Guard to Chicago. Mr. Trump did not specify whether his administration will primarily send Guard forces or federal law enforcement agents to Chicago. On Sunday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker responded to Mr. Trump's Truth Social post, saying in a post X, "The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city." "This is not a joke. This is not normal," Pritzker wrote. "Donald Trump isn't a strongman, he's a scared man. Illinois won't be intimidated by a wannabe dictator." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city's mayor, Brandon Johnson, in a post on X, said Mr. Trump's threats are "beneath the honor of our nation." "But the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution," he wrote. "We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump." An internal government memo obtained by CBS News this week showed that the Department of Homeland Security asked the Pentagon to accommodate roughly 250 federal agents and 140 vehicles at the Naval Station Great Lakes the largest military base in Illinois and the Navy's largest training station. The request was officially made last week, and Homeland Security personnel and equipment began arriving at the naval station earlier this week, a U.S. official familiar with the operation told CBS News. The naval station is located about 50 miles north of Chicago on Lake Michigan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The internal memo said Homeland Security officials would need the base for 30 days, suggesting the immigration crackdown in Chicago could last for weeks. In a statement to CBS News, DHS said it will "go to wherever these criminal illegal aliens are including Chicago, Boston, and other cities." "Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, nowhere is a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens," the department said. "If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will hunt you down, arrest you, deport you, and you will never return." Activists, church groups and schools in the nation's third-largest city have been preparing for the operation. Organizers postponed a downtown Mexican Independence Day festival scheduled for later this month because of fears in the community about the planned immigration crackdown. They did not set a new date. NIH whistleblower says she was ousted after clashing with Trump officials on vaccines 13-year-old arrested, 23 guns seized after alleged school shooting threat Inside Apple's 2025 launch event A day after senators of both parties rebuked his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., for restricting access to Covid vaccines at a congressional hearing, President Donald Trump praised them, along with some other shots, during an Oval Office event. A lot of people think that Covid is amazing, Trump said, referencing the vaccine, not the disease. You know, there are many people that believe strongly in that. Trump also said he thought the polio shot was amazing and that you have to be very careful when you say that some people dont have to be vaccinated. Trump was responding to a question from a reporter about Florida officials announcement this week that they would be lifting all vaccination requirements in the state , including for schoolchildren. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said: You have vaccines that work. They just pure and simple work. Theyre not controversial at all. And I think those vaccines should be used. Otherwise some people are going to catch it and they endanger other people. Kennedy has long maintained that parents should have the right to refuse vaccinations required by schools, and he has only approved new Covid vaccines for people older than 65 and those with underlying health conditions. Others may no longer get the shots at pharmacies without a prescription depending on the state where they live. Senators at a Finance Committee hearing Thursday, including Republican Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and the chambers second-ranking Republican, John Barrasso of Wyoming, both doctors, questioned Kennedy sharply about the changes to vaccine policy. Barrasso cited polling that he said showed the vast majority of Americans supported most vaccines, while Cassidy praised Trumps Operation Warp Speed, which helped bring the Covid shots to market in record time. Kennedy struggled to explain how he could both be so critical of Covid shots he once said they were the deadliest vaccine ever made and at the same time agree with Cassidy that Trump deserved credit for helping to develop them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps endorsement of vaccination also comes two weeks before a government vaccine panel, which Kennedy has stacked with members who share his skepticism of the shots, will meet to consider revisions to the childhood vaccine schedule. Among other issues, the panel is considering whether to change guidance that newborns receive Hepatitis B vaccines. Kennedy has argued against that practice. Though the disease is usually transmitted through sex or infected needles, mothers can pass it to their babies. Kennedy ran a group, Childrens Health Defense, that questions vaccine safety and was involved with litigation against vaccine makers before he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Trump. Hes long believed that an increase in childhood immunizations is connected to rising autism cases, despite abundant evidence to the contrary. Trump named him health secretary shortly after he won the election. Still, in the immediate aftermath of the Senate hearing Thursday, Trump backed Kennedy , saying his health secretary means well and that he appreciated that Kennedy had a different take on health issues than others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump also didnt sound alarmed when Kennedy pulled $500 million in funding for research on the mRNA technology that undergirded the Covid shots last month, saying at the time that Operation Warp Speed was a long time ago and were on to other things. On Monday, Trump asked drug companies to justify the success of their Covid vaccines with more efficacy data. Moderna, Novavax and Pfizer responded quickly with evidence they said demonstrated the shots saved lives. Trump also supported Kennedy last week by firing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez. Kennedy had picked Monarez for the job and shed been in it only a month. Monarez said Kennedy pushed her out because she refused to agree in advance to support changes to vaccine guidance recommended by Kennedys handpicked vaccine advisory panel. The CDC director ultimately decides what shots to recommend and to whom. Senior Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday said that the floods in Punjab signify the "failure" of both the state and central government. "The trucks are being dispatched. This flood is a result of the failure of the state government and the central government, and it is the state of Punjab that is bearing the brunt. The government is not providing information regarding damages to crops and farms, loss of life and livestock," Baghel, AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab, said while addressing the media here. Labelling both state and central government "insensitive," Baghel claimed that people of Punjab have been left to fend for themselves since the government wasn't providing any kind of relief material to people affected by floods. "The government is not providing any relief material to the affected people. The arrangements for drinking water and food are not being done properly. This is unfortunate. How can the state and central government be so insensitive? The Prime Minister has not even tweeted. They have left people in Punjab to fend for themselves," the Congress leader said. "However, Congress stands with the victims in every situation. Party workers and leaders are heading to their respective regions to assess the situation. We are providing relief material to the people," Baghel added. As the floods wreak havoc in Punjab, Congress today arranged for relief material for the flood-affected victims in many districts of the state. Speaking to ANI, Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla said that trucks carrying essential supplies of food were dispatched to Firozpur and informed that the party was sending relief material to all the affected places. "Punjab Congress Committee president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring sent the relief material. Punjab incharge Bhupesh Baghel will flag off this. Four trucks of relief supplies have been dispatched to Firozpur. Congress is sending this material to all the affected places. It has packets of food for people and 'chaara' for livestock. We have plenty of rations now. People have also managed to send relief material," the Amritsar MP said. "The food grains in 40 -50 villages have been destroyed completely. We have to help people till November," Aujla added. The death toll in Punjab amid chaos due to the floods has risen to 46, the state's Department of Information and Public Relations informed. Earlier in the day, Punjab Rural Development Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond stated that approximately 24,930 people have been affected by the floods in the state, with 40 villages inundated. Fazilika district is among the worst hit, with 22,652 people impacted, particularly in the Jalalabad and Fazilka constituencies. "Due to floods in the Fazilka district, Jalalabad and Fazilka constituencies are most affected. Approximately 24,930 people have been affected, with 40 villages impacted by floods," said Sond. He added that around 4,200 people have been shifted to safer locations. Moreover, 30 relief camps have also been established in the district. "17 government buildings have been affected in floods...4 teams of NDRF, two teams of Army, one team of BSF have been deployed in Fazilka," he said. According to the minister, 8,600 ration kits were distributed to people affected by the floods. "We are providing relief material to every family affected by the floods. Almost 8600 ration kits have been distributed," he said. Despite ongoing relief efforts, heavy rains continue to worsen the situation. (ANI) By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump is standing by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary who is upending the U.S. healthcare system, despite congressional pressure, public health concerns and the political risks of changing vaccine policies nationwide. Since becoming the top U.S. health official, Kennedy has slashed funding for vaccine research, limited access for COVID-19 shots and ousted the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which makes U.S. vaccine recommendations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The consequences of those changes for Americans and their wellness are vast, public health professionals warn. They also carry possible political peril: If an outbreak of an infectious disease occurs after vaccination rates go down, Trump could be blamed. But the president so far has been steadfast in his support for Kennedy, according to sources familiar with their relationship, underscoring Trump's willingness to take a proverbial sledgehammer to the U.S. healthcare system, just as he has to academia, the law, the media and other institutions throughout U.S. society. "He's a, a very good person ... and he means very well, and he's got some little different ideas," Trump told reporters on Thursday at the White House after lawmakers grilled Kennedy at a hearing earlier in the day. "If you look at what's going on in the world with health, and look at this country also with regard to health, I like the fact that he's different." Trump and Kennedy speak regularly, though not as often as the president does with some other cabinet officials, a White House official said. They don't share the same passion, the official added, but Trump has the secretary's back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He doesn't feel as strongly as Bobby on some of these key issues," the official said. "He trusts his judgment." Trump rewarded Kennedy with the Health and Human Services job after drawing support from the Kennedy-inspired Make America Healthy Again movement in the 2024 election. Kennedy, who hails from one of the country's most famous political dynasties, briefly ran for president as a Democrat and an independent before dropping out to endorse Trump. In December, Trump played down the potential for the longtime vaccine critic to make extreme change. "I think he's going to be much less radical than you would think," the then-president-elect told reporters at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach, Florida estate. "I think he's got a very open mind, or I wouldn't have put him there." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement IT'S COMPLICATED Trump's own views on vaccines are complicated. Though he can claim credit for speeding up development of the life-saving COVID-19 vaccines during his first term, he has been reluctant to embrace them, given the antipathy of his political base toward vaccines and the broader response to the pandemic. Florida leaders announced a plan on Wednesday to end all state vaccine mandates, including for students to attend schools. Trump seemed to question that, gently, on Friday. "Look, you have some vaccines that are so amazing. The polio vaccine, I happen to think is amazing," he told reporters in the Oval Office. "You have to be very careful when you say that some people don't have to be vaccinated ... It's a very tough position." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Democrats have become more trusting of vaccines in recent years, Republicans appear less so, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. Some 75% of Democrats in May said they considered vaccines for diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella to be "very safe" for children, up from 64% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in May 2020. The share of Republicans saying the same fell to 41% in May of this year from 57% five years earlier. Trump is attuned to that political dynamic and has reacted accordingly, said Marc Short, who helped lead the administration's pandemic response plan during Trump's first term as Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff. He noted there were risks for Kennedy, though, if things went badly. "If there's something that the president views as embarrassing to him, he has a unique capacity to kind of cut bait and go a different direction," Short said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president recently posted on social media that vaccine companies should prove their products saved millions of lives. That data exists, though there are skeptics. A Yale study showed that from December 2020 to November 2022, COVID-19 vaccines prevented "more than 18.5 million additional hospitalizations and 3.2 million additional deaths" in the United States. NOT ENOUGH CREDIT Reflecting Trump's ambivalence on the issue, the White House official said the president does not feel he gets enough credit for Operation Warp Speed, the program his prior administration spearheaded to spur vaccine development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic and Republican lawmakers sharply criticized Kennedy during a tumultuous hearing on Thursday that highlighted bipartisan discomfort with the health secretary's leadership. Kennedy's suggestion that Trump receive a Nobel Prize for his efforts went over well with the president, according to the White House official, while Republican support for Operation Warp Speed muted the sting of their criticism of Kennedy. Strong voter support for vaccines appeared to be on the mind of at least one Republican senator on Thursday. The office of John Barrasso, a physician, confirmed he was citing data at the hearing from Trump's polling firm, Fabrizio-Ward, showing 89% of all voters and 81% of Trump voters agreeing that vaccine recommendations should come from trained physicians, scientists and public health experts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's Republican allies and members of the administration, including Vice President JD Vance, took to social media to criticize lawmakers who had grilled the health secretary. "You're full of shit and everyone knows it," Vance said on X. Some public health officials suggest the political alliance Trump has formed with Kennedy - and the leeway the president is giving him - is leading to dire consequences. "They made a marriage of convenience and now it's a marriage that's going to have unprecedented and disastrous results for public health, healthcare and biomedical research," said Gregg Gonsalves, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, who complimented Trump's Operation Warp Speed as a "tremendous" victory. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; additional reporting by Jason Lange, Trevor Hunnicutt, David Morgan and Jarrett RenshawEditing by Colleen Jenkins and Alistair Bell) Related video: Eric Adams says hes staying in NYC mayoral race President Trump on Friday appeared resigned to a communist in New York City after incumbent Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced plans to stick with his independent reelection bid, despite calls from the White House for a one-on-one race between former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and Democratic primary winner Zohran Mamdani. Hes free to do what he wants, Trump said of Adams as he spoke to reporters in the Oval Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It would seem to me that the only way youre going to beat the communist because you have a communist running. Which is fine. Ill have to deal with a communist in New York City. I never thought that was going to happen. It would seem to me that if he stays in, if you have more than one candidate running against him, it cant be won. The presidents comments came moments after Adams announced he would stay in the mayoral race, amid reports that he might be offered a job in the Trump administration as a way to help consolidate opposition against Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, and clear the way for a one-on-one battle with Cuomo, who also is running as an independent. Trump has repeatedly blasted Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist, as a communist lunatic and a threat to New York City. I would say that Cuomo might have a chance of winning if it was one-on-one. If its not one-on-one, its going to be a hard race. And well get used to a communist, and hes going to have to go through the White House to get approvals for everything, Trump said Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He called the mayor a very nice person but denied rumors that he offered Adams an ambassadorship. No, I didnt do that. Theres nothing wrong with doing it, but I didnt do that, Trump said. Adams met with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff in Florida earlier this week, according to The Associated Press, and the New York Post reported Friday that Adams was set to meet with the White House in D.C. next week. The president had said Thursday hed like to see two people drop out of the contest. But Adams on Friday reaffirmed that hes staying in the race for a second term, maintaining that hes the only candidate who can defeat Mamdani, while taking shots at Cuomo. He also denied reports that he would be visiting D.C. to discuss a position in the administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. In September 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Chicago was the "most dangerous city in the world" and "the murder capital of the world." According to WorldAtlas' 2025 ranking of the most dangerous cities according to their crime rates per capita, the only U.S. city in the top 10 was Memphis. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, was at the top of the list, while Chicago was ranked 40th, below several other U.S. cities. As of 2023, the FBI's data did not list Chicago among the top 10 U.S. "cities with the largest number of violent crimes per 100,000 residents." According to the city's own data, there were 274 homicides in Chicago between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2025, compared with 399 during the same period in 2024. In January 2025, the Chicago Tribune reported a 2024 total of 573 homicides in the city, making it "the third consecutive year of decreasing homicides in Chicago." In early September 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Chicago was the "most dangerous city in the world" amid plans to send the National Guard into the city to further his administration's immigration crackdown, despite vocal opposition from local leadership. Trump's comments were inspired by shootings that occurred in Chicago over the Labor Day weekend, in which eight people were killed and 50 injured, according to The Associated Press. In a Sept. 2 Truth Social post, Trump wrote: 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 doesn't know it yet. I will solve the crime problem fast, just like I did in DC. Chicago will be safe again, and soon. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Social media users on X (archived) and Facebook (archived) amplified the president's statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An hour later, Trump doubled down and posted: "CHICAGO IS THE MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD!" (Donald Trump on Truth Social) Despite Trump's claim that Chicago was the "murder capital of the world" and "the worst and most dangerous city in the world, by far," statistical data suggested otherwise. We did not to give this claim a rating because "dangerous" is subjective and difficult to quantify with hard data. However, none of the violent-crime and homicide statistics referenced in this piece suggested Chicago could reasonably be considered "the murder capital of the world." What crime data showed According to the FBI's data as of 2023, collated by Statista, Chicago did not appear in the list of top 10 "cities with the largest number of violent crimes per 100,000 residents." (Statista did note that "due to the FBI's transition to a new crime reporting system, not all law enforcement agencies submitted crime data to the FBI for 2023. As a result, figures may not accurately reflect the total number of crimes.") Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, the state of Illinois appeared sixth on Statista's list of "total number of homicides in the United States in 2023," trailing California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, according to data from the FBI (with a similar note added). The Council on Criminal Justice, a self-described independent and nonpartisan organization that serves "as a center of gravity and incubator of policy and leadership for the criminal justice field," reported that "in the first half of 2025 (January-June), Chicago's homicide rate was 33% lower than it was for the same period in 2024," which was "twice the average decrease of 17% seen in the 30 large cities in CCJ's study sample that reported homicide data." According to the city's data reporting, there were 274 homicides in Chicago between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2025, compared with 399 during the same time frame in 2024. In Jan. 2025, the Chicago Tribune reported a 2024 total of 573 homicides in the city, making it the city's third straight year of decreased homicides. The newspaper added: "After a two-year spike during the pandemic and national outrage over police accountability, Chicago began to see a decline in homicides in 2022. Homicide and nonfatal shooting totals fell again in 2023, but the city was roiled by robbery and carjacking crews responsible for an overall uptick in violence." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The spike in homicide rates during the pandemic did not occur just in Chicago. Homicide rates across the U.S. "went up an estimated 31% in 2020 and another 3% in 2021, resulting in the highest national homicide rate since the 1990s," according to a Nov. 2022 Bloomberg article. That data was supported by Statista's collation of FBI data for violent crime in general since 1990, which included "murder, nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault." However, Chicago could still be framed as "dangerous" by some people's definition of the word. For example, the Rochester Institute of Technology's Center for Public Safety Initiatives published a study looking into the 2024 homicide rates of 24 U.S. cities. It found that of select U.S. cities with a population more than 1 million in this case, comparing Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York City "Chicago has consistently had the highest homicide rate for the past seven years." However, it also found that cities with lower populations had higher homicide rates, including Richmond, Virginia; St. Louis; New Orleans; and Detroit; to name a few. WorldAtlas' 2025 ranking of the most dangerous cities in the world according to their crime rates per capita based on survey data collected by Numbeo, an independent website with "up-to-date information on the cost of living, quality of life, and various socio-economic factors across cities and countries worldwide" listed Memphis, Tennessee, as the only U.S. city in its top 10. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, was top of the list. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chicago came in at No. 40, positioning the city below Detroit, Baltimore, Albuquerque, St. Louis, Oakland, New Orleans, Milwaukee and Philadelphia. For context, there may have been some discrepancies in how various agencies reported their data. For instance, the Chicago Tribune pointed out that the city's reported "homicide figures do not include killings that occurred in self-defense or in other circumstances not measured in Chicago police statistics." Further, the newspaper added that "homicide data from the Illinois State Police, which patrols the city's expressways, also is not included" in its report. As stated above, Statista also stipulated that its figures "may not accurately reflect the total number of crimes." Despite these caveats, statistics still suggested that calling Chicago "the most dangerous city in the world" or "the murder capital of the world" was, in the most generous interpretation of the data, misleading. Sources: "8 Killed and 50 Wounded in Chicago over Long Weekend as Trump Plans Federal Deployment." AP News, 2 Sep. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/chicago-shootings-labor-day-58c2b6678c89d340fb5ab699bf142247. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Are Republicans Right About America's Crime Wave? Let's Look at the Data." Bloomberg.Com, 4 Nov. 2022. www.bloomberg.com, https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-11-04/midterm-elections-the-crime-wave-is-real-especially-in-big-cities. "Chicago Homicides in 2024: 573 People Slain. Here's How That Compares with Previous Years." Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2025, https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/03/chicago-homicides-2024/. "Chicago Prepares for an Influx of National Guard Troops and Immigration Agents." AP News, 3 Sep. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/chicago-immigrants-military-crime-trump-9410aba46898ba3c541fa6c60ddcef69. Crime in Chicago: What You Need to Know - Council on Criminal Justice. 26 Aug. 2025, https://counciloncj.org/crime-in-chicago-what-you-need-to-know/. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Guard Not Needed in Chicago, Pritzker Tells AP during Tour of City to Counter Trump's Crime Claims." AP News, 28 Aug. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/chicago-violence-crime-pritzker-national-guard-trump-2023e25445c45a3f0f4d3513e8eb2ac4. Irshad Altheimer, Ph.D. 2024 Homicide Statistics for 24 U.S. Cities. RIT College of Liberal Arts - Center for Public Safety Initiatives , 2025, https://www.statista.com/statistics/243797/ranking-of-the-most-dangerous-cities-in-the-world-by-murder-rate-per-capita/. "Most Dangerous Cities in the World 2025." Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/243797/ranking-of-the-most-dangerous-cities-in-the-world-by-murder-rate-per-capita/. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025. "Murders in the U.S. by State 2023." Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/195331/number-of-murders-in-the-us-by-state/. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Most Dangerous Cities In The World." WorldAtlas, 12 Jun. 2025, https://www.worldatlas.com/cities/the-most-dangerous-cities-in-the-world.html. "U.S. - Most Dangerous Cities 2023." Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/217685/most-dangerous-cities-in-north-america-by-crime-rate/. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025. Violence Reduction - Victims of Homicides and Non-Fatal Shootings | City of Chicago | Data Portal. https://data.cityofchicago.org/Public-Safety/Violence-Reduction-Victims-of-Homicides-and-Non-Fa/gumc-mgzr/explore/query/SELECT%0A%20%20%60case_number%60%2C%0A%20%20%60date%60%2C%0A%20%20%60block%60%2C%0A%20%20%60victimization_primary%60%2C%0A%20%20%60incident_primary%60%2C%0A%20%20%60gunshot_injury_i%60%2C%0A%20%20%60unique_id%60%2C%0A%20%20%60zip_code%60%2C%0A%20%20%60ward%60%2C%0A%20%20%60community_area%60%2C%0A%20%20%60street_outreach_organization%60%2C%0A%20%20%60area%60%2C%0A%20%20%60district%60%2C%0A%20%20%60beat%60%2C%0A%20%20%60age%60%2C%0A%20%20%60sex%60%2C%0A%20%20%60race%60%2C%0A%20%20%60victimization_fbi_cd%60%2C%0A%20%20%60incident_fbi_cd%60%2C%0A%20%20%60victimization_fbi_descr%60%2C%0A%20%20%60incident_fbi_descr%60%2C%0A%20%20%60victimization_iucr_cd%60%2C%0A%20%20%60incident_iucr_cd%60%2C%0A%20%20%60victimization_iucr_secondary%60%2C%0A%20%20%60incident_iucr_secondary%60%2C%0A%20%20%60homicide_victim_first_name%60%2C%0A%20%20%60homicide_victim_mi%60%2C%0A%20%20%60homicide_victim_last_name%60%2C%0A%20%20%60month%60%2C%0A%20%20%60day_of_week%60%2C%0A%20%20%60hour%60%2C%0A%20%20%60location_description%60%2C%0A%20%20%60state_house_district%60%2C%0A%20%20%60state_senate_district%60%2C%0A%20%20%60updated%60%2C%0A%20%20%60latitude%60%2C%0A%20%20%60longitude%60%2C%0A%20%20%60location%60%0AWHERE%0A%20%20caseless_one_of%28%60victimization_primary%60%2C%20%22HOMICIDE%22%29%0A%20%20AND%20%60date%60%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20BETWEEN%20%222024-01-01T14%3A14%3A52%22%20%3A%3A%20floating_timestamp%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20AND%20%222024-08-31T14%3A14%3A52%22%20%3A%3A%20floating_timestamp%0AORDER%20BY%20%60date%60%20DESC%20NULL%20FIRST/page/filter. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025. Violence Reduction - Victims of Homicides and Non-Fatal Shootings | City of Chicago | Data Portal. https://data.cityofchicago.org/Public-Safety/Violence-Reduction-Victims-of-Homicides-and-Non-Fa/gumc-mgzr/explore/query/SELECT%0A%20%20%60case_number%60%2C%0A%20%20%60date%60%2C%0A%20%20%60block%60%2C%0A%20%20%60victimization_primary%60%2C%0A%20%20%60incident_primary%60%2C%0A%20%20%60gunshot_injury_i%60%2C%0A%20%20%60unique_id%60%2C%0A%20%20%60zip_code%60%2C%0A%20%20%60ward%60%2C%0A%20%20%60community_area%60%2C%0A%20%20%60street_outreach_organization%60%2C%0A%20%20%60area%60%2C%0A%20%20%60district%60%2C%0A%20%20%60beat%60%2C%0A%20%20%60age%60%2C%0A%20%20%60sex%60%2C%0A%20%20%60race%60%2C%0A%20%20%60victimization_fbi_cd%60%2C%0A%20%20%60incident_fbi_cd%60%2C%0A%20%20%60victimization_fbi_descr%60%2C%0A%20%20%60incident_fbi_descr%60%2C%0A%20%20%60victimization_iucr_cd%60%2C%0A%20%20%60incident_iucr_cd%60%2C%0A%20%20%60victimization_iucr_secondary%60%2C%0A%20%20%60incident_iucr_secondary%60%2C%0A%20%20%60homicide_victim_first_name%60%2C%0A%20%20%60homicide_victim_mi%60%2C%0A%20%20%60homicide_victim_last_name%60%2C%0A%20%20%60month%60%2C%0A%20%20%60day_of_week%60%2C%0A%20%20%60hour%60%2C%0A%20%20%60location_description%60%2C%0A%20%20%60state_house_district%60%2C%0A%20%20%60state_senate_district%60%2C%0A%20%20%60updated%60%2C%0A%20%20%60latitude%60%2C%0A%20%20%60longitude%60%2C%0A%20%20%60location%60%0AWHERE%0A%20%20caseless_one_of%28%60victimization_primary%60%2C%20%22HOMICIDE%22%29%0A%20%20AND%20%60date%60%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20BETWEEN%20%222025-01-01T14%3A14%3A52%22%20%3A%3A%20floating_timestamp%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20AND%20%222025-09-04T14%3A14%3A52%22%20%3A%3A%20floating_timestamp%0AORDER%20BY%20%60date%60%20DESC%20NULL%20FIRST/page/filter. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025. President Donald Trump has claimed that he was totally unaware of a botched Navy SEAL mission in 2019 that ended with the deaths of multiple North Korean civilians. On Friday, the New York Times reported that Trump personally gave the go-ahead for a mission that was intended to give the U.S. the capability to intercept North Korean leader Kim Jong-Uns communications. I could look, but I dont know anything about it, the president said on Friday when a reporter asked about the mission. Im hearing it now for the first time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The aborted mission in North Korea was conducted by SEAL Team 6s Red Squadronthe unit that killed Osama bin Laden eight years earlier, according to the Times. President Donald Trump and North Koreas leader Kim Jong Un talk before a meeting in the Demilitarized Zone on June 30, 2019. The failed Navy SEAL mission took place as high-level nuclear talks unfolded between the two leaders. / BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images However, the members of the elite squadron made several mistakes when approaching the North Korean coast, where they intended to plant a newly developed device that would give American forces insight into Kims thinking while Trump sought to broker a nuclear arms deal. As the SEALs arrived in North Korean, they were spotted by people on a fishing boat. Operating in a communications dead zone, the team members were unsure whether they had been detected by North Korean security forces or civilians. They decided to open fire, killing the entire crew of the fishing boat and effectively ending the mission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 2019 incident was not the only failed military gambit during Trumps first term. President Trump during a visit to Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The president has had a checkered history with the military and top generals since entering politics. / Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images In 2017, Trump hastily approved a Navy SEAL raid on a village in Yemen that resulted in the deaths of 30 civilians and one SEAL Team 6 member. Trump called that raid a winning mission even though it led to the destruction of a $90 million military aircraft in addition to the loss of life. Apart from displaying questionable judgment as commander-in-chief, the president also has a history of derogatory remarks toward service members, and clashes with his own senior generals. Shortly after announcing his first run for the presidency in 2015, Trump ridiculed the late Sen. John McCain, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, saying, I like people who werent captured. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2020, multiple outlets reported that two years earlier, President Trump had referred to American soldiers who died during wartime as losers and suckers. Trump avoided military service in Vietnam thanks to bone spurs on his heels. President Trump during a Memorial Day visit to Arlington National Cemetery on May 26. The president has reportedly referred to fallen soldiers as losers and suckers. / Ken Cedeno/Reuters A few months after the failed Navy SEAL raid in 2019, which the president supposedly had no knowledge about, negotiations broke down between the U.S. and North Korea, in October 2019. The pariah state is now estimated to possess 50 nuclear warheads. The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment. President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro speaks during a press conference at Hotel Melia Caracas on September 01, 2025 in Caracas, Venezuela. Maduro stated that his government is targeted by 8 military ships and 1,200 missiles; what he called the largest threat on Venezuela in the last 100 years. Credit - Jesus Vargas2025 Getty Images President Donald Trump has denied that he is seeking regime change in Venezuela even as he has ordered a large build-up of U.S. military assets off its coast and increased threats against the countrys president, Nicolas Maduro. We're not talking about that, Trump told reporters Friday when asked if the U.S. was looking to oust Madurosomething that he attempted in his first term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump Administration says its military build-up in the Caribbean is aimed at stopping cartels smuggling drugs into the United States. The Pentagon took military action against what it claimed was a cartel target for the first time on Tuesday, killing 11 people in a boat it said had departed from Venezuela and was carrying drugs to the United States. But Trump officials have increasingly accused Maduro of being in league with the cartels, raising fears that he may also be a target of the current campaign. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called Maduro effectively a kingpin of a drug narco state following the strike on the alleged cartel boat and said the Venezuelan leader should be worried. Read more: Pentagon Promises More Strikes Against Cartels After Deadly Boat Raid. What You Need to Know Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela. It is a narco-terror cartel, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in August when asked about the buildup of troops in the region. [Trump] is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice. Even before the build-up of U.S. military forces in the waters off Venezuela, the Trump Administration was piling pressure on Maduro. Attorney General Pam Bondi was already offering a reward of $50 million for information leading to Maduros arrest and seized up to $700 million of assets allegedly linked to him on Aug. 13, including luxury goods, bank accounts, and private jets. The U.S. government does not recognize the legitimacy of his last two election victories, and Trump again on Friday called Maduros victory in January a very strange election to put it mild. In February, Trump designated Venezuelas Tren de Aragua gang as a foreign terrorist organization, and he has since accused Maduro of running the organization. Maduro denies any links to the group and points to his government's own crackdown on Tren de Aragua in 2023 as proof of his innocence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since the start of the anti-cartel operation, the U.S. has deployed eight warships, one attack submarine, several surveillance planes, and thousands of American troops to the waters near Venezuela. The White House also said Friday that 10 F-35 fighter jets are being sent to Puerto Rico, after Venezuelan fighter jets flew close to a U.S. warship. Trump has warned that if these fighter jets pose a threat to U.S. troops or put us in a dangerous position, they'll be shot down. Reports from CNN also suggest that the Trump Administration is considering attacks against drug cartels within Venezuela itself. The Venezuelan government mobilized more than four million militia troops last month in response to U.S. naval movements in the region, and Maduro this week accused the U.S. of seeking a regime change through military threat. But Maduro has also left the door open for talks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Venezuela is always ready for dialogue, but we demand respect, Maduro said in a speech on Friday at a military base in Caracas. None of our differences justify a high-impact military conflict in South America. Maduro had warned earlier in the week that any U.S. military action would be responded to with an armed fight, and claimed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is trying to push Trump into a conflict. Watch out, because Mr. Rubio wants to stain your hands with blood, Maduro said, addressing Trump. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump promised to take down the cartels just as we took down ISIS and the ISIS caliphate, adding: We will show NO MERCY to the cartels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Experts have questioned the legality both of Trumps designation of cartels as terror groups and the use of military action against traffickers. Following the strike, Hegseth and Trump have been clear that military action against drug cartels, specifically those operating in Venezuela, will not end with Tuesdays strike and could be the beginning of a larger campaign. We've got assets in the air, assets in the water, assets on ships, because this is a deadly serious mission for us, and it won't, it won't stop with just this strike, Hegseth said on Fox News on Wednesday. Anyone else trafficking in those waters who we know is a designated narco-terrorist will face the same fate. Contact us at letters@time.com. President Trump expressed reservations Friday about Florida moving to eliminate school vaccine mandates, calling it a very tough position and arguing some vaccines are uncontroversial. I think we have to be very careful. You have some vaccines that are so amazing, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, citing the polio vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine, which was developed during his first term. You have some vaccines that are so incredible. I think you have to be very careful when you say some people dont have to be vaccinated, Trump continued. Its a very tough position. Just initially I heard about it yesterday, and its a tough stance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Look, you have vaccines that work. They just pure and simple work. Theyre not controversial at all, and I think those vaccines should be used, otherwise some people are going to catch it, and they endanger other people, Trump added. And when you dont have controversy at all, I think people should take it. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo made the announcement Wednesday, with Ladapo comparing vaccine requirements to slavery. Ladapo said his department will repeal what mandates are under his control, and the state Legislature will have to take care of the rest. School districts in Florida, like others across the country, require vaccinations for polio, diphtheria, measles, rubella, pertussis, mumps, tetanus and other communicable diseases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The decision comes as vaccination rates among children are already on the decline and as the federal government has taken the COVID-19 vaccine off the recommended list for healthy children. Trumps Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has expressed anti-vaccine views for years. Throughout his tenure, he has unilaterally changed recommendations on COVID-19 vaccines, cut funding for mRNA research, purged influential members of the Centers for Disesae Control and Prevention vaccine advisory panel, and hinted at major changes to the childhood vaccine schedule. He has faced criticism from Democrats and even some Republicans who voted to confirm him over the moves. 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. Jerome Adams, who served as US surgeon general during President Donald Trumps first administration, is calling for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be fired as controversy continues to swirl over his handling of vaccine approvals. When asked by CNNs Victor Blackwell on Saturday if Trump should fire Kennedy, Adams said, I absolutely believe that he should for the sake of the nation and the sake of his legacy. Adams comments come after a contentious hearing on Capitol Hill earlier this week, where Kennedy was grilled by both Democrats and Republicans about his views on vaccines and the recent exodus at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including the resignation of its director, over tighter vaccine policies Kennedy was pushing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im deeply concerned about the health and safety of our nation under RFKs current leadership, Adams told Blackwell, later adding: I absolutely believe he is uniquely damaging the credibility of federal agencies like the CDC, (National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration) and hes putting us at risk. The former surgeon general also raised concerns about Trumps close relationship with Kennedy, arguing that the president should take charge of health policy. Im just flabbergasted, to be honest, that he seems to have President Trump in a thrall, Adams said. President Trump is clearly the leader on foreign policy, clearly the leader on the economy and tariffs. But when it comes to health hes doing whatever RFK says. Yet, Adams said he is hopeful that Trump will recognize what he described as the danger Kennedy poses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I still am hopeful that President Trump will begin to see the danger that is being presented not just to America, but to his own legacy by continuing to have RFK in this position, making these horrific decisions, Adams told Blackwell. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. arrives to testify before the Senate Finance Committee on September 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. - Andrew Harnik/Getty Images During Thursdays congressional hearing, Kennedy defended the changes at the CDC, claiming that they were absolutely necessary adjustments to restore the agency to its role as the worlds gold standard public health agency. When Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren argued that last months decision by the FDA which falls under Kennedys purview is effectively denying some people access to updated Covid-19 vaccines after only approving it for a limited group of people, Kennedy cast doubt on the efficacy of the vaccine. Im not going to recommend a product for which theres no clinical data for that indication. Is that what I should be doing? Kennedy asked Warren. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following the hearing, Trump praised Kennedys performance, saying that while he didnt watch the hearing, I heard he did very well today. But on Friday Trump appeared to distance himself from Floridas decision to eliminate school vaccine requirements, that all people should get certain vaccines. I think you have to be very careful when you say that some people dont have to be vaccinated, he said. You have vaccines that work, they just pure and simple work. Theyre not controversial at all, and I think those vaccines should be used, otherwise some people are going to catch it, and they endanger other people. CNNs Adam Cancryn contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday announced that the Delhi government will contribute Rs 5 crore to the Punjab Chief Minister's Relief Fund to support the state in its ongoing crisis. CM Gupta also prayed for the swift recovery of the affected families. Expressing solidarity, CM Gupta wrote in a post on X, "The Delhi government has decided to contribute Rs 5 crore to the Punjab Chief Minister's Relief Fund. In this difficult time, the pain of the brothers and sisters of Punjab is a shared pain of all of us. The people and government of Delhi stand with affection and sympathy with the people struggling with this disaster. We pray to God that the affected families recover from this calamity soon, and happiness, peace and prosperity return to the sacred land of Punjab." Her announcement comes as Punjab battles heavy flooding, which has caused extensive damage and loss of life. Similar crises are unfolding across northern states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, where excess rainfall and landslides have left several regions devastated. Meanwhile, Punjab Rural Development Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond earlier in the day said that about 24,930 people have been affected by floods in the state, with 40 villages inundated. Fazilika district is among the worst hit, with 22,652 people impacted, particularly in the Jalalabad and Fazilka constituencies. "Due to floods in Fazilka district, Jalalabad (2278) and Fazilka constituencies are most affected. Approximately 24,930 people have been affected, with 40 villages impacted by floods," said Sond. He added that around 4,200 people have been shifted to safer locations. Moreover, 30 relief camps have also been established in the district. "17 government buildings have been affected in floods...4 teams of NDRF, two teams of Army, one team of BSF have been deployed in Fazilka," he said. According to the minister, 8,600 ration kits were distributed to people affected by the floods. "We are providing relief material to every family affected by the floods. Almost 8600 ration kits have been distributed..." he said. The death toll from floods in Punjab rose to 46 on Saturday. Rescue and relief efforts have been stepped up, with AIIMS Delhi sending a specialised medical team to the affected areas. On September 2, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed for nationwide support to Punjab, announcing that party MPs and MLAs will contribute one month's salary to the Punjab Chief Minister's Relief Fund. The AAP leader's appeal comes as Punjab battles the aftermath of heavy rains and floods that have caused widespread damage and displacement across several districts. In a post on X, Kejriwal said, "Punjab has always stood tall in the face of any crisis that has befallen the nation. Today, Punjab itself is in crisis. I appeal to all my fellow countrymen to extend every possible help to the people of Punjab in this difficult time." He further added, "All Members of Parliament and MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party are donating one month's salary to the Punjab Chief Minister's Relief Fund. Let us all come together to help Punjab overcome this terrible tragedy." (ANI) The Federal Trade Commission has abandoned the historic prohibition on noncompete agreements it proposed just a year and a half ago, the result of President Donald Trumps change in leadership at the antitrust regulator. The agency said Friday that it was voluntarily dropping its appeals in court cases where employers had challenged the legality of the noncompete ban finalized under former President Joe Biden. While the rule had been temporarily blocked due to the litigation, the agencys withdrawal of support means it is now effectively dead. Politics: Trump Fires The FTC's Democratic Commissioners Noncompete clauses forbid workers from taking jobs at competing firms for a certain amount of time after leaving an employer. Critics say the agreements keep wages down and stifle innovation by locking workers into their jobs, preventing them from starting their own businesses or taking their talents to the highest bidder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ban on noncompetes was one of the hallmark progressive reforms of the Biden era, championed by former FTC Chair Lina Khan, who said outlawing the agreements was about restoring workers liberty in the labor market. Khan stepped down as FTC chair upon Trumps inauguration. Trump named Andrew Ferguson, whod opposed the noncompete ban, to be the commissions new chair, and tried to fire two Democratic commissioners before their terms were up. One of those Democrats, Alvaro Bedoya, resigned, while the other, Rebecca Slaughter, remains on the commission while she challenges her firing as illegal. The commission said Friday it had voted 3-1 in favor of abandoning the noncompete rule, with Slaughter, now the lone Democrat, dissenting. Politics: A War Veteran Hopes To Save Bidens Ban On Noncompete Agreements The bans survival appeared unlikely as soon as Ferguson was named to lead the agency. When Khan introduced the rule, Ferguson claimed it went well beyond the agencys power, and he maintained that argument in a statement Friday, saying its illegality was patently obvious. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not only would the rule nullify some 30 million noncompete contracts, Ferguson said, it would redistribute nearly a half trillion dollars of wealth within the general economy. That, indeed, was an aim of the rule, since the Democratic commissioners had argued employers were illegally suppressing workers wages through an anticompetitive practice. Trump's shakeup at the FTC paved the way for the noncompete rule to be killed. Bloomberg via Getty Images The agency estimated the ban would boost workers earnings by more than $400 billion over a decade by enabling them to switch to new jobs or demand higher pay at their existing ones. The estimated shift in wealth from corporations to their employees helps explain why businesses and their lobbies, like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, opposed the rule so strongly and sued to stop it. Slaughter wrote in a dissent that the Republican majority had decided, sadly, to throw in the towel on what should have been a landmark reform empowering workers. Politics: Epstein 'Birthday Book' Depicts Shocking Joke About Selling Woman To Trump Perhaps the agency is hoping that, by dismissing the Commissions appeals and refusing to continue defending the rule in court, no one will notice that the FTC is choosing the side of controlling bosses over American workers, she wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Polling by Ipsos last year showed that a majority of Americans backed a ban on noncompete agreements, though less than one-third said they were familiar with the FTCs rule. The agency said it received 26,000 comments from the public on the proposal, with more than 25,000 in support of a ban. The American Economic Liberties Project, a progressive think tank that focuses on antitrust issues, said Friday that Ferguson had sold out workers and sided with business lobbies by jettisoning the rule. Todays decision to walk away from that rule is a stunning betrayal of workers, entrepreneurs, and the agencys own mission, Nidhi Hegde, the groups executive director, said in a statement. Political Updates Read the original on HuffPost British Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson praised President Trump for having an iron-clad stomach when taking political risks, arguing that Brexit has allowed the U.K. to forge closer ties with the U.S. The President may not follow the traditional rulebook or conventional practice, but he is a risk-taker in a world where a business as usual approach no longer works, Mandelson said in a keynote speech at The Ditchley Park on Saturday. Indeed, he seems to have an iron-clad stomach for political risk, both at home and abroad, the diplomat added. Convening other nations and intervening in conflicts that other presidents would have thought endlessly about before descending into an analysis paralysis and gradual incrementalism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mandelson, who was tapped by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as the U.K.s top diplomat in Washington late last year, has made inroads with the administration since crossing the Atlantic, helping the U.K. strike the first trade deal with the U.S. The ambassador said on Saturday that Brexit has freed the U.K. to pursue closer US ties. Britain has the opportunity to use its regulatory freedom and independence from European law to deepen American investment opportunities. This is crucial as, post-Brexit, we need to leverage every advantage we can to spur UK growth and employment, Mandelson said. Mandelson credits Trumps political instincts in identifying the anxieties gripping not only millions of Americans, but also far more pervasive Western trends: economic stagnation for many, a sense of irreversible decline, the lost promise of meaningful work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mandelsons remarks come ahead of Trumps first visit to the U.K since returning to the White House earlier this year. He is expected to visit from Sept. 17 to Sept. 19, The Associated Press reported. 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. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says ties with the United States remain very positive, after US President Donald Trump reaffirmed their personal friendship and downplayed earlier remarks about losing India to China. Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trumps sentiments and positive assessment of our ties, Modi said in a statement posted on X on Saturday, adding that India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking comprehensive and global strategic partnership. Strains have emerged between the two longtime allies after the Trump administration imposed tariffs of up to 50 percent on Indian imports, accusing New Delhi of fuelling Moscows deadly attacks on Ukraine by purchasing Russian oil. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speculation of a deepening rift further intensified when Trump remarked on Friday that India, alongside Russia, seems to have been lost to China. This came after Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a security summit in China. Earlier this week, Xi hosted more than 20 leaders of non-Western countries including Modi and Putin for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Chinese port city of Tianjin. It was Modis first visit to China in seven years, signalling a thaw between the two Asian powers. Looks like weve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together! Trump wrote in a social media post, with a photo of Modi alongside Xi and Putin. When asked by reporters later on Friday about his remarks, Trump downplayed his earlier statement, saying he did not think the US had lost India to China. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont think we have, he said. Ive been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil, as you know, from Russia. And I let them know that. Trump insisted that he will always be friends with Modi, adding that India and the United States have a special relationship. There is nothing to worry about, he said. Since his first term in office, Trump and Modi, both right-wing populists, have shared a strong bond. But recently, Trump also appeared irritated at New Delhi as he sought credit for what he said was Nobel Prize-worthy diplomacy for brokering peace between Pakistan and India following the worst conflict in decades between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement India, which adamantly rejects any third-party mediation on Kashmir, has since given the cold shoulder to Trump on the matter. Trump has also been frustrated at his inability to convince Russia and Ukraine to reach an end to their war, more than three years after Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Donald Trump has always wanted his own, private muscle a group of armed men (and you have to think hed want them to be men) he can deploy to silence his critics, intimidate his enemies, and more generally use the threat of violence to do his bidding. All the strongmen he admires have muscle Vladimir Putin has the FSB, Recep Erdogan the SADAT, and Viktor Orban the TEK. This is why, during his first term, Trump often posted threats on social media about the cops, bikers, and soldiers ready to wage violence on his behalf. Its why he couldnt bring himself to denounce the Proud Boys during the 2020 debates, and its why, despite pleas from allies and his own children to denounce the Jan. 6 insurrectionists, he watched the Capitol riot unfold on TV for more than three hours before reluctantly calling off his thugs but not before telling them he loved them. Its against this history that Trump signed an executive order last week titled, ADDITIONAL MEASURES TO ADDRESS THE CRIME EMERGENCY IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (the all caps are his, of course). Though the order primarily addresses Trumps takeover of law enforcement in Washington, theres also some foreboding language tucked into it ordering Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to ensure the availability of a standing National Guard quick reaction force that shall be resourced, trained, and available for rapid nationwide deployment. Advertisement Advertisement This force would be available to assist federal, state, and local law enforcement in quelling civil disturbances and ensuring the public safety and order. This appears to be enacting a Pentagon blueprint The Washington Post reported on last month. It calls for a force of 600 soldiers to be ready for deployment anywhere in the country on Trumps command. That plan indicated the force would be used to quell protests or civil unrest. That its tucked into an executive order purporting to tackle common crime suggests Trump is expanding the idea. The plan sets off so many alarms that its hard to know where to begin. First, the National Guard is not a police force. Its a military organization that mostly serves under the authority of state governors. Guard troops arent trained to put down protests, police streets, or arrest people for open container violations. It also isnt what they signed up for. Advertisement Advertisement Second, in the United States, we have a long and important history of keeping the military out of domestic policing. Cops and soldiers have two fundamentally different missions. Cops are asked to keep the peace while protecting our rights. Soldiers are asked to kill the soldiers of enemy countries. That the military would be commonly used for domestic policing was among the Founders biggest fears. Its a big part of why we have the Second, Third, and Fourth Amendments. Trump seems to think that because soldiers and cops both carry guns and use force, they have the same jobs, the same skill set, and the same training that the military is just policing, but harder. Its a dangerously ignorant misconception. During his first term, he wanted to send the military into cities to violently suppress the George Floyd protests including shooting protesters if necessary. He was thwarted by his own Defense Secretary, Mike Esper, and his Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley. Trump has since said both men are guilty of crimes for criticizing him, including treason. Just this week, a federal judge ruled that Trumps federalization and deployment of the California National Guard to Los Angeles over the objections of Governor Newsom was a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars the president from using the military for domestic policing unless he first invokes the Insurrection Act. Undeterred, the White House appears to have come up with a workaround: According to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Trump has asked Texas Governor Greg Abbott to send the Texas National Guard to Chicago, without Pritzkers consent. Which is to say that at Trumps command, Texas has ordered its National Guard to invade and occupy the streets of Chicago. Advertisement Advertisement But the language creating rapid deployment units is especially alarming. It seems to be mimicking the crime suppression police units that mayors and police chiefs often create to show that theyre tough on crime. These teams are typically given free reign over cities with little oversight and the power to skirt rules and procedures. Not surprisingly, telling police units that theyre elite and not subject to the usual rules has resulted in a long and ongoing trail of violence, corruption, and abuse. Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by the SCORPION crime suppression unit in Memphis. In the 1990s, an elite unit in Los Angeles charmingly nicknamed the Death Squad resulted in $125 million in abuse settlements. The unarmed immigrant Amadou Diallo was killed by a NYPD suppression unit called the Street Crimes Unit as were Eric Garner, Sean Bell, and Kimani Gray. Elite police teams in Chicago (in the 2000s), and Baltimore (in the 2010s) were responsible for two of the biggest police abuse and corruption scandals in U.S. history. There have also been crime suppression unit scandals in Indianapolis, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Newark. These are merely the structural problems or the reasons why an order like this would be dangerous under any administration. But we should also be particularly worried about how a national rapid deployment unit would operate under this one. The Supreme Court has ruled that federal law enforcement officers and that would presumably include military personnel assigned to domestic police work have near absolute immunity from civil liability for constitutional violations. The only real way these rapid deployment teams could be held accountable for abuses would be criminal prosecution, and those would need to come from Trumps Department of Justice. That just isnt going to happen. Advertisement Advertisement Its also notable that Trump has entrusted Hegseth for the staffing, training, and oversight of these units. Hegseth is a man whose favorite word appears to be lethality, and who has gone to the mat to defend war criminals including those accused by their fellow soldiers. In his book, Hesgeth called for the U.S. military to be enlisted in a holy war, and he held a prayer service at the Pentagon in which a pastor declared that Trump was sovereignly appointed by God. Theres actually some reason to hope that National Guard troops would be more inclined than others to refuse illegal orders. The Guard is made up of part-time soldiers who in most cases are deployed in the states where they live and work. These arent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Border Patrol agents immersed in toxic police culture. Theyre teachers, bartenders, and lawyers. When the White House violently cleared protesters from Lafayette Park to allow Trumps surreal, Bible-clutching photo op in 2020, it was National Guard troops and supervisors who disputed the White Houses lies about how it all went down. But this is again why its important that Hegseth will oversee the staffing of these units. This is a Defense Secretary who said at his confirmation hearing that he does his pushups in sets of 47 as tribute to the 47th president. It seems safe to say that under Hegseth, the units will be staffed with soldiers loyal to Trump above all else. The rapid deployment plan will likely encounter pushback from the courts. The L.A. deployments were the first time in U.S. history that a president has federalized and deployed Guard troops in a state over the objections of that states governor. This plan would essentially make that breach of norms an ongoing federal policy. Advertisement Advertisement But if the courts do intervene, dont expect Trump to give up on the idea. The most likely scenario is a similar project, but staffed with ICE, Border Patrol, FBI, or DHS officers instead. Hed just need to change the mission of the masked, lawless goons we see taking down moms and grandfathers in viral videos from immigration enforcement to general law enforcement. Congress also just gave Trump a massive budget increase to ramp up hiring at these agencies, and the agencies themselves have already been purged of nonbelievers. The Atlantic reported recently that to staff up, ICE has shortened its training period from five months to just 47 days the 47 again in honor of the current president. (An ICE spokesperson says the length of the new training program is a coincidence.) A rapid deployment force staffed with federal law enforcement officers would still be illegal if its deployed for reasons other than to enforce federal law, such as suppressing protests or projecting force in blue cities. But the rule of law means little if no one bothers to enforce it. Over the years, one of the healthier aspects of our now-hobbled democracy is that the institution most adamant about preserving the line between the military and domestic policing has been the military itself. When the Regan and Bush administrations wanted active duty troops conducting street searches and drug raids in the 1980s and 1990s, it was opposition from the Pentagon itself that killed the idea. We do not allow the Army, Navy, and the Marines and Air Force to be a police force, Marine Maj. Gen. Stephen Olmstead told Congress in 1989. History is replete with countries that allowed that to happen. Disaster is the result. Advertisement Advertisement Retired Maj. General Randy Manner the former second in command of the National Guard and deputy commanding general of Army forces in the Middle East recently echoed Olmsteads fears to a reporter from MSNBC. Shouldnt the concept of having the U.S. military on the streets of our cities alarm every single human being in the United States? he asked. Military, who are trained to kill people and theyre not trained in law enforcement on our streets. This should scare the crap out of every single person in the country. Trump and Hegseth have done their best to purge people like Olmstead and Manner from the Pentagon. Lets hope they missed a few. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. President Donald Trump praised amazing vaccines that work during an Oval Office order signing session on Friday, amid mounting calls from Democrats for the removal of health secretary and notorious vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Speaking to reporters, Trump was asked about Floridas recent decision to repeal state laws mandating childhood vaccinations for diseases such as measles, mumps, and chicken pox. I think we have to be very careful, Trump replied. You have some vaccines that are very amazingthe polio vaccine, I happen to think is amazing; a lot of people think COVID is amazing. But you have some vaccines that are so incredible, and I think you have to be very careful when you say that some people dont have to be vaccinated. Its a very tough position. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You have vaccines that work. They just pure and simple work. Theyre not controversial at all, and I think those vaccines should be used. Otherwise some people are going to catch it and they endanger other people I think people should take it. Speaking in the Oval Office on Friday, President Trump said, Florida became the first state in the U.S. to roll back vaccine requirements for children, with the states Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo likening the laws to slavery. Ladapo was accused of altering the results of a study on COVID vaccines in order to make them seem more dangerous to young men in 2023. The presidents comments on vaccines seemingly put him at odds with his own health secretary, who has long promoted debunked theories about the existence of a link between vaccines and autism. On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Kennedy was planning to release a report claiming that Tylenol usage during pregnancy can cause autism. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on President Donald Trumps 2026 health care agenda. / Jonathan Ernst / REUTERS Since his appointment to Trumps cabinet, Kennedy has sought to install several vaccine skeptics in senior roles at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the countrys leading vaccine panel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kennedy faced down critical senators from both parties during his hearing on Thursday, including every single Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, all of whom called for his resignation moments before the hearing began. Republicans also raised concerns about Kennedys promotion of anti-vaccine views, including Senator Bill Cassidy, who questioned Kennedy over Operation Warp SpeedTrumps program to accelerate the development of a COVID-19 vaccineand concerns that the Health and Human Services department under Kennedy was restricting the publics access to vaccines. Asked about Kennedys performance in front of the committee on Thursday, Trump appeared to struggle to say anything definitive, telling reporters he hadnt had a chance to watch the hearings, but that Kennedy was a very good person who had a different take. I guarantee a lot of the people at this table like RFK Jr. And I do. But hes got a different take. And we want to listen to all of those takes. But I heard he did very well today. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump host tech leaders, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (left) and Microsoft founder Bill Gates (right) for a dinner in the State Dining Room of the White House. / SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images Its not your standard talk, Trump admitted of Kennedys rhetoric. I would say that. And that has to do with medical and vaccines. But if you look at whats going on in the world with health and look at this country, also with regard to health, I like the fact that hes different. President Donald Trump and his top advisers are quietly preparing to travel to South Korea in October for the gathering of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade ministers, three Trump administration officials told CNN. The summit, set to be held in the city of Gyeongju between late October and early November, is viewed as a key opportunity for Trump to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The officials said there have been serious discussions about a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of APEC, but no firm plans are in place. In a phone call last month, Xi invited Trump and his wife to visit China, an invitation the US president reciprocated, though no dates have been set. Details are still being finalized and its unclear whether the president may add other stops on the trip. The officials said the administration is also viewing it as an opportunity for the president to clinch more economic investments in the US something that has been a key focus of his recent trips abroad, including during his trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A visit to South Korea is being discussed, which would focus on economic collaboration, a White House official told CNN. Other goals include a focus on discussions around trade, defense and civil nuclear cooperation, the official said. Trumps presence in the region could also put him in a position to sit down once again with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, though whether Kim attends is still a question. Officials say more attention is being placed on organizing a potential meeting with Xi. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung invited Trump to attend the APEC summit while meeting with him last week and suggested the setting could provide Trump with an opportunity to meet with Kim, sources familiar with the talks said. While addressing reporters earlier in the day, Trump told Lee he was willing to meet with Kim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I will do that, and well have talks. Hed like to meet with me, Trump claimed of the North Korean leader. We look forward to meeting with him, and well make relations better. The presidents expected trip to South Korea comes at a tenuous time in his relationship with both Xi and Kim. Xi hosted Kim, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Beijing this week a gathering Trump was quick to criticize repeatedly despite his frequent proclamations that he has strong personal ties with each of the leaders. The meeting was in conjunction with Chinas military parade a significant show of its arms capabilities. May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America, Trump wrote on social media as the parade was underway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, Trump shared a photo of Xi, Putin and Modi, writing: Looks like weve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together! While speaking to reporters in the Oval Office this week, he argued the military parade was designed in part for him to watch, which he did. I understood the reason they were doing it, and they were hoping I was watching and I was watching, Trump said, calling it a beautiful ceremony and very impressive. My relationship with all of them is very good. Were going to find out how good it is over the next week or two, Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with the president of Poland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A potential meeting with Xi also comes as Washington and Beijing have engaged in a back-and-forth over Trumps tariffs, with China a key target of his administrations trade policy. US and Chinese officials have been in a series of negotiations, including two in-person meetings with top economic advisers from both countries in Europe, over a trade deal. The president has delayed higher US tariffs on Chinese goods from snapping back to their peak in April when the trade war between the worlds two largest economies was at its most intense as the talks continue. Trump imposed a 145% tariff on Chinese imports in April, and China retaliated with 125% levy on US goods. Those tariffs were set to resume last month, but Trump signed an executive order pausing the higher rates until November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And while questions remain over whether a potential sit-down between Trump and Kim is possible, a New York Times report Friday about an unsuccessful 2019 Navy SEAL mission that left unarmed North Koreans dead also would likely strain contact between the two leaders. Trump said Friday he knew nothing about the matter. I dont know anything about it, no. I could look but I know nothing about it, he said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Sept. 5 officially changing the name of the U.S. Defense Department to the U.S. War Department. The order also changes U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's title to War Secretary. "I think it's a much more appropriate name, especially in light of where the world is right now," Trump said. Several news outlets reported on Sept. 4 that Trump intended to issue the order the following day. Ahead of the announcement, Trump and Hegseth had alluded to the coming rebrand, with Trump telling reporters on Aug. 25 that his administration is "gonna change the name." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Defense Department was previously known as the Department of War. The title was changed after World War II, with "war" replacing "defense" in 1947. Trump claimed that this change was a result of U.S. officials being "woke." Trump told reporters that the decision only impacted the U.S. and did not signal any policy changes in regards to American support for European-led security guarantees in Ukraine. Despite the hawkish name change, Trump has hailed his role as a peacekeeper throughout his second term as president. He has repeatedly claimed to have ended multiple global conflicts and promised to resolve Russia's war against Ukraine. Trump admitted on Sept. 4 that ending Russia's war has proven "a little bit more difficult than some of the others." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While August saw a flurry of high-level meetings and peace talks regarding the war in Ukraine including the Alaska Summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin the countries are no closer to a ceasefire and Putin still refuses to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky. After signing the recent executive order his 200th since taking office in January Trump briefly returned to the theme of peacemaking. "I'm gonna let these people go back to the Department of War and figure out how to maintain peace," he said. Read also: Europes Coalition of the Willing plan for Ukraine is already unravelling Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. President Donald Trump made a bold statement Friday about the countrys defense policy that inspired immediate ridicule on social media. It occurred while the president was announcingthe name change of the Department of Defense to the Department of War and explaining the rationale behind the rebrand. The DOD was known as the Department of War from 1789 until 1949, when it was changed to Department of Defense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump claimed without evidence, of course that the name change is necessary because the DOD name caused a change of attitude with Americas military members. Really it has to do with winning, he said. We should have won every war. We could have won every war, but we really chose to be very politically correct or wokey and we just fight forever. According to Trump, the Department of War won World War I, World War II, as well as everything before, and everything in between. Once the department name was changed from war to defense, Trump said the military remained strong, but we never fought to win. We just didnt fight to win. Trump: We should have won every war. We could have won every war but we really chose to be a very politically correctwokey. We never wanted to win. pic.twitter.com/VA0gVwRBn6 Acyn (@Acyn) September 5, 2025 Trump probably thought he was onto something, but the suggestion that Americas military has lost conflicts because they were wokey only made him a subject of social media mockery. This is, even for him, amazingly stupid and an insult to the thousands who died in Korea and Vietnam and the other conflicts we were too "wokey" to win. But then, can't expect any better from a man who thinks American war dead are "suckers" and "losers." https://t.co/RZMgFmUzBi Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) September 5, 2025 Did he just say we lost in Vietnam because we were woke? Wetterschneider (@Stretchedwiener) September 5, 2025 That was the problem in VietnamNixon got woke. Dj Omega Mvp (@DjOmegaMVP) September 5, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Remember when he dodged the draft because of bone spurs? https://t.co/Ku4BGYm1Pm Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) September 5, 2025 Its really rich listening to a five time draft dodger criticizing the US military that he was too big of a coward to serve in. Bluedog (@HereLiesBlueDog) September 5, 2025 Yeah, Vietnam, a war famously lost because we were Too Woke. https://t.co/Qob9Gltvq4 Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@ReichlinMelnick) September 5, 2025 @realDonaldTrump We could have won the Vietnam War if your dad hadnt bought you those five deferments for bone spurs. Such a darn shame you decided to be a draft dodger. colleen (@waysandmeans71) September 5, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He would have called ending slavery woke. https://t.co/Aw1J01ZREi Councilman Tony Heyl (@tonyheyl) September 5, 2025 Not only is this an asinine thing to say, its also insulting. Nothing like an armchair quarterback, eh? https://t.co/8KEvLDywRY The Seneca Project (@senecaprojectus) September 5, 2025 Related... Read the original on HuffPost In an initiative to inspire students and researchers in the Barak Valley to actively participate in biodiversity conservation efforts, Dr. Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, a prominent conservation leader and scientist recognized for his dedication to the protection of biodiversity in the region, delivered a lecture at the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science at Assam University, Silchar. The lecture, titled "Current Wildlife Conservation Picture in Global and Local Context," provided valuable insights into the state of wildlife conservation both globally and locally, a release said. Dr. Talukdar emphasised the importance of government support and public awareness in the effective conservation of biodiversity. He has highlighted the constitutional duties and rights of citizens of the country in safeguarding the environment, as enshrined in Article 21 (Right to Life) and Article 51(a)(g) (Fundamental Duty to Protect the Environment). As Secretary General and Executive Director of Aaranyak, one of Northeast India's premier biodiversity conservation organisations, Dr Talukdar highlighted Aaranyak's diverse projects and shared insights into ongoing efforts to assist in the conservation of species and habitats through multi-stakeholder approaches, supported by scientific research, community participation, education, and awareness campaigns, as well as livelihood support. He also mentioned Aaranyak's Wildlife Genetics Lab, which has conducted some pioneering non-invasive research in Assam for the past two decades. He has highlighted how the GIS and Remote Sensing Lab of Aaranyak has contributed to decision-making by creating thematic maps on the distribution of threatened species, including land-use and land-change maps of the region. He was warmly welcomed by Professor Aparajita Dey, Head of the Department, in the presence of Senior Professor Parthankar Chowdhury at the beginning of the programme. The lecture programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Associate Professor Dr. Panna Deb. Researcher Priyanka Sarkar smoothly moderated it. On September 6, Dr. Talukdar delivered a talk at Cachar College, organised by the Department of Zoology, on Opportunities for students and researchers in the field of Wildlife conservation. The Principal of Cachar College, Dr. Apratim Nag, delivered a welcome address before the keynote address by Dr. Bibhab Talukdar. Dr. Talukdar emphasised the need for research to document the wildlife of the Barak Valley, assess the key challenges that wildlife face in the region, and identify possible solutions. He mentioned that the landscape of the Barak Valley is unique, with inner line forests along the Mizoram border, and as such, students and researchers have unlimited opportunities to opt for applied research, allowing their research outputs to help management authorities conserve key landscapes in support of wild flora and fauna. He has mentioned Aaranyak's internship and volunteer programmes for the benefit of students. Prof. Parthankar Chowdhury, President of the Governing Body of Cachar College, was also present and made concluding remarks encouraging students and researchers to come forward to undertake research to contribute towards wildlife conservation. He has also highlighted the current state of elephants in the Barak Valley. On the other hand, on the occasion of International Vulture Awareness Day, premier biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak, in collaboration with Rani High School and BNHS (Bombay Natural History Society), organised a street play at Rani Market to raise awareness about the importance of vulture conservation. This programme was supported by the Oriental Bird Club, guided by Dr. Prarthana Mudoi, teacher of Rani High School. Students delivered a powerful performance that highlighted the alarming decline in vulture populations and the devastating impact of accidental poisoning on these nature's scavengers. The play drew a large audience, encouraging community members to gain a better understanding of the threats faced by vultures. "Vultures need support to help them survive and carry forward the important ecological role to keep our environment clean and healthy. To complement the efforts in vulture conservation, Aaranyak initiated conservation activities in parts of Assam since 2024," said Dr. Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, Secretary General and Executive Director of Aaranyak. The programme was coordinated by Aaranyak officials Wasima Begum and Kakali Baishya, who emphasised the need for collective efforts to protect vultures and safeguard ecological balance. "We don't usually think much about vultures since they're still around, but once they're gone, the difference will be huge. In places where vultures have disappeared, diseases spread quickly. Their presence is a sign of a healthy ecosystem, which we cannot afford to lose," added Kakali Baishya, Researcher, Aaranyak. The event was also graced by Aneena Lakshmanan M V, a BNHS official, Mr. Jayanta Kumar Rabha, and a BNHS intern, Jyoti Gupta, whose presence inspired the students and reinforced the collaborative spirit necessary for successful vulture conservation. Teachers Barnali Thakuria, Jayanti Boro, and Lakshyadhar Daimary of Rani High School were also present and actively supported the students during the street play, motivating them throughout the performance. Aaranyak also extends its sincere appreciation to Dipak Kumar Sarma, Head of Rani High School, for organising such awareness programmes at the school and encouraging students to participate actively in conservation activities. "Even today, many people are not fully aware of the vital role vultures play in maintaining the ecosystem. Therefore, raising awareness about vulture conservation from school students to adults is crucial to saving these important scavenger birds," said Wasima Begum, Outreach Facilitator of Aaranyak. This initiative reflects Aaranyak's ongoing commitment to environmental education and community engagement in the conservation of threatened species. (ANI) President Donald Trump announced Friday that the Group of 20 summit for next year will be held at a resort his family business owns in Florida. Trump National Doral is the best location for the two-day event, the president told reporters in the Oval Office. He added that his family business will not make any money on it. The entrance to the Trump National Doral resort in Doral, Fla., on Nov. 20, 2019. (Wilfredo Lee / AP file) Trump abandoned a similar hosting effort during his first term, when he sought to hold the Group of Seven summit at the same Miami-area resort, after bipartisan criticism that it could benefit him financially and violate a clause of the Constitution that bars the president from receiving emoluments from foreign governments without congressional approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration came under scrutiny over similar ethical concerns from both parties this year when the Pentagon said it had accepted a luxury megajet from Qatar as a gift for Trump to use. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, a Republican, gave brief remarks in the Oval Office after Trump made the announcement Friday and said the summit in December 2026 would be a boon for small-business owners who are going to benefit economically from having the G20 in Miami. Its going to bring in millions and millions of dollars, Trump said. The country holding the presidency of the G20 hosts the annual summit. South Africa holds the presidency this year and will host the summit in Johannesburg in November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said Friday that he will not attend the gathering in South Africa. Instead, Vice President JD Vance is expected to attend the summit, Trump said. Trump said Friday that in addition to the 19 countries and the European and African unions, other nations would attend next year as observers. He also said he extended one such invitation to Poland when its new president Karol Nawrocki visited the White House this week. The G20 summit was last held in the United States in 2009, in Pittsburgh. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Trump on Friday also signed an executive order paving the way for Washington to designate countries around the world a state sponsor of wrongful detention and impose punitive measures. Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington was in "very deep" negotiations with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas and urged them to release all hostages held in Gaza. "We said let them all out, right now let them all out. And much better things will happen for them but if you don't let them all out, it's going to be a tough situation, it's going to be nasty," Trump said, adding that Hamas was "asking for some things that are fine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Of the 20 people, there could be some who recently died," the US leader admitted. "The big protests in Israel about the hostages put Israel in a tough position," he added. Trump signs executive order paving way for state sponsor of wrongful detention designations Trump on Friday also signed an executive order paving the way for Washington to designate countries around the world a state sponsor of wrongful detention and impose punitive measures, including sanctions, on those it deems are wrongfully holding Americans. US President Donald Trump waves while boarding Air Force One, as he departs for Alaska to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, US, August 15, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE) Senior administration officials said the United States would target countries currently holding wrongfully detained Americans as well as those that engage in "hostage diplomacy," including China, Iran, and Afghanistan, which one official said would be reviewed for designation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A second senior administration official said the penalties imposed on countries will be similar to how the United States deploys the Foreign Terrorist Organization designations and include measures such as sanctions, export controls, and barring those deemed associated with wrongful detentions from entering the US "Today, everything changes with regards to rogue regimes and regimes that think Americans can be treated as pawns," the second official told reporters. "We are drawing a very clear delineation today, a line in the sand. You will not use Americans as bargaining chips," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said. Since taking office in January, Trump has prioritized the return of Americans held abroad. The officials on Friday said the administration had secured the return of 72 Americans, including from Russia and Afghanistan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The officials said that under the new policy, the United States will give notice to a country after identifying that there has been a wrongful detention, allowing them a certain amount of time to act before Washington begins to impose sanctions. Trump could also choose to lift sanctions if there is progress, one of the officials said, adding that the aim was to create "really, really strong motivation" for people to think before they take an American and to return any who are being held. "In a case like Iran ... or Russia, I think you will see a change here," the official said. Russia is believed to be holding nine Americans, with around eight held by Iran. Iran, designated a State Sponsor of Terrorism by the United States, is already under heavy US sanctions. Russia, as well, is under severe sanctions imposed over the invasion of Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In May, a source close to the Kremlin said that the US had previously provided Moscow with a list of nine Americans jailed in Russia that Washington wants to have returned. The Trump administration earlier this year secured the release of Marc Fogel, a US schoolteacher and former employee of the US embassy in Moscow, and Russian-American ballerina Ksenia Karelina. The United States and China have also had tensions over exit bans, which Beijing has used on both Chinese and foreign nationals, often in connection with civil disputes, regulatory investigations, or criminal investigations. In July, the US State Department said that the Chinese government had blocked a US Patent and Trademark Office employee visiting the Asian country in a personal capacity from leaving. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The US has also been concerned about detentions of Americans in Venezuela. Global Reach, a nonprofit that works to bring home Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad, commended Friday's action. This designation is something that will put real teeth behind the US governments efforts to bring home detained Americans and deter offending nations from engaging in hostage diplomacy,'" CEO Mickey Bergman said in a statement. Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report. U.S. President Donald Trump signalled on Sept. 5 that Washington would assist with providing security guarantees for Kyiv but emphasized Europe's leading role in the effort. "We'll work that out. We'll help them. Look, we want to save a lot of lives," Trump told journalists at the White House when asked about potential security guarantees. "Europe will be first in by far, and they want to be first, and they want to see it end." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement echoes Trump's earlier declarations about the U.S. backing for European-led efforts to safeguard Ukraine against future Russian aggression in case of a ceasefire.. The U.S. president did not provide details on what the U.S. assistance would entail. The remarks follow a Sept. 4 summit of the Coalition of the Willing, where President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders discussed plans for a multinational reassurance force and commitments of weapons, logistics, and training to shield Ukraine from renewed Russian attacks. After the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron said that 26 countries are ready to send troops or contribute other support as part of guarantees, but only after a ceasefire. While Trump has ruled out the participation of U.S. troops in the reassurance force, the U.S. has reportedly signalled readiness to provide intelligence and air defense support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moscow has repeatedly rejected the presence of peacekeepers from NATO countries on Ukrainian territory, saying such troops would be "legitimate targets for destruction." Despite initially pledging to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine in 24 hours, Trump's months-long efforts to end the war have failed to bring any tangible progress. During the press briefing at the White House, Trump acknowledged that the Russia-Ukraine war "turned out to be one that's a little bit more difficult" to solve. Nevertheless, he expressed optimism that the conflict would come to an end. "It'll end all of a sudden. It's going to come together. You watch," Trump said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Behind Ukraines manpower crisis lies a bleak new battlefield reality for infantry Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with the media in the Oval Office, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 5, 2025. (photo credit: REUTERS) Trump's new order order is intended to deter offending nations from engaging in hostage diplomacy'. US President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order paving the way for Washington to designate countries around the world as state sponsors of wrongful detention and impose punitive measures, including sanctions, on those it deems are wrongfully holding Americans. Senior administration officials said the United States would target countries currently holding wrongfully detained Americans as well as those that engage in "hostage diplomacy," including China, Iran, and Afghanistan, which one official said would be reviewed for designation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The bottom line: Anyone who uses an American as a bargaining chip will pay the price. This administration is not only putting America first but also putting Americans first," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. A second senior administration official said the penalties imposed on countries will be similar to how the United States deploys the Foreign Terrorist Organization designations and include measures such as sanctions, export controls and barring those deemed associated with wrongful detentions from entering the US "Its a widening of the aperture against whom we can use those tool," the second administration official told NBC News. "You dont have to be funding Hamas, Hezbollah, or Al Qaeda. You can simply be trying to exploit our citizens wrongfully. Hamas terrorists stand guard during a hostage release in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, February 22, 2025; illustrative. (credit: REUTERS/Hatem Khaled/File Photo) "Today, everything changes with regards to rogue regimes and regimes who think Americans can be treated as pawns," the second official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since taking office in January, Trump has prioritized the return of Americans held abroad. The officials on Friday said the administration had secured the return of 72 Americans, including from Russia and Afghanistan. "We've gotten a lot of hostages," Trump said at the signing. Creating strong motivation to release detained Americans The officials said that under the new policy, the United States will give notice to a country after identifying that there has been a wrongful detention, allowing them a certain amount of time to act before Washington begins to impose sanctions. Trump could also choose to lift sanctions if there is progress, one of the officials said, adding that the aim was to create "really, really strong motivation" for people to think before they take an American and to return any who are being held. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In a case like Iran ... or Russia, I think you will see a change here," the official said. Russia is believed to be holding nine Americans, with around eight held by Iran. Iran, designated a State Sponsor of Terrorism by the United States, is already under heavy US sanctions. Russia as well is under severe sanctions imposed over the invasion of Ukraine. In May, a source close to the Kremlin said that the US had previously provided Moscow with a list of nine Americans jailed in Russia that Washington wants to have returned. The Trump administration earlier this year secured the release of Marc Fogel, a US schoolteacher and former employee of the US embassy in Moscow, and Russian-American ballerina Ksenia Karelina. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United States and China have also had tensions over exit bans, which Beijing has used on both Chinese and foreign nationals, often in connection with civil disputes, regulatory investigations, or criminal investigations. In July, the US State Department said that the Chinese government had blocked a US Patent and Trademark Office employee visiting the Asian country in a personal capacity from leaving. The US has also been concerned about detentions of Americans in Venezuela. Global Reach, a nonprofit that works to bring home Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad, commended Friday's action. This designation is something that will put real teeth behind the US governments efforts to bring home detained Americans and deter offending nations from engaging in hostage diplomacy,'" CEO Mickey Bergman said in a statement. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War, a more bellicose alternative that echoes the agency's 18th-century name. "I think it sends a message of victory. I think it sends really a message of strength. We're very strong. We're much stronger than anyone would really understand," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office after signing the order. Trump had signaled during his second term an interest in changing the name to the original version from 1789, criticizing the Defense Department name as not fully reflective of its priority winning wars. He told reporters Friday that he finalized the decision after "talking about it for months" and asserted the original name was only changed because the government at the time went "woke." President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order as the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth looks on in the Oval Office of the White House, on Friday. (Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images) "We won the First World War. We won the Second World War. We won everything before that and in between. And then we decided to go woke and we changed the name to Department of Defense," Trump said. "So we're going Department of War." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic President Harry Truman oversaw the first name change from the Department of War to the National Military Establishment by signing the National Security Act of 1947, which organized all military services into a single entity led by a secretary of defense. Congress further amended the name in 1949, landing on Department of Defense amid concerns that the abbreviation of the National Military Establishment (NME) sounded too similar to enemy. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has for months pushed for reverting to the original name, arguing it would help cement a "warrior ethos" in the military. He reiterated that sentiment during his remarks at Friday's Oval Office signing ceremony. "We're going to raise up warriors, not just defenders," Hegseth said. "So this War Department, Mr. President, just like America, is back." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's order does not formally rename the Department of Defense, a move that would require congressional approval. Instead, it makes the Department of War the secondary title and authorizes Hegseth to use titles like secretary of war and Department of War in official correspondence and public communications. To further cement the rebrand, Trump's order requires all executive departments and agencies to recognize and accommodate these secondary titles in internal and external communications. Hegseth wasted no time incorporating the secondary title into the department's communications. As Trump signed the executive order at the White House, the Department of Defense updated its website URL and social media handles to reflect the new name. He also removed several references to the Department of Defense at the Pentagon, including on signage directly in front of his office. Placards surrounding Hegseths work space now read The Office of the Secretary of War. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com US President Donald Trump speaks with the media on the day of the signing of an executive order to rename the Department of Defense the "Department of War", accompanied by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in the Oval Office, at the White House in Washington, DC, US, September 5, 2025. (photo credit: REUTERS/BRIAN SNYDER) The order would authorize Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and subordinate officials to use secondary titles such as "Secretary of War" and "Deputy Secretary of War." US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday to rename the Department of Defense the "Department of War," reverting to a title it held until after World War Two, when officials sought to emphasize the Pentagon's role in preventing conflict. Trump signed the executive order at a ceremony in the Oval Office. It was the latest rebranding of the US military and included his decision to preside over an extraordinary military parade in downtown Washington, DC, and to restore the original names of military bases that were changed after racial justice protests in 2020. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He has also challenged conventional norms over the domestic deployment of the military, creating military zones along the southern US border with Mexico to aid an immigration crackdown, as well as deploying troops in cities like Los Angeles and Washington. The Pentagon moved swiftly to change signs at the US military's five-sided headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, switching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's title on his door to "Secretary of War" and the title of his No. 2, Steve Feinberg, to the "Deputy Secretary of War." The order would authorize Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and subordinate officials to use secondary titles such as "Secretary of War" and "Deputy Secretary of War" in official correspondence and public communications, according to a White House fact sheet. US President Donald Trump an announcement in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, August 22, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/JONATHAN ERNST) "It's a very important change, because it's an attitude," Trump said as he signed the executive order at a ceremony in the Oval Office. "It's really about winning." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The move would instruct Hegseth to recommend legislative and executive actions required to make the renaming permanent. Department name changes are rare and have required congressional approval. Still, Trump questioned whether he really needed a nod from Congress, even though his fellow Republicans hold slim majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives. Two Republican senators, Mike Lee of Utah and Rick Scott of Florida, and one Republican House member, Greg Steube of Florida, introduced legislation on Friday to make the change. Name was initially changed to focus preventing conflict Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, introduced as the Secretary of War by Trump, cheered the change, which he has long advocated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're going to go on the offense, not just on defense. Maximum lethality, not tepid legality," Hegseth said. The US Department of Defense was called the War Department until 1949, when Congress consolidated the Army, Navy and Air Force in the wake of World War Two. Historians say the name was chosen in part to signal that in the nuclear age, the US was focused on preventing conflict. Changing the name again will be costly and require updating signs and letterheads used not only by officials at the Pentagon, but also military installations around the world. An effort by former President Joe Biden to rename nine bases that honored the Confederacy and Confederate leaders was set to cost the Army $39 million. Hegseth reversed that effort this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics have said the planned name change is not only costly, but an unnecessary distraction for the Pentagon. Hegseth has said that changing the name is "not just about words it's about the warrior ethos." This year, one of Trump's closest congressional allies, Republican US House of Representatives Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, introduced a bill that would make it easier for a president to reorganize and rename agencies. "We're just going to do it. I'm sure Congress will go along if we need that ... Defense is too defensive. We want to be defensive, but we want to be offensive too if we have to be," Trump said last month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump also mentioned the possibility of a name change in June, when he suggested that the name was originally changed to be "politically correct." But for some in the Trump administration, the effort goes back much further. During Trump's first term, current FBI Director Kash Patel, who was briefly at the Pentagon, had a sign-off on his emails that read: "Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense & the War Department." "I view it as a tribute to the history and heritage of the Department of Defense," Patel told Reuters in 2021. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Chicago on Saturday, threatening to unleash the so-called Department of WAR in a Truth Social post that included an AI-generated image of him as Robert Duvalls character from the 1979 classic film about the Vietnam War Apocalypse Now. The caption reads, I love the smell of deportations in the morning, accompanied by the message: Chicago about to find out why its called the Department of WAR. The post coincided with the deployment of 300 federal agents to Chicago, using the nearby Great Lakes Naval Station as a logistical hub for expanded immigration enforcement operations. This move follows similar crackdowns in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Last week, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order directing city agencies to resist Trumps immigration raids, prohibiting local police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities in civil enforcement actions. Governor JB Pritzker condemned the federal intervention as illegal and authoritarian, asserting that it undermines democracy and militarizes urban areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The situation has sparked protests, with about 200 demonstrators blocking an Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center on Friday. Illinois officials say that the deployment is politically motivated. As federal operations continue, tensions between local and federal authorities escalate, raising questions about the balance of power and the limits of presidential authority in domestic affairs. The post Trump threatens Chicago with his new Department of WAR appeared first on Salon.com. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker listens as Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson speaks during a press conference amid reports of federal deployments to Chicago on September 2, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, calling the Democratic-run midwestern city a "hellhole" ravaged by gun crime. Credit - Kamil KrzacyznskiAFP via Getty President Donald Trump threatened Chicago with his newly-renamed Department of War on Saturday, prompting anger from city and state officials who have been preparing for a looming deployment of National Guard troops to the city for weeks. I love the smell of deportations in the morning Chicago is about to find out why its called the Department of War, Trumps post on Truth Social said, accompanied by what appeared to be an AI-generated depiction of himself as Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore from the 1979 Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now. The words Chipocalypse Now were emblazoned on the image, and the background showed helicopters flying away from a burning city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read More: Trumps Crackdown on Chicago Could Start This Weekend, Pritzker Says. Heres How the City Is Preparing to Fight It The post prompted anger from state and city officials. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called Trump a wannabe dictator and took the post as a threat to go to war with Chicago. The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city, Pritzker wrote on X. This is not a joke. This is not normal. Donald Trump isn't a strongman, he's a scared man. Illinois wont be intimidated by a wannabe dictator, he added. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson accused Trump of authoritarianism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Presidents threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution, he wrote on X. The post follows Trumps Friday executive order that rebranded the Department of Defense as the Department of War, a move the president claimed sent a message of strength. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said during the press conference Friday that the name indicates the department is "going to go on offense, not just on defense. Maximum lethality, not tepid legality. Violent effect, not politically correct." Read More: Trump Signs Executive Order Rebranding Department of Defense as the Department of War Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps threats against Chicago follow his decision to federalize D.C.s police department and deploy National Guard troops on the streets on Aug. 11, citing violent crimeeven though data showed that violent crime in the nations capital had already been declining significantly. Since then, the President has threatened similar deployments in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore, and Oakland. Johnson and Pritzker have both been staunchly opposed to Trumps threats of federal intervention. Last weekend, Johnson signed an executive order directing the citys police force not to cooperate with federal agents in a potential crackdown on crime and immigration. We will protect our constitution. We will protect our city. And we will protect our people. We do not want to see tanks in our streets. We do not want to see families ripped apart, Johnson said as he announced his executive order. Pritzker has said that he will absolutely sue Trump and the federal government if he actually does deploy troops, adding to the multiple lawsuits already filed by Chicago against the President since his return to office in January. Contact us at letters@time.com. Sept. 6 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to unleash the newly named Department of War on Chicago in a crackdown on illegal immigration and crime, which Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker denounced as "threatening to go to war with an American city." On Truth Social, Trump displayed an artificial intelligence-generated image that appears to parody the 1979 movie Apocalypse Now with "Chipocalypse Now." Helicopters fly over the Chicago skyline in a fiery background like Vietnam War scenes. "I loved the smell of deportations in the morning," was written as an adaptation of "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" from the film. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump is depicted in U.S. Army fatigues with sunglasses and wearing a Stetson U.S. Cavalry hat like the lieutenant colonel portrayed in the movie by actor Robert Duvall. "Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR," he wrote, one day after an executive order changed the name from Department of Defense, though Congress needs to approve the change. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is pictured speaking before U.S. President Joe Biden arrived to address union workers at the Community Building Complex of Boone County in Belvidere, Illinois, in 2023. Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI Pritzker, a two-term governor and possible presidential candidate in 2028, quickly posted on X that "The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal. Donald Trump isn't a strongman, he's a scared man. Illinois won't be intimidated by a wannabe dictator." Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat who was elected in 2023, also posted on X that "The President's threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution. We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has threatened to send the National Guard to Chicago to help fight crime. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also wants to send agents, including with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to handle immigration matters. Some of the Guard and agents will be housed at Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, about 40 miles north of downtown Chicago. DHS asked the Pentagon to accommodate roughly 250 federal agents and 140 vehicles at the largest military base in Illinois and the Navy's largest training station, according to an internal government memo obtained by CBS News this week. Personnel and equipment began arriving this week, with plans to stay for 30 days, according to the memo. DHS will "go to wherever these criminal illegal aliens are - including Chicago, Boston, and other cities," the agency said in a statement to CBS News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, nowhere is a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens," the department said. "If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will hunt you down, arrest you, deport you, and you will never return." In June, Trump sent National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles, ostensibly to quell protests. And last month, he deployed the guard to Washington, D.C., to deter crime. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled the Trump administration violated the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the use of the military for domestic law enforcement. Breyer, appointed by President Bill Clinton, stayed the ruling until Sept. 12 to allow the administration to appeal. Trump has mentioned Chicago, the third-largest city in the country, with a population of 2.8 million, could be next, though he also mentioned New Orleans, which has a Democratic mayor but a Republican governor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Illinois has two Democratic senators. "This tweet this morning was disgusting, to suggest that the troops are coming into Chicago or that the Department of War is going to be engaged is an embarrassment," Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin said, according to WFLD-TV. Trump, in targeting a blue state, has never received the most votes in three Illinois presidential elections. "We're going in. I didn't say when, we're going in," Trump said in an Oval Office event Tuesday. Seven days ago, Johnson signed an executive order that demands Trump end "his threats to deploy the National Guard to his city." The "Protecting Chicago Initiative" is in response to a "credible threat" that troops will be deployed in a few days, and directs the city to pursue all legal and legislative avenues stop stop the deployment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has called Chicago a "hellhole," despite violent crime having overall decreased in the city. Seven days ago, however, he also cited "six people were killed, and 24 people were shot, in Chicago the past weekend." "We're going to make our cities very, very safe," Trump said on Aug. 22. "Chicago's a mess. You have an incompetent mayor. Grossly incompetent and we'll straighten that one out probably next. That will be our next one after this. And it won't even be tough." "No, Donald. You can't do whatever you want," Pritzker responded to the president on X. Crime and immigration in Chicago Through late August, Chicago had 266 homicides in 2025, according to the Chicago Police Department, the Chicago Tribune reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The top homicide rate in the United States is in Memphis, Tenn., with 409 deaths per 100,000 population, for a total of 372 in 2023, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chicago wasn't even in the top 15 in the country, with its 29.7 deaths per 100,000 population. Among large metro counties, Orleans Parish in New Orleans has the most homicides per 100,000 people at 48. But Cook County, home to Chicago and its metropolitan area, had 805 homicides in 2023 -- the most in the nation. Chicago's highest concentrations of crime is in neighborhoods on the South and West sides, and not downtown. The governor showed off parts of the city last week, including where crime dropped. On Friday, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said he had not received any information about federal deployment. "The last thing our department needs to be is in the dark," he told the Chicago Tribune. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pritzker said he thought the surge in ICE enforcement was tied to parades and celebrations of Mexican Independence Day. Organizers postponed a festival scheduled for later this month. "It's, I believe, a nefarious plan," Pritzker told Jen Psaki on MSNBC on Friday. "It's one that's been repeated over and over again by, well, tyrannical dictatorships across history, where you try to incite the local population into some mayhem by sending in police or other disruptors and then claim that there's too much mayhem on the ground and, therefore, there must be troops that are sent in. And, that's how you basically convert a democracy into something other than that." He also said it was "kind of a frightening development in the history of the country that you have a federal government not communicating with state government about something like this." There were approximately 550,000 unauthorized immigrants in Illinois with a population of 12.5 million in 2023, according to the Pew Research Center. Nationwide, the total of undocumented immigrants is 14 million. Through August, nearly 350,000 immigrants have been deported, including 200,000 by ICE, plus Border Patrol, Coast and self-deports sinceTrump returned to office in January, CNN reported. Indian Air Force helicopters continue to carry out relief operations across Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, which have been affected by floods. IAF evacuated 541 people from the Bharmor-Chamba sector and airlifted over 10,000 kg of essential relief material in Kullu and Kishtwar sectors. IAF said in a post on X that its assets are positioned for follow-up tasks, reflecting the commitment to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief "Indian Air Force helicopters continue to provide relief operations across Punjab, Himachal and J&K, by having evacuated 541 people from Bharmor-Chamba sector and airlifting over 10,000 kg of essential relief material in Kullu and Kishtwar sectors. The IAF has assets positioned for follow-up tasks, reflecting the IAF's unwavering commitment to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief," IAF said. The armed forces have been assisting people in states affected by floods. Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian on Saturday said that floods continue to affect large parts of the state, with 48 more villages, 2,691 people and 2,131 hectares of standing crops coming under the impact during the last 24 hours. With this, the total number of affected villages has risen to 1,996 across 22 districts, leaving a population of 3,87,013 hit by flood waters. Providing district-wise details, the Minister informed that Jalandhar reported 19 newly affected villages, Ludhiana 13, Ferozepur 6, Amritsar 5, Hoshiarpur 4, and Fazilka 1. He said that rescue operations are continuing round the clock and in the past 24 hours alone, 925 more people have been moved to safety. This has taken the total number of rescued persons so far to 22,854. The highest evacuations have been carried out in Gurdaspur where 5,581 people have been shifted, followed by Fazilka with 4,202, Ferozepur with 3,888, Amritsar with 3,260, Hoshiarpur with 1,616, Pathankot with 1,139, and Kapurthala with 1,428. (ANI). Who knew Harry Truman was so woke? According to President Donald Trump, the 33rd man to be sworn into the office he now holds the same person who ordered the only use of atomic weapons against civilians during wartime signed legislation creating the Department of Defense in 1947 not out of a desire to improve the countrys military readiness but out of what Trump posited was political correctness. Speaking in the Oval Office alongside Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine, Trump invoked the countrys history of victories in two world wars before the realities of the post Second World War world necessitated a change in posture and a change in name for what was then known as the War Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So we won the first World War. We won the Second World War. We won everything before that and in between. And then we decided to go woke and we changed the name to Department of Defense. So we're going Department of War, he said. Trump has been flirting with the anachronistic name for the worlds most powerful military establishment since earlier this summer, when he began referring to Hegseth, the ex-Fox News host and onetime Army Major, as the War Secretary. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth holds a signed executive order changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, while Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine looks on (AP) This no doubt delighted Hegseth, who has spent much of his time in public life advocating for a more bellicose expression of Americas military tradition, including pushing for the exoneration of convicted war criminals and complaining about the integration of women and LGBT+ people into the U.S. armed services. Now, hell be able to use the outdated title last held by Kenneth C. Royall when it was abolished in September 1947. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Hegseths responsibilities still far outstrip the former War Department, which up to the day Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 was only charged with oversight of the U.S. Army and the then-affiliated U.S. Army Air Corps. That landmark bill separated out the Air Force and placed it, along with the Army and Navy (and with it the Marine Corps) under the supervision of a single cabinet official. Was it because Truman was woke? Not so much. Was Harry Truman really woke? Not so much (AFP via Getty Images) The creation of the Defense Department was part of a recognition by Truman and the Congress of the day that the post-war world, a nuclear world, required deterrence to be the foundation for relations between adversarial superpowers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an era when atomic weapons, and later even more power thermonuclear weapons, were an ever-present threat, the architecture built starting in 1947 was meant to secure the United States and the western democratic alliance by keeping smaller conflicts from spiraling out of control. It was also part of a series of other actions taken in the wake of that devastating world war to prevent another one from ever occurring, including the creation of the United Nations, NATO, and other international multilateral organizations. Since then, the U.S. has tightly integrated itself with her allies and created multi-layered defenses in domains that Truman could only have dreamed of in 1947, including in cyberspace and outer space. Trumps worldview and policy positions, by contrast, are built on rejecting almost all of that in favor of returning to a more bellicose age when great powers fought out their differences in a pre-nuclear world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawrence Wilkerson, a retired U.S. Army Colonel who was once chief of staff to Secretary of State (and former Joint Chiefs chairman) Colin Powell, told The Independent that Trumps order could be a very bad step backward because it puts a rubber stamp on what Trump is essentially perceived by the globe to be doing, basing the American empire principally and increasingly exclusively on military power. That is not something we should be reinforcing with the rest of the world, he said, pointing out that the U.S. is falling behind in the race to shore up alliances in an ever-changing modern world that could be soon dominating by a rising China and a resurgent Russia. Wilkerson, a decorated Vietnam War veteran who emerged as a critic of the U.S. invasion of Iraq after he prepared Powell to make the case for it before the U.N. Security Council in 2003, expressed unease at the worldview expressed by Trump and especially Hegseth which essentially holds that the only power that matters is hard power and the soft power with which the U.S. inspired allies and attracted friends over the last 80 years is for wimps, sissies, and wokesters. Hegseth seemed to echo this very concern when he spoke after Trump in the Oval Office, when he boasted that the move was about restoring the warrior ethos, restoring victory and clarity as an end state, restoring intentionality to the use of force. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We're going to go on offense, not just on defense, maximum lethality, not tepid legality, violent effect, not politically correct, said Hegseth, who vowed to raise up warriors, not just defenders. The clear implication was that defense as a concept signals weakness, and war implies strength. Hegseth, an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran, didnt appear to remember the motto of the branch in which he once served, is This Well Defend. But the former television presenter, the least-experienced Secretary of Defense since the position was established, may well get his wish for more uses of force. Because Trumps dismantling of other post-war creations including the U.S. Agency for International Development, his cutting off the Voice of America and stripping billions of dollars from the State Departments foreign aid budget, all make it more likely that the Pentagon whatever you call it will find itself in a war sooner rather than later. President Trump is said to be exploring ways for the federal government to take control of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in Lower Manhattan, an idea that has drawn sharp criticism from Gov. Kathy Hochul. Just months after slashing funding for the World Trade Center Health Program that cares for survivors and first responders, President Trump now wants to take over the 9/11 Memorial Museum, Hochul said in a statement Friday. Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced it would lay off most of the staff at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which oversees the WTC Health Program a decision reversed days later following bipartisan outrage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Around 137,000 first responders and survivors rely on the program to get treatment and medication for conditions caused by exposure to the toxins that swirled around Ground Zero during 9/11 and the months that followed. The 9/11 Memorial belongs to New Yorkers the families, survivors and first responders who have carried this legacy for more than two decades and ensured we never forget, Hochul said. Before he meddles with this sacred site, the president should start by honoring survivors and supporting the families of victims. On Saturday afternoon, backing up Hochul, four Democratic politicians representing lower Manhattan fired off a joint statement telling Trump to scrap any idea of a takeover plan. Rep. Dan Goldman, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, Councilmember Chris Marte and Assemblymember Charles Fall scoffed the presidents bid for the solemn site is all about his ego. As the Twin Towers were burning on 9/11, Donald Trump bragged that his downtown building was now the tallest in Lower Manhattan and later spread Islamophobic hate, they said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the elected officials who represent the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, we ask that President Trump dig deep to find some respect for the thousands who died 24 years ago, focus what remains of his energy on ways that he can actually improve the lives of New Yorkers, and put his destructive narcissism to the side by scrapping this misguided idea. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum opened in 2014 as a monument to human dignity, courage and sacrifice whose mission is to honor the nearly 3,000 people killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks and salute rescue and recovery workers. [It] stands as a powerful tribute to the victims of the attacks and to the resilience of the human spirit. Its importance will only grow with each passing year, said chairman Michael Bloomberg, former New York City mayor and outspoken Trump critic. While the White House declined to elaborate on the presidents plans, it confirmed the administration has had preliminary exploratory discussions about a possible takeover. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, then-candidate Trump pledged to make the Ground Zero site at the World Trade Center a national monument protected and maintained by the United States government. However, according to Beth Hillman, president and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the move is ill-advised, given the federal governments current focus on trimming its budget. At a time when the federal government is working to cut costs, assuming the full operating expenses for the site makes no sense, she said in a statement. According to museum officials and its most recently available tax filings, the organization spent roughly $84 million on operating costs last year, but generated more than $93 million in revenue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hillman said the museum is confident that our current operating model has served the public honorably and effectively despite there having been criticism over the years from some families of the victims, some of whom have called for lower ticket prices or changes to the exhibits. Additionally, museum officials say the federal government doesnt have the power to unilaterally take over the site, which is located on land owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. With News Wire Services President Donald Trump is weighing a multitude of options for carrying out military strikes against drug cartels operating in Venezuela, including potentially hitting targets inside the country as part of a broader strategy aimed at weakening leader Nicolas Maduro, according to multiple sources briefed on the administrations plans. Tuesdays deadly strike on an alleged drug boat departing Venezuela was a direct reflection of those options, sources said, and marked a significant escalation in the Trump administrations campaign against drug cartels, many of which its designated as terrorist groups. Multiple sources told CNN Tuesdays strike was just the beginning of a much larger effort to rid the region of narcotics trafficking and potentially dislodge Maduro from power. Asked by a reporter on Friday if he would like to see regime change in Venezuela, Trump said, Were not talking about that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But we are talking about the fact that [Venezuela] had an election, which was a very strange election, to put it mildly, Trump said, referring to last years presidential race in Venezuela marred by accusations of electoral fraud. The US has moved substantial military firepower into the Caribbean in recent weeks, a move meant in part to be a signal to Maduro, according to multiple White House officials. Ships armed with Tomahawk missiles, an attack submarine, a range of aircraft and more than 4,000 US sailors and Marines are now all positioned near Venezuela. Two White House officials told CNN 10 advanced F-35 fighter jets are also being sent to Puerto Rico, where a Marine unit is currently conducting amphibious landing training exercises. The administration has taken steps to connect Maduro to its broader anti-drug mission labeling him as a narco-terrorist with ties to some of those recently-designated cartels and doubling the bounty for his arrest to $50 million. This screengrab of a video posted to Donald Trumps Truth Social account on September 2, shows what Trump described as a Tren de Aragua boat carrying drugs from Venezuela, against which Trump ordered a strike. - Donald Trump/Truth Social Green light to kill terrorists Earlier this year, Trump authorized the military to carry out lethal operations against cartels his administration designated as terrorist groups, according to a source familiar with the matter, a move in which the president appeared to claim the power to treat suspected smugglers not as criminals, but enemy combatants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked Tuesday if the US would consider strikes on Venezuelan soil against the Maduro regime, Secretary of State Marco Rubio didnt count out the possibility. This is a counter-drug operation, Rubio said. We are going to take on drug cartels wherever they are, wherever they are operating against the interests of the US. Rubio added more detail to the boat strike on Wednesday, saying, Instead of interdicting it, on the presidents orders, we blew it up. And itll happen again. Maybe its happening right now, Rubio added. What that ultimately means for Maduro remains unclear. But multiple sources told CNN that some Trump officials believe the strike this week and future strikes on Venezuelan drug traffickers could put pressure on people around Maduro who have benefitted from the cartels illicit revenue streams, potentially squeezing them so much that they consider ways to oust the Venezuelan leader. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The preferred course of action is for Maduro to leave on his own, to read the tea leaves, one source briefed on the administrations plans told CNN. And then I think the message is Do you want it to be easy or do you want it to be hard? The Trump administration is being intentionally nebulous, the person said, cautioning that as of now, there is no indication that Trump has decided to move forward with military strikes against targets inside Venezuela. However, two White House officials in speaking to CNN also left open the possibility of similar strikes in the future. One of the officials said Trump has told national security and defense officials that if there is an opportunity to kill terrorists, he will immediately give them the green light to do so. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday. - Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images Concern around Washington Still, as of Friday, a lack of answers had fueled significant concern throughout Washington about what, if any, legal justification the administration has for Tuesdays strike and any additional military actions that could come later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A briefing on Tuesdays strike for members of Congress and select staff had been scheduled for Friday morning but was abruptly canceled with no explanation, according to sources familiar with the plans. The cancelation was so last minute that staffers had already gathered in a conference room on the Hill, one of the sources said. None of it is clear at all, another person familiar with the cancelled congressional briefings told CNN, adding that the administration has not provided any details about the legal justifications for Tuesdays strike, or evidence supporting their claim that it targeted known-drug traffickers. On Thursday, the White House sent a letter to Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Senate president pro tempore, explaining its view that the president acted within his constitutional authority as commander in chief to conduct Tuesdays strike. The letter, a copy of which was reviewed by CNN, makes clear the open-ended nature of the mission. It is not possible at this time to know the full scope and duration of military operations that will be necessary, the letter read. United States forces remain postured to carry out further military operations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio disembarks his plane upon his arrival at Felipe Angeles International Airport in Mexico City on September 2. - Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/AFP/Getty Images Rubio takes the lead Shortly after Trump took office, Richard Grenell, Trumps envoy for special missions, which included Venezuela, visited Caracas to meet with Maduro. The surprise visit prompted speculation that the White House might be walking back the maximum pressure campaign against Maduro that it had previously pursued. Grenell returned to the US with six Americans the US had deemed illegally detained and the White House celebrated their return. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the episode set up a clash between Rubio, who has long opposed giving any concessions to Maduro, and Grenell, who was pushing to make deals with the leader. In the months since the visit, the White House has made clear that it opposes Maduro. Since then, as much as any Trump official, Rubio has been the public face of the administrations anti-cartel campaign. He was the first member of Trumps national security team to reveal details about the boat strike after Trump announced it, promptly telling reporters that Trump would be using the full power of America to take on drug cartels. His remarks came hastily on the tarmac in Florida before he flew to the region to discuss the administrations intention to eliminate the threat of drug trafficking to Americans. Though Rubio initially said that the alleged Venezuela drug boat was likely bound for Trinidad or another Caribbean country, a day later, after Trump said it had been headed for the US, Rubio amended his remark and said the boat was eventually headed to the US. Rubio also appeared to lay the groundwork for the lethal strike in the weeks before it occurred. On the same day that the State Department and Justice Department announced an increase in the reward for the arrest of Maduro, Rubio said that designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations would allow the US to use every tool possible, including the Pentagon, to target the groups. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rubio has long been a harsh critic of Maduro, and in recent days has made the case that going after Maduros involvement in the drug trade is a critical piece of the administrations goal to dismantle transnational organized crime. Nicolas Maduro is an indicted drug trafficker in the United States, and hes a fugitive of American justice, Rubio said on Thursday. Members of the Bolivarian Militia and supporters of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro participate in a flag-raising ceremony for the Community Squads for the Comprehensive Defense of the Nation, in Caracas, Venezuela on September 3. - Pedro Mattey/AFP/Getty Images Are we going to invade Venezuela? Despite all this, behind the scenes the US continues to coordinate with Venezuelan officials on deportation flights. The Trump administration also recently re-issued a license for US energy giant Chevron to resume oil operations in Venezuela, home to the largest proven oil reserves in the world. That apparent contradiction has prompted some experts and former officials to question what the administrations truly trying to accomplish. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Are we going to invade Venezuela and depose the regime when its offering most of what the administration is asking? said Benjamin Gedan, the Venezuela director at the National Security Council under the Obama administration. Other than regime change, its probably pretty open to cooperating with this administration. So thats why the kind of sudden build of the naval forces has been surprising, because there have been a lot of hints that the US was actually headed toward normalizing relations with this regime, he added. The White House, meanwhile, continues to stress that all options are on the table as it relates to Venezuela, Maduro and the cartel mission, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying Trump is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela, Leavitt said when asked by reporters late last month about the possibility of sending US troops to Venezuela. It is a narco-terror cartel, and Maduro, it is the view of this administration, is not a legitimate president. He is a fugitive head of this cartel who has been indicted in the United States for trafficking drugs into the country. The US Navy warship USS Sampson docks at the Amador International Cruise Terminal in Panama City on September 2, part of an enhanced US military presence around Venezuela. - Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images Venezuelas role in the drug trade More broadly, experts point out that Venezuela plays a minimal role in the regions drug trade, raising questions of whether drugs are being used as a pretext to go after Maduro, according to a former US official familiar with the situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his first term, Trump repeatedly sought to oust Maduro by deploying various pressure tactics in hopes of facilitating a democratic transition in Venezuela. It has long been a policy objective of the US to try spur the Venezuelan military to turn against Maduro, but it has not been successful, said Gedan, now a foreign policy fellow at Johns Hopkins University. Retired US Ambassador Luis Moreno echoed that sentiment, telling CNN that the US has been trying to encourage dissent forever. Sometimes it works, but until you get some of the key elite units stationed outside Caracas, especially the paratroopers at the air base the outskirts of Caracas, the one that Hugo Chavez came from, that unit is crucial, said Moreno. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moreno, who spent much of his career at the State Department working on counternarcotics, said profits from trafficking somewhat support Maduro but the amount of money, the Russians, Cubans, everyone else, and the oil its not going to substitute for the oil. Its the Venezuelan military security forces that make immense money from taking payoffs from Colombian traffickers, Moreno said. I dont know if that goes directly to supporting Venezuelan infrastructure. Gedan, however, noted that Venezuela reportedly receives a significant income from its share of cocaine trafficking, illegal gold exports and other illegal economies. Venezuela is not a cocaine-producing country, and although transit through Venezuela is not ruled out, other countries are identified as emerging players in international drug markets where the sharp increase in homicides is linked to the rise in drug trafficking, according to the UN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rubio has sharply rejected any suggestion that Venezuela is not a key piece of the drug flow coming to the US. Ive seen a lot of this reporting, and its fake reporting and Ill tell you why. It says that somehow Venezuela is not involved in the drug trade because the UN says theyre not involved, Rubio said. I dont care what the UN says. The UN doesnt know what theyre talking about. CNNs Jennifer Hansler, Natasha Bertrand and Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing options for carrying out military strikes targeting drug cartels operating inside Venezuela, including possible strikes within the country, CNN reported on Friday, citing multiple sources. A strike inside Venezuela would mark a dramatic escalation in U.S. tensions with the South American country. Earlier in the week, the U.S. military struck a boat from Venezuela in the southern Caribbean, leaving 11 people dead, because, according to Trump, the vessel was transporting illegal narcotics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The strike was just the beginning of a much larger effort to rid the region of narcotics trafficking and potentially dislodge Venezuela's leftist president, Nicolas Maduro, from power, CNN reported. Neither the White House nor the Venezuelan communications ministry responded to separate requests for comment from Reuters. Asked on Friday if the U.S. was eyeing a regime change in Venezuela, Trump told reporters: "We're not talking about that, but we are talking about the fact that you had an election which was a very strange election, to put it mildly." Maduro later on Friday called on the U.S. to respect his country's sovereignty. "The government of the United States should abandon its plan of violent regime change in Venezuela and in all of Latin America and respect sovereignty, the right to peace, to independence," he said. (Reporting by Jasper Ward; Editing by Leslie Adler) Donald John Trump, U.S. president and known shitposter, shared an apparently AI-generated image to social media on Saturday that suggests he is champing at the bit to unleash the military on the city of Chicago. In the image, Trumps face is imposed on the body of Apocalypse Now actor Robert Duvall, who played the unhinged warmonger Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore in Francis Ford Coppolas 1979 classic. Duvall delivers the films famous line: I love the smell of napalm in the morning. Politics: 'Be Quiet!': Trump Throws A Fit, Calls Reporter 'Darling' During Off-The-Rails Tirade I love the smell of deportations in the morning, read Trumps post. Chicago about to find out why its called the Department of WAR. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Behind him is the Chicago skyline, tinted a deep orange as it burns. Military helicopters fly overhead. A real post by the president of the United States. Truth Social / @realDonaldTrump Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) responded in turn on X. The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city, Pritzker wrote. This is not a joke. This is not normal. Politics: Trump Goes After Beloved Actor Tom Hanks, Calling Him 'Destructive' And 'WOKE' Donald Trump isnt a strongman, hes a scared man. Illinois wont be intimidated by a wannabe dictator, the governor wrote. On Friday, Trump signed an executive order ostensibly renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War because it has a stronger sound. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Congress, however, would need to approve an official change to the departments name. Trumps order merely allows Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use secondary titles to refer to himself and the organization. The rebrand is intended to show that the U.S. is, in Hegseths words, going to go on offense, not just on defense. Maximum lethality, not tepid legality, Hegseth said Friday. Since retaking office, Trump has been threatening to militarize cities run by Democrats in order to crack down on crime and immigration and spread a message of fear. He has repeatedly spoken in recent weeks of sending National Guard troops to Chicago, citing a crime wave, even though violent crime has been declining there. Trump has not yet revealed when he might make such a move, saying that he would love for Pritzker to agree to it. Politics: Trump Says Chicago's Up Next For His Fake Crime Crackdown Even though local and state have responded with a firm no, they believe Trump is planning to use a naval base near the city to stage operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Similar orders in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., this year led to protests. National Guard members have also been helping federal immigration authorities round up supposedly unauthorized immigrants, as Trump reportedly seeks to deport up to 1 million people in a single year. Trumps entire post appears to be a screenshot, indicating that the president may not have created it himself, but saw it elsewhere and reposted it to his Truth Social page. News: Chicago Mayor Blasts Trump Military Threats As 'Flagrant Violation' Of Constitution Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called the presidents threats beneath the honor of our nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [T]he reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution, Johnson wrote on X. We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump. Related... Read the original on HuffPost By Alexander Cornwell TEL AVIV (Reuters) -Thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, issuing direct appeals to U.S. President Donald Trump to force an end to the Gaza war and secure the release of the hostages. Protesters packed a public square outside the military headquarters, waving Israeli flags and holding placards with images of the hostages. Some carried signs, including one that read: 'Trumps legacy crumbles as the Gaza war persists'. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another said: "PRESIDENT TRUMP, SAVE THE HOSTAGES NOW!" "We think that Trump is the only man in the world who has authority over Bibi, that can force Bibi to do this," said Tel Aviv resident Boaz, 40, referring to the Israeli prime minister. There is growing despair among many Israelis at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has ordered the military to capture a major urban centre where hostages may be held. Families of the hostages and their supporters fear the assault on Gaza City could endanger their loved ones, a concern the military leadership shares, according to Israeli officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Orna Neutra, the mother of an Israeli soldier who was killed on October 7, 2023 and whose body is being held in Gaza by militants, accused the government of abandoning its citizens. "We truly hope that the United States will push both sides to finally reach a comprehensive deal that will bring them home," she told the rally. Her son, Omer, is also American. Tel Aviv has witnessed weekly demonstrations that have grown in size, with protesters demanding that the government secure a ceasefire with Hamas to obtain the release of hostages. Organisers said Saturday night's rally was attended by tens of thousands. A large demonstration was also held in Jerusalem. There are 48 hostages held in Gaza. Israeli officials believe that around 20 are still alive. Palestinian militants abducted 251 people from Israel on October 7, 2023, when Hamas led its attack. Most of the hostages who have been released were freed after indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NO PURPOSE Trump had pledged a swift end to the war in Gaza during his presidential campaign, but nearly eight months into his second term, a resolution has remained elusive. On Friday, he said that Washington was engaged in "very deep" negotiations with Hamas. Israeli forces have carried out heavy strikes on the suburbs of Gaza City, where, according to a global hunger monitor, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are facing famine. Israeli officials acknowledge that hunger exists in Gaza but deny that the territory is facing famine. On Saturday, the military warned civilians in Gaza City to leave and move to southern Gaza. There are hundreds of thousands of Palestinians sheltering in the city that was home to around a million before the war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A video released by Hamas on Friday featured Israeli hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24, saying that he was being held in Gaza City and feared being killed by the military's assault on the city. Rights groups have condemned such videos of hostages as inhumane. Israel says that it is psychological warfare. The war has become unpopular among some segments of Israeli society, and opinion polls show that most Israelis want Netanyahu's right-wing government to negotiate a permanent ceasefire with Hamas that secures the release of the hostages. "The war has no purpose at all, except for violence and death," said Boaz from Tel Aviv. Adam, 48, said it had become obvious that soldiers were being sent to war for "nothing". Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since it lauched its retaliatory war after Hamas fighters attacked Israel from Gaza in October 2023. Around 1,200 people were killed in that attack on southern Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas has offered to release some hostages for a temporary ceasefire, similar to terms that were discussed in July before negotiations mediated by the U.S. and Arab states collapsed. The militant group, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades but today controls only parts of the enclave, on Saturday once again said that it would release all hostages if Israel agreed to end the war and withdraw its forces from Gaza. Netanyahu is pushing for an all-or-nothing deal that would see all of the hostages released at once and Hamas surrendering. The prime minister has said Gaza City is a Hamas stronghold and capturing it is necessary to defeat the Palestinian militant group, whose October 2023 attack on Israel led to the war. Hamas has acknowledged it would no longer govern Gaza once the war ends but has refused to discuss laying down its weapons. (Reporting by Alexander CornwellEditing by Nick Zieminski) Tunis, Tunisia At 61 Station Street, downtown Tunis, volunteers are busy receiving and documenting donations for the Maghreb Sumud Flotilla one of four organising groups of the Global Sumud Flotilla, aiming to break Israels siege on Gaza. The initial plan was for the boats to set sail from Tunis on Thursday. But the Tunisian boats will have to wait until the Spanish flotilla led by, among others, the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg that set off from Barcelona on Monday arrives, having been delayed as a result of a storm. Another flotilla leaving from Sicily is expected to join the Tunisian one on Sunday, with all the vessels then departing together towards the eastern Mediterranean. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On board the vessels will be doctors, activists, convoy organisers, lawyers and social media influencers. Inside the holds: cardboard boxes full of medicine and infant milk and some touching messages and gifts from Tunisian children to their counterparts in Gaza. All seven flotillas that have set sail to Gaza since 2010 have been either intercepted or attacked by the Israeli army before even reaching Gazas territorial waters. On May 2, the ship Conscience was struck twice by Israeli armed drones when it was just 25 kilometres (16 miles) away from the shores of Malta. Raring to go Thorough preparations for the flotilla are ongoing in many Tunisian cities, including Tunis, Bizerte, Beja, Sousse, Sfax and Gabes. For many of the volunteers at work in Tunisias donation centres, their ties to Gaza run deep, and many have felt helpless having watched almost two years of Israeli bombardment of Gaza, killing more than 62,000 Palestinians. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many here remember local political activist Hatem Laayounis joining efforts to break the Israeli siege of Gaza on board the Handala mission in July, as well as the Tunisian-led Sumud convoy that attempted to get through the previous month. Both attempts seem to have made Gaza feel within reach for many now volunteering to supply and sail within the latest flotilla. Tunisians no longer think Palestine is far away. Palestine is close. Its definitely not far away, says a volunteer who goes by the name Sahraoui. Volunteers from across Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States are taking part, and know that they have no time to waste, particularly as Gaza is now officially in a famine. The team behind the Maghreb flotilla have worked quickly. On August 22, the organising committee of the flotilla launched a fundraising campaign and a call for in-kind donations. Ten days later, the vessels were bought. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I cant share the number of boats because its confidential information, but were good when it comes to boats, Ghassan Boughdiri, a member of the organising committee, told Al Jazeera, adding, We have the exact number we need. Boughdiri also confirmed that the names and number of participants would be communicated once the flotilla is ready to sail. Donations Large amounts of donations, such as medicine and infant milk, have already been collected and packed into cardboard boxes, with organisers ready to provide more once Israel lifts its blockade. With most of the preparation work done, only the finishing touches remain: equipping the vessels with wi-fi, cameras, life jackets and other safety tools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And for this, Tunisians continue to join long queues at Station Street to donate money and whatever other gifts they can. The special thing about this campaign is the number of people who showed up to give donations, said Boughdiri. Weve had people bringing five and 10 dinars [$1.70 to $3.40]. If your days pay is 20 dinars [$6.80], those five dinars are so precious for us. It shows weve managed to act collectively to help our people in Gaza. With support for the flotilla gathering steam around the world, and more vessels announcing their participation, there is hope that the world will be forced to act if Israel attempts to violently stop the boats. But even though sending humanitarian aid on flotillas to crisis zones is approved by international law, it is still more likely that Israel will resort to violence. This is the largest aid flotilla to Gaza ever, said Sahraoui. No similar mission has been launched before. So we dont really know how theyll respond. I hope we do reach Gaza eventually. Unusual footage of a 200-pound bear with an upset stomach being wheeled on a stretcher and scanned through an MRI went viral in Turkey this week. Okan the bear was feeling sick after he ate too much fruit, so he was taken to Istanbul Universitys Cerrahpasa Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, where he was treated and later released, according to CNN affiliate CNN Turk. Our bear, Okan, was taken in with stomach pain and abdominal discomfort. Our veterinarian at Cekmekoy Rehabilitation Center immediately noticed tenderness in Okans stomach area, Park of Istanbul Nature and Life Complex Board Chairman Burak Memisoglu told CNN Turk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He underwent a CT scan to check for any masses. However, the CT scan results came back clean, and his blood count was also checked, and there were no problems. Hes fine now; hes very tame and happy, and hell be in the pool to cool off soon, Memisoglu added. Visitors enjoy seeing him playing back at the wildlife park and recognize him from the news. This isnt the first time Okan ate too much fruit. He received similar treatment for the issue three years ago. Thats also when he received the popular Turkish name, Okan. Three years ago, when our new employee went to the hospital and didnt know our bears name, he quickly said, I gave him my own name, his name is Okan, and our bears name was registered as Okan, Memisoglu told CNN Turk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Workers at the wildlife center are continuing to monitor Okan and adjust his food so he doesnt have tummy troubles again. Our veterinarians and biologists here are adjusting our animal friends food intake; the amount doesnt change, either up or down. Okan now eats seasonal fruits and vegetables, and bonito fish and honey in the winter, Memisoglu said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com TUSCALOOSA COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) A Cottondale woman died after she was in a motorcycle crash Friday evening, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Alisa Lamay, 47, was critically injured when the Harley-Davidson motorcycle she was riding departed the roadway and hit a guardrail. The crash happened around 6:05 p.m. on I-59 about four miles south of Tuscaloosa. Missing JSU student found safe in New York Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lamay was airlifted to UAB Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. 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. BJP MP Gulam Ali Khatana has strongly condemned the viral video showing a mob allegedly tarnishing the national emblem on the foundation stone of the Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar. "Every citizen must respect the National Flag and the National Emblem... Disrespect towards them is not acceptable. It was not at the place of prayer. Hazratbal has been renovated, and the national emblem on the foundation stone is on the outside wall. Legal action must be taken against whoever tarnished it...," he said. BJP MP further hits back at CM Omar Abdullah over his statement on Hazratbal Shrine, saying plates were placed for transparency and the emblem was outside the prayer hall. He accused Omar of playing politics with pseudo-secularism, adding that people of Kashmir don't take him seriously. "Plates are placed for transparency. He is in politics. Nobody is going to take this politics of pseudo-secularism... The people of Kashmir dont take him seriously. The emblem was on the outside wall, not in the prayer hall," he said. Earlier today, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah questioned the use of the national emblem on the plaque of the renovated Hazratbal Shrine, adding that he has never seen it used at any religious places. He emphasised that government emblems are only used at government functions, not in religious places such as mosques, Dargahs, Temples, or Gurdwaras. "The first question is whether the emblem should have been etched on the foundation stone. I have never seen the emblem being used in any religious place. So, what was the compulsion to have the emblem on the stone at Hazratbal Shrine? What was the need to put up the stone? Was just work not enough?" Omar Abdullah said. This comes after a viral video had surfaced showing a mob defacing the national emblem inscribed on the foundation stone of the shrine, which is undergoing reconstruction and redevelopment under the Waqf Board. "Hazratbal Shrine was given this form by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. Did he put up such stones anywhere? People remember his work, despite his not putting up a stone for himself. Government emblems are used only at government places. Mosques, dargahs, temples, Gurdwaras are not government places; these are religious places; government emblems are not used there," Omar Abdullah said. (ANI) (WWLP) Two juveniles have been arrested for the killing of a congressional intern from western Massachusetts. The Washington, DC Metropolitan Police announced on Friday the arrests of 17-year-old Kelvin Thomas of Southeast, DC, and 17-year-old Jailen Lucas of Northwest, DC. Both are charged as adults under Title 16 with First Degree Murder while Armed (Premeditated). Narcotics investigation in West Springfield results in two arrests Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, June 30th, police responded to the call for gunshots on the 1200 block of 7th Street, Norwest. Officers found 21-year-old Eric Tarpinian-Jachym of Granby and two others suffering from gunshot wounds. Tarpinian-Jachym was rushed to the hospital, where he died the next day. Police are still searching for a third suspect. He has been identified as 18-year-old Naqwan Antonio Lucas. There is a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. Tarpinian-Jachym was a rising senior at UMass Amherst. He had worked on Capitol Hill as an intern for Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kan.) for only a month at the time of his killing. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro called Tarpinian-Jachym an innocent bystander who was caught in a violent act that was not meant for him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on social platform X that, if convicted, the suspected killers will face severe justice. 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. PIKE COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) The Pike County Sheriffs Office announced two men pled guilty in connection to a shooting and an armed robbery. The incident occurred on Pleasant Grove Road on April 23, 2024. Pike County deputies said when they arrived at the location, they found the victim suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the neck. Mississippi man sentenced for coercing minors into sex acts Detectives located two suspects fleeing the scene. They were identified as Curdarrean Carr, 18, and Joseph Stewart, 18, both of Pike County. Carr and Stewart were arrested and booked into the Pike County Jail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the investigation, deputies said they discovered that Carr and Stewart had stolen a handgun from the victim using a fake rifle to hold him at gunpoint. They said the victim resisted the robbery, which resulted in the suspects shooting him with his own handgun. On September 9, 2024, the District Attorneys Office filed an indictment against Carr and Stewart for armed robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Both Carr and Stewart pled guilty to the charges on September 3, 2025. They were both sentenced to 20 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC). Close Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News 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 WJTV. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Two of six defendants facing over 120 felony charges in connection with a human trafficking ring received their sentences this week. According to a spokesperson with the Franklin County Prosecutors Office, Sarah Dotson and Shahee Siler, charged with 29 and 10 charges respectively, each received six- to nine-year prison sentences for their involvement in a sex and drug trafficking case that included six adults, 127 total charges, and a murder. Dotson, facing 29 charges, pleaded guilty to engaging in corrupt activity, trafficking in drugs, having weapons under disability and compelling prostitution. Two dozen charges were dropped in the plea agreement, including possession of drugs, promoting prostitution and trafficking in persons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Teenager to be tried as adult in fatal carjacking of Alexa Stakely Siler, who was facing 10 charges, including two counts of murder, pleaded guilty to three counts of promoting prostitution and a reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter. Dotson was ordered to register as a Tier II sex offender upon her release and Siler as a Tier I sex offender upon his. Both sex-offender registrations are to last 25 years, with evaluations every 180 days. Dotson and Siler, along with James Antwan Dukes-Johnson, Michael Anthony Davis, Alexias Carr-Johnson and Tyler Payne, were arrested as part of a Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force investigation, which resulted in a large indictment in December 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dukes-Johnson and Davis were charged in the fatal shooting of 39-year-old Adrian Smith on May 31. Dukes-Johnson was arrested on July 2023 in connection to the homicide while Davis was arrested on Aug. 2023. Columbus high school honors slain graduate They were each sentenced in June, with Dukes-Johnson ordered to serve at least 96 years in prison and Davis 81 years. Alexias Monay Lashel Carr-Johnson of Marysville pleaded guilty to permitting drug abuse and receiving money involved in a crime and is scheduled for sentencing in November. Payne was sentenced to two years of community control for permitting drug abuse and receiving money involved in a crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The group was accused of shooting Smith on the 1900 block of Lockbourne Road on May 31, 2023. Police said Smith was standing in a parking lot when several people in a passing vehicle shot him and another victim, a 31-year-old who survived after being transported to an area hospital. 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 NBC4 WCMH-TV. Two people were seriously injured as a supermarket roof partially collapsed in south-western Germany on Saturday. Police said that at least two other people suffered minor injuries in the accident in Lauchringen, close to the Swiss border. A rescue helicopter was deployed to the scene. The checkout area of the supermarket in the Waldshut district was affected by the collapse, a police spokesman added. The cause is still unclear. The supermarket was open at the time of the accident at around 5:45 pm (1545 GMT). It is not yet known how many customers were in the store. The China-flagged research vessel JIDI operates approximately 265 miles northwest of Utqiagvik, Alaska, September 2, 2025. The Coast Guard Arctic District deployed USCGC Healy (WAGB-20) to monitor and query the vessel. (U.S. Coast Guard Courtesy Photo) The U.S. Coast Guard shadowed two Chinese research ships operating in disputed waters within the Arctic Ocean this week, the Coast Guard announced Wednesday. The icebreakers Ji Di and Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di were traveling more than 200 miles offshore of Utqiagvik, Americas northernmost town, in whats known as the extended continental shelf under the International Law of the Sea Treaty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ordinarily, international law restricts a nations fishing, oil drilling and scientific exploration to within 200 nautical miles of its coast, in whats known as its exclusive economic zone. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a nation can extend that exclusive limit if the continental shelf a place of generally shallower water stretches beyond 200 miles. More than 160 countries and the European Union have ratified the Law of the Sea agreement, but the United States has not, despite the urging of members of Alaskas congressional delegation. The agreement says foreign vessels may pass through extended continental shelf waters, but they must have the owners consent in order to perform scientific studies or seafloor mapping there. The United States claims the extended continental shelf near its shorelines and in 2023 began the international process to have its claims recognized, but the United Nations committee that regulates the agreement has not finalized the American claims, a process that could take decades because the United States is not a party to the agreement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, despite the lack of international recognition, the United States has continued to claim sovereignty over the extended continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean. In late April, the Trump administration announced that it was beginning to plan oil and gas lease sales in the disputed area. China, which operates more Arctic icebreakers than does the United States, has contended that the Arctic Ocean should remain open to free navigation. This week, when the two Chinese research icebreakers crossed into the disputed area, the Coast Guard dispatched the icebreaker Healy, which was already operating in the Arctic Ocean under a different mission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They were pretty close to the standard 200 nautical mile EEZ boundary. They were outside of that by a few miles, which is directly over that portion that is being claimed right now by the United States, said Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Its deliberate in several ways, he said of the Chinese action. Its meant to get attention but not go over the line. He said some of Chinas actions in the Arctic have been to promote it as a global commons that belongs to everybody, and to minimize sovereign rights as much as possible. So thats a pretty obvious reason why they would have done this at the location they did. Chief Petty Officer Travis Magee, assistant public affairs officer for the U.S. Coast Guards Arctic District, said that in cases like the ones that occurred this week, the typical response is to monitor, and query the vessels over the radio, frequently using a pre-prepared script. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The script he said, often goes like this: You are currently operating over the United States Extended Continental Shelf (ECS). Under international law, the United States has rights to conserve and manage the living and non-living natural resources of its ECS as well as to regulate marine scientific research by foreign scientists relating to its ECS. In all cases where marine scientific research is pursued on the Extended Continental Shelf, appropriate official channels must be used to obtain U.S. consent. The Coast Guard also flew a long-range patrol aircraft from Kodiak to shadow the two ships. Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the Arctic District, said in a prepared statement that the U.S. Coast Guard is controlling, securing and defending the northern U.S. border and maritime approaches in the Arctic to protect U.S. sovereignty, and Healys operations demonstrate the critical need for more Coast Guard icebreakers to achieve that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the U.S. Navy frequently operates submarines in the Arctic Ocean, it does not have any icebreakers; the Coast Guard operates the federal governments only icebreaking ships. The recently approved Republican budget package known as the Big Beautiful Bill Act included billions of dollars for the Coast Guard to construct new heavy icebreakers. The first of those ships is expected to enter service in 2030, though some medium-weight icebreakers are being planned and could arrive sooner. As an interim measure, the Coast Guard purchased and commissioned an icebreaking oilfield services ship, renaming it the Storis. At the time of the Healys intercept in the Arctic Ocean, the Storis was conducting training operations in the Bering Sea. U.S. Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska, speaks at the Resource Development for Alaska annual membership luncheon on June 18, 2025. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) The U.S. House of Representatives voted mostly along party lines Wednesday night to repeal development restrictions in large areas of Alaska, Montana and North Dakota. The Houses vote, which must be duplicated by the Senate before becoming effective, seeks to reverse land management plans adopted in the final days of the Biden administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Alaska, the Central Yukon Resource Management Plan was seen as an obstacle to the proposed 211-mile Ambler Road and the planned trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline. Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska, proposed the elimination of the plan via the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to repeal regulations under certain circumstances. Why is this CRA so important? Revoking Public Land Order 5150 is the first step in allowing the State of Alaska to acquire lands that are critical to two essential projects: Ambler Road and the Alaska LNG pipeline, said Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Arkansas and chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources. Speaking on the House floor, Begich said he believes the Biden administrations plan doesnt represent a balanced approach and would restrict projects that could benefit Alaskans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is federal overreach that is ensuring that Alaskas wealth stays in the ground, unavailable to the people of one of Americas most impoverished regions, he said of the portion of Interior Alaska affected by the order. Doyon Inc., the regional Alaska Native corporation for Interior Alaska, wrote a letter of support for the repeal. Environmental groups and some Alaska Native tribal groups opposed it. The Bering Sea-Interior Tribal Commission asked Congress to preserve the management plan, as did Protect the Kobuk, an organization opposing Ambler Road. In a written statement, China Kantner of Protect the Kobuk noted that if federal lands are transferred to the state of Alaska, local hunters will lose subsistence hunting preferences because those are not allowed under the Alaska Constitution. The Yukon land plan repeal and two other similar repeals advance to the Senate, where broad support is expected. Both of Alaskas U.S. senators support a repeal. Attorneys for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a Friday letter that they intend to send Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the African nation of Eswatini after he expressed a fear of deportation to Uganda. The letter from ICE to Abrego Garcia's attorneys was earlier reported by Fox News. It states that his fear of persecution or torture in Uganda is hard to take seriously, especially given that you have claimed (through your attorneys) that you fear persecution or torture in at least 22 different countries. ...Nonetheless, we hereby notify you that your new country of removal is Eswatini. Eswatinis government spokesperson told The Associated Press on Saturday that it had no received no communication regarding Abrego Garcias transfer there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Salvadoran man lived in Maryland for more than a decade before he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador earlier this year. That set off a series of contentious court battles that have turned his case into a test of the limits of President Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies. Although Abrego Garcia immigrated to the U.S. illegally around the year 2011, when he was a teenager, he has an American wife and child. A 2019 immigration court order barred his deportation to his native El Salvador, finding he had a credible fear of threats from gangs there. He was deported anyway in March in what a government attorney said was an administrative error and held in the country's notorious Terrorism Confinement Center. Facing a court order, the Trump administration returned him to the U.S. in June only to charge him with human smuggling based on a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee. While that court case is ongoing, ICE now seeks to deport him again. For his part, Abrego Garcia is requesting asylum in the United States. He was denied asylum in 2019 because his request came more than a year after he arrived in the U.S., his attorney Simon Sandoval-Mosenberg has said. Since he was deported and has now re-entered the U.S., the attorney said he is now eligible for asylum. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If Mr. Abrego Garcia is allowed a fair trial in immigration court, theres no way hes not going to prevail on his claim, he said in an emailed statement. As part of his asylum claim, Abrego Garcia expressed a fear of deportation to Uganda and nearly two dozen other countries, according an ICE court filing in opposition to reopening his asylum case. That Thursday filing also states that if the case is reopened, the 2019 order barring his deportation to El Salvador would become void and the government would pursue his removal to that country. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, during a high-level meeting held on Saturday at his residence, directed that any compromise with public health will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Dhami instructed district magistrates, police, and the health department to jointly launch an intensive campaign to completely eliminate the production and sale of counterfeit medicines in the state. He emphasised that the strict action must be taken against those involved in the fake drug trade, and their entire network should be dismantled. The Chief Minister stated that addressing the issues of families affected by the Dharali disaster, along with ensuring their rehabilitation, relief, and livelihood support, remains the government's top priority. He directed that the committee headed by the Revenue Secretary should submit its report at the earliest. Based on the committee's report, large-scale rehabilitation and relief efforts will also be carried out in other disaster-affected areas of the state. Uttarakhand CM instructed that a widespread Swadeshi (indigenous products) campaign be launched across the state, calling it an important step toward building a self-reliant India, an official release said. Dhami urged ministers, administrative officers, and government employees to actively promote the use of indigenous products. He directed that priority be given to indigenous goods and equipment in government procurement, and that local products be utilised as much as possible in government programs and events. He noted that recent changes in the GST slabs will further encourage indigenous products. Speaking about the Agniveers of the state, the Chief Minister directed that proper training arrangements be ensured for them. Special training programs should be organised from time to time at the Police Training Centre for this purpose. The Chief Minister reiterated that the government is fully committed to fulfilling the promises made to the people of the state in its vision document. He instructed officials to work with greater speed in implementing all commitments made in the public interest. He added that the government is working with firm determination while keeping in mind the sentiments and aspirations of the people. (ANI) Abu Dhabi appears to be messaging that annexation could harm ties and the Accords. Egypt also wants support from the UAE and Saudi regarding any attempts to push Gazans into Egypt. The United Arab Emirates has joined Egypt in slamming the possibility of Palestinians being displaced from Gaza. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Saturday that "describing the displacement of Palestinians as voluntary is nonsense, Arab News reported. This comes in reaction to Israels calls on residents of Gaza City to evacuate ahead of a planned offensive. Egypt is concerned that Gazans will be pushed south. Cairo is concerned about messaging that has become more widespread on social media in which some have suggested Egypt should take in Gazan refugees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arab News noted Israel earlier called on Gaza City residents to leave for the south, as its forces advance deeper into the enclaves largest urban area. The Israeli army told Gaza City residents to flee to a humanitarian zone in the south on Saturday ahead of a planned offensive to capture the territorys largest urban center. The UAE has grown more vocal in opposing several Israeli policies. It has also condemned any attempts at annexation as a red line. The UAE and Bahrain became Abraham Accords partners in 2020. Abu Dhabi appears to be messaging that annexation could harm ties and the Accords. Egypt also wants support from the UAE and Saudi Arabia regarding any attempts to push Gazans into Egypt. Al-Ain media in the UAE reported Friday that the UAE supports Egypt's efforts and condemns Netanyahu's statements regarding the displacement of Palestinians. The UAE affirmed its full support for Egypt, appreciating its ongoing efforts to support the Palestinian people, confront attempts to displace them, and seek an immediate ceasefire to alleviate the suffering of civilians. Jordanian and UAE planes drop humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip on July 27, 2025. Earlier in the day, Israel announced tactical pauses and its first airdrops of aid. (credit: TPS-IL) The IDF appears to want Gazans to move from Gaza City to Mawasi in southern Gaza. The IDF has increased attacks on high-rise buildings in Gaza. This comes amid threats from Israel to turn Gaza City into Rafah or Beit Hanoun, essentially meaning the city will be destroyed and flattened in the upcoming offensive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Al-Ain noted that the UAE condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements regarding the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, considering them a dangerous extension of the occupation's policies. The UAE reiterated its condemnation of all displacement attempts targeting the Palestinian people. Cairo vs. Jerusalem Cairo is increasingly angry with Jerusalem. Egypt has slammed statements in Israel, saying they're "ongoing attempts to prolong the escalation in the region and perpetuate instability, in order to avoid facing the consequences of Israeli violations in Gaza, both domestically and internationally." Egypts Foreign Affairs Ministry also said it condemns and rejects any displacement of Palestinians. Egypt affirmed that these practices constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and amount to ethnic cleansing crimes. It called on the international community to activate accountability mechanisms for these declared crimes, which are gradually becoming a tool for political propaganda in Israel due to the absence of international justice, Al-Ain noted. The report added that Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelatty, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, joined the head of UNRWA to condemn Israel. Egypt says that any talk of voluntary displacement of Gazans is unacceptable. War of words The war of words is part of Egypt's and the UAE's messaging to the region and the world that the crisis in Gaza is growing and that they're not pleased. With the UN General Assembly coming up this month, both countries will likely seek to pressure Israel and also try to work with their friends in Washington to see if the Gaza City offensive can be prevented. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Egypt has made it clear it does not want to have Gazans crossing into the country in large numbers. Cairo likely believes this will destabilize Sinai and could also lead to protests in Egypt. The Egyptian government does not want to be seen to be enabling Israels war in Gaza. It has also dealt with extremism in Sinai for decades and likely does not want Hamas active in Sinai. If large numbers of Gazans crossed into Sinai, it is likely that extremist groups would exploit this to try to open a new front against Israel. Egypts government will mobilize support in the Gulf and elsewhere to try to prevent any kind of chaos from taking place at the Gaza border, or having the war spill over elsewhere. It has always sought to contain the Gaza conflicts only within the Strip. After the Arab Spring, the Sinai Peninsula became a hub of smuggling for weapons, and this led to unrest and a large rebellion. The battles in Sinai between Egypts security forces and extremists helped fuel a decision by the army and Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to push the Muslim Brotherhood out of power in 2012. The Brotherhood had won elections in 2012 after the fall of the Hosni Mubarak regime. A year of rule by Mohammed Morsi, the Brotherhood candidate who won Egyptian elections, led to Morsis overthrow and the current government in Egypt. As such, the Sisi government knows the perils of having problems in Sinai. Prospective lawyers will soon be able to earn their law degree completely online through the University of Detroit Mercy Law School. Applications are now open for the inaugural class, which will begin in the fall of 2026. The American Bar Association accredits law schools and this spring it approved the program, the first fully online one in Michigan. "We see that this is a direction that legal education is headed, and we're really excited to be on the cutting edge and to provide access to students that otherwise may not have the opportunity to go to law school," said Law School Dean Nicholas Schroeck. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The program will launch with a group of 25 students and plans to expand to about 45 in a couple years. Schroeck said some current faculty will teach the courses online and the school plans to hire six new professors over the next three years to supplement the staff. Professors will record their lectures and other classroom discussions in a professional television studio, with quality lighting and audio. The recording facility will either be rented or created on campus, Schroeck said. A professor will speak for a time, then students will be quizzed on the material to make sure they are keeping up. "A lot of people had an experience with online education during the pandemic where it was somebody like me as a professor just droning on for an hour on a Zoom call," he said. "These are much more highly produced, and they're designed to track student engagement and student learning throughout the course." Many of them will be taught asynchronously, meaning the student can log on at any convenient time and work through the material. As the students advance, some courses may need to be done by a set time each day, Schroeck said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The online program replaces the evening classes that the school had offered for years. "Our evening program was very popular for a lot of years but things change," Schroeck said. "People's work-life balance and everything has shifted over time and the evening programs have been shrinking." The program got a jump start with a $2.2 million donation from Dr. Jonathan Rose, who graduated from UDM in the 1980s. Schroeck said Rose didn't study law at the school but has relations who did. The money will help cover the costs of instructional design, videography and faculty hiring. "He sees this as an opportunity for us to really to be innovators, to show that we can be leaders in the online space, just like we have been in regular legal education," Schroeck said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: State House passes anti-trans school bathroom bill; Senate has no plans to do same Schroeck said UDM will becomes the 21st in the country to offer online-only degrees and it will allow the school to serve more students. "We think it's a great opportunity for students, primarily for access," he said. "Making sure that we have a legal education available to students who can't physically be in the building, whether it's for geography or disability or whatever." The law school has about 700 students enrolled in a typical year. The bulk of those come from metro Detroit, though some are from out of state. With online courses, the school can expand its geographic footprint to outstate Michigan and beyond, not only for students, but potentially for professors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We might have a professor, say there's someone in Chicago that really wants to teach in this program, traditionally they would have to be here in the building," Schroeck said. "But maybe we can get some really good, talented folks to work in this program and still live remotely." More: What you should know about Michigan's school vaccine requirements Those kinds of details still have to be worked out. Schroeck said professors will work with an instructional design consultant to create the learning modules. Once those are created, they can be used repeatedly and edited when new case law warrants a change. "We'll start that work now for the courses that will launch in fall of 2026 so they'll all be ready to go before the students start," he said. Contact John Wisely: jwisely@freepress.com. On X: @jwisely This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: University of Detroit Mercy to offer fully online law degree The first conversation held by the new UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper was with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. Source: Sybiha on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda Details: Sybiha said on the evening of 5 September he had had a "warm and meaningful" conversation with Cooper "just a few hours" after her appointment as the new UK foreign secretary. Quote from Sybiha: "I truly appreciate my counterparts first call to Ukraine we take it as a sign of respect and priority in sustaining the UKs unwavering support." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: Sybiha thanked Cooper for "her genuine personal solidarity with Ukraine in her prior roles, as well as the United Kingdoms commitment and leadership". Quote from Sybiha: "Together, we are defending our shared values of freedom, independence, and humanity. I look forward to working together to advance our excellent strategic partnership and strengthen all of Europe." Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! By Vitalii Yalahuzian and Yann Tessier LONDON (Reuters) -British police arrested around 425 people on Saturday at a demonstration in support of Palestine Action, in the latest round of detentions of its supporters since the pro-Palestinian group was banned by the government as a terrorist organisation. Britain banned Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation in July after some of its members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged military planes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The group, which has also targeted defence firms in Britain with links to Israel, accuses Britain's government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in Gaza. Police have arrested hundreds of Palestine Action supporters in recent weeks under anti-terrorism legislation, including more than 500 in just one day last month, many of them over the age of 60. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered near parliament in central London on Saturday to protest against the ban, with many holding up signs that said: "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." London's Metropolitan Police said people had been detained for a number of offences including assaulting police officers and supporting a proscribed organisation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Officers ... have been subjected to an exceptional level of abuse including punches, kicks, spitting and objects being thrown, in addition to verbal abuse," police said in a post on X. Palestine Action's ban, or proscription, puts the group alongside al-Qaeda and ISIS and makes it a crime to support or belong to the organisation, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Police had warned ahead of Saturday's demonstration that anyone showing support for the group would be arrested. Human rights groups have criticised Britain's decision to ban the group as disproportionate and say it limits the freedom of expression of peaceful protesters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government has accused Palestine Action of causing millions of pounds worth of criminal damage and says the ban does not prevent other pro-Palestinian protests. More than 100 people have been charged with showing support for the group in recent weeks. (Writing by Sachin Ravikumar; Additional reporting by Harshita Meenaktshi; Editing by Aidan Lewis, Mark Porter and Nick Zieminski) Editor's note: The story was updated with additional information. Ukrainian authorities detained a fugitive lawmaker from a banned pro-Russian party, who is wanted for treason, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Prosecutor General's Office announced on Sept. 6. Though the suspect's name was not officially disclosed, the Kyiv Independent's law enforcement source identified him as Fedir Khrystenko, a 41-year-old lawmaker and a former member of the now-banned pro-Russian party, Opposition Platform For Life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khrystenko is seen as a key figure in the SBU's case targeting alleged "Russian influence" in Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), part of an ongoing row between the two agencies. According to the SBU, the suspect was recruited by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) long before the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022 and actively cooperated with Russian intelligence. Prosecutors say the suspect set up an "influence mechanism" over the leadership of an unnamed law enforcement agency between 2020 and 2021, enabling Russia to obtain sensitive information. In July, the lawmaker was charged with high treason and abuse of influence. After the start of the all-out invasion, the lawmaker left Ukraine and continued his illegal activities from abroad, the prosecutors said. According to Radio Svoboda, Khrystenko left even earlier 10 days before the invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khrystenko was also reported to have resided in Warsaw, Poland and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after he left Ukraine. The Gulf country is a common destination for Ukrainian ex-officials, and many own property there. Read also: Ukraines anti-corruption chief on how his agency became a target and whats next Citing sources, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Sept. 5 that the pro-Russian lawmaker might be extradited from Dubai to Ukraine in the coming days. While the SBU claims the suspect was detained in Ukraine, the circumstances of the arrest are not immediately clear. Dzerkalo Tyzhnia's undisclosed sources claimed that Khrystenko was not officially extradited from the UAE, but "simply handed over" to the SBU based on a political agreement at the highest level. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawmaker was brought before the court on Sept. 6 and is currently in custody as the investigation is ongoing. According to the Kyiv Independent's law enforcement source, Khrystenko was a "top agent" responsible for "strengthening Russian influence" over NABU and maintained close ties with senior figures in the bureau. These included Ruslan Mahamedrasulov, a senior NABU official detained by the SBU in July over alleged business dealings in Russia, the source claimed. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims. The news comes amid growing tensions between the SBU and NABU, Ukraine's chief anti-corruption agency established as part of post-EuroMaidan anti-graft reforms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In recent months, the two agencies have exchanged accusations and launched probes targeting one anothers officials. Most recently, NABU charged a senior SBU official reported to be ex-cybersecurity chief Illia Vitiuk with illicit enrichment. The pressure against NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Office (SAPO) escalated in July, when the SBU raided NABU offices and accused some of its employees of links to Russia. President Volodymyr Zelensky's lawmakers then unexpectedly passed a law dismantling the independence of the two anti-graft bodies, though the parliament rolled back the changes after mass street protests and a pushback from Kyiv's European partners. Ukrainska Pravda reported that, according to its sources, the SBU tried to contact Khrystenko in Dubai on Aug. 4 to obtain testimony against NABU employees as part of the crackdown against the alleged Russian influence in the bureau. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Talking to the news outlet, Khrystenko denied contact with NABU detectives or Russian intelligence services and claimed he fears for his life. Read also: Nearly 700,000 Russian military personnel deployed in Ukraine, intelligence says Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ukraine will return 3.37 million euros ($3.95 million) in compensation from a foreign company involved in a corruption scheme for the first time, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) announced on Sept. 5. A joint investigation by NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) found that the state-enterprise "Polygraph Plant Ukraine" purchased equipment from a French company at inflated prices through a shell company based in Estonia. "The former director of the state-owned enterprise received an illegal benefit in the form of copyrights to the designs of the security elements of documents," NABU wrote in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Paris court approved the transfer of funds on Sept. 3 following an agreement reached between the French company involved in the scheme and France's National Financial Prosecutor's Office on July 8. The proceedings involved eight suspects, including the former head of "Polygraph Plant Ukraine." "This result was made possible thanks to a joint investigative team of NABU, SAPO, law enforcement officers from France and Estonia under the auspices of Eurojust," NABU's statement said. On July 22, the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada) approved amendments that granted the prosecutor general new powers over cases led by SAPO and investigations led by NABU, effectively destroying their independence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Volodymyr Zelensky later that day signed the bill into law despite calls for him to veto the changes. Protestors gathered in major cities across the country, including Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, and Odesa, over the course of several days, demanding that the law be repealed. Amid widespread disapproval, Zelensky on July 31 signed a law passed by the parliament that restored the independence of SAPO and NABU. In the Verkhovna Rada's first livestreamed vote since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, 331 lawmakers approved the bill in two back-to-back readings, with none voting against it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Europes Coalition of the Willing plan for Ukraine is already unravelling Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Border guards from the Forpost unit of the State Border Guard Service have captured a Russian soldier who went to war in Ukraine instead of serving a prison sentence for fraud. Source: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Details: The captive turned out to be a Russian serviceman who had previously been convicted under Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code (fraud). Instead of serving his sentence, he decided to go to war against Ukraine, but was captured at the beginning of his "work trip". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a video published by the State Border Guard Service, the prisoner said that he was born in the city of Pechory in Pskov Oblast. He served in the second assault brigade of the Russian army and entered Ukraine on 3 August as part of a three person group. One of them escaped, and the detainee himself claims that he "got lost" while "picking mushrooms and pears". He said that the group was accompanied by a drone that corrected their actions. The Russians were armed with grenades, automatic weapons and ammunition. They reached the front line in a UAZ vehicle from the local headquarters. Border guards note that this is another example of the Russian authorities sending convicts who choose the front line instead of prison, and are quickly captured on the battlefield. Quote: "The Russian serviceman was convicted of fraud. Instead of serving his sentence, the occupier decided to go earn money in the war, but was quickly captured." Background: In April 2025, Ukrainian soldiers in Donetsk Oblast captured a Senegalese citizen. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Drone operators of the Phoenix border guard unit destroyed several Russian targets on the Pokrovsk front. Source: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Details: A Russian tank, an armoured personnel carrier and a truck packed with Russian soldiers were destroyed in the strikes. It is noted that in addition to the Russian infantry and armoured vehicles, the Phoenix unit also targeted Russian logistics and communication channels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The State Border Guard Service posted the video of the destruction. Background: Border guards of the Forpost unit of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine captured a Russian serviceman who, instead of serving a prison term for fraud, went to fight in Ukraine. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Ukrainian Prime Ministers Yuliia Svyrydenko and her Slovak counterpart Robert Fico have discussed the progress of key infrastructure and energy projects. Source: Svyrydenko on Facebook, as reported by European Pravda Details: At the meeting with Fico, Svyrydenko focused on economic cooperation. Quote: "We have discussed the progress of key infrastructure and energy projects and, in this context, welcomed the opening of the narrow-gauge railway section between Uzhhorod and Chop. This is the first European-gauge line built in Ukraine, opening opportunities for passenger connections with several European capitals." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: Parties also agreed to work on a substantive agenda for the next round of joint consultations between the Ukrainian and Slovak governments, which will take place soon in Slovakia. Quote: "I thanked the Slovak government for its unwavering support of Ukraines EU integration aspirations and the need to open EU negotiation clusters as quickly as possible, simultaneously for Ukraine and Moldova." Background: The meeting in the city of Uzhhorod in Zakarpattia Oblast on 5 September was the first opportunity for bilateral talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Fico. Among other things, Zelenskyy stated that Russian oil has no future. He also expressed hope that Slovakia will join in providing security guarantees for Ukraine. Fico said that his contacts with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin were aimed at achieving a swift end to Russias full-scale aggression against Ukraine. The leader of the Slovak opposition party Progressive Slovakia criticised Fico for failing to condemn Russian aggression at the press conference with Zelenskyy in Uzhhorod. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! The upcoming La Nina pattern, as forecast, will cool off portions of the Pacific Ocean, but our planet's temperature overall is expected to stay above average. A World Meteorological Organization report reminds us that the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) isn't the only factor influencing our planet's climate. The latest ENSO update from the WMO favors the development of a La Nina pattern that could start as early as sometime in September. ENSO acts like a gigantic seesaw in the Pacific Ocean that impacts the water as well as the air above it. It oscillates between an El Nino and a La Nina pattern, with neutral conditions occurring in between phases. During a La Nina pattern, the sea surface in the equatorial region of the eastern Pacific Ocean becomes significantly cooler than average. While climate scientists acknowledge the cooling effect a La Nina pattern can have on the Pacific, natural climate events are being overwhelmed by our overheating planet, "which is increasing global temperatures, exacerbating extreme weather, and impacting seasonal rainfall and temperature patterns," warns the WMO report, per The Guardian. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement La Nina usually flips the script on El Nino, bringing opposite weather patterns, particularly in tropical regions. "However, naturally occurring climate events such as La Nina and El Nino are taking place in the broader context of human-induced climate change, which is increasing global temperatures, exacerbating extreme weather, and impacting seasonal rainfall and temperature patterns," the WMO report points out. The latest forecasts from the WMO Global Producing Centers for Seasonal Prediction say there is a 55% chance of sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean cooling to La Nina levels. Their projections give a 45% chance of current ENSO-neutral conditions continuing through meteorological fall (September-November). Looking ahead to October through December 2025, the probability of La Nina conditions rises to around 60%. "While the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a key driver of global climate patterns, it is not the only factor shaping the Earth's climate," states the WMO report. In addition to ENSO updates, the WMO releases regular Global Seasonal Climate Updates (GSCU) to give a broader climate outlook. These GSCU updates consider major climate patterns like the North Atlantic Oscillation, Arctic Oscillation, and Indian Ocean Dipole, while tracking global and regional temperature and rainfall anomalies for the coming season. "The latest Update says that for September to November, temperatures are expected to be above normal in much of the Northern hemisphere and large parts of the southern hemisphere," according to the WMO. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earth had its third-warmest July on record, making the first half of this year the second warmest such period in the 175-year record, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). The July global climate report issued by the NCEI says there is a 99.9% chance that 2025 will be a top-five warm year. Some recent top ten warmest years on record occurred during the La Nina phase of ENSO. La Nina patterns were present in both 2021 and 2022. Despite that, Earth had its 10th-warmest year on record in 2021 and its eighth-warmest year on record in 2022. 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. During his visit, he flew a sortie in a Rafale trainer aircraft and interacted with personnel at Air Force Station Hashimara, officials said. According to the Ministry of Defence officials, the CIDS reviewed the state-of-the-art facilities created for the Rafale fleet, including the simulator complex. "Post Operation Sindoor, the visit provided valuable first-hand insights into operational capabilities, combat readiness and support infrastructure of the frontline fighter fleet, reaffirming the focus on maintaining peak preparedness and synergy in safeguarding India's skies," officials said. Earlier on August 28, Air Marshal Dixit held a series of meetings with senior defence officials from Vietnam, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, the Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) said. "Air Marshal Dixit met Lt Gen Thai Dai Ngoc, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Vietnam People's Army; Vice Admiral Kang Dong Gil, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Republic of Korea Armed Forces; and General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, Chief of the Naval Staff, Royal Navy, United Kingdom," HQ IDS said in a post on X. The multilateral discussions revolved around broadening defence cooperation, advancing maritime collaboration, deepening professional military exchanges, and exploring new domains of partnership, including technology and HADR cooperation. These engagements reaffirmed a shared commitment to strengthening strategic dialogue, fostering practical cooperation, and contributing collectively towards peace, security, and stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, HQ IDS stated. Continuing these multilateral engagements, Air Marshal Dixit also held bilateral talks with the Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), Admiral Samuel Paparo. The discussions highlighted India's focus on strengthening defence partnerships across the Indo-Pacific, it added. (ANI) BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) The two vacant seats on the city council for California City may be left empty for longer than the city had planned, following a tense tug-of-war caused by medical troubles, disagreements among the remaining councilmembers and a deadline for special appointments sprinting right around the corner. A special meeting is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 6 to appoint the two councilmembers for the vacant seats, according to California City Mayor Marquette Hawkins. The city council was left with just three people after two of the five councilmembers Councilmember Michael Kulikoff and Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Hightower abruptly resigned on July 8 and July 10, respectively. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The resignations came after Hightower and Councilmember Hurles stated budget concerns regarding Hawkins request for $1,000 of city money for membership in the African American Mayors Association, which consists of nine California mayors. Members of the audience who were at that July 8 meeting accused Hightower and Hurles of racism. After that meeting, the city council had until Sept. 6 to either appoint two new councilmembers or call a special election. The city had originally intended to select the new members by appointing them, as shown in the previous agendas. 2 California City Councilmembers resign after heated meeting Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city had received around 12 valid applications as of Aug. 12, the day a city council meeting was set for to select the new members. However, that meeting was canceled as Councilmember Michael Hurles left after the closed session, citing medical reasons. Lacking a quorum, the city council had to reschedule. A special meeting was set for Aug. 21 and the agenda said the city council would appoint the two councilmembers during this time, but only Hawkins was present at this meeting, which was dubbed as a town hall meeting where members of the public could ask him questions and share comments. On Aug. 23, Hurles took to Facebook to express his frustration toward the city council and some members of the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Due to all the rumors and outright lies being spread out there about me by rumor mongers, tongue waggers and other folks who are easily manipulated and have too much time on their hands, I find it necessary to provide some truth, Hurles said in a Facebook post. Hurles said he is experiencing medical issues, which are interfering with his ability to attend meetings and special meetings. He said the city manager, Hawkins and Councilmember Ronald Smith are aware of his medical problems. I have not, and will not, give permission to any of these individuals to discuss the specifics of my condition. Although with as many leaks as are occurring, the information is probably out there. (Where, oh where, could those leaks be coming from??) said Hurles in the post. Hurles also said he told the city manager at all times about his availability and the reasons behind it, and questioned Hawkins decision to schedule special meetings when he knew Hurles wouldnt be attending, despite each meeting allegedly costing between $1,500 to $2,500. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Hurles, he is unable to sit through a long meeting with the public input of the CoreCivic opponents and then the interviews of 12 possible council candidates. Hawkins told 17 News he wholeheartedly wishes Hurles health and wellness and that he feels for anyone who feels ill or has medical issues, but also said California City is falling behind on crucial matters like payments and city services. Hawkins also said the city tried to accommodate for Hurles needs through various suggestions, such as offering shortened meetings, putting the councilmember appointments ahead of all other matters, allowing Zoom participation for Hurles and frequent breaks if needed. According to Hawkins, the city is currently facing critical financial and policy-related issues and that they are falling behind, minute by minute. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Never miss a story: Make KGET.com your homepage In his statement, Hurles called the town hall meeting illegal and alleged Hawkins knew Hurles wouldnt be able to attend this meeting as well. It is very clear to me after seeing what is happening on the council and seeing the direction the city is taking, along with procedures that I believe are questionable at best and possibly illegal at worst, the shenanigans that are happening that the best thing for this city is to allow the citizens to fill the two council vacancies in a special election, not by appointment, Hurles wrote in the post. Therefore, I will not be attending any special meetings that have the purpose of filling the two vacant council positions by appointment. Im sure this will be more jet fuel on the bonfire but so be it. However, Hawkins said he is still looking forward to moving forward with the appointments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were not late yet, Hawkins laughed, though he did admit the city council was currently in uncharted territory with these delays. But what if Hurles doesnt attend the special meeting, just as he said he wouldnt? Hawkins said theyll most likely huddle up to decide what the next steps will look like for the city. Well figure it out, well get through it, said Hawkins. I trust our legal team and their recommendations and I trust the advice of our city manager. Well put our heads together. 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. CHADBOURN, N.C. (WNCN) A memorial service is planned for Tuesday for four little girls who died in a house fire in Columbus County near Chadbourn last weekend. The girls who died all sisters ages 2 to 7 were Kalani Rae Melvin, Kendall Xaiya Melvin, Josephina Renee Melvin, and Sophia Nachelle Melvin, according to officials and their obituary. No adults were home around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, August 30, when the deadly fire broke out, with two 11-year-old girls escaping the blaze that destroyed a North Colony Road home, Columbus County Fire Marshal Shannon Blackman told CBS 17. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A 911 call summoned help, which arrived in just nine minutes but there was little anyone could do as flames already engulfed the home, located about a mile north of Chadbourn. Due to the severity of the fire, it was not possible to make a safe entry into the home, Columbus County Sheriff Bill Rogers said in a news release. A photo of the four little girls who died in a house fire in Columbus County near Chadbourn. Courtesy: Gofundme.com/winter-kalani-kendall-josie-sophia An obituary for the girls said they were bright lights who brought joy to everyone around them. PREVIOUS: Four children die in North Carolina house fire, officials say As of Saturday, no charges have been filed in the case, which the sheriff and fire marshal called an unimaginable tragedy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They loved being outdoors, whether at the pool, the beach, or soaking up the sunshine, and their laughter filled every space with warmth, the family wrote in the obituary. Their days were happiest when singing, dancing, and sharing their favorite treats of strawberries and grapes. The family wrote about the girls in their obituary, noting each was unique. A burned home near Chadbourn in which four sisters died in a fire near Chadbourn early Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, according to Columbus County officials. Photo courtesy: Columbus County News Each carried a special sparkle: Kalani loved sunsets, Kendall adored rainbows, Josie never turned down pizza, and Sophias favorite was watching Bluey, their obituary said. Devastating: Fundraiser created for family after four girls killed in North Carolina house fire Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The family also noted how they all died so young. They loved their church, their friends, and their family deeply, and though their time here was far too short, their love and light will forever shine in the hearts of all who knew them, the obituary said. An online fundraiser that was started last week has stopped after apparently meeting its goal. Thank you for your kindness, compassion, and support, Ansley Hayes and B. Tyler Grainger wrote. A burned home near Chadbourn in which four sisters died in a fire early Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, according to Columbus County officials. Photo courtesy: Columbus County News Bill Rogers and Columbus County Fire Marshal Shannon Blackman issued a joint statement last week about the fire. Our community is facing an unimaginable tragedy. We ask that everyone join together in support of the family and loved ones affected by this devastating loss. The thoughts and prayers of our agencies are with them during this extremely difficult time, the message from Rogers and Blackman said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The memorial service is planned for 5 p.m. on Tuesday, September 9, at Worthington Funeral Home Chapel in Chadbourn. Family members will speak to friends following the service, the obituary 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 CBS17.com. Over 150 passengers and crew were returned to their original airport after a concerning smell emerged in the cabin of their plane this week. The Boeing 737 MAX-9 on its way to Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) was sent back to San Francisco (SFO) on Tuesday. A spokesperson for United Airlines tells PEOPLE that the reason for the flight's diversion was a "plastic burning smell in the cabin." When the plane returned to SFO, United says that the customers were able to deplane without issue. After they arrived, the airline arranged for them to be taken to their next destination on a different plane. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Federal Aviation Administration has stated that it is currently investigating the incident. FlightAware shows that the plane took off at 9:47 a.m. local time in San Francisco and diverted from its original path around 30 minutes later. Multiple United Airlines Incidents This Week This is the second incident involving United Airlines planes at SFO this week. Two planes collided on the tarmac on Monday, in an incident the FAA describes as occurring when one plane struck the other "while pushing back from the gate." United says that the moving plane struck the tail of the stationary plane, and the result was a minor collision. The FAA also noted that the incident took place in an area in which air traffic controllers do not normally communicate with planes. A similar incident involving a concerning smell took place earlier this year on a Hawaiian Airlines flight. A passenger's phone was stuck between two seats, and others in the cabin reported an "electrical smell" on the plane. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The flight, which was heading from Honolulu to Tokyo, Japan, was forced to make an emergency landing at Haneda Airport "out of an abundance of caution." The plane landed without incident and received "priority handling" when it arrived at the gate. Staff members were able to dislodge the phone from the two seats, and no one was hurt or injured. Efforts to Improve Safety in Air Travel Air traffic events and incidents on airplanes have been more prominent recently, urging the federal government - and particularly Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy - to take action. The secretary recently introduced expanded training resources for air traffic controllers, as the FAA is in the midst of a nationwide shortage. One of those resources will be government-sponsored training at a community college in New Hampshire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Were solving the air traffic controller shortage one step at a time," Duffy said last month. "Our new partnership with Nashua Community College will help us continue to attract the best and brightest to fill our air traffic control towers. To all the young Americans considering a career in this exciting field your work will make flying safer and more efficient than ever." This story was originally reported by Men's Journal on Sep 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the Travel section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Sep. 6New Mexico's watersheds are getting a checkup from University of New Mexico researchers, who plan to use a $7 million National Science Foundation grant to better understand how watersheds throughout the state are functioning and the long-term impact of different management decisions. New Mexico landscapes play a role in drinking water access, biodiversity and capturing carbon from the atmosphere. With more extreme drought and variable rainfall predicted in the state's future, UNM's Accelerating Resilience Innovations in Drylands Institute wants to get hard data about watershed health into the hands of people making water management decisions. "We're going to increase our understanding of these watersheds, and we're going to get more of a high-resolution picture of what the actual landscape looks like," said Marcy Litvak, a UNM biology professor leading the study. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A watershed is an area of land that channels rainfall and melted snow to creeks, streams and rivers. Researchers will examine 500 priority watersheds in the state to understand the relationship between how those watersheds look and how they function. The priority designations were made by the U.S. Forest Service based on wildfire risk, water source importance and biodiversity. They will also focus on two specific watersheds, one at the northern end of the state and one in the south. For the first two years of the four-year project, they will study the Santa Fe Watershed, a 180,000-acre watershed that includes the Santa Fe River and all of its streams. Researchers will look at details like the number, species and density of trees, as well as how much carbon and energy is being exchanged in the environment and how much water is flowing through the river and streams. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "What we're really interested in is: as the surface of the watershed changes, as what it looks like changes because of climate change, or because of disturbance, because of fire, because of management, how does that then alter the way that the ecosystem or that watershed is actually able to function?" Litvak said. The Santa Fe Watershed is a good place to start capturing that high-resolution snapshot because it has subbasin areas that have been managed in different ways. Some parts of the watershed have been subject to forest thinning, some to wildfire and some left alone. "We can actually monitor all of those differences, and then try to put it all together to quantify the differences between them," Litvak said. For the second half of the project, researchers will examine a watershed in the Gila Wilderness, although the specific watershed has not been chosen yet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the last 20 years, the ARID Institute has already been measuring how much carbon, water and energy are exchanged at nine locations in different kinds of forests. "It tells us things like how much carbon is stored, how much water does it use and release into the atmosphere, what impact does it have on surface temperature," Litvak said. The new study will take those measurements, along with historic photographs and extra climate data, and use machine learning to make estimates for an entire watershed about carbon sequestration, water use, and how much water is going back into aquifers or being released into the atmosphere. "What this technique allows us to do is to understand how much water is being moved through the ecosystem based on how much water it gets," Litvak said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That can provide insights into important questions like how much water will be available to drink and how important these forests are for regulating temperature. "We want to figure out: what are the management strategies that will promote healthy forests and healthy watersheds so that they can continue to provide the services that sustain us all here in New Mexico," Litvak said. The ARID Institute will be working on the study with New Mexico State University, Western New Mexico University, the Asombro Institute for Science Education, UNM's Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program and New Mexico State Forestry. Theres not many desserts that have gone as viral as Dubai chocolate has over the past few years. In almost no time, Dubai chocolate bars were everywhere we lookedfrom our TikTok feeds to spinoffs by popular chains like IHOPs Dubai chocolate pancakes or Costcos Dubai chocolate ice cream sandwiches. It was no surprise then, when lots of these Dubai chocolate inspired sweets went completely viral. If youre a shopper whos always down to try the latest trendy treat though, youll need to double check if you have one Dubai chocolate product from Costco. Because the warehouse just shared a recall notice of a Dubai Style Chocolate item sold at the chain. And, considering back in May this Costco treat racked up millions of views, theres a chance it could be in your pantry. SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & fun food news in our daily Pop Kitchen newsletter What Dubai Style Chocolate Sold By Costco Is Being Recalled? According to the notice issued on September 4, the sweet affected by this recall is Rolling Pins Dubai Style Chocolate. Sold at Costco from May 1 through August 29 of this year, the notice explains that gluten is accidentally listed as an allergen instead of wheat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a May TikTok with over 120,000 likes, food TikToker Laney shows the Dubai Style Chocolate is described as rich milk chocolate pralines with crunchy kadayif & pistachio filling. It also comes in a green bag that, once opened, reveals mini wrapped chocolates. In the TikTok, viewers are able to see that the allergens listed are milk, soy, nuts (pistachio) and glutenbut not wheat. Additionally, another TikTok user whose video had over a million views, shows that each bag of chocolate squares cost $14.99. Related: I Tried the Sold-Out Trader Joes Dubai-Style Chocolate Bar to See If It's Worth the Hype Fortunately, Rolling Pin says it's determined the health risk is minimal, since gluten is listed on the bags and gluten is also in wheat. And, the brands website says the product was only sold at select Costco locations. Nonetheless, out of an abundance of caution, the item (listed as item #1932972 in the notice) is being recalled. What Should I Do If I Realize I Have Any Recalled Dubai Style Chocolate? If you realize that you have one of the impacted bags of Dubai Style Chocolates and anyone "in your household" has a wheat allergy, the notice says you can return it to your local Costco for a full refund. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rolling Pin urges shoppers with questions or concerns to call the company from 9 am ET to 5 pm ET at 833-331-2993. Related: Shoppers are Freaking Out About Five Below's Dubai Style ChocolateAnd It's Just $5 This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the Food & Drink section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The Donald Trump-appointed head of the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a new natural gas pipeline in the Northeastern United States, despite criticism from myriad experts on the matter. What's happening? According to Canary Media, EPA Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin is advocating for the construction of the Constitution pipeline, which would transport natural gas from Pennsylvania into New York, citing the potential to save New Englanders money on their energy bills. The pipeline was a long-shuttered project, proposed by energy development company Williams in 2014. In 2016, the state of New York rejected the proposal's water quality certification. The project was ultimately scrapped in 2020 after prolonged legal challenges but was resurrected in May after New York Governor Kathy Hochul reached a deal with the Trump Administration for an offshore wind platform, in return for relaxing the state's restrictions on new gas pipelines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Enter Zeldin, who touts the new pipeline as a means to lower energy costs in the Northeast by bringing more natural gas to the region's power plants. Why is this pipeline important? There's just one problem with Zeldin's argument: Experts say it isn't true. Dan Dolan, president of the New England Power Generators Association, stated that the Constitution pipeline will not solve the region's insufficient natural gas supply problem. "I am not aware of any large-scale gas supply projects into New England today," Dolan told Canary Media. "Until there is a way to increase that, I struggle to see how Constitution changes anything meaningful for us." Additionally, many Northeastern states are transitioning away from natural gas toward other forms of power generation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There certainly is an increasing demand for energy, particularly electricity," said Jeremy McDiarmid, managing director and general counsel for Advanced Energy United, per Canary Media. "But the narrative that natural gas is going to somehow create a big downward pressure on electricity and energy bills is just not proven out in the data." While natural gas isn't responsible for the kind of carbon pollution that coal or petroleum power plants are, it does produce its own forms of planet-heating pollution. Natural gas is primarily methane, and leaks in pipelines can lead to serious environmental issues. Furthermore, while it is cleaner than coal or oil, natural gas still produces both carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. What's being done about the pipeline? It's unclear what the pipeline's future is at this point, despite the administration's stance on it. The state of New York would still need to approve water quality permits before construction could begin. In the meantime, experts say that a more effective strategy than building more pipelines would be to construct a more diverse system that is less reliant on natural gas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In our daily lives, we can help reduce energy usage by switching to energy-efficient appliances and unplugging energy-hungry devices when they're not in use. 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. The U.S. military is turning up the heat against drug cartels in the southern Caribbean Sea, deploying several warships and other assets as tensions between Washington and Caracas escalate. The spotlight on the buildup of U.S. forces in the region increased this week after President Trump announced that the U.S. military took out a boat with a kinetic strike, killing 11 people on board, whom U.S. officials said were members of Tren de Aragua, a group designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government. The president said that the vessel departed Venezuela and was shot in international waters. Trump added that the vessel was en route to the U.S. and that no U.S. servicemembers were injured in the Tuesday morning operation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America, Trump wrote on Truth Social. BEWARE! On Friday, the president warned that if Venezuelan planes threaten U.S. assets in the region, they will be shot down. When asked if the U.S. is seeking regime change in Venezuela, Trump told reporters at the White House that we are not talking about that, but we are talking about the fact that you had an election which was a very strange election to put it mildly. When I see boats coming in like loaded up the other day with all sorts of drugs, probably fentanyl mostly, but all sorts of drugs, we are gonna take them out and if people wanna have fun going on the high seas or the low seasthere are gonna to be in trouble. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even before Tuesdays boat strike, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, said the country has declared maximum preparedness as the U.S. military bolstered its maritime force in the Caribbean, in what the administration argued is an effort to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels. Maduro, whose U.S. bounty for his arrest went up to $50 million earlier this year, said Monday that the administrations military buildup in the region was an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat. Other top administration officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, indicated that more strikes against drug traffickers in the Caribbean will take place. Weve got assets in the air, assets in the water, assets on ships, because this is a deadly serious mission for us, and it wont, it wont stop with just this strike, Hegseth said this week while on Fox & Friends. Anyone else trafficking in those waters who we know is a designated narco-terrorist will face the same fate, and its important for the American people to protect our homeland and protect our hemisphere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tensions flared on Thursday after two Venezuelan F-16 fighter planes flew near a U.S. Navy destroyer, in what the DOD said was a highly provocative move designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations. The U.S. military deployed 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico to aid in fighting against Latin American drug cartels. The Treasury Department sanctioned the so-called Cartel de los Soles, characterizing it as a Venezuela-based criminal organization led by Maduro and other Venezuelan officials. The U.S. accused the group of drug and human trafficking, money laundering, sexual exploitation of women and children and extortion. After imposing sanctions, the U.S. military began moving some assets to the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, the administration has at least eight warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, surveillance planes and over 4,500 Marines and sailors near Venezuela. In order to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and counter narcoterrorism, Hegseth directed the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group/22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie to the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area, Defense Department spokesman, Col. Chris Devine, told The Hill on Saturday. The USS Gravely and the USS Jason Dunham, two Aegis guided-missile destroyers, are currently in the southern Caribbean. Additionally, the U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment teams are currently operating in the region, according to Devine. The Secretary also ordered the deployment of air assets to strengthen U.S. whole-of-government detection, monitoring, and interdiction capabilities to sustain pressure on TCO [Transnational Criminal Organizations] networks throughout the region, Devine said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The enhanced U.S. force presence in the SOUTHCOM region will enhance the militarys capacity to detect, monitor and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the U.S., according to Devine. These forces will enhance and augment existing Joint Interagency Task Force South and USSOUTHCOM capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs and FTOs, Devine added on Saturday. USS Jason Dunham, which had two Venezuelan F-16s buzz by on Thursday, reportedly had another encounter with a Venezuelan fighter plane overnight Thursday, CBS News reported, citing DOD officials. A Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Hill on Saturday that the department is not aware of a second incident involving Venezuelan aircraft near U.S. ship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maduo said any U.S. military action would be met with a response and accused Rubio, who is also serving as Trumps national security adviser, of attempting to lure the president into a conflict in the region. After his bounty doubled in price, Maduo deployed some 4.5 million militiamen throughout the South American country, vowing to defend it from extravagant, bizarre and outlandish U.S. threats. Trump hammered Venezuela on Wednesday, calling the nation a very bad actor. Updated at 12:51 p.m. EDT 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. United States President Donald Trump had ordered the deployment of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Puerto Rico amid a report he is weighing options for strikes targeting drug cartels operating inside Venezuela, according to news organisations. Sources in the US told news agencies on Friday that 10 of the advanced fighter jets are being sent to an airfield in Puerto Rico as part of operations against Latin American drug cartels designated narco-terrorist organisations by Washington. American broadcaster CNN, citing multiple sources, reported on Friday that the Trump administration is considering attacks on drug trafficking groups inside Venezuela, which would mark a dramatic escalation in already surging tensions between Washington and Caracas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro called on Friday for the US to abandon its plan of violent regime change in Venezuela and in all of Latin America. The US should respect sovereignty, the right to peace, to independence, Maduro said. I respect Trump. None of the differences weve had can lead to a military conflict, he said. Venezuela has always been willing to converse, to dialogue. Maduro has mobilised Venezuelas military, which numbers about 340,000 soldiers, amid weeks of US threats, and reservists and militia members, which he claimed exceed eight million. If Venezuela were attacked, it would immediately enter a period of armed struggle, Maduro told reporters earlier this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said on Friday that the US was not talking about regime change in Venezuela. But we are talking about the fact that you had an election which was a very strange election, to put it mildly, Trump said, referring to Maduros return to office in January following claims of vote irregularities in the countrys presidential election. Trump: Theyll be shot down The reported deployment of F-35 warplanes comes on top of a US naval build-up in the southern Caribbean, where American warships and a large number of Marines, as well as a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine, have been deployed just outside Venezuelan territorial waters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Thursday, the US Department of Defense accused Venezuela of carrying out a highly provocative move by sending two F-16 fighter planes to fly near the guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham. The Dunham is one of at least seven US warships deployed to the Caribbean, carrying more than 4,500 sailors and Marines. Trump later warned Venezuela that the US military had authorisation to shoot down the jets if ship commanders believe they pose a threat to their vessels, saying: If they do put us in a dangerous position, theyll be shot down. Venezuelas Communications Ministry did not respond to a request for comment about the reported F-35s deployment or US claims that Venezuelan fighter jets flew over a US warship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, US forces blew up a speedboat in the Caribbean that Trump said belonged to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organisation that he has tied to Maduro. Trump said 11 people were killed in the US attack that Caracas labelled an extrajudicial killing of civilians, and which law experts have questioned regarding its legality. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week defended Trumps military approach towards what Washington calls narco-terrorist groups. What will stop them is when you blow them up, when you get rid of them, Rubio said of drug cartels, while in Mexico on Wednesday. If youre on a boat full of cocaine or fentanyl headed to the United States, youre an immediate threat to the United States. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde attended the Ganpati visarjan at Mumbai's Girgaon Chowpatty and showered flower petals at the procession. Praising the preparations by the local administration, police, and the municipal corporation, CM Fadnavis highlighted how, due to the proper arrangements, the Ganesh procession across different cities went along peacefully. "In Mumbai, Pune, and throughout various parts of Maharashtra, Lord Ganesh's procession is ongoing peacefully. The Police department, Municipal Corporation, and local administration have made very good arrangements," Fadnavis said. He also expressed the bittersweet feeling of seeing 'bappa' leave after 10 days, but also realised how next year Lord Ganesh will be coming back. "Ganeshotsav was celebrated very well for 10 days in Maharashtra. When Ganesh ji is immersed, there is a little sadness that 'Bappa' is leaving us after 10 days. But there is also happiness that Ganesh ji will come again next year," he said. The 10-day festivities of Ganesh Chaturthi culminated on Saturday, with 'visarjan processions' across the country. The 'visarjan' is observed on the 10th day of the festival, ending on Anant Chaturdashi. Visuals from various pandals have surfaced, showing devotees taking part in processions as they prepare to bid farewell to Lord Ganesha. The iconic Lalbaghcha Raja, which was immersed at Girgaon Chowpatty, saw a grand celebration on the last day of the festival. At the same time, hundreds of devotees gathered to watch the immersion, paying a final goodbye to the Lord. In videos, the idol could be seen being taken for a public visual, showered with water and sindoor (vermillion), creating a visual spectacle. Several Bollywood celebrities, like Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra, Janhvi Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty, Anil Kapoor, Malaika Arora, and Anupam Kher, took turns to reach the pandal and seek blessings. Mumbai Police Joint Commissioner (Law and Order) Satyanarayan Chaudhary had assured earlier today that comprehensive security arrangements are in place to ensure a smooth and safe celebration for all. Speaking to ANI, the official said the Mumbai Police is utilising artificial intelligence to manage traffic in real-time, helping to control immersion routes and send alerts to prevent congestion. (ANI) WASHINGTON (DC News Now) A jury found a former supervisor at a commercial custodial company guilty of first-degree sexual abuse on Friday, the U.S. Attorneys Office (USAO) for the District of Columbia announced. The USAO said that the jury returned the verdict after a multi-day trial. Ovideo Flores-Lemus has sentencing scheduled for Nov. 14. 18-year-old to spend 15 years in prison for armed carjacking, robbery Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evidence presented during the trial shows that between 2020 and 2021, Flores-Lemus cornered the victim in the bathroom during her cleaning shift and forcibly raped her on three separate occasions. Both of them were working for the same company, and officials said that Flores-Lemus was the victims supervisor. The jury convicted Flores-Lemus of two of those incidents. Flores-Lemus faces a maximum sentence of 30 years for each sexual abuse count. He would also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life upon release. 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. Utah leaders filed an emergency petition to the Utah Supreme Court on Friday, urging the states top court to issue a stay in the 3rd District Courts order to redraw the states congressional maps. Time is of the essence in obtaining an answer, lawyers for the state wrote in the document. The remedial order harms the Legislature, and disregards what the district court has determined is the proper will of the people, by requiring the Legislature to draw an alternative map using a process that does not comply with Proposition 4. To be meaningful, extraordinary relief must avoid that harm. It asks that a decision be handed down by Sept. 15. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The appeal was filed after 3rd District Judge Dianna Gibson denied a stay in the case earlier this week. She ordered that Utah leaders publish proposed maps by Sept. 25, which would be the first of a series of deadlines required to have a new congressional district map ready for the 2026 midterm elections. Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson asked that new maps be in place no later than Nov. 10 in order to give election officials and candidates time to prepare for next years elections. Those deadlines were put together after Gibson ruled last week that Utah must redraw its map because Proposition 4 an anti-gerrymandering measure Utahns narrowly approved in 2018 is the law of the land, and not HB2004, a bill that lawmakers passed in 2021 to alter it. In its appeal to the Utah Supreme Court, the state argued that it is stuck between having new congressional maps in place or new congressional maps resulting from a process that follows all of Proposition 4 but not both, with the short time frame. Thats because it requires adequate time for an independent redistricting commission (or the chief justice) to recommend a map, lawyers for the state argue. They add that not receiving an injunction from the district court inflicts a grave separation-of-powers injury on the Legislature, as well. They also ask for HB2004 to remain in place until remedial proceedings and any appeals are finally resolved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorneys for the plaintiffs in the case several voters along with the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government said they believe the states 2011 congressional map should be the legally operative congressional map until a new map is drawn, in a different court filing on Thursday. Its unclear if or when the Utah Supreme Court will pick up the appeal. Fridays update comes a week after state leaders announced they would try to meet the courts deadline while still pursuing every legal option available. The Utah Supreme Court ruled last year that Utah lawmakers overstepped authority when they changed Proposition 4. overturning a district court decision dismissing one of the counts of the original lawsuit. Washington (DC News Now) Voters in Virginias 11th district will head to the polls on Tuesday, September 9, 2025 for a special election to vote on who will be their next congressional leader. The seat became vacant after the passing of former Congressman Gerry Connolly (D). Connolly died in May 2025. Democrat James Walkinshaw will face Republican Stewart Whitson. DC News Now spoke to Walkinshaw ahead of the election. We offered the same opportunity to Whitson, but was unavailable. 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. Seattle fire crews battled a large blaze at a vacant building in the Northgate area Saturday afternoon, according to Seattle Fire Department. The fire was reported at First Avenue Northeast and Northeast 112th Street. Fire officials confirmed it was a working fire and later upgraded it to a second-alarm response, which means more units were called to the scene to keep the flames from spreading. Seattle Fire urged people to stay away from the area while crews worked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Video from the scene showed heavy smoke and flames coming from the building. The Seattle Department of Transportation said all northbound lanes of First Avenue Northeast were blocked just north of Northeast Northgate Way. Drivers were asked to avoid the area and use alternate routes until the fire was under control. As of Saturday afternoon, there were no reports of injuries and no information yet about what may have started the fire. Seniors in some parts of the country say they are being denied COVID-19 vaccinations amid an ongoing wave of cases, leading to rising frustration over new Trump administration policies that are making it harder to get the shots. Matthew D'Amico, 67, of New York City, said a Walgreens declined to administer COVID-19 vaccines to him and his 75-year-old wife Friday because they didn't have a prescription. They're trying to get vaccinated ahead of a trip. "I can't believe we can't get" the vaccine, D'Amico said in an interview. "I've been inoculated a number of times and never had to get a prescription. And it's just very frustrating that this is where we are." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He's not alone in his exasperation. Under the leadership of the vaccine skeptic Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., federal agencies have in effect made it more difficult to get vaccinated against COVID-19 this year. The Food and Drug Administration has "approved" COVID-19 vaccines only for those 65 and older, as well as younger people with underlying health conditions. Read more: People can't get COVID vaccines as cases surge. Anger is building against Trump That means across the country, people younger than 65 interested in getting the COVID-19 vaccine must now either consult with a healthcare provider or "attest" to a pharmacy that they have an underlying health condition. It's a potential hurdle that can make getting the vaccine more difficult and, some health experts worry, prompt even more Americans to eschew getting vaccinated. As D'Amico can attest, though, being part of a group for whom the COVID vaccine is "approved" doesn't necessarily guarantee easy access. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "For me to go to my primary [healthcare provider] now and get a prescription, it's just kind of ridiculous," D'Amico said. At least some people younger than 65 are encountering pharmacy staff asking probing questions about their medical conditions. That happened Friday at a CVS in Orange County, according to 34-year-old Alex Benson, who takes medication that can suppress his immune system. Read more: Can I still get a COVID shot? What you need to know after a confounding week Besides just protecting himself, he wanted to get vaccinated as he has family members who are at high risk should they get COVID his mother is immunocompromised, and his mother-in-law had open-heart surgery Thursday night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Benson said an employee asked why he thought he was eligible for the vaccine. "They asked me for either a prescription or they wanted to know ... why I felt I needed the vaccination," Benson said. At one point, a staffer offered to call his doctor to get an authorization for the vaccine. Benson said he was alarmed by the questions, and started to "feel kind of some desperation to plead my case to the pharmacist." Another CVS staffer later came over and said further answers weren't necessary and simply attesting that he was eligible was good enough. He eventually got the vaccine. Still, he saw the experience as dismaying. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I think easy access should be the policy," Benson said. "I tend not to get too political, but it seems just rather juxtaposed to me that an anti-regulation administration is using regulation in this way. They're supposed to be removing barriers to healthcare." Read more: COVID wave washes over California. Some officials urge residents to mask up The vaccine chaos comes as COVID-19 is either increasing or starting to hit its late summer peak. According to data released Friday, there are now 14 states with "very high" levels of coronavirus detected in their wastewater California, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Indiana, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Connecticut, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Hawaii and Alaska, as well as the District of Columbia. Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, the regional physician chief of infectious diseases for Kaiser Permanente Southern California, said data continue to show an increase in COVID-19 cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Over this past week, weve seen an increase in the number of outpatient COVID cases, and even a smattering of inpatient cases," Hudson said. "It appears that we may be nearing the top of the wave, but it may be another two weeks or so until we truly know if were there." The rate at which COVID-19 lab tests are confirming infection also continues to rise statewide and in the Los Angeles area. For the week that ended Aug. 30, California's COVID test positivity rate was 12.83%, up from 7.05% for the week that ended Aug. 2. In L.A. County, the positive test rate was 14.83%, up from 9.33%. Read more: Defiant RFK Jr. questions vaccine data, defends record under bipartisan Senate grilling Other data, however, suggest some areas may have reached their summer COVID peak. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Orange County, the COVID-19 positive test rate was 13.1%. That's below the prior week's rate of 18%, but still higher than the rate for the week that ended Aug. 2, which was 10.8%. In San Francisco, the test positivity rate was 8.1% for the week that ended Aug. 30. Thats down from the prior weeks figure of 8.7%, but still higher than the 5.8% reported for the week that ended Aug. 2. In addition, wastewater data in L.A. County show that coronavirus levels declined slightly from the prior week. "Its too early to know if this decrease in wastewater viral concentrations is the first sign that COVID-19 activity is peaking or is regular variation typical of this data source," the L.A. County Department of Public Health said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement COVID hospital admissions in California are increasing with the latest rate of 3.93 admissions per 100,000 residents, up from 2.38. Read more: The FDA overhauled its COVID vaccine guidance. Here's what it means for you But they remain relatively low statewide and in L.A. County. The number of L.A. County residents seeking care for COVID-related illness, or who have been hospitalized, "is quite a bit lower than during summer surges in 2023 and 2024," the county's Department of Public Health said. A relatively mild summer wave, however, could mean that the annual fall-and-winter COVID wave might be stronger. In July, the state Department of Public Health said that scientists anticipate California would see either a stronger summer COVID wave or a more significant winter wave. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The current confusion over federal COVID vaccine policy has been exacerbated by the chaos at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where Kennedy earlier this year fired everyone on the influential Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and orchestrated the firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez just 29 days after she was confirmed to the post by the Senate. Some of Kennedy's handpicked replacements on the committee have criticized vaccines and spread misinformation, according to the Associated Press. And the new interim CDC director Jim O'Neill, a Kennedy deputy is a critic of health regulations and has no training in medicine or healthcare, the AP reported. Read more: U.S. pediatricians' new COVID-19 vaccine recommendations differ from CDC advice The CDC hasn't issued its own recommendations on who should get vaccinated, and that inaction has resulted in residents of a number of states needing to get prescriptions from a healthcare provider for at least the next couple of weeks. In some cases, that's true even for seniors, as D'Amico found out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of Friday, CVS said people need a prescription to get a COVID-19 vaccine, sometimes depending on their age, in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia. CVS couldn't even offer COVID-19 vaccines at its pharmacies in Nevada as of Friday; they were available only at the company's MinuteClinic sites, according to spokesperson Amy Thibault. CVS said it expects to offer COVID-19 vaccines without prescriptions at its pharmacies in New Mexico, Nevada, New York and Pennsylvania "soon," due to recent regulatory changes in each state. "Right now, all patients in all states need to attest to being eligible for the vaccine in order to schedule an appointment online," Thibault said. If an adult says they have no underlying health conditions, but do have a prescription from a healthcare provider for "off-label" use of the vaccine, they can get the shot, she confirmed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: California pushes back on Trump's CDC with West Coast Health Alliance On Thursday, Hawaii joined California, Washington and Oregon in launching the West Coast Health Alliance: an interstate compact meant to provide science-based immunization guidance as an alternative to the CDC. "Together, these states will provide evidence-based immunization guidance rooted in safety, efficacy, and transparency ensuring residents receive credible information free from political interference," according to a statement from California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office. The statement suggested that the Trump administration was essentially "dismantling" the CDC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The absence of consistent, science-based federal leadership poses a direct threat to our nations health security," the statement said. "To protect the health of our communities, the West Coast Health Alliance will continue to ensure that our public health strategies are based on best available science." It was not immediately clear, however, whether the formation of the West Coast Health Alliance would make it easier for people to get COVID-19 vaccines at the nation's largest pharmacy retailers, where many people get their shots. Mainstream medical groups, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, are offering their own recommendations to advise individuals and families on what vaccines they should get. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. DENVER (KDVR) Almost 40 years after a Colorado baby went missing from their crib overnight, his family has never given up hope of finding him. Now, theyre hopeful a new image shared at CrimeCon in Denver will help bring answers theyve never gotten. In 1986, seven-month-old Christopher Abeyta disappeared overnight from his crib in Colorado Springs. Serial rapist from 1980s and 90s IDed using DNA; investigators fear more victims Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 1986, our lives were changed forever; it was never the same, said Denise Alves, Christophers older sister. It was like a dream. We were in shock. She was 15 years old when her younger brother disappeared seemingly out of thin air. She says her family never thought that four decades later, they still would know only a little more than they did in 1986. I thought that it would be minutes, hours, we would get the phone call, Alves said. On Friday, they got a new look at Christopher when an age-progressed sketch showing what he may look like at 39 years old was released by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Alves feels sad thats all she knows of her brother. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its all we have to hold on to, Alves said. But she is thankful the technology exists to help. When I look at his age progression, hes recognizable to me, Alves said. So I recognize the features, our family features. Dozens of charges filed against man accused of killing pregnant woman, robbery, eluding Alves hopes sharing that photo at CrimeCon, getting as many eyes on it as possible, will lead to answers. Answers, she says, that will hopefully bring her brothers picture down off the wall. Christopher was kidnapped from Colorado and we believe the public in Colorado likely has the answers, Alves said. Weve looked for you so long and weve hoped we could find you. Weve never given up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alves urges anyone with information to step forward, hoping that CrimeCon helps bring her brothers story back to the forefront and maybe unlocks a memory in someones mind. 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. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) The chance of scoring cash has captured the imagination of Las Vegas over the past month, and VegasCashHunt is getting bigger in the coming weeks. Theres someone in town doing good deeds, using Instagram and Tiktok to challenge the community to find a cash prize under a sticker. Hes helping cash-strapped people who can use the money, and hes not looking for recognition. This is for the city of Las Vegas. Giving back a little bit to the community, was his simple message. Its legit. 8 News Now was there today when a motivated Las Vegas man found a $100 bill behind the sticker. When he told us he was using the money for school supplies for his daughter, he was handed an extra boost a $100 Amazon gift card. The prizes arent always that big. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement J.B., who works as a chef at Secret Lounge on Jones Boulevard, was Fridays winner and he was grateful for the cash and card. I think its really good. I think its something that a lot of people should do even if its not with cash. Its always good to give away and help the community out, he said. He woke up Friday afternoon and saw the Instagram post. He said it took him eight minutes to figure out where the location was and four minutes to get there. (KLAS) VegasCashHunt puts out messages on Instagram and TikTok, and the search is on. Ask for a clue and youll be on the right path if you recognize the area where the sticker is placed. On Friday, it was just off the Las Vegas Strip, stuck to the back side of a light pole in the corner of the parking lot at Siegels Bagelmania, 252 Convention Center Drive. The generous man behind the cash giveaway doesnt want to be identified. In the video with this story, his face has been blurred and his voice has been altered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He stays to see someone claim the prize, and then he notifies everyone on the social media accounts that the prize has been found. After a brief interview in the parking lot, he was on his way. He lingered just long enough to do another good deed, saying hello to another treasure hunter who was too late, and slipping them a $100 bill for their effort. From Sept. 11 to Sept. 28, he intends to give away $6,400, including a couple of opportunities for people to win online. Posts get a lot of traffic. Within 10 minutes, there were more than 1,000 views. A couple hours later, views were up to 7,000. The posts frequently get 10,000 views, and this all started just a month ago. Four sponsors are involved now, helping to keep the cash and prizes coming. Battle Born Injury Lawyers, Huntington & Ellis | Las Vegas Real Estate Experts, Las Vegas Aesthetic Dentistry and Cirrus Aviation Services are all chipping in. Gas card giveaways and other prizes are planned as the effort continues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more information, see https://www.vegascashhunt.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 KLAS. For the second time in two days, Venezuela has flown military aircraft in the vicinity of the USS Jason Dunham in international waters near South America, multiple Defense Department officials confirmed to CBS News Friday, describing the action as turning into a "game of chicken." The aircraft, which one Defense Department official said were F-16 fighter jets, flew over the Dunham sometime overnight Thursday. It was unknown if the aircraft was armed. The Dunham, an Aegis guided-missile destroyer, did not engage, the officials said. The aircraft was within weapons-range for both the aircraft and the ship, the officials added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This comes after CBS News reported Thursday that two F-16 fighter jets also flew over the Dunham earlier that day. The Pentagon later confirmed that incident, describing it in a statement as a "highly provocative move" that "was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations." The Dunham is among a flotilla of U.S. warships dispatched to the region in recent weeks that the Pentagon says have been deployed to target criminal organizations and narco-terrorism. "I would say they're going to be in trouble," President Trump had told reporters Friday in response to a question of what could happen if Venezuela were to fly jets over U.S. Navy vessels again. "If they fly in a dangerous position, I would say thatyou or your captains can make the decision as to what they want to do," Mr. Trump said while addressing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, the White House announced that the U.S. military carried out a strike on an alleged drug-trafficking boat from Venezuela that Mr. Trump said killed 11 people. The Trump administration said the boat was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, one of several gangs that have been designated by the White House as foreign terrorist organizations. Earlier Friday, a source familiar with the plans confirmed the U.S. is sending 10 F-35 fighter jets to the Caribbean for operations targeting drug cartels. U.S. deploying 10 fighter jets to Puerto Rico in drug cartel crackdown Chicago-area Navy base to be used for immigration operations Lack of prostate cancer screening may have led to recent jump in diagnoses, study finds Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Two Venezuelan military aircraft flew in close proximity to a U.S. Navy ship in international waters for the second time in two days, federal officials confirmed this week. The Department of War called the move by the two F-16 fighter jets to fly within weapons range of the USS Jason Dunham "highly provocative," and President Donald Trump told reporters the planes would "be in trouble" if a similar situation occurred. "I would say they're going to be in trouble," Trump told reporters, while speaking to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. The U.S. Department of War and Secretary Pete Hegseth called the Venezuelan military flyover of the USS Jason Dunham highly provocative." Photo by Francis Chung/UPI Trump added that if the Venezuelan military planes return in close proximity to any of the ships in the U.S. Navy flotilla and "put us in a dangerous position, they'll be shot down." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Friday's incident comes after the War Department on Thursday confirmed the first interaction with the two F-16 fighter jets operated by the Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela, the country's air force. President Donald Trump said if a similar incident occurs and they "put us in a dangerous position, they'll be shot down. Summit. Photo by Francis Chung/UPI The country has three operational F-16 fighters, all built in 1979, according to the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft database. "Today, two Maduro regime military aircraft flew near a U.S. Navy vessel in international waters. This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations," the Defense Department said on X following the first fly by. "The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations carried out by the U.S. military." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials did not say whether they believed the Venezuelan F-16s were armed when they flew by the USS Jason Dunham. The Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer is part of a larger group of U.S. Navy ships sent to the region to combat narco trafficking operations as Trump looks to push back on the flow of fentanyl to the United States. This week, Trump ordered a military strike, destroying a small speedboat and killing 11 people the administration said were members of the Tren de Aragua gang. Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Saturday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's response to US President Donald Trump's positive comments on the India-US relationship, describing it as a display of statesmanship. "The words that President Donald Trump has chosen for the Prime Minister Modi show that President Trump is aware of the contribution of the Indian Prime Minister...and their friendship. We thank him. The way Prime Minister Modi has responded after President Trump's tweet shows statesmanship," he told reporters. PM Modi responded warmly to Trump's remarks and his positive assessment of the bilateral relations. "Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership," the Prime Minister said in a post on X. Earlier on Friday (local time), President Trump, called the India-US ties a "very special relationship" and affirmed that he and PM Modi would always be friends, asserting that there is "nothing to worry about". Asked by ANI, "Are you ready to reset relations with India at this point?", US President Trump said, "I always will. I'll always be friends with (PM) Modi. He's a great Prime Minister. I'll always be friends, but I just don't like what he is doing at this particular moment. But India and the United States have a very special relationship. There is nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion." The United States has imposed 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, including 25 per cent penalty for purchasing Russian oil. The government has said it continues to engage with the US on trade issues. (ANI) Losing a baby to a stillbirth is arguably the most heartbreaking outcome an expecting mother can experience. But what would you do if that stillbirth kicked off a lengthy and protracted legal battle in which your most intimate details are spilled to the police, the courts, and social media? That's the horrifying conundrum facing Rebecca Smith, a 34 year old would-be surrogate mother who says her stillbirth almost killed her. Despite almost paying for the unfortunate complication with her life, Smith's ordeal is far from over because the unborn child was due to go to Cindy Bi, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist who had set aside $200,000 to ensure the pregnancy was a success. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Detailed reporting of the years-long saga by Wired digs into the tragedy facing both sides of the case. More than a simple pregnancy gone wrong, the ordeal is a vivid example of the troubling power dynamics involved in commercial surrogacy. The whole thing began in 2023, with the wealthy Bi sizing up her stock: Smith, a 34 year old bank manager and former pro athlete from Virginia. "Tall, healthy, young, good job," the tech financier told Wired. "I showed her off to my friends. The only thing I was concerned with was shes a single mom, but I saw past it." Smith a pseudonym used by the tech publication was soon carrying Bi's only male embryo, which she had frozen years earlier, the result of a $45,000 agreement between the two. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Everything seemed to be going well. The two women were in constant contact, a fact that came to haunt Smith when she learned Bi had been sharing her intimate details sans identifying information with various surrogacy groups on Facebook, in violation of the commercial surrogacy contracts. Then, when Smith was admitted to the hospital in her 29th week of pregnancy, the mood began to sour. As the womb donor was poked and prodded by doctors, the venture capitalist blew up her phone with questions and suggestions, including another contract to sign. Soon, Bi began posting accusations on Facebook that Smith had changed her insurance provider without notifying her first. If true, Smith had committed a serious breach of contract. As Wired notes, this highlights one of the key contradictions in commercial surrogacy: if Smith were to break her contract she hadn't, in reality Bi would have legal cause to stop paying her for her service, as well as for her medical bills incurred by the pregnancy. But when Bi broke her end of the deal, the woman carrying her child had no such leverage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the attending doctor eventually discovered that the child had no heartbeat, she explained that the hospital had followed standard care procedures, adding that "these things just happen sometimes." Understandably crestfallen, Bi began looking for someone to blame. She eventually came to believe that the stillbirth was "100 percent, 1,000 percent preventable," as she told Wired. The grieving mother began combing over the past few months of Smith's life, hiring a private investigator to look up the woman's activities, including speeding tickets, parenting habits, and sexual partners. Eventually, Bi came to believe that "lots of unsafe sex" with an "undisclosed live-in boyfriend" resulted in the stillbirth. "If it were not for all the hard evidence, its too shocking to believe [Rebecca Smith] did what she did to kill my son," the financier posted on Facebook, using Smith's real name. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Smith was reeling from the medical complications, including profuse bleeding, which she had to navigate alone Bi had cut off her escrow payments, and emailed her insurance company claiming the single mother from Virginia was a fraudster. "I hope she goes to jail. Ideally, for murder," Bi told Wired. It's a personal prospect Bi stakes her professional ambitions on. "If I cannot protect my son, if I cannot give him honor, sue the hell out of these people, and have some sense of justice... how can the investment founders say, 'Cindy, you're the best?'" Now, some two years after it started, the ordeal is far from over. After reporting Smith, the hospital and the surrogacy agency to the FBI, racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees, doxing Smith's address and personal info, and blasting the single mother's son's iPad with graphic photos of the stillbirth. The whole event is a grim tale of the power imbalance inherent in commercial surrogacy. Since the infamous baby M case in the 1980s, ethics and law scholars have argued that surrogate contracts amount to exploitation of poor and working-class women by the ultra-rich in other words, the commodification of wombs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is illustrated in a number of ways: the way the mother sizes up the surrogate, the offering of a life-changing amount of money, the loss of working time and freedom for the carrier but not the expecting mother to say nothing of the legal hypocrisy baked into the agreement. Far from empowering Rachel Smith, surrogacy left her scarred, distressed, and drowning in legal and medical burdens. Whether the nightmare stops anytime soon is up to one silicon valley financier with an axe to grind, and thousands of dollars to burn. More on childbirth: New IVF Startup Claims It Can Predict an Embryo's IQ GRANBY, Quebec (ABC22/FOX44) Six mayors from Vermont met with their counterparts across the border on Friday, with a single goal in mind: to call for the United States to roll back retaliatory tariffs on their northern neighbors. Its imperative that our governments take meaningful action now to re-establish fair and sustainable trade relations, said Mascouche Mayor Guillaume Tremblay, the president of the Union of Quebec Municipalities (UMQ). Ties forged between Quebec and Vermont mayors are made to last. Our communities have always been tightly interconnected. Vermont business owner pushes for federal change Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than half of Vermonts ten mayors were at the meeting, at which they reaffirmed their commitment to working together with local chambers of commerce as well as higher levels of government. The mayors of Barre, Montpelier, Newport, Rutland, St. Albans, and Burlington met with the mayors of Varennes, Granby, and Mascouche in Quebec. (Union des Municipalites du Quebec photo) Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak said that she was grateful for an opportunity to work together, while calling the tariffs against Canada short-sighted and harmful. Its time to act to protect our communities and our local economies, said Granby, Quebec mayor Julie Bourdon. 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 ABC22 & FOX44. Vice President JD Vance doesnt give a s*** if people consider the Trump administrations strike on an alleged Venezuelan gangs boat a war crime, he posted Saturday on his official X account. The Trump administration has been under pressure to explain a lethal military strike it carried out September 2 on a boat allegedly carrying drugs and affiliated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The strike killed 11 people. Legal experts, former national security officials, and Democrats have raised concerns that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority by carrying out the strike in international waters, without giving those on board due process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vance defended the strike Saturday, stating: Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military. Brian Krassenstein, a prominent social media personality, responded: Killing the citizens of another nation who are civilians without any due process is called a war crime. Vice President JD Vance defended the Trump administrations recent strike on a boat allegedly affiliated with a Venezuelan gang (Getty Images) The vice president shot back: I dont give a s*** what you call it. Vances attitude earned a quick and stinging rebuke from GOP Senator Rand Paul. "JD 'I dont give a s---' Vance says killing people he accuses of a crime is the 'highest and best use of the military.' Did he ever read To Kill a Mockingbird?" Paul asked. "Did he ever wonder what might happen if the accused were immediately executed without trial or representation??" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paul added, "What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial." Trump has long-promised to go after drug cartels, blaming them for drug overdoses and deaths in the U.S. Hes particularly focused on Tren de Aragua, a transnational organization that has a reputation for engaging in extreme violence, sex trafficking and drug smuggling. Trump has designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization which allows him to bring financial or legal penalties, or sanctions, but does not automatically authorize the use of lethal force. While the president has the power to use military force when it constitutes national interest, its unclear if that legal justification applies because cartel members, historically, have been treated as criminals with the right to due process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, a Navy veteran, told Axios he did not think U.S. military members should be put in a situation where theyre doing things that are outside of legal boundaries. An image of the boat just seconds before it was blown up by a U.S. strike. President Donald Trump posted the video on his Truth Social after announcing the strike this week. 11 people died (White House) Juan S. Gonzalez, a former National Security Council official in the Biden administration, wrote on X that the attack was legally questionable under both U.S. and international law. The Trump administration has offered few details about the strike. Those killed have not been identified, nor have any details about the drugs they were supposedly carrying. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has maintained that U.S. officials were certain that members of Tren de Aragua were on the boat and intended to poison the U.S. with drugs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed they had identified those on board as Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists who were operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela. On Friday evening, Maduro condemned the boat strike and urged Trump to engage in respectful dialogue over the two countries differences, according to PBS. A White House spokesperson said the strike against a designated terrorist organization was fully consistent with armed conflict law and done in defense of vital U.S. national interests. Senior administration officials have made it clear they intend to continue carrying out strikes against cartels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We've got assets in the air, assets in the water, assets on ships, because this is a deadly serious mission for us, and it won't stop with just this strike," Hegseth told Fox & Friends last week. "Anyone else trafficking in those waters who we know is a designated narco terrorist will face the same fate. Vances comment comes one day after, the president signed an executive order to informally rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War. An attorney who represents two of the victims related to Johnson County Sheriff Adam Kings case said there may be more victims who surface. I dont think were through with plaintiffs, Chris Cooke said. I believe theres more coming. I believe theres more victims that are going to come forward in the coming days. As of now, Cooke represents Johnson County Sheriffs Office Training Coordinator Anna Goodloe and JCSO Chief Deputy James Saulter. Speakers referenced both, but did not identify them by name, during Tuesdays rally in support of King. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement King was arrested Aug. 27 on one count of abuse of office or official oppression related to sexual harassment charges and two counts of retaliation against a victim/witness. About 175 supporters who believe King is innocent of the charges against him attended Tuesdays rally, which functioned as a combination prayer vigil and strategy session. Participants undertook efforts to raise funds for Kings upcoming legal costs and spread word of his character and assumed innocence. Kings arrest has divided the community at large. Many, especially on social media, have been quick to proclaim his guilt. Others have been equally quick to proclaim his innocence and/or call for the matter to be allowed to work its way through the legal system. During the rally, Cleburne resident Vance Castles said a chief deputy the unnamed Saulter supported harassment claims against King lodged by Goodloe and others and cooperated with the Texas Rangers. Saulter did so, Castles said, with the goal of undermining King and becoming sheriff himself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Saulter, Cooke said, cooperated with the Texas Rangers for good reason. The reason those complaints came to Saulter is because hes head of internal affairs, Cooke said. Thats where complaints are supposed to go. Chief Saulter, upon receiving a complaint, is legally bound to investigate it. All he did was do his job duty as per Texas law. Because the sheriff was the alleged perpetrator, the case was sent to the Texas Rangers to investigate independently. Which they did. Cooke dismisses claims that Saulter acted intending to secure Kings job or that he and the Texas Rangers engaged in nefarious conduct. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Texas Rangers dont get involved unless theres something serious involving public officials, Cooke said. I guess my problem with the rally for the sheriff is people would assume that there is some conspiracy theory involving the Texas Rangers, and thats basically where you have to go to buy the sheriffs story. Castles said that Saulter attempted to undermine King, threatened a deputy and conspired with the Texas Rangers. King did not attend Tuesdays rally and has made no such claims, at least publicly. The origins of such claims aside, Cooke labeled them false. Not only would JCSO have to be complicit in something like that, but the victims would have to be complicit in it as well, Cooke said. Then the Texas Rangers would have to be complicit in it as well. Thats the only way you can get to this conspiracy theory that someones out to get [King]. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Texas Rangers dont engage in conspiracy theories. They engage in facts. Its as simple as that. Saulter communicated with the Texas Rangers, Cooke said, because it was his duty and he was required by law to do so. Cooke said that Saulter cooperated and communicated with the Rangers only insofar as providing truthful statements of incidents he witnessed. I can tell you, the investigating ranger was brought in from another district specifically because he did not know any of the parties involved in the matter, Cooke said. The ranger did not know any of the parties and this was a completely independent investigation run by the book. The female employee that is, Goodloe made false accusations against King based on issues King had with the womans husband, who also works for Johnson County, Castles said while reading a prepared statement he gave during Tuesdays rally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was trying to keep the sheriff from further exposing her husband for pushing some very expensive and unproven police software on the county that could put the lives of citizens and first responders in danger if it fails, Castles said. A claim Cooke calls absolutely false. Multiple people would have to be committing multiple acts of aggravated perjury for this conspiracy theory to be true, Cooke said. Nobody is going to do that, and theyre certainly not going to fool the Texas Rangers. Its just frankly laughable that this many people would be engaged in a conspiracy to oust an elected sheriff. It just doesnt make any sense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cooke reiterated that the investigation may not be over. You can expect others will come forward in the coming days, Cooke said. Something else that should be asked is if King has passed a polygraph in this investigation. Cooke on Friday announced that Saulter has been reinstated with the sheriffs office effective immediately. The investigation launched against him by Sheriff King has been closed and he has been fully exonerated by Sheriff Kings own department, Cooke said. Many fed-up 9/11 families are hopeful as President Trump explores a federal takeover of the embattled museum and memorial at Ground Zero. I am delighted, said Sally Regenhard, who lost her firefighter son Christian Regenhard, in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the Twin Towers. This is answered prayers. Its a godsend that the Trump administration that Donald Trump has heard the cries of the families, continued Regenhard, who leads a group advocating for families of 9/11 firefighters. Al and Sally Regenhard lost their son Christian on 9/11. New York Post A White House spokesperson told The Post preliminary exploratory discussions of a takeover are ongoing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump pledged to make the site a federally-protected national monument on the campaign trail last year. I am announcing tonight that as president, I will officially make the Ground Zero site at the World Trade Center a national monument protected and maintained by the United States government, Trump said at a Long Island rally in September. He said the move would ensure the hallowed ground and the memory of those who perished there will be preserved for all time preserved forever. The proposal is gaining steam after The Posts front page expose last month revealed skyrocketing salaries for execs of the nonprofit that runs the museum, even as its finances have been in the red for years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many frustrated 9/11 families have long pushed for the National Park Service to take control of the complex. Trump has been exploring a federal takeover of the embattled 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Getty Images One of the families central demands has been to move the remains of 1,100 unidentified victims from the museums basement, and to include names of those who have since been identified by the citys Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. In the future, especially the parents of the victims, theyre not going to be here to tell the stories, said Regenhard, as she started crying. No one will know that my son was a firefighter and that he perished in the death trap of Ground Zero. Elizabeth Hillman, President and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, has rebuffed the idea of a federal takeover. 9/11 families are fed up with the administration of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Trump had already floated the idea of a federal takeover of the Ground Zero site on the campaign trail last year. Helayne Seidman At a time when the federal government is working to cut costs, assuming the full operating expenses for the site makes no sense, she told The Post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were proud that our exhibitions tell stories of bravery and patriotism and are confident that our current operating model has served the public honorably and effectively. Trump is not expected at next weeks Ground Zero anniversary ceremony and is scheduled to attend a ceremony at the Pentagon. Hes due to be in the Big Apple later in the day to watch the Yankees take on the Detroit Tigers in the Bronx. Phoenix police are asking for help from the public as they investigate a violent sexual assault that happened several weeks ago. The incident occurred at around 4 a.m. on Aug. 14, when police received reports of yelling near 44th and Oak streets in Phoenix. Arriving on the scene, police discovered a trail of blood that led to a partially unclothed, unconscious woman, Lt. Casey Tornberg told reporters at a Sept. 5 news conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The woman suffered severe injuries, police said, and she was taken to a hospital. She has since been released, but she is still recovering. Tornberg described the victim as a white woman in her mid-30s. Police are investigating the case as a violent sexual assault. Detectives found several items of evidence near the crime scene, but they haven't identified a suspect. Investigators said the victim lived in the area of the attack. The attack "appears random," Tornberg said, and police are investigating it as an isolated incident. Police said information is still limited. They are asking members of the public to contact them with information that may be relevant to the case or to call the anonymous tip line Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (480-948-6377) or 480-TESTIGO (480-837-8446). This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix police looking for tips on violent sexual assault case Tacoma is welcoming a new Sumatran tiger. According to a news release from Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, the new arrival a 6-year-old female named Mawar came all the way from Australia. She is set to make her debut at the zoo on Sept. 6. Mawar, whose name means rose in Indonesian, was born on Jan. 17, 2019 at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. She completed a mandatory quarantine period at the Memphis Zoo and then traveled on a FedEx plane across the country before landing in Tacoma. Mawar, the new Sumatran tiger at Point Defiance Zoo, is set to make her debut on Sept. 6. She flew here on a FedEx plane all the way from Australia. Point Defiance Zoo Our team was with Mawar every step of the way to ensure her comfort and safety, Telena Welsh, curator of Asian animals at Point Defiance Zoo, said in the news release. Traveling such a long distance can be stressful, but she handled it incredibly well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The News Tribune asked Tessa Miller, spokesperson for the Point Defiance Zoo, how crew members transported the tiger from Sydney to Memphis, and she said she didnt know. Mawar will be the third Sumatran tiger at Point Defiance Zoo, the release said, joining Kali and Indah, who were both born in Tacoma. Mawar, the new Sumatran tiger at Point Defiance Zoo, is set to make her debut on Sept. 6. She flew here on a FedEx plane all the way from Australia. Point Defiance Zoo. Mawar is a cautious explorer who likes to thoroughly investigate her surroundings before making herself at home, Welsh said in the news release. Shes very vocal, often talking to her keepers and showing curiosity about the other tigers nearby. Mawar, the new Sumatran tiger at Point Defiance Zoo, is set to make her debut on Sept. 6. She flew here on a FedEx plane all the way from Australia. Point Defiance Zoo According to the release, there are fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers left in the wild. Mawar, the new Sumatran tiger at Point Defiance Zoo, is set to make her debut on Sept. 6. She flew here on a FedEx plane all the way from Australia. Point Defiance Zoo [Tigers are] facing constant threats from poaching, habitat loss, and human-wildlife conflict. Mawars arrival is part of a broader commitment to the care and conservation of Sumatran tigers, the release said. While her presence doesnt directly impact wild populations, she inspires public awareness and support. She also brings valuable genetic diversity to the North American Sumatran tiger population. Miller confirmed to The News Tribune that the zoo plans to breed Mawar in the future. (COLORADO SPRINGS) The Old Colorado City Trash Fairies hosted a community clean-up in partnership with Westside CARES to reduce debris in local waterways with the help of volunteers, including people experiencing homelessness, business representatives, and local government members. The volunteers met at Vermijo Park on the west side of Old Colorado City and worked along the Fountain Creek waterway, picking up trash and beautifying their community. Several members of the local community joined the efforts, including members of the homeless community who are concerned about the presence of trash on the creekbed and pitched in to do something about it. Courtesy: FOX21 News Photojournalist Jaiden Kelsey Courtesy: FOX21 News Photojournalist Jaiden Kelsey Courtesy: FOX21 News Photojournalist Jaiden Kelsey Courtesy: FOX21 News Photojournalist Jaiden Kelsey Courtesy: FOX21 News Photojournalist Jaiden Kelsey Courtesy: FOX21 News Photojournalist Jaiden Kelsey So with the community piece of it, we have West Side CARES that teams up with us, said Luke Scott, Trash Fairies founder. So we see a lot of the homeless population that comes out and helps us with these cleanups. So we have some of them on the trail today. As for the rest of it, I mean, we have people that have walked up. Weve had people that have driven up. We have some neighboring companies down here in Old Colorado City that have come out to support us as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Old Colorado City Trash Fairies hosts cleanups once a month, so those who are interested in volunteering can check out their website, linked above. 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 FOX21 News Colorado. US President Donald Trump is sending 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico as part of his war on drug cartels, sources familiar with the matter told AFP on Friday, as tensions mount with Venezuela over Washington's military build-up in the Caribbean. The planes will join US warships already deployed to the southern Caribbean as Trump steps up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom the United States accuses of leading a drug cartel. The standoff has grown in recent days as the Pentagon said two Venezuelan military planes flew near a US Navy vessel in international waters Thursday in a "highly provocative" move. US forces on Tuesday blew up an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean that Trump said belonged to the Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organization he tied to Maduro, killing 11 people. The high-tech F-35 jets are being deployed to an airfield in Puerto Rico, a US Caribbean island territory of more than three million people, the US sources said on condition of anonymity. Maduro -- a leftist firebrand whose last election in 2024 was seen by Washington as illegitimate -- has denounced the US build-up as "the greatest threat our continent has seen in the last 100 years." Declaring his country prepared for "armed struggle in defense of the national territory," he has mobilized Venezuela's military, which numbers around 340,000, and reservists, which he claims exceed eight million. "If Venezuela were attacked, it would immediately enter a period of armed struggle," Maduro told foreign correspondents. Tuesday's deadly US attack on what Washington said was a drug-carrying boat was a major escalation, as well as an unusual use of the US military for what has historically been a law enforcement issue. "Venezuela has been very bad, both in terms of drugs and sending some of the worst criminals anywhere in the world into our country," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday. Trump has so far deployed five US vessels -- a guided missile cruiser, three guided missile destroyers and a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine -- to the Caribbean as part of the counter-drug mission. There are also 4,000 US Marines reportedly involved in the deployment. The US Department of Defense -- which Trump is set to rebrand as the "Department of War" on Friday -- said that two "Maduro regime" aircraft flew near a US vessel on Thursday. "This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations," it said on X. It did not give further details. Venezuela has 15 F-16 fighter jets purchased from the United States in the 1980s plus a number of Russian fighters and helicopters. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the new aggressive approach towards what Washington calls "narcoterrorist" groups on a trip to Latin America this week. "What will stop them is when you blow them up, when you get rid of them," Rubio said in Mexico on Wednesday. "If you're on a boat full of cocaine or fentanyl headed to the United States, you're an immediate threat to the United States." Caracas accused Washington of committing extrajudicial killings in the attack. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) is looking to revamp its social media wing after being embroiled in a controversy for a now-deleted social media post, which allegedly insulted people from Bihar. KPCC chief Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the state's digital cell chief, VT Balram, has expressed his willingness to step down from his position, saying that the controversial 'bidis and Bihar' post was made without his knowledge. "As soon as we noticed it, we withdrew the post and expressed regret over it. VT Balram, who was incharge of the social media wing, said that the post was made without his knowledge. He has expressed a desire to step down from the post. We have also decided to reorganise the social media wing," KPCC president said, while expressing regret over the social media post. However, Joseph said that Balram has not yet stepped down, and the party has not removed him from his position to this date. In a now deleted 'X' post by Kerala Congress, the party had criticised the recently passed Goods and Services Tax (GST) reform, as they highlighted 40 per cent GST rate on 'sinful' products like cigars and cigarettes, while bidis have an 18 per cent rate. "Bidis and Bihar start with B. Cannot be considered a sin anymore," the Kerala Congress said in a now-deleted post. The post had received condemnation from various other political leaders, including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, calling it a "shameful" and "unfortunate insult" to the people. The 56th GST council meeting decided to rationalise GST rates to two slabs of 5 per cent and 18 per cent by merging the 12 per cent and 28 per cent rates. While the 5 per cent slab consists of essential goods, the 18 per cent slab consists of the rest of the goods and services, including automobiles, electronic items, household goods, professional services and more. Additionally, there is also a 40% slab for luxury and sin goods, including tobacco and pan Masala, products like cigarettes, and aerated sugary beverages and on luxury vehicles, high-end motorcycles above 350cc, yachts, and helicopters. Moreover, some essential services and educational items are fully exempted from GST, including individual health, family floater and life insurance. (ANI) OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) A petition for a protective order has been filed against Oklahoma County Commissioner Myles Davidson and his wife, amid claims of harassment. The petition was filed on September 3 by a woman who lists herself as a co-worker of Commissioner Davidson. She alleges Marilyn Davidson began sending her threatening text messages starting in July of 2025, claiming the victim was having an affair with Commissioner Davidson. Screenshots of text messages filed with the petition show the victim denying any such affair. Photos of text messages. Image courtesy, Cleveland County District Court. Photos of text messages. Image courtesy, Cleveland County District Court. Photos of text messages. Image courtesy, Cleveland County District Court. The petition also contains alleged text messages from Commissioner Davidson apologizing to the victim and offering to leave his wife. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The petition, filed in Cleveland County, asks for no contact from Myles and Marilyn Davidson. A judge is expected to rule on the Protective Order on September 15. News 4 attempted to reach out to Commissioner Davidson but received no response. News 4 also reached out to Commissioners Jason Lowe and Brian Maughan; neither had a comment. This is a developing story. 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. ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR)- The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine has welcomed its largest incoming class since the programs inception in 2010. According to Virginia Tech, the expansion is part of the universitys multi-year plan to increase access to medical education while addressing shortages in medical professions, especially in our region. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates the U.S. could face a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. Our Class of 2029 brings a depth of hands-on experience thats vital for real-world patient care, said Melanie Prusakowski, associate dean for admissions, Carilion School of Medicine. Were excited to support their growth through an innovative curriculum and immersive clinical rotations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 56-member Class of 2029 represents 38 undergraduate institutions across 20 states. The students collectively completed 2,789 hours of clinical experience and 2,342 hours of research before entry, according to the university. Four of the incoming students received their undergraduate degrees from Virginia Tech. The new class was awarded their white coats during a ceremony held on August 15. Music could be the answer to unlocking memories in Alzheimers patients These students represent the future of medicine, said Prusakowski. Theyre entering the profession at a time of urgent need, and were proud to help shape their path. According to the release, the medical school will gradually expand its class sizes while maintaining its focus on small-group learning, early clinical experience, and team-based care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com Kevin Coe, the man known as Spokanes South Hill Rapist, could soon be released from state custody after more than four decades behind bars and in civil commitment. The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) scheduled an unconditional release hearing for Coe on Oct. 2. Coe, 78, was arrested in 1981 and initially convicted on four counts of first-degree rape. Those convictions were partially overturned due to the use of hypnosis on victims, which raised concerns about the reliability of their testimony. A second trial in 1985 resulted in three convictions, but two were later overturned by the state Supreme Court, leaving only one conviction intact. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Coe is still linked to at least 43 rapes in the Spokane area between 1978 and 1981. In 2006, the state filed a petition to have Coe civilly committed as a sexually violent predator, blocking his scheduled release from prison. A Spokane County jury affirmed that designation two years later, allowing the state to hold him indefinitely at the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island. According to a recent email sent to lawmakers, both the departments forensic evaluator and the states expert agree that Coe no longer meets the legal criteria for civil commitment as a sexually violent predator. Part of the email reads: The Department of Social and Health Services would like to make you aware that a high-profile resident of the Special Commitment Center (SCC), Kevin Coe, is scheduled for an Unconditional Release hearing on October 2, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The SCC forensic evaluator as well as the States expert concluded to a reasonable degree of psychological certainty that Mr. Coe no longer meets civil commitment criteria as a sexually violent predator. The parties are in agreement that the case should be dismissed, so it is highly likely that it will be. The possibility of Coes release has sparked concern among community members and lawmakers. Kevin Coe is one of the most dangerous and infamous criminals in our states history, State Senator Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said. Its unbelievable that the state would even consider releasing him. If his release is granted, Coe could be transferred within 24 hours to a licensed adult family home in the 30th Legislative District. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This matter is pending litigation before the Spokane County Superior Court, with a hearing scheduled for Oct. 2 at 9 a.m., so we cannot comment further at this time, a statement from DSHS read. Law enforcement agencies have been notified of the potential release, and victims enrolled in the states notification program are expected to receive alerts soon. Read more of Aaron Granillos stories here. VINCENNES, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the state of Indiana and September is suicide prevention month. Many organizations are taking measures to prevent more lives from being lost and to send the message, that no one is alone. For one woman, this topic has greatly touched her life. Stacy Boehm has lost close friends, battle buddies, and also deals with trauma from being a veteran. Now she is making sure no one else feels isolated, through her work with Irreverent Warriors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve been able to save so many of my battle buddies. I would have had to bury so many more without being active in suicide prevention and knowing the risk and being able to be a part of helping them get the care they needed, said Boehm. Community members gathered in Vincennes Saturday for their 5th annual Suicide Prevention Walk. This year, Mental Health America of Knox County Indiana partnered with Irreverent Warriors to better-represent veterans, like Boehm. We just hope to carry the message forward, that people know theyre not alone. That people to know that if theyve lost somebody to suicide that theyre not alone in that, as well as theyre not alone if theyre having a mental health challenge. We want people to feel like they can talk about it, that they can get the help that they need, and the support they need to move forward, said Kathy Evans, Mental Health Counselor at Vincennes University and President of Mental health America Knox County Indiana. Some walked miles, others seeked resources, all seeking comfort in fellow community members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Everyone thinks that you have to be okay and everyones depending on you to be okay. okay is an absurd idea. Thats like, oh youre perfect. No ones perfect and messy doesnt mean bad. Like some of the best messes in life are enjoyable, said Boehm. If you are struggling, or know someone who is, its okay to be a mess, like Boehm said. Seek out others. There are many people who want to stick by your side, sit with you, and help you overcome. To learn more about resources at Irreverent Warriors visit Vincennes, IN Irreverent Warriors. Other resources are: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Bluebird mental health Vincennes University Counseling Free for students Family Health Center Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 MyWabashValley.com. On a typical early Friday afternoon, Highland High School senior Carmen LeCluyse would still be in class wrapping up her academic week and maybe thinking about some weekend R&R. But for LeCluyse and scores of her Highland classmates along with legions of youth across the nation these are not typical days. Last week, two children were killed and several more injured in a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. In 2025, there have been 44 school shootings in the United States, including 22 on K-12 school grounds, CNN reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LeCluyse and approximately 150 other Highland High students staged a walkout Friday to call for increased gun safety at schools. Students participate in a nationwide walkout to demand stronger gun laws at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News After gathering outside the school entrance, the teen activists marched to neighboring Sugar House Park to stage their rally. More than a dozen students seized opportunities to climb atop a park bench and, with bullhorn in hand, demand increased protection from gun violence in their schools. Several others carried signs reading: We deserve more than thoughts & prayers, Will I be next? and Stop gun violence. Fridays Highland High student rally was one of many student walkouts happening simultaneously across the country as part of a nationwide effort organized by the gun violence prevention movement Students Demand Action. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fridays actions were prompted, in part, by last weeks Minnesota school shooting. The attention-grabbing school walkouts are vital because gun violence in schools affects literally everyone, said LeCluyse, who helped organize the Highland High rally. I dont know a single person who hasnt been in a lockdown during their life, she told the Deseret News while leading the student march to the park. Students participate in a nationwide walkout to demand stronger gun laws at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News Its something that affects every aspect of our daily lives. And I think following the school shooting last week, its just really important to tell people that weve had enough of this. This isnt the future that we want to grow up in. We deserve better. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LeCluyse added she learned about the nationwide Students Demand Action effort just a few days ago. So organizing Fridays rally has been hectic spreading the word via word of mouth and social media and posting flyers. So its great to see these people here especially with how quickly we put it all together." While school shootings such as the recent one in Minnesota often leave people flummoxed as they search for solutions, LeCluyse countered that other countries have more aggressively regulated access to firearms, particularly assault-style weapons. Highland High School students participate in a nationwide walkout to demand stronger gun laws at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News I think we see those solutions in other countries but do we actually have the commitment to put them in place here and protect our kids? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After congregating on the north end of Sugar House Park, a long line of student protesters took turns standing atop a park bench, issuing their own personal calls to action. We need more mental health (resources) in our schools, but were being ignored, said one student. We need to use our voices and stand up for what is right. We do not deserve to die in a place where were supposed to be protected. Said another female student: We should not be threatened with death every day in school. Every day I worry that I will go to school and not come back, added another teen. I worry that Im not going to see my friends again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I should be stressed about tests so why do I have to worry about dying? A young man spoke of recent policies in Wyoming loosening gun regulations on school grounds. Politicians, he said, are not doing anything to stop this. Highland High senior Macie Robbins said she joined Fridays walkout out of concern for her younger friends and relatives who will be attending school for several more years. They dont deserve to have to fear going to class. The threat of school gun violence has been Robbins reality throughout her K-12 school years. Even when I was in kindergarten, we were doing drills on active shooters entering the school, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even though they were drills, we were still taught, at a young age, that we need to hide in cubbies or hide under our desks or hide in corners and lock all the doors in the schools. Robbins added she hopes more can be done to acknowledge and address mental health issues, especially for young people even while lessening access to firearms. Nationwide school walkouts Highland High School junior Shila Sudbury speaks to a group of her classmates as students nationwide participated in a walkout to demand stronger gun laws in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News Highland High School students participate in a nationwide walkout to demand stronger gun laws at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News Highland High School student Scarlet Van Slooten participates in a nationwide walkout to demand stronger gun laws in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News Highland High School students participate in a nationwide walkout to demand stronger gun laws in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Students participate in a nationwide walkout to demand stronger gun laws at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News Students participate in a nationwide walkout to demand stronger gun laws at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News The Highland High School rally was one of more than 250 coordinated school walkouts Friday across the country, according to Students Demand Action. We shouldnt have to stage national protests just to be heard, but thats exactly what we did more than 250 times over across the country today, said Timberlyn Mazeikis, a gun violence survivor from the school shooting at Michigan State University in 2023 and Students Demand Action volunteer from Minnesota. Thoughts and prayers wont save us. Our generation deserves to grow up and live without the fear of bullets flying through our hallways. Were demanding state and federal lawmakers ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines now. Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action, said Fridays walkouts across the country are youth exercises in courage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Students are walking out of their classrooms and into history, demanding the action that will save lives, said Ferrell-Zabala in a Students Demand Action report. Lawmakers should take note: These students will not be ignored, and they will not stop until assault weapons are banned and our schools are safe. (PINPOINT WEATHER) Good evening and happy FriYay! As we head into the weekend, we are watching our temperatures increase across the region with more toasty temperatures on the way Saturday. Along with the warm weather scattered strong storms are expected as a potent cold front moves through the region ushering in more amazing weather for early next week. Out in the tropics it is generally quiet outside of a tropical wave moving through the central Atlantic that is likely to develop over the next week. Click here to see our latest Pinpoint Weather forecast! As for tonight and your Saturday, partly cloudy skies are expected this evening along with a lone shower or storm possible across the region with lows overnight that will be dipping down into the mid- and upper-60s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Saturday will be another toasty day across the region with highs around 90 and dry weather in the morning. This is followed by showers and storms developing in the afternoon and moving into the region with locally strong storms possible with gusty winds being the primary concern. The storms should clear out by late evening. On Sunday cooler conditions will be moving into the region as the cold front clears out of the region with some showers possible southeast of Charlotte during the middle of the day. Highs will be noticeably cooler with temperatures expected to be in the low 80s. More fabulous weather is ahead early next week as the full impact of the front is felt across the region. Expect another crash in dew points along with comfortable temperatures with highs around 80 joined by ample sunshine. 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 Queen City News. Mike Lujan, the city of Fort Worths equal opportunity officer, performed his job so well that he lost it in 1979. An experienced civil rights investigator, he looked into several sexual harassment complaints by women in the Municipal Court. They accused their supervisor John Southard of making sexually offensive comments, and berating and intimidating them. Lujan had worked independently six years in the citys Human Relations Commission department, headed by Bill Hale. The department also provided civil rights education to department supervisors to help enhance the working environment and to avoid discrimination claims. Fort Worths Black, brown, and women groups had pressured city manager Robert Herchert to hire and keep a diverse city staff. Herchert said minority employment increased from 16.6% to 29.4% from 1973 to 1979. Lujan was frustrated with the lack of cooperation from department heads to attend the mandatory equal employment workshops, saying 25% missed the sessions. He also believed the city administration had not addressed affirmative action seriously. Many of the newly hired Black employees filled clerical or trade positions not managerial slots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When he completed his fact-finding concerning Southard, he spoke with an WFAA reporter about his findings without Hales or Hercherts consent. Later, Hale told him not to speak further with the media about the Southard investigation, but Lujan continued to speak with them, including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He said he didnt trust the city administration to act decisively about complaints unless the public was aware. City attorney Arthur Petersen said Lujan had violated city ethics rules. The investigation was confidential because it was conducted for the city manager. Hale suspended Lujan for three days without pay on May 7, 1979. Herchert transferred responsibility for discrimination complaint investigation supervision to Hale. After a review of Lujans findings, the city suspended Southard for 30 days without pay and transferred him to a supervisory position in the citys parking garage with a reduction in pay. Lujan said others with less severe offenses had been fired. Lujan complained he had not violated any rules since Herchert and Hale were unavailable when a WFAA reporter contacted him. Lujan said the disciplinary action was retaliation for exposing discriminatory practices by a 26-year-tenured, white supervisor. He said the disciplinary action against him was motivated by other white department supervisors with whom the city had difficulties in implementing affirmation action programs. He filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Dallas office and retained attorney Jerry Loftin. The Lujan affair escalated when Herchert planned to eliminate Lujans position for financial reasons in the 1979-1980 budget proposal. Once Southards sexual discriminatory practices, Lujans suspension, and the elimination of his position hit the news, Mexican American civic groups, the Mayors Committee on the Status of Women, and the local chapter of the National Organization for Women entered the fray. The Mayors Committee wrote to the city manager that it feels strongly that female employees of the city of Fort Worth should be allowed to perform their duties without fear of sexual harassment or intimidation. Fort Worth NOW president Lois Kantor said, Had Mr. Lujan not informed the public of this situation, we believe that its possible that the investigation would never have been resolved and no disciplinary action taken against Mr. Southard for violating the citys affirmative action ordinance and the civil rights of its employees. Support from Mexican American organizations On May 15, 1979, ex-Human Relations Commission chair Sam Garcia relayed to the Human Relations Commission a complaint letter signed by seven Mexican American community organizations. It is now apparent you are going to continue to ignore us and the needs of the poor, the women and other minorities of this city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement City councilman Louis Zapata, in a budget meeting on Aug. 16, 1979, questioned the citys commitment to eliminate employee discrimination. He said, People are scared, and if this thing goes through you wont hear any more complaints because people are going to be afraid. ... Sure, its OK to transfer him (Southard) and create a new job for him hes male and Caucasian. Yet were eliminating the post and the person who did the investigation and brought the sexual harassment to light. On Sept. 11, 1979, the city council voted to accept Hercherts proposed 1979-1980, $129 million budget, deleting Lujans position. Zapata was the lone vote against budget. Yolanda Madera, Lujans friend, said, this was a conspiracy to kill all affirmative action ... self interest that sold out the rights of all city employees, women and minorities. In a Star-Telegram article on Nov. 18, 1979, Zapata said city manager Herchert asked him, Lou, how bad have I been hurt? Zapata told the reporter, He cares, I believe that. But he was wrong. Author Richard J. Gonzales writes and speaks about Fort Worth, national and international Latino history. WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Several thousand protesters marched in Washington, D.C., on Saturday to demand that U.S. President Donald Trump end the deployment of National Guard troops patrolling the capital city's streets. With Trump vowing crackdowns in other Democratic-led cities as well, he appeared to threaten Chicago with migrant deportations in a social media post with an image that parodied the 1979 Vietnam war movie "Apocalypse Now." Protesters at the "We Are All D.C." march, including undocumented immigrants and supporters of Palestinian statehood, chanted slogans denouncing Trump and carried posters, some of which read, "Trump must go now," "Free DC" and "Resist Tyranny." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'm here to protest the occupation of D.C.," said Alex Laufer. "We're opposing the authoritarian regime, and we need to get the federal police and the National Guard off our streets." Claiming that crime was blighting the city, Trump deployed the troops last month to "re-establish law, order, and public safety." Trump also placed the capital district's Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and sent federal law enforcement personnel, including members of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to police the city's streets, moves critics have decried as federal overreach. Justice Department data showed violent crime in 2024 hit a 30-year low in Washington, a self-governing federal district under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The National Guard serves as a militia that answers to the governors of the 50 states except when called into federal service. The D.C. National Guard reports directly to the president. Trump said on Tuesday that he would also deploy National Guard troops to fight crime in Chicago, an extraordinary effort to militarize the country's third-largest city that was likely to trigger a legal battle with local officials. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said after Trump spoke that he had learned from reporters that the administration has "gathered ICE agents and military vehicles, and that there are more ICE agents that are on the way." "What they're trying to do in D.C. is what they're trying to do with other dictatorships," said Casey, who declined to give his last name. "They're testing D.C., and if people tolerate it enough, they're gonna do it to more and more areas. So we have to stop it while we still can." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 2,000 troops, including from six Republican-led states, are patrolling the city. It is unclear when their mission will end, though the Army this week extended orders for the D.C. National Guard through November 30. WASHINGTON FILES SUIT Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit on Thursday seeking to block the troop deployment, arguing that it was unconstitutional and violated multiple federal laws. But some residents have welcomed the National Guard and called for the troops to be deployed in the less-affluent parts of the city where crime is rampant. The National Guard has been mostly visible in downtown and tourist areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser has praised Trump's surge of federal law enforcement personnel in the city, but has said that she hopes that the National Guard's mission will end soon. Bowser said there had been a sharp decline in crime, including carjackings, since the surge. The mayor signed an order this week requiring the city to coordinate with federal law enforcement. Trump was playing golf at his course outside Washington and was not at the White House when protesters marched past on Saturday. But he appeared to step up pressure on Chicago in a post on his Truth Social platform that said, "I love the smell of deportations in the morning," parodying a line from the 1979 movie. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Chicago about to find out why its called the Department of WAR, the president wrote, referring to his new order to rename the Department of Defense. The post was accompanied by a seemingly artificial intelligence-generated picture of Trump dressed a military officer character in the film with helicopter gunships and explosions in the background. (Reporting By Lucia Mutikani and Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Mark Porter) Sep. 5Sidestepping federal restrictions, Washington's new standing order allows COVID vaccine access without prescription regardless of age or health status. In May, the Food and Drug Administration banned healthy adults younger than 65 from getting the COVID vaccine. Washington's standing order restores that access to state residents. "COVID-19 vaccines are well-researched, well-tested, and have saved millions of lives around the world," state health officer Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett said in a statement. "The barriers to COVID-19 vaccination are complex, and the Standing Order is just one part of the solution. We want to ensure all Washington residents have access to the protection these vaccines provide based on the best available science." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The order allows everyone 6 months and older, including pregnant people, to go directly to a Washington pharmacy or clinic and receive the COVID-19 vaccine without a prescription. The order is based on recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. "Washington will step up to protect our residents and ensure our policies are still based in rigorous science. We need the best science and knowledge available to protect public health," Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a statement. While the standing order gives access to the vaccine, the patient is still responsible for its cost. The COVID-19 vaccine remains covered by most major insurance companies. If insurance stops coverage of the vaccine because of the federal restriction, the state may need to pass a new law in the next legislative session to ensure coverage, according to Washington Health Secretary Dennis Worsham. "We're going to make sure that's tightened up," Worsham said. "Right now, we're good, but we're going to make sure going forward insurance coverage is based on science that would be coming out of the Department of Health." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The move comes as Washington has joined California and Oregon to form the West Coast Health Alliance, which will provide rival vaccine guidance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After the partnership was announced Wednesday, Hawaii also joined the alliance. "Hawaii is proud to stand with our West Coast partners to ensure public health decisions are grounded in science, not politics," Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said in a statement. While some health care providers have already received the 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccine, other providers are still waiting to receive supplies of the updated vaccine, which may limit appointments. Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for responding positively to United States President Donald Trump's recent affirmation of bilateral ties, author and scientist Anand Ranganathan said on Saturday that a clear message has been given to "bullies" that the country would not bow down to pressure. Ranganathan likened the pressure of tariffs to what happens in a "daycare", as he said that PM Modi is "taking care of Trump in daycare." "Trump's dealings are like what happens in a daycare. Someone is throwing a rattle, someone jumped out of their pram, someone's diaper gets soiled, so they need someone for care. So, PM Modi has come now. He is taking care of Trump in daycare," Ranganathan told ANI. The author further criticised the US president for being "abusive" and "selective" for imposing tariffs, pointing out that China has not been penalised the same way India has been, despite the former buying more Russian oil. He, however, said that a clear message has been given to Trump that India is "not going to bow down." "You can impose as many tariffs as you want, and we are buying Russian oil as we want. In fact, in September, we bought more Russian oil. The message went to Trump that this is what happens with bullies: if you bow down, the bully rises further. Trump was thinking that PM Modi would bow down," he said. Earlier today, PM Modi responded warmly to US President Donald Trump's affirmation of the India-US ties, saying he "deeply appreciates and fully reciprocates" the US President's sentiments and positive assessment of the bilateral relations. Taking to X, PM Modi noted India-US ties as "forward-looking" towards a "Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership". "Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership," the Prime Minister stated in his post. Earlier on Friday (local time), President Trump, while making an announcement in the White House, called the India-US ties a "very special relationship" and affirmed that he and PM Modi would always be friends, asserting that there is "nothing to worry about". However, he expressed displeasure over what "he (PM Modi) is doing" in contemporary times. When asked by ANI, "Are you ready to reset relations with India at this point?", US President Trump said, "I always will. I'll always be friends with (PM) Modi. He's a great Prime Minister. I'll always be friends, but I just don't like what he is doing at this particular moment. But India and the United States have a very special relationship. There is nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion." (ANI) Sep. 5A Washington Township man was sentenced Friday to serve at least 4 1/2 years in prison for possession of what prosecutors described as an obscene amount of drugs discovered during a search earlier this year. Michael Stephen Sisco, 54, pleaded guilty in June to four felony counts of possession with intent to deliver drugs in connection to a June 13 search by the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force. Investigators found more than 3 1/2 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, five bundles of fentanyl, hallucinogenic mushrooms, more than a dozen guns and about $22,000 in cash in the home. Prosecutors dismissed felony weapon offenses and five related misdemeanor drug offenses against Sisco as part of his guilty plea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Assistant District Attorney Katie Ranker said the amount of drugs discovered was significant. "It was an obscene amount," Ranker said. "It was enough to kill everyone in the courtroom." Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears ordered Sisco to serve 4 1/2 to 9 years in prison and an additional one year on probation following his release. In doing so, the judge rejected the prosecutor's request for consecutive sentences. Sisco, according to court records, has a history of criminal convictions dating back to 2009 in connection to drunken driving and drug offenses, theft and simple assault. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He has been in jail since his arrest earlier this year. "I've been high for most of my life and this is longest I've been sober," Sisco told the judge prior to the imposition of his sentence. "These actions were caused by years of addiction." Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com. A generous gift from a wealthy donor is set to support threatened waterfowl in the coastal marshes of the Southern U.S. Conservation group Ducks Unlimited received a $2.5 million donation from the James M. Cox Foundation to help restore wetlands, improve wildlife habitats, create natural buffers, and protect vulnerable areas from storms and flooding, according to a report from The Arcadian Advocate. The foundation previously donated $1.1 million in 2022 to DU to preserve wetlands in Louisiana, and the new donation will support marshlands in both Louisiana and Texas. "Restoring wetlands in coastal Louisiana and Texas is critically important to the future of North America's waterfowl," Cassidy Lejune, south Louisiana director of conservation programs for Ducks Unlimited, told The Arcadian Advocate. "Habitats for waterfowl, people and other wildlife are disappearing at an alarming rate." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She added that in the next year, DU "plans to invest more than $61 million to impact over 40,000 acres across the western Gulf Coast." The Cox Foundation is a regular donor to DU, and Jim Kennedy, chairman emeritus of Cox Enterprises and the current chairman of the foundation, is DU's largest individual donor. DU was started in 1937 by a group of sportsmen looking to preserve the country's waterfowl in response to a devastating drought that impacted the Prairie Pothole/Great Plains region of North America, an important habitat for migratory birds. Today, DU focuses on conserving wetlands, grasslands, and other habitats that support waterfowl and wildlife. As of last year, DU has conserved over 19 million acres of wetlands across North America, according to their website. Wetlands are an important habitat not just for wildlife, but also for humans, naturally improving water quality, managing flood protection and shoreline erosion, not to mention their popularity for recreation, per the EPA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jeff Breaux, executive vice president and chief commercial officer for Cox Communications, said at the luncheon announcing the donation, "These aren't just scenic landscapes and thriving ecosystems. They're home. And we're not only safeguarding habitat. We're investing in the ongoing restoration and resiliency of communities." When people work together to support their communities, whether through donations or volunteering, they help ensure a better, healthier future for us all. 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. Police announced Saturday theyve arrested two men suspected of working together to crash a Glendale wedding and steal expensive gifts from the reception. The grand theft suspects, identified by the Glendale Police Department as Los Angeles residents Armean Shirehjini and Andranik Avetisyan, allegedly stole $60,000 in cash and a gift box filled with dozens of checks. Police said it happened last week at the Renaissance Banquet Hall, located at 1236 S. Central Avenue. Details on the theft are limited, but officials said Shirehjini who is unknown to the victims ran out of the venue with the gifts and jumped into a getaway car with Avetisyan behind the wheel. They both fled in a black SUV. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Glendale Police Burglary Detectives spent the following week using video surveillance and other resources to identify the suspects, leading to their arrests at Shirehjinis Sherman Oaks home on Friday. Armean Shirehjini of Los Angeles is seen in a mugshot as well as on surveillance at a wedding that he allegedly crashed and burglarized. September 2025. (Glendale PD) Andranik Avetisyan of Los Angeles is seen in this mugshot. September 2025. (Glendale PD) A large amount of cash and a firearm are seen after police searched the homes of two wedding crashing burglary suspects. September 2025. (Glendale PD) A large amount of firearms are seen after police searched the homes of two wedding crashing burglary suspects. September 2025. (Glendale PD) A large amount of narcotics are seen after police searched the homes of two wedding crashing burglary suspects. September 2025. (Glendale PD) Shirehjini, the primary suspect, had a handgun at the time of his arrest, police discovered. Officials did not say whether he attempted to use it, but no shots were reported. Detectives executed search warrants at both suspects homes and found the hefty amount of cash and checks made out to the victims from the wedding. In addition, detectives found several firearms and various narcotics in both residences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Detectives are still processing a significant amount of evidence and will continue their work through the weekend, as this is an ongoing investigation, stated the police department. Anyone with additional information related to this investigation is urged to contact the Glendale Police Burglary Detectives at 818-548-3127. 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. The alumni association at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point has canceled an award ceremony for actor and veterans advocate Tom Hanks, citing a desire for the Army service academy to focus on preparing future officers for war after several political controversies involving the Trump administration shook the institution this year. Retired Army Col. Mark Bieger, president and chief executive officer of the West Point Association of Graduates, disclosed the decision in an email to faculty circulated Friday. A copy of Biegers message was reviewed and verified by The Washington Post. Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hanks, 69, was to receive the prestigious Sylvanus Thayer Award, which recognizes an outstanding citizen who did not attend West Point and has a distinguished record of service that exemplifies the academys ideals: Duty, Honor, Country. A ceremony and parade were scheduled for Sept. 25. Bieger wrote that the alumni association, in coordination with the academy, will not be holding the Thayer Award ceremony as originally scheduled and apologized for the cancellation. The email did not say whether Hankss award has been revoked or if it will be presented in some other format. This decision allows the Academy to continue its focus on its core mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers in the worlds most lethal force, the United States Army, wrote Bieger, who earned a Silver Star for combat valor in Iraq. Bieger did not respond to requests for comment. Officials with West Point referred questions to the alumni association. A spokesperson for Hanks could not be reached for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The decision marks a dramatic shift from June, when the association announced Hanks as its 2025 Thayer recipient. The alumni group cited his work acting in several movies portraying U.S. service members, including Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump and Greyhound. It also credited his producing of Band of Brothers and The Pacific, both World War II-themed miniseries, and his extensive advocacy for veterans. Hanks, the announcement noted, was a leading proponent for creation of the World War II Memorial in D.C.; supported efforts to build a national memorial for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a celebrated Army general before entering politics; and served as national chairman for a massive fundraising campaign to establish what is now the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. Tom Hanks has done more for the positive portrayal of the American service member, more for the caring of the American veteran, their caregivers and their family, and more for the American space program and all branches of government than many other Americans, Robert McDonald, a former secretary of veterans affairs and the alumni associations board chairman, said in the June announcement. Hanks, in the same announcement, called it humbling and meaningful to be recognized by the institution. Other recipients have included presidents, defense secretaries, diplomats, senators and journalists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the planned celebration appears to have run headlong into Trump-era politics. In 2020, Hanks participated in a campaign fundraiser with Joe Biden, who went on to defeat Donald Trump for the presidency that year in an election marred by Trumps baseless claims of election fraud. Months later, after a pro-Trump mob smashed its way into Congress on Jan. 6, 2021, in a failed attempt to stop the certification of Bidens victory, Hanks hosted a televised event called Celebrating America that was organized by the Biden Inaugural Committee. Hanks noted then that the United States had seen deep divisions and a troubling rancor over recent years. Hanks assisted Biden again one year into his presidency, narrating a video touting the value of perseverance as the U.S. economy rallied and the covid-19 pandemic subsided. We are stronger than we were a year ago today, Hanks said then. Hanks received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his acting and advocacy from President Barack Obama in 2016. He also has poked fun at Trump supporters while portraying one in Saturday Night Live skits, once in 2016 and again in 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The award ceremonys cancellation follows a number of changes at West Point, long considered one of the most prestigious universities in the country, and other military services academies since Trumps return to power. In January, Trump issued an executive order calling for a rollback of programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the armed forces, saying leaders, curriculums and instructors at all of the U.S. service academies should be scrutinized. Other changes followed, including the cancellation of some classes and the disbanding of numerous affinity groups for cadets, such as the National Society of Black Engineers and Latin Cultural Club. More recently, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll directed West Point to revoke the appointment of Jen Easterly, a cybersecurity expert and West Point graduate who had served in the presidential administrations of Biden and George W. Bush, a Republican whom Trump has attacked in the past. Easterlys dismissal from the schools social sciences department followed complaints from far-right activist Laura Loomer, an unofficial adviser to Trump who has exhibited an unusual level of influence on personnel matters in the presidents second term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement West Point also recently rehung a 20-foot portrait of Gen. Robert E. Lee, a West Point graduate who fought to preserve slavery for the Confederacy, in its library, a move first reported by the New York Times. The artwork, featuring a slave guiding Lees horse in the background, was put in storage in 2022 at the direction of a congressionally mandated commission that examined what to do with images, symbols, names, monuments and other items that commemorate the Confederacy. Jason Dempsey, an Army veteran who graduated from West Point and taught there as an active-duty officer, questioned how the ceremony for Hanks would detract from the current focus on lethality. He said that he has heard zero public outcry about Hanks receiving the award and that he believes a vast majority of alumni and current cadets support him receiving it. Dempsey, who now studies civil military affairs for the Center for a New American Security, said it appears to him that the alumni association is taking ownership of an issue that would have made some leaders at West Point uncomfortable in the current political environment. It is the perfect example, Dempsey said, of someone being good for the military but not perfectly aligned with current partisan priorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement - - - Beth Reinhard and Aaron Schaffer contributed to this report. Related Content Can filtering seawater provide for a thirsty world? After a robbery, a D.C. store sought help. The White House sent a film crew. Maryland deploys more law enforcement to Baltimore amid Trumps threats to send troops West Points alumni association has canceled a planned ceremony later this month to honor Tom Hanks with one of its top awards, as the military service academy has come under increased scrutiny from the Trump administration. The Washington Post reported on an email that went out on Friday from Retired Army Col. Mark Bieger, the president and CEO of the West Point Association of Graduates, to faculty members. Bieger wrote that the alumni association would not be holding a planned Sept. 25 ceremony for Hanks, who was to receive the Thayer Award, given to citizens who did not attend West Point but whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify personal devotion to the ideals expressed in West Points motto: Duty, Honor, Country.' More from Deadline Advertisement Advertisement Per the Post, Bieger wrote, This decision allows the Academy to continue its focus on its core mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers in the worlds most lethal force, the United States Army. Its not clear whether Hanks will still receive the award, or if its been canceled. Bieger and a spokesperson for the alumni association did not immediately return Deadlines requests for comment. Hanks publicist also did not respond. Shortly after the Posts story was published on Saturday, the presidents son, Donald Trump Jr., wrote on X, Great to see [Secretary of War Pete Hegseth] holding the line for @realdonaldtrump to make the military strong again. West Point should be focused on training the next generation of war fighters, not celebrating woke leftwing celebrities with awards!!! Advertisement Advertisement When the award was announced in June, Hanks was recognized for his advocacy on behalf of veterans, serving, along with Bob Dole, as spokesperson for the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. and national chairperson for the D-Day Museum Capital Campaign. He served as chair of the Elizabeth Dole Foundations Hidden Heroes campaign, and as recipient of the foundations Caregiver Champion Award. Also cited were Hanks extensive credits that have brought the military experience to the screen, including his starring role in Steven Spielbergs Saving Private Ryan, as well as miniseries he spearheaded as executive producer, including Band of Brothers, The Pacific and Masters of the Air. In announcing the award, the chairman of the alumni board, Robert A. McDonald, said, Tom Hanks has done more for the positive portrayal of the American service member, more for the caring of the American veteran, their caregivers and their family, and more for the American space program and all branches of government than many other Americans. Hanks has backed Barack Obama and Joe Biden in their presidential campaigns, and he hosted Bidens inaugural special, Celebrating America, when he took office in 2021. But compared to other celebrities who have gotten involved in politics, hes publicly stayed out of much of the policy fray. His Instagram feed includes recent posts promoting Hanks Coffee, with profits going to veterans support organizations, and another post promoting voter registration. Advertisement Advertisement Shortly after taking office, Trump signed an executive order directing the secretary of defense and the secretary of homeland security to carefully review the leadership, curriculum, and instructors of the United States Service Academies and other defense academic institutions associated with their respective Departments to ensure alignment with this order. This included ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs, or anything related to it. In addition, these institutions shall be required to teach that America and its founding documents remain the most powerful force for good in human history, the executive order said. On Friday, Hegseth appeared with Trump in the Oval Office to announce that the Department of Defense would be renamed the Department of War, although such a move needs an act of Congress to make it official. Hegseth said that the change was restoring the warrior ethos, restoring victory and clarity as an end state. West Point also reinstalled a portrait of a Confederate general, Robert E. Lee, to its library, after it was removed in 2020 commission mandated by Congress ordered it removed, The New York Times reported last week. Advertisement Advertisement Since taking office, Trump has sought to eliminate opponents or perceived opponents in the executive branch. He fired Joe Bidens appointees to serving on the board of the Kennedy Center, a move that ensured that Trump himself would be named the arts institutions chairman. Trump went on to play a major role in selecting this years recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, and he himself will host the event and telecast. Trump also attempted to fire Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission, and ousted the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, who had been selected to the post by Barack Obama. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The alumni association at West Points U.S. military Academy canceled a ceremony honoring Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks, who is also a staunch advocate for veterans and supported Joe Biden during his presidential campaign against Donald Trump. This decision allows the Academy to continue its focus on its core mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers in the worlds most lethal force, the United States Army, said an email sent to alumni by Retired Army Col. Mark Bieger, The Washington Post reports. Hanks was scheduled to receive the Sylvanus Thayer Award, an honor bestowed on an outstanding citizen who did not attend West Point but stands as an example of the academys Duty, Honor, Country motto. Advertisement Advertisement Biegers email said the alumni group, along with the academy will not be holding the Thayer Award ceremony and apologized for it being canceled. The ceremony and a parade were scheduled to take place Sept. 25. It is unclear if Hanks may still receive the award at another time, or if it has been revoked altogether. When the alumni association announced Hanks as its recipient of the 2025 Sylvanus Thayer Award in June, it mentioned his roles in films depicting U.S. service members, such as Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump, and Greyhound. Additionally, it cited his producing credits on the World War II miniseries Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Beyond his acting contributions, the announcement highlighted Hanks commitment to advocating for veterans, which included his advocacy for the creation of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.; his support to build a national memorial for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who served as an Army general before moving into politics; and his serving as national chairman for a fundraising campaign that funded the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. Tom Hanks has done more for the positive portrayal of the American service member, more for the caring of the American veteran, their caregivers and their family, and more for the American space program and all branches of government than many other Americans, said Robert A. McDonald, a former secretary of veteran affairs and alumni association board chairman, in the announcement. Hanks added that the recognition was both humbling and meaningful. Advertisement Advertisement Hanks, however, may be caught in the changing political crosswinds. In 2020, the actor participated in a campaign fundraiser with Joe Biden, who defeated Donald Trump in that years presidential election, one where Trump made false claims of election fraud. Weeks after Jan. 6, 2021, when pro-Trump rioters violently attacked the Capitol in a failed attempt to halt Biden being certified as president, Hanks hosted Celebrating America, a post-inaugural television special backed by the Biden Inaugural Committee and one that emphasized unity. In 2016, President Obama awarded Hanks the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In May, Trump told West Point cadets his election victory gave him the right to do whatever he wants. We had the greatest election victory, Trump told cadets of the elite United States Military Academy. This was November 5. We won the popular vote by millions of votes. We won all seven swing states. We won everything. We had a great mandate, and it gives us the right to do what we want to do to make our country great again, and thats what were going to do. Briegers email arrived the same day Trump ordered the name of the Department of Defense to be rebranded as the Department of War. He told reporters that it sends a message of victory. I think it sends, really, a message of strength, as The Associated Press reported. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. A West Point alumni group has abruptly canceled its upcoming award ceremony for Oscar-winning actor and prominent President Joe Biden supporter Tom Hanks. The prestigious U.S. Military Academy, located north of New York City, had planned to honor the 69-year-old Forrest Gump star with the Sylvanus Thayer Award at a ceremony on September 25. The award is traditionally presented to an outstanding citizen who is not an alumnus of the academy but exemplifies its ideals of duty, honor, and country. Former president Barack Obama received the honor last year. Retired Army Col. Mark Bieger, president and chief executive officer of the West Point Association of Graduates, announced in an email Friday that the ceremony and parade would no longer go forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This decision allows the Academy to continue its focus on its core mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers in the worlds most lethal force, the United States Army, Bieger wrote, according to the Washington Post. It was not made clear whether Hanks honor had been revoked or if he would be celebrated in a different way. Tom Hanks was scheduled to receive an award for being an 'outstanding citizen' and exemplifying the college's ideals of duty, honor, and country (Getty) The Independent has contacted West Point and Hanks representative for comment. Hanks, a longtime Democrat, was originally named the 2025 recipient of the institutions Thayer Award in June. Tom Hanks has done more for the positive portrayal of the American service member, more for the caring of the American veteran, their caregivers and their family, and more for the American space program and all branches of government than many other Americans, said Robert McDonald, a former secretary of veterans affairs and the alumni associations board chairman. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prolific Hollywood star has portrayed U.S. service members in several movies, including Saving Private Ryan (1998), Forrest Gump (1994), and Greyhound (2020). At the time, the Sleepless in Seattle actor and frequent Donald Trump critic called the honor humbling and meaningful. The ceremonys unexpected cancellation comes as the college faces mounting political pressure from the Trump administration, which has barred military academies from promoting, advancing or otherwise inculcating ideas deemed un-American, including gender ideology and the idea that Americas founding documents are racist or sexist. Late last month, West Point dissolved its sociology major and canceled history classes on gender and race and ethnicity. Professors were forced to remove works from James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and other writers of color. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just last week, the institutions library rehung a portrait of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The picture had been removed in 2022 to comply with a Department of Defense directive that ordered the academy to address racial injustice and do away with installations that commemorate or memorialize the Confederacy. After the painting was restored, Rebecca Hodson, the Armys communications director, said in a prepared statement: At West Point, the United States Military Academy is prepared to restore historical names, artifacts, and assets to their original form and place. Under this administration, we honor our history and learn from it we dont erase it. The West Point Association of Graduates has canceled an award ceremony intended to honor two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks, according to the Washington Post. The move comes as President Donald Trump has continued to intervene with Ivy League institutions and military academies across the nation. West Point Association of Graduates President and CEO Mark Bieger announced the cancellation in a faculty email on Friday, claiming the decision will better enable West Point to focus on its core mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers in the worlds most lethal force, the United States Army. More from Variety Advertisement Advertisement Reps for the West Point Association of Graduates did not immediately respond to Varietys request for comment. Hanks was set to receive the Sylvanus Thayer Award on Sept. 25. The award is meant to celebrate an outstanding citizen outside of the West Point organization with a history of social service that exemplifies Duty, Honor, Country, the academys three core ideals. Bieger said that the West Point Association of Graduates and the academy will not be holding the Thayer Award ceremony, and did not clarify if the award will still be presented to Hanks in another forum or if the award had been revoked altogether. Trump has taken an acute interest in putting his stamp on the countrys top academic institutions during his second term, West Point included. Following an executive order in January promising to overhaul the leadership, curriculum, and instructors at the nations top military academies, the Trump administration wielded a red pen to West Points curriculum. Advertisement Advertisement The Pentagon also reinserted a portrait of Gen. Robert E. Lee into the West Point library in late August, according to the New York Times. In light of the decision, the Armys communications director, Rebecca Hodson, said, Under this administration, we honor our history and learn from it we dont erase it. Best of Variety Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) President Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Saturday said that his party workers have managed to gather approximately Rs 2 crore for the purpose of providing relief to the flood-affected areas. He also accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of being "negligent". "Rahul Gandhi said that all Congress workers should engage in providing relief measures to the affected areas, so that no one in Punjab is hungry. Congress workers have collected almost Rs 2 crore to provide relief to affected areas. We are not going to complain about what the government has done," Warring said while addressing a press conference here. Later, after visiting the flood-affected areas in Firozpur district, Warring cautioned that the situation remains serious while blaming the government and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of "negligence". "The world and the country are watching the damage that has happened. The situation is serious. Rahul Gandhi has asked all of us to stand with the people and support them in this hour of crisis. This has happened due to the negligence of the government and the Chief Minister," the Punjab Congress chief said. Warring was accompanied by the Punjab Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa and Bhupesh Baghel during their inspection of the flood-affected areas. Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel also criticised the "inefficiency and carelessness" of both central and state governments while slamming them for not informing about the number of lives lost in the floods. "It is due to the inefficiency and carelessness of both the central and state governments. The government has not yet told how many people have died, how many cattle have been washed away, or how many acres of land have been submerged. No assessment or declaration has been made by the government. This is unfortunate. The third thing is that no facilities are being provided by the government," Baghel told ANI. Earlier in the day, Baghel said that the floods in Punjab signify the "failure" of both the state and central government. "The trucks are being dispatched. This flood is a result of the failure of the state government and the central government, and it is the state of Punjab that is bearing the brunt. The government is not providing information regarding damages to crops and farms, loss of life and livestock," Baghel, AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab, said while addressing the media here. As the floods wreak havoc in Punjab, Congress today arranged for relief material for the flood-affected victims in many districts of the state. Speaking to ANI, Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla said that trucks carrying essential supplies of food were dispatched to Firozpur and informed that the party was sending relief material to all the affected places. "Punjab Congress Committee president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring sent the relief material. Punjab incharge Bhupesh Baghel will flag off this. Four trucks of relief supplies have been dispatched to Firozpur. Congress is sending this material to all the affected places. It has packets of food for people and 'chaara' for livestock. We have plenty of rations now. People have also managed to send relief material," the Amritsar MP said. "The food grains in 40 -50 villages have been destroyed completely. We have to help people till November," Aujla added. The death toll in Punjab amid chaos due to the floods has risen to 46, the state's Department of Information and Public Relations informed. (ANI) The post West Point Graduates Cancel Ceremony Honoring Tom Hanks appeared first on Consequence. The West Point Association of Graduates has canceled a ceremony that was set to honor Tom Hanks with the Sylvanus Thayer Award, which recognizes an outstanding citizen whose career exemplifies the U.S Military Academys ideals of Duty, Honor, Country, according to The Washington Post. In an email to faculty, Retired Army Col. Mark Bieger, president and chief executive officer of the Association, explained the decision as a desire to focus on [the Academys] core mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers in the worlds most lethal force. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hanks was announced as the 2025 recipient of the award in June. At the time, the Association highlighted the actors numerous portrayals of military figures in films such as Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump, and Greyhound; his work as a producer on acclaimed series like Band of Brothers and The Pacific; and his long-standing advocacy for veterans, including leading a fundraising campaign for the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. Tom Hanks has done more for the positive portrayal of the American service member, more for the care of the American veteran, their caregivers and their families, and more for the American space program and all branches of government than many other Americans, Robert McDonald, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Associations board chairman, said when Hanks was first announced as the honoree. The West Point Association of Graduates cancelation of the award comes amid a wave of controversial changes the Trump Administration has made to the US military. Since returning to office, Donald Trump has fired numerous top leaders, ordered reviews of the curriculums at academies like West Point, and just this week, he renamed the Department of Defense as the Department of War. His son, Donald Trump Jr., celebrated the decision to strip Hanks of the award, writing on X: Great to see [Secretary of War Pete Hegseth] holding the line for @realdonaldtrump to make the military strong again. West Point should be focused on training the next generation of war fighters, not celebrating woke leftwing celebrities with awards!!! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Popular Posts Subscribe to Consequences email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) Three weeks ago, Westside Bowl in Youngstown was closed because of a flood. On Aug. 13, employees were using a squeegee to remove several inches of rainwater from the restaurant area. It rained so hard that night that water from the parking lot was not able to drain into the street and instead backed up into the parking lot and into the restaurant. We were closed half of the night when you were here, and we were closed the whole next day. We were fortunate enough to get hold of Servpro. They were here really quick, and within the first 24 hours, we were able to open the bar back up, said owner Nathan Offerdahl. We had to cancel several shows in the basement for the balance of that week, but were all back up to full strength. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Saturday, Westside Bowl is hosting the popular Columbus-based band Red Wanting Blue, with Spirit of the Bear as the opening act. The show starts at 7 p.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 WKBN.com. NEED TO KNOW In 2014, Florida State University professor Dan Markel was murdered by hired hitmen Five people were convicted in connection to the killing, including his former mother-in-law, Donna Adelson On Sept. 4, a jury reached a verdict regarding Donna's involvement in Markel's murder and she was sentenced on Oct. 13. Nearly two years after being charged in connection with her former son-in-law's murder, a verdict has been reached in Donna Adelson's case. In July 2014, Florida State University law professor Dan Markel was shot twice in the head at point-blank range while sitting in his car outside his home, shortly after dropping off his children at preschool and going to the gym. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he died 14 hours later. At the time of his murder, Markel was embroiled in a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife, Wendi Adelson, whose family wanted her to relocate away from Tallahassee to South Florida with her and Markel's kids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case turned into a years-long legal saga, with multiple people convicted of their roles in arranging the hit, including Wendis brother, Charlie Adelson, and her mother Donna. In November 2023, Donna was arrested in connection with Markel's death, just days after Charlie was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder. The Adelson family had long denied any involvement in Markel's killing, and in 2016, their lawyer released a statement maintaining their innocence. "There has been a lot of unsupported speculation that the Adelsons had something to do with the murder. That speculation is categorically false," the statement read. "To be clear, none of the Adelsons Wendi, her brother Charlie, or their parents Donna and Harvey had anything to do with Dans murder." On Oct. 13, Donna was sentenced to life in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, where is Donna Adelson now? Here's everything to know about her recent verdict in the case involving her ex-son-in-law's murder. Who is Donna Adelson? Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Donna Adelson listens to her defense team during trial on Sept. 2, 2025. Donna Adelson listens to her defense team during trial on Sept. 2, 2025. Donna is the matriarch of a wealthy Miami family who owns a dentistry practice. She is married to Harvey Adelson, and together they share three children: Robert, Wendi and Charlie. According to the Tallahassee Democrat, Donna is estranged from Robert, who is a New York doctor. In November 2023, Donna was arrested by the FBI and other authorities at the Miami Dade International Airport and charged in connection with the murder of her former son-in-law, Markel, who was previously married to Wendi and was gunned down by hired hitmen in 2014. Wendi and Markel settled their contentious divorce in 2013 without a trial. After their split, the former couple were granted joint custody, but a judge ruled that she could not move her children out of Tallahassee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Per the Tallahassee Democrat, Donna and her husband were about to board a one-way flight to Vietnam (a non-extradition country) with a stop in Dubai, when she was arrested. State Attorney Jack Campbell told the outlet that her plans to leave the country are what "forced our hand" in arresting her. "We started talking to some of our law enforcement partners about the complexities of trying to bring someone back from either Dubai or Vietnam," he said. "And that might be a very complicated and lengthy process. So thats why we had to make a decision quickly." How was Donna Adelson involved in Dan Markel's murder? Court TV Donna Sue Adelson. Donna Sue Adelson. Two men were hired to kill Markel: Latin Kings gang leader Luis Rivera and Sigfredo Garcia, the father of Charlie's ex-girlfriend Katherine Magbanua's children. During the trial for Donna's son Charlie, Rivera testified that he and Garcia were paid $100,000 to kill Markel, which they split with Magbanua who set up the deal, per the Tallahassee Democrat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors alleged that Donna was one of the masterminds behind Markel's murder, helping to fund the contract killing, which was estimated to cost more than $100,000, according to court documents, per CNN. Garcia, the suspected triggerman, was convicted in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years for conspiracy, per WCTV. Meanwhile, Magbanua's first trial resulted in a hung jury, but in 2022, she was convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder. According to The New York Times, she was sentenced to life in prison, with two additional 30-year sentences to run consecutively with her life term. Per the outlet, Rivera pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016 and was sentenced to 19 years in prison. Why was Donna Adelson involved in Dan Markel's death? Florida State University College of Law Daniel Markel. In a May 2016 affidavit, investigators stated that Markel's murder likely stemmed from his ex-wife Wendi's family's "desperate desire" for her to relocate closer to them in South Florida, taking their two young children after a "bitter divorce" with unresolved custody disputes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Per the affidavit, Markel was killed ahead of an unscheduled court hearing, where he intended to request restrictions on his childrens contact with Donna, whom he alleged had "made disparaging remarks about him to his sons." During trial, prosecutors said that Donna allegedly "hated" Markel, especially after he asked a judge to prevent her from having unsupervised visits with her grandchildren, per Law & Crime. ABC News' 20/20 also reported that Donna allegedly sent her daughter tense emails during the time of the custody battle and the fight to relocate. "Its time to take control of your life and not let [Markel] think hes just won anything by having you remain in Tallahassee, eight hours away from the only family you have, and lose out on what will be a job that will afford you and your children advantages that they will never otherwise be able to enjoy," Donna allegedly emailed her daughter. "Lets show this [expletive] what will make him absolutely miserable. You know his weak points; money, religion, control." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elsewhere in the email, Donna allegedly wrote that the rest of the Adelson family's life would be affected by how well Wendi could "perform/act before July 31st." "You can be a good actress when you want to. Ive seen you in action," the alleged email continued. "You need to put on the performance of your life! [Markel] hasnt beaten the Adelson family yet." Where is Donna Adelson now? Tallahassee Democrat/YouTube Donna Adelson while her verdict was read on Sept. 4, 2025. Donna Adelson while her verdict was read on Sept. 4, 2025. On Sept. 4, over a decade after Markel's death, Donna was convicted of murder. After a weeks-long trial, the jury found Donna guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder in the for-hire killing of Markel. There have already been four people convicted of conspiring to murder Markel, including her son Charlie. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Florida Second Judicial Circuit Judge Stephen Everett announced that the jury had found Donna guilty of first-degree murder, the Florida matriarch yelled out, "Oh my God!" and began sobbing and shaking in her seat, per a video from the Tallahassee Democrat. Markel's father Phil said in court that he wishes for her to "live to 120, alone in her jail cell," per USA Today. "I wish that every day of her remaining days she thinks about the harm she has caused so many," he said, before turning to Donna, saying, "Was it worth it?" On Oct. 13, Donna was sentenced to life in prison, though she continued to maintain her innocence in court. As she gave her statement, Circuit Judge Stephen Everett said Donna had an utter lack of remorse." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If I had become aware of this plan before Danny was murdered, I would have stopped it, she said, per the Associated Press. What happened to Danny is unforgivable. But I am an innocent woman convicted of this terrible crime without evidence. I swear to you on my life I was not involved in any way with Danny's murder. I was not." Read the original article on People NEED TO KNOW James Craig was a well-known dentist who was convicted of fatally poisoning his wife, Angela Craig Angela was hospitalized three times in March 2023 before she died on March 18 James was charged with first-degree murder and is serving a life sentence in Colorado James Craig was convicted of killing his wife, Angela Craig, by poisoning her over the span of two weeks. At the time of her murder, James was a well-known dentist based in Aurora, Colo., and the couple had been married for 23 years. James and Angela also shared a busy household with six children. That all changed, though, in March 2023 when Angela was hospitalized and later died under mysterious circumstances. Shortly afterwards, James was arrested in connection with her death and pleaded not guilty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After authorities conducted an autopsy on Angela's body, they determined that she died by poisoning via cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, a substance found in over-the-counter eye drops. In July 2025, James was found guilty of first-degree murder in connection with Angela's death. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without parole. So, where is James Craig now? Here's everything to know about the former dentist's life two years after killing his wife, Angela Craig. Who is James Craig? Angela Craig/Facebook James Craig and Angela Craig. James Craig and Angela Craig. James was a well-known dentist at Summerbrook Dental Group in Aurora, Colo. In a 2022 promotional video, he said that he begins with sincerely listening to the patient and wanting to find out more about where theyre coming from and what theyre looking for and what they want. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I love creating an environment where people are surprised at how comfortable they are, he shared in the video. While James worked as a dentist, his wife, Angela, was the office manager. Steffan Tubbs, who released a podcast on the subsequent investigation and was a patient and contractor of James', told 48 Hours in August 2025 that it was "cool" to see the two of them working together. "I thought he was a great guy. I got incredibly competent friendly care ... He was a family man. We talked about his family, his kids," Tubbs said. He continued, describing Angela: "She was not somebody just sit there and stay quiet. She was engaged in the dental practice. She was somebody who was talking about ideas, and their marketing, their message." Chelsea Otoya, who worked at Summerbrook Dental, told 48 Hours that James and Angela were "two peas in a pod" who "would play pranks on each other all day long" and "seemed like the perfect couple." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement James and Angela married on Dec. 18, 1999, and were parents to six children, according to her obituary. When she wasn't working in the office or parenting her children, Angela was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served as a choir director and teacher. How did Angela Craig die? James Craig and Angela Craig. Angela was first hospitalized on March 6, 2023, after she began complaining of dizziness and weakness, according to a probable cause affidavit previously obtained by PEOPLE. She was sent home but returned to the hospital with similar symptoms for five days beginning March 9. On March 15, Angelea was admitted to the hospital for the third and final time for headaches and dizziness. Just a few hours after her third visit to the hospital, she suffered a seizure and was placed on life support. Angela was taken off life support and died in the hospital on March 18. At the time, doctors and authorities were unsure what caused Angela's rapid decline and death. Hospital medical personnel could not find a known medical condition that would have caused Angelas rapid medical decline, the affidavit said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, an autopsy later revealed that Angela had died after poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, a substance that's found in over-the-counter eye drops. What did James Craig do? David Zalubowski/AP Photo With a photograph of his wife Angela on a screen above James Craig listens at his murder trial on July 29, 2025, in Centennial, Colorado. With a photograph of his wife Angela on a screen above James Craig listens at his murder trial on July 29, 2025, in Centennial, Colorado. Shortly after Angela died, police arrested James in connection with his wife's death. Authorities alleged that that James began plotting Angela's murder in February 2023 when he purchased arsenic online, according to the probable cause affidavit previously obtained by PEOPLE. In addition to his online purchases, investigators also discovered that he had been searching things like, "how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human and Is Arsenic Detectable in Autopsy?" Authorities arrested James with the belief that he had been poisoning Angela at home via her protein shakes. However, after the poisoning was taking longer and kept putting Angela in the hospital, James allegedly visited her to poison her with cyanide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He didnt go into that room to save Angelas life, prosecutor Ryan Brackley claimed, per CNN. He didnt go into that room to fight for her life or support her. He went into that room to murder her, to deliberately and intentionally end her life with a fatal dose of cyanide. James pleaded not guilty to the murder and later admitted to researching the drugs, but alleged that he never administered any doses, according to a letter obtained by 9News. What happened during James Craigs trial? Stephen Swofford via Denver Gazette James Craig during his murder trial on July 15, 2025 in Centennial, Colorado. James Craig during his murder trial on July 15, 2025 in Centennial, Colorado. James' murder trial began in July 2025. In addition to the prosecution's evidence, they also brought up possible motives for James, including his alleged involvement with a Texas orthodontist named Karin Cain. The pair met a few weeks before Angela's death at a dental convention in Las Vegas and struck up a romantic relationship. At the time, Cain alleged that he told her he was separated from Angela and they "hadn't been living together," as she told ABC News in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It wasn't until the media started reporting on it that I realized the timeline was so tight, that it was two days after we had left that meeting," she told the outlet. Meanwhile, Angela's sister Toni Kofoed claimed that Angela had confided in her about James' alleged pornography addiction and past affairs. She also claimed that James had tried to poison Angela in the past. In addition to his personal life, James was also struggling professionally and financially, prosecutors alleged. Angela's sister claimed that James was in gambling debt and had "run the dental office into the ground, per the affidavit. His business partner, Ryan Redfearn, also told authorities that James had filed for bankruptcy. However, James' defense attorneys alleged that Angela was suffering from suicidal ideation. They also argued that James' drug purchases and search history were about his own past depression and not about him murdering his wife. During the trial, James' attorney claimed that he "made a statement" to a friend that he was going to die by "suicide with something that was not traceable," per 48 Hours. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement James' trial lasted for two weeks, and the jury reached a verdict after two days of deliberation. They found James guilty of first-degree murder in connection with Angela's death. In addition, the jury also found him guilty on five other counts, including solicitation to commit tampering with evidence, solicitation to commit perjury and solicitation to commit murder. Before James was sentenced, Angela's family members shared emotional victim impact statements. One of the couple's daughters said that her "life, and the world, will truly never be the same" without her mom, per CNN. Meanwhile, Angela's sister called James "dishonest, a cheat and a heartless excuse of a human being." On July 30, 2025, James was sentenced to life in prison without parole. "The evidence, the crime, the verdict and the sentence all speak for themselves," Judge Shay Whitaker said during sentencing, per ABC News. "Dr. Craig unleashed a path of destruction as wide as a tornado and just as devastating - damage to his children, damage to Angela's family, damage to his own family." Where is James Craig now? David Zalubowski/AP Photo James Craig after he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on July 30, 2025 in Centennial, Colorado. James Craig after he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on July 30, 2025 in Centennial, Colorado. After James was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on July 30, he was placed in the Bent County Correctional Facility in Las Animas, Colo., per the Colorado Department of Corrections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for James and Angela's six children, three of them are now adults living on their own, according to 48 Hours. Meanwhile, as of January 2025, the younger three are living with James' brother. Read the original article on People Whoopi Goldbergs WhoopFam cannabis company has entered into a legal clash with Paterson, New Jerseys convicted ex-Mayor Joey Torres, over its stalled efforts to open a recreational marijuana store in the city. Court documents reveal WhoopFam is countersuing for $167,000 from Torres House of HOPE nonprofit for launch costs tied to a retail space it leased under promises of city approval, NJ.com reports. The countersuit comes in response to Torres group coming after WhoopFam for $52,000 in unpaid rent after the company stopped payments when the store failed to secure municipal approval. WhoopFam partnered with Torres nonprofit in September 2023 to lease a 1st Avenue building in Paterson for a planned dispensary. The company paid $5,665 in monthly rent for a year but stopped in September 2024 after the city withheld approval to open the space. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Torres launched House of HOPE after serving 13 years in prison to support formerly incarcerated people. His nonprofit included plans to link them with jobs at WhoopFams dispensary. Court filings say Torres indicated that he was absolutely sure that the subject property was already approved by the Paterson mayor and City Council for such use as a marijuana retailer. Torres knew or should have known that his representation was not accurate, WhoopFams counterclaim said. The company even had backing from Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh, who endorsed WhoopFams state license application in 2022. But by July 2023, the Paterson City Council proposed three other cannabis shops and excluded WhoopFam. Among the proposals, all three were denied due to zoning issues, as they were deemed too close to homes, schools, or places of worship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In May, Torres nonprofit filed a landlord-tenant complaint claiming WhoopFam owed $52,514 in unpaid rent. In July, WhoopFam countersued, arguing Torres group actually owes them $167,681 for launch expenses, including a $60,000 application fee paid to Paterson for space that ultimately never received municipal approval. House of HOPE doesnt own the 1st Avenue property where WhoopFam planned its cannabis store, but instead leases it from Paterson landlord Richard Salerno. Earlier this summer, a judge transferred the dispute from landlord-tenant court to the Law Division, where civil lawsuits are typically handled. RELATED CONTENT: Whoopi Goldbergs Unfiltered Truth: Black Americans Face Iran-Level Hardship U.S. District Judge Amir Alis decision could not have been clearer: There is not a plausible interpretation of the statutes, he wrote, that would justify the billions of dollars they plan to withhold. The word they referred to the State Department and, more importantly, President Donald Trump, who is trying yet another way to ignore budget laws. The administrations latest tactic is whats called a pocket rescission. Even Republicans have called this an attempt to undermine the law, as the White House impounds funds ironically by abusing a law called the Impoundment Control Act. When Congress passes a law and its enacted, its then the presidents job to carry out that law. If the president doesnt like the law, he can veto it or else ask Congress to amend or repeal it. Simple enough. What a president cant do is sign something into law and then immediately ignore parts of it. But thats exactly what Trump is doing. The president and his budget director, Russell Vought, have argued that spending laws are optional, and that the president always has the power to sign spending into law and then choose to not do it. Trump and Vought insist, for instance, that a law funding $47 billion of cutting-edge cancer and other biomedical research is optional that the president can only spend half of the money, instead of vetoing it and demanding Congress send him a bill with only half as much money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The act of not using all the money the legislative branch has passed or pausing the money altogether is called impoundment. Under the Impoundment Control Act (ICA), the president is allowed to ask Congress to rescind funds to pare back unused money. Where otherwise allowed, the president may freeze funds for 45 days while Congress considers the presidents request. The Trump White House incorrectly argues it has the right to pause any funds included in that rescissions request no matter what even if pausing them for 45 days would lead to that money lapsing, being no longer usable since the time in which it was allowed to be used had run out. At the end of August, Trump and his team decided to send up a new rescissions request with the stated intent of letting the funding lapse. Thats called a pocket rescission and its what Trump just did with another $4.9 billion of foreign aid. Under Trump and Voughts argument, even if Congress votes down the request, the executive branch can still pause the money for 45 days until it lapses. This is illegal. In a 2018 report, the Government Accountability Office concluded that the statutory text and legislative history of the ICA, Supreme Court case law, and the overarching constitutional framework of legislative and executive powers provide no basis for Trump and Voughts interpretation. In case that wasnt clear enough, a GAO blog post from August answered the question Are pocket rescissions legal? simply and without hesitation: No. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even Republican lawmakers have criticized the administrations move. Any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said, I strongly object to the Office of Management and Budgets unlawful attempt to pursue a nearly $5 billion pocket rescission. On Wednesday, Judge Ali issued an injunction, requiring the White House to spend roughly $12 billion in congressionally appropriated foreign aid before the end of the month. Late Friday, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Justice Department's request to stay the injunction. The case will eventually end up at the Supreme Court. There, the justices will finally rule on whether the president is an appropriations king whether he can unilaterally ignore budget laws and arbitrarily cut spending programs without congressional approval. The White Houses argument is that theres no law Congress can pass that actually guarantees funding, that its all optional, up to the whims of the president. If the Supreme Court were to green-light this, it would put at risk everything in the government that the American people rely on. But in a very real sense, theres no difference between a pocket rescission and any other impoundment. Whether a program is included in the formal rescissions request or is being quietly impounded, either way the money doesnt get spent. The pocket rescission is just a beacon meant to draw our attention. Trump wants us to focus on the foreign aid impoundments a shiny object hes illegally deleting via a pocket rescission so that we forget about the quiet impoundments of cancer research and preschool funding. Taken together, Trump is now attempting seemingly the most expansive, illegal set of budgetary actions of any president in U.S. history. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com The middle classes are fleeing Paris amid complaints that the City of Light is turning into a shiny showcase for tourists, singles and the super-rich rather than welcoming families. Over the past decade, Paris has shed more than 120,000 residents an average of 12,200 people per year, despite births outnumbering deaths. While the wealthy prosper and the poor are offered social housing, critics say those stuck in the middle are being squeezed out by high property prices, limited availability of larger apartments, and the spread of short-term tourist rentals, such as Airbnb. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dirt, rats, ugly urban architecture, rising local taxes and chaotic urban planning are also frequent complaints against Anne Hidalgo, the capitals socialist mayor. Her war on motorists, who last year were hit with a double whammy of speed cuts on the capitals ring road and the tripling of parking fees for heavy vehicles, such as SUVs, has also sparked fury among families. The citys remaining population is disproportionately composed of single-person households, older adults, and affluent professionals who can afford high rents. Half of all households in Paris are now single-person, a figured predicted to rise to 55 per cent by 2050. With less than a year to go before municipal elections in Paris, the issue is becoming a burning political topic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve lost the equivalent of the entire centre of Paris, the district around Notre-Dame and the town hall, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th arrondissements combined, since 2014, Geoffroy Boulard, Right-wing mayor of the 17th arrondissement and president of the opposition Union Capitale told The Telegraph. This is not a demographic accident. It is the result of a quarter-century of policies that have made life harder for families and the middle class. Construction work, difficult access to nurseries, skyrocketing rents, and social housing shortages have pushed Parisians to the suburbs or provinces. Showcase projects like the Olympics and bathing in the Seine mask this underlying problem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local education academy figures point to a 20 per cent decline in the number of children in state schools in the capital since 2010. Thats 33,700 fewer kids to be precise, said Mr Boulard. Private schools are having to take up the slack. It is unacceptable to see families fleeing Paris because services are not adapted to all populations, said he added. On average, it is estimated that the city will lose an average of 2,600 households each year in between now and 2050, compared to a reduction of 800 per year between 2008 and 2018. Jacques Baudrier, Pariss communist deputy mayor for housing, insisted that the city had not lost its pull. On the contrary, people want to live here more than ever, he said, pointing to a record number of applications for social housing (around 308,000) as well as private rentals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He argued the population decrease was solely down to the increase in the number of vacant dwellings and second homes. There are currently 300,000 of these, representing 28 per cent of the private housing stock. To remedy this, the Left-wing municipality is campaigning to triple the taxes on these flats. If the government finally allows taxes to be increased, we will be able to house 200,000 more people, he told Le Parisien. He also insisted Paris was winning the battle against Airbnb by forcing owners wishing to rent out their second homes to apply to the local council for authorisation to change the use of the property to a commercial activity. Primary residences can only be rented out for 90 days per year. But such arguments dont wash with those who have already left. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rebecca, 48, a former Parisian in communications, left the city in 2022 to live in a farm in Normandy with her husband and two daughters, aged five and 10 at the time. Im part of the post-Covid movement, she said, referring to a trend that saw many families leave three years ago. The 11th arrondissement where I lived was full of bourgeois bohemian couples or young singles without children who have a lot of purchasing power. There isnt much room for children in this city. Its complicated for families. You always feel like youre in the way. This city has chosen to be an international showcase for decades, which is great, but it has completely forgotten its residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And thats not a Right-wing or Left-wing thing. I just think its very French to want to shine at the expense of everything else. Pariss draw as a tourism destination has seen large swathes of the citys housing stock taken up by holiday lets - Patrick Gaillardin Camille, 44, a stylist recently left to move to the port of Sete on Frances southern coast with her partner and daughter, but said they did so with a heavy heart. We loved Paris but we had a child and couldnt afford a bigger flat. The property prices are impossible. So rather than move to the suburbs and face far a longer commute, we chose to leave for good. The stress of terror attacks and violent yellow vest protests in the capital also took their toll. When you leave your house and see riot police vehicles and your kid just wants to eat an ice cream, its a bit heavy. We said to ourselves it was temporary, but these things all add up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Experts temper talk of exodus by saying it is a long-term trend that started in the 1960s with a few blips. Some suggest Pariss small-sized flats mean the city has always been more a place to study and work than to start a family. Others argue that losing inhabitants isnt all bad. With 20,000 inhabitants per square kilometre, Paris is the densest city in Europe, not far off Calcutta. And while the city inside the ring road is losing inhabitants, the population in towns and suburbs outside the ring road is rising as transport improves around Greater Paris improves. Does it still make sense to gauge the population of Paris by its tiny territory of just over 100 square kilometres, when Madrid covers 600, Berlin 890 and London 1,570?, asked Helene Bekmezian of Le Monde. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We cannot talk about a happy demographic decline when, between a very wealthy Paris and a very subsidised Paris, the middle classes are forced to leave, retorted Mr Boulard. 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. President Donald Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize and global leaders and his Republican allies are lining up to call for it. Hes made that goal clear through his public statements and his teams messaging. He even went as far as to cold-call Norways finance minister to discuss the prize. But despite lamenting online that I wont get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, a growing list of world leaders as well as CEOs and Republican allies are putting him up for the award. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A wide range of people can nominate someone to win whats arguably the worlds most famous award, from heads of sovereign states to university professors. But actually winning it is a different thing: the award is picked by the Norwegian Nobel Committee composed of five members picked by the Norwegian Parliament and is set to be announced next month. Trump is now downplaying his odds. "I have nothing to say about it," Trump told CBS News on Wednesday when asked whether hes seeking the honor. "All I can do is put out wars," adding, "I don't seek attention. I just want to save lives." Whether the calls are part of an attempt to flatter the president to curry favor with the U.S., or borne out of a genuine belief he should receive the award, they are now piling up. Heres a list of all the reasons world leaders are citing for Trump to win. Operation Warp Speed Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Wednesday the mRNA vaccines developed during the pandemic as part of Operation Warp Speed Trumps first term effort to quickly produce and distribute Covid-19 vaccines were a profound public health achievement that would typically be worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician who has previously clashed with Trump, indicated his agreement on X Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration has moved away from supporting this same vaccine development in his second term. Vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leads the Health and Human Services Department, which has rolled back recommendations on Covid shots and cut millions of dollars in funding for mRNA vaccines. Brokering the Abraham Accords Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally nominated Trump for the prize in July, writing in the letter that he had a significant role in bringing about dramatic change in the Middle East. He credited the president with brokering the Abraham Accords, signed in 2020. These groundbreaking agreements established formal diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab nations including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco, he said. These breakthroughs reshaped the Middle East and marked a historic advance toward peace, security and regional stability. Top UAE officials have publicly warned this week that the Abraham Accords could be unwound if Israel annexes the Palestinian-run West Bank. Pakistan-India relations The Pakistani government nominated Trump for the award in response to his role in deescalating brewing conflict between the two nations on the brink of war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At a moment of heightened regional turbulence, President Trump demonstrated great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship through robust diplomatic engagement with both Islamabad and New Delhi which deescalated a rapidly deteriorating situation, ultimately securing a ceasefire and averting a broader conflict between the two nuclear states that would have had catastrophic consequences for millions in the region and beyond, the government wrote on X in June. They also thanked Trump for offering to help stabilize the Kashmir region, an area which has long been the source of dispute between India and Pakistan. Indian officials publicly said America had no role in the mediation. The New York Times reported last month that Prime Minister Narendra Modis refusal to nominate Trump for the prize has hurt their relationship, but a White House spokesperson told the Times that the two world leaders have a respectful relationship and remain in close communication. In the Oval Office on Friday, Trump said he'll "always be friends with Modi" when asked if he's ready to reset relations with the country. "India and the United States have a special relationship," he added. "There's nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion." Cambodia and Thailands border conflict Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet lauded Trumps extraordinary statesmanship in brokering a ceasefire deal between Cambodia and Thailand, nominating him for the prize in August. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This timely intervention, which averted a potentially devastating conflict, was vital in preventing a great loss of lives and paved the way towards the restoration of peace, the Cambodian leader wrote in the letter. Trump had intervened in the conflict between the two nations, threatening to cut off trade until they resolved the issue. Both Parties are looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace, Trump wrote on Truth Social. They are also looking to get back to the Trading Table with the United States, which we think is inappropriate to do until such time as the fighting STOPS. A transit corridor as part of an Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement Both nations said they would nominate Trump for the prize after he brokered a deal for peace between the two nations. As part of the agreement, the countries agreed they would stop fighting, and give the U.S. development rights to a transit corridor in the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's a long time. Thirty-five years they fought and now they're friends, and they're going to be friends for a long time," Trump said at the signing ceremony at the White House. His work in Africa At a meeting with five African leaders at the White House in July, several of them said the president deserves the Nobel Peace Prize after Rwanda and the Congo signed a peace deal in Washington. Today, the violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope and opportunity, harmony, prosperity and peace, Trump said at the meeting. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced a financial compensation of Rs 4 lakh each for the families of the three victims of the lightning strike in Kursela of Katihar district in Bihar. The incident occured on Saturday, when a lightning strike in Katihar killed three people. Sharing an X post, Nitish Kumar mourned the deaths and wrote, "The death of 3 people due to a lightning strike in Kursela of Katihar district is tragic. Instructions have been given to provide four lakh rupees each as ex-gratia grant to the families of the deceased." He asked the public to exercise caution amid bad weather and comply with the advisories issued by the Disaster Management Department. He wrote, "An appeal to the people is that everyone should exercise full caution in bad weather. Comply with the suggestions issued from time to time by the Disaster Management Department for protection from lightning strikes. Stay indoors and stay safe during bad weather." Earlier in July, at least 19 people lost their lives due to lightning strikes across 10 districts of Bihar, according to officials. Back then, CM Nitish Kumar had expressed deep condolences and granted ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased. The Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed deep condolences on the death of 05 persons in Nalanda, 04 in Vaishali, 02 in Banka, 02 in Patna, 01 in Sheikhpura, 01 in Aurangabad, 01 in Samastipur, 01 in Nawada, 01 in Jamui and 01 in Jehanabad due to lightning in the last 24 hours, as per the letter posted on X. The Chief Minister said that he is with the affected families in this hour of disaster. The Chief Minister had directed the immediate provision of ex-gratia grants of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased. (ANI) EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass. (WWLP) A postal service employee was charged with driving drunk after crashing into multiple cars, a bank, and a pedestrian in East Longmeadow last week. Now the wife of the man who was hit is speaking out. Westfield mail carrier arrested for OUI after crash in East Longmeadow The wife and family of the crash victim are left devastated and struggling to cope with the aftermath. On the seemingly ordinary day of August 26, the lives of Jessica Mann and her family were forever changed by a terrible event. Its just was so traumatic and crazy. Jessica Mann Manns husband, 30-year-old Angelo Fabozzi was simply on his way to work that morning and stopping at his usual spot, but little did he know that it would turn into a nightmare. In the slightest delay between parking his car and walking to get his coffee at the Pride Gas Station at the towns rotary, Fabozzi was struck by a mail truck, causing serious injuries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Mann was on her way to a nearby starbucks, she saw the caution tape and crime scene, but didnt know it was her husband who was injured. It wasnt until she checked his location after several failed attempts to reach him that she found he was at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. You know, its like my heart sank in my stomach. And then, I mean, Angelos life could have 100% been taken from this, Mann said. According to the East Longmeadow Police, this incident is the result of 54-year-old, Robert OSullivan of Westfield driving under the influence. Police say he admitted to having vodka in a cooler inside his USPS truck that hit Fabozzi and having a little earlier that day. OSullivan faces multiple charges. Fabozzi has been released from the hospital and is still recovering. He suffered bleeding in the brain and currently has 15 staples in his head which will put him out of work as a car mechanic for some time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes just basically sleeping a lot. you know, he cant pick anything up. He gets very dizzy. His vision is, is completely different, said Mann. And now shes worried about his long-term recovery. They say it should fully resolve itself. But with former head trauma and head injuries, you just never know. You know, like one thing could lead to another, said Mann. Mann is a stay-at-home mom with two young children and has been struggling since the crash, which happened when she was nine weeks postpartum. She says she is doing everything to support and care for him. Credit: Jessica Mann Credit: Jessica Mann Credit: Jessica Mann And with the help of her best friend, organizing a meal train and her neighbors sending essential items through an Amazon wishlist, she is reminded that she is not alone. Mann expresses shes grateful for everyones help and support during this difficult time. 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 wife of a Pakistani immigrant says her husband was wrongfully detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but the Department of Homeland Security claims he has an extensive criminal history of fraud dating back nearly 30 years. The conflicting accounts center on the arrest of Zahid Chaudhry, who has been held at the ICE detention center in Tacoma for two weeks. They stole the light of my life. They shredded me. And expected me to be fine with that, said Melissa Chaudhry, whose husband was detained by ICE on August 21. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She says ICE agents waited for Muhammad Zahid outside of a routine immigration appointment in Tukwila. Hes been a green card holder since 2001. And if we didnt answer this notice, he would be considered to have abandoned his applications for citizenship, Melissa Chaudhry explained. According to his wife, Zahid is a father to their two young children and a disabled U.S. Army veteran who has lived in the United States for 25 years. He served until injuries made him have to retire in 2005, but he loved the Army. He wanted to make a career out of it, she said. However, according to a DHS statement, Zahid first entered the U.S. in 1998 on a visitor visa after lying about his criminal history in Australia, which included financial deception and passport falsification. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DHS claims he then lied about this criminal history to obtain a green card and has been denied citizenship twice, applying eight more times while continuing to provide false information. The Department of Homeland Security reports that Zahid falsely claimed he was deployed to Iraq. Melissa says her husband never claimed he was deployed there. He was never deployed to Iraq. He was activated for Operation Iraqi Freedom, and as a soldier under orders, he went where he was ordered to go, she added. He was deployed for multiple different training locations in the United States, and he was injured during the course of that training before his unit departed for Iraq. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DHS also claims Zahid fraudulently collected $449,459 in veterans benefits and owes $81,080 for a mortgage reduction grant, with no payments made to date. Any money they say he has collected has been the just compensation due to any disabled soldier who broke his body in service to this country, Melissa responded. She did not know where the mortgage reduction grant money came from. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell came to Chaudhrys defense in a statement: Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry served our country and was taking the lawful steps toward citizenship. Detaining him in that process is unjust and undermines faith in the system. This administrations immigration enforcement is targeting our neighbors, friends, and even veterans rather than focusing on real public safety threats. I stand with those calling for his release and for an immigration system that honors dignity, service, and fairness. My team remains in close contact with our Congressional delegation and will continue to advocate for Mr. Chaudhry and his family on behalf of the Seattle community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DHS responded to Mayor Harrell in a statement: Sanctuary politician Bruce Harrell and the media are peddling a FALSE sob story on this serial fraudster. Following lies about his military service, he owes the U.S. taxpayers more than $81,000. President Trump and Secretary Noems message is clear: criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States, a DHS Spokesperson said. Why do sanctuary politicians and the media continue to peddle sob stories of criminal illegals and smear our brave ICE law enforcement officers? Make no mistake, these types of lies are contributing to our ICE law enforcement officers facing a 1000% increase in assaults against them. Melissa says her husbands allegations have been taken out of context. They are looking for anything they can to smear the character of this honorable, decorated, disabled veteran who has been a pillar of his community for 25 years, she said. Zahid was denied bond, and his case will be heard by an immigration judge who will decide whether he will be deported. A medical emergency caused a driver to become incapacitated, prompted her passenger to grab the steering wheel and swerve, hitting and killing a mother and adult daughter walking on a Winnetka street and injuring a four-month-old baby, according to results of the Cook County Sheriffs Office reports. The crash killed Sediqeh Asra Samadi, 37, of Kenilworth, a chemical engineer who worked at Abbott Labs, and her mother, Saeideh Sigari, a 58-year-old teacher who was visiting from Iran. It also sent Samadis four-month-old son, Yusuf, to the hospital in critical condition. The Sheriffs office issued a statement saying it had interviewed the driver and passenger of the vehicle and witnesses, and reviewed records and medical and toxicology reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the conclusion of the investigation, detectives determined there was no evidence to warrant criminal charges and that the accident was most likely the result of a medical event suffered by the driver, the statement said. The incident began when Samadi and her mother took the baby, in his stroller, for a walk in Samadis neighborhood on Friday, May 2, in the 5 p.m. hour. Sunset did not arrive until 7:52 that day, and conditions were sunny. Mudassir Rashid, Samadis husband, who was not with them on the stroll, later said of Sigari, his mother-in-law, that It was her greatest wish to see and hold (her grandson baby Yusuf) on her visit. Samadi and Sigari and the baby were walking southbound on Ridge Road near the Indian Hill Club, a country club at 1 Indian Hill Road in Winnetka, according to sheriffs office reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, a 26-year-old woman driving a black Jeep Cherokee with Wisconsin plates was on her way to a family party at the Indian Hill Club with a female passenger in the front seat, according to reports. The female passenger later told detectives that she and the driver had been talking when the driver made a choking noise and started foaming at the mouth and the vehicle started swerving, the reports said. The passenger, believing the driver might be having some type of seizure, grabbed the steering wheel to try to regain control, but instead the vehicle swerved off the roadway onto the sidewalk very close to the driveway to the country club, hitting the two women and baby walking there, before crashing into a tree. The airbags deployed. The crash reconstruction report said both women pedestrians were pinned under the vehicle and the baby was also under the vehicle. The passenger was able to get out of the Jeep, and witnesses said she was hysterical and panicked, but bystanders lifted the driver, unconscious at that point, out of the vehicle, and laid her on the pavement, reports said. The driver later told investigators she had blacked out and did not remember anything until she woke up while lying on the pavement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An Illinois State Police toxicology report that was completed on June 24 found that the driver did not have alcohol or drugs in her system, but did find bupropion (Wellbutrin, an anti-anxiety prescription medication), per the reports. On May 8, six days after the crash, an Evanston Hospital health information specialist provided a report that showed the driver underwent medical and neurological testing, and the results did not rule out a seizure. A male witness who was walking his dogs heard the crash and later told investigators that he walked toward it and saw the passenger exit in a panicked state, the driver appearing almost catatonic and one woman pinned underneath. He said he asked a passing female motorist in a white GMC to call 911 and tried to get other observers to help the victims. An unknown person pulled the baby out from under the vehicle, per reports, and Sheriffs Office bodycam footage of the incident showed one police officer who said the infant was alert and crying. When first responders arrived, the male witness took his dogs home and his wife went to alert Samadis husband at their home, the reports said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A female witness told investigators that she had gone to pick up a food order at the club, heard her daughter scream, turned around to see the crashed vehicle and ran over to help, per the reports. The woman said she and an unknown man who happened to be on scene pulled the baby from under the vehicle and that she covered the baby with her coat. She also said she saw the two women pinned, or partially pinned, under the vehicle. Then fire department personnel arrived to jack up the vehicle to extract the victims, she said. First responders took Samadi, as well as the driver and passenger, to Evanston Hospital, where Dr. James Chadd pronounced Samadi deceased at 6:30 p.m., per the report. A medical examiner arrived on scene and pronouced Sigary deceased just after 8 p.m. Samadi and Sigarys family members did not immediately respond to a request for reaction to the investigation, nor information on the condition of the baby. Kudos to Kristin Brey for her Aug. 17 clarion call for common sense adaptation to the inevitability of climate change and its unpredictable rainfall effects (We are not immune). Implicit in the adaptation strategy is that climate change is caused by much more than man's carbon emissions (e.g. solar radiation, volcanic eruption, etc.). Implicit, too, is the realism that curtailing climate change, particularly such naturally caused climate change, is beyond man's control. Brey's sanguine advocacy is historically sound as it has been adaptation to climate change that has been man's salvation for man's thousands of years existence. Thus, Brey's advocacy for Wisconsinites to focus on absorption of excess rainfall, upgrading protective infrastructure, building on safer sites, budgeting for weather emergencies, etc. is wise advice indeed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement David Croysdale, Mequon Letters: We have been warned about impact of climate change for decades Opinion: Milwaukee flood shows need to stop believing myth and start climate resiliency Tips for getting your letter to the editor published Here are some tips to get your views shared with your friends, family, neighbors and across our state: Please include your name, street address and daytime phone. Generally, we limit letters to 200 words. Cite sources of where you found information or the article that prompted your letter. Be civil and constructive, especially when criticizing. Avoid ad hominem attacks, take issue with a position, not a person. We cannot acknowledge receipt of submissions. We don't publish poetry, anonymous or open letters. Each writer is limited to one published letter every two months. All letters are subject to editing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Write: Letters to the editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 330 E. Kilbourn Avenue, Suite 500, Milwaukee, WI, 53202. Fax: (414)-223-5444. E-mail: jsedit@jrn.com or submit using the form that can be found on the on the bottom of this page. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin wont escape climate change. Lets adapt | Letter JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) WJTV 12 News Ken South was honored during the NATAS Southeasts Gold and Silver Circle Awards ceremony. South was inducted by the Southeast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) into the Silver Circle. The ceremony was held on September 5, 2025, at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead. Rankin County teen inspires with journey to become a lifeguard Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To be eligible for the Silver Circle, one must have 25 or more years service to the industry and have had notable achievements in the Southeast Chapter. The inductees are chosen by the President of the Chapter and affirmed by the Board of Governors. South is the chief meteorologist at WJTV 12 News in Jackson, Mississippi. WJTV 12 News Ken South was inducted by the Southeast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) into the Silver Circle. (WJTV) WJTV 12 News Ken South was inducted by the Southeast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) into the Silver Circle. (WJTV) WJTV 12 News Walt Grayson was previously inducted into the Gold Circle. Anchor Byron Brown, Anchor Melanie Christopher, General Manager Jeff Guy, and News Director Tai Takahashi were also inducted into the Silver Circle. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe Now Daily News 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 WJTV. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) A 35-year-old woman accused of driving drunk in a deadly crash on Panama Lane made her first court appearance Friday. Keiona Hyde had not guilty pleas entered on her behalf to three felony counts: gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and two counts of DUI causing injury. Hyde, who was in a wheelchair, was ordered held on $760,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled Sept. 17. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The crash happened at about 1:20 a.m. on Aug. 24 when a vehicle traveling west on Panama Lane collided with a vehicle headed south on Stine Road, police said. Chasie Aquino Carino, 23, of Delano a passenger in the southbound vehicle was ejected, police said. She was declared dead at the scene. The driver of the southbound vehicle suffered life-threatening injuries and was rushed to a hospital, according to police. The driver of the westbound vehicle had minor injuries. Hyde was booked into jail Wednesday. 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. NEED TO KNOW A newborn baby boy was abandoned in a motel dumpster in Columbus, Ga., on Sept. 2, and police found him after a witness heard his cries The child was double bagged and placed into the dumpster for about five and a half to six hours," the lead investigator said The baby's mom, Zinnia Hernandez, was arrested and allegedly admitted to investigators that she abandoned the newborn On Tuesday, Sept. 2, someone heard crying coming from a dumpster at a Georgia motel. The witness contacted police, and around 6:30 p.m. local time, officers arrived at Budgetel Inn & Suites Columbus, where a newborn baby was discovered in the dumpster, the Columbus Georgia Police Department (CGPD) said in a press release. After an extensive investigation, police said, they arrested the infants mother, Zinnia Hernandez. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hernandez, 22, admitted to giving birth and placing the infant in the dumpster, Columbus police said in the press release. In courtroom footage captured by ABC affiliate WTVM, an investigator recalled asking her if she knew why we were there and she stated probably because of the baby being in the dumpster was her guess. Hernandez who had been living in the motel for several months, according to the outlet then told authorities that she was not going to lie to us, she did it, the same investigator said in the footage. Google maps Budgetel Inn and Suites in Columbus, Georgia Budgetel Inn and Suites in Columbus, Georgia The 22-year-old who had one child prior to the newborn infant told investigators that she gave birth to the baby, a boy, in the bathtub of her motel room in the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 2, according to WTVM. She also told investigators that nobody knew she was pregnant, the outlet said. She later placed the newborn in the dumpster after coming back from doing laundry that morning, say police meaning the infant was in the trash for several hours, according to WTVM. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She opened a white and blue trash bag, placed the baby, placenta, and the cord all in the trash bag, Sgt. B Waldie, who led the case, told WTVM. She then tied that bag and then placed it into an additional white and blue bag, Waldie said. The child was double bagged and placed into the dumpster for about five and a half to six hours. Waldie and the CGPD did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment. The infant boy was taken to a local hospital, Piedmont Columbus Regional, for treatment and is in stable condition, the CGPD said. In the courtroom footage shared by WTVM, authorities said that the newborn was fine, but just needed additional oxygen. Hernandez was charged with criminal attempt murder, abandonment of a child, cruelty to children in the first degree and reckless conduct, the CGPD said. The investigation remains ongoing. 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. In the press release, police also reminded the public of Georgias Safe Haven Law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The law, the CGPD said, allows a mother to leave her baby, up to 30 days old, at a hospital, fire station or police station without facing criminal charges, as long as the infant is left with staff. This law exists to ensure the safety and well-being of newborns. 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. Read the original article on People (KRON) A 24-year-old woman was found deceased inside a Napa County hotel room on Thursday, according to the Napa County Sheriffs Office. The woman, identified as Ahmyiah Iman Pinkney of Sacramento, had been shot, investigators said. Deputies found Pinkney after someone called 911 at 7:20 a.m. Thursday to report a shooting at Bardessono Hotel in Yountville. Pleasant Hill teen dies while trapped in garage filled with carbon monoxide Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident is being investigated as a suspicious death, NCSO wrote. Sheriffs detectives are working to uncover what led up to the shooting, and who pulled the trigger. No other details were released by law enforcement officials. 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. GOSHEN An Elkhart woman has admitted that she had a THC metabolite in her system at the time of a fatal crash in November. Krystal Gunter, 29, pleaded guilty to causing a death in a motor vehicle accident while driving with a controlled substance in her blood. She admitted that she used marijuana before driving and still had THC in her system during the Nov. 12 crash that killed 61-year-old Joseph Klein. The Wakarusa man was riding a Kawasaki motorcycle northbound on C.R. 17 when he was struck head-on by Gunter in a Chevrolet Trax, which was making a turn in front of him onto S.R. 120. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Klein suffered internal injuries and was taken to Elkhart General Hospital, where he later died. Police said he was wearing a helmet while riding. Gunter was not injured. She received citations at the scene for having no insurance and for failing to yield the right of way. Police said she submitted to a blood draw after the accident and laboratory results showed the presence of THC in her blood. The level of Delta-9 THC in her blood was around 1 nanogram per 100mL, according to police. Gunter was charged with the Level 4 felony in February. Under the terms of the plea agreement she entered in Elkhart County Circuit Court on Thursday, she will receive a seven-year total sentence. She will serve three years in the Indiana Department of Corrections, two years on home detention in a community corrections program and two years on probation. Judge Michael Christofeno accepted her plea and set sentencing for Oct. 2. A Norman woman is seeking protective orders against Oklahoma County Commissioner Myles Davidson and his wife, claiming the commissioner pursued an unwanted affair with her, and when his wife found out she threatened her in text messages. "(Expletive) around with someone's husband wasn't the smartest career move for you," the woman claims Davidson's wife, Marilyn Davidson, texted her on July 19, according to a screenshot of a text message included in a court filing. The woman works for the Oklahoma Cooperative Circuit Engineering Districts Board, which advises state lawmakers and county commissioners on matters related to the county highway system, according to its website. In court filings, she described Myles Davidson as a coworker. The Oklahoman is not immediately naming her because it does not typically name alleged victims of sexual harassment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The woman filed the requests on Sept. 3 in Cleveland County District Court. A hearing on the woman's requests is set for 9 a.m. Sept. 15. Daniel Pond, an Oklahoma City attorney representing the woman, said she had no comment. In text messages included in the court filing, she denied having an affair with Myles Davidson. Myles Davidson, who represents District 3 and is the chairman of the three-member county commission, initially told The Oklahoman on Friday, Sept. 5, that he was unaware of the court filings. The Davidsons' attorney, Josh Welch, later sent a statement describing the allegations made in court as "categorically false" and said they had never harassed the woman seeking the protective orders. He said the Davidsons were "confident the legal process will confirm that and vindicate them fully." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Marilyn Davidson is the president and founder of the lobbying firm Davidson Consulting Group. In the court documents, the woman also claims that a person texted a message about her to the wife of state Rep. Josh Cantrell, R-Kingston, claiming she was having an affair with him, as well. The phone number on the message had a 580 area code and was the same number used in another text string sent to the woman from a person identifying him or herself as MD. "Your husband has not been behaving himself while in OKC. You should start by questioning a girl named (woman's first name) with the county commissioner's group," the text said, according to a screenshot of it filed with the protective order requests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contacted Friday evening, Cantrell said he was acquainted with both the woman and Myles Davidson, and that knowing them was the extent of their relationship. "I have no comment. I have no idea what any of this is about," Cantrell said. In her court filings, the woman said she received a call on Sept. 2 from Cantrell informing her about the text his wife received. The woman said in the filing that while she and Cantrell have attended the same events they have never been alone together and have never had an affair. When The Oklahoman called the number the text came from Friday, it was out of service. Oklahoma County Commissioner Myles Davidson, shown here in a file photo. The court filings also include screenshots of several messages sent from a phone number with a 405 area code. The same number is listed as belonging to Marilyn Davis on the membership roster of an Edmond professional organization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the July 19 text exchange included in court documents between the woman and the 405 number allegedly associated with Marilyn Davidson, the woman responds "Not sure who this is. I've never (expletive) anyone's husband." The texter then sends the woman screenshots of text messages, though the content of those messages is not legible in the court filing. Screenshot of text messages sent to woman who is seeking victim protection orders against Oklahoma County Commissioner Myles Davidson and his wife. Text message woman says she received from Marilyn Davidson, wife of Oklahoma County Commissioner Myles Davidson. The woman responds to the screenshots by saying, "And did you see my responses? Exactly... I don't respond bc I've told him over and over I will only be friends with him." In a series of exchanges included in the court filing, the texter at one point says "I've taken it up with him. He told me about last week. I know he's been to your house." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Then you know I haven't touched him. He has never been to my house! Ever! Your assuming things," the woman responded. A few days later, on July 24, the woman said she received a text from a 580 number she didn't recognize. The texter identified themself as MD, "aka Myles Davidson," the woman states in the filing. Text messages woman says she received from someone identifying themself as MD. Text messages woman says she received from someone identifying themself as MD. It began: "GM Gorgeous." The texter later states: "I miss you. I'm sorry." Woman: "I've told you time after time, I don't want to get involved with you or anyone else that's married, nor have I. I've only been your friend & apparently that can't happen." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texter: "You know that's not true. I didn't want to hurt you. I miss you. ... We are/were much more. ... If not, why did you lead me on? What was Philly all about?" This text apparently refers to a work trip in Philadelphia, though it is unclear in the court filing. Woman: "I didn't lead you on. I was your friend and I made that clear multiple times." Texter: "Whatever. ... Keep covering your (expletive)." Woman: "Please leave me alone & stop messaging me." Texter: "What if I leave her?" Myles Davidson, 50, was elected as commissioner for District 3 in 2022. District 2 Commissioner Brian Maughan. Maughan said he had no comment on the case. District 1 Commissioner Jason Lowe also declined to comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Staff writer Richard Mize covers Oklahoma County government and the city of Edmond. He previously covered housing, commercial real estate and related topics for the newspaper and Oklahoman.com, starting in 1999. Contact him at rmize@oklahoman.com. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Protective order sought against OK County Commissioner Myles Davidson and his wife Following US President Donald Trump's post claiming that the US has "lost Russia and India to deepest, darkest China", West Asia Strategist Waiel Awwad noted the remark as an acknowledgement that reflects India's growing global stature as a significant power and strategic player. Reacting to Trump's post on Truth Social, Awwad on Friday noted the tone of regret, pointing out that the India-US relationship had seen significant gains over the last three decades. "I think India's position has been indicated by his statement that India is not a small country, is an emerging power, and is a force to reckon with. The US cannot afford to lose India. I think it was a very clear statement from him, and they should do the damage control to revive the relations and bring them back to the normal track because India has spent a lot of time, and even the US in the last three decades has been trying to improve and normalise the relations," he stated. Awwad stated that Trump's abrupt imposition of tariffs and aggressive trade policies during his term may have damaged that progress, while adding that the remarks may also be interpreted as an indirect call for course correction. Awwad further noted India's central role in the regional geopolitics, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, emphasising that both nations cannot "afford to lose each other". "Suddenly, Trump declared so many tariffs on India and is trying to bully India. It has backfired on him, and its admission is a clear indication that he has taken a wrong step... Neither nation can afford to lose the other; both are strategic partners. They need each other for trade and security arrangements. I think India is playing a major role in the Asia-Pacific, especially with the Quad... India is balancing its act and has taken an equidistant position among the stakeholders," he added. A few days after India, Russia and China stood together at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Tianjin, Trump posted a comment on his social media platform Truth Social, stating that the US has "lost Russia and India to deepest, darkest China". "Looks like we've lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!" he wrote. Trump wrote this with an old picture of three leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, together. (ANI) MERCER, Pa. (WKBN) A Sharpsville woman who was charged in a mans 2023 accidental drug overdose death in Mercer County was sentenced Thursday to 15 months to five years in prison. Melody Taylor received the sentence from Judge Tedd Nesbit in the Mercer County Court of Common Pleas for drug delivery resulting in death, a first-degree felony. Taylor was also ordered to pay restitution, including $6,500 to the Victims Compensation Program in Harrisburg. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The charges stem from Taylors August 2023 arrest after Pennsylvania State Police said a 37-year-old man was the victim of an accidental drug overdose in Delaware Township in February of that year. During the investigation, evidence was found that a controlled substance was given to the victim several hours prior to his death, resulting in the charges against Taylor. 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. Tim Young, landlord of The Farmers Arms, a thatched country pub near the foothills of the Quantocks in Somerset, is cleaning the bar the morning after a gaggle of young farmers spent the evening at the hostelry he co-owns with his wife Jane. The pub is on the edge of Combe Florey, a village whose name resonates in the story of English literature, as it was the 20th-century home of Evelyn Waugh. It is apt that Waughs pen describes, in his novel Scoop, Uncle Theodore gazing out of the morning-room window and uttering the immortal lines: Change and decay in all around I see. Because the lane by the pub that once wound its way through this lost plain of West Somerset is now a thundering A-road between Taunton and Minehead, and Young, clearing empties from the bar, loads on to his tray teacups rather than pint glasses. Theres been a massive change, he says. The young farmers are drinking Exmoor tea and low or non-alcoholic beers and ciders, whereas not so long ago the older boys could get through two barrels of Exmoor ale in an evening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whats happened to that older generation of traditional pub drinkers? A lot of them have died, says Young, adding, possibly from boredom. And theres the temptation of the supermarkets. Indeed, who can blame, for example, the commuter heading home from Taunton and not being bewitched by a meal deal at the M&S at Cross Keys, on the edge of the town, which offers a pretty decent meal for two and a bottle of wine for the cost of a modest round of drinks at the local boozer? There are very few pubs that can operate these days as simply drinking establishments, says Young. If I open on a night when weve closed the kitchen to give the staff a night off, well make 150 if were lucky. Thats not a business, its a community service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Young and his wife have had a decent summer, the best, they say, since Covid, but with increases in the costs of employment, business rates, services and insurance, the next few months are critical. If we have a poor winter, I dont know if well be able to keep going, he says. He locks the pub door and climbs into his car to set off for what sustains his family a second job in horticulture. Publicans across the country will see this as a familiar story. Cultural and economic changes are decimating a cornerstone of British culture, the pub. With an average of one pub closing each day, this colourful fabric of Britain is falling apart before our very eyes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The effects on pubs of the behavioural shift that has seen a younger generation drinking less and folk choosing to entertain at home is compounded by the Governments loading of tax burdens on hospitality: increases on employers National Insurance contributions and an increase in the minimum wage. UK Hospitality, the sectors trade body, continues to press Labour on the need to reduce VAT, lower business rates and cut employment costs, to no avail. Labours tin ear has simply gone deaf. On its current trajectory, the British inn will soon be nothing but a long-lost dream, the notion of Ye Olde England writ large only in an adventure park in China. Yet while it is entirely correct to load blame on the accursed, misguided and disingenuous socialist rabble who currently lead us they should not shoulder all the blame. For theres the elephant in the room, which was called out this week by a couple who own The Boot Inn in the Hampshire village of Shipton Bellinger. Lee and Sally Turland bought the pub in 1996 but closed it in 2022 as it was, in their words, no longer financially viable. They have since been unsuccessful in their attempts to find a buyer, their last resort being to now get planning permission to turn it into a five-bedroom house. Then out from the woodwork popped a large number of locals who objected and claimed they wanted to save the place and raise funds to make it a thriving, inclusive community pub. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At which point Lee Turlands top blew, particularly during a meeting with the campaign group. Eighty per cent of the people in the room didnt even know who I was, he fumed, adding: The real killer here is most of those people, or all of them, hardly ever came into this pub. Sadly, its a familiar story. The village shop closes and out come the mourners bemoaning the tragic loss to the community of this vital organ of life and commerce. Except those very people, as they put the finishing touches to their ever-so-handy online Sainsburys order, forgot to visit and patronise that shop. I have come across this too in the weeks since I took leave of my senses and decided to mount a bid to buy our recently defunct local hotel and restaurant, The White Hart, in Wiveliscombe. While the overwhelming sentiment has been positive, a friend overheard two people gossiping in the towns Co-op. What does Sitwell think hes doing? All we need here is a place that sells simple, affordable burgers. Which is precisely what The Bear Inn in the town offers, except these hypocritical moaners appear to have forgotten to go there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another posted on my Instagram. The White Hart was a nice enough pub, they wrote, concerned at what they saw as my fancy ambitions for the place. Well, if that person had spent some money in there maybe it wouldnt have closed. Yes, the supermarkets prices are beyond tempting, yes a round is a little dear these days but if you dont summon up the energy to go to The Farmers Arms, to save a few quid to spend at The Leg of Mutton, the pub will perish and a little piece inside each of us will die too. 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. LAKESIDE, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) The Lakeside VFW is hosting two fundraisers in September to raise money for the Wreaths Across America program. On Saturday, Sept. 6, they are hosting a craft fair with over ten vendors from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Later on Monday, Sept. 15, they are also hosting a bunco fundraiser. In addition, the community can stop by the Lakeside VFW to donate and get involved. Judy Tanimoto Coz, an Auxiliary Member, organized the craft fair. As she explains, the average number of wreaths sold for Fort Rosecrans is less than 7,000. That means each veteran will receive a wreath within a 17-year period. If they increase sales to 15,000 the turnaround would be every eight years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fort Rosecrans is one of the largest National and Historic Cemetaries in the United States and is the final resting place for more than 120,000 Americans. Wreaths Across America places wreaths at local cemeteries all over the country. This year they will place wreaths on Saturday, Dec. 13. 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. An off-duty Washington State Patrol trooper has been charged with vehicular homicide six months after she allegedly hit and killed a motorcyclist while supposedly driving under the influence. On March 1, Sarah Clasen, 35, was driving her SUV around 7:39 p.m. on SR 240 in Richland when she tried to make a left-hand turn onto Village Parkway. When she made that turn, she hit a motorcycle that was driving in the oncoming lane. Clasen later told officers that she felt the impact of the crash, but said the motorcyclist came out of nowhere. The motorcyclist, 20-year-old Jhoser Sanchez, died at Kadlec Regional Medical Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She also told officers that she only saw one headlight coming toward her, thinking that a vehicle had one of the headlights out. According to court documents, Clasen said she thought she had time to make the turn, and that it was mostly completed at the time of the crash. However, an investigating officer said, the damage to Sarahs SUV was concentrated on the front passenger corner, which meant that she would have just begun to turn at the time of impact, according to court documents. The officer also believes she would have had a clear view of oncoming traffic prior to the collision, court documents said. An officer said he could smell what he believed was an odor of intoxicants coming from her person when he spoke to her at the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clasen did not wish to take a voluntary field sobriety test, nor a preliminary breath test, according to court documents. The WSP Seattle Toxicology Laboratory found that Clasens blood-alcohol level was 0.17%, nearly six hours after the crashmore than double the legal limit of 0.08%. Charges were officially filed for vehicular homicide in Spokane County, as Benton County believed there would be a conflict of interest if she were tried in the county where she worked. A summons was issued setting an arraignment date, and the court will address, what, if any, the conditions of release. The Spokane County Prosecutors Office could not confirm why charges were filed six months after the arrest. Its unclear if any additional charges will be filed. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Two former Wyandotte County District Court bookkeepers were indicted by a federal grand jury and are accused with stealing $900,000 from the court. According to the United States Attorneys Office, Julia Roberts, 65, of Kansas City, Kansas, and Vicki Robinson, 63, of Bonner Springs, were indicted on one count of wire fraud conspiracy as well as individual counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Remains of Missouri soldier captured in WWII identified 80+ years later Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As part of their duties, Roberts and Robinson were responsible for collecting and depositing funds into the Wyandotte County Clerk Offices bank account. Roberts and Robinson are accused of devising a scheme to steal incoming cash between January 2018 and February 2023. They allegedly concealed the ongoing thefts by using the clerk of courts signature on fraudulent checks that they generated without authorization. According to court documents, the fraudulent checks appeared to be facially valid and were drawn on and deposited into the county clerk offices bank account, creating a corresponding debit and creditwhich eliminated fluctuation in the deposit amount on the bank statements but concealed the stolen cash in the courts accounting system. Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roberts and Robinson both made their initial court appearances this week. The FBI is investigating the case. 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 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. From a rare multilateral debut at Tiananmen Square to a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, followed by an exclusive banquet, Beijing's privileged treatment of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was a calculated display of solidarity between the two communist neighbours, analysts said. In a subtle yet seismic shift, Beijing notably avoided any mention of "denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" during what was Kim's first visit to China in over six years. Instead, Beijing emphasised its special bond with Pyongyang and the region's "peace and stability" amid a deepening China-US rivalry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. With ties to China restored and reinforced by Xi's pledges of further economic support, pundits said Kim's visit had strengthened Pyongyang's alignment with both Beijing and Moscow, while boosting his leverage in regional politics. In a meeting with Kim at the Great Hall of the People, Xi described their two countries as "good neighbours, good friends and good comrades who have shared weal and woe and helped each other in time of need". Citing "unprecedented global challenges", he also urged both sides to "strengthen coordination and uphold common interests in international and regional affairs", according to an official readout from the Chinese foreign ministry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Xi pledged to deepen high-level exchanges and "advance practical cooperation across the board" while Kim affirmed that his country would "invariably" support Beijing to "defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and development interests of the state", according to Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Both leaders emphasised that the traditional China-North Korea friendship would remain unchanged "no matter how the international landscape may evolve", according to KCNA and the Chinese readout. The bilateral meeting lasted under two hours, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily. Kim's fifth visit to China since taking power in late 2011 was then rounded off by a "small-group tea chat" and a dinner reception hosted by Xi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The meeting came a day after Kim basked in global media attention as he stood alongside Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin at Tiananmen Square, as the People's Liberation Army put on a massive parade commemorating 80 years since Japan's formal surrender in World War II. It was Kim's first time participating in a multilateral event with other heads of state. Observers said the meeting on Thursday, their first in-person talks since Xi's visit to Pyongyang in June 2019, signalled a warming of bilateral ties that had been strained by North Korea's growing military alignment with Moscow following Russia's invasion of Ukraine over three years ago. "From the high-level greeting at the train station to his placement next to Xi at Tiananmen, Beijing has signalled a full-throated political endorsement," said Lee Seong-hyon, a senior fellow at the George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, noting the "meticulous, top-tier protocol" extended to Kim. "This is the normalisation and elevation of a relationship that had been strained," he added. "Kim's entourage, including top deputies, shows this was not just a ceremonial visit but a substantive one aimed at coordinating long-term strategy." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Lee, who is also a South Korean visiting scholar with Harvard University's Asia Centre, Kim's priority in his talks with Xi would have been to "formalise Pyongyang's 'security from Russia, economy from China' framework, with Kim explicitly asking for the economic lifeline that only Beijing can provide". Kim told Xi that Pyongyang stood ready to work with China to "conduct experience-sharing in such areas as party-building and economic development, to support the DPRK in its party-building and national development efforts", using the acronym for North Korea's official name - the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "The DPRK will deepen mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation with China and work for more fruitful outcomes," Kim added. Zhiqun Zhu, a professor of international relations at Bucknell University in the US, observed that Kim received notably elevated protocol treatment throughout the visit - such as being both received and seen off by Cai Qi, the Communist Party's fifth-ranking official and head of the Central Secretariat, as well being invited to a chat over tea and dinner with Xi in addition to formal talks. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is flanked by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) and Cai Qi, the Communist Party's fifth-ranking official, shortly after his arrival in Beijing by train on September 2. Photo: AFP alt=North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is flanked by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) and Cai Qi, the Communist Party's fifth-ranking official, shortly after his arrival in Beijing by train on September 2. Photo: AFP> Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zhu said Kim's renewed pledge of support for Beijing's positions on Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, and other issues central to its "core interests", highlighted Kim's "special attachment to China and its leaders, and his confidence in the China-North Korea bond". In comments on the Korean peninsula, Xi said that China had maintained an "objective and just" stance and would continue to strengthen coordination with Pyongyang and "make utmost efforts to preserve peace and stability", according to the Chinese readout. Observers said the absence of the term "denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" was a major departure from Beijing's previous stance. "China has, in practice, abandoned its formal position on the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, primarily to avoid jeopardising its fundamental bilateral relationship with North Korea," said Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Any serious attempt to strip Kim of his nuclear arsenal would not only be unfeasible, but would almost certainly lead to a collapse in Sino-North Korean relations." China's core interests on issues pertaining to the Korean peninsula have long been about maintaining stability, avoiding conflict and seeking denuclearisation. Amid escalating tensions on its doorstep and in particular Pyongyang's repeated nuclear provocations, Xi issued a rare warning last November during a meeting with then US president Joe Biden in Peru. He said China would not "sit idly by" and "allow conflict and turmoil to happen on the Korean peninsula". However, as North Korea emerges as a de facto nuclear power, China appears to have gradually dropped its demand for denuclearisation to keep Pyongyang close in its Cold War-style confrontation with the United States and its Asian allies, notably South Korea and Japan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In May last year, Beijing roused Pyongyang's anger by mentioning "denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" in a joint statement with South Korea and Japan at the end of their first trilateral summit since 2019. North Korea condemned the move, calling it "a grave political provocation and sovereignty violation". 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. At a time when world leaders are still arguing over climate deadlines, the United Nations just doubled its bet on the one group that doesn't have the luxury of waiting: young people. As reported by News.Az, the UN announced the next generation of climate leaders on International Youth Day. It emphasized the importance of youth activism by announcing the appointment of 14 young people from around the world to its Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, up from seven in past years. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the new members, emphasizing the importance of amplifying youth voices in a year that marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These 14 new members represent every corner of the globe and bring a powerful mix of expertise, from engineering Arctic water systems to training young UN climate negotiators, from harnessing artificial intelligence to track deforestation to mobilizing climate-health campaigns across the Caribbean. Each one carries stories rooted in their communities, and together, they embody how today's youth are both inheritors of the climate crisis and architects of its solutions. Members like Angela Busheska of North Macedonia are inventing tools, such as TerraTrace, which uses satellite data to help small farmers comply with deforestation rules. Ashley Lashley of Barbados is leading one of the world's largest youth movements at the intersection of climate and health. Charitie Ropati of Alaska, an Indigenous scientist and engineer, is fighting to protect Arctic communities, where warming is nearly four times faster than the global average. "This role allows me to ensure that our knowledge systems and lived experiences shape global climate solutions rooted in justice, Indigenous rights, self-determination, and sovereignty," said Ropati. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The group's diversity ensures that the UN doesn't just get technical expertise, but also gains lived experience. Their perspectives will help guide the UN as it presses countries to update their national climate plans this year in line with the Paris Agreement. "To serve in this role is to carry the Caribbean's cry for climate justice and to hold the world accountable for the debt it owes to SIDS," said Lashley, referring to Small Island Developing States. The impact extends beyond policy rooms. These young leaders are already inspiring peers to take climate action in their own communities, whether that means joining local cleanup efforts, pushing for renewable energy transitions, or advocating for environmental justice. At a time when the climate crisis feels overwhelming, the UN shows that the solutions may already be here in the hands of the generation that refuses to give up on the future. Which of these factors will be most important to you when you make your next car purchase? Cost Performance Appearance Environmental impact Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. 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. BURLINGTON, VT (ABC22/FOX44) The woman tied to the cult-like group, the Zizians, 21-year-old Teresa Youngblut was back in the courtroom today for the first time since the prosecution says they will seek the death penalty against her. Youngblut is facing murder and weapons charges, in the shooting incident that left border patrol agent, David Chris Maland dead. Youngblut initially was charged with using a deadly weapon against law enforcement and discharging a firearm during an assault with a deadly weapon, crimes that were not punishable by the death penalty. But the Trump Administration signaled early on that more serious charges were coming as part of its push for more federal executions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today in court, Youngblut pleaded not guilty to all four counts. Shes tied to of a group of radical computer scientists, focused on veganism, gender identity, and artificial intelligence who have been linked to six killings in three states. The defense says since learning that the United States is seeking the death penalty, it completely changes the scope of their case. During todays discovery conference, the two sides agreed on a protocol to vet any potentially privileged materials, included in the pre-trial detention records. To avoid sending personal information, such as medical records, to the government. At the end of todays arraignment, the defense requested to push back the upcoming conference deadline of November 5th by three or four months, and the prosecution agreed to negotiate a future date. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 ABC22 & FOX44. (Reuters) -President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that nearly 60% of weapons used by Ukraine's military were domestically produced, already exceeding a target he set two months ago. "During this war, Ukraine has reached the point where nearly 60% of the weapons we have, the weapons in the hands of our soldiers, are Ukrainian-made," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. "And these are powerful weapons, with many advanced features." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zelenskiy and other officials have long stressed boosting domestic production of weapons as a key element in ensuring Ukraine's future defence. In his address, he also pointed to a joint project to undertake weapons production in Denmark. The president in July called on his reshuffled government to take measures to boost production of weapons made in Ukraine to more than 50%. He said then that Ukrainian-made weapons made up about 50% of those used at the front and in other operations, higher than at any other time since independence from Soviet rule in 1991. Ukraine has focused on drone production and on providing air defences to counter Russia's intensive drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials have also stressed the development of interceptor drones as an effective and economical way of dealing with Russian aerial attacks. (Reporting by Ron Popeski and Oleksandr KozhukharEditing by Nick Zieminski) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, responding to Russian President Vladimir Putin's insistence that if the two were to meet it had to be in Moscow, suggested Kiev as an alternative venue. "He can come to Kiev," Zelensky told the US broadcaster ABC News in an interview released on Saturday. The Ukrainian leader said he cannot come to Moscow while his country is under attack from Russia and said Putin is only suggesting Moscow as a delaying tactic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I can't go to Moscow ... when my country's under missiles, under attacks each day. I can't go to this capital of this terrorist. It's understandable and he understands it." Speaking in English, Zelensky said that you can't trust Putin and that he was "playing games" with the United States. The Ukrainian president has repeatedly called for a meeting with Putin to negotiate a ceasefire in the Russia's war against his country, which Putin started in February 2022. According to Ukrainian sources, at least seven countries have offered to host such a summit. These include Turkey as well as three Gulf states, which are considered neutral in the conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Wednesday, Putin said Zelensky could come to Moscow if there was a prospect of a positive outcome. Speaking at an economic forum in Vladivostok on Friday, Putin also once again however questioned the usefulness of such talks, reiterating his denial of Zelensky's legitimacy. Zelensky had already rejected Moscow as a venue for negotiations on Thursday. "If you want no meeting to take place, then you invite me to Moscow," he said. US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) criticised Brazil's government for taking a leftward shift, saying its policies were hurting the country, while affirming America's goodwill towards the Brazilian people. "We are very upset with Brazil and they are doing something that is very unfortunate... We have a great relationship with the people of Brazil, but the government there has gone very left and is hurting Brazil very badly..." Trump said, responding to a question by the media. The remarks came amid indications that the US administration is considering imposing restrictions on the movement of several foreign delegations during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session in New York. The Trump administration has already denied visas for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation to attend the high-level UN meeting this month. Similar measures are now under discussion for delegations from Iran, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Brazil, which traditionally holds a place of prominence at the opening of the General Assembly set to begin on September 22. Tensions between Washington and Brasilia have already been escalating over trade. Last month, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said his government will not immediately impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States, while reiterating his call for US President Donald Trump to engage in trade negotiations. Currently, Brazil faces 50 per cent tariffs on all exports to the US, the highest of any country except India. While Brazil has not yet responded with similar measures, its Chamber of Foreign Commerce (CAMEX) has begun examining whether countermeasures could be applied under domestic law. "This is a process that takes a bit of time," Lula said in an interview with Radio Itatiaia. "We have to tell the United States that we also have actions we can take against them. But I am in no rush. What I want is to negotiate." The tariffs, imposed on August 1, were introduced as part of Trump's pressure campaign tied to the trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of scheming to overturn the 2022 election results. Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing and labelled the proceedings political persecution, a view Trump has echoed. In a July 9 letter to Lula, Trump wrote, "This trial should not be taking place. It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!" He also warned against retaliatory measures, adding, "If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 50% that we charge." Lula, however, has condemned Washington's actions as interference in Brazil's judicial process. On August 11, his government filed a complaint with the World Trade Organisation, arguing that the US violated international agreements by imposing the 50 per cent tariff. The US has since agreed to enter consultations with the global body. Amid this backdrop, Brazil's Foreign Ministry on Thursday authorised CAMEX to explore whether a reciprocity law could be invoked to introduce retaliatory measures. Lula said, "I took this measure because we have to move forward with the process. If we proceed as required by law, it will take a year." At the same time, Lula has maintained that Brazil is willing to negotiate with Washington but will not compromise on sovereignty. "For now, Brazil is open to negotiations with the US," he said. "What's different is that Brazil doesn't need to bow its head to the US." (ANI) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed the words of French President Emmanuel Macron that 26 countries are ready to "guarantee Ukraine's security". Source: Zelensky on X (Twitter) following his foreign visits "Alongside us stands all of free Europe, America, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and other partners around the world. Our result: 26 countries are now ready to guarantee Ukraines security through action. I am grateful to all the leaders for our joint work," Zelenskyy said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: However, Zelenskyy noted that "but before peace can be guaranteed, Russia must be pressured into it." "Everything possible must be done to make Moscow stop rejecting all peace initiatives and realise the consequences of prolonging this war. Strong sanctions and tariffs combined European and American efforts are key to this. No opportunity to fund Russias war machine can remain. Next comes even more transatlantic work to ensure the pressure is truly tangible," Zelenskyy said. Background: On 4 September, French President Emmanuel Macron said after the Coalition of the Willing meeting that 26 countries had expressed their willingness to send troops or provide specific means to support the security forces. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected Vladimir Putin's invitation to travel to Moscow for talks, suggesting instead that the Russian leader come to Kyiv. Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with ABC News Quote: "He can come to Kyiv I can't go to Moscow when my country's under missiles, under attack, each day. I can't go to the capital of this terrorist. And he [Putin] understands this." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: Zelenskyy noted that Putin's proposal looks like a way of postponing a real meeting. "You know, if a person doesn't want to meet during the war, of course he can propose something which can't be acceptable by me or by others," he remarked. Background Putin made it clear that he does not intend to travel anywhere to hold talks with Zelenskyy, but is open to meeting in Moscow. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described Putin's proposal to meet with Zelenskyy in Moscow as "unacceptable". On 2 September, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after talks with Russian leader Putin in China and a phone conversation with Zelenskyy, said that the parties are "not yet ready" for a meeting at leader level. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Russia used over 1,300 drones, nearly 900 guided bombs and up to 50 missiles of various types to attack Ukraine during the first five days of September. Source: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X (Twitter) Details: The Russians attacked Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Kherson, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr, Volyn, Ivano-Frankivsk, Rivne and Lviv oblasts during the first five days of September. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote: "Russia continues to prolong this war and seeks to turn diplomacy into an outright farce. And this must be met with a united response: to the attacks and destruction, to the disregard for diplomatic efforts and civilised dialogue. President Trump is absolutely right that effective restrictions on Russian oil and gas trade are needed to get diplomacy back on track. We must strengthen sanctions pressure, increase the supply of weapons to Ukraine, and ensure that such invasions cannot be repeated in the future." Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Reach Donald W. Meyers at dmeyers@yakimaherald.com or 509-577-7748. He can also be reached securely at donaldwmeyers.93 on Signal or at donaldwmeyers@protonmail.com. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday dismissed a Bloomberg report claiming that Chinese President Xi Jinping had sent a 'secret' letter to President Droupadi Murmu. "We have seen the report and can confirm that the story of the letter is incorrect," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said while addressing the press conference. The Bloomberg report claimed that the letter raised concerns over US agreements that could affect China's interests and named a provincial official responsible for managing Beijing's actions. Amid these claims, the MEA highlighted ongoing high-level engagements between the two countries. Last month, on August 31, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to the BRICS Summit that India will host in 2026, the MEA said. President Xi thanked Prime Minister Modi for the invitation and offered China's support for India's upcoming BRICS Presidency. India is set to take over leadership of BRICS from the current president, Brazil. This spirit of cooperation also carried forward into their recent face-to-face engagement. During their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, PM Modi also expressed support for China's SCO Presidency and the Summit in Tianjin, the MEA added. The two leaders had previously met in Kazan, Russia, in 2024 on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. These exchanges came on the back of India's growing role within BRICS. In July, PM Modi, during the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, outlined India's vision for the grouping, saying it will attempt to give BRICS a "new form" next year. He defined BRICS as Building Resilience and Innovation for Cooperation and Sustainability and emphasised prioritising the issues of the Global South, similar to India's G-20 chairmanship approach. That vision shaped the deliberations of the 17th BRICS Summit, held under the theme "Strengthening Global South Cooperation for a More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance," which saw participation from President Xi via video conference. Strategic commitments were adopted across global governance, finance, health, AI, climate change, and peace and security. In addition, BRICS leaders endorsed three supplementary frameworks: the BRICS Leaders' Framework Declaration on Climate Finance, the BRICS Leaders' Declaration on Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence, and the BRICS Partnership for the Elimination of Socially Determined Diseases. Building on these decisions, the Leaders' Framework Declaration on Climate Finance marked a first-of-its-kind collective BRICS commitment under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, proposing the mobilisation of USD 300 billion annually by 2035 for climate-related investments with an emphasis on accessible, timely, and concessional finance. The Rio de Janeiro summit also announced the establishment of a BRICS Climate Research Platform to harmonise data, share best practices, and advance joint modelling. Alongside climate commitments, BRICS leaders also looked at technology and development. The BRICS Leaders' Statement on Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence underlined that AI must advance inclusive development, reduce digital inequalities, and empower the Global South through UN-led frameworks. The BRICS grouping includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran, serving as a political and diplomatic coordination forum for countries in the Global South. While BRICS cooperation expanded, India and China also focused on bilateral matters. During his bilateral meeting with President Xi in Tianjin, PM Modi highlighted the importance of peace and tranquillity along the border for the continued development of bilateral relations. Both leaders noted the successful disengagement last year and the subsequent maintenance of peace. They reaffirmed their commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question, recognising the decisions made by their Special Representatives earlier this month and agreeing to support their efforts further. This reaffirmation also set the tone for broader engagement. The leaders welcomed positive momentum and steady progress in bilateral ties since their last meeting in Kazan, reaffirming that India and China are development partners, not rivals, and differences should not turn into disputes. They emphasised that a stable relationship, founded on mutual respect, shared interests, and sensitivity, is crucial for the growth of both countries, as well as for a multipolar world and Asia in the 21st century. To further strengthen ties, the two leaders also emphasised the importance of strengthening people-to-people ties through direct flights and visa facilitation, including the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra and tourist visas. On economic and trade relations, they recognised the role of their economies in stabilising world trade, stressing the need for political and strategic guidance to expand trade, investment, and reduce the trade deficit. Underscoring their independent approaches, PM Modi highlighted that India and China pursue strategic autonomy, and their relations should not be viewed through the lens of a third country. Both leaders agreed to expand common ground on bilateral, regional, and global issues, such as terrorism and fair trade, in multilateral platforms. Adding further weight to these engagements, PM Modi also held a meeting with Cai Qi, Member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China, sharing his vision for bilateral relations and seeking support to realise the shared vision. Cai reiterated China's desire to expand bilateral exchanges and further improve relations in line with the consensus reached between the two leaders. (ANI) Chief Justice of India Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai is on an official visit to Nepal from September 4 to 7 at the invitation of the Chief Justice of Nepal Prakash Man Singh Raut. "Hon'ble Chief Justice of India, Shri Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, is on an official visit to Nepal from 4-7 September 2025 at the invitation of Rt. Hon'ble Chief Justice of Nepal, Mr. Prakash Man Singh Raut," the Embassy of India in Kathmandu posted on X. https://x.com/IndiaInNepal/status/1964178479445836203 During his visit, the Chief Justice of India addressed members of Nepal's judicial and legal community at the 'India-Nepal Judicial Dialogue' on the evolving role of the judiciary, with a focus on recent jurisprudence and judicial sector reforms. "In April 2025, the Supreme Court of India and the Supreme Court of Nepal had signed an MoU to strengthen judicial cooperation between India and Nepal. The first meeting of the Joint Working Group set up between the two apex courts also took place during Hon'ble CJI's visit," the Embassy added. The visit highlights ongoing collaboration between the two countries aimed at strengthening judicial ties and reform initiatives. It also follows Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's two-day visit to Nepal in August, during which he handed over a formal invitation to Nepal Prime Minister Oli for a visit to India. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri handed over a formal invitation to Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli from the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, to visit India on mutually convenient dates, a release from the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu stated. Misri was on an official visit to Nepal from August 17-18, 2025, at the invitation of the Foreign Secretary of Nepal, Amrit Bahadur Rai. During the visit, the Foreign Secretary called on the President of Nepal, Ramchandra Paudel, the Prime Minister of Nepal, K.P. Sharma Oli, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Arzu Rana Deuba. "He conveyed to them greetings from the leadership in India and briefed them on the progress being made in various aspects of the mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation between the two countries," the release added. Apart from the call-ons, the Indian and Nepali Foreign Secretaries held wide-ranging discussions, reviewed the progress made in various bilateral initiatives, and discussed opportunities for further collaboration, including possible outcomes that could form a part of PM Oli's forthcoming visit to India. "Nepal is a priority partner of India under its Neighbourhood First policy. The Foreign Secretary's visit continued the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and helped in advancing our bilateral ties further," the release further highlighted. The Foreign Secretary also met the Chief of Army Staff of Nepal, General Ashok Raj Sigdel, and handed over defence stores and equipment, including Light Strike Vehicles (LSVs), critical care medical equipment, and military animals to the Nepali Army. "During the various engagements, both sides noted with satisfaction the concrete progress in recent years in diverse areas of bilateral cooperation, including physical connectivity, digital connectivity, defence & security, and energy cooperation," the Indian Embassy announced in a release. During the visit, the Foreign Secretary also met other senior political leaders of Nepal. (ANI) India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 clash is scheduled for September 14 in the T20 format. Lets take a look at the captains who have led both sides in this thrilling rivalry. A Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Seville flew without a pilot in control for nearly 10 minutes after the co-pilot fainted while alone in the cockpit. The incident raised concerns about cockpit security protocols and crew health monitoring. DNA: In the ongoing tension between India and Canada, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's tone has started changing. In the latest case, Trudeau has praised India and considered it an emerging economic power. Seeing this, it can be said that India's stature has increased so rapidly in the world that now a country like Canada has to bow before it. Egypt and Qatar on Friday strongly condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks regarding the displacement of Palestinians, including through the Rafah crossing, Al Jazeera reported. In a statement, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Netanyahu's comments as part of "ongoing attempts to prolong escalation in the region and perpetuate instability while avoiding accountability for Israeli violations in Gaza," Al Jazeera reported. In an interview with the Israeli Telegram channel Abu Ali Express, Netanyahu claimed there were "different plans for how to rebuild Gaza" and alleged that "half of the population wants to leave Gaza," insisting it was "not a mass expulsion." He also said, "I can open Rafah for them, but it will be closed immediately by Egypt." Egypt's Foreign Ministry reiterated its "categorical rejection of forcibly or coercively displacing Palestinians from their land." The statement added, "[Egypt] stresses that these practices represent a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and amount to war crimes that cannot be tolerated." The ministry further affirmed that Egypt will never be complicit in such practices nor act as a conduit for Palestinian displacement, describing this as a "red line" that cannot be crossed, Al Jazeera reported. Qatar's Foreign Ministry also criticised Netanyahu's remarks, calling them an "extension of the occupation's approach to violating the rights of the brotherly Palestinian people." The ministry added, "The policy of collective punishment practised by the occupation against the Palestinians ... will not succeed in forcing the Palestinian people to leave their land or in confiscating their legitimate rights." Qatar stressed the need for the international community to "unite with determination to confront the extremist and provocative policies of the Israeli occupation, in order to prevent the continuation of the cycle of violence in the region and its spread to the world," Al Jazeera reported. The war of words comes as Egypt and Qatar continue leading mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel, seeking a ceasefire in Gaza and facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid into the coastal enclave. Al Jazeera's Hamdah Salhut, reporting from Amman, said Netanyahu's comments were "incredibly controversial" since it's the Israeli government which has outlined that "it wants the Palestinians out of Gaza." She added, "The condemnation from both Qatar and Egypt is essentially telling Israel this is all a part of its larger plan, that Israel is the one that waged war on the Gaza Strip, that the continuation of crimes against the Palestinian people and the total closure of the Rafah border crossing is the reason why they're imprisoned in Gaza, not because of anything else." "It is Israel that single-handedly created this policy," Salhut said, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI) The Chinese military has developed a fleet of landing bridge ships to enhance its amphibious assault capabilities, but their effectiveness in a potential invasion of Taiwan is questionable due to their extreme vulnerability, according to defence analyst Shen Ming-shih. Shen, a research fellow at the Institute for National Defence and Security Research, said the deployment of these ships by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's East Sea Fleet signals a direct strategic focus on Taiwan. These vessels, known as the Donggong 401, 402, and 403, feature a 120-meter bridge at the front for tanks and armoured vehicles to disembark directly onto shore. They also include a rear ramp that connects with roll-on/roll-off ferries, forming a mobile bridge network to facilitate rapid troop deployment, as reported by the Taipei Times. Shen stated that the vessels are unarmed and highly exposed, making them easy targets for Taiwan's precision-guided missiles and airstrikes during the transit phase. A single successful hit could destroy the ships and the armoured vehicles onboard before reaching their landing zones. The vulnerability grows once landing operations begin, he added. When these ships connect with ferries or amphibious vessels, their large size and static position make them ideal targets for missile strikes, potentially derailing landing operations altogether, according to the Taipei Times. Even if a beachhead is established, Shen stated that Taiwan's advanced long-range systems, such as the Thunderbolt-2000 and HIMARS, and ambush tactics could still neutralise these ships. Shen concluded that while these bridge ships enhance the PLA's logistical capabilities, their high risk of detection and destruction severely limits their battlefield utility. Ultimately, their role in any cross-strait conflict remains strategically constrained, as highlighted by the Taipei Times. (ANI) Astro member and actor Cha Eun-woo is at it again, this time as the representative of recruits who attended the graduation ceremony of the Army Training Center's in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province. Cha was elected as the representative trainee at the ceremony on September 2, bringing the event to a close with a salute. Uniform-clad and holding a microphone, he boldly shouted out, "Reporting. I have been ordered to complete the training of Trainee Lee Dong-min. I hereby report. Loyalty!" After the ceremony, Cha posed with the commanding officer for a commemorative photo. Photos of the graduation spread quickly throughout online communities, where his graceful appearance and unaltered visuals were a hot topic of discussion. READ MORE: Cha Eun Woo's Glamorous Post Backfires as South Korea Faces Political Turmoil: 'Are You Really this Clueless?' 2025.09.02 !! !! !!# #CHAEUNWOO # pic.twitter.com/NSPesPJwRM (@a4152469) September 2, 2025 One netizen commented, "he groom saw him in front of his eyes and said his face was small and pale." Another commented, "All the mothers were busy checking their sons' locations and looking for Cha Eun-woo with their cameras." This is not the first instance Cha Eun-woo has stood out while serving. He was appointed company commander trainee last month, a title given by way of assessment on sincerity, responsibility, and attitude towards military life. A photograph on the Army Training Center site bearing him wearing the company commander trainee armband made it big on social media. Cha Eun-woo, whose actual name is Lee Dong-min, joined the Nonsan Army Training Center on July 28. Once he finishes basic training, he will be posted to the Army Band. He will be discharged on January 27, 2027. Cha, who balanced acting and singing even prior to enlistment, remains well-supported by fans who closely monitor his military news. His professionalism and calm demeanor in uniform have been the motivation for admiration, triggering another wave of online buzz and reaffirming his image for what netizens term a "100-point military life." READ MORE: Cha Eun Woo To Proceed With His Schedule in Thailand Following ASTRO Moonbin's Passing West Asia strategist Waiel Awwad on Saturday termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's response to US President Donald Trump's praise of India-US ties as a "positive statement", while also emphasising the need for cautious optimism in light of past policy decisions. Reacting to PM Modi's recent post on X, where he "deeply appreciated and fully reciprocated" Trump's affirmation of the India-US ties, Awwad highlighted the enduring significance of India for the United States, both strategically and economically. "The US cannot ignore India. President Trump (and PM Modi) have a good relationship... There is also a huge diaspora of Indians in the US. When the President of the US addresses them, he wants to send a message to them--that India matters for the US and the Indian diaspora matters for American business and American welfare," Awwad said. He welcomed the tone of both leaders' remarks, calling it a signal of mutual respect and recognition of growing bilateral cooperation. However, he warned that concrete policy actions must match symbolic gestures. "So, I think it's a positive statement. I am just saying that we have to be cautious. Why? Because he (Trump) issued an Executive Order. President Trump cannot take that Executive Order lightly unless he has some proof to keep on the table," he explained, referring to Washington's policy that imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods to the US. Awwad added that while Trump is known for his pro-business outlook, he must also address past measures that strained economic ties if he seeks to build lasting goodwill with India. "It's not just an eyewash that he is trying to tell the Indian government, 'I am happy to do business with India.' He is a businessman, but being the President, there are issues that he has taken, and he has to withdraw these issues. So, Indian companies can still export to the US without being hassled, without being subjected to a tariff on it," he said. Awaad's comment comes after Trump referred to the India-US relationship as "very special", to which PM Modi responded on X, stating, "Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership." (ANI) Sherpa, a seasoned Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer from the 2002 batch, is currently serving as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. "Tshering Wangchuk Sherpa (IFS:2002), presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam," the MEA statement read. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly, the Ministry added. India and Vietnam share traditionally close and warm bilateral relations that are denominated as a comprehensive strategic partnership. India was the Co-Chairman of the International Commission for Supervision and Control formed pursuant to the Geneva Accord of 1954. India initially maintained Consulate-level relations with the then North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Viet Nam) and South Viet Nam, and later established full diplomatic relations with Vietnam on 7 January 1972. India-Vietnam relations were elevated in 2016 to the level of 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Vietnam; earlier, the relations were designated as 'Strategic Partnership'. The development of India-Vietnam relations is currently guided by a "Joint Vision for Peace, Prosperity and People" adopted by Prime Minister Modi and the then Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc of Vietnam during the Virtual Summit held on 21 December 2020. Prime Minister Modi and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong had a telephonic conversation on 15 April 2022. In 2022, the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and both are actively working together to further strengthen their multidimensional cooperation. Earlier this week, Rohit Rathish, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, was appointed as the High Commissioner of India to Seychelles. (ANI) Train operations on five rail sections in Punjab have been suspended due to damage caused to railway tracks and infrastructure by ongoing floods and heavy rains in the province, Dawn reported. According to an internal report compiled by the Pakistan Railways (PR) and cited by Dawn, the Narowal-Sialkot section has remained closed since August 27 after floodwater breached a portion of the track. The report said a Girder Span of bridge No 7 near Aik Nullah was also misaligned, allowing floodwater to maintain a high level and overtop the track. Repair works are underway and operations are expected to resume by September 12. The PR report further noted that the Chak Jhumra-Shaheenabad (Sargodha) section was closed for rail traffic on August 29 when an "exceptionally high flood damaged bridge No 132 & 134 near Chiniot." Efforts are ongoing to repair or reconstruct the bridge to restore train operations, it added, according to Dawn. Similarly, the Wazirabad-Sialkot section was closed on September 3 after floodwater overtopped the track between Wazirabad-Sodhra Kopra. The Jhang-Shaheenabad section has also been shut since August 28 after flooding breached an area near the Rivaz Railway Bridge over the river Chanab. "The floodwater is still passing through the breached section, as the train traffic remains suspended," the report stated. Dawn further reported that the Khanewal-Shorkot section was closed on September 3 due to high flood levels at Abdul Hakim Bridge No 27 and breaches between Abdul Hakim and Darkana stations. Temporary disruptions were also recorded at Shahdra-Faisalabad, Lahore-Badami Bagh, Uggoki-Sialkot, Port Qasim-Bin Qasim, Kotri-Dadu, Tando Adam-Hyderabad, and Peshawar Saddar-Cant sections due to flooding, embankment cuts, mudslides, and fallen trees, the PR document noted. Meanwhile, the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) also reported widespread damage to its infrastructure. "As many as 73,724 consumers suffered power disruptions, and of them, 13,073 are still without electricity," Lesco Chief Executive Officer Ramzan Butt said in a statement, as quoted by Dawn. He added, "The floods have affected our infrastructure. But our teams worked day and night to restore power supply to the flood-affected areas. Still, 17 per cent of the total 73,724 consumers are affected." Dawn reported that Lesco's jurisdiction covers Lahore, Kasur, Nankana, Okara and Sheikhupura, where 67 11kV feeders were affected, of which 55 have been re-energised. In Kasur and Okara, cables and other infrastructure were damaged, while several parts of Lahore also faced issues. Massive losses were also reported in areas under the Gujranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco), Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) and Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco). "In Bajwat, a rural area of Sialkot, the residents of 85 villages are without electricity since Aug 26," an official from Sialkot told Dawn. (ANI) Former diplomat KP Fabian on Saturday weighed in on US President Donald Trump's remarks on India, tariffs, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's diplomatic response, calling Trump's comments contradictory and urging caution against taking them at face value. On PM Modi's response to Trump speaking positively on India-US relations, Fabian said, "PM Modi has done the correct thing diplomatically, responding to a tweet in the best diplomatic fashion. But I do not think these two tweets make much of a difference at this stage." He added, "President Trump's style of arguing reminds me of Aristotle, who said that if you contradict yourself, then I don't have to contradict you. So President Trump has contradicted himself. First, he said that he has lost India to China. Now he says he hasn't lost it." Warning against overreading Trump's remarks, Fabian said, "The tendency in India is to take seriously every statement, tweet or otherwise, by President Trump and to see in that statement a policy or change of policy. No, that is wrong." Responding to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's assertion that India would eventually yield to Washington on tariffs, Fabian countered, "Well, let me put it this way. The Commerce Secretary has made an assessment that India will surrender. Well, I beg to differ. India is not going to surrender, and the Commerce Secretary, who is so confident today, will realise sooner or later, sooner the better, that that is not the case." He further stressed the need for negotiations over threats, saying, "What is required is proper diplomatic give and take, respecting each other, negotiations between India and the United States on trade matters, not these public statements of threats." On the Union Finance Ministry's stand over Russian oil trade, Fabian backed the position, remarking, "The Union Finance Ministry is guided solely by national interest. Whether it is Russian oil or anything else, we will take a call based on what suits our needs in terms of trade, logistics or whatever." He dismissed Trump's justification for tariffs as baseless, stating, "Trump's ostensible reasoning for imposing tariffs on India is absolutely illogical and factually wrong. And he knows it. But that is his style." Commenting on reports that Trump linked Modi's stance to his Nobel Peace Prize ambitions, Fabian observed, "Trump also calculated that India will say uncle in five minutes. That was another bigger miscalculation on the part of Trump." On anti-immigrant protests in Australia, he echoed the MEA's position, saying, "Our High Commissioner has done the right thing. It is a matter of regret and shock and surprise that these protests should be taking place because Australia needs immigrants. But we can handle it, it doesn't matter. Let them protest, so long as there is no violence." (ANI) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday revealed that Russia has launched more than 1,300 attack UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and nearly 900 guided aerial bombs, along with 50 missiles of various types, against Ukraine in the first six days of September alone, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict. In a detailed statement posted on X, Zelenskyy condemned the continued wave of Russian attacks and called for increased sanctions, stronger military support, and long-term security guarantees to ensure sustainable peace. "Since the beginning of September alone, Russia has launched against Ukraine over 1,300 attack UAVs, nearly 900 guided aerial bombs, and up to fifty missiles of various types. Last night, civilian infrastructure was hit again. All necessary services are working at the impact sites," Zelenskyy said. He added that explosions had been reported in almost every region of Ukraine during the first week of September, with strikes targeting the Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Kherson, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kirovohrad, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr, Volyn, Ivano-Frankivsk, Rivne, and Lviv regions. Zelenskyy also referenced US President Donald Trump's remarks on the need for stronger restrictions on Russian oil and gas trade, which, according to the US President, fuels Moscow's "war efforts" against Kyiv. "Russia continues to prolong this war and seeks to turn diplomacy into an outright farce. And this must be met with a united response: to the attacks and destruction, to the disregard for diplomatic efforts and civilised dialogue. President Trump is absolutely right that effective restrictions on Russian oil and gas trade are needed to get diplomacy back on track," his post read. Calling for renewed international unity, Zelenskyy urged Ukraine's allies to strengthen sanctions, increase weapons supplies, and ensure that "such invasions cannot be repeated in the future." "Lasting peace requires functioning and real security guarantees. We are working to implement all these elements of a reliable peace in the future. I thank all partners who support Ukraine and our people," he added. Earlier on Friday, Zelenskyy declined Russian President Vladimir Putin's invitation for talks in Moscow for a dialogue amid the Russia-Ukraine war, stating that he cannot visit the capital of a country that continues to launch daily missile attacks on Ukraine. During an interview with ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz, the Ukrainian President suggested that his Russian counterpart should come to Kyiv if he genuinely wishes to hold discussions. "He can come to Kyiv. If a person doesn't want to meet during the war, of course, he can propose something which is acceptable to both of us. It's understandable; I can't go to Moscow when my country's under missiles, under attack, each day. I can't go to the capital of this terrorist," Zelenskyy said. He also accused Putin of using the invitation as a political manoeuvre to delay dialogue, stating that the latter was "playing games" with the US. The sharp remarks come days after the Russian President expressed his openness to meeting Zelenskyy, suggesting that such a meeting could take place in Moscow, provided it is well-prepared and aimed at producing a constructive outcome. During a press briefing following his four-day visit to China, Putin emphasised the possibility of dialogue amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, reiterating that he has "never ruled out" such a meeting, but stressed it must be in line with Ukraine's constitutional framework. "I've already said that I've never ruled out such a meeting, but whether this can be meaningful in accordance with the Ukrainian constitution... It is possible; I never rule this out. If the meeting is well-prepared and leads to a positive potential outcome, it is possible. And by the way, Donald (Trump) asked me if it's possible to have such a meeting, and I said that it is. After all, if Zelenskyy is ready, he can come to Moscow. This is quite possible," he stated. (ANI) US President Donald Trump sudden shift in his tone towards its ties with India has sparked renewed interest, and some confusion, in the geopolitical landscape, but for former Indian diplomat Veena Sikri, the answer may lie not in the politics of the situation but in a fundamental of Trump's misunderstanding of India's strategic doctrine. During an interview with ANI on Saturday, Sikri offered a measured response to Trump's characterisation of the India-US ties as a "very special relationship" days after he claimed that Washington had "lost Russia and India to deepest, darkest China." She noted the US President has not fully understood India's longstanding policy of strategic autonomy, which lies at the core of its foreign policy. Her concern wasn't just about optics but about a deeper misreading of India's foreign policy playbook by the US President, which is grounded in strategic autonomy, a principle that has guided Indian diplomacy for decades across administrations. She also clarified that India's engagement with China or Russia does not come at the cost of its ties with the US. "I must say that President Trump's post yesterday was very disappointing because he used terms like, 'I think we have lost India,' so that people were getting a little worried about that," she said. "Even at that time, I had said clearly that President Trump has possibly not understood India's policy of strategic autonomy. India's foreign policy is based on strategic autonomy, which means that each relationship is taken on its own merits and is not a zero-sum game, which means that we are not developing relations with China at the cost of the USA or we're not developing relations with Russia at the cost of the USA," the former diplomat added. Sikri explained that the US may need to get more comfortable with multipolar diplomacy, and photographs of leaders like PM Modi, President Putin, and President Xi in the same frame shouldn't be seen as diplomatic red flags but as a reflection of India's balanced and pragmatic approach. "Each relationship is in its own place. And if there's a photograph of President Xi Jinping, President Putin, and Prime Minister Modi, it doesn't mean that the bilateral relationship with America is being affected in any way," she added. Addressing Trump's more recent comments praising his friendship with PM Modi, Sikri said the shift in tone showed a better understanding of the nuanced nature of India's foreign policy. "President Trump appreciating his friendship with Prime Minister Modi and the relationship with India - this was very well received, because it showed a much greater understanding... Our Prime Minister has immediately responded very correctly and very appropriately, saying that he values the comprehensive global strategic partnership between India and the USA," she said. She also touched on India's energy trade with Russia, noting that it falls within the framework of strategic autonomy and was even in line with Western interests. "India's purchasing oil from Russia happened because America wanted us to do it--to keep global prices in check. Meanwhile, China and the European Union are buying far more oil from Russia. The US itself has active bilateral trade with Russia, including in fertilisers and minerals like vanadium and palladium," Sikri said. She concluded by saying that open and honest bilateral discussions will be essential to resolve any remaining misunderstandings and further strengthen India-US ties. "All these things are meant to be discussed and agreed upon. And I think that now we hope that such discussions will be held at the bilateral level at appropriate levels, and all issues will be sorted out," she added. Her remark comes after Trump referred to the India-US relationship as "very special", to which PM Modi responded on X, stating, "Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership." (ANI) Former Ambassador of India to France and Monaco Jawed Ashraf called the recent exchange of positive gestures between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi a welcome development, reflecting a "lowering of temperature" on the American side. "I think it is a very welcome development. It reflects, you know, a lowering of temperature on the US side. Of course, you know, President Trump has been and his cabinet colleagues, as well as his advisers, have been using very disparaging tone and some very corrosive language on almost a daily basis, besides the punitive tariffs that they have imposed," Ashraf said in an interview with ANI. Despite Trump's frequent use of aggressive language, Ashraf noted that he had always been careful in his remarks about Modi. "President Trump has always been very careful about, Prime Minister Modi, that even in that heat of the moment or when he was using his most aggressive and corrosive language, he was careful to say, that, Prime Minister Modi is great, he's special. And I think he's reciprocated, he has reaffirmed that today. But he's also said something nice about the relationship, that it is a special relationship, and we needn't worry about it. And I think that is a positive development," he said. According to Ashraf, Trump's latest remarks also avoided earlier references to India-Pakistan tensions. "In addition to this, the last few times references to the cessation of India Pakistan conflict, or to the arrogation of credit for it has been missing. The focus has been essentially on Russian oil purchases by India as the source of the difference. So I think there has been a gradual softening of the tone today. We've seen something that was positive. And I think we must still be cautiously optimistic about it because this is a first step," he said. He cautioned, however, against over-reading Trump's words. "One, President Trump is often prone to changing his views and that also on social media. Pretty frequently, he can, swing widely from appreciation to criticism. You've seen that in the case of Russia, you've seen that in Ukraine, even some of his closest allies, Europe, for example. So I think that is something we need to bear in mind. This is a step forward. Second, we still have to recognize that, there is tariffs in place even as we speak and that needs to be factored into this because the real test will come when we deal with this very strong issue," Ashraf added. Highlighting India's approach, he said New Delhi had remained measured throughout the strained phase in ties. "Remember on our side, on the Indian side, throughout this very difficult period, we have been factual and restrained in our comments. We have been ready, always indicated openness, flexibility, and willingness for negotiations to address the issues while being consistent, transparent and principled about our red lines, whether it pertains to our trade issues or whether it is about our sovereign choices with regard to the relationships that we have with other countries," he said. Ashraf stressed that Modi had reciprocated Trump's remarks in a "restrained but positive manner." "The Prime Minister has rightly reciprocated what President Trump has said and has done that also remember in a very restrained but a positive manner. It is indicative of the fact that there is no quarrel on our side. That is really for the United States to resolve this," he said. Explaining what might have prompted Trump's change in tone, Ashraf pointed to both internal US concerns and global optics. He referred to the viral photo of Modi, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in a huddle in Tianjin, which he said "raised a lot of concern across the media, across the political establishment, in the US Congress and among the experts about the fact that US might be losing India and that the relationship that has been so strenuously built over the past 25 years may be collapsing." At the same time, he underlined that Washington was beginning to recognise New Delhi's firm stance. "There is also a recognition in the United States that India and this administration, that India is not the country and this government is not going to compromise on its core interests under relentless U.S. pressure or that it is going to in some way bend or submit to the U.S. demands in a way that compromises our national interests. Once that recognition sets in, I think there will be a far more sober approach to us," Ashraf said. He added that India had already made an "ambitious offer" on trade and stood by its commitments. "We have made an ambitious offer to the U.S. on trade and you know there we still stand by our commitments in February 2025 when the Prime Minister visited the United States. So it is really for the US to resolve some of its own internal contradictions with regard to how it wants to deal with India," he said. On whether Trump's softer words were driven by domestic pressures or China's influence, Ashraf said: "The last few weeks, despite grave concerns here about the collapse of the India-US relations, the language, the tone in which, President Trump and others were speaking... that India may follow on the same path (as other allies). But we have, in a sense, held firm about our red lines, about our interests. But at the same time, we've not been confrontational. We have not tried to use any assertive or acerbic language with the US. We've always indicated our willingness to negotiate. So I think there is a realization dawning in this government also. And it is a new government with a new set of people that India is a partner, but not an ally that it can order around." Ashraf also hoped that other senior US officials would take a cue from Trump. "I hope they take the cue from the President and start toning it down because, you know, their Commerce Secretary was speaking a very, very tough language. But I think, again, he's one of those who has not dealt with India in the past. This lack of experience in dealing with India at the start of this administration with many people who have no prior experience in this country or having dealt with us, believe that we will respond in the same way as, let's say, some of the European or other Asian allies or partners have done, and that they're soon going to realize that's not the way India works and certainly not the way this government is going to respond to any amount of pressure when it comes to protecting the national interest, interest of its sensitive sectors and the sovereign choices we always exercise in terms of our relationship with other countries," he said. On suggestions of a "good cop, bad cop" strategy from Washington, Ashraf said, "Well, that's what I'm trying to say that, you know, these are early days. We still have to wait and watch. But, we have seen in this statement and some of the statements that have been made in the past few days are definite lowering of temperature, of moderation of voice and temperate, more temperate language or less in temperate language being used. And we take that as a positive sign. But we still are conscious of the fact that the reality on the ground is that there is still a 50 percent tariff rate." He emphasised that despite the softer words, "nothing has actually changed. It's just a statement basically." He reiterated that India would not accept third-party mediation on India-Pakistan issues, reminding that "India has always rejected third party mediation or role in any relationship or any issue between India and Pakistan." On Modi's prompt response to Trump's tweet, Ashraf said, "That's a very good gesture. I mean, again, what we are showing is that we don't have any issues with the United States in terms of, I mean, throughout this period, we have not had any confrontational tone. We've not spoken in aggressive language. We have not joined a war of words from the government. We have acted with restraint and calmness. We have repeatedly affirmed the importance of the strategic partnership while emphasizing that our partnership will be conducted taking into account our national interests." Concluding on a measured note, he said, "And so when President Trump sends out a message, which is both a personal message to the Prime Minister and a broader statement about the special relationship, I mean, from a dead economy to a special relationship, without again bringing in the India-Pakistan issue. It is good of us and it is I think the correct thing to do is to reciprocate that. But this is again, the statement is not sort of very euphoric. It doesn't go for the top. It is calm. It is measured. It recognizes the positive and constructive partnership of India and the United States and it says that we are willing to move forward." (ANI) Two individuals were reportedly shot dead in separate incidents in the Mand area of Kech district on Saturday, in what local sources describe as targeted attacks carried out by members of pro-government militias, as reported by The Balochistan Post. According to The Balochistan Post, the first victim, identified as Mulla Bahram, was gunned down by unidentified armed men in Mand. Later the same day, another youth named Izhar, son of Mujeeb and a resident of the same area, was shot inside his shop in Soro. Despite efforts to save him, Izhar succumbed to his injuries due to the lack of medical facilities in the region. Eyewitnesses said that both attacks were allegedly carried out by members of locally known "death squads", armed groups widely believed to operate with the support of the Pakistani military. These groups have frequently been accused of grave human rights violations, including kidnappings for ransom, enforced disappearances, targeted killings, and the suppression of political activists, as reported by The Balochistan Post. Local observers and residents claim these militias act with impunity, functioning as unofficial enforcers tasked with eliminating dissent in Balochistan. The groups are said to have been given free rein in many areas in return for their loyalty to state objectives, according to The Balochistan Post. In addition to the violence, residents of Mand expressed deep frustration over the absence of basic healthcare services. The town reportedly has no functioning hospital, forcing critical patients to travel over 110 kilometres to Turbat on poorly maintained roads. Locals believe Izhar could have survived had timely medical care been available nearby, as reported by The Balochistan Post. The ongoing instability, combined with systematic neglect of infrastructure and healthcare, has deepened public resentment in the region. Human rights organisations have repeatedly called for independent investigations into such incidents and for an end to the militarisation of civilian areas. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday had a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and the two leaders reviewed the progress in bilateral cooperation in various areas. They also exchanged views on international and regional issues, including efforts to end the Ukraine conflict. The two leaders reviewed and positively assessed the developments in bilateral cooperation across various sectors, including economics, defence, science, technology, and space. They also reaffirmed their commitment towards further strengthening of the India-France Strategic Partnership, in line with the Horizon 2047 Roadmap, the Indo-Pacific Roadmap and the Defence Industrial Roadmap, a PMO release said. "They exchanged views on recent efforts towards bringing an end to the conflict in Ukraine. PM Modi reiterated India's consistent support for peaceful resolution of the conflict and early restoration of peace and stability," the release added. The Prime Minister Modi thanked President Macron for accepting the invitation to the AI Impact Summit hosted by India in February 2026, and said he looked forward to welcoming the French President in India. Both leaders agreed to continue to remain in touch and work closely together to promote global peace and stability. In a post on X, PM Modi said India-France Strategic Partnership will continue to play a key role in fostering global peace and stability "Had a very good conversation with President Macron. We reviewed and positively assessed the progress in bilateral cooperation in various areas. Exchanged views on international and regional issues, including efforts for bringing an early end to the conflict in Ukraine. The India-France Strategic Partnership will continue to play a key role in fostering global peace and stability," he said. The talks came two days after the French President, at the Paris summit on Thursday, announced plans to deploy a "reassurance force" in Ukraine. "We have today 26 countries who have formally committed -- some others have not yet taken a position -- to deploy as a 'reassurance force' in Ukraine, or be present on the ground, in the sea, or in the air," Macron told reporters, standing alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, France 24 reported. The Paris summit, hosted by Macron, was attended by President Zelensky, while leaders including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer participated remotely, according to France 24. Speaking on the General Assembly Debate at the UN earlier this week concerning the situation in Ukraine, India's Permanent Representative to the UN P Harish said that dialogue and diplomacy are the only way forward to end the conflict in Ukraine. "We maintain that the loss of innocent lives is unacceptable, and no solution can be found on the battlefield. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said on several occasions, 'This is not an era of war'. India stands ready to support diplomatic efforts for an early end to the conflict," he said. The envoy also mentioned that PM Modi has remained in touch with President Putin, President Zelensky and European leaders on the evolving situation. (ANI) Pakistan's military is once again engaging in empty rhetoric after it suffered a body blow to its Air bases and fighter plane during Op Sindoor. On Saturday Pakistan Air Force's senior officer, Air Vice Marshal Shahryar Khan tried to play up Pakistan's abilities by claiming, "Next time, the score will not be 6-0 but 60-0, Insha Allah (God willing)." During his address at the Defence and Martyrs' Day ceremony in Karachi, he vowed that no sacrifice would be spared in the defence of the country." "Pakistan is a peace-loving and progressive nation," he said, "but our desire for peace should never be mistaken for weakness." He also claimed that the "armed forces are fully prepared to thwart all hostile intentions", adding that "India, Insha Allah, next time the score will not be limited to 6-0, but with the help of Allah it will be 60-0." The empty rhetoric from the senior Pak Air force officer follows an August 9 speech by Chief of Indian Air force, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who confirmed that Indian Armed Forces had destroyed at least five Pakistani fighter aircraft and one large aircraft during Operation Sindoor. The Air Chief revealed the information about India's damage to Pakistan's defence capabilities. "We have at least five fighters confirmed kills and one large aircraft, which could be either an ELINT aircraft or an AEW &C aircraft, which was taken on at a distance of about 300 kilometres. This is actually the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill that we can talk about," Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said. Listing other damages on Pakistan's defence capabilities, the Air Chief said, "We were able to get at least two command and control centres, like Murid and Chaklala. At least six radars, some of them big, some of them small. Two SAGW systems that is in Lahore and Okara. We attacked three hangars. One was the Sukkur UAV hangar, the Bholari hangar and the Jacobabad F-16 hangar. We have an indication of at least one AEW&C in that AEW&C hangar and a few F-16s, which were under maintenance there." India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 as a decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres and airfields across 11 airbases, including Nur Khan air base in Pakistan. (ANI) Actor Choo Young Woo, who rose to stardom from the drama Head Over Heels, is again embroiled in controversy after netizens accused him of possessing artwork with pedophilic content. The controversy started when fans picked up on the artwork on Choo's phone cover, which traced back to an artist who had posted suggestive sketches of girls who looked like they were high school-aged. Choo Youngwoo foi exposto por usar uma capinha com desenho de teor pedofilo. O artista da ilustracao e conhecido por retratar meninas em uniformes escolares de forma sexualizada. Internautas relembram outros casos do ator, como atitudes homofobicas e sexistas. pic.twitter.com/UodYPHpN8S BoysLove Hub (@hubboyslove) September 4, 2025 Internet users quickly reacted in shock that the up-and-coming star would show such photos. One netizen commented that the case was disconcerting with Choo's increasing popularity. "With his popularity spiking following a string of hit dramas, many were surprised by the 'inappropriate' imagery he was carrying," the post continued. Others also pointed out that this was not the first time the actor was accused of questionable acts. In February 2025, netizens spoke out against Choo for his Instagram activity, where he was following BJs (broadcast jockeys) who were posting sexually suggestive content regularly. He was also condemned for following rapper Jung Sang Soo, known to be involved in DUI, assault, and misogyny. Then, supporters observed, it was part of a bigger trend. "The actor had the same problem in 2021 and at the time unfollowed 30 accounts," a response remembered. Choo also faced criticism earlier this year when he responded to a co-worker's attire. At the 2025 Blue Dragon ceremony, cameras caught his obvious shock upon seeing actress Jang Do Yeon's revealing dress. What was initially viewed as frivolous by some was later reconsidered by critics in the context of his other scandals. Netizens were let down as controversy erupted. One of the online comments reflected the mounting backlash: "Given his other controversies, his reaction, viewed as being tongue-in-cheek initially, to actress Jang Do Yeon's revealing low-cut dress at the 2025 Blue Dragon has been negatively received by some." With repeated occurrences fueling controversy, there are questions about how Choo Young Woo will react to the fresh flak. His agency has not made any official statements as of Wednesday. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, during his visit to the United Kingdom on Saturday, interacted with Indian-origin students and graduates at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), where he spoke about the Dravidian Model, inclusive growth, and youth empowerment. In a post on X, CM Stalin wrote that after the interaction, he paid homage at the Thiruvalluvar statue by unveiling the restored plaque and later visited the PACT exhibition marking 75 years of India's Constitution. https://x.com/mkstalin/status/1964274881408729120 "In London, I cherished a dialogue with Indian-origin students & graduates at @SOAS sharing thoughts on the Dravidian Model, inclusive progress & the power of youth to shape India's future. I then paid homage at the Thiruvalluvar statue & restored plaque, honouring Tamil culture's timeless wisdom through the immortal words of the Thirukkural. I concluded with the PACT exhibition on 75 years of India's Constitution, reflecting on its democratic legacy & relevance today," CM Stalin wrote. In another post, the Chief Minister said, "The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways. The point, however, is to change it." https://x.com/mkstalin/status/1964228637990724034 Earlier today, CM Stalin visited the BR Ambedkar House in London, the residence where Babasaheb had stayed while pursuing his studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). In a post on X, Stalin said he felt a deep sense of awe to visit the place where Ambedkar "rose through" his knowledge. "Walking through its rooms, I felt a deep sense of awe. This was where a young man, once suppressed by caste in India, rose through knowledge to command respect in London and later became the chief architect of the Constitution of India," Stalin said. He added, "What touched me most was seeing the historic picture of Thanthai Periyar (EV Ramaswamy) and Dr Ambedkar in conversation. Stalin also paid his respects to Karl Marx during his visit, sharing a quote from the great philosopher who laid down the theory of Communism. "The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways. The point, however, is to change it," Stalin quoted Karl Marx in a post on X. "I paid my respects to the great genius #KarlMarx, the red sun who gave light to the working class!" he added. Meanwhile, Stalin released two books on the legacy of social reformer E. V. Ramasamy Periyar and the Self-Respect Movement at the Self-Respect Movement and its Legacies Conference 2025 in Oxford, reiterating his government's commitment to the Dravidian path. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the ideals of Lord Ram give strength and inspiration to millions across the globe, after Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and his spouse Aum Tashi Doma visited the Shri Janambhoomi temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya. "Wonderful to see PM Tobgay and his wife pray at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya. The ideals of Prabhu Shri Ram give strength and inspiration to millions across the globe," PM Modi posted on X. Tobgay, on an official visit to India from September 3 to 6, offered prayers at the temple in Ayodhya on Friday along with his wife. During their visit, the couple took part in rituals and inspected the temple premises. They were received at the airport by Uttar Pradesh minister Surya Pratap Shahi, who welcomed them on behalf of the state government. Their visit is part of Tobgay's ongoing tour of India, which highlights the close cultural and spiritual ties between India and Bhutan. His spiritual engagements in Ayodhya are also aligned with the broader themes of his visit, where he has highlighted the enduring value of ancient learning and shared traditions. Earlier, while addressing an event streamed live on Nalanda University's YouTube channel, Tobgay emphasised that the "Nalanda spirit," rooted in the ancient centre of learning in Bihar, must continue to thrive, while assuring that Bhutan will play its part in spreading and nurturing it. Speaking at the event, Tobgay said, "I would like to thank the government of India for continuing the tradition of Nalanda Mahavira and continuing to spread the Nalanda spirit. And, in that spirit, for giving Bhutan the opportunity to build a temple in Rajgir." He further expressed his appreciation, adding, "Thank you for giving us the opportunity to visit this historic city, Rajgir." Elaborating on the role of the institution, the Bhutanese Prime Minister stated, "Today, you have the Nalanda University continuing to carry on the Nalanda spirit.... Learn and grow in oneness with Nalanda. The Nalanda spirit must grow, and we in Bhutan will do our part to propagate, to nurture this spirit." During an interaction with the audience, Tobgay was asked about Bhutan's ties with Nalanda. In response, he said, "A lot is happening between Bhutan and Nalanda, especially when we have a temple now." (ANI) Donned in her red regalia with the crown overhead, Nepal's living Goddess Kumari, along with Ganesh and Bhairav, embarked on a tour of the inner areas of Kathmandu as a part of the Indra Jatra festival. This entourage of the living goddess and gods signals the arrival of the festive season in the Himalayan Nation. The chariots hoisting the three living goddess and god made their way through the sea of devotees who waited for hours to take their blessings and have a sight. It is one of the rarest events where the living goddess and the gods would make a public appearance in the former royal palace before the unification of modern Nepal- the Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square in Kathmandu. Every year, thousands of devotees throng the Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square, which is also a UNESCO heritage site, immersing the entire surrounding in joy and fervour. The drums won't stop beating. The special cloth worn by the living deities gives devotees a different impression with an elegant glow. "As a photographer, the procession itself drags me up to here. Then, after the chariot procession of (Living deities) Kumari, Ganesh and Bhairav, who make this special public appearance once a year, where people flock here to pay obeisance to them. It can also be regarded as Kathmandu's largest procession, signalling the arrival of Dashain, the major festival; these features have been driving me up to here every year," Basanta Gautam, a photographer by profession, told ANI. The ascension of three living deities in the form of humans on three different chariots which tour around the city is an annual festival observed for eight days starting from Bhadra Shukla Chaturdashi of the Nepali month of Bhadra. Every year, the procession begins with the erection of a Ya: Shi: (sacred wooden pole) at Hanumandhoka in Basantapur Durbar Square. Various famous masked dances, folk drama, and chariot processions such as Nawadurga, Pulukisi, Lakhe, Dash Avatar have created an atmosphere of fun and merriment. The Fourth Day of the waxing moon in the month of Bhadra, as per the lunar calendar, is the Indra Jatra, which has been followed for a long time. Legends said that the Indra Jatra festival is observed to celebrate the victory of the gods over the demons to release Jayanta, the son of Lord Indra. It is believed that Lord Indra came to the earth to collect white flowers for his mother, but was caught by the locals (The Newars) of the Kathmandu valley and kept him bound. After lord Indra's mother Jayanta came and disclosed his identity, a procession took place, which has continued till now. Indra, the god of rain, is worshipped in this festival, primarily celebrated by the Newar communities following both Hinduism and Buddhism. Apart from the Kathmandu Valley, Kavre and the Dolakha District of the country also celebrate this festival with fervor. Indra Jatra, however, will conclude tonight after falling down the Indradhowj with a number of ceremonies such as Lakhe Naach, Mahakali Naach, Pulukisi Naach, among other dances that make Indra Jatra celebration a grand festivity among the Newa community. (ANI) The South Korean government has expressed "deep concern" afte 300 of its nationals were arrested by US immigration authorities at Hyundai manufacturing site in Georgia, Yonhap News reported. This comes only weeks after Washington and Seoul announced a major trade agreement in July. Last month, speaking to reporters at White House, Trump also called the trade deal with South Korea "historic". South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Saturday chaired an emergency meeting in Seoul, where he confirmed that out of 457 people taken into custody, over 300 were South Koreans, as per Yohnap News. "We are deeply concerned and feel a heavy sense of responsibility over the arrests of our nationals," Cho said, adding that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had activated its Overseas Citizens Protection Task Force. He stressed that the economic activities of South Korean companies investing in the United States should not be "unjustly infringed" upon during law enforcement operations. Cho also instructed officials to provide active consular support for those detained. During the meeting, Cho said he might personally travel to Washington to raise the issue. "We will discuss sending a senior foreign ministry official to the site without delay, and, if necessary, I will personally travel to Washington to hold consultations with the U.S. administration," he said, as per Yonhap News. According to Yonhap news, First Vice Minister of South Korea, Park Yoon-joo spoke with Allison Hooker, US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs. Park conveyed Seoul's regret over the arrests and the public disclosure of footage showing South Korean nationals being detained. Hooker assured that the US State Department was "closely monitoring" the situation. American authorities have described the arrests as part of a criminal probe into alleged violations of immigration and employment rules. Homeland Security officials said those detained included individuals who overstayed visas or entered through visa waiver programmes that prohibited them from working. Most of them are now being held at a detention facility in Folkston, Georgia, Yonhap News further mentioned. US President Donald Trump, responding to the matter on Friday, defended the crackdown, calling the arrested individuals "illegal aliens" and saying immigration officers were "just doing their job." In July, Trump announced that the US and South Korea had reached a "full and complete trade deal," which included a 15 per cent tariff on South Korean exports, a $350 billion investment commitment to US projects, and $100 billion in energy purchases. "I am pleased to announce that the United States of America has agreed to a Full and Complete Trade Deal with the Republic of Korea. The Deal is that South Korea will give to the United States $350 Billion Dollars for Investments owned and controlled by the United States, and selected by myself, as President. Additionally, South Korea will purchase $100 Billion Dollars of LNG, or other Energy products and, further, South Korea has agreed to invest a large sum of money for their Investment purposes," Trump had said. Sharing details of the agreement, Cho had earlier told ANI that the deal reflected a "win-win" outcome despite global trade tensions. "This is something not unexpected given the rapidly changing situation in global trade. We were able to sort out a problem and make a win-win through these negotiations," he said during a visit to India in August. (ANI) "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to make every best effort to resolve this issue as soon as possible," Cho said, and noted that his government is committed to protecting the rights and interests of South Koreans working overseas. (ANI) "I love the smell of deportation in the morning... Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of War," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social account. He also posted a dramatic AI-generated image of him in military attire with a fire in the background, which is based on poster of 1979 war action movie "Apocalypse Now". The poster shared by Trump reads, "Chipocalypse Now". Earlier this week, Trump signed an Executive Order which reverted the Department of Defence's name to the Department of War. According to ABC News, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker confirmed that federal immigration enforcement could intensify in Chicago this weekend. At a press conference earlier this week, Pritzker said US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would be ramping up operations, with as many as 300 agents expected to be deployed. The New York Times also reported that Department of Homeland Security officials would arrive at Chicago's Naval Station Great Lakes this week, with enforcement expected to continue for at least 30 days in the wider Chicago area. The latest move follows repeated attacks by Trump on Chicago's Democratic leadership, crime levels, and handling of immigration. He has previously described the city as a "mess." Earlier this year, Trump dispatched federal agents and troops to Los Angeles and Washington, saying that the step was necessary to tackle crime and enforce immigration law, according to NYT. According to The New York Times, Chicago is home to 2.7 million residents, has an estimated 150,000 undocumented immigrants, nearly 8 per cent of the city's households. The scale of the planned enforcement has raised concerns among migrant families, community groups, and local leaders, many of whom fear mass detentions and deportations. Hundreds of residents and immigrant rights groups have pledged to mobilise in downtown Chicago at the first signs of ICE raids. On Thursday night, metal barricades were placed around the federal courthouse in the Loop, signalling preparations for potential confrontations between protesters and enforcement agencies, The New York Times reported. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday extended his congratulations to Guyana's President Irfaan Ali for his party's resounding victory in the recently concluded General and Regional elections. In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, "Heartiest congratulations to President Irfaan Ali on the resounding success in General and Regional elections. I look forward to further strengthening India-Guyana partnership anchored in strong and historical people-to-people ties." Responding to PM Modi's message, President Irfaan Ali expressed gratitude and reaffirmed his commitment to deepening bilateral ties. In his post, Ali said, "I look forward to continuing to work with @narendramodi, the Government, and the people of India to further build our already strong and cordial relations." According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Diplomatic relations between India and Guyana exist since 1965 when a Commission of India was established in Georgetown in May 1965 and was made a full-fledged High Commission of India in 1968 after the country got independence on May 26, 1966. In 1998, Guyana became a member of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) despite its Muslim population being as low as 6.4%, bringing it close to the Islamic world. India and Guyana share longstanding relations, with deep-rooted cultural and historical connections. A significant portion of Guyana's population is of Indian origin, tracing back to indentured labourers brought during the colonial period. These people-to-people ties have served as the foundation for cooperation in areas ranging from trade and agriculture to energy and education. (ANI) FUKUOKA, Sep 06 (News On Japan) - A self-proclaimed fortune-teller has been arrested on suspicion of fraud after luring people into false investment schemes, including a case in which she allegedly swindled 10 million yen from a woman she befriended as a fellow kindergarten mother. Police arrested Noriko Tasai, 51, on charges of defrauding a 52-year-old acquaintance in Fukuoka City in 2018. Investigators allege Tasai told the woman that placing crystals into building foundations would enhance feng shui and increase property value, promising dividends and the return of principal investment. FNN had interviewed the victim and her family in May 2025. The victim said many acquaintances praised Tasai, saying things like, "When I went to her for fortune-telling, good things happened." She had met Tasai through her childs kindergarten and was offered free fortune-telling sessions and advice. After two years of knowing each other, Tasai allegedly told her, "Top-level people always use astrology, the Four Pillars of Destiny, and feng shui. If you invest even hundreds of thousands of yen, your fortune will improve." Trusting Tasai, the woman believed the scheme. Her husband explained, "Because it was a family friendship, we never thought she would lie." Tasais luxurious lifestyle further reinforced their trust. According to the woman, she would enter luxury brand stores and immediately say, "Ill take this, Ill take this," in a manner compared to "Michael Jacksons old shopping style." Ultimately, the victim handed over more than 100 million yen to Tasai. In questioning, Tasai admitted receiving the money but denied wrongdoing, saying, "I didnt intend to lie." Police suspect Tasai defrauded about 70 people of a combined 2 billion yen through similar schemes and are continuing to question other victims as they work to uncover the full scope of the case. Source: FNN JTBC's new Friday drama, 'My Youth,' will introduce a new but emotional take on melodrama, bringing together star leads Song Joong-ki and Chun Woo-hee in a tale of love, loss, and rediscovery. The production conference for My Youth was held Thursday afternoon at the Link Hall of Link Hotel in Sindorim, Guro-gu, Seoul. Director Lee Sang-yeop, known for Yumi's Cells, joined the main cast Song Joong-ki, Chun Woo-hee, Lee Joo-myung, and Seo Ji-hoon to discuss the project. Making its debut in the drama, a neutral account of the production company explained, "My Youth is a sentimental romance that tells the story of Sun Woo-hae (Song Joong-ki), who began his ordinary life later than others, and Sung Je-yeon (Chun Woo-hee), who must unexpectedly shatter the peace of her first love. Through their reunion after 15 years, the two embark on a journey to find pieces of themselves that they had forgotten." Read more: The Best Disaster and Thriller Korean Movies of All Time That You Should Watch The pairing of Song and Chun has fueled excitement among drama fans. Director Lee said during the event that he wanted to create a story that felt both intimate and relatable. Before his remarks, organizers highlighted the creative collaboration behind the series, noting, "My Youth is already stimulating drama fans' excitement as it is a collaboration between director Lee Sang-yeop of Yumi's Cells and writer Park Si-hyun of Run On." For Song Joong-ki, the drama is a big comeback to TV after three years. Saying a few words about his character, Song stated, "In the drama, I play Sun Woo-hae, a child star turned florist and mysterious novelist who has prematurely experienced the prime of his life, finally returning to reality after a long absence." Chun Woo-hee, as Sung Je-yeon, coined her character as tender and transformative. The production added, "Chun Woo-hee plays Sung Je-yeon, Sun Woo-hae's first love, a role that shatters his tranquility." Industry observers predict the drama could be among JTBC's best titles of 2025 with its realistic narrative strategy and emotional appeal. Everyone will watch if the rapport between Song and Chun can win over audiences when My Youth airs later this autumn. READ MORE: Song Joong Ki and Chun Woo Hee Confirmed to Star in Upcoming Romance Drama 'MY YOUTH' Here's Everything We Know So Far Interpols Operation Serengeti 2.0 has exposed Africas vulnerability to cybercrime, resulting in 1,209 arrests across 18 African nations and the United Kingdom, recovering $97.4 million from schemes affecting nearly 88,000 victims. The August 22 announcement highlights escalating digital threats including inheritance scams, ransomware, and business email compromise across the continent. The operations success underscores cybercrimes complex geography, with perpetrators, infrastructure, and victims often spanning multiple continents. Neal Jetton, Interpols cybercrime unit director, emphasized to Africanews that combating transnational cybercrime requires unprecedented cooperation and collaboration among nations, exemplified by Interpols 196-member country network headquartered in Lyon, France. Despite this enforcement success, fundamental challenges persist in protecting African citizens online. Julie Owono, executive director of Internet Without Borders, stressed to Africanews the critical importance of data protection, calling for honesty about Africas current capacity to safeguard citizen information. She advocates for due process-based cybercrime enforcement alongside enhanced empowerment, accountability, and capacity building. The African Unions Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, adopted in 2014 and effective since June 2023, addresses issues from electronic commerce to child pornography. However, fewer than 20 of 55 AU member states have ratified the convention, limiting its effectiveness despite ambitious scope. Africas expanding digital landscape creates opportunities alongside vulnerabilities. As internet penetration increases and digital services proliferate, cybercriminals exploit regulatory gaps, limited cybersecurity awareness, and insufficient law enforcement resources. The continent requires comprehensive strategies combining legislative frameworks, international cooperation, public awareness campaigns, and technical capacity development. Operation Serengeti 2.0 demonstrates potential for coordinated action while revealing the scale of challenges ahead in securing Africas digital future. Another damning report has been issued in the United States on the polisario ties with Iran, its Axis of Resistance and proxies posing serious threat to regional peace and stability. The alliance of the Algeria-backed Polisario armed militia with Irans Shia proxies in the Middle East has enabled them to receive international anti-imperialist solidarity and contribute to the Axis military efforts, says U.S. Townhall media platform of Conservative Republicans. Polisario fighters are currently being held in Syria by the new regime of Ahmad a-Sharaa. Trained by Iran, they were part of the Iran-sponsored international resistance brigades defending the Assad regime, adds the publication, which is owned by the Heritage Foundation. Following the collapse of Assad regime, hundreds of Polisario militias were left behind and detained. The new Syrian leaders have now closed the Polisario office in Damascus, which remained open throughout the civil war, underlines The Townhall (TH) analysis. Alignment with Iran and participation in its mercenaries savagery should earn Polisario Western sanctions and isolation. Instead, it provided Polisario a place among the global lefts social justice causes, says the report, highlighting the growing cooperation between Irans theocracy and Marxists. Throughout the Cold War, the Soviet Union sponsored guerrilla movements around the globe, using them as proxies against Western democracies. Colombias president, Gustavo Petro, last year took pride in the fact that comrades from his own M-19 guerrilla trained in the Libyan desert shoulder to shoulder with PLO and Polisario rebels, back in the day when the late Colonel Qaddafi, financed and trained anti-Western armed revolutionaries in his own hosted terrorist training camps. The American report cites in this regard the visit paid last January by Swedish militant Greta Thunberg to Tindouf camps, Algeria, to participate in a Polisario global solidarity event also attended by Kurdish separatists, Palestinian activists and a hodgepodge of other Western social justice groups. Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Polisario are exploiting Western social justice activists naivete to blend their battles into a global struggle for social justice and recruit them to their ranks against a common evil usually capitalism, the United States, the West, and Israel, says the analyst, citing the case of Polisario. This new incriminatory report comes as a bipartisan legislation has been submitted to the U.S. Congress for branding the Polisario as a terrorist organization, imposing sanctions on the separatist group and its backers. UN Sahara envoy Staffan de Mistura met Friday with U.S. senior advisor for Africa Massad Boulos who reiterated the clear U.S. position affirming that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only feasible solution for the Sahara. We also discussed MINURSOs stabilizing role and paths to regional peace, said Mr. Boulos in post on his X account. He also stressed the importance of continued coordination in view of the forthcoming discussion at the Security Council. During his latest visit to Algeria within the frame of a Maghreb tour, the American presidential advisor reaffirmed U.S. recognition of Moroccos sovereignty over its entire Saharan territory and support for the Autonomy Plan as the ONLY realistic solution to the decades-long conflict. In coordination with its major allies and veto holders at the UN Security Council, France and the United Kingdom, the United States is currently intensifying its efforts for the resolution of the Sahara conflict on the basis of the Moroccan Autonomy plan. In his latest report on the Sahara, UN Chief Antonio Guterres has warned against the fallout of continuing deadlock and called for finding an urgent political solution to the Sahara issue. A delegation from the County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee in the Kenyan Senate paid a working visit to Dakhla this week to strengthen cooperation ties between Morocco and Kenya. Led by the Committees chairman Godfrey Osotsi, the visit provided an opportunity for the Kenyan parliamentary delegation to learn about the regions development dynamics and the structural projects currently underway, while exploring opportunities for cooperation and partnership with local institutional and economic actors. In a statement to the press, Osotsi said that the visit was part of efforts to bolster cooperation between the two countries, noting that some Kenyan regions have already signed twinning agreements with the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region. Osotsi also reiterated his countrys support for Moroccos autonomy plan to resolve the dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, noting that this clear position was reaffirmed during this visit to Dakhla. While in Dakhla, members of the Kenyan parliamentary delegation held a meeting with elected officials from the region and made field visits to several major projects, including the construction site of the new Port of Dakhla Atlantique, which is set to reinforce the regions position as a leading economic and logistics hub. The Kenyan parliamentary delegation which is visiting Morocco September 1 through 7 also held talks in Rabat with the First President of the Court of Accounts, Mrs. Zineb El Adaoui. During this meeting, the Kenyan delegation pointed out that Moroccos approach to financial oversight stands out as a model to emulate, expressing hope to benefit from the Kingdoms experience in ensuring the Courts independence and securing its funding to strengthen impartiality. The lawmakers also intended to learn about the mechanisms for monitoring and implementing recommendations from audit reports. In this regard, Godfrey Osotsi, emphasized that this meeting is an opportunity to understand how the Court of Accounts operates, particularly in terms of its funding, guaranteeing its impartiality. Osotsi also noted that Kenya has a significant legal framework in the areas of financial management, auditing, and public procurement, constituting an integrated legislative system, but highlighted that the main challenge lies in the effective implementation of recommendations and reports issued by oversight bodies. For her part, Mrs. El Adaoui stressed that the Court of Accounts, one of Moroccos key constitutional institutions, is the supreme body for public financial oversight. She added that the control exercised by the Court encompasses institutional oversight according to rigorous professional standards. She emphasized that the independence of this institution, beyond its critical importance, is not limited to legal texts, budget, or available human resources, but also includes its role in serving the public interest and tangibly achieving the objectives of its oversight missions. The abrupt halt of rsteds Revolution Wind project off Rhode Island has become one of the most striking examples yet of political interference derailing sound economic logic. This was not a struggling venture or a risky experimental bet. It was a nearly complete, multi-billion-dollar project designed to deliver clean power to more than 350,000 households. Eighty percent of the turbines were already in place, the investment had largely been sunk, and the project had a clear pathway to profitability. Yet the U.S. government ordered a stop, citing vague national security concerns. The decision has rattled markets, hammered rsteds stock, and left observers questioning how reliable the American policy environment is for large-scale energy investments. Economic Sense, Political Nonsense For rsted, the project represented both a cornerstone of its U.S. ambitions and a test case for its ability to scale offshore wind in one of the worlds most important energy markets. For the United States, Revolution Wind was more than a power plant, it was a strategic infrastructure project. It promised to strengthen grid reliability in New England, diversify the regional energy mix, and provide a secure, local source of electricity at competitive prices. Jobs were created, supply chains were mobilized, and construction was already transforming the landscape. In every respect, the economics of the project made sense not just for rsted and its partners, but also for the communities and consumers who stood to benefit from it. Signals to Investors The logic of halting such a project is difficult to reconcile. At a time when global capital is increasingly cautious about deploying billions into long-term infrastructure, the United States had successfully attracted one of the worlds leading offshore wind developers. Years of regulatory approvals had been navigated, financing secured, and state-level political support firmly in place. To pull the plug so late in the process, with billions already spent and the project nearly ready to deliver power, sends a chilling signal to investors: no matter how advanced a project may be, no matter how rigorous the permitting process, politics can still override economics at the final stage. Offshore Wind Is No Gamble This is particularly damaging because offshore wind is not a fringe technology. In Europe, it is already a backbone of the energy system, delivering reliable power at scale. Costs have fallen sharply over the past decade, making it one of the most competitive forms of renewable generation. Revolution Wind was structured with long-term power purchase agreements, providing predictable revenue and stable returns. Its role in stabilizing the New England grid had been recognized by regional operators. By almost any measure, this was exactly the type of project that energy economists point to when they talk about the viability of renewables. rsteds Losses, Americas Losses The consequences for rsted have been severe. Already under pressure from rising global costs and earlier project delays, the company saw its market value tumble to historic lows after the halt was announced. Its ability to raise new capital, including an emergency injection to stabilize its balance sheet, has been thrown into question. For a company once held up as a global leader in the energy transition, the setback is dramatic, threatening to undermine its broader U.S. growth strategy. A Chill Across the Market Yet the impact extends far beyond a single company. For the United States, halting Revolution Wind represents a lost opportunity to reinforce energy security with a domestic, low-carbon resource. Instead, New England will remain more reliant on natural gas imports and on an aging grid that is increasingly strained by extreme weather events. Consumers are likely to face higher costs and greater volatility as a result. And perhaps most significantly, the decision undermines Americas credibility as a destination for energy investment. If even projects that are 80 percent complete can be stopped on political whim, why would any global developer commit billions to the next offshore wind farm, or to hydrogen hubs, or to long-duration storage? Geopolitics or Ideology? Some have speculated that the halt may have less to do with the project itself and more to do with geopolitics. Denmark, rsteds home country, has clashed with Washington in the past over issues ranging from Arctic policy to Greenland. Others see the decision as part of a broader ideological push against renewable energy from the current U.S. administration. Whatever the true motives, the result is the same: an erosion of trust in the stability of U.S. policymaking. The Transition Will Not Stop The irony is that stopping Revolution Wind will not halt the energy transition. Global momentum behind renewables continues, driven by economics as much as by climate goals. The cost trajectory of wind and solar, combined with storage, makes them increasingly competitive against fossil fuels. Demand from corporations and states for clean power remains strong, regardless of federal policy swings. What the halt does accomplish, however, is to delay the U.S. in securing its share of that momentum. Other regions will move faster, attract more capital, and develop the industries and jobs that come with leadership in clean energy. A Case Study in Short-Termism Politicizing projects like Revolution Wind serves no ones long-term interests. It undermines investor confidence, discourages innovation, and deprives consumers of cost-effective power. For the U.S. economy, it risks leaving the country less competitive in the industries of the future. For the global climate effort, it removes a project that would have delivered meaningful emissions reductions. And for companies like rsted, it reinforces the perception that the U.S. is not a reliable partner for long-horizon energy infrastructure. Conclusion In the end, the decision to halt Revolution Wind is a case study in how political short-termism can sabotage economic rationality. Here was a project that ticked every box: nearly finished, financially sound, socially beneficial, and strategically important. Instead of celebrating its completion, the U.S. government chose to halt it, leaving investors and partners bewildered. The damage will be felt for years, not only by rsted, but by every energy company now rethinking whether America is a safe place to bet on the future. By Leon Stille for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com We dont really know how much energy artificial intelligence is consuming. There arent any laws currently on the books requiring AI companies to disclose their energy usage or environmental impact, and most firms therefore opt to keep that controversial information close to the vest. Plus, large language models are evolving all the time, increasing in both complexity and efficiency, complicating outside efforts to quantify the sectors energy footprint. But while we dont know exactly how much electricity data centers are eating up to power ever-increasing AI integration, we do know that its a whole lot. AIs integration into almost everything from customer service calls to algorithmic bosses to warfare is fueling enormous demand, the Washington Post recently reported. Despite dramatic efficiency improvements, pouring those gains back into bigger, hungrier models powered by fossil fuels will create the energy monster we imagine. And that energy monster is weighing heavily on the minds of policymakers around the world. Global leaders are busily wringing their hands over the potentially disastrous impact AI could have on energy security, especially in countries like Ireland, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia, where planned data center development outpaces planned energy capacity. In a rush to keep ahead of a critical energy shortage, public and private entities involved on both the tech and energy sides of the issue have been rushing to increase energy production capacities by any means. Countries are in a rush to build new power plants as well as to keep existing energy projects online beyond their planned closure dates. Many of these projects are fossil fuel plants, causing outcry that indiscriminate integration of artificial intelligence is undermining the decarbonization goals of nations and tech firms the world over. From the deserts of the United Arab Emirates to the outskirts of Irelands capital, the energy demands of AI applications and training running through these centres are driving the surge of investment into fossil fuels, reports the Financial Times. Globally, more than 85 gas-powered facilities are currently being built to meet AIs energy demand according to figures from Global Energy Monitor. In the United States, the demand surge is leading to the resurrection of old coal plants. Coal has been in terminal decline for years now in the U.S., and a large number of defunct plants are scattered around the country with valuable infrastructure that could lend itself to a speedy new power plant hookup. Thanks to the AI revolution, many of these plants are now set to come back online as natural gas-fired plants. While gas is cleaner than coal, the coal-to-gas route may come at the expense of clean energy projects that could have otherwise used the infrastructure and coveted grid hookups of defunct coal-fired power plants. Our grid isnt short on opportunity its short on time, Carson Kearl, Enverus senior analyst for energy and AI, recently told Fortune. These grid interconnections are up for grabs for new power projects when these coal plants roll off. The No. 1 priority for Big Tech has changed to [speed] to energy, and this is the fastest way to go in a lot of cases, Kearl continued. Last year, Google stated that the companys carbon emissions had skyrocketed by a whopping 48 percent over the last five years thanks to its AI integration. AI-powered services involve considerably more computer power - and so electricity - than standard online activity, prompting a series of warnings about the technology's environmental impact, the BBC reported last summer. Google had previously pledged to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, but the company now concedes that "as we further integrate AI into our products, reducing emissions may be challenging." By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com As countries worldwide strive to undergo a green transition, one sector that many are finding challenging to decarbonise is transport. Shifting large-scale passenger transport away from fossil fuels to be powered by electricity, batteries, or green fuels is a complex endeavour. However, thanks to higher investment and recent innovations, we are getting ever closer to achieving green transport technology, such as battery-powered trains. Several countries have invested in research and development into battery trains, some with greater success than others. In Japan, Japan Rail introduced its first fleet of battery trains between 2016 and 2019 following the conversion of 18 Dencha trains from diesel power to electric battery. These became the world's first battery trains for an AC network. The trains run on AC power from overhead power lines through a pantograph, just like a conventional train, with the AC power being converted to charge the trains battery. In non-electrified sections, the pantograph is lowered, and the train is powered by a battery. As there is no diesel car pulling the train, there is no engine noise, vibration, or exhaust emissions. Maintenance costs are also reduced. By 2021, the operators JR Kyushu and Hitachi Rail announced that they had cut carbon emissions by around 2,700 tonnes since the 2016 launch. In the U.K., several train operators are hoping to follow in Japans footsteps after seeing the success JR Kyushu and Hitachi Rail have experienced over the last nine years. In 2024, Hitachi Rail replaced the diesel engine in one of its intercity Class 802 trains with a single 700kW battery in its U.K. operations, with 70 km of the pilot journey powered wholly by battery. The initial test was a success, giving hope for a broader rollout of the technology. The chief director for Hitachi Rails U.K. and Ireland operations said, Everyone should be immensely proud of creating battery technology that had zero failures during the entire trial. Using our global expertise, Hitachi Rail has created new technology, which means the greenest mode of transport just got greener. The aim now is to develop a full intercity battery-powered train with a range of between 100 km and 150 km. Other U.K. operators are also progressing in the shift to battery-powered. The U.K. is well-suited to this transition as much of the countrys rail network already runs on overhead electric lines. However, full electrification of Britains rail could take several decades, according to the operator GWR, due to the high set-up costs. For this reason, GWR hopes to introduce more fast-charging battery trains to fill the gap. GWR recently converted a London Underground train to trial its battery technology across a five-mile return trip between West Ealing and Greenford in West London. It placed fast-charging rails are placed within existing rails in stations to charge the battery. The project showed promise for a wider rollout, and GWR saw around an 80 percent decrease in carbon emissions during operation compared to an equivalent diesel train on the same route. In the U.S., according to a 2021 study, if U.S. rail freight shifts to battery power, it could save companies around $94 billion over 20 years. One startup is hoping to launch a new battery-powered service for U.S. freight trains to support this goal. Voltify hopes to encourage U.S. freight companies to switch from diesel power to rechargeable batteries over the coming decade, using its VoltCars. These cars are essentially sodium-ion batteries on wheels that are used to pull existing train carriages. Voltifys co-founder, Daphna Langer, believes she can earn her company as much as $10 billion a year if she can convince major U.S. rail freight companies to make the switch. At present, the six largest freight railroad companies in the U.S. including Union Pacific and CSX, collectively spend over $11 billion a year on diesel, according to Voltifys estimates. This means that investing in batteries and shifting away from diesel could result in significant savings in fuel. While there are nearly 140,000 miles of freight railroad track in the U.S., little of it is electrified. Voltify is currently developing solar-powered microgrids that it hopes to use to eventually power trains across North America. Powering the whole regions network would require up to 1,400 microgrids, according to company estimates. The startup hopes to commence its pilot project with a Class 1 railroad company in early 2026 and develop commercial-scale operations a few months later. While we are still a long way from achieving widespread battery-powered passenger and freight rail travel, recent innovations and successful pilot projects show great promise. With a variety of batteries being developed, tobe powered by overhead lines or train tracks, there is significant potential for a wider deployment of the technology in the coming decades, which could save rail companies vast amounts on fuel, as well as contribute to a significant reduction in carbon emissions. By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com China's investment strategy in Brazil encompasses both renewable energy and fossil fuels, alongside a focus on strategic and critical minerals essential for the energy transition supply chain. The power sector, primarily solar and wind, attracted the largest share of Chinese investment in Brazil at 34%, while the oil industry accounted for 25% of the total. Chinese investments in Brazil more than doubled in 2024, reaching $4.18 billion across 39 projects, making Brazil the top emerging market for Chinese investments. China has boosted investments in Brazil to new highs, betting on key industries in South Americas biggest economy. Renewables, oil and gas, mining, and manufacturing took the lions share of Chinese investments in Brazil in 2024, a new report by the Brazil-China Business Council, CEBC, showed this week. As Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is pursuing closer ties with China, Chinese firms more than doubled their investments in Brazil last year, and the South American nation became the top emerging market for Chinese investments, the report said. Companies from the worlds second-largest economy invested a total of $4.18 billion in 39 projects in Brazil last year, most of them greenfield. The value of investments surged by 113% compared to 2023, while the number of projects jumped by 34% year over year. The power sector, mostly solar and wind projects, attracted the biggest share, 34%, of all Chinese investment in Brazil last year. Chinese firms invested $1.43 billion in power projects. The oil industry accounted for 25% of Chinas investments, with around $1 billion, showing that even as China is heavily invested in Brazils renewables, it also continues to bet on fossil fuel investments. It looks paradoxical, but one does not replace the other. In fact, both advance simultaneously because China still relies on fossil fuels to power its energy transition, Tulio Cariello, the councils research director and author of the report, told the South China Morning Post. The mining sector also attracted a lot of investments, with Chinese firms focused on strategic and critical minerals to better integrate the supply chain for the projects advancing the energy transition, the CEBC report said. Since 2007, Chinese firms have invested a total of $77.5 billion in 303 projects in Brazil. The power sector accounted for 45% of all investments, followed by the oil industry with a 29% share, and manufacturing with 8%. Major Chinese oil companies have stakes in Brazils prolific pre-salt offshore oil basin, which has accounted for nearly all the increase in Brazilian oil production in recent years. Moreover, Chinese firms are looking to gain exposure to critical raw materials globally, and Brazil offered opportunities in this regard. For example, China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group (CNMC) finalized at the end of 2024 a deal to buy Brazilian firm Mineracao Taboca, the countrys biggest refined tin producer, for $340 million. Tin is widely used in clean energy technology. Taboca also produces ferroalloys containing niobium and tantalum, which are used in electronics, aerospace, and green energy tech. Apart from a strategic rapprochement under Lula, Brazil and China, the biggest economies in South America and Asia, respectively, follow similar energy policy paths. Both are big in renewables: no one can beat China in scale of investment and capacity installations, while Brazil leads with a 90% share of renewable electricity, thanks to huge hydropower capacity and soaring solar and wind expansion. But both China and Brazil continue to bet on fossil fuels. China commissions dozens of gigawatts of new coal power capacity each year and has directed its state energy giants to boost domestic exploration and production of oil and gas to reduce its dependence on imports. Brazil, for its part, is boosting its oil production while it prepares to host the annual climate COP summit later this year. We are thinking of a net zero that incorporates some years continuing to use oil, Andre Correa do Lago, president-designate for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in November told the Financial Times in an interview in July. Meanwhile, Brazils state-controlled energy giant Petrobras is getting closer to obtaining an exploration permit to drill in an environmentally sensitive offshore region in the Amazon basin. Petrobras has been trying for years to obtain a license to drill in Foz do Amazonas and the wider region known as the Equatorial Margin, which the company believes has a significant oil resource potential, especially in light of recent huge discoveries in nearby regions such as Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Netflix's hit animation "KPop Demon Hunters" has become such a cultural phenomenon in Korea that it's now taking over both the skies and the snack aisles. The beloved film will be the star theme of this weekend's Hangang Drone Light Show, while food giant Nongshim is releasing limited-edition Shin Ramyun and K-snacks featuring the Huntrix heroines and Saja Boys. Thousands of Drones to Illuminate the Han River The official website of the Hangang Drone light show mentioned that a total of 1,200- 2,000 drones will soar over the Han River, lighting up the capital's sky with stunning imagery of Cheongdam Bridge, Bukchon Hanok Village, and other landmarks featured in the film. Beloved characters Rumi, Mira, and Zoey will also appear in dazzling formations, bringing the fantasy action adventure to life above Ttukseom Hangang Park in Gwangjin-gu. The event, free to the public, begins at 8 p.m. Audiences can also enjoy "KPop Demon Hunters" themed dance cover performances, pop music stages, photo zones, costumes, and face painting before and after the drone display. Crowd Guidance and Weather Precautions According to the Korea Herald, the city government urged attendees to check the official Seoul City website or Instagram for real-time updates, as weather conditions like heavy rain or strong winds may affect the schedule. For easier access, visitors are advised to use Exit No. 1 of Jayang Station (Line 7), since exits 2 and 3 may be overcrowded. The September 8 show kicks off a series of fall drone spectacles. Four additional events are scheduled fo r September 13, September 20, September 26, and October 18 , including special collaborations with Kakao Friends , one of Korea's most beloved character brands. 'KPop Demon Hunters' Powers Instant Noodle Boom In another news, Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters" is not just captivating audiences on screen - it's also moving markets. Shares of South Korea's leading instant noodle makers have surged amid hopes that the film's global fandom will boost overseas sales. Late last month, Nongshim Co., the nation's largest noodle producer, launched limited-edition Shin Ramyun, Shrimp Crackers, and a brand-new Shin Toomba Sauce, all in packaging inspired by the film's demon-slaying K-pop heroines. Fans instantly recognised the products, as Rumi, Mira, and Zoey are frequently seen snacking on instant noodles and K-snacks in the movie. That recognition translated into staggering sales: all 6,000 special-edition Shin Ramyun cups sold out in under two minutes after their domestic release. Nongshim plans to roll out the special-edition lineup, featuring not only the Huntrix heroines but also the Saja Boys and tiger mascot Derpy, to the US and other overseas markets soon, The Korea Economic Daily reported. Nongshim's success is spilling over to its rivals. Samyang Foods Co., already a global hit with its fiery Buldak noodles, saw its shares climb to an all-time high of 1,642,000 ($1,180.87) on August 28, reflecting investor optimism about further K-snack momentum tied to the Netflix hit. By Taxpayers Association of Oregon OregonWatchdog.com According to the Realtor.com article, Oregon ranks 45th out of 51 states (including the District of Columbia) in the housing affordability ranking, placing it near the bottom of the list. Connecticut, California, Hawaii, New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island ranked lower than Oregon, with the median home price in Oregon being $563,896. Realtor.com ranks states like Texas, which is 3rd in affordability, and South Carolina, ranking 1st, due to removing barriers to granting construction permits and more permissive zoning laws. Even Governor Kotek struggles to address the housing shortage in Oregon. In a Fox 12 report, the Governor aims to construct 36,000 housing units by 2025. However, current projections suggest Oregon is on track to build only 11,184 units, about 31% of the governors goal. Although the governors target may not be achieved, legislative efforts are underway to pass necessary reforms to Oregons zoning laws, including Senate Bill 974, which seeks to fast-track housing development within Oregons growth boundary, and Senate Bill 1068, which aims to create a new apprenticeship program to tackle the critical worker shortage for housing inspectors. The message is clear: Oregon must build as many homes as possible or risk losing more of its population. Cutting red tape and reforming zoning laws will be crucial to making Oregon more affordable. Help us spread the word: Contribute online at OregonWatchdog.com (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction or Political Tax Credit options to promote liberty). China's landmark trade corridor freight tops 1 mln TEUs in 2025 Xinhua) 09:37, September 06, 2025 An aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 4, 2025 shows cargo ships berthed at a container dock of Qinzhou Port in Qinzhou City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin) NANNING, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a key logistics network connecting China's western regions to global markets, had transported over 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo this year as of Thursday, marking a record high, according to China Railway Nanning Group. By Thursday, the cargo volume along the corridor this year had reached 1,001,455 TEUs, surging 72.5 percent year on year. This marks the first time the annual freight volume has exceeded the 1 million TEU mark since the corridor began operations in 2017. As an important project under the Belt and Road Initiative, the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor has continued to play a key role in boosting the socio-economic development of China's western regions and facilitated the regions' high-level opening-up. Railway operators have continued to expand the network of train services along the corridor. A total of 24 fixed train routes are currently in operation, including 14 routes connecting Beibu Gulf Port in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Zhanjiang Port in neighboring Guangdong Province to major inland hubs in western China such as Chongqing and Chengdu. A total of 4.7 million TEUs of cargo have been transported via the corridor since it opened in 2017, with the cargo volume consistently registering double-digit annual growth rates, according to official data. Goods transported through the trade corridor via intermodal rail-sea service now span electronics, vehicles and auto parts, machinery, household appliances and food. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Kou Jie) Home > 2025 > Dadabhai Naoroji at 200: The Grand Old Man Who Exposed an Empires Loot | (...) History often rewards those who speak for the voiceless,even when their words are unwelcome.On his 200th birth anniversary,Dadabhai Naoroji stands tall not merely as a nationalist icon,but as a polymath,thinker,parliamentarian,social reformer,and above all,the conscience-keeper of colonial India.If today Shashi Tharoor reminds the world that India once contributed nearly a quarter of global GDP in the 18th century, it was Naoroji who, more than 150 years earlier, laid the intellectual foundation of this argument.His Drain of Wealth Theory revealed how Britains prosperity was being built on Indias ruin.It was not merely economicsit was a manifesto of awakening for a nation yet to be politically mobilized. Born on September 4, 1825, in a modest Parsi family in Bombay, Dadabhai Naorojis early life embodied the fusion of tradition and reform.Married at the tender age of 11,he nevertheless became a pioneer of modern education and social progress.He excelled in mathematics at Elphinstone College and soon became one of its first Indian professorsa rare feat in colonial India where academic chairs were jealously guarded by Europeans. Naoroji was not just a man of letters; he was an institution builder.In 1851, he founded the Gujarati fortnightly Rast Goftar (The Truth Teller) in the aftermath of communal unrest in Bombay,to address Parsi social reform and the grievances of the middle and poor classes.The paper also became a platform for his wider reformist ideas, including womens education and religious reform, and soon emerged as one of the most widely circulated newspapers in Western India, giving Naoroji a powerful public voice. He would later help establish organizations like the Zoroastrian Fund and spearhead campaigns against casteism and social inequality. His was a reformist mind as much as a nationalist one.His ventures in London demonstrated his global outlook. He co-founded Cama & Co. and later Naoroji & Co., becoming one of the earliest Indian entrepreneurs in Britain. For him, commerce was not merely about profit; it was about building bridges, establishing credibility, and breaking stereotypes of Indian inferiority. His business pursuits gave him entry into British circles, which he would later use as platforms to articulate the Indian cause. Naorojis career was remarkably versatile.He briefly served as Dewan of Baroda, where he proved his administrative acumen. In Bombay, he was elected as a municipal councillor and later as a member of the Bombay Legislative Council.These experiences honed his understanding of governance and exposed him to the structural injustices of colonial rule. But it was in London that Naoroji made his greatest impact. Through his writings in journals like The Voice of India and The Friend of India, and his lectures such as The Wants and Means of India (1870), he educated not only Indians but also the British public about the economic exploitation of India. His meticulous use of statistics, budgets, and trade data gave his arguments an irrefutable credibility. Naorojis most enduring contribution remains his Drain of Wealth Theory.He argued that Indias poverty was not the result of laziness or cultural backwardness, as colonial propaganda suggested, but the systematic siphoning of wealth by the British. Through home charges, excessive military expenditure, and the repatriation of salaries of British officials, wealth that should have stayed in India was enriching England. His landmark book, Poverty and Un-British Rule in India (1901), crystallized these arguments. The very title was an indictment: colonialism was not just oppressive, it was un-British, violating the very ideals of fairness and justice the empire claimed to uphold. For a colonized people, this was a revolutionary assertionthat poverty was political, and that freedom was economic as much as political.Naoroji was not merely an economist; he was a political organizer. As one of the founders of the Indian National Congress in 1885 and later its second president in 1886, he provided the nascent body with intellectual credibility and moral leadership. It was Naoroji who first articulated the demand for Swarajself-rulelong before it became the battle cry of Gandhi and Tilak.His presidential addresses to the Congress were not fiery slogans but carefully reasoned appeals, balancing moderation with national pride. The fact that he was often called the Grand Old Man of India was not only because of his age but because of his fatherly guidance to the nationalist movement. Naoroji broke barriers that no Indian before him had even dared to dream of.In 1892, he was elected to the British House of Commons as the Liberal Party MP for Central Finsbury, making him the first non-European ever elected to Parliament. It was a symbolic victory for Indiaproof that an Indian voice could be heard in the very citadel of imperial power. In the House, he tirelessly raised the Indian questionon poverty, on governance, on economic injustice. His presence itself was a rebuke to colonial arrogance.While his political career in Britain was brief, its impact was profound. He gave confidence to Indians that they could match the English on their own ground.From The Voice of India to The Indian Spectator, from The Wants and Means of India to Poverty and Un-British Rule, Naorojis writings created an intellectual scaffolding for the freedom movement. They injected nationalism into the bloodstream of educated Indians, transforming passive discontent into active demand. Even British thinkers were forced to acknowledge his erudition. John Bright, William Gladstone, and other leaders of liberal politics interacted with him. His economic critique inspired a generation of Indian leadersGokhale, Ranade, and even Gandhi, who once described Naoroji as a father figure. Naorojis vision was not limited to politics and economics. He advocated womens education, campaigned against child marriage, and opposed rigid caste barriers. For him, national progress was impossible without social progress. His reformism was grounded in his Zoroastrian ethics of truth and justice, but it transcended sectarian lines. He believed in combining tradition with modernityarguing that Indians must embrace education, rationalism, and civic responsibility, while retaining their cultural identity. In this sense, he was both a nationalist and a cosmopolitan.What makes Naoroji remarkable even today is the sheer range of his pursuits. He was an academic, a businessman, a legislator, a journalist, a reformer, a parliamentarian, and a nationalist thinker. He could move from lecturing on mathematics to debating imperial finance in Westminster, from editing a vernacular newspaper to advising reformist movements. Few Indians before or after him embodied such polymathy. In an age of specialization, Naoroji reminds us of the power of being a generalistof connecting economics to politics, social reform to nationalism, and ideas to action. Two centuries after his birth, Naorojis relevance has only grown. When global discussions on reparations, colonial responsibility, and historical injustice are taking place, his Drain Theory stands vindicated. The world now recognizes, as Tharoor recently reiterated, that India once accounted for a quarter of the worlds wealth before colonial plunder. Naoroji saw it, wrote it, and fought against it when it was unfashionable to do so. For India, he remains more than a historical figure. He was the moral compass of early nationalism, the intellectual who gave a fragmented society the confidence of argument, and the reformer who insisted that freedom was not only political but social and economic.In a sense, the Indian freedom movement had three phases: the moderate awakening of Naoroji, the assertive nationalism of Tilak, and the mass mobilization of Gandhi.Without Naorojis groundwork, the latter phases would not have found their intellectual legitimacy. Naoroji@200 is not merely an occasion for nostalgia.It is a reminder of how one mans pen shook an empire, how meticulous reasoning can challenge brute power, and how a life lived with integrity can inspire generations.The Grand Old Man of India lived to the age of 91, passing away in 1917, a decade before Indias political struggle would enter its mass phase.Yet, his voice continues to echo: in the cries for justice, in the debates on economic fairness, and in the unfinished conversations about colonial responsibility.As we look back at his bicentenary, we see not just the figure of a statesman but the silhouette of a nations conscience. Dadabhai Naoroji was not merely the Father of the Drain of Wealth Theory; he was the father of Indian economic nationalism, a torchbearer of reform, and the earliest prophet of Swaraj. His legacy is not in statues or street names but in the very vocabulary of freedom that he gave India. (Author: Dr.Santhosh Mathew, Professor, Centre For South Asian Studies,, School of International Studies & Social Sciences, Pondicherry Central University, India) 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: Datasets used to train AI algorithms may underrepresent older people. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Artificial intelligence has become an integral part of many people's everyday lives. Large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot write letters and term papers for them, give tips for excursions on holiday or answer questions on every conceivable topic. The use of artificial intelligence has also long been routine at universities in many areas. To what extent can large language models support students in the natural sciences as unsupervised tutors? A research team at Julius-Maximilians-Universitat Wurzburg (JMU) has now investigated this question. The team's results are published on the arXiv preprint server. A freely accessible evaluation tool The research group from the Department of Physical Chemistry, which has so far mainly conducted research into the spectroscopy of nanomaterials, has now developed a tool that tests the thermodynamic understanding of modern LLMsin particular, whether their skills go beyond mere factual knowledge. The tool, called UTQA (Undergraduate Thermodynamics Question Answering), is freely accessible and is intended to support teachers and researchers in evaluating LLMs in a fair and subject-specific wayand to make progress measurable. "Our wish is that AI will one day be able to support us as an unsupervised partner in teachingfor example, in the form of competent chatbots that respond individually to the needs of each student in the preparation and follow-up of lectures. We're clearly not there yet, but the progress is breathtaking," says project manager Professor Tobias Hertel. "With UTQA, we show where current language models are already convincing and where they systematically failthis is exactly what lecturers need in order to be able to plan their use in teaching responsibly." Born out of teaching Hertel's team has been using LLMs in the thermodynamics lecture with over 150 students for weekly knowledge checks since the winter semester of 2023. Models such as ChatGPT-3.5 and ChatGPT-4 showed their strengths, but also clear weaknesses. This led to the desire for a subject-specific benchmark: "UTQA therefore comprises 50 challenging single-choice tasks from the basic thermodynamics lecturetwo thirds text-based, one third with diagrams and sketches, as is typical for didactic exercises," explains Hertel. The aim was not only to test factual knowledge and definitions, but also to test the language models' ability to link different boundary conditions in a targeted manner and to understand complex process sequences. Results: Solid, but not (yet) reliable enough According to Hertel, the test of the best-performing models of the year 2025 paints a clear picture: with UTQA, no model achieved the success rate of 95% required by the research group for unsupervised assistance as an AI tutor. Even the leading GPT-o3 model in many benchmarks only achieved 82% overall accuracy. "Two weaknesses were noticeable: Firstly, the models consistently had difficulties with so-called irreversible processes, where the speed of the state change influences the outcome. Secondly, there were clear deficits in tasks that required image interpretation," says the scientist. A historical review shows that this is not surprising. Around 100 years ago, the French physicist Pierre Duhem already described the phenomenon of reversibility as one of the most difficult phenomena in thermodynamics. The fact that LLMs have problems interpreting diagrams is also not surprising, as the perception and processing of visual content is one of the outstanding cognitive strengths of humans. 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. Not good enough for unsupervised use yet "In practice, this means that LLMs can already be very useful in teaching with or without supervisionbut not yet enough to be used as unsupervised tutors," says Hertel. "At the same time, we have seen enormous progress in the last two years. We are therefore confident thatprovided development does not suddenly come to a standstillthe expertise required for teaching assistants in our discipline can soon be achieved." Hertel is particularly pleased that two student teachers were significantly involved in the research project, contributing their specialized didactic perspectives. Luca-Sophie Bien created an initial German version of many of the tasks; Anna Geiler translated and expanded the collection for international use. Why thermodynamics? According to Hertel, thermodynamics is ideal for testing the models' understanding and reasoning ability. "It is fundamental to our understanding of nature, has compact basic laws, but in application requires a precise distinction between state and process variables, heat or work, and reversible or irreversible processes. This is precisely where reasoning ability is separated from mere memorization," says the physical chemist. As a next step, the team is now planning to expand the tool to include real gases, mixtures, phase diagrams and standard cycles. The aim is to cover further concepts that are central to teaching. "The better models can handle multimodal binding, i.e. the combination of text and images, as well as irreversible regimes, the closer we get to reliable, subject-sensitive AI tutorials," says Hertel. More information: Anna Geiler et al, From Canonical to Complex: Benchmarking LLM Capabilities in Undergraduate Thermodynamics, arXiv (2025). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2508.21452 Journal information: arXiv 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: Geographic location and date of the Nuwayrat individual in context. Credit: Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09195-5 A group of scientists has sequenced the genome of a man who was buried in Egypt around 4,500 years ago. The study offers rare insight into the genetic ancestry of early Egyptians and reveals links to both ancient North Africa and Mesopotamia, which includes modern day Iraq and parts of Syria, Turkey and Iran. Egypt's heat and terrain made it difficult for such studies to be conducted but lead researcher Adeline Morez Jacobs and team made a breakthrough. We spoke to her about the challenges of sequencing ancient remains, the scientific advances that made this discovery possible, and why this genome could reshape how we understand Egypt's early dynastic history. What is genome sequencing? How does it work in your world? Genome sequencing is the process of reading an organism's entire genetic code. In humans, that's about 3 billion chemical "letters" (A, C, T and G). The technology was first developed in the late 1970s, and by 2003 scientists had completed the first full human genome. But applying it to ancient remains came much later and has been far more difficult. DNA breaks down over time. Heat, humidity and chemical reactions damage it, and ancient bones and teeth are filled with DNA from soil microbes rather than from the individual we want to study. In early attempts during the 1980s, scientists hoped mummified remains might still hold usable DNA. But the available sequencing methods weren't suited to the tiny, fragmented molecules left after centuries or millennia. To sequence DNA, scientists first need to make lots of copies of it, so there's enough to read. Originally, this meant putting DNA into bacteria and waiting for the colonies to grow. It took days, demanded careful upkeep and yielded inconsistent results. Two breakthroughs changed this. In the early 1990s, PCR (polymerase chain reaction) allowed millions of DNA copies to be made in hours, and by the mid-2000s, new sequencing machines could read thousands of fragments in parallel. These advances not only sped up the process but also made it more reliable, enabling even highly degraded DNA to be sequenced. Since then, researchers have reconstructed the genomes of extinct human relatives like Neanderthals, and more than 10,000 ancient people who lived over the past 45,000 years. But the work is still challengingsuccess rates are low for very old remains, and tropical climates destroy DNA quickly. 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. What's exceptional about the sequencing you did on these remains? What made our study unusual is that we were able to sequence a surprisingly well-preserved genome from a region where ancient DNA rarely survives. When we analyzed the sample, we found that about 4%5% of all DNA fragments came from the person himself (the rest came from bacteria and other organisms that colonized the remains after burial). The quantity of DNA of interest (here, human) is usually between 40% and 90% when working with living organisms. That 4%5% might sound tiny, but in this part of the world, it's a relatively high proportion, and enough to recover meaningful genetic information. We think the individual's unusual burial may have helped. He was placed inside a ceramic vessel within a rock-cut tomb, which could have shielded him from heat, moisture and other damaging elements for thousands of years. To make the most of this rare preservation, we filtered out the very shortest fragments, which are too damaged to be useful. The sequencing machines could then focus on higher-quality pieces. Thanks to advanced facilities at the Francis Crick Institute, we were able to read the DNA over and over, generating about eight billion sequences in total. This gave us enough data to reconstruct the genome of what we call the Nuwayrat individual, making him the oldest genome from Egypt to date. Does this open new frontiers? We did not develop entirely new techniques for this study but we combined some of the most effective methods currently available into a single optimized pipeline. This is what paleogeneticists (scientists who study the DNA of ancient organisms) often do: we adapt and refine existing methods to push the limits of what can be recovered from fragile remains. That's why this result matters. It shows that, with the right combination of methods, we can sometimes retrieve genomes even from places where DNA usually doesn't survive well, like Egypt. Egypt is also a treasure trove for archaeology, with remains that could answer major questions about human history, migration and cultural change. Our success suggests that other ancient Egyptian remains might still hold genetic secrets, opening the door to discoveries we couldn't have imagined just a decade ago. What was your biggest takeaway from the sequencing? The most exciting result was uncovering this man's genetic ancestry. By comparing his DNA to ancient genomes from Africa, western Asia and Europe, we found that about 80% of his ancestry was shared with earlier North African populations, suggesting shared roots within the earlier local population. The remaining 20% was more similar to groups from the eastern Fertile Crescent, particularly Neolithic Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq). This might sound expected, but until now we had no direct genetic data from an Old Kingdom (26862125 BCE) Egyptian individual. The results support earlier studies of skeletal features from this period, which suggested close links to predynastic populations, but the genome gives a far more precise and conclusive picture. This genetic profile fits with archaeological evidence of long-standing connections between Egypt and the eastern Fertile Crescent, dating back at least 10,000 years with the spread of farming, domesticated animals and new crops into Egypt. Both regions also developed some of the world's first writing systems, hieroglyphs in Egypt and cuneiform in Mesopotamia. Our finding adds genetic evidence to the picture, suggesting that along with goods and ideas, people themselves were moving between these regions. Of course, one person can't represent the full diversity of the ancient Egyptian society, which was likely complex and cosmopolitan, but this successful sequencing opens the door for future studies, building a richer and more nuanced picture of the people who lived there over thousands of years. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Aggravated murder charges laid in brutal beating and suffocation of Cancun man Cancun, Q.R. A suspect in the brutal beating and suffocation of a Cancun man has been charged with aggravated homicide. On Saturday, the State Attorney General (FGE) reported on the official charges laid against Johan Ricardo N. According to their statement, Johan Ricardo N, alias El Ruso, remains under investigation for events that occurred on December 28, 2024, the date on which, together with Victor Ulises N and Arath Armando N, they went to a property in the Avante neighborhood of Cancun where the victim was located. Upon arriving at the scene, the three individuals repeatedly beat the victim then suffocated him, killing him. They then wrapped the body in sheets and abandoned it in a cenote. Investigations by police officers assigned to the FGE indicate that the motive for the murder was related to drug dealing. Those involved are part of a violent criminal group dedicated to drug dealing, they said. A judge has ordered Johan Ricardo N to remain in custody for the duration of his trial. In their statement, police added Victor Ulises N and Arath Armando N, who have arrest warrants related to this murder, are also currently facing charges for another Cancun murder. Victor Ulises N and Arath Armando N are currently facing charges of homicide against a minor which occurred in the Valle Verde neighborhood, where they went with the intention of killing a subject who then used the victim as a human shield. American tourist suffers bites photographing lunging crocodile in Cancun Hotel Zone Cancun, Q.R. An American tourist was transferred to a Cancun hospital Friday after being attacked by a crocodile. The incident happened shortly after noon on a section of the Cancun Hotel Zone lagoon. Paramedics were requested at Kilometer 11 of Boulevard Kukulcan for a man who was taking photos of the reptile when, according to him, it suddenly lunged. Tourist Police were first on scene Friday afternoon where they found the injured man laying on the lagoon shore. The man, identified as 31-year-old Mark C from Texas, told authorities he was photographing the crocodile when it lunged at him. The sudden lunge and weight of the large reptile left him on his back and with several marks. He was treated at the scene by paramedics before being transferred by ambulance to Quirurgica del Sur Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities have since reported that he has been treated and is in good health. Cancuns Laguna Nichupte is a known home to hundreds of American crocodiles who are commonly seen in local mangrove swamps. The city has numerous signs around the lagoon warning people of the danger of the crocodiles. Letters to the Editor: Why does it take two hours to unload luggage at Cancun airport? As a United States tourist traveling at least once a month to Mexico. I see so many articles related to immigration issues but the largest issue with the Cancun airport is the luggage in Terminal 4. We have never, in 12 years, spent more than 30 minutes navigating immigration only to spend 1 hour or more waiting on luggage. The issue is NOT immigration but luggage processing. I do not understand why it can take up to 2 hours or more for our luggage to be taken off the plane to arrive at the luggage carousel. I think there should be questions and articles written on this larger issue rather than the lesser of the two issues. Why does it take 2 hours to unload an airplanes luggage? That is the more pertinent issue/article. Bill Thomas, USA Royal Caribbeans Star of the Seas docks Cozumel for first time Cozumel, Q.R. The majestic Bahamas-flagged cruise ship Star of the Seas arrived for the first time at Cozumel. The 364-meter long ship docked at the SSA Mexico Terminal. A total of 8,431 passengers and crew were on board the arriving ship Friday. Governor Mara Lezama said under her leadership, Quintana Roo is consolidating its position as a world-class destination that attracts investment and strengthens the local economy. Representing the governor, the general director of the Quintana Roo Comprehensive Port Authority (APIQROO), Vagner Elbiorn Vega, officially welcomed the cruise ship. He welcomed Captain Robert Hempstead and executives of the Royal Caribbean company, along with the Mayor of Cozumel, Jose Luis Chacon, and the Undersecretary of Tourism Pablo Casas. During their Friday meeting, a plaque exchange ceremony that reaffirmed the importance of these arrivals for the economic and social development of the entity. The arrival of the Star of the Seas confirms the companys confidence in Quintana Roo as a safe, competitive, and world-class destination. Thanks to the support of our Governor Mara Lezama, these cruises not only strengthen tourism but also generate direct well-being for Quintana Roo families, reflecting her governments commitment to the prosperity and development of all, said Elbiorn Vega. Sign up for the Surge, the newsletter that covers most important political nonsense of the week, delivered to your inbox every Saturday. Welcome to this weeks edition of the Surge, Slates politics newsletter that cant recommend the hottest new trend enough: Putting your head in the sand for a few months. If you dont see the news, then it doesnt happen. In any event, does anyone know why these troops keep patrolling the Surges street? Wed like to thank Ben Mathis-Lilley for covering over the past few months while your regular author did his part to arrest the global birthrate crisis. Ben said nice things about us last week, so hell get a good bunk when he returns to the Surges work camp. Once again, there was news this week. Congress returned from recess to continue fighting about Jeffrey Epstein. Eric Adams and the Trump team are considering another magnificently corrupt collaboration. And House Republicans suddenly dont know anything about any One Big Beautiful Bill, never heard of it. Lets begin, though, with a Cabinet official who may be reaching the limit of Trumps and Republicans political patience. 1. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Finally, a little pushback. Late last week, the Health and Human Services secretary fired the recently confirmed director of the Centers for Disease Control for refusing to go along with his vaccine plans (fewer vaccines), and a slew of other senior CDC personnel quit because theyd had enough. Unlike most news, this was not immediately forgotten over a long weekend, and Kennedy was torn apart in a Senate hearing this week. The Surge has already written about ever-conflicted Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidys harsh questioning of Kennedy. Whats most important, though, is that Cassidy wasnt the only Republican letting his frustration fly this time. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis also pressed Kennedy and, most surprisingly, so did Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the Republican whip who rarely strays from the party line. Even Trump himself, asked later that night about whether he had full confidence in what Kennedy is doing, merely responded that Kennedy means very well. Advertisement We dont want to make predictions or anything. But this doesnt feel like every other situation in which the Trump administration can do whatever it wants and get away with it. Vaccines are popular, including among Republicans. If people want the COVID vaccine and find that they have a hard time getting it, that criticism wont be easy to contain. And, going forward, if parents find out that they would have to pay out of pocket to vaccinate their children, that criticism really wont be easy to contain. Another thing that wont be easy to contain: measles. The marriage between Trump and RFK Jr. was transactional, a deal to clear Kennedy out of the presidential race. And Trump rarely has a problem ending relationships that arent working out for him anymore. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 2. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna Interest in the Epstein files survives August recess. Amid bipartisan concern over the administration continuing to conceal Epstein files it had once promised to release in their entirety, Trump and GOP leaders had a plan: Hope that people would forget about it during August. But that notion was quickly dispelled on Wednesday morning, the first morning that Congress was back in session, when Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference with Epstein abuse survivors insisting on the full release. Advertisement Khanna and Massie have introduced a bill requiring the administration to make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all files relating to the Epstein investigation. Now, theyre trying to force a vote on it by collecting 218 signatures through a discharge petition. As of this writing, that petition has 215 signaturesincluding four Republicansand would be on track to hit 218 after special elections over the next month. But Republicans can also remove their names from the petition, and GOP leaders will apply serious pressure if and when they need to. The White House has said that it would view signing the petition as a very hostile act. In other words, weve not yet reached the crescendo of this story, which is a real bummer for the politicians inconvenienced by it. 3. Eric Adams Good flight deals from the Trump administration. Most Republicans are ecstatic that a commie might be the next mayor of New York City. It would give Fox News years worth of material to cover, instead of the news. Trump, however, is not in this camp. Even though hes a proud Floridian now, he has too much New-York-rich-guy DNA to stomach this, and too many remaining New-York-rich-guy friends bugging him to stop the commie from taking over. This week, we learned that Trump advisers have discussed possibly giving two of Zohran Mamdanis challengershilarious current Mayor Eric Adams and Republican cat maniac Curtis Sliwajobs in the administration to clear the field for a one-on-one race between Mamdani and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For Adams, this played out as usual. He denied anything was going on, and then a day later it was revealed that he had just been in South Florida meeting with Steve Witkoff, the Trump administration utility player who handles everything from tinkering in mayoral races to negotiating with Vladimir Putin to decide the fate of Europe. Adams reiterated Friday that hes not quitting the race, but we wouldnt be surprised if something comes together. Has the cosmos ever pointed more directly to anything than Eric Adams becoming the second Trump administrations ambassador to Saudi Arabia? As for the mayoral race, its been interesting watching the Democratic establishment and the Trump White House take the same approach to stopping Mamdanis candidacy: By betting it all on the widely loathed, visibly miserable Andrew Cuomo. Maybe itll work this time? 4. Muriel Bowser Could be worse. Earlier this week, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed an executive order establishing the Safe and Beautiful Emergency Operations Center (SBEOC) that would serve as the center for continued coordination between the D.C government and the feds once Trumps 30-day crime emergency expires. Trumps takeover of D.C law enforcement was exceptionally unpopular among city residents, and Bowsers cooperative posture has earned her plenty of pushback. Advertisement She wont get it from the Surge. D.C. is federal turf, not a state, and it has no leverage. Perhaps something should be done about that, but for now, D.C. has to grind through to the end of Trumps term with Home Rule still intact. Bowsers order offering continued cooperation with certain federal law enforcementbut importantly, not ICE, the agency that has most terrorized the city since Trumps emergency declaration federalizing D.C. law enforcement last monthreads like a deal with the White House not to declare a new 30-day emergency. It has also satisfied Congress, which doesnt plan to vote to extend the current emergency. The emergency now is on a path to ending Sept. 10. In other words, Bowser is on the cusp of securing an exit from the takeover, something we are not sure wouldve been the case had she chosen the path of Resistance herodom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 5. Tony Fabrizio What if we hadnt given our signature legislation a dumb name? Why was the One Big Beautiful Bill Act named that, anyway? The genesis came at the beginning of the year, when congressional Republicans were torn between jamming their legislative agenda into one reconciliation bill or splitting it across two. Trump resolved the dispute in February by saying he preferred ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL. With the package encompassing such a vast array of policy, the shorthand stuck, all the way to the point that Trump and legislators thought it would be fun to make that the official name of the act. Well, whos having fun now? Not Republicans trying to sell an unpopular bill that Democrats have spent the summer hammering in paid media across the country. So this week, House Republicans gathered to hear a presentation from Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio that the OBBB was due for a rebrand, and that they should all now refer to it as the Working Families Tax Cut. Only Republican leaders dont like the term rebrand, as that would be an admission that the original branding was a major tactical screwup. They think of the WFTC more like a second name, with Speaker Mike Johnson saying that the OBBBA has also become known as the Working Families Tax Cut Act, because thats what it principally represents. In the opinion of the Working Families & War Surge, its been a big week for secondary titles all around. Advertisement 6. Jerry Nadler Out with the old, in with the older? More and more elected Democrats (not all!) are coming to terms with the fact that their primary voters, following the nightmare of the 2024 election, want the old people to go away. This week, one of the titans of the House Democratic old guard, 78-year-old New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, announced that he wouldnt run for reelection. Nadler has been sluggish, lets say for years. But prior to the Biden debacle, someone like Nadler would have tried to serve until he was 104. Things have changed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Time for some fresh blood, with the opportunity to take over a prime piece of congressional real estate smack in the heart of Manhattan. Which young go-getter is going to take command? Well, were afraid theres an opportunity for the funniest possible thing to happen. Former Upper East Side Rep. Carolyn Maloney, 79, whom Nadler beat in a member-on-member primary in 2022, says, Im going to keep my options open and my eyes open, and that people have been calling me, from Washington, electeds and constituents, and others, urging me to run. The new era begins now. Advertisement 7. Joni Ernst Well, all Senate careers are going to die. In continuing retirement news: The two-term Iowa senator also made it official this week that she wouldnt run in 2026. She said that she wanted to spend more time with her family, but she didnt specify which lobbying firm she meant. Theres been some talk about if she was in real troubleeither from the right, for daring (briefly) to question whether a weekend Fox News morning host whose top management skill was day-drinking should run the Defense Department, or from Democrats, for her infamous Well, were all going to die line when challenged on Medicaid cuts. Eh. Incumbents have a way of figuring it out. Instead, this seems like a straightforward decision of a senator seeing the light and recognizing that serving in the Senate sucks. You fly in to stinky D.C. for a few days a week and do what Trump tells you to do. Then you go home and people yell at you because of something they say ChatGPT told them, even though ChatGPT told them no such thing. Its a bum gig, reader. Or its OK? We dont know. All eyes will be on Batavia Downs on Saturday, Sept. 6 as the track hosts the $2.4 million USD New York Sire Stakes Night of Champions, which is the richest card of racing scheduled to take place that night. Eight races valued at $300,000 USD each will go to post and feature some of the top first and second-year performers in North America that were bred in the Empire State. Here is a preview of the stellar resumes of each divisional leader. Two-year-old trotting filly - Sharp Seven (Chapter Seven-Lookin Sharp) - Jeff Gregory driving for trainer George Ducharme Sharp Seven comes in first or second in five of her seven lifetime starts that includes three wins, two of which were in her last two outings. She is tied as the third richest two-year-old trotting filly in North America ($283,792) and also tied as the fourth richest two-year-old trotter overall regardless of gender. Sharp Seven is the substantial leader in points and earnings in NYSS action for this group and has the fastest win time (1:55) of anyone in the field. Two-year-old trotting colt - Titans Mischief (E L Titan-Morosita Bi) - Matt Kakaley up for trainer Bruce Clarke Titans Mischief has been the picture of consistency this year, winning three races and finishing second four more times in his seven starts. He is the second richest ($273,406) two-year-old trotting colt in North America and fifth richest two-year-old trotter overall regardless of gender. Titans Mischief tops his NYSS division for points and earnings and also posts the fastest win time (1:55.2) of any of his competitors tonight. Two-year-old pacing filly - Liberty Style (American Ideal-Fly In Style) - Jason Bartlett at the controls for trainer Andrew Stafford Liberty Style has four wins in seven starts this year including three gate-to-wire victories in her last four starts. She is the fourth richest ($199,885) two-year-old pacing filly in North America and ninth richest two-year-old pacing filly overall regardless of gender. Liberty Style narrowly tops her division in points and earnings but has the fastest win time (1:52.1) by a good margin coming in. Two-year-old pacing colt - Fragment (Huntsville-The Show Returns) - Jason Bartlett at the lines for trainer Per Engblom In a division that is almost a dead heat, Fragment has had an outstanding year and boasts five wins in seven starts with one second in his seven starts. Those wins have him placed as the second richest ($292,776) two-year-old pacer overall regardless of gender in North America. Fragment sits first by a small margin in NYSS points and earnings and his mark (1:52) is just one-fifth of a second faster than his competition here. Three-year-old trotting filly - My Debt Collecter (Chapter Seven-Magic Presto) Tyler Buter to drive for trainer Nifty Norman My Debt Collecter set the Batavia Downs track record (1:56.4) for two-year-old trotting fillies last year in NYSS action during her very successful freshman season. This year she has come back even better, as she has not missed the board in her 12 starts while posting seven wins, three seconds and two thirds and banking $474,663. That total makes her a stand out in North America as the second richest three-year-old trotting filly (behind only Hambo Oaks winner Conversano), fifth richest three-year-old trotter overall and eighth richest trotter regardless of age. She has also lowered her lifetime mark to 1:54.3 along the way. As the big leader among this NYSS group, My Debt Collecter has 312 points and $284,135 USD in earnings, which are both the most accumulated by any NYSS competitor this year. Three-year-old trotting colt - Variegated (Chapter Seven-White Cheetah) - Jason Bartlett up for trainer Marcus Melander Variegated, who was the NYSS Champion at two, is a four-time winner this year in nine starts with two second place finishes as well, and those placements have earned him $354,102 in purses. That makes him the fifth richest three-year-old trotting colt in North America and eighth richest three-year-old trotter overall regardless of gender. Variegated has only raced in three of the seven NYSS preliminary legs due to Grand Circuit commitments that included an elimination of the Hambletonian. However he is still the points leader but sits second for earnings closely behind Seven Layer, who raced in all seven legs leading up to this final. Three-year-old pacing filly - The Last Martini (Huntsville-Martinique) - Jason Bartlett above the wheels for trainer Jared Bako The Last Martini is another two-year-old NYSS Champion looking to repeat and has the ability to do it. She has four wins, three seconds and one third in her 10 starts and comes into this race after being narrowly-beaten by only one-quarter length by Unreasonable in 1:50.2 in the Empire Breeders Classic. Her $392,715 earnings slotted as the second richest three-year-old pacing filly (behind only Miki And Minnie) in North America and eighth richest three-year-old pacer overall regardless of gender. The Last Martini is also the points and earnings leader in her NYSS division. Three-year-old pacing colt - Dandy Ideal (American Ideal-OK Heavenly) - Jason Bartlett listed for trainer Hunter Oakes Dandy Ideals year has been nothing less than spectacular. He comes into this final on a six-race winning streak that includes stake victories in the Empire Breeders Classic and the Hempt, and a sizzling 1:48.2 win at Mohegan Sun Pocono in an overnight event at the beginning of this streak. He is nine of 11 on the board with earnings of $646,350 which makes him the fourth richest three-year-old pacing male in North America, and fifth richest pacer overall regardless of age or gender. And his 1:48.2 mark also has him tied as the fourth fastest three-year-old pacer overall regardless of gender. Dandy Ideal narrowly leads his NYSS division in points and earnings as a result of his only four series starts. The New York Sire Stake final events are programmed as race two, three, five, six, eight, nine, 10 and 11. Batavia Downs has also announced that there will be two guaranteed pools on Saturday that involve six of the eight finals. Both Pick-4 wagers will be guaranteed at $7,500. The first is race three, four, five and six, which includes three NYSS finals, and the second is in race seven, eight, nine and 10, which also include three NYSS finals. These guarantees are made in conjunction with the United States Trotting Associations Strategic Wagering Program and as such, free full past performance program pages will be free to download at ustrotting.com under the Handicapping tab. Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at the Batavia Downs website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the Live Racing tab, with free live streaming available on Batavia Downs' YouTube page. (Batavia) Excitement filled the air on Friday, Sept. 5 at Grand River Raceway as one lucky Standardbred Canada Junior Member made the memorable walk into the winners circle this time not just as a fan, but as a new racehorse owner. The Win a Share of a Racehorse contest brought nine Junior Members together for an experience they wont forget. Each finalist was paired with a driver in the second race of the evening after randomly selecting a number from one through nine. When the starting gate released the field, all eyes were on the track. At the wire, it was Eurobank Hanover and driver Samuel Fillion who crossed first, securing the victory for nine-year-old Junior Member Phoenix Henriques. The grand prize includes a $2,000 ownership share in Landmark 19 Stable, giving the winning Junior Member a unique opportunity to experience the sport from the inside. Along with shared ownership of a Standardbred yearling, the prize provides stable visits, race day privileges and regular updates on their horses progress. I felt excited, and happy, and a little nervous," said Henriques. "I look forward to racing and becoming a driver. Were going to celebrate on my drive home, back to Stoney Creek, with an ice cream. The contest is just the start of whats ahead for Junior Members. On Saturday, Sept. 13, members will take part in a guided tour of Winbak Farm of Canada, learning firsthand about the breeding foundation of the sport and meeting the stars of tomorrow. On Saturday, Sept. 27, theyll visit First Line Training Centre, where racehorses hone their skills before stepping onto the track. These hands-on experiences, combined with the contest, offer Junior Members a true inside look at the sport from yearlings to the track, and ultimately, the winners circle. Standardbred Canada extends its thanks to all Junior Members who signed up at the Canadian National Exhibition and participated in this years contest. Each one plays a crucial role in the future of harness racing, and the organization looks forward to helping them learn, grow and remain connected to the industry. To learn more about Standardbred Canadas Junior Membership, visit this link. (Standardbred Canada Press Release; photo left to right: Nelson, Phoenix, Jenn and Xavier Henriques) In this week's edition of Rewind, Robert Smith takes a look back at some of the personalities and events from the decade of the 1930s in the ongoing monthly feature Years Ago. This time period is getting close to 100 years ago. Despite the passage of time, the world of harness racing had a lot going on back then. 1935 - Grand Circuit Visits Thorncliffe Park in Toronto An item from the January 1936 Hoof Beats magazine read: "A stirring scene in the fast trot at Toronto (Thorncliffe Raceway). Vansandt at the pole with Mary Reynolds at his side; Kashmary trailing and Angel Child on the outside. The second-over horse at the lead was driven by Sep Palin, the man who drove Greyhound." Two weeks of first-class racing were held at the Thorncliffe Track, concluding on July 26. Virtually all of the top Grand Circuit performers from the large U.S. stables were in competition throughout the meeting. Many arrived and left by railcar. This was quite an accomplishment at the time to have Grand Circuit racing in Canada. The stables of such top trainers as Vic Fleming, Tom Berry, Sep Palin, Doc Parshall, and many others showcased their top performers in all of the G.C. events. A number of Canadian horsemen were active as well, with names such as Cliff Chapman, Harold Wellwood, Billy Lawson, Harold Currie, and Cy Feathers appearing in the summaries. The two-year-old filly Rosalind made headlines by taking three wins in four starts. 1936 - Strathroy Race Day a Huge Success A view of the Strathroy grandstand shows a large crowd on hand for the annual Dominion Day Picnic (Photo courtesy of D.B. Weldon Library University of Western Ontario, London). July 1, 1936 A large crowd that arrived well before the first-race post time filled every square inch of the Strathroy Fairgrounds as part of the Dominion Day celebrations. The annual Picnic, as it was called, was first held at this site in 1919 and the tradition had continued each year since. The long race day featured four races, each going three heats. The purse for each race was $400, somewhat higher than many other local meetings. The popular three-year-old race had dual winners with Larry Grattan taking two heats after finishing second in the opener. Gordon Knights of Blenheim was the owner. The other winner was Dillinger Grattan, owned and driven by Lindley Fraser of Forest, Ont. Race organizer Harold Currie and his son Len were the only three-heat winners of the day, as he scored a triple behind his good mare Trixie G. Her fastest score was timed in 2:11 in a field of six starters. The days quickest mile was 2:09 1/2, turned in by Grattan Axworthy, owned by Walter Booth of Delhi, Ont. This rather famous racing spot continued to hold top-class races each year until 1964 when the long-standing tradition was discontinued. Crowds numbering in the several thousands attended most years. 1937 - Unique Event Happens at Tillsonburg Race Day The photo shown below graced the Aug. 9, 1937 issue of the Canadian Sportsman. In those long-ago days it was somewhat of a rarity to have pictures included. The appearance of three generations of the same family in the same race was believed to be the only time it had occurred in history up to that point. On August 2, 1937, three members of the then well-known Tolhurst family competed on the same program at the Tillsonburg, Ont. Fairgrounds. It was familiar territory for the family as they had all driven there many times and were well known in the community as residents of nearby Dereham Township. The elder Tolhurst was Lovell D. (Love for short), who was in his 80th year. His son Fred, who listed Hamilton as home, was 47. Rounding out the trio was Lorne Tolhurst, the son of Fred and grandson of Lovell. He was a mere lad of 24 at the time. Lorne went on to enjoy a very lengthy and successful career as a trainer and driver on the highly competitive U.S. circuit, particularly at the New York State tracks. He later returned to Canada. 1939 - New Track Record at Northam, P.E.I. Track A view of the Northam track where many outstanding race days were held beginning in 1931. July 26, 1939 A crowd of about 1,800 fans witnessed an afternoon of top-class racing at the beautiful Northam track. The highlight of the meeting was the performance of Barney Hanover, which saw him win in a new track-record time of 2:08 flat. Owned by C.M. Alexander of Saint John and driven to perfection by Tyndall Semple, veteran Kensington reinsman, Barney Hanover delighted many of the paying customers. His win rewarded backers to the tune of $17.00 on a two-dollar wager. His three-heat win was compared by a writer covering the races as being reminiscent of some past greats of the region such as Tollgate and Marjorie M., who had thrilled fans in days gone by. During the afternoon, an announcement was made that most of the contestants in this days program would be in action the following week at Montague. The newspaper ads leading up to race day stated that once the days races were completed, attendees were welcome to stay and join in some dancing. The facilities apparently had a rather large dance floor, able to accommodate quite a crowd. Courtesy of The Charlottetown Guardian archives The Northam track was a beautiful spot, first opened in 1931. It was built by two enterprising gentlemen who had made a considerable amount of money as fox ranchers. Edgar Milligan and George Morrison invested in the plant, which pioneered night-time racing in the area. Unfortunately, both gentlemen died in an automobile crash shortly after, thus missing out on much of the tracks glory years. Quote For The Week In order to be old and wise, you must first be young and stupid. Unknown Who Is It? Can you identify this gentleman who had a distinguished career racing throughout the Maritime tracks in days gone by? A fellow horseman claimed that this fellow knew more about horse racing in his sleep than many others knew while wide awake and driving down the track. He won twenty-five hundred races during his careerand those are only the ones that were recorded. (Copied from his bio) Where Was It? INSTANT CASH Can you identify where this photo was taken? Back in the day when bettors ran out of cash they either relied on a friend for a quick ten or headed for home. By the time this was taken, people could tap into their bank account and keep on losing or maybe get lucky! (The correct answers will be posted here by Robert as a comment in a few days.) Blast From The Past During the Depression, fuel prices became so hard to keep up with that many people, particularly those in the deep U.S. South, were forced to modify their cars and trucks, sometimes completely cutting out the front end of the vehicle and hooking horses and mules to them. These became known as Hoover Carts, after the President who was blamed for the economic downfall. Yo Tillie dug in through the stretch and overtook a game Champagne Problems in the final strides to extend her winning streak to 11 by capturing the $342,466 New Jersey Classic for three-year-old female trotters by a neck in 1:50.2 at The Meadowlands. The winning time was a career best for Yo Tillie, who is eight-for-eight this season for trainer Andrew Harris after finishing her two-year-old campaign with three consecutive victories for then owner/trainer/driver Verlin Yoder. I think she would exceed almost anybodys expectations, said Harris, who joined with New Jersey's Bill Pollock and Bruce Areman to buy Yo Tillie in mid-November. You dont ever expect a filly to go out there and do what shes doing. She just does it, she just wants to win. When you get about 10 feet from the wire, shes trying to put her nose out in front. Thats all class. You cant teach that, you just have it, or you dont. Yo Tillie and driver Todd McCarthy found themselves in third as Walspea, with Yannick Gingras in the sulky, led to the opening quarter in :26.3 while keeping Champagne Problems and driver Dexter Dunn a parked-out second until past that marker. Champagne Problems got the lead on her way to the half in :55.3, then faced a first-over challenge from Yo Tillie as they raced to three-quarters in 1:23.3. Champagne Problems and Yo Tillie matched strides for much of the stretch drive, with Yo Tillies race-best :26.3 last quarter proving decisive at the wire. Walspea finished third and Hambletonian Oaks champion Conversano, with Andy McCarthy driving, was fourth. I know all these horses are getting better, and every horse is good right now, said Harris. I respect every horse. The second you dont respect one of them, theyre going to come up and beat you. Theyre all super athletes. That was the fastest mile of [Yo Tillies] life, so shes not running out of steam, horses are getting better. Kudos to [trainer] Nancy Takter. Shes got Champagne Problems 10 times better than what she was and she was really impressive tonight. Its just kudos to the competition shes racing and I think it says more about Yo Tillie that shes actually beating these guys when these guys are all trotting in [1]:50. Yo Tillie has won 16 of 20 career races and increased her earnings over the million-dollar mark. The daughter of Tactical Landing-Consolidator was the No. 3-ranked horse in North America in this weeks Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll. Its unbelievable, said co-owner Pollock. This is what everybody dreams of, having a horse that wins pretty much week after week. Yo Tillie paid $2.20 as the 1-9 favourite. Earlier on the card, Lipstick and driver David Miller surprised at odds of 44-1 in the $342,466 New Jersey Classic for two-year-old female trotters. Lipstick, leaving from post two, was first to the quarter by a nose in :28. Days Away and driver Jason Bartlett were on top to the :57.3 half before New Jersey Sire Stakes champion Emmas Mystery CCL and Andy McCarthy led the field to three-quarters in 1:25.3. Lipstick was fourth on the pylons at the top of the stretch but found room to the outside and came home in :27.4 to win by a head over Southwind Chaska and Tim Tetrick in 1:54. Days Away finished third and Emmas Mystery CCL was fourth. Lipstick earned her first victory in seven starts after four previous top-three finishes. I raced her a couple starts back and she was real handy about getting out of there, said Miller. When the one [Days Away] wasnt right up on the gate, I went around and got around her. Its just kind of how the race unfolded. Jason retook and then Andy went to the lead. I was still pretty happy with my spot and at the head of the stretch I was able to slide over and as soon as I got her plugs out she took right off. She felt really strong at that point. I thought if I could get out that she would give them a good run and she sure did. It worked out for us. Trained by Anette Lorentzon, Lipstick is owned by Anvil And Lace Farm and Girlz Just Wanna Have Fun. The daughter of Tactical Landing-Non Stick, who was a $21,622 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase, boosted her bankroll to $232,879. Lipstick returned $91.60 to win. Apex took full advantage of a pocket trip behind rival Diabolic Hill before making a mid-stretch move en route to a dominant 1:52.2 score in the $342,466 New Jersey Classic for two-year-old male trotters. Dexter Dunn kept Apex out of trouble on the first turn as both Maga Hill (Yannick Gingras) and Practical Man (Todd McCarthy) broke stride in pursuit of the early lead. Captain Jordan (Tim Tetrick) inherited that lead from the pole nearing the completion of a :29 first quarter before yielding to Apex, who in turn yielded control to Diabolic Hill (Andy McCarthy) upon reaching the backstretch. "We had enough room on the first turn when they both made the breaks to handle it," said Dunn of Apex, who had floated just behind the front flight in the race's initial stages. "To the horse's credit, he handled it like a professional." After ceding the lead to Diabolic Hill, who was unopposed for the entire middle half, Apex drafted through splits of :56.4 and 1:25.2 before angling off the pegs turning for home. And while McCarthy had to ask Diabolic Hill for his best stretch effort, Apex's mind was already on business, and the Walner-Mission Brief colt rolled to the lead with 150 yards to go and drew clear handily by 5-3/4 lengths while also shaving a full second off his previous lifetime best. Captain Jordan and Southwind Alamo (Johnathan Ahle) overtook a breaking Diabolic Hill in deep stretch and rallied to finish second and third, respectively. "He felt super tonight; he travelled terrific throughout the mile," continued Dunn. "When I moved him at the top of the straight, he was doing it easy at the end. He seems to be learning all the time; I couldn't be more pleased with how he's progressing." As the 2-5 favourite, Apex returned $2.80 to win. Marcus Melander trains the four-time winner, who has earned $383,746 in six starts for the partnership of Jeffrey Snyder, SRF Stable and Steve Stewart. The $342,466 New Jersey Classic for three-year-old male trotters proved markedly more eventful: Second choice The Rogue Prince broke behind the gate, 1-2 favourite Onajetplane stalled turning for home after a long first-over grind and first-place finisher Mountcastle switched to a pacing gait four strides before the winning post, all leading to unofficial runner-up Camera Man being elevated to a 21-1 upset. Jason Bartlett spotted Camera Man in seventh early as 50-1 pacesetter Go Boom (Dexter Dunn) controlled early splits of :27.1 and :55.3. As Onajetplane and Andy McCarthy began their first-over ascent out of fifth midway up the backstretch, Mountcastle (Scott Zeron) angled second-over and Bartlett landed Camera Man third-over into a live tow that picked up considerably through the far turn. Onajetplane worked forward steadily to offer mild pressure to Go Boom past three-quarters in 1:23.2 but stalled upon turning for home, prompting Zeron to slingshot Mountcastle three-deep in the final furlong. But as Mountcastle struck the front and picked up speed nearing the winning post, he switched into a pace, resulting in his demotion to second behind Camera Man, who slipstreamed his bold mid-stretch move and finished two lengths in arrears before being promoted to victory. Go Ahead Makemyday (Yannick Gingras) emerged from traffic to save third over an engulfed Go Boom. Onajetplane faded to finish ninth in the 10-horse field. Camera Man, a Six Pack-Cameron Hill colt with five career wins in 19 starts and $285,718 in total purses earned, is trained by Bruce Saunders for owner Randy Zane of Blainville, Que. His race time of 1:51.2 knocked over two seconds off his previous lifetime mark. "We got multiple breaks in there," admitted Saunders. "We were lucky two times, and you've got to be lucky in this game. He got a very good trip tonight. The flow was perfect and Jason did a great job with him. "He's improved each start. He's a happy horse; we couldn't be any happier for him. Great owner, great caretaker that's what's necessary to be successful in this game." Camera Man paid $44 to win. Papis Pistol and Bookie J won their respective $205,479 New Jersey Classic finals for male pacers. Papis Pistol, driven by Jason Bartlett, returned from finishing third in a New Jersey Classic prep last week at The Meadowlands pitted against the two main rivals in this week's final and took distinct command of all four quarters to win the three-year-old male pacing event in a startling 1:47.4, which is far better than his previous speed badge on the oval. The son of Papi Rob Hanover-Bang Bang took the lead into a fiery :26 first panel and ruled the mile from there. Captain Optimistic (Dexter Dunn) sat in the catbird seat as the quick pace ensued with a :54.1 half. Bartlett sat pretty with Papis Pistol while even-money favourite Manolete (Scott Zeron) moved out of third to challenge on the outside but plateaued in the turn as the tempo stayed hot. Bartlett had his charge coasting through three-quarters in 1:21.3 and had plenty left in the lane to deliver a final quarter in :26.1 and win with little challenge by two lengths. Captain Optimistic gave chase to get second from Manolete, who levelled off into third. Trainer Sam De Pinto said of Papis Pistol that, leading up to this race, his feet were bothering him and we addressed it. Thats the results right there; he got a lot better up front. He was waiting for that mile. De Pinto also said the only thing he did different approaching the race was, "I didnt train him. I just jogged him this week rather than train him, just to keep him happy. He does the rest. Papis Pistol has now earned $557,268 by winning for the seventh time in his 24 career starts. He is owned by New Jersey's Shannon Depinto, Chris Arvanitis and Anthony Perretti along with Brad Shackman of Calgary, Alta. Papis Pistol paid $7.60 to win. Bookie J, driven by Dexter Dunn, won the two-year-old colt and gelding pace, going the mile in a personal-best 1:51.1. Callmebigpapi (Todd McCarthy) left fastest from the outside post seven to take the first lead as Rocknacious (Scott Zeron) followed with Bookie J in third. As the field approached the :27 first quarter, Hunting Glory (Eric Goodell) left the pylons and soared to the top. That one barely settled on the point as Bookie J eased out to chase for the lead. The shuffling continued as Callmebigpapi looped back to the front before Bookie J planted on the lead just past a :56.2 half. Bookie J had a ton of speed left and Dunn let him loose in the turn to cut three-quarters in 1:24.3. Bookie J held a comfortable lead in the stretch until Hunting Glory found room on the inside and rushed forward late but too late, settling for second by a neck. Callmebigpapi took the show spot. Chris Ryder trains Bookie J for owner Kenneth Jacobs. The Perfect Sting-Skyy gelding paid $2.60 to win as he recorded his second in seven starts and raised his bankroll to $181,962. Jacobs said the $67,568 Lexington Selected Sale yearling purchase started slow but got better under the supervision of Ryder. Theyre never cheap, but I do a lot of research and I try to find one that doesnt always command [a big price]. Especially a pacer trotters are [mostly] $200,000, so I try to find one underneath $100,000 and usually Im successful. [This gelding] keeps getting better. Worklifebalance and Perfect Thought both uncorked strong stretch bursts to claim their respective $205,479 New Jersey Classic finals for pacing fillies. Driver Andy McCarthy ripped off cover with Worklifebalance and withstood an intensifying push from 3-5 favourite Asphalt to win the three-year-old filly pace in a lifetime-best 1:49.4. McCarthy settled Worklifebalance into fourth through a :27 first quarter while 17-1 shot Shesgotthejack (Matt Kakaley) hurried to the lead. Despite the field rolling single file, Shesgotthejack maintained steady speed to a :55.4 half and prepared for the challengers looming in the last turn. Asphalt (Tim Tetrick) edged outside and flushed cover from Worklifebalance, who in turn caught cover from pocket-popping Beach Babe (Yannick Gingras) as they moved for three-quarters in 1:23.2. Shesgotthejack clung to a diminishing lead as McCarthy launched his charge off cover with Asphalt gathering steam to her outside. Worklifebalance quickened enough with Asphalt creeping nearer and reached the finish in time for the win by a head while Shesgotthejack held her ground to snag the photo for third from Beach Babe in fourth. Thats a very good filly, Asphalt. I figured if she was on my helmet turning for home Id have a lot to deal with, said McCarthy after the race. But first time Lasix I guess helped her out a little bit she really fought hard to the wire. The trip worked out really good for me. I got to just move her in the last turn there, picked up cover for a bit and got to sprint home from there. Noel Daley trains Worklifebalance, a daughter of Cattlewash-Ubettergo Go, and co-owns alongside KDP Stable. The sophomore filly now has six wins from 20 career starts, with earnings totalling $426,622. Worklifebalance paid $6.60 to win. Perfect Thought chased steady speed from the pocket and sprinted home best in a strung-out field to win the $205,479 New Jersey Classic for two-year-old pacing fillies in 1:51.1. Driver Scott Zeron floated forward with Perfect Thought, the 4-5 favourite, and secured a snug spot behind pacesetter Car Keys (Dexter Dunn) into a :27.1 first quarter. No movement came after Car Keys up the backstretch, leaving the leader to gallivant to a :56.1 half. Perfect Thought continued to follow intently as the field hit the far turn. Car Keys readied for the pounce rolling to three-quarters in 1:24.3 since Perfect Thought remained the last foe in contention coming for home. Zeron tipped his charge outside and faced little struggle sliding to the top in the lane. Perfect Thought shrugged by Car Keys and posted a 2-1/4-length win. Pa Perfect (Corey Callahan) gave pursuit another five lengths behind to hold third from the late-charging Napalm (David Miller) in fourth. Dexs filly was exceptional, too, and obviously we turned it into a match race late, said Zeron after the race. She trained down exceptionally and [Anthony MacDonald] told me before he sent her that shes a really special filly, and she has qualified and raced like that. Shes a nice big horse that doesnt get stressed out, carries her speed really well. Dex kept a good tempo, which was why she was able to maintain that down the lane. So, obviously, racing against some bigger and better horses that go a little faster, well see [how she does]. Megan Scran trains Perfect Thought, a daughter of Perfect Sting-Think Pink owned by Thestable Perfect Thought. The filly bagged her fourth win from six tries and nearly doubled her earnings, which now stand at $206,300. Perfect Thought paid $3.80 to win. There were also three $136,986 consolation New Jersey Classic races contested as non-wagering events throughout the night. They were won by two-year-old male trotter Nix Nacken (Scott Zeron) in 1:55 for trainer Marcus Melander, three-year-old male trotter Durante Hanover (Andy McCarthy) in 1:54.1 for Noel Daley and three-year-old trotting filly Delaney Hanover (Scott Zeron) in 1:52.4 for Lucas Wallin. In the $54,795 fifth leg of the Miss Versatility Series for open mare trotters, Bravo Angel S (Readly Express-Cilla Sisu) blasted away from the gate in :27.1 and led at every call. The five-year-old, driven by Jason Bartlett and trained by Per Engblom, took down 1-5 favourite Elista Hanover (David Miller), who finished third after a first-over trip. Bravo Angel S returned $20.20 to win as the 9-1 fourth choice in the betting after stopping the clock in a lifetime-best 1:51.2. Nelsonbriteagle No (Dexter Dunn) was the runner-up off a two-hole trip. All-source handle on the 14-race program totalled $2,565,612 USD. Racing resumes on Saturday at 6:20 p.m. (With files from Meadowlands Racetrack) 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: The EU slapped Google with antitrust fine despite warnings by President Donald Trump not to target US tech firms. The EU on Friday slapped Google with a massive 2.95 billion euro ($3.47 billion) antitrust fine for favoring its own advertising services, despite President Donald Trump's warnings not to target US big tech. Google vowed to appeal the decision by the European Commission, which accused the US firm of distorting competition in the 27-nation bloc. "Google abused its dominant position in adtech harming publishers, advertisers, and consumers. This behavior is illegal under EU antitrust rules," EU competition chief Teresa Ribera said. Trump has threatened to go after Europe for its rules on the digital market and on policing content, which affect tech giants based in the US. Earlier this week, it emerged the commission had hit pause on the fine, seemingly for fear of US retaliation. The EU is still waiting for the United States to make good on a promise to lower tariffs on cars under a trade deal agreed in July. Brussels ordered Google to end its "self-preferencing practices" and take steps to cease its inherent conflicts of interest. "Google has 60 days to inform the Commission on how it plans to do so," Ribera said. "If it fails to propose a viable plan, the Commission will not hesitate to impose an appropriate remedy." She said that, "at this stage, it appears that the only way for Google to end its conflict of interest effectively is with a structural remedy, such as selling some part of its Adtech business". Google said the commission's decision was "wrong" and it would appeal. "It imposes an unjustified fine and requires changes that will hurt thousands of European businesses by making it harder for them to make money," said the firm's global head of regulatory affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland. "There's nothing anticompetitive in providing services for ad buyers and sellers, and there are more alternatives to our services than ever before." 'Competitive advantage' Advertising is Google's financial bedrock. The company is a subsidiary of US tech giant Alphabet, which in July reported quarterly profits of $28.2 billion. In its decision, the commission noted that Google not only sells advertising on its own websites and apps, but was also an intermediary for firms wanting to place ads elsewhere to appear on mobile and computer screens. For that, it has an ad exchange to match buyers and sellers called AdX, as well as an ad server called DoubleClick, and tools to buy ads called Google Ads and DV 360. In a statement, the commission said it found that between at least 2014 and today Google abused the dominant positions it held through DoubleClick, Google Ads and DV 360 to favor AdX. AdX would, for example, be informed in advance of the value of the best bid from competitors taking part in the ad selection process run by DoubleClick, it said. The European Publishers Council, a media industry group that had filed a complaint over the practices probed by the EU, said a fine was not enough. "Without strong and decisive enforcement, Google will simply write this off as a cost of business while consolidating its dominance in the AI era," said its director Angela Mills Wade. A US federal court recently upheld a similar complaint over Google's adtech practices, ordering the firm to put forward remedies. Friday's announcement marked the third fine announced in a week against the Alphabet-owned Google. A US federal jury on Wednesday ordered Google to pay about $425 million for gathering information from smartphone app users even when people opted for privacy settings. The same day, France's data protection authority fined the search giant 325 million euros for failing to respect the law on internet cookies. The group notched a major win however on Tuesday when a US judge rejected the American government's demand that Google sell its Chrome web browser. The landmark antitrust ruling, coming after Google was found to have illegally maintained monopolies in online search through exclusive distribution agreements, did however impose sweeping requirements to restore competition in the area. As the EU's competition watchdog, the commission has hit Google with multiple fines in recent years. It fined the online giant 4.1 billion euros in 2018 for abusing the market dominance of its Android operating system, and in 2017 slapped a 2.4 billion euro fine for anti-competitive practices in the price comparison market. 2025 AFP 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 A year ago, Google faced the prospect of being dismantled. Today, artificial intelligence (AI) and a new court judgment has helped it avoid this fate. Part of the reason is that AI poses a grave threat to Google's advertising revenues. "Google will not be required to divest Chrome; nor will the court include a contingent divestiture of the Android operating system in the final judgment," according to the decision. Google must share certain data with "qualified competitors" as deemed by the court. This will include parts of its search index, Google's inventory of web content. Judge Mehta will allow Google to continue paying companies like Apple and Samsung to distribute its search engine on devices and browsers. But he will bar Google from maintaining exclusive contracts. The history of this decision goes back to a 2024 ruling by federal judge Amit Mehta. It found that Google maintained a monopoly in the search engine market, notably by paying billions to companies including Apple and Samsung to set Google as the default search engine on their devices. Almost a year later, the same US judge issued his final ruling, and the tone could not be more different. Google will not be broken up. There will be no choice screen on new phones. The nature of the search engine market, where more users generate more data, and more data improves search quality, made it impossible for competitors to challenge Google, the court found in 2024. The 2024 ruling itself was controversial. While high quality data enables a dominant firm to extract more profit from consumers, it also allows it to provide a better service. Decades of research in economics has shown that determining which effect is more important is not straightforward. At the time, the US Department of Justice deemed the issue so serious that it considered breaking up Google as the only viable solution. For instance, it suggested forcing the company to sell its web browser, Google Chrome. The government also proposed forcing device manufacturers to offer users a choice of search engines during set up, and compelling Google to share most of its data on user behavior and ad bidding, where advertisers compete in auctions to get their ads shown to users for a specific search query or audience. These so-called "remedies," measures Google would be required to implement to end its monopoly, aimed to restore competition. Limited sharing So, what has changed in a year to so radically change the perception of Google's market dominance? The main answer is AIand specifically, large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google's own Gemini. As users increasingly turn to LLMs for web searches, Google responded by placing AI-generated summaries at the top of its search results. The way people navigate the internet is quickly evolving, with one trend reshaping the business models of online companies: the zero-click search. According to a Bain & Company survey, consumers now default to accepting AI-generated answers without further interaction. The data is striking: 80% of users report being satisfied with AI responses for at least 40% of their searches, often stopping at the summary page. Threat to ad revenue This AI-driven shift in consumer behavior threatens not only Google's business model but also that of most internet-based companies. Advertising accounts for roughly 80% of Google's revenue, earned by charging companies for prominent placement in search results and by leveraging its vast amount of user data to sell ad space across the web. If users stop clicking links, this revenue stream evaporates. More importantly for this ruling, the market Google once monopolized may no longer be the relevant one. Today, Google's primary potential competitors in search are not Microsoft Bing, but AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. In the global race for AI dominance, the outcome is far from certain. From an antitrust standpoint, there is little justification for penalizing Google now or forcing it to cede advantages to competitors. What would be the benefit for consumers of forcing Google to accept the 24.6 billion offer from Jeff Bezos' Perplexity AI to buy the Chrome browser? In essence, the judge acknowledges that Google monopolized the search engine market for a decade but concludes that the issue may resolve itself in the years ahead. This situation echoes the first major monopolization case: Internet Explorer. For years, European and US regulators battled Microsoft to dismantle the dominance of its web browser, which was bundled with the then-dominant Windows 95 operating system. By the time all appeals were exhausted, however, the monopoly had vanished. Internet Explorer was partly a victim of the rise of smartphones, which did not rely on Windows. The new king in town was a newcomer: a certain Google Chrome. How you view the economic and political power of tech giants will shape which lesson you draw from this story. An optimistic view I suggested (with the economist Jana Friedrichsen) is that winner-takes-all markets can intensify competition through innovation. In such markets, incremental investment is not enough; to challenge Google, a competitor must offer a vastly superior product to capture the entire market. Precisely because they ruthlessly defend their monopoly positions, tech giants show competitors that the potential gains from radical innovations are massive. The pessimistic view, however, is that years of dominance have left these firms largely unaccountable, which could embolden them in future. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. A threat actor possibly of Russian origin has been attributed to a new set of attacks targeting the energy sector in Kazakhstan. The activity, codenamed Operation BarrelFire, is tied to a new threat group tracked by Seqrite Labs as Noisy Bear. The threat actor has been active since at least April 2025. "The campaign is targeted towards employees of KazMunaiGas or KMG where the threat entity delivered a fake document related to the KMG IT department, mimicking official internal communication and leveraging themes such as policy updates, internal certification procedures, and salary adjustments," security researcher Subhajeet Singha said. The infection chain begins with a phishing email containing a ZIP attachment, which includes a Windows shortcut (LNK) downloader, a decoy document related to KazMunaiGas, and a README.txt file with instructions written in both Russian and Kazakh to run a program named "KazMunayGaz_Viewer." The email, per the cybersecurity company, was sent from a compromised email address of an individual working in the finance department of KazMunaiGas and targeted other employees of the firm in May 2025. The LNK file payload is designed to drop additional payloads, including a malicious batch script that paves the way for a PowerShell loader dubbed DOWNSHELL. The attacks culminate with the deployment of a DLL-based implant, a 64-bit binary that can run shellcode to launch a reverse shell. Further analysis of the threat actor's infrastructure has revealed that it's hosted on the Russia-based bulletproof hosting (BPH) service provider Aeza Group, which was sanctioned by the U.S. in July 2025 for enabling malicious activities. The development comes as HarfangLab linked a Belarus-aligned threat actor known as Ghostwriter (aka FrostyNeighbor or UNC1151) to campaigns targeting Ukraine and Poland since April 2025 with rogue ZIP and RAR archives that are aimed at collecting information about compromised systems and deploying implants for further exploitation. "These archives contain XLS spreadsheets with a VBA macro that drops and loads a DLL," the French cybersecurity company said. "The latter is responsible for collecting information about the compromised system and retrieving next-stage malware from a command-and-control (C2) server." Subsequent iterations of the campaign have been found to write a Microsoft Cabinet (CAB) file along with the LNK shortcut to extract and run the DLL from the archive. The DLL then proceeds to conduct initial reconnaissance before dropping the next-stage malware from the external server. The attacks targeting Poland, on the other hand, tweak the attack chain to use Slack as a beaconing mechanism and data exfiltration channel, downloading in return a second-stage payload that establishes contact with the domain pesthacks[.]icu. At least in one instance, the DLL dropped through the macro-laced Excel spreadsheet is used to load a Cobalt Strike Beacon to facilitate further post-exploitation activity. "These minor changes suggest that UAC-0057 may be exploring alternatives, in a likely attempt to work around detection, but prioritizes the continuity or development of its operations over stealthiness and sophistication," HarfangLab said. Cyber Attacks Reported Against Russia The findings come amid OldGremlin's renewed extortion attacks on Russian companies in the first half of 2025, targeting as many as eight large domestic industrial enterprises using phishing email campaigns. The intrusions, per Kaspersky, involved the use of the bring your own vulnerable driver (BYOVD) technique to disable security solutions on victims' computers and the legitimate Node.js interpreter to execute malicious scripts. Phishing attacks aimed at Russia have also delivered a new information stealer called Phantom Stealer, which is based on an open-source stealer codenamed Stealerium, to collect a wide range of sensitive information using email baits related to adult content and payments. It also shares overlaps with another Stealerium offshoot known as Warp Stealer. According to F6, Phantom Stealer also inherits Stealerium's "PornDetector" module that captures webcam screenshots when users visit pornographic websites by keeping tabs on the active browser window and whether the title includes a configurable list of terms like porn, and sex, among others. "This is likely later used for 'sextortion,'" Proofpoint said in its own analysis of the malware. "While this feature is not novel among cybercrime malware, it is not often observed." In recent months, Russian organizations have also been at the receiving end of attacks perpetrated by hacking groups tracked as Cloud Atlas, PhantomCore, and Scaly Wolf to harvest sensitive information and deliver additional payloads using malware families such as VBShower, PhantomRAT, and PhantomRShell. Another cluster of activity involves a new Android malware that masquerades as an antivirus tool created by Russia's Federal Security Services agency (FSB) to single out representatives of Russian businesses. The apps carry names like SECURITY_FSB, (Russian for FSB), and GuardCB, the last of which is an attempt to pass off as the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. First discovered in January 2025, the malware exfiltrates data from messenger and browser apps, stream from the phone's camera, and log keystrokes by seeking extensive permissions to access SMS messages, location, audio, camera. It also requests for running in the background, device administrator rights, and accessibility services. "The app's interface provides only one language Russian," Doctor Web said. "Thus, the malware is entirely focused on Russian users. The backdoor also uses accessibility services to protect itself from being deleted if it receives the corresponding command from the threat actors." Update Kazakhstan's state-owned oil and gas company KazMunayGas has dismissed Seqrite's report about a new cyber espionage group targeting its employees as a planned phishing test, according to Orda.kz. It said the screenshots described in the analysis were part of a phishing training test the company conducted back in May 2025. (The story was updated after publication to include local media reports from Kazakhstan that described it as a phishing test. The headline of the story has been revised to reflect this aspect.) Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Sexual violence is rife in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but urgently needed assistance for survivors has had to be halted as sweeping funding cuts bite, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, warned on Friday Families of victims who died in Boeing 737 Max crashes urged a judge to reject the airline company's efforts to avoid prosecution. The families carried photographs of their loved ones into court on Wednesday as they talked about their grief. Some of the victims' relatives, numbering 346, saw the hearing as their last chance to demand a public trial for Boeing. Families of Victims Against Boeing The situation comes as U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor is contemplating whether or not to approve the federal government's motion to dismiss its criminal case against Boeing. After hearing from the relatives and attorneys for both the Justice Department and Boeing on Wednesday, he said that he would issue a decision at a later date. In exchange for dismissing the case, the airline company said it is willing to pay or invest roughly $1.1 billion in fines, compensation for the crash victims' families, and internal safety and quality measures, according to the Associated Press. However, a relative of 24-year-old Danielle Moore, David Moore, asked, "What part of this screams justice?" His sister was among the 157 passengers and crew members who lost their lives in the Ethiopian plane crash. Boeing is currently being charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States government after allegedly misleading Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulators about a flight-control system tied to the tragic incidents. The families of the victims, and their lawyer, Paul Cassell, told the judge that the new non-prosecution agreement (NPA) violates the judicial review provisions of the federal rules by preemptively agreeing not to prosecute Boeing before O'Connor has ruled on the previous NPA motion to dismiss the case, Clifford Law reported. Talking About Their Grief Family members of the victims came from all around the world to attend the hearing, with some traveling from France, Ireland, and Canada. They are found to be crime victims under the federal Crime Victims' Rights Act. The mother of 24-year-old Samya Stumo, Nadia Milleron, said that her daughter died on a new airplane that was defective but was still in operation despite not complying with regulations. She said that she does not want another family to lose their loved ones because of this kind of fraud. The latest hearing comes four years after the DOJ reached a $2.5 billion settlement with Boeing that mandates the airline company to strengthen its ethics and legal compliance programs. Previously, Boeing agreed to plead guilty as part of a different agreement if it avoided a public trial, as per KCRA. Parents are pushing back against New York City's controversial cellphone ban in schools, with many families saying they are "not going to work." The bell-to-bell cellphone ban greeted returning students, who number roughly 1 million, for the first time as they came back to school on Tuesday. Many parents and children shared mixed feelings about the new rule. NYC's Controversial Phone Ban Many students have already shared various ways that some of them have taken to work around the ban, posting and sharing hacks on TikTok by the end of the school day. Some institutions are also struggling to manage the logistical nightmare of taking the students' phones or storing them in pouches. One 11-year-old student at JHS 217 in Queens said that they told her the school did not have a pouch or a magnet for her phone. She revealed that the school said they would be getting the items on Monday, according to the New York Post. The student shared how happy she was after hearing what had happened, noting that she would have another week to use her phone because she did not like the school taking it away. The situation comes after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the controversial ban its subsequent approval by the city's Panel for Education Policy. Lawmakers enacted the new rule amid growing concerns that distraction-causing mobile devices are harming students' mental health and could result in stalled academic performance. The governor touted the ban, saying that kids will become smarter because they will pay more attention in school. Hochul also said that she was very excited about the new policy, arguing that for too long now, students have sat in schools with mobile devices in their hands. She argued that many of them spent a lot of time distracted while looking at "TikTok dance videos," CBS News reported. Addressing Distraction in Classrooms Every single school will be responsible for implementing its own policy on where and how it stores the mobile devices taken from students. Options include lockers, cubbies, or lockable pouches. The Department of Education previously said that roughly 820 schools opted to use pouches to store mobile devices, 600 used storage bins or boxes, and 550 decided to use classroom lockers. Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos said that in the event of an emergency during the school day, educators will be responsible for making sure that the students receive the messages meant for them. Yonkers Superintendent Anibal Soler said that they hope they can preserve teaching and learning and get back to where they were before. That was where kids would interact more with one another and teachers in class, as per ABC7NY. CAN THO The Peoples Committee of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on Friday held a working session with a delegation from the Consulate General of China in HCM City to discuss potential investment opportunities and future cooperation. Vice Chairwoman of the municipal Peoples Committee Nguyen Thi Ngoc iep noted that following the recent administrative unit merger, the city is now home to a large Chinese community. Over the years, alongside efforts by local Party organisations, authorities and residents, the community has also made significant contributions to the citys development. She stressed that with its expanded development space after the merger, Can Tho not only relies on internal resources but also needs the cooperation of international partners. It is particularly seeking investment in high-tech agriculture, agricultural processing, mechanisation, post-harvest preservation, agricultural exports, urban infrastructure development, and seaport expansion. In addition, Can Tho is inviting investment to high-tech zones, concentrated technology parks and digital technology areas. According to the citys leader, Can Tho covers more than 6,300 sq.km and has a population of around four million. By 2030, it aims to become a growth powerhouse of the Mekong Delta, a modern, eco-friendly and civilised city embodying the regional cultural identity and a regional hub for trade, tourism, logistics, processing industry, high-tech agriculture, education, health care and science and technology. By 2050, Can Tho is envisioned as a modern ecological city rich in riverine identity, ranking among Asias advanced cities and a smart, liveable city of Viet Nam. On behalf of the Chinese delegation, Consul General Tang Li said the visit aimed to explore investment opportunities in Can Tho, affirming that Chinese enterprises are ready to cooperate and accompany the city in its future development. Recognising Can Thos role as a major logistics centre in the Mekong Delta, the delegation proposed opening new flight routes to further boost trade between Can Tho and China. They also suggested cooperation in tourism, cargo transport, and infrastructure development. The Consul General expressed gratitude to local authorities for their support for the Chinese businesses and community. He congratulated the city on its development achievements, noting that after the administrative unit merger, Can Tho now enjoys greater development space and significant potential. With its river and seaports, abundant natural resources, and favourable conditions, he believed that Can Tho will secure even stronger growth across multiple sectors in the coming years. At present, Can Tho is home to 33 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects from China, with a total registered capital of about US$930 million. VNA/VNS HCM CITY Green logistics is no longer simply a trend but a prerequisite for Vietnamese companies seeking deeper integration into global supply chains, experts affirmed at the seminar Green Logistics A Sustainable Development Trend for Vietnamese Export Businesses in HCM City on September 5. In his opening remarks, Tran Phu Lu, Director of the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre of HCM City (ITPC), stressed that green logistics is now a key criterion for assessing the sectors sustainability. He noted that by adopting green logistics, businesses can expand their customer base, increase revenue, reduce costs, and strengthen competitiveness in the long term. Viet Nam has strong potential to become a regional logistics hub. The countrys strategic location with a 3,260km coastline, deep-water ports, international airports, and a fast-growing manufacturing and e-commerce economy provide significant advantages. The logistics sector has recorded average annual growth of 1416 per cent, with a market value of US$4550 billion. Viet Nam ranks 43rd out of 139 countries and territories in the Logistics Performance Index and fifth among ASEAN members. Despite these strengths, logistics costs remain high. Domestic enterprises are fragmented, lack linkages, and rely heavily on road transport. Moreover, logistics activities generate substantial environmental impacts such as emissions, noise, and industrial waste. Against this backdrop, green logistics is no longer optional but an urgent requirement, he noted. The Government has in recent years prioritised infrastructure investment, with new expressways and upgraded seaports helping firms cut costs and emissions. Many logistics companies are also innovating operations, expanding international cooperation, and applying new technologies. He encouraged businesses to invest in environmentally friendly vehicles, optimise warehousing with GPS-based management, adopt cold chain technologies, and use smart systems to save energy and reduce waste. Truong Tan Loc, Vice Chairman of the HCM City Logistics Association (HLA), highlighted challenges from new EU environmental regulations. The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which takes full effect in 2026, requires exporters to purchase certificates covering the embedded carbon emissions generated in the production of certain goods imported into the EU. The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive obliges firms to assume responsibility for environmental impacts across supply chains and meet strict ESG standards. According to Loc, these rules are redefining carbon pricing globally. Green logistics has become a trade passport that allows exporters to maintain market access. Compliance is essential to avoid penalties or bans, while building transparent, sustainable, low-emission supply chains is what convinces buyers to choose Vietnamese suppliers. Green logistics data will soon act as a performance benchmark that enhances brand value and strengthens negotiating power, he said. Several domestic examples show the benefits of green logistics. At Tan Cang Cat Lai Port, full adoption of electronic transactions via ePort cut cargo handling times from hours to just 1520 minutes, saving $1.5 million2 million in fuel costs annually and reducing CO emissions through the use of electric cranes. Artificial intelligence has also been applied to optimise routes, helping reduce fuel consumption by up to 15 per cent and delivery times by 25 per cent. However, major challenges remain. Viet Nam continues to depend heavily on road transport, and connectivity between modes of transport is still limited. To advance green logistics, HLA has proposed developing unified criteria to measure green logistics nationwide. It also urged breakthrough green finance policies, including preferential credit, tax reductions for electric trucks and energy-saving equipment, and corporate income tax incentives for companies certified in green logistics. A completed legal framework for the carbon credit market is also needed to create new revenue streams for reinvestment in clean technologies. On infrastructure, HLA called on the Government to accelerate key projects, focusing on locations suited to multimodal transport links to ease road congestion. One important recommendation is the creation of a shared Port Community System for the Southern Key Economic Region to optimise operations. Human resource development is equally important. Loc emphasised the need for training reform through cooperation between government agencies, universities, and businesses. He suggested holding regular forums and seminars to raise awareness among business leaders about global green trends and regulations. Bui Tuan Hai, Deputy Head of the Customs Sub-Department of Region II, highlighted the customs sectors digital transformation, including the Viet Nam Automated Cargo Clearance System, the National and ASEAN Single Window, 24/7 e-tax payment systems, and the Vietnam Automated System for Seaport Customs Management. These initiatives have shortened clearance times for green lane goods to just one to three seconds. Looking ahead, the customs sector aims to implement Smart Customs by 2030, applying AI, Big Data, and Blockchain to enhance efficiency. Hai noted that businesses must stay proactive by keeping up with regulations, ensuring accurate documentation, training staff on digital systems, and working closely with customs to avoid delays and costly errors. The seminar was organised by ITPC and the International Market Development Department as part of the Vietnam International Sourcing 2025 and Export Forum 2025 held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre from September 4-6. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam exported nearly 1.1 million tonnes of coffee valued at over US$6 billion in the first seven months of this year, up 8 per cent in volume and 66 per cent in value year on year, exceeding 2024s total of $5.5 billion. Europe remains the largest market, but demand is growing strongly in Asia, particularly in Cambodia. Viet Nams coffee exports to Cambodia surged in July to 713 tonnes worth $2.7 million, up 406 per cent in volume and 460 per cent in value year on year, according to the Viet Namese Department of Customs. In JanuaryJuly, shipments reached 2,231 tonnes worth $10 million , up 78 per cent in volume and 114 per cent in value compared with the same period last year. Businesses attributed the surge to the steady growth of Viet NamCambodia trade. Two-way trade reached more than $10 billion in 2024 and surpassed $7 billion in the first seven months of this year. Vietnamese goods are popular in Cambodia for their quality and competitive prices. Recently, supply disruptions in the neighbouring country created opportunities for Viet Nams coffee industry to boost sales and strengthen its presence in the local market. During a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China, on September 1, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed stronger transport connectivity, streamlined border procedures, and greater business facilitation towards a $20 billion two-way trade target. According to Viet Nams Trade Counselor in Cambodia o Viet Phuong, the two economies are highly complementary, with several exportimport items showing strong potential, thereby forming a basis for realising the $20 billion goal set by both governments. To seize this potential, the Viet Nam's Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and Cambodias Ministry of Commerce (MoC) co-organised a Viet NamCambodia Business Networking Conference in Phnom Penh in late August. At the event, Viet Nam called for stronger links with Cambodian associations, distribution systems, and importers, while working together to remove technical barriers to ensure smoother and more balanced trade. Chairman of the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association (VICOFA) Nguyen Nam Hai said coffee exports from October 2024 to July 2025 reached 1.35 million tonnes worth $7.5 billion , up nearly 57 per cent in value despite a slight dip in volume. VNA/VNS Thu Trang HA NOI An annual programme aiming to incubate and enhance the capacity of enterprises and startup projects related to forest understory ecosystem conservation and restoration, while promoting sustainable livelihoods for local communities, was closed on Friday afternoon in Ha Noi. The Forest Ecopreneur Growth Programme 2025 closing ceremony was held by the Research Institute for Innovation and Development (IID) in collaboration with its partners. The Forest Ecopreneur programme is part of the "SAFE Initiative" (Saving Forest Ecosystem Diversity), funded by the Korea Forest Service (KFS) and implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) through the Bridge for Billions (B4B) Incubator Organisation. In Viet Nam, the IID has been the direct organiser for the programme since last year. The programme is simultaneously implemented in four countries: Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia and Bhutan, featuring diverse activities such as online training, expert seminars, direct networking events, and field trips. After five months of implementation (from April to September this year), the programme has brought together 25 enterprises and 24 mentors, achieving many positive outcomes. At the closing event, the enterprises presented innovative business models that demonstrate a harmonious combination of economic benefits and positive social-environmental impacts, opening up opportunities for collaboration with investors and potential partners. Breakthrough models The story of TraceVerified in Thai Nguyen northern province is a typical example of this new approach. The enterprise is piloting forest planting and carbon credit calculation in 30 out of 92 communes and wards to offset emissions for the NatSteelVina Plant with an annual capacity of 200,000 tonnes of steel. Bui Huy Binh, representative of the TraceVerified, stated that by participating in the Forest Ecopreneur Growth Programme 2025, the enterprise received support with data on carbon credits and emissions. It also had guidance to meet both national carbon credit standards and international norms, facilitating transactions with partners such as South Korea and Singapore. The company also participated in training courses on policies, standards and technology, thereby enhancing the green transition capacity of the local workforce. Similarly, Lam Ngoc Bao Han, a young pharmacist who gave up her job to return to Ca Mau southern province and chose crabs as her startup direction, persevered with natural farming methods without using drugs or chemicals, unlike many households in her village that relied on chemicals for crab farming. Although initially few believed in her approach, after her model succeeded, five households in the village began adopting her method. The distinct feature of her model is utilising the mangrove forest environment to raise crabs naturally, producing clean and safe products. Besides maintaining product quality, Han also emphasises environmental protection by treating water with rice bran or microorganisms instead of chemicals. Looking towards the future with the model, Han introduced the idea of online crab farming, in which customers invest remotely, monitor the farming process via an online platform, and receive mature crabs after four months, combining delicious products with an interactive experience. Another promising model is Baola Quang Ngai Bamboo Forest Joint-stock Company. Capturing the trend of using environmentally friendly materials, the company has developed bamboo raw material areas, providing seedlings, technical support and product procurement for local people. Biomass bamboo yields significantly higher economic returns than acacia trees. Investment cost for 1ha is VN80-150 million (US$3,000-5,600) over five years but can be harvested for up to 15 years, generating profits of over VN2 billion ($75,700) per hectare. The company is developing high-quality tissue-cultured bamboo varieties while also supplying bamboo products and services such as furniture, household items and custom designs. Its target customers are individuals and businesses seeking green and sustainable solutions. In the near future, the company plans to provide eco-friendly bamboo solutions for enterprises committed to emission reductions and the net zero goal. Bamboo products will be processed and exported to international markets where demand for environmentally friendly products is high. Market expansion A highlight of this years Forest Ecopreneur programme is the pilot support for enterprises to access markets. Certified products are introduced on specialised e-commerce platforms such as Rao Thuong (raothuong.iid.org.vn) in Viet Nam and Good Market (goodmarket.global) globally. Truong Thi Nam Thang, lead researcher at IID, affirmed, "Ecological enterprises will be the cornerstone of IIDs innovation ecosystem for sustainable development." Pauline Tamesis, UN Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam, said, One of the core components of the initiative is to support social enterprises in the forestry sector as well as micro, small and medium-sized enterprises through incubation and capacity building. The implementation methods may vary, vision towards 2030 remains clear: to create business models linked to forests that have a positive impact on communities and the environment and are capable of expanding into international markets. Representatives at the event agreed that the Forest Ecopreneur 2025 and its future editions are not only a springboard for green entrepreneurs but also a testament to a shift in mindset: from merely protecting forests to developing the economy from forests, transforming ecosystems into sustainable resources for communities and the nation. This is the key for Viet Nam to confidently advance on its path of integration and sustainable development. Alexis Corblin, Senior Technical Advisor for UNEP in the Asia-Pacific region, remarked, Todays programme is the result of many months of hard work, creativity, and persistence. Viet Nam is once again the first country to organise this event under the SAFE Initiative. He announced that the programme will continue next year with a focus on supporting locally tailored activities for each community, strengthening market linkages at national, regional and international levels. It will expand access to finance so that enterprises have the means for sustainable development. The Forest Ecopreneur Growth Programme 2025 will be implemented annually until 2030, aiming to support 100 entrepreneurs each year across four countries, including 3040 enterprises from Viet Nam. Through a scalable and replicable incubation model, the programme provides business capacity-building activities, mentoring and technical support tailored to entrepreneurs focused on forest restoration solutions. VNS Company highlights AI Content Factory and partnership with Open-Quest Academy to advance global education equity NetDragon Showcases AI-Powered Education Solutions at UNESCO Digital Learning Week 2025 PARIS, FRANCE - Media OutReach Newswire - 6 September 2025 - NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited ("NetDragon" or the "Company"; Hong Kong Stock Code: 777), a global leader in building internet communities, was invited to participate in UNESCO's Digital Learning Week, held from September 25 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, under the theme "AI and the Future of Education".NetDragon was featured at key events including the opening ceremony and parallel forums. As the only corporate invitee, it joined over 30 education ministers and senior officials from the UK, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Turkiye, the UAE and other nations at the Ministerial Roundtable.(Dr. Simon Leung delivered a speech)Dr. Simon Leung, Vice Chairman of NetDragon, emphasized in his address at the opening ceremony that the future of education must be a collaboration that transcends academic boundaries and national frontiers, enabled by technology.During the event, NetDragon showcased a range of its AI education capabilities and products and also explained why Open-Quest Academy ("Open-Q") chose to partner with NetDragon. Among the featured innovations were the interactive AI digital human, the Promethean ActivPanel 10 interactive panel, the ROKID AR immersive learning experience, and the "E-Library for Teachers". The demonstrations drew global attention and garnered acclaim from international attendees.Since the resurgence of large language models (LLMs) in 2023, AI has been a key driver in the acceleration of digital education worldwide. Dr. Leung underscored the transformative role of AI in education at the event.The global education community continues to grapple with significant challenges, including the shortage and uneven distribution of education resources, as well as the excessive concentration of content within limited regions and languages. During the pandemic, over 500 million students lacked remote learning access, 72% of whom were in underserved regions. Meanwhile, 90% of open educational resources originate from Western countries, with the majority dominated by English.To address these gaps, NetDragon created the AI Content Factorya scalable, cost-efficient platform for culturally adaptive content production. By transforming educators' tacit knowledge into structured data and enabling intelligent multi-agent collaboration across the content creation lifecycle, the AI Content Factory creates a self-improving system that combines human oversight with scalable AI-driven production. Its dual-cycle quality control mechanism integrates real-time teacher feedback and expert reviews, ensuring both accuracy and continuous improvement.A prime example is the AI Education Platform launched in partnership with Thailand's Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) in May 2025. The platform provides AI-powered vocational training to students and young people across Thailand, aligning with the nation's "Education 6.0" strategy while supporting growth in high-potential fields like AI, electric vehicles, and semiconductors. Beyond Thailand, with support from the World Bank, NetDragon is also advancing digital school transformation in countries including Cameroon. Going forward, the company will continue to leverage the AI Content Factory to deliver highly customized education solutions worldwide.NetDragon, together with the attending guests, witnessed the launch of Open-Q. Open-Q is an open, future-oriented education ecosystem. With education hubs and content creation centers worldwide, Open-Q brings together experts, teachers, and practitioners to collaborate on metaverse-based learning and teaching platforms. Anchored in its three core principlestechnology for equity, co-creation of resources, and incentive-driven participationOpen-Q delivers high-quality, localized digital content to advance equitable and effective education worldwide.Data shows that the unemployment rate among bachelor's degree holders aged 2024 has risen by 29% over the past four to five years. In certain fields, such as IT and computer engineering, the rate has surged more than 100% compared with 20182019. Amid this challenge, Open-Q is harnessing the power of AI to provide new opportunities and guidance for the future. A core feature of Open-Q is its "Learn-and-Earn" model, a learning community where learners acquire job-ready skills, educators are rewarded for high-quality contributions, and the entire ecosystem benefits from an expanding shared knowledge base.The decision to partner with NetDragon is grounded in the Company's demonstrated expertise in platform development, proven through multiple country-level initiatives. The Company's collaborative history with UNESCO-affiliated institutions further solidified this partnership. In 2021, NetDragon jointly launched the "E-Library for Teachers" with UNESCO IITEa platform that now supports more than 100,000 educators worldwide, demonstrating NetDragon's sustained commitment to promoting educational equity through technology.Looking ahead, NetDragon will leverage its AI Content Factory as a core AI engine to deepen collaborations with UNESCO, national governments, leading global universities, and corporations. Together, they aim to create an educational ecosystem that transcends academic boundaries and national bordersaccelerating the vision of a future where everyone can learn anywhere, anytime.Hashtag: #NetDragon The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited (HKSE: 777) is a global leader in building internet communities, with a long track record of developing and scaling multiple internet and mobile platforms that impact hundreds of millions of users. Over the desktop and mobile internet eras, NetDragon previously established China's first online gaming portal, 17173.com, and China's most influential smartphone app store platform, 91 Wireless. Established in 1999, NetDragon is one of the most reputable and well-known online game developers in China with a history of successful game titles including Eudemons Online, Conquer Online, Heroes Evolved and Under Oath. In the past 10 years, NetDragon has also achieved success with its EdTech business both domestically and globally. Fully embracing the new AI era, NetDragon is driving its vision of "Infinite Growth" through a dual-focus strategy of "AI+Gaming" and "AI+Education". With its AI Content Factory empowering operations and working with partners to develop a global learning metaverse, NetDragon is committed to once again building a massive user community in the new AI era. NetDragon's overseas edtech business entity, currently a U.S.-listed subsidiary named Mynd.ai, is a global leader in interactive technology and its award-winning interactive displays and software can be found in more than 1 million learning and training spaces across 126 countries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jghxm1p056M NEW YORK On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Viet Nams August Revolution and National Day (September 2), United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Atul Khare extended congratulations to the Vietnamese people and highlighted the countrys remarkable achievements over the past eight decades. Speaking to a Vietnam News Agency correspondent in New York, Khare noted that Viet Nam and the UN share similar historical missions. Eighty years ago, the UN was founded with the purpose of preventing a third world war and promoting peace, freedom, and a better life for all. That same spirit was also reflected in President Ho Chi Minhs Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945, which proclaimed the birth of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam, now the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. The UN official said he was proud of how far Viet Nam has come. From a country in need of aid, Viet Nam has transformed into an increasingly developing nation, with practical contributions to global peace and sustainable development. He pointed to Viet Nams participation in UN peacekeeping operations since 2014 as a clear example. Vietnamese peacekeepers, including police officers, engineering units, and level-2 field hospitals, have been deployed to UN peacekeeping missions in Africa, helping maintain peace and stability in conflict-affected areas. Khare praised Viet Nams efforts to achieve the UNs 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which has helped improve peoples lives and ensure that no one is left behind. He said the country has made impressive progress in poverty reduction, education, womens empowerment, and access to clean water. Those valuable experiences of Viet Nam are being shared and are useful for many other countries in the world. VNA/VNS WASHINGTON Deputy Minister of Public Security Senior Lieutenant General Le Quoc Hung and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Chris Landberg co-chaired the second Viet Nam-US Law Enforcement and Security Dialogue on Friday (local time) in Washington DC. Joining the event were Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Dung, along with representatives from the ministries of Public Security, Foreign Affairs, and Finance. At the event, both sides highly valued the outcomes of the first Law Enforcement and Security Dialogue held in Ha Noi in July last year, as well as the progress in implementing the commitments and agreements since that meeting. During the second dialogue, the two sides discussed a range of regional security and transnational organised crime issues, including maritime security, supply chain security, money laundering, and cooperation to combat illegal immigration, narcotics, cybercrimes, wildlife trafficking, human trafficking, and financial crimes. They outlined priorities for cooperation in capacity-building related to law enforcement and criminal justice, and considered expanding mechanisms for cooperation to better respond to growing transnational crime challenges, including online fraud affecting citizens and businesses in both countries. Deputy Minister Hung praised the efforts of both sides in effectively coordinating and carrying out the security and law enforcement dialogue mechanism, as well as successfully convening the second dialogue in Washington. He emphasised that going forward, agencies of the two countries should continue regular exchanges on issues of mutual concern agreed upon during the dialogue, in order to further ramp up security and law enforcement cooperation in line with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the US and Viet Nam. As part of his working visit to the US from September 4-5, Hung also had working sessions with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Department of State, and the Asia Group. At these meetings, he acknowledged the positive results of cooperation between the Ministry of Public Security and US partners in recent years, which have made law enforcement cooperation an important component of bilateral relations. He noted the proposals put forward by the US side and underscored the need to further strengthen cooperation, information exchange, and effective handling of issues of particular concern, as well as implementing agreed areas of cooperation. US partner agencies thanked Deputy Minister Hung and the high-ranking delegation of Viet Nam for their visit and reaffirmed their commitment to working closely with the Ministry of Public Security to realise with the agreed commitments. VNA/VNS HA NOI Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Vu Le Thai Hoang held a working session with Governor of Lower Austria Johanna Mikl-Leitner on Friday (local time), seeking to promote comprehensive cooperation and explore possibilities for twinning relations between localities of the two countries. The meeting was also attended by Dr. Heinz Boyer, Chairman of the Board of IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, a typical model of educational cooperation between Viet Nam and Austria. IMC Krems maintains close ties with Hue University, Ha Noi University, and the University of Commerce in training nurses, caregivers, tourism and hotel management professionals. Notably, the university has granted 150 full scholarships worth 6 million EUR (around US$6.6 million) to Vietnamese students, with a commitment of 100 per cent long-term employment opportunities and high income. Ambassador Hoang highlighted Viet Nams socio-economic achievements and its development aspiration based on science-technology, innovation, digital transformation, and green growth. He praised the cooperation of Lower Austria and IMC Krems, and proposed to strengthen people-to-people exchanges, local partnerships, and explore the establishment of twinning ties with Vietnamese cities and provinces. Governor Mikl-Leitner congratulated Viet Nam on the 80th anniversary of National Day, expressing admiration for the countrys comprehensive achievements. She spoke highly of the adaptability, discipline, and diligence of Vietnamese students at IMC Krems, describing them as a testament to Viet Nams high-quality human resources and the prospects for long-term cooperation in skilled labour, particularly in nursing and caregiving, amid Austrias rapidly ageing population. The Governor endorsed the Vietnamese Embassys initiative, in coordination with the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and Lower Austria, to hold a Viet NamAustria forum on skilled labour and vocational training. Stressing that Lower Austria attaches importance to effective twinning ties, she suggested considering partnerships with Vietnamese provinces or cities with similar strengths in sustainable tourism, heritage preservation, smart urban management, hotel and restaurant management, and nursing and caregiving, paving the way for practical and long-term cooperation. Bordering the capital Vienna, Lower Austria is the largest and second most populous state of Austria with 1.7 million residents. The state boasts strong development potential in tourism, renewable energy, high technology, education and training, healthcare, urban management, smart agriculture, and its renowned wine industry. VNA/VNS HA NOI Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered a sweeping review of parking lots located under bridges across Viet Nam after a massive fire destroyed over 500 motorbikes beneath Vinh Tuy Bridge in Ha Noi last month. The blaze broke out around 1pm on August 30 at a parking lot under Vinh Tuy Bridge in Hong Ha Ward. Flames engulfed hundreds of vehicles, leaving only twisted metal frames behind. Authorities have also warned that the fire may have affected the bridges structural integrity. The PM has instructed Ha Noi authorities to investigate the cause urgently, review how the parking lot was licensed and managed, and hold any violators of fire safety accountable. The city must also work with the Ministry of Construction to assess potential damage to the bridge and take immediate steps to guarantee its safety. Additionally, Ha Noi authorities have been asked to conduct a citywide review of all parking lots, particularly those located under bridges and elevated roads, and promptly correct violations to prevent similar incidents. The Ministry of Public Security has been tasked with leading the investigation into the fire, while the Ministry of Construction will coordinate inspections of Vinh Tuy Bridge. The results must be reported to the Prime Minister by mid-September. Provinces and cities across the country have also been ordered to review all under-bridge parking lots, shut down illegal operations, and submit reports by the end of September. In a follow-up move, Ha Noi authorities have set a deadline of October 30 to remove all parking facilities located within road protection zones. The citys Department of Construction has begun enforcing new regulations, requiring inspections of roadside and under-bridge parking and imposing penalties for violations. City officials said the plan also includes identifying streets where temporary parking may be allowed, while developing proposals to build new, standardised parking facilities to meet demand. At present, under-bridge parking is still in use at several locations in Ha Noi, including Chuong Duong Bridge, Mai Dich Bridge and Vong intersection. VNS At the end of June, a significant milestone was marked with the groundbreaking of the Ba Lat Liquid Cargo Port in Hung Phu commune. The perspective of Ba Lat Liquid Cargo Port in Hung Yen Covering over 68,500 square metres, the port is designed to accommodate vessels of up to 3,000 tonnes and handle 150,000 tonnes of cargo annually. It includes nearly 5,000 sq.m of storage and synchronised technical infrastructure, ensuring the safe and efficient transport and storage of fuel on a large scale. This port is more than just a logistics facility, it represents a strategic step in establishing a modern logistics network and boosting industrial development across the northern coastal region. It also forms a critical part of Hung Yens broader infrastructure development strategy. Several key expressways are currently being expedited, including Expressway 16, which connects directly to Ba Lat Port; Expressway 8, linking Ninh Binh province and Haiphong city; and Expressway 39, which connects Hanois Ring Road 5, national highways, and coastal roads. The port is expected to provide a stable energy supply, lower transportation costs, and enhanced competitiveness of the provinces coastal areas. With infrastructure development paving the way, Hung Yen is already witnessing a fresh wave of investment, setting the stage for the Thai Binh Economic Zone to emerge as a nationally significant investment destination. According to a representative from Phu Thanh Group, the project's investor, Ba Lat Port is not only a specialised terminal for petrol and oil but also serves as a highly competitive coastal logistics corridor effectively connecting the delta with the midlands and northern mountainous regions. The facility is envisioned as the initial link in an energy logistics chain connecting directly with industrial zones and factories within the Thai Binh Economic Zone. Over time, this chain could evolve into a large-scale cargo transshipment centre serving both domestic and international markets. As outlined in the National Transport Infrastructure Master Plan to 2030, with a vision to 2050, Hung Yen is positioned to play a central role in interregional and interprovincial logistics. The province is now planning and investing in a synchronised inland waterway port system along the Red, Tra Ly, Luoc, and Hoa rivers, all of which will be capable of handling ships of up to 3,000 tonnes. Ba Lat Seaport, home to a liquid cargo port, is one of Hung Yens three major port areas under National Port Group No. 1. This positioning further strengthens the provinces ambition to become a regional coastal logistics centre. In addition to seaports, Hung Yen has also laid out plans for four inland dry ports organised into two clusters: Nam Phu and Tan Truong in the east, and Hung Ha and Quynh Coi in the west. These will form a comprehensive cargo transport chain linking seaports with industrial parks and consumption markets via road and inland waterways. Vu Kim Cu, head of the Hung Yen Economic Zone Management Board, highlighted the importance of ongoing investments in critical infrastructure such as seaports, dry ports, and coastal roads. Looking beyond 2030, the province is also exploring the development of a dedicated coastal airport. Proactive infrastructure development will enable Hung Yen to attract high-quality capital flows, Cu said. Ba Lat Liquid Cargo Port, located at the mouth of the Red River flowing into the East Sea, covers over 68,500sq.m. Photo: Khac Duan Ba Lat Liquid Cargo Port stands as a pioneering project in energy logistics, marking the beginning of a new development phase for the province. With a gradually completed multimodal infrastructure network and a strategy focused on leapfrogging and leading, Hung Yen is working to elevate the Thai Binh Economic Zone into a fully integrated logistics-industrial-services centre. The goal is clear: to compete with and attract strategic investors from both domestic and international markets. One of the provinces most ambitious proposals involves constructing a large-scale seaport in Diem Dien, capable of receiving vessels of up to 200,000 tonnes. If approved, the project would significantly expand Hung Yens marine economic space, strengthen its logistics connectivity, and drive development across the Thai Binh Economic Zoneone of the Red River Deltas key multi-sector economic clusters. The Ministry of Construction has voiced support for this proposal and has requested relevant agencies to finalise the project plan for submission to the prime minister. Nguyen Khac Than, chairman of Hung Yen Peoples Committee, said that the province's strategic goal is to expand its marine economic space, with a central focus on transforming the Thai Binh Economic Zone into a vibrant multi-sector cluster. To realise this vision, the province is prioritising policy innovation, smart transport planning, synchronised connectivity, and the promotion of key economic sectors. Beyond infrastructure, Hung Yen is also improving its investment climate by streamlining administrative procedures, preparing land in advance, accelerating site clearance, and offering ongoing support to businesses throughout their project lifecycles. These efforts are yielding results. In the first eight months of 2025 alone, Hung Yen attracted over $6.3 billion across 243 new and expanded ventures. Of these, 144 were domestic direct investment (DDI) projects with registered capital exceeding $4.7 billion, while 99 were foreign direct investment (FDI) projects totalling nearly $1.6 billion in capital. As of now, Hung Yen is home to 3,917 active ventures, including 903 FDI and 3,014 DDI projects, with total registered capital surpassing $41 billion. Notably, more than 1,100 of these projects are situated in industrial parks and economic zones, with 544 FDI and 581 DDI projects accounting for over $19 billion in investment. With a bold vision and strategic infrastructure investments, Hung Yen is poised to assert itself as a force in Vietnams northern economic landscape. High-tech growth drives investment surge in Hung Yen Hung Yen attracted over $840 million in investment in seven months, driven by industrial upgrades, policy reforms, and growing investor confidence in the provinces development prospects. Dutch businesses keen to invest in Hung Yen CTP Netherlands intends to develop industrial parks offering comprehensive services in diverse localities across Vietnam, including Hung Yen province. News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. This article is old - Published: Saturday, Sep 6th, 2025 Wrexham.com has invited the four North Wales Members of the Senedd to write a monthly column with updates on their work. You can find their updates along with contributions from the Wrexham and Clwyd South MPs and MSs here. In his monthly column for Wrexham.com, Welsh Conservative MS Mark Isherwood writes: Throughout my time as a Member of the Senedd I have always supported the Armed Forces and championed their extraordinary commitment, courage and professionalism. At the end of July, as a Member of the Senedds Cross Party Group on Armed Forces and Cadets, I was pleased to attend and speak at a Llais Event in Wrexham, which celebrated their commitment to sign the Armed Forces Covenant. Llais is the independent citizen voice body for health and social care in Wales, representing peoples views and experiences to ensure services meet the needs of patients, families, and communities. The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise that those who serve or have served in our Armed Forces, and their families, will be treated with fairness, dignity, and respect in the communities they call home. Its a recognition that the unique sacrifices made by our service personnel deserve not just our gratitude, but our practical support. Speaking at the event, I stressed that the Covenant is not just about access to services though thats vital, its about understanding, its about making sure that no Veteran feels left behind, that no family struggles in silence, and that every service leaver has the opportunity to thrive in civilian life. I said: In Wales, we are proud of our military heritage, the contribution of Veterans, ex-forces personnel and service families is woven into the fabric of our national life. They are our neighbours, our colleagues, our volunteers, and our leaders. They bring with them not only a wealth of experience and resilience, but a deep sense of duty and community spirit. Although just 5% of the UK population lives in Wales, Welsh personnel make up around 6% to 7% of the UK armed forces. Back in January 2008, I led a debate in the Senedd supporting the Royal British Legions Honour the Covenant Campaign, concluding that this must be fought until it is won and welcomed the publication of the UK Armed Forces Covenant in May 2011. The Welsh Government and all Local Authorities in Wales signed the Covenant and subscribed to work with partner organisations to uphold its principles, as have Health Boards, Police and Businesses since. The UK Armed Forces Act enshrined the Armed Forces Covenant in law for the first time, to help prevent service personnel and Veterans being disadvantaged when accessing essential services like healthcare, education and housing. The Covenant Legal Duty is a legal obligation on certain public bodies including local authorities, governing bodies of certain state schools, various NHS bodies, and other organisations to have due regard to the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant when carrying out certain functions in healthcare, education and housing. It has been in force since November 2022. And thats where organisations like Llais come in. Llais, as the citizen voice body for Health and Social Care in Wales, plays a crucial role in ensuring that people are heard, especially those who might otherwise go unheard. Theyre here to make sure patients views and experiences are used by decision-makers to plan and deliver better health and social care services, and when things go wrong their independent and trained complaints advocates can support people when they make complaints. By signing the Armed Forces Covenant, Llais is making a clear and public commitment to listening to the voices of Veterans and service families, and to acting on what they hear. It sends a message that Veterans matter, that their experiences, their needs, and their wellbeing are not an afterthought, but a priority. It also reflects the growing recognition across Wales that supporting the Armed Forces community is not just the job of Government or the Armed Forces its something we all share responsibility for. We know that challenges remain. Transitioning from military to civilian life can be tough. Accessing healthcare, housing, or employment can be more complex for Veterans, and for some, the invisible wounds of service like PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) can be just as difficult as the physical ones. However, we know that when we work together, when we listen, when we learn, and when we engage with compassion, we can make a real difference. I hope that the Armed Forces Covenant will keep building a Wales where every Veteran feels valued, every service family feels supported, and every organisation plays its part. Afterall, for all that they have done for our country, our commitment to them must be unwavering, not just on Remembrance Sunday, but every day of the year. On Aug. 1, Bob Ledoux took the helm as the Quantum New Mexico Institutes director. He comes to the state from the Washington, D.C., area, where he most recently served as program director for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. Ledouxs appointment comes at a time when the term quantum seems to be the new buzzword at the Roundhouse and in the broader tech community in New Mexico. This month, Albuquerque hosted the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Quantum Week. And Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced on Tuesday a new partnership with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to accelerate the development, testing and validation of emerging quantum technologies in the state. Ledoux said the institute, which was launched in January 2024 by the University of New Mexico and Sandia National Laboratories to establish New Mexico as a quantum hub, is always looking for input and suggestions on the work it does. He especially loves answering questions about how quantum technologies will matter in life. I came here because I really do believe New Mexico is expanding and growing the ecosystem by everything its doing from the university level, state level and government, Ledoux said. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. What is quantum? Its very important to distinguish between what we mean by quantum now, when were talking about quantum information, science and engineering, and what we use the word quantum for generally. I think it gets confused with the first generation of quantum, where most scientists and technologists would say was when we started using things like semiconductors. The rise of all modern electronics was based on an understanding of quantum phenomena. Exactly 100 years ago, quantum mechanics was invented and that led to, for example, the first transistor, which was basically based on a better understanding of materials; its a semiconductor. Now, we hear that term all the time, but that was basically only understood and invented by understanding quantum. When we say quantum now, like a quantum computer or quantum sensor, it has a more specific meaning. It means now were taking the properties of quantum mechanics, sometimes literally at one-atom level, and were exploiting the special properties of quantum mechanics, which is that a quantum system exhibits two things that are not natural to our common sense. Like superposition, where a (quantum bit) does not have to be just one or zero, it could be both simultaneously with some probability. And then, even more important is that you can then take two qubits and entangle them. That entanglement is a very, very special kind of correlation between the qubits. This property, when you utilize it at that very basic level, means you can make sensors which are much more sensitive, you can make communication that basically cant be spoofed, you can make a quantum computer which, at its heart, utilizes those special quantum properties to do a massively parallel type of computing computing that would never be possible on a classical computer. Ad How does a quantum computer differ from a classical computer? Let me make something clear, which sometimes gets confused we are not doing away with classical computers. At the moment, for very large data, for certain types of processing, classical computers will always have a place. And in fact, computing, maybe forever, will be a hybrid. Why dont we know everything about chemistry? Its because the chemical systems, the electrons interacting, their correlations are exponential, and its very hard to bring to human terms an exponential correlation. If you have just 300 correlated atoms, the amount of information you would need to store to simulate that system on a classical computer is more than the number of atoms in the universe. Basically, you cannot do that on a classical computer. Why is it difficult to build stable quantum systems? Literally, youre dealing with one atom at a time, and you have to get them into different states. You have to then put them in superposition and entangle them, so its like youre manipulating things at the atom level, and its incredibly difficult to isolate. You have to isolate it from the environment because it could rapidly destroy it, but at the same time, you have to control it, so you have to put information in and out. It is a scientific, engineering and technical challenge. Where does New Mexico stand in the rapidly evolving quantum ecosystem? It stands at the epicenter. It is one of the focal places, I would say, in the country and in the world. Why? Because it has a legacy of being here early in this problem. (New Mexico) has so much already that its really an abundance of great assets. I think the challenge is not that we dont have great people, its that this is evolving fast, and it has many other aspects that we have to expand. I came here for this reason; I came here because its the place where it started, so to speak. Why should the general public care about quantum technologies and the industry? I think it will ultimately affect their lives and, we hope, in very positive ways. The growth in our economy, a lot of it is due to basically all the things we associate with computing new products, new inventions and so on. We dont have a crystal ball, but this is an evolving, new industry that could really become a substantial driver of the economy. A map indicating what portions, marked in orange, of southern New Mexico are considered a National Defense Area. Some hunting grounds across New Mexico have gone from open season to off limits after the federal government staked its claim on a strip of land along the southern border for immigration enforcement. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish sent a message Friday alerting hunters that some areas of Hidalgo, Luna and Dona Ana counties will no longer be accessible. Thats because the U.S. Army designated those portions of New Mexico as a National Defense Area (NDA), barring people from accessing those regions without prior approval. The military zone was designated by the Department of Defense, at the behest of the White House, earlier this year as a way to charge migrants with additional crimes for crossing illegally into the U.S. The defense areas stretch about 180 miles in New Mexico, including in game management units used for hunting. Game and Fish said the Army has developed a protocol for hunters wishing to access the NDA, including having to submit information for a visitor access badge and pass a background check. Upon receipt of a visitor access badge, individuals will need to follow the guidelines in the U.S. Armys memorandum, according to the release. The Army has tied the designation of defense areas in that region to Fort Huachuca, a U.S. Army installation located in southeast Arizona, 15 miles north of Mexicos border and more than 100 miles from the closest New Mexico county, Hidalgo. The U.S. Army, in the memorandum, said the defense area was set to ensure Fort Huachuca is in compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Direction 12, which requires 100% of visitors to be vetted prior to entering the installation unescorted. According to a memo from the U.S. Army, the defense area was designed to ensure sustainable management of natural resources, particularly wildlife, on military installations while also balancing all recreational activities. On Friday, the Department of Justice said 42 more migrants were charged with entering military property arising from the newly established National Defense Area. The DOJ sends such updates weekly, calling the cases part of Operation Take Back America, with hundreds of migrants being charged in the past several months. Ad Many charges based on defense area entry have been dismissed. Hunters seeking game in the NDA must follow the protocols for access, the Army memo stated. Failure to comply may lead to being detained or charged with unlawful entry onto a military installation, according to the memo. Hunters will be required to wear proper protective clothing, have all recreational vehicles registered as off-highway vehicles and comply with all Game and Fish rules, the memo said. Shooting within a quarter mile of any buildings, vehicles, people or border wall is strictly prohibited. A health care worker fills a syringe with COVID-19 vaccine. Updated COVID-19 vaccines are expected to become available in New Mexico by late September, a state Department of Health spokesman said. New Mexico health officials issued new guidance Friday that recommends "broad access" to COVID-19 vaccines, including "any New Mexico resident who wants to be vaccinated." CVS, one of the nation's largest pharmacy chains, said Friday that the action by the New Mexico Department of Health allows CVS to offer the vaccines without a prescription at its pharmacies statewide. "Following todays regulatory action by the New Mexico Department of Health, CVS Pharmacy will ensure COVID-19 vaccinations are available as soon as possible at our pharmacies throughout the state without a prescription," said Amy Thibault, a CVS spokeswoman. "As soon as we begin offering vaccinations, appointments will be made available via CVS.com and the CVS Health app," Thibault said in an email. "Patients will also be able to walk into our pharmacies and clinics." The statement is a 180-degree change from CVS' position a week ago when the chain said it could not administer vaccines in New Mexico, even to those with a prescription. The updated COVID-19 vaccines are expected to become available in New Mexico by late September, a Department of Health spokesman said. The new guidance issued Friday recommends COVID vaccinations for anyone 65 and older, people 2-64 years old at high risk for severe COVID illness, and more broadly, anyone who wants the vaccine. "We are committed to ensuring access for those who wish to be vaccinated and our collaborative work with the New Mexico Board of Pharmacy demonstrates a swift resolution to remove barriers," Health Secretary Gina DeBlassie said in a statement. "As the fall/winter respiratory virus season rapidly approaches, New Mexico cannot afford to wait for the federal government to act on this matter." Recent turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created uncertainty around COVID-19 vaccines this year. As recently as last year, New Mexico based its vaccine guidance on the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which recommends vaccine policy to the director of the CDC. In the past, COVID-19 vaccines were recommended for anyone 6 months and older. Ad Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired every member of ACIP in June and named replacements who have yet to make recommendations. And last week, a slew of top CDC officials resigned or were fired, including Susan Monarez, the agency's director who'd only just been confirmed to the position a month prior. The CVS pharmacy chain announced last week that it could not administer vaccines in New Mexico and two other states, even with a prescription, because of the state's reliance on ACIP recommendations. CVS reversed that decision on Friday. On Aug. 29, DeBlassie issued a public health order directing the DOH to work with the New Mexico Board of Pharmacy to amend state regulations with the goal of ensuring access to COVID vaccines for New Mexicans. The new guidance is based on guidelines issued by a variety of medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The guidance is intended to offer broad access to New Mexicans based on their own circumstances. "We've really made it so that people can assess their own risk and get the vaccine if they want to get the vaccine," Dr. Miranda Durham, DOH's chief medical officer, said Friday in a phone interview. The new guidance recommends the vaccine for a broad range of people, including: Anyone 65 and older. Children ages 6-24 months. People ages 2-64 years at high risk of severe outcomes from COVID illness. All pregnant, recently pregnant and lactating women. People in congregate or long-term care settings. The new guidance also offers a blanket recommendation for healthy people ages 2-64 "who desire protection from COVID-19" and allows people to "self-attest" to their immunocompromised status or high-risk conditions. "Vaccinators should not deny COVID-19 vaccination to a person due to lack of documentation," it says. "In general, given the constrained health care resources in the state, (DOH) recommends broad access to the COVID-19 vaccine," the guidance says. New Mexico stands at a crossroads for its energy future. In May 2025, Blackstone, a private equity firm, in partnership with Public Service Company of New Mexico, announced plans to acquire TXNM Energy, the parent company of the states largest utility provider. PNM has already petitioned the Public Regulatory Commission for possible approval of this $11.5 billion deal, with both companies confident it will close within a year. As we shape a path toward climate leadership, New Mexicans should be deeply concerned about private equity taking over our power grid. Blackstone is not a savior but another contender in the states already monopolized and profit-driven energy system. To challenge this narrative that we need private corporations from New York, to manage public goods the New Mexico No False Solutions Coalition (NM NFS) is sending a delegation to New York Climate Week to call out the commodification of our lands, water, air and basic human rights. Blackstone is no ordinary investor. With $1.21 trillion in assets, it already controls major sectors of our lives: housing, energy, transportation, technology and water/waste. The company brands itself as innovative and future-focused, but in reality, its business model fuels the housing crisis, rising costs of living and the climate crisis itself. Allowing Blackstone to control New Mexicos largest utility would only deepen corporate overreach into the essentials of our daily lives. This takeover also arrives against the backdrop of New Mexicos push to diversify its economy, modernize the grid and create jobs in energy. Unfortunately, those efforts have often leaned on greenwashed solutions hydrogen, carbon capture, nuclear and speculative water projects that fail to deliver meaningful benefits to communities. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams Strategic Water Supply Plan, for example, has been widely criticized for prioritizing water for data centers, artificial intelligence and hydrogen over every day New Mexicans. Whats marketed as economic growth increasingly looks like an open invitation for corporate takeover. The question, then, is whether Blackstone can be trusted to protect the public interest? Its track record elsewhere says otherwise. In Ohio, its ventures into nuclear energy raised costs and sparked controversy. Its global portfolio is marred by labor abuses and investments that drive environmental harm. And when measured against the framework of a Just Transition which prioritizes worker rights, safety, environmental justice and racial equity Blackstone fails on every count. If our utility is accountable not to ratepayers but to private equity shareholders, how can we expect it to safeguard energy democracy? How will it prioritize clean, affordable power for New Mexicans when profit margins take precedence? The danger is clear: Our essential services will be reduced to financial assets in the portfolios of billionaires. As Climate Week approaches, NFS will join national calls to Make Billionaires Pay by addressing the possible takeover of our utilities by Blackstone. These are demands for justice, for an economy rooted in people and the planet, not corporate greed. We know whats at stake. You cant drink oil. You cant survive in an unlivable climate. And, you shouldnt have to rely on Wall Street investors to keep the lights on. We have a duty to stand with our communities and resist the corporate capture of our most basic human needs. The path to climate leadership is not paved by billionaires it will be built by and for the people of New Mexico. Journalists who risk their lives to report the news with truth and accuracy in zones of conflict must be honored and recognized for their courage. Its alarming to know that more journalists have been killed in Gaza than in World War I, World War II, Ukraine, Iraq, Vietnam and Afghanistan combined. On Sept. 1, Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, reported that over 250 global media outlets from over 70 countries coordinated a news blackout to protest Israels killing of Palestinian journalists in Gaza. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, between October 2023 and August 2025, over 200 journalists and media workers have been killed by the Israeli army. Most were Palestinian because Israel has barred international media from entering Gaza. This means Palestinians have had to document their own demise. Under International Humanitarian Law, journalists are protected as non-combatants. They have the right to gather and disseminate news, including the ability to record video and law enforcement activities. Attacks against journalists that impede their fundamental rights constitute war crimes. Israeli forces recently bombed the Nasser Hospital, the only fully functioning major hospital in southern Gaza. Five journalists were killed. Paramedics responding to the strike were killed in a second strike that was broadcast live. Viewers watched the murder of the paramedics in real time. This is a war crime. These journalists gave their life so the world could see the on-the-ground suffering endured by people in Gaza. These are the most recent deaths in Nasser Hospital. To name them is to honor them. Mariam Abu Daggga: freelance photographer for the Associated Press. Mohammed Salama: cameraman for Al Jazeera. Moaz Abu Taha: 27-year-old freelance video journalist who could not afford a proper camera, so he filmed and photographed with his phone. Ahmed Abu Aziz: correspondent for Middle East Eye and Quds Network. Hatem Khaled: Reuters photographer who died from his wounds. Ad Hussam al-Masri: 48-year-old cameraman working with Reuters who left behind two sons and two daughters. Hussam was the last journalist to leave Nasser hospital during Israels first invasion of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Local New Mexican hero, Ernie Pyle, was an American war correspondent known for his stories about American soldiers during World War II. He was killed in action during the battle of Okinawa. He wanted to make sure Americans knew about the sacrifice of our soldiers. Pyle would have whole heartedly echoed the last words of Anas Al-Sharif, 28, well-known Al Jazeera correspondent, killed in a targeted attack on a tent that housed journalists near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. If these words reach you, 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 hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification. Americans deserve to be informed about the genocide in Gaza. We need to know how our tax dollars are being spent; how U.S. law is being broken when our weapons are used against a civilian population, why children in Gaza are deliberately being starved to death while trucks lined up at border crossings filled with lifesaving supplies are being blocked from entering Gaza. When doctors are being targeted we need to know. Palestinian journalists have paid a steep price to report on the horrors of a 58-year illegal occupation of Gaza by Israel. Media outlets across our state and country must show the same courage. Journalistic ethics is the bedrock of Democracy. Challenge is second of three in a multiyear partnership to help shape the future of longevity innovation C$ unless otherwise stated TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945 HONG KONG, Sept. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Manulife, in collaboration with UpLink, the World Economic Forum's early-stage innovation initiative, and the Forum's Centre for Financial and Monetary Systems, is proud to announce the winners of the Innovating for Asia's Demographic Future Challenge. This initiative, the second in a three-part longevity-focused innovation series, sought bold, scalable solutions to support financial resilience, healthy aging, and lifelong fulfillment across Asia's rapidly evolving demographic landscape. From over 85 submissions, ten standout ventures were selected for their transformative potential. Winners will also gain access to exclusive networking opportunities, strategic partnerships, and global visibility through the UpLink ecosystem. Of these, three top innovators will receive a combined CAD $200,000 in prize funding to accelerate their impact. The winners are: Agewhale ( Hong Kong ) empowers elderly individuals and caregivers in Hong Kong to age safely at home through its Care Compass app, bridging digital and gerontech divides for improved home safety and care management ) empowers elderly individuals and caregivers in to age safely at home through its Care Compass app, bridging digital and gerontech divides for improved home safety and care management AqlCare ( Abu Dhabi ) transforms routine caregiver-patient video calls into structured, continuous cognitive screenings, enabling early detection of dementia and cognitive decline with high compliance and accessibility ) transforms routine caregiver-patient video calls into structured, continuous cognitive screenings, enabling early detection of dementia and cognitive decline with high compliance and accessibility DoctorTool ( Jakarta ) is revolutionizing primary care in Indonesia by digitizing clinics with AI-powered SaaS, eHealth apps, and IoMT, improving access, efficiency, and quality for vulnerable communities ) is revolutionizing primary care in by digitizing clinics with AI-powered SaaS, eHealth apps, and IoMT, improving access, efficiency, and quality for vulnerable communities Happy60plus (Bengaluru) offers holistic, tech-enabled wellness programs for seniors, fostering engagement, independence, and joy through virtual classes and community-building activities Infiheal ( Pune ) offers hyper-personalized, AI-powered mental and sexual health support, making therapy accessible, affordable, and stigma-free for underserved populations ) offers hyper-personalized, AI-powered mental and sexual health support, making therapy accessible, affordable, and stigma-free for underserved populations Kinexcs ( Singapore ) develops AI-driven wearable rehabilitation platforms, enabling home-based, personalized recovery for patients after joint surgeries, reducing healthcare system burden and improving outcomes ) develops AI-driven wearable rehabilitation platforms, enabling home-based, personalized recovery for patients after joint surgeries, reducing healthcare system burden and improving outcomes PINTAR's ( Singapore ) Berkala program supports Asia's returnee migrant workers with lifelong learning, reintegration, and social connection, leveraging digital and offline tools to foster economic and emotional resilience ) Berkala program supports returnee migrant workers with lifelong learning, reintegration, and social connection, leveraging digital and offline tools to foster economic and emotional resilience Sav ( Dubai ) is an AI-powered autonomous finance platform that transforms fragmented financial behavior into intelligent, outcome-driven money actions, helping users optimize savings, investments, and debt management ) is an AI-powered autonomous finance platform that transforms fragmented financial behavior into intelligent, outcome-driven money actions, helping users optimize savings, investments, and debt management Xandar Kardian ( Toronto ) enables proactive, preventive healthcare for seniors aging in place using passive radar sensors for continuous, compliance free health monitoring, reducing hospitalizations and improving peace of mind ) enables proactive, preventive healthcare for seniors aging in place using passive radar sensors for continuous, compliance free health monitoring, reducing hospitalizations and improving peace of mind YoungHappy ( Bangkok ) is a hybrid community platform in Thailand empowering urban seniors to age with dignity, fun, and self-reliance through digital and offline engagement, learning, and work opportunities "Manulife is proud to lead this initiative in partnership with UpLink, supporting innovative winners who are driving meaningful change across Asia to address the region's demographic transformation," said Sarah Chapman, Global Chief Sustainability Officer at Manulife. "These startups are helping people live better for longer, including addressing financial security, physical wellbeing, and personal fulfillment and we're proud to support their missions." By 2050, one in four people in Asia will be over the age of 60i. This profound demographic shift is driven by longer life expectancies and declining fertility rates. As countries in Asia adapt to these changes, people may no longer follow the traditional 'school, work, retirement' paradigmii. Instead, they transition more frequently between learning, working, caring, and recreationiii. In addition, recent data from Manulife's Asia Care Survey showed physical well-being is central to both financial and mental well-being for people across Asia, and that rising health-care costs are a major concern, fueling anxiety about insufficient savings. The challenge aimed to address these issues by focusing on three key areas: Multigenerational Financial Resilience, Equitable Healthy Aging, and Lifelong Fulfillment. "Early-stage innovation is vital to turning the challenges that come with Asia's demographic shifts into meaningful opportunities for communities across the region," said John Dutton, Head of UpLink, World Economic Forum. "Through the Global Longevity Innovation Initiative, we are proud to partner with Manulife and the Forum's Centre for Financial and Monetary Systems to build an innovation ecosystem that promotes healthier, more financially resilient and fulfilled lives for all generations." The third and final challenge in this series will launch in 2026 with a new thematic focus. Manulife's multiyear partnership with UpLink is part of their global Impact Agenda, which aims to empower sustained health and well-being, drive inclusive economic opportunity, and accelerate a sustainable future. To learn more about Manulife's Impact Agenda, visit manulife.com/impact . About Manulife Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping our customers make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we operate as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, providing financial advice and insurance for individuals, groups and businesses. Through Manulife Wealth & Asset Management, we offer global investment, financial advice, and retirement plan services to individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2024, we had more than 37,000 employees, over 109,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 36 million customers. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges, and under '945' in Hong Kong. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com . About UpLink UpLink is a World Economic Forum initiative, founded in collaboration with Deloitte and Salesforce, designed to unlock the power of entrepreneurship to tackle the world's most urgent challenges. UpLink builds ecosystems that enable purpose-driven, early-stage entrepreneurs to scale their businesses for the markets and economies that are essential to a net-zero, nature-positive and equitable future. For further information, click here. ________________________ i ADP: Adapting to Aging Asia and the Pacific ii Stanford Center on Longevity iii The New Long Life: A Framework for Flourishing in a Changing World Media Contact: Gina Simonis 617-840-4794 [email protected] Carl Wong 852 2510 3180 [email protected] SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation Maratha Quota Row: Manoj Jarange Reaches Pune, March to Mumbai Gains Momentum 2 Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange reached the base of Shivneri Fort in Pune district on Thursday morning with hundreds of supporters as he continued his march toward Mumbai to press for reservation for the Maratha community. The fort, the birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is likely to see Jarange paying homage to the Maratha warrior king before proceeding further. Jarange began his journey on Wednesday from Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna, over 400 km from Mumbai, vowing to launch a fresh hunger strike in the state capital. On his way, he agreed to meet a government delegation near Pune, although state minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who heads the Maratha quota sub-committee, clarified that no formal decision has been made for talks. The activist, demanding a 10% quota for Marathas under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, reiterated that the protest would remain peaceful and would not disturb Ganesh festival celebrations. He has also called for all Marathas to be recognized as Kunbis, an agrarian caste under the OBC list, to secure reservation benefits in jobs and education. The Jalna police allowed the march under strict conditions, including maintaining law and order, avoiding traffic disruptions, and refraining from objectionable slogans. In Mumbai, the Azad Maidan police granted permission for a peaceful protest on August 29 between 9 am and 6 pm, capping the number of participants at 5,000. Only five vehicles from the main protest group will be allowed to proceed from Wadi Bunder Junction to Azad Maidan, the police stated. Steel is rising on MMF3, one of two massive expansion projects at Austal USA. When MMF3 is operational, it'll be used to build modules that will go into nuclear submarines. (Photo courtesy of Austal USA) Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com Its been more than a year since Austal USA broke ground on a massive facility called FA2, one of two separate expansion projects that each will house about 1,000 new jobs. Yet, if youre looking across the Mobile River from downtown, the shipbuilder looks much the same as it did then. Is the promised tsunami of jobs still coming? Company leadership says it is, and that work to create infrastructure needed to house them will soon become much more evident. The companys two main construction bays are a familiar part of the waterfront skyline. And theres even an Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship parked in the vicinity. Thats been a common sight since 2008, but this is the last of them, the 19th, LCS-38, soon to be commissioned as the USS Pierre. Austal USAs days as a specialized aluminum shipbuilder dependent on two bread-and-butter programs are behind it. Its now sinking its teeth into an eclectic mix of steel ships commissioned by the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard. In a few years, many of those ships will emerge from FA2, or Final Assembly 2 - a construction and launch complex big enough for the Coast Guards new Offshore Patrol Cutters to be assembled indoors. Work is under way on the site but hasnt gone vertical yet. An observer with keen eyes and a high vantage point (or one whos willing to drive down Dunlap Drive past Alabama Shipyard) can see steel girders rising at a site farther back from the river. This is MMF3, or Module Manufacturing Facility 3, the other big expansion. Itll house work to build modules that will go inside Columbia- and Virginia-class nuclear submarines. Austal USA wont be building subs, but it will be building major internal assemblies - the modules - that will help General Dynamics Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding crank out more of those vessels. Austal has said the two new facilities together represented about $750 million in investment. When theyre built, staffing them will require around 2,000 new workers, pushing Austals workforce to record levels. The two big infrastructure expansion programs are tracking (progressing), said Larry Ryder, Austal USAs Vice President of Business Development and External Affairs. FA2 is still on schedule, he said. Its not as much visible progress as with MMF3. Both buildings are still scheduled to come online next year. MMF3 will open at a Phase 1 level in summer 2026, Ryder said, then should be fully operational by the end of the year or early 27. FA2 also should be up and running by the end of 2026, he said. Ryder said the Austal workforce still sits at about 3,100 people. He said that will change slowly over the next nine months or so, then will accelerate rapidly. A rendering shows Austal's planned Final Assembly 2 facility and the massive shiplift that will facilitate the transfer of vessels to and from the water. (Courtesy of Austal USA) Austal USA Our focus over the last year has been increasing retention, reducing our turnover, he said. Weve made significant strides there. Weve gone from about 20% to below 15%, which is a pretty sizable increase. You know, its a lot less people we have to hire. Ryder said the effort involves everything from higher pay and more flexible scheduling to improved communication, making sure workers have a good picture of what theyre doing and what the end product is. Better retention could prove critical, because Austals expansion isnt happening in a vacuum. Despite the daily flow of headlines coming out of the Pentagon under the Trump administration, theres a steady drumbeat of support for increased military shipbuilding output. Shipyards across the country are trying to ramp up. That means that on some level, Austal is competing for the same pool of workers with shipyards in Mississippi. Its a challenge, said Ryder. I think were doing okay now. Were a little bit behind where we want to be on hiring, but theres a light at the end of the tunnel. The optimist part of me looks at the hard work that the Chamber of Commerce here has done, and Baldwin County, Bishop State Community College, the Alabama community college system, and AIDT. You have all these groups that are really focused on growing the workforce down here, and thats starting to show results. You know, you put your foot down and say, I need a thousand people, its going to take a while to get that beast running, he said. But were getting there. Im optimistic well get there as people go back into the manufacturing trades and we get programs that are geared to help people get into those trades again, like, you know, 10, 15 years ago. The test of that will come a year from now. Ryder said he expects Austal to add a couple hundred workers, raising its workforce to about 3,300 by next summer. Then T-AGOS is going to kick in and were really going to have to ramp up, he said. Austal USA announced in 2023 that it had won a contract to build up to seven T-AGOS 25 surveillance ships for the Navy, a deal potentially worth more than $3 billion. Thats hardly the only big program that Austal has coming; in the decade ahead itll be building Offshore Patrol Cutters for the Coast Guard and it recently launched the first of 12 Navy landing craft it has orders to build. The point is, T-AGOS is one of the programs that define Austals future. Austal had to develop the steel production capacity to win the contracts; it had to win the contracts to justify the expansion. Soon itll be all about having the manpower to fulfill the shipbuilders commitments. And its not just Ryder whos confronting the challenge. When Austals top international leadership visited in late 2024, Richard Spencer, the American chairman of Australian parent company Austal Ltd., foresaw the need for a national recruiting effort. We look, obviously, in our backyard first and we have some great resources being applied by the state and the county and the city which were grateful for, Spencer said. But were gonna have to spread the web even farther. I mean, as far as Im concerned, and I think Paddy [Austal Ltd. CEO Paddy Gregg] shares this also, the country is the Petri dish from which we will grow people. It could be North Dakota, it could be the coal fields of Wyoming, displaced workers, whatever. Lets bring them down, offer them training and warmer weather. Gregg said the company had gotten tremendous support from Mobile and needed that to continue. How can they help? Infrastructure, schools, houses, trying to attract people to the area, said Gregg. This shipyard will only be successful if we have the people to deliver the ships and they can help us by bringing people to the area that we can then employ. As MMF3 and FA2 come online, theyll drive a wave of hiring that Ryder says will push Austal USAs workforce from 3,100 to more than 5,000. By this time next year, that push should be well under way. Were going to try to hire ahead of that, says Ryder. You know, if we can get on a curve that grows more than a few hundred heads over the next 12 months, well do that. The owners of an Alabama ATV park where a crash last Saturday killed two people and injured seven has issued a statement on the incident. Indian Mountain ATV Park in Cherokee County stated in a social media post that it is profoundly saddened by the tragic accident that happened there. We continue to cooperate fully with the authorities investigating the accident, the park stated. Killed in the crash were 34-year-old Marcus Ragland, and Ashley Brooke Hawkins, 31. The couple lived in Rome, Ga. Ragland was the father of 10 children. He and Hawkins shared two children, both of whom were injured in the crash, according to a GoFundMe set up for Raglands children. The seven injured children sustained varying injuries. Our hearts are with those who passed away, and we extend our deepest sympathies to the families who are grieving and to the families of those who were injured, the park statement reads. We are truly appreciative of the fast and professional efforts of all our first responders, including law enforcement, and EMS personnel who provided aid during this challenging period. Their commitment, dedication and service in our community are truly valued. There were nine people in one side-by-side RZR, he said, and two people in the other, also an RZR. After the impact, the ATV with nine people inside traveled another 150 feet, rolled over and hit a tree. Ragland, the driver, was pronounced dead on the scene after he was ejected from the vehicle. Hawkins was airlifted to UAB Hospital in Birmingham, where she was pronounced dead. Seven children in the ATV were injured. Their ages range from one to 13. Witnesses reported the driver who was killed was driving at a high rate of speed when he struck the other RZR, though the other driver tried to avoid the crash, Shaver said. Authorities said first responders arrived at the crash site in 18 minutes. WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 22: View of the sign outside National Public Radio headquarters on July 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. Getty Images Larisa Thomason has been listening to Huntsville public radio station WLRH for almost 50 years. Now, shes threatening to change the dial. My daughter calls WLRH the soundtrack for her childhood, Thomason said. It was always on. Thomason started listening to WLRH in the 1970s to learn more about politics and she became a dues-paying member in the 1980s. She said she may start supporting a different public radio station after she heard that WLRH is dropping its National Public Radio (NPR) programming due to federal funding cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. WLRH is a branch of Alabama Public Television, which lost $2.8 million in those cuts. According to Alabama Public Television, NPR programming costs $192,000 to air on WLRH. WLRH General Manager Erich Bruckner said the change was purely a financial decision, however, APT leaders blame bias problems at NPR, as well as PBS, for the federal funding cuts. It reminds me of Stephen Colbert famously saying that reality has a well-known liberal bias, because public radio, they interview all kinds of people from all political parties, Thomason said. Artists, leaders, national, international leaders. There are Republicans on there all the time, so I dont understand the problem. The quality of the product (NPR) is really good, Bruckner said. But, you know, were looking at this from a long-term perspective of what is going to be the healthiest thing for the radio station long term. Switch to community-driven focus He said WLRH will be pivoting to a community-driven focus to fill the 32% of airtime formerly filled with NPR shows like Morning Edition, Fresh Air and All Things Considered. WLRH will create a local news morning show produced by two hosts. It will be every weekday from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. It will also add more episodes of popular local shows. A lot of our most popular shows, like Valley Sounds, which is the only local band of local artist music show in town, will now air twice a week instead of once a week, Bruckner said. Some of our other locally produced music shows, like Talking the Blues with legend Microwave Dave, will begin airing twice a week instead of once a week, and a few other shows fall in that category as well. So were doubling down on a commitment to serving the community through more local programming. Thomason is disappointed that she learned about this decision after it was made, especially after donating money for more than 40 years. My big thing is to make this decision without input from members is, I dont know, we have a relationship with the station that you dont have with a commercial radio station or television station, Thomason said. So its like they just dont care what we think. Bruckner encourages those who want to listen to NPR to listen on other platforms, like podcasts or Alabama Public Radio stations. Thomason plans on it. If theyre (WLRH leaders) going to go with, this is strictly a financial decision, then this decision is going to hurt them more financially, because Im now looking at other public radio stations where I can get the news, and Im not a freeloader, so well be donating to that one, Thomason said. Bruckner said he understands why people are tuning off, but he hopes they will check out the new programming, which starts on Oct. 1, the first day of the 2026 fiscal year. A general view of a Claire's Accessories shop in Princess Square Bracknell Shopping Centre in Bracknell, Berkshire. Picture date: Wednesday August 13, 2025. PA Images via Getty Images Tween jewelry retailer Claires Stores, Inc. is set to close 291 stores, according to a court filing on Aug. 25. Claires Holdings LLC announced on Aug. 20 it agreed to sell its North American business to private holdings company Ames Watson for $104 million. As part of the agreement, 235 Claires stores and 56 Icing locations will close, while the court document listed over 800 Claires and Icing locations that will remain open. USA Today reported the states with the most Claires stores closing are California (25), New York (18), Illinois (16) and Pennsylvania (16). Alabama stores on the closure list include: Shops at Grand River in Leeds, Decatur Mall in Decatur and Outlet Collection Foley in Foley. You can see the complete list here. Ames Watson, a Columbia, Maryland-based private investment firm, will acquire the downsized company along with Claires intellectual property. Claires has built a powerful emotional connection with generations of consumers through its focus on self-expression, creativity, and accessible fashion, said Lawrence Berger, Co-Founder of Ames Watson in a press release. We are committed to investing in its future by preserving a significant retail footprint across North America, working closely with the Claires team to ensure a seamless transition and creating a renewed path to growth based on our deep experience working with consumer brands. The sale to the private holdings company comes after Claires filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Aug. 6. Court filings indicated the company would need to close over 1,000 stores if it could not secure a buyer. As we continue through our restructuring proceedings, our team has worked tirelessly to explore every option for preserving the value of the Claires business and brand, said Chris Cramer, CEO of Claires. We are glad to reach this definitive agreement to sell a portion of our North America operations to Ames Watson and maximize the value of our company for all our stakeholders. I would again like to extend my gratitude to every Claires employee who has continued to show up for our customers during this challenging time for our business. CHICAGO President Donald Trumps plan to dispatch National Guard troops and immigration agents into Chicago has put many Latino residents on edge, prompting some to carry their U.S. passports while giving others pause about openly celebrating the upcoming Mexican Independence Day. Though the holiday falls on Sept. 16, celebrations in Chicago span more than a week and draw hundreds of thousands of participants. Festivities kicked off with a Saturday parade through the heavily Mexican Pilsen neighborhood and will continue with car caravans and lively street parties. But this year, the typically joyful period coincides with Trumps threats to add Chicago to the list of other Democratic-led cities he has targeted for expanded federal enforcement. His administration has said it will step up immigration enforcement in Chicago, as it did in Los Angeles, and would deploy National Guard troops. In addition to sending troops to Los Angeles in June, Trump deployed them last month in Washington, D.C., as part of his unprecedented law enforcement takeover of the nations capital. Trump posted an illustration of himself against a Chicago-skyline ablaze with flames and helicopters on Truth Social on Saturday. Chicago about to find out why its called the Department of WAR, he posted. Trump has ordered the Defense Department to be renamed the Department of War. He offered no details but posted, I love the smell of deportations in the morning, referencing a 1979 war film. The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote on the social platform X. Illinois wont be intimidated by a wannabe dictator. Although details about the promised Chicago operation have been sparse, theres already widespread opposition extending into the suburbs. State and city leaders have said they plan to sue the Trump administration. Mixed feelings about postponing festivities The extended Mexican Independence Day celebrations reflect the size and vitality of Chicagos Mexican American community. Mexicans make up more than one-fifth of the citys total population and about 74% of its Latino residents, according to 2022 U.S. Census estimates. Parade and festival organizers have been divided over whether to move forward with precautions or postpone, in hopes that it will feel safer for many participants to have a true celebration in several months time. El Grito Chicago, a downtown Mexican Independence Day festival set for next weekend, was postponed this week by organizers in order to protect people. But also we just refuse to let our festival be a pawn in this political game, said German Gonzalez, an organizer of El Grito Chicago. In Pilsen and Little Village, two of the citys best-known neighborhoods with restaurants, businesses and cultural ties to Mexican culture, residents expressed disappointment that the potential federal intervention instilled such fear and anxiety in the community at a time usually characterized by joy, togetherness and celebration of Mexican American heritage. Celebrating, but with precautions On Saturday morning, some parade-goers grabbed free, bright-orange whistles and flyers from volunteers standing outside the Lozano Branch of the Chicago Public Library. Blow the whistle on ICE! the flyers read, encouraging a nonviolent tactic to raise alarm if agents appear at the event. Magdalena Alvarado, who lived in Little Village for 30 years, took an orange whistle. My heart is like pounding a little bit because I dont know what to expect today, she said. Alvarado saw some lowrider cars, often decked out with Mexican flags, with imagery supporting the police. She wondered to herself whether they were intentionally added to garner goodwill with the law enforcement present. Spectators held up cardboard signs painted with monarch butterflies, the migratory species that travels between the U.S. and Mexico. Many cheered Viva Mexico! Drivers of vintage cars honked their horns and a drummer kept time for a group of dancers bedecked in feathers. Horseback riders clip-clopped down the street, and one lifted up a large Mexican flag. Claudia Alvarez, whose 10-year-old daughter was nearby riding a horse, said its important that politicians see people out celebrating, though the crowd seemed smaller this year. At these hours you should be able to see plenty of people in the streets enjoying themselves, but now theres not really a lot of people, she said. Vianney Alarcon, 42, said she expects people to be targeted by immigration officials regardless of their legal status. But in an act of defiance, shell be taking part in the festivities while bringing along her passport. Im still going to celebrate my heritage, she said. And I know for a fact that a lot of the people I know and the people commenting on Facebook are going to show up, too. What are they going to do? Were not being disruptive if were celebrating properly. An air of uncertainty Fabio Fernandez, 39, owner of an art and T-shirt company with a residency at a Pilsen streetwear shop, called it troubling and disheartening that potential federal intervention was impacting Mexican Independence Day celebrations. He said theres a mood of anxiety in the neighborhood, which has translated to lower sales and reduced foot traffic for local businesses like his, Fernandez said. He added that there are simple ways to support local Latino-owned shops and restaurants. Come back to 18th Street. Support small businesses here. Theyre still working hard as hell to keep their businesses alive, he said. Alejandro Vences, 30, became a U.S. citizen this year, which gives me some comfort during this time, he said while eating pozole verde at a local Mexican restaurant. Still, he said, the anxiety is palpable. For us, our Independence Day has always been a celebration of our culture, he said. Its always been a celebration of who we are. It feels like we dont get to celebrate our culture in the same way. ___ Finley reported from Norfolk, Virginia and Raza reported from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Associated Press writers Morgan Lee in Santa Fe and Cal Woodward in Washington contributed. Samantha Williams, Kamyl Bailey and Damiuna Dawson participate in a panel discussion, 'A Conversation on Birminghams Next Gen Workers.' Birmingham Promise A national foundation has pledged a three-year grant to Birmingham Promise as part of a push toward promoting education in the U.S. The KPMG U.S. Foundation announced the grant Friday, totaling $112,500. Its part of a $2 million push by the foundation to promote healthier, more vibrant communities. Birmingham Promise covers up to four years of tuition in public Alabama colleges and universities for all Birmingham City Schools graduates. To date, Promise has provided more than $15 million in tuition assistance to more than 1,600 graduates of Birmingham City Schools. Thats in addition to internships for more than 350 BCS seniors to develop job skills and career connections. KPMG is a global firm providing auditing, consulting and tax services. Samantha Williams, executive director of Birmingham Promise, said the grant will open up meaningful opportunities for KPMG to support our mission and community. KPMG Birmingham Office Managing Partner Casey Bartok said the grant will help strengthen pathways to college and career success for Birminghams next generation. Birmingham Promise is creating life-changing opportunities for local students by expanding access to education and workforce experiences, Bartok said. China's Hainan to host 11th World Free Zones Organization Annual Congress Xinhua) 11:25, September 06, 2025 HAIKOU, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- The 11th edition of the World Free Zones Organization (World FZO) Annual Congress will be held in Haikou, the capital of south China's Hainan Province, from Oct. 10 to 12, local authorities announced on Friday. The event, which will be held in China for the first time, is expected to bring together over 1,500 participants from more than 70 countries and regions, highlighting the increasing integration of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) into the global network of high-standard free trade zones. Founded in 2014, the World FZO is a nonprofit international organization dedicated to promoting innovation and development in free zones worldwide and to supporting sustainable global economic growth. Its annual congress has grown into one of the most influential global exchange platforms in the field of free zones. Wang Guangzhi from the Hainan Provincial Bureau of International Economic Development, which will co-host the congress with the World FZO, said that hosting the event in Hainan reflects the international community's recognition of both China's commitment to high-standard opening-up and the progress of the Hainan FTP's construction. Hainan will introduce more preferential zero-tariff policies, more flexible trade management measures, more convenient clearance procedures, and more efficient and targeted supervision models, contributing a Hainan model to the global development of free zones, Wang said. In April 2018, China announced plans to transform Hainan into a pilot free trade zone, with a long-term vision of developing a free trade port with Chinese characteristics. The Hainan FTP is set to launch an island-wide independent customs operation on Dec. 18, 2025. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Kou Jie) BERLIN, Sept. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- At IFA 2025, Midea debuted customer-centric solutions under the theme "Master Your Home" for European homescomfort, energy and space with superior performance. As the No.1 Smart Home Appliances Brand, Midea also proudly unveiled its upcoming main partner sleeve sponsorship with FC Barcelona. Five Suites, One Home: The New Integrated Landscape Midea's SPACE MASTER collection minimizing footprint while delivering exceptional functionality set a new benchmark for space-efficiency, while the XPRESS MASTER range was engineered to reclaim time without compromising cooking quality. The exhibition is followed by SMART MASTER and ECOMASTER technologies, where AI automates energy management and adjusts settings proactively for optimal experiences. Comprising the Essenza, Ispira and Eleva Series, the collection of Midea Built-In Kitchen Suites balances integrated elegance of timeless Milanese design with intelligent functionality. The Scenario Touch: Enhancing Domestic Effortlessness The CHILL MASTER Refrigerator simplifies daily hydration with its OneTouch AutoFill dispenser, delivering hands-free ice and water in four options while maintaining flexible storage. Meanwhile, the Flow-In Hob 3.0 liberates more cabinet space while maintaining a sleek appearance. The One Oven combines an air fryer, microwave, steamer and oven into one versatile solution for all culinary needs. The Titan Dishwasher can effortlessly clean full sets of dishes, bowls and cutlery within spacious 16-place interior. Beyond the kitchen, the Raynor Heater delivers steady warmth even at -40C, housed in an award-winning Nordic-inspired design that balances performance and elegance. For laundry, the 28-Inch Heat Pump Washer-Dryer uses advanced heat pump technology to dry clothes with significantly less energy and gentler, fabric-friendly heat. The Multi-Brand Portfolio Leading the portfolio of Midea Group for high-end home living, the century-old German luxury kitchen brand Kuppersbusch showcased its distinctive design and ultra-luxury craftsmanship. European-born TEKA introduced its globally first Van Gogh Series kitchen appliances, seamlessly integrating European elegance into modern homes. Besides, COLMO and Eureka both launched their new flagship series to the stage. About Midea & Midea Group Midea is one of over 10 brands within the Smart Home Business of Midea Group. Established in 1968, Midea Group is a leading global technology company, ranked #246 on the 2025 Fortune Global 500 list. As one of the world's largest home appliance manufacturers, Midea streamlined its core units into six high-growth business pillars to pave the new future growth path in 2025: Smart Home, Industrial Technology, Building Technology, Robotics and Automation, Midea Healthcare and Annto Logistics. www.midea-group.com www.midea.com SOURCE Midea Group Lanett police are looking into the death of a man Friday in his home. Lanett Police Chief Denise McCain said police were called at noon Friday to the 800 block of South 13th Street. Lanett EMS also responded in reference to an unresponsive man. They found Terence White, 44, who died at the scene from injuries. Anyone with information is asked to contact Lanett police at (334) 644-5236, or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at (334) 215-STOP. As hundreds of federal agents swooped in on a Georgia construction site for the largest ICE enforcement sweep in the agencys history, some of the workers being detained broke and ran into a sewage pond. According to The Wall Street Journal, immigration officers entered the property around 10:45 a.m. Thursday, and began separating a large group of workers by nationality and visa status. Groups were processed and then loaded onto buses. The raid took place on the sprawling $7.6 billion manufacturing site in Georgia about 25 miles west of Savannah. A South Korean Foreign Ministry official expressed concern and regret over the ICE raid, which took place at a signature Hyundai electric vehicle plant in Georgia. According to Fast Company, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jaewoong said in a televised statement that the government is taking measures in relation to the detention of 475 people, most of them South Korean nationals. Lee said the government is dispatching diplomats from its Washington embassy and Atlanta consulate to the site, and creating an on-site response team. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday ordered efforts to ensure the rights of Korean citizens and Korean businesses investing in the U.S. arent violated, according to the countrys foreign minister. Meanwhile Hyundai in a statement said it is committed to compliance with all laws and regulations, including employment verification requirements and immigration laws. We expect the same commitment from all our partners, suppliers, contractors, and subcontractors, the company said. Hyundai has also opened an internal investigation into suppliers and subcontractors at the site. Steven Schrank, the lead Georgia agent of Homeland Security Investigations, said during a Friday news conference the raid resulted from a monthslong investigation into allegations of illegal hiring at the site. Schrank said he didnt know precisely how many of the 475 detained were Korean nationals, but that they made up a majority. On Saturday, LG Energy said 47 of its employees, South Koreans and one Indonesian, plus about 250 employees of partner companies, most of them South Korean, were among the detainees. LG Energy said it is suspending most business trips to the U.S. and directing employees on assignment in the U.S. to return home immediately or remain in their accommodations. The raid took place at the sites electric battery plant, which is still under construction. Hyundai and LGs battery joint venture, HL-GA Battery Company, said it had paused construction at the site. Operations at Hyundais EV manufacturing plant werent interrupted, according to plant spokesperson Bianca Johnson. Hyundai says it will employ as many as 8,500 workers and have the capacity to make a half million vehicles a year, once the plant is complete. Back in March, Hyundai announced plans to invest $21 billion on its U.S. manufacturing operations. Hyundais Montgomery factory currently employs about 4,000 people, contributes about $5 billion to the states economy and is the largest employer in the central Alabama region. English News A victory for the Chinese people and the world Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 3 Septembre 2025 In the world today, changes on a scale unseen in a century are unfolding at an accelerating pace. The Chinese people will continue to hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit. They will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development, firmly safeguard the hard-won victory, uphold a correct view of the history of World War II, and resolutely defend the UN-centered international system. By promoting the common values of humanity, China will work hand in hand with the peoples of all nations to build a community with a shared future for humanity. By Luo Cunkang The exhibition Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, themed "For National Liberation and World Peace," is being held at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Since its opening on July 7, the exhibition has attracted more than half a million visitors from China and abroad, offering a chance to retrace the wartime years, honor revolutionary martyrs, and reflect on the indomitable spirit of resistance that continues to inspire future generations. On display are historical documents and artifacts, such as the earliest Declaration of War Against Japan issued by the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic, detailed archives chronicling the capture and heroic sacrifice of revered war heroine Zhao Yiman, and Fang Dazeng's Record of the Lugou Bridge Incident, the earliest journalistic account of the incident. Covering 12,200 square meters, the exhibition presents 1,525 rare photographs and 3,237 cultural relics, providing a comprehensive account of the monumental struggle in which the Chinese people fought for national survival, national rejuvenation, and human justice. The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was the first complete victory in modern Chinese history over foreign invasion. From 1931 to 1945, the Chinese people endured 14 years of relentless struggle, ultimately defeating the aggressive Japanese militarists and contributing decisively to the global triumph over fascism. As Chinese President Xi Jinping has emphasized, the great victory was a historic turning point at which the Chinese nation rose from severe crisis in modern times and embarked on a journey toward great rejuvenation, and also an integral part of the world's triumph over fascism. The victory belonged to the Chinese people, and also to people across the world. China's resistance against Japanese aggression was inextricably linked to the future of humanity. The Chinese people fought not only for national independence but also for global peace. China was the first to fight against fascist aggression and sustained the longest resistance. The tremendous sacrifices of the Chinese people sustained the main Eastern Battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War. China tied down and fought the bulk of Japanese forces, wiped out more than 1.5 million enemy troops in the war, and prevented Japan from launching northward or southward offensives, making a major contribution to the triumph of the World Anti-Fascist War. These efforts significantly relieved strategic pressure on the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Allied powers. After the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Chinese battlefield continued to consume Japan's main forces, providing crucial support to the Allies. Despite enormous hardship, China dispatched expeditionary forces abroad and provided vital strategic materials such as tung oil and tungsten to the Allies. China not only built the earliest anti-Japanese national united front in the East, but also advocated and helped forge the international anti-fascist united front, making historic contributions to the establishment of the United Nations (UN). The ordeals of war deepened the Chinese people's commitment to peace. Having endured more than a century of foreign aggression, humiliation, and exploitation since the mid-19th century, China did not embrace the law of the jungle but became more resolute in its determination to uphold peace. The great victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was a new beginning for China and a significant milestone for humanity's pursuit of peace and development. In the world today, changes on a scale unseen in a century are unfolding at an accelerating pace. The Chinese people will continue to hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit. They will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development, firmly safeguard the hard-won victory, uphold a correct view of the history of World War II, and resolutely defend the UN-centered international system. By promoting the common values of humanity, China will work hand in hand with the peoples of all nations to build a community with a shared future for humanity. (Luo Cunkang is the curator of the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.) Dans la meme rubrique : < > Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare: Theater as a bridge for global cultural dialogue Shanghai seed bank hits 100 million samples in biodiversity conservation push China unveils world's first mid-infrared solar magnetic-field telescope Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News A young Chinese man inspires over 40,000 people to join desertification control Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 6 Septembre 2025 To accommodate the influx of volunteers, Zhong established a desert base that provides free lodging and meals while offering instruction on arboriculture techniques. Local authorities provided substantial support by supplying seedlings, installing a dedicated power line, building gravel roads, and partnering with hotels and restaurants to offer discounted services and over 15,000 free meals. By Zhao Shuaijie, People's Daily In northwest China's Gansu province, Zhong Lin, a 27-year-old resident of Minqin county, has gained prominence for his extraordinary dedication to ecological restoration. He is often unreachable by phone or message, but can almost always be found working in the desert. Zhong spends nearly two-thirds of a year living and working in the desert. He began his tree planting efforts as a college sophomore, funding his work through e-commerce and using short videos to raise public awareness and galvanize support. Last year, he launched a volunteer campaign called "Come to Minqin and Plant a Tree," which has mobilized more than 41,000 participants to plant 1.52 million drought-resistant shrubs across 4,500 mu (about 300 hectares) of barren land. Nestled between the Tengger and Badain Jaran deserts, Minqin has long struggled with desertification, which once affected more than 90 percent of its land. Zhong grew up in Fengzheng village on the county's northeastern edge, where he still vividly remembers springtime sandstorms that blotted out the sky. For the residents of Minqin, protecting their homes, preserving the ecosystem, and ensuring agricultural productivity are all contingent upon the effective control of sand and desertification. Since the 1950s, successive generations have taken part in organized tree-planting campaigns. Zhong was deeply impressed as a child by his elders carrying bundles of wheat straw, shouldering shovels, and hauling water carts into the desert to stabilize shifting dunes. Inspired by their perseverance, he launched his own desertification control efforts in 2020. But reality hit hard: most of the 500 shrubs he planted withered within weeks because of shallow pits and irregular watering. Undaunted, Zhong persisted. In early 2022, with savings from his e-commerce ventures, he returned to the desert with renewed determination. This time, he devoted himself to studying scientific methodologies and consulting with experienced local planters. He established a temporary residence in the desert, where he meticulously recorded temperature fluctuations, wind speeds, and soil moisture levels while tending to each seedling. The systematic approach resulted in a survival rate of over 90 percent. "Sweet and juicy melons from the desert - place your orders now!" Zhong often cheerfully promotes produce via livestream. Thanks to sandy soils, abundant sunlight, and significant diurnal temperature variation, Minqin provides an ideal environment for cultivating melons. "Marketing this produce can increase farmers' income while generating capital for our ongoing desert control efforts," Zhong explained. He emphasized that passion must be complemented by scientific rigor. To address the specific challenges posed by the Tengger Desert's coarse and arid sand, Zhong and his team conducted numerous trials before setting on an optimal approach: digging pits 40 centimeters wide and deep, watering each seedling twice, and arranging plants in a north-south orientation with two-meter spacing to mitigate wind damage. By 2023, his team had successfully rehabilitated more than 1,000 mu of desertified land, planting resilient shrubs such as saxaul, red willow, and camel thorn. Technology has also proved transformative. "One machine can excavate over 3,000 pits per day, increasing efficiency tenfold compared with manual labor. And drones let us track seedling survival rates with far greater accuracy than our eyes," Zhong said. In early 2024, Zhong received a call from producers of an online reality show. For over two weeks, the production crew and accompanying volunteers joined him in the desert, engaging in pit-digging, planting, watering, and backfilling. Together, they planted 180,000 shrubs. Following the program's broadcast, engagement on Zhong's social media platforms surged exponentially, with a single video topping nine million views. Rather than being swayed by this sudden prominence, he posed a critical question: how could this online attention turn into tangible action for desert control? He promptly observed an influx of comments from individuals expressing a desire to participate. In response, he launched the "Come to Minqin and Plant a Tree" initiative, publishing detailed guides online and drafting a green pledge to encourage and facilitate participation. "The initiative gained significant momentum this spring," Zhong said. Volunteers flocked to Minqin from across the country, including recent graduates, seasoned environmentalists, and retirees. Liu Beili, a university student, participated in spring planting and returned during the summer to water the saplings. Seventy-two-year-old Cheng Xiuqiong traveled more than 2,000 kilometers from Guangdong province in south China, switching between plane, train, and bus to contribute her strength. Over the months, more than 41,000 people have joined the campaign. To accommodate the influx of volunteers, Zhong established a desert base that provides free lodging and meals while offering instruction on arboriculture techniques. Local authorities provided substantial support by supplying seedlings, installing a dedicated power line, building gravel roads, and partnering with hotels and restaurants to offer discounted services and over 15,000 free meals. Today, Zhong and his team have pioneered a sustainable model where industrial development supports ecological preservation. "For every box of fruit sold, 70 percent of the profits are reinvested into our desert control efforts," Zhong explained. Looking out over the expanding stretches of greenery, he affirmed, "We'll stay committed to public-interest desert control, and we hope to inspire more young people to join the fight against desertification." Dans la meme rubrique : < > Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare: Theater as a bridge for global cultural dialogue Shanghai seed bank hits 100 million samples in biodiversity conservation push China unveils world's first mid-infrared solar magnetic-field telescope Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News SCO countries join hands to build a bright digital future Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 2 Septembre 2025 From fiber-optic networks spanning the Tianshan Mountains to cross-border e-commerce platforms connecting Eurasia, and from remote medical services to data-sharing mechanisms, digital technology is becoming a bridge linking peoples and fostering shared prosperity. Looking ahead, the SCO will continue advancing innovative projects, working together to build a brighter digital future. By Huang Fahong, Hu Renba, Yin Xiaoyu In recent years, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has made significant strides in advancing digital cooperation under the framework of the "Digital Silk Road." From cross-border 5G coverage to interconnected e-commerce platforms, from digital payment to the growing use of AI, member states are deepening collaboration through innovative practices that are reshaping the regional digital landscape. In northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, for instance, animal health workers can record vaccinations and file reports directly through a mobile app. When livestock are ready for sale, entering a phone number instantly retrieves immunization records from the past three years. Behind these user-friendly functions lies a paperless animal disease prevention system and an electronic quarantine certification system, developed by a local information technology company based in a cloud computing industrial park in Karamay. Karamay is home to the Xinjiang branch of the China-SCO Big Data Cooperation Center. As of June this year, the branch had hosted nine training sessions for over 20 government departments, research institutes, think tanks, telecom operators, enterprises, and universities from SCO member states, attracting more than 300 participants. It has become an important platform driving digital transformation across the SCO. Digital transformation is increasingly recognized as a driver of global, inclusive, and sustainable growth. Under the SCO framework, China has taken active steps to promote cross-border connectivity. Projects such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan fiber-optic cable have reduced regional network latency by 40 percent, significantly enhancing data transmission efficiency. At the industrial park along Egypt's Suez Canal, China's BeiDou navigation system and an integrated digital service platform are providing businesses with smart solutions. In Uzbekistan, AI-enabled "virtual classrooms" are expanding access to vocational training. By building a comprehensive network of "hard connectivity plus soft services," the SCO is laying the groundwork for smoother trade flows and accelerated industrial upgrading. Launched in March, the MeetSOHO Silk Road e-commerce platform has become an important component of the China-Central Asia trade facilitation mechanism. Nearly 30 buyers from Central Asia are already engaging with more than 500 suppliers from east China's Jiangsu province, underscoring the vitality of digital trade. Global digital trade is emerging as a powerful engine of international commerce. In 2024, China's cross-border e-commerce imports from other SCO member states increased by 34 percent year on year. The China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area has established a Silk Road e-commerce service hub to address practical challenges such as cross-border settlement. Meanwhile, the Shanghai Electronic Certification Authority is enabling digital signatures, encryption, and seals for cross-border contracts, serving more than 100 clients in both China and Russia. "Developing the digital economy is a shared aspiration of all countries," said Ahmed Darwish, former minister of state for administrative development in Egypt. "The SCO provides a technology-driven, innovation-led, and fair platform that is beneficial to all." On the fast track of digital technology, China has provided systematic solutions to support SCO partners in pursuing technological and industrial transformation, making important contributions to bridging the digital divide. At a Luban Workshop in Kazakhstan, for example, students use tablets to control miniature self-driving vehicle simulations that respond to traffic lights and road conditions. With Chinese-provided technology and equipment, D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University became the first in the country to offer a smart transportation course to address urban congestion. So far, China has established 10 Luban Workshops in other SCO countries, providing training in digital technologies such as AI, big data, blockchain, cloud computing, and 5G. SCO digital cooperation now extends to frontier technologies including AI, internet of things, and blockchain. By sharing innovations and practical applications, member states have strengthened their collective digital capabilities and expanded technology adoption across industry, transport, agriculture, healthcare, education, and energy. From fiber-optic networks spanning the Tianshan Mountains to cross-border e-commerce platforms connecting Eurasia, and from remote medical services to data-sharing mechanisms, digital technology is becoming a bridge linking peoples and fostering shared prosperity. Looking ahead, the SCO will continue advancing innovative projects, working together to build a brighter digital future. Dans la meme rubrique : < > Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare: Theater as a bridge for global cultural dialogue Shanghai seed bank hits 100 million samples in biodiversity conservation push China unveils world's first mid-infrared solar magnetic-field telescope Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News SCO summit in Tianjin to usher in a new era of cooperation Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 3 Septembre 2025 Together with all member states, China will remain committed to the SCO's founding mission, fulfill its responsibilities through concrete actions, and seek common prosperity through cooperation. By leading the organization into a new stage of stronger unity, deeper collaboration, greater vitality, and broader achievements, China and its partners will contribute more "SCO strength" to lasting world peace and shared development. By He Yin, People's Daily Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 will be held in Tianjin from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1. This will be the fifth time China hosts the gathering and the largest summit in the organization's history. Chinese President Xi Jinping will join leaders from more than 20 countries and heads of 10 international organizations on the banks of the Haihe River to review the SCO's achievements, chart its future course, build consensus among member states, and steer the organization toward the goal of building a closer SCO community with a shared future. The SCO has become a model of new international relations and regional cooperation, and a constructive force of global significance. Since its founding 24 years ago, the organization has adhered to the Shanghai Spirit, which is founded on mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations, and the pursuit of common development. Since its inception in China's Shanghai in 2001, the SCO has expanded from a regional organization with six members into a trans-regional organization with 10 full members, two observer countries, and 14 dialogue partners. Over the years, it has deepened solidarity and mutual trust, strengthened security cooperation with tangible results, advanced integrated development to the benefit of all parties, enhanced cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and expanded its influence and appeal. At a time of turbulence and uncertainty in the international landscape, the SCO has remained confident and taken practical steps to advance cooperation. It serves as the torchbearer of the Shanghai Spirit, a practitioner of deeper collaboration, and a contributor to building a community with a shared future for humanity, providing more stability and positive momentum to the world. As a founding member, China has always prioritized the SCO in its neighborhood diplomacy. Since China took over the SCO rotating chairmanship in July last year, China has acted on the slogan "Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move," and made solid progress in its work as the SCO chair. It has hosted over 100 events, and worked with all member states to advance reform and innovation in various aspects such as the deliberation mechanism, cooperation pattern and permanent bodies, to ensure smoother and more efficient operation of the organization. Together with SCO member states, it has actively carried out exchanges and dialogues among political parties, media and think tanks, giving people a better understanding of the "Shanghai Spirit" and bringing the big family of the SCO closer. Modernization is the common aspiration of SCO members. This year, Pakistan's New Gwadar International Airport, built with China's support, welcomed its inaugural commercial flight. The mainline construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway entered the substantive construction phase, accelerating the development of a multidimensional regional connectivity network. In Nepal, the Sanjen Khola hydropower station, built by a Chinese company, has been put into operation and connected to the national grid, contributing to efforts in alleviating local power shortage. Through active participation in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and alignment with the Global Development Initiative, the SCO is steadily evolving into a reliable strategic backbone for common prosperity and vitalization of its member states. Today's world remains overshadowed by power politics, unilateral bullying, and persistent conflicts, underscoring the urgent need for fairness and justice. By standing firmly on the right side of history, the SCO is redoubling efforts to safeguard peace, fairness, and justice in global affairs. 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, as well as the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. Against this historical backdrop, the SCO has amplified the collective voice of its member states on major international and regional issues, made the system of global governance fairer and more equitable, and united and guided the Global South in building a community with a shared future for humanity. The upcoming SCO Tianjin Summit is expected to be an event of friendship, solidarity, and tangible achievements, highlighting the SCO's resilience and stability amid global uncertainties. Together with all member states, China will remain committed to the SCO's founding mission, fulfill its responsibilities through concrete actions, and seek common prosperity through cooperation. By leading the organization into a new stage of stronger unity, deeper collaboration, greater vitality, and broader achievements, China and its partners will contribute more "SCO strength" to lasting world peace and shared development. Dans la meme rubrique : < > Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare: Theater as a bridge for global cultural dialogue Shanghai seed bank hits 100 million samples in biodiversity conservation push China unveils world's first mid-infrared solar magnetic-field telescope Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News SCO upholds the Shanghai Spirit and stays true to its founding mission Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 2 Septembre 2025 Taking the SCO Tianjin Summit as a new starting point, the SCO will continue to carry forward the Shanghai Spirit, illuminating the path toward an SCO community with a shared future and contributing greater stability and hope for development and progress to a world in turbulence and transformation. By Guo Jiping, People's Daily The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is the first intergovernmental organization initiated by China and named after a Chinese city. Since its founding in 2001, the SCO has followed the guidance of the Shanghai Spirit, forging a distinctive path of peaceful development and presenting a compelling model for building a new type of international relations. The Shanghai Spirit, often described as the "root" and "soul" of the SCO, embodies the principles of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development. China, as the initiator of the Shanghai Spirit, has consistently integrated these principles in its actions. At the SCO Summit 2025 in Tianjin, member states once again held high this banner, reaffirming their commitment to the organization's original aspirations and advancing steadily toward building a community with a shared future for humanity. Mutual trust and mutual benefit: the foundation of cooperation The SCO traces its roots to the "Shanghai Five" mechanism, which was established upon two important agreements on confidence-building and mutual reduction of military forces in border areas. Since its founding, the SCO has further consolidated this foundation by adopting two cornerstone documents - the SCO Charter and the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation - codifying into law a firm commitment to political trust and good-neighborly friendship. At each SCO summit, leaders have deepened policy dialogue and coordination, respected each other's core interests and legitimate concerns, addressed issues proactively, and provided steadfast strategic direction, setting a commendable example for bridging the global trust deficit. Equality and consultation: the principle of engagement From carrying forward the historical wisdom of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence to promoting the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, the emphasis on equality and consultation embedded in the Shanghai Spirit has distinguished the SCO as a pioneering model of international organization. It rejects the hegemonic logic that "might makes right," transcends outdated zero-sum thinking and the rhetoric of civilizational clashes, and upholds equal consultation, blazing a new path for the development of international organizations. As former SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov observed, what sets the SCO apart is that the voice of each member state is heard equally, and all members strive to sit around a "round table without sharp corners," seeking maximum common ground for shared development while safeguarding their national interests. Respect for diversity of civilizations: a path of harmony and inclusiveness Central to the Shanghai Spirit is a commitment to equality, dialogue, and inclusiveness among civilizations. It fosters peaceful coexistence and mutual enrichment, regarding mutual learning as the most solid foundation of SCO's development and people-to-people connectivity as its strongest driving force. By embracing openness, inclusiveness, and mutual learning, regional countries have advanced the Global Civilizations Initiative and expanded cooperation in science and technology, education, arts, health, and tourism. These efforts respond to the aspirations of people for a more fulfilling cultural life and deeper connections. Common development: a path to shared prosperity The Shanghai Spirit resonates with the Silk Road spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit, injecting fresh momentum into SCO's development. The organization's share in the global economy continues to grow, and its contribution to world economic growth is steadily increasing. The Belt and Road Initiative is also aligning more closely with the development strategies and cooperation initiatives of regional countries, while connectivity projects are unleashing robust momentum for cooperation and creating pathways for high-quality, sustainable development. Today, as changes unseen in a century accelerate across the world, the international landscape is undergoing profound transformations, with regional conflicts flaring up one after another. Deficits in peace, development, security, and governance are growing even more pronounced. By upholding the Shanghai Spirit, SCO countries stand firmly on the right side of history and on the side of human progress, practice true multilateralism, and advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. As an important platform for solidarity and self-strengthening among the Global South, the SCO brings together tremendous strength to improve global governance and advance a community with a shared future for humanity. Taking the SCO Tianjin Summit as a new starting point, the SCO will continue to carry forward the Shanghai Spirit, illuminating the path toward an SCO community with a shared future and contributing greater stability and hope for development and progress to a world in turbulence and transformation. Dans la meme rubrique : < > Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare: Theater as a bridge for global cultural dialogue Shanghai seed bank hits 100 million samples in biodiversity conservation push China unveils world's first mid-infrared solar magnetic-field telescope Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until September 26, 2025 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Sable Offshore Corp. (NYSE: SOC), if they purchased the Company's securities (1) between May 19, 2025 and June 3, 2025, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"); and/or (2) pursuant and/or traceable to Sable's May 21, 2025 secondary public offering (the "SPO"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Get Help Sable Offshore investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-soc-1/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options. About the Lawsuit Sable Offshore and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. On June 4, 2025, the Company disclosed that "a Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge granted ex parte requests from plaintiffs in Center for Biological Diversity, et al. v. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, et al. (25CV02244) and Environmental Defense Center, et al. v. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, et al. (25CV02247) for temporary restraining orders prohibiting Sable Offshore Corp. from restarting transportation of oil through the Las Flores Pipeline System pending the hearing on an order to show cause regarding a preliminary injunction scheduled for July 18, 2025. Sable is exploring all possible avenues available to address these preliminary rulings." On this news, the price of Sable's shares fell by $0.94 per share, or 3.91%, to close at $23.10 on June 4, 2025. The case is Johnson v. Sable Offshore Corp., et al., No. 25-cv-6869. About ClaimsFiler ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations. To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com. SOURCE ClaimsFiler Local 320 Members Say "No" to Employer's Proposal MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of Teamsters Local 320 at the University of Minnesota have rejected the last, best, and final offer from their employer by 82 percent. The 1,400 Teamsters work in custodial, maintenance, food service, and other critical infrastructure that keep the university system running. "Today, Teamsters have sent a message to the University of Minnesota," said Jackson Kerr, a business agent at Local 320 and lead negotiator. "Our goal is not to strike, but to secure an agreement that meets the needs of university Teamsters." "The university better agree to a fair contract with its Teamsters workers, or a strike is imminent," said Erik Skoog, President of Local 320. "Teamsters won't back down until our demands are met." The vote sends a resounding message to university administration and regents that Teamsters demands must be met to avert a work stoppage: A wage increase that meets or exceeds the 3.5 percent increase provided to other bargaining units, including the graduate students Continued alignment of the contract expiration date for June with other campus unions Maintenance of the tentative agreements reached in mediation Local 320 reserves the right to engage in a lawful work stoppage or re-file its intent to strike with the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services in accordance with statutory timelines. "A system-wide strike remains an option as we maneuver through the next several days and talk to members on the campuses," said Brian Aldes, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 320. "The ball is now in the university's court to make this right or face a work stoppage." Teamsters Local 320 represents a wide variety of public sector workers throughout Minnesota. For more information go to teamsterslocal320.org. Contact: Gus Froemke, (612) 378-8732 [email protected] SOURCE Teamsters Local 320 The long-standing conflict between US tech giants and European regulators has taken another sharp turn. This time, its drawn a strong reaction from the highest level of American politics. On Friday, President Donald Trump fired back at the European Union after it hit Alphabet Inc.s Google with a substantial 2.95 billion ($3.5 billion) antitrust fine, calling the action very unfair. The EU fined Google, and now Trump is threatening to respond President Trumps reaction went beyond a simple statement of disapproval. In a social media post, he argued that the fine was a discriminatory action against an American company and threatened to take action. He specifically warned that his administration would not allow the fines to stand and that he might initiate a Section 301 investigation. The latter is a procedural measure that could lead to retaliatory tariffs against the EU. This isnt the first time the president has pushed back against Europes regulatory stance toward US tech firms. He has long been a critic of what he sees as a pattern of targeting American companies. This recent fine on Googleon top of previous penalties against companies like Appleappears to have been the final straw. The presidents comments came just a day after he hosted top tech executives, including Googles Sundar Pichai, at a White House dinner. The situation adds new tension to already strained US-EU trade relations, particularly as the two sides recently agreed to a trade framework. The EU has shown an increasingly firm resolve to regulate big techs influence in its market. However, the threat of new tariffs from the US adds a complex political layer to the ongoing legal and business dispute. The coming weeks will show whether the rhetoric translates into real trade action, further complicating a relationship that is already at a pivotal moment. The huge $3.5 billion EU fine on Google The EUs move is its fourth major antitrust penalty against Google. It was based on findings that the company abused its dominant position by favoring its own digital advertising services. According to the European Commission, this practice has harmed rival publishers, advertisers, and even consumers. The fine came with a strict order for Google to end its self-preferencing behavior within 60 days. The EU has also hinted at a potential structural remedy that could force Google to sell off parts of its AdTech business if it doesnt comply. Google, for its part, immediately announced its intention to appeal the fine. In a statement, the companys Vice President for Regulatory Affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, said the decision imposes an unjustified fine that will hurt thousands of European businesses. Reactions to the situation The complex scenario has led to different opinions from experts. There are views both for and against the EU movement. Zahra Timsah, co-founder and CEO of i-GENTIC AI -an AI governance platformsaid that, If regulators were serious, theyd mandate interoperability and transparency, not write giant checks to themselves. Fines dont fix markets, they fund treasuries and if Googles crime is building tools that work too well, then well get mediocrity as strategy. Wait until the cost trickles down to advertisers and consumers, Timsah added. On the other hand is Cori Crider, senior fellow at Future of Tech Institute and an honorary professor at UCL Laws. Europe made an important stand for the rule of law today by pressing ahead with this first-step fine in the face of Trump and Big Techs bullying, Crider stated. But I want to be clear: only a break-up will fix Googles monopoly, unlock this 120bn market for European business, and save our dying media sector. The very first OnePlus 15 camera samples have just been shared by the company, following yesterdays camera-related announcement. OnePlus confirmed that its ending its Hasselblad era, as it plans to debut DetailMax imaging with the OnePlus 15. The very first OnePlus 15 camera samples are here With that being said, OnePlus did share the very first OnePlus 15 camera samples via its Forums page in China. Three pictures have been shared, all three of which are included in the gallery below. You will notice that all three images have the LUMO Light-Capturing Imaging System branding on them, not DetailMax. It seems like that is the branding OnePlus will go with in China. It seems to be the same thing, though. OnePlus confirms that these images have been taken with its upcoming flagship device. So the company is saying the OnePlus 15, without actually mentioning the phones name. All of these pictures have been taken with a (periscope) telephoto camera You will notice that these images have been taken with a different telephoto unit than what the OnePlus 13 featured. Its an 85mm focal length with an f/2.8 aperture. The OnePlus 13, on the other hand, provides images with 73mm focal length and an f/2.6 aperture when it comes to telephoto shots. The image contain shots of sheep, dog, and a woman. All three look quite nice, actually. Theyre vivid, but not too much, and they do look quite realistic too. Theres plenty of color in there, and contrast as well. Images that weve included in the gallery above have been compressed. You can, however, check out full-resolution camera samples by clicking here. The OnePlus 15 is expected to launch in China next month. The global launch will likely follow in January 2026, if the company ends up sticking with its release cycle. Well have to wait and see. Police drew their batons as clashes erupted on Saturday during mass arrests at a demonstration against the banning of Palestine Action in Londons Parliament Square. One demonstrator was seen with blood streaming down his face after he was held at the rally, where angry protesters told police to "pick a side, justice or genocide". Organisers claim up to 1,500 people joined the action to defy the terror ban, describing it as Labours Poll Tax moment. The Metropolitan Police said officers faced an exceptional level of abuse including punches, kicks, spitting and missiles as tensions boiled over at the protest, where more than 425 were arrested, including a number for assault. A protester with blood streaming down his face after clashes erupted (PA) Protesters were handing out pens and placards ahead of the mass action at 1pm, when they began writing messages of support for the direct-action group, which read: I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action. The square fell quiet before a mass round of applause rippled through the crowd followed by chants of free Palestine. Arrests began shortly afterwards, with one man seen being wheeled away by police as the crowd chanted shame on you. Tempers flared as some demonstrators remonstrated with police, shouting: Met Police pick a side, justice or genocide. Officers were seen forcing their way through crowds to haul away protesters. At one point several demonstrators fell over in a crush, while water has been thrown at officers. Officers with their batons drawn during scuffles with protesters (PA) Scores of City of London Police joined the policing operation, with eight police vans parked along Great George Street ready to take away those arrested. In an announcement on X 12 minutes after the protests official start time, the Met said: Officers have begun making arrests for expressing support for proscribed terror organisation Palestine Action at the protest organised by Defend Our Juries. By 9pm, the force confirmed they had arrested more than 425 people, with at least 25 arrested for assaults on police officers and other public order offences. However they said officers had been subjected to an exceptional level of abuse including punches, kicks, spitting and objects being thrown, in addition to verbal abuse. Any assaults against officers will not be tolerated and arrests have already been made, they added in a post on X. We will identify all those responsible and prosecute to the full extent of the law. Despite the clashes on streets nearby, Parliament Square green remained largely peaceful. Others being detained included a line of elderly protesters who sat silently holding placards as officers collected them one by one. The arrests were met with chants from protesters, who said: Met Police you cant hide youre supporting genocide. Tensions flare between protesters and police on Saturday (AP) Protester Mike Higgins, 62, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, joined the protest after making headlines last month as one of 522 people arrested at a previous demonstration. He said: What choice do I have? Nothing is being done about the genocide other than by us. And Im a terrorist? Thats the joke of it. Ive already been arrested under the Terrorism Act and I suspect I will be today. Of course Ill keep coming back what choice do I have? Families of Holocaust survivors unfurled a banner, reading: Holocaust survivor descendants against genocide. Elsewhere in the square, dozens of doctors and healthcare staff in their scrubs also joined the demonstration. In footage shared by organisers, Massive Attack musician Robert Del Naja was seen holding a sign saying lift the ban. I'm here to demand the government lift the ban on Palestine action and restore our democratic right to peacefully protest, he said. Mike Higgins, 62, said 'what choice do I have' as he returned to the protest against the decision to ban Palestine Action (PA) Defend Our Juries (DOJ) said the action was planned on condition of at least 1,000 people pledging support, but claimed hundreds more planned to take part, despite a number of organisers being arrested this week under terror laws. A DOJ spokesperson claimed around 1,500 had the joined the action in Parliament Square on Saturday, with further protests planned in Scotland and Northern Ireland, adding: This is becoming Labours Poll Tax moment. The resistance to this ridiculous ban keeps on growing exponentially. It is also bringing together social movements in common cause. Attendees were advised by organisers to refuse street bail, requiring more people to be taken into custody, and to go floppy, forcing officers to physically carry them away. Hundreds held placards which read: 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action' (AP) Kerry Moscogiuri, of human rights campaign group Amnesty International UK, said it was shocking to see people hauled from the street for holding up signs. When the government is arresting people under terrorism laws for sitting peacefully in protest, something is going very wrong here in the UK, she said. It is genuinely shocking to see people being hauled from the streets of London by the police for peacefully holding up signs. Lets be clear, it is disproportionate to the point of absurdity to treat people sitting peacefully in a group holding signs in support of Palestine Action as terrorists. Many protesters went limp as they were arrested and had to be hauled away by police (AP) The Met warned they have no choice but to arrest anyone showing support for a proscribed terrorist organisation in a statement on Friday. Palestine Action was banned in July after the group claimed responsibility for a protest in which two Voyager planes were sprayed with red paint at RAF Brize Norton in June. It means showing support for the direct-action group is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The Home Office is set to appeal against the High Court ruling allowing Palestine Actions co-founder Huda Ammori to proceed with a legal challenge over the ban. The Metropolitan Police has condemned the "intolerable" abuse allegedly suffered by officers who were "kicked and spat on" as they arrested more than 400 people at a protest against the banning of Palestine Action as a terror group. The arrests were made on Saturday at a protest in London against the banning of the proscribed terror group. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Claire Smart, who led the policing operation, said: "In carrying out their duties today, our officers have been punched, kicked, spat on and had objects thrown at them by protesters. "It is intolerable that those whose job it is to enforce the law and keep people safe - in this case arresting individuals committing offences under the Terrorism Act - should be subject to this level of abuse." The force added some protesters had been both physically and verbally abusive in a "coordinated effort to prevent officers carrying out their duties", and that more than 25 of the arrests were made for assault. A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries claimed the rally had been "the picture of peaceful protest" and that the Met Police's statement about its officers being abused was an "astonishing claim". "I've been here all day and I haven't seen any violence or aggression from anyone," they said. "I've only seen aggression and violence from the police." It comes as the number of those arrested at the protest rose to more than 425 by around 9pm on Saturday, the Met said, but more arrests were expected. Officers were seen drawing their batons while demonstrators took action in support of the proscribed terror organisation. One man was seen with blood streaming down his face behind a barrier after being arrested, while the crowd was heard chanting "shame on you" and "you're supporting genocide". Tense scenes on the western side of Parliament Square saw several protesters fall over in a crush while water was thrown at officers. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Smart said the majority of protests, including the Palestine Coalition march, attended by around 20,000 people, "passed with very few arrests". But "this was not the case at the protest organised by Defend Our Juries in support of the proscribed terrorist organisation Palestine Action". "The tactics deployed by supporters of Palestine Action in their attempt to overwhelm the justice system, as well as the level of violence seen in the crowd, required significant resource which took officers out of neighbourhoods to the detriment of the Londoners who rely on them," she said. Sky News' Laura Bundock was at the protest. She said: "There are hundreds of people here holding their placards proclaiming support for Palestine Action, they know that in itself is a criminal offence and so they are sat around, lying around, waiting to be arrested but with so many people here, it's taking a long time." She added: "Protesters are now appealing to the new home secretary, they don't see this activism as terrorism and vow they will never back down." First arrest after just 12 minutes The Met announced the first arrests of the day on X just 12 minutes after the protest's official start time. The protest's organiser, Defend Our Juries, said it estimated 1,500 had gathered for the rally, where many of them held signs saying: "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." In an update early on Saturday evening, the Met said: "Any assaults against officers will not be tolerated and arrests have already been made. We will identify all those responsible and prosecute to the full extent of the law." It had warned before the protest that "expressing support for a proscribed organisation is a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act". "Where our officers see offences, we will make arrests," it said. Palestine Action has been banned as a terror group since 5 July after MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of the move proposed by then-home secretary Yvette Cooper, making it illegal to express support for the group. Read more: Farage wants to deport women asylum seekers back to Taliban Israel warns Gaza City residents to flee south to 'humanitarian area' The ban on the group came shortly after two Voyager aircraft suffered around 7m worth of damage at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 20 June. The Home Office is set to appeal against the High Court ruling allowing Palestine Action's co-founder, Huda Ammori, to proceed with a legal challenge against the government over the group's ban. Watching baby animals play and explore the world around them is always entertaining, especially when they do funny things you wouldn't normally expect. Take this baby chimpanzee at the North Carolina Zoo for instance. He learned a new game recently and couldn't get enough of it! TikToker @heather_kay_still was in the right place at the right time and got to watch the silly chimp's antics. He realized if he climbed up a tree and let himself free fall, the bushes below would break his fall. Once he started, he continued to do the same thing over and over, much to the delight of the onlookers! We wish Heather's video was longer! It's like we could almost hear him standing there and counting, "1, 2, 3!" before making his big jump. The whole thing was too cute! Related: Little Chimpanzees Adorable Laughter After Being Tickled Is Positively Contagious Commenters' Funny Reactions to the Baby Chimpanzee's Antics People were just as smitten with the baby chimp as we were and left some entertaining comments about his antics. Like @crazyfissh, who was spot on when they said, "His mom told him like 100 times to stop doing that, guaranteed!" Commenter @Roxy pointed out, "He's doing a trust fall with the trees." @chyna said what the baby was thinking, "Hes like, 'What if I just...' LOL!" @Black Thoughts said simply, "Such a showboat..." @Sarah Marsh shared another sweet story, "Watched a baby orangutan at a zoo once for like 2 hours. The zookeeper was talking about them and demonstrating the training with the mommy orangutan, and the baby was spinning on a rope, picking up tree branches, hiding behind them, and popping back out. He was putting on a show for everyone. The cutest thing I have ever seen!" Viewer @Pixie Kate Rose said what the baby chimp would say if he could talk, "Mom! Mom! Mom! Look what I can do! Mom are you looking?! MOMMMMMM!" Another commenter added, "Hes just like every other toddler!"@crystled86 had the same thought, "Just like kids jumping and climbing on furniture and falling on the sofa!" Baby chimps play just like humans do. EurekAlert! shared, "A recent study of young chimpanzees shows that these animals play and develop much the same way as human children...both chimps and humans consistently use playful facial expressions to communicate and build social networks." That's why this clip was so relatable; it was like watching our own kids play! This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Sep 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here. (Between the Waves Tom McTague) Tom McTague is one of the best contemporary writers on the intersection of domestic politics with wider events and the role of character and quirk in shaping what follows. In Between the Waves: The Hidden History of a Very British Revolution 1945-2016, the writer turned New Statesman editor undertakes a bold sweep of Britains up-and-down postwar relations with the European Union and the multifarious cast who shaped the long road to Brexit. Thankfully its not a pro or con book about the consequences of the 2016 Leave vote, but a sifting of decades of argument about how a medium-sized island with a more transatlantic outlook than its neighbours, a stroppy streak and at times delusional belief in its exceptionalism, could relate to a project of post-war integration. He takes a clever starting point not the usual trudge through the 1950s Coal and Steel Treaties, but Algiers in 1942: A bustling hive of intrigue and ambiguity, espionage and violence and a group of wartime figures who would be formative in the story of Britain and Europe. McTague zones in on characters destined to play key roles in Britains relationship with its neighbours: Churchills representative in north Africa and later pro-European Conservative leader, Harold Macmillan; Jean Monnet, a French official who would shape the philosophy of the European Union; and a brilliant, empire-fixated intelligence officer who would become one of the most divisive figures in Britain Enoch Powell, a man gripped by the fiercest of passions that would over time overwhelm his political career. Tom McTague is Editor in Chief of the New Statesman (Tom McTague) By 1950, Clement Attlee, objecting to the growing demands for a European supra-authority over potential member states, warned in a Commons debate, It is really making nonsense of an acceptance to think one can accept a principle and then whittle it away until there is no principle left. Yet that became a holding pattern of successive governments contending with the EU join the club and worry about the exemptions after. It fell apart after the fall of the Berlin Wall, when federalists led by Jacques Delors saw their moment for a great leap forward in integration and Germanys embrace of the single currency put the UK more firmly on the outsider shelf. It is a relentlessly male account most main players were men The account fixates on the importance of commentators, think tanks and political society figures (an awful lot on Jessica Douglas-Home). The detail of leader writer arguments at The Times can be eye-glazing, but the emergence of robust, insistent, intellectual euroscepticism with media boss support did forge a sedimentary layer for the later Brexit campaign, It is a relentlessly male account most main players were men. Margaret Thatcher was a towering exception. A shame, however, to have missed out on the colourful role of Lady (Carla) Powell, a social iconoclast and wife of Thatchers eurosceptic foreign policy aide, Charles. I encountered her as an acolyte of Jimmy Goldsmith during the foundation of the Referendum Party. There certainly were women around in 1990s debates on whither Europe, from columnist Mary Ann Sieghart joining Lord Owen in a campaign opposing British entry to the single currency, to the late Rosemary Righter among those Times leader writers. McTague is right that something was changing in the undergrowth of the Brexit campaign The line of descent from Enoch Powell to Brexit is convoluted, given he was far from a constant eurosceptic he was as scathing, if not more so, about the US as Britains real enemy. But McTague is right that something was changing in the undergrowth of the Brexit campaign and the desire for greater control of immigration harks back to his preoccupation. Now, a Labour home secretary is suspending rights to family reunion for asylum seekers and an embattled prime minister seeks to cosh the number of incomers before the next election. Europes leaders, too, are in retreat from a vision of open borders. The challenge of Russia has provided a partial healing of the 2016 rift with France and Germany. More things change than Brexit a big deal, yes, but a way marker in the waves of the story of Britain and Europe. Anne McElvoy is executive editor at Politico and the host of Politics at Sam and Annes podcast Between the Waves by Tom McTague is out now (Pan Macmillan, 25) Former foreign secretary David Lammy - Alina Smutko/ Reuters The changing of the guard at the Foreign Office, where the more measured figure of Yvette Cooper is replacing the hapless David Lammy as Foreign Secretary, should result in the Starmer government adopting a more balanced approach to its dealings with the Middle East. Coopers first tweet in her new role did repeat the Foreign Offices discredited line about famine in Gaza, but that is hardly a surprise. From the moment Lammy took up his position at King Charles Street in the summer of 2024, his tenure has been marked by his vociferous anti-Israel stance, an attitude that has resulted in relations between London and Jerusalem reaching an all-time nadir. One of Lammys first acts as foreign secretary was to support spurious efforts by the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes. Taken at a time when the Israeli leader was involved in a brutal conflict against genocidal Hamas terrorists following the October 7 attacks in 2023, Lammys move was guaranteed to provoke a major diplomatic fall-out with the Israelis. It also became an unnecessary source of tension with the Trump administration. By throwing his weight behind ill-conceived efforts to demonise Netanyahu, Lammy was no doubt hoping to consolidate his standing among hard-Left Labour activists, whose hatred of Israel has resulted in accusations of blatant anti-Semitism. The reality, though, was that his stance caused a profound schism in UK-Israel relations, to the extent that the Israeli prime minister declined to meet the foreign secretary when he visited Israel last year. Subsequently, Lammy has responded to this diplomatic humiliation by maintaining his uncompromising stance on Israel, issuing a number of restrictions on UK arms exports to Israel and throwing his weight behind ill-conceived international efforts to formally recognise a Palestinian state before one has actually come into being. Nor have Lammys vehement anti-Israel policies only been a source of friction with Israel. His one-sided approach has meant that the UK has often found itself sidelined on some of the other major issues facing the Middle East region, such as curbing Irans nuclear ambitions and confronting Islamist terrorism. It could well have been because of Lammys antics at the Foreign Office that the Trump administration kept Downing Street in complete ignorance about its plans to bomb Irans nuclear facilities in the summer, an operation that has set back Tehrans attempts to develop a stockpile of nuclear warheads by many years. Ms Coopers appointment to replace Lammy will raise hopes both in London and Washington that the Starmer government will adopt a more nuanced, and less confrontational, approach to the many complex challenges facing the modern-day Middle East. During her term as Home Secretary, one of Coopers more notable actions was her decision to proscribe the hard Left, anti-Israel group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism action. She also publicly defended the UK police authorities after more than 500 people were arrested in August after staging a Palestine Action protest outside parliament. Cooper said that many supporters of the group did not know the full nature of those running the group, insisting it was not a non-violent organisation. Coopers strong track record against anti-Israel groups acting outside the law stands in stark contrast to the extreme anti-Israel policies pursued by her predecessor. The hope now is that her appointment as Foreign Secretary will result in the Starmer government repairing relations with Israel. Starmer has an early test next week. Labour backbenchers are calling on the Prime Minister to refuse to meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog when he visits London next week. Cooper must advise him to ignore them. 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Theatre director Kayleigh Smith and her partner, Will Nelson, a lecturer at Manchesters Arden School of Theatre, were named as two of the three Britons who died after the popular tourist attraction derailed in the centre of the Portuguese city on Wednesday night. The third British victim has yet to be named. In a statement issued by Cheshire Police, Ms Smiths family said: Kayleigh was loved by family and friends for her wit and humour, her kind and caring nature came to the fore in her work as a funeral operative. She was also a talented theatre director and had just completed a masters degree. They both leave family and friends heartbroken. Police officers inspect the site where a tourist streetcar derailed and crashed in Lisbon (Armando Franca/AP) Mr Nelsons younger brother said: Words cannot begin to describe how our family and friends are feeling right now but here is the best attempt. This week, due to a tragic accident in Lisbon, Portugal, we lost Will Nelson, who was not just my big brother but everyones. He was always kind, selfless, and protective and the world does not feel right or normal without him. He was and has always been my hero, and we will miss you always. Love you, rest in peace you legend. A total of 16 people died in the crash. Also among the dead were five Portuguese nationals, two Canadians, two South Koreans, one American, one French, one Swiss and one Ukrainian. A further 21 people were injured, including five seriously. Mr Nelson inspired thousands of students across The Arden School of Theatre to pursue their dreams and ambitions, Rachel Curry, principal of UCEN Manchester, said. She added: Everyone at UCEN Manchester and The Arden School of Theatre have been shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Will Nelson and Kayleigh Smith in the Lisbon tram disaster. Will inspired thousands of students across The Arden School of Theatre to pursue their dreams and ambitions during his seven years with us. Will had an incredible knowledge of his craft, particularly of playwrights and the history of theatre, being a constant source of rich information on this for students and colleagues. He was a such a positive and committed advocate for developing student talent and supporting his colleagues. Kayleigh was one of our mature students who had recently completed a Masters degree with us in pursuit of a career as an aspiring theatre director. She was an extremely talented and enthusiastic student who had a bright future ahead of her. Kayleigh was both incredibly hard working and warm and friendly with her fellow students and staff alike. Everyone in UCEN Manchester, and in The Arden School of Theatre in particular, will miss Will tremendously and our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Will and Kayleighs families, loved ones and their peers at this tragic time. A No 10 spokesman said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is deeply saddened that three British nationals died. His thoughts are with their families and those affected by this terrible incident, he said. We stand united with Portugal during this difficult time. The Foreign Office said it is supporting the families of three British nationals who died in the incident. The Gloria funicular, which is 140 years old, was packed with passengers when it came off the rails. Portugals prime minister, Luis Montenegro, described the incident as one of the biggest tragedies of our recent past. Funiculars are a type of railway system that transport people up and down steep slopes. The Gloria funicular features two separate yellow carriages which travel between Restauradores Square in central Lisbon and the Bairro Alto area, with journeys taking three minutes. It is electrified and uses steel cables. The derailment resulted in one of the carriages crashing into a building at a bend in a road. Nigel Farage capped off Reform UKs conference with a plea for party unity after rowing back on a pledge to stop small boat crossings within two weeks of taking office. The Birmingham conference was bigger than previous years, and showcased the partys efforts to present a more professional outlook. But it also had some controversial moments including appearances on the main stage by a vaccine-sceptic cardiologist and Lucy Connolly, who was jailed for stirring up racial hatred against asylum seekers. Mr Farage ended with a plea to attendees to put themselves forward to run as Reform UK candidates, saying thousands were needed in 2026. He also called for disputes to be kept private. He said: My sort of big message at the end of this conference, as we head towards those massive elections in Wales, in Scotland, in London, in the Midlands and elsewhere next year, is that you are the peoples army and to succeed, it needs one thing: discipline. Can we please exercise discipline and air our disagreements between each other in private and not in public? In his Friday speech, the Reform UK leader had told an audience at the NEC it would take a fortnight of him entering Downing Street to halt small boat arrivals, if he won an election. But on Sunday, he said he would need a legal basis first. He said he would introduce similar laws to those passed by Australian prime minister Tony Abbott over a decade ago to stop arrivals from Indonesia. As soon as the law is in place. As soon as you have the ability to detain and deport, youll stop it in two weeks, he said in an interview to be aired on BBC Ones Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. Mr Farages Friday speech focused on the party preparing for government and struck an optimistic tone as he predicted a big rift in Labour amid disarray in Sir Keir Starmers party and said a general election could come in 2027. He also hammered home Reform UKs mass deportation policy, saying: You cannot come here illegally and stay we will stop the boats within two weeks of winning government. Lucy Connolly with Nigel Farage (PA) Lucy Connolly, the former childminder and wife of a Conservative councillor jailed over her tweets in the aftermath of the Southport murders last year, was greeted with rapturous applause from the audience many of whom stood as she took to the stage. She said she had voted for Reform UK at the last election, in a live recording of The Telegraphs Planet Normal podcast with Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan. Asked what she would like to do going forward, she said: Id really love to use my experience to work with, hopefully, Reform. Two former Tory ministers were seen at the conference ahead of its finale. Ann Widdecombe, former Tory Home Office minister who later became a Brexit Party MEP under Mr Farage, as well as Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg who was Boris Johnsons Commons leader were at the NEC. Sir Jacob said his daughter had joined Reform UK, but Im not going to. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage signing a football shirt during the partys conference in Birmingham (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Attendees at the conference passed motions on Saturday, including one that will call for Reforms immigration policy to be broadened to include a review of asylum approvals by Labour and Conservative governments. Lancashire County Council deputy leader councillor Simon Evans proposed the motion, which would see a review of immigration decisions on potential illegal migrants, where the police national computer and counter terror checks were bypassed. Similar motions on repealing the 2008 Climate Change Act and removing gender ideology from public organisations were unanimously passed. Nottinghamshire county councillor Kelvin Wright, an NHS critical care consultant for 25 years, said it was not acceptable for any institution to subvert these spaces. Dozens of firefighters are battling a blaze at the old BBC Television Centre in Londons White City. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said about 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines had been called to the nine-storey building on Wood Lane. Photos from the scene show crews at the Helios Building at the BBCs former headquarters, which has since been converted into flats and a restaurant. Smoke was still billowing from the rooftop rotunda late on Saturday morning as firefighters used a drone to help tackle the blaze and crowds gathered on the street to watch and take photos. A police cordon sealed off the plaza, forcing the closure of several cafes and restaurants below. The Salvation Army could be seen handing out sandwiches to emergency workers. The fire service said in a statement: The fire is currently affecting floors towards the top of the building. A restaurant, external decking and ducting is currently alight. An unknown number of flats have also potentially been affected by the fire. One person was treated by paramedics then discharged at the scene, London Ambulance Service said. Nearby buildings are being evacuated as a precaution and a rest centre has been set up for those who had to leave their homes. Firefighters remained at the scene at 3pm, about 12 hours after the brigade was first called, and LFB said it is a complex fire, but they were continuing to make steady progress. A resident who lives in converted flats in the old BBC Television Centre said: I got woken up by my girlfriend at 3am who was coming back from work we could really smell the smoke, it was quite thick. We could see about 100 firefighters and at least eight or nine fire engines that were all parked up. I could just see a red glow. Crews continue to work at the scene of a fire in White City. The fire is in a mixed-use building, with a restaurant and external decking among the areas of the building currently alight. Please avoid the area.https://t.co/x6fo2wOu67 pic.twitter.com/QbUeLo9yLh London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) September 6, 2025 It was glowing really intensely, it almost looked like a portal to the underworld. It was quite sinister. We were in a different part of the building on the other side of the complex, so I wasnt evacuated or instructed by any firefighters, but they seemed very on it. They were, you know, very professional, from what I could see. A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: We were called at 3.13am today to reports of a fire on Wood Lane in White City. We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and our hazardous area response team. We have treated one patient and discharged them at the scene. The incident is ongoing and we remain on scene as a precaution, working closely with our emergency services partners. Li Mei, 36, who lives in an apartment block across the road, told the PA news agency: I got up this morning and my partner told me to look out of the window. Around 100 firefighters are involved in the operation (James Manning/PA) There was so much smoke we were worried it was going to get worse. Thank God it seems like nobody has died. The BBC was primarily based at Television Centre until 2013 before moving to its current location at Broadcasting House. The site still includes television studios where popular shows such as Loose Women and Good Morning Britain are filmed. The BBC Studios office is not believed to have been affected by the fire. The website for the Helios Building says it currently accommodates 162 homes, along with a gym and a 47-bedroom hotel. Wood Lane is closed to traffic and people are advised to avoid the area. The brigade said first reports of the fire were received just after 3am and crews from Hammersmith, North Kensington, Kensington, Chiswick and surrounding fire stations were sent to the scene. Two 32-metre turntable ladders are being deployed as water towers to help extinguish the fire from height. The cause of the fire is not known. Thanks to the hardworking firefighters who continue to tackle a major fire in White City. Residents have been safely evacuated, with a rest centre in place. Wood Lane remains closed, and crews are expected on scene throughout the day. Follow @LondonFire for updates https://t.co/1g4NIyoqEp Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) September 6, 2025 A spokesperson for Television Centre said: Earlier this morning a fire occurred in the Helios building at Television Centre in west London, which is now contained. We can confirm that residents and staff members were evacuated safely. We are hugely grateful to the London Fire Brigade for their swift response and to the Metropolitan Police for their support. We continue to work closely with the emergency services and local authorities to ensure the building is secure. The Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan posted on X saying: Thanks to the hardworking firefighters who continue to tackle a major fire in White City. Residents have been safely evacuated, with a rest centre in place. Wood Lane remains closed, and crews are expected on scene throughout the day. Follow @LondonFire for updates. Gardai are investigating a second threat made against Irish deputy premier Simon Harriss family in the space of a week. The incident comes after a woman was arrested and released from garda custody when a threat was made against the Fine Gael leaders children. Mr Harris, who is minister for foreign affairs and defence, has received threats before including through social media and a phoned bomb threat. Protests have also been held outside his home, where his wife and children live. Asked about a fresh threat against Mr Harriss family, a spokeswoman said: An Garda Siochana does not comment on named individuals. A Garda Siochana is currently investigating this matter. Mr Harris said during the week that he would no longer maintain a dignified silence on the issue of threats against politicians and public representatives. He said threats against politicians had become somewhat normalised and it should not be accepted that the online space was the Wild West. When you experience direct threats to your children, to their safety, its something I wouldnt wish on anybody in this country, he said. I fear one day we will wake up in this country and something will have gone wrong. It has to be taken extraordinarily seriously. Graham Linehan says he may never come back to Britain after arrest Father Ted creator Graham Linehan has said he may never return to Britain as he told of being arrested at Heathrow Airport. The 57-year-old Irish comedy writer was arrested after flying in from Arizona on Monday over three posts he had made on X about transgender issues. Linehan, who now lives in the United States, told The Times: What happened to me on Monday was almost the perfect finale to my time in the UK. I decided to leave Britain because it really is impossible for me to stay. I just dont have freedom of speech in this country. Then theres the fact that almost all my friends in comedy betrayed me. Not one of them stood up and said, Linehans not a bigot, and of course, women need fair sports and single-sex spaces. I am just so happy in America. I feel so far away from all these nut-jobs who have the police wrapped around their finger. I dont think Ill ever come back to Britain. Linehan, who has separately appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court over the past few days accused of harassing transgender activist Sophia Brooks, said Met officers arresting him at the airport was the greatest mistake they could have made. Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan has also appeared in court accused of harassing transgender activist Sophia Brooks (Jonathan Brady/PA) He told the newspaper: Ive never felt better because Ive exposed the way British police are working in tandem with trans activists. The police, after being called institutionally racist, have done this ridiculous over-compensation, which means that now theyre literally working for a sort of Al Capone gang in fishnets. When are they going to start defending the women bringing complaints instead of these clearly bad faith actors? They just dont. Linehan said he was stopped by five armed police officers, although it is understood this is because they were from the Mets Aviation unit and routinely carry firearms. He was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence in posts on X. One of the posts said: If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls. Another was a photograph of a trans-rights protest, with the comment a photo you can smell, with a follow-up post saying: I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F*** em. In a clip published online, Linehan can be heard reacting with disbelief as he is stopped by officers. The Father Ted co-creator has told The Times that he doesnt think hell ever come back to Britain after moving to the United States (Ben Whitley/PA) He tells one officer: Im a f****** comedy writer, I wrote Father Ted. Are you a f****** idiot? Its just disgraceful. When told he is under arrest, he shouts: Holy shit, I dont f****** believe it, do you know what this country looks like to America?, before repeating Im going to sue you into the ground several times. He calls the officers f****** bastards and shouts how dare you before they urge him to calm down. Shortly afterwards, Linehan can be heard saying: Im f****** infuriated. You scumbags are working for f****** arseholes who go into womens toilets. Harry Potter author JK Rowling was among those who reacted angrily to his arrest. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said his officers should not be policing toxic culture wars debates and had been left in an impossible position implementing the law as it stands. Linehan has denied one count of harassing Sophia Brooks on social media between October 11 and October 27 last year, and a further charge of criminal damage of their mobile phone on October 19 last year. The trial was adjourned and will resume on October 29, with Linehan released on bail. Lando Norris admitted he saved the best to last after he escaped from a mistake-fuelled qualifying session to take second and start Sundays Italian Grand Prix ahead of championship rival Oscar Piastri. Max Verstappen sealed the 45th pole position of his career with the fastest lap ever recorded in Formula One the four-time world champion blitzing Monzas 11 corners at a spellbinding average speed of 164.465mph. Norris momentarily topped the timesheets, only for Verstappen to knock the British driver off his perch in his sub-par Red Bull machinery. Verstappens team-mate Yuki Tsunoda could manage only 10th. But Norris was clearly delighted to have joined Verstappen on the front row following a scruffy session at the sun-cooked Temple of Speed in which he risked being served another blow to his title hopes. It was a pretty bad qualifying for me, said Norris. My last lap was the best I did in qualifying by six tenths, so it was impressive that I managed to improve as much as I did, but also impressive that I did such a bad job prior to that. Indeed, Norris could consider himself somewhat fortunate to even contest Q3. The Englishman, quickest in two of the three practice sessions, was forced to abort his first lap in Q2 after he locked up under braking for the opening Variante del Rettifilo. Norris returned to his garage for a new set of tyres, and his next effort was good enough only for 11th with just the top 10 guaranteed of progressing. Max Verstappen celebrates his pole position (David Davies/PA) A final throw of the dice lifted him to fifth and a collective sigh of relief from his allies at the back of the McLaren garage as their man made it through. On to the decisive Q3 and Norris was way back in seventh after his first attempt, half a second down on the pace-setting Verstappen and almost four tenths back from Piastri. However, the British driver pulled a lap out of the bag in the closing seconds to propel himself up the order and provide him with the hope that he can eat into Piastris title lead. I was hitting every kerb possible, said Norris, who trails the Australian by 34 points. I locked up at Turn 1 and when you lock up at the first corner it knocks your confidence. I was not very comfortable because I just couldnt get into a rhythm. Lewis Hamilton will serve a five-place grid penalty at Monza (David Davies/PA) I was definitely not feeling the best inside the car. I couldnt click back into a rhythm until the last lap but that was the only lap that I needed to do that, so I am happy I did. Norris title mindset has been challenged with the 25-year-old facing accusations of crumbling at the key moments. So his last-gasp lap, just 0.077 seconds shy of Verstappens record-breaking effort, should serve as the perfect tonic, particularly arriving six days after his engine failure in Zandvoort. Charles Leclerc took fourth for Ferrari, one place clear of team-mate Lewis Hamilton. However, the seven-time world champion will start from 10th as he serves a grid drop for failing to adhere to double waved yellow flags at the previous round. With the penalty and everyone being so close it is going to be difficult to overtake everybody ahead of me tomorrow, but we have got good top-line speed so Im hoping to make up ground and that will be with a good first lap and good strategy, said Hamilton. Commenting on his first Italian Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver, the 40-year-old continued: So far, it has been incredible, amazing. I dont know what other word I can find for it. The Tifosi are everywhere, they are hiding behind trees. There are so many of them. As you leave the track they are on both sides as far as you can go and it is incredible to see the love that people have for this team. There is nothing like it. At least 425 people were arrested at a tense protest in support of the banned terror group Palestine Action, as clashes broke out in Parliament Square. Violent scuffles took place at the central London demonstration as police drew their batons and officers sprinted out from behind the cordon to grab people before pulling them away. Tensions rose in Westminster as an estimated 1,500 people gathered for the rally with the protest taking on an increasingly anti-police tone featuring chants of shame on you, youre supporting genocide and some referencing former officer and murderer Wayne Couzens. The Met Police confirmed that as of 9pm on Saturday, more than 425 people were arrested at the Westminster Palestine Action protest. Scotland Yard added that more than 25 people were arrested for assaults on police officers and other public order offences. Defend Our Juries, who organised the protest, said protesters going floppy during arrest had significantly slowed down the rate of arrests. They insisted the demonstration was a huge embarrassment for Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley, who claimed the Met would arrest every person who held a sign saying I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action. At one point, one protester was seen with blood streaming down his face behind a barrier after being arrested. One protester was seen with blood on his face (Defend Our Juries) Hundreds of people were risking arrest at the protest as they showed support for Palestine Action, which has been banned by the Government as a terrorist organisation. Many of the protesters appeared to be elderly, and at another stage footage showed five police officers escorting a woman with a walking stick slowly away as protesters clapped. The number of arrests began to slowly pick up throughout Saturday, with police beginning to detain people just 12 minutes after the protests official start time. Crowds of activists followed officers, shouting shame on you as protesters were carried away from Parliament Square. An estimated 1,500 people gathered in Westminster to protest against the banning of Palestine Action as a terror group (PA Wire) Scotland Yard said its officers had to deal with punches, kicks, spitting and objects thrown at them during the protest. In a statement, Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Claire Smart, who led the policing operation said: Over the course of the afternoon, we deployed more than 2,500 officers to manage protests across the capital. The majority of protests, including the Palestine Coalition march attended by around 20,000 people, passed with very few arrests. This was not the case at the protest organised by Defend Our Juries in support of the proscribed terrorist organisation Palestine Action. In carrying out their duties today, our officers have been punched, kicked, spat on and had objects thrown at them by protesters. It is intolerable that those whose job it is to enforce the law and keep people safe in this case arresting individuals committing offences under the Terrorism Act should be subject to this level of abuse. Our role in the context of protest remains as it always has been to police without fear or favour, to enforce the law, and to ensure those exercising their right to protest can do so safely. Where a group advertises that they intend to commit crimes, we have a duty to respond accordingly. The tactics deployed by supporters of Palestine Action in their attempt to overwhelm the justice system, as well as the level of violence seen in the crowd, required significant resource which took officers out of neighbourhoods to the detriment of the Londoners who rely on them. There were frantic scenes in Westminster throughout the afternoon, as officers forced their way through crowds carrying arrested protesters, had screaming arguments with demonstrators and had water and plastic bottles thrown at them while several protesters fell over in a crush at one point. Many protesters had made it difficult for officers to escort them away by making their bodies go floppy, forcing the police to drag them away. Reverend Sue Parfitt was arrested at the Palestine Action protest (Defend Our Juries) Among those arrested was 83-year-old Reverend Sue Parfitt. Following her second arrest for sign-holding under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000, she insisted that Palestine Action is not a terrorist organisation. She said: I am an Anglican Priest and Jesus is my leader. Clearly, we are witnessing a genocide and the deliberate starvation of the Palestinian people who have been persecuted by Israel for generations, long before the Nakba in 1948, with the help of this country. The truth is that Palestine Action is not a terrorist organisation. It caused much damage confined to the weapons that are being used on the Palestinians. All of us with any moral backbone at all must stand up against this. Gandhi said non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as cooperation with good. And a very good way to do this is to come out onto the streets with our signs saying I support Palestine Action. Police and demonstrators during a Lift the Ban on Palestine Action protest organised by Defend our Juries (James Manning/PA Wire) Despite the violence, which occurred particularly on neighbouring streets, Parliament Square Green remained largely peaceful. Several hundred protesters, many of them elderly, spent the day on the grass, with signs reading I support Palestine Action. Among those at the demonstration was 84-year-old Fran, who told the Standard: Id prefer not to be arrested but if I were to be, itd be a badge of honour. Elsewhere in the square, dozens of doctors in their scrubs with badges pinned to them identifying their roles including: doctor, surgeon and physio unfurled a banner reading: Medical duty & terror law, while families of Holocaust survivors held a sign which said: Holocaust survivor descendants against genocide. Violent clashes have broken out at a protest in support of Palestine Action (PA Wire) Kerry Moscogiuri, of human rights campaign group Amnesty International UK, said: When the Government is arresting people under terrorism laws for sitting peacefully in protest, something is going very wrong here in the UK. Criminalising speech in this context is only permitted when it incites violence or advocates hatred. Expressing support for Palestine Action does not, in itself, meet this threshold. A woman is led away by police officers as people take part in a Lift the Ban on Palestine Action protest organised by Defend our Juries (PA Wire) Mike Higgins, 62, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, returned to protest on Saturday after making headlines last month as one of 532 people arrested at a previous demonstration. He told the PA news agency: What choice do I have? Nothing is being done about the genocide other than by us. And Im a terrorist? Thats the joke of it. Ive already been arrested under the Terrorism Act and I suspect I will be today. Of course Ill keep coming back what choice do I have? The man was pronounced dead at the scene - AP A shark mauled a surfer to death in front of his friends in an attack off a beach in Sydney. Mercury Psillakis, 57, was pulled out of the water on to shore at Long Reef Beach, near Dee Why, on Saturday morning, but died at the scene. His surfboard was ripped in two by the shark, and police believe he lost both legs and one of his arms in the attack. Psillakis had been in the water with friends at about 10am (1am UK time) when the incident happened, New South Wales police said. The two sections of his surfboard were recovered and taken for examination. The species of shark involved in the attack has yet to be ascertained, but there is speculation that it was a great white. Psillakis was an experienced surfer from Dee Why with a wife and young daughter. Officers said he had been surfing for about half an hour when he was attacked about 100 metres (328ft) from the shore by a large shark, causing him to lose a number of limbs. Mercury Psillakis with his wife Maria John Duncan, New South Wales police superintendent, told reporters: I do understand that both him and his board disappeared underwater. The body was found floating in the surf. Nearby surfers saw Psillakis in the water and got him to shore, Mr Duncan said. He added: Unfortunately, by that time we understand he lost probably a lot of blood and attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. The death has shocked the local community - EPA A group of surfers had watched in horror at the attack unfold in the water in front of them. Four or five surfers pulled him out of the water and it looked like a significant part of his lower half had been attacked, a surfer, who did not want to be named, told Sydneys Daily Telegraph. A resident told the paper that the group of surfers who had seen the attack were not saying much afterwards. They were just trying to comprehend it, they said. Psillakis was a well-known surfer in the local community. Everyone knows the Psillakis family, another resident said. Theyve always lived around here and they really are a big part of the community. This is going to be really tough for a lot of people. A string of beaches in the area have been closed - GETTY IMAGES Images of the scene on local media showed police gathered on the shore and ambulances parked nearby. Beaches between the northern suburbs of Manly and Narrabeen have been closed for at least 24 hours, Surf Life Saving NSW said. For now, please remain clear of the water at beaches in the vicinity and follow the direction of lifeguards and lifesavers, Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steven Pearce said in a statement. Our deepest condolences go to the family of the man involved in this terrible tragedy. Surf life saving clubs nearby have cancelled all water activities and training for the weekend. It is the first fatal shark attack in Sydney since 2022, when 35-year-old British diving instructor Simon Nellist was killed off Little Bay. The previous fatal attack in the city was in 1963. Drones were now scanning the beach for shark activity, according to Australian public broadcaster ABC. Australias last deadly shark attack was in March, when a surfer was taken off the remote Wharton Beach in Western Australia. There have been more than 1,280 shark incidents around Australia since 1791, of which over 250 resulted in death, according to a database of the predators encounters with humans. Mike Pence has said that he has no doubt that Russia will cross a Nato countrys border if it wins in Ukraine. Appearing on Newsnight on Friday (5 September), Donald Trumps former vice president said that the US and its European allies would have to confront him militarily if the Russian president expanded his war efforts further into the continent. He said he envisages the US as a backstop to confronting aggression, though European allies would be at the forefront. Mr Pence went on to praise the "coalition of the willing for formulating the kind of security guarantees that would create the conditions for a just and lasting peace, adding that it has captured Putins attention. Sir Keir Starmer is carrying out a major reshuffle including wide-ranging changes at the Home Office as he seeks to tighten his grip on immigration and draw a line under Angela Rayners resignation. Former borders minister Dame Angela Eagle and former policing minister Dame Diana Johnson have been moved to other departments in the clear-out. The changes follow a sweeping Cabinet-level shake-up on Friday after former deputy prime minister Ms Rayner quit Government for breaching the ministerial code over a property purchase earlier this year. Yvette Cooper was replaced as Home Secretary by Shabana Mahmood and took over as Foreign Secretary from David Lammy, who has been made Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary. It has been an honour as the Policing Minister to work with so many excellent police officers, to start to restore neighbourhood policing, provide new powers to fight crime & prepare major policing reform . I am delighted to have now been appointed as a DWP Minister of State. Diana Johnson DBE MP (@DianaJohnsonMP) September 6, 2025 Former industry minister Sarah Jones will become policing minister, a brief she held in opposition, as part of Ms Mahmoods new-look team along with Mike Tapp, the Dover MP from Labours 2024 intake, and Alex Norris. Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones earlier denied that the Government was in crisis and insisted Sir Keir now has the strongest team in place around the Cabinet table following Ms Rayners departure. He ruled out the prospect of an early election amid opposition claims that the upheaval could open up splits within Labour and collapse the Prime Ministers authority. Speaking to broadcasters on Saturday, Mr Jones dismissed suggestions that the rejig could delay the Prime Ministers self-described phase two of Government by moving senior figures to unfamiliar briefs. Its not instability insofar as the outcomes that were delivering are the same, Mr Jones, who is also the newly-appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, told BBC Breakfast. The Prime Minister had been planning a broader reshuffle on a slower timetable, but he brought that forward because that is his decision as Prime Minister. Thats exhibiting leadership and control, not chaos, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. He rejected the idea Ms Cooper had been moved out of the Home Office because she was failing to control immigration, adding she would be brilliant in her new role as the UKs top diplomat. Ms Rayner quit as deputy prime minister, housing secretary and deputy Labour leader after an independent ethics investigation found she had failed to pay enough stamp duty on a seaside flat she bought in May. In a letter published on Friday, Sir Laurie Magnus said he believed she had acted in good faith, but that the responsibility of any taxpayer for reporting their tax returns and settling their liabilities rests ultimately with themselves. The ethics watchdog said that Ms Rayners failure to settle her full liability on the Hove property, along with the fact that this was only established following media scrutiny of her tax affairs, led him to consider the ministerial code had been breached. Her sudden departure prompted the first major reshuffle of Sir Keirs premiership. Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary, while David Lammy becomes Deputy PM and Justice Secretary, while Yvette Cooper is the new Foreign Secretary (PA) Former Commons leader Lucy Powell and former Scotland secretary Ian Murray were dismissed and replaced with ex-chief whip Sir Alan Campbell and former trade minister Douglas Alexander respectively. But in a partial about-turn, Mr Murray was later made a junior minister in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. A number of further changes were made on Saturday, including: Dame Angela moving from the Home Office to serve as a minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Dover MP Mr Tapp enters the Home Office, as does former local growth minister Mr Norris. Dame Diana has been replaced as policing minister by Ms Jones, and will now serve as a minister in the Department for Work and Pensions. Former Labour Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves was replaced by Anna Turley, who has been promoted to minister without portfolio and will now attend Cabinet. Ms Reeves, a qualified barrister and sister of Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who will remain in post, becomes solicitor general a more junior position. Businessman and former Grimsby Town FC chairman Jason Stockwood has been made investment minister. Mr Stockwood has stepped away from his duties at the club and will be given a peerage in order to take on the role. Starmer allies were promoted, including Baroness Levitt who was his principal legal adviser while he served as director of public prosecutions and becomes a justice minister. Chris Ward, who has served as the Prime Ministers principal private secretary, has been made a Cabinet Office minister. Farming minister Daniel Zeichner and local government minister Jim McMahon have been sacked and will return to the back benches. No 10 said the reshuffle was focused on delivery, including in areas like economic growth and securing borders, and sources suggested the changes will give ministers a renewed sense of purpose. Losing his deputy will cause a headache for Sir Keir as he seeks to reset the Government following a difficult summer dominated by criticism of the small boats crisis and speculation about tax rises in the autumn Budget. He also now faces the prospect of a party conference overshadowed by manoeuvring for the deputy leadership role vacated by Ms Rayner, who was popular among grassroots and seen as a bridge between No 10 and the wider party. Mr Jones dismissed the idea that her departure could expose divisions between different factions within Labour after Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said splits would open up following the scandal. Nigel Farage is wrong there, he told Sky News. (PA Graphics) The Labour Party is not going to split and there wont be an early election. But some Labour backbenchers were highly critical of the changes and expressed concerns about what they meant for the direction of travel. Angela made an unbalanced cabinet look slightly more balanced, one told the PA news agency. But it was almost entirely skin deep and cosmetic. On literally every major issue she has tucked in behind them. A few leaked memos do not a left wing policy agenda, make. They added: Now even the semblance of that illusion is gone. Maybe for the party overall thats for the better in the long run. As for the consequences: Starmer just signed his own death warrant. He has to be gone before (Christmas) otherwise Wes (Streeting) faces Andy (Burnham). Liverpool Riverside Labour MP Kim Johnson said the reshuffle looked like moving deck chairs on Titanic and creating a London elite, with the partys broad church not represented in Government. It is unclear whether Ms Rayner will take severance pay following her resignation, but Mr Jones said it would a decision personally for her, as opposed to the Prime Minister. Labour has changed the system so that any ministers who leave office following a serious breach of the code will be denied a payout under rules expected to come into force next month. From October, it will be for the Prime Minister to decide whether the rule-breaking in question meets that threshold. Speaking to Times Radio, Mr Jones said: Just as a matter of fact, in this circumstance, that is a decision personally for Angela Rayner as opposed to for the Prime Minister, which is how that will work when our new rules become live next month. More than 425 people have been arrested at the largest demonstration yet opposing the proscription of Palestine Action. Defend Our Juries, who organised the demonstrations, said there were 1,500 sign-holders in Parliament Square on Saturday at a fresh protest in London against the ban. At the previous major demonstration last month, 532 people were arrested for taking part. Participants gathered in Parliament Square by 1pm, many holding signs that read: I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action. At just after 9pm, the Metropolitan police said it had made more than 425 arrests. The Mets deputy assistant commissioner, Claire Smart, who led the operation, said: In carrying out their duties today, our officers have been punched, kicked, spat on and had objects thrown at them by protesters. It is intolerable that those whose job it is to enforce the law and keep people safe in this case arresting individuals committing offences under the Terrorism Act should be subject to this level of abuse. Earlier, Defend Our Juries responded to a similar claim by the police, saying officers violently [assaulted] peaceful protesters including the elderly, in order to try and arrest over 1,000 people for holding cardboard signs and shared a video of officers shoving people to the ground. A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said: Despite Mark Rowley insisting the police could and would arrest everyone who opposed the ban, it would take them another 36 hours to arrest everyone at this rate. Yvette Cooper launched the biggest attack on our civil liberties in living memory, and it has backfired spectacularly. Now Yvette Cooper is no longer home secretary, the ban must go with her. This shows the new home secretary on her first day in office that the Palestine Action ban is impossible to enforce and a preposterous waste of resources. The terrorism laws were not designed to be wielded against a domestic protest group, or to arrest thousands across civil society for holding cardboard signs. The demonstration remained largely peaceful, though there were frantic scenes on the outskirts of the square throughout the afternoon. Officers drew their batons during clashes and forced their way through crowds carrying arrested protesters. One protester was seen with blood streaming down his face, while several others were knocked to the ground in a crush. Police began making arrests shortly after the demonstration began. Officers faced chants of shame on you when taking two elderly people using mobility scooters into police vans. Steve Masters, 55, was among those taking part. Im here because I oppose genocide and I also oppose the governments overreach in proscribing Palestine Action, he said. Theyve lowered the bar of what terrorism is and almost made it meaningless. He served in the RAF as an aircraft technician for 19 years and took part in the protest while wearing his four service medals. As somebody who was in the air force, attacking an air force jet is not something that I would do, he said. While unpleasant, destruction of property to most people is not terrorism. Theyre not going out to explicitly harm people. Its a travesty of justice. Protesters who signed up for Saturdays demonstration were instructed to withhold their details from officers to force en masse processing at police stations, which organisers said would make it practically impossible to arrest everyone. Masters said he planned to withhold his details, meaning he would need to be transported and processed in a police station to complete his arrest. He said officers were in a difficult position and I dont envy them, but I also dont have any sympathy for them either. They could stand there and say no. It takes moral courage because they may lose their jobs, but where is the red line? Judith Gradwell, 80, who also held a sign that read, I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action, is unafraid of being arrested. It doesnt matter, Ive got my sandwiches in my backpack, she said. Gradwell also plans on withholding her details from officers. She called the governments decision to ban Palestine Action ridiculous, adding: You would think after the Iraq war that theyd listen a bit more to what people on the streets were saying. In the 1970s, she protested against the Vietnam war outside the US embassy in London. I thought the world would be a better place by now but it isnt, she said. Its a much worse place. Anne Karpf was in Parliament Square to support those taking part. I think its very moving and, if I didnt have caring responsibilities, Id be in there holding a sign myself, she said, standing under a banner that said, Holocaust survivor descendants against Gaza genocide. Karpf said her mother was a survivor of Auschwitz and her father was a survivor of Russian labour camps. What they would be thinking, seeing what is happening now and being done in their name. I feel pretty certain that they would be horrified, she said. She called the proscription of the group wrong on every single front and an outrageous curtailment of civil liberties. Amnesty International said the arrests showed that something is going very wrong here in the UK. Kerry Moscogiuri, director of campaigns for the organisation, said: Lets be clear, it is disproportionate to the point of absurdity to treat people sitting peacefully in a group holding signs in support of Palestine Action as terrorists. Any restriction on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly must be lawful, necessary and proportionate to achieving a legitimate aim. Criminalising speech in this context is only permitted when it incites violence or advocates hatred. Expressing support for Palestine Action does not, in itself, meet this threshold. Mike Higgins, 62, a blind man who uses a wheelchair, whose arrest was seen by millions on social media, also returned. He was arrested at the demonstration last month, which he said starkly highlights what an absolute waste of time the proscription of Palestine Action was for the state, taxpayers, police resources and, most importantly, [for] Palestine and defending the people of Palestine, because thats actually what this is really about. Saturdays demonstration has been the busiest by far. Hundreds of supporters gathered in Parliament Square and the anti-abortion group March for Life, set up a stage nearby with a sound system that occasionally blasted out music. Japan on Saturday hosted a grand coming-of-age ceremony for Prince Hisahito, the first male royal to reach adulthood in 40 years. The elaborate palace rituals to formally recognise Hisahito as an adult were a moment of celebration, but also a bleak reminder of the ageing demographic of the worlds oldest monarchy. Hisahito, the nephew of Emperor Naruhito, was due to take part in a series of traditional ceremonies on Saturday to commemorate his coming of age. Before Hisahito's birthday last year, his father had been the last male to reach adulthood in the family all the way back in 1985. The prince is the youngest of the 16-member imperial family and one of only five men, including former Emperor Akihito. Hisahito is second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne and is likely to become emperor one day. However, there is nobody left after him to take the throne due to the male-only succession policy, leaving the Imperial family with a dilemma over whether they should reverse the 19th-century rule. The 1947 Imperial House Law, which largely preserves conservative pre-war family values, only allows a male to succeed to the throne. It also stipulates that female royal members who marry commoners lose their royal status. Japanese Prince Hisahito is seen in ceremonial attire during his coming-of-age rites in the Imperial Palace (AP) Japans conservative government has said it wants to keep male-only royal succession, though it is looking for a way to allow women to keep royal status if they marry commoners and to continue serving in royal duties. At a ritual held on Saturday morning, attendants removed a black silk headband from the head of Hisahito and replaced it with an adult crown bestowed by Emperor Naruhito, according to Kyodo News. The emperor and his wife, Empress Masako, as well as the prince's parents, Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, served as witnesses. The prince then donned ceremonial attire and rode in a state carriage to the Imperial Palace Sanctuaries to honour his ancestors with a formal ritual. Later, he was scheduled to have an audience with the emperor and empress in the Matsu-no-Ma state room of the Imperial Palace, where he will also be awarded the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum. The prince will then visit his grandparents, former emperor Akihito and former empress Michiko, at the Sento imperial residence in Akasaka. Saturdays festivities were set to conclude with a celebratory banquet in Tokyo. Japanese Prince Hisahito, son of Crown Prince Akishino, wearing ancient ceremonial costume, leaves for a ceremony in a carriage at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo (AP) The rituals are set to spill over into much of next week. Hisahito is expected to travel to Ise, Japan's most important Shinto shrine, the mausoleum of the mythical first emperor Jinmu in Nara, as well as that of his late great-grandfather, wartime emperor Hirohito, in the Tokyo suburbs. He will then have lunch with prime minister Shigeru Ishiba and other dignitaries on Wednesday. Hisahito studies biology as a first-year student at Tsukuba University near Tokyo, and has co-authored an academic paper on a survey of the insects on the grounds of his Akasaka estate in Tokyo. In his debut news conference in March, the prince said he hopes to focus his studies on dragonflies and other insects, including ways to protect bug populations in urban areas. His other interests lie in growing tomatoes and rice on the palace compound. Because Japanese royals have to stay away from politics, members of the Imperial Family tend to study biology, literature and the arts. Hisahito was born on 6 September 2006 and has two older sisters, the popular Princess Kako and former Princess Mako, whose marriage to a non-royal required her to abandon her royal status. The shortage of male successors is a serious concern for the monarchy, which has lasted for 1,500 years. The issue reflects the wider countrys rapidly ageing and shrinking population. Japan recorded nearly a million more deaths than births in 2024 the steepest decline since records began in 1968. Prime minister Ishiba has called the trend a quiet emergency and pledged measures such as free childcare and flexible working hours, but demographic pressures are already straining pensions, healthcare, and the fabric of rural communities. Rachel Reevess potential national-insurance hike would affect family doctors, solicitors, accountants and financial advisers - House of Commons/Reuters Rachel Reeves is considering proposals for a tax raid on GPs and other professionals that would raise almost 2bn a year. The Treasury has been presented with plans to levy National Insurance (NI) on partnerships as she scrambles for ways to fill a 50bn black hole in the public purse. Such a move would impact 190,000 workers, with family doctors, lawyers and solicitors, accountants and financial advisers hit the hardest. The blueprint has been put forward by the Centre for the Analysis of Taxation (Centax), a think tank with ideas Angela Rayner has adopted in the past. In a report it said the current exemption from employer National Insurance contributions enjoyed by partnerships was an accident of history. It advocated the introduction of Partnership NICs as a step towards equalising the tax treatment across different forms of income from work. Exemption is an anomaly Ms Reeves is widely expected to announce a raft of tax rises at her Budget on Nov 26 amid market jitters over Britains ballooning national debt. CenTaxs proposals are likely to appeal to her because they target high-income sources. The think tank said that 98 per cent of the 1.9bn raised from its plans come from the top 10 per cent of earners, many of whom are based in London. Labour initially ruled out increasing NI in its manifesto, but later clarified that the promise applied only to employee contributions. As a result, the Chancellor was able to launch a raid on employer contributions at her last Budget, which has been blamed for stifling economic growth. CenTax said the fact that companies pay NI that partnerships do not was a particularly conspicuous anomaly in the tax system. Partnerships face significantly lower effective tax rates on their labour costs than companies, for no good reason, its report said. The tax privilege offered to partnerships results in economic distortions that are bad for productivity and growth. Rule-change would generate 1.9bn The think tank said that closing the loophole would raise 1.9bn a year after changes of behaviour in response to the raid were taken into account. Around a tenth of that revenue would come from family doctors, who typically set up their practices as partnerships for business purposes. CenTax said that ministers could reimburse GPs through their funding settlements so that their pay is not cut, at a cost of around 200m. Solicitors would be the hardest hit, with family firms accounting for a fifth of all partnership income and averaging 300,000 in annual profits. London would bear the brunt with more than a quarter of partnership income coming from a dozen constituencies, 11 of which are in the capital. It is likely that the extra costs incurred by businesses from any raid would be passed on to their clients in the form of higher fees. The Treasury is understood to be aware of the proposals, though officials insisted that no decisions on tax measures in the Budget have been made. A Treasury spokesman said: As set out in the Plan for Change, the best way to strengthen public finances is by growing the economy which is our focus. Changes to tax and spend policy are not the only ways of doing this, as seen with our planning reforms, which are expected to grow the economy by 6.8bn and cut borrowing by 3.4bn. We are committed to keeping taxes for working people as low as possible, which is why at last autumns Budget, we protected working peoples payslips and kept our promise not to raise the basic, higher or additional rates of Income Tax, employee National Insurance, or VAT. Sir Keir Starmer said his focus was on delivery after he carried out a purge of Home Office ministers in a major Government reshuffle following Angela Rayners resignation. The Prime Minister is seeking to draw a line under the damaging fallout from his former deputys breach of the ministerial code with a new-look Cabinet as several figures were sacked or moved aside. Sir Keir made sweeping changes at the Home Office, where Yvette Cooper was replaced by former justice secretary Shabana Mahmood and borders minister Dame Angela Eagle was moved to the farming brief. Newly appointed Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood (PA) He said on Saturday: The new ministers will drive forward our growth agenda with a relentless focus. Phase two of this Government is about delivery and this is a Government that will renew Britain and deliver the change people voted for. The shake-up is a sign the Prime Minister is seeking to tighten his grip on immigration, as the number of small boat crossings in the English Channel soared to an estimated 1,000 people over the course of Saturday. Ms Mahmood is expected to make policy announcements on asylum imminently, with one Government source saying nothing is off the table for her as she assumes her new brief. Former industry minister Sarah Jones will become policing minister, a brief she held in opposition, while Mike Tapp, the Dover MP from Labours 2024 intake, and Alex Norris also join the department. Former policing minister Dame Diana Johnson has moved to a new super ministry overseen by new Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden a sign Government intends to push ahead with some radical welfare reform in its search for economic growth. Ms Rayner quit as deputy prime minister, housing secretary and deputy Labour leader after an independent ethics investigation found she had failed to pay enough stamp duty on a seaside flat she bought in May. Angela Rayner (PA) In a letter published on Friday, Sir Laurie Magnus said he believed she had acted in good faith, but that the responsibility of any taxpayer for reporting their tax returns and settling their liabilities rests ultimately with themselves. Ms Rayner admitted she had made a mistake and said she deeply regretted failing to seek additional specialist tax advice during the purchase in Hove. Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones earlier denied that the Government was in crisis and insisted Sir Keir now has the strongest team in place around the Cabinet table following Ms Rayners departure. He ruled out the prospect of an early election amid opposition claims that the upheaval could open up splits within Labour and collapse the Prime Ministers authority. But some Labour backbenchers were highly critical of the changes and expressed concerns about what they meant for the partys direction of travel. One told the PA news agency that Ms Rayner had made an unbalanced Cabinet look slightly more balanced, but it was almost entirely skin deep and cosmetic. On literally every major issue she has tucked in behind them. A few leaked memos do not a left-wing policy agenda make, they said. Now even the semblance of that illusion is gone. Maybe for the party overall thats for the better in the long run. As for the consequences: Starmer just signed his own death warrant. He has to be gone before (Christmas) otherwise Wes (Streeting) faces Andy (Burnham). Liverpool Riverside Labour MP Kim Johnson said the reshuffle looked like moving deck chairs on Titanic and creating a London elite. The Labour Party is a broad church this is certainly not represented with this reshuffle, she said. It is unclear whether Ms Rayner will take severance pay following her resignation, but Mr Jones said it would a decision personally for her, as opposed to the Prime Minister. Labour has changed the system so that any ministers who leave office following a serious breach of the code will be denied a payout under rules expected to come into force next month. From October, it will be for the Prime Minister to decide whether the rule-breaking in question meets that threshold. Speaking to Times Radio, Mr Jones said: Just as a matter of fact, in this circumstance, that is a decision personally for Angela Rayner as opposed to for the Prime Minister, which is how that will work when our new rules become live next month. An experienced surfer has been mauled to death by what police described as a large shark at a Sydney beach, a rare fatal attack for the region that has prompted several beach closures. Emergency services were called to Long Reef Beach in the north of the New South Wales (NSW) capital shortly before 10am local time on Saturday after a man suffered critical injuries. The 57-year-old victim was surfing with a group of friends to the north of the lifeguard tower, away from the patrolled area, when he was attacked by the shark, according to the NSW police. While his fellow surfers managed to return to the shore safely, the victims body was found floating in the water with a number of limbs missing. He was pulled from the water by other surfers, but had lost too much blood and died at the scene, said police superintendent John Duncan of Sydneys northern beaches unit. Hed suffered catastrophic injuries, Mr Duncan told a televised press conference. Two sections of a surfboard were retrieved and taken for examination, police added. The beach was immediately closed for visitors enjoying a spring beach day, and officers were expected to liaise with experts to determine the species of shark involved in the attack. The surfer had been in the water for 30 minutes and was only 100m away from the beach before both him and his board disappeared underwater, said Northern Beaches Police Area Command inspector Stuart Thomson. He described the attack as a freak incident which he said happens very, very rarely. There were a couple of other surfers [who] managed to see him in the surf and managed to get him back out, he said, according to Australian Broadcasting Corporation. But unfortunately by that time, we understand hed lost probably a lot of blood and, yeah, resuscitation was not possible. The Dee Why Beach will remain closed to visitors for the next 72 hours. Beaches between Manly and Narrabeen will stay closed for 24 hours. All nearby clubs have cancelled training and water activities for the weekend, said Surf Life Saving chief executive Steve Pearce. Our deepest condolences go to the family of the man involved in this terrible tragedy, he said, according to SBS World News. For now, please remain clear of the water at beaches in the vicinity and follow the direction of lifeguards and lifesavers. The incident took place at a time when a junior surf tournament was being held at Long Reef Beach on Saturday morning. Authorities have deployed drones on the scene to scan for further shark activity. The Northern Beaches Council has paid tribute to the family and thanked all the first responders at the scene for their swift and professional response. The victim is survived by his wife and young daughter. There has been a tragic loss of life on one of our beaches, and our deepest condolences today are with the mans family and friends, it said in a statement. Beach-goers are advised to check the website for ongoing closures in the coming days. The death is the first in a shark attack in Australia's most populous city since a swimmer was killed off a beach in February 2022, becoming Sydneys first such fatality since 1963. Simon Nellist, a 35-year-old diving instructor from Cornwall, was mauled by a great white shark at a fishing spot near Little Bay. There have been three other fatal shark attacks in Australia in 2025, data from the state-run operator of Sydneys Taronga Zoo shows. In March, a woman attacked by a shark at a southern Sydney beach was saved by a group of beachgoers who waded into the water to rescue her. The woman, in her fifties, suffered a serious laceration from the shark attack and was losing a lot of blood. Police said members of the public used beach towels to try to stop the bleeding while they waited for paramedics to arrive. The same month, a surfer was killed by a shark in shallow water on a remote beach in Western Australia. Trump pictured with Epstein in 2000 - GETTY IMAGES Donald Trump was an FBI informant on Jeffrey Epstein, a senior Republican has claimed. Mike Johnson, the partys leader in the House of Representatives, made the allegation on CNN after being questioned about Mr Trumps repeated insistence that the Epstein controversy dogging his second term was a Democrat-invented hoax. The row erupted when Attorney General Pam Bondi said in February that an Epstein client list was sitting on her desk. However in July, the department of justice said it found no evidence of a list of clients connected to the paedophile. In July, the Wall Street Journal reported that Ms Pam Bondi had told Mr Trump his name appeared several times in the files on the convicted sex offender, who was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correction Centre in August 2019. The controversy has shown little sign of abating. What Trump is referring to is the hoax that the Democrats are using to try to attack him, Mr Johnson said. Ive talked to him about this many times, many times. He is horrified. Its been misrepresented. Hes not saying that what Epstein did is a hoax. Its a terrible, unspeakable evil. He believes that himself. Mr Johnson added: When he first heard the rumour, he kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago. He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down. Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker, claimed Mr Trump may have been helping the FBI - BLOOMBERG Mr Trump had been friends with Epstein but said he severed ties with the wealthy financier after he poached staff from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. The Epstein controversy has shaken the Trump administration in recent months. Some of Mr Trumps most loyal supporters, including Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson and Right-wing activist Laura Loomer, accused the administration of a lack of transparency. Maga was also divided, with many activists suspecting the administration was trying to cover up the identities of influential figures who had been involved with the sex offenders activities. It led to demands for Mr Trump to sack Ms Bondi, which he dismissed on social media in July. Whats going on with my boys and, in some cases, gals? Mr Trump wrote. Theyre all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! Were on one Team, MAGA, and I dont like whats happening. Back in 2019, Mr Trump said Epsteins death had been covered up and called for a full investigation. And in 2023, he told Tucker Carlson that it was possible Epstein had been murdered. But last week, Mr Trump described the scandal as a hoax. From what I understand, I could check, but from what I understand, thousands of pages of documents have been given. But its really a Democrat hoax because theyre trying to get people to talk about something thats totally irrelevant to the success that weve had as a nation since Ive been president. The Telegraph has approached the White House for comment. The new owner of WH Smith's high street empire and the saviour of HMV are racing to salvage a future of Claire's, the accessories retailer which slumped into administration last month, putting thousands of jobs at risk. Sky News has learnt that Modella Capital, which is to rebrand hundreds of WH Smith shops under the name TG Jones, made an offer to buy Claire's from administrators at Interpath in the last ten days. Sources said that Doug Putman, whose Sunrise Records rescued HMV in 2019 and who failed in a bid to buy Wilko after its collapse four years later, had also tabled a bid. This weekend, it was unclear which of the two were ahead in the battle to buy Claire's, or whether any other parties were in discussions with Interpath. The restructuring firm said in mid-August that it would continue to trade all 278 UK shops and 28 Irish stores while it assessed options for the business. Roughly 2,150 people work across the business, making Claire's one of the biggest high street chains to fall into insolvency this year. Claire's has been a fixture in British shopping centres and town centres for decades, and is particularly popular among teenage shoppers. It had been running a sale process prior to its appointment as administrators, but bidders including the turnaround specialist Hilco Capital walked away from the auction. If Modella Capital does acquire Claire's UK operations, it would underline its status as the most prolific new investor in British retailing. It agreed to buy WH Smith's 480 UK shops in the spring, ultimately chipping the purchase price by 12m to 40m. Modella already owned The Original Factory Shop and Hobbycraft, and has been repeatedly linked with other high street assets. Any buyer of Claire's UK business would be likely to close scores of shops, according to insiders, with a core estate of roughly 100 outlets thought to be viable. The retail industry has been left reeling by the employers' national insurance hike announced by Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, last autumn. Both Poundland and River Island recently survived creditor votes paving the way for them to slash rents and close dozens of stores. The collapse of Claire's UK operations came a week after its US parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company had been owned by former creditors Elliott Management and Monarch Alternative Capital following a previous financial restructuring. It has since agreed to sell up to 950 of its US stores to Ames Watson, a private equity firm. Will Wright, UK chief executive at Interpath, said last month: "Claire's has long been a popular brand across the UK, known not only for its trend-led accessories but also as the go-to destination for ear piercing. "Over the coming weeks, we will endeavour to continue to operate all stores as a going concern for as long as we can, while we assess options for the company. "This includes exploring the possibility of a sale which would secure a future for this well-loved brand." This weekend, Interpath declined to comment on talks with prospective buyers, while Modella declined to comment and Mr Putman did not respond to an enquiry from Sky News. Dozens of firefighters have spent hours bringing a complex fire at the old BBC Television Centre in White City under control. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said about 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines had been called to the nine-storey building on Wood Lane shortly after 3am on Saturday. The fire was eventually brought under control just after 5pm on Saturday and the cause of the fire is now under investigation by the London Fire Brigades Investigation Unit. Photos from the scene show crews at the Helios Building at the BBCs former headquarters, which has since been converted into flats and a restaurant. The LFB shared footage of smoke rising from the building at 3pm on Saturday. The brigade described the blaze as a complex fire but said firefighters continue to make steady progress. Fire services have been using a drone to help tackle the blaze, with around a dozen crew spotted on the roof of the building working to bring the fire under control. The Salvation Army was also seen on site, handing out sandwiches to emergency workers. (LFB) The fire service said in an earlier statement: The fire is currently affecting floors towards the top of the building. A restaurant, external decking and ducting is currently alight. An unknown number of flats have also potentially been affected by the fire. One person was treated by paramedics then discharged at the scene, London Ambulance Service said. Nearby buildings have been evacuated as a precaution and a rest centre has been set up for those who had to leave their homes. Li Mei, 36, who lives in a luxury apartment block across the road, told the PA news agency: I got up this morning and my partner told me to look out of the window. There was so much smoke we were worried it was going to get worse. Thank God it seems like nobody has died. A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: We were called at 3.13am today to reports of a fire on Wood Lane in White City. We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and our hazardous area response team. Firefighters continue to work to extinguish the fire affecting a mixed-use building in White City. We are expected to remain on scene throughout the day. More: https://t.co/x6fo2wOu67 pic.twitter.com/BDSdB995IB London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) September 6, 2025 We have treated one patient and discharged them at the scene. The incident is ongoing and we remain on scene as a precaution, working closely with our emergency services partners. The BBC was primarily based at Television Centre until 2013 before moving to its current location at Broadcasting House. The website for the Helios Building says it currently accommodates 162 homes, along with a gym and a 47-bedroom hotel. Wood Lane is closed to traffic and people are advised to avoid the area. The brigade said first reports of the fire were received just after 3am and crews from Hammersmith, North Kensington, Kensington, Chiswick and surrounding fire stations were sent to the scene. Two 32-metre turntable ladders are being deployed as water towers to help extinguish the fire from height. The cause of the fire is not known. Thanks to the hardworking firefighters who continue to tackle a major fire in White City. Residents have been safely evacuated, with a rest centre in place. Wood Lane remains closed, and crews are expected on scene throughout the day. Follow @LondonFire for updates https://t.co/1g4NIyoqEp Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) September 6, 2025 The Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan said in a post on X: Thanks to the hardworking firefighters who continue to tackle a major fire in White City. Residents have been safely evacuated, with a rest centre in place. Wood Lane remains closed, and crews are expected on scene throughout the day. Follow @LondonFire for updates. A waitress serves three smiling teenagers sitting at a diner counter. The teens have drinks, and a boy wears a sweater. Signs above advertise breakfast and hamburger specials. The scene appears to be from the 1950s. In the 1950s, you could get a full meal for under a buck, eat filet mignon at a coffee shop, and order frog legs on a pizza without anyone batting an eye. Restaurants leaned into personality, with playful menu designs, over-the-top dish names, and some wildly ambitious culinary combos. We rounded up some of our favorite vintage menus from roadside staples to upscale establishments to show what dining out was like during the 1950s. 1. Howard Johnsons Childrens Menu everydayasl / Reddit.com As one of the most iconic restaurant chains in the 1950s, Howard Johnsons offered a fully equipped kids menu. This thing was like a mini activity book. Kids could check off the ice cream flavors as they tried them on one page, browse multiple-course meal options on another, and play various games on even more pages. 2. Eddie Doucettes Pancake Plantation joetrumps / Reddit.com This Chicago institution served over a dozen different types of pancakes, from blueberry buttermilk pancakes to Russian pancakes topped with caviar. If you werent in the mood for pancakes, no worries waffles and French toast were on the menu, too, along with scrambled eggs and a small fry feast for the little ones. 3. Hollys Coffee Shop in Hawthorne, California HelloSlowly / Reddit.com Can someone tell the coffee shops of today that we want filet mignon and Dreemburgers on the menu? 4. Kelbos Los Angeles Barbecue CryptographerKey2847 / Reddit.com You cant even smell a rib at a barbecue joint these days for $1.50, but at Kelbos in the 50s, you could get a slab of them with a slew of sides for that price. 5. 1950s Drive-In Menu travio / Reddit.com Drive-ins ruled the 1950s, and this one offered everything from spaghetti and steak to hot dogs and club sandwiches. The kicker: Most menu options cost less than $1. 6. Woolworths Lunch Menu UrbanAchievers6371 / Reddit.com Not only was Woolworths a beloved department store, but it also had a popular lunch counter (made even more famous by the 1960 Greensboro sit-ins). Here you could snag a macaroni dinner for 55 cents or a homemade apple pie for 15 cents 20 cents if you wanted it with ice cream. 7. Sir Whoopee in Chicago jamesonandgingerbeer / Reddit.com We were drooling at the dinner options on this menu, and then we got to the dessert portion and let out an audible, Oh, baby. 8. Pizza Jungle Menu in the Newspaper frijolita_bonita / Reddit.com Pizza Jungle was a jungle indeed, with an assortment of eclectic spins on traditional pies. You could find cocktail fruit, apple sauce, and nuts on the jungle pizza, or smoked frog legs, French fried onions, and mushrooms on the French Pizza. 9. White House State Dinner Menu From 1959 CryptographerKey2847 / Reddit.com A White House Thanksgiving spread in the 50s still sounds pretty posh more than 65 years later. 10. Wedding Menu From 1950 CryptographerKey2847 / Reddit.com If you ask us, the cutest thing about this wedding menu from 1950 is that after-dinner mints are listed at the bottom. 11. The Nite Owl in Glendale, California Hooverpaul / Reddit.com Todays restaurant menus are sleek and simple, but in the 1950s, restaurants leaned into busier designs with illustrations. The Nite Owl weaved adorable doodles throughout its menu, so your eyes jolted from one direction to the next when trying to figure out what to order. 12. China Inn in Tulsa, Oklahoma Msktb / Reddit.com Restaurants today could honestly take a cue from China Inn. Offer a couple of menu items and embrace variety. Genuine Chinese cooking and a Mexican cook? Sign us up for that experience immediately. 13. Walgreens in 1955 SL13377 / Reddit.com In the 1950s, Walgreens was more than just a pharmacy it was a popular dining destination, thanks to its in-store lunch counters, soda fountains, and full ice cream menu. 14. The Beachcomber in Miami Beach joetrumps / Reddit.com Where else could you order lamb chops or chicken chow mein in Miami Beach? Beachcomber was the place to dine, obviously. 15. Cats Meow Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale CincoDeMayoFan / Reddit.com We love that BLT is spelled out on a menu with so many shortened words. 16. KFCs Original Menu ASGfan / Reddit.com The O.G. Colonel Sanders lineup! It was essentially just different naming conventions for the various sizes that KFC offered. 17. Disneyland Hotel Menu Ebonystealth / Reddit.com The Disneyland Hotel menu was touted as gourmet, with menu items like veal scaloppini and roast young tom turkey (so you knew exactly how old and what gender your dinner was). They even tossed the word gourmet in front of their hamburger sandwich option so diners didnt get it twisted. Want a deeper look at menus back in the day? u/ArtVice via Reddit.com The post 17 Vintage Menus From the 1950s Dining Scene appeared first on Wealth Gang. A seemingly trivial complaint about airport lounge overcrowding has erupted into a viral sensation, revealing a fascinating and deeply felt class conflict in the world of travel. What began as a lament from an elite flyer has become a cultural flashpoint, highlighting the growing chasm between different tiers of modern air travel. The spark was a now-viral opinion piece published by a former BuzzFeed writer, David Mack, in The New York Times. Mack complained that the once-exclusive sanctums of airport lounges were now overrun with the "rabble," making them feel more like a crowded gate than a luxurious escape. He detailed a world of "cubed cheese and powdered eggs," lamenting how his expensive credit card no longer guaranteed the serene, VIP experience it once did. The internet was quick to pounce. Social media users and op-ed columnists ridiculed the piece as the epitome of a "first-world problem." The backlash framed the conflict not as a matter of comfort but of social status, with many mocking the idea that paying a hefty credit card fee should protect one from rubbing shoulders with the "lower upper middle class." The sentiment was clear: If everyone gets access, is it truly exclusive anymore? The story tapped into a collective fatigue with the perception of an ever-expanding, but increasingly diluted, version of luxury. Sze kiat Koh via Getty Images Elite Double VIP lounges and private VIP terminals This frustration is not entirely unfounded. Travel credit cards have democratized lounge access, granting entry to a broader and larger base of travelers. Airlines like Delta have seen such a surge in lounge use that they are scaling back access and creating even more exclusive, higher-tier lounges for their top-tier flyers. The original problem was real; the optics of a public debate about it were the viral catalyst. But for the truly wealthy, the crowded lounge is no concern at all. In a stark example of how this "class conflict" is playing out in infrastructure, a new wave of ultra-exclusive, private VIP terminals is being built at airports across the country. These opulent enclaves, which exist entirely separate from the main terminals, allow the ultra-rich to bypass the public airport experience entirely. PS (formerly The Private Suite) operates facilities at major airports like LAX and Atlanta, and has broken ground on a new luxury terminal at Miami International Airport (MIA). For a significant fee, members arrive at a private entrance, go through their own expedited security, and are chauffeured directly to their plane, all while enjoying gourmet food and lavish amenities. This new level of separation reveals the true destination of the airport lounge debate. While the middle class argues over the quality of free snacks in an overcrowded room, the real VIPs have already left the building. The controversy over the democratized lounge may have been humorous, but the rise of the luxury terminal shows that for some, the ultimate privilege is not having to deal with the public at all. Former President Joe Biden has decided to build his presidential library in Delaware and has tapped a group of former aides, friends and political allies to begin the heavy lift of fundraising and finding a site for the museum and archive. The Joe and Jill Biden Foundation this past week approved a 13-person governance board that is charged with steering the project. The board includes former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, longtime adviser Steve Ricchetti, prolific Democratic fundraiser Rufus Gifford and others with deep ties to the one-term president and his wife. Biden's library team has the daunting task of raising money for the 46th president's legacy project at a moment when his party has become fragmented about the way ahead and many big Democratic donors have stopped writing checks. It also remains to be seen whether corporations and institutional donors that have historically donated to presidential library projects regardless of the party of the former president will be more hesitant to contribute, with President Donald Trump maligning Biden on a daily basis and savaging groups he deems left-leaning. RELATED STORY | Former President Joe Biden diagnosed with prostate cancer The political climate has changed Theres certainly folks folks who may have been not thinking about those kinds of issues who are starting to think about them, Gifford, who was named chairman of the library board, told The Associated Press. That being said ... were not going to create a budget, were not going to set a goal for ourselves that we dont believe we can hit. The cost of presidential libraries has soared over the decades. The George H.W. Bush library's construction cost came in at about $43 million when it opened in 1997. Bill Clinton's cost about $165 million. George W. Bush's team met its $500 million fundraising goal before the library was dedicated. The Obama Foundation has set a whopping $1.6 billion fundraising goal for construction, sustaining global programming and seeding an endowment for the Chicago presidential center that is slated to open next year. Biden's library team is still in the early stages of planning, but Gifford predicted that the cost of the project would probably end up somewhere in the middle of the Obama Presidential Center and the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. Biden advisers have met with officials operating 12 of the 13 presidential libraries with a bricks and mortar presence that the National Archives and Records Administration manages. (They skipped the Herbert Hoover library in Iowa, which is closed for renovations). They've also met Obama library officials to discuss programming and location considerations and have begun talks with Delaware leaders to assess potential partnerships. Private money builds them Construction and support for programming for the libraries are paid for with private funds donated to the nonprofit organizations established by the former president. The initial vision is for the Biden library to include an immersive museum detailing Biden's four years in office. The Bidens also want it to be a hub for leadership, service and civic engagement that will include educational and event space to host policy gatherings. Biden, who ended his bid for a second White House term 107 days before last year's election, has been relatively slow to move on presidential library planning compared with most of his recent predecessors. RELATED STORY | Nodule found on Bidens prostate during routine exam Clinton announced Little Rock, Arkansas, would host his library weeks into his second term. Barack Obama selected Jackson Park on Chicago's South Side as the site for his presidential center before he left office, and George W. Bush selected Southern Methodist University in Dallas before finishing his second term. One-termer George H.W. Bush announced in 1991, more than a year before he would lose his reelection bid, that he would establish his presidential library at Texas A&M University after he left office. Cliff Watts Charlie Sheen in Malibu, Calif., on Aug. 25, 2025 NEED TO KNOW Charlie Sheen, who turned 60 on Sept. 3, told PEOPLE that his romantic life has been uneventful for a long time I am open to love again. If somebody walked through the door and it was the right time and you cant deny it ... absolutely. Probably not marriage, though," he explained Sheen, who has five children, has been married three times Charlie Sheen, who was last married to Brooke Mueller before their 2011 divorce, says he's been single for quite some time now. My romantic life is as uneventful as it possibly could be," Sheen recently told PEOPLE for this week's cover story. "Its been that way for a long time." The 60-year-old actor, who is celebrating nearly eight years of sobriety, says swearing off love and sex wasn't part of any larger plan when he decided to stop drinking in 2017 (he had already stopped doing drugs). It wasnt even by choice, he says. But the girls [daughters Sami, 21, and Lola, 20, whom he shares with ex Denise Richards] moved in, and then when they moved out, the boys [twins Bob and Max, 16, whom he shares with Mueller] moved in. Sami Sheen/instagram Lola Sheen, Charlie Sheen, Sami Sheen and Denise Richards, circa 2021 Sheen continues, My analogy for it was, there just wasnt enough room in the car. Plus, I spent so much time and energy chasing that for so long. I had to get to a place where I could be alone, but not lonely. I'm there now, which is pretty cool. 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. Greg Gayne/Getty Brooke Mueller Sheen and Charlie Sheen with twins Bob and Max in 2009 Sheen says he's not ruling it out love in his future. I am open to love again. If somebody walked through the door and it was the right time and you can't deny it ... absolutely. Probably not marriage, though, says Sheen, whose memoir The Book of Sheen comes out Sept. 9. I put this at the end of my book, but no is my new favorite word and I put as much value in that as I do in love as I get older, he adds. Its more important to me that I like the people Im around. Gallery Books The Book of Sheen memoir cover Sheen, who recently played a role in the series Bookie, is also gearing up for the release of the Netflix documentary aka Charlie Sheen (out Sept. 10). He says he's looking forward to sharing his whole truth about his wild past and notorious struggles with addiction. His once-tumultuous relationships with Richards and Mueller (both of whom are featured in the documentary) are in positive places now. We text all the time, he says, and he's co-parenting with Mueller, living with one of his teenage twins while the other is in Florida with Mueller. I think everybodys just tired of bad energy, he adds of their nasty public divorces. You kind of run out of steam for that. Cliff Watts Charlie Sheen on the latest cover of PEOPLE These days, Sheen says he is just happy to have new projects as well as a great, loving relationship with his parents after they worried about him for so long. If they didnt live so close, Id probably move from Malibu, he says of the beach town where he grew up. Maybe just a house far away, in the middle of a meadow. Read the original article on People President Donald Trump on Saturday posted what appeared to be an AI-created image of himself in front of the Chicago skyline with helicopters, flames and the phrase Chipocalypse Now. The presidents post appeared to threaten Chicago with troops and deportations, igniting pushback from Democratic leaders in Illinois. I love the smell of deportations in the morning... Chicago about to find out why its called the Department of WAR, read the presidents post on Truth Social, appearing to reference the 1979 film Apocalypse Now, which depicts Americas war in Vietnam. The post also appeared to reference an executive order that Trump signed on Friday rebranding the Defense Department as the Department of War and the defense secretary as the secretary of war. It also comes as officials in Illinois warn that the president could soon order troops, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and other federal law enforcement officers to Chicago in an attempt to execute mass deportations and crack down on crime. Gov. JB Pritzker in Chicago on Sept. 3. (Scott Olson / Getty Images) The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, wrote in a post on X on Saturday, responding to Trumps post. This is not normal. Donald Trump isnt a strongman, hes a scared man. Illinois wont be intimidated by a wannabe dictator. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., spoke to reporters while attending Mexican Independence Day celebrations in Chicago, calling Trumps post disgusting. His tweet this morning was disgusting. To suggest that the troops are coming into Chicago or the Department of War is going to be engaged, it is embarrassing, the senator said. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, also a Democrat, joined Pritzker and Durbin in condemning the presidents post. The Presidents threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution, Johnson wrote. We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump. Democratic officials in Illinois have spoken out all week against Trumps apparent plans to surge federal law enforcement in Chicago to combat what he says are high crime rates. Chicago is the worst and most dangerous city in the World, by far. Pritzker needs help badly, he just doesnt know it yet. I will solve the crime problem fast, the president wrote on Truth Social earlier this week. Pritzker, speaking to reporters in Chicago this week, blasted Trumps comments. The presidents absurd characterizations do not match what is happening on the ground here. He has no idea what hes talking about, the governor said. There is no emergency that warrants deployment of troops. He is insulting the people of Chicago by calling our home a hellhole and anyone who takes his word at face value is insulting Chicagoans, too. More than a hundred protestors in Northern Chicago rallied on Saturday against Trump's ongoing plans to surge federal law enforcement to the city amid ramped up deportations, NBC Chicago reported. Equipped with signs urging federal personnel to "stop the raids," the news outlet reported that the protesters held their demonstration across the street from Naval Station Great Lakes, a location that is supposed to be a base for any increased federal troop or law enforcement activity in the region. Durbin and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., also spoke out against Trumps potential plans after touring the naval station on Friday. I think this is a terrible act of political theater that is underway at the expense of a lot of people, at the expense of taxpayers, Durbin told reporters after visiting the naval station. Trump in recent weeks has threatened to deploy National Guard troops and federal law enforcement agents to several cities across the U.S. that are run by Democratic mayors, including Baltimore and New Orleans. In most cases, Democratic mayors have opposed Trumps plans and responded by disputing that their cities are crime-ridden, pointing to dropping crime rates. Trump began a surge of National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officers to Washington, D.C., last month. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters last week that the move had lowered crime in the city but that the presence of masked ICE agents and National Guard members wasnt working. We know that we have had fewer gun crimes, fewer homicides, and we have experienced an extreme reduction in carjackings, Bowser told reporters about Trumps actions late last month. What we know is not working is a break in trust between police and community, especially with new federal partners in our community. We know having masked ICE agents in the community has not worked, and national guards from other states has not been an efficient use of those resources. FILE - Health workers dressed in protective gear begin their shift at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, Congo DRC, Tuesday, July 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File) GOMA, Congo (AP) Congo's authorities announced earlier this week a new Ebola outbreak, which has killed more than a dozen people in a southern province. Samples analyzed at the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa, the Congolese capital, confirmed the presence of the most virulent strain of the virus, known as Zaire, the earlier name of the country. The announcement comes as the authorities are facing renewed, intensified fighting in the east and an already fragile health care system has been further impaired by U.S. aid cuts. How Ebola is transmitted The Ebola virus is highly contagious and can be transmitted to people from wild animals. It then spreads in the human population through contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen, and with surfaces and materials such as bedding and clothing, contaminated with these fluids. The disease it causes is a rare but severe and often fatal illness in people. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding. The virus was first discovered in 1976, near the lake of Ebola in what is now Congo. The first outbreaks occurred in remote villages in Central Africa, near tropical rainforests. The latest outbreak has killed more than a dozen Congo's Health Ministry announced on Thursday a new Ebola outbreak after the first confirmed case of a 34-year-old pregnant woman in the locality of Boulape, in Mweka territory, in southern Kasai province. She was admitted to the hospital last month with symptoms of hemorrhagic fever, and died a few hours later from multiple organ failure. The new outbreak is suspected of causing 15 deaths among 28 people with symptoms, including four health workers, the ministry said. Its the 16th outbreak of Ebola in Congo, and Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said the fatality rate, estimated at 53.6%, showed the gravity of the situation. The World Health Organization said that the number of cases is likely to rise. Case numbers are likely to increase as the transmission is ongoing," it said in a statement. Response teams and local teams will work to find the people who may be infected and need to receive care, to ensure everyone is protected as quickly as possible. Dr. Jean Paul Mikobi, the chief medical officer of the Boulape health zone, also warned of a possible surge in infections, as many residents have fled their villages in fear of contamination, making it difficult to trace and monitor those who fall ill. Dr. Amitie Bukidi, the head of the Mweka health zone, said Saturday that all the territory's four health zones had received suspected cases. Congo's previous outbreaks The last Ebola outbreak, in Congo's northeastern Equateur province in 2022, killed six people. An earlier outbreak in eastern Congo between 2018 and 2020 killed more than 1,000 people, the most deaths after the 2014-2016 outbreak in the West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia that killed more than 11,000 people. A volatile security situation and deep community mistrust have hampered efforts to control the epidemic in eastern Congo. Ebola treatment centers have come under repeated attack, leaving government health officials to staff clinics in the hot spots of Butembo and Katwa. Containing the spread of the disease Health officials have urged the population to strictly follow preventive measures, including social distancing and handwashing. The WHO said it dispatched experts to Kasai province to strengthen disease surveillance, treatment and infection prevention in health facilities. It is also delivering supplies including personal protective equipment, mobile laboratory gear and medicines. Congo has a stockpile of treatments and of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine, WHO said. A team of experts from the National Institute of Biomedical Research was also sent from Kinshasa to the Mweka health zone, and set up a mobile laboratory to test samples taken from patients on site, according to Bukidi. The main challenges we face involve the lack of personnel and the shortage of personal protective equipment, Bukidi told The Associated Press. Beyond that, our hospitals need to be supplied with medicines and special equipment capable of addressing this epidemic. In response to the spread of the virus, Francois Mingambengele, the administrator of Mweka territory, imposed partial confinement measures on Friday. They include the suspension of classes and graduation ceremonies and the closure of weekly markets. - Pronczuk reported from Dakar, Senegal. Jean-Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo contributed to this report. Former New York Mets manager Davey Johnson has died at the age of 82. - Paul Benoit/AP Davey Johnson, who won two World Series titles as a player with the Baltimore Orioles and one as a manager with the New York Mets has died at the age of 82, according to the MLB. During his 13-season playing career in the MLB, Johnson spent most of his time with the Orioles. We mourn the passing of Orioles Hall of Fame second baseman Davey Johnson, who earned three All-Star berths with the club and later managed the team to two Postseason appearances, the Orioles posted to X. Johnson also played for the Atlanta Braves, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs. In between his stints in Atlanta and Philadelphia, Johnson played for Japanese team, the Yomiuri Giants. The Phillies also posted a message to social media and offered their condolences to his family and loved ones at this difficult time. Johnson was a four-time All-Star, playing in consecutive All-Star games from 1968-70 and then again in 1973. Johnson (15) in action for the Baltimore Orioles in 1969. - Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated/Getty Images But while Johnson had much success on the field, he will mostly be remembered for his time spent as a manager. Johnson compiled a 1372-1071 record, boasting a .562 winning percentage. As the skipper in New York from 1984-1990, Johnson led the Mets to an iconic seven-game series win against the Boston Red Sox in the 1986 World Series, after the team won a staggering 108 games in the regular season. He led with a quiet confidence and unwavering belief in his team, always caring deeply for his players both on and off the field, the Mets said in a statement on Saturday. On behalf of our entire organization, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Daveys family, friends, and all who were impacted by his remarkable life and career. Johnson is credited for being one of the Mets most successful-ever managers and has the most wins in franchise history. Daryl Strawberry, the eight-time All-Star who starred for the Mets under Johnson, posted his condolences to his former manager on Saturday. Im deeply saddened by the loss of Davey Johnson, a remarkable leader who transformed the Mets franchise into a winning organization. His ability to empower players to express themselves while maintaining a strong commitment to excellence was truly inspiring. Daveys legacy will forever be etched in the hearts of fans and players alike. Former Mets star pitcher Dwight Gooden also paid tribute. He took a chance on me when I was 19. Davey wasnt afraid to make a tough decision. I know I wouldnt have had the career I did without him The two-time Manager of the Year also managed the Cincinnati Reds, Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Evacuation warnings have been issued in Californias Riverside County after a fire erupted on Friday evening, a downgrade from an earlier evacuation order. The Pyrite Fire was first sparked at 5:19 p.m. in Jurupa Valley and has since burned 425 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire. The fire is now 15% contained, and its cause is under investigation. Firefighters responded to the vegetation fire Friday evening, which was burning in light flashy fuels, Cal Fire said. Video of the fire shows a large amount of smoke emerging from an orange blaze. Multiple fire trucks and police cars could be seen on the scene. In the distance, Jurupa Valleys historical landmark, the Columbian mammoth statue, stands unharmed. Shortly after the fire erupted, Cal Fire issued an evacuation warning for the area north and east of Sierra Avenue, south of Lauren Lane and west of Armstrong Road. Evacuation orders issued by Cal Fire. (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.) In an 11:30 p.m. update, Cal Fire issued an evacuation order for the area and three additional zones, citing an immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW, Cal Fire said on its website. The area is lawfully closed to public access. Three zones were also placed under evacuation warnings, citing a potential threat to life and/or property. On Saturday morning, all evacuation orders were downgraded to evacuation warnings. There are currently more than 290 personnel on the scene, eight crews, two helicopters and 40 engines, according to Cal Fire. A former Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to cut the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 while riding off-duty in the cockpit pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday as part of an agreement with prosecutors. He's expected to plead no-contest to state charges, which carries the same legal effect as a guilty plea. Joseph Emerson told CBS News in July he takes full responsibility for the night in October 2023. His attorney, Noah Horst, said the plea agreement was reached because Emerson wants to take responsibility for his actions and hopes to avoid further time behind bars. Emerson was subdued by the flight crew after trying to cut the engines of a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on Oct. 22, 2023. He was riding in the cockpit jump seat behind the pilot and first officer. The plane was diverted to Portland, where it landed safely with more than 80 people on board. Emerson told police he was despondent over a friend's recent death, had taken psychedelic mushrooms about two days earlier, and hadn't slept in over 40 hours. He has said he believed he was dreaming at the time and that he was trying to wake himself up by grabbing two red handles that would have activated the plane's fire suppression system and cut off fuel to its engines. "You're not going home. You need to wake up. That's when I acted. I pulled the handles that were in front of my face," Emerson told CBS News he recalled thinking at the time. Emerson of Pleasant Hill, California, was charged in federal court with interfering with a flight crew. A state indictment in Oregon separately charged him with 83 counts of endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft. He previously pleaded not guilty to all the charges, and in December 2023 he was released from custody pending trial, with requirements that he undergo mental health services, stay off drugs and alcohol, and keep away from aircraft. Under the federal agreement, prosecutors can recommend that Emerson serve up to a year in prison, while his attorneys will ask that he serve no additional time. The conditions of the state agreement include five years of probation, 664 hours of community service eight hours for each person he endangered and $60,569 in restitution, nearly all of it to Alaska Air Group, Horst said. Half of his community service can be performed at a pilot health nonprofit, Clear Skies Ahead, Emerson founded with his wife after his arrest. He must also undergo assessments for drug and alcohol and mental health treatment, refrain from using any non-prescribed drugs, and keep at least 25 feet away from operable aircraft unless he has permission from his probation officer. Emerson says he's been sober since the incident. The averted disaster renewed attention on cockpit safety and the mental fitness of those allowed in them. U.S. deploying 10 fighter jets to Puerto Rico in drug cartel crackdown Chicago-area Navy base to be used for immigration operations Chemist breaks down concerns over gel nail polish as EU bans ingredient Mark Borthwick The Row jelly flat. The Khaite Eva pump. Name a coveted shoe from the past ten years, and theres a good chance Trevor Housonwho has designed for both brands as well as Marc Jacobswas behind it. His singular sensibility has changed the footwear landscape, and now hes taking on a new challenge: bringing the midcentury shoe brand Herbert Levine back into the cultural conversation. Mark Borthwick From 1948 to 1975, Herbert Levine produced some of the most innovative shoes of all time. The mastermind behind them was Herberts wife Beth Levine, who designed with a sense of endless creative possibility. If you thought the Maison Margiela Topless Tabi shoes were the first of their kind, think again. Beth Levine designed the first topless shoe in 1958, and it was sold with a skin-friendly adhesive so you could glue it to the bottom of your foot. Levine merged a sophisticated design sensibility with a genuine sense of joy. From the Geisha sandal to the thigh-high stocking boot, she was a pioneer in innovative designs that decamped from the norm. An exhibit at the Smithsonian, Beth Levine, First Lady of Shoes , which ran in 2015, revisited her influence and her designs as a driving force of innovation. I think Beth Levine was just such a prolific, iconic, true designer, Houston tells Bazaar in a Zoom a few weeks ago. He was calling in from Italy, and he appeared in a sundrenched room wearing a cornflower blue poplin shirt layered over a striped crewneck. She was in the factory on the floor cutting, making patterns, new ways of just making footwear. Designing from a place of joy is a core value that unites Houston and Levine. Both have the ability to conjure up unique concepts out of a pure love for shoes. Last spring, when Houston previewed his debut Herbert Levine collection, editors gained an intimate look at his cinematic point of view. Houston designs the way a filmmaker produces, casting characters with unique storylines that paint a full picture. Theres a Starry-eyed sandal, a barely-there thong silhouette with a flared kitten heel, which Houston likens to the essence of Jayne Mansfield in her house in Hollywood. The elusive femme fatale is the Silhouette boot, Houstons favorite in the collection, available in calfskin or suede, that is just wrapped around and heated to cause the crimps of the shape. Looking at Houstons reference images offers a deeper glimpse into his imagination. Splashed across the pages are samplings of his delicious brand of glamor, from film noir stills to a smattering of art deco brooches, Golden Age starlets, and martini olives. From the 24/7 ballerina flat, which features a delicate grosgrain ribbon and a just-right 25mm heel, to the Not Half Bad, a DOrsay pump that features a heart shaped vamp, each shoe has carefully considered details. One favorite: the detachable martini olive pin on the slipper and loafer, which can also be worn as a brooch. When I went to the appointment, it was so refreshing, having not known much of the brand, to really feel the heritage and historical importance whilst it feeling so modern and new, Bazaars accessories director, Miguel Enamorado, says. The attention to details, the pin in particular, and then the materials felt like such strong identifiers to the brand and its new DNA and direction Trevor was taking it." The collection strikes a balance between Houstons dynamic point of view and reverence for Herbert Levines history. The Sleep on It," his interpretation of a boudoir slipper reimagined for day wear, comes in colorways inspired by the dreamscapes by American painter Milton Avery, whose works were a muse for Beth Levine many years ago. The Raincheck heels are a play on the late designers use of unconventional textiles, but Houston fashioned them in a soft construction to fit comfortably around the foot. Storytelling comes naturally to Houston, who honed that muscle growing up in the small town of Beeville, Texas, where film was his ticket to time travel and explore the world. I think that time kind of allowed me to really think outside of the box in a way and really grow into understanding visual language, Houston tells Bazaar. I was scarfing down, visually, every old Hollywood movie, every magazine I could look at, every song. I think that really did help shape a lot of what I think about footwear. As a student at Parsons, he landed an internship at Marc Jacobs before launching into his design career. As he became smitten with the artistry of footwear, he began to curate his own museum-worthy archive of shoes, which he spoke about in an interview with The Coveteur , in 2024. It was in that interview that he mentioned his admiration of Beth Levine;soon after, he received an email that began the discussion of him reviving the brand. Houstons commitment to preserving and reinvigorating Levines legacy not only highlights his exquisite eye, but bears testament to his interest in preserving craft. Speaking with him over Zoom, his admiration for artisanal skills is palpable. He is wearing a vintage ring with a manual clock on it that he found at an antique dealer in Sicily. Theres actually a little gear thats moving, he points out. It's things like that that make me think about the artistry of the past and artisanal work and these people that only had such talent and such detail for these types of things. So I'm just enamored by it. Each piece in his debut collection was crafted with a care by artisans in Italy. From helming the perfect vamp to molding the signature pinched heel on the pumps, every element was engineered with longevity in mind. But while many luxury brands produce their pieces with intentionality, its his curiosity of spirit that makes the collection stand out. "I think the more you push yourself or challenge yourself to understand other people's perspectives, that's when you really get something that's lightning, because it's such a combination of ideas and ways of being," Levine tells Bazaar. "I think it's just important to really be curious, watch everything, read everything." You Might Also Like A judge in a black robe holds a gavel over a wooden desk, preparing to make a ruling in the courtroom. Photo: Shopify Partners / Burst (The Center Square) A federal judge in New Hampshire has temporarily blocked a state law targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public schools. The ruling issued Thursday by U.S. District Court judge Landya McCafferty of New Hampshire sets a two-week restraining order against a portion of the law while she weighs whether to issue a permanent injunction ahead of a trial. The decision means that school districts that are parties to the lawsuit don't have to report any DEI initiatives to the state by a Friday deadline. In granting the temporary restraining order, McCafferty cited the state's unilateral decision to change the deadline for complying with the new restrictions by Sept. 5, not Sept. 30, as required by the law, saying schools faced "crippling penalties" for "even unknowing noncompliance with the anti-DEI laws." The ruling comes in response to a legal challenge filed in August by the New Hampshire chapter of the National Education Association and several school districts, claiming the state's "vague and ambiguous" restrictions violate federal civil rights laws that protect the rights of students with disabilities, and the First Amendment rights of educators and students. A provision tucked into the two-year $15.9 billion state budget, signed by Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte in June, sets limits on DEI mandates in state government, public higher education and K-12 schools. The rules apply to municipalities and school districts, which must submit reports to the state by Sept. 30 identifying any DEI contracts. Under the restrictions, schools that don't comply or refuse to dismantle DEI programs could lose state funding. "No public entity shall implement, promote, or otherwise engage in any DEl-related initiatives, programs, training, or policies," the provision states. "No state funds shall be expended for DEl-related activities, including but not limited to implicit bias training, DEI assessments, critical race theory or race-based hiring, promotion, or contracting preferences." New Hampshire is one of several states that have taken steps to ban or restrict DEI programs in public schools, colleges and universities in response to President Donald Trump's executive order in January threatening to withhold funding from schools. Backers of the new rules said they are necessary to prevent a loss of federal funding for not complying with Trump's order. But teachers unions and advocacy groups behind the lawsuit claim the policies help institutions serve diverse populations and address systemic inequality in government and public schools. They've accused the Trump administration of discrimination for seeking to eliminate DEI initiatives. "Every Granite State student deserves a high-quality public education in a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment," NEA-NH President Megan Tuttle said in a statement Thursday. "Programs and initiatives, including classroom instruction, that recognize the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion are not only essential to fostering a sense of belonging for all students, they are also legally required in many cases." Top Republicans who helped push the law through the Legislature blasted the ruling as "judicial overreach" and predicted that the state would ultimately prevail against the legal challenge. "New Hampshire taxpayers, not unelected activist judges, get to decide how their hard-earned dollars are spent," House Deputy Majority Leader Joe Sweeney, a Salem Republican, said in a statement. "This temporary stay from a handpicked federal judge is nothing more than judicial overreach, an attempt to legislate from the bench and force political ideology into our public institutions." Northern Virginias energy-hungry data center juggernaut shoulders roughly 70% of the worlds internet traffic. Behind that buildout is an army of blue-collar electrical workers. Forty-five to 70% of construction of a data center is electrical, said Joe Dabbs, the former business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 26, the union representing 12,500 electricians in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The teledata portion, the fiber optic portion, the power and power distribution all the gear work thats us. We build all of that stuff. Electricians are also needed for maintenance and changing out equipment, Dabbs said, meaning the local union has people in data centers around the clock, 24/7. And the demand for workers keeps rolling in making it a good time to be an electrician in America, where experienced workers can earn over six figures. Turbocharged demand The race to build data centers the infrastructure that makes cloud storage, streaming, and high-frequency trading possible has only sped up in the AI age, with global demand for data center capacity potentially almost tripling by 2030. Thats expected to turbocharge both electricity consumption and the need for skilled electricians, with the US seeing an average of about 81,000 job openings for electricians annually over the next decade. Tech giants have also highlighted their reliance on skilled tradespeople for AI-related infrastructure projects. Google noted in a May paper that the countrys shortage of electrical workers could constrain Americas ability to build the infrastructure needed to support AI, advanced manufacturing, and a shift to clean-energy. So Google.org, Googles philanthropic arm, announced $10 million in grant funding for the Electrical Training Alliance a joint training program of the National Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to train 100,000 electricians and 30,000 new apprentices. We really believe that the US has an opportunity for a new era of innovation and growth, especially with the application of AI, said Maab Ibrahim, head of economic opportunity for the Americas at Google.org. It will require a lot of physical infrastructure upgrades, energy, and a skilled workforce that will build and maintain it. Microsoft President Brad Smith also said in an opinion piece for Fox Business earlier this year that while the tech behemoth has hired thousands of electricians to build out data center infrastructure, some workers still had to commute far distances or temporarily relocate to meet the need. He believed the US may need half a million new electricians in the next decade. The good news is that these are good jobs, Smith wrote. The bad news is that we dont have a national strategy to recruit and train the people to fill these jobs. IBEW Local 26 has ramped up recruitment, training, and onboarding to seize the moment, Dabbs said. When we begin a project, the developers and the owners, they always want this stuff completed yesterday, he said. When we build these things, were running multiple shifts, were working seven days a week. Bringing more workers on board The IBEW Local 26 pitches young people by telling them theyre signing up for a career: paid training, a pension, an annuity plan, continuing education, and family health insurance. Once they get some experience under their belt, theyll be making over $100,000 a year, Dabbs said. Some make double or triple that running overtime. An inside wireman, who might install new wiring or troubleshoot electrical systems for commercial and industrial facilities, for example, can expect to make $59.50 an hour after completing a four-year apprenticeship with the union well above the mean hourly wage of $43.47 for the D.C. metropolitan area in 2024. Apprentices, meanwhile, earn between $26.78 and $47.60 an hour depending on their level of experience and school performance. Thats what we lay out to everybody when we go to all these job fairs, career fairs, and go into the school systems and talk to the students, Dabbs said. Gretchen Newsom, an international representative for the IBEW's 9th District, which comprises local unions in several western states, said a chapter in Wenatchee, Wash., is bringing on hundreds of apprentices who are learning how to be electricians tuition-free. The city of nearly 36,000 has, at any given moment, more than 1,500 electricians currently working on data centers and other projects. Theres nobody else that Im aware of that provides free training, full family healthcare, a pension that they can rely on, and solid wages, Newsom said. Its the best-kept secret that shouldnt be a secret. Emma Ockerman is a reporter covering the economy and labor for Yahoo Finance. You can reach her at emma.ockerman@yahooinc.com. Sign up for the Mind Your Money newsletter Click here for the latest personal finance news to help you with investing, paying off debt, buying a home, retirement, and more Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance A series of appearances this past week saw Chinese President Xi Jinping all smiles alongside a variety of America's rivals. The events a summit that was then followed by a military parade have gotten plenty of notice. And they've clearly gotten under President Trump's skin, with the president's latest missive on Friday declaring that it "looks like we've lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China." Later on Friday, Trump seemed to soften his view somewhat, saying that India and the United States have a special relationship. Theres nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion, during remarks from the Oval Office. Economically speaking, the inclusion of India in the mix is the most significant development and comes after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi traveled to China for the first time in seven years to meet with President Xi as well as President Vladimir Putin of Russia at the Shanghai Cooperation Organizations annual summit. It was a significant move for India and comes after trade tensions with the US and 50% topline tariffs imposed by Trump in part over India's purchases of Russian oil have pushed the nation to choose closer ties to Russia and China for now. Read more: The latest news and updates on Trump's tariffs Joining forces? Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi jinping ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025 on September 1. (SUO TAKEKUMA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) (SUO TAKEKUMA via Getty Images) India has yet to go as far as it could in turning against the United States and the West. Experts have stressed that President Trump's comments notwithstanding recent moves are not necessarily binding. But they could be if tensions continue. Trump's moves are "forcing India to have to accommodate China" is how Lisa Curtis, the director of the Indo-Pacific program at the Center for a New American Security, puts it. How so? "The way it's going to do it is on the economic front." For example, more investments and business visas between the two countries. But a photo op and some additional visas won't quickly negate a longer history of tensions between China and India, Curtis and others note. Eurasia Group president Ian Bremmer added Friday in response to Trump's comments that "the US-India relationship is deeply strained and this post won't help. But India remains a geopolitical adversary of China across the region." Another point of tension with the US is a Quad summit an alliance of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States that is scheduled for later this year. Trump had initially planned on attending but now no longer has plans to visit, according to a New York Times report on the souring of relations. Why Trump is 'watching' The focus on America's increasingly rivals centered around these two events held this week in China. First, there was the summit in Shanghai with Modi in attendance. That was followed by a military parade in Beijing to commemorate 80 years since the defeat of Japan in World War II. That second event featured Xi, Putin, and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, but notably not Modi. Thats significant, as the group at the parade is central in a loose anti-American alliance that has been closely monitored especially as their ties have deepened during the war in Ukraine. They even have a name: the "Axis of Upheaval." Axis in action: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un applaud from Tiananmen Gate during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Sept. 3. (Rao Aimin/Xinhua via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) That term coined by Lisa Curtis's group has generally been defined as the growing military-focused alliance between Russia, China, and North Korea, with Iran included as well. As for India possibly joining, Curtis says that's not in the offing. "India is not flirting with the idea of joining the Axis of Upheaval," she said. "It's not as if, all of a sudden, India is best friends with China." India and China, she points out, almost went to war during a border crisis in 2020, and warmer relations in the last few weeks are perhaps better understood as an attempt to return to the previous norm before 2020. Modi "is simply trying to diffuse tensions with China because he feels he can no longer rely on US support as he could previously." Either way, Trump's flurry of commentary is at least a sign that the president is deeply engaged. On the military parade in China which occurred well into the evening in Washington, D.C. Trump said this week, "I thought it was very, very impressive, but I understood the reason they were doing it and they were hoping I was watching." "And I was watching," he said. Ben Werschkul is a Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance. Click here for political news related to business and money policies that will shape tomorrow's stock prices Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance A Florida optometrist was mauled by an 8-foot alligator that clamped onto her arm in a harrowing tug-o-war that saw her husband pulling on side and the reptile on the other until she finally broke free. A Florida optometrist was mauled by an 8-foot alligator that clamped onto her arm in a harrowing tug of war that saw her husband pulling on one side and the reptile on the other until she finally broke free. Amber Perren, 27, praised her spouses heroics and now plans to mount the scaly predators skull in her office after surviving the vicious Marion County attack that shattered her forearm and left her mangled hand dangling earlier this summer, WPTV reported. While boating on the St. Lucie River with her husband, Kelby, and their dog, Poncho, Perren stepped into the water to wet her hair when she was suddenly grabbed by the gator and yanked beneath the surface. Amber Perren, 27, has undergone five surgeries since her right arm was left shattered in a gator attack. WPTV/YouTube I saw the gators head, eye to eye, the eye doctor said of the July 23 horror. My mind was to get away, get away. I was just punching his head, and I was trying to run. Hearing his wifes screams, Kelby jumped into the water and hauled her up, only to find the monstrous reptile still latched onto her right arm, sparking a fierce struggle to save her. Perren said her hero husband saved her in a struggle with the massive reptile. WPTV/YouTube I pulled her back, the gator pulled back, and I pulled her again, and she came loose, the valiant husband told the outlet. He said the gators head was about 2 feet long, with its full body stretching roughly 8 feet. After being freed, Kelby raced his wife to the boat and a nearby dock, where first responders treated her injuries before she was airlifted to a Fort Pierce trauma center. The alligator was later captured. WPTV/YouTube The gator got my arm. It broke both bones in my forearm and severed the radial artery, Perren said. My hand was just hanging. I keep saying hes my hero, and he saved me. The Palm City resident has since undergone five surgeries, has had several skin grafts and battles compartment syndrome caused by the increased pressure in her arm, the outlet reported. The horror unfolded when Perren was boating with her husband and dog at the St. Lucie River. WPTV/YouTube While she can wiggle her fingers, her hand remains largely numb and could face additional surgeries. As she recovers through occupational therapy and adjusts to running her new eye clinic with her left hand, Perren insists the terrifying ordeal wont keep her from the water, just not where she was attacked. If this showed us anything, it showed us how quickly your life can change in a matter of seconds, she said. So you should go have fun. A former Alaska Airlines pilot pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday for trying to shut down the engines of a passenger plane in midair from a cockpit jump seat, prompting an in-flight emergency. Joseph Emerson, 46, reached plea agreements in both his federal and state cases in Oregon stemming from the October 2023 flight, his attorney told ABC News. He pleaded guilty to interference with flight crew members and attendants in federal court in Portland, online court records show. Former Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to shut down engines in-flight shares his story In a court filing on the guilty plea, Emerson said he had used psilocybin, which is found in mushrooms, two days before the flight "and I was still suffering from the aftereffects of this drug." "Although I was sitting in the jump seat and interacting with the flight crew, I believed I was either dreaming and felt an overwhelming need to wake up," he said in the filing. "In an effort to wake up from my 'dream' I knowingly pulled the dual fire extinguisher handles for the aircraft engines while the aircraft was flying." "I knew that doing this would shut the engines off but at the time I felt that doing so would wake me up from my dream and I would be with my family," he continued. "When I grabbed the handles, I intimidated the flight crew who had to grab my hands and wrists to pull them away from the handles and restow them so the engines would not shut down. Thanks to the efforts of the competent and well-trained flight crew, the engines did not shut down and they safely landed the aircraft." He is scheduled to be sentenced in the federal case on Nov. 17. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000, according to the plea agreement. ABC News/Pool - PHOTO: Pilot, Joseph David Emerson was arraigned in Multnomah County Court in Portland, Oregon, on 83 counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of endangering aircraft in the first degree, in Portland, Oregon, Dec. 7, 2023. Emerson also pleaded no contest to his state charges during a plea hearing Friday afternoon. After initially facing dozens of attempted murder charges, he was indicted by a Multnomah County grand jury on 83 misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of endangering aircraft in the first degree, a felony. The prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Eric Pickard, noted during the hearing that an off-duty pilot in the cockpit jump seat has to be able and willing to pilot in the event of an emergency, but that Emerson "was not well and he boarded that flight anyway and tried to pull on those levers." Judge Cheryl Albrecht made a finding of guilty on all counts and sentenced him based on the terms of the plea agreement. He was sentenced to 50 days in jail, which has already been satisfied by time served following his arrest, and five years probation. He was also ordered to pay over $60,000 in restitution, largely to Alaska Airlines, and perform over 600 hours of community service. "It does appear that you have worked assiduously to bring light to the difficulties that pilots face by having to always be that person, that person that can never be fallible," Albrecht said. Emerson addressed the court ahead of the sentencing, saying, "I regret the harm that I caused to every single person on board that airplane -- crew members and guests." "I regret the harm I caused to my profession," he continued, adding that he was grateful to the pilots and crew members on the flight "because they saved my life" and that he was able to seek help for alcohol abuse. "Today, I get to be the dad I was incapable of when I had to use alcohol to deal with life as life is," he said. Two passengers who were on the flight with Emerson told the court ahead of the sentencing they now feel anxiety while flying. One, in virtual remarks, asked that the judge send a strong message so that something like this doesn't happen again while calling the plea agreement "insufficient." The other, in a statement read by the prosecutor, said she did not wish to see any further jail time for Emerson and wanted him to use his community service to visit schools to "speak on the dangers and risks associated with the use of psychedelics." Emerson said he would gladly speak to as many schools as he can, as well as to "pilots who suffer in silence." "I will speak to people who think, as I did on October the 20th, that I had everything under control, but I was incapable of grasping that I needed help," he said. "I'm glad I have had the help today as a result of my actions." Following the hearing, Pickard told reporters that with the sentence, "we aim to hold him accountable for his choices, his conduct and his betrayal to his duty as a pilot." KATU - PHOTO: Joseph Emerson, middle, appears in court in Multnomah County, Oregon, Sept. 5, 2025. Emerson previously admitted to taking psychedelic mushrooms two days before boarding a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco, as an off-duty crew member on Oct. 22, 2023. He previously told ABC News that during the flight, he pulled two large red levers that could have shut down both engines while having difficulties discerning reality. One of the pilots grabbed Emerson's wrist and they "physically struggled" for a short period, the federal plea agreement stated. The red engine shut-off handles were not pulled down all the way, and the engines were not turned off, according the plea agreement. Emerson told one of the pilots, "I am not okay," the plea agreement stated. He was arrested after the flight diverted to Portland, telling police that mentally he was "in crisis" and had not slept for approximately 48 hours "and had the feeling that everything wasn't real," the plea agreement stated. Emerson has called the incident the worst 30 seconds of his life. "At the end of the day, I accept responsibility for the choices that I made. They're my choices," Emerson told ABC News in an August 2024 interview. "What I hope through the judicial processes is that the entirety of not just 30 seconds of the event, but the entirety of my experience is accounted for as society judges me on what happened. And I will accept what the debt that society says I owe." Off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph David Emerson pleads not guilty in attempted mid-flight sabotage Emerson was in Washington with a group celebrating the life of his best friend, Scott, a pilot who died while on a run several years earlier. The group took psychedelic mushrooms -- a drug that can make you hallucinate and typically has effects that last a few hours. Emerson said that for him, the physical side effects lasted days, and that while on the flight back home he felt like he was trapped and increasingly felt like nothing was real. "There are two red handles in front of my face," Emerson recalled. "And thinking that I was going to wake up, thinking this is my way to get out of this non-real reality, I reached up and I grabbed them, and I pulled the levers." His jail physician would later tell him that he suffered from a condition called hallucinogen persisting perception disorder, which can cause someone who uses psychedelic mushrooms for the first time to suffer from persistent visual hallucinations or perception issues for several days afterward. In the wake of his arrest, Emerson and his wife started a nonprofit, Clear Skies Ahead, to raise funds for and awareness of pilot mental health. Giorgio Armani leaves a legacy not only as a seminal figure in the history of fashion, but also as a visionary business leader who built a globally recognized brand and multibillion-dollar business empire, industry experts said after his death Thursday at age 91. "Armani made certain that his vision was consistent and that it was always classy, even down to presentation in the Armani Exchange stores," Shawn Grain Carter, an associate professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, told CBS MoneyWatch. Armani, or "Re Giorgio" (King George) as the Italians call him, famously created luxury looks for Hollywood stars, while also producing stylish accessories and clothing for everyday consumers. Italian designer Giorgio Armani stands with models at the end of the Emporio Armani collection show at Milan's Fashion Week, 2024. / Credit: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images While meticulously tailored clothing made from quality fabrics has always been at the heart of the Armani brand, the designer expanded his business over the years to include not just perfumes and accessories but home furnishings, cosmetics, books, flowers even chocolates. Connecting them all was sophisticated design, which Armani wove into all things he put his name on. "He was masterful in sticking to his vision, but executing it in a way that would be accessible luxury, a quiet luxury, but still tasteful and elegantly crafted," Grain Carter said. Among Armani's most celebrated contributions and successful business maneuvers was the power suit, a softly tailored, ready-to-wear take on office attire that quickly rose in popularity among the American business class. Introduced in the '70s, the Armani suit was a bold deviation from the rigid, restrictive suits businessmen were accustomed to wearing. Armani's elegantly tailored suits quickly became a must in every well-heeled man's closet. Beth Dincuff, an associate professor at New York's Parsons School of Design, said Armani cultivated the idea of a "sophisticated man who cared about how he looked, who was aware of his physique and who wanted to show it off in a new way." Armani soon brought that masculine sensibility to women's fashion with the pantsuit, a shoulder-padded jacket and tailored trousers. This gave women a refined option for the office that projected confidence and power. Giorgio Armani poses with models wearing his tailored suits. / Credit: Vittoriano Rastelli/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images "That's attributed to Giorgio Armani making it OK for a woman to wear a pantsuit but still look like a woman in terms of a power aesthetic," said Grain Carter. Armani's designs also had a knack for tapping into the zeitgeist. He told CBS News in 2006 that his new line of women's clothes was in response to the feminist movement. Women needed their own version of the traditional men's suit jacket, Armani thought. Celebrities and Armani Using celebrities to elevate the Armani brand was another to key to the designer's business success. He began by outfitting Richard Gere in the 1980 neo-noir crime drama "American Gigolo." Armani went on to design clothes for more than 150 films throughout his career. "His idea to reach out to celebrities was very, very important," said Dincuff, noting that this approach to marketing fashion was novel at the time. Armani pivoted to dressing celebrities on the red carpet in the 1990s, where his black-tie outfits and glittering evening gowns often stole the show. Some early looks that captured popular attention included the oversized Armani suit worn by Julia Roberts at the 1990s Golden Globes and a champagne-colored Armani suit that Jodie Foster wore at the 1992 Academy Awards. Jodie Foster arrives at the Academy Awards in 1992, wearing Armani. / Credit: Doug Pizac / AP The list of celebrities that have worn Armani on the red carpet is long and includes Beyonce, Selena Gomez, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Pfeiffer, Margot Robbie and Winona Ryder. His own boss Central to Armani's success was the fact that he never relinquished control of the multibillion company he created, experts told CBS MoneyWatch. In rejecting a merger or sale to a larger industry rival, the Italian fashion designer was always his own boss. This allowed Armani to maintain creative control and consistency over his expanding business empire, distinguishing him from other designers. While he did strike several licensing deals over his career with companies like EssilorLuxottica and L'Oreal, he kept the majority of his business portfolio in-house. That included everything from Armani Prive, his haute couture fashion collection and fragrance line, to Armani Exchange a more affordable fashion line geared toward younger generations, said Grain Carter. Armani also kept the collections Giorgio Armani and Emporio Armani under his purview. "All of this was in-house and he controlled it from concept to production to distribution to marketing to how it is financed," Grain Carter said. "He was active at every level, at every step." Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani showing some sketches to American actress Linda Gray in 1983. / Credit: Angelo Deligio/Mondadori via Getty Images Today, the Armani empire has more than 9,000 employees along with seven industrial hubs and over 600 stores worldwide, according to figures released in 2023. As for potential succession plans, the Giorgio Armani company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "I cannot really contemplate the next person, because there will be no other Giorgio Armani," Grain Carter said. U.S. deploying 10 fighter jets to Puerto Rico in drug cartel crackdown Chicago-area Navy base to be used for immigration operations Lady Gaga leads VMA nominations, followed by Bruno Mars Ireland is considered the birthplace of Halloween, with a number of festivals and parade held across the island, including the Samhain Festival in Limerick City. (Failte Ireland) Its the height of spooky season, which, in the United States, may mean visiting some of the scariest haunted houses, cueing up Hocus Pocus or making a trip to the local pumpkin patch. Halloween has become wildly popular in the United States, especially in recent years with the National Retail Federation estimating that U.S. spending for the holiday will reach $11.6 million in 2024, with 72% percent of Americans planning to celebrate the spooky day. While Halloween holds quite the spell on Americans, did you know the October holiday didnt originate in the United States? Rather, we can thank the same country thats given us Guinness beer, top golf courses and St. Patricks Day for the spooky October holiday. Thats right: Ireland claims to be the birthplace of Halloween, and the Emerald Isle, to this day, is a popular place for Halloween travel. Even if you dont sync your trip to Ireland up with one of the festive Halloween celebrations, plenty of spine-chilling spots are open year-round for eerie itineraries. Heres more on how Ireland has helped shape Halloween traditions in the United States. What Country is Halloweens Birthplace? Costumes on Halloween as a tradition are believed to originate from the Samhain Festival, when Celts wore masks and dressed in disguise to hide from evil spirits. (Courtesy Failte Ireland) The origin of Halloween dates back about 2,000 years ago to pagan Ireland, where the ancient festival of Samhain was celebrated on the island. According to Tourism Ireland, the festival marked the end of harvest, and the start of winter when the Celts believed they were closest to the underworld and that, with such a thin veil separating the underworld from Earth, spirits freely roamed the Earth. Samhain is considered a time to reflect on those who have passed, explains Dr. Kelly Fitzgerald, Head of University College Dublins School of Irish, Celtic Studies and Folklore. But the timing of the festival is also important: Celebrated at the end of the harvest, as the days get shorter and clocks fall back, its a time of year when we face our fears because were going into the darkness, she explains. What Modern-Day Halloween Traditions Started in Ireland Spooky, carved pumpkins (Olga Rolenko via Getty Images) Some of the Halloween traditions celebrated in the states can be traced back to the festival of Samhain. Bonfires blazed to ward off demonic spirits, and the embers were carried home in hollowed out turnips, a trend that pre-dates carving jack-o-lanterns. While this years top Halloween costumes include superheros and princesses, the origins of dressing up for Halloween is actually pretty spooky: Celts wore masks and costumes to disguise themselves from the evil spirits so they dont recognize you. Whats The History of Trick-Or-Treating? A bowl full of Halloween candy. (Jaclyn Vernace via Getty Images) As for trick-or-treating? Like much of folklore, several theories exist on how it came to be in the United States. But long before there were bite-sized Butterfingers and fun-sized packages of Skittles, children and poor people in Ireland would visit more well-to-do families, offering to pray for their souls in exchange for Soul Cakes, according to Irelands tourism board, which are baked goods, usually decorated with a cross, and made with dried fruits and spices. The Library of Congress also says that during Samahin, the Celtic people would leave out foods to appease the spirits traveling between the underworld and the Earth at night. Some also believe that trick-or-treating began with a Scottish practice of guising, which was the secular version of souling during the Middle Ages. Guisers didnt offer prayers, but rather would exchange songs and jokes for treats. Yet another theory on the origins of trick-or-treating, according to the Library of Congress, points to a German-American Christmas tradition called belsnickeling, in which children would dress in costume and if no one could recognize them, they earned treats. How Is Halloween Celebrated in Ireland? Dark Hedges in County Antrim, Northern Irelan (romrodinka via Getty Images) Halloween remains popular in Ireland to this day, with a number of celebrations throughout the country in late October and early November. In County Meath, the Puca Festival celebrates a mysterious folkloric creature believed to have the power to change the fortunes of those who meet it. The Hill of Ward in County Meath is one of the earliest sites to host the festival of Samhain. The Celts lit a ceremonial fire to usher in a new season during the festival. Or, celebrate at a carnival in Derry-Londonderry, an ancient walled city. Dracula fans descend on Dublin to celebrate the count as well as the one who dreamed him up at the Bram Stoker Festival. Beyond these festivals, scare-seekers can find ghost tours year-round in Ireland. Some of the scariest sites (should you dare) include the Hellfire Club in Dublin County, where the rich were rumored to play cards with the devil in the 18th century, and the Seafield House in the County Sligo, where no priest was able to exorcise a poltergeist from this 19th century country house. The Chosunilbo JNS - Getty Images "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." If youve been paying attention to Hunter Schafers red-carpet style throughout the last few years, then youd know that shes a fashion lover through and through. Of course, many of the Euphoria stars standout looks have been constructed with the help of her stylist, Dara, and the two mightve just pulled off their best fashion reference yet. On Wednesday, a new Haus Nowhere space was opened in Seoul, South Korea. These are a line of retail stores launched by the Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster in 2021, which aim to bring visitors an interactive, immersive shopping experience, bringing the world of fashion into the future. iMBC - Getty Images For the opening, Schafer wore a look that was a little slice of fashion history itself, pulled from the Jil Sander fall 2012 ready-to-wear collection, when Raf Simons still served as creative director of the luxury fashion house. The Chosunilbo JNS - Getty Images The fall 2012 show was one of his most memorable presentations, and also one of his last before he left the position in 2012 to become creative director at Dior. Chris Moore/Catwalking - Getty Images Schafers look was a strapless white gown with seams outlining the cone bra-like bodice and a large pocket of fabric decorating the front, which created a diamond-shaped crevice along the waist. Around the back, a periwinkle stripe disrupted the otherwise all-white fabric. Han Myung-Gu - Getty Images Schafer contrasted the crisp dress with a set of orange heels, which matched her tangerine lip courtesy of makeup artist Sandy Ganzer. Finally, the actor added a set of clear eyeglasses from Gentle Monster, along with a silver bangle from Dinosaur Designs. Han Myung-Gu - Getty Images Stylists have been leaning more and more into archival, but this particular choice was unexpected, and delightful. Dara recently spoke about the alchemy she and Schafer create during her visit to Harpers Bazaars podcast, The Good Buy, where she also brought up her love of this Jil Sander era. The first type of designer purchase that I kind of really remember was like I guess it would have been like 2012-ish? 2013? And it was this little Jill Sander Raf Simons pouch, Dara said. It was a wallet but it was worn on a lanyard. It was like a black patent leather with a blue string. And it had a clear window so you could put in an ID. Clearly, that love of Simonss Jil Sander never went away, and thank goodness Schafer can always be the perfect muse. You Might Also Like PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-CONFLICT-FAMINE Image not from the story (Photo by EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images) Israeli forces ordered Palestinians in Gaza City to evacuate Saturday as the military prepared to seize the famine-stricken area, directing residents to a tent camp in southern Gaza. The Israeli military declared Muwasi, a makeshift camp in the southern Gaza Strip, a humanitarian area and told Gaza Citys population to leave immediately, according to CBS News. Military spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on X that the army considered the city a Hamas stronghold and combat zone. The designated safe zone would include field hospitals, water pipelines, food and tents, and relief efforts will continue on an ongoing basis in cooperation with the U.N. and international organizations, the military said, according to the outlet. The army provided maps showing the humanitarian area in Khan Younis, including the block containing Nasser Hospital. Aid groups warn that evacuating Gaza Citys nearly one million residents would worsen the humanitarian crisis, the outlet reported. Palestinians have fled their homes repeatedly during the two-year conflict, with many too weak to move again. (RELATED: Viral Gaza Boy Allegedly Killed By IDF Apparently Found Alive With His Mother) Israeli forces have previously struck areas they declared safe, including Muwasi itself, according to Gazas Health Ministry. Last week, an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital killed 22 people, including Associated Press contributor Mariam Dagga. The evacuation order followed Fridays Israeli strike on a Gaza City high-rise that the military claimed Hamas used for surveillance, though no evidence was provided, the outlet reported. The conflict began after Hamas-led terrorists killed around 1,200 people and abducted 251 in their Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel. Forty-eight hostages remain in Gaza. Israels offensive has killed over 64,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry. Soldiers with B Company, 1/189th General Support Aviation Battalion, Nevada National Guard, fly from Reno to Naval Air Station Fallon to prepare for an aerial gunnery lane on June 24, 2022. Photo: Staff Sgt. Walter H. Lowell / U.S. National Guard via Flickr / CC BY 2.0 / Cropped from Original (The Center Square) - As President Donald Trump looks to deploy the National Guard in Chicago and other cities to fight crime, questions have risen over the Nevada National Guard. Gov. Joe Lombardo gave a small group of the states National Guard soldiers the all-clear to aid immigration enforcement in a limited capacity, but left the door open for an expanded role. Nevada stands firm in its commitment to uphold federal law and collaborate effectively with federal immigration authorities, wrote the Governors Office in an Aug. 19 press release announcing the National Guards deployment. In July, the Department of Defense requested that the National Guard in 20 states, including Nevada, aid U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The DOD operation, set to end Nov. 15, is an entirely separate order from the National Guard deployments to Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles and proposed cities. The Nevada National Guard is not currently working law enforcement support outside the state of Nevada, spokesperson Capt. Emerson Marcus told The Center Square. The Nevada National Guards aid to ICE of up to 35 soldiers is in administrative roles and forbids law enforcement duties and the use of weapons. Elsewhere in the country, the National Guard has been used on a much larger scale. Around 2,000 troops from seven states and Washington, D.C., have been deployed to the nations capital to prevent what President Trump called a crime emergency. In Los Angeles, President Trump overstepped California Gov. Gavin Newsom to deploy over 4,200 California National Guard troops to quell anti-ICE protests and riots. A federal judge ruled Tuesday the move broke a nearly 150-year-old law preventing the unnecessary use of military as law enforcement. Newsom Thursday said the deployment in Los Angeles cost taxpayers almost $120 million, but the Secretary of Defense's Office told The Center Square Thursday night that it won't calculate costs before the deployment ends in November. The Governor's Office said its number is based on calculations that the California National Guard performed at Newsom's request. Trump has pushed on for deployment of National Guard Troops in Chicago and New Orleans, among other U.S. cities he said had crime emergencies warranting a military presence despite local pushback. "We're going to do it anyway. We have the right to do it because I have an obligation to protect this country," Trump said in a press conference earlier this week. The Nevada National Guard said it is not currently involved in any law enforcement outside of Nevada, instead citing its summer firefighting aid across the West as an example of its operations in other states. The Nevada National Guard remains ready for any call for service or support in defense of our state and nation, said Capt. Marcus. A Maryland man has been arrested and charged in the killing of a 19-year-old woman who was reported missing last month, Prince Georges County police announced Friday. Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, of Bowie, is charged with first- and second-degree murder in the death of Dacara Thompson of Lanham. On Aug. 31, Maryland State Police discovered a body in neighboring Anne Arundel County. The remains were later identified as Thompson, prompting a joint investigation with county detectives. Prince George Police Department - PHOTO: Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, of Bowie, is charged with first- and second-degree murder in the death of Dacara Thompson of Lanham. MORE: 2 teens arrested, 3rd suspect at large in DC murder of congressional intern Investigators said surveillance footage showed Thompson approaching a black SUV in the early morning hours of Aug. 23. After speaking to the driver, she entered the vehicle. Police said the SUV went to a home in the 12000 block of Kembridge Drive in Bowie, where evidence indicates she was killed in a bedroom. Hernandez-Mendez allegedly had access to the SUV and lived in the bedroom where the killing occurred, investigators said. MORE: 13-year-old boy killed while setting off fireworks in Oklahoma: Police Detectives are working to determine whether Hernandez-Mendez and Thompson knew each other before Aug. 23. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not released a cause of death, but investigators said they expect the case to be ruled a homicide. Hernandez-Mendez is being held without bond. ICE said Hernandez-Mendez is an "illegal alien" from Guatemala and issued a detainer for him. "Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, an illegal alien from Guatemala, has been charged with first and second-degree murder in the gruesome death of 19-year-old Dacara Thompson. ICE has issued a detainer for this criminal illegal alien and justice will be served for this Maryland family," ICE said in a statement on social media. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore released a statement on Thompson's death, saying she was "taken from us by an act of senseless violence." Police urged anyone with information to contact the Homicide Unit at 301-516-2512 or call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Hes waiting for an offer he cant refuse. Speculation over Mayor Eric Adams future grew to a fever pitch Friday as sources revealed that the mayor would be heading to Washington, DC, next week for a White House sit-down over a potential cushy job with President Trumps administration. Eric Adams knows he cant win [in November] and is exploring his options, a source close to the mayor told The Post about the meeting. NYC Mayor Eric Adams is set to sit down with White House officials to discuss potential roles within the Trump administration. Stephen Yang for the New York Post The next step would have to be a formal conversation with the president, the source said. Adams defiantly insisted Friday afternoon that he was staying in the race amid the swirling chatter that he was considering dropping his likely doomed re-election bid. Im running and Im going to beat [Zohran] Mamdani, he said outside Gracie Mansion, referring to the frontrunner socialist Democratic nominee. The mayor also issued a statement reiterating that no formal offer had been made an assertion confirmed by sources with knowledge of the conversations but said hed take up the call to serve, if asked. The Adams campaign called an emergency meeting prompting the cancelation of a mayoral event that lasted more than an hour Friday morning amid the rumors that the Trump administration was putting on the pressure in an attempt to create a one-on-one race between Mamdani and ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Staffers for the campaign and White House had a meeting pencilled in for Monday, but it could be pushed to later in the week due to scheduling. Trump is expected to attend the US Open in Queens on Sunday, and a Yankee game on Thursday, the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. Adams, during his fiery Gracie Mansion remarks, denied hed be headed to the nations capital Monday. He ripped his rivals, Mamdani and Cuomo, as spoiled brats born with silver spoons in their mouths. Andrew Cuomo is a snake and a liar. I am in this race, and Im the only one who can beat Mamdani. Andrew has had a career of pushing black candidates out of races. The Post confirmed earlier Friday that Trumps special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff whom Adams met with in Florida earlier this week was pushing for the president to nominate the mayor as the next ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The plans seriousness remained unclear Friday. Does he want to be an ambassador? Sure, but that has to be appointed by the president and the president has not asked him, the source with knowledge of the White House meeting said, referring to one of the possible gigs being discussed. Adams has also fielded lucrative offers from influential business leaders, but hes currently not interested in exploring the private sector, sources said. The political calculus behind the seemingly outside-the-box deal would have Adams end his independent re-election bid as a way to consolidate Cuomos support, giving him a leg up in beating Mamdani in November. Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, confirmed he views Cuomo as the best candidate to beat Mamdani, whom he disparaged as a communist. Eric Adams knows he cant win [in November] and is exploring his options, a source close to Adams told The Post. WILL OLIVER/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock I would say that Cuomo might have a chance of winning if it was one-on-one, he said. If its not one on one, its going to be a hard race. The president said Adams is free to do what he wants, and denied offering the mayor an ambassadorship. Theres nothing wrong with doing that, but I didnt do that, he said. Whether the job talks would require Adams to simply suspend his campaign or immediately resign his post at City Hall remained unclear. Adams finishing out his term would be a potential sticking point if the goal is to thwart Mamdani, as the only way the mayor would be taken off Novembers ballot under state law is if he steps down and moves out of New York City. Hizzoner is also wrestling with whether he would want to step away completely and bank his current campaign war chest for a future return to Democratic politics or enter the Trump administration, sources said. Going into the Trump administration closes some doors, the source said. He would be tied to the Trump administration for better or for worse. Leaving City Hall for the White House would be as unprecedented as Trumps interjection into the citys mayoral campaign, and could forever define Adams already scandal-tinged legacy. Adams would risk being compared in the history books to famously corrupt former Mayor Jimmy Walker, said Ken Frydman, a former press secretary to Rudy Giuliani and a longtime Democratic operative. [Then-Gov. Franklin D.] Roosevelt forced corrupt Mayor Walker to resign on September 1, 1932, two years into his second term, Frydman said. Walker hightailed it to Europe with Betty Compton, his Ziegfeld girlfriend, Frydman added. Better than DC. It would also be unlikely that Adams who has a photo of Walker hanging in his City Hall office accepts a gig he saw as a major step down from leading the nations largest city. Like all politicians, Eric Adams has an outsize ego, Frydman said. He wont settle for undersecretary or ambassador to a third-world country. The mayors post-mayoralty plans have long been to open his own international consultancy firm, insiders said. And hed consider an ambassadorship so long as it carried the prestige befitting a New York City mayor, they added. A high-profile role as ambassador to Saudi Arabia could fit the bill, especially as it could lead to well-paying post-government relationships, said a former staffer to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. DC is extraordinarily hierarchical, so a big job isnt a big job unless you have a security detail and those are few and far between, the staffer said. An ambassadorship route is a little easier to execute because there are more options and those have a lot of prestige, especially in powerful and important countries, the source said. I would think that Saudi Arabia is probably really interesting to Eric because the relationship one would make to a gulf state with their voluminous amount of investments and certainly could be very lucrative down the road. Sources close to Adams said would view an offer at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development as Politico reported has been floated as below his station. Heres the latest on Mayor Adams mayoral campaign Another faction of White House insiders would rather Adams stay in the race and effectively secure a win for Mamdani, giving the GOP endless fodder with which to campaign against Democrats in next years midterm elections, sources said. The White House did not return to requests for comment. The chaos spurred by Trump potentially considering a job for Adams and his intrusion into New York Citys politics prompted a harsh smackdown from Gov. Kathy Hochul. Contrary to what the president thinks, hes not a king, hes not a kingmaker, and he should not be anointing the next mayor of New York City, Hochul told reporters after an unrelated announcement on Long Island. Hochul has not said who she is backing in the election, and is among the top state Democrats including Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries who have yet to publicly endorse their partys nominee, Mamdani. Adams, a Democrat, failed to rebrand himself with voters since launching his independent bid for mayor with his historically low poll numbers dipping even further in single digits, according to the latest surveys. Cuomo has hovered in the mid-to-high 20s, and while he would seemingly benefit the most from Adams bowing out, its anyones bet whether those votes would flow to the ex-governor, whose disdain for campaigning has been on full display since entering the race earlier this year. Mamdani has held a sizable lead since stunning the political world with his upset win in the Democratic primary, but his support has been stagnant now for months with high negatives dogging him ahead of the general election. After the Queens Assemblyman stunningly walloped Cuomo in the June contest, big biz movers and shakers had appeared poised to consolidate their support around Adams. But the mayors dismal fourth-place standing in the race has prompted one major defection from Adams camp of supporters: billionaire Bill Ackman. Ackman dramatically announced Friday that he will drop his support of Adams and back Cuomo. Eric should step aside and not run for reelection, the hedge fund titan posted on social media. Erics polls have deteriorated substantially since the primary, and it has become increasingly clear that he does not have a chance to beat @ZohranKMamdani. Additional reporting by Steven Nelson, Vaughn Golden, Josh Christenson and Hannah Fierick BEIJING (Reuters) -China's military on Saturday said its forces had followed and warned a Canadian and an Australian warship, which were sailing through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, in a move it condemned as a "provocation". The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command said the ships, the Canadian frigate Ville de Quebec and the Australian guided-missile destroyer Brisbane, were engaged in "trouble making and provocation". Chinese air and naval forces followed and warned the two ships and "effectively responded", the command said in a statement. "The actions of the Canadians and Australians send the wrong signals and increase security risks," it added. There was no immediate response to requests for comment from either the Canadian or Australian armed forces. China's state-backed newspaper the Global Times earlier on Saturday reported on the mission. Taiwan's defence ministry said in a statement that it keeps a close watch on activity in the strait and "dispatches appropriate air and naval forces to ensure the security and stability" of the waterway, which separates Communist China from the democratic island of Taiwan. The U.S. Navy and occasionally ships from allied countries like Canada, Britain and France transit the strait, which they consider an international waterway, around once a month. Taiwan also considers it an international waterway. China, which views Taiwan as its own, says the strategic waterway is part of its territorial waters. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's territorial claims. China has over the past five years increased its military pressure against the island, including staging war games near Taiwan. (Reporting by Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by James Pomfret in Hong Kong and Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Tom Hogue and Sharon Singleton) Vice President JD Vance Attends American Compass's The New World Gala In D.C. Image not from story (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images) Vice President JD Vance fired back at liberal commentator Brian Krassenstein on X after Krassenstein accused him of endorsing war crimes following a U.S. military strike on a Venezuelan drug boat. The exchange began when Vance posted, Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military. Krassenstein responded, Killing the citizens of another nation who are civilians without any due process is called a war crime. Vance didnt mince words: I dont give a shit what you call it. Krassenstein continued pressing, citing international law and claiming the action could constitute extrajudicial killing. He posed a hypothetical scenario asking how Vance would react if Venezuela bombed an American boat carrying drugs. The heated exchange came after President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the military had struck a drug-carrying vessel from Venezuela in the southern Caribbean Sea. Trump said that 11 people died in the strike, which targeted members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan crime organization the administration recently designated as a foreign terrorist group, CBS News reported. Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized it as a lethal strike against a vessel operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization. When a reporter asked Vance about the strikes legal authority during a Minneapolis visit Wednesday, he dismissed the concern. (RELATED: Youre Full Of Sh*t: JD Vance Doesnt Let Dems Who Grilled RFK Jr. Get Away With Their Hypocrisy) The legal authority, there are people who are bringing terrorists, who are bringing deadly drugs into our country, Vance said. The president of the United States ran on a promise of stopping this poison from coming into our country. Another question? The administration has accused Venezuelas government of working with cartels to traffic narcotics into the United States. By Charlotte Van Campenhout and Ammu Kannampilly BRUSSELS (Reuters) -U.S.-funded contraceptives and medicines valued at nearly $10 million, which Reuters reported are to be sent to France for incineration, remain stuck in a Belgian warehouse, with the local government saying it has not a received a request needed for their destruction. Reuters in July quoted sources as saying the contraceptives would be burned after Washington rejected offers from the United Nations and family planning organisations to buy or ship the supplies to poor nations. A U.S. State Department spokesperson later confirmed a decision had been taken to destroy them. The stock remains in a warehouse in Geel in the province of Antwerp, said a spokesperson for Flemish Environment Minister Jo Brouns, who is responsible for the matter. Flanders, which has its own government, has a ban on incinerating medicines and medical devices that have been properly stored and are still usable, even if the destruction happens in another country. A request for incineration is required for such items to be destroyed. "They cannot be sent for incineration unless a formal derogation from this ban has first been requested and granted... To date, we have not received any such request," the spokesperson said. "Destroying reusable medical supplies runs directly counter our policy." The local authorities were "exploring the legal avenues" and are "open to engaging directly with the American authorities to jointly find a constructive and responsible solution," the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Prevot said diplomatic contacts with the U.S. authorities were "still under way" on the matter. Washington did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The supplies have been stuck for months in the warehouse in Geel following President Donald Trump's decision to freeze U.S. foreign aid in January. They comprise contraceptive implants and pills as well as intrauterine devices to help prevent unwanted pregnancies, according to the sources who spoke to Reuters and a screengrab shared by a source confirming the planned destruction. (Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Ammy Kannampilly, Editing by Timothy Heritage) The author and her family spent 11 days in Europe, touring four countries. Courtesy of Alesandra Dubin My family took an 11-day trip to Europe and spent time in four countries. I was worried at first, after planning our itinerary, that our 11-year-old twins wouldn't have fun. But the trip was a hit, and there were activities for everyone. I plan my family's annual summer vacation during the hottest time of year in many popular destinations. It's the reality of traveling with school-age kids: We're bound to their vacation schedules. In the past, that's meant sweating through summers in Greece, Rome, Amalfi, and the south of France. Gorgeous, yes but also brutally hot in peak season. Every time we stepped outside, it felt like gearing up for battle with the elements. This year, we knew we wanted to visit Europe again, but we also knew we had to pivot to a cooler northern itinerary instead. Eventually, I mapped out a route that strung together four cities in four different countries over 11 days three of them brand-new to us mostly traveling by train. The plan was ambitious, and I started to doubt myself before we even left. I was worried they wouldn't enjoy the itinerary. The family traveled throughout Europe mostly by train. Courtesy of Alesandra Dubin Why did I think my twins could get excited about medieval history and leafy canals, with nary a beach or theme park in sight? Obviously, there's a reason the throngs flock to southern Europe in July; that's where the energy is lively piazzas, beach scenes, endless gelato. But would my kids be into that energy? What were we thinking, dragging two 11-year-olds through fortresses, history museums, and subdued waterways? I needn't have worried. In the end, this more grown-up circuit of historic cities and cultural highlights turned out even better than I imagined. The kids loved it. What seemed at first like an ambitious sprint across Europe became one of our most memorable family adventures yet. We spent the twins' birthday in Amsterdam. They made a short trip to Zaanse Schans. Courtesy of Alesandra Dubin We kicked things off in Amsterdam, staying at the Conservatorium Hotel, an ultra-chic and walkable property with an indoor pool that offered kids' hours in the mornings. It quickly became the twins' favorite way to start the day. The city's canals became their playground. We rented a paddle boat, which let them steer us through the waterways while dodging tour boats. We also made a short trip to Zaanse Schans, where the kids climbed inside historic wooden windmills and watched the gears creak to life. For their 11th birthday dinner, the hotel surprised them with cakes and balloons in their room. Then we celebrated with an Indonesian rice table a festive Amsterdam restaurant tradition of countless small plates. One of the most moving stops of the trip was our visit to the Anne Frank House. I wasn't sure how they would respond to such a heavy history lesson, but they were engaged and thoughtful throughout. Bruges was a highlight for everyone. The family took a chocolate class in Bruges. Courtesy of Alesandra Dubin Next we took the train to Bruges, Belgium, where we checked into Relais & Chateaux Hotel Heritage, a historic mansion-turned-hotel just steps from the main plaza. I worried Bruges might feel too medieval and dry for kids, but it was a highlight for all of us. At the Historium Bruges, we explored immersive exhibits and a virtual reality tour that brought the city's medieval heyday as a shipping port vividly to life. The kids loved climbing the belfry tower, counting every step to the top. And a chocolate-making class turned out to be both hands-on and delicious though by the end, we were so stuffed we swore we couldn't eat another confection. Bruges' winding canals and storybook squares felt like a movie set, and instead of being bored, the kids leaned into the magic of exploring it on foot. We had underground adventures in Luxembourg. Though it was their shortest stop, the family enjoyed Luxembourg. Courtesy of Alesandra Dubin Luxembourg was our shortest stop, just two nights, but it made a big impression. We stayed at Place d'Armes, a boutique hotel right on the main square, which meant everything was supremely walkable. The highlight was exploring the Casemates du Bock, the city's centuries-old underground fortifications. The kids explored the tunnels like a maze. Above ground, we took in sweeping views and strolled the old town. Even with just one full day, Luxembourg delivered plenty of discovery. We'd been to London before but still loved it. They had tea at the Stafford Hotel in London. Courtesy of Alesandra Dubin Our last stop was London, where we checked into a gracious family suite at The Stafford London. It was the only city we'd all visited before, but it still offered surprises. We saw "Matilda" in the West End the kids' first major stage production and they adored it. We also indulged in a whimsical "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"-themed afternoon tea at One Aldwych, complete with candy-colored desserts worthy of Willy Wonka. (So much for being chocolated out after Belgium!) Of course, we fit in the classics too: the Tower of London, a double-decker sightseeing bus, and long walks through Hyde Park. After so many smaller, new-to-us cities, London felt familiar yet thrilling, a comfortable finale before our flight home. Our itinerary worked for everyone. The author didn't focus the itinerary on the kids, but it worked. Courtesy of Alesandra Dubin Looking back, I think this ambitious itinerary succeeded because we didn't try to force it to be kid-friendly. We built a trip that interested us as adults history, culture, food, theater and trusted the kids to rise to the occasion. To our delight, they did, and then some. Every stop offered something hands-on or surprising that spoke directly to them: paddling canals, climbing towers, making chocolate, exploring tunnels. The grown-up activities weren't watered down they just turned out to be more engaging than expected. The train rides were novel and fun. And because we weren't battling summer heat or long lines, everyone had energy left to enjoy it all. Read the original article on Business Insider Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty;ADAM BUTLER/AFP via Getty (Left) Prince Harry at Princess Diana's funeral on Sept. 6, 1997; (Right) Princess Diana on Oct. 30, 1996 NEED TO KNOW Prince Harry reflected on the moment when he allowed himself to cry at his mother Princess Diana's funeral Princess Diana died following a car accident in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997, and was laid to rest a week later The Duke of Sussex previously told PEOPLE, "I honor my mother in everything I do. I am my mother's son" Prince Harry pinpointed the moment that allowed himself to cry on the day of his mother Princess Diana's funeral in his memoir, Spare. The Duke of Sussex, 40, made the revelation in his groundbreaking memoir, published in 2023, where he reflected with candor on the harrowing day in which his mother was laid to rest. Princess Diana died on Aug. 31, 1997, following a car accident in Paris at age 36, as photographers pursued the vehicle she was traveling in, and her funeral was held a week later on Sept. 6, 1997. Prince Harry was 12 and his brother, Prince William, was 15 when their mother died, and they famously walked behind her coffin during her funeral procession. In Spare, the Duke of Sussex wrote that his tears "nearly" began to fall when Elton John performed an emotional rendition of "Candle in the Wind" during Diana's funeral at Westminster Abbey. Anwar Hussein/Getty Elton John sings "Candle in the Wind" at Princess Diana's funeral at Westminster Abbey on Sept. 6, 1997. "I cant be sure the notes in my head are from that moment or from clips l've seen since. Possibly theyre vestiges of recurring nightmares. But I do have one pure, indisputable memory of the song climaxing and my eyes starting to sting and tears nearly falling," Prince Harry wrote. "Nearly." However, he didn't cry until his mother was buried on the grounds of Althorp House, the Spencer family's ancestral estate in Northamptonshire. PA Images via Getty Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince Charles on the day of Princess Diana's funeral, Sept. 6, 1997. "When the hearse finally got to Althorp, the coffin was removed again and carried across the pond, over a green iron bridge hastily positioned by military engineers, to a little island, and there it was placed upon a platform. Willy and I walked across the same bridge to the island," Prince Harry wrote in Spare about Diana's resting place at Oval Lake Grave. "It was reported that Mummys hands were folded across her chest and between them was placed a photo of me and Willy, possibly the only two men who ever truly loved her. Certainly, the two who loved her most," he wrote. "For all eternity wed be smiling at her in the darkness," he said, reflecting that envisioning this as the flag on her coffin was removed and her coffin was lowered into the ground was what "finally broke me." David Goddard/Getty An aerial view of the burial site of Diana, Princess of Wales on Sept. 9, 2006; Princess Diana in Argentina. "My body convulsed and my chin fell, and I began to sob uncontrollably into my hands," Prince Harry wrote. "I felt ashamed of violating the family ethos, but I couldnt hold it in any longer." In the decades since her death, Prince Harry has honored his mother's legacy by supporting some of the same charities that she did, such as The HALO Trust. He and his wife, Meghan Markle, also gave their daughter Princess Lilibet, now 4, the middle name of Diana. Speaking to PEOPLE in 2022, Prince Harry said that he always hoped to make his mother proud. Antony Jones/Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Princess Diana, Prince Harry and Prince William at VJ Day commemoration events on Aug. 19, 1995. 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! "I certainly hope and believe everything I do makes her proud," the Duke of Sussex said then. "In the 12 short years I was lucky enough to have with her, I saw and felt the energy and lift she got from helping others, no matter their background, ailment or status. Her life and theirs was better for it, however short theirs or hers was." "I honor my mother in everything I do. I am my mother's son," he said. Read the original article on People VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Aug. 29, 2025) Despite growing protests and an online petition gathering thousands of signatures, Virginia Wesleyan University affirmed that the transition to the name Batten University is "final." A protest was organized on Friday just before a closed-door town-hall meeting, where university staff and faculty convened to discuss the impending rebranding. The demonstration began around noon, preceding the 1 p.m. meeting. Alumna Kim Russell, class of 1993, expressed her surprise and emotional connection to the institution: "Oh, we were completely caught off guard," she said. Russell added that VWU holds deep personal significance as "where she met her husband and holds so many memories." Russell also voiced concern over the transparency of the rebranding process: "We'd like to understand why we'd like to see the white paper that was done that convinced Mrs. Batten to go along with this name change," she stated. "We're so appreciative of everything she's done for the school. We think she's amazing, but we just want to understand what got us here." The name change, proposed in honor of Jane P. Batten and her family's significant contributions to the university, is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026. Although the town-hall was intended to address community concerns, students and alumni who are not employed by VWU were barred from attending. Representatives from The Marlin Chronicle, VWU's student newspaper, were among those excluded; only the group's faculty adviser was permitted to participate. As of Friday afternoon, an online petition created by Devin Cowhey had amassed more than 5,000 signatures, urging university leadership to reconsider the name change. Cowhey questioned whether there might be "a different way to honor the family while still keeping the Virginia Wesleyan legacy." She added, "People are flooding social media with their Virginia Wesleyan stories, and we want to have that conversation, so at some point we're going to keep going until we have that." In response, university officials emphasized their commitment to listening while reaffirming the decision. Tina Raines, VWU's executive director of marketing and communications, said the institution has "read each comment and story and have engaged in countless conversations." She added, "We are paying attention, adjusting our messaging to address the questions and concerns. While it has been hard at times, it is also beautiful to see a community come together." Raines further stated that a name like "Batten"associated with "nationally renowned philanthropists whose vision and generosity have shaped our University"broadens the institution's appeal while honoring the alumni legacy that shaped its foundation. She reaffirmed: "As President Miller explained, this decision is final." Full story can be read at News 3 WTKR Norfolk. "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." A viral TikTok revealing the British way of "washing up" dishes has been met with mixed reactions. The technique leaves soapy dishes to dry without being rinsed, which has raised concerns about whether the dishes actually get cleaned. Experts say it's best to rinse soap off dishes when washing by hand or to use the dishwasher. British cooking has been subjected to jokes and criticism, but what about British cleaning? A viral TikTok by user @spiritual_af shed light on a technique some use for washing dishes in the U.K. Referred to as washing up, the method involves hand-washing dishes with soapy water before transferring them to a drying rack. It's nothing out of the ordinary, until you realize the dishes never get rinsed. The soapy dishes stay on the rack, and the suds drip off them. TikTok users flooded the comments section, both in support of and against the method. "Do they just eat off of soapy dishes?" one user asked. Another defended the technique, writing, "Americans are unaware of the concept of saving water." Other people in the comments section claimed that many U.K. residents don't abide by this method and do, in fact, rinse. Americans were horrified by the discovery; many Brits vehemently defended the technique. But whats the science behind it? Is rinsing really necessary? We consulted health and cleaning experts to unpack everything you need to know about washing and rinsing dishes. What Happens When You Dont Rinse Your Dishes? Bowonpat Sakaew - Getty Images Proponents of washing up the British way argue that soapy water drips off dishes as they rest on the drying rack. But you shouldnt expect gravity to do a thorough job. Toby Schulz, CEO and co-founder of Maid2Match, says that this method theoretically should allow the water to 'carry' the soap molecules and dirt with it as it flows off in the drying rack, but this doesnt always work in practice. Not all the water will run offsome of it will evaporate or dry on the dishes instead, he says. Dish soap works through the use of surfactants, which clean by binding to both water and grease. Without rinsing them off, those surfactants will linger and end up in your food. Ingesting a bit of detergent residue isnt necessarily harmful unless youre allergic to the ingredients, Schulz says. But over time, consistent ingestion of residue can pose health risks, including gastrointestinal irritation and endocrine disruption. Beyond the soap itself, skipping the rinse also means that food residue will stick to your dishes. Soap residues, along with organic matter, can provide a moist environment that supports microbial growth, Dr. Vanessa Coffman, Alliance Director at Stop Foodborne Illness, says. If you skip the rinsing step, not only are you not removing bacteria, but youre creating a place where they may start multiplying, which can lead to illness. Whats The Most Hygienic Way To Wash Dishes? Yevhenii Podshyvalov - Getty Images Were sorry to burst the Brits bubble, but the most hygienic way to hand-wash dishes is by rinsing them. Coffman recommends taking an extra step to sanitize them before they reach the drying rack. To sanitize, you can use a sanitizing solution or submerge your dishes in very hot water (approximately 171 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30 seconds. Schulz says you can also sanitize your dishes by using a dishwasher, because the water used for both the wash and rinse cycles is hot enough to kill any lingering germs. In combination with a good detergent, thatll get rid of most grease and grime on your dishes, he says. You Might Also Like Columbia Pictures Sarah Michelle Gellar, 'Cruel Intentions' NEED TO KNOW Sarah Michelle Gellar loved all her clothes from the 90s, but wants one closet specifically Gellar tells PEOPLE she would want to switch clothes with her Cruel Intentions character Many of the outfits she wore for the hit 1999 film were custom-made She may have had Cruel Intentions, but she had a great closet. When asked which 90s or early 2000s characters shed swap closets with, Sarah Michelle Gellar tells PEOPLE she'd choose Kathryn Merteuil in seconds. "That's easy," Gellar, 48, says. "She had an incredible closet." When asked if she had a specific look in mind, Gellar quickly pointed to her sleek blazer and bustier combo. Columbia Pictures/Getty Sarah Michelle Gellar in a scene from the film 'Cruel Intentions' "My first [favorite] was the suit, the iconic suit she wears in the beginning, because I was 20 when we started that," she says. "Our costume designer wanted to get a custom-made suit and she took me to this very famous store in Los Angeles called Trashy Lingerie. I had never been in, because I was like 20." She continues, I was like, Oh, I don't know if I could go in there, but it wound up being one of the best custom shops for corsets and any kind of undergarments that you would wear. I was properly fit. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress notes that they also custom-made the corset that goes underneath the iconic suit in the beginning. Everett Collection Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair in 'Cruel Intentions' Gellar says the whole thing was "an incredible experience," from the fitting to the perfectly fitted final product. "It was really the first time I think I'd had anything tailor-made like that, where they take your measurements and they build it from scratch. No stranger to 90s fashion, Gellar announced a curated collection with eBay for its 30th anniversary. The 95 shop is a retail experience and online destination featuring the most iconic fashion, collectibles and motors from the 90s. The collection includes signed memorabilia from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and iconic pieces like a 1995 Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel Rue Cambon Paris Belt and a 1994-95 Michael Jordan autographed Bulls M&N White 45 Jersey. Gellar herself signed a few collectible pieces from Buffy for the collection, which will be auctioned online for one week, with all proceeds benefiting Make-A-Wish. Cruel Intentions spurred a sequel movie and a spin-off series on Amazon Prime Video. In the original 1999 movie, based on Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' 1782 novel Dangerous Liaisons, Gellar costarred with Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair. The movie, written and directed by Roger Kumble, follows Annette Hargrove (Witherspoon), the daughter of the new headmaster at a private high school in New York City. Gellar played Merteuil, the wealthy, popular and devious Upper East Sider. Known for its sexy, subversive storylines and dialogue, the movie was a standout among the teen comedies and dramas of the '90s, many of which were based on literary works. Cruel Intentions also featured a supporting cast of Louise Fletcher, Sean Patrick Thomas, Swoosie Kurtz, Eric Mabius, Christine Baranski, Joshua Jackson, Tara Reid and more. Read the original article on People Jonny Terrell was a healthy, happy baby but a month before his first birthday, he came down with an infection. Days later, he was vomiting. Over the next few weeks, mom Emily Robichau took him to the doctor for ear infections, stomachaches, rashes, vomiting, diarrhea and more. "The list was so long I couldn't remember it all," Robichau recalled. She had three older children and knew that kids got sick. But she had never seen anything like the constant stream of ailments her 11-month-old was experiencing. The day after Jonny's first birthday, in August 2024, his stomach swelled, "like watching a balloon fully inflate," Robichau said. The next day was his one-year checkup. Jonny's pediatrician took one look at him and sent them to Massachusetts General Hospital for Children. When Robichau and Jonny arrived, the toddler underwent CT and MRI scans that found a mass "about the size of a grapefruit" in his liver. A biopsy of the mass found that he had a rare and aggressive cancer called malignant rhabdoid tumor. Jonny Terrell in the hospital. / Credit: Emily Robichau Robichau said she and her fiance, Michael Terrell, began "looking at urns" as they learned more about the condition. "Doctors were telling me the statistics and how bad they were, and to hope for the best, but kind of prepare for the worst," Robichau recalled. What is malignant rhabdoid tumor? Malignant rhabdoid tumor is a rare tumor, most often seen in infants and toddlers, said Dr. Michael Ortiz, a pediatric oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the clinical director of the rare tumors program at MSK Kids, the center's pediatric arm. Ortiz was not involved in Jonny's care. Just 20 to 25 patients are diagnosed with the illness each year, according to Boston Children's Hospital. The tumors can "show up anywhere" in the body's soft tissues, but "have a predilection for the brain and kidney," Ortiz said. The tumors also have a "high propensity to metastasize," or spread, throughout the body. Emily Robichau, Michael Terrell and Jonny Terrell, along with Jonny's siblings. / Credit: 2025 Flashes of Hope / Photo by Kathryrn Costello Malignant rhabdoid tumors are "one of the worst prognostic tumors we have in pediatrics," Ortiz said. Only about one in 10 children with the diagnosis will be cured, he said. Treating malignant rhabdoid tumor Luckily for Jonny, his case was a rare example where the tumor had not spread, said Dr. Lauren Boal, a pediatric oncologist and hematologist at Massachusetts General. She and Dr. Danielle Cameron, a pediatric surgeon with a focus on tumors like this, developed a complex treatment plan for Jonny. "This disease really doesn't have an absolute regimen. You have to carve out an individualized plan," Boal said. For Jonny, that meant a course of six chemotherapy agents. He responded well, though he suffered unpleasant side effects from the powerful medications, Boal said, and needed a feeding tube to eat. Jonny Terrell rides a car around Mass General Hospital. / Credit: Emily Robichau During that period, Robichau and Jonny lived in housing across the street from the hospital. It was stressful to live apart from the rest of the family, but Jonny's rigid treatment plan and its side effects made it necessary to stay close. "We all experienced the same trauma in different ways," Robichau said. "I feel like I just went on autopilot. It was lonely, it was quiet. It just had us overwhelmed, anxious, scared, financially struggling, big time." Once chemotherapy shrank the tumor to about half its original size, Cameron surgically removed the mass. The operation was followed by radiation treatment. Despite the difficult circumstances, Jonny was an "amazing" patient, Cameron said. "I have vivid memories of him just going around the unit in his little red wagon and playing, constantly laughing," Cameron said. Jonny Terrell smiles after undergoing surgery. / Credit: Emily Robichau "We don't really take anything for granted" Now just over 2 years old, Jonny is "in remission but undergoing careful surveillance," Cameron said. He will undergo frequent scans to ensure the tumor does not return, Boal said. "Often the higher and highest risk time to have a relapse of this very difficult disease is in the first year or two after you complete your chemotherapy," Boal said. "We are watching him very closely, but very hopeful that he will not have a recurrence of this." Ortiz said that children who survive malignant rhabdoid tumor often see later-in-life side effects, including an increased risk for developing a second form of cancer. Jonny will also recieve IV antibiotics monthly for the next few months to keep infections from taking advantage of his compromised immune system, caused by the chemotherapy. Jonny Terrell and Emily Robichau. / Credit: Emily Robichau Robichau said she worries for Jonny's future, but is just trying to enjoy the current moment. He had his chemotherapy port removed, and the family recently began getting rid of the medical supplies they had acquired during Jonny's treatment. "We still live minute by minute, day by day, week by week, as much as we can soak up every moment," she said. "After that kind of experience, we don't really take anything for granted anymore." An emotional birthday For Robichau and Terrell, the end of August was an emotional time time. Less than a year ago, she had been told to expect the worst. But this summer, the family was able to focus on planning Jonny's second birthday party. The event overlapped with the couple's twins' birthday, and meant they could turn what had been a traumatic day into a celebratory one. Jonny Terrell on his second birthday. / Credit: Emily Robichau "It all happened around this time," Robichau said. "We had the party on the twins' birthday, because that was the day he left (for the hospital). So we want to change that a little bit." A week after the party, Jonny saw Boal at Mass General Hospital to ensure the cancer was still in remission. His scans were clear, Boal said. When CBS News spoke to Robichau, Jonny could be heard chattering in the background. Terrell said he was "running around like nothing happened." "It's becoming more and more real," Robichau said. "It's been a long, long year. We're just transitioning to our new normal." U.S. deploying 10 fighter jets to Puerto Rico in drug cartel crackdown Chicago-area Navy base to be used for immigration operations Lack of prostate cancer screening may have led to recent jump in diagnoses, study finds An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Investigators inspect the wreckage of the streetcar after the derailment in Lisbon, Portugal, on Sept. 4, 2025, Image 2 shows Emergency workers remove one of the funiculars from the tracks on Sept. 5, 2025, Image 3 shows Heather Hall was identified as the lone American killed in the deadly Portugal funicular railway derailment on Sept. 3, 2025 A South Carolina college instructor and mother of two who loved to travel was identified as the lone American among the 16 dead when an iconic funicular railway derailed in Lisbon, Portugal. Dr. Heather Hall, an instructor at the College of Charleston, was in Portugal to speak at a conference when she traveled on the iconic Gloria Funicular and disaster struck Wednesday. Halls death was confirmed by Fran Welch, the Dean of the School of Education, where Hall taught courses as part of the Department of Teacher Education. Heather Hall was identified as the lone American killed in the deadly Portugal funicular railway derailment on Sept. 3, 2025. Heather Hall/Facebook This is a tragic loss for all of us, Welch said in an email to students, according to WCIV. She shared her love of travel with her students. Her energy, kindness and student-centeredness will be deeply missed. Hall, a first-generation college student, earned a Bachelor of Science and Distance Education certificate at the College of Charleston before getting her masters at The Citadel. She earned her doctorate in education from the University of South Carolina, according to her biography on the schools website. Hall returned to her alma mater, where she specialized in literacy and special education at the Charleston school. Family remembered Hall as a trailblazer for special education in the Charleston County School District, where she worked for over two decades. Heather Lynn Hall, a beloved daughter, sister, mother, educator, and advocate, passed away doing what she did best living life fully, boldly, and with a heart wide open to the world, her family told the outlet. Heather grew up in a home overflowing with unconditional love. That love expanded outward, reaching every corner of her life. She didnt just have friends she had soul-deep connections with people who felt truly seen and cherished by her. To know Heather was to be known and loved in return. Investigators inspect the wreckage of the streetcar after the derailment in Lisbon, Portugal, on Sept. 4, 2025. AP Emergency workers remove one of the funiculars from the tracks on Sept. 5, 2025. REUTERS A pile of debris is placed at the site of the track near where the deadly derailment took place. AFP via Getty Images Above all else, Heathers most cherished role was that of being a mother to two amazing children, her family said. She believed in them with all her heart and wanted nothing more than for them to live their lives fully finding their purpose, trusting themselves, and being open to joy, adventure, and the wild, wonderful possibility of life. Heartbroken relatives said Hall is leaving behind a legacy of love, courage and joy. May we honor her by living as she didwith curiosity, compassion, and open hearts, the family added. Longtime friends were left in disbelief at Halls death after hearing the news of the deadly derailment. Im in shock. It doesnt seem real. She was such a big part of my life and part of so many peoples lives, Halls friend and college roommate, Maria Davis, told WCBD. I actually had seen the story on the news that night, and I almost texted her, but thought, no, its a very small chance it could be her, said Davis. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) reacted to Halls death on Friday. Deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Professor Heather Hall from @CofC. Our hearts go out to her family, friends, colleagues, and students during this difficult time. Professor Halls dedication to education and her contributions to our community will be remembered, Scott wrote on X. Heather Hall was remembered for her love of travel including to Italy, where she poses for a picture in front of the Roman Coliseum in 2023. Heather Hall/Facebook People place flowers at a memorial set up for the victims of the derailment on Sept. 5, 2025. AFP via Getty Images Hall was among 16 killed the only American when the famous cable-pulled tram came off its tracks and crashed into a building. Officials confirmed the fatalities included five Portuguese nationals, and tourists from Canada, South Korea, France, Switzerland and Ukraine. The deadly crash left 18 others injured, including a three-year-old child, and sparked the Portuguese government to call for a day of national mourning on Thursday. This tragedy goes beyond our borders, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said at his official residence, calling it one of the biggest tragedies of our recent past. Authorities have launched a probe into the mechanical failure of Gloria Funicular while local media have cited concerns over recent maintenance schedules. With Post wires South Korean President Lee Jae Myung ordered all-out efforts to respond to the arrests of hundreds of its citizens in an immigration raid on a Hyundai facility in Georgia, as the key American ally and trading partner reeled from the news. Federal and immigration agents arrested 475 people mostly South Korean nationals while executing a judicial search warrant as part of a criminal investigation into alleged unlawful employment at the facility. At an emergency government meeting Saturday, South Koreas Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said he was deeply concerned and felt heavy responsibilities for the arrests of our citizens. The foreign ministry told NBC News that the government had set up a response team and that Cho was prepared to travel to Washington to meet officials if needed, while Cho reiterated earlier remarks made by Lee that the rights of South Koreans must be not unjustly infringed. The raid, part of the Trump administrations escalating crackdown on immigrants, was the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of the Department of Homeland Security. A sea of agents from HSI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies showed up Thursday to the site in the town of Ellabell where Hyundai and LG Energy Solution are jointly building a battery plant next to their manufacturing facility for electric vehicles. LG Energy Solution said Saturday that 47 of its employees were detained, 46 of them Korean. Another 250 personnel from equipment partner companies, most of them Korean, were also being held, it added. A raid at a Hyundai facility in Georgia on Thursday (faces blurred by source). (ATF Atlanta via X) We are making every possible effort on all fronts for the prompt release of our personnel and partner company staff who have been detained, the company said, adding that it had suspended employees business travel to the U.S. and urged those already there to return home or remain at their accommodations. Hyundai said none of those detained were directly employed by the firm. Charles Kuck, an Atlanta-based immigration attorney representing two of the detained South Korean nationals, told NBC News on Friday that his clients were in the U.S. on the Visa Waiver Program, which permits tourism or business stays of up to 90 days. Im convinced neither of these guys are violating their status in any way, Kuck said, adding that both of his clients are process engineers who came over for meetings related to the construction of the new plant. No criminal charges in connection with the investigation had been filed as of Friday. The incident threatens to strain ties with South Korea, the worlds 10th-largest economy. The raid came just 11 days after a summit between Trump and Lee at the White House, where South Korean firms pledged $150 billion in U.S. investments. In July, Seoul pledged another $350 billion in U.S. projects in an effort to reduce Trumps threatened tariffs, which he later set at 15%. Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the opposition People Power Party, warned in a Facebook post Saturday that the raid could lead to wider repercussions for South Korean businesses and communities throughout the U.S. This incident goes beyond a simple crackdown on undocumented immigrants and is a very serious matter, he said, urging the government to safeguard overseas Koreans and the rights of our businesspeople. At a time when numerous South Korean companies are building factories and expanding investments across the U.S., repeated mass arrests of workers will inevitably escalate into a national-level risk, he added. A party spokesperson called the raid a diplomatic disaster and asked whether South Korea had been slapped in the face after making huge investments. South Koreas largest daily, Chosun Ilbo, struck a similar tone, framing the arrests as a betrayal and a harsh blow to South Korea. After Investing in Trump MAGA, What Came Back Was the Arrest of 300 Koreans, the headline read. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told NBC News on Friday that President Donald Trump remains committed to make the United States the best place in the world to do business, while also enforcing federal immigration laws. ASSISI, Italy To his mom, he was a normal kid, but on Sunday, Carlo Acutis will become the first millennial saint at a solemn canonization Mass held by Pope Leo XIV in St. Peters Square outside the Vatican. Informally known as Gods influencer Carlo was just 15 when he died of acute promyelocytic leukemia in Milan in 2006 and has two miracles attributed to him by the Catholic Church. Being made a saint means the church believes a person lived a holy life and is now in heaven with God. But in an interview with NBC News, his mother, Antonia Salzano, 58, said that in many ways, her son was just like any other teenager who liked playing video games, hanging out with his friends and playing soccer. He was a normal kid, he was a normal person, but he opened the door of his heart to God, she said earlier this year. Carlo was born in London, where his father, Andrea Acutis, 61, was working as a merchant banker, but the family moved back to Milan when he was young. Salzano said that from an early age, Carlo was always generous with his things. If I wanted to buy, for example, two pairs of shoes, he used to say, No, one is sufficient because there are people who are starving who dont have anything to eat. So we dont have to waste money. Lets help other people. An image of 15-year-old Carlo Acutis was unveiled during his beatification ceremony at St. Francis Basilica in 2020. (Gregorio Borgia / AP) Carlo was put on the path toward sainthood after the late Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to him in 2020, declaring him blessed and crediting him with healing Matheus Vianna, a 7-year-old boy from Brazil who recovered from a rare pancreatic disorder after coming into contact with one of Carlos T-shirts. That path was further paved last year when a second miracle was attributed to Carlo, in which he was credited with the complete healing of Costa Rican student Valeria Valverde from major head trauma sustained in a bicycle accident, after her mother prayed at his tomb. But from an early age, Salzano said, he taught himself how to program computers and was asking her to buy books trained engineers might use. He had a special skill, probably something unbelievable. I couldnt understand how it would be so. But he used what he had in the heart, the love of God, to maximize for spreading the faith, she added. Using the familys small, old computer, Carlo taught himself how to program and built a website cataloging more than 100 Eucharistic miracles around the world that had been recognized by the church over many centuries. But while programming was his passion, Salzano said, she thought he would likely have become a priest, as he had asked her about pursuing a career in the church. After receiving his First Communion at the age of 7, he attended daily Mass regularly and taught catechism in a local parish. He wanted to help people to discover their faith, to discover God, the love of God. And all his life was spent for this. Even if he lived a normal life, like young boys of his age, she added. At just 15 years old, in October 2006, he fell ill and within 10 days died of acute promyelocytic leukemia. While his suffering caused her a lot of pain, Salzano said, if we leave suffering, offering to God, we can be in a certain way a little savior, like Jesus, we can help other people with our prayers. While she misses her son, she added that she had faith and knew that death is to say goodbye, not the end of everything. But death, as Carlo used to say, is the start of the true life. In 2018, Carlo was named venerable after the church recognized his virtuous life, and his body was taken to a shrine in the Santuario della Spogliazione in the small town of Assisi in central Italy. He asked for that to be his final resting place because of his devotion to the medieval saint St. Francis, whose hometown was Assisi. Wearing a track top, jeans and sneakers, he lies there entombed with a wax mold of his likeness placed over his body. Today it is a popular devotional site, attracting thousands of worshippers every day, Monsignor Anthony Figueiredo said in an interview earlier this year. This is a saint in front of our eyes, and hes a different kind of saint, you can see with jeans and sneakers and a hoodie exactly as he dressed, he said, adding that Carlo had been inspired by Apple founder Steve Jobs, who had said that at the end of each day, he had wanted to know he had done something wonderful for someone else. That really sums up Carlo, Figueiredo said, adding that the teenager really strove to do something differently. One of Carlos sayings, All of us are born originals, but so many of us end up as photocopies. We just want to be like the crowd and be like others. And Carlo said, You need to be original. A nun prays in front of Carlo Acutis' entombed body in the Shrine of the Renunciation in Assisi on April 3. (Tiziana Fabi / AFP via Getty Images) Explaining Carlos popularity, he recounted an interaction with a Mexican student who told him, I cannot wear the sack cloth of Francis of Assisi. I cannot do the penances of Claire of Assisi, but I do have a pair of jeans, and I do wear trainers. Sundays ceremony in front of the Vaticans St. Peters Basilica, in conjunction with the celebration of the Holy Years jubilee for teens, was originally set for April but was postponed after the death of Francis, who called the internet a gift from God and encouraged the Vatican to use technology. It will be the first time Leo, elected in May to replace Francis, has presided over such an event. It is impossible to quantify exactly how many saints there are. During the churchs first 1,000 years, they were proclaimed by popular demand, but some estimates have the number exceeding 10,000. Other saints who died at a young age include Therese of Lisieux, who was known for promoting a Little Way of charity and died at 24 in 1897, and Aloysius Gonzaga, who died at 23 in 1591 after caring for victims of an epidemic in Rome. As for Carlo, his mother said she thought her son was a sign of hope and that it was important to remind young people that they are unique. Like Carlo did, he could become holy in this world, Salzano said. You too can do the same. You too can overcome this and can do important things as well. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Tom Hanks in New York City on June 4, 2025. NEED TO KNOW The alumni association at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point announced that it's canceling its 2025 Sylvanus Thayer Award ceremony on Sept. 25, in which Tom Hanks was set to be honored A president of the West Point Association of Graduates said in an email that the cancellation "allows the Academy to continue its focus on its core mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers" The academy previously said it was honoring Hanks due to his portrayal of service members in several movies, including Forest Gump, and his support for the military Tom Hanks wont be receiving an honor from the U.S. Military just yet. The Elvis actor, 69, was slated to receive the 2025 Sylvanus Thayer Award at a Sept. 25 ceremony hosted by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, but the event was called off by the schools alumni association, The Washington Post reported. The decision to cancel the event was announced in an email sent to faculty by retired Army Col. Mark Bieger, president and chief executive officer of the West Point Association of Graduates, per the outlet. He explained in his email why the decision was ultimately made. This decision allows the Academy to continue its focus on its core mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers in the worlds most lethal force, the United States Army, he wrote. Jamie McCarthy/WireImage Tom Hanks in New York City on May 28, 2025 Bieger did not mention whether Hanks would still receive the 2025 Sylvanus Thayer Award at a later event or in a different format, according to The Washington Post. PEOPLE has reached out to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and reps for Hanks for comment. 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. The U.S. Military Academy at West Point announced in June that Hanks would receive the Thayer Award, which is given annually to an outstanding citizen of the U.S. whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify personal devotion to the ideals expressed in West Points motto: Duty, Honor, Country. At the time of the announcement, the schools board chairman, Robert A. McDonald, explained that Hanks would be given the award, in part, due to his portrayal of the life of a service member in several of his films, including Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump and Greyhound. Tom Hanks has done more for the positive portrayal of the American service member, more for the caring of the American veteran, their caregivers and their family, and more for the American space program and all branches of government than many other Americans, McDonald said in a statement. Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty Tom Hanks The academy also said that Hanks was being honored for his support of the military, after previously serving as national chairperson of the D-Day Museum Capital Campaign and joining former U.S. Senator Bob Dole as a national spokesperson for the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Reacting to the forthcoming honor at the time, Hanks who noted at the time that the award ceremony would have been his first time visiting the academy said in a statement, To be recognized by an institution whose graduates have shaped our countrys history through selfless service is both humbling and meaningful. The news of the canceled awards ceremony comes amid a period of transition at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, which has faced significant changes since Donald Trumps presidency. Per The Washington Post, Trumps directives led to the rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the armed forces, as well as heightened scrutiny of leadership, curricula and faculty at all U.S. service academies. Hanks was a vocal supporter of the Biden administration, and also endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. In 2022, the actor narrated a video for Joe Biden's inauguration anniversary, touting his administration's accomplishments. Hanks also joined a group of prominent Greek-Americans in signing an open letter in support of Harris' presidential bid in October 2024, per The National Herald. Read the original article on People By Daphne Psaledakis, Steve Holland and Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order paving the way for Washington to designate countries around the world a state sponsor of wrongful detention and impose punitive measures, including sanctions, on those it deems are wrongfully holding Americans. Senior administration officials said the United States would target countries currently holding wrongfully detained Americans as well as those that engage in "hostage diplomacy," including China, Iran and Afghanistan, which one official said would be reviewed for designation. "The bottom line: Anyone who uses an American as a bargaining chip will pay the price. This administration is not only putting America first but also putting Americans first," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. A second senior administration official said the penalties imposed on countries will be similar to how the United States deploys the Foreign Terrorist Organization designations and include measures such as sanctions, export controls and barring those deemed associated with wrongful detentions from entering the U.S. "Today, everything changes with regards to rogue regimes and regimes who think Americans can be treated as pawns," the second official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters. Since taking office in January, Trump has prioritized the return of Americans held abroad. The officials on Friday said the administration had secured the return of 72 Americans, including from Russia and Afghanistan. "We've gotten a lot of hostages," Trump said at the signing. The officials said that under the new policy, the United States will give notice to a country after identifying that there has been a wrongful detention, allowing them a certain amount of time to act before Washington begins to impose sanctions. Trump could also choose to lift sanctions if there is progress, one of the officials said, adding that the aim was to create "really, really strong motivation" for people to think before they take an American and to return any who are being held. "In a case like Iran ... or Russia, I think you will see a change here," the official said. Russia is believed to be holding nine Americans, with around eight held by Iran. Iran, designated a State Sponsor of Terrorism by the United States, is already under heavy U.S. sanctions. Russia as well is under severe sanctions imposed over the invasion of Ukraine. In May, a source close to the Kremlin said that the U.S. had previously provided Moscow with a list of nine Americans jailed in Russia that Washington wants to have returned. The Trump administration earlier this year secured the release of Marc Fogel, a U.S. schoolteacher and former employee of the U.S. embassy in Moscow, and Russian-American ballerina Ksenia Karelina. The United States and China have also had tensions over exit bans, which Beijing has used on both Chinese and foreign nationals, often in connection with civil disputes, regulatory investigations, or criminal investigations. In July, the U.S. State Department said that the Chinese government had blocked a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office employee visiting the Asian country in a personal capacity from leaving. The U.S. has also been concerned about detentions of Americans in Venezuela. Global Reach, a nonprofit that works to bring home Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad, commended Friday's action. This designation is something that will put real teeth behind the US governments efforts to bring home detained Americans and deter offending nations from engaging in hostage diplomacy,'" CEO Mickey Bergman said in a statement. (Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Steve Holland and Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis) Gibraltar and its Neanderthals feature in BBC Documentary A documentary entitled The Lost Neanderthals, which was aired on Wednesday 3rd September on BBC4, featured Gibraltar and the work being carried out in the Gorhams Cave Complex by the Gibraltar National Museum. The documentary followed French archaeologist Dr Ludowig Slimak and recent discoveries which his team have made in Mandrin Cave in southern France. The cave was regularly occupied in prehistoric times and in 2015, the remains of a Neanderthal were uncovered. The archaeological evidence points to this individual, named Thorin, having lived in close proximity to newly arrived modern humans. The documentary followed an international team of scientists as they discovered and investigated the human remains and artefacts recovered. The connection with Gibraltar resulted when the DNA extracted from Thorin was compared to that from other Neanderthals. Thorin was found to belong to an ancient Neanderthal lineage and its closest relative was Gibraltar woman - Nana - from Forbes Quarry. This stunning revelation has led, in Professor Clive Finlaysons words in the documentary, to a change of paradigm in our understanding of the Neanderthals. For the first time we are looking at Neanderthal regional populations and it seems that Gibraltar and the Rhone Valley were part of one such Mediterranean metapopulation, quite distinct from the central European Neanderthals that included the Neander Valley individual. The documentary ends in Gibraltar with a visit by Dr Slimak to the Gibraltar National Museum and the Gorhams Cave Complex, where he discusses the discoveries from Mandrin with Professor Clive Finlayson. The documentary is available on catchup and will be screened again on BBC4 next Tuesday evening, at 23:50 hours. by Shafique Khokhar Two years after the dramatic assault on the Christian neighbourhood of Faisalabad that sowed violence and destruction, the local community has launched the longest public protest by a minority in Pakistan's history. Lala Robin Daniel tells AsiaNews: Criminal complaints have fallen on deaf ears, and after promises of compensation, the Punjab government is now ignoring us. Without answers, we will boycott the upcoming by-elections. Faisalabad (AsiaNews) - Eighteen days of protesting, praying and demanding justice two years after the wave of violence by Islamic fundamentalists that on 16 August 2023 sowed terror in Jaranwala, the neighbourhood where Christians live in Faisalabad, burning houses and churches on false accusations of blasphemy. The sit-in held until the other day in Jaranwala was the longest in the history of minorities in Pakistan. A visible sign of how much this wound still remains open. AsiaNews interviewed Lala Robin Daniel, human rights defender and one of the leaders of this protest, to learn about the reasons and ways in which the battle for justice will now continue. Why did you organise the sit-in in Jaranwala? "In 2023, when the Jaranwala tragedy occurred, 23 criminal complaints were filed against the perpetrators: 18 by private citizens and 5 by the state. In total, 26 churches and hundreds of homes were burned and looted by fundamentalists. But since then, no proper investigation has been conducted by state institutions. They have not even met with the people affected. Nothing has been done to provide them with help. Has the state arrested those responsible? More than 5,000 people were named in the complaints. To date, only one person is still in prison, while all the others have been released on bail." The state had promised full cooperation with the victims' families. Has the damage suffered been compensated? A deeply flawed estimate of the damage was made, without even meeting with those affected. The then interim governor's promise of full compensation for the damage has not been kept. They have not even properly renovated the churches, as promised. What are the demands of the people of Jaranwala now? "People are dissatisfied. During the sit-in, local government officials asked us to end it, but we refused because they do not have the authority to solve our problems. We want a written agreement between a guarantor - a minister of the Punjab government - and our Jaranwala victims' committee, composed of 15 people, including, of course, the bishop of Faisalabad. Without this, there will be no compromise. Why, then, did you stop the sit-in? We only suspended it temporarily because some federal ministers and institutions assured us of their full cooperation. They guaranteed us daily updates on progress in Jaranwala. But if we don't see concrete developments, we will organise sit-ins in other cities in Punjab. Now they must show us tangible results: we will no longer accept just fine words. What was the reaction of the people? It was the longest sit-in organised by a minority community in the history of Pakistan. It lasted 18 days. From children to the elderly, everyone actively participated: we sang hymns, prayed, gave speeches and shouted slogans for justice. Civil society organisations, priests, nuns and even some Muslim leaders joined us in solidarity. On the seventh day, Bishop Indrias Rehmat came to support us, expressing deep compassion for the affected families and emphasising that justice for the victims of Jaranwala is essential, assuring us of his full support." And now, what are the next steps? With the Minority Rights Movement, we have decided to fight for justice and find ways to protect our people from fundamentalists and extremists. During the sit-in, civil society and the churches supported us, but the members of our Provincial Assembly showed no interest. The Punjab government remained indifferent; its attitude towards the people of Jaranwala was hurtful and disrespectful. The provincial minister for human rights and minorities never visited this place and completely ignored the demand for justice. That is why we have decided to boycott the by-elections in Punjab, scheduled for the coming weeks. We must demonstrate our strength as citizens and as voters. In areas where the minority vote is decisive, candidates make promises just to get our vote, but then they forget about us. Now they will have to prove their loyalty to Jaranwala and take concrete measures to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future. by Stefano Caprio While in Ukraine the conflict is entirely internal to Orthodoxy, on the shores of the Baltic Sea it is the great Christian traditions of all Europe that are vying for a small piece of land and a small people, on which the destinies of all others are concentrated. Among the battlegrounds is the historic Pjukhtitskij convent, located just twe Estonia has long been on alert for a possible new special operation by Russia, similar to the one in Ukraine, which is still far from over. The northernmost of the three states bordering the Baltic Sea, together with Latvia and Lithuania, has always been one of the sensitive targets of Russia's imperial ambitions. In the 16th century, it was attacked by Ivan the Terrible, when this area was called Livonia, with the explicit intention of imposing Russia as the Third Rome throughout Eurasia, from the Baltics to the last Tatar-Mongol khanates, from Turkey to Siberia. In Narva, Estonia's main port, in the early 18th century, the young Peter the Great suffered his most humiliating defeat at the hands of the Swedes, commanded by the 15-year-old King Charles XIII, and to make up for it, the Russian emperor had to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of Russian lives to build the new capital of St Petersburg in the evil lagoon a little further north, the New Rome that projected Russia onto the Baltic and the whole of Europe. Now Narva marks the border point - of ukraina - between Estonia and Russia on the river from which the Estonian name of the city derives, which the Russians call Ivangorod, Ivan's city, in honour of the first tsar. The armies of the two sides are deployed on the banks of the river, with a clear imbalance in favour of the Russians and growing fears on the Western side, considering that Estonia is part of the EU and NATO. This was also the site of an important battle during the Second World War, after Stalin had signed a pact with Hitler, signed by foreign ministers Vjaceslav Molotov and Joachim von Ribbentrop on 23 August 1939. The three Baltic countries were granted to Soviet rule, and when the Nazis decided to invade the USSR with Operation Barbarossa in 1941, it was the Estonians who were the most convinced supporters of Hitler's regime, hoping to free themselves from Russian oppression. Today, in the event of an attack, they would proclaim the liberation of the Estonians from Nazism with even greater conviction than the Ukrainians. Even more than Narva, the Russians claim the Russianness of the country's second city after the capital Tallinn, Tartu (Yuriev for the Russians, Dorpat for the Germans) on the Emajygi River, which according to ancient chronicles was founded by Prince Yaroslav the Wise, son of Vladimir the Baptiser, who later assumed the title of Grand Prince of Kiev and unifier of the principalities of Rus'. Here, conflicts have followed one another throughout various historical periods, from the free republic of Novgorod to the Livonian Order of the Teutonic Knights, the Reczpospolita of Poland and Lithuania and the Kingdom of Sweden, up to the Russian Empire and the Socialist Republic of Estonia in the USSR. The Soviets concentrated the best specialists in Slavic studies at the University of Tartu, above all the father of semiotics, Yuri Lotman, but also Boris Uspensky, Vyacheslav Ivanov and many others. The Estonian population is less than 1.5 million, yet ethnic percentages have great symbolic significance, with 25% of Russian speakers now increasingly being pushed to return to their homeland. The Estonian language is of Finno-Ugric origin, spread across Europe from north to east and west, related to Hungarian and Basque, but the Russian language is difficult to eradicate from the cultural and social life of the population. This is all the more so because, in addition to linguistic differences, religious differences also count for a lot, with the Russians' centuries-old claim to impose Orthodoxy on a people who were greatly Latinised by the Teutons and therefore mostly entrusted to the free Christian profession of the Lutherans, who reached Estonia as early as 1523, six years after Martin Luther's theses on indulgences. For these reasons, Estonia is the scene of an atomic confrontation between Christian denominations, in some respects much more dangerous than that of nuclear warheads. While in Ukraine the conflict is entirely within Orthodoxy, on the shores of the Baltic Sea it is the great Christian traditions of the whole of Europe that are vying for a small land and a small people, in which the destinies of all others are concentrated. It is no coincidence that the last Patriarch of Moscow of the 20th century, Alexy II, predecessor and tutor of the current Kirill (Gundjaev), was an Estonian nobleman of Teutonic descent, as attested by his surname Ridiger, the Baron Alexis von Rudiger who led the Russian Church from 1990 to 2008, bishop of Tallinn from 1961 to 1978, then metropolitan of Leningrad until his election as patriarch at the end of the Soviet era. As patriarch, he wanted to grant the Estonian Church autonomy similar to that granted to the Ukrainian Church, which demanded autocephaly as an autonomous Church within the Moscow Patriarchate. However, Estonia also had an Orthodox Church dependent on the Patriarchate of Constantinople, established in 1922 with a Tomos of autocephaly, which was later suppressed by the Soviets. After the end of the USSR, this became a major source of contention with the Russian-Estonian Patriarch Alexy himself, anticipating what would happen in Ukraine in the following years. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Estonian parliament demanded that all Orthodox Christians in the country sever all ties with the Moscow Patriarchate, under penalty of suppression of jurisdiction, incorporating it into the autocephalous Constantinople Patriarchate. As in Ukraine, this process is provoking strong reactions and great confusion among the faithful. A particularly striking case concerns one of the strongholds of Russian Orthodoxy in Estonia, the Pjukhtitskij convent, just twenty kilometres from the Russian border. It was founded in the late 19th century on the site of a miraculous apparition of the Mother of God, called pjukhtitsa, which in Estonian means holy place; a kind of Russian-Estonian Lourdes where healings took place through immersion in the river waters, and where a farmer had found a miraculous icon of Mary with the Baby Jesus in a crack in an oak tree. Even today, it is a destination for pilgrimages, which continued even during the Soviet era, when the monastery was the only female religious community permitted by the Moscow authorities. Today, almost a hundred nuns live in the monastery, and the Tallinn Interior Ministry has recently described it as the symbol of the Russian world in our country, where religion, nationalism and imperial nostalgia overlap, insisting on the need to close it down permanently, which could indeed prompt the Russians to invade the Baltic country as well. Igumena Filaretja, superior of the monastery, protested vehemently, saying, 'Think of your children, who have a good father, and they want to force them to accept another father who has lots of oranges in his fridge... Doesn't that seem like deception and betrayal to you? The nuns categorically refuse to break with Kirill's patriarchy, accused by Estonians of being one of the main inspirers of Putin's war. The igumena insists that we are not participating in any war, everyone knows that, many people follow our celebrations by connecting to our website, there is no need to come and visit us in person, listen to who we pray for, for peace throughout the world... We are not responsible for all the words of our patriarch, we just want to be faithful to our tradition. The 95 nuns live independently, working the fields and raising animals, with a large apiary for honey production, which is highly appreciated not only in Estonia and Russia. Yet they are relentlessly accused of Russophobia, as local Orthodox priests complain, to the point that The Telegraph published a long article entitled Russia uses nuns as spies and propaganda agitators in Estonia. The priests of the Constantinople jurisdiction insist on the need to counter the heretical ideology of the Russian world, which characterises the magisterium of Patriarch Kirill. Father Aleksandr (Sarapik), parish priest of the Church of the Transfiguration in Tallinn, where he celebrates the Orthodox liturgy in Estonian, tells Currentime the story of his vocation, when as a young man he sought answers to his thirst for rebirth in faith among Lutherans, Baptists and Catholics, until he felt truly welcomed only in the Orthodox Church, where he was ordained a priest in the 1980s in the Moscow Patriarchate. When, in the 1990s, the local Orthodox split between Moscow and Constantinople, we saw the world ignite in a new holy war, says Father Aleksandr, as if we had returned to the Middle Ages in the crusades against the Muslims, and today Patriarch Kirill must answer for his words and actions before God. In Estonia, in the far north of Europe, people live in anticipation of a new apocalypse, praying in monasteries and churches in different languages, hoping that the Most High will understand all those who truly want peace. RUSSIAN WORLD IS THE ASIANEWS NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO RUSSIA. WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE IT EVERY SATURDAY? TO SUBSCRIBE, CLICK HERE. Champion local news. Join our community of readers who value daily beat reporting and in-depth stories alike. Your membership allows us to continue the legacy of local, independent journalism in the Roaring Fork Valley. With your support, we can remain a free and accessible source of news for everyone, always without paywalls or corporate influence. Together, we can ensure that vital local stories are told. 6 September 2025 08:30 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more In todays hyperconnected world, cyberattacks have become one of the most significant challenges facing nations globally, and Azerbaijan is no exception. As governments and societies increasingly rely on digital infrastructure, the risks of cyber intrusion, data breaches, and information warfare are rising exponentially. For Azerbaijan, positioned at the crossroads of critical geopolitical interests, cyber threats are not just technical nuisances but potent tools that can undermine national security, economic stability, and political sovereignty. Understanding the nature, scale, and implications of these attacks is essential to grasp the evolving cybersecurity landscape and Azerbaijans strategic responses to this modern battlefield. Cyber attacks against Azerbaijan have become a persistent and escalating challenge, targeting both state institutions and private citizens daily. This continuous threat was underscored by Tural Mammadov, Deputy Head of the Main Department of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Security (SCIS), who confirmed that cyber incidents fluctuate in volume but remain a constant concern. Mammadov highlighted that Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are observed daily, alongside phishing campaigns and cyber operations carried out via email and increasingly popular platforms such as Telegram. These attacks are systematically monitored by specialized teams, with investigations and countermeasures activated when significant threats emerge. The results of these investigations are shared across relevant institutions to identify and neutralize the perpetrators. Major General Allahverdi Ismayilov, Deputy Head of SCIS, emphasized the critical nature of these attacks in a broader geopolitical context. According to global statistics, over 40% of cyber attacks on state institutions in the first half of 2024 targeted critical infrastructure, revealing that any security vulnerability can rapidly escalate into a strategic risk. He pointed out that beyond technical flaws, weaknesses in management and organizational culture remain key factors behind data breaches in state information resources. To address this, Azerbaijan has launched the Bug Bounty program to engage the broader cybersecurity community in protecting state systems, signaling a shift toward transparency and collaboration. The human dimension of cybercrime is equally alarming. Hackers increasingly exploit personal data for financial fraud, with the Ministry of Internal Affairs reporting over 6 million AZN lost by citizens to cyber fraud in just the first four months of 2025. During the same period, more than 6,000 citizens and nearly 100 state employees became victims of cyberattacks. Statistics from the SCIS reveal that between January and August 2025, 612 cyberattack indicators were detected against government agencies - a slight decrease compared to the previous year. Despite a 25% reduction in attacks during August, the overall threat landscape remains volatile, with over a thousand attacks recorded throughout 2024 alone. Political dimensions of cyber warfare Cyber attacks in Azerbaijan are not solely technical or economic challenges; their political ramifications are profound. In the era of hybrid warfare, cyber operations serve as strategic tools for influence and disruption. A recent case illustrating this occurred shortly after President Ilham Aliyevs interview with Saudi Arabias Al-Arabiya TV channel on August 27, 2025. Following the broadcast, the Milli Majlis (Parliament of Azerbaijan) Commission against Foreign Interventions and Hybrid Threats reported a coordinated information campaign emanating from Russia, aimed at distorting Azerbaijans positions and fueling anti-Azerbaijani sentiment within Russian society. This campaign leveraged Russian social media platforms - some of which are restricted domestically - bots, and targeted advertisements to spread disinformation and threaten Azerbaijans sovereignty. This incident underscores how cyberattacks intersect with political disinformation, espionage, and hybrid threats. Targeted cyber operations seek not only to disrupt information systems but also to manipulate public opinion and undermine national cohesion. The nature of recent cyberattacks on Azerbaijan's critical information infrastructure suggests a high level of sophistication. The attacks go beyond typical DDoS assaults, aiming to seize control of serversa task unlikely to be executed by amateur hackers. Such operations often require expertise and resources indicative of state-sponsored actors or highly skilled cybercriminal groups. A prominent example is the DDoS attack on Delta Telecom, one of Azerbaijans principal backbone internet providers, in August 2025. The Ministry of Digital Development and Transport quickly rerouted traffic through alternative backbone operators, Azertelecom and Aztelecom, ensuring uninterrupted internet access. Osman Gunduz, President of the Azerbaijan Internet Forum, highlighted this incidents significance: The existence of multiple backbone operators providing Azerbaijan with global internet access allows us to minimize losses and quickly restore services during critical situations. This clearly demonstrates the importance of competition and alternative infrastructure for national digital resilience. Gunduz further noted that, given the strained political relations between Baku and Moscow, Russia remains a plausible source of such cyberattacks. Azerbaijans heavy reliance on internet routes passing through Russia exposes it to strategic vulnerabilities, especially since Russia has previously targeted Azerbaijani energy sector infrastructure abroad. This series of attacks reinforces that securing Azerbaijans critical infrastructure is not just a technical issue but a strategic national security imperative. Digital sovereignty hinges on both robust internal defenses and reducing dependencies on external actors. In this light, accelerating projects like the Trans-Caspian fiber-optic corridor, diversifying internet traffic routes, and developing independent international connectivity options are vital for Azerbaijans cybersecurity and overall resilience. Cybersecurity in Azerbaijan is a complex, multidimensional challenge that blends technical, political, and social elements. The ongoing cyber threats require continuous vigilance, international cooperation, and strategic investment in infrastructure diversity. With rising geopolitical tensions in the region, Azerbaijans efforts to build a resilient digital ecosystem will be crucial for safeguarding its national interests and maintaining stability in an increasingly contested cyber landscape. 6 September 2025 17:35 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijan and Qatars Power International Holding have discussed expanding cooperation in the energy sector and exploring opportunities for joint projects. According to Azernews, Azerbaijani Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov announced the talks on his account on X (formerly Twitter). As part of our visit to Qatar, we met with Ramez Al-Khayyat, President and Group CEO of Power International Holding. During the discussions, we emphasized the particular importance of advancing mutually beneficial initiatives. We also explored opportunities to broaden cooperation in energy sector and to implement prospective joint projects, Jabbarov stated. China's agreement to join New York Declaration in line with its consistent position on Palestinian question: Chinese FM Xinhua) 11:28, September 06, 2025 BEIJING, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- China agreed to join the New York Declaration, which is in line with China's consistent position on the Palestinian question, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday. Spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks at a daily news briefing when answering a related media query about the outcome document of the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. Noting that the Palestinian question is at the core of the Middle East issue, Guo said the Palestinian question is now at a crucial juncture. "We support all efforts that are conducive to the political settlement of the question. We will continue to work with the international community to make unremitting efforts towards the end of the fighting in Gaza, deescalation of the humanitarian crisis, implementation of the two-State solution, and the ultimate, comprehensive, just and lasting resolution of the Palestinian question," Guo said. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Kou Jie) GHA Summer Student Placement Encourages Future Careers in Health Sector 37 students from Bayside, Westside, Prior Park and the Gibraltar College complete 2025 GHA Summer Placement Programme. His Majestys Government of Gibraltar is proud to announce the successful completion of the Gibraltar Health Authoritys annual Summer Student Placement Programme for 2025, which this year welcomed 37 A-Level students. The two-week programme, designed to provide aspiring healthcare professionals with real-world experience in a clinical setting, concluded with a presentation ceremony earlier today hosted by the Minister for Health and Care, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez. The initiative has offered invaluable exposure to the day-to-day operations of St Bernards Hospital and other GHA services, supporting students in making informed decisions as they prepare to pursue health-related degrees in fields such as Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing and the Allied Health Professions. Applications opened earlier this year, targeting students intending to enter healthcare degree programmes in the coming years. As part of the selection process, the GHA worked closely with academic leads from Prior Park, Westside, Bayside and Gibraltar College to review applicants academic performance and future ambitions. Each student was allocated to departments aligned with their indicated areas of interest. The placement programme forms part of the Governments policy to recruit Gibraltarians into roles within the GHA, and is also a key element of the GHAs long-term workforce planning strategy. The GHA Director General, Kevin McGee, said: We are delighted to open our doors to bright local youngsters interested in joining us upon completion of their university studies. These two-week placements are an excellent opportunity for students to gain early exposure and valuable insights that will help them to better understand the pressures and commitments that are part of a career at St Bernards Hospital or any other GHA section. This experience will also assist them in making informed decisions before committing to a specific healthcare pathway at university. I would also like to express my appreciation to Darrien Ramos, Senior Executive Officer (GHA Workforce), who has once again ably led this initiative, and to Andrew Gordon and other educational leads instrumental in the success of the placement programme. The Minister for Health and Care, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez, said:It is Government policy to, in so far as possible, recruit locals into the GHA. I was therefore very keen to ensure the GHA held a summer student programme for aspiring health professionals. It is very important that we invest in our young people, providing them with opportunities such as this one to gain exposure and experience that will inspire them to return to the GHA as qualified professionals. I very much hope that many of the students who took part in our summer programme this year will go on to become the doctors, nurses and allied health professionals we will all one day depend on. 6 September 2025 12:40 (UTC+04:00) A delegation led by Ahmad Ismayilov, Executive Director of the Media Development Agency (MDA) of Azerbaijan, including representatives from the Social Research Center, the Center for Analysis of International Relations, and the MDA itself, is participating in the Global South Media and Think Tanks Forum held in Yunnan Province, China, Azernews reports. According to the Media Development Agency, the opening ceremony of the forum took place on September 6, 2025, bringing together nearly 500 participants representing over 260 institutions from 110 countries. The forum unites representatives from media, think tanks, government bodies, the business sector, and academic institutions, providing a platform for in-depth discussions on building consensus for peace, identifying factors promoting development, exploring new avenues of cooperation, and advancing dialogue between civilizations. As part of the forum, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on media cooperation was exchanged between Ahmad Ismayilov and Fu Hua, President of Chinas Xinhua News Agency, representing the Media Development Agency of Azerbaijan and Xinhua News Agency, respectively. The forum also includes key events such as the plenary session, the 4th Yunnan International Communication Forum, the Artificial Intelligence Technology and Media Forum, the Global South Think Tanks Forum, the Global South Youth Dialogue, and the Global South World Heritage Forum. 6 September 2025 15:25 (UTC+04:00) Budapest hosted an AzerbaijanHungary Business Forum as part of the 11th meeting of the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation between the governments of Azerbaijan and Hungary. The event brought together representatives from both the public and private sectors, Azernews reports. The co-chairs of the Joint Commission Azerbaijans Minister of Labor and Social Protection Sahil Babayev and Hungarys Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto addressed the forum. Minister Babayev emphasized that while governments establish the framework for cooperation, it is the business community and investors who translate agreements into concrete projects. He noted that the forum serves as an important platform for building partnerships, encouraging innovation, and expanding into new markets. Highlighting Azerbaijans commitment to diversification, resilience, and openness, Babayev invited Hungarian companies to invest in Azerbaijan, while stressing that Azerbaijani firms are also eager to explore new opportunities in Hungary and across the European Union. Within the framework of the forum, Azerbaijans Hieronica Limited and Hungarys Export Promotion Agency (HEPA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Business leaders also held bilateral meetings and discussions on future cooperation. In total, more than 90 companies participated in the forum, including 30 from Azerbaijan. 6 September 2025 10:00 (UTC+04:00) On August 30, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans aircraft flew through Azerbaijani airspace on an overseas trip, returning to Armenia on the night of September 6, Azernews reports, citing local media outlets. The information was confirmed by the Prime Ministers press secretary, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, in response to a media inquiry. She explained that following the Washington meeting on August 8, which focused on advancing peace, Armenias relevant authorities requested an air corridor from Azerbaijan for the Prime Ministers flight and received a positive response. We consider this fact to be a practical step toward opening regional communications, promoting the peace agenda, and fostering an environment of mutual trust, Baghdasaryan stated. She also recalled that Azerbaijani aircraft have long used Armenian airspace to connect the countrys mainland with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. 6 September 2025 20:45 (UTC+04:00) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has once again declined Russian President Vladimir Putins proposal to hold negotiations in Moscow, Azernews reports. In an interview with ABC News, Zelensky stated that he could not accept Putins offer for bilateral peace talks in the Russian capital. Putin can come to Kyiv. I cannot go to Moscow because my country is under daily missile attacks, Zelensky underscored. The Ukrainian leader emphasized that someone unwilling to meet under wartime conditions could make unrealistic and unacceptable proposals: Its the same as if I demanded that he come to Kyiv. Zelensky also suggested that Putins proposal is, in effect, an attempt to delay the talks. 6 September 2025 21:50 (UTC+04:00) Polands Foreign Ministry has called on its citizens currently in Belarus to leave the country without delay. According to Azernews, ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski issued the warning in a statement broadcast by the RMF24 radio station. This is not a democratic country, and it is not a friendly country toward Poland. I would like this warning to be taken with the utmost seriousness, Wronski said. He cautioned that in the event of escalating tensions, the evacuation of Polish citizens from Belarus could become extremely difficult or even impossible. Hard on the heels of another New Jersey Democrat mayor publicly endorsing Republican candidate for governor State Sen. Jack Ciattarrelli, Garfield, New Jersey's Democrat Mayor Everette Garnto, Jr. announced that he was switching his own party affiliation to Republican and also endorsing Ciattarrelli. Garnto is a retired police officer and former school board member before being elected mayor. Mayor Garnto blamed "sky-high taxes, soaring electric bills, and less safe communities" on the policies of outgoing Democrat Governor Phil Murphy. "The state is broken" he declared and urged that Ciattarrelli was the candidate who could fix it. New Jersey will vote for governor and other state offices in November 2025, one of two states that vote this year. Like Maryland, New Jersey's electric bills have soared as a result of Democrats pushing wind and solar over more reliable and cheap sources of electricity. https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/09/05/democrat-nj-mayor-switches-parties-endorses-republican-jack-ciattarelli-for-governor/ Gibraltar Contingency Council Convenes to Review Security Landscape On 4th September 2025, His Excellency the Governor, Lieutenant General Sir Ben Bathurst KCVO,CBE, and the Chief Minister, The Hon. Fabian Picardo KC MP, jointly chaired a meeting of the Gibraltar Contingency Council (GCC). Also in attendance were the Deputy Chief Minister, The Hon. Dr Joseph Garcia CMG MP, and the Minister for Health, Care and Business, The Hon. Gemma Arias-Vasquez MP. This meeting marked the first GCC attendance for the Commissioner of Police, Owain Richards, since his appointment on 1st July 2025. The Council conducted a comprehensive review of the current security environment, with particular focus on the broader implications of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Discussions also addressed recent terrorist incidents across Europe and neighbouring regions, as well as the growing threat posed by cyber attacks. Following its assessment, the GCC confirmed that Gibraltars terrorism threat level remains at MODERATE, indicating that an attack is possible but not likely. Importantly, there is no specific intelligence suggesting a direct threat to Gibraltar at this time. The Governor and Chief Minister expressed their appreciation for the continued dedication of Gibraltars Emergency Services and Law Enforcement Agencies, particularly in managing recent incidents and high-profile events. The Governor and Chief Minister also praised the work of the Emergency Services to keep the community safe as they finalise preparations for next weeks National Day. The GCC continues to encourage members of the public to remain vigilant and to report any concerns related to security or law enforcement to the Royal Gibraltar Police. Calls for police and military to foot legal bill after delays in case probing security force collusion The DUP and UUP have ruled out strike action (Stock image) The Alliance Party has ruled out taking part in strike action by councillors over pay, joining the DUP and the UUP. On Friday, both unionist parties moved to distance themselves from a consultation launched this week by the National Association of Councillors Northern Ireland Region which is seeking views on possible industrial action. Its in response to the ministerial review of councillor pay and responsibilities. In a statement, Alliance Party Chair Councillor Peter Lavery has said under no circumstances will the party participate in strike action or work-to-rule. He was speaking after a meeting of Alliance councillors to discuss a letter from the National Association of Councillors seeking views on potential options for industrial action. Following the meeting, Councillor Lavery said: Alliance will not be participating in any form of strike action or work-to-rule by councillors. At a time when working families are struggling with the rising cost-of-living and public services are under strain, our focus is on continuing to work hard for the communities we have the privilege to serve. That is not just our job, but our duty as elected representatives. Weve seen the damage caused when the DUP and Sinn Fein have downed tools at Stormont, with the public left to pay the price. Any repeat of that dysfunction in council chambers would erode public confidence not just in local government, but in politics itself. This is the unanimous view of the Alliance Association of Councillors and we will be making this clear in our response to the NAC. Earlier this week, the DUP Councillors Association said the consultation letter, signed by Alliance councillor Alan McDowell and SDLP councillor Joe Boyle, had no input from their party. In a joint statement, officers Paul McLean, Robert Adair, Alison Bennington and James Lawlor said: We have spoken extensively to colleagues in the DUP and our collective message is that we will not be participating in any form of strike action. For us we serve the people and throughout Northern Ireland we are on the front-line, alongside our MLA and Parliamentary colleagues every day. DUP representatives consider it an honour to work for and serve our local communities and our commitment is to continue to make a difference on the ground. The statement accused the consultation of being an attack on DUP Minister Gordon Lyons and said councillor pay had been endorsed by all Executive ministers, including Alliance. The Ulster Unionist Party also ruled out supporting any form of strike or work-to-rule. Cllr David Taylor, chair of the UUP Councillors Association, said: The Ulster Unionist Party makes clear that it does not support any suggestion of strike action or work to rule following the Ministerial Review of the Roles and Responsibilities of Councillors in Northern Ireland. Such action would not serve the interests of local government or the communities we represent. Our priority as a Party is to ensure that constituents and local ratepayers receive effective representation. We remain focused on delivery and the efficient running of councils, and we believe strike action would only distract from those responsibilities. The National Association of Councillors consultation follows growing anger among some representatives who argue the current system leaves councillors underpaid compared with counterparts in other parts of the UK. The DUP and UUP have ruled out strike action (Stock image) The Duchess of Kent has died aged 92, Buckingham Palace announces Councillors are paid a basic allowance which is intended to recognise their time commitment. The maximum annual allowance is 18,329. Earlier this week, some councillors warned that industrial action was indefensible but necessary to force change, while others branded the idea damaging and unrealistic. But the National Association of Councillors Northern Ireland (NAC NI), which represents all local councillors, said it is hoping to achieve a fairer deal. Councillors have been advised to respond by September 19. Paddy Raff will be the first to tell you that as a young boy on a school trip to Belfasts Grand Opera House he could never have imagined treading the boards of the famous venue himself. 11.8m investment helps contribute to student numbers increasing by 510 Ulster Universitys Magee campus has seen its most significant yearly rise in student numbers in more than a decade. It follows the biggest single year investment at the campus when compared to the past 12 years. Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act show that in 2024/25 the Department for Economy (DfE) spent 11.8m on the Londonderry campus. That investment has contributed to a year-on-year increase in student numbers of 510 more than the total for the previous 10 years combined up to April 2023, when student places climbed by 421. A sizeable chunk of funding went towards acquiring property close to the campus at Timberquay which will allow the university to accommodate hundreds of new students this academic year. FoI responses cover the 12-year period to April this year. For the first four of those years, higher education was the responsibility of the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL). Since then universities have been under the remit of the economy department. Several DUP ministers headed up DfE since 2016 minus the years the institutions were down with Sinn Fein taking the portfolio for the first time in February 2024. An investment of 11.8m in the last financial year is more than 8.3m that was allocated in the five-year period from 2018/19 to 2022/23. The most invested at Magee in a single financial year prior to Sinn Fein heading the department, was 4.9m in 2017/18, when no minister was in post as a result of devolution collapsing. Prior to 2016, Alliances Stephen Farry was Employment and Learning Minister. During his tenure, Mr Farry scaled back Magee expansion plans blaming financial pressures, according to Hansard records. In the 10 years to April 2023, student numbers at Magee increased by 421, going from 4,719 to 5,140, based on figures provided by Ulster University under FoI legislation. In 2023/24 the figure was 5,335. Then in 2024/25 it was 5,845 an increase of 510 year-on-year. A campus-high of 6,000 students is expected at Magee this month. As investment at Magee stagnated between 2013 and 2023, UUs Belfast and Jordanstown campuses benefited from 201m that included a 174m loan to complete its new city centre campus which ended up costing in excess of 364m. In recent years, DUP opposition to expanding Magee was evidenced both privately and publicly. Information obtained under the FoI Act shows that DUP MLA Gordon Lyons wrote to then Economy Minister Diane Dodds and her special advisor Alastair Ross in March 2020. In the correspondence, he expressed concerns on behalf of one UU student, about the potential relocation of allied health courses to Derry instead of Coleraine. He told Mrs Dodds: Higher education policy for allied health sits with the Department of Health and not this department, however this department allocates funding for these courses through the core grant allocation, on the basis of health advice. That letter was sent two months after the signing of the New Decade, New Approach deal, which committed to expanding Magee to 10,000 students. When it was announced that allied health courses would be transferred to Magee, Mrs Dodds said she was disappointed and made it very clear to the vice chancellor that UU was dependent on funding from my department. Mr Lyons would go on to become Economy Minister in July 2021. As the party with the most MLAs and councillors in Derry, Sinn Fein and the SDLP have faced criticism for the lack of movement at Magee. In response, Foyle MLA Padraig Delargy reiterated his partys commitment to see the campus hit 10,000 students in the next seven years. Sinn Fein taking up the economy portfolio has been a gamechanger for regional balance and for the Magee expansion in particular, he said. Since taking up office the Magee Taskforce has been established to develop and oversee a plan to reach 10,000 students by 2032. This plan is being backed up with dedicated resources, and the land needed to reach 10,000 students has been purchased. SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan said establishing a fit for purpose university in the city has always been a top priority for the party. We understand the potential to drive the local economy and create opportunities for our city and its people, he said. During the New Decade, New Approach talks we made expanding Magee to at least 10,000 students a red line and its deeply regrettable that this has not been delivered upon by the Executive. We welcome the increased investment at Magee and support from the Irish Government, but recognise there is still a long way to go. We will continue to fight for the progress our city and people need. The Department for the Economy said Minister Caoimhe Archibald, is determined to increase investment in Derry as part of her commitment to regional balance. This commitment to the region will continue under her stewardship of the Department, a statement added. The DUP and Ulster University were contacted. Fianna Fail MEP Billy Kelleher and former Dublin football manager Jim Gavin will formally go head-to-head for the partys nomination to contest the presidential election. The party had opened a nomination process which required a potential candidate to secure support of at least five members of the parliamentary party. As that process closed on Friday, Mr Kelleher had secured far fewer public endorsements from Fianna Fail TDs, senators and MEPs than Mr Gavin who also enjoys the support of party leadership, including Taoiseach Micheal Martin. The names of the two hopefuls will go to a secret ballot on Tuesday, after which the party will declare the winning candidate. Jim Gavin, former Dublin GAA football manager (Conor OMearain/PA) Mr Kelleher said he would be engaging with party colleagues ahead of the vote. The purpose of this is to ensure that we have an interrogation of the candidates, that we have an interrogation of ideas and values, and that we put forward a candidate that actually reflects the Fianna Fail values that we want to take into the campaign. Speaking to RTEs Six One News, he said: I think its important in a democratic party like Fianna Fail, that we do have a healthy debate. Asked about whether he believes he will be successful, given that Mr Gavin had 31 public endorsements when only 36 is needed for a majority, Mr Kelleher said: Thats the beauty about the process in the sense that it is going to be a secret ballot. Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern (Brian Lawless/PA) The MEP rejected claims that a vote for him would undermine Mr Martins leadership and added that he was unaware of Mr Gavins interest when he first approached the idea of running. Asked if he would not have put himself forward if he had known about the leaderships support for Mr Gavin, Mr Kelleher said: I still believe that there should be a contest. I dont believe in coronations. I think we have to get people into the ring. They have to be able to present and articulate their views, to express themselves. Pressed on whether he was saying that Mr Gavin could not do that, he replied: I can only speak for myself. I speak regularly. I engage with colleagues, I have been debating my entire life. I stand on my record. Independent TD Catherine Connolly (Brian Lawless/PA) Former Fianna Fail leader and taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who had canvassed party leadership about backing a potential bid, announced he would not be entering the race. Mr Ahern ruled himself out of contention late on Thursday night after expressing a view that he had never seen leadership not get its way on these things. So far, left-wing independent Catherine Connolly, who has the backing of various opposition parties, and former Fine Gael minister Heather Humphreys are the only candidates who have secured the support needed to get on the presidential ballot paper. Sinn Fein has yet to announce whether or not it will back Ms Connolly, or if it will nominate its own candidate before the window closes on September 24. Michael Flatley (Niall Carson/PA) Meanwhile, former weather forecaster Joanna Donnelly and Riverdance star Michael Flatley announced they were no longer pursuing their bids for the office. Mr Flatley said he had to put his family and health first, adding: I feel I can better serve the Irish people by continuing my work promoting Ireland and Irish culture globally. Ms Donnelly told supporters she came to understand she was underprepared for a tilt at the Aras, saying in a social media post: I was naive to think I could meet the challenges of the campaign. The presidential election will be held on Friday October 24. To be eligible to run, a candidate must be nominated either by 20 members of the Oireachtas or four local authorities. Conor McGregor (Brian Lawless/PA) They also must be an Irish citizen over the age of 35. Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor has appealed to the public to back his bid to convince councillors to nominate him to run for president. Earlier this year, McGregor lost his appeal against a civil jurys finding in favour of Dublin woman Nikita Hand, who accused him of rape. Ms Hand, 35, successfully sued McGregor in a civil court over an incident in which he was alleged to have brutally raped and battered her in a penthouse at a south Dublin hotel in December 2018. Ms Hand was awarded almost 250,000 euro in damages and McGregor was also ordered to pay about 1.3 million euro in legal costs following the November trial. This is just the latest incident on the troubled Talbot Street This is the moment a man was brutally attacked on Dublins Talbot Street in an incident that was caught on camera. The footage shows the victim stumbling on the street before he sits down beside a woman who is apparently begging for change outside the Spar shop. He has just sat down beside her when another man approaches from just outside the camera frame and appears to exchange a few words with the man sitting on the ground. He then suddenly attacks the sitting man with a flurry of punches to the head, leaving his victim dazed by the blows. The woman who had been sitting beside the man who is attacked gets up in shock and leaves the scene. The attacker then walks way while his victim is left sitting on the ground. Clearly suffering the effects of the assault, he stumbles and drops his jacket before making his way further along the street. This is just the latest incident on the troubled city centre street that has seen a number of attacks, some of which were also caught on camera. In April, CCTV footage of another fight saw one man being sucker punched in the face before two more vicious punches were landed on him. The road was left bloodied as the victim ran to safety on the far side of the road. The disgraceful incident happened just yards from where American tourist Stephen Termini suffered horrific injuries in July 2023. Just last September an appalling gang brawl took place on the corner of Talbot Street and James Joyce Street. And back in March of this year CCTV caught a vicious machete attack on the same street which instigate the Government approved facelift of the busy street. Remarkably, the street in Dublins inner city had just undergone a 2m overhaul as the Irish Government attempted to convince Dubliners that the streets are safe. Supporters of Palestine Action took part in a mass action in Parliament Square last month (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Hundreds of people are expected to risk arrest in support of banned terror group Palestine Action during protests on Saturday. Demonstrators are set to take action in London, Belfast and Edinburgh, holding signs saying: I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action. But the Metropolitan Police has stated that anyone attending the demonstration in Westminster will be acting unlawfully and could face arrest. Defend Our Juries (DOJ) said the action is planned on condition of at least 1,000 people pledging support, but hundreds more are said to be planning to take part, with a boost in support after a number of activists involved in organising the protests were arrested under terror laws. Attendees are expected to refuse street bail, requiring more people to be taken into custody, and they plan to go floppy, forcing officers to physically carry them away. Scotland Yards Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said: Palestine Action is a group that has been proscribed by the UK Government. It is a criminal offence to be a member of it or to express support for it. Those participating in this protest and in previous such protests do so knowing that their actions are unlawful. I can be unequivocal, if you show support for Palestine Action an offence under the Terrorism Act you will be arrested. We have the officer numbers, custody capacity and all other resources to process as many people as is required. DOJ said on Friday that it had sent a letter to Sir Mark Rowley ahead of the protest in Westminster. It said police forces in Edinburgh, Totnes, Derry and Kendall had all decided not to arrest sign-holders. It comes after six people who are alleged to be members of the DOJ, or working closely with it, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on Thursday to deny terror offences after they were accused of attempting to organise mass gatherings with the aim of rendering the ban on Palestine Action unenforceable. The charges related to plans for meetings in London, Cardiff and Manchester that were allegedly organised over Zoom in July, August and this month. On Friday, the Crown Prosecution Service said a further 24 people were charged over allegedly showing support for the group, bringing the total number being prosecuted to 138. Palestine Action was banned as a terror organisation in July after the group claimed responsibility for an action in which two Voyager planes were damaged at RAF Brize Norton on June 20. The Home Office is set to appeal against the High Court ruling allowing Palestine Actions co-founder Huda Ammori to proceed with a legal challenge against the Government over the groups ban. Ms Ammori took legal action against the department over Home Secretary Yvette Coopers decision to proscribe the group under anti-terror laws, which made membership of, or support for, the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Minister Arias-Vasquez opens applications for second round of COVID Fund The Minister for Health and Care, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez, has today announced the opening of the second round of applications for funding from the COVID Fund. The Fund was established from donations made by members of the public and commercial entities during the COVID-19 pandemic to support Gibraltars health and care services. In January 2025, following a public consultation process and review by the independent COVID-19 Fund Referral Panel, 585,000 was allocated to a range of projects including hospital accessibility upgrades, new medical equipment, community health campaigns, and specialist healthcare training. For Round Two, the Fund will again be open to proposals from individuals, organisations, charities, and community groups. The COVID-19 Fund Referral Panel, comprised of three healthcare professionals and two lay members, will review all submissions against the established criteria. The Panel will only recommend funding for projects where the money: Supports initiatives that improve and promote the health of the community including both physical and mental health. Is invested in equipment that improves the patient/public experience in the service being received. Promotes sustainable solutions which have a lasting positive impact on health and care services. Develops the workforce of the future through investment in learning and training. Funding will NOT be awarded to: A single charity or individual. Create new roles or jobs that would increase recurrent expenditure and organisational cost pressures. Fund projects that are already ongoing and have identified funding through alternative routes. Submissions can be made by emailing the Ministry for Health, Care and Business on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . The deadline for submissions is 4.30pm on Friday 10th October 2025. The Minister for Health and Care, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez, said: The COVID-19 Fund belongs to the people of Gibraltar. It represents the generosity, solidarity and care shown by our community during the most difficult days of the pandemic. Round Two gives us another opportunity to invest that generosity into projects that deliver tangible, lasting benefits for our health and care services and the wellbeing of our community. I encourage everyone with an idea that meets the criteria to apply and help us create a positive legacy from this shared experience. A swift policy change from Massachusetts has cleared the way for pharmacies to administer COVID booster shots to all Massachusetts residents ages 5 and older, and the cost will be covered by health insurance providers. A close-knit rural community was left in fear after a man was found dead in Co Armagh on Thursday. The victim has been named by police as Christopher Chrissy Burns, 40, who was originally from the Warrenpoint area in Co Down. A 39-year-old man remains in custody after being arrested on suspicion of murder. Mr Burns was found with serious head and facial injuries at the scene in the Cusher Green area of Mountnorris on Thursday morning. A cordon remained in place on Friday and forensic experts attended the scene. Two bouquets of flowers were laid at the scene by members of the public. TUV councillor Keith Ratcliffe said there was a very deep feeling of shock in the small village, which he said was made up of a few homes, a Presbyterian church and a small primary school. Advertisement Its a very, very quiet village where there are never any incidents, never any bother at all, he said. This was a real shock to everybody, and to be honest, it put a lot of fear into the community. He said he wanted to reassure neighbours and young families in the area of their safety and also urge against speculation. Im very sad to hear what has happened. My thoughts and prayers are with the whole family because Im sure its some shock for them. Its very important that there is no speculation and theres no rumours, well stick to what is true and the truth of the whole matter. SDLP MLA Justin McNulty said the small, rural community had been shaken with shock and sadness. You walk through Cusher Green today and there is an air of sadness and shock hanging over the whole community, he said. Speaking to neighbours, they are just aghast that this has happened. He said the grieving process must be horrendous for the victims family and said his thoughts were with them. Detective Chief Inspector Gary Robinson said there would be an increased police presence in the Cusher Green area in the aftermath of the incident. Our thoughts are with Mr Burnss family and loved ones at this distressing time as they try to come to terms with their tragic loss, Mr Robinson said. A man, aged 39, who was arrested on suspicion of murder, remains in police custody. Our team continues to work at pace to establish the circumstances surrounding Mr Burns death and I would reiterate our appeal to anyone who may have information that could assist us, to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 573 04/09/25. A 16-year-old Co Clare boy has appeared in connection with an alleged broad daylight knife attack that inflicted head-wounds on another male, which required 80 stitches, a childrens court has heard. At the Childrens Court in Ennis, Garda Brion Dolan told the court that the mother of the 16-year-old drove her son to the scene of the alleged knife assault on June 13th last in a west Clare town. CCTV footage of the alleged assault showed the 16-year-old getting out of his mothers car armed with a large kitchen knife, and the broad-daylight knife assault on the male took place moments later. Judge Alec Gabbett said that the alleged injured party has suffered very serious lacerations to his face where he sustained a wound from the top of his head, running down his hairline on his forehead across to his ear. Advertisement After viewing photos of the injuries, Judge Gabbett said: You will see that the alleged injured party had upwards of 80 stitches with a view to putting back his forehead together again and also fixing his ear. Judge Gabbett said that the boy will be left with a significant scar wound for the rest of his life. Judge Gabbett said that the boy also sustained two puncture stab wounds to his back. In the case, the 16-year old boy is charged with assault causing harm of the male at a street in the west Clare town contrary to Section 3 of the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act on June 13th last. The 16-year old is also charged with producing a large kitchen knife during the course of a dispute at the same location on the same date contrary to Section 11 of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act. Sgt John Burke told Judge Gabbett that there is the possibility of a more serious assault charge being brought against the teenager concerning the alleged knife assault. Giving the background to the incident, Garda Dolan said that there was an argument between two 14 year olds outside a retailer in the west Clare town on June 13th last. He said that one of the 14-year olds was a younger brother of the accused. Garda Dolan said that the accused arrived at the scene in his mothers car looking for his younger brother and couldnt find him. He said that soon after at a junction in the town, the accused exited the car being driven by his mother. Advertisement Garda Dolan said that statements provided to gardai alleged that the accused made a bee-line for the alleged injured party with a large knife in his possession and held it in a threatening manner. Garda Dolan said that as the accused went towards the alleged injured party he brushed past the alleged injured partys girlfriend and he is facing a separate assault concerning that. Garda Dolan then played to the court the CCTV evidence showing the alleged assault. Garda Dolan also handed in photographs of the boys injuries on the day of the alleged assault and photographs taken two days later. Garda Dolan also handed into court a medical report on the injuries sustained by the alleged injured party. After hearing an outline of the facts, Judge Gabbett said that the case is "too serious" for the district court and has directed that the 16 year old go before Ennis Circuit Court which will involve a Book of Evidence to be drawn up. Sgt Burke said that the DPP has also directed that the case go before the circuit court. Solicitor, Monica Roche for the accused said that on the day and the prior to the assault the alleged injured party had attacked the younger 14 year old brother of the accused. Judge Gabbett remanded the 16-year old on continuing detention to Oberstown Detention facility for young persons in Dublin to appear before Ennis Childrens Court via video-link next Wednesday. A father of two, who allegedly wore a Halloween-style bunny mask and wielded a meat cleaver during an attack on his ex-partner in Dublin, has been denied bail. Jamie French, aged 31, of Nangor Mills, Clondalkin, appeared before Judge David McHugh on Saturday, charged with assault causing harm to the woman, and causing criminal damage to her home on August 12th. He was remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on Thursday. Giving evidence at Dublin District Court, Garda Brian Law objected to bail, citing the seriousness of the case. He stated the woman, in her 20s, made a formal complaint on September 4th, accusing Mr French, her former partner, of attacking her on a previous date. The Garda contended that she answered the door to her home to see the accused wearing a "Halloween-style bunny mask and holding a meat cleaver." Advertisement She reported that Mr French entered the home, went to the sitting room and used the cleaver to damage her mobile phone. She told gardai that the accused was extremely aggressive and pulled her by her hair to the floor, "pinned" her down. The court heard he allegedly shouted, "I'm going to kill you, you're dead". It was alleged that the accused had her on her knees by her hair and "began to make strike actions with the meat cleaver toward the back of her neck, but not connecting." The court heard he repeated this action four or five times, and she pleaded with him to stop, but he refused and "was foaming in the mouth in a rage." Garda Law further contended that the accused pinched her in the face and began to kick her repeatedly as she lay on the floor. The woman stated to gardai that she had a clear recollection of the events. She said that she tried to get up and run, but he pulled her back and began to smash a cooker and damage a window before leaving the property. The court heard she suffered a black eye and bruising to her legs, which had been photographed. Garda Law informed the contested bail hearing that the mask and cleaver had been recovered, with pictures of them attached to the court documents. He described the alleged incident as a vicious rage attack. The Garda mentioned that a search of Mr French's phone showed searches about getting a ferry from Belfast to Liverpool, but later clarified that this was before the alleged attack. Advertisement Cross-examined by defence counsel Kevin McCrave, Garda Law agreed the complainant had not come to the bail hearing. The defence highlighted that much of the evidence was hearsay, but the gardai explained the woman had not been able to attend and was also traumatised. Mr McCrave stressed his client had the presumption of innocence and the case would be sent to the Circuit Court. As a result, refusing bail would result in a lengthy period in custody on remand with no likelihood of a speedy trial. The barrister suggested his client could reside at a different location in Tallaght. However, the judge ruled that the State had established the necessity to refuse bail. Ireland Male required 80 stitches after alleged Co Clare knife attack, teen (16) appears in court Read more The accused, who has not yet entered a plea, made no reply when charged on Friday night at Tallaght station and remained silent throughout his court hearing. Legal aid was granted. Directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions have to be obtained. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Womens Aid (24-hour freephone helpline at 1800-341 900, email helpline@womensaid.ie) or Mens Aid Ireland (confidential helpline at 01-554 3811, email hello@mensaid.ie) for support and information. Safe Ireland also offers a number of local services and helplines at safeireland.ie/get-help/where-to-find-help/. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112. Conor McGregor recruiting a new legal team and gardai monitoring a minister's phone after threats make the front pages of Saturday's papers. The Irish Times leads with a member of Government has given gardai permission to monitor his phone as part of their investigations into abuse and threats he has been subjected to. The Irish Examiner's front page has Cork plant Eli Lilly, who recently reported its revenue for the second quarter of this year jumped up by 38 per cent to 13.2 billion. The Echo reveals strikes at school's lead to the Lord Mayor postponing visits to school's across Cork. The Irish Independent reveals Conor McGregor has got a new legal team to appeal against his conviction in the Nikita Hand civil case. The Irish Daily Mail reveals a new reports which shows the cattle herd will have to be cit by 20,000 to meet Ireland's climate targets. The Irish Daily Mirror and the Irish Daily Star leads with James Lawrence, who is suing Nikita Hand over abuse of process after he had been subjected to horrendous litigation. Minister Bruzon in St Helena for Commonwealth Observer Mission The Hon. Leslie Bruzon MP is currently in St Helena as part of an international observer mission for the islands general elections, which are being held today. The mission is organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and brings together a team of seven parliamentarians and experts from across the Commonwealth to observe and assess the electoral process. Minister Bruzon expressed his gratitude for the appointment, stating: It is an honour to be selected by the CPA as one of a seven-person team. St Helena is the second most remote island in the world and for the CPA to select a member from Gibraltar to represent them is truly incredible. The observer mission aims to ensure transparency, fairness, and democratic integrity in the elections, working closely with local authorities and civil society representatives. St Helena, a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean, is known for its unique history and geographic isolation, making this election an important moment for its community. Minister Bruzons participation highlights Gibraltars strong engagement with the Commonwealth family and its commitment to supporting democratic values and good governance around the world. The family of a British couple killed in the Lisbon funicular crash have said they are heartbroken in a tribute. Theatre director Kayleigh Smith and her partner, Will Nelson, a lecturer at Manchesters Arden School of Theatre, were named as two of the three Britons who died after the popular tourist attraction derailed in the centre of the Portuguese city on Wednesday night. The third British victim has yet to be named. In a statement issued by Cheshire Police, Ms Smiths family said: Kayleigh was loved by family and friends for her wit and humour, her kind and caring nature came to the fore in her work as a funeral operative. She was also a talented theatre director and had just completed a masters degree. They both leave family and friends heartbroken. Police officers inspect the site where a tourist streetcar derailed and crashed in Lisbon (Armando Franca/AP) Mr Nelsons younger brother said: Words cannot begin to describe how our family and friends are feeling right now but here is the best attempt. This week, due to a tragic accident in Lisbon, Portugal, we lost Will Nelson, who was not just my big brother but everyones. Advertisement He was always kind, selfless, and protective and the world does not feel right or normal without him. He was and has always been my hero, and we will miss you always. Love you, rest in peace you legend. A total of 16 people died in the crash. Also among the dead were five Portuguese nationals, two Canadians, two South Koreans, one American, one French, one Swiss and one Ukrainian. A further 21 people were injured, including five seriously. A No 10 spokesman said UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is deeply saddened that three British nationals died. His thoughts are with their families and those affected by this terrible incident, he said. We stand united with Portugal during this difficult time. The UK Foreign Office said it is supporting the families of three British nationals who died in the incident. The Gloria funicular, which is 140 years old, was packed with passengers when it came off the rails. Portugals prime minister, Luis Montenegro, described the incident as one of the biggest tragedies of our recent past. Funiculars are a type of railway system that transport people up and down steep slopes. The Gloria funicular features two separate yellow carriages which travel between Restauradores Square in central Lisbon and the Bairro Alto area, with journeys taking three minutes. It is electrified and uses steel cables. The derailment resulted in one of the carriages crashing into a building at a bend in a road. Israels army has called on Palestinians in Gaza City to move to a humanitarian area it designated in the south as it expanded its operations in preparation for seizing the famine-stricken city. Parts of the city, home to nearly one million people, are already considered red zones, where evacuation orders have been issued ahead of expected heavy fighting. Aid groups have repeatedly warned that a large-scale evacuation of Gaza City would exacerbate the dire humanitarian crisis. The humanitarian crisis is deepening in Gaza (AP) Palestinians have been uprooted and displaced multiple times during the nearly two-year-long war, with many being too weak to move and having nowhere to go. Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X that the army declared Muwasi a makeshift tent camp in southern Gaza Strip as a humanitarian area and urged everyone in the city, which it called a Hamas stronghold and specified as a combat zone, to leave. Advertisement The army said they could travel in cars down a designated road without being searched. The military provided a map showing the area in Khan Younis that the humanitarian area encompasses, which includes the block where Nasser Hospital is located. Famine is gripping Gaza City (AP) The area around the hospital has been considered a red zone, though not the medical facility itself. Last week, Israel struck the hospital, killing 22 people, including Mariam Dagga, who worked for The Associated Press and other media outlets. The hospital was not under evacuation. The designated safe zone would include field hospitals, water pipelines, food and tents, and relief efforts will continue on an ongoing basis in cooperation with the UN and international organisations, the statement said. Israeli forces have struck humanitarian areas throughout the war, including Muwasi, which they previously declared a safe zone, according to Gazas health ministry. The Israeli army has urged people to get out of Gaza City (AP) The evacuation order came a day after Israel struck a high-rise building in Gaza City, saying Hamas used it for surveillance, without providing evidence. The war started after Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in their attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023. Most have since been released in ceasefires or other agreements. Israels retaliatory offensive has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas health ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants but says women and children make up around half the dead. Education is a source of hope for #Gazas children. UNRWA has learning kits for nearly 370,000 students stuck in Jordan. These kits are more than just school suppliesthey are a bridge back to learning, routine, and hope for children whose lives have been upended by war. We are pic.twitter.com/x0fq0zNNfm UNRWA (@UNRWA) September 6, 2025 The UN and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own. Israel says the war will continue until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is disarmed, and that it will retain open-ended security control of the territory of some two million Palestinians. Advertisement Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Hundreds of ordinary admirers and VIPs have paid their last respects to fashion icon Giorgio Armani. The designer was remembered by Milans mayor as a man of extraordinary elegance who left an indelible mark on the city and the global fashion world. Armani died on Thursday aged 91 at his home in central Milan surrounded by loved ones. His fashion house said he worked right up to the end. One of his final projects was a runway show marking 50 years of his signature Giorgio Armani brand, which is due to close Milan Fashion Week later this month. Mourners filed into the Armani Theatre, where Armani regularly showed his ready-to-wear runway collections. People lined up in Milan to pay their respects (AP) Rows of candles in paper bags cast a shimmering light and piano music by Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi played softly in the background. The closed coffin was adorned with a bouquet of long-stem white roses, and flanked by carabinieri honour guards in ceremonial dress. Mourners included Donatella Versace, who wore a dark skirt suit and carried a bouquet of white flowers, which she left in tribute. She left without making any remarks. Advertisement A sculpture featuring a crucifix on a raw block of marble stood nearby, brought from Armanis bedside. Armani, who was deeply private, was not known to be a practicing Catholic, but a priest who emerged from his central Milan home after his death told reporters that he attended Mass daily. Valeria Mazza also paid her respects (AP) Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala was among the first to arrive, offering condolences to Leo DellOrco, Armanis longtime collaborator and the head of menswear, who stood near the coffin. A man of extraordinary elegance, Mr Sala told reporters outside. Milan is full of signs of Armani. It will be impossible to forget him. Mr Sala remembered a phone call from Armani in early August, when news of a corruption scandal in the city broke. Italian film director Giuseppe Tornatore, left, is hugged as he arrives to pay his respects (AP) He said: I understand this is a difficult moment. There is always something positive in difficult moments. True friends show themselves. I am your true friend. This I will always remember, Mr Sala said. Annamaria Longo Dorni travelled more than two hours from Lago Maggiore, north of Milan, to pay her last respects wearing an Armani midnight blue jacket for the occasion. You put it on, and youre perfect, she said in tribute. Its always up to date, even after 20 years. Advertisement Two hours after the doors opened, the line of mourners stretched down the block. The public viewing will continue through until Sunday. Armani will be buried following a private funeral, details of which remain private. Armani died on Thursday (AP) Armani, one of the most recognizable names and faces in the global fashion industry, missed Milan Fashion Week in June 2025 for the first time during the previews of Spring-Summer 2026 menswear to recover from an undisclosed condition. Condolences have poured in from friends and admirers around the world, including Ralph Lauren, Julia Roberts, Anna Wintour and Leonardo DiCaprio. Armani prepared a final farewell for mourners. A photo of the designer smiling and waving was projected on the back wall of the viewing chamber with the parting words: The mark I hope to leave is one of commitment, respect and genuine care for people and for reality. Thats where everything truly begins. Advertisement MoneyPlanning & budgetingCost of living This was published 3 months ago Opinion Young workers love this unusual money-saving trend. I can see why Victoria Devine Money columnist September 7, 2025 5:01am September 7, 2025 5:01am 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 9 View all comments By now, were all familiar with gap years, where newly graduated high schoolers take some well-deserved time off before heading back to further study or stepping onto the career ladder. In more recent times, weve even seen adults embrace the idea, hitting pause on their careers to go travelling and enjoy some time without endless emails, back-to-back meetings and long days behind a computer screen. What many people havent heard of, though, is another trend becoming increasingly popular among younger Australians, and thats the financial gap year. City dwellers have been considering a tree change. Similarly to the traditional travel gap year, the idea is to move away from our major cities to a regional or rural spot with more affordable housing options, as well as a decrease in other cost of living expenses that quickly accumulate when living in a major city. Advertisement Though ditching city life in favour of a well-paid gig in a more remote location to save money isnt exactly new, it is now becoming increasingly popular among younger Australians, namely because a number of our beloved cities now happen to be among the most expensive places in the world to call home. Of course, there are always varying reasons for this kind of decision. Maybe theres a specific financial goal in mind, like saving up for a year of travel, or wanting to get ahead early so that starting a family can be prioritised. For as long as Australias metropolitan property prices remain sky-high, its likely well see more and more people making the change. But whenever I talk to those currently enjoying a gap year (or years) in the Shes on the Money community, one reason resoundingly trumps everything else: housing. According to the Regional Movers Index, which tracks Australians moving from major cities to the regions, this is very much becoming a thing, with a 10.5 per cent increase in tree and sea changers throughout the March 2025 quarter. Advertisement While the migration of city folk to rural idylls boomed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many predicted that the boom would be short-lived and that as soon as normal life resumed, many would pack up and head back to the concrete jungle. Editor's pick Opinion Property market Labors first home buyer scheme doesnt deserve the hate its getting Victoria Devine Money columnist But thanks to greater working flexibility, and increasingly unaffordable property prices, wages that have failed to keep up, and an increased cost of living across day-to-day expenses like transport, groceries and utilities, the regions are still very much booming recording a migration increase of 20.5 per cent compared with the pre-COVID average. So much so that in the March 2025 quarter, capital city people moving to Australias regions outnumbered regional people making a move in the opposite direction by 25 per cent. Thats because owning property has long been the Australian dream, but record-high property prices and stagnant wage growth means that there are few avenues of entry for young people today unless theyre lucky enough to be able to call upon the bank of mum and dad. And while thats a wonderful gift if you can get it, a lot of extremely hardworking people cant. Advertisement But thats where the bang-for-your-buck financial gap year comes into play. In these instances, not only are you paid a premium salary due to the remote location, which in turn allows you to save extra, but the cost of living is generally much cheaper than it would be in a major city, either because your employer covers costs for things like accommodation, or because housing and other expenses are so much cheaper. While property prices are still growing across Australia, as Domains 2025 Forecast shows, in combined capital cities, houses are expected to grow by 4 to 7 per cent, in the regions, predicted growth is substantially lower, at just 2 to 3 per cent. In Melbourne, for example, house prices rose by an average of $23,585 in value in the June quarter this year alone, bringing the median metropolitan house price to $1.06 million. While regional prices also grew, the median home outside of Melbourne is priced at just $544,250. In NSW, its a similar story. Sydney house prices grew by an average of $43,882 across the June quarter, setting a record high median price of $1.72 million. Regionally, the median is close to a million dollars less, sitting at $752,250. This disparity is one of the main reasons influencer Tim Abbott says he ditched his marketing job in Sydney and moved to remote western Queensland in July to work. Advertisement Now working outdoors on a property, Abbott told his Instagram followers at the time, I was living in Sydney, paying $600 a week in rent not including bills, and that is something thats doubled in three years. Tim Abbott told his Instagram followers he pays just $220 a month in rent, and estimates that his cost of living expenses have declined by around 75 per cent. @timabbott on Instagram So it used to be around $300 and now its $600; Im sure its a common story. I was in a pretty good financial situation, I dont have car debt, credit card debt, student loans, but my salary also hadnt really increased in the last couple of years either. Looking at the years ahead, Abbott says he began to wonder why he was putting so much energy into a life that he didnt truly want and didnt look like what he dreamed about. Now, hes paying just $220 a month in rent (that alone is a saving of close to $29,000 a year), and estimates that his cost of living expenses have dropped by around 75 per cent. Advertisement Though hes already powering through a number of financial goals, including saving $100,000 to eventually put towards a home, Abbott says the gap year will likely be a lot longer than a year because Im loving it so much and saving so much. That sentiment of moving for the money but staying for the lifestyle is one that people who have left the cities talk about a lot. The slower pace of life, the reduced stress that comes from having more money and fewer financial pressures, and the community of other people who get it are all serious drawcards, especially if it helps set up younger people for decades to come. Because for as long as Australias metropolitan property prices remain sky-high, its likely well see more and more people making the change. Victoria Devine is an award-winning retired financial adviser, bestselling author and host of Australias No.1 finance podcast, Shes on the Money. She is also founder and director of Zella Money. Advice given in this article is general in nature and is not intended to influence readers decisions about investing or financial products. They should always seek their own professional advice that takes into account their personal circumstances before making any financial decisions. Expert tips on how to save, invest and make the most of your money delivered to your inbox every Sunday. Sign up for our Real Money 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: Cost of living Opinion Victoria Devine is an award-winning retired financial adviser, best-selling author, and host of Australias number one finance podcast, Shes on the Money. Victoria is also the founder and managing director of Zella Money. Advertisement Exclusive NationalInvestigations This was published 3 months ago Im glad we didnt win: Liberal campaigners feared Brethren-fuelled Dutton victory Michael Bachelard September 6, 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 From the halls of power to the shadowy depths of the criminal underworld, here are the best stories by The Ages investigations team. See all stories . The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church pumped so much cash and on-the-ground support into the Liberal Partys 2025 election campaign that some party officials feared the religious sect would hold significant sway over an incoming Peter Dutton government. Four party sources and two from the extreme separatist church confirmed for the first time the scale of the operation in the months leading into the May 3 federal election, and how deeply enmeshed Brethren elders were in Liberal campaign teams in marginal seats. Loading The extent of the involvement worried some Liberal campaigners so much they said they had hoped their side would lose. Im glad we didnt win because I was scared about what that would have meant, one experienced Liberal official told this masthead, speaking anonymously because they were not authorised to be quoted. Advertisement So many of our candidates would have been beholden to the Brethren and I think they would have made policy demands, a second party campaigner said. You dont put that sort of money in if you dont want something. You want control of the morality of the country, the views of the government. Former Liberal senator Linda Reynolds told this masthead that it was highly implausible that this was not co-ordinated at the highest levels of the party and the Brethren. Brethren members, wearing clothes to make them unrecognisable as such, head to a polling booth in Kooyong in support of the Liberal candidate. The Brethrens unprecedented election effort, and the behaviour of some members at polling booths, will come under scrutiny from the governments joint standing committee on electoral matters, which announced the terms of reference of its inquiry on Tuesday. Special Minister of State Don Farrell has asked the committee to examine the purported increase in incidents of aggressive conduct during the campaign, and to consider reforms to address the ongoing threats of interference both foreign and domestic. Advertisement Committee chairman Jerome Laxale has previously complained about the Brethrens activities in his electorate, saying their mass presence at polling booths had been one of the strangest and most offensive experiences Ive ever gone through as a candidate. On Tuesday, announcing the committees terms of reference, he called for evidence from the public nationwide. He did not mention the Brethren specifically, but said a line was crossed this year, particularly in marginal and target seats with a co-ordinated campaign. Gareth Hales (centre, in blue Scott Yung T-shirt), the son of the Brethrens world leader, Bruce Hales, at the Bennelong polling booth in Sydney on April 30. Without a doubt, what we saw in 2025 was an escalation ... and we do not want that to become normalised. We need to protect our democracy and not have any domestic or foreign interference, he said. Reynolds was the first in the party to publicly raise concerns and has asked Liberal elders Nick Minchin and Pru Goward to investigate them in their review of the party. A review spokesperson confirmed the issue was under consideration. Advertisement The partys federal director, Andrew Hirst, declined to comment, and Dutton did not respond to a request for comment. Both Duttons office during the campaign and the Brethren denied high-level co-ordination of the campaign effort. Members of the church, formerly known as the Exclusive Brethren, generally do not vote. World leader, Sydney businessman Bruce Hales, preaches that his followers must get a hatred for society, which he says will defile and contaminate them. He calls them saints. Youd ask for $50,000 for polling, then [the Brethren member would] say, Can I have a look at it? Liberal campaign official speaking anonymously. Despite their so-called doctrine of separation, he and other Brethren elders have long sought influence over conservative governments globally, including by lobbying, secret donations and under the radar political campaigning. During the campaign, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church as a cult and demanded to know from the Coalition what the quid pro quo was for their support. Advertisement Advertisement The Liberal Partys current national Right-faction leader, Angus Taylor, has praised the church in the past and organised a number of grants for the Rapid Relief Team, which has provided food and coffee to Tony Abbotts pollie pedal bike ride. Taylor did not answer a question on the record about whether he had facilitated contact between senior Brethren figures and the party. He said the Rapid Relief Team did outstanding work in helping Australians in need. The Brethren have campaigned and donated to the Liberal Party regularly in the past. But at this years campaign, their election effort was turbo-charged, according to a senior Liberal figure. Brethren sources, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of ramifications, have revealed that businesses and individuals spent months working for the Coalition at their own cost and directed significant financial resources into Duttons campaign. Advertisement Liberal sources said the party gave Brethren representatives unfettered access to the proprietary campaign software Feedback, which is exempt from the Privacy Act because it is used by a political party. Brethren members used the software from their own call centres, accessing its extraordinarily detailed profiles of individuals to make about a million phone calls to voters pushing for a Liberal victory, the sources said. Two posters, authorised by Freedom Party founder Morgan C. Jonas, that echo Plymouth Brethren Christian Church talking points on the campaign. Party campaigners on the ground confirmed that each electorate was assigned a Brethren business leader, or co-ordinator, as well as two deputies, and dozens of ordinary Brethren members to carry out the work. The effort ramped up once pre-polling started, with 30 to 40 Brethren members flooding booths in the two weeks leading up to polling day. Brethren businesses also poured what is likely to have been millions of dollars in donations into Liberal campaigns at the electorate level in what were considered winnable marginal seats. Advertisement A Brethren insider, speaking anonymously, said there was pressure from the church hierarchy to contribute and instructions to do so from various different entities, including family trusts, individuals and business entities, to keep individual donations below the disclosure threshold of $16,900. Related Article Exclusive Investigations How much money the Exclusive Brethrens ecosystem really makes This means the true extent of the funding will probably never be revealed. A second church insider confirmed this: I personally know large business owners who were handed bills exceeding $100,000 to cover expenses like charter flights, accommodation and other things. Because of the power the church hierarchy wields over the daily lives of its members, the insider said people have no choice but to cough up the money. Advertisement One Liberal campaigner from NSW said up to $500,000 had flooded in from the Brethren into some marginal electorates which would have accounted for close to 100 per cent of fundraising for those candidates. In return, the Brethren donors wanted a say over the campaign, the party sources said. The requests were just constant [from the candidates]. Can I have another $15k, $30k, $80k for key seats? Youd ask for $50k for polling, then [the Brethren member would] say, Can I have a look at it? $25k for a mailout? Well, I dont like what youve done. $30k for social media? I dont like the way youre dressed in that video They were very coercive and controlling of our candidates. A second party campaigner said: It looked to me like the Liberal Party was prepared to sell the party. Advertisement The two Liberal campaign officials confirmed that Brethren co-ordinators had requested access to candidate campaign diaries, as well as press release templates, details of where the candidates were working, and their plans. Related Article Special series Investigations A decapitated doll and a prayer for my death: The many, many threats of the Exclusive Brethren They absolutely were trying to run the place, one party campaigner said. Theyd go and organise to clean our candidates houses, cook food for the family, babysit, mow the lawn, all for free. Theyd say, No, youre putting yourself forward for democracy; were going to look after you. On party documents and in phone conversations, the Brethren were referred to as friends or the religious people, party sources have said. The details now emerging call into question the arguments of both a Brethren spokesperson and Duttons office during the campaign that there was no top-level agreement to secure this help, only individuals and businesses working independently at local electorate level. Advertisement I knew it went all the way to the top because it was all so centrally organised, said one party campaigner. They pretty much had a line of connection a direct contact into Duttons office, and the federal secretariat would come to us to ask us to co-ordinate with them, and wed disseminate that to the candidates. This masthead has previously reported that a member of Duttons staff, Sam Jackson-Hope, was in charge of co-ordinating the effort. However, senior party sources have said they do not believe he negotiated the arrangement with the church. A Brethren member in a Liberal Party T-shirt puts up a poster authorised by Freedom Party candidate Morgan C. Jonas in the NSW seat of Whitlam. Asked if the campaign had been co-ordinated by the church, Brethren spokesman Lloyd Grimshaw said it didnt organise anything, and certainly does not make political donations. If individual members of our church or indeed any church wish to be involved in the political process by volunteering or donating, it is a matter for the individual. Advertisement However, one of the Brethren insiders said: Do you really think in Bruce Hales ecosystem that an entire country of Brethren can take up to four months off work and be out in disguises (things that would normally result in excommunication), be out campaigning openly, be flying around to remote areas of the country and staying away all week in hotels to campaign, changing times of local church meetings to accommodate it, without it being centrally organised? Within the Brethren, sources have said the election campaign was referred to as Kings business referring to activity being conducted on Hales behalf or secret service. In response, Grimshaw said he cant comment on every comment that every parishioner has ever made and that it sounds like they were having a joke. Under Australian electoral law, outside groups that spend more than $250,000 trying to persuade people during a campaign must register as a significant third party, which brings clear disclosure obligations. Charities are not permitted to retain their tax-free status if they are involved in party political campaigning. Brethren entities run multiple, extremely wealthy charities. Advertisement Both Brethren insiders said there was shock at the top levels of the religion when the Liberal Party went backwards on May 3. Related Article Exclusive Investigations God, Christ, man, woman: The divine order that defines life for Exclusive Brethren women It has had a bit of a cooling effect on their enthusiasm and belief in Hales infallibility, said one. Everyone is so gobsmacked and gutted, due to the effort and expense, that no one wants to talk about it, said the second insider. Its really hit peoples morale. Linda Reynolds, who ceased being a Liberal senator on June 30, said the churchs comprehensive and public activity during the campaign is likely to have compounded her partys so-called women problem. Advertisement It was unacceptable that we were associated with a group whose treatment of women, to me, is reprehensible and misogynistic, Reynolds said. Related Article Exclusive Investigations Game On: The minute-long message that unleashed the Brethrens election machine She said a core problem was the expense of running modern campaigns, which led to financial vulnerability. This was not just a Liberal Party issue, but was symptomatic of the wider problem all political parties have. The teals have Simon Holmes a Courts network, Labor has the unions, but the Liberal Party has no equivalent, which, I believe, makes it more vulnerable to organisations, both secular and non-secular, with deep pockets and political agendas, Reynolds said. Former Liberal campaigner and now consultant Tony Barry said a party could make a million canvassing phone calls, but they were only as effective as the messenger, or the message. Advertisement If either is no good, its probably a net negative for the party, he said. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Advertisement Graphic content NationalNSWTragedy This was published 3 months ago Dont bite me: Surfer Mercury Psillakis killed in shark attack on Sydneys northern beaches Anthony Segaert and Caitlin Fitzsimmons Updated September 7, 2025 6:19am ,first published September 6, 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 A husband and father has died after being mauled by a shark while surfing at Dee Why, on Sydneys northern beaches. Mercury Psillakis, 57, was surfing with friends about 100 metres from the sand at Long Reef Beach about 10am on Saturday when a large shark bit him and his surfboard, police said. His board was cut in two and he lost both legs. Loading Eyewitness Mark Morgenthal saw the attack and described the shark as huge. There was a guy screaming, I dont want to get bitten, I dont want to get bitten, dont bite me, and I saw the dorsal fin of the shark come up, and it was huge, Morgenthal told Sky News. Advertisement Then I saw the tail fin come up and start kicking, and the distance between the dorsal fin and the tail fin looked to be about four metres, so it actually looked like a six-metre shark. Police said Psillakis died in the water, and his body was brought to shore by other surfers. Mercury Psillakis was a devoted husband and father. Facebook Psillakis leaves behind a wife and young daughter, said Inspector Stuart Thomson, noting the attack occurred just the day before Fathers Day. Its a terrible, terrible thing. Its one of those freak accidents that happens very, very rarely, he said. Advertisement Charles Prior, 33, was preparing to paddle out on his surfboard on Saturday morning when a swimmer warned him of a shark in the water. I thought, oh whatever, there are always sharks in the water ... then someone said dont go out, a guys just been attacked, he told AAP. Other surfers began paddling toward a black shape in the water, which Prior soon realised was the mans body. He and other surfers helped bring the man through waist-deep water to the shore. Another surfer described seeing a massive white shark, up to six metres in length, he said. Advertisement It (the shark) is obviously huge, given it just removed two legs pretty well clean and his left hand. The experienced surfer was well known locally, and was heavily involved in the areas surfing fraternity. Distraught friends and family were seen at the beach after news of the attack spread on Saturday morning. Dee Why shark attack victim Mercury Psillakis. Facebook Friends described him as friendly, genuine and caring to others. Fellow surfer Tim R Smith said the father-of-one was well loved and respected. Advertisement Im lost for words. He was the guy I would hang with and surf with him in Sydney, he glassed my boards and taught me a lot about surfboards and more importantly just how to be a good person in and out of the water. Big love to all the family and friends of Merc. You are such a loved man throughout, he wrote. Police remained on the scene, while Surf Life Saving NSW used drones to search for other sharks in the area. The Department of Primary Industries was working to determine the species of the shark. All other beaches between Narrabeen and Manly were immediately closed after the incident, and are expected to reopen tomorrow. In line with government protocols, Surf Life Saving Sydney Northern Beaches branch president Rod McGibbon said he expected Dee Why and Long Reef beaches to be closed for 48 to 72 hours. Advertisement Premier Chris Minns described the attack as an awful tragedy. Police at the scene, where two pieces of surfboard were taken for further examination. James Brickwood My heart goes out to the victims family and friends. I also want to thank the first responders and community members who tried to help in such tough and confronting circumstances, he said. Shark attacks are rare, but they leave a huge mark on everyone involved, particularly the close-knit surfing community. Shark attacks in Sydney are rare: before Saturday, only one death had been recorded from shark bites across the citys beaches in 60 years. In 2022, Simon Nellist was killed at Little Bay, in Sydneys east, by what authorities believed was a great white shark. Advertisement Shark nets were installed at Dee Why and 50 other beaches between Wollongong and Newcastle on Monday, the first day of spring. A crowd watches on from a distance following the death at Dee Why on Saturday. Flavio Brancaleone There has been only one previous death from a shark attack at a netted beach in NSW at Merewether in Newcastle in 1951. On average, there are one or two fatal shark attacks each year in NSW, according to the Australian Shark Incident Database. The low sample sizes mean there is statistically no difference in shark fatalities between netted and unnetted beaches. Advertisement Shark nets have been used since 1937. In recent years, they have been supplemented by modern technology such as SMART drumlines, shark listening stations and drone surveillance. The nets are rectangles of mesh net about 150 metres long. They do not provide a barrier, and sharks swim over, under and around them. They are controversial because they indiscriminately kill dolphins, turtles, critically endangered grey nurse sharks and other sea life. Before this event, the NSW government was finalising plans with three councils Waverley, Northern Beaches and Central Coast to trial one beach in each local government area going net-free this summer. However, nets were still installed in all the usual places this summer. With AAP Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. CLARIFICATION An earlier version of this story implied Long Reef was a netted beach. It is not. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Save this article for later Remove items from your saved list to add more. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Two boys have been stabbed to death in Melbournes west in what is suspected to be a targeted, youth-gang attack. Homicide Squad detectives are on the scene after a 12-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy were fatally stabbed in Cobblebank, near Melton, on Saturday night. Loading Emergency services were called to Marble Drive just before 8pm after reports of a person being seriously injured. They arrived to find a 12-year-old male with critical injuries and started CPR, but the boy died at the scene. Advertisement PoliticsQueenslandQueensland government This was published 3 months ago Government to review $370 gap in rural patient travel subsidies Matt Dennien September 6, 2025 1:31pm 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 news A $370 gap between the subsidy offered to rural patients travelling for specialist healthcare and the allowance handed to regional MPs headed to Brisbane for parliament will be reviewed by the Crisafulli government ahead of next years budget. The cost of accommodation has gone up, the cost of travel has gone up, Health Minister Tim Nicholls told reporters on Saturday after fresh fears reported by this masthead last month that people were delaying life-saving treatment as a result. Contacted for comment last month, Health Minister Tim Nicholls pointed only to the $123.4 million budgeted for it this financial year, touting the figure as the largest amount ever allocated. Matt Dennien So its something very much that were aware of, and well be talking about as we go into budget preparations at the end of this year. Advertisement Why it matters While MPs from regional electorates are given a daily accommodation allowance of $440 to travel to Brisbane when state parliament sits, a rural patient travelling more than 50 kilometres for specialist healthcare can claim just $70 a night and 34 per kilometre for petrol. The patient subsidies were doubled by Nicholls during the Newman government, with the former Labor government lifting the nightly rate (from $60 to $70) and petrol reimbursement (from 30 cents per kilometre to 34) to their current levels in 2023. Patients, advocates and peak bodies have long pushed for the scheme to keep pace with increases in costs. Several told this masthead last month the rates did not reflect the real costs faced by those needing to travel for care in the heavily decentralised state. The government has previously refused to increase the subsidy. Contacted for comment last month, Nicholls pointed only to the $123.4 million budgeted for it this financial year, touting the figure as the largest amount ever allocated. Advertisement What they said On Saturday, Nicholls acknowledged the subsidies were covering less of patients costs which had increased since 2013 while the amount available to them under the scheme remained static and said he was aware of the schemes administrative and financial constraints. That is a matter that I will be taking up, and have, in fact, taken up in the past as part of our budget consideration process. Its a fairly significant amount of money, and it is administered by the HHS [Hospital and Health Services], he said. It can be done better, in my view, and the funding amount is something that were always monitoring. Advertisement It needs to be a consideration as to whether it is actually adequate as a subsidy to help defray the costs of families travelling here. I know those families, they stay at supported accommodation through places like Ronald McDonald House, the various hospital foundations also provide accommodation on or nearby our hospital services. But obviously over the last five years, prices have gone up. Related Article Healthcare The $370 difference between MPs and rural patients travelling to Brisbane Another perspective Husband and wife Pauline and Rod first travelled from their home near Emerald to see specialists in Brisbane in April last year, after Rod was diagnosed with mouth and throat cancer. Major facial surgery meant a month-long stay in a hotel near a city hospital. Complications which emerged after a return home saw Rod rushed back to Brisbane and a further five-month stay for the pair. Pauline praised aspects of the scheme, but estimated out-of-pocket expenses of nearly $25,000 during their extended stay in the city, and said the current rate wasnt enough. Advertisement Rural healthcare advocate Justine Christerson has said the gap between the subsidies shows the government is out of touch with the constituents theyre representing and wanted to see the daily rate for a single person increased to at least $100 per night. Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council acting chief executive Paula Arnol said if $440 a night is considered reasonable for MPs, then $70 for sick patients is inexcusable. The Queensland government needs to do better, she said. With Courtney Kruk Advertisement Exclusive PoliticsQueenslandQueensland government This was published 3 months ago Literary awards delayed after ministers intervention sparked judge exodus Matt Dennien September 7, 2025 6:00am 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 The news Queenslands literary awards have been hit by delays after the major cultural event lost more than one-third of its judges following ministerial intervention to torpedo a separate First Nations fellowship early in the year. The awards, supported by the state government via Arts Queensland and the state library, were slated to reveal shortlisted entries on August 5 the same week library chief Vicki McDonald shared detail of the record judge exodus. Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek said in August that if people choose not to be judges again, we will find other judges. Dominic Lorrimer No update has been shared by the awards or library, which manages them, since. Its website had noted dates including a planned September 12 announcement of winners, but now states only that shortlists will be announced soon. Advertisement Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek confirmed on Saturday the winners, sharing in more than $200,000 worth of prize money, career development and publishing opportunities across 11 categories, would instead be announced on September 26. Why it matters In May, Langbroek raised concerns with library leaders on two occasions before intervening to stop a fellowship going to Adelaide-based author K.A. Ren Wyld, whom he accused in parliament of glorifying terrorism. The decision, centred around a since deleted social media post praising slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, was welcomed by the states peak Jewish body amid national debate about antisemitism and speech relating to Israels alleged genocide in Gaza. Four literary award judges subsequently announced they would resign in protest of the intervention. During an August 7 parliamentary hearing, McDonald confirmed 12 of 34 judges ultimately quit, but did not mention the already missed shortlist date. Advertisement An independent review, said not to impact awards, will report to the board this month. Langbroek has defended his decision, vowing to do so again if its deemed necessary and dismissing resignations because we will find other judges. Two development award categories feature standard conditions blocking entrants from sending work to other publishers or competitions until 12 weeks after the announcement of shortlisted entries. What they said In response to questions from this masthead on Saturday, Langbroek confirmed he had recently been briefed by his department about the shortlist and winners. Advertisement Related Article Exclusive Queensland government Minister pressed library leaders twice before sinking award ceremony I look forward to these being announced as planned on 26 September, Langbroek said in a statement. Comment was sought from the library. A spokesperson told this masthead in late July the awards would go ahead as planned. Another perspective Wyld told Guardian Australia in May her post bore no relevance to the Stolen Generations manuscript which garnered her the withdrawn fellowship, conceding she could have chosen her words better but was really devastated at the Albanese governments approach to the whole [Gaza] situation. Advertisement At the time, the Australian Society of Authors said it intended to write to the government calling for a strong stance on freedom of expression and independent arts funding processes. Langbroek has said his government would always defend freedom of speech, but said this did not extend to celebrating murder and violence, nor does it absolve individuals from the consequences of eroding public confidence or support. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Advertisement PoliticsQueenslandBuilding Bad This was published 3 months ago No dates for hearings yet, but CFMEU inquiry has considerable work under way Matt Dennien September 6, 2025 11:40am 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 news A powerful inquiry into Queenslands CFMEU branch is preparing to detail its opening public hearing after considerable work, mostly done behind the scenes, in its first month of operation. The commission of inquiry, led by conservative barrister Stuart Wood AM KC this week announced three experienced lawyers had been appointed as counsel assisting. Kate Juhasz (left), Liam Kelly KC (second from right) and Polina Kinchina (right) have been named counsel assisting the Queensland CFMEU Commission of Inquiry, led by Stuart Wood AM KC (centre), with help from secretary Bob Gee (second from left). Lucas Chambers, file, LinkedIn, Murray Gleeson Chambers. The commission has been undertaking a range of work consistent with its terms of reference with an opening public hearing to be announced in the near future, a spokesperson told this masthead. Advertisement Why it matters Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie announced the inquiry in July after a report into violence in the unions state branch was said to have only scratched the surface. The probe will use its broad powers to protect and compel witnesses, following reporting by this masthead that uncovered allegations of corruption and criminal links in the Victoria and NSW branches. Bleijie has conceded an obsession with the union, and described the 12-month inquiry which he would be open to extending as also being aimed at enablers in the former Labor state government. His captains pick selection of Melbourne-based Wood, a former Victorian Liberal Party member who donated $1500 to the LNP in 2023, sparked questions about impartiality from the labour movement. Advertisement What they said In its first public statement on Thursday, the inquiry named commercial silk Liam Kelly KC, Kate Juhasz and Polina Kinchina as counsel assisting. Kelly has appeared largely in complex commercial disputes in Australia and abroad, and has previously acted for the state electoral commission in its fight with the LNP about party donations. Juhasz and Kinchina both have experience in criminal and regulatory matters. Juhasz was senior lawyer in the Queensland floods inquiry and former Administrative Appeal Tribunal member. Advertisement Kinchinas work has included matters involving foreign bribery, criminal enterprises, and has experience working with forensic accounting and encrypted communications. Related Article Updated Queensland government Liberal-linked barrister and top bureaucrat to head Queenslands CFMEU probe Wood said the experienced trio would be key to helping the commission examine the matters before it, ensuring the inquiry is conducted with the thoroughness and rigour Queenslanders deserve. In a response to questions from this masthead seeking an update on the inquirys work this week, a spokesperson said, a core team has been established with considerable work already under way. The government confirmed it has allocated $19.7 million to the inquiry equal to a separate child safety system probe, which took submissions at launch and held an opening hearing within a month. Advertisement Questions to Attorney-General Deb Frecklington about any information sought by, or provided to, the inquiry by government to date went unanswered. Another perspective Both the unions state branch, and its federal administration, declined to respond to questions about initial contact from the inquiry as did the state Labor opposition. What you need to know The inquirys terms of reference call for a final report to be handed to government by July 31 next year, with Wood to determine the need for any interim reports and public or private hearings. Advertisement The inquiry has been told to have specific regard to the report which sparked it, and not duplicate the economic focus of a parallel Queensland Productivity Commission probe into the building sector. It has also been told to consider any reports undertaken by the Crime and Corruption Commission (public and private) and the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption. Detail is yet to be provided about how submissions to the inquiry, also yet to launch a standalone website, can be made. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. A Minute Rare Snail Found Live in Gibraltar Makes the International Headlines A photograph of two, minute, land snails taken in Gibraltar by Dr Alex Menez recently made the cover of the international magazine Mollusc World (Issue 68 of July 2025). What was so important to take this photograph, and the headline Acicula norrisi from Gibraltar, to this prestigious magazines cover? For decades Dr Alex Menez, scientist at the Gibraltar National Museum has searched for one of Gibraltars smallest and rarest land molluscs, a species known by its scientific name - Acicula norrisi. The malacologist John Ponsonby first found asingle, empty, shell of this snail in the early 1880s but this was not identified at the time and its significance was not realised. In 1975, malacologist Adrian Norris found several empty shells in Gibraltar, which remained unnamed until they were described in 1977 as a new species to science. The new species, was named after Norris, the type locality being Gibraltar. It became a protected species under the original Nature Protection Act in 1991, despite no live specimens having been yet found. Dr Menez, who is also an honorary researcher at the University of Gibraltar, had searched for this snail for many years but had only found more empty shells of this species, raising the inevitable question and concern that it might be extinct. Success finally came in March this year with the good news that he found several live snails of this extremely rare species. He took photographs of the tiny - 3mm-long - animals alive. The photographs are the very first tangible evidence of living Acicula norrisi. This protected species, now known to be still living on the Rock, is an example of the value of long-term systematic fieldwork and research, as carried out over the years by Dr Menez, in understanding our fauna and flora and how to best protect and conserve species and habitats. At a time when many species have been lost from the Rock, this is a wonderful success story. Minister for Environment Prof John Cortes, who together with Prof Clive Finlayson of the Gibraltar National Museum were behind the introduction of the Nature Protection Act in 1991, commented: This discovery by Alex Menez is an incredible story, rightly given prominence in a much-respected international journal. It once again highlights the importance of the work of the National Museum, GONHS, and others, in researching and protecting Gibraltars rich, and internationally important biodiversity. The rise in popularity of lab-grown diamonds has caused an economic crisis in Botswana. The increasing popularity of lab-grown gems is creating the biggest disruption in the diamond market since early last century. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share 4 View all comments Across Botswana, the lines of patients outside government clinics are lengthening, construction companies dependent on state jobs are firing workers, and university students are threatening to boycott lectures after not getting the allowance increases they were promised. The economic slowdown is a sharp reversal from just a few years ago, when the worlds richest diamond deposits allowed the sparsely populated desert nation of 2.5 million people to invest in free and efficient healthcare and plough money into funding tertiary education for students at home and abroad. Its robust finances allowed it to provide for its citizens in a way that made it the envy of southern Africa. The discovery of gems in 1967 transformed what was a rural backwater, with only a few kilometres of tarred road at the time of independence from the United Kingdom a year earlier, into the richest nation per capita on the sub-Saharan African mainland. Six decades later, a diamond-market crisis has turned that find into an affliction and a cautionary tale of what can happen to an economy that becomes overly reliant on one commodity. The market for natural diamonds (right) is in crisis, with cut-price lab-grown equivalents (left) hitting demand. Dominic Lorrimer/Bloomberg For decades, we have leaned and relied heavily on diamonds. While they served us well, we know painfully today that this model has reached its limits, President Duma Boko, 55, said in an August speech. This is no longer an economic challenge alone; it is a national social existential threat. The market for natural diamonds is in crisis, with cut-price lab-grown equivalents hitting demand particularly hard in the United States, the biggest market for the gems. They accounted for almost half of engagement ring purchases last year compared with 5 per cent in 2019, according to jewellery insurer BriteCo. The collapse of the luxury retail sector in China and the impact US tariffs have had on trade have also hurt the industry. While lab gems can be produced in weeks or months, the formation of natural diamonds, made of crystallised carbon formed under extreme pressure and heat deep beneath the earths surface, can take billions of years before volcanic eruptions propel them upwards to depths where they can be mined or found on ocean or river beds. They also cost many times as much as their synthetic rivals, whose increasing popularity is creating the biggest disruption in the market since abundant alluvial diamonds were discovered on Namibias beaches early last century. This is causing prices to plunge, says mining historian Duncan Money. Advertisement Its choking off the revenue that accounts for 80 per cent of Botswanas exports and a third of government income. After repeated write-downs of its value, Anglo American is looking to sell De Beers, the worlds biggest diamond company that mines almost all of Botswanas gems in a venture with the government. Bokos administration, which in October displaced a political party that had ruled since independence, is scrambling. Former Botswanan president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, last year holds a 2492-carat diamond found in the country. AP In July, the government engaged Malaysias PEMANDU Associates to advise on accelerating economic diversification and, on August 21, Boko took to Facebook to announce a plan for a little-known Qatari group, Al Mansour Holdings, to invest $US12 billion ($18 billion). There was scant information about how the capital would be deployed and the same group has in recent weeks promised more than $US100 billion in investment across six African countries, raising questions about the credibility of the pledge. The president on August 25 declared a public health emergency and implored pension funds and insurers to help fund the response. The government has frozen recruitment and there are shortages of medication, medical supplies and equipment, says Botswana Doctors Union president Kefilwe Selema. The situation is very bad, said Galeemiswe Mosheti, a 42-year-old diabetes sufferer who arrives at a government clinic in the capital, Gaborone, at 8am and can wait as long as eight hours for his medicine compared with just an hour a year ago. Advertisement Were spending long periods in the queue and our jobs suffer, said the taxi driver, who loses income every time he waits to be attended to. For construction companies dependent on government work, the situation is no better. A mining truck carries diamond-bearing kimberlite rock away from the pit floor at the Jwaneng mine, operated by Debswana Diamond, a joint venture between De Beers and Botswanas government. Bloomberg Most of our members have had to retrench workers, said Tshotlego Kagiso, chairman of the Tshipidi Badiri Builders Association, the countrys largest building contractors organisation, which, before the current downturn, had more than 800 members, some of whom can no longer afford their membership fees. The majority have suspended operations and many have closed altogether due to slower government spending, he added, saying, without being able to be more specific, that thousands of workers had lost their jobs. The countrys economic statistics tell a story of rapid decline and belie De Beers marketing catchphrase, A diamond is forever. Advertisement The International Monetary Fund forecast Botswanas 2025 fiscal deficit climbing to 11 per cent of gross domestic product. Thats the largest budget gap since the global financial crisis in 2009, and the biggest in sub-Saharan Africa this year. Government debt will rocket to 43 per cent of GDP in 2025, about doubling the ratio in just two years, according to data from the Washington-based lender, and exceeding a legislative limit. In June, the finance ministry abandoned a forecast of 3.3 per cent growth in 2025 and instead said the economy might contract 0.4 per cent. Foreign reserves have slumped 27 per cent over the past year, and Citigroup in July forecast Botswana would need to keep devaluing its managed currency, the pula. A first-ever midterm budget review is planned for as early as next month, and Debswana, the countrys joint venture with De Beers, is operating at about 60 per cent of capacity. Lab-grown diamonds accounted for almost half of engagement ring purchases last year compared with 5 per cent in 2019, according to jewellery insurer BriteCo. Getty Images Botswana was experiencing a significant decline in revenue inflows resulting in massive liquidity challenges that threaten financial stability and sustainability of government business operations, Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary Tshokologo Kganetsano told a parliamentary committee in June. Related Article Shopping Natural or lab-grown? Shine on a divided diamond industry as Taylor Swifts vintage ring sets trend Already, after years of limited borrowing, the country is turning to debt. It secured $US304 million from the African Development Bank in May and $US200 million from the OPEC fund in July, and plans a domestic bond roadshow for investors on Tuesday. Its investment-grade credit rating, the highest in Africa, is under threat, with both Moodys and S&P Global Ratings this year cutting its outlook to negative. The diamond sector is under severe pressure both prices and volumes, Ravi Bhatia, director and lead analyst at S&P Global Ratings, said in an interview. Theyre doing a combination of trying to diversify, fiscal consolidation and also austerity. Advertisement While Botswanas governments have been talking about economic diversification since the countrys first president, Seretse Khama, set up the Botswana Development Corp in 1970 to develop copper mining and beef production, little progress has been made. Tourism, focused on luxury safaris in the countrys Okavango Delta wetlands and a wilderness that boasts the worlds largest elephant population, is the second-biggest contributor after diamonds, accounting for just 12 per cent of GDP. Some copper mines are being developed, while huge coal deposits, barely exploited, can no longer attract the funding needed for extraction. Thats left more than two-fifths of the population under the age of 24 unemployed, according to the International Labour Organisation, with the diamond mines only employing a few thousand people, and reliant on government largesse. Thats a situation Boko described as a huge risk, in a January interview with Bloomberg. We must now focus on job creation, Boko said as he laid out ambitious plans for investment in renewable energy, technology and agriculture. Tourism, focused on luxury safaris in the countrys Okavango Delta wetlands and a wilderness that boasts the worlds largest elephant population, is the second-biggest contributor to the countrys economy after diamonds. Getty Images/iStockphoto What he hadnt bargained for was that there would be no money to pay for it. Advertisement Advertisement WorldNorth AmericaTrump's America This was published 3 months ago Opinion Dark woke: Have Democrats finally found a way to torment Trump? Julia Baird Journalist, broadcaster, historian and author September 6, 2025 5:00am September 6, 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 168 View all comments Look, I realise the word weird is overused when it comes to American politics, but it really is gobsmacking when you see the president and the governor of California, the countrys most populous state, exchanging barbs and memes on social media, likening each other to stupid, nappy-clad babies, immobile old women and weak men who cant box properly. When, for example, Donald Trump says he might get into shorts when the US hosts the football, as he looks fantastic in shorts, Gavin Newsom says, please dont! Illustration by Simon Letch Much of it is actually pretty entertaining, providing relief in a barrage of negative stories, and it highlights how adolescent some of the Trump administrations publicity has been. In recent months, the White House press office has put out AI images of Trump as a jacked-up Jedi, Superman, the pope and even a crown-wearing king. Newsoms office and now his fan base have responded with images of the governor on Mount Rushmore, bare-chested and buff, riding a bald eagle, straddling a shark, cradling a kitten in front of the American flag, posing in Calvin Klein underwear, being prayed over by Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan and Tucker Carlson, and drinking MAGA tears. Advertisement Its a parody but also, its working. Now Democrats are beginning to wonder should they have been doing this all along? Been brash and ebullient, not grave and glum? Clambered the ropes and got in the ring? View post on X The Hill reckons Democrats beyond California are now obsessed with Newsom, and that they are seriously weighing his potential as a presidential candidate. His stance as a happy warrior, they report, is winning hearts. On social media, Newsom and his office satirise Trumps style, posting in caps, revelling in personal insults and revving his own credentials. Like this: FOX HATES THAT I AM AMERICAS FAVORITE GOVERNOR (RATINGS KING) SAVING AMERICA WHILE TRUMP CANT EVEN CONQUER THE BIG STAIRS ON AIR FORCE ONE ANY MORE!!! FOX IS LOSING IT BECAUSE WHEN I TYPE, AMERICA NOW WINS!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. Advertisement He calls himself THE MOST SUCCESSFUL GOVERNOR IN AMERICAN HISTORY, and asks Canada to gift him a plane he can keep after leaving office. After Trump met with Vladimir Putin, Newsoms office posted: THE MAN LOOKED LIKE HED JUST EATEN 3 BUCKETS OF KFC WITH VLAD. MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING HE BEGGED PUTIN TO HOLD HIS HANDS (TINY) ON THE WAY OUT. Is the most effective way to counter Trumps excesses to troll him? To ape his narcissism, mock his small hands and call him a loser? For years probably, Democrats have prided themselves on a refusal to fight dirty as Michelle Obama memorably put it, when they go low, we go high. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump at Los Angeles International Airport in January. AP But Newsom has decided to go low, and hard, in an attempt to derail and out-troll Trump, becoming the first Democrat to really, aggressively, openly take fire at the president. And, if we are to measure success by the metrics of attention driving the news cycle (algorithmic dominance) it appears to be working. He has gained 3 million followers across platforms in 2025, amassing more than a billion views. Advertisement This is being heralded as a sign of a new era dark woke. Newsom decided to fully unleash his press office, he says, because he believes there is too much at stake. America, he says, needs to wake up. Newsom has won many new fans by aping Trump on social media, calling himself THE MOST SUCCESSFUL GOVERNOR IN AMERICAN HISTORY. AP The governor, for example, posts photos of Trump saying: A lot of people are saying maybe wed like a dictator, and I love Black people, while writing Super normal stuff, everyone! above them. Newsom and Trump have long had a fraught relationship. Trump calls his West Coast nemesis Newscum, and he has blasted his management of the state. He claims Newsom intended to give undocumented migrants free education, free medical, free everything. In June, Trump sent National Guard Troops to Los Angeles ostensibly to quell protests; Newsom responded by suing the federal government. Advertisement But things have escalated in recent days because of a dispute over gerrymandering. This is what happens when partisans manipulate the redrawing of electoral boundaries, a practice that occurs once a decade after a census is held, to favour their party instead of just adjusting for population changes. Trump has called on loyal GOP states to redraw boundaries now mid-decade to give Republicans more seats after the midterms in November 2026. When Texas passed a redraw giving, nominally, five more seats to the GOP, California announced it would design new maps to give Democrats five more seats. Even former president Barack Obama called this a smart, measured response, while maintaining that, over the long term, we shouldnt have political gerrymandering in America, just a fair fight between Republicans and Democrats based on whos got better ideas. Or, perhaps, better memes. Illustration: Matt Davidson Newsom on social media said his mid-cycle redistricting proposal had led MANY people to call him GAVIN CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS NEWSOM (BECAUSE OF THE MAPS!). THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. He is about to launch his own meme coin, called the Trump Corruption Coin, to add to other merch: shirts and red caps saying: Newsom Was Right About Everything, Trump is Not Hot and Make America Gavin Again. Advertisement Related Article Analysis Trump's White House Gavin Newsom began his speech as a state governor. He ended it as a potential president This isnt about left and right, or GOP versus Democrats. Traditional alignments have been blown apart as we have seen norms of decency and respect erode. Its about the way Trump has changed the way we talk to one another, about his incredible ability to manipulate and capture attention and the struggle of his opponents to respond. My Not Stupid cohost Jeremy Fernandez reckons this is how the midterms will be fought now. But the challenge is how to fight hard without permanently debasing politics or junking decency. Communications specialist Annie Wu, a former staffer for Democrat congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, thinks its possible, telling The New York Times earlier this year: You dont have to be cruel to be sharp. We can be bold, we can be petty, we can be punchy and still have a moral compass. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Columnist and author Julia Baird is cohost of the ABCs Not Stupid podcast. Get a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up for our Opinion newsletter. A CAR bought for 1,000 in Kildare was seized by gardai in Laois just an hour later. The motorist proved to be disqualified from driving and there was a live bench warrant out for his arrest. In a post straight from the Electric Picnic Comedy Tent, Laois gardai said on social media today: Financial advice, courtesy of Laois Roads Policing Unit: Earlier today, a driver spent 1,000 on a Toyota Prius in Kildare. An hour later in Laois *Car seized *Driver arrested - disqualified and live bench warrant *Straight into Portlaoise District Court Good-humoured gardai added: Were no investment bankers, but heres what 1,000 could also buy you: *2,500 Freddo bars (better resale value than this Prius) *500 large cappuccinos (at least youd stay awake on the bus) *Four Electric Picnic tickets (sold-out, unfortunately) *A season bus pass (where disqualified drivers actually belong) Instead, this 1,000 investment got *A court date *No car Posting a photo from the scene, gardai added: Moral of the story: If youre disqualified, spending 1,000 on a car is the worst return on an investment youll ever see. THE herd of Old Irish Goats that drew almost 2,000 visitors across County Carlow earlier this summer is set to return next week for the second phase of an innovative biodiversity project. The rare-breed goats will visit Bagenalstown on Monday 8 September and Tuesday 9 September, before moving to Tullow the following days, on Wednesday and Thursday. Schools, community groups and families are invited to meet the animals and learn about Carlows Urban Pollinator Foraging Network. The goats first toured the county in late April and early May, visiting locations including Leighlinbridge, Carlow towns Brooklawns, Burrindale and Sherwood green spaces, and Hacketstown Fire Station. The herd, led by Dermot the billy goat, was playfully nicknamed Munch-chester United by Senator Malcolm Noonan during his visit to Leighlinbridge. Shane Casey, biodiversity officer with Carlow County Council, said the summer tour attracted visitors ranging from the very young to the very old in glorious sunshine. The week also featured a Carlow version of ***Three Billy Goats Gruff*** performed by local childrens entertainer Wibbly Wobbly Wendy, which was posted online by the National Heritage Council. The goat tours are part of Carlow County Councils 2023 Green Infrastructure Strategy, which contains the policy that no pollinator in County Carlows towns and villages will have to travel more than 200 metres in order to find a food source. This approach has been highlighted by the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan as an example of best practice. Mr Casey explained that the goats act as a catalyst for change in management rather than a complete solution. The aim is to move away from regular mowing and towards long-flowering meadows that improve conditions for biodiversity while saving time, labour and reducing carbon footprints. Shepherd Hannah Miller will accompany the goats throughout the week, alongside Mr Casey, delivering educational talks on pollinators, land management and the rare breed itself. The council is also partnering with the County Carlow Environmental Network to offer practical help to residents wanting to make changes in how they manage their lawns and land. When Bouchra premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival tonight, it will do so as Moroccos first animated feature. That milestone alone makes it a landmark in the countrys cinema history, and its debut on one of the worlds largest festival stages signals how far-reaching the projects ambitions are. The film is also distinctive for the kind of story it tells and the way it is told. At its center is a queer, immigrant narrative, voiced in Moroccan Arabic, French, and English, about creativity, family, and love. Its characters are anthropomorphized animals, not rendered in a cartoony style, nor pushed toward photorealism, but designed with a grounded, textural realism that gives the world an authentic presence that feels immediately identifiable to anyone who has lived in a metropolitan city. That visual approach, paired with the intimacy of the story, sets Bouchra apart from much of todays CGI animated fare. Produced by a small team spread across Morocco, Italy, and the United States, the film was hand-crafted through a mix of personal storytelling, DIY animation techniques, and plenty of Blender hacks. The semi-autobiographical film was written and directed by artist-filmmakers Meriem Bennani and Orian Barki, the duo behind the acclaimed pandemic shorts series 2 Lizards. Produced by 2 Lizards and financed by Fondazione Prada, it follows Bouchra, a Moroccan filmmaker in New York, facing the fear of the blank page. A phone call with her mother in Casablanca brings long-suppressed memories to the surface, reshaping her understanding of family, creativity, and love. From Pandemic Shorts to Feature The films core creative team first collaborated on 2 Lizards, the pandemic-era shorts series. Miriam and I had known each other through mutual friends for like years we did like a small collaboration for this company called Telfar and then I guess a year or so later, I got an email from Miriam saying that they were wanting to make a movie and to see if we wanted to join up, recalled creative producer John Michael Boling. For Bennani, the move from short form to a full narrative feature was partly instinct, partly timing. We had a deadline, and we had a set budget, and we were maybe blissfully ignorant we didnt realize like this would be so much work. So we just, we just went for it, I guess. The production maintained a modest footprint when it came to collaborators. The four of us formed the core team, and then there were some people who would come to do some specific modeling and stuff, but its still under 20 total, said Bennani. Everyone was just kind of like standing in for like five people. So, you know, its kind of like the four of us is 20 people, Barki added. Stretching Blender Much of the work depended on resourcefulness. What happened, even if what ended up on the screen has a higher production value, is that a lot of what you do is hack Blender, said Bennani. You make it look super expensive, but with your own techniques. Boling explained: We were all sort of intentionally blissfully ignorant. You kind of forget how hard it is, just so youll get far enough into it to actually do it, but so you dont give up Jason and I have been working in DIY animation for 10 years, so weve built a bunch of weird little tricks and hacks. How can you actually make it happen with just, you know, four or five gaming computers and like just spit and duct tape and dreams? Creative producer Jason Coombs described the productions improvisational feel: Every shot it really felt like an indie film where youre building specific props, youre building specific sets, youre cutting holes, youre just doing what works for the shot instead of the proper pipelines that animation students would normally use. Once you get moving, you just keep that momentum and dont look back. Almost Autobiographical This is extremely close to my own story, Bennani admitted. Also, the character is voiced by me. So theres no, like, even pretending that its not me. She explained how a key narrative thread emerged during development: The phone calls with the mom are real phone calls that Ive had with my mom in the process cause we felt in the script something was missing. And then when Orian heard these phone calls we were just like, whoa. Like this is so much more powerful than anything we wrote. Barki recalled overhearing those calls: The phone calls actually started as research. Meriem was like, Im gonna call my mom and well have more materials and then we were sitting together and she was translating to me live. And I was like, wait, Miriam, these phone calls are like, they need to exist in the movie just the way they are. That vulnerability reshaped the balance of the story. The more personal it got, the easier for us it was to add fictional stuff, Barki said. Because it was like, oh, now we have the center of it. We have the grounding force of it, so we can be playful. Animating Anthropomorphized Animals Another defining choice was to use animals instead of human figures. Miriam designed, drew all these characters, and a lot of them were based on family members, said Coombs. I was super, super stoked I come from a wildlife background and love animals, and also as an animator, naturally love anthropomorphic animation I feel like one of the most magical things for me about the movie was the way the characters really did emerge from just everybodys input. Boling added: The newest thing that we did for this was figuring out hair and how to do it cheaply, but that was still expressive, which took some time, but I think we did a good job with it. Moroccos First Animated Feature For Bennani, the films place in national cinema history is significant: The fact that its probably the first animated feature film in Morocco thats ever been made is so important because it shows animation can be accessible to, for lack of a better term, the global south. Theres something about the right to use your imagination and to just be stuck to social drama when you tell stories that dont come from Europe or North America, she added. That milestone gives Bouchra a special place in Moroccan film history. And for the small, nimble team behind it, the project demonstrates what can emerge when independent artists push Blender, and themselves, to their limits. Pelagos Data Centres unveils ambitious plan for new 250MW facility near the Port of Gibraltar Gibraltar, 4th September 2025 A major data centre that will deliver up to 250 megawatts (MW) of capacity by 2033 is to be built in Gibraltar by Pelagos Data Centres. Announced today at a launch event at the offices of the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Hon. Fabian Picardo, the state-of-the-art facility is expected to attract investment of approximately 1.8 billion. The facility will be constructed in five phases at a 20,000 square meters site near the Port of Gibraltar. It is the largest current development project in the territory by value and among the largest in its history. Funded entirely by private investment and backed by the Government of Gibraltar, the Pelagos Data Centres Project represents a transformative step for the territorys digital and economic landscape. It will also make an important contribution to meeting Europes demand for data centre capacity, positioning Gibraltar as a significant new node in Europes digital infrastructure that can serve the broader needs of the UK and continental Europe. This comes at a pivotal moment, as AIs rapid adoption across industries is reshaping digital infrastructure needs, creating significant demand for scalable, high-performance data centres capable of supporting complex and compute-intensive workloads. The first stage of the project is scheduled to become operational in late 2027, with subsequent phases to follow at approximately 18-month intervals. The data centre will be powered independently of Gibraltars existing power grid and the site will feature a public leisure facility, providing a valuable amenity for the local community. Mr. Konstantin Sokolov, Chairman of Pelagos Data Centres, said: The scale of this project marks a new chapter for Gibraltar and for Europes digital capabilities. Just as electricity and the internet transformed society in the past, AI is now emerging as the defining technology of our time with the power to redefine entire industries, economies, and communities. With our new facility, Pelagos Data Centres is laying the foundation for the next era of AI-driven innovation, positioning Gibraltar as a strategic hub and enabling Europe's brightest minds to unlock the full potential of this revolutionary technology." Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Hon. Mr. Picardo said: I am delighted that Pelagos Data Centres have decided that Gibraltar is the place to establish their first facility and that the whole community will benefit from their massive investment and its huge economic impact. I look forward to this project becoming a reality as soon as possible." Mr. Christian J.A Ryan, President for Gibraltar Operations for the Pelagos Data Centres Project said: As a proud Gibraltarian, Im honoured to help drive the Pelagos Data Centres Project forward. Expected to attract approximately 1.8 billion in investment this project will enhance Gibraltars economy by creating jobs and supporting local businesses. It will also deliver new vibrant public spaces and amenities for both residents and visitors to enjoy every day. With National Day just days away, the announcement of this project is a moment of celebration and pride. This project is for all Gibraltarians, marking our emergence as pioneers in the industries of the future. The economic benefit to Gibraltar of the Pelagos Data Centres project is expected to be substantial. Up to 500 jobs will be created during construction of the centre, with around 100 permanent positions upon its completion. The company currently employs 50 full-time staff in London and Gibraltar, with plans to hire and train local staff extensively for operational roles. The project will also stimulate demand for local services, support the growth of Gibraltars digital and technology sectors and enhance the territorys and the wider regions attractiveness as a destination for international business and investment. The facility is the first to be developed by Pelagos Data Centres and will be built to Tier III standards as defined by the independent Uptime Institute organisation, ensuring high availability and reliability. It will be carrier-neutral, offer services to both public and private sector clients, and will pursue leading international certifications for information security, quality management, environmental sustainability, and energy management. It intends to achieve a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of approximately 1.2 or better, reflecting a commitment to high energy efficiency. Sustainability is central to the Pelagos Data Centres project. From day one, the facilities are expected to be powered by a combination of renewable energy and liquefied natural gas (LNG), with a goal of achieving net-zero operational emissions by 2030. Advanced air and liquid cooling systems will be used to minimise water usage, and the company is in talks about initiatives to recover or repurpose heat from the data centre for use by community projects in Gibraltar. Emphasising the importance of the project the Minister for Economic Development and Inward Investment, the Hon. Sir Joe Bossano said: This is the most significant infrastructure investment in Gibraltar since the early 1990s, when the GSLP Government brought state-of-the-art telecommunications as inward investment from the United States and made possible the creation of a centre for online services. Then, we future-proofed Gibraltars economy. Today, we are doing so again. The technology of the future - on which every advanced economy will depend - will be Artificial Intelligence. AI requires data, processing power, and energy resources on a scale never before seen. The Ministry for Economic Development will put all its resources at the service of this initiative to ensure that it is delivered in the shortest possible time. In this field, speed of delivery is everything. Gibraltar should be the fastest jurisdiction on the planet when it comes to delivery." Joining Mr. Picardo, Mr. Sokolov, Sir Joe Bossano and Mr. Christian J.A Ryan at the official launch event was Mr. James Levy KC and Mr. Tony Provasoli, senior partners at Hassans International Law Firm. Sign up to get our news digest delivered directly to your inbox twice a week. This weekend, more than 1,900 U.S. theaters will screen the mostly hand-drawn 2D animated feature Light of the World, which adapts the Biblical story of Jesus through the eyes of the youngest disciple, John, reframing one of the most well-known stories in the Western hemisphere with a painterly, storybook-inspired aesthetic. By December, it will be released in 33 countries. Produced by Wisconsin-based Salvation Poem Project, a nonprofit studio, the film was funded entirely by entrepreneur and philanthropist Matt McPherson, best known for running Mathews Archery and McPherson Guitars. With a $20 million production budget, the movie is one of the largest faith-based animated projects of all time. Directors John Schafer and Disney Renaissance veteran Tom Bancroft (best known for designing Mushu in Mulan) lead a team of artists, musicians, and animators on the project. Their mission, set forth by McPherson, was to create a hand-crafted, 2D (with some Toon Boom tweening) animated feature based on the life of Jesus. Beyond that, the films development and production were left to the artists. Cartoon Brew sat down with Schafer and Bancroft ahead of the films wide release today for an in-depth conversation about how Light of the World came to be, why they believe hand-drawn animation still matters, and what it takes to release an independent feature on thousands of screens worldwide. Cartoon Brew: How did this project get started? Schafer: I had just been working for the Salvation Poem Project for a couple of months. My job was going to be producing some animated shorts, and thats really what it was at first. Id been here two months when the founder, Matt McPherson, took us out to coffee. Matts known for creating Mathews Archery, the largest archery bow company in the world, and McPherson Guitars, a very high-end guitar brand. So thats his background. Hes obsessed with quality, handcrafted work. I was working for his son, Brandon, whos the president of the Salvation Poem Project and also producer of Light of the World. We were sitting there, and Matt said, Back in the 90s, I felt the Lord put it on my heart to make a movie about the life of Jesus. Which sounds crazy coming from someone who makes bows and guitars. But he said, When the Lord speaks to my heart, I wait. If this is supposed to happen, Hell show me the time. Because of my background, I created Superbook at CBN, and he thought, Maybe this is that time. Thats how it started. And when did Tom get involved? Schafer: Tom and I have known each other for 18 years. We worked together on Superbook. Theres a level of trust, a shorthand between us. I thought, hey, this is a 2D feature. Let me call my friend, Tom Bancroft, who also has all this feature film experience. Bancroft: When John told me it was from the point of view of John the disciple as a 13-year-old, that was a huge selling point for me. Now you have a character kids can see themselves in. It becomes almost like a Disney 90s film, a coming-of-age story, a buddy film, with Jesus as the co-star. Why was 2D the right choice for this movie? Schafer: We really wanted it to be 2D because theres a craftsmanship to hand-drawn animation you dont see anymore. I love it; Im all about 2D. Ive been working on this for over a year now as a director, working with the team, developing the style, and it hit me how massive it all is. You see why Disney and Pixar always have two directors: the character designs, environments, props, layouts, story team, its just huge. Thats why I reached out to Tom. Can you talk about how you developed the films style? Where did you try to stay authentic to the era and the culture of the area, and what were you willing to adapt for your audience? Bancroft: Before I joined, John had already set that mandate. Our art director, Mike Dutton, and character designer, Katie Sung Lee, even traveled to Israel. They came back with photos, sketches, and inspiration. A lot of the stylization, even Johns big dandelion hair, was inspired by Hebrew lettering. We mixed that with influences from Cartoon Saloon, more graphic and European in feel. Honestly, we had to pull it together fast, but Lighthouse Studios in Kilkenny gave it consistency. Schafer: Ive traveled to over 20 countries, and I always look at childrens storybooks wherever I go. No matter where, they all share that illustrated, painterly feel. So I thought, if were retelling the life of Jesus in 2D, lets make it feel like a storybook that comes to life, something relatable across cultures. We worked closely with our production designer, Luke Lehenbauer from Epipheo Studios in Cincinnati. On the big screen, you see the brush strokes, the patchwork. It feels unfinished, like a work in progress. That felt right to me, because spiritually, were all works in progress. And I love that in 2D, because its hand-drawn, you see little imperfections. That makes it timeless. How are you handling distribution? Schafer: As of today, were in over 1,900 theaters. On September 4th, it opens in Australia and New Zealand. By December, itll be in 33 countries. Were not with Lionsgate or Sony or Angel, were independent, because we want the freedom after the theatrical run to give it away free to ministries worldwide. Matts not looking for a return. Whatever comes in stays with Salvation Poem. Why tell this story through Johns eyes? Schafer: In our research, theologians and historians mostly agree that the disciples were teenagers. Peter mightve been the oldest at 24. John was the youngest, about 13. He was in the front row of Jesuss ministry, and he was the only one at the cross. That made him the perfect point of view. So we leaned into a coming-of-age story. And we wanted families to be able to bring six-year-olds and still handle things like crucifixion in a way thats appropriate. Bancroft: Thats what hooked me. You get a flawed, young character, and it plays like an adventure, John searching for someone who can save his family from Roman oppression. Kids will see themselves in him. He doubts. He questions whether Jesus really is who he says. Its fun, its heartfelt, and then it lands with that powerful ending. Sign up to get our news digest delivered directly to your inbox twice a week. Celia Bullwinkels new short Baby Bro runs just two minutes, but it hits with the impact of an R-rated punch to the crotch. The film pairs classic 2D animation with crude, misogynistic rhetoric straight out of the manosphere, echoing the toxic vocabulary of public figures like Andrew Tate and Donald Trump. The effect is jolting: babies cooing frat-boy insults at their mothers, a collision of innocence and toxicity that provokes both laughter and unease. The shock doubles when you realize it comes from the same filmmaker behind Sidewalk, a tender short about a woman learning self-acceptance that has racked up just short of 100 million views on YouTube. I thought, what if these manosphere babies were born and started talking about their moms the way frat boys talk about women at a party? Bullwinkel told Cartoon Brew, describing her latest project that tackles similar themes in a very different style. The idea first surfaced seven years ago, during downtime between jobs. What might have otherwise been a timely project stretched into years of stop-and-start progress, derailed by the pandemic and by collaborators wary of such inflammatory material in an era when the internet was quick to pounce on anything potentially offensive said online. I approached people about doing voices, and some flat-out said, I cannot read these lines, she recalled. Eventually, she found performers Brock Baker and Lyle Rath, who recorded their parts two years apart, later edited into seamless banter. Staffing animators proved equally tricky. Some people looked at the film and said, I dont want to work on this, Bullwinkel said. A handful of allies, including former student Michael Ruocco, background artist Wesley McLain, and animators Abigail Snyder and Marji Brodner, stepped up and helped bring the idea to life. Festival programmers have also been cautious. While Baby Bro has screened at Ottawa, Woodstock, and Kaboom, and picked up honors at Laugh After Dark Comedy Fest and Boobs & Blood, many festivals passed with long, regretful notes. I think people were afraid to share it because its controversial, Bullwinkel said, reading between the lines of rejection letters. Still, she is adamant about the films intent. Its a feminist film. Its about misogyny, she insists, and anyone who understands subtext or sarcasm would surely agree. By taking misogynistic language to an absurd extreme, Baby Bro forces viewers to confront an ugliness once relegated to bars and locker rooms but now increasingly common in public life. And to laugh while doing it. Bullwinkel, who has worked in animation for two decades and now teaches at Cal State LA, is realistic about where the short might ultimately find its audience. Festivals are one thing, but the internet plays by different rules. Sometimes the amateurish feeling is part of the charm. Honestly, it would be an honor if Baby Bro succeeds online more than at festivals. Breaking News Would you like to receive our breaking news news? Signup today! e-Edition Subscribers e-Edition Only - $39.00 Year This is the exact replica of our weekly printed paper. Great for searching archives! General Interest Imported List: General Interest remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Carl Elzia Levi, who started his Army career as a recruit in the U.S. Army and rose to the rank of Brigadier General in The Tennessee Army National Guard, has undoubtedly heard his Lord say, Well done! Carl, who was born on January 26, 1931, and died on March 24, 2025, dedicated his entire life to the betterment of others and was ever enthusiastic in his delight and love for Chattanooga and its people at the time of his passing. He had the distinct ability to never lose the heart of a humble servant. General Levi grew up in the East Lake area and was a graduate of Chattanooga High School Class of 1949, University of Chattanooga 1956, and University of Wisconsin (Oshkosh) School of Finance 1975. He is a member of the Chattanooga High School Hall of Fame, VicePresident of the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity at UC, President of his class at the UC, Pledge Class President, Inter Fraternity Council Treasurer, Chairman of the School Election Committee, and Member of the board of the Heritage Center Medal of Honor Museum, where he served as a Trustee. He spent 53 years in local government, 25 of those years as the Treasurer for the City of Chattanooga. After he retired on New Years Eve of 2001, he was elected to two terms as a Trustee for Hamilton County. Carl went to work for The City of Chattanooga temporarily when he came home from Fort Sill and retired 45 years later. He took the job under Mayor Olgiati as a stop-gap kind of thing, until he could figure out what he wanted to do. He enjoyed the opportunity that Mayor Olgiatis appointment gave to him because of the countless opportunities to help others. After working for only a short period of time in the city court, Carl was appointed Assistant City Treasurer, and held that position for 17 years. In 1976, he was named City Treasurer by Mayor Pat Rose. Throughout his time with the city, Carl worked with eight different Mayors. Carl often joked about having three lives. In addition to handling the finances as Chattanooga blossomed, he had a band for 40 years and once played with stars such as guitar genius Chet Atkins and Grand Ole Opry favorites Faron Young and Jim Wilson, the great Chattanooga piano player. His third life was the 70-plus years he was so instrumental in The American Legion. At the time of his death, General Levi was the Vice Chairman Emeritus of the prestigious American Legion National Finance Commission, which governs the financial arm for its millions of members. Carl considered the American Legion a blessing and a way to serve others. Throughout the years, he served as Post 14 Commander, State Commander, National Executive Committeeman of the American Legion and was honored with a Lifetime Membership. General Levi was a Certified Public Financial Administrator, member of the Half Century Club and the American Federation of Musicians. Highly recognized from near and far for his many accomplishments, General Levi was humble, describing himself as a guy God worked through to accomplish many things. Some of his honors while serving in government were being elected President of the International Municipal Treasurers Association of the United States and Canada, Municipal Treasurer of the Year for the United States and Canada, and County Trustee of the Year in Tennessee. The Chattanooga National Guard Armory and Drill Hall are both named in his honor. During his career, he served as State Comptroller, Inspector General, Adjutant and Commander of the 196th Field Artillery Brigade. He was awarded the Association of the United States Army Outstanding Student Award, Honor Student at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, National Guard Minute Man award, U.S. Army Legion of Merit Medal, Graduate of NATO Defense School (Rome, Italy,) Graduate at the Armed Forces Staff College and Graduate at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He was awarded the Order of St. Barbara, the patron Saint of the Army Field Artillery. General Levi is remembered as the driving force behind the Armed Forces Pavilion at the Chattanooga National Cemetery and took pride in the fact that it did not cost the taxpayers a penny. Carl was preceded in death by his wife, Peggy Jernigan Levi, his parents, the late Deputy Fire Chief Carl A. Levi and Erma Smartt Levi. His survivors include his daughter Kelly Carlyn Levi Swartz, stepdaughter, Pam Martocci, grandchildren, Jordan Elizabeth Swartz, Jonah E. Swartz, Joshua E. Swartz, great grandson, Caiden A. Chryst, nephew, Van Jernigan and his wife, Carolyn Kaufman. General Levi is also survived by many dear friends, among them, April Roark, R.N. and longtime neighbor, Assistant Dawn Patton from the County Trustees office, B. Ray Adkins, Ronald Swafford, his military buddies that faithfully met every Friday, the many who have supported his efforts with The American Legion and the brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity at the University of Chattanooga. The family would like to thank all of those at NHC of Chattanooga who contributed to his excellent health care and became family: Kraig and Bryce, who he took on many adventures, Lawrence, Savanna, Tamika, Mona, Louie, Jennifer, Catherine, P.J., Drew, Jamichael, Gail and Shay C. A member of Brainerd Presbyterian Church, funeral arrangements for Brigadier General Carl E. Levi will be Friday, Sept. 12, at 10 a.m. at The Chattanooga National Cemetery. He will be buried with full military honors, and his remains will be interred with his wife Peggy. The family has requested that any token of remembrance be directed to any charity or organization of your choice. Arrangements are by Heritage Funeral Home, 7454 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga. The Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer invites the community to attend its 18th annual Celebration of Life and Hope Gala on Saturday, Sept. 20 at the Foundations Education Advancement Center, 1705 S. Holtzclaw Ave. in Chattanooga.The Foundations hallmark event will feature family testimonies, live music, food and an open bar, plus live and silent auctions. Attendees are invited to wear green cocktail attire. Hundreds of community members and leaders gather each year to support families facing pediatric cancer, and tickets are now available with limited quantities remaining.The Celebration of Life and Hope auction features hundreds of unique items and experiences, offering something for everyone.Anyone, anywhere can join online starting Sept. 8 to bid on exclusive items, including: Ron Fellows Performance Driving School Two-day Corvette Stingray Owners School experience; Inola Blue Ridge Two-night stay in the historic Wetherburn Tavern; Cristy Kinard Original Painting A one-of-a-kind piece from the renowned artist; High Peak Station Red Stag Game Hunt Five-day hunting experience for four hunters, complete with luxury lodging, professional guides, chef-prepared meals, trophy mounting and more; Hammock Cove Antigua Luxury villa accommodations for up to 10 nights, complete with gourmet dining and a personal guest ambassador; and Oh My Mahjong! Ultimate Set A beautifully designed Ultimate Mahjong Set including racks, tiles, mat and more.Full auction details and bidding will be available at https://one.bidpal.net/clh2025/welcome.This years gala honors the Yeaman Family, who turned to the Austin Hatcher Foundation just weeks after their daughter, Abbys, cancer diagnosis in 2022. Since then, the Foundation has walked alongside the Yeamans throughout their entire journey, offering comprehensive support to every member of the family.The Austin Hatcher Foundation has been a godsend for our family, said Ashley Yeaman. When our daughter was diagnosed with cancer, our world changed overnight. The Foundation has supported us through every step of Abbys treatment and, now, recovery, and knowing theyre still by our side gives us such comfort as we continue this journey.The event is co-chaired by Cindy and Less Lee, longtime Foundation supporters and local business leaders.The Celebration of Life and Hope is made possible through the generosity of community partners, including Presenting Sponsors Textile Rubber & Chemical Co. and Material Handling, Inc., VIP Sponsors Debbie & Bryan Macon, and Platinum Sponsors FirstBank, Guide On Group and North Georgia Toyota.The Foundation extends its gratitude to these and many other sponsors whose commitment ensures families receive services at no cost, officials said.The Austin Hatcher Foundation is funded entirely by donors and fundraisers like the Celebration of Life and Hope. Proceeds from the event directly support the Foundations mission to provide free, comprehensive care to families navigating pediatric cancer.Tickets and event details are available here Drivers traveling near the I-75 at I-24 interchange in Hamilton County should be aware of upcoming road construction activities that will temporarily impact traffic. As part of Phase 2 (the second of two projects) to widen and improve the I-75 at I-24 interchange, Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) contract crews will close the new I-24 West entrance ramp from North Terrace near Marlboro Avenue for noise wall construction beginning early Monday morning, and continuing through next Friday evening. During this closure, drivers can access I-24 West by using the recently reopened entrance ramp at Germantown Road. Additionally, during this same timeframe, the contractor will implement daytime closures of the I-24 East entrance ramp located near Sharondale to complete guardrail installation in the area. These closures will occur daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the ramp remaining open outside of those hours. During this closure, drivers can access I-24 East using the newly opened entrance ramp from South Terrace near Moore Road. Drivers are encouraged to plan ahead and expect delays. Drivers should follow all posted signage and remain alert to changing traffic conditions. As always, drivers are reminded to use all motorist information tools wisely and Know Before You Go! by checking travel conditions before leaving for your destination. Drivers should never tweet, text, or talk on a cell phone while behind the wheel. Get the latest construction activity traffic updates from the TDOT SmartWay Map. Travelers can also call 511 for statewide travel information. The Move Over Law was passed in 2006. The penalty for violating the law in Tennessee can be up to 30 days in jail and a maximum fine of up to $500. I recently visited Chattanooga to be with members of my Baylor School graduating class of 1971, and we had a gathering at Stir at the Choo Choo. I traveled to Chattanooga from Roseville, California, where I now live (I lived in Chattanooga for 31 years and still consider it to be home). At the Choo Choo, I parked in a lot run by Omega Parking. I found a spot and then paid at one of their machines, getting a receipt. My permit was supposed to last for four hours, and I actually got my car in two hours. However, when I got back, Omega had given me a parking citation for "non payment" even though I had a receipt and my bank card showed that I had paid Omega.The company has "fined" me $40 and demanded that I pay within two weeks. The citation also said that if I wished to dispute the citation, I could send pictures of the receipt proving that I had paid. I did just that, but never heard from them. I went to the website and it has a phone number, but no one has answered when I called several times during business hours - and the voice mailbox is conveniently filled. On the day in question, I paid $12 for my parking spot at 5:56 p.m. for four hours. My car was ticketed at 6:20 pm. My guess is that I am not the only person who has had to deal with this company in this way. I was driving a rental car with an out-of-state license plate, so I wonder if they figured they could rip off a visitor as opposed to a local who can be there to fight back. At any rate, I just want to warn everyone else in Chattanooga that this company is not honest. William (Bill) Anderson The town of Signal Mountain has joined the town of Walden to request individual growth plans for different areas specific to their special needs, instead of the "one-plan-fits-all" Plan Hamilton that has been approved by the Hamilton County Commission. Plan Hamilton goes back before the Planning Commission on Monday. It then is to go to the state, then back again to the County Commission. Signal Mountain passed a resolution on Friday morning to officially express strong opposition to the density provisions of Plan Hamilton. Plan Hamilton is being created to guide development across the unincorporated areas of the county. The Signal Mountain Town Council is seeking an amendment to what was passed by the County Commission. The resolution passed Friday morning, prioritizes the interests of citizens, the environment and infrastructure readiness in the plan for Area 7 that includes the town of Signal Mountain, it was stated. The goal of the resolution is to express the councils opposition to what the Hamilton County Commission has directed the Regional Planning Commission to do, said Vice Mayor Clay Crumbliss. He said everything that happens in the unincorporated areas of the mountain affects all the people who live on the Walden Plateau. "What they are planning is dangerous, not just inconvenient," said the vice mayor, and he said it is not about Signal Mountain being given special privileges. As it stands today, he said, if something catastrophic should happen, not everybody would be able to evacuate off the mountain. And the Plan Hamilton that was passed by the County Commission would add hundreds of cars and people increasing the traffic even more. Councilman Miles Jorgensen said it is not only the increase in traffic, but is also fire and police safety, stormwater runoff into Chattanooga and school infrastructure. The plan specific to Signal Mountain is being referred to by the council as Mountain top residential and would apply to areas that include everything on the ridge top. Density proposed by the council would be two dwellings if there is a centralized sewer system for the development. Density would be one dwelling unit per acre if there is a decentralized sewer system. And density would be 0.5 units if the property is on a septic system. These density standards would remain until all infrastructure on the top of Waldens Ridge is equal and safety standards match those in the town of Signal Mountain. This would include 24-hour emergency services such as fire and police. Signal Mountain provides assistance to residents in the unincorporated areas of the county when possible, but it is not the responsibility of the town since those are funded by taxpayers, officials said. The resolution that Signal Mountain has prepared represents the city council speaking as one voice for residents of the town, it was stated. The resolution requests for the original language that Signal Mountain had requested be reinstated: That geotechnical, environmental, traffic and stormwater reports for new development in Area 7 be reinstated. That the suggestion for rezoning to higher density being only in incorporated areas with sewer and emergency services be reinstated. That the majority of future development should occur within the incorporated town boundaries of Signal Mountain and the Town of Walden, should be reinstated. That a new Place Type be created similar to Countryside Residential, that would apply only to properties above 1,550 feet in elevation. That zone, being referred o as Mountain top Residential would have a maximum density of 0.5 dwelling units per acre if it is on a septic system, 1 unit per acre on a decentralized system and two per acre if the land is on a sewer system. ( It is noted that all areas that would be included in the plan for the unincorporated areas on the Walden Plateau would be on a decentralized sewer system.) The plan change process and updates section of the original plan should be reinstated, as well as the addition of increased capacity of the Signal Mountain Middle High School. That citizen feedback, needed transportation infrastructure plans, and emergency readiness plans should be reinstated for the well-being and safety of residents. (At this time there is almost $7 million projected in road repairs needed in the unincorporated areas of the mountain.) And polls say that 80 percent of Hamilton County residents oppose Plan Hamilton as it is now, said Mayor Elizabeth Baker. Hamilton County Sheriffs Office Corrections personnel assigned to the George Unit on Friday responded to an incident in which an inmate was critically injured during an inmate-on-inmate assault involving a makeshift weapon. Within one minute of the attack, Corrections staff and contract medical personnel began administering medical aid to the injured inmate, identified as Leslie Walker. Hamilton County EMS was dispatched to the jail, however, the victim succumbed to his injuries before reaching the hospital. Walker was booked into the Hamilton County Jail on May 18, 2020, for attempted murder in the first degree, possession of a firearm with a felony conviction, possessing a firearm during the commission of or attempt to commit a felony, possessing a firearm with intent to go armed, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and violation of probation (vandalism). Immediately following the assault, the suspect, Inmate Christopher Walton, barricaded himself inside his cell requiring HCSO Corrections Special Response Team (SRT) personnel to enter and extract him. At the time of the incident, Walton was in custody at the Hamilton County Jail for possession of a firearm with a prior felony conviction, possession of a firearm with a prior felony drug conviction, harassment, violation of an order of protection (2), assault, having contraband in a penal institution, stalking (2), vandalism, and aggravated assault. Walton was originally booked into the Hamilton County Jail on Feb. 23, 2023. Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp was notified and asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to conduct the investigation into the death. Once the homicide investigation is complete, all findings will be turned over for review by District Attorney Wamp. The HCSO "asks you to keep the family of Leslie Walker in your thoughts during this difficult time," it was stated. This is the fourth in-custody death to occur at the Hamilton County Jail and Detention Center this year. The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team dropped a pair of matches during Fridays action in the Chattanooga Classic presented by Great Clips, falling 3-1 (25-21, 21-25, 25-22, 25-14) to Ohio and 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-11) to SEC-member Alabama inside McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The day was historic, not only competing inside McKenzie Arena for the first time in program, but the program set a new home attendance record during the Alabama match as 2,165 were on hand for the battle between the two teams. Chattanooga (2-3) wraps up play in the Chattanooga Classic tomorrow with a 6 p.m. matchup against former rival Jacksonville State inside McKenzie Arena. The match will be broadcasted live on ESPN+ with live stats also available on GoMocs.com. Match Recaps Ohio 3, Chattanooga 1 Set 1 OU 25, UTC 21 Chattanooga's Sydney Jackwin recorded four kills, contributing to the team's offensive efforts. Ohio University's Torre Kildow and Mady Long each secured multiple kills, aiding Ohio in maintaining their lead. The set was closely contested early, with the score tied multiple times before Ohio pulled away to win 25-21. Set 2 UTC 25, OU 21 Kendyl MacAskill contributed significantly with multiple kills assisted by Ashley Reynolds. Gracie Rose sealed the set with a decisive kill, assisted by Reynolds. Ohio's Kendall White facilitated several key plays, assisting on multiple kills for her team. Service errors were frequent, with each team committing multiple over the set. Set 3 OU 25, UTC 22 MacAskill contributed important points with two kills, one assisted by Caiti Barthel and another by Reynolds. Rose and Jordin Glass combined for a block on Kildow, narrowing the score to 19-18. Chattanooga tied the set at 15-15 with a kill by Rose, assisted by Chiara Napoli. Kynli Kirkendoll and MacAskill each added a kill late in the set, keeping Chattanooga within reach. Set 4 OU 25, UTC 14 White facilitated Ohio's offense with multiple assists, contributing to kills from Kildow and Long. Chattanooga's Glass and MacAskill combined for a block against Gentry Brown. Ohio gained momentum with three service aces, including two from Long and one from White. Chattanooga managed a service ace from Jackwin, adding to their points in the set. Chattanooga Top Performers vs. Ohio Kendyl MacAskill - Six kills on .333 hitting; three block assists; 7.5 points Sydney Jackwin - 10 kills, two service aces; seven digs; 12.5 points Ashley Reynolds - 15 assists; five digs Caiti Barthel - 13 digs; one service ace Kynli Kirkendoll - Five kills on .556 hitting; three block assists; 6.5 points Alabama 3, Chattanooga 0 Set 1 ALA 25, UTC 19 Chattanooga's Kynli Kirkendoll recorded multiple kills, contributing to the team's efforts to stay competitive. Alabama's Victoria Barrett and Sophie Agee each delivered crucial kills that maintained their lead throughout the set. UTC tied the set at 15-15 with a service ace from Caiti Barthel, demonstrating a resilient effort. Alabama's Lindsey Brown started the set with a service ace, setting the tone for early momentum. Set 2 ALA 25, UTC 17 Chattanooga took an early lead with a 4-1 start, featuring a service ace by Barthel. Ashley Reynolds contributed significantly with two kills during the set. Hannah Parant was pivotal for Alabama, assisting on numerous kills, including three consecutive points to extend their lead. UTC's Gracie Rose and Sydney Jackwin each added a kill late in the set. Alabama's Agee and Kaleigh Palmer provided key blocks and kills to maintain the lead. Ryelle Rondo closed out the set for Alabama with two consecutive service aces. Set 3 ALA 25, UTC 11 Alabama's Parant contributed significantly with multiple assists, including four to Barrett and Palmer. Chattanooga's Destiny Wiggins and Jackwin each recorded kills, providing offensive contributions for their team. Lily Gervase of Alabama delivered four service aces, demonstrating effective serving during the set. UTC's Elena Vukmanov made a notable block on an attack by Palmer. Chattanooga Top Performers vs. Alabama Sydney Jackwin - Seven kills on 36 attempts; one service ace; nine digs Ashley Reynolds - 11 assists; two digs; one solo block Caiti Barthel - Two service aces; seven digs Elena Vukmanov - One service ace; seven digs; one solo block Any combat veteran serving between the onset of World War II and the close of the first Gulf War will know that a Deuce and a Half is a reference to a succession of 2.5-ton, 6x6 tactical cargo trucks that were ubiquitous in combat theaters. They will also know that a Ma Deuce is a reference to the M2 Browning .50-caliber heavy machine gun. There is a deadly connection between the two. Most Vietnam vets will recall that some models of the M35A2 Deuce and a Half trucks were equipped with M55 Quadmount systems four Ma Deuce machine guns mounted together in the bed of the truck, creating a formidable system for security perimeters and laying down a wall of suppression fire.My Chattanooga friend, then-LT Paul Jacobs, commanded platoons of quad 50 gunships. But there were also custom versions of the upgraded Deuce and a Half, the M39 five-ton series, which were transport vehicles retrofitted as the legendary Gun Trucks of Vietnam. The Army Transportation Corps had responsibility for moving massive amounts of heavy materials from South Vietnams coastal ports to inland bases, often resulting in 200-truck convoys. These became high-value targets for the Vietcong, who regularly ambushed the convoys in remote areas. One of the deadliest ambushes occurred on 2 September 1967, when seven drivers were killed and 17 wounded, and dozens of trucks were destroyed. Thus, there was a push for hardened convoys protected by makeshift Gun Trucks. Soldiers assigned to the protective details had to be creative in how they hardened the trucks; beds were protected with everything from sandbags to armor cut from destroyed vehicles, and included some configuration of machine guns. The goal was to have one Gun Truck for every 10-15 convoy trucks. In the tradition of World War II aircraft nose art, the Gun Truck bed sides were brightly labeled with names like Ace of Spades, Deuce is Wild, Cold Sweat, Iron Butterfly, and Pandemonium. What follows is the story of the actions of a 21-year-old machine gunner, SP4 Larry Dahl, when defending those in his now-famous truck, Brutus. Larry was born in Oregon City, south of Portland. His family moved to Seattle, where he attended Franklin High School and met his future wife, Michelle. After graduating, he worked at Sea-Tac International Airport and then at Boeing. In September 1969, he changed course and enlisted in the Army, completing basic training at Fort Lewis. He then trained as a heavy-vehicle driver at Fort Benning, Georgia. At the height of combat in Vietnam, he requested combat duty three times, finally being deployed in June 1970. Larry was a Specialist Fourth Class with the 359th Transportation Company, 27th Transportation Battalion, 8th Transportation Group. In September 1970, he befriended the four-man crew of the Gun Truck, Brutus. Two months later, he and his friends Richard Bond, Ronald Mallory, and Charles Huser became the replacement crew on Brutus after one of its former crew had been killed and two others severely wounded in an ambush. On 23 February 1971, Richard Bond was on leave, and SGT Hector Diaz took his place as the gun crew leader in the back of Brutus. It would be a brutal day of combat. Early afternoon, the lead trucks of two fuel convoys were ambushed as they crossed over An Khe Pass. Responding to desperate calls for help, three Gun Trucks Brutus, The Untouchable, and The Misfits and a Gun Jeep named Li'l Brutus raced into the kill zone about 30 minutes into the battle. At the time, Brutus was equipped with two forward .50-caliber BMGs and a 7.62mm minigun in the rear. The distinctive sound of Brutuss mini-gun as it approached the ambush site substantially improved the morale of friendlies in the firefight. Mallory pulled Brutus right into the mix near one of the burning fuel tankers, and for 15 minutes, the crews of Brutus and The Misfits laid down heavy fire toward the enemy positions on the hillside above the road, inflicting significant casualties. It was as that firefight was subsiding that a split-second decision by Larry Dahl would cost him his life and earn him a Medal of Honor for saving the lives of his brothers. According to Larrys MoH citation: After a brief period of intense fighting the attack subsided. As the gun trucks were preparing to return to their normal escort duties, an enemy hand grenade was thrown into the truck in which SP4 Dahl was riding. Instantly realizing the great danger, SP4 Dahl called a warning to his companions and threw himself directly onto the grenade. Through his indomitable courage, complete disregard for his safety, and profound concern for his fellow soldiers, SP4 Dahl saved the lives of the other members of the truck crew while sacrificing his own. His citation concludes, Dahls conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism, and intrepidity at the cost of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army. SP4 Larry Dahl, an ordinary man faced with extraordinary circumstances, summoned the greatest measure of courage to place his life in imminent peril to save others. His example of valor a humble American Patriot defending Liberty for all above and beyond the call of duty is eternal. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down ones life for his friends." (John 15:13) Live your life worthy of his sacrifice. Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis Pro Deo et Libertate -- 1776 Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform -- Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen -- standing in harm's way in defense of American Liberty, honoring their oath "to support and defend" our Constitution, and for the families awaiting their safe return. Pray also for our Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please consider a tax-deductible gift to support our historic hometown National Medal of Honor Heritage Center. Make a check payable to National MoH Sustaining Fund and mail to: Generosity Trust, 345 Frazier Avenue, Unit 205 Chattanooga TN 37405. Visit the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center at Aquarium Plaza. ( https://www.MOHHC.org This Sunday, Sept. 7, Morning Pointe of Chattanooga will join communities across the nation in celebrating National Grandparents Day, a holiday set aside to honor the love, wisdom, and legacy of grandparents. Officials said, "Observed nationally since 1978 on the first Sunday after Labor Day, Grandparents Day is about more than just recognition - its about bringing families together. At Morning Pointe, the holiday is a chance to create meaningful opportunities for residents and their loved ones to connect, reflect, and share in special moments across generations." Our residents have shaped not only their families but the communities around them, said Holly Holcomb, Life Enrichment Director of Morning Pointe of Chattanooga. Grandparents Day allows us to celebrate their impact while also creating space for children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren to make new memories together. Morning Pointe of Chattanooga will mark the day with a variety of family-friendly activities designed to celebrate and honor grandparents. One highlight is a Grandparents Day Ice Cream Sunday social, where residents and their families can gather to enjoy sundaes with all the toppings, share stories, and spend quality time together. And its not just in Chattanooga - many Morning Pointe Senior Living communities across the Southeast will also host their own special Grandparents Day celebrations, each designed to honor the unique role grandparents play in families and communities. These events kick off a week of celebration as Morning Pointe communities across Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, and Indiana come together to mark National Assisted Living Week (September 713). This years national theme, Ageless Adventure, highlights the spirit of exploration, discovery, and new experiences at every stage of life. Morning Pointe communities will host themed socials, intergenerational activities, and unique events that bring residents, families, and neighbors together in joyful connection. Community members are encouraged to reach out directly to their local Morning Pointe Assisted Living or Memory Care community to learn more about Grandparents Day and National Assisted Living Week happenings, or visit the Morning Pointe website to view each communitys calendar: https://morningpointe.com/locations/. During the Stalinist era in the USSR, a story spread of a 13-year-old boy named Pavlik Morozov. He was said to be a poverty stricken child who denounced his father for forging documents and selling them to enemies of the Soviets. It was claimed his family killed him. His portrait was everywhere and a statue of him still stands in Moscow. An opera and a film celebrated his martyrdom. Then a few individuals spent a decade researching and learned the story is mostly myth (History News Network 12/27/03). A similar story emerged recently from Gaza about an eight- year-old Palestinian boy who was allegedly gunned down by IDF forces. Two GHF workers who were handing out food claimed he came to them begging for food. When one gave him food the boy is said to have kissed his hand and his face in thanks. The boy, named Abboud, ran back to other Palestinians and then was supposedly killed by Israeli Defense Forces. Senator Chris Van Hollen, D-MD of the Maryland dad saga, got involved describing in detail the shooting on MSNBC on Aug. 2. The problem was, like Pavlik, it turned out to be mostly false. The GHF terminated this workers contract. Then they launched an investigation using intense questioning of people in the area where the killing was supposed to have taken place. They used biometric data and facial recognition software comparing those with the images taken by the contractor. Like the Pavlik tale, the story unraveled. The young boy, his mother and family members were all confirmed to be alive and unhurt (FOX 9/4/25). Hamas had a vested interest in perpetuating this story of a starving child of Gaza being ruthlessly killed by the Israeli military just as the Bolsheviks needed a young martyrs tale. What a difference a century makes - high definition cameras, facial recognition software and biometrics and especially a group with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) determined to find the truth. To Hamas dismay there will be no pictures of Abboud and no martyrs statue. Senator Van Hollen wont be traveling to Gaza with a crew from MSNBC to film him drinking tea recounting the tragedy with someone we are told is Abbouds mother. The senator will just have to find another fable to spread. Ralph Miller Home News Sophia Forchas, 12-year-old girl shot in head, could be third fatality of Annunciation Church shooting: doctor Sophia Forchas, a 12-year-old girl who was shot in the head during a mass shooting while praying at the Annunciation Catholic Church in downtown Minneapolis on Aug. 27, could become the third Annunciation School student to die from the attack, according to her doctor. In a grave update on her condition, Dr. Walt Galicich, a neurosurgeon at Hennepin County Medical Center, said at a press conference Friday that Sophia remains in critical condition in the facilitys pediatric intensive care unit. He said there is a chance she could die, but there are also rays of hope that she could survive. Yet, he also couldnt say for certain what her quality of life would be if she survives. Im gonna be blunt, Sophia is still in critical condition in the intensive care unit, Galicich said. There is a chance she may be the third fatality of this event, but the door has been opened a little bit and there are some rays of hope shining through. The late "Robin" Westman, 23, formerly known as Robert Westman before a legal name change in 2020, carried out the deadly mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church that already claimed the lives of Annunciation School students Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10. Seventeen other students, who were at the church for an all-school mass, were also injured, along with three adults in their 80s, after Westman fired a barrage of bullets through the church's window before taking his own life. Officials say all who were injured in the shooting were treated and discharged from the hospital, and only Sophia remains hospitalized. In his update on Sophia, Galicich said if someone had told him that she would still be alive today based on the condition she was in when she arrived, he said, I would have said it would have taken a miracle. She was shot in her left temporal lobe, and the bullet remains lodged in her right occipital lobe, which is a part of the brain located at the back of the head. He said doctors performed a decompressive craniectomy, which required removing the left half of her skull to give her brain room to swell. Unfortunately, the bullet damaged critical blood vessels in Sophias brain called the Sylvian Fissure, which carries branches of whats called the middle cerebral artery, which is a very important blood vessel. He said he and his medical team worked hard to save as much of the middle cerebral artery as possible before sending her to the pediatric intensive care unit where she remains in a medically induced coma to minimize the swelling of her brain. Shes been there now for 10 days. Weve had some issues with swelling and increased pressure in her head, which fortunately have been managed fairly well, Galicich said. Sophias father, Tom Forchas, had high praise for Galicich and everyone else involved with saving her life. Sophia is kind. She is brilliant. She is full of life. Shes an innocent child who was attacked while in prayer. Words cannot begin to describe the terror and heartache that come with learning such devastating details, he said. These past 10 days have been the longest and hardest of our lives. I stand before you today on behalf of my family to thank every person who helped get Sophia from the pew where she lay wounded all the way to Dr. Galicichs operating room, he added. Thank you for using the talents God gave you to save our daughter. Tom Forchas also urged supporters to continue praying for his daughter. Continue to pray for Sophia, pray for peace, he said. Pray with vigor. We need you to keep the fervor with which you are praying and when you pray, move your feet. A GoFundMe campaign to help Sophia and her family had raised nearly $1 million as of Friday evening. Home News Austin reveals new 'brand' logo because city seal with cross 'doesn't promote' town's values Seal originally created in 1916, inspired by Stephen F. Austin family coat of arms The capital city of Texas has announced an official brand redesign and logo to be the town's new symbol, saying that the existing city seal that features a cross "does not promote the City's distinctive values and mission." Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax unveiled a new brand logo for the city Thursday, a move that he said is aimed at unifying both the city's brand identity and its people. "For the first time in Austin's history, we will have a logo to represent the city services and unify us as one organization, one Austin," Broadnax told reporters. Broadnax revealed the new Austin logo, which features the letter "A" in the shape of two rolling hills imagery, the city said, is "more than just a letter" with blue and green "flowing lines that echo the movement of our rivers, the curves of our hills, and the dynamic energy of Austinites." Officials say the city partnered with Austin-based creative agency TKO and Pentagram, an international design firm named after a five-sided star symbol which, at least among Christian communities, has traditionally been linked with satanism and the occult. As of Friday afternoon, the seal remained on the city's website and other digital assets. The old city seal which Broadnax said was used in place of an official Austin logo featured a coat of arms from the family of Stephen F. Austin, the city's namesake and the so-called "Father of Texas," who led efforts to colonize Texas in the early 1800s. Austin, whose father received a grant from Spain to settle Texas before he died, brought 300 families and their slaves from the eastern U.S. to the Tejas region of the former Mexican territory in 1825. The Austin coat of arms upon which the old logo was based included a crest with a gold Latin cross with white wings set against a backdrop of a silhouette of the Texas State Capitol. According to officials, the city seal was created in 1916 by a San Francisco illustrator for a flag design contest. In 2018, the Austin City Council voted to prioritize the development of "a cohesive brand" for the city, including a redesign of the logo. The new-look Austin "brand" will officially launch on Oct. 1, with updated digital assets including the City of Austin website, department web pages, social media profiles and email newsletters. Broadnax said the move was made in part because officials say residents weren't satisfied with the city seal. "Through community feedback sessions, we learned that a large majority of Austinites don't have recognition of or a strong affinity for the city seal, which has been used in place of a logo," he said. After conducting "surveys and focus groups with a wide array of community members," Broadnax said it was clear residents wanted a "modern government that reflects the community's values and is consistent, connected, and responsive across departments and services." "And that's what this brand does," he added. The inclusion of the Latin cross on the former Austin flag became the subject of a 1987 lawsuit by an atheist group identified as the Society of Separationists, which claimed the Christian insignia violated both the Texas and U.S. Constitution. A U.S. appeals court dismissed the suit in 1991, saying the cross was a recognition of Austin's family coat of arms and was not a government endorsement of any religion. City spokesperson Erik Johnson told The Christian Post that the city seal is "not a brand, and does not promote the City's distinctive values and mission." "The seal will not go away, but the new brand and logo reflects Austin's growth over the last century and what it represents to its residents," Johnson added. The initiative comes on the heels of a disastrous rebrand of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, which backed off from a planned logo redesign amid a negative public relations firestorm that drew accusations of "wokeness" and the attention of President Donald Trump. The company's initial announcement that the country-style eatery would be removing the famous "old timer" Uncle Herschel figure and whip-like "K" from its logo, which had been in place since 1977, sent shares plummeting before recovering after the decision to keep the old logo. Home News Churches failing to preach about sin is a 'bodyblow' as many Christians reject basic teachings: Barna Only two-thirds of self-identfied Christians think everyone sins A significant number of Christians reject basic teachings about sin, according to a new survey, which one prominent Evangelical researcher views as a "bodyblow" stemming from American churches' failure to address the topic. The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University released the eighth installment of its 2025 "American Worldview Inventory" on Thursday, which features data based on responses collected from 2,000 United States adults in May 2025. An overwhelming majority of respondents (84%) agreed that "sin exists" and "it is real." Majorities of all major religious subgroups examined subscribed to this belief, with acknowledgment of sin's existence highest among theologically-identified born-again Christians (99%), followed by those who attend a Protestant church (97%), self-identified Christians (95%) and respondents who attend a Catholic Church (94%). Even most self-identified non-Christians (61%) acknowledged the existence of sin. However, respondents were significantly less likely to agree with a statement declaring "I am a sinner." A large majority of theologically identified born-again Christians (74%) conceded that they were sinners, along with smaller majorities of Protestants (66%) and self-identified Christians (60%). About half of Catholics (50%) said they were sinners, while less than half of self-identified non-Christians (36%) did. When asked if they agreed that "everyone has sinned," 85% of theologically-identified born-again Christians answered in the affirmative, along with 73% of Protestants, 66% of self-identified Christians and 57% of Catholics. Less than a quarter of self-identified non-Christians (23%) maintained that everyone has sinned. George Barna, a veteran pollster who founded The Barna Group and is now the director of research at the Cultural Research Center, attributed the lack of unanimous belief in Christian views about sin to the lack of discussion about the topic at American churches. "The job of the local church is to educate people about God's ways," he said. "Yet, a 2019 Pew Research study that analyzed sermon content across the nation determined that just 3% of all sermons preached even mentioned sin. That's a devastating bodyblow to the Church world." "Students will remain ignorant when their teachers fail to inform them of critical information and consequences," he added. "For an overwhelming majority of Christian churches to suppress the reality of sin, its consequences, and its solutions from the people those churches serve is a travesty." Barna described "taking refuge in the idea that other people have a sin problem, but they personally do not" or that "sin is an outdated concept" as "harmful strategies." "Parents, pastors and religious influencers have a vital responsibility to keep basic biblical truths before the Christian body, including the reality of sin and its repercussions," Barna said. "Allowing Americans to skirt around the personal implications of sinful living is a major disservice to the people they influence, and facilitates the continuing demise of American society," he concluded. Maintaining that "sin is not a difficult concept to understand or identify," Barna said that "avoidance of teaching and accountability regarding sin can be quickly and easily rectified by those who seek to add value to the spiritual journey of the people they influence." "Inserting sin back into the national consciousness would be an invaluable investment into who we are as a nation and as the Church," Barna said. Although at least half of every Christian subgroup subscribed to basic Christian teachings about sin, most also agreed with the premise that "Sin is real, but people are basically good at heart." Among those who believe sin exists and is real, 70% embrace the idea of the basic goodness of humanity. This view is most prevalent among Catholics who believe in sin (82%), followed by self-identified Christians (72%), theologically-identified born-again Christians (70%), Protestants (66%) and self-identified non-Christians (65%). "Describing all people as 'basically good at heart' is the culturally-comfortable dismissal of sin that millions of people use to ignore the possibility that their love affair with disobedience to God is a life-threatening spiritual disease with eternal consequences," Barna stated. Home News DHS announced $110M security grant for houses of worship week before church shooting A week before the deadly Aug. 27 mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Department of Homeland Security awarded $110 million to more than 600 faith-based organizations to beef up their security. The award is the "final round" of $210 million appropriated by Congress in the National Security Supplemental, of which $100 has been given to over 500 Jewish faith-based organizations across the nation. Whether they pray in a church, a mosque or a synagogue, all Americans should be able to practice their religion without fear of terrorism and violence, a senior DHS official said in a press statement announcing the award on Aug. 19. Under President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noems leadership, DHS is laser-focused on ensuring the safety of the American people. Instead of using grant money to fund climate change initiatives and political pet projects, we are using this money to protect American communities especially places where people gather in prayer. Highlighting concerns about violent criminals and radical organizations intent on hurting American communities, the DHS said the award administered through FEMAs Nonprofit Security Grant Program can be used by religious groups, including churches on security enhancements, like security cameras, additional warning and alert systems, gates and lighting, access control systems and training programs for staff. The late "Robin" Westman, 23, formerly known as Robert Westman before a legal name change in 2020, carried out a deadly mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church. The massacre 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. The shooter fired a barrage of bullets through the church's window before taking his own life. While the list of over 600 faith-based organizations that received security grants from the DHS has not been made public, the help could be a boon that some have been seeking for years. The Minnesota Catholic Conference recently revealed that following two out-of-state school shootings in 2022 and 2023, they had asked state lawmakers to provide security funding for local non-public schools and received no help, the Catholic News Agency reported. We need to ensure that all our schools have the resources to respond to and prevent these attacks from happening to our schools, Jason Adkins, MCCs executive director, wrote in a letter to Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, both of whom are Democrats, dated April 14, 2023. While Walzs office stated in a response to the CNA that he cares deeply about the safety of students and has signed into law millions in funding for school safety, the publication confirmed that none of the previously signed funding bills apply to non-public schools. Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis has been among many voices in the state calling for the expansion of public funding for school security to include religious schools. Although no legislation can stop the manifestation of evil, this Safe Schools legislation is an important, commonsense first step to establishing an ongoing funding source for schools to increase security staff, enhance building security, and strengthen violence prevention programs and mental health initiatives, Hebda wrote in a May 2022 letter after a bill to expand the funding to non-public schools stalled. Home News Nigerian Christians held hostage, starved at Fulani terror camps, advocates warn WASHINGTON A radical Fulani tribe that advocates say is "hell-bent on turning Nigeria into a caliphate" is abducting and holding Christians in chains while the Nigerian government and media turn a blind eye, according to journalists sounding an alarm about religious and ethnic tensions. Douglas Burton, a former U.S. State Department official and now senior editor of Truth Nigeria, a project of Equipping The Persecuted, shared details of the organization's reporting during a Wednesday Capitol Hill press conference on the terror camps within a forest behind Rijana village in the northwestern Kaduna state. Based on interviews with survivors, Truth Nigeria has reported that there are at least 11 major camps in the vast forest south of Kaduna, and each one reportedly holds more than 50 captives. "So there's approximately 500 or 600 people in the forest now, and they have maintained these hostage camps there since December of last year," Burton said. "So thousands of people have gone through this system, and many were killed." Survivors of the terror camps who have recounted their experiences in interviews with Truth Nigeria have said that their captors barely fed them and beat them regularly. Hostages in the camp are often killed if their families cannot afford to pay a ransom. One survivor, a mother named Esther, said Fulani terrorists abducted her and her 10-month-old daughter, Anita, from their home in Gaude village in June 2025. The terrorists marched Esther and several others they had kidnapped into the Rijana enclave, where they held their captives in an assortment of camps. During her time in captivity, Esther said that the kidnappers warned her against reciting any Christian prayers. But the mother stated that prayer was one of the few consolations as a hostage, where she witnessed the execution of two people whose parents failed to pay a ransom. Once, when the mother's baby cried, one of the terrorists snatched the baby from Esther, covering the child's nose and mouth before Esther managed to wrestle the baby back. After enduring months as a hostage, Esther was released on Aug. 27, according to Truth Nigeria. The former captive said that despite her kidnappers forbidding it, she prayed that she would one day be released from the terror camp. At the press conference, several faith and nonprofit leaders also raised concerns about what they say is the Nigerian government's failure to protect Christians, as well as some Muslims, from violent Fulani terrorists. In addition to mass killings, they say many face the threat of being abducted and held for ransom. "The kidnappers are Fulani," Judd Saul, executive director of Equipping The Persecuted, emphasized during the press conference on Wednesday. "They are part of the Fulani ethnic militia. The people that are doing the killing, the kidnapping, and taking over Christian communities are the Fulani ethnic militia. This is a jihadist Muslim tribe that is hell-bent on turning Nigeria into a caliphate." Numbering in the tens of millions, the Fulani people group is one of the largest nomadic ethnic groups with tribes dispersed across the Sahel and West African countries. Predominantly Muslim, Fulani comprise hundreds of clans, and many different lineages do not hold extremist views. However, advocates have warned that some Fulani adhere to extremist ideology that has resulted in more violence impacting and displacing predominantly Christian farming communities in the Middle Belt of Nigeria in the last several years, leading to thousands of deaths. While some activists have warned for years that the level of violence has reached the standard for genocide, the Nigerian government has claimed that the violence is not religious in nature and is simply farmer-herder clashes exacerbated by other factors. While experts debate the role religion plays in the conflict, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has raised concern that "violence by and against Fulani groups is clearly aggravating religious tensions" in countries like Nigeria. Multiple speakers accused the Nigerian government of being aware of terror camps in the Rijana Forest. They also allege the government doesn't respond to intelligence reports warning of attacks against Christian communities. "The conditions are indeed horrifying," Burton stressed. "One of the most horrifying things is that the Nigerian government has not acknowledged our reporting, has not responded to our telephone calls, has not been able to help rescue any of these people." Burton accused the Nigerian government of paying off Nigerian reporters to keep them quiet, saying it conceals the truth about what is happening. While the Nigerian national security advisor claimed in February that the government had rescued around 50 hostages somewhere in Rijana, Burton said that these former captives were not made available to Truth Nigeria for interviews. Since the organization could not interview the victims, the senior editor noted that it's hard to tell if this report is "true or bogus." Saul of Equipping The Persecuted, which is dedicated to reporting on Nigerian Christian persecution and enhancing villages' security, asserted that most people may have heard reports about abductions in Nigeria. "But what no one asks is: What happens to the people after they're kidnapped?" Saul said. "Are they released? Are they ransomed out? What's going on?" "We know for a fact by eyewitness accounts that there are currently over a thousand Christians held in captivity being held for ransom," he added. "They are being tortured, they are being starved, they are being beaten, and Christians are being executed on a daily basis if the ransoms aren't paid." He urged the media and international communities to clearly name who the perpetrators are, disputing reports that the situation is the result of climate change. "This isn't climate change, this isn't farmer-herder clashes, or any of these other nebulous groups or situations that are applied to this," Saul said. "No, this is radical Islamists practicing a real-life jihad in front of our own eyes. And unless something is done now and soon, millions of Christians are going to die." Several speakers called on the U.S. State Department to reinstate Nigeria to its Countries of Particular Concern list of worst religious freedom-violating countries after Nigeria was removed from the list in 2021 under the Biden administration, a decision that sparked criticism from USCIRF. Additional solutions they proposed included holding the sponsors of extremist groups like Fulani terrorists accountable for their actions. Home Opinion Sen. Tim Kaine claims rights come from government, not God The notion that our rights do not come from our laws or our government should make people very, very nervous, warned U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) during a recent confirmation hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for five Trump nominees. The notion that rights dont come from laws and dont come from the government but come from the creator thats what the Iranian government believes. Kaine pounced on the opening remarks of Riley Barnes, who was nominated to become assistant secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. In his opening remarks, Barnes endeavored to present a coherent account of human rights, citing Secretary of State Marco Rubios first speech to State Department employees, We are a nation founded on a powerful principle, and that powerful principle is that all men are created equal, because our rights come from God our Creator not from our laws, not from our governments. We are a nation of individuals, each made in the image of God and possessing an inherent dignity, Barnes added, following through on the theological underpinning of Americas founding philosophy. This is a truth that our founders understood as essential to American self-government. Our enduring values arent an endless list of rights that people create and change and form to meet their own needs or desires, he continued. These values arent identity politics. They are the historic, natural rights that we have as individuals, pursuing life, liberty, and happiness in this world. For rights to be untethered from this core principle is to make them mere sentiments, easily manipulated by authoritarians and bad actors. Kaine responded that he found Rubios doctrine of natural rights very, very troubling. (On January 20, 2025, Kaine joined every other senator in confirming Rubio as Secretary of State; Kaine and Rubio served 12 years together in the Senate, leaving Kaine no excuse for ignorance about Rubios views.) Thats what the Iranian government believes, Kaine continued. Its a theocratic regime that bases its rule on Sharia law and targets Sunnis, Bahais, Jews, Christians, and other religious minorities. And they do it because they believe that they understand what natural rights are from their creator. Against this theory of God-given rights, Kaine argued for rights based in law, presenting the United States as an example. The motto above the Supreme Court is equal justice under law. The oath that you and I take [is a] pledge to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, not arbitrarily defined natural rights, he said. People of any religious tradition, or none, are entitled to the equal protection under the laws of the 14th Amendment And now, if we now, after 250 years suddenly start to demean that or diminish that and suggest, No, its natural rights, as defined by a leader the leader of Iran or the leader of any nation that does not create a place of safety or comfort for folks. Im a strong believer in natural rights and I try to live in accord with them, said Kaine. But I would never demean the law. According to Kaine, the theory of God-given rights, which he claims to believe in, demeans law, demeans rights, and denies equal rights to people who identify as LGBT. Kaine rambled on repetitively in this manner for four of his allotted five minutes of questioning, before turning his attention to another nominee. He declined to ask Barnes any question regarding his testimony, ostensibly, because I believe you offered that in a very sincere way, and I dont want to try to change your opinion on something you sincerely believe. However, as he spoke in circles into the third minute, then the fourth minute, a listener might receive the impression that Kaine feared giving Barnes an opportunity for a succinct and able rebuttal. But Senator Kaine made two key errors in his four-minute philippic. Firstly, he never granted or seemed to be aware of the fact that the philosophy he attacked is found in the Declaration of Independence, the cornerstone of the 250-year-long history of America, to which he appealed. Rubios remark, with which Kaine took issue, unmistakably paraphrases the famous preamble to the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. It is this doctrine, in other words, that Kaine disputed. Secondly, perhaps due to poor listening, Kaine tried to refute Barness worldview by claiming much of the same ground: Barnes grounded natural rights in an unchanging, pre-political creation order. Kaine argued that law and government provided a surer basis for rights. Barnes extolled natural rights for preserving every persons inherent dignity as Gods image-bearer. Kaine claimed natural rights demeaned them, appealing to the 14th Amendment as the basis of equality. Barnes juxtaposed natural rights with malleable rights easily manipulated or discarded by authoritarian regimes. Kaine warned that natural rights themselves were arbitrarily defined by any leader. Barnes proposed natural rights as a universally applicable framework for advancing human rights abroad. Kaine complained that natural rights are worthless because everyone disagrees about what rights qualify. Given these contradictions, its difficult to avoid the conclusion that, somehow, Kaine managed to simultaneously copy Barness homework while ignoring everything he said. However, even the arguments Kaine selected tended to bolster the natural rights theory. Consider Kaines insistence that people of any religious tradition, or none, are entitled to the equal protection under the laws of the 14th Amendment You are entitled, in this country every person to the equal protection of the laws. Kaine argued that laws form the surest basis for rights, offering this legal guarantee of equal protection as an example. Logical consistency would require Kaine to admit that citizens would have no right to equal protection under the law, if their countries had no law equivalent to the 14th Amendment. Yet his whole system of basing rights in law presupposes that the laws apply equally to all people. If America had no 14th Amendment to guarantee equal protection, Kaine would likely demand such a guarantee, simply because it was right. If this is true, it would mean that Kaine holds that some rights are pre-political. If the law did not protect them, they would still be rights. Such rights are natural rights. Notwithstanding Kaines prediction that different religious traditions would identify some significant differences in the definitions of those natural rights, most traditions agree on the basics: justice, loyalty, and generosity are good; murder, stealing, and rape are bad. Far from demeaning the law, natural rights provide a deeper and stronger foundation for the law by arguing that laws should be (and are) based on timeless principles. Instead of investing law merely with the authority of a government or a plebiscite, a correspondence to natural rights invests law with sacred authority, based in a creation order established by God. This gives citizens more reasons, not less, to follow the law. Closer to the issue at hand (Americas international advancement of human rights), natural rights also provides a common vocabulary for America to advocate for rights in other countries not just based on American law but based on principles that apply to all people everywhere. It was this appeal to universal, self-evident principles that made natural rights relevant to Americas birth certificate. It was this appeal to universal principles that informed Martin Luther King Jr.s intention to cash a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and security of justice. It is this appeal to universal principles that makes the United States an international beacon of freedom, and a voice of goodness and moral clarity that overseas dictators must respect. It is this appeal to universal principles that makes opponents of God (and right) feel very, very nervous. Originally published at The Washington Stand. Home Opinion What David Taylor teaches us about false prophets David Taylor, international preacher and tele-evangelist, was recently arrested in Houston, Texas, and indicted on federal charges, along with his ministry director, Michelle Brannon. Taylor, who calls himself the best friend of God and a prophet, is now facing charges for a $50 million labor trafficking scheme but the spiritual danger behind his ministry runs even deeper. On the DOJ website, it expounds on many of the charges that include, Money laundering is tax evasion in progress, and in this case, the proceeds funded an alleged human trafficking ring and supported a luxury lifestyle under the guise of a religious ministry, said Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of IRS Criminal Investigation, Detroit Field Office. Taylor even has armor bearers who act as his personal aides, providing around-the-clock care and even fulfilling his sexual desires. On the IRS site, it states, Taylor demanded that his Armor Bearers transport women from ministry houses, airports, and other locations to Taylors location and ensured the women transported to Taylor took Plan B emergency contraceptives. Although it is difficult to discuss, we cannot overlook these heinous crimes. We must face them and call out false teachers like David Taylor not only because of the deep trauma inflicted on many victims, but also because of the serious harm bad actors can have on the witness of the church. We are commanded over and over again in the Bible to be aware of false teachers who seek to deceive and harm us. Jesus taught in Mark 13:5, Watch out that you are not led astray or deceived. So, what can you learn from David Taylor? Sound theology? No, he is a false prophet. But you can learn to identify three specific signs of deception in his ministry so you won't be fooled or taken advantage of by a wolf in sheep's clothing. Sign #1 Labor and financial abuse Taylor has had a long history of associating spiritual blessings with wealth and exploiting others for his own financial gain. Court documents show that, Taylor reportedly claimed regularly that if someone fails to obey his orders and commands, they are defying God and will suffer in Hell. Many of his former congregants now refer to the Kingdom of God Global Church or Kingdom Family Church as a slave labor cult. The apostle Peter directly confronted the greed and abuse of false teachers, writing, in their greed they will exploit you with false words (2 Peter 2:3). Sadly, many people were tricked into thinking that by giving their life savings or dedicating their service to Taylor, they were doing God's work. To avoid falling into this trap, pay close attention to whether your spiritual leaders are living luxurious lifestyles at the expense of others. Do they care more about meeting their needs or yours? Are they selfish for wanting more, or are they doing as much as they can to serve your needs? Sign #2 The prosperity Gospel Many tele-evangelists flaunting their riches and masquerading as righteous disciples of Christ existed before David Taylor. The prominent ones from the past are Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, and Benny Hinn. All of them, including Taylor, promote a prosperity gospel that claims Gods blessings are material wealth, health, and success in life. But what sets Taylor apart is how the Kingdom of God Global Church was able to launch fully networked call centers and forced labor of thousands of individuals to fund his lavish lifestyle. My friend, you and I know that prosperity preaching is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul warned in Galatians 1:8, If anyone is preaching to you a Gospel contrary to what you received, let him be accursed. David Taylor is preaching a different gospel. The true Gospel isn't about boosting our bank accounts its about forgiveness of sins and knowing that you have eternal life through Jesus Christ alone! Sign #3 A distorted view of Jesus What concerns me most is how Taylor talks about Christ. He doesnt point people to the all-sufficient Savior but instead elevates himself and his ministry, suggesting that blessings only come through him. Why? Because he is a prophet like Moses and he has been worthy enough to see Jesus face-to-face over a thousand times! Thats ridiculous. But, again, whats so tragic is the millions of people around the world who believed what he was saying was true. According to Colossians 2:10, those who believe in the Gospel, have been filled in him [Jesus]. We dont need a false teacher like Taylor to be our spiritual filler in order to be able to communicate with Jesus. Thats not the Jesus we serve. He is our High Priest (see Hebrews 4:14-16). Claiming that kind of divine glory, as if Taylor acts as our mediator, is not only bad theology, its blasphemous! It really hurts and bothers me to see people fall for the deception and abuse of false teachers like David Taylor. I hope that after reading this article, you are wise enough to distinguish truth from error, and bold enough to follow Jesus even when the world is full of counterfeits. Because false teachers will always come and go, but as Isaiah 40:8 tells us, but the Word of our God stands forever. Anthropic PBC will pay at least $1.5 billion plus interest to resolve an authors copyright lawsuit over the AI companys downloading of millions of pirated books, one of the largest settlements over artificial intelligence and intellectual property to date. A request for preliminary approval of the accord, involving one of the fastest-growing AI startups, was filed Friday with a San Francisco federal judge who had set the closely watched case for trial in December. The settlement is among the first in dozens of copyright lawsuits filed against AI leaders including OpenAI Inc., Meta Platforms Inc and Midjourney Inc. and alleging misuse of proprietary online content. Anthropic had said in a court filing that it felt inordinate pressure to cut a deal to avoid a potentially business-ending trial that could have put the company on the hook for as much as $1 trillion in damages. The startup recently reached $5 billion in run-rate revenue and raised $13 billion in investment at a $183 billion valuation. But Anthropic is still ultimately unprofitable due to the high costs of developing AI. We remain committed to developing safe AI systems that help people and organizations extend their capabilities, advance scientific discovery, and solve complex problems, an Anthropic spokesperson said in a statement. A lawyer representing the plaintiffs said the accord far surpasses any other known copyright recovery. This settlement sends a powerful message to AI companies and creators alike that taking copyrighted works from these pirate websites is wrong, Justin Nelson of Susman Godfrey said in a statement. The case was brought as a class action on behalf of the authors of as many as 7 million books who claimed that the startup illegally used downloaded pirated versions of their copyrighted texts to train its large-language AI models even though it was unclear whether those materials were actually used for training. A lawsuit of that size could have driven the company to bankruptcy if it were to lose in trial. Under the terms of the deal, Anthropic will pay about $3,000 for each of about 500,000 books in the class. If more claims are submitted, the total payout would grow. The company also agreed to destroy data it was accused of illegally downloading. This is a landmark event, the first major settlement in a case against a generative AI company. said attorney Chad Hummel at McKool Smith, who isnt involved in the litigation. The settlement might be industry guiding and set corporate precedent on what can and cant be accessed without consent. Some attorneys are skeptical the deal will propel a wave of settlements in the remaining lawsuits, noting the authors cinched several key pre-trial wins against Anthropic that gave them critical leverage. Anthropic still faces copyright claims in lawsuits brought by music publishers and social media platform Reddit Inc. Music publishers allege the AI company engaged in wholesale copying of protected lyrics to train its signature large language model, Claude, and Reddits suit accuses Anthropic of using the social media content without permission for AI training. Some of Anthropics competitors such as OpenAI which is being sued by The New York Times over copyright claims have struck multimillion-dollar data licensing deals with major publishers, in part to avoid litigation. Anthropic has not publicly disclosed any such licensing deals to date. A hearing on the proposed settlement is set for Sept. 8. The case is Bartz et al v. Anthropic PBC, 24-cv-05417, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco). Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. Second round of Putin-Trump talks possible in near future: Kremlin Xinhua) 11:29, September 06, 2025 MOSCOW, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- The second round of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump may take place in the near future, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. Such a meeting could be arranged very quickly if the presidents consider it necessary, Peskov said in an interview with Russian news outlet aif.ru. He added that working contacts between the two countries are constantly maintained. Putin and Trump previously held a meeting on Aug. 15 in Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska, marking Putin's first visit to the United States in nearly a decade and the first face-to-face meeting between the two countries' presidents since 2021. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Kou Jie) Adani Power and Druk Green Power Corp sign agreement to develop 570 MW hydroelectric project in Bhutan The Wangchhu project will see an investment of about 6000 crore in setting up the renewable energy power plant and related infrastructure. Long weekend plans? Make them even better with up to 40% off six exciting destinations. This includes Chiang Mai, Krabi, Tunis, Algiers, Cambodia, and Sumatra. Plus, an extra 10% off on a hero destination each day! ???? The Galleria, Al Maryah Island - Ground floor, near the pic.twitter.com/amJOwf0cNw Etihad Airways (@etihad) September 5, 2025 Etihad Airways has rolled out a special Winter Sale for Indian travellers, offering discounts of up to 30% on Economy Class tickets to select global destinations. The promotion, valid until September 11 , covers travel through to March 2026.Under the scheme, passengers can avail reduced fares to major European and American cities. Sample fares include Bengaluru to Paris starting at 43,230, Mumbai to Madrid at 45,059, and Delhi to Zurich from 45,142. For long-haul journeys to the US, flights begin at 64,513 for Delhi to Chicago, while fares for Delhi to Boston are available from 68,800.The airline said the initiative is aimed at giving Indian travellers affordable access to its extensive global network while benefiting from seamless connections via Abu Dhabi. Newly launched onward routes to destinations such as Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Krabi and Phnom Penh are available as part of the deal.Etihad has further highlighted its Abu Dhabi Stopover Programme for travellers booking directly through its website. The scheme provides up to two complimentary nights at participating premium hotels, allowing passengers to explore the UAE capital as part of their journey.Positioned as a showcase of its growing network and a means of strengthening Abu Dhabis role as a global transit hub, the Winter Sale offers Indian customers competitive fares on established and emerging routes. The airline said the campaign was designed to make international travel more accessible and rewarding during the busy winter season.Meanwhile, Etihad said in a tweet for all international travelers that those making long weekend plans would get an better discounts of up to 40% off for six destinations, which include Chiang Mai, Krabi, Tunis, Algiers, Cambodia, and Sumatra. Plus and an extra 10% off on a hero destination each day. A Canadian government report has raised concerns over financial support to several terror organisations, including the Khalistani extremist groups, in the country. The report revealed that such groups have been funded by financial sources originating from Canada for activities linked to politically motivated violence in the country. The report, released by the Canadian Department of Finance, highlighted that the extremist groups have been funded by financial sources originating from Canada for activities linked to politically motivated violence.The report stated that Khalistan i groups previously had extensive organised fundraising networks in Canada. They used to ask for donations from diaspora communities abroad, including Canadians of Indian or Sikh origin.They used structured networks, like non-profit organisations (NPOs), charities or community organisations, to collect and transfer money. However, recent assessments state that these networks have diminished over time, the report added. Khalistan i extremist groups supporting violent means to establish an independent state within Punjab, India, are suspected of raising funds in a number of countries, including Canada. These groups previously had an extensive fundraising network in Canada, but now appear to consist of smaller pockets of individuals with allegiance to the cause but seemingly no particular affiliation to a specific group, the report said.The report titled, 2025 Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risks in Canada, states that Babbar Khalsa International, International Sikh Youth Federation and Sikhs for Justice have been active in Canada and are raising funds that may support politically motivated violence abroad.Along with Khalistan i groups, Canada has also listed other terrorist organisations, including Hamas and Hezbollah, under the Politically Motivated Violent Extremism (PMVE) category.Several terrorist entities listed under the Criminal Code in Canada that fall under the PMVE category, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Khalistani violent extremist groups Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federation, have been observed by law enforcement and intelligence agencies to receive financial support originating from Canada, the report said.The PMVE category includes those groups who are looking to achieve political objectives, either by creating a new political system or by changing existing systems and structures through violent means.Earlier in January, Canada admitted that acts of terrorism targeting India are being planned and funded from within its borders.The seven-volume report revealed that Khalistan i extremists continue to use Canada as a base for promoting, fundraising and planning violence, primarily aimed at India. The European Commission (EC) on Friday hit Google with a 2.95 billion ($3.46 billion) antitrust fine for abusive practices in its adtech business. But observers said that IT leaders should look at the decision as a warning about a potential wave of global regulatory decisions on tech issues. For example, Friday also saw a major genAI player settling a case involving piracy of AI model training data. Anthropic on Friday told federal court officials that it had settled its genAI copyright lawsuit for $1.5 billion, a settlement possible because a federal judge last month dismissed other copyright claims. This is hardly Googles first compliance challenge in Europe, or in other parts of the planet. And the EC statement described the Google fine as limited to one case against the company, keeping the door open to potential future actions. We could have gone an entirely lifetime without knowing how Jessica Simpson brushes her teeth. Robert Pattinson is known for making up outlandish stuff during interviews. Unfortunately, none of his lies are as crazy as his truths. Advertisement 14 Justin Bieber He brought a pet monkey on tour, and it was confiscated in Germany: That monkeys endangered or something. But I had the papers. I even had it written out that he was a circus monkey and he could travel and all that shit. He didnt bother to get it back; he just paid the $8,000 fee he was charged for having the animal relocated to a zoo. Advertisement 13 Cardi B She explained on an Instagram Live that she had a tougher upbringing than some of her peers I wasnt a Disney channel star. I wasnt a nun. I wasnt a saint. I have done fucked-up shit. That fucked-up shit included stripping (which is fine), going back to a hotel with clients under the guise of having sex, then drugging and robbing them (which is less fine). 12 Rumer Willis Willis has copped to having a big ol crush on her stepdad, Ashton Kutcher, while he was married to her mom Demi Moore. 11 Howard Stern Stern flip-flopped on the Olsen twins in the most disgusting way imaginable. Before they turned 18, he said, Normally I dont look at a 13-year-old and sexualize them. I dont, but these two are pieces of ass. Theyve grown up so perfect. After they turned 18, he said, Something went wrong. It really looked for a while like when they were 13 or 14 that they were gonna be supermodels. Advertisement Advertisement 10 Tim Allen He spent one night in jail, decided he didnt like pooping in front of other people, and immediately narced on his accomplices: I was put in a holding cell with 20 other guys we had to crap in the same crapper in the middle of the room and I just told myself, I cant do this for seven and a half years. I want to kill myself. The hilarious image of a failed suicide attempt, he says, is what inspired him to get into comedy: The comic in me showed up, the purest form, and saved my life. 9 Victoria Beckham David Beckham, to his credit, immediately pushed back on Victorias claim to have grown up working class in an interview. He repeatedly asked her what car her father drove when dropping her off at school, and after several attempts to deflect, she finally answered: Okay, in the 80s, my dad had a Rolls-Royce. Advertisement 8 Nicki Minaj She went anti-vax on main, sharing the stupidest (and most personal) anecdote the world has ever heard: My cousin in Trinidad wont get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen. His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. Advertisement 7 Kourtney Kardashian She says a doctor told her she should drink Travis Barkers semen four times a week to improve her thyroid levels and help them conceive a child. She says she didnt try it, but she made that sentence exist in our brains. Also, thats not how it works and that doctor sucks. Advertisement 6 John Stamos He choreographed an intricate sexual assault when he was in a band in the 80s. While on tour in Finland, he wanted to hook a friend of his up with a girl he was making out with: I said, Hold on a second, Ive gotta go brush my teeth. It was dark, I left the room, and I sent in my friend who looked like me. It progressed exactly as planned, which sounds extremely illegal. 5 Jessica Simpson Shes opened up about her baffling dental hygiene: she flosses every day, but only brushes a few times a week because she doesnt like the slippery feeling of a clean mouth. She supplements her occasional brushing with regular mouthwash gargling, and wiping her teeth with a sweater. Advertisement 4 Colleen Ballinger After being accused of grooming her young fans, she took some time to not reflect so much as write a song denying any culpability. She addressed the camera, saying, Even though my team has strongly advised me to not say what I want to say, I recently realized that they never said that I couldnt sing what I want to say. Some of the points she sang in her defense were, The only thing Ive ever groomed is my two Persian cats and Im not a predator, even though a lot of you think so. Advertisement 3 Kesha She says her song Supernatural is inspired by the time she went to the bone zone with a ghost. She stayed in a haunted hotel, and claims that a ghost detector went nuts around her pelvis. Advertisement 2 Dominic Fike The edgelord and rapper weighed in on the Amber Heard/Johnny Depp trial, right in the middle of a concert: I think Amber Heard is hot, dude. I know its not a popular opinion, and its not the focus at the moment, dude, but Ive been having these visions of her just beating me up. I think its hot. A decade and change after Charlie Sheens Two and a Half Men departure, the actor is all about winning back the friendship of his former co-star Jon Cryer. Though Cryer appears in the new Netflix documentary, aka Charlie Sheen, Sheen said he struggled to get a hold of his ex-colleague both before and after his interviews for the film. The only person I didnt call personally to participate in the doc was Jon, Sheen recently told People. Director Andrew Renzi, he said, reached out to Cryer on his behalf after Sheen realized he didnt have the right number. Don't Miss Upon watching Cryers segment, Sheen said he tried to connect with Cryer again. When I saw everything that Jon spoke about, so honestly and very compassionately, I wrote to him, he shared. I said, Hey, thank you for your contributions, and Im sorry we didnt connect personally. I hope to see you around the campus. His message was met with radio silence. Im thinking I wrote to the wrong number, Sheen speculated, noting that its not like Jon (to) not respond. He concluded with a public plea for his famous former friend: If you're reading this, Jon, DM me your new number!" Over the past few months, though, Cryer has reiterated that while he wishes Sheen the best, hes intent on keeping his distance from his TV brother. We dont have a relationship anymore, Cryer told Bill Maher in January, noting that its great to hear about the stars eight years of sobriety through mutual friends. Advertisement Cryer also expressed qualms about reconnecting with Sheen in a professional capacity during an appearance on The View the following month. Charlie was, like, the highest-paid actor in television, yet he blew it up, Cryer explained when asked about a potential Two and a Half Men revival. I dont know if I want to get in business with him for any length of time. Advertisement Advertisement Considering their tumultuous past, Sheen can understand why Cryer may be hesitant to reconcile. He was in the line of fire with all that stupid shit going on, Sheen recalled of hearing Cryers side of the story in the documentary. It was affecting him and his family and his career and all that. I cant debate anything that he said. Advertisement Sheen also commended Cryers insights into his struggles with addiction. The Pretty in Pink alum, he noted, was spot-on in tying his substance abuse issues to his challenges with self-worth. He nailed that, Sheen said. Im so glad he opened that door, because it gave me a chance to really start thinking about that. 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 The cult lingerie brand behind what shoppers have named 'the most comfortable bra ever' has unveiled its latest range, created for breastfeeding women. Maternity bras are often the frumpiest, most basic designs - crafted for function and practicality. Rarely do they do anything to bolster confidence when a new mother is at her most vulnerable: adjusting to changes in her body, healing from birth, and learning to care for a new baby. Comfort comes first for postpartum mums, but that doesn't mean undergarments can't look beautiful too (especially when they're often visible during feeds). First Thing has stepped up to meet the needs of mothers, with a new design that ticks all the boxes: supportive, stylish, and ever so comfortable. The Aussie label's new nursing bra is crafted from the signature buttery soft fabric that has made its original bras and undies so beloved by thousands. Soft on skin and ultra stretchy, the wireless bra is designed to accommodate fluctuating breast size. Aussie lingerie label First Thing has unveiled a new design in their collection of bestselling bras The Maternity Bra is a $69 nursing bra that is both supportive and stylish The Maternity Bra features discreet, easy-access feeding clips, and a chic mesh panel at the neckline. One happy shopper has already given the maternity bra a five star rating: 'Absolutely love the maternity bra! Clips are so easy to hook on and off! I love the mesh detailing, makes it feel elevated, but its still so comfortable! Also still gives nice shape under a t-shirt.' First Thing's Founder Georgia Gazal is a mother-of-two, and sought to create an 'elevated' take on breastfeeding-friendly bras. 'I wanted something that made me feel a bit more like myself while breastfeeding and in the chaos of early motherhood,' Gazal said. The $69 Maternity Bra comes in sizes small through XXL and in three colours: black, blush and taupe. The Aussie label's new nursing bra is crafted from the signature buttery soft fabric that has made its original bras and undies so beloved by thousands First Thing has amassed thousands of fans with its bestselling Everyday Bra. With more than 200 five-star reviews, customers rave about the 'lightweight', 'butter soft' fabric and barely-there underwire that gently supports without digging in. The flattering cut of the cups make it seamless and smooth under t-shirts, while offering enough cleavage for lower necklines - perfect for everyday wearability. First Thing only launched in 2023, but has experienced astronomical growth thanks to the popularity of its cult Everyday Bra. The brand's bestselling Everyday Bra has been dubbed 'the comfiest bra ever' and attracted hundreds of five-star reviews 'After searching for underwear for myself, I couldn't find a product that I felt excited to wear every day,' Gazal said previously. 'I recognised the need for an Australian underwear brand that empowered women to feel confident and sexy with unparalleled comfort.' The brand uses environmentally-friendly fabrics, such as recycled nylon for its underwire bras, and LENZING Modal, a sustainably sourced fabric from beechwood trees. I am sitting in the foreign ministry in Taipei with a tropical thunderstorm going crackers outside, and as lunch comes to an end I decide to put the crucial question. Like everyone I have met in Taiwan, this group of political, diplomatic and business brains has been telling me about the increasing threat of a Chinese invasion. They have described the bullying, the internet trolling, the lies, the propaganda and the hysterical shows of Chinese armed force in the waters of Taiwan: jets howling overhead, live fire operations, destroyers coming within a whisker of Taiwanese boats, even simulated blockades and landings. They have told me how Taiwan is responding increasing their defence spending, stepping up their training. But we all know that isnt really the issue, not when an island of only 23 million people is pitted against the Peoples Liberation Army. The key calculation the thing the military planners will really want to know, both in Beijing and Washington, is how the Taiwanese would respond. Will you fight? I ask the assembled company. I will fight, says the young man on my left, instantly, and a few other men chime their assent. Then there is a pause because we all know what that means. It means slaughter, ghastly and pointless slaughter on both sides. It would not be easy for Beijing to take Taiwan, which is at least 80 miles from the mainland and with rocky cliffs on much of the coast. Boris Johnson meets Taiwanese president Ching-te Lai in Taipei where he heard about the increasing threat of a Chinese invasion If Taiwan were overwhelmed, it would be a strategic disaster for the West since Taiwan now makes 95 per cent of the advanced chips needed for artificial intelligence, says Boris Johnson But most analysis predicts that without help the Taiwanese would sooner or later be overwhelmed. That would mean, of course, an absolute strategic disaster for the West since Taiwan now makes 95 per cent of the advanced chips needed for artificial intelligence. Which means that if Xi Jinping takes Taiwan he will have his thumbs on the windpipe of the most important and valuable new technology of the 21st century. And if Beijing takes Taiwan look at the map he will have a huge foothold in the first island chain between Japan and the Philippines, and vastly increased scope to project Chinese force into the Pacific. Even more importantly, an invasion would mean the violent toppling of a democratic government in total defiance of the wishes of the Taiwanese when the actual Chinese claim to Taiwan is of no merit whatever. For most of recorded history up until the arrival of European colonists in the 17th century the inhabitants of Taiwan were 16 mutually unintelligible Austronesian tribes. It was only the Dutch and Spanish invaders who started to import Chinese speakers from the mainland. In 1683 representatives of the Qing dynasty arrived and though they brought in many more Han Chinese, and greatly changed the demographic balance, there were still large parts of the island that they did not control. This partial colonisation by Qing China continued until 1895 when the island fell to the Japanese, who were to rule Taiwan for the next 50 years. It is one of the most curious features of modern Taiwan that many people are by no means entirely hostile to the memory of that epoch. Whatever the horrors the Japanese inflicted on Korea or mainland China, the legacy here seems more mixed. The Japanese gave Taiwan roads and ports and even the foreign ministry building in which we are sitting, a large handsome 1930s structure of stone and white stucco. Older people can speak Japanese. Todays Taiwanese still use a smattering of Japanese loan words, like the words for taxi driver (unchan) or lunch box (bento). I ask them where they are going on holiday and they all, almost without exception, say they are going to Japan. Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan in 1949, where deprived by the communists of his dream of governing China he ruled the island with an iron fist Xi has at one stage threatened to take over Taiwan by 2027, and since we must take him seriously the question is how to stop him As my hosts hasten to explain, there is a simple reason for the apparent fondness with which they remember imperial Japan and that is because their administration seemed benign by comparison with what came next. This was the regime of the generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek of the Kuomintang, who helped to defeat the Japanese in 1945, and kicked them out of Taiwan, but who then lost the Chinese civil war to Mao and the Communists. Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan in 1949, where deprived by the communists of his dream of governing China he ruled the island with an iron fist. He is remembered now for instituting the White Terror and the worlds longest ever period of martial law. It was only when he died in 1975 that Taiwan started to become what it is today: a buzzing, thriving democracy with ferociously contested elections and a free press. It is partly because Taiwan is free that it has been so economically successful and technologically dynamic, especially in the field of semiconductors. Creativity generally goes hand in hand with freedom of thought and freedom of speech, and brilliant people on the whole like to live in free societies. That is one of the reasons why the Taiwanese are so utterly determined not to become another province of communist China. Like the rest of us, they can see the tragedy of Hong Kong. They can see what happens when China takes over the complete betrayal of all promises China made to Britain, first to Mrs Thatcher in 1984 and then at the handover in 1997. The Chinese have cynically scrapped the one country, two systems model; they have scrubbed elections, jailed journalists, disappeared dissenters and tear-gassed protesters. Looking at Hong Kong, it is no wonder the Taiwanese have become more and more passionate in defending their de facto political independence. Many of them used to say they had a shared identity: Taiwanese first and Chinese second. In a poll this year 77 per cent say they are Taiwanese only. That is why Xi Jinping thinks the matter is so urgent; that is why he wants to stifle Taiwan for the obvious reason that he is a communist and he doesnt want a thriving, independent Chinese-speaking democracy on his doorstep. Xi has at one stage threatened to take over Taiwan by 2027, and since we must take him seriously the question is how to stop him. The US is already legally committed to arming Taiwan, and it is hard to see how any US President could allow such a geo-strategic catastrophe as the loss of democratic, chip-producing Taiwan. If America gets involved, it is hard to see countries like Britain and Australia doing nothing. Let us hope and pray that Xi draws the correct lesson from Putins disaster in Ukraine that war is unpredictable, and that when people are fighting for their independence, they fight with a passion that is almost impossible to beat. These people want to be free. They dont want to be ruled by Beijing. They have learned the lesson of Hong Kong that communist Beijings assurances are not to be trusted. We must pray it never comes to war and on balance I still dont think it will. But if it does, I think the Taiwanese will fight and I doubt very much they will be on their own. One of the ministers dumped in Keir Starmer's reshuffle responded to the news with refreshing candour. 'I'm going to f*** him up,' they pledged. The problem for the Prime Minister - as he looks out across the smouldering wreckage of Angela Rayner's resignation and yet another abortive relaunch - is his vengeful colleague is not alone. A very large number of Labour MPs, activists and officials feel the same way. And they are about to be handed the perfect opportunity to deliver payback for what they see as Sir Keir's increasingly calamitous stewardship of his Government. When Rayner resigned she didn't just set down the seals of office, but also her position as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. That in turn has triggered a new internal election to find her replacement, one in which all the anger, resentment and frustration that has been building up over the past 14 chaotic months is about to come pouring out. 'It's going to be like the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones,' one minister told me. 'There's going to be carnage. Everyone's going to be stabbing everyone else in the back. And the person who's going to end up with the most knives in him is Keir - 90 per cent of the PLP [Parliamentary Labour Party] hate him. The anger towards him is now off the charts.' The upcoming deputy leadership election is not really going to be an election at all. Instead, it will be a proxy war, as Labour's various factions attempt to bite, spit, scratch and claw their way to political ascendency. 'The last time we had an election it was a foregone conclusion,' one party grandee told me. 'Everyone knew Keir was going to win. But this is going to be a proper fight for the soul of the party.' 'Everyone knew Keir was going to win the last election,' an insider tells DAN HODGES, 'but this is going to be a proper fight for the soul of the party' A fight which some senior party officials don't want to have at all. 'We can't afford to have a contest,' one veteran told me. 'If we do, it will show we're just not serious about government. The PLP has to get its act together. They have to agree on one candidate. If they can't, it's all going to split apart.' Some of Keir Starmer's allies believe it may still be possible to avoid the impending bloodletting by rallying support behind newly appointed Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. 'She would be the perfect choice,' one told me. 'She's as hard as nails on immigration. But she's a Muslim woman. The Left won't know how to attack her. Shabana is the unity candidate.' Another candidate being considered by Downing Street is former Foreign Secretary, and newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy. 'He's popular in the party, he has some credibility with the Left and he's close to Keir,' one minister told me. 'The one problem is whether he's seen as being too close.' The Prime Minister's supporters are also heartened by the fact Labour's new leadership rules require each potential candidate to secure the nominations of at least 20 per cent of their colleagues, which equates to approximately 80 MPs. 'That's a high threshold,' one told me. 'I'm not sure the Left will be able to find a candidate who can get that level of support.' Maybe. But they are still going to try. The argument the embattled neo-Corbynite rump will deploy is that Labour needs a balanced leadership team that can help neutralise the threat from their former champion's new party, and a revitalised Green Party. And it will prove a compelling one to many Labour members. But the Left have a number of other problems. The first is that it's unclear who their standard-bearer will be. Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Richard Burgon, Dawn Butler and Nadia Whittome are all expected to throw their hat - or Palestinian keffiyeh - into the ring. Then there is the issue that a lot of the Left's organisation muscle has decamped to the new Corbyn/Zarah Sultana start-up. What is of greater concern to Downing Street is the perceived danger of a challenge from the soft Left, or one of the disaffected former Cabinet ministers. Top of their risk register is a challenge from former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh. Haigh was sacked after it emerged she had once pleaded guilty to fraud as part of a convoluted saga involving the theft of her mobile phone. But she is popular with both MPs and activists, was widely regarded as being an effective minister during her brief period in office, and is an astute political street fighter. 'The person No 10 are most worried about is Lou,' a minister told me. 'She's got significant support within the party, and she could probably get 80 names. But she's got no great love for Keir after he forced her to stand down.' Another former minister whose name is being floated is Lucy Powell, sacked last week from her position as Leader of the House. Powell created a political storm back in May when she appeared to dismiss the rape gang scandal as a dog whistle issue. But she is close to Andy Burnham - seen by many as Labour's Prince Across the Manchester Ship Canal - and is also popular with her colleagues. 'Lucy has done a lot of work with the new intake,' one backbencher told me, 'and they really rate her. She's also very close politically to Andy. Some people are saying she could run as a stalking horse for an upcoming leadership bid by him.' Angela Rayner, who stepped down as Deputy Prime Minister yesterday following a backlash over her stamp duty sleaze probe And then there is one other potential candidate that has Downing Street's political antenna vibrating. Over the past few months rumours have begun to circulate that Ed Miliband is starting to consider a future bid - or rebid - for the Labour leadership. 'Ed is seriously considering another run at the leadership,' one minister told me. 'He's got a taste for government. And now he wants it all.' Another minister said: 'Ed is seriously considering a challenge for the leadership. He regards it as unfinished business.' The idea of Labour's lost leader making another bid for power may seem fantastical. But the most recent poll of Labour members' perception of the Cabinet's performance put Miliband way out ahead, with a staggering approval rating of plus 73. 'If Ed ran for the deputy leadership and won, he'd be perfectly positioned for a tilt at the leadership,' one senior backbencher told me. What the spectacle of Ed Miliband being shunted into No 10, courtesy of the votes of a handful of Labour activists, would do to Labour's already plummeting popularity isn't hard to imagine. But at the moment Labour MPs are not looking at the electorate. They are instead looking at a Government they believe is slipping into disarray, and a Prime Minister who they perceive is rapidly losing the will, competence and capacity to govern. Angela Rayner has set down her crown. Labour's bloody game of thrones is about to commence. Angela Rayner dodged 40,000 in stamp duty. She didn't fess up. She got found out. For weeks Labour ministers claimed that she had done nothing wrong. The Prime Minister defended her and refused to sack her. But while she was dodging her taxes, Labour spent the summer planning to raise property taxes on ordinary law- abiding families at the Budget in November. Angela Rayner was leading the charge, writing to the Treasury in a memo that was then leaked, demanding higher stamp duty. It's nothing less than pure hypocrisy. And now the dust is settling on this scandal, it's clear that Labour has no moral authority to raise taxes on family homes. Last summer, when I was Shadow Housing Secretary, I faced Rayner across the House of Commons. I warned that, while she might feel great then, it wouldn't be long before things started to go downhill for her. But even I didn't expect that things would blow up this quickly. Angela Rayner (pictured) dodged 40,000 in stamp duty. She didn't fess up. She got found out. For weeks Labour ministers claimed that she had done nothing wrong. The Prime Minister defended her and refused to sack her, writes Kemi Badenoch Last summer, when I was Shadow Housing Secretary, I faced Rayner across the House of Commons. I warned that, while she might feel great then, it wouldn't be long before things started to go downhill for her, says Badenoch Keir Starmer dithered because he was too weak to act. Even when the evidence was clear in the ethics adviser's report, the Prime Minister was too weak to sack her, letting her resign instead, Badenoch adds Her departure from Government was inevitable as soon as evidence of her tax impropriety came to light exposed brilliantly by a team of researchers at Conservative HQ and our media. I've lost count of the times that Rayner was first out of the blocks to call for a Conservative minister to fall on their sword immediately. But when her own time came, she desperately tried to cling on. Keir Starmer dithered because he was too weak to act. Even when the evidence was clear in the ethics adviser's report, the Prime Minister was too weak to sack her, letting her resign instead. It's one rule for them and another rule for the rest of us. This summer has been an endless round of tax speculation. Each story leaked from the Treasury. Every one of them designed to soften the ground at the Budget. But British families know that the only reason their taxes will be going up again is because Rachel Reeves raised them last year, killing growth and trapping us in her tax doom loop. We will pay Reeves' tax penalty unless the Government listens to our simple message that we as a country have to start living within our means. That means cutting spending. Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to ship builders during a visit to BAE Systems Scotstoun on September 4, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland Angela Rayner speaks during the launch of Labour's Local Election campaign on March 30, 2023 Labour's plans include more taxes on British families buying or saving for a home, helping their children get on the property ladder, or saving for retirement. They even want to create a new annual family homes tax. All while the Housing Secretary was dodging 40,000 in stamp duty. Conservatives have said enough is enough. On the very day the former Deputy Prime Minister admitted underpaying property taxes, we forced a vote in Parliament. Our position is clear: no new taxes on family homes. What did Labour do? Refuse to rule out hiking them by voting down our commitment. After Labour's catastrophic failure to get a grip on welfare spending, the Chancellor has now set her sights on the family home. One of the tax rises she is considering is adding capital gains tax to homes. This would cost the average family 14,640, rising to 23,000 in the South East and 33,000 in London. When I visited families in Reigate, Surrey, last Monday to talk about housing, they told me they simply couldn't afford that. Fresh from her disastrous Family Farm Tax, Reeves is even considering scrapping the rule which allows parents to help their children get on the property ladder. It would mean death duties and inheritance tax hiked even further. There's nothing that's sacred for this Labour Party, which knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. The British public will not stand for a Prime Minister who repeatedly defended a minister failing to pay their taxes, and who attempts to extract ever more out of law-abiding citizens when they do the right thing working, saving and investing. The question is not just 'Will they raise taxes on homes?' It's 'Can they?' My answer is a simple no. Only the Conservatives believe our country must live within its means. Only the Conservatives have serious plans to bring down spending so we can lower tax and protect family homes from new taxes. People shop at the Yiwu International Trade Market in Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang province, May 16, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua] Global Times-Yiwu has long been recognized as one of China's largest export hubs, a bustling center where containers are filled with goods destined for markets around the globe. However, it has also been taking on another role: serving as a consolidation point for European products entering China and, in some instances, being re-exported to third markets. This development provides valuable insight into the potential growth of China-Europe trade relations. According to a report released on Thursday by Yiwu Fabu, the city's official social media account, from January to August, goods arriving through the "Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe + B Bonded Logistics" model in Yiwu reached 2.236 billion yuan ($313.2 million), up 60.29 percent year-on-year. How does this model operate? It relies on the Yixin'ou (Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe) China-Europe Railway Express, which has been in service since 2014, and has become a crucial trade route connecting Europe with Yiwu. In Yiwu, there is a bonded logistics center. According to local media reports, goods imported to Yiwu via the China-Europe Railway Express can then be re-exported through the "B Bonded Logistics" system, utilizing sea-rail intermodal transport or road transport to reach countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand. The China-Europe Railway Express has played an important role in enabling the fast and cost-effective transport of made-in-China products to Europe. However, the issue of what goods are brought back on the return trips and whether there is an imbalance in the number of journeys in each direction has been a topic of discussion in recent years. Yiwu may offer some insights into these questions. There are several points worth noting. First, Yiwu has developed an efficient rail transport network with numerous European cities via the China-Europe Railway Express. This network provides a faster alternative to sea freight and is more cost-effective than air transport, making it easier for European businesses to export to China. The efficiency and convenience of this network have made it an appealing choice for European companies aiming to enter the Chinese market. Second, Yiwu has a strong re-export capability. Goods imported from Europe can be distributed not only within China but also to other countries and regions through Yiwu's extensive sales network. This makes Yiwu a key distribution hub for European imports, enhancing its role in global trade and offering European exporters wider market access beyond Yiwu. Third, Yiwu's dedication to increasing imports from Europe is evident in its proactive policy measures. This year, the Yiwu Bonded Logistics Center has taken advantage of a new wave of comprehensive international trade reforms to boost openness and growth. From January to August, the center achieved a significant increase in import value, setting a new record and surpassing last year's total. Yiwu is not unique in its approach. Other hubs along the China-Europe rail network are also enhancing their import strategies. For instance, in June, a shipment of vehicles arrived at a bonded warehouse in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality before being distributed to 4S dealerships across China's western provinces. According to the People's Daily, since 2014, more than 40,000 European cars have been transported to Chongqing by rail and subsequently distributed to more than 10 provinces in the southwest and northwest. This mirrors the pattern seen in Yiwu: inland gateways using rail to bring European goods closer to end-markets and then using logistics to finish the job. The model of utilizing return trips on the China-Europe rail network to boost exports to China shows potential for further growth. Of course, challenges persist, and continued efforts are necessary. The diverse efforts taking place in various Chinese cities highlight the untapped potential of China-Europe trade, paving the way for increased European exports to China. This endeavor requires collaboration from the European side. For a long time, Europe has been committed to enhancing its exports to China to address trade imbalances. The growth in imports seen in the "Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe + B Bonded Logistics" model should capture the attention of European stakeholders. China has made strides in expanding its imports, and it is hoped that European businesses will recognize these market opportunities and work together to seize them. Two titanic issues will define the remaining four years of this Parliament and, in his Cabinet reshuffle, Keir Starmer has at least spotted them. After just a year in government, it seems premature to characterise the Prime Minister's selection as the 'last roll of the dice' but if Pat McFadden and Shabana Mahmood cannot get a grip of welfare reform and illegal immigration respectively, Sir Keir will not have a political future. The country needs to see some policy delivery in the next few months or he risks being a one-term PM. That urgency should focus attention on these two most crucial Cabinet briefs. While a third, largely unnoticed and relatively low-profile job that of Scottish Secretary tells us much about Sir Keir's loyalty and judgment. Or lack thereof more of which later. The Labour Government has already come to grief on the torrid subject of welfare reform and the perennial and urgent task of moving millions of working-age adults off benefits and into work. This is an existential challenge: if it is not met, in a generation Britain will simply be unable to afford to fund the welfare state. Labour Party Leader Sir Keir Starmer (right) seen with Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner (left) arrive for the 2021 Labour conference on September 25, 2021 in Brighton Labour Party Deputy leader Angela Rayner speaks during the launch of Labour's Local Election campaign on March 30, 2023 in Swindon Yet when former work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall tried to convince her fellow Labour MPs that dodging reform was simply not an option, they refused to vote for her solutions. And when Sir Keir himself capitulated to his worried backbenchers' demands, Ms Kendall found herself abandoned and the reforms were scrapped. Her replacement, Pat McFadden, faces the same challenge to save billions on the welfare bill and convince claimants they would be better off in work. As one of the more intellectual of his colleagues, Mr McFadden is certainly qualified for the task and is a popular and respected figure in the Parliamentary Labour Party. His credentials as a working-class boy raised in Glasgow won't hurt either. But the problem he faces is the same one Ms Kendall faced: the Labour Party itself. Too many of his parliamentary colleagues are simply averse to making unpopular decisions and arguing the case for them back home in their constituencies. They never signed up to be disliked and no one seems to have told them that government involves, for the most part, making difficult, not easy, decisions. MP Shabana Mahmood who has been appointed to the role of Home Secretary leaves 10 Downing Street, during a reshuffle by the British government following the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner in London, Britain, September 5, 2025 Angela Raynor, Shadow Secretary of State for Education addresses crowds during a large scale demonstration against austerity and the Conservative government on September 29, 2019 in Manchester Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to ship builders during a visit to BAE Systems Scotstoun on September 4, 2025 in Glasgow The agenda confronting new Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is, if anything, more daunting than Mr McFadden's. At the top of her priorities is the small-boats crisis, a seemingly insoluble issue so long as the asylum application and deportation processes remain unreformed. Ms Mahmood, however, may be just the woman to do that. This is the justice secretary, remember, who took on the arrogant, entitled judiciary when they issued new sentencing guidelines that would have meant softer sentences for ethnic minorities and trans people. She faced down their lordships, who were not best pleased at being over-ruled, especially by an elected politician. But Ms Mahmood prevailed in a victory for common sense. She is also one of the (far too) few Labour politicians who has unconditionally supported women's rights against the encroachment of 'trans women' (biological men), earning her the enmity of trans rights activists. Someone willing to stand up to these powerful vested interests might be just the woman to take on the smuggling gangs and the civic society blob that makes change so difficult. Someone who will not be playing a role in the Government is former Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, who was unexpectedly fired and replaced by Douglas Alexander. Alexander is a formidable politician who did the same job in Tony Blair's administration. But Murray's sacking makes very little sense and could do Sir Keir some serious harm. Murray has won plaudits and admiration for having represented the Scottish Labour cause for the past decade, most of that time as the party's sole Scottish MP. He is popular among colleagues and journalists and is known to be hard-working. Which makes Sir Keir's decision to fire one of his strongest supporters all the more perplexing. Among the 37-strong group of Scottish Labour MPs, Sir Keir's move has already caused serious resentment a self-inflicted headache he could well do without. Few outside the Westminster bubble notice or care about such personal dramas. Their low opinion of this government will only change if Mr McFadden and Ms Mahmoud effect real change in their departments and the country. But that will depend entirely on how willing their own Labour colleagues are to vote for meaningful change, even if it's unpopular in the short term. And it will depend on the quality of the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer, a man who, in this reshuffle, has proved his willingness to be radical and unreliable in equal measure. Say what you like about the Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, and many do. Being Leader of the Opposition is one of the most thankless jobs there is. But today, writing for The Mail on Sunday, she has landed a shrewd and painful blow on the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. She says that his government has lost the moral authority to raise new taxes on family homes. And she is absolutely right. If he now dares to try to fill the chasm caused by his own overspending by grabbing at the savings of the striving classes, he will be insulting the country. Even his own deputy reckoned such taxes were high enough already, when she was faced with having to pay them. As soon as this newspaper first disclosed Angela Rayners property manoeuvres a fortnight ago, the truth about this episode should have been available to Downing Street. Mrs Rayner, Deputy Premier and Housing Minister, must have known what she had done. Kemi Badenoch says that Keir Starmer's government has lost the moral authority to raise new taxes on family homes. And she is absolutely right Sir Keir, as her boss, was in a position to ask her and she was obliged to tell him. Yet there was an immediate shortage of candour. Look how long it took this dysfunctional, mumbling government to admit the simple key facts, and how long it took for Mrs Rayner, and Sir Keir, to accept that she had made her position intolerable. By itself, this was no more than personal carelessness on the part of a senior minister, who ought to have known better. It also showed reluctance to act by an inadequate government which has stumbled with amazing speed into a sort of permanent slow motion nervous breakdown. But, viewed in the wider lens of politics, it is an act of astounding hypocrisy, verging on an insult. The reason for the enormous and grasping raid on homeowners which Labour still seem to be planning is quite simple. They lack the courage, the determination and the leadership to get a grip on a grotesque, unfair and swollen benefits system. They have been frightened off doing so by a short-sighted revolt by their own backbenchers, who cannot see that such a system will eventually blow up in their faces, causing an economic crisis which will devastate the entire welfare state. Those who aspire to lead must sometimes take on the hard task of explaining awkward truths to their followers. If they will not do so, then they are unfit for their well-paid positions. Anyone who wants there to be a proper safety net for those truly in need has to recognise that benefits must be sternly limited to those who most require them. The Labour Party of Clement Attlee, which Sir Keirs followers claim to admire, understood this very well. But the modern Left, typified in so many ways by Angela Rayner, sees people with savings as targets. The Prime Minister, with less fervour but equal dogma, plainly feels the same way. In one of his few frank moments during the last election, he explained that when he used the term working people, he meant those who do not have significant savings or assets. But how many noticed that his noisy pledge not to raise taxes on working people did not in fact cover millions who have worked very hard, and continue to do so? He has no right to rob them to rescue himself from a mess of his own making. Despite coming out more than 50 years ago, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is still considered a Halloween classic and is re-watched by millions every time spooky season rolls around. But did you know that the beloved horror flick is actually based on chilling true events? The film follows a group of teens who accidentally stumble across a family of psychopaths while visiting a rural town in Texas. The family - which includes Leatherface, a chainsaw wielding man who famously wears a mask made from the skin of his victims - brutally torture and murder them one by one, making for gruesomely terrifying film that still haunts people today. Leatherface himself is now one of the most infamous horror figures of all time - and it turns out, his character was inspired by a real sadistic killer whose actions were perhaps even more disturbing than what happened in the film. Filmmaker Tobe Hooper has said that he based Leatherface off real-life murderer Ed Gein, who wreaked havoc across a small Wisconsin town the 1950s. Dubbed 'The Butcher of Plainfield,' Gein is known to have killed at least two women - potentially more. Despite coming out more than 50 years ago, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is still considered a Halloween classic and is re-watched by millions every time spooky season rolls around But did you know that the beloved horror flick is actually based on chilling true events? But more frightening was that he was also a body snatcher who preyed upon dead victims. He would scan obituaries in his small town, go to the graveyard, and dig up the bodies of the listed deceased. He would then take the stolen remains to his farmhouse where he would dissect, dismember, and skin them. Some of the body parts he removed were then used as home and fashion accessories. Skin became chair covers, masks were made from human faces, kitchen utensils from skulls and bones, and nipples were used to make belts. Similar scenes are depicted in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. One particularly scary scene shows the group of friends discovering the family tormenting them had hoards of items made from human flesh and other body parts in their home. They also uncover something that can only be described as a torture chamber, where the cannibalistic family got to work on dismembering their victims. Gein's descent into madness began when his mother, Augusta, died in 1945. The film follows a group of teens who accidentally stumble across a family of psychopaths while visiting a rural town in Texas The family - which includes Leatherface, a chainsaw wielding man who famously wears a mask made from the skin of his victims - brutally torture and murder them one by one Filmmaker Tobe Hooper has said that he based Leatherface off real-life murderer Ed Gein (seen), who wreaked havoc across a small Wisconsin town the 1950s Gein (seen in 1957) is known to have killed at least two women - potentially more - but more frightening was that he was also a body snatcher who preyed upon the dead The loner had a sick infatuation with her and tried to dig up her grave when she died. When he came up empty-handed, he went in search of other woman who resembled her. It was only when two women in his small town mysteriously disappeared that cops began investigating him. Among them was Mary Hogan, 54, who ran a tavern that Gein frequented and went missing in December 1954. Three years later, Bernice Worden, 58, disappeared from a hardware store she worked at in the town of Plainfield where Gein lived. Worden's son was the town's deputy sheriff who had become suspicious of Gein. After Gein was apprehended, the authorities went to his dilapidated farmhouse where they were confronted by a house of horrors. Worden's body was found hanging from the ceiling. She had been decapitated - her head was found in a sack, and her heart was in a plastic bag. It was revealed later in the search that the remains of more than 15 bodies were found at his home. Gein pictured kneeling on the floor of his filthy kitchen in this dilapidated farm house where human skulls and body parts were found Gein's descent into madness began when his mother, Augusta (pictured), died in 1945 He would then take the stolen remains to his farmhouse where he would dissect, dismember, and skin them. His home is seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre filmmaker Hooper told Flashback Files in 2015 that hearing stories about Gein as a child lead to him ultimately making the horror flick After his arrest, Gein confessed to killing both Worden and Hogan, and said the rest of the body parts in his farmhouse came from bodies he had dug up. He eventually entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity and was later found unfit to stand trial after a schizophrenia diagnosis. He was committed to Central State Hospital in Waupun, Wisconsin. Gein was later transferred to Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison, Wisconsin, where he died aged 77 in 1984 from lung cancer and respiratory illness complications. Texas Chainsaw Massacre filmmaker Hooper told Flashback Files in 2015 that hearing stories about Gein as a child lead to him ultimately making the horror flick. 'They told us the story about this man who lived in the next town from them, about 27 miles or so, who was digging up graves and using the bones and skin in his house,' he said, adding, 'To me he was like a real boogeyman.' Gein's horrifying crimes were also said to have in-part inspired the movies Psycho and The Silence of the Lambs, and were featured on season three of Ryan Murphy's Monster. When Julia Cabots phone started buzzing with messages earlier this summer, she had a fairly good idea what it was about. I got loads of texts from people who heard what happened, the 63-year-old yoga teacher recalls. And 99 per cent of them said the same word: karma. That, indeed, was the first word that sprung to her mind after seeing the now infamous kiss-cam footage from a Coldplay concert that had taken place the night before. The video showed 52-year-old Kristin Cabot the woman who succeeded Julia as the wife of businessman Andrew Cabot, 60 in a clinch with a man who was very much not him. Instead, Kristin had been caught by the roving camera wrapped in the arms of a man called Andy Byron. Both seemed to be having the time of their lives that is, until realising that their unbridled joy was being transposed on to a big screen at the 66,000-seater Gillette stadium in Foxborough, a thriving commuter town south-west of Boston, for everyone else to see. After Kristin had raised her hands to her mouth in the universal sign of shock, both swiftly ducked out of view. Too late! Kristin Cabot and Andy Byron's affair was exposed by 'kiss cam' at a Coldplay concert Either theyre having an affair, or they are just very shy, was the as it happens rather prescient response from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin as he caught sight of what was unfolding in the crowd. It proved to be just the beginning of a story that gripped the world: the footage went viral, and frenzied internet sleuthing swiftly uncovered the identities of the couple involved, who turned out to be, respectively, the chief executive of tech company Astronomer (him) and its human resources manager (her). Both married, the resulting public drama sent shivers down the spine of anyone who has ever been somewhere with someone they shouldnt. It saw Byron, 50, resign his position, while Megan Kerrigan, his 50-year-old wife, swiftly dispensed with both her wedding ring and married name and moved out of the marital home. In turn Kristin, who initially took a leave of absence from her job, also resigned her post. Her marital status, however, had remained a mystery until now. For the Daily Mail has learned that she and husband Andrew whom his second wife describes as a descendant of a Boston Brahmin family, meaning he is from Americas most elite upper class are now getting divorced. And it is Kristin who has filed the petition. She lodged papers at a court in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on August 13, less than a month after the kiss-cam debacle. As one of the wronged parties, you might expect Andrew to be the one devastated by his wifes behaviour but, according to Julia, her ex-husband is unlikely to be fazed by this turn of events. Kristin Cabot with her 'blindsided' husband Andrew and their children last year Andy Byron, his wife Megan and their family. Though they have remained 'tight-lipped' about the state of their marriage, Megan dropped Byron from her surname on social media For while there is certainly little love lost between Julia and her former husband, she did make a point of contacting him very soon after the Coldplay concert, and reveals she was promptly told in no uncertain terms that he and Kristin were separating. I texted Andrew right after it happened, and he said: Her life is nothing to do with me, and said they were separating, Julia says, talking exclusively to the Daily Mail. Hes saying it has nothing to do with him, even though they were married and shared a house. But then, the only thing he cares about is money. It is a withering assessment, but it is safe to say that Julia, who was married to Andrew for four years before they split in 2018, has very little good to say about her ex-husband. Hes not a nice person. Now something not nice [has] happened to him, she says. Thats why after it happened, I got loads of texts from people with that word: karma. It was like: what you give, you get. Personally I dont think hes affected by what happened at all. I dont think his feelings are hurt. Hes probably embarrassed, if anything. Hes a Boston Brahmin, thats their code: This isnt anything to do with me. His ego is too big to be affected by this and the only thing that hes bummed about is that he was embarrassed. Certainly, in Boston and much of the east coast of the US the Cabot name is synonymous with wealth and privilege. Dating back at least ten generations, it is behind a slew of businesses across New England, spanning shipping, carbon black manufacturing (a critical component in tyre production), and, latterly, rum: Andrew is CEO of a company called Privateer Rum. The family name is so well established in the area that it even features in a tongue-in-cheek poem paying tribute to their loftiness. And this is good old Boston, The home of the bean and the cod, the poem reads. Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots. And the Cabots talk only to God. This long-standing history is matched only by the family wealth, which is believed to stand today at about $15billion (11.16 billion). Yet money and social standing are no protection against public embarrassment, as Andrew Cabot now knows. According to sources close to the family, he was initially blissfully unaware that his wife was the source of headlines around the world, until he returned from a lengthy work trip to Japan three days on from the kiss-cam incident to find reporters thronged near the marital home in Rye, New Hampshire. Blindsided was the word used by one source to a US magazine. While he has not spoken publicly since, the same source claimed that family members had disclosed that the marriage was already in trouble even before Cabot left for Asia. The family is now saying they have been having marriage troubles for several months and were discussing separating, which I find interesting since, as of a month ago, they were saying how in love they are, the source said. Publicly available court documents suggest the couple had tried mediation. Either way, Andrew Cabot is now facing divorce number three as Julia rather crisply put it to the Daily Mail this week. I wouldnt say hes husband material, but she doesnt seem like wife material either, she added. Julia, who today lives in Concord, Massachusetts, is Andrews second wife and met him in the wake of his divorce from his first, from whom he separated in 2011 after 18 years of marriage. Privateer Rums website lists Andrew Cabot as its CEO and COO, and public documents show that he has been married at least twice before, in 1993 and 2014 He and his first wife had two children, now grown up, and court papers show that Andrew handed over the marital home in Beacon Hill, a wealthy area of Boston, to his first wife, along with a holiday home on the coast, as well as a number of investments. Amicable, alas, is not a word that could be used for the dissolution of Andrews marriage to Julia, which became mired in disagreements, largely centred on Andrews desire to enforce the prenup that was put in place before their May 2014 wedding. While Julia did not want to be drawn on the details of her own marriage breakdown this week, public court documents uncovered by the Daily Mail show that it took nearly two years of legal wrangling before their divorce was finalised in March 2020. The couple had been living separately since July 2018 following what Andrew Cabot referred to in court papers as an irretrievable breakdown of their marriage on the 7th of that month a claim disputed by Julia. She ultimately left the marriage with $1 million (750,000) from the sale of the $1.9 million (1.4 million) family home, $600,000 (445,000) in cash, and a Jaguar car. Several miles away, in New York, Kristin filed for divorce from her husband of 11 years in the same year that the Cabot marriage broke down. She is understood to have met Cabot in 2020 after joining the advisory board of Privateer Rum in September that year a fact that was once recorded on her newly deleted profile on the networking site LinkedIn. The couple married in 2023, and in February this year, bought a $2.2 million (1.6 million) waterfront home in Rye, which, by all accounts, was intended to be their permanent marital home. A doer-upper they apparently had grand restoration plans for the four-bedroom classic clapboard New England home, which is situated on 1.42 acres of land. Those plans have now been upended, another fallout from that moment of abandon on a warm evening in July which has left at least one broken marriage and two job losses in its wake. However, will that now be two broken marriages? At the time of writing, Andy Byron and his wife Megan, who works in the education sector, have remained tight-lipped on the state of their marriage, although in the aftermath of that Coldplay concert Megan dropped the name Byron from her surname on social media, instead using her maiden name, Kerrigan. Her Facebook account, which was once full of happy pictures of family life with their two teenage sons, was then deleted. Megan also moved out of the main marital home in Northborough, Massachusetts, to the couples luxury holiday estate in Kennebunkport, Maine, more than 100 miles away. It was here that she was said to be being supported by her close-knit family, particularly her older sister Maura. It is unclear whether she remains there, although the Daily Mail understands that neither of the Byrons has yet filed for divorce. Kristin and Andrew Cabot and Andy and Megan Byron did not want to comment when approached by the Daily Mail Whatever happens, one party has very little sympathy for the Coldplay two. That stadium is a place where you run into people if youre from Boston. Its more something youd expect from 18-year-olds, not people their age, Julia said this week. Its so dumb what they did. A summary of this saga with which, whatever your sympathies for any of those involved, it is difficult to disagree. The first I realised there was a problem was a text from my son Sam. He'd temporarily moved back into our London house while we were away in Greece and said the place was 'a nightmare' - he was being horribly bitten by something. Initially I uncharitably thought Sam's being a hypochondriac. But then he sent me a picture of his leg and it was indeed covered in nasty red marks. There was no avoiding the fact that, while we'd been away, our home had been silently invaded by fleas. Our adored cat Coco had died on the second day of our 11-day break, which was heartbreaking and, if I'm honest I'd noticed some little black spots in the area where she'd started to sleep, but decided to ignore them. Big mistake. The whole house, save thankfully our bedroom, was now infested with fleas - as Sam discovered by walking around wearing white socks, the easier to spot them jumping on to his legs. I was surprised he thought of the white socks but, as he explained, 'this is not my first rodeo'. Plan A was for Sam to rush out for toxic flea spray and vacuum the house but, as the bites increased, it was clear a more dramatic intervention was needed. After phoning around several pest control places offering a wide range of treatments (some costing as much as 800), he plumped for a 350 purge. A couple of hours later Rony arrived bearing a huge canister of Cimetrol Super Ew - a noxious substance professionals use to exterminate bed bugs and other crawling insects - and proceeded to fumigate the whole house, mattresses included. It was the third house in West London the company had purged of fleas that day, apparently. He stood in the living room with its thick pile Moroccan rugs and soft sofas and asked my son where he thought the fleas were, only for several to jump on his sleeve. Then the house had to be left empty for three hours - and nothing cleaned for seven days. Alexandra Shulman's adored cat Coco died while she was on holiday - and she returned to discover nearly her entire house infested with fleas It was always going to be horrible coming back to a home that was empty of our beloved cat, but the flea invasion made it all the more grim. All the floors were covered in a sticky toxic layer, pooling in small rivulets. My son had stuffed every piece of bed linen and soft fabric into huge bin liners to be washed, while all the duvets and pillows needed to be tumbled dried on a high heat. Meanwhile, the white painted floorboards were speckled with tiny flecks of flea blood. Even worse, the whole thing has to be done again in a fortnight. There is a one-stop heat treatment available at a cost of 1,800, but this involves heating the whole house to 60C and takes between five and eight hours. And it doesn't work in the bathroom or kitchen. So that was a no brainer. The Cimetrol spray gun it was. Even as I write this, I feel a slight itch in my hair. I only hope it's not some wretched fleas who've managed to escape extermination, but simply the power of auto suggestion. Purging her house of the invaders cost Alexandra 350 - and the building was evacuated for three hours Gadgets make sleep even more stressful The new obsession, promoted by popular health-monitoring gadgets such as Oura Rings, is deep sleep. No longer is it enough to get eight hours of shut-eye, you must also get approximately 70 minutes of the deepest stage of sleep when your brain focuses on physical repair and boosts memory function. At supper the other night, two friends were freaking out about their deep sleep stats. One was worried not only that she couldn't fall asleep in the first place but that, when she did, she was only getting 14 minutes of deep sleep. I suggested the anxiety over her ring reading might be causing the problem. If she ditched the ring, she might feel more relaxed. I was given an Oura Ring last year and whenever I bothered to check my sleep ratings, they were pretty ghastly. After a few months I gave it up. After all what was the point of getting stressed over a health monitor, when it couldn't even predict the cancer I was diagnosed with? So stylish Giorgio didn't follow trends With the death of Giorgio Armani on Thursday, we lost one of the last great fashion titans. He was one of only a handful of eponymous brand founders still in complete control of their companies. And it's worth remembering that he was massively successful by sticking rigidly to his own aesthetic and steadfastly refusing to follow the trends of the moment. In contrast, other houses have had a carousel of creative directors with varying degrees of success. At last week's Venice Film Festival, Dario Vitale, the new designer in charge of Versace after Donatella Versace was ousted in March, gave us a disastrous preview of what lies ahead. Instead of the high voltage glam Versace is known for, he produced several low key gloomy looks for Julia Roberts that had nothing to do with the Italian fashion house's trademark pizazz. Thankfully Armani will never have to see someone mess around with his legacy. OK, that's enough about dull fat jabs If I never hear another word about fat jabs, I'll be absolutely delighted. Not only do these jabs mean that those of us who chose not to indulge, are now looking substantially chubbier than those in thrall to their injections, but it's become an intensely boring subject. We know they make you lose weight, we know that regular users are thrilled with their slimline physique, we know that prices are rising as pounds are being lost. But enough already. There is nothing left to say. It led to a fierce discussion about kids having to pay for their own stuff A mom has sparked a heated conversation online after she shared the 'controversial' things she makes her kids pay for with their own money. Popular influencer Jessica Broderick, 37, from South Carolina, has racked up over 2.5 million followers on TikTok for documenting her life as a mother-of-two. She explained in a now-viral video that her daughter, 14, and son, 12, are expected to cover the cost of any 'sweet treats' they want, as well as DoorDash deliveries, room decor, and random Amazon orders. And the social media star's admission led to a fierce discussion about kids having to pay for their own stuff. 'Controversial things I make my kids pay for,' Jessica began in the clip, which has been viewed more than 1.2 million times. Before delving into the things she makes her teen and pre-teen use their own money for, she pointed out that on top of a weekly allowance, she pays them for 'being in her videos on social media. 'I just want to start by saying I pay my kids a weekly allowance and they get money from being in my videos on social media, so they do get quite a bit of money,' she explained. First, Jessica said she will not cover the cost of any extra desserts they want to purchase. Popular influencer Jessica Broderick, 37, sparked a heated conversation online after she shared the 'controversial' things she makes her kids pay for with their own money 'If I say, "Hey, let's go out for ice cream," I'm paying for the ice cream. But if my daughter wants to go to Crumbl Cookies, like, if [my kids] want a sweet treat and it's not something we're doing together as a family, then they're the ones that are paying for it,' she shared. And if they get a 'craving for something' and want to order it on DoorDash, that's coming out of their own bank account too. 'The second thing is DoorDash, obviously if we're doing DoorDash for dinner together as a family then I'm gonna be the one paying for it, but if they're just like craving something and they want their own DoorDash, they're gonna be the ones that are paying for it,' continued Jessica. 'My daughter does this especially, she'll just be in the mood for something specific and she just orders herself DoorDash.' The mom-of-two then shared that her kids tend to 'place a lot of Amazon orders,' and are responsible for paying for them all themselves. 'If they want something off their Amazon wish list, most of the time they're gonna be buying it for themselves,' she dished. 'I get stuff for them all the time so they're not getting nothing from me, but if they want something specific that they just want to order, they just go ahead and order it themselves on Amazon.' Lastly, Jessica said her kids pay for their own room decor. She explained in a now-viral video that her daughter, 14, and son, 12, are expected to cover the cost of any 'sweet treats' they want, as well as DoorDash deliveries and Amazon orders 'I will buy them stuff for their room, like I obviously bought their beds and their furniture, but if they want something specific for their room like decor, then they usually are buying that,' she said. Jessica admitted that she knows her stance is a 'little bit controversial' but reminded viewers that her children 'have more money than the average kid' because of their social media paychecks. In addition, she vowed that she has them 'put the majority of their money' into savings accounts for their future. 'I make them put the majority of the money they get from social media into savings accounts for when they go to move out start their future,' she added. 'I know this can be a little bit controversial, but I will say my kids probably have more money than the average kid because I do pay them for social media and for being in my videos,' she concluded. 'And that's on top of their regular allowance.' Viewers rushed to the comment section to share their thoughts on the topic, and many praised Jessica for teaching her children financial discipline at a young age. 'So you pay for their needs and they pay for their wants. Great way to teach financial discipline,' one person wrote. 'I like this that youre still having them pay for some things that they want to have,' agreed another. 'This is smart I wish I knew about finances when I was younger and how much the extra things could have cost,' penned someone else. 'All so valid,' read a fourth comment, while a fifth said, 'Seems like smart parenting to me.' 'Honestly, fair enough. Its the best way to teach about financial responsibility from a young age,' applauded a different user. 'I feel like as long as they have allowance and are earning money from the social media THEY are involved in, this is OK,' added someone else. Jessica previously spoke to People about how she's teaching her children to be financially responsible. 'My initial goal, that I think any parent could achieve, is teaching them the value of what things cost and how to use money responsibly,' she said. 'Theres no such thing as unlimited money. Having them learn that at a young age was something I really wanted them to understand. 'I wanted to teach them as much about money as I could while they are younger, so finances arent overwhelming when they become adults or even when they get their first job.' The Transportation Security Administration has announced that a common bathroom product is not allowed in checked luggage - and it can pose a serious risk if ignored. The administration took to Facebook this week to remind fliers that any electric toothbrushes that has lithium batteries is not allowed in checked bags. 'Traveling with your electric toothbrush, or other items that buzz? If they have an installed lithium battery you should pack them in your carry-on bag,' the TSA wrote in a recent social media post. 'Any spare or uninstalled lithium batteries must be placed in a carry-on bag,' it urged. Other items containing lithium batteries include certain cell phones, cell phone battery charging cases, laptops, and cameras, amongst other things. The announcement comes amidst a surge in lithium battery-related blazes on aircrafts in recent months. In July, an overhead bin burst into flames aboard a Virgin Australia flight, and a Delta flight made an emergency landing in Florida after a passenger's power bank caught fire midair weeks later. And last month, a portable phone charger exploded during a flight from Sao Paulo to Amsterdam. The Transportation Security Administration has announced that a common bathroom product is not allowed in checked luggage - and it can pose a serious risk if ignored (stock photo) The administration took to Facebook this week to remind fliers that any electric toothbrushes that has lithium batteries is not allowed in checked bags (stock image) The batteries can overheat, explode, or catch fire because of overcharging, exposure to heat or water, physical damage, and manufacturing defects. Despite mounting risks, experts say the airline industry is failing to respond adequately. A shocking two in five travelers admit to packing lithium devices in their checked baggage - a breach of airline rules that can cause fires in the cargo hold can go undetected until it's too late. Many battery fires start in overhead compartments, where crew cannot easily reach or remove burning items. Yet overhead storage remains a popular spot for power banks, with 29 percent of travelers stashing them there, often unknowingly breaking airline safety rules. Even worse, 30 percent of passengers say no one asked about lithium batteries when they gate-checked their bags - leaving flammable devices in the hold without anyone knowing. It comes weeks after TSA added a slew of cordless hair tools to its list of items banned in checked luggage, including cordless curling irons or flatirons containing gas cartridges, butane-fueled curling irons or flat irons, and gas refills (spare cartridges) for curling irons or flat irons. These devices will still be allowed in carry-on bags if they have safety covers fitted over the heating elements to prevent accidental activation. 'Traveling with your electric toothbrush, or other items that buzz? If they have an installed lithium battery you should pack them in your carry-on bag,' the TSA wrote (stock image) The burned out wreck of an Air Busan plane in January sent shockwaves around the world about the threat of lithium battery fires Two people were injured when a power bank caught fire aboard this Taiwan to Singapore flight in January 2023 It comes weeks after TSA added a slew of cordless hair tools to its list of items banned in checked luggage (stock image) Traditional electric curling irons and hair straighteners with cords that plug into an outlet remain allowed in both checked and carry-on baggage, the TSA said. Travelers who attempt to check banned items risk having their bags confiscated for inspection - and could face fines. Other prohibited items in checked bags include e-cigarettes, vaping devices, fireworks, liquid bleach, fertilizer, matches, lithium-powered phone chargers, sparklers, spray paint, and more. You can see the full list here. A leading breast cancer surgeon has revealed four 'brutal' pieces of breast cancer advice she wished she could tell patients, in a bid to combat the minefield of misinformation. Breast cancer diagnoses have jumped by over a quarter since the 1990s, figures suggest. More worryingly, the incidence of the deadly disease in seemingly healthy under 50 year-olds has risen by a tenth over the last 20 years. Now, in an Instagram video seen more than 2.6million times, Dr Lauren Ramsey, a Texas-based surgeon offered the tips hoping viewers would think twice about red flag warning signs they may have previously dismissed. Surveys have consistently shown that fewer than half of women check their breasts with any sort of consistency. Regularly self-checking doesnt improve breast cancer survival, overallsome women will develop tumours that are incurable, research suggests. But with regular self-examination and knowledge of key symptoms, the cancer may be picked up at an earlier stage, avoiding a mastectomy and other more aggressive treatment, she noted. 'Breast cancer doesnt always come with a lump,' Dr Ramsey said. In an Instagram video seen more than 2.6million times, Dr Lauren Ramsey, a Texas-based surgeon offered the tips hoping viewers would think twice about red flag warning signs they may have previously dismissed Your browser does not support iframes. 'Skin changes, nipple discharge, swelling, or subtle pain can be signs too. Know whats normal for you.' Equally, just five to 10 per cent of all breast cancers are linked to inherited mutations like BRCA, she said. Cancer caused by such mutations, if they do develop, are notoriously aggressive. Famously, actress Angelina Jolie discovered she carried the BRCA mutation, and underwent a preventative mastectomy in 2013 to reduce her risk of the disease. Dr Ramsey said: 'You should still get regular screenings even if you dont have a family history.' In fact, screening may be the only way some women get their breast cancer detected, she also noted. 'Dense breast tissue makes breast cancer harder to detect. 'Its common and normal, but it may require additional imaging. Ask if your breast density is noted on your mammogram.' Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Research has increasingly shown there is a clear danger associated with having dense breast tissuewell over a million women in the UK are at a heightened risk of cancer as a result. Density is not something you can feel or spot, it requires a mammogram. So even if a woman is identified as having dense breasts during her routine mammogramoffered every three years from the age of 50 through the national screening programmeshe will not normally be informed, and in many cases it won't even be recorded in her medical notes. A growing number of experts now argue that women should be told if they have dense breasts and should be offered additional imaging that may be more effective. Younger women tend to have the most dense breasts, and as levels of oestrogen drop around the menopause, so too does density. Women with less body fat are also more likely to have dense breastsbut this isn't universally the case. There is also increasing evidence that many breast cancers may be linked in part to lifestyle. 'The lifestyle changes people talk about really do make a difference,' Dr Ramsey said. Currently, all women aged between 50 and 70 are invited for screening every three years, with the first invitation between the age of 50 and 53 Your browser does not support iframes. 'Limiting alcohol and processed foods and increasing daily movement is a great place to start.' It's been estimated that around one in 10 breast cancer cases are linked to alcohol, according to a report published in the prestigious Lancet journal. And some scientists have blamed the rising tide of breast cancer on the a steep rise in drinking levels among women. Latest World Health Organization data shows that the number of British women engaging in heavy drinking sessions rose by 57 per cent between 2016 and 2019. Alcohol is broken down in the body to a chemical called acetaldehyde, which is known to stop cells repairing the damage to your DNA that can trigger the development of tumours. It also increases the amount of hormones in our body, such as oestrogen and insulin, that can make cells in breast tissue divide more frequently, increasing the likelihood of a cancer-causing mutation. Equally, another Lancet study that looked at over a quarter of a million adults in Europe, found those who ate the most ultra-processed foods (UPFs) had a 10 per cent increased chance of developing cancer in their lifetime. But this risk only increased with animal-based products and things like artificially sweetened drinks and breads. Plant-based UPFs like falafels, vegetable spreads, and vegan burgers had little impact. One in seven women in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimearound 56,000 a yearmaking it the most common cancer in the UK. The figure stands at roughly 300,000 annually in the US. Olivia Attwood opens up on divorce rumours as she admits she and Bradley Dack 'really weren't getting on very well' as she reflects on using partying to cope 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 Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below. B.N. writes: My wife and I booked BA tickets from Gatwick to Trinidad through agents Travel Unravel. We reluctantly agreed to a total price of 1,938 after being assured this was the cheapest flight available. Within an hour, our daughter and her friend told us they had booked direct with BA for 1,502. We asked Travel Unravel to cancel or give us a refund, but were told that 'flight prices are dynamic'. Watching brief: Travel Unravel refused to cancel or give a refund for the booking, but said that 'flight prices are dynamic' Tony Hetherington replies: Travel Unravel Holidays Private Limited to give the company its official name is registered to an address in Harrow in north-west London, but I could not actually find it there. It told Companies House that it has three employees, which includes its directors. However, in a separate filing, it says it has three directors, all living in India. So, no UK employees, which might explain why some Travel Unravel customers believe they have really been dealing with a call centre in India, and not a travel agent in Harrow. I did think that BA would be concerned about the idea that a travel agent might act like a ticket tout, but it shrugged its corporate shoulders and told me that the price charged for its tickets is set by the travel agent, not by BA. At least this explains the online complaints from people who, like you, have been charged hundreds of pounds over the odds by Travel Unravel. Naturally, I invited Travel Unravel to comment. I also asked where it was genuinely based. There was no comment, and no reply. However, two days after I told the company we were publishing your complaint, out of the blue you received an email from someone who gave his name simply as Colin. He wrote: 'After reviewing the details of your case, I would like to offer a refund of 575, along with an additional 200 as compensation for the inconvenience caused.' You have told me the money has reached your bank account, which is great news. Colin has also offered a 100 discount on your next flight, but I suspect you will find it easy to resist this. Is my 11,000 for grave sites dead and buried? C.S. writes: I purchased six burial plots for 11,100 from Regent Memorial Ltd as an investment. The company has gone into administration and the administrators are treating investors as having invested in the company itself. We all purchased exclusive rights of burial in designated plots. If the cemetery is sold to someone else, our right of burial would need to be transferred. Rest in peace: Regent Memorial has gone into administration and the administrators are treating investors as having invested in the company itself Tony Hetherington replies: Regent Memorial has been an investment catastrophe waiting to happen. When an investor first asked me to look into the company eight years ago, I warned that the 3,000 plots at its cemetery in Farnham in Surrey were marketed at questionable prices and with dubious claims. One sales firm acting for Regent Memorial advertised a 40 per cent return on investment in just 18 months or so. Another claimed: 'You will receive within 24 to 36 months a minimum contracted return on investment of 37.50 per cent.' They were all lying, of course. When I contacted Regent Memorial director Kamran Saleem, he told me his sales agents used their own predictions, and promotional material warned that salesmen's claims were not binding. Saying, in short, that nobody should rely on anything his own sales agents claimed. Despite this, he was confident that a national shortage of cemetery plots would work in his favour. And he had inside influence too, as his father headed the biggest Muslim funeral service in Birmingham. In fact, in 2023 Saleem scrapped the original plan for a multi-religion burial ground, and decided to reserve the cemetery exclusively for Muslims. But guess what not a single burial has ever taken place! And now Regent Memorial has fallen into administration. Normally, administrators issue a Statement of Affairs, setting out a company's assets and liabilities, but no statement has been issued, apparently because the administrators have had trouble getting information from Saleem. Their estimated figures show that the company owes over 6 million. The really bad news, as you found, is that the administrators have been advised by their lawyers that investors have no rights. The lawyers say the wording of your agreement simply allows you to sell on to a new buyer the right to be buried at the cemetery, but you have no title to your slice of the land. This is not what Saleem's salesmen told plot buyers, of course. And the sales agreement assured buyers that their money would be held in a special account. I asked Saleem to say what happened to this money. He failed to respond. All you can do is wait for the administrators to issue clearer figures. They told me: 'This is an incredibly complex case that requires significant investigative work to fully understand the affairs of the company and the nature of the agreements that creditors entered into.' I hope the investigative work reveals where the money went, because right now Saleem's silence makes it seem you paid over 11,000 and got nothing, not even a hole in the ground. If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned. Investment fund managers Clive Beagles and James Lowen are flag wavers for the UK stock market and they've been waving for the past quarter of the century, first at Newton and now at JO Hambro. Despite the stream of listed companies leaving the market, either being bought or going private, and the undervaluation of the UK stock market compared to overseas rivals, they continue to find ways to make money for investors. Since late 2004, they have jointly run fund JOHCM UK Equity Income: JOHCM standing for JO Hambro Capital Management, an investment house which oversees assets of 18 billion. The 1.8 billion fund, providing investors with a mix of long-term capital and income growth, has been an outstanding success. Over its near 21-year life, it has delivered annual dividend growth averaging 9 per cent, with the only hiccups being in 2008 and 2020 when many UK companies were impacted by the global financial crisis and lockdown, respectively. In terms of overall returns, it has outperformed both the FTSE All-Share Index and the average UK equity income fund over the past five years, registering a return of 117.4 per cent. The respective gains made by the index and the UK equity income sector are 82.8 and 70.7 per cent. Over the last year, the fund has achieved an attractive return of 14.5 per cent. 'There are lots of ways to make money from UK equities,' says Beagles. 'Our forte is spotting companies whose shares have above average dividend yields and where we think businesses have the ability to grow their dividends. It often means fishing in a pond comprising companies whose shares are currently out of favour.' The fund's dividend yield of 4.6 per cent compares with a 3.4 per cent yield on the FTSE All-Share. This approach means the managers trawl the length and breadth of the UK market in search of suitable stocks. The resulting 60-stock fund portfolio comprises a number of FTSE 100 dividend friendly stocks such as Barclays, BP, and Lloyds. It also includes less familiar names such as FTSE 250 listed brick manufacturer Ibstock and FTSE All-Share stock Norcros, owner of numerous kitchen and bathroom brands (the likes of Triton and Merlyn). 'Norcros is an excellent business,' says Beagles. 'It is a market leader, pays decent dividends and offers shareholders an attractive income [dividend yield] just short of 4 per cent. 'But with a market capitalisation of less than 250 million, it's too small a stock to attract widespread attention from investors. As a result, its shares are undervalued. Sadly, there is a possibility that at some stage it will be bought by a rival or private equity, and not at full value.' Beagles believes many of the companies in the fund including Norcros will see their fortunes improve if the domestic economy starts growing. Although he admits rising UK gilt yields are a cause for concern, he says there are some positive signs in the form of strong household balance sheets. When people have the confidence to draw down on these savings and start spending, he says it should bode well for retailers such as Currys and DFS (both fund holdings). 'Some see Currys as yesterday's child,' says Beagles. 'But it has a thriving mobile phone division in iD Mobile and as consumer confidence increases, it will benefit from people replacing big ticket items such as computers. The same goes for DFS.' Annual fund charges total 0.79 per cent and both Beagles and Lowen are personal investors in the fund putting their money where their mouths are. The accounting scandal that has engulfed WHSmith deepened this weekend after The Mail on Sunday revealed the retailer is relying heavily on promotional income from suppliers to hit sales targets. The revelation highlights fears that issues with the firm's books could be more entrenched than previously thought. Shares in WHSmith plunged more than 40 per cent last month after the firm, which around 1,200 stores globally in airports, train stations and hospitals, warned that profits from its North American unit would be 30 million less than expected at about 25 million. It was the second-worst one-day drop ever among large and medium-sized retailers currently listed on the stock market, according to broker AJ Bell. Accountancy firm Deloitte is investigating the blunder, which WHSmith blamed on the 'accelerated recognition of supplier income' in its US arm. When retailers such as WHSmith buy products to sell in stores, suppliers may agree to pay the firm a fee for their goods to be prominently displayed or discounted to boost sales. Such promotions can run for years. The payments are recorded as income for the retailer to correspond with when the products are sold. Well paid: WH Smith boss Carl Cowling (pictured) and former finance director Robert Moorhead received 2.7 million and 1.9 million respectively last year While these deals are not unusual, experts said in the case of WHSmith it appears this income was booked too early, leading to the overstated profits. They added that relying too heavily on income from suppliers to meet profit targets was a potential red flag. 'When sales are struggling, you bill everything for anything,' said Ged Futter of consultancy The Retail Mind. 'So if you've got a significant proportion of your profit coming [from supplier income] then you will look to book it as soon as possible. That's when the alarm bells would ring.' An analysis of WHSmith's accounts, conducted by The Mail on Sunday, shows the level of supplier income more than tripled from 10 million in 2022 to 33 million in 2024. The 30 million profit overstatement in its US unit suggests the supplier income figure will be even greater this year. Futter said that WHSmith's accounting scandal had echoes of Tesco. In 2014, Britain's biggest supermarket was found to have delayed payments to suppliers to boost profits as it struggled to counter the rise of no-frills rivals Aldi and Lidl. Tesco was forced to pay 214 million in fines and compensation after an investigation found it had breached rules on how grocery suppliers are treated. WHSmith is not covered by these. Despite being a staple of the British retail scene since 1792, WHSmith is now a travel retailer after selling its High Street stores, which have been renamed TG Jones by their new owner. Retail analyst Jonathan de Mello said WHSmith had expanded fast in the US, which may account for its increased use of promotions to drive sales. 'If so, it's poor cost management if they over-ordered from suppliers and had to sell at lower prices,' he said. 'It doesn't look like they've got a good handle on things out there.' WH Smith boss Carl Cowling and former finance director Robert Moorhead were paid 2.7 million and 1.9 million respectively last year mostly in performance-related bonuses. A WHSmith insider said 'it shouldn't be a surprise' that supplier income had increased as the company expanded. They pointed out that group sales have almost doubled since 2019, when supplier income was 10 million. The findings of Deloitte's investigation may be published when WHSmith releases its results in November. Profits for the year to August are now expected to be 110 million, the company said, down from previous estimates of 160 million. WHSmith, its auditors PwC and Deloitte declined to comment. Rachel Reeves has been warned that hopes of a revival in UK stock market flotations this autumn could be derailed by Budget tax increases. A bumper summer for the FTSE 100 index which has enjoyed its best gains since 2016 has lifted expectations of a raft of initial public offerings (IPOs). That would cheer UK markets and the armies of lawyers and advisers in the Square Mile who have been starved of lucrative fees in recent years due to the dearth of public flotations. Hope: A bumper summer for the FTSE 100 index which has enjoyed its best gains since 2016 has lifted expectations of a raft of initial public offerings Julian Morse, co-chief executive of City broker Cavendish, is predicting an upturn over the coming months. But he said the Chancellor's Budget could still wreck it if there was a tax raid on businesses. He told The Mail on Sunday: 'That's the big unknown. If taxes rise substantially it will slow or stop growth. Any economy in a high-tax environment doesn't do well. The IPO market is dependent on the economy. So if growth stalls and we go into recession that would be pretty negative.' It comes as optimism grows that the UK stock market will see a resumption of listings in a revival of its fortunes after a dismal recent period. Stock market debuts have been scarce in London and other financial centres while the value of UK firms has lagged foreign peers, especially in America. Yet with US policy-making increasingly erratic under Donald Trump, UK and European markets now seem more attractive for investors. The FTSE 100 is up by more than 11 per cent this year and is outpacing Wall Street, though recent falls have seen it slip back from record highs. London's blue-chip index has been helped by a bumper performance over the summer when it defied the traditional adage of 'sell in May and go away', denoting a summer lull. Instead, the FTSE rose 4.7 per cent between the end of May and end of August, marking the best summer in nine years. Morse said that around the time of Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs in April, markets 'suddenly realised the US is just not this really lovely, benign place to invest in' after a long period which saw the American market 'pulling money away from the rest of the world'. He added: 'That's really fuelled the rise of the FTSE but also other global indices.' Cavendish has launched four IPOs since December last year and is working on more. Morse said: 'We are actively working on four and are in conversation with another handful of firms that want to IPO. So it's definitely a lot busier on the IPO front than for a long time, probably three or four years.' Morse added: 'It's great news for the market. Because the markets are performing at the moment, people are getting decent returns that fuels more investment into IPOs. I think we're going to see a few high-profile ones this autumn. I'm quietly confident the market is going to be pretty strong, especially going into the new year.' The bullish comments will add to the positive mood around the FTSE going into the autumn. London has suffered a series of blows as companies such as fintech Wise up sticks for New York and others are taken over by foreign predators. And hopes that a bumper IPO from fast-fashion giant Shein have faded as it looks likely to head for Hong Kong. But reports suggest other floats are heading to the City with challenger bank Shawbrook, food giant New Princes and Norwegian software firm Visma among them. City law firms are said to be stepping up efforts to hire staff with capital markets experience to prepare for an IPO bounce-back. Pensioners are set to pay 2.5billion in savings tax this year as frozen thresholds drag more households into the net, This is Money can reveal. The savings tax burden for those over 65 years old is set to soar 215 per cent this financial year when compared with the savings tax haul from 2022-23, data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) shows. The official figures obtained by Paragon Bank via a Freedom of Information request and shared exclusively make grim reading for pensioners who have worked hard to build a sizeable emergency fund to enjoy in their late years. Households have an annual amount they can earn in savings interest which is tax-free which is called the personal savings allowance and is based on their income tax band. But bands have been frozen since 2022 and the personal savings allowance has been untouched since it was introduced nine years ago. Savings pain: More pensioners are getting dragged into the savings interest tax net As earners are pulled into higher tax bands due to these frozen thresholds, not only do they lose more of their income, their personal savings allowance is also reduced which allows the Exchequer to rake in more money in a stealth tax grab. And although savings rates have dipped over the last year after several cuts to the Bank of England base rate, rates are still far higher than they were in the depths of the pandemic. This means that although savers are earning stronger interest on their hard-earned cash, they are more likely to breach their personal savings allowance. If you are a basic rate taxpayer, your personal savings allowance is 1,000. This means you can earn 1,000 of savings interest each tax year before you start to pay tax. Any interest earned over 1,000 will be taxed at a rate of 20 per cent, until your total income reaches 50,270. Once someone's total income goes above 50,270, they pay 40 per cent higher-rate tax. Higher rate taxpayers only get a personal savings allowance of 500. Any more than 500 of interest earned on savings will be taxed at a rate of 40 per cent. Once earnings go above 125,140, earners pay 45p additional-rate tax. Crucially, once you hit this income bracket, your personal savings allowance disappears completely so all savings interest will face 45 per cent tax. If you keep your savings in an account paying 4 per cent, a basic-rate taxpayer can have 25,000 saved before breaching their personal savings allowance. For a higher-rate taxpayer, anything over 12,500 will tip you into paying tax while for additional-rate taxpayers, youll need to hand over a chunk of all savings interest to the tax office. Basic rate taxpayers aged over 65 handed over 197million to the taxman in 2022-23 but this will surge to 518 this tax year. For older higher-rate taxpayers, the tax burden has climbed from 328million just three ago to 885million this year, the Paragon Bank FoI reveals. However, a sharp hike in savings tax stumped up by additional-rate earners is the main driver in the rise in the total amount paid by those aged over 65. Tax receipts are expected to more than quadruple for this demographic surging from 270million in 2022-23 to 1.1billion in 2025-26 as the removal of the personal savings allowance takes its toll. Andrew Wright, head of savings at Paragon Bank, said: Were witnessing a significant and rapid escalation in the tax burden on savers nearing or enjoying retirement. This could have a profound impact on their long-term financial wellbeing. But tax receipts from savers under 65 are also expected to rise sharply, up 186 per cent from 1.24billion to almost 3.6billion over the same period. The tax burden for those of working and and retirees alike could soon soar further if Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the autumn decides to slash the tax-free allowance for cash individual savings accounts (Isas). Savings calculator Work out how a lump sum or regular monthly savings would grow Lump sum and / or Monthly saving Duration years Annual interest rate % Your savings will be worth She was set to cut the allowance to as little as 4,000 in July but made a last-minute U-turn following outrage from campaigners. But the Chancellor has allegedly not dropped the plans entirely and Isa reform is still on the cards as the Exchequer wants better outcomes for both savers and for the UK economy. If the chancellor does cut the cash Isa allowance in the autumn then the tax burden will simply continue to grow in the coming years as savers swap tax-free Isas for taxable accounts. Any potential changes will be designed to push savers into investments which in turn are hoped to boost the UK economy. But unless Britain's investment culture and financial education dramatically changes in a just a few months, its likely many households will simply continue to save in cash. Critics say any potential changes to the cash Isa allowance will not only be designed to champion UK investments but will also boost the Treasurys coffers as savers put their money in taxable savings accounts instead. Swathes of readers have told This is Money and the Daily Mail they will continue to keep their money in cash instead of opting for risker investments whether thats in traditional savings accounts or under the mattress. Do I need to tell HMRC if I owe tax on my savings interest? Savings interest is paid before tax, so to work out if you will end up taxed you should add up all your interest over a tax year and see how it compares to your personal savings allowance level. If youre employed or get a pension, HMRC should automatically update your tax code to collect any tax on savings interest, so you pay the tax automatically. You will not need to notify the taxman that you owe tax on your savings interest. To decide your tax code, the taxman will estimate how much interest youll get in the current year by looking at how much you received in the previous year. But you will need to tell HMRC about savings interest if you complete a self-assessment tax return and it will then calculate what you owe. Among reasons people have to fill in self-assessment forms are: if HMRC tells them they need to, if they earn more than 150,000, or they are self employed. If your income from savings or investments is more than 10,000 then you need to register for self-assessment. If you are not employed, do not get a pension or do not complete self-assessment forms, your bank or building society will tell HMRC how much interest you received at the end of the year. HMRC will tell you if you need to pay tax and how to pay it. How can I keep more of my savings interest? The main way to avoid paying tax on your savings is to use an Isa. This could be a cash Isa which is free of savings interest or a stocks and shares Isa which is free of dividend and capital gains tax. You have up to 20,000 a year to channel into these tax-free vehicles. Like normal savings accounts, you can funnel your money into easy-access Isas and fixed-rate Isas of different terms. Better yet is a flexible Isa, which allows you to withdraw your money and, crucially, put it back again without affecting your annual allowance provided you pay it back in the same tax year. Flexibility is a useful feature to have in an Isa when it comes to keeping as much of your savings tax-free as possible. Savers with larger pots and who can max out their 20,000 Isa limit will see the most benefit from a flexible Isa. Mr Wright said: Isas remain an accessible and flexible option, empowering savers to protect more of their hard-earned money and make the most out of their nest eggs as they plan for, or live through, retirement. But dont forget Premium Bonds from Treasury-backed bank National Savings and Investments. Holders can invest between 25 and 50,000. Instead of a regular interest payment, each 1 Bond is entered into a prize draw every month and winners receive prizes from 25 to 1million. Crucially, winnings are tax-free and you never lose your original stake. Elizabeth Smart knew she would have to face the tough questions one day. What she hadn't expected was that they would begin when her eldest daughter Chloe was just three years old. It was a day when she was preparing to give a victim impact statement to try to stop one of her abusers from walking free from prison. 'She was asking where I was going and why I was dressed up,' Smart tells the Daily Mail. 'It led to me telling her: 'Not everybody in the world is a good person. There are bad people that exist, and so I'm going to try to make sure some bad people stay in prison.' That kind of started it - and it's just grown since then.' Now, despite their young ages, all three of Smart's children - Chloe, now 10, James, eight, and Olivia, six - know their mom's story. 'To some degree, they all know I was kidnapped,' she says. 'I have yet to get into the nitty-gritty details with any of them, but my oldest knows the most and my youngest knows the least.' It's a story that made Smart a household name all across the country at the age of 14 when she was kidnapped from her home in the dead of the night by pedophile and religious fanatic Brian David Mitchell in the summer of 2002. While Smart's face was plastered across missing posters and TV screens, Mitchell and his wife Wanda Barzee held her captive - first in the mountains around Salt Lake City, Utah, and then in California. Kidnapping survivor, mom-of-three and nonprofit founder Elizabeth Smart spoke to the Daily Mail in Salt Lake City, Utah Smart became a household name at the age of 14 when she was kidnapped from her home in the dead of the night by pedophile and religious fanatic Brian David Mitchell They physically and mentally tortured her, raped her daily and held her starving and dehydrated while pushing their twisted claims that Mitchell was a prophet destined to take several young girls as his wives. After nine horrific months, Smart was finally rescued and reunited with her family in a moment that drew a collective sigh of relief from families and parents nationwide. Now, as a parent herself, Smart is candid about how her experience has left her wrestling with how to balance protecting her children and giving them the independence to explore the world. 'I'm always thinking: Are they safe? Who are they with? Who knows where they're at? Those kinds of things go through my mind regularly My kids probably don't always appreciate it, even though I feel like saying: 'I've let you leave the house. Do you know how hard that is for me?' she says. 'I try really hard not to be too overboard or crazy but it's not easy. I'm still looking for the right balance. 'I have a lot of conversations with them about safety. And no, I will not let any of them have sleepovers. That is just something my family does not do.' Inviting cameras inside the family's home in Park City, Utah, is also off-limits. Instead, Smart meets the Daily Mail in a hotel in downtown Salt Lake City, four miles from the quiet Federal Heights neighborhood where she grew up and where - aged just four years older than her eldest daughter is now - the nightmare began back in the summer of 2002. Smart is seen above as a child before she was abducted from her home in June 2002 Smart is pictured with her husband and their three children Composed and articulate, Smart smiles as she thinks back on her happy childhood up until that point. As one of six children to Ed and Lois, the Mormon household was tight-knit and there was always something going on. June 4, 2002, was no different with school assemblies, family dinner, cross-country running and nighttime prayers. When she clambered into the bed she shared with her nine-year-old sister Mary Katherine that night, Smart read a book until they both fell asleep. 'The next thing I remember, I was waking up to a man holding a knife to my neck, telling me to get up and go with him,' she says. At knifepoint, Mitchell forced the 14-year-old from her home and led her up the nearby mountains to a makeshift, hidden camp where his accomplice was waiting. While they climbed, Smart realized she had met her kidnapper before. Eight months earlier, Smart's family had seen Mitchell panhandling in downtown Salt Lake City. Lois had given him $5 and some work at their home. Elizabeth Smart and her parents, Ed and Lois, pictured in 2004 at their home in Salt Lake City, Utah Elizabeth Smart's picture was on missing posters all across the country following her June 2002 kidnapping At that moment, Smart says she had felt sorry for this man who seemed down on his luck. Mitchell later told her that, at the very same moment she and her family helped him, he had picked her as his chosen victim and began plotting her abduction. 'You have to be a monster to do that,' Smart says of this realization. 'I don't know when or where he lost his humanity, but he clearly did.' When they got to the campsite, Barzee led Smart inside a tent and forced her to take off her pajamas and put on a robe. Mitchell then told her she was now his wife. That was the first time he raped her. Two decades later, Smart can still remember the physical and emotional pain of that moment. 'I felt like my life was ruined, like I was ruined and had become undeserving, unwanted, unlovable,' she says. Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee held Smart captive for nine months and subjected her to daily torture and rape Barzee in a new mugshot following her arrest in May for violating her sex offender status After that first day, rape and torture was a daily reality. There was no let-up from the abuse as the weeks and months passed and Christmas, Thanksgiving and Smart's 15th birthday came and went. 'Every day was terrible. There was never a fun or easy day. Every day was another day where I just focused on survival and my birthday wasn't any different,' she says. 'My 15th birthday is definitely not my best birthday He brought me back a pack of gum.' Throughout her nine-month ordeal, there were many missed opportunities - close encounters with law enforcement and sliding door moments with concerned strangers - to rescue Smart from her abusers. There was the moment a police car drove past Mitchell and Smart in her neighborhood moments after he snatched her from her bed and began leading her up the mountainside. There was the moment she heard a man shouting her name close to the campsite during a search. There was the moment a rescue helicopter hovered right above the tent. Elizabeth Smart launched the Elizabeth Smart Foundation in 2011 to support other survivors and fight to end sexual violence There was the time Mitchell spent several days in jail down in the city while Smart was left chained to a tree. There were times when Smart was taken out in public hidden under a veil. And there was the time a police officer approached the trio inside Salt Lake City's public library - before Mitchell convinced him she wasn't the missing girl and the officer let them go. To this day, Smart reveals she is constantly asked why she didn't scream or run away in those moments. But such questions show a lack of understanding for the power abusers hold over their victims, she feels. 'People from the outside looking in might think it doesn't make sense. But on the inside, you're doing whatever you have to do to survive,' she says. 'We see it all the time in domestic abuse and human-trafficking cases where people say: 'Why didn't you just get in your car and leave?' It is never that simple.' Smart hesitates and considers her answer when asked if she feels she was failed by the adults who didn't intervene and save her during those close encounters. She says she has 'nothing to say' to her abductors and has found her own form of forgiveness 'That's a good question... No, I don't. I don't think people failed me,' she says, adding: 'I think there were people who acted.' Whether or not she could have been saved earlier and spared from months of abuse is something she refuses to dwell on. 'It's so hard to say looking back because you just never know what the outcome would have been. Do I wish I had been rescued sooner? Of course, without a question But I don't know if that's an answerable question,' she says. In the end it was a teenage Smart who orchestrated her own rescue. During the winter months, Mitchell and Barzee had taken her more than 750 miles away to California to escape the harsh Utah weather. When Mitchell decided they needed to move on again, Smart saw an opportunity to return to Utah - bringing her closer to her family and the city where she believed she had the greatest chance of being recognized and saved from the clutches of her abusers. She convinced Mitchell God wanted them to hitchhike to Salt Lake City. Her plan worked. On March 12, 2003 - the day they arrived in Utah - people spotted Smart, Barzee and Mitchell and called the police. Smart is now happily married and the mother of three children Chloe, now 10, James, 8, and Olivia, 6 Each of their children know their mom's story of how she was kidnapped as a teenager This time, she was finally rescued. Mitchell was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping and transporting a minor for sex in a 2010 trial where a calm, collected Smart testified about his abuse. Barzee pleaded guilty to kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor in exchange for a 15-year sentence. She was released five years early in September 2018 after a parole board said it miscalculated the time she should serve. On her release, Smart warned that Barzee still posed a danger to society. So it came as no surprise to her when Barzee was arrested this May and charged with violating her sex offender status. 'I think, if anything, I was surprised it took this long,' Smart says of Barzee's arrest. The 79-year-old was caught visiting two public parks in Utah - something she is banned from doing as a sex offender. Elizabeth Smart (seen age 14) managed to orchestrate her own rescue by convincing her abductors to return to Utah In a disturbing parallel to her abuse of Smart, Barzee told police she had been 'commanded to by the Lord'. Using religion to justify actions is 'the biggest red flag' to Smart. 'If you tell me God commanded you to do something, you will always stay at arm's length with me,' she says. During our in-depth sit-down, Smart's calm, collected composure wavers only once - when asked if she has a message for her abusers now. 'I have nothing to say to them,' she says abruptly. 'They have no part in my life anymore.' Instead, she has found her own version of forgiveness. 'I think everybody has a different definition of forgiveness. For me, forgiveness is self-love,' she says. 'It's loving myself enough to not carry the weight of the past around with me in my everyday life.' Lois and Ed Smart holding a press conference on June 20, 2002, days after their daughter was kidnapped at knifepoint from their home It's a place that Smart admits has taken her time to get to. When she was first rescued, Smart says she believed she had no lasting trauma. But, as an adult, she now sees a teenager who was terrified of being left alone with men and who would eat any food given to her because she knew what it had meant to starve. Smart says she has now learned there is 'no one-size-fits-all' to healing. To this day, she has never undergone professional counseling and doesn't think she has any triggers that take her back to her nine-month hell. For her, returning to the campsite where she was held captive was a positive experience. 'It felt like I was exposing a dirty secret, like nobody would ever be hurt there again,' she says. But, despite her stoic strength, Smart admits she does have bad days. 'I'm human,' she says. 'There comes a time where I just don't have the emotional bandwidth to keep going on that specific day. For me, I have to know my limits.' Elizabeth Smart admits she does have 'bad days' and says she doesn't watch true crime On days where she has shared her story or worked with survivors, this means 'turning on something light and fluffy on TV before bed'. 'It's got to the point where I don't watch true crime,' she says, adding that she also questions the growing interest in the subject. 'I understand it's fascinating and I think there's an ethical way of doing true crime. But also there's another side of me that thinks: what does it say about our world when people go to sleep on other people's trauma?' For Smart, her abduction pushed her to try 'to experience life more and be the person I want to be'. She went to college at Brigham Young University and studied abroad in Paris, where she met her husband Matthew Gilmour during a Latter-Day Saints mission. In 2011, she launched her nonprofit the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, which fights to end sexual violence and supports survivors. Part of the foundation's work includes Smart Defense - a trauma-informed self-defense program for female students on college campuses. The nonprofit also offers consent courses, educating people about the differences between sexual violence and consensual intimacy. 'But at the end of the day, the only way we will ever 100 per cent stop sexual violence from happening is for perpetrators to stop perpetrating,' she says. Now, 23 years since her abduction and nine-month hell, life is good for Elizabeth Smart A lot has changed in the 23 years since her abduction. When it comes to the dangers facing children and women, Smart feels some change has been for the better, but also some for the worse. 'We've made progress on the awareness front. But I think social media and technology has skyrocketed who can access our children,' she says. It has also made online sexual abuse and pornography more prevalent, she says. 'I feel it would have made my experience worse if [Mitchell] recorded it and put it online,' she says. '[I would be] going out into the world, never knowing if people were smiling at me because they were being friendly or because they knew what I looked like while being raped.' Smart says it's going to take 'everybody' to fight to end sexual violence. 'Abduction, trafficking, sexual violence, abuse is such a massive problem all around the world,' she says. 'Nobody is going to single-handedly take it down. We need everybody.' Now, 23 years since her abduction and nine-month hell, life is good for Elizabeth Smart. 'I'm happily married. I have children. And I feel so passionate about advocacy, educating, trying to raise awareness and making a difference in this area,' she says. 'Life is great.' Cops got a surprise when responding to a truck crash in Colorado and discovering what had spilled on to the highway. The semi-truck crashed on Highway 69 near Hillside and flipped on to the roadway at around 2am last Thursday. While the driver managed to escape the wreck unharmed, according to Custer County Sheriff's Office, the trucks contents of sweet corn was spilled across the road. Loads of the corn were taken to the Wet Mountain Fire Protection District where they were handed out for free to local residents by the fire department and the sheriff's office. The Custer County Sheriff's Office said: 'An earful of morning news...members of the community can pick up sweet corn at the fire station on the northwest corner. Fire fighter volunteers and posse will be on scene to assist.' At the crash site, crews directed traffic through the roadway where the truck overturned. 'The fire department rotated volunteer fire fighters for the past 17 hours to direct traffic through the emergency scene,' the sheriff's office said. 'Custer Sheriff deputies also were at the scene. The crash was investigated by the State Patrol. The demolished semi truck was recovered by Penrose Tractor and Towing. They also cleaned the debris off the highway.' The semi-truck that crashed on Highway 69 near Hillside, Colorado, flipped onto the roadway While the driver managed to escape the wreck unharmed, the trucks contents of sweet corn was spilled across the road and was handed out to residents for free 'Drive carefully through this area tonight,' the sheriff's office added. The cause of the crash remains unclear. All of the corn was snatched up by lucky locals with only scraps left by Thursday afternoon, according to the sheriff's office. 'These truckers keep spilling their loads on Highway 69. We got our free corn along with everyone else in town! Last time it was hot dogs, and before that it was cheese,' one local wrote. 'Crossing my fingers for the money truck next time.' Another grateful resident commented that they made '14 quarts of corn chowder from that overturned truck.' 'Thank you for sharing with the community,' they added. One local said: 'I picked up several ears. They were huge and amazing! They are from Olathe which has the best corn.' Locals commented on the sheriff's post that it hadn't been the first time such an incident had occurred but thanked law enforcement for their response and the free corn Another resident, who shared a photo of the clam chowder they made with the corn, wrote: 'So glad no one was hurt! 'Thank you for all your hard work and blessing the community with corn! Whipped up some corn chowder!' 'Glad driver is ok but thanks so much for sharing with the community we appreciate it,' another added. Other commenters humored at the 'corny' incident. 'Please let me know when a peach truck rolls,' one exclaimed, while the sheriff's office responded that they were 'waiting for a steak truck.' 'Donations of butter and dental floss are gladly being accepted at the CCSO,' another wrote. 'Just need hot dog rolls and we can have a community picnic!' 'Waiting on the wine and seafood truck LOL,' one joked. Rescue crews clean up a truckload of hot dogs that spilled out of a tractor-trailer last month along Interstate 83 in Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania The crash scene quickly became a traffic nightmare - and a spectacle. Pictured: Hotdogs line the side of Pennsylvania's Interstate-83 Last month Daily Mail reported how a tractor-trailer crash in southern Pennsylvania sent thousands of frozen hot dogs tumbling across Interstate 83. The truck, reportedly hauling more than 1,000 pounds of frozen hot dogs, split open when it scraped along a concrete barrier, spilling its meaty contents across both directions of the highway. The Daily Mail has reached out to the Custer County Sheriff's Office for further comment. A home owner is planning to put his doomed west London mansion back on the market just months after his previous buyers bagged a 33.million refund because it was invaded by moths. High-end property developer William Woodward-Fisher was ordered to take back the luxury home in plush Notting Hill earlier this year when Iya Patarkatsishvili and Dr Yevhen Hunyak won a High Court battle regarding the pests. The couple sued the seller, a former Team GB rower, for not telling them about the moth saga which they said reminded them of the iconic horror film Alien. They claimed the creatures ruined their clothes, spoiled their wine and forced them to install 400 traps around their house. Now the Daily Mail can reveal Mr Woodward-Fisher is having another go at selling the property, with new pictures showing extensive building work taking place. A group of builders were spotted regularly coming in and out of the unwanted home, with large black sheets covering its windows and the sound of renovation work echoing down the street. One worker, from a company called Sitek Joinery, explained the house would be back on sale as soon as his team left the site. He told the Daily Mail: 'We've been here two months. 'There were moths here when we arrived. They had been clearing them out and they ended up clearing them all out. William Woodward-Fisher, pictured outside London's High Court this year, is planning to put his doomed west London mansion back on the market just months after his previous buyers bagged a 33million refund because it was invaded by moths Iya Patarkatsishvili and Dr Yevhen Hunyak, pictured, won a High Court battle regarding the pests 'We're here for four or five more weeks. 'The owner [William Woodward-Fisher] is putting the house on the market. It will go up after we're done here. 'We're just plasterboarding, sanding doing stuff like that. 'We're doing up the swimming pool and gym too.' But neighbours, still reeling from a miserable moth ordeal which spread to their homes, reckon he has no chance of finding a buyer. A man living opposite revealed that things were better in the old days and that the pest infestation had spread to his own house. The neighbour, who has been in the same place for 35 years, said: 'It used to be beautiful. Edward Grosvenor had it and it was just that one building. 'Then the rest was added on. Now the Daily Mail can reveal Mr Woodward-Fisher is having another go at flogging the place, with new pictures showing extensive building work taking place at the property and black sheets covering the windows A group of builders regularly come in and out of the unwanted home, with loud construction sounds echoing down the sleepy London street 'They are clearly trying to sell it but it will be hard. 'They also now have someone in residence just there on the top floor. 'And, yes, we had moths here over the road. It happened at the same time. We had never had moths before. 'They ate everything. Including my cashmere jumpers, including this one.' Another neighbour added that the moth crisis had become infamous in this expensive pocket of west London. 'That's the Moth House,' she said. 'I don't know anything about this building work. 'Everyone in this neighbourhood was concerned about moths at that time.' Mr Justice Fancourt, ruling at London's High Court in February, found Mr Woodward-Fisher had given 'false' answers about the state of the sumptuous Horbury Villa and failed 'honestly to disclose' the 'serious infestation' of moths. Neighbours, still reeling from a miserable moth ordeal which spread to their homes, reckon he has no chance of finding a buyer for the place, pictured The winning couple laid bare their ordeal in the weeks after the judgment - with Dr Hunyak saying of the 11,000 sq ft, seven-bedroom, 11-bathroom home: 'It was crawling with larvae. 'You know that movie Alien? When they were trying to work out where the aliens were, and they were actually behind the walls. It was like that.' His wife Ms Patarkatsishvili, a theatre director and human rights activist, said one worker on the property suffered a panic attack when confronted by the pest problem. She told the Sunday Times the contractor 'couldn't work once he pulled back the wall and there were so many moths in the wool', adding: 'It's just disgusting. So he left and said he couldn't do it.' Ms Patarkatsishvili, the daughter of a billionaire Georgian oligarch, had bought the luxury mansion with her dentist husband in May 2019. They paid 32.5million for the early Victorian pile, which boasted a pool and spa, gym, wine room, library and cinema, and also a 'snoring room' specially kitted to guarantee a peaceful night's sleep. But a few days after they moved in, Ms Patarkatsishvili spotted the first signs of a winged 'infestation', telling her husband: 'There's a moth flying around here.' The couple told in court of having to swat away 100 moths a day, prompting them to launch a multi-million-pound claim against Mr Woodward-Fisher, 68. One neighbour added that the moth crisis had become infamous in this expensive pocket of west London Suing to reverse the sale, Dr Hunyak told how the the moth plague hit a point where insects were landing on the couple and their two children's toothbrushes, cutlery and plates of food. He also described having to tip away glasses of wine after discovering moths floating there - while accusing Mr Woodward-Fisher of failing to disclose previous moth issues when answering pre-sale enquiries about the possibility of 'vermin' and defects. Mr Justice Fancourt ruled in the suing couple's favour, finding that they had been led into the purchase by Mr Woodward-Fisher's 'false' answers about the state of the property. He said Mr Woodward-Fisher had failed 'honestly to disclose' the 'serious infestation' and reports concerning work required on the insulation where the moths had nested. Although he had not been deliberately trying to deceive the purchasers, he 'simply wanted to sell the house and move on' and knew disclosure would cause the sale to 'go off'. The judge made an order rescinding the sale, with Mr Woodward-Fisher having to pay back the 32.5million purchase price, less about 6million to recognise their use of the property since the purchase. However, they will also receive about 4million in additional damages in relation to the infestation, including 15,000 for ruined clothes and the 3.7million they paid in Stamp Duty - taking the value of their payout to around 30million. During the trial of the claim last year, the judge heard that Mr Woodward-Fisher bought the site in 2011 and lived there with interior designer wife Kerry, 64. Ms Patarkatsishvili and Dr Hunyak, pictured, successfully sued Mr Woodward-Fisher for not telling them about the moth saga which they said reminded them of the horror film Alien The mansion was extended and radically remodelled by Mr Woodward-Fisher to about 11,000 sq ft, before it was sold on to Dr Hunyak, 50, and Ms Patarkatsishvili, 41, in 2019. Dr Hunyak is a paediatric dentist who practises in Chelsea, while his wife is daughter of Badri Patarkatsishvili, a Georgian businessman who fell out with Vladimir Putin and set up home in the UK in 2000 before dying of heart failure in 2008. They moved in with their daughter, now 16, 14-year-old son and labrador Loki - after 'years searching for the perfect home'. The couple, who previously rented a property in nearby Marble Arch having moved from Moscow to London in 2008, said they never spotted any moth issues during several visits to the Notting Hill home before buying. But they told of spotting the insects within days of moving in and unpacking - and Ms Patarkatsishvili also recalled having 'embarrassing situations' with guests. She added: 'Not only has it damaged clothes, but it was in the food cupboards - our son went to get some cereal, and larvae were in there, so we had to put everything in containers. It's just absolutely disgusting.' The couple said they spent more than 270,000 trying to tackle the issues, including pulling back walls and excavating ceilings, while being told by pest control firms that the problems had been raised before. They have been looking for a new home elsewhere, viewing a potential property not far away near Hyde Park in February. They moved in with their daughter, now 16, 14-year-old son and labrador Loki - after 'years searching for the perfect home'... but it turned into a nightmare Mr Woodward-Fisher denied all claims, insisting that he gave honest and full replies on the pre-sale enquiries form, and that as far as he knew any previous moth problems had been eliminated by the time of the move. Giving his judgment, Mr Justice Fancourt said Dr Hunyak had at times 'exaggerated' the extent of ongoing problems, but found that Mr Woodward-Fisher had given 'false' answers in the pre-contract questions. 'I do not find that he was consciously trying to deceive the claimants,' the judge said. 'He simply wanted to sell the house and move on. As he admitted in cross-examination, disclosure of the infestation would likely have caused the sale to go off, and he would have been left needing to move out of the house and do expensive works to remove all the woollen insulation. 'In my judgment, Mr Woodward-Fisher was hoping that the problem might have gone away and he was willing to take the risk that he was wrong about that. 'He stated that he was unaware of any defect in the property that was not apparent on inspection...that was false, because the infested condition of the insulation in the floor voids and internal walls of the house was such a defect.' A spokeswoman for Woodward-Fisher said at the time that he 'strongly disputes the claims being reported regarding the recent High Court judgment'. She said: 'Whilst respecting the courts findings, it is essential to clarify several points. 'Mr Woodward-Fisher believes he acted in good faith and relied on legal advice during the sale process. He used a professionally recommended, warrantied moth-proof insulation. 'Claims that the living space was "crawling with moths" do not reflect the evidence or findings during the trial and appear designed to sensationalise the issue. 'Expert testimony confirmed that the infestation was primarily hidden behind walls in the insulation and was not readily visible. 'The argument over whether moths are "vermin" reflects a technical and subjective legal interpretation. 'Mr Woodward-Fishers understanding was supported by legal advice at the time, and he was entitled to rely on this. 'The court acknowledged that the claimants resided in and made extensive use of the property for nearly six years, as reflected in the judgments financial adjustments. 'This undermines the claims about the propertys condition. 'Mr Woodward-Fisher intends to seek permission to appeal.' From Westminster upstart to pop stars consort, Lembit Opik has lived so many different lives it can be hard to keep track of his latest reincarnation. Formerly the colourful Lib Dem leader for Wales, he attracted widespread ridicule for his fling with Cheeky Girl Gabriela Irimia, setting off a chain of events that - according to Opik - ultimately led to his dramatic fall from grace. Now, more than a decade after losing his seat and his livelihood, the 59-year-old former MP finds himself back in the spotlight after wading in on Reforms rising popularity and hailing Nigel Farage as Britains acting Prime Minister. Its a rare foray into the political arena from the former MP who has since rediscovered God, dreams of putting humans on the moon, and claims hes so broke he doesnt own a wallet. So how did the man once voted the nations second most irritating politician end up here? Born in Bangor, County Down in 1965, Opik was the son of a university lecturer and a stay-at-home mother who had fled Estonia following the Soviet invasion. He developed an interest in politics after being voted president of his students union at the University of Bristol. When Opik started dating weather presenter Sian Lloyd, pictured, he was flattered to be welcomed into the glittering world of celebrity A chance meeting with Romanian Cheeky Girl Gabriela Irimia, pictured, swiftly followed his split with then-fiancee Lloyd (despite popular belief he insists his burgeoning relationship was not in any way linked to the end of their engagement). Pictured: Optik and Irimia at The Marine Connection's Safety Nets Ball But his political career began in earnest at Newcastle City Council in 1992 when he was elected as a local councillor while working as manager for Procter & Gamble. His ascent to the national stage was far from an overnight success; two unsuccessful bids for UK and European parliament preceded his successful campaign to succeed MP for Montgomeryshire, Alex Carlile, when he stood down in the 1997 general election. By 2001 he was leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, a seat he held for six years. When he started dating weather presenter Sian Lloyd in 2002, he was flattered to be welcomed into the glittering world of celebrity, and appearances on Have I Got News For You and Who Wants to be a Millionaire soon followed. Musing on that period in his life, he later said: I was flattered by it at the start. I was a shy boy who had grown up with few friends during my teens in Northern Ireland, and I was surprised and encouraged that people were clearly interested in me as a person at that time. At the height of his fame, he claims to have been paid 12,500 for a 25-minute speech. Around the same time, he splashed 20,000 on his share of a Mooney M20J aeroplane. A chance meeting with Romanian Cheeky Girl Gabriela Irimia swiftly followed his split with then-fiancee Lloyd (despite popular belief he insists his burgeoning relationship was not in any way linked to the end of their engagement). Opik and Irimia met while appearing on Channel 5's The All Star Talent Show - he playing the harmonica and she doing ballet - and romance soon blossomed. Musing on the period in his life when he started dating Sian Lloyd, pictured, Opik said: 'I was a shy boy who had grown up with few friends during my teens in Northern Ireland, and I was surprised and encouraged that people were clearly interested in me as a person at that time Opik and Irimia met while appearing on Channel 5's The All Star Talent Show - he playing the harmonica and she doing ballet - and romance soon blossomed (pictured, the couple together in 2008) The couple, who had a 17-year age gap, became instant tabloid catnip and his love life soon eclipsed his career in the eyes of the public; memorably during one PMQs session his question about funding for Motor Neurone Disease research was drowned out by uproarious laughter and heckling after he made a cheeky reference to his new love interest. They dated on and off for over two years - with Irimia hailing him the best lover Ive ever had - and were even briefly engaged after Opik popped the question in front of Romes Trevi Fountain. Their engagement lasted just four months, with work commitments ultimately forcing them apart. While Opiks celebrity star was on the rise, his political career was in freefall. It was in 2010 that he ultimately lost his seat, once considered one of the safest in the country. He later attributed this loss of public affection to his personal life at the time, telling Wales Online: My mistake in it all was believing people would separate my political life and my work from my personal life but when the election came around in 2010 I began to realise the reality. But Opik had also been caught up in the 2009 expenses scandal, in which The Telegraph revealed how hed tried to use taxpayers cash to buy a 2,500 television for his second home; a revelation that caused irreparable damage to his public image. Of his defeat, he admitted he was sad and disappointed, rather ominously adding: In the words of Arnie Schwarzenegger, Ill be back. They dated on and off for over two years - with Irimia hailing him the best lover Ive ever had - and were even briefly engaged after Opik popped the question in front of Romes Trevi Fountain. (Pictured: Opik and Gabriela Irimia, right, and her twin sister Monica) Despite accepting a stint on Im A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! in 2010, the fee wasnt enough to regain financial security and full-time employment continued to elude Opik (pictured, with then girlfriend Merily McGivern) Soon falling behind on his bills, Opik struggled to find a job, lost everything, and with no savings to his name, quickly fell into debt. I wasn't expecting to lose [the election] and I had no other jobs or directorships, so that day I lost my job I lost my whole income, he told the Mails This is Money several years later. In five minutes on stage, I went from financial hero to zero and still had all my bills to pay. Within two years, I was insolvent. Despite accepting a stint on Im A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!, the fee wasnt enough to regain financial security and full-time employment continued to elude him, with his bank threatening to repossess his home. I was the leader of the Liberal Democrats in Wales not so long ago and now Im being read the riot act by my bank, he recalls thinking at the time. How could someone with my CV and my willingness to work all the hours Im given not be able to dig myself out of this? A few paid celebrity gigs followed - from stand-up comedy to cruise ship appearances - but unable to secure a full-time job he soon became insolvent and, by his own admission, depressed. I'd stay in bed until two or three in the afternoon, he told This is Money. I didn't stop trying to get a job, but it was so hard. I felt crushed by the pressure of failure and a sense of despair. Opik has since had two daughters, Angelina and Maria, with Bulgarian lawyer Sabina Vankova (both pictured) After leaving the world of politics and a few years of trying to find a job and getting into debt, there were rumours Opik was romantically linked with Wonderbra model Katie Green, a mere 23 years his junior, prompting cries of How does he do it? Despite losing his political career so suddenly, when asked if he would ever return to the world of Westminster, Opik replied: never say never' Finally, three years later, he found work as a director of communications and public affairs for Motorcycle Action Group. But it wasnt all bad; following his split from Irimia he was romantically linked to Wonderbra model Katie Green, a mere 23 years his junior, prompting cries of How does he do it?! The short-lived romance was followed by a serious relationship with Bulgarian lawyer Sabina Vankova, with whom he has two daughters, Angelina and Maria. More than 10 years later he claims to have progressed by borrowing money against his property - and remains in debt. Nevertheless, in 2017 it was revealed that he owned a property empire worth a rumoured 1million. It is perhaps how he funds his habit of flying Business Class whenever he flies (in a 2020 interview, he declared it gives [him] a feeling of luxury, despite insisting he is still mired by debt). In more recent years hes found solace in religion and waxes lyrical about the Oasis baptist church in Londons Waterloo. Then theres his role as chair of Asgardia, a virtual nation that aims to establish a human settlement on the Moon within 20 years. Of his involvement, he told Wales Online: Id love to say I played a part in paving the way for the next voyage for humanity. People used to say it was strange but we get that less now. As for a return to politics? He replied, never say never. How long can an accused double killer and supposedly expert bushman stay on the run from highly trained cops in some of Australia's most rugged terrain? It took police seven years to catch Malcolm Naden after searching for the two-time murderer across hundreds of square kilometres of mountains, valleys, forests and plains. Naden was once among the nation's most wanted men, but the manhunt that eventually led to him being hauled in to face justice only ever had sporadic media attention. Victorian 'sovereign citizen' Dezi Freeman gained international notoriety as soon as he was accused of shooting dead two policemen and disappeared into the wilderness. Naden's suspected crimes were appalling but not widely reported, at least initially, and the 31-year-old was given a handy head start on his pursuers. It is still remarkable that once police were on his tail, Naden managed to stay ahead of authorities and largely out of sight from the middle of 2005 to the early months of 2012. Two years into the search police posted a $50,000 reward - not for supplying information which led to Naden's conviction but simply for him being brought into custody. It was believed to be the first time a bounty had been offered for a wanted man in NSW since a price was put on the heads of homicidal brothers Jimmy and Joe Governor in 1900. Malcolm Naden was on the run for seven years, wanted for two murders committed in his home town of Dubbo in western NSW. He is pictured after his capture in March 2012 Double killer and sex offender Malcolm Naden evaded police by stealing food and supplies from remote properties as he hid out in the Barrington Tops Dezi Freeman (above) allegedly shot dead Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart on August 26 in Victoria's high country The Governors and their accomplice Jacky Underwood murdered nine people - men, women and children - across NSW and were declared outlaws, meaning they could be lawfully shot on sight. Jimmy Governor was captured near Wingham on the mid-north coast in October 1900. Four days later, Joe Governor was shot dead by a grazier at Mount Royal, near Singleton, in the Hunter Valley. Jimmy Governor was hanged in January 1901. His story was fictionalised in Thomas Keneallys 1972 novel The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and the 1978 film of the same title. Naden was wanted over the June 2005 murder of his cousin's girlfriend Kristy Scholes and the disappearance five months earlier of his cousin Lateesha Nolan. He was also being sought over the aggravated indecent assault of a 15-year-old girl. All Naden's violent offending had been done in and around his home town of Dubbo where the Newell, Mitchell and Golden Highways intersect in the Orana region of central NSW. Scholes was found strangled to death in Naden's bedroom at his grandparents' house, three days after he had headed for the hills. Nolan's grave was never located. Freeman allegedly shot dead Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart and wounded a third officer on August 26 at Porepunkah in Victoria's high country. Thompson, de Waart-Hottart and eight colleagues had attended Freeman's property to serve a warrant over historical sexual assault charges involving a minor when the 56-year-old opened fire on them. Malcolm Naden murdered his cousin Lateesha Nolan, 24, at Sandy Beach near Dubbo Malcolm Naden murdered Kristy Scholes, the girlfriend of his cousin, at a West Dubbo house Freeman escaped into surrounding bushland and despite a manhunt involving several hundred police has still not been sighted. Like Freeman, who is described as an experienced hunter and skilled survivalist with the ability to live off the land, Naden was portrayed as a master bushman. For a while he was also painted as a kind of folk hero. Naden had learnt some Indigenous bushcraft while camping with his family as a kid but that didn't make him Bear Grylls. NSW homicide squad boss Detective Superintendent Mick Willing dispelled the myths about Naden as a modern-day bushranger after his capture. 'He's a psychopath,' Willing said. 'And he was lucky.' 'The whole Ned Kelly, master-bushman thing started from the night we found Kristy's body, because he had books on that sort of stuff there. 'I remember he had Sun Tzu's The Art of War laying there next to her body.' One of the detectives who interviewed Naden at length after his arrest said the killer had no real plan for his life on the run. This photograph of Malcolm Naden was used to identify him while he was hiding out at Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo Naden killed a Galapagos tortoise (above) at Western Plains Zoo and ate its insides 'We had a whole number of theories that he was following trails, but he just said he was wandering,' Detective Senior Constable Mangan said after Naden had been convicted of two murders. The search for Freeman has been concentrated in the area surrounding Porepunkah, about 300km north-east of Melbourne. Naden also stuck close to home when law enforcement first tried to close in on him. In the latter months of 2005 the onetime abattoir worker was spotted several times while he hid out in Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo amid 1,000-odd captive animals. He stole bananas from elephants, slept in the roof cavity of a manager's hut and used coin-fed barbecues to cook himself meals. When his food supply was cut off Naden tore the head off a Galapagos tortoise and dined on its insides. Zoo management first realised they had an intruder when bananas began disappearing from the elephant house. Uneaten and out-of-date food was being taken from a dumpster behind the zoo's restaurant. Feed bags for the elephant were located behind the rhino enclosure, forming a bed. Chocolate milk containers and pie wrappers were found around the bedding. A private contractor hired to flush out the intruder began camping in the zoo grounds, dressed in a camouflage ghillie suit and armed with a Remington 870 pump-action shotgun. From his observations, it appeared the intruder - who he soon believed to be Naden - had been splitting the sites where he cooked, ate and slept so if one were found it would not blow his whole cover. CCTV footage of Malcolm Naden captured while he was on the run, wanted for two murders Naden is pictured walking through bushland as the police net closed around him The contractor patrolled perimeter fences, followed footpads and left a can of Coke near a culvert he believed Naden was using as an access route. The next morning the can was opened and half full. Ten days into the hunt staff found bacon and sausage cooking on a barbecue hotplate about 5am, along with a toasting bread bun. That afternoon, the contractor was confronted at Dubbo's Commercial Hotel by a group of Aboriginal men who accused them of harassing their relative 'Mal'. Days after Naden's fingerprints were identified in the manager's hut, heavily armed police descended on Dubbo. Regular patrols of the zoo began but the fugitive escaped the cordon. In 2008, Naden's DNA was found at a property east of Scone in the Hunter Valley. In the following years, there were reported sightings of Naden at Lightning Ridge in far north-west NSW and at Kempsey on the mid-north coast. In 2009, Naden was believed to have broken into about a dozen homes at Bellbrook, west of Kempsey, where one woman said she woke to find him standing over her in camouflage clothing and a mask. In October 2010, a pig hunter stumbled upon what was believed to be a campsite Naden was using about 120km north of Newcastle in the Barrington Tops near Gloucester. Hints as to Naden's whereabouts continued with thefts of food and supplies from remote properties. During at least one of those break-ins the lonesome traveller took time to drink beers from the fridge and trawl the internet for pornography. Heavily-armed police hunt for fugitive killer Malcolm Naden during his seven years on the run Malcolm Naden after his capture near Gloucester, north of Newcastle, on March 22, 2012 Malcolm Naden is escorted by police at Manning Base Hospital on the mid-north NSW coast At another home Naden reportedly stole a rifle and replaced it with another. Detectives would learn Naden's habit was to break into a premises and gorge himself on as much food as he could physically eat until he could not swallow another mouthful. The original $50,000 reward offered for Naden's arrest in January 2007 was doubled in February 2011 and raised again to $250,000 in December that year when he shot a policeman. A specialist team had been conducting an operation after the discovery of another Naden campsite at Nowendoc in the same mountain range when he put a bullet into the shoulder of Senior Constable Brad McFadden. Sightings of Naden in the area increased and police set up secret cameras which filmed him walking through bushland. By December 2011 they had brought fixed-wing aircraft with thermal imaging equipment and helicopters. Naden was finally caught on March 22, 2012 when 20 police surrounded a cabin at Rawdon Vale, about 30km west of Gloucester. He was bitten by a police dog and taken to hospital. Naden told police that after the failed attempt to apprehend him in Dubbo he had set out walking 350km east to Barrington Tops and remained at large for so long by making the most of the available resources. According to Willing, Naden said he had 'just thought day-to-day, about surviving' and always been meticulous about hygiene. Malcolm Naden was sentenced to life for murdering Lateesha Nolan and Kristy Scholes 'He actually brushed his teeth,' Willing said. 'He knew that a minor ailment could be the end of him.' Naden denied a police theory - also promoted in the search for Freeman - that he had community help to remain in hiding. Willing said: 'He told us, "I couldn't trust anyone".' Naden ultimately pleaded guilty to the murders of Lateesha Nolan and Kristy Scholes and the attempted murder of Senior Constable McFadden. He was sentenced to life in jail and remains in jail. A thigh bone belonging to Ms Scholes was found on the banks of the Macquarie River south of Dubbo in November 2016, near where Naden told police he had buried her remains. A property manager has claimed her tenant 'faked a break-in' in order to have the locks changed, as a comedian prepares to take her to court. Joe Eidelson told the Daily Mail he has been reviewing correspondence between his partner and her property manager ahead of a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) hearing. He and his girlfriend are fighting the landlord's claims to their bond payment. 'I believe we'll have mediation next week, and then if it's still unresolved, a tribunal date will be set after that,' he said. In the process of preparing, Mr Eidelson had reviewed a cache of messages between the property manager and his partner. 'I thought I'd peruse the archive of malicious incompetence that are this agent's emails,' he said in a now-viral clip on Tuesday. He stumbled across an incident in June, when his partner's property was broken into while she was spending a few days at his home. 'We called the police, contacted the agent, got the locks changed, yada yada,' he said. Melbourne comic Joe Eidelson (above) said his girlfriend was accused of a 'false flag' break-in after the property manager misread an email Then the real estate agent whom he called 'Dorothy' said Mr Eidelson's girlfriend would have to cover the $160 cost of changing the door locks. 'Her reasoning as to why the tenant should pay for the lock change was because detective Dorothy had uncovered a conspiracy,' he said. 'See, the break-in was a fiction, a fabrication; and Big D had evidence - a smoking gun with which Dozza had blown this whole case wide open.' Dorothy said she had found an email sent by Mr Eidelson's partner on the day of the break in June 3. In her email, the tenant asked which parking space a visitor would be able to use at a later date. The property manager took it as evidence that Mr Eidelson's girlfriend was at home at the time of the break-in. 'Therefore the break-in never happened and therefore it was nothing more than a false flag operation,' Mr Eidelson joked. 'On the 30th of May, the tenant in question left the apartment for a period of 5 days, and then the suspect returned to the apartment to discover the break-in on the 4th of June, the same day the agent was notified.' The property manager claimed there were no signs of a break-in as she blamed Mr Eidelson's girlfriend for the mishap, (above, the manager's correspondence) 'Dorothy' initially tried to have the tenant foot the bill, before later saying the landlord would cover it (pictured, another email from the property manager) 'But ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Detective Dodo located an email sent by the tenant on the 3rd of June.' He laughed the evidence was 'damning'. 'And it gets worse, this email even mentions that they will be at the apartment, wait for it, "tomorrow". '3rd of June plus 1 day. Carry the 2. No one could possibly work that out. Your Honor, the glove fits, you must convict.' Mr Eidelson pointed out the property manager's flawed logic, and Dorothy later got in touch to provide an update. 'I have spoken with the rental provider and he will no longer be pursuing you for the payment of the invoice,' she wrote in the email. Online, renters were quick to lash the property manager's handling of the situation. 'In all fairness, boomers do think your email is attached to one device and will crash out if asked to log in anywhere else,' one wrote. The property manager later said the landlord had agreed to cover the minor $160 payment (above, houses in North Melbourne) 'No one ever failed a real estate exam,' another added. Others said they had also battled landlords over changing locks. 'My REA tried to evict me for changing locks at my own expense after my abusive ex was arrested for assault,' one said. The comedian had previously taken aim at the agent as he and his partner escalate a bond dispute to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). His partner's lease had ended in the time since the lock-change incident and the property manager sought to keep the bond. 'The VCAT claim is regarding $1,000 the agent and owner want to keep from the bond for claims that are either false, frivolous or constitute fair wear and tear,' Mr Eidelson told the Daily Mail. 'And, in some particularly infuriating instances, their own photos even contradict their claims.' They sent a series of side-by-side entry and exit photos showing apparent 'damage to the property' including chips on the bottom of doors and a small stain on a piece of wood. The comedian (pictured) said he may find more material for his comedy if the property manager's 'chicanery' is to continue But Mr Eidelson said the pictures were not exactly as they seemed. A previously chipped bathroom basin was handily obscured in the beginning-of-lease photograph. 'Alas, you see, through a clever use of mis-en-scene and compositional photography, the relevant area has been cleverly obscured by the tap,' he previously said while reviewing the photos. 'It's also somewhat suspicious that the exit photos are crystal clear while the before photos look like they were taken by someone fleeing a rabid goose.' Mr Eidelson said the 'incompetent' property manager could feature in future comedic productions, 'should (her) chicanery continue'. He said: 'Almost everyone who's paid rent before has an experience like this', adding he liked hearing stories from other renters going through similar incidents. VicLocks Australia said lock changes in Victoria can be the responsibility of the tenant or landlord depending on the situation. 'If you are a tenant, lock changes due to lost keys, damage, or personal preference are usually your cost, with landlord approval,' their website stated. 'If the lock is faulty or needs replacing for safety reasons, the landlord or owners corporation may cover it. 'For owner-occupiers, costs are typically yours unless the issue affects common property, in which case strata may contribute.' While the idea of homelessness terrifies most Australians, a group of men camped in the middle of Sydney say they're on the streets because they want to be. For the last six months, the encampment, on the corner of York and Erskine streets beneath the former Bank of China offices, has become home to a group of rough sleepers who say they are there by choice, preferring life on the streets over paying a mortgage or rent. 'We're out here because we choose it,' said David, 52, who has been homeless for five years. 'It's not about money I could get somewhere if I wanted. But I've got a better sense of community here than I ever did back home.' Once married with two children and working in civil construction, he walked away from his old life in New Zealand to live in Australia but fell on hard times when Covid hit. 'I don't beg, borrow or steal, I never have,' he said. 'While people are up and about in the day, I'm up at night and that's when I find things to repurpose.' Drug and alcohol use is widespread at the camp, with some residents saying they choose to spend their money on substances rather than housing. Once married with two children and working in civil construction, David walked away from his old life in New Zealand to live in Australia but fell on hard times when covid hit For the last six months, the encampment, on the corner of York and Erskine Streets in Sydney's CBD, has become home to a group of rough sleepers One man openly admitted that drugs are his priority, saying he preferred to 'spend it on what I actually want' instead of rent. David said the area is privately owned by a businessman who once faced his own hardships and now turns a blind eye to the unconventional 'residents' who have claimed it. 'The council is good to us, occasionally they ask if we can condense things but they've been respectful to us.' The men rely heavily on The Station, a drop-in centre just around the corner which provides hot meals, laundry, showers and support services for the city's homeless and unemployed. The convenience store next to the camp allows the men to charge their devices. 'They look out for us, they're good people,' David said. Despite their tough living conditions, the men claim they have everything they need, except privacy. One resident, Charles (who did not wish to be pictured) even built an impressive 'cube hut' from stacked bread crates, decorated with a Chinese lantern and lined with blankets and pillows. Inside the men's-only camp David is pictured next to a shelter that one of the men made out of bread crates The shelter made from crates has a mattress and Chinese lanterns The men say they have everything they need, except privacy There's only one rule that the men must follow - the camp is strictly male only with residents insisting women bring 'drama' - but that hasn't stopped romance from blossoming. 'Of course we've had women back here, why not?' David quipped. 'I had lady visitors when I lived at the State Library too.' Jack, another long-term rough sleeper, said he met his ex-partner when he was homeless. 'She came up to me and said she'd pray for me. We hit it off, and next minute we're going to have a baby,' he said. 'Things fell apart when we split last year so she's living in our apartment with my child in North Sydney and I'm out here.' Drug use, alcohol dependency and mental health challenges are common within the camp, but the site has remained largely undisturbed by authorities. 'There's a lot of methamphetamine use and a number of people here experience mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and psychosis,' one resident said. 'Some people come and go - they leave to manage their illness and then return, sometimes they don't.' For now, this unlikely 'Skid Row' remains in the heart of Sydney an unmissable reminder of the city's growing homelessness problem, and a community of men who insist that, for better or worse, this is the life they've chosen. Millions of children will be back to school this week... but while the end of the summer holidays may be a relief for some parents, it could mean fresh concern for others. The older children get, the greater the pressure often feels by parents to give them a smartphone - with reasons ranging from convenience with school-runs and tracking their whereabouts to staying in touch with their family and friends. And, with thousands of children starting secondary school for the first time this September, that pressure may feel greater than ever for their parents, in particular. Emma Robertson is a co-founder of Digital Awareness UK, an organisation that works with Vodafone to promote safer use of technology and equip parents and carers with the information and tools they need to keep their children safe online. A mother of three young children herself, Emma admits she is somewhat relieved she is not having to have discussions about phone ownership with her little ones yet. But she is well aware that day will come. Emma's best advice to parents is to always talk to your children about digital devices and the risks and rewards of being online, because they are very much part of the world they are growing up in. She says the big return to school is the ideal time to have those important discussions with your children, especially after a summer holiday that may have involved more screen-time than usual. Her advice comes after a recent Vodafone report revealed the nation's young people spend more unstructured time online during the summer holidays than normal term-time. The older children get, the greater the pressure often feels by parents to give them a smartphone (Stock photo) According to the report, children aged eight to 17 spent up to four hours a day accessing the online world in one form or another over the summer a 42 per cent increase on term-time. The report comes as Vodafone announces major improvements to its digital safety service Secure Net, making it easier for families to stay safe online and set healthy digital habits. Emma says: 'September is one of the best times to reset. Understandably, parents are caught up with uniforms, shoes, and booking clubs, but screen habits can be overlooked. 'Yet it's critical especially for children moving into Year Six or starting secondary school, where pressure to have a smartphone or join WhatsApp groups really intensifies. 'This is the moment for parents and their children to decide together what a healthy relationship with technology should look like during term time whether that's related to gaming, digital learning, being on social media or watching content on video streaming platforms like Netflix.' Emma's advice is to use 'teachable moments' to discuss phone use and the challenges that can come with access to the online world. She said: 'Teachable moments might mean discussing an online scam you've seen, a celebrity deepfake you've heard about, or even a story from school that parents are concerned about, if appropriate. This gives parents the opportunity to highlight risks, discuss solutions, and can even enable children to share their own experiences. According to a report, children aged eight to 17 spent up to four hours a day accessing the online world in one form or another over the summer (Stock photo) 'As parents, we often worry about the big scary dangers like grooming, online abuse or exposure to harmful content, which is completely understandable. But young people will often explain that smaller, constant 'micro-anxieties' - like being left out of a WhatsApp group or comparing themselves to friends' holiday photos - can also be damaging to their mental and emotional wellbeing and shouldn't be forgotten. 'They have explained to us that they hoped feelings of exclusion would end when they had access to messaging apps and social media, but sometimes it can leave them feeling even more excluded. 'But don't wait until secondary school to start having those conversations. Begin as soon as your child starts asking about smartphones, messaging apps or social media. It's much easier to set expectations before added pressure hits.' However, when it comes to a precise age for a child to be given their own phone, Emma says there's 'no magic number' in reality. She says: 'It's a parental decision, and it depends on the child's maturity. Often, it's not the phone itself but the apps and social media that come with it that are the concern. 'Many parents prefer to delay social media as long as possible. What matters most is having these conversations with your children early on, so that when they do get a device, they are as prepared as they can be to use it safely and responsibly. 'But whilst it can be helpful, parents shouldn't worry too much about keeping up with every app or meme if they're feeling out of their depth. Even within schools, older pupils are baffled by younger kids' trends. 'What endures are the 'old world' skills like building self-esteem, resilience, critical thinking and having the confidence to say no when they're not comfortable with something. 'If you can talk about your own experiences of being left out, or bullied, those life lessons translate just as well to the digital world.' For one in three (37 per cent) parents, more convenient tools to help control device usage is top of the wish list Emma's advice comes as Vodafone announces changes to its Secure Net service that will bring together Vodafone's current mobile and broadband protection into one easy-to-use experience. In doing so, Vodafone will become the first major UK network to offer parents the tools they need to protect their children both at home and on the go, all in one place. These changes echo findings in Vodafone's report that highlighted what parents would find most useful to maintain a healthy digital routine with their children. Half (50 per cent) of the parents polled said they'd feel even more comfortable if they had greater protection across devices both at home and when their kids are out and about. And, for one in three (37 per cent) parents, more convenient tools to help control device usage is top of the wish list. Existing Secure Net Home and Mobile customers including those who join before the new upgrades will be automatically switched to the new version of Secure Net at no additional cost, retaining the same leading features with the added benefit of use across both Vodafone's mobile network and WiFi connections seamlessly. Features include: Focus Time - helping kids stay on task by limiting access to distractions like social media while still allowing essential browsing. Pause the Internet - lets parents instantly disconnect devices when it's time to take a break. Bedtime Mode - ensures devices switch off when it's time to wind down. Customisable Content Filters - allow parents to tailor what their children can access online. Vodafone and Digital Awareness UK have produced a helpful guide to help parents identify the increased risks over the summer and how best to navigate them. It has also launched a Phone Safety Toolkit full of tips for discussing phone safety with kids, in partnership with the NSPCC. Nicki Lyons, Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer at VodafoneThree, said: 'There's no one size fits all approach to how we build healthy digital habits at home. 'While many families are already having open conversations about online safety, our research shows a clear desire for more guidance and better tools. 'That's why we're committed to equipping parents with the best technology, guidance and support, working with experts like Digital Awareness UK to offer practical, parent-friendly advice. 'Combined with our Secure Net service - which offers the most comprehensive parental controls of any major UK network - families can feel more confident navigating the digital world together, benefiting from all it has to offer, in a safe and balanced way.' Sewage from a Massachusetts island has revealed a damning secret about the vices of its wealthy residents as tests found the waters loaded with cocaine. In the upscale enclave of Nantucket, wastewater surveillance technology was swiftly installed during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of a broader effort to track traces of the virus through community sewage, according to the island's health officials. But in June, the health department had turned its attention elsewhere - using the same system at the Surfside Wastewater Treatment Facility to run tests to track the island's drug use. The results revealed that Nantuckets sewage carried cocaine levels nearly 50 percent above the national average. The initiative was launched to track high-risk substances and opioids on this luxury oasis, addressing substance misuse and overdose in a community whose population swells fourfold nearly every summer. Health officials emphasized that, unlike surveys or medical records, wastewater testing provides a unique, anonymous way to track drug use across entire populations. By analyzing a single composite sample from the treatment facility, the program captures data that 'reflects island-wide trends without identifying individuals or neighborhoods'. The testing covered roughly three-quarters of homes and reached about 70 percent of the residents. On the wealthy island of Nantucket (pictured), Massachusetts, wastewater testing at the Surfside Wastewater Treatment Facility originally meant for COVID-19 surveillance has exposed a damning secret: a hidden drug habit among the elite The results revealed that Nantuckets sewage carried cocaine levels nearly 50 percent above the national average (stock photo) Nantucket's sewage pipes ultimately produced 1,500 nanograms of cocaine per liter (ng/L) of wastewater since the beginning of summer - well above the national average of 1,000 ng/L In other words, this cutting-edge technology can unveil what happens behind closed doors in one of Americas most exclusive communities - without ever naming names. Health officials have also monitored the sewage for methamphetamine, fentanyl, a range of prescription and illicit opioids, and emerging compounds like xylazine - an animal tranquilizer. Randolph Rice, a Maryland-based attorney, told Fox News: 'What's shocking is that there is a low level of trace items. 'For example, there is very little fentanyl or xylazine, which is also referred to as "tranq." 'Often, these substances are added to drugs to make them more potent, but they also make them deadly.' He added: 'So what it's telling us in Nantucket, is that they're getting the pure stuff.' Nantucket's sewage pipes ultimately produced 1,500 nanograms of cocaine per liter (ng/L) of wastewater since the beginning of summer - well above the national average of 1,000 ng/L. Both methamphetamine and fentanyl were detected at significantly lower levels -fentanyl, in particular, measured at under 5 ng/L, far below the national average of 15. Sanchez's arrest marked what was widely hailed as the largest cocaine bust in Nantuckets (pictured) history By analyzing a single composite sample from the treatment facility (pictured), the program captures data that 'reflects island-wide trends without identifying individuals or neighborhoods' - in effect, revealing what happens behind closed doors in one of Americas most exclusive communities Randolph Rice (pictured), a Maryland-based attorney, said that the testing found 'very little fentanyl or xylazine,' meaning that in Nantucket, 'they're getting the pure stuff' Nicotine levels hovered around the regional average of just under 4,000 ng/L, slightly below the national average of 4,500. As for xylazine - a drug officials warn is increasingly being mixed with other substances - it registered below the minimum detectable level. In other words, virtually nothing. David Katz, a former DEA special agent, offered several possible explanations for the cocaine-contaminated waters, according to Fox News Digital. One of his theories is that the cocaine entered the sewage when someone flushed a large stash down the toilet to evade authorities, explaining that the department used to shut off the water before executing search warrants precisely because of this risk. A second - and more likely - possibility, according to Rice, is that the cocaine enters the sewage through smaller but frequent flushes as users pass the drug through their system. 'To have consistent days, a consistent test with that level of cocaine spikes, it seems to be that it's coming from the zip code and the high level of use by its residents and visitors,' Rice said. 'While the goal is not to estimate exact numbers of users, the data will help identify concerning patterns, such as sustained increases in certain drug markers, that can guide timely, evidence-based interventions,' health officials said. 'For example, if a prolonged spike in stimulant use is observed, the town can coordinate educational outreach, screening efforts, or peer-led recovery support tailored to that substance,' they added. Both methamphetamine and fentanyl were detected at significantly lower levels -fentanyl, in particular, measured at under 5 ng/L, far below the national average of 15 (pictured) A second explanation possibility for contamination, according to Katz, is that the cocaine enters the sewage through smaller but frequent flushes as users pass the drug through their system (stock photo) Francisco A. Fernandez Sanchez (pictured), 31, was arrested in February after a raid on his Youngs Way apartment uncovered over five pounds of cocaine - worth more than $250,000 - just inside the door The findings come after authorities announced in May what was widely hailed as the largest cocaine bust in Nantuckets history, according to the Nantucket Current. Francisco A. Fernandez Sanchez, 31, was arrested in February after a raid on his Youngs Way apartment uncovered over five pounds of cocaine - worth more than $250,000 - just inside the door. The local district attorney revealed that, before his arrest, he had been selling up to 10 ounces of cocaine per week on the island. He was arraigned in Nantucket Superior Court just weeks after an island grand jury indicted him on drug trafficking charges. If convicted, Sanchez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 12 years, as prosecutors aim to prove he is a major drug dealer on Marthas Vineyard. Sanchez has remained in custody since his arrest and has yet to post the $75,000 cash bail. A furious mother who was fined for taking her son on a 3,000 holiday has called the fine 'despicable', claiming that their trip to Egypt was 'educational'. Michelle Partington and her husband, Andrew, took their 12-year-old son Oliver out of school for 10 days on June 1. The 46-year-old said she wanted to cheer up her son after he switched schools in April due to bullying, but 'couldn't afford' the trip during the official holiday period, when prices skyrocketed by 2,000. She argued the trip, which included snorkelling, quad biking and visiting historic sites, was educational because of Egypt's rich history. However, the school rejected her request for authorised leave. She said: 'The holiday was worth it despite the fine. It was a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and it was magical. We certainly couldn't afford to go to Egypt [during the school holidays], maybe Pontins or Haven or something. 'We work hard, so getting to spend time together as a family was nice, and we don't get to do that very often.' She added: 'I did let the school know we'd be taking him out. I told the school this would be considered an education trip because we were going to Egypt, which is where lots of civilisation began, and there's lots of history there.' But Wigan Council hit back by saying that 'parents have a legal duty to ensure their child receives full-time education, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise' after fining her and her husband 80 each for the unauthorised absence. Michelle Partington and her husband, Andrew, took their 12-year-old son Oliver out of school for 10 days on June 1 The 46-year-old said she wanted to cheer up her son after he switched schools in April due to bullying, but 'couldn't afford' the 3,270 trip during the official holiday period, when prices skyrocketed by 2,000 She said: 'As much as education is really important, I think spending time with family and relaxing with family and enjoying family time on holiday is equally as important for a child's mental health' Local councils can issue a fine of 80 per parent for a child's unauthorised absence from school, including holidays during term time. If parents fail to pay the fine within a 21-day timeframe, the amount doubles, and if it remains unpaid, they may face prosecution. Mrs Partington, a driving school company director who lives in Wigan, Greater Manchester, said: 'As much as education is really important, I think spending time with family and relaxing with family and enjoying family time on holiday is equally as important for a child's mental health.' The mother made sure there were no exams during the trip, but was still warned she could be fined. She argued the trip, which included snorkelling, quad biking and visiting historic sites, was educational because of Egypt's rich history. However, the school rejected her request for authorised leave. The mother made sure there were no exams during the trip, but was still warned she could be fined She said: 'I was expecting to get a fine and I'd heard that it was 80. My husband and I received separate letters. I just thought they were doing their due diligence by sending it to them both but it was 160. You'd think there was a better way to deal with this.' She was 'devastated' when she and her husband both received an 80 fine from Wigan Council on July 2, forcing her to cancel the fun plans she'd organised for her son during the summer break. 'We had trips booked during the summer holidays but because of the additional expense of the fine those things have had to go to the wayside. Oliver wanted to go to Jurassic World in London but the funds aren't there.' But she stands by her decision and has called on the council to change their policy as well as the holiday companies to stop charging higher prices during school holidays. She said: 'We had to swap his high school because he was bullied. He was still very upset about what had happened. This holiday was to cheer him up about that as well. 'I feel like the school and the council didn't really take that into consideration. You'd have thought there'd be some sort of leniency there. 'Even if the council said yes 'you have to send this fine' does each parent have to pay it? They should give an option to pay it in instalments so it's not as big of a hit. But she stands by her decision and has called on the council to change their policy as well as the holiday companies to stop charging higher prices during school holidays She said: 'What is unfair is the holiday companies charging through the nose so much more money when people need to go during the school holidays' 'I can understand the school wanting to take a stance on children being present at school, and I understand education is so important. 'What is unfair is the holiday companies charging through the nose so much more money when people need to go during the school holidays. It just makes it impossible for normal people to book nice holidays during the school holidays because it's too expensive.' A Wigan Council spokesperson said: 'Parents have a legal duty to ensure their child receives full-time education, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. 'Headteachers may only grant a leave of absence during term time if they consider that there are exceptional circumstances, and the Department for Education's statutory guidance, updated in August 2024, reinforces that a holiday is not considered exceptional.' The WA Liberals' hype man Here we go again with the saviour shtick. Basil Zempilas strode into the WA Liberal Party's state conference and pitched himself as the man to resurrect the party, complete with a shiny new website to 'take us forward'. That's right, a website. It wasn't a policy speech - it was a launch party for Brand Basil. The way it was reported, you'd think he was leading a government in waiting. Some journalists do sycophancy better than others! In reality, he's five months into the job and unveiling a URL, that's it. Exciting stuff. Strip away the hype and you're left with a first-term MP who made his name calling footy. Now he's supposed to lead a pathetically diminished party room that is years from building serious credibility, let alone winning government. The Liberals have just seven seats in the 59-seat lower house. To pretend that's the launchpad for a serious tilt at the 2029 election is pure fantasy. You don't turn that into a win with billboards and slogans. You do it with grunt work, meaty policy detail and real political talent - none of which were on show. Basil Zempilas (centre) strode into the WA Liberal Party's state conference and pitched himself as the man to resurrect the party. I don't buy it There was plenty of media hype - including this bold headline from the ABC The policy vacuum was glaring. Lines about health, housing and crime are all well and good, but they're generic puffery at best. There was nothing substantive in what Basil unveiled, not even close. When your big reveal is your website, you're showing how few ideas you really have. Then there's the brewing climate war in the west. Michaelia Cash and Andrew Hastie are off publicly railing against net zero, while Basil wants to keep the status quo by refusing to engage. That's not leadership - he's hiding in plain sight. If Basil really wants to shift the views of those in his party who are wedded to rejecting net zero - and there are plenty - he needs to front the sceptics head on and explain the path he would rather take with substance. If he can't win over his own people, how will he ever win the support of the wider WA population? Celebrity politics isn't a governing strategy. WA Liberals don't need a master of ceremonies - they need a builder who can recruit talent, repair the wrecked relationship with the Nationals, and write serious policy that survives serious scrutiny. Judgment counts as well. This is a leader who has already been forced to apologise for blurring the lines between his public office and his campaigns. Voters notice when basic standards are cast aside. If Basil doesn't respect the guardrails now, why would they trust him with power later? He's certainly no messiah. He's a political novice trying to tame a divided party, armed with a brand launch and a promise that he'll win next time. Hype isn't enough to revive the WA Liberals. Ultimately, Zempilas (pictured with wife Amy) is a political novice trying to tame a divided party If WA Liberals want to stop being a mere footnote, they'll need less hype and more hard graft. And if Basil wants to be taken seriously, he should ditch the messianic shtick and finally put substance before spin. I genuinely hope I am wrong about Basil's limitations, because Western Australia deserves a viable opposition to hold its government to account. RBA on AI Staying in the west, on Wednesday evening, Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock crossed the Nullarbor to deliver a lecture at the University of Western Australia's business school. She drew a clear boundary between what artificial intelligence can and can't do at the RBA, serving as an interesting marker for how other organisations might want to approach the new technology. AI, she argued, is a tool for sharper analysis, but not a substitute for policymaking. Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock drew a clear boundary between what artificial intelligence can and can't do at the RBA during a lecture at the University of Western Australia's business school on Wednesday The point Bullock emphasised was that however powerful AI-assisted modelling might become, its role is to support, not to make decisions. It is there to sharpen the toolkit that organisations have at their disposal, not steer the ship. In essence, that's a defence of the value of human capacity - but there was also a warning behind what she had to say. AI will take away jobs, but not those that offer skills beyond the grunt work AI can simulate, speed up and do with fewer errors. The message is for workers to upskill in ways that can't be artificially farmed out. Education is a key ingredient in achieving that, but educational institutions also need to think deeply about how to tailor their offerings in ways that don't become redundant as the scope of AI accelerates. What will be Lattouf's legacy? The ABC is staring down a $350,000 penalty over the Antoinette Lattouf saga. Her lawyers want the court to sting the broadcaster for an unlawful sacking that should never have happened. The ABC was ordered to pay her $80k in compensation - now the question is how much more will be added as a pecuniary penalty. But there is a bigger question here. What kind of signal does a six-figure fine send to a risk-averse public broadcaster that already flinches at controversy? The law is meant to deter unlawful conduct, but it can also drive fearful managers into a retreat. The law of unintended consequences looms large here. The facts of the Lattouf case are ugly. A fill-in presenter was dumped three days into a five-day gig after she reposted Human Rights Watch material about Gaza. A Federal Court judge later found that the ABC had acted for reasons including her political opinion on Israel's campaign and in response to external lobbying. I fear the enduring legacy of the Antoinette Lattouf (pictured) saga will be an ABC that quietly steers clear of hiring hosts who share her views or background That was a breach of the Fair Work Act, the court found. The ABC is arguing for a much smaller pecuniary penalty than what Lattouf's lawyers are seeking, but acknowledges there was a unique confluence of errors. No kidding. The obvious thing to have done would have been for the organisation to hold its breath for two more days and farewell Lattouf, never to hire her again. It would have saved the taxpayers well in excess of a million dollars and avoided this ridiculous soap opera from playing out for many months. The case has turned a spotlight on the former Chair, too. Evidence before the court detailed emails from Ita Buttrose to the ABC's content chief shortly before the sacking. That pressure was real enough that the court is now weighing up a penalty hefty enough to change behaviour within the national broadcaster. If it was just a one-off blunder - and it may well have been - it has become a very expensive one! But if the court does end up hitting Aunty with a massive fine, just watch management quietly recalibrate its unofficial hiring policies in the coming years. When executives get spooked - and nothing spooks them more than bad publicity and an unfair dismissal case - they stop backing diversity and start backing 'safe' hires. Translation: more pale, male and stale presenters, and fewer hosts whose views and background resemble Lattouf's. That would be a perverse outcome indeed if you support the reasons Lattouf pursued this matter in the first place. You can already see why staff might be nervous. Only weeks ago, the ABC axed Question Everything after four seasons. The show was fronted by Wil Anderson and Jan Fran, one of Australia's more prominent Lebanese-Australian journalists. I worked with her when I co-hosted The Sunday Project on Network Ten. I'm not suggesting her show was cut because of the Lattouf matter, but the timing is, at the very least, awkward. The signal to diverse talent at the ABC is unmistakable: If the court punishes us with a heavy fine, there is every chance that we take fewer risks with hiring diverse talent in the future. That would be a bad thing. And as the ABC, at an executive level, becomes stacked with more and more blow-ins from the commercial media, it's easy to see this happening. There is already a lack of ideological diversity on the ABC (where are the conservatives?) If it retreats from ethnic and religious diversity too, it becomes even less representative of the wider Australian community. All of this collides with the ABC's Charter. It is meant to reflect the nation and represent the diversity of modern Australia. It is a core obligation. (It's also meant to be ideologically neutral, but I fear that KPI is a bridge too far for the public broadcaster's entrenched culture.) If fear pushes the organisation to narrow its talent pool even further than it already is, it will be in conflict with its own mission. Lattouf's legal win confirmed that she was treated unlawfully. It also made her a lightning rod. Media hiring is often less about capability and more about perceived risk. A costly court battle risks making it harder for Lattouf to find her next job in the media - if she even wants that in life. But it might have wider ramifications, in particular at the ABC. That might not be fair, but it's how the media works sometimes. Fair or not, plenty of media execs will see a costly court battle and decide to pass on the next 'edgy' presenter they are considering - based on, say, Instagram posts they have shared, the friends they keep, maybe even their last names. I don't mean to single out the ABC or its managers. I am merely making a prediction based on human behaviour inside media companies that live with shrinking budgets and constant culture-war crossfire. The Lattouf case began as a messy sacking. It is now a test of whether the ABC can protect free expression within the law and still look like the country it services. The court should deter unlawful conduct, obviously. The ABC should fix its culture too. Australia needs a public broadcaster that is fair, fearless and representative. But it would also be a tragedy if this trial's legacy is to drag the demographics of ABC talent back to the 1980s - in a misguided attempt to avoid 'another Lattouf'. Mike Cannon-Brookes defended his choice to use a pre-recorded message to announce redundancies to dozens of workers, insisting it was a 'hard decision'. Atlassian sparked outrage in July when 150 jobs were replaced with artificial intelligence, with sacked staff informed in a video message. But the tech billionaire has stood by the decision, telling the Sydney Morning Herald is was simply 'the way we distribute stuff'. 'Secondly, it implies that we didn't have one-on-one conversations with every single person who's affected,' he told the publication. 'I don't think anyone's expecting me to have conversations with all those employees one-on-one, but their manager did. Their manager's manager did.' Cannon-Brookes said a video call was used instead of an email because the video message communicated 'humanity' during a tough time. He claimed efforts had been made to redistribute redundant staff to other areas of the company and that 'outplacement services' were available to sacked workers. The billionaire said morale at Atlassian was 'pretty good' despite the redundancies. Mike Cannon-Brookes (pictured) said staff being made redundant by the company were told through a pre-recorded video instead of an email to 'communicate humanity' Atlassian sparked outrage in July when 150 jobs were replaced with artificial intelligence , with sacked staff informed in a video message (Cannon-Brookes is pictured) The billionaire said morale at Atlassian (pictured) was 'pretty good' despite the redundancies The redundancies came as Atlassian acquired The Browser Company of New York - the creators of the Dia and Arc AI-powered web browsers - for $932million. The tech company has denied the jobs were replaced by AI and it's understood the roles were no longer needed due to improvements in customer experience. Despite this, AI has been cited as a massive threat to many Aussie workers. A Commonwealth Bank worker recently revealed she was sacked after 25 years - but not before she unknowingly trained AI to do her job. Bank teller Kathryn Sullivan, 63, said she was entirely unaware she was helping a chatbot take over her role before she was made redundant in July. Ms Sullivan said she supported new technologies that improved customer service, however, she was blindsided by the cuts. 'I was completely shell-shocked, alongside my colleague,' she said. 'We just feel like we were nothing, we were a number.' CBA later admitted it had made a mistake, conceding that calls from customers spiked after the sackings, showing AI could not fully replace staff. The bank was forced to reverse its decision and offered staff their jobs back, but Sullivan chose redundancy, saying the role she was offered was different to her original one and offered no real security. A Georgia daycare worker allegedly beat a one-year-old student on his first day of school and then blamed another child, a father has claimed. Yvette Thurston, 54, of Bainbridge, was arrested on August 11 on child abuse and aggravated battery charges after Clay Weeks was left with a black eye and deep scratches on his face and neck following his first day of school at Little Blessings Child Care. 'This is every parent's worst nightmare and WE had to live it and are still living it,' Clay's father, Cory Weeks, wrote in a Facebook post. 'We were told another child in Clay's class did this type of damage with a plastic toy,' he added. However, when the father and staff watched the surveillance footage, they found a different story, which eventually led to Thurston's arrest and a temporary closure of the church daycare. 'Nothing we saw was for the faint-hearted, especially happening to such an innocent soul,' Cory wrote. Clay, whose three-year-old brother Wyatt also goes to the daycare, was rushed to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. 'Clay received the best care while we were there,' the father wrote. 'This is every parents' worst nightmare and WE had to live it and are still living it,' Clay's father, Cory Weeks (pictured with wife), wrote in a Facebook post. 'We were told another child in Clay's class did this type of damage with a plastic toy' Clay Weeks was left with a black eye and deep scratches on his face and neck following his first day of school at Little Blessings Child Care The parents speculate that this isn't the first time Thurston has done this to a student, due to the 'severity' and 'acts of violence' against the young boy. Cory now warns other parents to not be complacent when told how their child may have been injured while at school or in daycare. 'Don't ever feel like you can't question how an injury happened to your child because I almost didn't,' the Marine wrote. 'Also, don't believe the 'happy pictures' sent to you parents because we had that done as well during a day of complete torture of our Clay.' Cory also spoke to local news station WCTV about the incident and said: 'If you're given an incident report or you received a call from a daycare facility or that something happened, ask to see exactly how it happened. Because we were lied to on how it happened. And I almost accepted that.' Regarding the surveillance footage, he added: 'To watch it, it was concerning,' he said. 'Doing that to someone who can't even talk back, it was his first day, he had never been away from me and his mom.' The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is investigating the case and said Thurston has been terminated from her position. Yvette Thurston, 54, of Bainbridge, was arrested on August 11 on child abuse and aggravated battery charges The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is investigating the case and said Thurston has been terminated from her position. The school was placed under an emergency closure and will be closed for 21 days The school was placed under an emergency closure and will be closed for 21 days. Clay's mom Cassie posted on Facebook after the emergency closure was announced saying: 'Thank you God for this step in the right direction.' The church did not appeal the order. Thurston bonded out of jail. Her bond was set at $44,000. Daily Mail has reached out to the Weeks and Thurston for comment. Carlo Acutis, a British-born Italian teenager who loved gaming and was passionate about the Eucharist, will on Sunday become the first millennial Catholic saint. Pope Leo XIV will preside over his first canonisation ceremony in St Peter's Square at the Vatican, welcoming the computer whizz into the echelons of revered Christian miracle-makers. Born in London in 1991, Acutis grew up in a family that wasnt especially devout, but he always felt a visceral connection to God. At the age of three, he dragged his own mother to Mass, eventually inspiring her conversion. 'To always be close to Jesus, that's my life plan,' he wrote aged seven. His family relocated to Milan soon after he was born. As soon he started receiving pocket money, he donated it to the poor. Later at school, he defended his disabled peers when they were victims of bullying. His evenings were spent cooking and delivering meals to the homeless. The unique child even learnt computer code to build websites to spread his faith, creating a site called 'The Eucharistic Miracles of the World' in his final months. Acutis's unwavering devotion was suddenly cut short when in October 2006, at age 15, he fell ill with what was quickly diagnosed as acute leukemia. Within days, he was dead. Since 2020, the computer coder's body has been resting in a glass tomb in Assisi, Italy, where thousands of pilgrims visit each year to honour 'God's influencer' garbed in a pair of jeans, Nike trainers, and a North Sails zip-up sweater, his hands clasping around a rosary. But how has Acutis's body been preserved all this time - seemingly in perfect condition - almost two decades after his death? Carlo Acutis, who died of leukaemia in 2006 aged 15, will be raised to sainthood by Pope Leo XIV in a solemn ceremony in St Peter's Square at the Vatican The remains of Blessed Carlo Acutis lay in his tomb on March 18, 2025 in Assisi, Italy A nun prays at the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis on April 3, 2025 His tomb is located in the church of St. Mary Major, in a room called the Sanctuary of the Renunciation, where Saint Francis of Assisi is said to have cast off his expensive garments in a rejection of material excess. But Acutis's body was only transferred there after he had been beatified - the fourth step in the long-journey towards canonisation, when a verified miracle needs to be attributed to prayers made to the holy individual after their death. The first of two miracles attributed to Acutis was the healing of a Brazilian child called Mattheus Vianna suffering from a rare pancreatic malformation in 2009. Pope Francis didn't confirm its veracity until a decade later. Between 2007 and 2019, Acutis was buried according to his wishes in a cemetery in Assisi. It wasn't until January 23, 2020 that his remains were exhumed by church officials and carefully examined for signs of 'corruption'. Incorruption - a body being in a state totally absent of decay - is viewed as a sign of holiness, though not the only one. Back in 2020, rumours spread that the teenager's body had been exhumed and found in perfect condition, but members of the clergy soon squashed the speculation. A spokesperson for Acutis' beatification said at the time that though his entire body was present, it was 'not incorrupt'. 'Today we see him again in his mortal body. A body that has passed, in the years of burial in Assisi, through the normal process of decay, which is the legacy of the human condition after sin has removed it from God, the source of life. But this mortal body is destined for resurrection,' Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi told the Catholic News Agency that year. Carlo Acutis pictured smiling at the camera while sporting an AC Milan home kit from the 1990s Carlo's mother Antonia Salzano (pictured) refers to her late son as her 'savior' as Carlo taught her more and more about his faith and credits him with her conversion into Christianity Souvenirs and mementos of the Blessed Carlo Acutis for sale in a shop in Assisi, March 18 Acutis, who has been referred to as 'God's Influencer,' will become the first millennial saint when he is canonised in a ceremony next month during the Church's Jubilee of Teenagers The teenager helped the homeless and stood up for bullied classmates at school 'His body was discovered to be fully integral, not intact, but integral, having all its organs. Work was done on his face,' Father Carlos Acacio Goncalves Ferreira told EWTN. If Acutis looks perfectly preserved today, that's because a silicon mask of his face was constructed to conceal signs of decay. His heart was cut out and preserved in a golden reliquary and transferred to the nearby Cathedral of San Rufino, while cuttings of his hair and parts of his organs were saved as relics for veneration. His final resting place, where the new saint is entombed with a wax mould of his likeness placed over his body, has become a popular devotional site, attracting thousands of worshippers every day. Earlier this year, Italian prosecutors began investigating a purported illegal marketplace for relics of Acutis, after the alleged sale of his hair bought online by an anonymous user for as much as 2,000 euros (1,675). 'We do not know whether the relics are real or fake,' said Bishop Domenico Sorrentino, who filed a formal complaint with the authorities. 'But if it were also all invented, if there was deception, we would be not only in the midst of a fraud but also of an insult to religious belief.' Portrait shows Acutis with Jesus Christ Pilgrims queue to enter the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore church and to pay their respects at the tomb of the Blessed Carlo Acutis Carlo (pictured) was a devout Christian when he was alive and attended daily mass Carlo (pictured as a baby) was also an incredibly smart young boy, speaking his first word at three months, starting talking at five months, and writing at age four Pilgrims pray and pay their respects at the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore and Sanctuary of the Renunciation on March 18, 2025 in Assisi Acutis earned the nickname 'Gods Influencer' because he used technology to spread the faith. His most well-known tech legacy is the website he created about so-called Eucharistic miracles, available in nearly 20 different languages. The site compiles information about the 196 seemingly inexplicable events over the history of the church related to the Eucharist, which the faithful believe is the body of Christ. Acutis was known to spend hours in prayer before the Eucharist each day, a practice known as Eucharistic adoration. 'This was the fixed appointment of his day,' his mother, Antonia Salzano, said in a documentary that was airing Friday night at the U.S. seminary in Rome. Pope Leo will declare Acutis a saint on Sunday in his first canonisation ceremony, alongside another popular Italian, Pier Giorgio Frassati, who also died young. Both ceremonies had been scheduled for earlier this year, but were postponed following Pope Francis death in April. Frassati was a young Italian man who was known for helping those in need and died of polio in the 1920s. The ceremony is expected to attract tens of thousands of worshippers, particularly the Catholic youth, who will be pleased to see the teenager elevated to the same level as Mother Teresa and Francis of Assisi. Acutis's mother, Antonia Salzano, told Reuters earlier this year that the heart of her son's appeal to Catholic youth was that he lived the same life as others who were teenagers in the 2000s. Acutis's body has been encased in a wax layer moulded to look like his body prior to burial, allowing faithful to see Acutis as he lived in his tomb, per Aleteia Acutis, who died aged 15 from leukaemia in 2006, is to become the Catholic Church's first millennial saint after being credited with miracles since his death Mementos of the Blessed Carlo Acutis are seen for sale in a shop on March 18, 2025 in Assisi 'Carlo was an ordinary child like (others). He used to play, to have friends, and to go to school. But his extraordinary quality was the fact that he opened the door of his heart to Jesus and put Jesus in the first place in his life,' she said. 'He used this skill to spread the good news, the Gospel,' she added. 'He wanted to help people to have more faith, to understand that there is an afterlife, that we are (pilgrims) in this world.' Being made a saint means the Church believes a person lived a holy life and is now in Heaven with God. Other saints who died at a young age include Therese of Lisieux, who died at 24 in 1897 and was known for promoting a 'Little Way' of charity; and Aloysius Gonzaga who died at 23 in 1591 after caring for victims of an epidemic in Rome. The 'saddest ever' home to appear on Grand Designs has been snapped up by a former driving instructor turned property investor, the Daily Mail can reveal. But in the latest sad twist for the stunning property - which has never been lived in - the new owner appears unlikely to ever move into the house as he is understood to be battling terminal cancer. Viewers of the Channel 4 housebuilding show were left in floods of tears as previous owner Edward Shorts quest to build a family home in a stunning clifftop location cost him his 20-year marriage and left him drowning in 10million of debt. The property has been on the market for several years as Mr Short, 52, battled against bankruptcy and was last year re-listed for 5.25million on behalf of debt collectors. In a recent interview he revealed the house has been sold for 4.35million but he wont see a penny of that, adding: 'Everything I've had, I've lost. Now we can exclusively reveal the new owner is Londoner Sanjay Patel who bought the remarkable Devon home through his company Hare Gate Property Ltd. The Daily Mail tracked down Mr Patel, 60, to a modest cul-de-sac in Edgware, north London where he rents a semi-detached home with his Polish partner Agni De Ankerburg Wagner, 54. Ms Wagner, an artist, told the Daily Mail she wasnt aware of the purchase. Edward Short and his wife Hazel put their life savings into building their fantasy eco-friendly home, known as Chesil Cliff House The house (pictured) went up for sale for 10million, but has now been sold for 4.35million The property's unique location offers stunning seaside views of the idyllic Bristol Channel The property ended up costing Mr Short (pictured) his marriage and left him in drowning in a 7million pool of debt Londoner Sanjay Patel, 60, pictured with his Polish partner Agni De Ankerburg Wagner, 54 She said: A house in Devon? I dont know about that. My husband has cancer and hes upstairs. Hes not very well so it is not possible to speak to him. I dont understand what has happened. Neighbours revealed Mr Patel has bought a number of properties bankrolled by his wealthy sister in India. One said that Mr Patel has made most of his money through property dealing and does not work that much as a driving instructor. Another added: He told me he has very wealthy relatives including a sister who is a multi-millionaire in India and is bankrolled by her in his property business. Its really sad because he has terminal cancer and only has months to live. According to Companies House, Mr Patel owns 21 businesses - most involved in high end property investment - but also ran NSK Driving School where he listed himself as a driving instructor until he folded the company earlier this year. Documents filed with Companies House show one of his companies - Hare Gate Property Ltd - took out a loan against the house in October 2024 declaring it is the sole legal proprietor. Mr Patel (pictured) bought the remarkable Devon home through his company Hare Gate Property Ltd Separate documents for the company reveal it owns an unnamed investment property as of May 2024 worth 5,120,933 and has borrowed 4,975,000. Other companies controlled by Mr Patel own 11 homes worth tens of millions of pounds in some of Londons most upmarket neighbourhoods including Chelsea, St Johns Wood and Belgravia. His latest purchase, known locally as Chesil Cliff House, boasts a four-storey panoramic tower, five bedrooms, a 60ft infinity pool, a cinema, and a private beach cove, a helipad and private guesthouse, all situated within three acres of grounds. It first hit the market for 10m in February 2022 with celebrities including One Direction star Harry Styles rumoured to have viewed it. The dramatic five-bed house is undergoing renovations ready for its new owner to move in - despite it never having been occupied. Builders have been working on the house for the last eight-weeks, ripping out fixtures and fittings and replacing them. Mr Short declined to speak to the Daily Mail about the new owner. But the works have sparked a wave of rumours in the nearby seaside village of Croyde One villager said: Theres lots of talk that its been sold for half the price he was asking. Every time Ive driven past recently theres been a lot of construction going on. Theres loads of rumours about who is going to buy it, the latest I heard was some foreign businessman. We were told months ago, maybe back in March, that it had been sold but until I see somebody stood outside holding the keys I wont be convinced. Edward Short on Grand Designs with his wife Hazel at Chesil Cliff House in Devon The art deco lighthouse took 12 years to build, and cost Edward and Hazel their marriage, but the owner said he still thinks it was worth it Chesil Cliff House, boasts a four-storey panoramic tower (pictured), five bedrooms, a 60ft infinity pool, a cinema, and a private beach cove, a helipad and private guesthouse The house is waiting to find a new owner, with Ed hoping he will repay the debts he took on in order to build his North Devon project (pictured: the lounge) Kevin McCloud and Edward Short appear on an episode of Grand Designs described as one of the series' 'saddest ever' Whoever buys it Id be surprised if it was anybody local though. Chesil Cliff House first appeared on Grand Designs in 2010 and has been the subject of numerous follow-up episodes, where Mr Short detailed how the recession and building issues cost him millions of pounds and his marriage. The decade-long transformation was only meant to take 18 months and cost 1.8million but went wildly over budget, leaving him on the edge of bankruptcy and unable to attract a buyer. Last week, after what felt like a 'cursed' project that ended up costing him his 20-year marriage to his wife Hazel and drowning in a pool of 7million debt, it was revealed that the property had finally sold for 4.35million - appearing to finally draw the saga to a close once and for all. In 2022, the property was finally finished and listed for sale - with Mr Short saying his family were 'proud' of what he'd managed to achieve. A deal was almost done on the property in August 2023, but a mystery buyer pulled out at the last minute and it was put back on the market. It then faced a further raft of issues when cracks began appearing in its driveway, which saw the asking price slashed to 5.25million - a near 50 per cent climbdown on what he first had asked for. Mr Short said the 'slight problem' came after celebrity buyers such as Harry Styles were toying with the idea of purchasing the property - claims that were later denied. And his concern over selling the property appeared to dissipate entirely after he found love in the form of a new fiancee. 'The lenders have been very good with giving me time to sell it,' he said at the time. 'It's always going to be a bit of a financial fiasco to me, but that's not the biggest problem in the world.' Edward and his former wife Hazel are unlikely to see a penny of the sale price themselves as the mansion was in the hands of the receivers when it sold. Speaking to The Sun, he shared that he has now split from his new partner, Jalia Nambasa - a nurse with whom he'd found love following his split from wife Hazel - as fate appeared to repeat itself. Edward Short has experienced yet another heartbreak after finally selling the 'saddest ever' Grand Designs home, as he's split from girlfriend Jalia Nambasa (pictured together in 2022) Chesil Cliff House is seen here in more troubled times in 2019, when Mr Short was struggling to finish the property The unfinished luxury lighthouse-inspired home is pictured in 2019, years after it was granted planning permission The couple had even been planning to tie the knot but, despite the strong bond that came from experiencing the housing saga together, decided to go their separate ways in June. Edward told the newspaper: 'I was very sad about that, although we are still friends. 'It was a difficult period because she was with me when the house went from not selling to bringing me to the verge of bankruptcy and I was also going through a career change. It wasn't easy for her to live through that.' It's not the only major change in Edward's personal life, as he revealed he's moved to Bath since the sale of the house and has retrained as a prison officer - after making his millions as a music producer. And he now says he's managed to finally 'move on' from the whole ordeal, adding: 'I've had time to get used to it and I've moved on. I'm relieved it's all over without a doubt. But there were lots of highs and lows in there, there were some amazing moments.' Almost 500 people were arrested in the largest Homeland Security raid in US history as agents descended on a Hyundai factory in Georgia. Footage from the raid on Thursday showed rows of workers at the factory being lined up and sat on grass outside the facility as masked federal agents watched over them. Officials said a total of 475 immigrants suspected of working in the US illegally were detained - the vast majority of them from Korea - which represented almost half of the factory's 1200 workers. Steven Schrank, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia, told reporters Friday that he was unsure how many exactly were Korean and said no criminal charges had yet been filed. Many of those who were detained had entered the US illegally while others previously had visas but overstayed their legal work permits, officials said. Schrank added that the raid was the result of a months-long investigation into the facility, and described the sweep as the largest enforcement operation at a single site in the history of Homeland Security Investigations. 'This operation underscores our commitment to protecting jobs for Georgians and Americans, ensuring a level playing field for businesses that comply with the law, safeguarding the integrity of our economy and protecting workers from exploitation,' he said. The massive raid comes days after the Trump administration announced it was stepping up its deportation efforts and would clear the way to detain as many as 256,000 Venezuelans by ending their temporary protection status. Pictured: A total of 475 immigrants suspected of working in the US illegally were detained at a Hyundai factory in Georgia, according to Homeland Security officials The raid was the result of a months-long investigation into the facility, said Steven Schrank, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia The mass arrests of Korean nationals also prompted a diplomatic dispute as South Korea's Foreign Ministry dispatched officials to the factory. The ministry also urged the U.S. Embassy in Seoul 'to exercise extreme caution to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of Korean citizens are not infringed upon.' 'The economic activities of Korean investment companies and the rights and interests of Korean citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon during U.S. law enforcement operations,' the statement read. Following the raid on the Hyundai factory on Thursday, officials said the detainees would be moved to an ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia, near the Florida-Georgia state line. 'They will be moved based on their individual circumstances beyond that,' Schrank said. Following the raid on the Hyundai factory on Thursday, officials said the detainees would be moved to an ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia, near the Florida-Georgia state line Pictured: Detainees from the factory that employs around 1,200 people are being moved by ATF officers The move was quickly condemned by Yvonne Brooks, the president of Georgia's chapter of American Federation of LaborCongress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), who blasted it as 'politically motivated.' 'This raid is the latest in an ongoing campaign of harassment that has targeted immigrant Georgians as they try to earn an honest living,' she said in a statement, per CBS News. 'Arresting and detaining workers, who are exploited every day and risk their lives every day on the job, creates an atmosphere of fear that terrorizes workers and their families and increases the workload burden on their coworkers.' The Hyundai plant where the raid occurred cost upwards of $7.6 billion and employed around 1,200 people, and had been touted by Georgia officials as one of the most significant economic projects in the state's history. Hyundai began manufacturing electric vehicles at the plant a year ago, but construction was shut down by the raid. Ed Gein had a freakish obsession with his mother, and when she died, his descent into madness unraveled, leading him to a life of sadistic and twisted crimes. He grew up in rural Wisconsin on a ramshackled farm and became his mother, Augusta Gein's sick possession. After the devoutly religious woman died, he became 'The Butcher of Plainfield,' a body snatcher and grave robber, who preyed upon dead victims. When he wasn't digging up bodies, dismembering and skinning them, he would go on a killing spree. It is believed he murdered at least two women - potentially more. He would also turn the skin of some of his victims into suits, and wear them. Though Gein may not have been as well-known as Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer, his evil ways became the inspiration for many iconic films in the horror genre by legendary filmmakers such as Jonathan Demme, Alfred Hitchcock, and Tobe Hooper. Some of these films were Psycho, The Silence of the Lambs, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Monster: The Ed Gein Story will air on Netflix on October 3. The co-creators are Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan. They are also the famous duo behind Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Charlie Hunnam, 'Sons of Anarchy' actor, was poached by Ryan Murphy to play the role of Ed Gein. He told Tudum that Hunnam had a 'haunting look' about him when he saw a paparazzi photo of him and recalled 'there was something very Ed about him.' Charlie Hunnam plays Ed Gein in Monster: The Ed Gein Story that premieres on Netflix Oct. 3 Edward Theodore Gein, 51, was a body snatcher, grave robber and murderer The trailer dropped this week, and it is spine-chilling. The opening scene shows an officer arriving at the remote and eerie Wisconsin farmhouse. Human body parts are seen throughout the two-story home. Body organs are piled in glass jars. Human skin masks are displayed on a shelf. A woman's black dress with a lace collar is on display. One clip shows Gein snatching a body from a grave, bringing it back to his house, and placing it on a wooden table before he dissects and skins the corpse. The deceased is an older female around his mother's age. Gein stares into the camera, and his mother's hypnotic voice echoes in the background. 'You're working too fast,' she tells him. 'I am sorry, mother,' he responds. 'Just go slow and steady,' his mother continues. 'Take your time, sweet boy.' In this terrifying clip, he is wearing a dark dress and places the dead woman's scalp with dark hair over his head and her face over his face. Charlie Hunnam is in the Netflix clip wearing a human mask from a corpse he skinned and is dressed in the dead woman's clothing Gein in the midst of snatching a body from a grave Ed Gein's mother, Augusta Wilhelmine Gein was a devoutly religious woman died at 45 Hunnam told Tudum that he read many books about Gein, but the most helpful was when he got a recording of him that was made two days after his arrest. 'Its about an hour-and-10-minute interview with him, while hes in custody. A lot of the musicality, and his inflection, and his choice of words, and where his energy sat, I was able to extract from it,' he said. Murphy shared that '[Gein] is probably one of the most influential people of the 20th century, and yet people dont know that much about him.' 'He influenced some of the biggest serial killers of the 20th century which is another thing that I think people did not and do not know about him Ted Bundy, and on and on and on.' Harold Schechter, a two-time Edgar nominee and true crime historian who has published more than 50 books, nicknamed Gein the 'original Psycho'. He told Daily Mail that Gein inspired three of the most iconic horror films ever made Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs. In the 1960s cult classic horror film Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Norman Bates was also obsessed with his mother and dressed up her corpse. Gein has also been compared to fictional monsters Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs and Leatherface in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Schechter's book 'Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the original 'Psycho' - first published in 1989 - has been called the definitive book on the Ed Gein case. He told DailyMail.com that Gein was in a class of his own. 'He wasn't a Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, or a John Wayne Gacy. They were sadistic sex killers, people who derive this very sick sexual pleasure of torturing and killing helpless victims,' he explained. 'Gein did not have that mentality. He derived his pleasure from mutilating corpses.' Bates lured his victims into his home as the proprietor of the 'Bates Motel' Gein's story is believed to have inspired the character of Hannibal Lecter played by Anthony Hopkins in the 1991 classic, 'The Silence of the Lambs' Between 1945 and his arrest in 1957, police said he killed two women. 'He executed them very swiftly. He was just interested in bringing their bodies home and doing the things he did to them,' Schechter noted. In his book, the author stated that Gein wasn't the classic serial killer but more of a 'ghoul' or a 'necrophile' - someone who is sexually attracted to corpses. 'Ghouls are creatures who violate corpses, dig up graves,' he said. 'You can't really compare him to anybody else because there is nobody else certainly in American criminal history who is anything like him,' he continued. Schechter explained that murderers Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, The Hillside Strangler, and the Night Stalker were classic serial killers and extreme sexual sadists who preyed on their victims and committed evil acts on them. Gein, on the other hand, was 'absolutely unique'.. 'No one is doing the stuff that he was doing. He wasn't into torturing,' Schechter explained. 'Serial killers often have orgasms the moment they murder their victims. That wasn't Gein.' Gein pictured kneeling on the floor of his filthy kitchen in this dilapidated farm house where human skulls and body parts were found Gein kept his mother's bedroom untouched after her death though the rest of the house was strewn with filth and human body parts Schechter, who was a Professor Emeritus at Queens College, CUNY, where he taught classes in American literature and myth criticism for 42 years, explained that 'classically, necrophiles do have sex with corpses'. However, it remains unclear if Gein had sex with the bodies he dug up. 'Gein claimed that they smelled too bad for him to have sex with them,' Schechter said. True crime historian Harold Schechter has written more than 50 books In the book, he explores Gein's obsessive relationship with his mother. Gein had grown up with an alcoholic father, who beat him and eventually died of a heart attack. His older brother, Henry, also died under mysterious circumstances. Though some theorized that Gein killed his brother, Schechter said he doesn't believe that to be true. After their deaths, Gein lived alone with his mother for many years. He described her as a God-fearing woman - a religious fanatic who would frequently lecture her son on the evils of modern womanhood and the dangers of sex. 'His mother was such a dominating figure in his life,' Schechter said. 'I think he was trying to reconstitute her by bringing these corpses home but also taking this revenge on her by perpetuating these relations on the female body.' Though he said there was no indication that the mother and son were incestuous, Schechter pointed out that in some way their relationship was 'psychologically and emotionally incestuous.' When his mother died in 1945, Gein spiraled into madness. He kept her bedroom untouched. He would scan obituaries in his small town, travel to the graveyard, and dig up the bodies of the listed deceased. After his mother's death, he tried to dig up her grave, and when he came up empty-handed, he went in search of other women who resembled her. Many of the bodies he dissected and skinned were used as home and fashion accessories. Skin became chair covers, masks were made from human faces, kitchen utensils from skulls and bones, and nipples were used to make belts, he said. Waushara County Sheriff Art Schley, left, escorts Edward Gein, 51, of Plainfield, Wisc. into Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane November 23, 1957, in Milwaukee A horrifying photo of a broken bed with no mattress, a cardboard box that held four-gallon jugs of industrial sized bleach used in hospitals, soiled blankets and sheets and trash strewn about Deputy sheriff standing outside of house belonging to Ed Gein, where he lived a deceptively quiet life and where parts of his victim's bodies were found Investigators move a car as they search for evidence in his garage Schechter described Gein as a recluse. He worked as a handyman, but in fact earned money as a babysitter. It was only when two women in his small town mysteriously disappeared that cops began investigating him. Shechter's 1989 book 'Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, The Original 'Pscyho' released with a new book cover in the Spring Among them was Mary Hogan, 54, who ran a tavern that Gein frequented and went missing in December 1954. Three years later, Bernice Worden, 58, disappeared from a hardware store she worked at in the town of Plainfield, where Gein lived. Worden's son worked as the town's deputy sheriff and became suspicious of Gein. When Gein was apprehended, the authorities went to his dilapidated farmhouse. Once inside, they were confronted by a house of horrors. Worden's body was found hanging from the ceiling. She had been decapitated. Her head was found in a sack, and her heart was in a plastic bag. It was revealed later in the search that the remains of more than 15 bodies were found at Gein's home. Schechter explained that after Gein was arrested, they assumed that the body parts in the farmhouse were women he had murdered, but Gein explained that they were bodies he had dug up. They didn't believe him.' However, they soon realized he was telling the truth when they went to the victims' graves and saw their coffins were empty. Worden's hardware store where Bernice Worden was kiiled by Ed Gein Gein confessed to killing both Worden and Hogan. During his confession, he also spoke of the 'saintly woman' his mother was. He eventually entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity and was later found unfit to stand trial after a schizophrenia diagnosis. He was committed to Central State Hospital in Waupun, Wisconsin. Gein was later transferred to Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison, Wisconsin, where he died aged 77 in 1984 from lung cancer and respiratory illness complications. Monster: Ed Gein begins streaming on Netflix on October 3. After an estimated 233,000 children who crossed the US-Mexico border alone during President Joe Biden's tenure were lost, law enforcement has started to locate them - only to learn of the horrors they have faced. Since March, the Trump administration has tracked down 22,638 kids, finding some in 'deplorable' conditions, dead and others being used as sex slaves, officials told Fox News. 'We found children who have been raped,' John Fabbricatore, HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement senior advisor told the network. 'We're talking about debt bondage, where children are being made to work off debt, trafficking debt. We're talking about children that were brought into situations and then treated like sexual slaves.' At least 27 of those lost children have been confirmed dead, with causes of death ranging from murder, suicide, car accidents or drug overdoses. 'Children are in horrific environments, just environments that they should not be in, where the sponsor is a heroin dealer and that child winds up dying of a heroin overdose,' explained Fabbricatore. These children are classified by the government as 'unaccompanied minors' -underaged migrants who crossed the US border without a parent or legal guardian. An unaccompanied two-year-old girl from El Salvador explains she arrived in the US by herself and that her parents are in the US, Texas Department of Public Safety posted in November. The child had a piece of paper with a phone number & name WATCH: An unaccompanied two-year-old child from El Salvador explains she arrived in the US by herself and that her parents are in the US. The child had a piece of paper with a phone number & name. This morning, @TxDPS encountered a group of 211 illegal immigrants in Maverick pic.twitter.com/rXFoqee3Kk Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) November 24, 2024 An uncle, older sibling, or other relative might be traveling with the child, however, the minor would be considered unaccompanied because they are not with a legal parent. Often times, the parents were already in the US and had saved up money to pay smugglers to bring their children in. In a heartbreaking video, a two-year-old girl from El Salvador told Texas Department of Safety troopers who found her in November that she was on her way to reunite with her mom and dad. While kids have sometimes crossed the border alone, during Presidency of Joe Biden, the number exploded, alongside overall illegal immigration. Often, children were arriving at the border completely alone, pushed over the border wall by smugglers who abandoned them. In another shocking case, a 2-month-old baby was found in Rio Grande City, Texas by Border Patrol agents. 'This is a chilling reminder of how children are being exploited by human smugglers & criminal organizations every day,' the agency shared on its Instagram account in Sept. 2023 In one instance, two brothers were found at the Texas-Mexico border with handwriting on their t-shirts with the child's name or the contact information of a relative in the US. Someone had written the contact information of family members in the US on their clothing in marker. In September 2023, Border Patrol agents in Rio Grande City, Texas found a 2-month-old child left abandoned at the border, the agency said. 'This is a chilling reminder of how children are being exploited by human smugglers & criminal organizations every day.' Two Guatemalan unaccompanied brothers, ages 6 & 2, were found by Border Patrol in Texas in September 2022. Their shirts were scribbled with the names and phone numbers of their U.S. contact, officials explained Wilto Gutierrez, a 10-year-old Nicaraguan migrant, was found alone on the border. He was reunited with his mother in Florida in May 28, 2021 after almost two months in federal custody Two unaccompanied children, ages 2 and 4, entered the US alone near the Rio Grande River in Texas in July 2024. Agents determined that the siblings were from Honduras 470,000 children without parents or guardians crossed into the US illegally between 2021 and 2024, according to government statistics. After an unaccompanied minor enters the US, the government's policy is to let the minor stay in the country. The government holds them in special shelters for children until they can be reunited with relatives in the US, however, these children are not deported. Biden officials were supposed to be vetting the adults were were claiming the kids, to make sure they were actually related. Somehow, children were lost in the system, with the officials unable to verify the kids' whereabouts. 'There wasn't very good record-keeping' under the Biden administration, Fabbricatore added. 'It's drawing that data back in, being able to identify addresses, where these children went, who these sponsors actually were. In many cases, that data is, is horrible. What the Biden administration was taking in and putting into our computer systems was not the right information. So now we have to draw that all back in and deeply investigate into where some of these children went.' In some cases, the adults the kids were released to-- called sponsors-- were not DNA tested ensure they were actually related. In other cases, the addresses where the kids were being taken to were not verified to make sure the child was actually living there. Under the current administration, DNA testing is a requirement, as is proof of income, criminal background checks, fingerprinting and identification verification. Killer mom Susan Smith, who infamously drowned her two young sons in a South Carolina lake in 1994, is raking in thousands of dollars from interested suitors - and promising that she will be with them if she ever gets out of prison. The Daily Mail has obtained transcripts of hundreds of voice and text messages that Smith, 53, has traded with men while she serves her life sentence at Leath Correctional Institution in Greenwood, South Carolina. On average, Smith sends and receives 15 to 20 texts a day, and spends hours talking on the phone to lovelorn men who engage in romantic and sexual banter with her. The men range in age from 27 to their mid 60s. After one man, identified as Jason, sent money to her prison account earlier this year, Smith left him a text message on the prison communication system. 'Thank you so much for the funds,' she writes, 'It was so sweet and so thoughtful of you. And...it was a lot. I am so grateful that God placed you in my life. He knew I needed someone like you at this time, so thank you for listening to Him and reaching out to me.' To another paramour, she writes, 'I don't ask for money; that's not who I am. But if you wanted to send me something, I can tell you how to do it.' He later writes her back and says that he has transferred money to her account. 'Love ya!' she responds. And to a third man, she writes, 'I want to be with you when I get out. Thank you for the funds; they will come in handy.' Smith is incarcerated at Leath Correctional Facility, where she is serving a life sentence Smith killed sons Michael and Alexander in 1994 In March 2024, Smith asked yet another man if he would support her if she were paroled. The man explained that she had a large nest egg a combination of money that he had saved up, gifts from her admirers, and the sale of family property. "Ill tell you what I did last night, thinking of you', he said. 'I made a spreadsheet that starts out with $213,000. Youre gonna have more than that. I think youll be in the $220,000 range, all put together. You can [spend] $40,000 a year. While youre withdrawing from that balance, its still earning interest on the undrawn amount." 'In 20 years time, you will have spent most of that, but you will still have some left over.' After a short pause, Smith sighs. 'I love you so much,' she says. 'I love you too,' he replies, before they make kissing noises to each other. Smith has a long history of sexual activity with male suitors. When she was a 22-year-old married mother living in Union, South Carolina, she started an affair with Tom Findlay, the son of her boss at Conso Products - a home decor trim company. But after Smith kissed and fondled another man during a 1994 naked hot tub party, Findlay, now 56, dumped her - and told her in a letter that he didn't want to be with a woman with children. 'Susan, I could really fall for you,' Findlay wrote. 'You have so many endearing qualities about you, and I think that you are a terrific person. 'But like I have told you before, there are some things about you that aren't suited for me, and yes, I am speaking about your children. 'I'm sure that your kids are good kids, but it really wouldn't matter how good they may be... the fact is, I just don't want children.' A week later, furious and despondent Smith let her burgundy Mazda roll down a boat ramp into John D. Long Lake with her two sons - Michael, three, and 14-month-old Alex - still strapped into their car seats. After the brothers drowned, Smith falsely told police that a black man had carjacked her. Susan and then-husband David Smith begged for their children's return - although she knew the boys were dead The boys' bodies were found in a lake near the family home For nine days Smith and her husband David made tearful appearances on TV begging the supposed kidnapper to return their boys before she finally confessed. Smith was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder, but the jury rejected the death penalty and she was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 30 years. But her last hearing was a disaster, and Smith was denied an early release. She can apply for parole again in 2026. 'I will not die in prison,' she wrote to Jason after the hearing. 'I believe that God will be with me. When I get out, I want you to be in my life.' The Trump administration has threatened to investigate and prosecute a North Carolina county if nearly $3 million in racism reparations are approved. In a letter to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, the US Department of Justice said the approval of reparations to Black residents who have suffered the effects of systemic 'would violate federal civil rights laws.' 'The U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division has recently become aware of concerning recommendations presented to you by the Asheville-Buncombe County Community Reparations Commission,' Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general of the DOJs Civil Rights Division, said in the letter obtained by the Asheville Watchdog. 'After our initial review, we are deeply concerned that many of the recommendations, if implemented, would violate federal civil rights laws.' The Asheville-Buncombe Community Reparations Commission was created in March 2022 and released its final report one day before the letter was sent on September 4. In the report, 39 recommendations were detailed to 'repair generations of harm' across five areas: criminal justice, economic development, education, health and wellness, and housing. According to the City of Asheville, the Reparations Commission's mission looks to make 'short-, medium-, and long-term recommendations that will make significant progress toward repairing the damage caused by public and private systemic racism.' 'The task of the Reparations Commission is to issue a report in a timely manner for consideration by the City and other participating community groups for incorporation into their respective short-term and long-term priorities and plans,' the site continued. Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general of the Department of Justices Civil Rights Division, sent a letter to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners threatening legal action over proposed reparations of nearly $3 million According to the City of Asheville, the Reparations Commission's mission looks to make 'short-, medium-, and long-term recommendations that will make significant progress toward repairing the damage caused by public and private systemic racism' The US Department of Justice letter said the approval of reparations to Black residents who have suffered the effects of systemic 'would violate federal civil rights laws' The report, obtained by the Watchdog, said that the 'city of Asheville and Buncombe County took a historic step by passing resolutions to launch a Community Reparations process addressing the enduring harms of systemic racism. This bold action positioned the region as a national leader in reparative justice.' The Commission is due to present its recommendations to the City of Asheville on September 9, the letter stated. Dhillon suggested in the letter that the Commission had already began making efforts that indicated its intention to approve the recommendations. 'According to media statements by the countys Chief Equity and Human Rights Officer, Dr. Noreal F. Armstrong, the county has already set aside more than $2.9 million toward implementing the recommendations,' the letter stated. 'My office will be closely monitoring your actions. To the extent these recommendations are formally adopted, you are now on notice that my office stands ready to investigate and enforce violations of federal civil rights laws to the fullest extent possible.' Buncombe spokesperson Kassi Day initially told the Watchdog that the commissioners had not initially received the letter because the email address was incorrect. Asheville City Council spokesperson Kim Miller told the outlet: 'A letter addressed to the Buncombe County Commission was shared with the City Council on the evening of September 4. Council has not yet formally received the Community Reparations Commission recommendations. 'That will take place at the Tuesday, September 9 Council meeting. City Council will then consider if any actions will be taken on recommendations that fall within the purview of the City.' The Commission's recommendations included 'establishing a Black wealth-building fund, creating community land trusts, expanding access to culturally responsive healthcare, reimagining school curricula to reflect Black history, and transforming public safety systems' The Commission is due to present its recommendations to the City of Asheville on September 9 Day further said in a statement to the Watchdog: 'Our ongoing focus is on transparency and recovery from Tropical Storm Helene and its devastating effect on our community. Buncombe County has been and will always follow the letter of the law and will continue to comply with all federal anti-discrimination regulations.' 'It appears no response was requested from the County, and we want the community to know that Buncombe County Government understands the oversight and monitoring of these recommendations as we strive the meet the needs of everyone in our community.' The Commission's recommendations included 'establishing a Black wealth-building fund, creating community land trusts, expanding access to culturally responsive healthcare, reimagining school curricula to reflect Black history, and transforming public safety systems,' the Watchdog reported. 'The recommendations also call for ongoing accountability through a permanent reparations oversight body.' Specific economic recommendations call for 'business corridors with commercial space for Black-owned businesses and community services in close proximity to Black neighborhoods.' Further, the Commission suggested the creation of a private fund that would 'provide direct cash payments to individuals harmed by racial discrimination.' Educational reforms are looking to recruit Black teachers as well as encourage Black students to enroll in Advanced Placement and other academically challenging programs. The Commission wrote that the efforts would also encourage 'teaching inclusive, historically accurate, diverse education within schools.' Former University of North Carolina political science professor and former chair of the Commission, Dwight Mullen (pictured), said the legal threats were an 'unfair fight' due to unbalanced resources Before Dhillon's letter was sent to the Commissioners, she posted on X : 'The folks in Buncombe County and Asheville NC have heard from @CivilRights tonight. If they pass an illegal, race-based program, they will Find Out we are serious about ending DEI racism in America' Dhillon suggested in the letter that the Commission had already began making efforts that indicated its intention to approve the recommendations, including funds of $2.9 million being set aside A former University of North Carolina political science professor and former chair of the Commission, Dwight Mullen, told the outlet that the recommendations were clearly supported through years of research. Mullen added that the findings aligned with years of reports researched and written by his students for the State of Black Asheville initiative, Watchdog reported. 'Theres consistency there, and the Trump administration has responded by, well, lets cut off the data because somehow thats racist,' he said. Mullen, however, said that such prosecution from the DOJ would strip the Commission of funds they had put toward their efforts. 'The resources we have cant compare to the resources that can be marshaled by the federal government,' he said. 'Its an unfair fight.' Before Dhillon's letter was sent to the Commissioners, she posted on X: 'The folks in Buncombe County and Asheville NC have heard from @CivilRights tonight. If they pass an illegal, race-based program, they will Find Out we are serious about ending DEI racism in America!' The post was in response to a TikTok which tagged Dhillons office and expressed their outrage at the proposals. 'How is this real,' the TikTok, posted by the far-right Libs of TikTok account. 'Asheville, NC passed a $2.9 million reparations policy. Includes free transportation only for Black pregnant women and funding for housing only for Black people. This isnt legal!' The Daily Mail has reached out to the DOJ Civil Rights Division, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners and the Asheville City Council for comment. A statewide search has expanded up the East Coast after an Alabama college student vanished without a trace more than a week ago. James Nichols, a student at Jacksonville State University in the northeast area of the state, was last linked to a small town in New York, nearly 1,000 miles from campus. Nichols, from Ohatchee, Alabama, was last seen in the early hours of Thursday, August 28, when surveillance cameras captured him leaving campus around 3am in his 1999 blue Chevrolet Malibu. Later that same day, his car was recorded outside New York City in Pawling. The sighting has only served to deepen the mystery and sparked a multi-state law enforcement effort to find him. Nichols' disappearance wasn't reported until Tuesday, September 2, nearly five days later. The delay has added to investigators' urgency. Nichols' vehicle was spotted in the town some 70 miles north of Manhattan. Since then, police have entered his case into the national criminal justice database and say they are 'working around the clock' to track down leads. 'Our officers have been working around the clock since the report was made late Tuesday,' said JSU Police Chief Michael Barton. A statewide search has expanded up the East Coast after Alabama college student, James Nichols, vanished without a trace more than a week ago Nichols, from Ohatchee, Alabama, was last seen in the early hours of Thursday, August 28, when surveillance cameras captured him leaving campus in his 1999 blue Chevrolet Malibu 'We are coordinating closely with law enforcement in New York, where James's vehicle was last spotted.' Police confirmed that Nichols' Chevrolet Malibu, bearing Alabama license plate 11AEM5U, was first seen traveling northbound on Highway 431 in Glencoe, Alabama at approximately 3am on August 28. Roughly 24 hours later, it was picked up again in Pawling - a journey of more than 950 miles, with no known stops, sightings, or communication from Nichols in between. The university announced the development in a press release on Thursday. The case has been formally entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), the federal criminal justice database used for missing persons investigations. In his hometown, a small rural community about 40 minutes from Jacksonville, family members have not spoken publicly, but the university has said it is withholding further details 'out of respect for Nichols' family.' Nichols' disappearance wasn't reported until Tuesday, September 2, nearly five days later. The delay has onlly added to investigators' urgency Police have not said whether Nichols had connections to New York, or whether his vehicle was found with or without him. Jacksonville State University is now urging anyone who may have seen Nichols or his vehicle to contact authorities. 'We look forward to locating James, connecting with him, and confirming that he is safe,' said Chief Barton. Investigators are actively following all available leads and working with law enforcement agencies across multiple states to piece together Nichols' final known movements. Angela Rayner could struggle to pay the mortgage on her new 800,000 home in Hove after having her salary slashed following her departure from Sir Keir Starmer's Cabinet, it has been reported. The axed Deputy Prime Minister will see her salary reduce from 161,409 to 93,904 as she loses the additional income she received while serving as Housing and Communities Secretary. Ms Rayner also faces having to pay back the 40,000 stamp duty she owes, plus interest, and her political rivals are calling on her to forfeit her 16,876 severance payment. Until yesterday, Ms Rayner had access to a lavish grace and favour Whitehall flat in Admiralty House, as well as her 650,000 Ashton-under-Lyne constituency home a three-bedroom pad in Hove. Ms Rayner had bought the seaside property for 800,000 but failed to pay the correct amount of stamp duty, underpaying HMRC by roughly 40,000. As a result of her 'carelessness' she resigned when a report by the Government's sleaze watchdog found she had broken the Ministerial Code. She also resigned as Housing and Communities Secretary and quit her elected role as Labour's deputy leader, prompting Sir Keir Starmer to shake up his cabinet. In a handwritten letter, Sir Keir hailed her as the 'living embodiment of social mobility' and told her he was 'very sad to be losing you'. Angela Rayner (pictured) found herself in hot water after failing to pay the correct amount of stamp duty, underpaying HMRC by roughly 40,000 The former Deputy Prime Minister expanded her property portfolio to include a three-bedroom holiday home in Hove worth 800,000 (File image) He added: 'You have been a trusted colleague and a true friend for many years. I have nothing but admiration for you and huge respect for your achievements in government.' But the PM's kind words will not be enough to protect his former right-hand woman from yet another blow. The Ashton-under-Lyne MP will no longer be in receipt of her 161,409 annual salary and will instead be demoted to her basic MP's pay. Ms Rayner will now be taking home 93,904 and her 67,505 pay as Housing Secretary will instead be paid to her replacement Steve Reed, MP for Streatham and Croydon North. The Conservatives are also calling for her 16,876 severance payment to be stripped. It could result in the loss of her new home, according to The Telegraph. Ms Rayner previously revealed she had used her life savings to cobble together a downpayment on her Hove flat. She also sold her 25 per cent stake in the family home in Ashton-under-Lyne for 162,500 and funneled that in to the 150,000 deposit. Official documents have revealed she has a 650,000 mortgage on the seaside flat through NatWest. The living room of elegant Victorian terrace offers sweeping views of the Hove seafront - a view the politician spent her entire life savings on Ms Rayner's new flat in Hove boasts a spacious fitted kitchen - but the former right-hand woman of Sir Keir Starmer could struggle to cover the mortgage following her fall from grace Her monthly mortgage payments may be as high as 4,000, while her monthly income after tax will only come to 5,400, according to the publication. In contrast her take home pay each month when she was Deputy PM was almost double that at 8,100. Ms Rayner will now also have to factor in expensive travel costs as she will have to commute to London to appear in the Commons from either Hove or Manchester now she now longer has access to her flat in Admiralty House. She may also have to pay a 40,000 tax bill and a penalty of 12,000 plus interest on top of about 1,000, coming to an eye-watering total of 53,000. The Daily Mail has contacted Ms Rayner for comment. The former Housing Secretary's awkward finances come after she found herself in hot water over her housing affairs. Ms Rayner had her 650,000 Ashton-under-Lyne constituency home (pictured) The MP also lived in a three-bedroom grace-and-favour flat in Admiralty House (pictured) - which used to be home to Winston Churchill When she entered the Government, Ms Rayner designated her constituency home as her 'primary residence', and her pre-Admiralty home a rented London flat as her second home. That allowed her to claim back the 1,621 council tax bill on the London flat from the taxpayer as one of the housing costs reimbursed by Commons authorities. It later emerged she had sold her share of that property to help fund the purchase of the flat in Hove, which allowed her to be closer to her on-off boyfriend Sam Tarry. In an unusual move, she sold her stake to a trust set up to provide for her disabled son who still lives in the property. But tax experts suggested that she would still be considered to have an interest in the property as her son is under 18 meaning that the Hove property should have attracted the punitive rate of stamp duty levied on second homes. Your browser does not support iframes. Yesterday Sir Laurie Magnus, the PM's independent adviser on ministerial standards, accused Ms Rayner of an 'unfortunate failure to settle her stamp duty liability'. Sir Laurie said that although Ms Rayner took legal advice from two separate sources, neither was a tax expert. One warned her that she should seek specialist tax advice but she failed to do so. As a result she paid around 30,000 in stamp duty on the flat in Hove, rather than the estimated 70,000 that was due if the property was treated as a second home. Sir Laurie said he accepted Ms Rayner had acted in 'good faith'. But he said her failure to seek the right advice, coupled with the fact that the truth only came out as a result of 'intensive public scrutiny' by the media, meant she had failed to conduct her affairs to the 'highest possible standards' required of ministers. He said he had also considered evidence on other issues, including council tax and inheritance tax but had decided to 'focus my inquiries' on the stamp duty issue. He might be within touching distance of becoming the first millennial saint - but a British-born Italian teenager dubbed 'God's Influencer' was often more prankster than 'perfect', his former teachers have fondly recalled. Computer whiz Carlo Acutis, who died of leukaemia in 2006 aged 15, will be raised to sainthood by Pope Leo XIV in a solemn ceremony in St Peter's Square at the Vatican. The London-born youth's canonisation, initially set for April but postponed when Pope Francis died, will be watched by the faithful on giant screens in Assisi, a medieval city and pilgrimage site in the central region of Umbria. During his short life, Acutis developed a passion for his Catholic faith, attended mass daily and had a reputation for kindness to bullied children and homeless people, bringing the latter food and sleeping bags. He sadly passed away from leukaemia in October 2006, but since his death there have been two cases of miraculous healing attributed to Acutis after families prayed for help from the teenager. While many now revere him, Acutis was in many other ways a typical teenager 'with a great zest for life', his old school teachers have divulged. 'He was certainly not a perfect student', Sister Monica Ceroni, religion teacher at the Tommaseo Institute in Milan, told Catholic News Agency. Like many others his age, Acutis did not always do his homework - or even show up to class on time. Carlo Acutis, who died of leukaemia in 2006 aged 15, will be raised to sainthood by Pope Leo XIV in a solemn ceremony in St Peter's Square at the Vatican Sister Monica Ceroni, religion teacher at the Tommaseo Institute in Milan, fondly recalled that Acutis was 'certainly not a perfect student' British-born Acutis (top left), pictured with his classmates at the Tommaseo Institute in Milan Ceroni also recalled his sense of humour and said the teenager was known as a practical joker within the class. Meanwhile academically, his report card shows the only subject he did well in was religious studies. 'He was someone who liked to be involved in the classroom conversations, especially in religion,' Ceroni added. Sister Miranda Moltedo, former principal of Carlo's elementary school, remembered Acutis as being 'cheerful', but also compassionate. She recalled how Acutis paid special attention to a boy in the class who had been abandoned by his mother, while also standing up to bullies harrassing another boy with mental disabilities. 'I think this ability to be inclusive as an 11- or 12-year-old boy was extraordinary. It was a natural gift of his,' Ceroni explained. After graduating from school, Acutis entered the Jesuit-run Leo XIII Institute in Milan. Father Roberto Gazzaniga, the school's chaplain, recalled the teenager prayed in the chapel at every opportunity and helped his peers with their homework. Acutis' teachers at Tommaseo Institute in Milan have revealed he was just like any other ordinary teenager - and sometimes did not do his homework on time Sister Miranda Moltedo, who was the principal of Carlos elementary school when he was a student, remembered Acutis as being 'cheerful', but also compassionate He cared little for material things and when his mother bought new trainers, he asked her to return them and donate the money instead to the poor. Gazzaniga said Acutis was additionally very passionate about his faith, but considerate of others' viewpoints. He said: 'Even in conversations and discussions with his classmates, he was respectful of the positions of others but without renouncing the clear vision of the principles that inspired his Christian life.' Acutis, born in London in 1991 to an Italian mother and a half-English, half-Italian father, had an ardent faith, though his parents were not particularly devout. He grew up in the northern city of Milan, where he attended mass daily and had a reputation for kindness to bullied children and homeless people, bringing the latter food and sleeping bags. In Milan, he took care of his parish website and later that of a Vatican-based academy. A fan of computer games, Acutis taught himself basic coding and used it to document miracles and other elements of the Catholic faith online. Antonia Salzano, his mother, said her son had a 'special relationship' with God from an early age, even though her family was not religious. Pilgrims pray and pay their respects at the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis in March A child looks at the tomb of Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 aged 15, in the Shrine of the Stripping of Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Assisi, Italy, April 10, 2025 Carlo Acutis pictured smiling at the camera while sporting an AC Milan home kit from the 1990s Carlo's mother Antonia Salzano (pictured) refers to her late son as her 'savior' as Carlo taught her more and more about his faith and credits him with her conversion into Christianity Souvenirs and mementos of the Blessed Carlo Acutis for sale in a shop in Assisi Aged seven, Acutis wrote: 'My life plan is to be always close to Jesus'. It was a commitment he would carry with him throughout his life before it was cut short by cancer of the blood in 2006. Carlo's diagnosis with leukaemia in October 2006 came as a horrifying shock. The disease can take several forms but affects the blood cells in bone marrow. Symptoms include tiredness, bruising and bleeding, repeated infections and high temperatures, per Blood Cancer UK. The disease overwhelmingly affects young people. While it is not currently curable, it is possible to treat. In spite of his diagnosis, Carlo reassured his parents: 'I'm happy to die because I've lived my life without wasting even a minute of it doing things that wouldn't have pleased God.' Carlo Acutis died on October 12, 2006. The Vatican has recognised Acutis as performing two miracles himself since his death - a necessary step on the path to sainthood Acutis, who died aged 15, would be the second Briton to be canonised in nearly 50 years Acutis is pictured as a young boy waving to the camera as he enjoys a holiday in the snow Acutis (pictured) was a devout Christian from a very young age and attended daily mass He also helped the homeless and stood up for bullied classmates at school. Pictured: Young Acutis with his dog at Christmas The Vatican has recognised Acutis as performing two miracles himself since his death - a necessary step on the path to sainthood. What are the five steps to becoming a saint? Five-year wait: Five years usually needs to have passed after someone's death for the process to begin. This allows for a period of reflection on the case. Servant of God: The bishop of the diocese where the person has died investigates whether their life was holy enough to be deemed a 'servant of God'. Life of heroic virtue: The Congregation for the Causes of Saints looks at the case. If they approve it is passed onto the Pope, who declares the subject a person of 'heroic virtue'. Beatification: A miracle needs to happen to a person who has prayed to the person in question. Canonisation: A second miracle is attributed to the person who has been beatified. Advertisement The first was the healing of a Brazilian child suffering from a rare pancreatic malformation, the second the recovery of a Costa Rican student seriously injured in an accident. In both cases, relatives had prayed for help from the teenager, who was beatified in 2020 by Pope Francis. Over 800 people will be travelling to Rome on a special train from Assisi for the canonisation of the so-called 'cyber-apostle', which begins at 10am (0800 GMT). It was the London-born teenager's final wish to be buried in Assisi, the home of his 13th-century idol Saint Francis, who dedicated his life to the care of the poor. Canonisation is the result of a long and meticulous process, involving an investigation by the Vatican and specialists who assess whether the obligatory miracles have taken place. Final approval rests with the pope. Italian Pier Giorgio Frassati, a mountaineering enthusiast who died in 1925 and was known for his social and spiritual commitment, will also be made a saint on Sunday. His casket is inscribed with the words 'Verso l'alto' ('To the heights'), a phrase he wrote on a photograph taken of him looking up to the summit while mountaineering. An engineering student who made it his mission to serve the poor and sick of his city, he was held up by the Church as a model of charity after his death of polio aged 24. He was beatified by John Paul II in 1990. The Vatican recognised the necessary second miracle to put him on the path to sainthood in 2024, with the unexplained healing of a young American man in a coma. Sunday's canonisation ceremony will be Pope Leo XIV's first since his election in May. It falls during the Jubilee, a Catholic 'Holy Year' which has already drawn over 24 million people to Rome, according to the Vatican. Jeremy Clarkson's famous Farmer's Dog pub was targeted by hackers, the Amazon Prime TV star has revealed. Cyber-criminals reportedly stole 27,000 from the Cotswolds boozer during a recent hacking raid. Similar attacks have also recently been launched against Jaguar Land Rover, as well as M&S and the Co-op, according to reports. In his Sun column the Clarkson's Farm star writes: 'But no one thought to mention that my pub, the Farmers Dog, has been hit too. 'It was, though. Someone broke into our accounting system and helped themselves to 27,000.' Earlier this week Jaguar Land Rover was hit by a 'cyber incident' that crippled its manufacturing plants and delivery systems. It says it took 'immediate action' when it became aware of the incident, shutting down systems on Monday - just as it would have been registering new 75 plate cars. Jeremy Clarkson's Cotswold pub was targeted by hackers, the Amazon Prime TV star has revealed Cyber-criminals reportedly stole 27,000 from the Farmer's Dog during a recent hacking raid Similar attacks have also recently been launched against Jaguar Land Rover, as well as M&S and the Co-op, according to reports. (Pictured: Jaguar Land Rover's Halewood production plant near Liverpool) The company - which recently wound down building new Jags ahead of a switch to electric vehicles - sent staff home from the Halewood plant near Liverpool on Monday. The plant, which produces models such as the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport, remained closed on Tuesday, according to local media. Alongside manufacturing, systems including the one used to register new cars were reported to have been crippled by the shutdown. JLR said on Tuesday that it did not believe customer data has been stolen - but admitted its day-to-day activities were disrupted. The firm said in a statement: 'JLR has been impacted by a cyber incident. We took immediate action to mitigate its impact by proactively shutting down our systems. 'We are now working at pace to restart our global applications in a controlled manner. 'At this stage there is no evidence any customer data has been stolen but our retail and production activities have been severely disrupted.' Earlier this week Jaguar Land Rover was hit by a 'cyber incident' that crippled its manufacturing plants and delivery systems (pictured: workers on the assembly line) The Liverpool Echo reported that the attack was discovered at 4.30am on Monday. The shutdown has continued into today and is likely to continue into tomorrow, the outlet said. In an update sent to staff, the firm is reported to have said: 'The leadership team has agreed that production associates will be stood down and will have hours banked in line with the corridor agreement.' Industry magazine Autocar reported that the system used by Jaguar to register new cars with the government had been taken offline as a result of the shutdown. The attack could not have come at a worse time for the firm on the first day of brand new 75 plate cars. Quoting a dealer, the magazine said there had been no estimate given for when systems would come back online. JLR's parent company Tata posted a notice to the Indian stock exchange which refers to the issue as an 'IT security' incident. It did not give further details. 'We are working at pace to resolve global IT issues impacting our business. We will provide an update as appropriate in due course,' the statement, from a company secretary, said. The incident at Jaguar comes after a number of other British firms were targeted by hackers, causing havoc. Marks and Spencer, the Co-op and Harrods were targeted by hackers earlier this year. The attacks shut down M&S's website and affected day-to-day Co-op stores, while Harrods said its systems had been accessed. A young pharmacist felt 'hopeless' after her image was manipulated by scammers to promote bogus weight-loss medication on Facebook. Mary Baker, from Queensland's Sunshine Coast, recently received a message from a colleague she hadn't seen in a while. 'I was thinking, oh this is nice, she's getting back in touch,' Ms Baker told Daily Mail. 'She sends me this advertisement of this woman, Sarah, who's had this amazing weight loss transformation. Except it was me.' The Facebook ad pictured Ms Baker in doctored before-and-after photos as part of a promotion for herbal weight-loss products. The 'before' shot was an overweight Ms Baker, made with AI, while the 'after' shot was a real photo of her taken from an ABC article about her award-nominated work. 'My initial reaction was how weird it was and you can't help but find it funny because it's strange and bizarre and I went about my day,' Ms Baker said. But after originally brushing it off as silly, things got much more frustrating. The real (left) and fake (right) pictures of award-nominated pharmacist Mary Baker were used to promote a herbal weight loss medicine on Facebook 'As the day went on it got less and less funny because I was getting more and more messages about it, so it was quite obviously widespread and it exploded,' she said. 'I don't think there's a way to get something like this taken down. They keep popping up and some of them delete themselves. 'I've reached out to everyone I can and have reported the page (to Meta) and asked my friends to as well.' Ms Baker says the tech giant can't help her and it was hard to find who did it because it's highly likely that 'there arent any humans involved', she said. 'It may be AI. There's no singular person that I can single out and ask to take it down,' she said. 'It feels pretty hopeless to be honest. There's nothing I can do about it. 'I'm annoyed mostly, because I know it's going to be out there forever and because it's somewhat of a story, it's doing the rounds.' In the advertisement, an image of 'Sarah' was placed alongside an imaginary story detailing her successful weight-loss journey. The advertisement initially appeared on Facebook but is now 'doing the rounds' Sarah said 'My name is Sarah and I live in Sydney,' the advert read. 'I have long been too self-conscious to come out from behind the counter at the community pharmacy I work in, but thanks to this miracle product I could finally have the confidence to be myself.' The ads are for 'The Centre for Weight Management' which also appears to be fake. 'You click on the link and it takes you to a website that says it's down or they're working on the website, but do you want to see what else they can sell you,' Ms Baker said. 'It's all very suspect. It's obviously harvesting data and things like that.' Ms Baker's Facebook friends were stunned when they read her post, warning those who know her not to believe it. 'How do we get Facebook to block this madness?' one friend wrote. 'Couldn't believe my eyes, Mary, when I saw it. Is this my grandchildren's future of not being able to believe anything they see or hear,' another said. There were at least three different fake shots of Ms Baker showing her as overweight (right) Ms Baker reached out to Meta to ask them to remove the fake ads but she received no help The pharmacist said the fake ads looked so convincing that friends who hadn't seen her in a while were convinced she had put on and lost a tonne of weight. 'A fair few people have asked if this actually happen. I can't blame them because I don't post often on social media,' she said. 'Some people did think I went through this journey so it legitimises this bulls***t ad.' Ms Baker wanted to get her message out there to warn other Aussies of the potential dangers of AI and how it can manipulate someone's life. 'It's something we need to be on the lookout for,' she said. 'It's obviously massively concerning. I would never advocate for a quick, magic cure. 'Weight loss is a huge market and is something I talk a lot about at work as a health professional.' Daily Mail has contacted Meta for comment. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was given a new nickname after appearing heavily-tanned at at a Senate hearing on Friday. The Health and Human Services secretary was called a 'Microwaved Mel Gibson', with many insisting the resemblance between the health secretary and the Hollywood actor is uncanny. Posts mocking Kennedy's tan complexion have gotten hundreds of thousands of engagements on X. The earliest reference appeared to take place in February, but the derisive moniker has gotten new life after Kennedy's contentious Senate appearance this week. 'I heard someone refer to Kennedy as a microwaved version of Mel Gibson, I am still laughing,' one person wrote on X. 'Whoever said he looked like "microwaved Mel Gibson" should be given a Pulitzer,' another wrote. 'Microwaved Mel Gibson! I'm dying! Regardless that they look like twins, they are both worthless,' a third commented. One person even photoshopped Kennedy over Gibson's character in the movie poster for the 1995 film Braveheart. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is being called 'Microwaved Mel Gibson' on social media. Many believe the two are doppelgangers One person even photoshopped Kennedy over Gibson's character in the movie poster for the 1995 film Braveheart Gibson, like Kennedy, is in the MAGA fold, having been named a special ambassador to Hollywood in January alongside actors Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight. Liberal frustration with Kennedy peaked this week after he was called before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday. Senators grilled Kennedy over a variety of issues, including his views on vaccines, autism, Medicaid and the state of the Centers for Disease Control. Key topics of discussion were his dismissal of key CDC vaccine advisors, his firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez a mere month into her tenure and his decision to radically reduce the number of people who are eligible for the most up-to-date COVID-19 vaccines. Democratic senators were the harshest in their criticism of Kennedy eight months into the job as health secretary, with Sen. Ron Wyden calling him or his past association with Jeffrey Epstein. 'Mr. Kennedy calls himself a protector of children, some kind of rich claim, coming from someone who has flown on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet on multiple occasions,' Wyden noted. However, Republicans too showed their frustration with Kennedy at times, especially Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Cassidy, a doctor specializing in liver diseases, was the decisive vote that got Kennedy over the finish line in his confirmation hearings back in February. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana had some of the harshest criticism for Kennedy at Thursday's Senate Finance Committee hearing of all the Republicans 'Do you agree with me that President Trump deserves a Nobel Prize for Operation Warp Speed?' Cassidy asked Kennedy, referring to the public-private partnership between the federal government and pharmaceutical companies that produced a COVID-19 vaccine in record time. 'Absolutely, senator,' Kennedy responded. Cassidy then pressed Kennedy on supposedly contradicting himself. 'But you just told Sen. Bennet that the COVID vaccine killed more people than COVID?' Cassidy said. 'Wait, I did not say that,' Kennedy blurted out in protest. 'I just want to make clear, I did not say that.' During his exchange with Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, Kennedy said that the mRNA vaccine has been linked to myocarditis and pericarditis in adolescent and young adult males. These are both conditions that cause inflammation in the heart, and if it goes untreated, symptoms can begin to mimic a heart attack. Medical experts agree that the Pfizer and Moderna cases have led to rare cases of myocarditis and pericarditis, but most health organizations agree that the vast majority of these cases are mild and very treatable. Kennedy had one of the most contentious back-and-forths with Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado (pictured on the far right) Cassidy also asked Kennedy about his participation in lawsuits that aimed to restrict access to the COVID-19 vaccine. 'It surprises me that you think so highly of Operation Warp Speed when, as an attorney, you attempted to restrict access.' RFK again sought to clear the air, 'I'm happy to explain why' Cassidy cut him off, saying he only had three minutes left for his questioning. As health secretary, Kennedy canceled $500 million of mRNA vaccine research, claiming that 22 projects he terminated failed to 'protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu'. In December 2021, Kennedy claimed that the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine was 'the deadliest vaccine ever made'. The world's biggest wind developer has warned of a profits slump because the British summer was too warm and calm this year. Danish firm Orsted, which has 12 wind farms in Britain which generate 7 per cent of the country's electricity, became the latest to bemoan slowing speeds amid worries over the UK's energy strategy. The company said it now expects annual profits this year between 2.8 billion and 3.1 billion, compared to previous hopes of between 2.9 billion and 3.25 billion. It said the 'primary driver' for this was 'the impact from the lower-than-normal offshore wind speeds' across its sites, which include Hornsea 2, the world's largest offshore wind farm, off the Yorkshire coast. It is the latest cause for concern over the country's energy strategy after Ed Miliband's Net Zero ambitions were last week blamed for a shock rise in energy bills that will see millions pay more this winter. Regulator Ofgem said 'policy costs' imposed by the energy secretary have contributed to the price cap rising at double the rate forecast by industry analysts. Households will pay more to switch off wind turbines when they are generating too much power as well as funding gas plants to step in when the wind is not blowing. Danish firm Orsted, which has 12 wind farms in Britain which generate 7 per cent of the country's electricity, became the latest to bemoan slowing speeds amid worries over the UK's energy strategy. Pictured: A view of the turbines at Orsted's offshore wind farm near Nysted, Denmark, September 4, 2023 The company said it now expects annual profits this year between 2.8 billion and 3.1 billion, compared to previous hopes of between 2.9 billion and 3.25 billion. Pictured: General view of the Walney Extension offshore wind farm operated by Orsted off the coast of Blackpool, Britain September 5, 2018 It is the latest cause for concern over the country's energy strategy after Ed Miliband's Net Zero ambitions were last week blamed for a shock rise in energy bills that will see millions pay more this winter. Pictured: Energy Secretary Ed Milliband Although it once had lofty ambitions to become the world's first renewable energy supermajor, Orsted 'seem to be going from one calamity to the next over the last few years', Ben Yearsley, investment consultant at Fairview Investing, said. It won investor approval for almost 7 billion to help it fund projects in the US, which have been thrown into uncertainty by Donald Trump's backlash against wind. The group also said yesterday it would take legal action in a bid to restart work on an offshore wind project that was halted by the US Government last month. Trump has long been a critic of wind, describing it as a 'very expensive, very ugly energy'. Last week, he warned that Mr Miliband's obsession with Net Zero was pushing electricity prices 'through the roof' in the UK. Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho said: 'Ed promised to cut everyone's energy bills by 300 but bills will soon be 200 higher than when he took office and his plans to make our energy system expensive and unreliable mean they're only going to keep going up. Cheap, reliable energy has to come first.' It follows similar alarm bells over wind speed set off last month by German energy giant RWE. RWE blamed 'unfavourable wind conditions' for rising wholesale electricity prices in Europe and its declining profits. Notorious Trump-foe Rosie O'Donnell's former New Jersey estate is being renamed and turned into affordable housing units. The home, which O'Donnell reportedly sold at a loss in 2021, is now in the hands of luxury builder, the Toll Brothers. After years of referring to the estate under O'Donnell's name, the proposal for the new housing development will now be titled the East Allendale Road plan. The residence has undergone significant turmoil in recent history, with O'Donnell selling it in 2021 for a $1 million loss after it sat on the market for five years, the New York Post reported at the time. Saddle Rivers Investors initially purchased the property and planned to convert it to 60 housing units in compliance with local affordable housing provisions, the Bergen Record first reported. Saddle River is one of the wealthiest towns in the state, with a median income of $228,000. According to the New Jersey Real Estate Network, most homes in the wealthy enclave range from $1 to $5 million. O'Donnell reportedly purchased her former mansion on East Allendale Road for a whopping $6.3 million in 2013. Rosie O'Donnell previously owned a sprawling multi-million dollar estate in the wealthy enclave of Saddle River, New Jersey O'Donnell previously purchased the mansion in 2013, but struggled for five years to list the property O'Donnell sold her New Jersey home in 2021, reportedly at a loss, and the estate was later lumped into an affordable housing plan She then attempted to list the home for $7 million two years later but didn't receive any offers, according to the New York Post. An insider told the publication in 2021 that she sold her property for $5.3 million, a significant loss from its initial purchase price. A proposal to demolish the property and zone it for 60 townhouses, including eight for affordable housing, was dismissed in 2021 by the town's planning board. Plans for the sprawling property stalled for years as residents pushed back on the affordable housing development. The board cited increased traffic concerns and an inadequate snow removal plan as reasons for the denial, according to the Bergen Record. Toll Brothers then purchased the property after initial proposals were denied the new plan now only zones for 54 townhouses, including eight affordable units. The plan complies with a settlement between the town and the Fair Share Housing Center in February 2020. New Jersey requires each town to account for affordable housing, making it illegal to create zoning regulations that keep out lower-income communities The new proposal zones for 54 townhouses, including eight affordable units, in compliance with the Mount Laurel Doctrine The historic settlement required Saddle River to uphold a decades-old ruling in the New Jersey Supreme Court called the Mount Laurel Doctrine. The ruling prohibited zoning to keep lower-income families out of wealthy neighborhoods, requiring all towns to provide affordable housing. The settlement required Saddle River to develop 139 affordable housing units. Hearings for the new proposal begin on September 9. Daily Mail reached out to Toll Brothers and Saddle River Mayor Albert J. Kurpis for comment on the proposal. Nestle's CEO was abruptly fired after a senior executive, reportedly his longtime mistress, caught him with another employee in a Zurich hotel room and filed a complaint that triggered a rapid internal investigation. The details were revealed in an explosive report published by Swiss outlet Inside Paradeplatz. Laurent Freixe, 63, who led the world's largest food company for less than a year, was terminated on September 1 after the company confirmed he had violated Nestle's code of conduct by failing to disclose a relationship with a direct report. But behind the official explanation lies a scandal involving multiple affairs, corporate severance deals, and a dramatic confrontation that reportedly led top Nestle executives to fire Freixe on the spot, calling him a 'liar' and demanding he hand over his phone. The scandal began when a senior marketing executive, referred to by insiders as Freixe's 'main mistress', walked in on him with another subordinate, then used Nestle's anonymous whistleblower hotline to report the CEO's conduct. Freixe received no severance package, despite nearly 40 years of service at the company. Nestle has confirmed his dismissal but has not commented on the specifics of the investigation or the claims involving multiple relationships. The senior executive who filed the complaint, said to be the 'main mistress', has since taken on a new role at another major company and, according to Inside Paradeplatz, received a severance package related to the internal fallout. Nestle CEO, Laurent Freixe, who led the world's largest food company for less than a year, was terminated on September 1 after the company confirmed he had violated Nestle's code of conduct by failing to disclose a relationship with a direct report Freixe apparently met the marketing executive he was having an affair with at the company's headquarters in Vevey in 2022 The second woman, the one allegedly caught with Freixe at the hotel, also left Nestle and reportedly received a generous severance payout personally arranged by Freixe before his ouster, the outlet reported. Nestle has not publicly identified either woman or confirmed the nature of their departures. The Swiss outlet reported in July that Freixe 'had allegedly fallen in love with a marketing employee at the company.' The site claimed the pair first met in 2022 at the headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland. About 18 months later, the woman became Vice President of Marketing for the Americas, when Freixe was running that division. It is suspected he personally approved the promotion, although that has not been confirmed. It remains unclear if the two were in a relationship when she was promoted. The board was told about the romance in May after reports surfaced internally. A Nestle spokesperson told news agency AWP, according to SRF, that an initial inquiry 'failed to substantiate the suspicion.' After further information came in, a broader investigation confirmed the affair, but the company has not said how it gathered evidence. Freixe joined Nestle in 1986 and climbed the ranks during his 39-year career - he only managed to hold the top job for 12 months and will not receive severance pay During his short stint as CEO, Freix sought to refocus the company on its core brands like Nescafe instant coffee The Swiss-based company encourages employees to report any 'non-compliance concerns' to its Speak Up hotline When asked to comment, a Nestle spokesperson told the Swiss publication, 'Everything that needs to be said on the matter has been said, and I will not engage in further wild conjectures and speculation.' Nestle's official statement said Freixe had been terminated for violating the company's code of conduct, specifically citing his failure to disclose a personal relationship with a direct subordinate - a requirement under Nestle's internal ethics rules. In internal communications, top executives emphasized that Nestle's 270,000 employees, including those at the very top, are subject to the same ethical standards. Just days after his firing, Freixe resurfaced on LinkedIn with a cryptic post that appeared to reference his dramatic dismissal. 'I got my mobile back, I am reachable anytime,' he wrote. He also posted a congratulatory message to his successor, Philipp Navratil but misspelled the name as 'Philippe', adding another layer of awkwardness to his attempted public reappearance. Phil Navratil, the boss of a coffee division, will take over as the company's next leader The Swiss publication Inside Paradeplatz also suggested this was not Freixe's first workplace romance. A decade ago, he allegedly had an affair with a younger colleague while working for Nestle in Hungary. In 2017, the two went public as a couple and later married, and she quit the company shortly afterwards. Freixe's abrupt exit marks one of the fastest CEO collapses in Nestle history, and has raised eyebrows across the Swiss corporate world, where high-profile executive scandals of this nature are rare. Nestle, known for household brands like Nespresso, KitKat and Perrier, is one of the most powerful consumer goods companies in the world. But the revelations about Freixes conduct, and the sensational circumstances surrounding his ouster, have shaken even the upper ranks of Swiss business. Nestle has declined to provide any further comment. Nestle still dominates supermarket shelves in the US with brands like Gerber, Purina, Nescafe and KitKat, but its sales are slipping. In July, global sales dropped 1.8 per cent. Rising production costs for sugary and caffeinated products from Central America have added pressure. Albert Einstein's first violin which he was forced to hide from the Nazi's is set to be sold for a whopping 300,000. The famed physicist acquired the stringed instrument shortly before leaving Munich to move to Switzerland for his studies in the mid-1890s. He played the violin, which he later engraved 'Lina', throughout his late teens and into his adult life as he developed his groundbreaking theory of relativity. Now, the violin has been placed on the market at an estimated price of 200k to 300k, while his bicycle saddle could also fetch up to 50,000. The incredible instrument, which has the Munich-based maker's dated label inside, has all original parts about from strings, the tail loop and fine-tuning screw. However, the rest of the celebrated mathematician's bike stopped functioning normally and was later disposed of by von Laue. A Descartes and Spinoza philosophy book, signed in pencil twice by Einstein, is also tipped to make 3,000. The treasured relics have remained in the Einstein family for 70 years and are now being sold by auctioneers Dominic Winter, of Cirencester, Gloucestershire. Albert Einstein's first violin which he was forced to hide from the Nazi's is set to be sold for a whopping 300,000. The famed physicist acquired the stringed instrument shortly before leaving Munich to move to Switzerland for his studies in the mid-1890s Now, the violin (pictured) has been placed on the market at an estimated price of 200k to 300k, while his bicycle saddle could also fetch up to 50,000. It is being sold by auctioneers Dominic Winter, of Cirencester, Gloucestershire He played the violin, which he later engraved 'Lina', throughout his late teens and into his adult life as he developed his groundbreaking theory of relativity Einstein, who died in 1995, gifted the 1894 Anton Zunterer violin along with his bicycle and a philosophy book to his good friend and physicist colleague Max von Laue in late 1932. He was about to flee Germany for America to escape Nazi persecution due to his Jewish faith and wanted his possessions to not be lost. Twenty years later, von Laue gifted the items to a friendly acquaintance and Einstein fan, Margarete Hommrich from Braunschweig. Einstein started playing the violin aged five and practiced almost every day throughout his life, even giving public performances. Sadly, no audio recordings exist but he said that, had he not become a physicist, he would have pursued a career in music. The keen cyclist once told his son Eduard that 'life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance, you must keep moving'. Senior auctioneer Chris Albury said: 'We are thrilled to be handling these extraordinary historical artefacts. 'Einstein's violin is a particularly precious and exciting item to handle. Einstein, who died in 1995, gifted the 1894 Anton Zunterer violin along with his bicycle and a philosophy book to his good friend and physicist colleague Max von Laue in late 1932. He was about to flee Germany for America to escape Nazi persecution due to his Jewish faith Einstein started playing the violin aged five and practiced almost every day throughout his life, even giving public performances. Sadly, no audio recordings exist but he said that, had he not become a physicist, he would have pursued a career in music. Pictured: the famous violin on sale 'When it arrived for analysis and valuation the violin's sound post and bridge were both detached and it had not been played for a very long time. 'We know that Einstein named all his violins 'Lina', so to see this etched onto the back panel was hair-raising. 'Von Laue had later disposed of the bicycle when it seized up, but he kept this leather saddle as it was so comfortable. 'Remarkably, the original Nelson saddle order form, completed, dated and signed in Einstein's hand was also retained and is offered with the saddle. 'The Zunterer 'Lina' violin would seem to be the one he would have been playing from his later teens and through his early adult life, most notably when he published his important papers on relativity in 1905 and 1915. 'It is spine-tingling to think that he would have been playing pieces by his beloved Mozart and Bach while his young mind was thinking through his revolutionary ideas, many of which still underpin so much scientific and technological research today. 'I expect we will get private and institutional interest from around the world and we will only find out what will happen come the auction day itself.' Another violin owned by Einstein after he arrived in America in 1933 sold at auction for 370,000 ($516,500) in New York in 2018. The sale is set to take place on October 8. The Taliban have allegedly left women in Afghanistan 'to die under rubble' following three devastating earthquakes that hit the country in the space of a week. The first major quake struck just after midnight on Monday at a depth of only six miles, killing more than 2,200 people, levelling villages and trapping people under rubble. At least five provinces were impacted by the earthquake, felt hardest in the Kunar and Nangarhar regions - among the most remote and impoverished in the country, Human Appeal said. On Tuesday, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 hit Afghanistan, temporarily halting rescue efforts. This was then followed by a third 5.6 quake on Thursday night. Two powerful aftershocks struck the eastern region of Afghanistan on Friday just 12 hours apart, striking fears that there could be further death and destruction. Now, survivors and rescuers have reportedly claimed that several women were deliberately excluded from the first quake's rescue effort due to the strict religious code, meaning that men were unable to touch them. Taliban-enforced cultural norms have barred female rescuers, while male rescuers have, in some cases, even been prevented from touching the women, an anonymous survivor has reportedly told The Telegraph. These arbitrary rules, community health workers fear, could lead to a disproportionately higher death toll among women, while the Afghan Red Crescent Society warned on Tuesday that death tolls are set to rise. The Taliban have allegedly left women in Afghanistan 'to die under the rubble' following three devastating earthquakes in the space of a week. Pictured: Afghan girls stand near their damaged houses in the Nurgal district on September 3 The first major quake struck just after midnight on Monday at a depth of only six miles, killing more than 2,200 people, levelling villages and trapping people under rubble At least five provinces were impacted by the earthquake, felt hardest in the Kunar and Nangarhar regions - among the most remote and impoverished in the country, Human Appeal said An anonymous female survivor in another nearby region claimed they recalled witnessing several women being deliberately left to die by rescue workers, telling the Telegraph: 'They pushed us aside and took men for treatment. We were left bleeding. No one offered to help.' In the small village of Devgarh, one rescuer told to the the publication that they had been allegedly told not to 'speak with the women or try to contact them because it's prohibited', adding that even touching a dead woman would 'have consequences'. The majority of casualties have been reported in Kunar, where many live in steep river valleys separated by high mountains. 2,205 people died and 3,640 were injured, according to a Taliban government toll. A senior journalist, speaking on the condition of anonymity, claimed to the publication that the Taliban had 'not allowed women' to take part in the widespread rescue effort in Kunar. The only exception to such rule was, they alleged, just a select few provided by UN aid agencies, operating on the ground. It comes after the UN said on Tuesday that the disaster on Sunday could impact 'hundreds of thousands'. Indrika Ratwatte, its human coordinator in the country, said: 'We think potentially the impacted individuals would go up to almost into the hundreds of thousands. He added: 'The numbers are definitely going to increase and said: 'There's no question that the casualty rate is going to be rather exponential.' Now, survivors and rescuers have reportedly claimed that several women were deliberately excluded from the first quake's rescue effort due to the strict religious code, meaning that men were unable to touch them. Pictured: An Afghan man views the aftermath of Sunday's earthquake in the Dara-i-Nur district of Nangarhar province on September 3 An anonymous female survivor in another nearby region said they recalled witnessing several women being deliberately left to die by rescue workers, telling the Telegraph: 'They pushed us aside and took men for treatment. We were left bleeding. No one offered to help' A senior journalist, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the publication the Taliban had 'not allowed women' to take part in the widespread rescue effort in Kunar. The only exception to such rule was, they alleged, just a select few provided by UN aid agencies In a media briefing on Tuesday, he warned that rescuers are scrambling in a 'race against time' to reach the mountainous and remote area hit. 'We cannot afford to forget the people of Afghanistan who are facing multiple crises, multiple shocks, and the resilience of the communities has been saturated,' Ratwatte said, while urging the international community to step forward. 'These are life and death decisions while we race against time to reach people,' he said. Taliban spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat, who provided the updated casualty figures, also said that rescue and search efforts remained 'ongoing'. 'Tents have been set up for people, and the delivery of first aid and emergency supplies is ongoing,' he said. The rough terrain is hindering relief efforts. Taliban authorities have deployed helicopters and airdropped army commandos to help survivors. Aid workers were reported to have been walking for hours to reach villages cut off by landslides and rockfall. Funding cuts are also having an impact on the response. The Norwegian refugee council said it had fewer than 450 staff in Afghanistan whereas it had 1,100 in 2023, the date of the last major quake in the country. It comes after the UN said on Tuesday that the disaster on Sunday could impact 'hundreds of thousands'. Indrika Ratwatte, its human coordinator in the country, said: 'We think potentially the impacted individuals would go up to almost into the hundreds of thousands Taliban spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat, who provided the updated casualty figures, also said that rescue and search efforts remained 'ongoing'. 'Tents have been set up for people, and the delivery of first aid and emergency supplies is ongoing,' he said The council had only one warehouse remaining and no emergency stock. 'We will need to purchase items once we get the funding but this will take potentially weeks and people are in need now,' Maisam Shafiey, communications and advocacy adviser for the council in Afghanistan, said. 'We have only 100,000 US dollars (74,000) available to support emergency response efforts. This leaves an immediate funding gap of 1.9 million dollars (1.4 million).' Humanitarian organisations have called the latest disaster a crisis within a crisis, with the nation already struggling with the impact of climate change, particularly drought, a weak economy alongside the return of some two million Afghans from neighbouring countries. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warned that the quake in Afghanistan was likely to 'dwarf' the scale of the humanitarian needs caused by the Herat earthquakes of 2023, which the Taliban said killed some 4,000 people. Human Appeal UK, a British humanitarian charity based in Manchester, said in a statement on Thursday that it was launching an emergency response initiative aiming to reach 17,500 people with aid. Hameed Al-Asaly, CEO of Human Appeal UK, said: 'Some of the most vulnerable and remote areas of Afghanistan have been devastated by this earthquake, with many lives lost and homes destroyed. 'Our teams are working tirelessly to deliver life-saving aid on the ground. We will continue to adapt our response to meet the evolving needs of affected communitiesboth now and in the months ahead. Humanitarian organisations have called the latest disaster a crisis within a crisis, with the nation already struggling with the impact of climate change, particularly drought, a weak economy alongside the return of some two million Afghans from neighbouring countries Hameed Al-Asaly, CEO of Human Appeal UK, said: 'Some of the most vulnerable and remote areas of Afghanistan have been devastated by this earthquake, with many lives lost and homes destroyed. 'We urge the public to support this vital effort' 'We urge the public to support this vital effort as survivors begin the long road to recovery.' With entire villages destroyed and the death toll expected to rise, the need for aid is increasingly critical, the charity explained. Landslides triggered by the aftershocks have blocked key roads, isolating communities and overwhelming local hospitals. Meanwhile, Jeremy Smith, British Red Cross Country Manager for Afghanistan, said on Monday: 'The location of this earthquake is very remote and mountainous, which makes rescue efforts particularly challenging. 'There have been repeated aftershocks and more are feared in the coming days. Floods and landslides over the weekend have also affected rescue efforts. 'Sadly, people will be displaced for a long period into the winter as homes have been destroyed. 'The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is delivering vital aid and will continue to do so for as long as people need us.' The United Nations warned that thousands of children are at risk. UNICEF said it was rushing medicine, tents, tarpaulins, warm clothes, and hygiene supplies, including soap, detergent, sanitary pads, towels, and water buckets, to the disaster zone. Taliban fighters have been deployed to secure the area and assist with relief efforts, as the disaster piles more pressure on a government already crippled by sanctions, shrinking foreign aid, and the mass deportation of Afghans from neighbouring countries. The United Nations warned that thousands of children are at risk. UNICEF said it was rushing medicine, tents, tarpaulins, warm clothes, and hygiene supplies, including soap, detergent, sanitary pads, towels, and water buckets, to the disaster zone Meanwhile, Jeremy Smith, British Red Cross Country Manager for Afghanistan, said on Monday: 'The location of this earthquake is very remote and mountainous, which makes rescue efforts particularly challenging' The World Health Organisation previously declared that the impact of 'damaged roads, ongoing aftershocks, and remote locations of many villages' could 'severely impede the delivery of aid. They added: 'The pre-earthquake fragility of the health system means local capacity is overwhelmed, creating total dependence on external actors.' On Tuesday, the epicentre of the sizeable quake was 21 miles northeast of Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province, according to the USGS. Then, the country's astern region was hit again on Thursday by a magnitude 6.2 earthquake, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) reported. Experts said the earthquake struck at a depth of 10km in a region lying 20 miles outside of Jalalabad, while tremors were reportedly felt in India and Pakistan. A college professor from South Carolina was identified as the sole American killed in a devastating cable car crash in Portugal that left the world searching for answers. Dr. Heather Hall was confirmed as one of the 16 victims who lost their lives on Wednesday when a 19th-century streetcar derailed and crashed during rush hour traffic. The College of Charleston announced that Hall, a professor in the school's education department, was in Lisbon for a conference when the tragedy occurred. Fran Welch, the dean of the School of Education, released a statement calling Hall a 'dynamic instructor' who specialized in special education and 'shared her love of travel with her students'. Hall graduated from the university in 1997, and after teaching students in Ghana as a Fulbright Scholar, she returned to Charleston to teach special education for nearly two decades. She served on the governor-appointed Charleston Disability Board and earned her doctorate from the University of South Carolina, according to her professor profile. She returned to her alma mater as a professor in 2019 and organized several study abroad trips, spreading her love of traveling to her students. Outside of the classroom, Hall loved to perform and participated in Heart: An Inclusive Arts Community, which supported adult artists with disabilities. Dr. Heather Hall, an education professor at the College of Charleston in South Carolina was confirmed as the sole American killed in a devastating cable car crash in Portugal Hall was a graduate of the College of Charleston (pictured) and returned to her alma mater as a faculty member in 2019 Hall was among 16 victims killed in the crash on Wednesday. Authorities are still investigating the incident 'Whether she was onstage singing and dancing, or across the globe on one of her many study abroad adventures from France to Ghana to Central America Heather approached life with infectious enthusiasm and curiosity,' her family wrote in a statement. The tribute continued that among Hall's numerous achievements, she was most proud of being a mother to her two children. 'She believed in them with all her heart and wanted nothing more than for them to live their lives fully finding their purpose, trusting themselves, and being open to joy, adventure, and the wild, wonderful possibility of life,' the statement continued. 'Heather Lynn Hall leaves behind a legacy of love, courage, inclusion, and joy. May we honor her by living as she didwith curiosity, compassion, and open hearts'. Hall's colleagues remembered her as a dedicated educator who loved to travel and explore the world. Bridget Miller, an education professor at the University of South Carolina, told the Post and Courier that Hall 'adored' her students. The two professors met on a study abroad trip to Italy in May 2024, and Miller said she learned how to manage students on an international trip from her. Miller also recalled Hall's goofy personality, recounting how she used to yell from her balcony, 'Juliet? Juliet?' until Miller, who lived on the floor below her, responded. Hall was remembered as a positive and goofy mom who loved her students and enjoyed traveling Among those killed included five Portuguese citizens, three British citizens, two Canadians, two South Koreans, one French, one Swiss, and one Ukrainian Hall was described as a 'ray of sunshine' and a loving mother of two children Professor Yasha Jones Becton, who served as Hall's dissertation advisor, remembered her as 'a passionate educator and an even more passionate mother'. Jennifer Morrison, a former professor at USC, told the Post and Courier that Hall was a 'ray of sunshine,' adding that the two spoke just before Hall left for Portugal. When Morrison heard of the devastating crash, she texted Hall to make sure she was okay, but never heard back. The Elevador da Gloria streetcar came off the rails and crashed into a hotel just after 6pm on Wednesday. The crash occurred on Wednesday night when the famous Elevador da Gloria streetcar came off the rails Prime Minister Luis Montenegro described the crash as 'one of the biggest tragedies of our recent past' There's still little information on how the tragedy occurred. Portugal's Office for Air and Rail Accident Investigations said a preliminary technical report would be released on Friday, but later pushed it to Saturday. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro described the crash as 'one of the biggest tragedies of our recent past'. Authorities said that five Portuguese citizens, three British citizens, two Canadians, two South Koreans, one French, one Swiss, and one Ukrainian also lost their lives in the collision. In addition to those who were killed, 21 others were injured. Five remained in serious condition as of Friday afternoon, Portugal's National Health Service confirmed to the Associated Press. Explainer: Why is a Gaza ceasefire deal so hard to reach? Xinhua) 11:31, September 06, 2025 CAIRO, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Two weeks after Hamas accepted a peace proposal mediated by Egypt and Qatar, Israel has yet to issue a formal response. Instead, it has focused on bolstering its forces around Gaza City in preparation for an expanded offensive to seize the enclave's largest urban center. Why has the ceasefire proposal -- repeatedly revised and at times seemingly accepted by Israel in earlier rounds of negotiations -- stalled once again, even as the immense suffering of both Palestinians and Israeli hostages grows and international calls for peace continue to mount? GAPS TOO WIDE The latest proposal was nearly identical to a previous one agreed by Israel, according to the Qatari mediators. It called for a 60-day ceasefire and prisoner exchange, under which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and 18 bodies, in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza. During this fragile pause, negotiations toward a lasting truce were meant to proceed. Hamas accepted this formula, a notable concession from its earlier stance that all negotiations must lead to a permanent end to the conflict. But Israel moved in the opposite direction, shifting its stance to endorse a "comprehensive deal," one that would secure the release of all remaining hostages and dismantle Hamas entirely. Israel's demand marks a sharp departure from its previous position that it has been upholding over the first year of the conflict, which favored a temporary ceasefire to secure the release of some of its hostages, while maintaining the ability to resume the fighting. During the previous two ceasefires in late 2023 and early 2025, over 100 hostages were released. Critics argue that the shift of stance could be a deliberate strategy to prolong the conflict, as a comprehensive deal is a much more complicated one to achieve, if achievable at all. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's call for a resumption of talks might be a "buying time" tactic, using the discussions as a distraction while Israeli troops advance toward seizing the entire enclave, The National, an Abu Dhabi-based newspaper, quoted sources as saying. Elusive as a short-term pause could be, a permanent truce is even further out of reach. Netanyahu has repeatedly outlined war-end conditions rejected by Hamas: Hamas must disarm, relinquish its 18-year rule over Gaza, and cede security control to Israel. Hamas, while signaling willingness to step aside from governing Gaza, never agrees to demilitarize, viewing such demands as tantamount to surrender. In early August, the group said in a statement that it would not disarm unless a Palestinian state was established, a term also categorically rejected by Israel. PERPETUAL POLITICS-MOTIVATED WAR In an apparent move to escalate the offensive and further stray from negotiations, Israel has summoned about 40,000 reservists, the largest single call-up since the war began nearly two years ago, as part of its plan to capture Gaza's largest city -- a move approved by Netanyahu's cabinet despite international warnings. Addressing soldiers in a video statement on Tuesday, Netanyahu said that the military had advanced "toward a sweeping victory." Behind Israel's hardened stance is the political pressure from its right-wing parties in Netanyahu's coalition, which advocate for Hamas's complete dismantlement and permanent control over Gaza. Netanyahu's political survival hinges on this fragile coalition. A ceasefire perceived as a compromise could prompt far-right ministers to collapse the government, a risk he has been trying hard to avoid. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party quit the government in January to protest a previous ceasefire deal, only returning in March with the resumption of hostilities. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich kept his Religious Zionism party in the coalition for the ceasefire but has repeatedly threatened to leave if Israel ends the war without defeating Hamas. Having been facing corruption charges since 2020, Netanyahu would lose the power to influence judicial appointments and legal proceedings if out of office. In 2023, before the Gaza conflict erupted, his government had attempted controversial judicial reforms widely seen as aimed at weakening the judiciary. The move sparked mass protests across Israel until the sudden Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023 diverted public attention. On the timing of Israel's military moves alongside lingering ceasefire talks, analyst Adel Abdel Ghafar told Al-Jazeera the Israeli government wants to keep discussions going, "because it also has a domestic constituency that wants the hostages released." "But the right-wing of the government wants to also forge ahead with this takeover of Gaza, not just Gaza City." SELF-INTERESTED HEGEMON Under mounting domestic and international pressure, multiple European countries that once firmly backed Israel are now shifting their positions, calling for an end to the war and blockade in Gaza. Several have even signaled readiness to recognize a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly in September. Yet, despite this growing international consensus, the United States, with unparalleled influence over Israel, remains steadfast in its support. "We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!" wrote U.S. President Donald Trump on social media in August, reiterating support for Israel's hardline stance. Observers argue that since the outbreak of the latest Gaza conflict, Washington has consistently shielded and supported Israel, supplying it with military aid and political cover that have left the Israeli government undeterred. The United States spent 17.9 billion U.S. dollars in military aid to Israel from October 2023 to October 2024, according to the Costs of War Project at Brown University. In late February, the Trump administration also approved an additional arms sale worth nearly 3 billion dollars. On the diplomatic front, Washington has repeatedly vetoed UN Security Council resolutions demanding a ceasefire and imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court judges and UN special rapporteurs seeking to hold Israel accountable for alleged war crimes. Analysts point out that Washington's unwavering support stems not only from the deep interconnection of political and business interests between the two countries and from Israel's powerful lobbying presence in the United States, but also from shared strategic objectives. The U.S.-Israel alliance, rooted in realpolitik, is widely seen as a key obstacle to resolving the Palestinian question. "The ultimate goal is to systematically embed Israel into the regional framework -- not merely as a participant, but as a dominant actor capable of steering the region's future in alignment with its own interests. All of this is to unfold within the broader architecture of continued American hegemony over the Middle East," said Mohamed El-Dewery, deputy general manager of the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Kou Jie) A neurosurgeon has said there are 'rays of hope' for a 12-year-old girl who was critically injured in the shooting at a Minneapolis church last month. Sophia Forchas was the most seriously wounded child among those who survived the brutal August 27 attack on the Church of the Annunciation by a transgender shooter. Two students were killed and 21 were injured in the shooting perpetrated by Robin Westman, 23, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. All the victims of the shooting that were being treated at Hennepin Healthcare trauma center have been discharged, except for Sophia. 'I'm going to be blunt, Sophia is still in critical condition in the intensive care unit. There's a chance that she's maybe the third fatality of this event,' her neurosurgeon, Dr. Walt Galicich, said at a news conference on Friday. 'But the door has been opened a little bit and there's some rays of hope shining through,' he added. Galicich revealed that Sophia was shot in the temporal lobe, which is the part of the brain that's responsible for processing sensory information, storing and retrieving memories and understanding language. The bullet, he said, remains in Sophia's brain and caused severe damage to a major blood vessel. Surgeons had to remove the left half of her skull to relieve swelling. Sophia is still in critical condition after being shot in the head during the Minneapolis church shooting on August 27, according to her neurosurgeon Dr. Walt Galicich, though unsure if Sophia will survive, said there are 'rays of hope' at a Friday news conference Sophia's father, Tom Forchas, spoke next and had harsh words for the shooter, who opened fire on students at Annunciation Catholic School during their first Mass of the academic year 'If you had told me at this juncture, 10 days later, that we'd be standing here with any ray of hope, I would have said it would take a miracle,' Galicich said. Sophia is being kept in a medically induced coma most of the time to control the pressure on her brain, he said. Galicich added that she is opening her eyes and showing some awareness of her surroundings. She even has some movement in her right leg, but as of now, she's still not responding to commands, he said. 'It's day by day, and I can't tell you how this is going to end,' the doctor said. 'I know she's had a stroke from that injury to that blood vessel. I don't know what her permanent deficits are going to be. But we're a little bit more optimistic that she's going to survive.' Sophia's father, Tom Forchas, spoke next and had harsh words for the shooter, who opened fire on students at Annunciation Catholic School during their first Mass of the academic year. 'Just over one week ago, the world witnessed a heinous act committed by a coward. To carry out such an atrocity against innocent children, children who were praying during Mass, is unfathomable,' Forchas said. 'In this horrific act of violence, my daughter, my precious angel...suffered a gunshot wound to the head,' he continued. 'Sophia is kind. She is brilliant. She is full of life. She is an innocent child who was attacked while in prayer.' 'These past 10 days have been the longest and hardest of our lives,' he said. Pictured: A family reunites after the shooting at Annunciation Church, which left two students dead and 21 injured Pictured: A massive memorial is set up the day after the shooting in front of the church Forchas revealed that Sophia's 9-year-old brother was also in the church but wasn't hit. He thanked the Galicich and Sophia's medical team, including his wife Amy Forchas, a pediatric care nurse who has not left their daughter's side since she was brought to the hospital. He also expressed gratitude for the support his family has gotten from people all over the world. 'Sophia has received prayers from across the globe,' he said. 'It is nothing short of miraculous to know that millions of people have lifted her name in hundreds of millions of prayers.' 'We have heard of prayers from Oslo to Johannesburg, from Sydney to Santiago, from Vietnam to Canada, from Mount Athos, Greece, to Minneapolis, Minnesota.' Forchas said the compassion and love of 'everyone who has helped us through this nightmare' is helping them get through this. 'Sophia is strong. Sophia is fighting. And Sophia is going to win this fight for all of humanity,' he said. A Tennessee mother who suffocated her 15-month-old daughter and left her decaying in a trash can inside a child's playhouse has been ordered to spend the rest of her life behind bars, after a judge tacked on an additional 33 years to her existing life sentence on Friday. Megan Boswell, now 23, was convicted earlier this year of murdering her daughter, Evelyn Mae Boswell, in a case that shocked with its disturbing details and trail of lies. Despite a jury sentencing her to life in prison with the possibility of parole in February, Judge Jim Goodwin ruled Boswell must also serve decades more on a slate of felony charges - a move that all but ensures she will die behind bars. 'Society does need to be protected from the evil that lurks in her heart,' Judge Goodwin declared, referencing gruesome crime scene photos showing Evelyn's tiny body, wrapped in blankets and aluminum foil, stuffed headfirst in a trash can. Goodwin called Boswell a 'dangerous offender' with no remorse, no empathy, and said she killed her own child 'without hesitation.' The disappearance of Evelyn Boswell in late 2019 launched one of Tennessee's most intense missing-child investigations. Megan, then just 18, told lie after lie to investigators: first claiming Evelyn was with her Army father in Louisiana, then saying her mother had taken the child to a Virginia campground - but neither explanation was true. An Amber Alert was issued in February 2020, months after Evelyn was last seen alive. Megan Boswell, now 23, gets emotional as she states she is innocent and claims she was treated unfairly by the state of the Tennessee and did not have an impartial jury during her trial Boswell was convicted earlier this year of murdering her daughter, Evelyn Mae Boswell, pictured, in a case that shocked with its disturbing details and trail of lies Investigators worked around the clock. Sheriff Jeff Cassidy testified that his team logged over 740 hours on the case, aided by state and federal agencies. Finally, acting on a tip from Megan's own father, agents searched a playhouse on the family's property in Blountville. Inside a trash can, beneath recently placed garbage bags, they discovered Evelyn's partially decomposed body alongside her clothing, toys, and diapers. During Friday's sentencing, Judge Goodwin laid out the full scope of Boswell's crimes. She had been found guilty on 19 charges in February including first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated child neglect, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse, failure to report a death and eleven counts of filing false reports. The judge merged the three murder convictions into one, but imposed maximum sentences on the remaining charges. Her 25-year sentence for child abuse and neglect must be served after her life sentence. Additional time for tampering with evidence, filing false reports, and abuse of a corpse will follow, making her eligible for parole only after 51 years. 'There can be no more cruel act than to stuff a 13- to 15-month-old baby into a trash can - especially when that baby is your baby,' Goodwin said. Megan Boswell is seen entering the courtroom during a sentencing hearing in Sullivan County court in Blountville, Tennessee on Friday Evelyn Mae Boswell is seen alongside her killer mother, Megan. Evelyn's tiny body was found wrapped in blankets and aluminum foil, stuffed headfirst in a trash can Evelyn's mother, Megan, suggested her daughter may have died accidentally while co-sleeping. During the trial her lawyer said Boswell only lied because she feared prosecution Throughout the trial, prosecutors argued that Boswell suffocated Evelyn, then dumped her body in the trash and resumed her life as if nothing had happened. She took trips to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, moved in with a boyfriend, and never reported Evelyn missing until February 18, 2020. 'She was gifted with a beautiful child - a healthy, vibrant little girl,' prosecutor Amber Massengill told jurors. 'Today is Evelyn's chance. Today is our chance to get it right, not Megan's.' Boswell's attorney Gene Scott insisted that the young mother was overwhelmed and afraid - and not a murderer. He argued Evelyn may have died accidentally while co-sleeping, and said Boswell only lied because she feared prosecution. But jurors, and ultimately the judge, rejected that theory. 'This court never once saw remorse,' Judge Goodwin said. 'Never once saw empathy.' The February trial included devastating testimony from Megan's former friend, Katelyn Carter, who described meeting Evelyn just weeks before her death. 'She was dirty and I could smell her across the table,' Carter said, recalling a lunch at Chili's in December 2019. Evelyn's hands, face, and clothes were soiled. Soon after, Boswell began dating Hunter Wood, spending more time with him than with her own daughter. Megan Boswell was sentenced on Friday to serve an additional 33 years after her life sentence Boswell was found guilty in February 2025 of all charges relating to the death of her daughter Evelyn Boswell Evelyn's remains were surrounded by discarded diapers and children's clothes When asked where Evelyn was, Boswell told Carter she was with her father - a lie that later unraveled in court. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Agent Brian Fraley, who discovered the body, described the harrowing scene inside the playhouse: a child's leg protruding from a trash can, her body wrapped in foil and hidden under fresh bags of garbage. Photos shown to jurors were so graphic, several in the courtroom wept. Evelyn's remains were surrounded by discarded diapers and children's clothes. One of the final images shown to the jury was a photo of Evelyn alive, smiling, taken just weeks before her death. In a brief, defiant statement before her sentence was handed down, Boswell made a statement. Throughout the trial, prosecutors argued that Boswell suffocated Evelyn, then dumped her body in the trash and resumed her life as if nothing had happened One of the final images shown to the jury was a photo of Evelyn alive, smiling, taken just weeks before her death Evelyn's body was found surrounded by toys at the home of a relative. Clothing, diapers and toys that belonged to the child were also found 'I would just like to say that the State of Tennessee treated me very unfair during this whole investigation, and if I had a fair trial and an impartial jury, I would have been acquitted of the murder charges. I would have never hurt my baby, and I did not kill Evelyn.' But the judge was unmoved. Boswell, now 23, will be 74 years old before she is even eligible for parole. A status hearing is set for January 16, 2026, but Boswell is expected to appear virtually from prison. 'She saw a chance to live a different life without Evelyn,' Judge Goodwin said on Friday. 'And she removed her.' A California woman faces five felony charges after she registered her dog to vote and splashed a photo of the animal with its ballot on Facebook. Laura Lee Yourex, 62, was charged with five felonies on Friday after she casted ballots in her dogs name which were successfully counted in a state election. Yourex self-reported to the Orange County Registrar of Voters Office that she had registered her dog, Maya Jean, to vote in a 2021 gubernatorial election and the 2022 primary. The Costa Mesa resident's dog's vote was counted in the 2021 election but rejected in 2022. According to the Orange County District Attorney's Office, proof of residence or identification is not required for citizens to register to vote or cast a ballot in state elections. Federal elections, however, require proof of residency and registration for first time voters. 'As a result, the 2022 primary ballot cast in Maya Jeans name was challenged and rejected,' the OC DA's office said. The 2021 election to recall California Governor Gavin Newsom was voted down by 61.9% of voters, the release noted. In January 2022, Yourex took to Facebook where she posted a picture of her dog wearing an 'I Voted' sticker and posing with the ballot Laura Lee Yourex, 62, was charged with five felonies on Friday after she casted ballots in her dogs name which were successfully counted in a state election The 2021 election to recall California Governor Gavin Newsom was voted down by 61.9% of voters Yourex now faces five felony charges, including one count of perjury, one count of procuring or offering a false or forged document to be filed, two counts of casting a ballot when not entitled to vote, and one count of registering a non-existent person to vote. In January 2022, Yourex took to Facebook where she posted a picture of her dog wearing an 'I Voted' sticker and posing with the ballot. Then, in October 2024, another post showed Maya's dog tag and a mail-in voting ballot with the caption, 'Maya is still getting her ballot,' after the dog had passed away, according to the Orange County District Attorney. It remains unclear how the dog was able to be registered and vote. Yourex is scheduled to be arraigned in Westminster on September 9 and faces a maximum of six years in state prison if she is found guilty on all counts. The story comes after the Trump administration filed a lawsuit against the Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page in June for allegedly refusing to provide the Justice Department with records pertaining to the removal of people lacking documentation from its voter registration list, the Seattle Times reported. Trump recently slammed mail-in ballots as 'fraud' and publicly said he wanted to sign an executive order outlawing the voting method. The president snubbed the expansion of mail-in voting in the 2020 election to accommodate for the pandemic. Trump recently slammed mail-in ballots as 'fraud' and publicly said he wanted to sign an executive order outlawing the voting method Trump embraced mail-in ballots in the 2024 election after repeatedly blaming the voting method for 'fraud' he claims is to lame for his 2020 loss to Joe Biden He said mail-in ballots caused widespread 'fraud' that he claims is to blame for his loss to Joe Biden. But four years later during his successful 2024 campaign, he repeatedly pushed his supporters to embrace voting by mail. The pendulum swung again when the president took to his Truth Social to slam the idea of voting in elections by mail ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Trump said he will be 'leading a movement to get rid of mail-in ballots' and overhaul voting machines that he claims were used by Democrats to steal that 2020 election for Joe Biden. He did not give a timeline for issuance of an executive order on ending the voting method, though it's likely to come before the 2026 midterm elections as Republicans aim to hold onto their majorities in the House and Senate. Video emerged showing a local lawmaker and an accomplice stuffing papers into a ballot drop box in Michigan ahead of local elections. At the White House on August 18, Trump reiterated his post, claiming: 'We've got to stop mail-in voting and Republicans have to lead the charge.' 'The Democrats want it because they have horrible policy,' he told reporters gathered in the Oval Office for the president's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 'If you have mail-in voting, you're not going to have many Democrats (sic) get elected.' 'That's bigger than anything having to do with redistricting, believe me. And the Republicans have to get smart,' he concluded. Trump kicked off his rant by claiming that the U.S. is the 'only country in the world that uses mail-in voting.' 'All others gave it up because of the massive voter fraud encountered,' Trump claimed. But many nations use mail-in voting including countries whose leaders are convening at the White House. Some countries that have no-excuse mail-in voting, meaning they do not need a reason to vote by mail rather than in person, are Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Spain, and many others. There are also many countries that offer conditional or limited mail-in voting options. Trump, despite pushing mail-in voting and early voting on his supporters in the 2024 election, says that Democrats are using the 'mail-in ballot hoax' because they can't win elections through traditional in-person voting. 'Democrats are virtually unelectable without using this completely disproven mail-in scam,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. He added: 'Elections can never be honest with mail-in ballots/voting, and everybody, in particular the Democrats, knows this.' It's already one of the most expensive cities in the world, but in just 20 years Sydney's average house price will have soared to an eye-watering $3.5million. The Harbour City is the most expensive capital in the country by a long way. It's around 50 per cent costlier than the next most expensive capital, Brisbane, with a median house price of $1.02million, according to Propertyology research. Based on an analysis of historical trends and the typical rate at which prices grow, a Propertyology study has revealed Sydney's prices could more than double by 2045. Head of research Simon Pressley said the study probed why Sydney was so much more expensive than other Australian capital cities and what the future looked like. The report showed that because the First Fleet arrived in Botany Bay in 1788, Sydney began developing as a city much earlier than other Australian cities. As a result, Sydney enjoyed a 40 to 60-year head-start in urban growth and development compared to the rest of the country. By the time other cities like Brisbane (1825), Perth (1829), Melbourne (1835) and Adelaide (1836) were established, Sydney had already developed infrastructure, key amenities, a commercial centre, and had two full generations of house price growth. Mr Pressley said major world events had also impacted prices, including gold rushes, the 1890s bank collapse, and world wars. The average Sydney property will be worth $3.5million by 2045 (pictured, homes in Maroubra) Despite this, he said population sizes and population growth rates had very little to do with property price growth. At the end of World War II, large percentages of Australia's financial capital were directed towards Sydney in a concerted effort to develop the city into a global economic centre - which had a flow-on effect on house prices. 'It's about revenue within a town's economy that has the biggest influence on property prices,' Mr Pressley said. The report showed that in 1924, Australians were complaining about housing affordability when the price of a typical house was around $2,000. The report also showed that most people wanted to buy a home rather than an apartment despite the large number of people who rent apartments. Propertyology was contacted for further comment by Daily Mail. A high-country posse near where accused cop killer Dezi Freeman went on the run has weighed up whether to hunt the fugitive to collect a staggering $1million bounty. The record million-dollar carat offered by Victoria Police for Freeman's capture is now the talk of Porepunkah and Bright, but police have warned vigilantes to stay away. However, the buzz about the massive bounty to catch Freeman has drawn out a Wild West-type posse looking for a pot of bush gold. Freeman hasn't been sighted since just before 11am on August 26, when he allegedly gunned down and murdered police officers detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 35. Senior Constable de Waart-Hottart was farewelled at an emotional service at the Police Academy in Melbourne on Friday, while Senior Constable Thompson will be honoured on Monday. The Daily Mail uncovered a posse discussing plans to head into the bush near Mount Buffalo to bring in Freeman and cash in the reward, which is the largest ever offered in Victoria. The group of males were heard talking about the million-dollar bounty and whether it was worth to go looking for Freeman before deciding not to go. Daily Mail witnessed another family discussing the reward and a plan to head into the bush to catch Freeman but later clarified it was a tongue-in-cheek joke. Dezi Freeman, 56, is on the run for allegedly killing two police officers Homicide Squad detective Inspector Dean Thomas warned vigilantes to stay away from looking for Freeman So far no bounty hunters like the one played by Clint Eastwood in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (pictured) have ridden into town to claim the $1 million reward The region is quickly turning into the Wild West as locals have amped up their efforts to give police information to get a slice of the million-dollar pie. But so far no bounty hunters like the one played by Clint Eastwood in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly have ridden into town to claim the reward. Homicide Squad detective Inspector Dean Thomas stressed the reward was only for Freeman's capture, not for his conviction, as he held a press conference on Saturday. Det Insp Thomas also urged vigilantes to stay out of the hunt and 'do not approach' Freeman. 'I strongly oppose anybody doing that for obvious reasons,' he said. 'The first one being, as I've said already, he has already killed two police members and seriously injured a third. His propensity to use violence has been shown. He is a high risk to the community. 'Secondly, we have highly trained, highly skilled specialist police officers out there in bushland searching as we speak. 'They are armed and we don't want people being out there in that area for our police officers to perhaps mistake as being Freeman and finding themselves in a situation where they are confronted by our police officers. Freeman was last seen in Porepunkah in Victoria's high country on August 26 Heavily armed police hunted for Freeman on Friday afternoon Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart was farewelled at an emotional service at the Police Academy in Melbourne on Friday 'So I strongly urge anybody who has that thought to not do that. What we want is information. 'If they have information, we ask that they share that with us so that we can then take the appropriate action and go out there and search safely and bring Freeman into custody peacefully and safely. 'Victoria Police are still of the view that he is a risk to the community, and anyone that may be assisting him.' Detective Thomas also urged people who know anything to share that information with Crime Stoppers as police remained open to 'all possibilities'. He said the information could come via friends, a sighting, or something suspicious happening on their property. 'Nothing is too small,' he said. Town hermit Steven Mallett, who was raided by police last week before it was revealed he never knew Freeman, told the Daily Mail anyone helping the fugitive will be 'shot with him'. 'I doubt very much anyone would be helping him and if they did they're f**kin nuts, the money don't mean nothing , they're nuts, they're going to get shot with him,' Mr Mallett said. Town hermit Steven Mallett told the Daily Mail anyone helping the fugitive will be 'shot with him' 'If you were mates with someone, it's ok to go to court and take on the coppers and that... but when go and f***in kill two coppers, that's different.' Mr Mallett, who describes himself as the 'town recluse', said he also doubted anyone harbouring Freeman will cough him up for the bounty. 'I wish it will all finish, none of us like coppers in town, you know we live out in the bush, apart from the odd tourist coming up here it's quiet, it's unassuming,' the hermit said. 'Then you've got stuff like this, the army is not going to pull you up and book ya for being in your f***ing car and shit, 450 cops in the area, I don't f***ing know. 'Hopefully they catch him and it's all done and dusted, we all just want to go back to our normal lives, that's all.' Other locals clammed up when asked about the bounty and whether anyone who claimed it will be run out of town. Staff at the local store linked to Freeman's former bush teacher, Ray Kompe, said they knew Mr Kompe and Freeman's wife Mali but she never worked at the store. 'I know her, I see her at church,' a staff member said. On Friday, Freeman's former bush instructor Ray Kompe (pictured) pleaded for his former friend to hand himself in Staff at the store welcomed the bounty after Freeman's alleged actions had 'hit us pretty hard'. 'Of course we want Freeman caught as soon as possible,' the staff member said. 'We all got to get on with our lives don't we.' Another local told the Daily Mail she knew of 'men' who gathered at the region's cattlemen's huts that could be the 'type' who may associate or even assist Freeman. Store worker Peter also welcomed the bounty. 'Well I think that might help (the bounty), it makes sense that that might help doesn't it, someone might come forward, if they've been holding back,' Peter said. On Friday, Freeman's former bush instructor Ray Kompe pleaded for his former friend to hand himself in. Kompe, 72, who lives on a 180-acre property on Buckland Valley Road about 10 minutes from the scene of the shootout, has not seen Freeman in a decade but remembers him clearly. More than 450 police are on the ground hunting for Freeman 'He's a bloke with a lot of resolve and when he puts his mind to something, there's just no holding him back,' Mr Kompe said while holding his dog Luna on Friday. In the 10 years after the friendship with Freeman, Mr Kompe said the two men had only ever shared a passing 'hello' on the streets of Bright. The farmer said he never visited Freeman at the property in Porepunkah, adding that a couple had bought it after the owner died and allowed Freeman to 'squat' there. 'There's Mali, there's his friends - and life's just too short,' Mr Kompe said. 'Just give yourself up, mate. I know it's not going to be pleasant being behind bars, but... you know.' The bounty bombshell announcement came as the search for Freeman, involving 450 police officers and the Australian Defence Force, enters its 12th day. Police are also open to the possibilities that he remains at large alone or is dead as a result of self-harm. So-called 'Maryland man' Kilmar Abrego Garcia now faces deportation to the tiny African nation Eswatini, after the Salvadoran migrant's lawyers said he fears persecution in 22 other countries. An ICE removal notice shared with Fox News notified Abrego Garcia, 29, that his 'new country of removal' will be Eswatini, a landlocked country of just over a million people that shares borders with South Africa and Mozambique. The notice said Abrego Garcia's fears of persecution are 'hard to take seriously' and listed Uganda, El Salvador and twenty Latin American countries as the places he refused to be deported to. The Department of Homeland Security mocked Abrego Garcia further, posting the ICE notice on its official X account and writing: 'Homie is afraid of the entire western hemisphere'. Abrego Garcia's attorneys quickly responded to ICE by saying that Eswatini also wasn't an acceptable country for him to be sent to. 'Third-country nationals previously removed from the United States to Eswatini have all been detained in extremely harsh and tortuous conditions; that country has a well-documented record of human rights violations,' his lawyers said in an email to ICE obtained by ABC News. 'To our knowledge, Eswatini has offered no guarantees that it will not promptly deport Mr. Abrego Garcia to El Salvador where he already experienced torture and will experience torture again,' the email continued. The State Department has a travel advisory for Eswatini warning Americans that crime is common there, especially 'sporadic armed robberies and carjackings'. The Trump administration wants to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Eswatini, a tiny nation in southern Africa Abrego Garcia is seen hugging his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura at the ICE office in Baltimore Eswatini is a landlocked country of just over a million people that borders South Africa and Mozambique (Pictured: King Mswati III at the 2024 Umhlanga Reed Dance ceremony) The nation was formerly known as Swaziland, but King Mswati III changed the name to Eswatini in 2018 to more closely resemble its ancient name and avoid confusion with Switzerland. The White House has previously slammed characterizations of the Abrego Garcia by Democrats and the media that portrayed him as an American dad. 'Abrego Garcia was never an innocent "Maryland Man" Abrego Garcia is an illegal alien terrorist, gang member, and human trafficker who has spent his entire life abusing innocent people, especially women and the most vulnerable,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News in June. The latest development in Abrego Garcia's case comes after lawyers for the Trump administration said in court filing Thursday that it would remove him back to El Salvador if a judge reopens his immigration case. Abrego Garcia was living in Maryland with his wife and children when he was deported in March to El Salvador's CECOT terrorism prison, something Department of Justice lawyers later acknowledged was a mistake. That was because there was a 2019 court order barring his deportation to El Salvador because he feared persecution there. He was returned to the United States in June and shortly after, the DOJ unveiled criminal charges against him, alleging he was smuggling illegal migrants over the border. Prior to that, Tennessee authorities released police body camera footage that appeared to show Abrego Garcia getting pulled over with eight other men in the car on November 30, 2022. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed the media for calling Abrego Garcia was an innocent 'Maryland Man' Kilmar Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported along with thousands of other illegal immigrants in March as part of Trump's crackdown on border security The nation was formerly known as Swaziland, but King Mswati III changed the name to Eswatini in 2018 to avoid confusion with Switzerland. The Trump administration has long claimed that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang. And DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has frequently referred to him as a 'human trafficker, serial domestic abuser and child predator'. Abrego Garcia has denied these accusations and has also pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. He was arrested again on August 25 after being released from custody several days prior. Then, the government stated its intention to deport him to Uganda, which has triggered this court battle between DOJ lawyers and Abrego Garcia's attorneys over where to send him. He is currently in an immigration detention center in Virginia after US District Judge Paula Xinis temporarily blocked his deportation to Uganda. 'Your clients are absolutely forbidden at this juncture to remove Mr. Abrego Garcia from the continental United States,' Judge Xinis told government attorneys on August 25. Abrego Garcia's lawyers are fighting to reopen his immigration case so he can apply for asylum in the US. In filings, the government has stated that Abrego Garcia is a member of a foreign terrorist organization, which makes him ineligible to seek asylum in the US. Disgraced mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor has hit out at 'mass migration' as he took a step forward in his bid to become the next Irish president. McGregor, who was last year found guilty of rape in a civil trial, has formally applied to address a special meeting of Dublin City Council. Under the Irish Constitution, presidential candidates must be at least 35 years old and secure the backing of either 20 Members of Parliament or four of the country's 31 local councils. In a video posted outside Government Buildings on Thursday, McGregor urged people to lobby their local councillors to support his candidacy. 'We have seen the homelessness of Irish children rise to levels unprecedented, proving this Government's refusal to abide by and respect our proclamation where all children of Irish are to be cherished. Instead, our children abandoned,' he said. McGregor said that 'this incompetent failure of future generations has been accompanied with an intense influx of mass migration into an already severed system'. 'Our tourism has sharply declined, while danger on our streets has risen,' he said. McGregor described himself as a 'master of martial combat' and a 'solution driven man' in his plea for the public to urge their local councillors to back his bid to get on the ballot. In a video posted outside Government Buildings on Thursday, Conor McGregor urged people to lobby their local councillors to support his candidacy for president Nikita Hand, Mr McGregor's accuser, is seen leaving the Court of Appeal in Dublin in July McGregor posted a picture of his family alongside a lengthy post on social media to officially announce his intention to run for president of Ireland 'If you want to see my name on the ballot for the presidency, I urge you to contact your local county councillors today and ask them to nominate me,' he said. Nominations opened yesterday, with McGregor applying to appear before Dublin City Council's special sitting on September 15, alongside other hopefuls. A protocol adopted by the council in July allows all candidates who make contact to address councillors for up to five minutes. They will then face a five-minute Q&A session, during which they must comply with the council's code of conduct. Despite this, McGregor's chances of winning support are slim. To secure a nomination, he would need the backing of a majority of the council's 63 members. Lord Mayor of Dublin and Fine Gael Councillor Ray McAdam told the Mail that he will ensure that the meeting is 'conducted in a fair and orderly manner' and that 'all candidates who come forward comply fully with the procedures and criteria approved by the elected members of the Council'. 'This is an important aspect of our democratic process, and it will be treated with the seriousness it deserves,' he said. McGregor described himself as a 'master of martial combat' and a 'solution driven man'. He is pictured following a victory in 2016 President Donald Trump meets with Conor McGregor and family in the Oval Office in March Speaking to the Mail, Sinn Fein group leader Daithi Doolan said his party would either run its own candidate or support Independent TD Catherine Connolly, who already has the backing of several left-wing parties. 'It's highly unlikely [we'd support McGregor]. I'll be saying we should throw our weight behind our own candidate,' he said. Sinn Fein holds nine council seats. The governing parties, Fine Gael (11 seats) and Fianna Fail (eight seats), will instruct their members not to back McGregor, leaving him reliant on a small number of independents. McGregor's political ambitions come less than a year after a Dublin jury in a civil trial found that he raped Nikita Hand in a hotel room in December 2018. The court awarded her almost 250,000 in damages. McGregor lost his appeal against that ruling in July. Three judges concluded that his appeal failed on all five grounds and upheld the previous decision ordering McGregor to pay damages to Nikita Hand. Hand has since launched further legal action following the failed appeal. In her latest filing, she is suing him and two other people for damages, claiming they were involved in malicious abuse of court processes. A Gold Coast grandfather has been arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle a staggering 35 kilograms of methamphetamine into Australia, hidden inside his suitcases. The 62-year-old was stopped by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers at Brisbane Airport on Friday after stepping off a flight from Los Angeles. During a meticulous baggage inspection, officers allegedly uncovered 12 vacuum-sealed plastic bags stuffed with a white crystalline substance concealed deep within his luggage. Initial testing returned a positive result for methamphetamine, with authorities estimating the total haul could have been broken down into 17,500 street-level deals, worth a whopping $11.4 million. The man was immediately arrested by Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers and charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug. The offence carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Shane Scott said the bust was yet another example of the relentless work being done to stop dangerous drugs from flooding Australian streets. 'Our borders at airports are patrolled actively and diligently by the AFP and ABF to target illegal drugs coming into the country,' Mr Scott said. Police seized the 12 vacuum-sealed bags which contained methamphetamine (pictured) Mr Scott added the seizure had stopped millions of dollars from flowing into the pockets of organised crime syndicates. 'The AFP and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our mission to protect Australians from illicit drugs,' Mr Scott said. ABF Commander Operations Queensland Troy Sokoloff said the arrest was the result of targeted intelligence work and the vigilance of frontline officers. 'Methamphetamine destroys lives and families, and this seizure sends a strong message to those who attempt to smuggle drugs into Australia, you will be caught,' Mr Sokoloff said. Authorities said criminal syndicates continue to exploit international travel routes in a bid to move large quantities of illicit substances into the country. But they insist that a combination of intelligence sharing, targeted inspections, and routine screening means Australia's borders remain a formidable barrier. The accused remains in custody and is expected to face Brisbane Arrest Court later today. The bust comes amid a string of major drug seizures at Australian airports. Multiple bags containing the methamphetamine were split up across his luggage (pictured) The major drug bust saw Police seize drugs with a street value of $11million (pictured) Just last year, Sydney Airport officers intercepted almost 50 kilograms of illicit drugs in just 48 hours. The illicit drugs included 27kg of cocaine and 21kg of methamphetamine, in two separate incidents involving passengers arriving from overseas. In June, seven men were charged with plotting to bring more than 300kg of illicit drugs into Australia. A 102-year-old Japanese man has become the oldest person to climb Mount Fuji, and his daughter, 70, joined for the trek too. Kokichi Akuzawa nearly gave up while 'half way through' ascending the 12,000ft summit - but with the help of four friends, his daughter and granddaughter, he completed the feat. The climbing party camped for two nights on the trail before hiking to the top of Japan's tallest mountain on August 5. Prior to the ascent, Akuzawa spent three months training, waking at 5am to walk for hours, tackling roughly one mountain each week. And now his latest achievement has been recognized by the Guinness World Records. 'I was really tempted to give up halfway through,' Akuzawa said. 'Reaching the summit was tough, but my friends encouraged me, and it turned out well. I managed to get through it because so many people supported me.' 'I'm impressed I climbed so well,' he said, communicating with the help of his 75-year-old daughter Yukiko, who repeated questions due to his hearing issues. Kokichi Akuzawa 102-year-old (pictured) has become the oldest person to climb Mount Fuji, and his daughter, 70, joined for the trek too. Kokichi Akuzawa nearly gave up while 'half way through' ascending the 12,000ft summit - but with the help of four friends, his daughter and granddaughter, he completed the feat Prior to the ascent, Akuzawa spent three months training, waking at 5am to walk for hour and tackling roughly one mountain each week Akuzawa added that he doesn't take any mountain for granted at his age, saying: 'It's better to climb while you still can.' However, this not his first-record breaking on Mount Fuji, having previously become the country's oldest person to scale the mountain at the age of 96. In the six years since, he overcame heart issues, shingles and stitches from a climbing fall. Surrounded by relatives in his Maebashi home, he also revealed what drew him to the mountains 88 years ago - the magic of reaching the summit. 'I climb because I like it,' he said. 'It's easy to make friends on the mountain.' Akuzawa was a capable student and worked as an engine design engineer and later as a livestock artificial inseminator, a profession he held until age 85, his family said. 'Whether you liked studying or not, you could enjoy the mountain just the same,' he said. 'Intelligence didn't matter up there. We were all on equal footing and moved forward together.' Akuzawa once enjoyed climbing solo, but with the passing years as his strength decreased he leaned more on help from others. His record climb last month was another test that he passed with assistance. And now his latest achievement has been recognized by the Guinness World Records 'Reaching the summit was tough, but my friends encouraged me, and it turned out well. I managed to get through it because so many people supported me,' he said 'Mount Fuji isn't a difficult mountain, but this time was harder than six years ago. Harder than any mountain before,' he said. 'I've never felt this weak. I didn't have pain, but I kept wondering why I was so slow, why I had no stamina. I'd long since passed my physical limit, and it was only thanks to everyone else's strength that I made it.' When asked if he would attempt another trek up Mount Fuji, he said: 'I'd love to keep climbing forever, but I guess I can't any more. 'Now I'm at the level of Mount Akagi,' a nearby summit standing about half the height of Fuji with a peak of 5,997ft. These days, Akuzawa spends his mornings volunteering at a senior care centre and teaching painting at his home studio. Mountaineering and painting demand time and dedication but both offer peace, he said. 'People who climb mountains, people who paint; if they can create something whole on that path, that's the most fulfilling thing,' Akuzawa said. Akuzawa's daughters want him to paint Fuji at sunrise for the next addition to the depictions of mountain ranges covering his living room walls. 'I've got a lot of requests,' he said, sparking laughter from the assembled family. 'I want to paint some scenes from the summit of Mount Fuji, places that hold special memories for me, since this was likely my last time reaching the top.' Around 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines are battling a 'complex' blaze at the BBC's former headquarters, the Television Centre in west London. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said fire crews are in attendance at the nine-storey building on Wood Lane, White City, after being called to the scene shortly after 3am on Saturday. One person was treated by paramedics at the scene, but did not need hospital treatment. The fire is affecting floors towards the top of the building, which include a restaurant and an area of external decking and ducting, television studios, and an unknown number of flats which have also potentially been affected. LFB and the Metropolitan Police have evacuated nearby buildings as a precaution with a rest centre being set up for those who had to leave their homes. According to footage from the scene shared by LFB, the fire appears to be affecting the Helios Building at Television Centre, the former home of the BBC. The broadcaster was primarily based out of the location until 2012, and the website for the Helios Building says it currently accommodates 162 homes, along with a gym and a 47-bedroom hotel. Wood Lane is closed to traffic and people are advised to avoid the area. LFB says is expects to remain on site 'throughout the day'. Photos from the scene show large plumes of smoke still rising from the building on Saturday morning. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said fire crews are in attendance at the nine-storey building on Wood Lane, White City, London Emergency services rushed to the scene after initially being called out shortly after 3am on Saturday The fire is affecting floors towards the top of the building, which include a restaurant and an area of external decking and ducting, television studios, and an unknown number of flats The brigade said first reports of the fire were received at 3.08am and crews from Hammersmith, North Kensington, Kensington, Chiswick and surrounding fire stations were mobilised to the scene. Two 32-metre turntable ladders are being deployed as water towers to help extinguish the fire from height. The cause of the fire is not known. A resident who lives in converted flats in the old BBC Television Centre said: 'I got woken up by my girlfriend at 3am who was coming back from work - we could really smell the smoke, it was quite thick. 'We could see about 100 firefighters and at least eight or nine fire engines that were all parked up. I could just see a red glow. 'It was glowing really intensely, it almost looked like a portal to the underworld. It was quite sinister. 'We were in a different part of the building on the other side of the complex, so I wasn't evacuated or instructed by any firefighters, but they seemed very on it. 'They were, you know, very professional from what I could see.' Li Mei, 36, who lives in a luxury apartment block across the road, said: 'I got up this morning and my partner told me to look out of the window. 'There was so much smoke - we were worried it was going to get worse. Thank God it seems like nobody has died.' London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: 'Thanks to the hardworking firefighters who continue to tackle a major fire in White City. Residents have been safely evacuated, with a rest centre in place. 'Wood Lane remains closed, and crews are expected on scene throughout the day.' The Salvation Army is on site handing out sandwiches to emergency workers. Around 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines remain on scene this morning LFB and the Metropolitan Police have evacuated nearby buildings as a precaution with a rest centre being set up for those who had to leave their homes Wood Lane remains closed to traffic with crews expected to be on site for much of the day The fire has mainly affected the upper floors to the building, the LFB said A spokesperson for the London Ambulance Service said: 'We were called at 3.13am today to reports of a fire on Wood Lane in White City. 'We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and our hazardous area response team. 'We have treated one patient and discharged them at the scene. 'The incident is ongoing and we remain on scene as a precaution, working closely with our emergency services partners.' At around 11am on Friday, LFB announced its crews were making 'steady progress at the fire'. A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: 'The Brigade was called at 03:08 and Control Officers have mobilised crews from Hammersmith, North Kensington, Kensington, Chiswick and surrounding fire stations to the scene. 'Two 32-metre turntable ladders are also attending and are being deployed as water towers to help extinguish the fire from height. 'The Brigade's drone team is also in attendance, providing the Incident Commander with a greater situational awareness of the fire. 'The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.' The Television Centre was home to the BBC's TV output from 1960 until 2013, when operations moved to Broadcasting House. The centre was then refurbished and reopened in 2017 as a mixed-use complex featuring residential apartments, retail, offices, and three studios for television production. Carney https://www.prpeak.com/the-mix/carney-sending-mp-blois-to-china-to-help-saskatchewan-push-back-on-canola-tariffs-11165742 2 2025325 75.8%100% 100%25% 9 43020 202594 Carney sending MP Blois to China to help Saskatchewan push back on canola tariffs https://www.prpeak.com/the-mix/carney-sending-mp-blois-to-china-to-help-saskatchewan-push-back-on-canola-tariffs-11165742 Dylan Robertson and Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press 2 days ago Prime Minister Mark Carney's parliamentary secretary will go to China to join Saskatchewan's efforts to get Beijing to scrap its canola tariffs and address other "trade irritants," the prime minister's office said Thursday. Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives at Elmsdale Lumber Yard with then-agriculture minister Kody Blois during a campaign stop in Elmsdale, N.S., on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. Prime Minister Mark Carney's parliamentary secretary will go to China to join Saskatchewan's efforts to get Beijing to scrap its canola tariffs and address other "trade irritants," the prime minister's office said Thursday. Carney's office said in a statement Nova Scotia MP Kody Blois plans to join Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe for the three-day trade mission, which starts Saturday, to "engage constructively with Chinese officials." "We are taking action to protect hard-working canola producers, workers, and exporters, defend their fair access to global markets, and protect Canadian jobs," it said. "To that end, the government will announce additional measures in support of Canadian producers shortly." China hit Canadian canola seed with a 75.8 per cent tariff last month, a measure widely seen as a response to Canadas 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles. Beijing had also slapped Canada with 100 per cent duties on peas, canola oil and canola meal, along with 25 per cent levies on Canadian pork and seafood. Moe has called for Carney to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to resolve trade issues. Moe and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have also urged Ottawa to remove its tariff on Chinese EVs. Moe told reporters Thursday in Saskatoon he's pleased Blois is going on the trip. "That is a positive, I think, not only for the mission, but a positive for where we can get to in the broader opportunities that we might have with a country like China," he said. "Thank you to Prime Minister Mark Carney for prioritizing this mission and ensuring that we are working together." Moe said the goal of the trip is to lay the groundwork for Carney and Jinping to come to an agreement. Both countries would see economic benefits by having a positive trading relationship, the premier added. "It isn't going to be myself, the premier of Saskatchewan, and the president of China that are going to stand up at the end of this mission and say, 'Here, we have signed a trade deal.' It needs to be the prime minister of Canada," Moe said. Moe's trip to China is part of Saskatchewan's larger trade mission in Asia that aims to promote the province's products. Saskatchewan Trade Minister Warren Keading is set to be in South Korea while Moe is in China. They are to meet together in Japan for the last half of the mission. "There are new opportunities for our products in Saskatchewan to gain market share in many markets around the world," Moe said. "If we were able to have that access, there's no need for the canola industry (and) producers to be asking for or requesting supports from our federal government." Moe said one positive development is the rebooting of the Joint Economic and Trade Commission, a forum where Ottawa and Beijing can attempt to sort out issues with bilateral trade, such as Canadian restrictions on Chinese steel imports. Asked if he is experiencing better communication with the federal government on issues, Moe said, "There's a stronger leader in Ottawa, simple as that." The canola seed tariff came into force nearly a year after Beijing launched an anti-dumping probe into Canadian canola. Chinas Ministry of Commerce has argued Canadian canola companies were dumping the product into the Chinese market, hurting its domestic canola oil market. Ottawa and farmers have denied dumping, saying exporters are following rules-based trade. The federal government has said China has until September, when the anti-dumping investigation formally ends, to make a final decision on the duties. But the deadline could be extended by six months. Industry groups and Moe have said canola contributed $43 billion to Canada's economy last year and employed 200,000 people. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 4, 2025. Dylan Robertson and Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press A city boss who praised a fellow colleague for his use of 'inappropriate language' has left his 650,000-a-year job. Stuart Rouse has reportedly 'moved on' from his role at insurance firm Nexus Underwriting after sending an 'offensive' farewell email to a colleague who was semi-retiring from the company. The chief executive praised the veteran staffer's 'his ability to include the words 'hairy' and 'growler' into a conversation, quite often leaving the room to howl'. Members of staff reportedly thought the email, sent on June 30, was a spoof after it was also sent to recent school leavers, the Sun reported. One staff member told the newspaper that Mr Rouse had been trying to be 'laddish' to bond with employees after a 'series of bust-ups'. 'The language was so inappropriate, and so everyone was asking "Is this real?" ' the source added. Nexus launched an investigation into the email, which it said contained 'language and references that are wholly inappropriate and offensive'. Mr Rouse has now reportedly parted ways with the company, which he joined in November 2014 according to his LinkedIn profile. Stuart Rouse (pictured) has reportedly 'moved on' from his role at insurance firm Nexus Underwriting after sending an 'offensive' farewell email Mr Rouse has now reportedly parted ways with the company, which he joined in November 2014 according to his LinkedIn profile. Pictured: Nexus office in London An internal email was sent to Nexus staff informing them of Mr Rouse's departure and thanked him for his years of service at the company, according to the Sun. 'You will be aware that in July we launched an investigation following the use of inappropriate language in an internal email,' it read. 'That investigation is now concluded. 'We want to thank Stuart for his contribution to the business over many years.' Shock and grief have swept across Sydney's northern beaches following the death of much-loved surfer Mercury 'Merc' Psillakis. The 57-year-old was killed on Saturday in a shark attack at Long Reef - the break he had surfed since childhood and considered his spiritual home. A devoted husband, father, twin brother and friend, Merc was remembered for his warmth, generosity and the lasting impression he left on everyone he met. As the community mourns, it was just months ago that Merc led a paddle-out at Dee Why to honour former world tour standout Shane Herring. Herring, once hailed as Dee Why's finest and briefly among the world's top surfers in 1992, passed away earlier this year after years away from competition. Merc had been the one to make the calls, spread the word and bring surfers together to form a circle beyond the breakers in his mate's memory at the end of May. Those who attended recalled Herring's infectious energy and the legendary barrel he caught at Dee Why in 1992, a perfect wave immortalised in photos and etched into local surf folklore. Merc and his twin brother Mike were fixtures of the northern beaches surf scene. Mercury 'Merc' Psillakis (right) was killed in a shark attack on Saturday in Dee Why The Northern Beaches community is reeling following the popular surfer's death (pictured) Mike, the master craftsman behind Psillakis Surfboards, was regarded as one of the country's finest shapers. Meanwhile, Merc was known for his green thumb and ran an exotic plant business from his Dee Why home - a venture that earned him the affectionate nickname 'the plant man'. Both were proud members of the Long Reef Boardriders Association, with Merc crowned club champion in 1994 and Mike following in 1999. 'Our hearts are broken for the Psillakis family,' a friend told the Daily Telegraph. 'Mercury walked the path millions of times to surf his beloved Dee WhyLongy stretch. We are processing a deep loss at a beach we call home.' 'He was such a great surfer and always gave off good vibes... the Dee Why and Long Reef community will be hurting for some time.' NSW Premier Chris Minns described the death as an 'awful tragedy,' offering his condolences to those closest to the much-loved surfer. 'My heart goes out to the victim's family and friends,' Mr Minns said. Mercury Psillakis (right) had organised a paddle out for a friend who passed away in May Minns also praised those who rushed to Merc's aid. 'I want to thank the first responders and community members who tried to help in such tough and confronting circumstances,' Minns said. While stressing that such incidents remain rare, Mr Minns acknowledged their devastating impact. 'Shark attacks are rare, but they leave a huge mark on everyone involved, particularly the close-knit surfing community.' Sydney's last fatal shark attack occurred in 2022, when a diver was killed at Little Bay. Dee Why Beach has shark nets in place, but Long Reef, just north of the headland, does not. NSW Government shark biologists have assessed photographs of the victims surfboard and determined a great white shark approximately 3.4 to 3.6 metres in length was likely responsible. Dee Why and Long Reef beaches remain closed by Northern Beaches Council. Fans of Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert could be forgiven for assuming her life after publishing the best-seller which spent 57 weeks at the top of the New York Times bestseller list has been pretty peachy. After all, despite blowing up her marriage and the affair that was the root cause and travelling across three countries aged 34, she had embarked on a journey of personal discovery and found her Hollywood hunk in the form of 'Felipe' - a Brazilian businessman named Jose Nunes. But just 11 years later, Gilbert found herself seriously, calculatingly, plotting the death of her female partner amid a co-dependency spiral accelerated by drug addiction and the impending doom of her lover's terminal cancer diagnosis. 'When I say that I once planned to murder Rayya, I don't mean that the idea simply crossed my mind that my life would be easier if she were gone. I mean that I fully intended to kill her. And I tell this story in all its raw honesty, because I want people to understand how insane co-dependency can make a person become,' Gilbert told the Times. 'I came very close to premeditatedly and cold-bloodedly murdering my partner because she had taken her affection away from me, and because I was extremely tired. That's the sort of person I become when I'm in my insanity.' A self-confessed love and sex addict, Gilbert had long depended on her friend - and in many ways soul mate - musician Rayya Elias since the public release of her happy ending, as told in Eat Pray Love. But when Elias was diagnosed with terminal liver and pancreas cancer in 2016, just months after Gilbert had left Nunes the year before, the author had an epiphany, which left her convinced she had always been in love with her. As early as 2008 - eight years after they met - Gilbert had offered her an old church to live in, rent free - something she now sees as a bid to control her later lover, and keep her close by. A self-confessed love and sex addict, Elizabeth Gilbert (left) had long depended on her friend - and in many ways soul mate - musician Rayya Elias (right) since the public release of her happy ending, as told in Eat Pray Love Things became so bad between the couple while Elias was dying that Gilbert (pictured) considered murdered her partner Now that Elias was dying, Gilbert went all in on her new relationship. But it was not to become the fairytale ending of two lovers, or even the sad tale of a woman caring lovingly for her partner in her final days. Instead, around a year later in spring 2017, the couple plunged into a months-long period of drug addiction, fighting, co-dependence and bitter animosity. Given opiates to help manage her pain, Gilbert describes in her new work - All the Way to the River: Love, Loss and Liberation - how Elias, herself a former drug addict, soon found her pain meds ineffectual. 'This s*** doesn't f***ing work on me! You gotta give me something stronger,' Gilbert recalls Elias desperately saying. They both began taking drugs such as psychedelic mushrooms and MDMA, which left them frequently high out of their minds, resorting to rash decisions such as purchasing a new car or agreeing to rent an apartment in Manhattan, New York. The pair's sex life was hitting the roof, and Elias soon graduated to cocaine, a habit that was funded by her lover Gilbert. But it didn't take long for the cycle to come crashing down around Gilbert's ears. The author began facilitating her lover's severe cocaine habit - registering as an intravenous drug user so she could get her clean needles, tying down Elias's arms or legs so she could shoot up, and failing to get any help for herself or her dying lover. Fans of Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert could be forgiven for assuming her life after publishing the best-seller which spent 57 weeks at the top of the New York Times bestseller list has been pretty peachy Eat Pray Love was turned into a Hollywood blockbuster staring Julia Roberts In her new memoir, Gilbert candidly admits that as the cocaine got in the way of their relationship, causing daily fights and abuse between the pair, she would assist Elias in injecting drugs into her arms, legs, feet and even neck in a disturbing need for love. She told how she and Elias descended into the 'lowest version' of themselves, and how she had a chronic need to make sure Elias 'still wanted me, loved me and approved of me.' And as she began to abandon herself for the sole purpose of trying to rescue her relationship, a typical feature of co-dependence, Gilbert's thoughts turned darker and more sinister. She began seriously considering murdering Elias, by giving her an overdose on sleeping pills or fentanyl patches she was using to manage her pain. At the same time, she considered taking her own life, by drowning herself in a nearby river. Gilbert told the Times: 'The relief this plan brought me, this sense that, 'We can end this nightmare right now. All you have to do is kill her, and there's nothing morally wrong with doing that because she's already dying.' [...] The real thing was, you can kill her and in an hour she will be dead and you can have your life back you can be free.' Fortunately, Elias somehow understood that her lover was having murderous thoughts. Eventually Gilbert fled, and Elias was taken in by an ex-girlfriend who made her get sober and took care of her in her final months. Before her cancer diagnosis, Elias had been completely sober for 19 years. Gilbert returned to her lover's side and was with her in her final weeks, when Elias reached around eight weeks of sobriety. She died on January 4, 2018, aged 57. In Gilbert's words, it was not a 'good' death. 'She had a particularly bad death,' she previously told the Mail. 'Not that there's any such thing as a very good one, but with Rayya, it wasn't only the cancer that was so horrible. 'She was a 19-year-sober recovering drug addict who had fought very hard for her sobriety and had created a wonderful life after being a heroin and cocaine addict for many years.' Shortly after Elias's death, Gilbert told how she plunged straight into another relationship which, perhaps unsurprisingly, ended in disaster. Finally forced to face her love addiction, Gilbert is now in recovery and has been single for six years. Her new book paints an unflinching picture of a life controlled by addiction, fear and loss. Her own family members call it 'appalling'. But for Gilbert, finally telling the truth brings her the closest to peace she can achieve. She lives by a new life mantra: one day at a time. For confidential help and support, contact the Samaritans on for free from a UK phone on 116 123 or go to samaritans.org A mother-of-five said she feared she would be 'the next Lucy Connolly' after being arrested outside Epping District Council offices during an anti-immigration protest. Sarah White was arrested by several officers and then placed in the back of a van when she displayed a Union Jack from the building's steps on Sunday. Police stressed she was arrested and placed in the back of a police car for not obeying the restrictions in place for the protest, which attracted hundreds of people. Sarah is one of the key organisers of demonstrations against asylum seekers being housed in The Bell Hotel, which were sparked by the sexual assault of a girl by a resident, who has since been found guilty. And more recently, Epping District Council announced it would take its case to shut down the Bell Hotel to the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeal overturned a temporary High Court injunction which would have forced the 138 asylum seekers there to leave by September 12. Now the dog care firm owner, who has claimed she is a candidate for Reform UK, has revealed she was 'scared' during her night in the police cells, saying she could hear 'shouting and screaming' all night. Describing the moment, the van began driving away, she told The Telegraph: 'It's like, am I going to be the next Lucy Connolly? Because I've done nothing wrong. What is going on here?' While her daughter was 'distraught', her son questioned her, asking if she really needed to continue protesting against the migrant hotel. But Sarah was adamant that she must go on for future generations. Campaigner Sarah White is arrested outside The Civic Offices during a protest against housing of asylum seekers at The Bell Hotel in Epping on August 31 Footage shows Sarah White holding the flag above an entrance to Epping District Council's Civic Centre at 7.15pm on Sunday The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, that has been used to house asylum seekers The mother-of-five said she feared she would be 'the next Lucy Connolly' after being arrested outside Epping District Council offices during an anti-immigration protest (Pictured: Protesters in Epping) 'I feel compelled to carry on,' she said. 'Getting arrested is ultimately not what I want. I don't want to be away from my children. But ultimately, if I don't stand up then who [will]?' Previously, Sarah was apolitical and didn't always head out to the polling stations, but, since feeling a threat on the 'freedom of choice' since COVID, she has catapulted herself into politics, claiming she has signed up to become a Reform candidate. Discussing how there was no Reform option last Summer, she said: 'I had that urge inside me. Right, if there's no one to do it, I'll do it. I came straight home, filled out the form.' Describing Reform voters as a 'diverse' group of people, she proudly added: 'It's all women in our Epping Forest branch.' And although Nigel Farage has made a bid to great distance between Reform and the far-Right label, White doesn't shy away from it, saying they aren't far Right but doing 'what's right'. 'I dont care if someone labels me as far-Right because what theyre saying is irrelevant and theyre only words Adding how she was not a Nazi nor 'looking to kill people', Sarah maintained she sought to protect her community. Crowds march towards the Civic Centre offices in Epping during the latest anti-migrant protest on August 31 'I feel compelled to carry on,' she said. 'Getting arrested is ultimately not what I want. I don't want to be away from my children. But ultimately, if I don't stand up then who [will]?' (Pictured: The Bell Hotel) 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. He has since been found guilty 'How can that label me as far-Right? If as a mother you want to stop women and children getting sexually assaulted' It comes after the mother-of-five gave her first interview to the Daily Mail just minutes after being released from custody on Monday, where she dubbed her arrest 'an absolute disgrace. 'I am considering legal action against the police. I was one click away from my arm being broken. It's disgusting,' she said at the time. 'I cannot believe what happened. I believe I was targeted and they wanted to make an example of me.' She added: 'I had given a speech about how Epping residents will plan to refuse to pay our council tax because the migrants are still at the hotel. 'Minutes later, I placed the flag at the council office. At a lot of the protests we've been there. That's been part of it.' The mother claimed she was 'manhandled by several officers'. 'I've only just been released, it's nearly been 24 hours,' Sarah, who has now been bailed, said. A spokesperson for Essex Police said her arrest was 'categorically not for flying a Union Flag', but because the Civic Centre was not an area where protesters were allowed. Two other men were arrested on the same night. Anti-migrant protesters scuffle with police near the Bell Hotel in Epping on Sunday Sarah added: 'I'm still in a state of shock. I knew they would hold me for nearly 24 hours.' She added: 'I feel like a political prisoner in a way. They tried to make an example of me. 'I will not stop expressing my view and sharing concerns. I am still campaigning. 'When I was in the van, I heard on the radio that the female prisoner should be de-arrested. That was me. I thought I was being released. 'Then there was another call to say change of plan, and I was taken into custody. It's been unbelievable.' Earlier that 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 on surrounding roads. The Daily Mail has approached Reform UK and Essex Police for further comment. An online fundraising appeal for a British woman jailed for life in Dubai has been taken down for violating the site's guidelines. Mia O'Brien, 23, from Huyton, Liverpool, made a 'very stupid mistake' and is now being held in the city's central prison, her mother revealed. Danielle McKenna, 46, launched a heartfelt plea on GoFundMe for help with travel and legal fees to support her daughter. 'Mia has been given a life sentence over in Dubai and she is now in central prison,' she wrote in the post. 'As you can all probably imagine, as her mother I am absolutely devastated. I haven't seen my daughter since last October. 'Mia is only 23 years old and has never done a bad thing in her life. This is a young girl, who went to university to do law, and unfortunately got mixed up in the wrong so-called friends and made a very stupid mistake and is now paying the price. 'So all I ask is if you can donate anything you can spare, even if it's a 1, it could help up massively and I would be forever grateful. Thank you so much.' However, the GoFundMe page has now disappeared - with a spokesperson for the fundraising site saying it had been removed for 'violating their guidelines'. Mia O'Brien, 23, from Huyton, Liverpool, made a 'very stupid mistake' and has been given a life sentence in Dubai Ms O'Brien is being held in the city's central prison. Her mother set up a GoFundMe page to support her It's not known what Ms O'Brien has been convicted of, but life sentences in Dubai can be given in cases of drug trafficking, depending on the circumstances and the amount of drugs They told The Sun: 'It was removed because it violates Term 9 of the Prohibited Conduct section in our Terms of Service. 'Term 9 prohibits raising funds on GoFundMe for the legal defence of certain alleged crimes.' Ms McKenna previously told the Daily Mail: 'She's going through it at the minute. She's just been transferred to another prison after getting a life sentence. 'It's been a massive shock.' It's not known what crime Ms O'Brien has been convicted of, but life sentences in the United Arab Emirates can be given in cases of drug trafficking, depending on the circumstances and the amount of drugs. Other crimes attracting life terms which in Dubai is usually around 15 years include serious violence and terrorism. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office starkly warns visitors to Dubai on its website: 'There is zero tolerance for drugs-related offences. 'The penalties for trafficking, smuggling, using and possessing illegal drugs (including residual amounts) are severe. Ms O'Brien's mother, Danielle McKenna (right) appealed for help and launched a fundraising page in her daughter's name Other crimes attracting life terms which in Dubai is usually around 15 years include serious violence and terrorism. Pictured: Ms O'Brien Ms O'Brien 'made a very stupid mistake', according to her mother who launched the GoFundMe page 'Sentences for drug trafficking can include the death penalty. 'Possession of even the smallest amount of illegal drugs, including cannabis, can lead to a minimum 3-month prison term or a fine of between 20,000 UAE dirham (4,000) and 100,000 UAE dirham (20,000). 'The Emirati authorities count the presence of drugs in the blood stream as possession. 'Some 'herbal highs' and products containing cannabidiol (CBD) are illegal in the UAE. 'Possessing, concealing or making transactions with money from drugs-related offences is illegal. You could get a prison sentence and a fine. 'UAE airports have excellent technology and security for detecting illegal items, including cannabis. This is also used to scan the baggage of transiting passengers. You can be arrested for carrying drugs, even residual amounts.' An FCDO Spokesperson said: 'We are supporting the family of a British woman detained in the UAE and are in contact with the local authorities.' As of yesterday, the fundraising page, which had a target of 1,600, had raised just short of 700. The Polish government appears to have weighed in on a developing row surrounding the plot of a movie adaptation of Richard Osman's best-selling novel The Thursday Murder Club. A plot twist towards the ending of the film has enraged fans and been described as 'deeply unfortunate' by an institute run by Poland's ministry of foreign affairs. The novel, which has sold some 10 million copies since its release in 2020, follows four senior sleuths Elizabeth (Dame Helen Mirren), Ron (Pierce Brosnan), Joyce (Celia Imrie), and Ibrahim (Sir Ben Kingsley) who band together to try and solve cold murder cases while spending their days at a charming retirement community. But when the body of Tony Curran (played by Geoff Bell)- co-owner of the retirement home Coopers Chase - is discovered, the pensioners find themselves hot on the trail of a murderer much closer to home. Like in Richard's bestselling novel, the killer is eventually revealed as his Polish employee Bogdan, but everything that follows after this in the movie is a drastic departure from the book. Now the Polish Cultural Institute, which is backed by the Polish Foreign Ministry, has accused Netflix bosses of falling back on a negative stereotype of Polish people. According to the author's version, Bogdan's motive for killing his land developer boss is to avenge the death of his friend Kaz many years prior to the events unfolding at Coopers Chase in present day. It is revealed to readers that Tony hired a hitman, Turkish Johnny/Gianni, to murder taxi driver Kaz because he had seen the builder shoot someone at a pub during a botched drug deal. A plot twist towards the ending of the film regarding character Bogdan (right) has enraged fans and been described as 'deeply unfortunate' by an institute run by Poland's ministry of foreign affairs The novel, which has sold some 10 million copies since its release in 2020, follows four senior sleuths Elizabeth (Dame Helen Mirren ), Ron ( Pierce Brosnan ), Joyce (Celia Imrie), and Ibrahim (Sir Ben Kingsley) In his latest writing newsletter, he seemed less than impressed at the cinematic arc for the Polish handyman in the amateur sleuth flick, who despite being revealed as the killer in both versions has very different motives Enraged by Kaz's death, Bogdan killed Tony's associate straightaway and covered it up. Years later, Bogdan also took Tony out by tampering with the security system at his residence before sneaking in and then bludgeoning him to death. But Bogdan's reason for killing Tony is entirely different in the movie, in which the stoic handyman takes Tony's life in an act of self-defence. It is revealed to viewers that Tony and one of his friends, Bobby Tanner (Richard E Grant), were smuggling immigrants into the UK by luring them with better prospects then withholding their passports and essentially enslaving them. Bodgan is one of Tony's smuggled workers who ends up killing him after the Coopers Chase co-owner refused to return his passport so he could visit his mother back home in Krakow, Poland. Like the book, it's retired spy Elizabeth's husband Stephen (Jonathan Pryce) who figures out the identity of Tony's killer, but the movie adds the additional detail of Elizabeth becoming fearful that Bogdan will poison her husband. The movie also strays from its source material when Bogdan confesses his crime to the pensioner even though Stephen has no solid evidence against him. He is arrested after Stephen surreptitiously records his confession and hands it over to the investigating police officers as it appeared the makers effectively closed the door on his return to the film franchise. Like in Richard's bestselling novel, the killer is eventually revealed as his Polish employee Bogdan by the sleuths, who live in an assisted living community Thursday Murder Club viewers are fuming after the new Netflix adaptation made an 'unforgivable' change to Richard Osman 's beloved book series Even Richard Osman wrote a blog post calling for 'justice for Bogdan' - the Polish handyman brought to life on-screen by actor Henry Lloyd-Hughes - after his storyline was 'bizarrely' changed This deviation left Netflix viewers with a 'sour taste' because Bogdan has a very different arc in Osman's Thursday Murder Club books. Many felt that the decision to stray so far from the book's handling of Bogdan's character would mean it's impossible to carry out other storylines such as his romance with fellow character Donna. Anna Tryc-Bromley, director of the Polish Cultural Institute, which is run by Poland's ministry of foreign affairs to promote the nation's culture, said the ending of the film was 'deeply unfortunate'. She accused producers of opting for a Polish stereotype, rather than honour the more complex character arc written by Osman. 'It is high time to move away from presenting Poles in such a one-dimensional way, especially when the original fictional character was far more complex,' she told the Times. Ms Tryc-Bromley also criticised the movie for not employing a Polish actor in Bogdan's role. She continued: 'To make matters worse, when Helen Mirren is chatting with Bogdan about Polish cuisine, she speaks better Polish than him. For unknown reasons they didn't even cast a Pole for the role. What a comedy of errors.' Even author Osman appeared to case some shade at the way the ending unfolded, sending out a blog post to fans titled '#justiceforbogdan. Henry Lloyd-Hughes, who plays Bogdan, responded to criticism when the film was released. 'Richard Osman is so clever at presenting a world which we easily recognise on the surface and yet, underneath it are more intriguing elements,' he said. 'Bogdan is a complicated character, but I feel he comes from a good place and that enables you to root for him.' The film has already jumped to the top of Netflix's most-watched film list with 25 million views. The father of a British boy whose Russian mother is thought to have 'kidnapped' him and taken him to Russia from Costa Del Sol in Spain has been revealed. Oliver Pugh, three, is the subject of a major police operation after he disappeared on July 4, with his father announcing a 87,000 (100,000) reward in the case on Thursday. It is believed to have been taken to Russia by his relationship influencer mother, Anastasiia Chikina, 32, to put him out of reach of British and Spanish authorities. This summer, the Marbella court reportedly granted full custody of the child to Oliver's father, understood by the Daily Mail to be Matthew Pugh, 36, from Bedford. The couple, now separated, had been living in Spain with Oliver, who is described as 2ft 7in tall, with blonde hair and distinctive grey eyes. Speaking to the Sun, the boy's father said: 'We have no idea where they are - Oliver could be anywhere. 'Anastasiia appears to have run off with Oliver when she realised she was going to lose custody.' He continued: 'She devised a plan to secure not only primary custody but also continued use of our family home in Marbella - but it failed. This summer, the Marbella court reportedly granted full custody of the child to Oliver Pugh's father, understood by the Daily Mail to be Matthew Pugh, 36, from Bedford (pictured) It is believed to have been taken to Russia by his relationship influencer mother, Anastasiia Chikina, 32, (pictured) to put him out of reach of British and Spanish authorities. Oliver Pugh, three, is the subject of a major police operation after he disappeared on July 4, with his father announcing a 87,000 (100,000) reward in the case on Thursday 'As a result, she was set to lose custody and face a period of limited supervised visits.' Oliver has been described as 'bright' and 'active', and is said to love planes, cars and Lego. It is believed his mother may have rushed him to Russia as the nation has no extradition treaties with the UK or Spain, so he is unreachable. Although it is not known if Oliver has Russian citizenship, Russia also refuses on principle to agree to the extradition of its own citizens. Spanish Police are said to have contacted Interpol in the hope of obtaining an international arrest warrant for Ms Chikina, who is wanted on suspicion of abduction. Weeks after a missing persons appeal and abduction investigation were launched in Spain, Oliver's mother - who has disappeared along with Oliver's grandmother - took to Instagram on Friday. She wrote: 'We have a difficult conversation to have. 'Talk about how scary it is when the system is against the child. Anastasiia Chikina, 32, took to Instagram with a cryptic post weeks after little Oliver Pugh, three, who is British born with a British father, disappeared on July 4 The couple, now separated, had been living in Spain with Oliver (pictured), who is described as 2 ft 7in tall, with blonde hair and distinctive grey eyes Ms Chikina posted a cryptic message on Instagram weeks after Oliver went missing on July 4 Oliver has been described as 'bright' and 'active', and is said to love planes, cars and Lego Spanish Police are said to have contacted Interpol in the hope of obtaining an international arrest warrant for Ms Chikina, who is wanted on suspicion of abduction 'We have time, not much, but we have it, to understand the truth. 'The truth will not be pleasant to everyone, it usually remains behind closed doors, but here it comes out. She vanished alongside her mother Angela (Anzhela) Nikolenko and her 15-year-old sister. Kremlin-funded Russian state propaganda media columnist Vladimir Kornilov previously rushed to Ms Chikina's defence. Writing on Telegram, he said: 'It is suspected that she [the mother] took her son to Russia. This, of course, is not yet a fact. 'But if this is indeed the case, it seems to me that we must do everything possible to protect the mother's right to be with her Russian child! 'Well, if London can call him British, why can't I call him Russian by the same logic?' He asked: 'How [do] you determine that the boy is British if his mother might think otherwise?' The Foreign Office previously said it is 'supporting the family of a British child who has been reported missing in Spain'. Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson have been urged to join forces to stop Labour winning the next General Election. Nadine Dorries, who sensationally defected from the Tories to Reform UK last week, said that the 'biggest egos in modern British politics' should form a pact to bring down Sir Keir Starmer's malfunctioning Government. Ms Dorries, a long-term supporter of Mr Johnson, said: 'If there's a will to make the lives of people better, then I think both men could and would find some way to accommodate each other's egos and to coexist for the sake of the country.' The former Culture Secretary's remarks, on the Mail's Alas Vine And Hitchens podcast, came as Mr Farage closed his party's annual conference by telling his jubilant followers to prepare for power and to keep their disagreements private. He said: 'You are the people's army and to succeed means one thing: discipline.' Meanwhile, the Prime Minister was battling to stabilise his Government after Angela Rayner's dramatic resignation on Friday for failing to pay up to 40,000 tax owed on a luxury seaside apartment. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch uses an article in today's Mail on Sunday to argue that, in the wake of the Rayner scandal, Sir Keir did not have the 'moral authority' to raise property taxes in November's Budget. Ms Badenoch writes: 'While she [Rayner] was dodging her taxes, Labour spent the summer planning to raise property taxes on ordinary law-abiding families at the Budget this November. 'Angela Rayner was leading the charge, writing to the Treasury in a memo that was then leaked, demanding higher stamp duty. It's nothing less than pure hypocrisy. And now the dust is settling on this scandal, it's clear that Labour has no moral authority to raise taxes on family homes.' Nadine Dorries (left) has called on Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson to work together for the sake of the nation The Reform conference in Birmingham opened on Friday to the news, broken in the Daily Mail, that former Culture Secretary Ms Dorries - a close ally of former Tory PM Mr Johnson - was abandoning the Conservatives and joining Nigel Farage's party On the Mail podcast hosted by Sarah Vine (centre) and Peter Hitchens (right), Ms Dorries (left) was asked if her new party's leader would be prepared to have Mr Johnson 'in some sort of coalition' Sir Keir's panic reshuffle was at risk of unravelling after Jewish leaders complained that Shabana Mahmood, the new Home Secretary, was a pro-Palestinian 'activist' who had 'encouraged mob rule'. In addition, outspoken criticisms incoming Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper made of Donald Trump also emerged in which she accused him of 'Islamophobia, xenophobia and hatred'. The Prime Minister is now facing the fresh nightmare of a party election for the vacant post of Labour deputy leader, with the Left mobilising to field a high-profile candidate. Last night there were even suggestions from sources near Ms Rayner's Ashton-under-Lyne constituency that she could make things even more difficult for Sir Keir by resigning from the Commons all together. That would raise the prospect hoped for by some on the Labour Left of Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham giving up his post and standing in the by-election as a precursor to a bid to succeed Sir Keir. Ms Dorries who revealed her defection on Thursday by telling the Daily Mail that she was leaving the Tory Party because it was 'dead' warned that if the Right continued to be split then it could pave the way for a Left-wing 'unholy alliance' of Jeremy Corbyn, the Greens and even Ms Rayner taking power. Ms Dorries declared: 'We need all the political talents on the right of centre putting their shoulder to what needs to be done for the country. ' She said that there would have to be 'some kind of accommodation' between the Tories and Reform but warned that Mr Farage was not interested in attracting the 'majority' of Conservative MPs. Challenged that Mr Farage (above) and Mr Johnson had probably the biggest egos in modern British politics, Ms Dorries replied: 'If there's a will to make the lives of those people better, then I think both men could and would find some way to accommodate each other's egos and to coexist for the sake of the country' Former Culture Secretary Ms Dorries is a close ally of former Tory PM Mr Johnson (above) To listen to the full interview with Nadine Dorries on the rise of Reform and the state of British politics, search for Alas Vine & Hitchens now She said: 'I think there are some figures, but very, very small in number, that he would welcome. But the truth for most Conservative MPs is there would be no common ground for rapprochement.' Delegates at the Reform conference in Birmingham claimed that former Prime Minister Liz Truss had been 'sniffing around' the party, with two groups she founded Popular Conservatism and the Growth Commission said to be 'dominating' fringe events. But one delegate with knowledge of Mr Farage's thinking did not expect her to be invited to join, saying: 'Nigel is not mad.' Mr Farage has put his party on red alert for a general election as early as 2027 after predicting that the Labour government would disintegrate. Lucy Connolly, who was imprisoned for a 'racist tweet' and visited in jail by Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice, appeared at the conference yesterday, telling the crowd she 'learnt a lot, not all legal' from prison and would use her 'experiences to work with Reform UK in the future' on criminal justice reforms. She received a standing ovation. To listen to the full interview with Nadine Dorries on the rise of Reform and the state of British politics, search for Alas Vine & Hitchens now, wherever you get your podcasts. Angela Rayner is facing calls to shun her government payoff after quitting over her tax affairs. The Deputy PM dramatically resigned yesterday following a standards report that concluded she broke the ministerial code. She is entitled to severance equivalent to three months of her pay - around 17,000. However, from October 13 the rules are due to change so that ministers who commit 'serious' breaches can be blocked from receiving payoffs. Tories have pointed out that Ms Rayner previously backed withholding such packages when ministers are found to have broken rules. Ms Rayner could be forced to hand over 40,000 to HM Revenue & Customs after admitting she should have paid more stamp duty on her new seaside flat. She was meant to be subject to a higher rate due to her connection to a trust that owned the family home in her Manchester constituency. Tax expert and campaigner Dan Neidle has suggested she could also be hit with a 20 per cent penalty for 'carelessness' over her tax arrangements. That would take her total bill close to 50,000. Angela Rayner (pictured with Sir Keir Starmer) is facing calls to shun her government payoff after quitting over her tax affairs Tory frontbencher Alex Burghart (pictured) pointed out the potential irony if former Housing Secretary Ms Rayner decides to accept the severance payment Tax expert and campaigner Dan Neidle has suggested she could also be hit with a 20 per cent penalty for 'carelessness' over her tax arrangements Tory frontbencher Alex Burghart pointed out that the former Housing Secretary the potential irony if Ms Rayner decides to accept the severance payment. He wrote on X: 'On 6th February last year whilst in Opposition Angela Rayner tabled and voted for a motion which sought to prevent outgoing ministers from receiving severance pay if they breach the ministerial code. She surely cannot accept that severance pay now.' 'If she has any integrity then surely she must decline any severance payment,' added Tory party chairman Kevin Hollinrake. Meanwhile, Darren Jones, who was appointed as chief secretary to the Prime Minister on Monday, confirmed it would be Ms Rayner's decision whether to take the severance pay or not. He told Times Radio: 'So we have changed the rules on severance pay for ministers that leave government because we have this ridiculous position under the last government where you could be a minister for a week and a half and then get a load of money for being sacked when the prime minister changed. 'Those new rules come into effect factually next month in October. So just as a matter of fact, in this circumstance, that is a decision personally for Angela Rayner as opposed to the prime minister, which is how that will work when our new rules become live next month.' Ms Rayner announced her departure on Friday after a report by the Government's sleaze watchdog found she had broken the Ministerial Code by failing to ensure she paid the right tax on the seaside apartment. She had bought the seaside property for 800,000 but failed to pay the correct amount of stamp duty, underpaying HMRC by roughly 40,000 Ms Rayner could be forced to hand over 40,000 to HM Revenue & Customs after admitting she should have paid more stamp duty on her new seaside flat Rayner is entitled to severance equivalent to three months of her pay - around 17,000 Angela Rayner channels Elton John as she arrives at No 10 Downing Street on Tuesday Angela Rayner's seaside property in Hove which she purchased for 800,000 but failed to pay the correct amount of stamp duty on The living room of elegant Victorian terrace offers sweeping views of the Hove seafront - a view the politician spent her entire life savings on Ms Rayner's new flat in Hove boasts a spacious fitted kitchen - but the former right-hand woman of Sir Keir Starmer could struggle to cover the mortgage following her fall from grace She now faces potentially losing her Hove property as a result of her resignation, according to The Telegraph, as she will no longer be in receipt of her 161,409 annual salary and will instead be demoted to her basic MP's pay. Ms Rayner will now be taking home 93,904 and her 67,505 pay as Housing Secretary will instead be paid to her replacement Steve Reed, MP for Streatham and Croydon North. Ms Rayner previously revealed she had used her life savings to cobble together a downpayment on her Hove flat. She also sold her 25 per cent stake in the family home in Ashton-under-Lyne for 162,500 and funneled that in to the 150,000 deposit. Official documents have revealed she has a 650,000 mortgage on the seaside flat through NatWest. Her monthly mortgage payments may be as high as 4,000, while her monthly income after tax will only come to 5,400, according to The Telegraph. In contrast her take home pay each month when she was Deputy PM was almost double that at 8,100. Ms Rayner will now also have to factor in expensive travel costs as she will have to commute to London to appear in the Commons from either Hove or Manchester now she now longer has access to her flat in Admiralty House. While serving as Deputy Prime Minister, Ms Rayner also lived in a three-bedroom grace-and-favour flat in Admiralty House (pictured) - which used to be home to Winston Churchill Ms Rayner also had 650,000 Ashton-under-Lyne constituency home (pictured) Your browser does not support iframes. Ms Rayner referred herself to the independent adviser on ministerial standards, Sir Laurie Magnus, on Wednesday, who delivered his report to Starmer on Friday. Though Magnus concluded that Rayner had 'acted with integrity and with a dedicated and exemplary commitment to public service,' he said that 'with deep regret' she had breached the ministers code of conduct. He said he had also considered evidence on other issues, including council tax and inheritance tax but had decided to 'focus my inquiries' on the stamp duty issue. 'I take full responsibility for this error,' Rayner said in her resignation letter to Starmer. 'I would like to take this opportunity to repeat that it was never my intention to do anything other than pay the right amount.' For days Ms Rayner had been battling claims that she failed to pay her taxes in full when she bought the flat in Hove in May. As Deputy PM she had use of a lavish grace and favour Whitehall flat in Admiralty House. She told the Cabinet Office her 'primary residence' was her family home in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency in Greater Manchester. It later emerged Ms Rayner had sold her share of that property to help fund the purchase of the flat in Hove, which allowed her to be closer to her on-off boyfriend Sam Tarry. In an unusual move, she sold her stake to a trust set up to provide for her disabled son who still lives in the property. But tax experts suggested that she would still be considered to have an interest in the property as her son is under 18 meaning that the Hove property should have attracted the punitive rate of stamp duty levied on second homes. These are pictures which will startle and anger Britain. As the Government promises to stop the Channel boats every one of these men, women, and children are gathering at a bus stop near Dunkirk to catch a traffickers ride to Dover and a new life in England. They were snapped at midday yesterday in Gravelines, a port on the French coast, by an astonished Daily Mail photographer passing by in a car. All the migrants at the quayside bus stop were waiting for a free local ride to the beaches to run towards the boats which are now operated like a taxi service across to Dover. In the pictures, the migrants were laughing, joking, believing that their dream of a house, a government living allowance, and the chance of asylum awaited them 21 miles across the English Channel. There was a mood of relief, said the photographer, Steve Finn. They didnt seem stressed. It was the last leg of a long journey from Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan or north Africa. Meanwhile, the French police are understood to have watched on as the migrants waited for the beach buses I never saw them intervene, said Steve although they were there in uniform at the bus stop. Most of the hopefuls will have come from the nearby shanty camps in northern France where they wait for the weather to turn calm for a boat crossing. Others will have been brought like human cargo by car or train from safe houses in the French capital of Paris, or nearby city of Lille, by the trafficking gangs. Large groups of mostly men were spotted idling at the notorious French people smuggling port of Gravelines near Calais on Friday Those gathered sat on a bank in the sunshine at the notorious spot, known as the go-to place to board illegal dinghy's crossing the Channel A source told the Mail that seven boats were spotted off the coast, in full view of the police, waiting to pick up hopeful migrants The groups sat or lay down on the port at Gravelines near Calais, possibly waiting for a small boat As well as men, some women and small children sat around, possible waiting to cross Your browser does not support iframes. This weekend the forecast is that there will be little wind in the channel meaning that many crossings are likely to happen. Within 24 hours, the people you see here may be in Britain and, after a two or three day checking at the Marston reception camp in Kent, will be put in hotels or what is called dispersal accommodation anywhere in Britain. They are likely to claim asylum which means they can get Government paid houses, flats or newbuilds, down our streets while the Home Offices lengthy process of assessing their claims goes on, sometimes for years. Once they receive asylum, then the migrants go on the housing list and can be given preference over local people. Today many thousand migrants are in Calais and Dunkirk hoping for a chance to slip across to the UK. They are like lemmings. 'They are willing to pay thousands a head to the gangs who operate the sailings like a military operation, I was told yesterday by a dispirited Home Office official. The disturbing scene at the French bus stop yesterday show the Governments threat to smash the gangs has not been heard among the migrants. And for the traffickers, who are making themselves millionaires, it is business as usual. A young British woman is in a 'living hell' after being jailed for 25 years in Dubai after being caught with a huge stash of cocaine, her mother has said. Mia O'Brien, 23, of Huyton, Merseyside, has been given a life sentence after being caught with 50 grams of the Class A drugs in the Middle East in October. The Liverpool University law student pleaded not guilty to drug offences in court but was convicted by a judge after just a day-long hearing on July 25. Mia was also fined 100,000 by the court. The amount of cocaine she was found with - 50 grams- has an estimated street value of around 2,500 in the UK. The pretty blonde is now languishing in a cell in Dubai Central Prison with six other inmates - mainly Nigerian criminals. Her mother Danielle McKenna, 46, told the Daily Mail: 'She is absolutely devastated. 'Mia feels she has destroyed her life as she wanted to be a lawyer or solicitor. 'I speak to her but she can't say too much on the phone. Mia O'Brien, 23, of Huyton, Merseyside, has been jailed for 25 years in Dubai after being caught with a huge stash of cocaine Ms O'Brien's mother, Danielle McKenna (right) is appealing for help and previously launched a fundraising page in her daughter's name Ms O'Brien, 23, of Huyton, Merseyside, was caught with 50 grams of the Class A drugs in the Middle East in October 'She's just made a stupid mistake after going over to see a friend and her boyfriend in Dubai. 'But she paid for her own flight as she had a bit of savings. No one paid for her flight so she's not one of these wannabe influencers. 'I don't think she was asked to bring anything back. She was caught with cocaine in an apartment. 'It was about 50 grams and there were two other people - her friend included. They have been charged with drug dealing. 'I don't know whether the friend's boyfriend was a drug dealer but I feel he has a lot to answer for.' The mother-of-five added: 'She pleaded not guilty - they don't have a just trial over there. 'She was just given a life sentence and has to serve 25 years. The trial was all in Arabic and Mia was told of the sentence later by her lawyer. 'She is absolutely devastated by what has happened. Mia is being really strong but I know she is going through a living hell. The pretty blonde is now languishing in a cell in Dubai Central Prison with six other inmates - mainly Nigerian criminals Pictured: Dubai's Central Prison where he 23-year-old is being held The Liverpool University law student pleaded not guilty to drug offences in court but was convicted by a judge after just a day-long hearing on July 25 'The prison conditions are horrendous. There are no staff really and she has to bang on a big door if she needs anything. 'She's seen fights and said she has been really scared. 'Mia said she has to sleep on a mattress on the floor and shares the cell with six others. 'But she's not been ill - she has just come out in a few rashes.' Dubai's Central Prison is notorious for its brutal conditions, with inmates packed into overcrowded cells, tortured for confessions. Rape is an 'every day occurrence' in the jail, according to a report from last year, with violent assaults carried out both by inmates and guards. Several people share beds at a time, with as many as 20 people sharing cells designed for three or four people. Dannielle continued: 'She was crying on the phone and saying: "Oh mum - please forgive me" and was trying to forgive me. 'I was just so shocked and heartbroken as she's never done anything like that. 'She's never been in trouble and is not a drug taker. 'I don't know what has happened but she is old enough to make her own mind up. 'I definitely don't think she was going to sell the drugs or bring them back. 'It's a lot of drugs but there are others involved and she has just been caught up in it.' Mia has not paid the court's 500,000 dirham fine but is due to have an appeal in the next few weeks. Ms O'Brien has not paid the court's 500,000 dirham fine but is due to have an appeal in the next few weeks Ms O'Brien is being held in the city's central prison. Her mother set up a GoFundMe page to support her Danielle said: 'She said she hopes that she might get sent back to serve her sentence here after Ramadan when they might do clemency deals. 'But she is devastated by what has happened. 'We we were all shocked by the sentence she was given. 'But Mia is being really brave about it but she really misses her two young brothers who are aged just five and seven. 'She just wants to come home. I want her home too - she's my only daughter. 'I was so shocked when she told me what had happened - I would never had thought it in a million years. 'She can't wait to come home. She said the prison can be scary but she's just trying to keep her head down.' Danielle dismissed suggestions that her daughter had been caught up in a trap. She said: 'I think she is innocent and has been the victim of a miscarriage of justice. 'The drugs weren't in little packages - I think it was in one big chunk. 'No one paid for her to go. She was only due to go for a few days. 'But she didn't want to get into influencing like some of these other girls 'She works hard for everything. I can't say whether someone wanted her to bring the drugs back as I just don't know.' Some of the inmates who have previously been locked up in prisons in Dubai held have shared details of the horrors they have seen inside. Karl Williams, a Brit who was jailed for a year in 2012, revealed in his memoir how he saw men being stabbed to death, had electric shocks administered to his testicles and feared corrupt police would gang rape him. He described seeing packs of guards stood by without intervening as inmates attacked each other: 'I saw men get stabbed in the neck and others sliced down their faces. Blood splattered every surface as prisoner after prisoner was sliced.' He also said the prison was run by Russian gangsters, who would use HIV-positive inmates to rape and infect others as a means of punishment. Karl Williams claims he saw men torn apart by knife-wielding inmates, while others were forcibly infected with HIV during his time in the hellish Dubai prison. Here he is pictured in his cell during the horror ordeal A doctor shows a hallway at the medical centre of Al-Awir prison during the Covid pandemic Mr Williams, along with fellow Brits Grant Cameron and Suneet Jeerh said they were given electric shocks and had guns held to their heads during their time in the jail. 'They pulled down my trousers, spread my legs and started to electrocute my testicles,' Mr Williams wrote. 'It was unbelievably painful. I was so scared. I started to believe that I was going to die in that room.' The men's lawyers also said that they were forced to sign documents in Arabic at gunpoint. Emirati police denied the allegations. Meanwhile, inmate Dinchi Lar said that in her jail there were a minimum of 10 people for three bunk beds, meaning she was forced to sleep on the floor. 'There's nothing like personal space... you are sleeping and somebody is in your face. You're literally sleeping on top of another person,' she told ITV. Over three months Ms Lar said she was only able to step outside and 'see the sun' for a 15-minute period. Illness is also rife in the prisons, with one British former inmate suffering from tuberculosis which he contracted while in there. Human rights campaigners say some with chronic health conditions were denied adequate medical care. A report in 2019 found that HIV patients in al-Awir were refused life-saving treatment. The cells were gripped by Covid during the pandemic as well, with cramped conditions making it impossible to social distance. A Melbourne family has been left traumatised and are now planning to leave their home after three masked men launched a violent attack on their property, with the suspects still on the run. Police were called to the Powlett Street address in Werribee, southwest Melbourne, just after 9pm on Friday following reports of gunfire. The trio fired multiple shots and smashed windows before fleeing the scene, while six people were inside the home. Investigators believe the offenders approached the property and opened fire before forcing entry. Armed with a machete, a gun, and what appeared to be a hammer, the men smashed through windows, sending the occupants scrambling for safety. CCTV footage captured the terrifying moments, including a shot that narrowly missed a 23-year-old man who had been asleep in his bedroom. The family of six took refuge in the bathroom while the attack unfolded. The ordeal lasted less than a minute before the offenders fled in a silver sedan. The men were last seen running into a silver sedan, caught on CCTV (pictured) No one was physically injured, but the impact on the family and the area has been profound. Detectives have described the incident as a targeted attack, though the motive remains unclear. 'This was a dangerous and deliberate act,' a police spokesperson said. 'We are committed to identifying those responsible and ensuring the safety of the local community.' Forensic teams have been examining the property for evidence, while police maintain a visible presence in the area. Authorities are urging anyone with information about the suspects or their vehicle to come forward. Neighbours said the sound of gunfire shattered the peace of the normally quiet street, leaving residents deeply unsettled. 'When you hear this sort of stuff going on in your local neighbourhood, you're petrified about it,' one resident told Nine. The incident happened on Powlett Street, late Friday night in Werribee (pictured) 'I was actually pretty scared, to be fair. I've never been around violence or anything, so it's a wake-up call,' another added. The family, who have lived in the home for five years, said they no longer feel safe and will be moving out. Police are continuing their investigation into the circumstances of the incident, which is believed to have targeted one of the residents inside the home. Anyone who witnessed the incident, has dash cam or CCTV footage, or anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Machete-related violence remains a major concern in Victoria, with a state-wide amnesty running until November 30, allowing residents to safely dispose of blades at more than 40 bins set up at police stations across metropolitan and regional areas. So far in 2025, Victoria Police have seized nearly 7,000 edged weapons, including swords, knives and machetes, averaging 44 confiscations a day. The figure marks a significant spike compared to previous years. The problem has been highlighted by a series of violent incidents. Machete violence has become a major issue in Victoria, with the government cracking down In August, a 14-year-old boy was attacked by six men armed with machetes at Werribee Plaza, the same suburb where the latest home invasion unfolded. Just days earlier, a separate brawl erupted at the same shopping centre. Four boys aged between 14 and 16 were later charged over the machete and sword fight, which left two teenagers hospitalised. They have since been released on bail. The CEO of McDonald's has called for all restaurant workers to be paid the federal minimum wage to even out 'the playing field.' Chris Kempczinski sat down with CNBC earlier this week and revealed the fast-food chain's stance on the controversial topic. He noted that in many states, sit-down restaurants are allowed to pay servers as little as $2.13 per hour, a minimum set in 1991 - with tips making up the rest of their wage. 'Right now, there's an uneven playing field, you're essentially getting your customer to pay for your labor, right?' Kempczinski said. 'And you're getting an extra benefit from no taxes on tips, everybody should be paying the same wages - tipped and non-tipped. 'We've said repeatedly that we are open to conversations on raising the federal minimum wage,' which is currently set at $7.25 per hour. He added that the company was in 'constant dialogue' with the Trump administration about a host of issues, including the federal minimum wage. President Trump touted eliminating federal taxes on tips on the campaign trail, something which Kempczinski said he also supports. McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski has called for all restaurant workers to be paid the federal minimum wage to even out 'the playing field' Kempczinski noted that in many states sit-down restaurants are allowed to pay servers as low as $2.13 per hour, a minimum set in 1991 Since McDonald's workers don't earn tips, the policy does not apply to the company. Due to their stance, the chain has withdrawn from the National Restaurant Association, a trade group that lobbies on behalf of the industry. A statement from the association earlier this week said: 'McDonalds has chosen to step away from membership in the association due to a policy difference.' Wall Street analysts who met with execs at the chain this week told The Wall Street Journal that the issue surrounding wages directly influenced them leaving the group. That decision has aligned McDonald's with labor groups and activists who have campaigned against the tipped-wage rules. One of those groups, One Fair Wage, welcomed the comments by Kempczinski but added that his stance was in the best interest of the chain. 'McDonalds CEOs comments expose what weve been saying for years: the subminimum wage is indefensible,' the group's statement read. Chicago, where McDonald's is headquartered, is already phasing out the tipped wage, with California raising the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $20 an hour. President Trump touted eliminating federal taxes on tips on the campaign trail, something which Kempczinski said he also supports The comments came after the chain announced it would be expanding its value meals in the hopes of reaching price-conscious customers. As of Monday, the chain had brought back its Extra Value Meals, after its US same-store sales fell 3.6 percent in the first quarter - the worst since 2020. 'Particularly with lower and middle-income consumers, they're feeling under a lot of pressure right now,' Kempczinski said. 'Reengaging the low-income consumer is critical, as they typically visit our restaurants more frequently than middle- and high-income consumers.' Horrific footage captured the moment a madman fatally stabbed a Ukrainian refugee from behind as she sat on a train in North Carolina. The sickening attack unfolded on August 22, soon after Iryna Zarutska, 23, boarded a South End light rail train in Charlotte. Cops identified the stabber as homeless man Decarlos Brown Jr., 35, who has a lengthy rap sheet, including an arrest for assaulting his sister. He was seen in the footage watching Zarutska for some time after she sat in the seat in front of him, eventually taking out what appeared to be a blade from his pocket. He then stood up and loomed over the 23-year-old, swinging the knife at her as she sat with her phone. Brown was shown leaving a trail of blood throughout the train as other passengers appeared not to realize the killing that had taken place, before he rips off his shirt. He was arrested soon after and charged with first-degree murder. His bond was subsequently denied by a judge and he remains in custody. Zarutska's heartbroken family said on a GoFundMe page that she had only arrived in the US in 2022 'seeking safety from the war' in her home country, and 'hoping for a new beginning' before the slaying. Horrific footage captured the moment Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, 23, was stabbed to death from behind as she sat on a train in North Carolina Zarutska's heartbroken family said that she had only recently arrived in the US 'seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning' before the random slaying Brown was revealed to be a career criminal who has spent most of his life in and out of prison. A Daily Mail review of police records found that he was charged with misusing 911 as recently as January, when he told cops he believed someone had given him a 'man-made' material that controlled his actions. He was released without bail and a trial pending when he allegedly stabbed Zaruska to death. Brown served five years in prison for a 2014 armed robbery and was released in September 2020. In February 2021, Brown was arrested for assaulting his sister in Charlotte and leaving her with minor injuries, according to police records obtained by the Daily Mail. That same month, he was again arrested for injury to personal property and trespassing. A police report from that incident said Brown 'returned to the address after being told he was not allowed back and kicked and damaged the front door of the listed victim's residence.' In July 2022, Brown was arrested for a domestic disturbance. Suspect Decarlos Brown, 35, has spent most of his life in and out of prison. Brown served five years for a 2014 armed robbery and was released in September 2020 - when he quickly resumed a life of crime The sickening stabbing unfolded on August 22 soon after Iryna Zarutska, 23, boarded a South End light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina Brown was seen in the footage watching Zarutska for some time after she sat in the seat in front of him Brown was seen in the footage leaving a trail of blood throughout the train as other passengers appeared not to realize the killing had taken place '[Brown] was arrested for disorderly conduct. The suspect was yelling and cursing, causing a disturbance and drawing the attention of multiple tenants while on the property,' a police report read. Brown's arrest records go as back as 2007, when he was still a minor. Over the next seven years, he was arrested at least six times for crimes including felony larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon and communicating threats. According to the Charlotte Observer, most of the charges he faced during that time were dropped. When reached for comment, the Mecklenburg District Attorney's Office told the Daily Mail Tuesday it cannot speak about defendants with pending cases. 'In broad terms, it remains the position of the District Attorneys office that those who commit violent crimes should be held in custody pending trial,' the DA's said. Brown's latest alleged crime is his most serious. Local Councilman Edwin Peacock demanded answers from authorities, noting the community no longer feels safe to ride public transportation. In February 2021, Brown was arrested for assaulting his sister in Charlotte and leaving her with minor injuries Zarutska's family called her death 'an irreparable loss' 'Right now, the trust and confidence that we have right now, and particularly between South End and Uptown, it's very fragile right now,' he said. 'The story is heart-wrenching, and if, obviously what we're hearing is true, clearly we need to give that family answers. 'And we, more importantly, need to give all the citizens who are riding the light rail a lot of confidence that you're going to be safe.' Zarutska's family called her death 'an irreparable loss' on the GoFundMe page. She had been 'hoping for a new beginning' when she moved to North Carolina, the family said. 'We have created this fundraiser to support Valeria and her loved ones during this heartbreaking time and to help them with the unexpected expenses.' An Alabama man who claimed to be the 'Angel of Death' was arrested after he threatened a California church and police found a cache of weapons in his vehicle. Joshua Michael Richardson, 38, of Jemison, had sent threatening emails to St. Michaels Abbey, in Silverado, California, located roughly 50 miles south of Los Angeles, in mid-August. He claimed to be the 'rider of the pale horse,' a reference to the Book of Revelation's Four Horsemen, and claimed he was 'sent to do the Lord's reaping before his harvest,' the Orange County District Attorney's Office said. According to the Bible, those who ride the pale horse have the power to kill via sword, famine, and disease. Richardson also allegedly believed he was the Archangel Michael, who in in Roman Catholic belief assists souls in reaching Heaven during death and weighs a person's good deeds against their sins on Judgment Day. In the email, Richardson allegedly told church officials he would be traveling to the church to attend the Feast of St. Michael, which takes place from September 28 to November 8. He arrived at the church on August 26, where he attended service, before following a priest into a private area and told him he 'came to do the Lord's work, to separate the weak from the weeds,' prosecutors said. Richardson also allegedly told the priest he was a rider of the pale horse. Joshua Michael Richardson, 38, sent threatening emails to St. Michael's Abbey, in Silverado, California, located roughly 50 miles south of Los Angeles in mid-August He claimed to be the 'rider of the pale horse,' a reference to the Book of Revelation's Four Horsemen, and claimed he was 'sent to do the Lord's reaping before his harvest,' the Orange County District Attorney's Office said Two days later, the Alabaman was arrested by the Orange County Sheriff's Department in Santa Monica after the church contacted authorities about Richardson's threatening behavior. While searching his vehicle, they found body armor, high-capacity magazines, brass knuckles, knives, and a sword. He was quickly detained for criminal threats and was later arrested and booked into the Orange County Jail. Richardson was charged with felony counts of criminal threat, possession of brass knuckles, possession of a dirk or dagger, and possession of a large-capacity magazine. He was held on $50,000 bail, which was revoked after his first court hearing on Tuesday. Richardson also posted many videos to his Instagram page, including a message to Catholics in which he prayed the Hail Mary and gave them a warning. 'Dear Catholics,' he said in an April video. 'What are you thinking? You are putting the Earth Mother of Christ on the same pedestal as the Almighty Father. 'Repent at once!' While searching his vehicle, authorities found body armor, high-capacity magazines, brass knuckles, knives, and a sword He was arrested in Santa Monica after the church contacted authorities about Richardson's threatening behavior, including emails and following a priest into a private area He also posted a threat aimed at Hillary Clinton, calling her 'evil.' 'Hillary, I know you think you are important,' he said in another April video. 'But the truth is, you're just an evil c***. 'You thought you were safe in the dark, but you didn't know that the darkness was my shadow, and it has seen all that you do, you dumb b***h. I will come for you. 'There is no escape from your fate,' he concluded. He also posted a low-lit video, titled 'The Rebel Yell,' in March, in which he can be seen only by candlelight. In a breathy voice, he said: 'I am the soul of a nation. I have come to punish the wicked, corrupt, and the damned. I told you the last time with my dying breath that I'll be back. And here I am.' Richardson's arrest came just a day after two schoolchildren were killed during mass in Minneapolis. 'No one should have to worship in fear that a stranger would walk through the door with the intent to carry out their own day of judgement and determine who lives and who dies,' Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. Richardson also allegedly believed he was the Archangel Michael, who assists souls to reach Heaven during death in Roman Catholic belief Richardson also posted many videos to his Instagram page, including a message to Catholics, where he prayed the Hail Mary and gave them a warning to repent 'A threat on one house of worship is an attack on every place of worship, and we refuse to allow threats and terror [to] dissuade any person from practicing their faith without fear.' The Sheriff's Department encouraged people to speak up if 'something seems off' and to 'trust your instincts.' 'Whether it is a strange message, unusual behavior, or something that does not sit right. Your call could stop a crime before it happens.' Nigel Farage today said female asylum seekers from Afghanistan would be deported back to the Taliban-ruled country if they arrive in Britain on small boats. The Reform UK leader has promised to deport 600,000 migrants over five years if his party wins power at the next general election. But it has been unclear whether that number would also include women and children who make perilous Channel crossings. Mr Farage attempted to clarify his party's stance in a round of TV interviews at Reform's conference in Birmingham on Saturday. He confirmed he would seek to deport Afghan women if he becomes prime minister, despite the oppression they face under the Taliban. 'For clarity, those that cross the English Channel will be detained and deported, men and women,' he told Sky News. In his keynote speech to Reform's conference on Friday, Mr Farage vowed his party would 'stop the boats within two weeks' of winning power. But, as he spoke to broadcasters on Saturday, he rolled back that promise to ending the Channel migrant crisis within a fortnight of passing new legislation. Nigel Farage said female asylum seekers from Afghanistan would be deported back to the Taliban-ruled country if they arrive in Britain on small boats The Reform UK leader has promised to deport 600,000 migrants over five years if his party wins power at the next general election Your browser does not support iframes. Mr Farage told Sky News: 'This has to happen quickly. We have to get the legislation through as quickly as is humanly possible. 'And once we have the powers we need, within two weeks, it'll stop.' When he first announced his deportation plans last month, Mr Farage said a Reform government would be 'detaining and deporting absolutely anyone' who arrives via small boats. But, a day later, he said Reform was 'not even discussing women and children at this stage' as part of the deportation plan. Quizzed about his party's policy at Reform's conference this weekend, Mr Farage said: 'I've made it very, very clear that our first priority, our first priority with those living in Britain illegally is to deport men. 'It is men that are clearly the more perceived danger.' He added: 'Those that arrive by boat we'll be detained. Men and women will be detained and deported.' Mr Farage admitted that his party would have to 'think about' deporting children as there would be 'a duty of care' to youngsters who cross the Channel. But he added 'the numbers here are so tiny, it's almost irrelevant'. Reform has said, if they form the next government, they would be prepared to pay the Taliban to take back migrants to Afghanistan. The party wants to sign new returns deals with countries around the world if it wins the next general election - regardless of their human rights records - and will promise them more aid money if they agree. Up to 2billion of the total 10billion cost of Reform's plans to tackle the small boats crisis would be offered to other countries in exchange for migrant return deals. Mr Farage on Saturday confirmed that women would be deported to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan 'if necessary'. He dismissed possible human rights concerns, saying: 'I am more concerned about the rights of British people than I am about those who come here illegally.' Figures from the University of Oxford's Migration Observatory show that Afghan nationals made up 15 per cent of all small boat arrivals between 2018 to 2024. However, the majority of all those arriving in small boats are men over the age of 18 around 76 per cent of 2024 arrivals for who this information was recorded. Another 14 per cent of arrivals last year were children under 18. Elsewhere in his Sky News interview, Mr Farage said he mis-spoke when he claimed to have bought a house in his Clacton constituency before last general election. It follows the revelation that the Essex property was in fact bought by his partner Laure Ferrari. Mr Farage said: 'I should have said 'we'. All right? My partner bought it, so what?' The Reform leader said it was 'her money' and 'her asset'. 'I own none of it. But I just happen to spend some time there,' he added. 'I should have rephrased it. I didn't want to put her in the public domain.' Met Police officers have arrested people taking part in a protest in support of proscribed group Palestine Action. Hundreds of protesters gathered in Parliament Square in central London on Saturday to express solidarity with the banned terror group, despite police warnings that anyone attending the demonstration could face arrest. Protest organisers Defend Our Juries estimated around 1,500 were attending today's event, which started just before 1pm, as they held signs saying: 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.' Arrests began taking place shortly after as officers swarmed the crowd and began escorting some into police vans. There were visible tensions as other officers had screaming arguments with protesters elsewhere in the square, with some demonstrators in tears, while others chanted: 'Met Police - pick a side, justice or genocide.' There are still hundreds of protesters holding signs in Parliament Square and it is likely to take police all afternoon to remove every one of them. Those arrested are expected to refuse street bail, requiring more people to be taken into custody, and they plan to go 'floppy', forcing officers to physically carry them away. A total of 138 people have so far been charged with showing support for Palestine Action under Terror Laws after a similar demonstration by supporters of the banned group took place in London on July 19. A demonstrator is led away by police officers as people take part in a protest in support of Palestine Action in Parliament Square on Saturday Police officers carry a protester into a police van during a protest to support Palestine Action in London People gather at the Parliament Square on to show solidarity with the banned terror group Palestine Action Mike Higgins, 62, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, returned to the Parliament Square protest after making headlines last month as one of 532 people arrested at a previous demonstration. He said: 'What choice do I have? Nothing is being done about the genocide other than by us. And I'm a terrorist? That's the joke of it. 'I've already been arrested under the Terrorism Act and I suspect I will be today. Of course I'll keep coming back - what choice do I have?' Another protester has been spotted wearing a 'Plasticine Action' t-shirt - a satirical play on the banned group which drew headlines last month when another demonstrator was mistakenly arrested for it. Franco Ferrer, 69, from Llanberis in north Wales, said police had been photographing him since he arrived. He said: 'Maybe they can't read. The T-shirt is an effective way of getting the message across without risking arrest. 'I won't write a sign because I don't think I have the courage to do that. 'I've come to support the action because the Government banning a protest group by using terror laws is outrageous. It's silencing free speech.' Protesters sit down with their placards in support of Palestine Action in the middle of Parliament Square A man holds a Palestine flag while standing on top of a traffic light in Parliament Square in London on Saturday A protester is carried away by police officers during a protest in support of Palestine Action in Parliament Square Police and demonstrators clash in Parliament Square in central London during a protest in support of Palestine Action A man holding a sign reading 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action' is led away by police officers in Parliament Square A demonstrator is led away by police in handcuffs during a protest in support of Palestine Action in Parliament Square Mike Higgins, 62, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, returned to the Parliament Square protest after making headlines last month as one of 532 people arrested at a previous demonstration Demonstrators shot at police as they take part in a protest in support of Palestine Action in Parliament Square on Saturday A man is led away by police officers as people take part in a protest in support of Palestine Action in Parliament Square in London A woman is led away by police officers during a protest in support of Palestine Action in London on Saturday Police officers tussle with demonstrators as they take part in a protest in support of Palestine Action in London on Saturday Police officers hold back demonstrators in London during a protest in support of proscribed group Palestine Action A police officer carries a demonstrator from the crowd during a protest in support of proscribed group Palestine Action A police officer carries a mannequin with a sign reading 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action' during a protest in Parliament Square on Saturday Protesters hold up signs saying 'I oppose Genocide. I support Palestine Action' during the demonstration in Parliament Square on Saturday Police officers attempt to grab two demonstrators on the ground as they begin making arrests during a protest in support of Palestine Action Police officers detain a demonstrator during a protest in support of Palestine Action in Parliament Square on Saturday Scotland Yard's Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said: 'Palestine Action is a group that has been proscribed by the UK Government. It is a criminal offence to be a member of it or to express support for it. 'Those participating in this protest and in previous such protests do so knowing that their actions are unlawful. 'I can be unequivocal, if you show support for Palestine Action - an offence under the Terrorism Act - you will be arrested. 'We have the officer numbers, custody capacity and all other resources to process as many people as is required.' Demonstrators are also expected to take action in Belfast and Edinburgh today following a boost in support for the group. DOJ said on Friday that it had sent a letter to Sir Mark Rowley ahead of the protest in Westminster. It said police forces in Edinburgh, Totnes, Derry and Kendall had all decided not to arrest sign-holders. It comes after six people who are alleged to be members of the DOJ, or working closely with it, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday to deny terror offences after they were accused of attempting to organise mass gatherings with the aim of rendering the ban on Palestine Action unenforceable. Demonstrators gather in Parliament Square in central London on Saturday to express solidarity with Palestine Action Protesters hold signs reading 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action' during a protest in support of the proscribed group in Parliament Square on Saturday Police officers face off with protesters carrying a Palestine flag next to a police van in central London on Saturday Police officers detain a demonstrator during a protest in support of Palestine Action in Parliament Square on Saturday Police officers guide a protestor in a wheelchair into the back of a van during a protest in support of Palestine Action in Parliament Square on Saturday Police officers surround a demonstrator on the floor during a protest in support of Palestine Action in London Met officers escort a demonstrator from the crowd during a a protest in support of Palestine Action in London's Parliament Square Protesters sit down with their placards reading 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action' A man holds a sign saying 'Palestine needs action from UK Government now' Protesters sit down with their placards in support of Palestine Action during a demonstration in London on Saturday Police officers stand guard as demonstrators attend a rally organised by Defend Our Juries in Parliament Square on Saturday Supporters of the banned Palestine Action group hold placards and wave flags as they stage a protest in Parliament Square in London The charges related to plans for meetings in London, Cardiff and Manchester that were allegedly organised over Zoom in July, August and this month. On Friday, the Crown Prosecution Service said a further 24 people were charged over allegedly showing support for the group, bringing the total number being prosecuted to 138. Palestine Action was banned as a terror organisation in July after the group claimed responsibility for an action in which two Voyager planes were damaged at RAF Brize Norton on June 20. The Home Office is set to appeal against the High Court ruling allowing Palestine Action's co-founder Huda Ammori to proceed with a legal challenge against the Government over the group's ban. Ms Ammori took legal action against the department over Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's decision to proscribe the group under anti-terror laws, which made membership of, or support for, the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Two men have been charged after allegedly defacing Sydney's sacred Anzac Memorial, an act that has sparked widespread outrage. Just after midday on Thursday, the pair were allegedly seen spraying an unknown substance across the memorial's walls and steps in Hyde Park. According to police, one man targeted the eastern walls and northern steps, while the other focused on the southern steps. Witnesses watched in disbelief as the men allegedly completed their actions and then casually walked away together through the park. Detectives from Sydney City Police Area Command launched an urgent investigation. Less than 36 hours later, both men, aged 61, attended Auburn Police Station, where they were arrested after turning themselves in. They have each been charged with wilfully damaging or defacing a protected place, as well as destroying or damaging property valued between $2,000 and $5,000. Police allege the damage caused 'permanent' staining to the memorial's granite. The men were charged over defacing Sydney's Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park The men say they did not intend to cause damage, and were paying tribute to the Anzacs Both men appeared before Parramatta Local Court on Saturday. Speaking to Nine News, one of the accused claimed his actions were intended as a tribute. 'I wasn't just honouring them, I was honouring the families,' he said. 'My grandfather was in World War II.' The second man expressed remorse, telling a reporter that he had, 'No intention of causing malicious damage'. As part of their bail conditions, the pair are prohibited from coming within 80 metres of any military memorials, including statues. The Anzac Memorial, located in Hyde Park South, is one of Australia's most significant war monuments and is dedicated to honouring the service and sacrifice of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps personnel. The alleged defacement has drawn strong condemnation from veterans' groups, community leaders, and members of the public. Police say that oils they allegedly sprayed on the memorial have caused permanent damage NSW Minister for Veterans Affairs David Harris condemned the men over the incident (stock) David Harris, the NSW Minister for Veterans Affairs, slammed the incident. 'The act of alleged vandalism against the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park is a serious offence against a site of state and national significance,' Mr Harris said. 'The Anzac Memorial stands as a solemn tribute to the courage, sacrifice, and service of Australian men and women in times of war and peace.' 'Any harm to this sacred memorial is an affront to the values it represents and the memory of those it honours.' Both men are expected to plead guilty to the charges when their case returns to court. Not since Britney Spears rage-shaved her head has the world been in such a tizzy over a hairstyle. Enter Catherine, Princess of Wales. Prince William and Kate Middleton made their first public appearance in two months at London's Natural History Museum on Thursday, where the future queen debuted her new flowing, blonde locks. Then, suddenly, it seemed like someone kicked open the barn doors of the troll farm, as the dirty denizens of the interwebs coughed up a hairball. 'I don't like it,' a ghoul seethed about Katie's doo on X. 'Nope, not a fan,' another yelped. 'Looks terrible,' posted an obese 45-year-old in a mustard-stained undershirt from his mother's basement in Peoria, Illinois (At least, that's how I picture it). So her royal tresses are long, curly and fabulous. Who cares? Not since Britney Spears rage-shaved her head has the world been in such a tizzy over hairstyles. Enter Catherine, Princess of Wales Prince William and Kate Middleton made their first public appearance in two months at London 's Natural History Museum on Thursday, where the future queen debuted her new flowing, blonde locks The hirsute hubbub was so massive that even Princess Diana's former hairdresser Sam McKnight, a man who knows a thing or two about royal strands, whipped out his clippers, posting: 'I am shocked, horrified, dismayed and disgusted by all the nasty comments about the Princess of Wales today. A woman's hair is very personal to her, it's armour, defence, confidence and so much more. She has brilliantly and quietly, unselfishly represented our country, the soft power we still have as a nation. Cancer affects individuals differently, but is life-changing for everyone. So FFS LEAVE HER ALONE. SHAME ON YOU.' Well said. As the world knows, in March 2024, Kate announced that she underwent preventative chemotherapy treatment, making all this totally inexcusable. Yet the response from Kate and the Palace was, of course, silence. Neither she nor they will lower themselves to engage with the mouth-breathers. But I know someone who would. and does! Enter Meghan, Duchess of Despair and Endless Grievance (hat-tip, Maureen Callahan) Imagine for a moment if the online goblins of the world had erupted over Me-Me Markle unveiling a new look. It's clear to me that Meghan and the Complaint Prince Harry would be demanding an international summit demanding a unified NATO response to the slight. Take Meghan's latest interview with Bloomberg's The Circuit. On the heels of the critical-faceplant of the newest season of her Netflix series 'With Love, Meghan,' she delved into her favorite topic: her misery. Imagine for a moment if the online goblins of the world had erupted over Me-Me Markle unveiling a new look On the heels of the critical-faceplant of the newest season of her Netflix series 'With Love, Meghan,' she delved into her favorite topic: her misery 'I had to wear nude pantyhose all the time,' she said of her short-stint as a working royal. 'Let's be honest, that was not very myself. I hadn't seen pantyhose since movies in the 1980s. That felt a little bit inauthentic.' Inauthentic? That's your brand! Even Moaning Meghan realized how ridiculous she sounded. 'That's a silly example but it is an example of when you want to dress the way you want to dress and say the things that are true and you're able to show up in that space really organically and authentically that's being comfortable in your own skin.' Meghan 'Not Many People Have Asked If I'm OK' Meghan is a snowflake! Here's the real truth (yours and mine, Meghan). This curly kerfuffle is even more proof that royal women (current and former) face harsh scrutiny and it will always be such. But Princess Kate will rise above it, as she always does. Meghan, unfortunately, will make it the topic of a podcast. Indigestion Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay always swore his kids would never be 'nepo-babies', but it appears he's changed his tune now that his 23-year-old daughter Tilly landed her own cooking show. I don't care what this culinary Chelsea Clinton is cooking. This flavor of hypocrisy makes me sick. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay always swore his kids would never be 'nepo-babies', but it appears he's changed his tune now that his 23-year-old daughter Tilly (pictured) landed her own cooking show The band played on My hometown of Portland, Oregon has a new brainless mayor, who's reaching for the same old failed progressive playbook. Keith Wilson is begging his constituents to donate snacks and household items to address the city's raging homeless crisis. Expired Quest bars and a few beach loungers are going to fix this disaster. Wilson is just rearranging the folding chairs as Bumland sinks. Hair-raising! The pearl-clutchers were horrified when dinky diva Sabrina Carpenter was on her hands and knees before a man holding a fist full of her mane on the album cover of her record 'Man's Best Friend.' Well, Sabby's not groveling now. The record scored the biggest opening week for an international artist on the UK albums chart this year. Turns out prudes buy vinyl too! Carpenter's record scored the biggest opening week for an international artist on the UK albums chart this year Grand OLD Party The oldest member of the House toddled out in Washington this week to declare that she will be running for re-election. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), 88, struggles to walk unassisted and anonymous Dems are grousing that she needs to go in favor of young guns, who could be 'throwing f*****g fireballs at Trump.' At Eleanor's age she shouldn't even be throwing a tantrum. Eleanor Holmes Norton (pictured), 88, struggles to walk unassisted and anonymous Dems are grousing that she needs to go Blackhead Biebs Justin Bieber gave gawkers something to gander: not one, but two stars hanging out his car window as he drove through LA on Thursday. He was spotted with a green pimple patch on his forehead. The hit maker is also a zit maker. Now all the immature antics make sense. He's in puberty! Two boys have been killed in a suspected targeted attack in Melbourne, with police investigating whether gang violence is behind the double stabbing. Emergency services were called to Marble Drive in Cobblebank, 33km west of the CBD, just before 8pm on Saturday following reports of a seriously injured person. On arrival, paramedics found a 12-year-old boy with critical stab wounds. Despite efforts to revive him, he died at the scene. A short time later, police responded to a second call less than 200 metres away on Cobble Street. There, a 15-year-old boy was found seriously injured. He too could not be saved and died at the scene. Victoria Police confirmed homicide squad detectives were investigating both deaths, which are believed to be linked. Officers are treating the incident as a targeted attack, though the exact circumstances remain unclear. Officers are treating the incident as a targeted attack The two deceased were found just hundreds of metres away from each other in Cobblebank 'The exact circumstances surrounding the deaths are still being determined but are believed to be connected,' Victoria Police said in a statement last night. 'At this time police are treating it as a targeted attack and the investigation remains ongoing.' Witnesses reported a black SUV in the area around the time of the stabbings, which detectives are examining as part of their inquiries. Crime scene vans and an SES tent were set up as officers canvassed the neighbourhood for evidence and spoke with nearby residents, including teenagers who may have witnessed the events. Locals described the suburb as usually calm and family-oriented. A woman was seen crying hysterically on Marble St about 9pm as family members tried to comfort her. It's understood parents and neighbours said other children were unaccounted for. One Marble Street resident, who has lived there for seven years, told the Herald Sun: 'It's always really quiet here.' The murders have left the Cobblebank community reeling, with shocked neighbours gathering near the cordons late into the night The murders have left the Cobblebank community reeling, with shocked neighbours gathering near the cordons late into the night. Victoria's Opposition Leader Brad Battin told The Herald-Sun the horrific scene was a 'tragic outcome of the crime crisis' in the state. 'Too many Victorians have been victims of crime. Last night, two more Victorians were tragically added to that tally,' he said. 'When we talk about the crime crisis, we can never lose sight of its human cost. These are not just statistics, they represent lives lost, families shattered, and communities forever changed.' Anyone with information is being urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg today revealed his teenage daughter Mary has joined Reform UK - but he insisted he won't be defecting to Nigel Farage's party himself. The former Tory minister was seen being mobbed for 'selfies' by Reform members at the party's conference in Birmingham on Saturday. He was also urged to abandon his support for the Conservatives and switch to Mr Farage's outfit. But Sir Jacob disappointed attendees when he spoke at a fringe event to declare he was 'going to remain a Tory', despite recent speculation he was on 'defection watch' . The father-of-six admitted he was 'having his arm twisted' by his daughter, who he was 'embarrassed' to say had joined Reform. 'Mary has joined Reform but I'm not going to,' said the ex-Cabinet minister, who is also a parent to Peter, Thomas, Anselm, Alfred and Sixtus. 'I'm going to remain a Tory because I think it is fundamental that we bring the family of the Right together.' The former business secretary added the 'family of the Right' needed to unite under Britain's first-past-the-post electoral system in order to win a majority. Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg revealed his teenage daughter Mary has joined Reform UK - but he insisted he won't be defecting to Nigel Farage's party himself The former Tory minister was seen being mobbed for 'selfies' by Reform members at the party's conference in Birmingham on Saturday Sir Jacob disappointed Reform attendees when he spoke at a fringe event to declare he was 'going to remain a Tory', despite recent speculation he was on 'defection watch' On the first day of Reform's conference on Friday, Mr Farage welcomed the latest Tory defector to his party as he was joined on the main stage by Nadine Dorries. Adam Holloway, Sir Jake Berry, Andrea Jenkyns, Marco Longhi, Ross Thomson, David Jones and Lee Anderson are other exConservative MPs who have joined Reform. As she addressed Reform's conference, Ms Dorries issued a rallying call for Tory members to 'do the right thing' and copy her by switching to Mr Farage's party. She said the next general election was 'going to be the most important ever' as she threw her backing behind Mr Farage to be prime minister. Sir Jacob, the former business secretary, is also father to Peter, Thomas, Anselm, Alfred and Sixtus The former culture secretary, who served alongside Sir Jacob in Boris Johnson's government, hailed Reform as 'the party of the moment, because Reform are going to do things differently'. 'To any Conservative Party members who are watching this today and are thinking of joining Reform; the Conservative Party do not deserve your loyalty,' she said. 'Support Reform, do the right thing. Any party which removes two election-winning prime ministers, replaces with them with dud after dud, does not deserve your support.' Ms Dorries, who first revealed her defection to the Daily Mail, has claimed 'the Tory party is dead'. This is the dramatic moment armed cops dragged off a pair of boozed-up stag do louts off a Ryanair jet after they allegedly kicked off mid-flight. The British men were said to have been rowdy during the flight from Leeds Bradford airport to Alicante, unnerving other passengers as cabin crew called for back-up. Shocking footage shows Guardia Civil officers storming the plane on landing in Spain on Thursday night, with one of the yobs wrestling with a cop as he is led away. One passenger urges the cop to 'knock him out' while others can be heard calling the passenger a 'bell end' and an 'absolute c***'. One horrified flyer gasped 'oh my God' as the drunk appeared to grab the officer around the neck. As he made a last-ditch attempt to stop officers from ejecting him, another on board can be heard to shout: 'Get off the f***ing plane'. The two-and-a-half-hour Ryanair flight landed at 7.22pm, with Spanish cops waiting on the tarmac. A passenger claimed that the two men were part of a stag party and had appeared drunk while waiting to board at Leeds airport. The British men were said to have been rowdy during the flight from Leeds Bradford airport to Alicante, unnerving other passengers as cabin crew called for back-up Shocking footage shows Guardia Civil officers storming the plane on landing in Spain on Thursday night, with one of the yobs wrestling with a cop as he is led away Speaking to the Sun, they said: 'Both of them were assessed by security to see if they were fit to fly - and look where that got them. 'They were getting rowdy and lairy towards the end of the flight and the crew called ahead for police back-up. 'Everyone was fed up with them by the end. It was carnage.' The Irish airline said it had a 'zero-tolerance policy' towards 'passenger misconduct'. A spokesperson said: 'The crew of this flight from Leeds Bradford to Alicante (September 4) called ahead for police assistance after two passengers became disruptive onboard. 'The aircraft was met by local police upon arrival at Alicante Airport and these passengers were removed. 'Ryanair has a strict zero tolerance policy towards passenger misconduct and will continue to take decisive action to combat unruly passenger behaviour, ensuring that all passengers and crew travel in a respectful and stress-free environment, without unnecessary disruption. 'This is a matter for local police.' The Daily Mail has approached the Guardia Civil for comment. It comes after two 'disruptive passengers' were forcibly removed from a Ryanair flight after a fight on board reportedly got out of hand. The pair had supposedly been sat apart early on in the flight, which departed from Manchester Airport to Corfu at 5.30pm on Tuesday, April 29. It comes after two 'disruptive passengers' were forcibly removed from a Ryanair flight after a fight on board reportedly got out of hand. Pictured: a woman is seen being escorted off the flight after the reported fight on board The pair had supposedly been sat apart early on in the flight, which departed from Manchester Airport to Corfu at 5.30pm on Tuesday, April 29. But they later moved seats to be together and became 'disruptive', with reports of a fight breaking out on board, according to Manchester Evening News A picture from inside the plane also shows two Italian police officers escorting someone from the flight as shocked passengers remained in their seats. A spokesperson for Ryanair said: 'Ryanair has a strict zero tolerance policy towards passenger misconduct' But they later moved seats to be together and became 'disruptive', with reports of a fight breaking out on board, according to Manchester Evening News. This forced the pilot to divert the plane from to Bologna, where the pair were removed from the flight by local police. Following the brief stop, the flight continued its journey shortly afterwards and arrived in Corfu later that night - a few hours after its scheduled arrival time of 10.40pm. Footage shared with the MEN shows a woman being carried off the plane by officers and attempting to resist them. Video shows her being carried by her arms and feet down the stairlift, before being escorted to the police car and put inside. A picture from inside the plane also shows two Italian police officers escorting someone from the flight as shocked passengers remain in their seats. A spokesperson for Ryanair said: 'This flight from Manchester to Corfu (April 29) was forced to divert to Bologna after two passengers became disruptive onboard. 'Crew called ahead for police assistance, who met the aircraft upon landing at Bologna and removed these two disruptive passengers before this flight continued to Corfu later that same night.' Sky-gazers are in for a dazzling show this weekend as a total lunar eclipse will turn the moon blood red moon for more than an hour in some parts of the world. The event will occur on the night of September 78, 2025, when Earth drifts directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting its vast shadow across the lunar disk. The result is a spectacular sight in which the entire moon glows deep red - a phenomenon caused by sunlight bending through Earth's atmosphere and scattering the red-orange hues of every sunrise and sunset onto its surface, Space.com reported. Where the blood moon will be visible The eclipse will be visible in its entirety across large parts of Asia, Africa, eastern Europe, and western Australia. Other regions, including Spain and Norway, will see only a partial eclipse. In North and South America, a bright full 'Corn Moon' will light up the skies, according to CNN. The Corn Moon earns its nickname because it coincides with the corn harvest, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. The Corn Moon will peak at the same time as the lunar eclipse, but to the naked eye it will appear full for several nights, meaning viewers can admire it all weekend and into Monday. For those outside the blood moon viewing zone, several astronomy channels will provide free livestreams the night of the event, Space.com reported. The Blood Moon will glow red for 82 minutes during this weekends rare total lunar eclipse How the eclipse will unfold Unlike a solar eclipse, which passes in minutes, a lunar eclipse is slow and dramatic, unfolding over several hours. It begins when the Moon first enters Earth's faint outer shadow, the penumbra, at 11:28 a.m. ET. The shading at this stage is subtle, visible only as a gentle darkening across the lunar surface. At 12:27 p.m., the real drama begins as the Moon slips into Earth's umbra, the darker central shadow. The moment of totality arrives at 1:30 p.m., when the Moon is completely engulfed by the umbra. The eclipse reaches its maximum at 2:11 p.m. By 2:52 p.m., the Moon slips back out of the shadow, and the event draws to a close at 4:55 p.m. after more than five hours in total. According to Space.com, totality alone will last for an impressive 82 minutes - making this one of the longer eclipses in recent years. Earths shadow moves across the Moon during the partial phase of the September 78 eclipse Why the Moon turns red The Moon turns red as it slips deeper into Earths shadow because sunlight passing through the atmosphere is bent toward it. Shorter blue wavelengths scatter away, while the longer red and orange rays are refracted onto the lunar surface. At times, the Moon can also show faint blue or purple fringes around the edges. Sara Russell, a research scientist at Londons Natural History Museum, told CNN this effect is caused by sunlight filtering through Earths ozone layer. What is a Corn Moon? Septembers full moon is traditionally known as the Corn Moon, a name rooted in farming folklore because it coincides with the annual corn harvest. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the Corn Moon often appears larger and brighter in the late summer sky, providing extra light for farmers bringing in their crops. Those in the Americas who can't see the eclipse will still be able to enjoy the Corn Moon glowing overhead all weekend. At 1:30 p.m. ET, the Moon will be completely engulfed in Earths umbra and turn a fiery red What's next in the sky? Just two weeks later, on September 21, a partial solar eclipse will be visible from southern Australia, parts of the Pacific, and Antarctica, according to Space.com. And to close out 2025, stargazers can look forward to three consecutive supermoons - October's Harvest Moon, November's Beaver Moon and December's Cold Moon - which the Farmers' Almanac notes will all appear larger and brighter than usual. The next total lunar eclipse will take place on March 3, 2026, and will favor the Americas, CNN reported. A journalist who called for Jews to be 'burned as Hitler did' on social media has been used by the BBC again as an expert commentator on the Gaza conflict. Samer Elzaenen, 33, who has regularly featured on the broadcaster's Arabic channel, was quoted accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon against Palestinians. According to The Telegraph, the BBC has admitted that Mr Elzaenen should not have featured in the story. It comes following reports in April that Mr Elzaenen had condemned Jews and even called for them to be killed in posts on social media. Mr Elzaenen, who is not a BBC journalist, wrote in a Facebook post in July 2022: 'When things go awry for us, shoot the Jews, it fixes everything.' Meanwhile on the same social media platform in 2011, he seemingly called for a repeat of the Holocaust. Mr Elzaenen said: 'My message to the Zionist Jews: We are going to take our land back, we love death for Allah's sake the same way you love life. 'We shall burn you as Hitler did, but this time we won't have a single one of you left.' Samer Elzaenen, 33, (pictured) who has regularly featured on the broadcaster's Arabic channel, accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon against Palestinians Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli air strike from earlier today that destroyed a residential building in Gaza City At the time, the BBC said they were 'not aware' of Mr Elzaenen's social media posts, adding that there is 'no place for anti-Semitism on our services'. However, it has now emerged that the broadcaster used Mr Elzaenen again, despite the initial concerns about his comments on Jews being raised. According to The Telegraph's report, he was cited as a witness by BBC Arabic journalist Suzanna Goussous to describe the hunger in Gaza. Mr Elzaenen's quotes were used under the headline 'Starvation as a "weapon of war": What does it mean and when was it used in history?' In Ms Goussous's report, she wrote: 'Journalist Samer Elzaenen tells me from Khan Yunis: "The situation is unbearable; the scenes of stampedes are harsher than the scenes of bombing. 'Women, children and the elderly risk their lives in a daily struggle for survival. 'Every time aid trucks enter, dozens of martyrs and injured are recorded, especially in the areas designated as distribution centres".' The BBC used Mr Elzaenen again despite concerns being raised about his comments on social media about Jews. Pictured: The broadcaster's headquarters in London In his posts on social media, Mr Elzaenen has seemingly backed more than 30 separate attacks against Jewish civilians in Israel. Meanwhile, in reference to an attack in February 2023 in which a terrorist killed two children at a bus stop in Jerusalem, he said the victims would soon 'go to hell'. When asked by The Telegraph about his attitudes towards Jews, Mr Elzaenen said the posts were 'quotations' rather than 'personal statements'. He added that he had since removed the posts and that they 'do not reflect or represent my professional journalism'. A BBC spokesman said: 'There is no place for anti-Semitism on our services. 'We strongly condemn the hateful views expressed by this individual in 2011. 'Although he is not a BBC journalist, and quoting him does not mean we endorse his views, we should not have used him in this way.' Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who once advocated for canceling tenants' rent payments, raked in as much as $350,000 as a landlord and from a home sale last year. The 'Squad' member, 51, and her husband Conan Harris earned the eye-watering sum after collecting rent from four properties in the Bay State, as well as selling a Florida home. According to her latest financial disclosures seen by Daily Mail, a property in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston could have netted them as much as $100k. Another two units in Boston both have their rental incomes listed as being between $15,001 and $50,000. The progressive congresswoman also collected rent for a property in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard. The New York Post reported its worth as $1.1 million. That three-bedroom property in the ritzy enclave brought them somewhere between $15,001-$50,000. On top of their rental collections, they parted ways with a home in Fort Lauderdale, with their profit listed as between $50,000-$100,000. In her position as a representative for Massachusetts's 7th Congressional District, Pressley is paid a salary of $174,000. Pressley and her husband made the eye-watering sum collecting rent from four properties in Massachusetts and selling a Florida home Pressley is pictured here alongside her husband Conan Harris in September of last year 'Ayanna Pressley is a hypocrite who preaches socialism while pocketing millions,' Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kiersten Pels told the Post. 'She tells everyday Americans they must be forced to defund the police and live with sky-high crime in their communities while indulging in private security. 'Pressley is a fraud - just like the rest of the Squad.' As well as her property, she Pressley declared between $100,000 to $1,000,000 in income from her husband's work with his management consulting business. He found Conan Harris & Associates after serving 10 years in prison for drug-trafficking. The latest figures are a remarkable jump from the $15,000 that she declared in rental income in 2020. Pressley's office said that the couple 'have navigated significant economic hardship.' 'The Congresswoman and her husband met later in life and keep their finances separate,' a spokesperson said. 'Conflating his income and property with hers is misleading. Pressley had camped out on the steps of the US Capitol in hopes of having taxpayer-funded rent relief passed into law during the pandemic. According to her latest financial disclosures seen by Daily Mail a property the couple owns in Mattapan, pictured here, could have made them as much as $100k. The progressive representative also collected rent for a property in Martha's Vineyard The bill failed, but if approved would have forced the government to reimburse landlords for unpaid rent. It comes as fellow Squad member Ilhan Omar reported a net worth of up to $30 million, despite blasting claims she is a secret millionaire as 'ridiculous'. Her latest disclosures that she filed with the government reveal the Minnesota congresswoman and her husband, Tim Mynett, saw a roughly 3,500 increase in their net worth. Much of the financial gains came from businesses Mynett partially owns - a Santa Rosa, California-based winery and a venture capital firm headquartered in DC. Omar valued the winery's assets in the disclosure at between $1 million to $5 million, despite listing its assets at just $15,000 to $50,000 the year before. Mynett's venture capital firm Rose Lake Capital LLC's assets were also valued at between $5 million to $25 million in the 2024 disclosure - though the company had less than $1,000 in assets in 2023. A screaming goat had a run-in with police after scaring a Maine local who thought the loud animal was a distressed woman. Police in Etna received a report of a woman screaming for help on August 30 from a resident who was walking by railroad tracks and had followed the sound to Oak Shade Farm. Instead, what police found on the farm was a very chatty goat named Simon. 'Hes just got a lot to say!' owner Devon Hawes told WABI 5. 'I don't know how to make a goat be quiet. He gets everything he needs. Food, love, all of the things.' Hawes and her husband were watching a show on Netflix when police came knocking at their door around 8:30pm. 'All of a sudden, there was a very loud bang on the door,' she said. They led authorities to Simon, a one-year-old Nigerian Dwarf goat. Etna Police received a report of a screaming woman on August 30 from a resident who was walking by nearby railroad tracks and had followed the sound to Oak Shade Farm Hawes and her husband were watching a show on Netflix when police came knocking at their door around 8:30pm 'Its a pretty quiet neighborhood, it's quiet except for us!' Hawes said. After the run-in, they posted a video on Facebook of the noisy goat, who was shown screaming in his pen. 'There was a lot of laughing, and you know, a few people are like: "Oh my gosh, I'm glad it ended the way it did. It wasn't anything serious,"' Hawes told WABI 5. Viewers got a big kick out of Simon. 'Oohhh my god!!!! This is HILARIOUS,' one commented on the video. 'That is the best!!' another wrote. 'Omg Im laughing so hard right now,' a third chimed in. In 2023, police in Oklahoma heard what sounded like a deep male voice screaming: 'Help! Help!' - only to discover it was a goat. 'Hes just got a lot to say!' owner Devon Hawes told WABI 5 . 'I dont know how to make a goat be quiet. He gets everything he needs. Food, love, all of the things' Bodycam footage showed officers rushing to the scene, only to find the vocal farm animal. 'Sure enough, we were walking over here and we're like: "That's a person,"' the second officer said. 'From a long distance, it sounds like help,' the first officer laughed. Nigel Farage was today urged to 'sever all ties' with a speaker at Reform UK's conference who claimed Covid vaccines could be linked to the King and Princess of Wales's cancer. Dr Aseem Malhotra made claims about the pharmaceutical industry, politicians and the World Health Organisation during a speech at the Birmingham event on Saturday. The vaccine-sceptic cardiologist described himself as a friend of controversial US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has alarmed health experts in America. Dr Malhotra said he had spoken with Professor Angus Dalgliesh, a leading oncologist, who shared that he believed the vaccines were interfering with genes. He also claimed hundreds of studies showed the harmful effects of mRNA vaccines. 'It may be a risk factor for cancer,' Dr Malhotra said, adding that 'many other doctors feel the same way'. 'It's highly likely that the Covid vaccines have been a factor, a significant factor, in the cancer of members of the royal family,' Dr Malhotra continued, quoting Professor Dalgliesh's views. The link between the Covid jab and cancer has previously been dismissed by academics and oncologists after claims it had led to 'turbo cancers'. Cancer Research has previously said there is 'no' evidence to suggest that any of the Covid-19 vaccines cause cancer. Nigel Farage is being urged to 'sever all ties' with Dr Aseem Malhotra, a vaccine-sceptic cardiologist In a speech at Reform UK's conference in Birmingham, Dr Malhotra linked Covid vaccines to the King and Princess of Wales's cancer Mr Farage, the Reform leader, allowed Dr Malhotra to speak from the main stage at Reform's gathering in Birmingham Blood Cancer UK's healthcare professional advisory panel, which is made up of specialists from across the UK, said: 'There are no controlled, large-scale studies (studies with the most robust scientific evidence) that demonstrate an increased cancer risk following Covid-19 vaccination.' During his 15-minute speech at the NEC on the final day of Reform's conference, Dr Malhotra also said taking the Covid vaccine was more likely to cause harm than the virus itself. He said: 'What does that mean? It is highly likely that not a single person should have been injected with this.' 'Nobody is immune to medical misinformation,' he told the audience. He went on to say the World Health Organisation had been 'captured' by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and urged for it to be replaced. Health Secretary Wes Streeting urged Reform leader Mr Farage to apologise for Dr Malhotra's remarks and to 'sever all ties with this dangerous extremism'. The Labour Cabinet minister said: 'When we are seeing falling numbers of parents getting their children vaccinated, and a resurgence of disease we had previously eradicated, it is shockingly irresponsible for Nigel Farage to give a platform to these poisonous lies. 'Farage should apologise and sever all ties with this dangerous extremism.' Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, the party's health spokesperson, said: 'Its clear there is no lie too low or dangerous for Farage and his acolytes. 'Let there be no doubt: Reform are a threat to our health. We cannot let them get their hands on our NHS.' A Reform spokesman said: 'Dr Aseem Malhotra is a guest speaker with his own opinions who has an advisory role in the US government. 'Reform UK does not endorse what he said but does believe in free speech.' She recently described the run-up to her lavish wedding at a Scots castle as a s***show, saying the venue was like Fawlty Towers. However, any mishaps she endured clearly didnt dampen Karen Gillans overall enjoyment after she revealed how much she cherishes a book documenting her Big Day. The Scots actress married American actor Nick Kocher, 39, at Castle Toward, near Dunoon, Argyll, in May 2022. Among the celebrities in attendance at the lavish ceremony were Hollywood royalty Robert Downey Jr and Julia Roberts. Both were spotted roaming around at the venue, with Roberts reportedly having breakfast in the cafe and Downey Jr perusing the gift shop. In a new interview, Gillan, 37, was asked if theres anything in her US home shes particularly sentimental about. In response, she said: A wedding book that all my closest girlfriends made for me, filled with our memories. Gillan said photos of her wedding to Mr Kocher, above, is something she cherishes Gillan married American actor Nick Kocher at Scots venue Castle Toward in May 2022 The star also spoke about her love for daughter Clementine and said her father is her 'hero' She also revealed the thoughtfulness of her husband after she lost a treasured family memento. Gillan said: My grandmother gave me a cross necklace to remember her by. I somehow lost it and was devastated so my husband had it recreated. Touching upon motherhood in the interview with digital fashion magazine Who What Wear UK, Gillan said she sings to baby daughter Clementine, who she described as the love of her life. In a quickfire round of questioning, she also said her father is her hero, her comfort food is a burger and two orders of fries and her favourite drink is coffee, although she added: I didnt have it during my whole pregnancy, and it was the hardest thing to give up. Meanwhile, she said her most treasured item of clothing is a Louis Vuitton dress she wore to an awards ceremony that the fashion house let her keep. She added: Its sparkly, structured, and so fun. Gillans comment on her wedding comes after another interview she gave earlier this year in which she reeled off a list of issues she claims she encountered at the 19th century mansion where she tied the knot. The Inverness-born former Doctor Who star told the Comedy Bang Bang podcast: I got married in a castle and, let me tell you, it was a sh**show. But it was amazing. Responding to Ms Gillans comments, the castles owner previously said the venue had encountered some snagging issues during its restoration, which had been set back before the wedding by the pandemic, construction costs ballooning and a shortage of labour. This is the dramatic moment a former Victorian church collapsed onto the street - as punters below miraculously escaped injury. Police and fire crews rushed to the scene after the building suddenly plummeted onto the pavement in Cleckheaton, West Yorks. Footage shows the moment a passer-by notices tumbling masonry at the last moment - before the facade of the Grade II-listed building fell to the ground. No-one was injured following the collapse at 10am this morning. Pictures show large blocks of broken stone strewn on the pavement in Bradford Road. The building, originally constructed as a United Reform Church in the 1850s, was being used as a wedding venue known as The Monal. A spokesperson for the company described the collapse as a 'minor incident'. The Monal said in a statement: 'The most important news is that everyone is completely safe.' 'Our team is assessing everything to ensure the space remains safe, secure and welcoming for everyone. A former Victorian church collapsed onto the street - as punters below miraculously escaped injury Police and fire crews rushed to the scene after the building suddenly plummeted onto the pavement in Cleckheaton, West Yorks The building, originally constructed as a United Reform Church in the 1850s, was being used as a wedding venue known as The Monal A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: 'We were called at 10am to reports some of the building had fallen on to the pavement and into the road. 'The road is now closed' Pictures show large blocks of broken stone strewn on the pavement in Bradford Road 'We deeply appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.' The grand stone building was previously home to Aakash, believed to be one of Britain's biggest Indian restaurants. The two-storey former church was first listed in 1982. The Monal said it was 'actively working to resolve the situation'. 'We look forward to welcoming you all back very soon,' the statement added. A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: 'We were called at 10am to reports some of the building had fallen on to the pavement and into the road. 'The road is now closed.' It comes after in 2021 two women narrowly avoided being crushed by debris raining down from a collapsing balcony at an apartment building. CCTV footage captured in the city of Izhevsk in Russia shows the two women walking up a flight of steps in front of the five-storey apartment block when they realise the slabs of slate are starting to fall. The women immediately rush down the steps and avoid the slabs as they come crashing down in front of the entrance. The clip, which was filmed on April 23 but has no soundtrack, shows a grey-haired woman come out of the apartment block as the two younger woman approach. As she gets to the pavement she turns, as if responding to a noise. She immediately backs away from the building as the slate rains down around the two younger women. A slab hits the ankle of one of the women who stumbles but both manage to get clear and run down the steps onto the pavement. The slates were part of the facade of the balcony. No one is believed to have been seriously injured in the incident. A British grandfather who allegedly tried to drown his son's ex-fiancee in a Florida swimming pool has been released from jail on a reduced charge, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Mark Gibbon, 62, was released on a $26,000 (19,200) bail on Friday but a judge ordered him to wear an electronic tag and surrender his UK passport. Mr Gibbon was reportedly in a relationship with Jasmine Wyld the 33-year-old mother of his two grandchildren when the pair became embroiled in a drunken row over his will in the pool at a luxury resort last month. He allegedly pushed Ms Wyld's head under water multiple times and gave her scratches and bruises at the Solterra Resort in Davenport before her nine-year-old daughter intervened, according to police reports. At a court hearing last week, the second degree attempted murder charge he had been facing was downgraded to a charge of battery by strangulation. Court records obtained by this newspaper show Mr Gibbon, a wealthy lighting engineer from Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, who has worked with Ed Sheeran, met the terms of the $25,000 (18,500) bail for that charge as well as $1,000 (700) bail on a second charge of simple battery. Last night a police spokesman said: 'Mr Gibbon has been in Polk County Jail since his arrest on August 3 because he was considered a flight risk. Mark Gibbon, 62, (R) was reportedly in a relationship with Jasmine Wyld (L) the 33-year-old mother of his two grandchildren when the pair allegedly became embroiled in a drunken row over his will in the pool at a luxury resort last month Mr Gibbon allegedly pushed Ms Wyld's head underwater multiple times and gave her scratches and bruises at the Solterra Resort in Davenport before her nine-year-old daughter intervened, according to police reports Ms Wyld had previously been engaged to Mr Gibbon's son Alex, 34, (left) but the pair split in 2021 The main charge was downgraded from attempted murder in the second degree to battery by strangulation, which is still a serious offence. 'He was granted bail but has to wear an ankle monitor, surrender his passport and stay within a restricted area.' A man answering Mr Gibbon's mobile phone claimed to be in England when the MoS called before abruptly hanging up. His lawyer declined to comment. Mr Gibbon is due back in court later this month, with his trial likely to take place early next year. He faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted on the battery by strangulation charge. During an earlier hearing Ms Wyld begged prosecutors to free her partner, calling him 'a good man' who 'adores his family'. Ms Wyld had been engaged to his son Alex, 34, but they split in 2021. In February last year, Alex was sentenced to two years in prison after he drove a Porsche towards his father during an argument. New testing is being done on evidence from the murder of JonBenet Ramsey by competent investigators who came to the case last year, John Ramsey and his long-time lawyer said on Saturday but its not clear whether the knotted weapon they believe could hold the key to solving the case is finally being tested. John Ramsey, now 81, appeared at CrimeCon in Colorado alongside Hal Haddon, the attorney whos represented him since the early days of the investigation. Next year marks the 30th anniversary of the six-year-olds brutal murder in Boulder in 1996, when the Ramseys awoke the day after Christmas to find a ransom note and their daughter missing. Her tiny mutilated body was found hours later in the basement of the family home; she had suffered blunt force trauma and been strangled with a garrote, a knotted rope weapon tied to a piece of wood. I have pressed hard for DNA analysis of the knots in this garrote, which our DNA experts say could be quite promising, because someone had to tie those and theyre fairly sophisticated, Haddon told a packed ballroom of true-crime enthusiasts. Someone had to use their fingers and likely got their DNA in these knots, he said. Theyve never done that [testing], and I questioned them on that every time that weve met. The handle on this garrote is wooden, and that wooden handle has never been tested for DNA, even though splinters from that handle were found on and inside the body of JonBenet. Haddon said unspecified evidentiary items had been sent to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, which promised they would expedite the testing. He called the case extraordinarily premeditated.' JonBenet was found strangled and beaten to death in the basement of her family's ritzy Boulder, Colorado mansion on December 26, 1996. Her father and his long-time lawyer spoke to a packed ballroom at CrimeCon Denver on Saturday John Ramsey, center, and lawyer Hal Haddon, left, said 'unspecified' evidentiary items were being newly tested by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation Someone had obviously been in your home or had cased it thoroughly, Haddon said, addressing Ramsey. Someone spent an extraordinary amount of time writing a ransom note which quoted extensively from murder movies which were contemporary in the day movies like Dirty Harry. He called the note elaborate and obviously pre-written. Ramsey said hed met at least three times with new Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn most recently on Thursday, along with Ramseys wife, Jan, and older son, John Andrew. He described Redfearn as a very cordial person, open. I like him, Ramsey said. Seems to be confident, has a lot of experience, came from outside the Boulder Police Department, which is a big thing. The Ramseys have insisted for decades that Boulder police immediately considered the family guilty putting on blinders and ignoring other leads. While the new chief seems open, though, Ramsey said he was still encountering resistance to using forensic genealogy on DNA taken from the crime scene. The Ramsey family woke up the day after Christmas in 1996 to find JonBenet missing and a long ransom note; the six-year-old's body was found hours later in the basement of the home Haddon and Ramsey feel the key to solving the case could be in testing DNA from the knots of a handmade garrote, left, used to strangle JonBenet Weve been pushing really hard for that to happen, he said. There are outside labs a few that are really good at it and not only can do the testing, which is needed now, but get the sample in the right format to do the genealogy research. We have unidentified male DNA, but its not in a format compatible with databases. Ramsey offered to raise $1million to fund genealogical testing, his lawyer said but they said collectively, Oh no, Mr Ramsey, we couldnt take your money which in turn means: We dont want to take your money, Haddon said Saturday. I think the new investigative team, which has been installed in the last year, are competent, Haddon said. I dont think that theyve been given the resources necessary to do whats needed, which is why John offered to help them and, for whatever reasons, in these budgetarily difficult times, they declined. John and Patsy Ramsey - who passed away in 2006 almost immediately became the lead suspects in the case, with authorities saying the couple was under an 'umbrella of suspicion' Ramsey pointed out that DNA testing has advanced enormously since the 1996 murder and, while the crime scene DNA sample is small, testing can now be done on even a picogram of evidence. When asked on Saturday who he thought killed JonBenet, Ramsey pointed to two common theories: that it was either a kidnapping gone wrong or that it was perpetrated by someone who was either very angry or jealous of Ramsey and wanted to hurt him. I always thought those two conflicted, he said. And somebody pointed out, well, no, that that doesnt conflict. Whoever the murderer was, he said, this is absolute, pure evil demonic evil. No question. Ramsey's lawyer for the last 30 years, Haddon, called JonBenet's murder 'extraordinarily premeditated' on Saturday His lawyer said that he believed it highly unlikely the case would ever be solved if genealogical testing isnt pursued. But Ramsey remained slightly more optimistic. If tested by a competent lab, he said, I believe theres a 70 per cent chance we get an answer. We may not, but the odds are very high that we can, Ramsey added. This new technology thats been employed finding these old killers, old cold cases, is a dramatic improvement over the last testing that was done in our case, which was eight or 10 years ago. With new investigative teams and technology, he said, Im more hopeful than Ive ever been. An adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wildly claimed that King Charles III and the Princess of Wales likely developed cancer from the Covid-19 vaccine. Cardiologist Dr. Aseem Malhotra cited already discredited studies when making the shock claim at a political conference in the UK on Saturday. The vaccine skeptic said that hundreds of studies pointed to harmful effects of the shot while quoting the view of British Professor Angus Dalgliesh. 'It may be a risk factor for cancer', Malhotra said, adding that 'many other doctors feel the same way'. Quoting Professor Dalgliesh, he added: 'It's highly likely that the Covid vaccines have been a factor, a significant factor, in the cancer of members of the Royal Family.' King Charles has been undergoing cancer treatment since January of 2024, while the Princess of Wales has returned to public life while in remission. The link between the jab and cancer has previously been dismissed by academics and oncologists after claims it had led to 'turbo cancers.' The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), have all shot down those claims - saying there is no evidence to suggest the vaccine causes cancer. During his speech, Malhotra also claimed that taking the vaccine was more likely to cause harm than the actual virus. Cardiologist Dr. Aseem Malhotra cited already discredited studies when making the shock claim at a political conference in the UK on Saturday Robert Kennedy Jr. arrives to testify before the Senate Finance Committee at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on September 04 'It is highly likely that not a single person should have been injected with this,' he said. 'Nobody is immune to medical misinformation.' Malhotra went on to say the World Health Organization had been 'captured' by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and urged for it to be replaced. Last month, Mahlotra said that President Trump's administration could pull Covid vaccines from the U.S. market 'within months,' even if it causes 'chaos.' During his brief remarks Saturday, he also described himself as being a friend of Kennedy, who came under intense scrutiny this week after a disastrous bipartisan Senate hearing. The two have socialized in the past and worked beside each other in a professional capacity, Malhotra also previously spoke to the Daily Mail about his MAHA plans. At his Senate hearing, Kennedy expressed uncertainty about the number of Covid deaths and questioned the clarity of data from the CDC. He did not explicitly claim that more deaths resulted from the vaccine than from the virus. Kennedy also went on the defense of his recent efforts to pull back Covid vaccine recommendations. Malhotra and RFK Jr are seen here together in an undated photo previously shared with the Daily Mail King Charles has been undergoing cancer treatment since January of last year, while the Princess of Wales has slowly been returning to public life while in remission He criticized CDC recommendations during the pandemic tied to lockdowns and masking policies. Kennedy also claimed - wrongly - that they 'failed to do anything about the disease itself.' 'The people at CDC who oversaw that process, who put masks on our children, who closed our schools, are the people who will be leaving,' he said. The secretary later said they deserved to be fired for not doing enough to control chronic disease. In a Labor Day post on Truth Social, President Trump claimed there is disagreement over whether the vaccines saved lives. '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!' Trump speaks to the media during a press availability in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 05 September 2025 '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 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. Trump was asked at a White House dinner with tech leaders on Thursday night if he has full confidence in what Kennedy is doing. Trump said he didn't watch the hearings but said of Kennedy, 'he means very well' adding that he has 'a different take, and we want to listen to all those takes.' Kennedy's hearing came a day after Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced that the state was eliminating all vaccine requirements for school kids. TikTok personality Jake Kind - better known online as Goobi Gubbi - has revealed that his beloved grandmother has died at the age of 82. The Philadelphia-based content creator, 27, shared the heartbreaking news with his 650,000-plus followers on Friday, September 5, posting a pre-recorded video his grandmother, Judith 'Judy' Bernstein, had filmed before her death. 'If you are watching this, it means I'm dead,' Bernstein, affectionately known as 'Mimmy,' said with her trademark blunt humor. Kind urged her to give a proper farewell, prompting Mimmy to reflect: 'I had the most fabulous life. I traveled the world with [my late husband] Arnie, went all over. We had phenomenal people that we did everything with.' In true family fashion, Jake cut in to whisper 'orgies,' before reminding her to 'make it a little bit funny.' He also teased her when she went on a tangent about South America, saying: 'This is a speech about you, not about the country of Brazil.' Mimmy ended her farewell by repeating her simple message: 'I had a fabulous life. That's what you need to remember.' The influencer had told fans earlier in the week that his grandmother was 'in end stages,' admitting that 'the situation she's in health-wise, or lack thereof, I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.' Jake Kind, known online as Goobi Gubbi, pictured with his grandmother Mimmy, who died aged 82 after battling multiple cancers Beloved internet personality Mimmy delivering her blunt farewell message: 'If you are watching this, it means I'm dead' Bernstein's health struggles had long been part of her family's TikTok journey. In a March 2025 interview with 6abc Action News, Jake and his mother Andrea revealed that Mimmy was battling 'ten primary cancers, congestive heart failure and lung disease.' Still, she continued to appear in countless videos that made fans laugh through the darkest times. 'It's three generations coming together, showing everything we've been through,' Jake explained. 'It's like a little living scrapbook, if you will. We can just look back and see what happened three years ago - and it's just so funny.' Andrea added that she was grateful her son had documented so much of her mother's final years. 'These are memories I'm gonna look back at and will probably cry sometimes, but laugh a lot,' she said. Kind first began posting clips with Mimmy in 2022, sharing their family's hilarious dynamic as they moved houses. Over the years, their videos - often featuring Mimmy's dry commentary on internet trends, or her unfiltered take on Jake's life - became a cornerstone of his account, which has amassed more than 37 million likes. Jake and Mimmy became viral sensations on TikTok thanks to their unfiltered family banter and her sharp humor Pictured: Mimmy on her wedding day The Philadelphia-based influencer first began posting videos with his grandmother in 2022, quickly amassing more than 650,000 followers Bernstein herself once explained her outlook in a 2017 Fox Chase Cancer Center profile, years before her grandson's TikTok fame. 'I know that life may be short, so I enjoy everything and don't let things or unkind people trouble me. Everyone has a story. Fate can't change what is going to happen to you, but you can change your attitude and how you are going to accept it.' Tributes have already poured in from fans mourning the loss of an unlikely internet star. 'Mimmy brought us so much joy - thank you for sharing her with us,' one follower wrote. An illegal migrant has been charged with murdering a 19-year-old who was missing for two weeks before her remains were found in a remote area of Maryland. Authorities named Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, an illegal migrant from Guatemala, as the suspected killer of Dacara Thompson last month in Hyattsville. Thompson's devastated family said she was last seen alive on August 22 when she left her father's home to fill up her car with gas and never returned, KBTX reported. She was reported missing the next day. After an agonizing two-week search, her family announced that her naked body had been found in a grassy area off Route 50. Investigators said at a press conference that Hernandez-Mendez was identified after they obtained surveillance footage showing Thompson approaching a black SUV on the night she went missing. Cops tracked the SUV ownership to Hernandez-Mendez and obtained a search warrant for his home in the town of Bowie. Evidence at the scene found that she was killed in a bedroom belonging to Hernandez-Mendez, officials said. Following his arrest, it was discovered that he was living illegally in the US and had been arrested for DUI in April but was released pending his trial. Dacara Thompson, 19 (pictured), was missing for two weeks before her remains were found in a remote area in Maryland last month Authorities named Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, an illegal migrant from Guatemala, as the suspected killer Officials said it is unclear if Thompson knew Hernandez-Mendez before her alleged murder, and it is also unclear why she approached the black SUV. Surveillance footage showed Thompson park her Ford Edge SUV at a Family Dollar store before she walked around the back of the building, according to court documents obtained by NBC4. Police said she was seen talking to a driver in the SUV for around a minute before getting in the passenger seat. Cell phone data and surveillance footage allegedly confirmed that Thompson rode in the car for some time after getting in the vehicle, but investigators said they are unsure why she 'willfully' got into the car. Detectives added that when they questioned a roommate in Hernandez-Mendez's home, they were told they heard him in his room having sex with a woman who 'did not seem to be having a good time.' The 19-year-old's car was found two days after she went missing with her purse inside, but there was no sign of her. Cops believe Hernandez-Mendez threw her body off a bridge after allegedly killing her, but said he would not cooperate when questioned. ICE said in a statement following his arrest that the alleged killer had been placed under an immigration detainer, and he was being held without bond. Thompson's devastated family said she was last seen alive on August 22 when she left her father's home to fill up her car with gas and never returned Thompson's car was found two days after she went missing with her purse inside Thompson's family said she was a graduate of St. Charles High School in Waldorf, and was working at a nonprofit as part of a program for recent graduates Thompson's family said she was a graduate of St. Charles High School in Waldorf, and was working at a nonprofit as part of a program for recent graduates. Prince Georges County Executive Aisha Braveboy paid tribute to Thompson, saying in a statement: 'This is a young woman who dedicated part of her young life to serving others, to serving others. 'I want that to bring home to all of you that this is a good, good, good young woman who wanted to do good for her community, and now her community will stand behind her family as we seek justice for her.' Maryland Governor Wes Moore added that she 'raised her hand right out of high school to join' the Maryland Service Year Option. 'She was a bright light in our state. We will use every tool at our disposal to ensure those responsible for this crime are held accountable,' he said. Two staff members at a nursing home in Texas have been indicted for allegedly letting an elderly woman freeze to death during a winter storm. Cynthia 'Cindy' Pierce, 73, died of hypothermia after being rushed to the hospital in Austin on February 17, 2021, with her body temperature reading 94.2 degrees, according to court documents viewed by Daily Mail. Care staff at Renaissance Austin Assisted Living Facility allegedly left her window open after changing her out of soiled clothing and bedding the morning Winter Storm Uri hit the city. When they left the room, the window remained open and staff did not check on Pierce until the afternoon, the documents say. The facility lost power during the storm, and the Pierce family accused the nursing home of not taking appropriate measures to ensure the older woman was taken care of and failed to restore power to the building. On Thursday, Harvest Renaissance and its executive director, Mendi Ramsay, and wellness director, Rochelle Alvarado, were indicted by the Travis County District Attorney's Office for failing to 'promptly move and transport an elderly and disabled resident.' The DA's office said the facility had a warmer area available to move Pierce to, but failed to do so. The facility also allegedly failed to notify Texas Health and Human Services Commission of the power outage, the indictment said. Cynthia 'Cindy' Pierce, 73, (right, with daughter) died of hypothermia after being rushed to the hospital following her body temperature reading 94.2 degrees on February 17, 2021, a lawsuit, viewed by Daily Mail, said The family told KXAN in 2021 that they thought the care home had backup generators. If they had known otherwise, would have come to pick up Pierce during the storm, which took 250 lives. Pierce's family also claimed at the time they were never given any notification that there was a problem at the facility. They only knew something was wrong with Pierce when her daughter, Holly Ferguson, got a call from the hospital asking about a do-not-resuscitate order, according to KXAN. Sam Bassett, the lawyer representing the two employees, said the women plan on pleading not guilty. 'It was through no fault of their own, and certainly no crime was committed,' he told KXAN. Bassett said the women and the rest of the staff went to 'extraordinary measures' to 'ensure resident safety during this event.' Joshua Saegert, who represents Harvest, said the company was aware of the lawsuit and that their 'thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the resident.' Ferguson said the facility 'misrepresented themselves as a licensed care facility, able to provide care rooted in dignity, safety, and compassion.' Care staff had left her window open after changing her out of her soiled clothing and bedding the morning Winter Storm Uri hit Austin, Texas. When they left the room, the window remained open and staff allegedly did not check on Pierce until the afternoon 'Their misrepresentation and their gross negligence led directly to my Mom's death. 'My Mom was left alone and freezing, and it shouldn't have happened.' The care facility is now under different ownership. The family remembers Pierce as a 'quirky' person whose joy was 'infectious.' 'Just utterly joyful,' Ferguson told KXAN. Keir Starmer's panic reshuffle was already unravelling last night with questions raised about his two highest profile appointments. Jewish leaders complained that new Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was a pro-Palestinian 'activist' who 'encouraged mob rule'. And just ten days before Donald Trump's State visit to the UK, outspoken criticisms of the US President by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also emerged in which she accused him of 'Islamophobia, xenophobia and hatred'. The Prime Minister was forced into an emergency reshuffle on Friday after Angela Rayner's resignation for failing to pay up to 40,000 in tax owed on a luxury seaside flat. Many Labour MPs believe an alleged feud between Mrs Rayner and Chancellor Rachel Reeves helped to accelerate the downfall of the former Deputy Prime Minister. Tensions between the two first spilled into the public domain in May when a memo from Mrs Rayner to Ms Reeves in which she put pressure on her to raise taxes, including by cutting stamp duty loopholes was 'leaked'. Some Labour MPs believe the Treasury played a role in feeding the media frenzy which followed The Mail on Sunday's front page revelation that the Housing Secretary had bought an 800,000 flat in Hove. The turning point came when it was revealed she had nominated the property as her main residence to avoid the higher second-home rate of stamp duty. The MPs believe that information came from inside Whitehall. Jewish leaders have complained that new Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood (left) was a pro-Palestinian 'activist' who 'encouraged mob rule' Just ten days before Donald Trump's State visit to the UK, previous criticisms made by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper about the US President have emerged in which she accused him of 'Islamophobia, xenophobia and hatred' The Prime Minister was forced into an emergency reshuffle on Friday after Angela Rayner's resignation for failing to pay up to 40,000 in tax owed on a luxury seaside flat Treasury sources however strongly denied that Ms Reeves or any of her allies had leaked sensitive information about Ms Rayner. Friction between the two Cabinet ministers came to a head in July when Ms Rayner helped force Sir Keir to back down on plans to cut welfare spending, which some of the MPs believe contributed to Ms Reeves crying in the Commons. Ms Mahmood has taken part in a number of pro-Palestine marches in the past ten years and attended protests organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. She joined the picket of a Sainsbury's store in Birmingham with other pro-Palestine activists in 2014, forcing it to close for five hours. She and others from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement accused the store of stocking goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Mike Freer, then a Tory MP, said at the time: 'For any parliamentarian to encourage mob rule as a way of protesting is shameful.' Ms Mahmood also did not take part in the vote that led to the banning of Palestine Action after activists damaged planes at RAF Brize Norton a ban she will now have to defend in court after supporters were granted permission for a legal challenge. Sources close to Ms Mahmood said she had been away from the Commons that day and would have voted for the ban. Many Labour MPs believe an alleged feud between Mrs Rayner and Chancellor Rachel Reeves helped to accelerate the downfall of the former Deputy Prime Minister One said: 'Shabana is a long-standing believer in a two state solution in Israel and Palestine. She supported the proscription of Palestine Action and will defend it in the courts as Home Secretary.' Other Labour figures rallied to Ms Mahmood's defence. Michael Rubin, director of Labour Friends of Israel, told the Mail on Sunday: 'Shabana stood with the Jewish community in the battle against antisemitism in the Labour Party. 'She is an ally in the pursuit of a two-state solution and using outdated stories to mischaracterise what she believes is totally unfair.' A Jewish Labour MP said: 'She's a long-standing ally of Jewish community, including when she was instrumental in building Labour Together, funded by several prominent Jewish donors. 'She is a supporter of a safe and secure Israel alongside a sovereign Palestine.' But Fiona Sharpe, of Labour Against Antisemitism, said: 'In the past she has aligned herself with causes and rhetoric troubling to many, particularly in the Jewish community. 'We hope she will be meeting with the Jewish community... to clarify her views.' There was anger at Sir Keir for naming Justice Secretary David Lammy as deputy before waiting for members to choose Ms Cooper then a backbencher made her remarks about Mr Trump in 2017, when he was a year into his first term. She claimed he had built his campaign for the presidency 'on vitriol and abuse', adding: 'The aggressive misogyny, the violent language towards Hillary Clinton, the Islamophobia, the xenophobia, the hatred. And he hasn't stopped since he got into the Oval Office.' Tonight, a Foreign Office source said she will play 'a key role' during Mr Trump's visit, and as Home Secretary had 'worked closely with the Trump administration on a range of security and migration issues'. Yesterday there were suggestions from local sources near Mrs Rayner's Ashton-under-Lyne constituency that she may quit the Commons, raising the prospect of Manchester mayor Andy Burnham standing in the by-election as a precursor to a leadership bid. But even if she stays on in the Commons, Mrs Rayner's resignation as deputy leader has plunged the party into a bitter row over who replaces her in that role. One MP said Sir Keir's inner circle had been desperate to 'remove Angie' to stop her taking over if he was forced out after Welsh Parliament and council elections next year. There was also anger at Sir Keir for naming Justice Secretary David Lammy as the new Deputy Prime Minister before waiting for members to choose who the new Labour deputy leader was. There were predictions the contest would be between a 'leadership approved' candidate such as Mr Lammy or Ms Mahmood, and a 'rebel' elected by party members. Friends of ex-Cabinet Minister Louise Haigh did not rule out her going for the role. There were also claims many new MPs would back Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, and it is expected that Left-wing MP Rosena Allin-Khan will stand. Source close to Dr Allin-Khan said she had yet to decide whether to stand but added: 'Rosena isn't part of any faction - so she could definitely be the candidate who brings the party closer together. 'She's had lots of people contacting her encouraging her to stand - they see her as a candidate that could represent the broad church that Labour is.' Ms Nandy declined to comment on her intentions. One minister said whatever the final line-up of contenders 'there's going to be carnage'. The Department of Justice is refusing to name two associates of late billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein who received six-figure payments from the criminal just before his 2019 arrest. The payments - $100,000 for one and $250,000 for another - came in 2018, when the press began investigating the sweetheart plea deal he got from the state of Florida in 2008 ensuring his allies would never be prosecuted. When Epstein was eventually arrested and indicted in New York in 2019, the cash giveaways became public knowledge. The prosecution claimed Epstein 'wired $100,000 from a trust account he controlled, to an individual named as [REDACTED] a potential co-conspirator and for whom Epstein obtained protection in the NPA' on November 30, 2018. 'NPA' is short for 'non-prosecution agreement,' which Epstein had attained for both individuals as part of his plea bargain. The associate was 'named and featured prominently' in a series of stories run by the Miami Herald regarding the 2008 deal. On December 3, 2018, prosecutors write that 'the same records show that... the defendant wired $250,000 from the same trust account to [REDACTED], who was also named as a potential co-conspirator and for whom Epstein also obtained protection in the NPA.' 'This individual is also one of the employees identified in the Indictment, which alleges that she and two other identified employees facilitated the defendant's trafficking of minors by, among other things, contacting victims and scheduling their sexual encounters with the defendant at his residences in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida,' they added. The Department of Justice is refusing to name two associates of late billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein who received six-figure payments from the criminal just before his 2019 arrest Attorney General Pam Bondi Epstein is accused of making 'efforts to influence witnesses.' 'This course of action, and in particular its timing,' they said, 'suggests the defendant was attempting to further influence co-conspirators who might provide information against him in light of the recently re-emerging allegations.' NBC News asked U.S. District Judge Richard Berman to reveal the names of these associates last month. They justified the request by saying that Epstein is dead and the criminal cases are now over, with no further charges related to the case coming from the DOJ. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton responded by denying the request, saying the two associates are 'uncharged third parties who have not waived their privacy interests.' NBC News have until September 12 to respond. The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to The Daily Mail's request for comment. The news comes as public interest in the Epstein case remains at a high, with questions over who was connected with the billionaire pedophile, including President Donald Trump. The news comes as public interest in the Epstein case remains at a high, with questions over who was connected with the billionaire pedophile, including President Donald Trump Trump and then-girlfriend Melania are pictured with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at a Mar-a-Lago party on February 12, 2000 House Speaker Mike Johnson has claimed that Trump was once an 'FBI informant' in relation to Epstein's illegal activities. Johnson made the stunning comments in the halls of Congress on Friday after being pressed by CNN's Manu Raju about Trump routinely calling the Epstein files controversy a Democrat-invented 'hoax'. 'What Trump is referring to is the hoax that the Democrats are using to try to attack him,' Johnson said. 'Ive talked to him about this many times, many times. He is horrified. Its been misrepresented. Hes not saying that what Epstein did is a hoax. Its a terrible, unspeakable evil. He believes that himself.' 'When he first heard the rumor, he kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago. He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down,' added Johnson, which now raises new questions about Trump's relationship with Epstein. As recently as Wednesday, Trump called Epstein scandal a 'hoax' after the Department of Justice insisted in July that there was no client list. 'This is a Democrat hoax that never ends,' Trump told reporters at the White House. 'From what I understand, I could check, but from what I understand, thousands of pages of documents have been given. But it's really a Democrat hoax because they're trying to get people to talk about something that's totally irrelevant to the success that we've had as a nation since I've been president,' he continued. Johnson offered no other details about Trump's supposed role as an informant to the FBI on the Epstein case. He did not reveal when Trump talked to the FBI or what they might have talked about. House Speaker Mike Johnson said President Donald Trump was an FBI information in relation to the Jeffrey Epstein case but offered no other details beyond that Trump's relationship with the financier-turned-child predator has been well-documented, with Trump himself admitting that he was friendly with Epstein throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. Trump and then-girlfriend Melania were also pictured with Epstein and his sex trafficking accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell at a Mar-a-Lago party in February 2000. Ever since Trump retook the White House this January, his political base has demanded answers and has wanted the criminal investigation files into Epstein to be released. That desire has been around since Epstein mysteriously died awaiting trial at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan on August 10, 2019. On the campaign trail, Trump did promise to release the Epstein files. However, his supporters were disappointed when the DOJ in July came to the conclusion that Epstein had in fact killed himself and that there was 'no credible evidence' that he blackmailed 'prominent individuals'. The agency also said there was no client list, even though Attorney General Pam Bondi previously stated the documents were 'sitting on my desk'. For the last two months, certain segments of MAGA have blasted Trump for breaking his promise, which has become one of the first cracks in the president's coalition. Days after the DOJ seemingly did not follow through, Trump addressed the situation on Truth Social. 'Were on one Team, MAGA, and I dont like whats happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and selfish people are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein,' Trump wrote. He added that America should 'not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody nobody cares about'. Many MAGA devotees openly disagreed with Trump, and now there's an effort in the House to compel the DOJ to release the Epstein files. The bill was originally sponsored by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna. It's also supported by Republican Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie. Both Greene and Massie have promised to read the names on the so-called Epstein list on the House floor, given that their official speech as lawmakers is constitutionally-insulated from defamation lawsuits. Massie has been pushing for a discharge petition that would force a vote on the Khanna bill that would release the Epstein files within 30 days. He has said 214 House members, including four Republicans have signed the petition thus far. That's four votes away from the 218-threshold needed to pass the measure. A scientist dubbed the 'Godfather of AI' said that artificial intelligence will make large companies more profitable than ever. The catch is that unemployment will almost certainly rise to catastrophic levels, said Geoffrey Hinton, now a Nobel laureate in physics for his work on machine learning and artificial neural networks. 'What's actually going to happen is rich people are going to use AI to replace workers,' Hinton said in an interview with the Financial Times. 'It's going to create massive unemployment and a huge rise in profits. It will make a few people much richer and most people poorer. That's not AI's fault, that is the capitalist system.' Hinton, who won the Nobel prize last year, has been sounding the alarm on how AI has the possibility of wrecking the global economy if we let it. He believes that companies like OpenAI, Anthropic and Google where he used to work as a computer scientists are primarily developing AI models to chase 'short-term profits'. As of now, layoffs have not spiked, but there is mounting evidence that AI is shrinking the number of entry-level opportunities, making the job market that much harder to penetrate for recent college graduates. A survey this week from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that companies using AI are more likely to retrain their employees than fire them, but not everything is expected to be rosy for the work force going forward. Geoffery Hinton has predicted that the continual advancement of artificial intelligence will generate more profits than ever for companies That will almost certainly come at the expense of workers, many of whom will lose their jobs as AI becomes able to replace them, he said 'Layoffs and reductions in hiring plans due to AI use are expected to increase, especially for workers with a college degree,' the survey said. Hinton has said that healthcare is a unique sector that won't be affected by AI, even though the technology will certainly aid doctors and medical professionals in their jobs. 'If you could make doctors five times as efficient, we could all have five times as much health care for the same price,' Hinton said on the Diary of a CEO YouTube series in June. 'Theres almost no limit to how much health care people can absorb[patients] always want more health care if theres no cost to it.' One way AI can make healthcare more efficient is simply by taking in huge volumes of information and learning from it faster than a human could ever hope to, he said. 'They will be much better at reading medical images, for example,' he said. 'One of these things can look at millions of X-rays and learn from them. And a doctor can't.' But back in April, he made the terrifying prediction that AI has 'a 10 to 20 percent chance' of taking over and becoming smarter than humans. In his interview with the Financial Times, Hinton rejected OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's solution to the jobs problem, which is paying people a universal basic income as AI begins supplant human labor. Hinton said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's plan to give everyone a universal basic income won't do anything to solve people's lack of meaning in a system where everything is done by machines He said it wouldn't deal with the issue of 'human dignity', as many people derive meaning from their work. Hinton also warned that AI could have disastrous geopolitical implications, possibly enabling non-state actors to build a bioweapon. He lamented the Trump administration's unwillingness to regulate AI more stringently, as China, he said, is taking the threat more seriously. 'We dont know what is going to happen, we have no idea, and people who tell you what is going to happen are just being silly,' Hinton said. 'We are at a point in history where something amazing is happening, and it may be amazingly good, and it may be amazingly bad. We can make guesses, but things arent going to stay like they are.' Donald Trump's State visit to the UK later this month is set to reignite his extraordinary legal battle with the former British spy who claimed that Russia possessed compromising sexual material on the US President. Christopher Steele, the ex-MI6 agent behind the incendiary dossier, was awarded more than 600,000 in costs against Mr Trump after the President's unsuccessful attempt to sue him over what he insisted were 'shocking and scandalous' false claims. The costs, which were awarded to Mr Steele's company, Orbis Business Intelligence, at a High Court hearing in April, have yet to be paid and are rising daily. They will have increased by a further 2,000 by the time Mr Trump touches down in London. King Charles and Queen Camilla are hosting the President and his wife, Melania, at Windsor Castle between September 17 and 19, with a State banquet as the glittering centrepiece. The Commons will be in recess at the time, neatly avoiding the controversy which would likely have been sparked by Mr Trump addressing Parliament. The dossier, produced for Mr Trump's defeated Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, became one of the most controversial aspects of the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election which led to a probe by special counsel Robert Mueller. Hugh Tomlinson KC argued at the hearing that Mr Trump 'suffered personal and reputational damage and distress' over claims in the dossier that he had taken part in sex parties in St Petersburg and had consorted with sex workers in Moscow. Ex-MI6 agent Christopher Steele was awarded more than 600,000 in costs against Donald Trump after the President's unsuccessful attempt to sue him over 'shocking and scandalous' false claims Hugh Tomlinson KC insisted the claims about the personal conduct of President Trump were false, as were allegations that he had paid bribes to Russian officials to further his business interests King Charles and Queen Camilla are hosting the President and his wife, Melania, at Windsor Castle later this month Mr Tomlinson insisted the claims about the personal conduct of President Trump were false, as were allegations that he had paid bribes to Russian officials to further his business interests. Orbis Business Intelligence succeeded in having the lawsuit thrown out after arguing that the report had never been meant to be made public and was published by the media without permission. Mr Trump brought up the subject of Mr Steele during a press conference during an informal visit to the UK in July. A Government insider said yesterday: 'Trump still hasn't abided by the court order. And our understanding is when he sets foot on British soil, he could be open to some form of fresh legal challenge. The whole thing could turn into a diplomatic nightmare.' Orbis Business Intelligence declined to comment. In the three years since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the rift between the Sussexes and the Firm has only intensified with the publication of Harry's explosive memoir and his high-profile security battle. But in the aftermath of the death of their beloved grandmother, Princes William and Harry put up a united front to meet mourners outside Windsor Castle with their wives. Many were reminded of the sombre scene almost a quarter of a century earlier when William and Harry, then aged just 15 and 12, walked among the crowds at Kensington Palace following the tragic death of their mother, Princess Diana. Once again, they walked out together at a time of national mourning to talk with the people. But this time it was in entirely different circumstances. The brothers were now fully grown men, and married too, each walking side by side with their wife - but more importantly, they were now sadly estranged after the Sussexes dramatically left The Firm in January 2020, stepping down as senior royals. The awkwardness of the encounter was so great that Princess Kate found it 'one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do', according to a book. And to make matters worse, it seems Meghan had forgotten that proper royal etiquette dictates the more senior royals, in this case William and Kate, walk ahead of junior members. In the aftermath of the death of their beloved grandmother, Princes William and Harry put up a united front to meet mourners outside Windsor Castle with their wives The awkwardness of the encounter was so great that Princess Kate found it 'one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do', according to a book Kate, William, Harry and Meghan are pictured on the Long Walk at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022 Body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail: 'The tone was set the minute Kates car pulled up alongside Williams. 'It appeared the brothers had shared one car and their wives the other. 'If this was intended as an ice-breaker for the two women, it appeared not to have worked as Kate jumped quickly from the car to walk across to stand with her husband without waiting for Meghan or even throwing her a backwards glance. 'It was left to William to chat to Harry and to usher Meghan to join them in their group.' Footage from the occasion seems to show Harry having to pull his wife back with his arm and slow down his walking pace so that she didn't pull ahead of his older brother. Despite not having spoken in months, Harry was aware that the eyes of the world were watching his and Meghan's every move at that crucial moment. As they turned past the gate of Windsor Castle, he appeared to strategically slow down his walk while subtly using his hand to guide her back into place. As the body language expert pointed out, when the Queen was alive, Kates role seemed to be one of mediator. Footage from the occasion seems to show Harry having to pull his wife back with his arm and slow down his walking pace so that she didn't pull ahead of his older brother Despite not having spoken in months, Harry was aware that the eyes of the world were watching his and Meghan's every move at that crucial moment As they turned past the gate of Windsor Castle Harry appeared to strategically slow down his walk while subtly using his hand to guide Meghan back into place At Prince Philips funeral, she was famously seen herding the brothers together as the family walked up the hill after the service. Judi said: 'Once the Queen died and Kates own status and role in the Firm had been elevated, her body language during this public outing seemed to suggest she would be making her own decisions now, dealing with Harry and Meghan with a silently cool and unflinching firmness that the late Queen might just have admired. 'While William, Harry and Meghans body language rituals at this surprise joint appearance showed signs of dithering, awkwardness and redirection, Kate is seen striding out by herself with her chin raised in a gesture of strong resolve. 'She not only separates herself from the group here in an act of what looks suspiciously like disassociation bordering on public rejection, but she separates herself from her husband, who is now the one left having to act in the role of mediator.' She added: 'As the four royals set off to see the tributes and greet the crowds, the spatial gap that Kate creates between herself and others forms an emphatic non-verbal tell of a lack of any desire to step out on stage for yet another performance of fake unity. 'She could have walked to Williams left to smile and chat, but she chose to separate here rather than play small-talk next to the Sussexes. 'It is a decisive gesture with no apparent suggestion of choreographic dithering.' Judi said: 'As the four royals set off to see the tributes and greet the crowds, the spatial gap that Kate creates between herself and others forms an emphatic non-verbal tell of a lack of any desire to step out on stage for yet another performance of fake unity' As the body language expert points out, when the Queen was alive, Kates role seemed to be one of mediator 'As Kate strides away, it is William hanging back and turning his head to engage Harry and Meghan in some form of conversation,' said Judi. 'Visually, he looks like a man who is acting as the buffer here between the Sussexes and his wife or maybe even the public at this stage. 'The brothers chat, but their constant self-checking, auto-contact rituals, where their hands touch their clothing and waistbands, flag up inner anxiety. 'Even Meghan is seen performing three very exaggerated self-preen gestures with her hair. 'William uses an announcement gesture to show Kate they should start with the flowers on their left, and Kate wheels round in a way that places her next to her husband and ahead of Harry and Meghan, as protocol would suggest. 'We can see Harry not only aware of protocol here but, possibly more importantly, reading and recognising the distancing signals from his sister-in-law. 'Harry and Kate used to be very close, and the way he dips his head and wipes at his nose with one hand suggests he is completely tuned into her decisive non-verbal announcement here and possibly piqued or upset by it. 'Despite the solemn mood, though, Harry cant resist turning to wave and grin at the crowds, and maybe this small act of showboating encourages Meghan, who appears to be keen to move closer to William and Kate. The Prince and Princess of Wales and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex view the tributes left after the Death of Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle 'Harry has moved to his wifes left side to hold her back while the others take precedence, but Meghan does look determined to join up. 'Although she was clutching Harrys hand during the walk, she has now dropped it to edge away from him and towards the Waless, and its here that Harry appears to perform a non-verbal checking gesture to remind her to wait rather than getting ahead. 'He reaches his arm out to place a hand on Meghans upper arm, but the gesture itself seems to be partly ignored by Meghan, who still appears to be edging towards William to close the gap and maybe engage in some empathetic conversation. 'Meghans expectations here might be that shared grief will create bonding, or even, at the very least, a public performance of bonding despite all the incidents and verbal attacks that have turned a fissure into a chasm in terms of their rift. 'She might have previously seen Kate willing to play ball socially in public, like their "pretend" friendly chat on the walk to church on Christmas day, but this is a Kate seemingly showing her mettle at last, with signals of firmness and determination that might have surprised her own husband as well as her sister-in-law.' Most recently, the Daily Mail reported that Harry is set to meet with Charles for the first time in 20 months but William has reportedly rejected the invitation 'out of hand'. Reconciliation is 'within reach' between the Duke of Sussex and his father following an informal peace summit involving Buckingham Palace officials. Harry is expected in London on September 8 for the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death, where he will also attend the WellChild Awards, a charity event he has avidly supported. Reconciliation is 'within reach' between the Duke of Sussex and his father following an informal peace summit involving Buckingham Palace officials Harry and Meghan view the floral tributes for the late Queen outside Windsor Castle A US source told The Mirror there was now a 'determination on both sides to make this happen'. The source added: 'Nobody is pretending the wider family issues have been resolved, but this is about beginning with Charles and Harry. 'For the first time in a long time, theres a genuine sense that reconciliation is within reach. 'Harrys team and the Palace have opened a line of communication, and there is every hope that father and son will see one another when the Duke returns to London.' The source said there was a 'feeling the time is right' following 20 months apart, and as the King continues his cancer treatment. It is expected the encounter will be a 'simple face-to-face conversation between a father and a son' rather than a 'grand gesture or set-piece meeting'. 'Privacy and dignity' have also been highlighted as priorities. In the midst of the planned meeting, it is understood that Meghan will remain in California with the couple's two children, Archie and Lilibet. Most recently, the Daily Mail reported that Harry is set to meet with Charles for the first time in 20 months - William has reportedly rejected the invitation 'out of hand' The last time the King saw his grandchildren was June 2022, when Harry and Meghan returned for the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The Duke of Sussex's trip on September 8 will mark his first visit since he failed to appeal the downgrading of his security protection in the UK. Last month, Harry and Meghans new chief of communications, Meredith Maines, met with Tobyn Andreae, the Kings communications secretary, at the Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL), a three-minute walk from Clarence House, the monarchs London residence. It was not known whether it had been Charles or Harry who extended the olive branch, but insiders said the summit was the strongest sign yet of the determination on both sides to resolve the bitter House of Windsor feud. As the anniversary of the Queen's death approaches, it is likely Charles will be reflecting on his relationship with his sons. Many observers hope that the upcoming visit will mark a step towards reconciliation between the Sussexes and the Firm. In the meantime, the memory of this notoriously awkward walkabout is likely difficult to forget. News / National by Simbarashe Sithole in Chipinge A violent Energy Park fuel attendant who assaulted two cops in a bus in Chipinge has been jailed.Johannis Bako Saunyama (26) was sentenced to two years in jail by Chipinge magistrate Nixon Mangoti.The court heard that Saunyama was on an Inter Africa bus on September 2, where he met two officers clad in police uniforms.The officers were with their accused person, whom they had collected at Chakohwa, going to Chipinge.The cop discovered some dagga in the bus and tried to arrest the driver and conductor.Saunyama, who was on board and wanted to go, denied the cops access to arrest the bus crew.He further went on to remove the bus key from the ignition and started assaulting the two cops.The cops were overpowered and begged for mercy.They further begged the driver to drive to Chipinge police station, where Saunyama was subsequently arrested. The Duchess of Kent's will be the first royal to have a Catholic funeral as Buckingham Palace confirm the send off will be held at Westminster Cathedral on Tuesday. Katharine, wife of the late Queen's cousin the Duke of Kent, died peacefully at home, surrounded by her close family, late on Thursday night. Her funeral will be the first Catholic funeral service held for a member of the royal family in modern British history, with King Charles scheduled to attend. The Palace have confirmed the royal's coffin will will be taken by hearse to Westminster Cathedral a day prior to funeral and be in the Lady Chapel overnight. Afterwards, the coffin will be taken by hearse to the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, Windsor. The latest details about the Duchess's funeral come amid speculation both Prince Harry and Prince Andrew may be in attendance at her funeral. While it has been confirmed the Duke of Sussex will be in Britain ahead of the funeral for charity commitments, it remains unknown if he will attend the send off. Harry will not be accompanied by his wife Meghan Markle or his children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who will remain at home in Montecito, California. The limelight, however, did not suit the woman who never lost her love for the rugged beauty and simplicity of her horse-riding childhood in Yorkshire. She chafed at the politesse of protocol. Pictured: The Duchess of Kent on a 1991 red carpet Princess Diana and the Duchess of Kent had a warm friendship often sitting next to each other at royal events and WImbledon Details of royal attendance will be released in the coming days but it is expected that most, if not all, members of the family would attend - including non-working royals. Pictured: the Duchess of Kent on her wedding day in June 1961 Details of royal attendance will be released in the coming days but it is expected that most, if not all, members of the family would attend - including non-working royals. This is likely to include Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. The Daily Mail has approached Prince Harry's representatives for comment. The Duchess of Kent was very close to his Harry's mother, Princess Diana with the pair often would often sit together at royal events and Wimbledon. The two women enjoyed a warm friendship that dated back to her engagement to Harry's father and she later spoke of her grief when Diana died in 1997. It came as the Prince and Princess of Wales gave a loving tribute to the Duchess, with William and Kate saying she would be 'much missed'. The future king and queen described how she had 'worked tirelessly' in her life to help others. The Duchess died at Kensington Palace surrounded by members of her family. She is survived by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and their three children. In a statement signed 'W & C', the Prince and Princess of Wales said: 'Our thoughts today are with The Duke of Kent and his family, particularly George, Helen and Nicholas. While it has been confirmed the Duke of Sussex will be in Britain ahead of the funeral for charity commitments, it remains unknown if he will attend the send off. Prince Andrew seen today for the first time in a month riding at Windsor Castle With her unmistakable silvery blonde bob, the Duchess of Kent was an ethereal beauty, elegant and stylish who, long before Princess Diana, was the royals queen of compassion. Pictured: the Duchess of Kent in April 2011 Her decision, late in life, to give up the royal style HRH, which she had received on marrying the duke in 1961, raised eyebrows. She asked to be known as Lady Katharine, Mrs Kent or even plain Kate anything but your royal highness Pictured: the Duchess of Kent poses in 1960, the year before her marriage to Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent As Katharines biographer Mary Riddell noted, both the duchess and Diana suffered from low self-esteem and a lack of understanding from a royal family who in those days never got mental anguish. Pictured: Diana, the Princess of Wales talking to The Duchess of Kent at Earls Court in London at a celebration of the 40th anniversary of The Queen's Accession in 1992 And there the similarities end. While Diana and Charles divorced, Prince Edward as the duke was born and his luminous duchess soldiered on. Pictured: the Duke and Duchess of Kent in 1969 There were other compromises: the duchess withdrew from royal life leaving her husband to perform official duties alone, as he continues to do to this day Friends say that, in time, the couple who celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary in June reached an amicable understanding. But Katharines increasing infirmity saw the relationship change once again 'The Duchess worked tirelessly to help others and supported many causes, including through her love of music. She will be a much missed member of the family'. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the Duchess of Kent brought 'compassion, dignity and a human touch to everything she did', as he paid tribute following her death. The Duchess, who has been unwell for sometime, died at Wren House, her marital home in Kensington Palace, surrounded by close family late on Thursday evening. The cause of death has not been released. No further details about the cause of the duchess's death have been released. Buckingham Palace said that any visits by the family to pay their respects in person would remain private. The King has approved that Royal Mourning should take place until and including the day of the Duchess's funeral, which is expected to be on Tuesday. During this time members of The Royal Family and staff will wear clothing which pays appropriate tribute during this period. Those in Livery, the Royal Mews and Troops on Public Duties will wear black armbands. It is unlikely there will be any national mourning period as the Duchess had not been a working royal since 2002, although it is expected there will be those who wish to pay tribute. Royal engagements are likely to continue, although households will consider the 'format and tone' of engagements during this period. The Jamaican prime minister was blindsided by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's visit to the Caribbean island nation last year which left him in an awkward position with King Charles, it has been claimed. Theresa Roberts, Jamaica's ambassador for culture to the UK, told The Mail on Sunday that Harry and Meghan's surprise appearance at the premiere of Bob Marley biopic One Love caused a diplomatic dilemma for prime minister Andrew Holness, who feared their attendance would be interpreted by the Royal Family as a political statement. Mr Holness, who was re-elected for a third term last week, had previously expressed an interest in Jamaica becoming a republic, and was photographed with the Sussexes who stepped down as working Royals to live in California at the premiere in capital Kingston in January last year. He was accused of 'cosying up' to the couple. But Mrs Roberts claims Mr Holness had no idea that Harry and Meghan were planning to attend the event and that the PM had felt compelled to make a phone call to Buckingham Palace to clarify that he had no prior knowledge of the couple being there. He wanted to assure the King that the meeting was not pre-arranged and that there was no ulterior motive. It is not clear whether Mr Holness spoke to the King directly or what response he received. (l-r) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Andrew Holness, Juliet Holness and Olivia Grange attend the Premiere of 'Bob Marley: One Love' at the Carib 5 Theatre on January 23, 2024 in Kingston, Jamaica The Jamaican prime minister was blindsided by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's visit to the Caribbean island nation last year which left him in an awkward position with King Charles, it has been claimed Theresa Roberts (pictured) told The Mail on Sunday that Harry and Meghan's surprise appearance at the premiere of Bob Marley biopic One Love caused a diplomatic dilemma for prime minister Andrew Holness, who feared their attendance would be interpreted by the Royal Family as a political statement But Mrs Roberts told the MoS: 'The government were really annoyed about the premiere. They [Meghan and Harry] were invited to attend, but not by the prime minister. He became the centre of attention because it was said that he was 'cosying up' with Meghan and Harry. That wasn't the truth. Somehow, they were photographed with the prime minister and he couldn't believe how much stick he got about being with Harry when he didn't invite them. 'The prime minister doesn't want to be [involved in] royal politics abroad. He wants to focus on business at home and didn't realise there was going to be a backlash.' The Sussexes were invited to the event by Paramount Pictures CEO Brian Robbins. The Sussexes were pictured with both Mr Holness and his wife Juliet. The timing was especially awkward because Mr Holness spoke of Jamaica 'moving on' to become a republic after a 2022 visit to the country by Prince William. But Mrs Roberts, who runs restaurant chain Jamaica Patty Co. and the Hanover Grange residency of the Royal Drawing School, said the PM had 'great respect' for the King and did not want to be 'caught up' in the turmoil between the Sussexes and the Palace. She said: 'We all had to try to make it known to Charles that it was not the case that the prime minister was cosying up to Harry. He did say he didn't expect to be caught up in that thing because he had nothing to do with it.' Meghan has made allegations of racism against the Royal Family. However, Mrs Roberts who has met the King on several occasions said: 'There's no element of racism. It's quite the opposite. Those people wouldn't want to offend anyone in all the world. They're too nice. They'd die if they offended you. They wouldn't know how to be racist.' A Buckingham Palace spokesman declined to comment. Prince Harry could see his father for the first time in more than a year and a half when they are both in London on Wednesday. Harry is flying in from the US for tomorrow night's WellChild Awards and will stay in the UK for a week. Meanwhile, King Charles will be in the capital midweek for his cancer treatment. He has been enjoying his official summer break in Balmoral. Despite a packed schedule of meetings with a detailed itinerary, sources say Wednesday is Harry's quietest day. Currently, there is no specified window for a meeting with Charles. However, The Mail on Sunday understands that should an invitation to meet be extended, Harry would drop everything to attend. A source said: 'A meeting with Charles is not off the table but the only people who would know about it are Clive Alderton [the King's private secretary] and Charles and Harry. 'If anything is planned, then he is keeping this extremely close to his chest. It certainly is part of his intention to see his father. 'If it's on Wednesday, then he would make it work.' Prince Harry could see his father for the first time in more than a year and a half when they are both in London on Wednesday. Pictured: King Charles III (L) walks with Prince Harry as they arrive at St George's Chapel inside Windsor Castle on September 19, 2022, ahead of the Committal Service for Britain's Queen Elizabeth II Harry is flying in from the US for tomorrow night's WellChild Awards and will stay in the UK for a week. Pictured: King Charles III and Prince Harry in 2018 Meanwhile, King Charles will be in the capital midweek for his cancer treatment. He has been enjoying his official summer break in Balmoral Despite a packed schedule of meetings with a detailed itinerary, sources say Wednesday is Harry's quietest day It is understood that relations between Charles and Harry continue to thaw and warmed significantly last week when Harry was touched to find that his office was informed by Buckingham Palace of the death of the Duchess of Kent at the same time as the rest of the senior Royals were told. During his visit, Harry also intends to undertake key charity commitments including a Tuesday trip to the Community Recording Studio in Nottingham and a reception on Wednesday evening for the Invictus Games. This is the first time the Duke of Sussex has been to the UK in recent years with no legal appointments on the agenda and he is said to be relishing the opportunity to enjoy a 'purely positive' trip. A source said: 'Harry has vowed to meet with every single one of his UK patronages, with the aim of raising money for them and hoovering up donations and pledges from corporate sponsors. 'He is here on a one-man mission to reconnect with all his charities, not to go down the pub with his mates.' Poignantly, the annual WellChild Awards, celebrating the achievements of seriously ill children and their families, which Harry has been patron of for 17 years, coincides with the third anniversary of the Queen's death. A Pittsburgh home that appears to make a statement that is difficult to ignore has just hit the market and is unlike anything else in the city. The four bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom property set in leafy Squirrel Hill sees a fire-engine red exclamation point, essentially a two-story wall exploding from the front of what is an otherwise a normal-looking gray-brick home. The iconic residence has stopped passing traffic for decades and is officially on sale for $725,000 and now drawing more stares than ever. 'It happened almost daily,' said longtime owner Channa Newman to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. 'I'd look out the window and see cars stopped in the middle of the street. People pointing. Sometimes they were brave enough to knock on the door and ask, "What is this?"' The private home made something of an architectural statement by the late visionary Arthur Lubetz, who once told Newman how he wanted his design to 'sock it to the neighborhood'. At first glance, the house seems to defy the laws of suburban design. The bright red wall protrudes like a dramatic punctuation mark as it slices through the center of the home and extends from the front all the way through to the back. Inside, the wall contains doorways, windows, even a closet, all seamlessly integrated. A Pittsburgh home with a uniquely red wall that also appears to make a statement that is difficult to ignore has just hit the market and is unlike anything else in the city The iconic residence has stopped traffic for decades and is officially on sale for $725,000 and drawing more stares than ever 'Arthur encouraged people to think outside of the box and to question whether they may like to live a little differently,' Newman said. The house was redesigned specifically for Newman after she inherited the original structure from her father in the early 1980s. Instead of gutting it herself, she gave Lubetz free rein so long as he honored her specific request to 'make it original.' Lubetz, known for his bold, often polarizing designs, worked closely with Newman to reimagine the home from the inside out. She told him she hated exposed wires so he hid them behind architectural features. The result was a home that was both practical and avant-garde - both grounded yet abstract. Even the paint used was quirky. Some walls were mixed with coffee grounds to create texture and durability and it appears to have worked. Newman claims to have never needed to repaint in 40 years. 'It never looked faded,' she said. 'Not once.' The bright red wall protrudes like a dramatic punctuation mark as it slices through the center of the home and extends from the front all the way through to the back The red walls were mixed with coffee grounds to create texture and durability and it appears to have worked. The current owner claims to have never repainted them in 40 years The bright red wall is functional with doorways, windows and even a closet, all seamlessly integrated The current owner, Newman, described it as 'a whole space that's divided into open spaces' Inside, the home welcomes visitors with its large, open foyer with high ceilings, exposed original beams, and a glass half-wall that offers views into the kitchen and second floor It's not just about the red wall - there are more normal features inside such as a fireplace The private home made something of an architectural statement by the late visionary Arthur Lubetz, who once told Newman how he wanted to 'sock it to the neighborhood' Inside, the home welcomes visitors with its large, open foyer with high ceilings, exposed original beams, and a glass half-wall that offers views into the kitchen and second floor. Newman described it as 'a whole space that's divided into open spaces.' 'The whole house is a work of art,' she said. 'But its also comfortable. For 40 years, I lived in that house, and there was never a dull moment.' The home even provided inspiration for Newman's son, Elan Fessler, who was raised in the house and went on to become an architect himself, now teaching in Prague. The home, listed by The Cummings Brothers of RE/MAX Select Realty, includes a basement apartment complete with kitchen, bedroom, living space. A one-car garage and of course, the red wall. The listing price of $725,000 and is well above the median for the area. With the house hitting the market, it continues to turn heads with local residents still pausing to photograph the unique exterior. The Bermuda Triangle has been linked to dozens of mysterious disappearances for decades, but two strange areas in the US are hiding even more deadly secrets. Since before the founding of the US, a mysterious zone inside Lake Michigan has marked the final known location of several airplanes and sailing vessels, some disappearing without a trace. Known as the Michigan Triangle, it sits between Ludington and Benton Harbor in Michigan and Manitowoc in Wisconsin. An even more terrifying zone in the US sits in Alaska, where some have suggested that up to 20,000 disappearances have occurred within this triangle. Sitting between Anchorage, Juneau, and Utqiagvik, the Alaska Triangle has been marked by repeated tragedies, and countless disappearances involving everything from passenger planes to local residents out for a hike. With Alaska being so sparsely populated, the total number of missing person cases within the triangle is shockingly high, leading some conspiracy theorists to blame everything from UFOs to secret government projects hidden in the wilderness. The mysteries in both triangles have also led some to claim there are electromagnetic vortexes in the two areas that have caused airplanes to crash and ships to sink. Now, recently discovered evidence at both sites have thrown both of the mysterious triangles back into the spotlight. The Michigan Triangle, notorious for multiple disappearances dating back to the 17th century A Northwest Airlines DC4 similar to the Northwest Airlines DC4 Flight 2501 that was lost in 1950 (Stock Image) The Michigan Triangle Conspiracy fans have blamed the mysterious disappearances near Michigan on energy vortexes, or ley lines, - the supposed energy lines which intersect ancient landmarks throughout the world. The discovery of a 9,000-year-old structure described as 'America's Stonehenge' beneath the waters of Lake Michigan in 2007 added further fuel to the fire, with new clues about its origins being discovered over the last year. This structure, found near Traverse City, consists of large, arranged stones believed to be a prehistoric hunting feature, possibly used to guide animals like caribou into traps. As for the infamous disappearances in this area, the most memorable took place on the night of June 23, 1950. A DC-4 carrying 58 passengers and crew lost radio contact with flight controllers, with witnesses reportedly hearing the engines sputtering and seeing flashes before it plunged into Lake Michigan during a storm. The Coast Guard recovered debris and human remains from Flight 2501 after the crash from inside the Michigan Triangle, which was the deadliest commercial airliner accident in America at the time. However, the history of the Michigan Triangle stretches back hundreds of years before that fatal day in 1950. In 1891, the Thomas Hume vanished without any distress signals, along with its crew inside the Michigan Triangle The ship Le Griffon disappeared on the return leg of its maiden voyage across the lake in 1679, vanishing near Lake Michigans Green Bay. The ship had travelled to an island in Lake Michigan to trade animal pelts, but vanished with all six crew and its load of furs never being found. In 1891, the ship Thomas Hume also vanished without any distress signals, along with its crew. An even more mysterious disappearance took place on the schooner Rosa Belle, which was found floating bottom-up with no sign of her nine crew members in 1921. Believers in the Michigan Triangle have also pointed to the mysterious disappearance of Captain George Donner, who retired to his cabin on the freighter OM McFarland on April 28, 1937. He had instructed the crew to alert him when the ship neared its destination, but the crew found his room locked from the inside. They broke down the door but there was no sign of Donner, who was too large to fit through the portholes and had shown no signs of depression. Some believe more than 20,000 people have gone missing in a region called the Alaska Triangle A Cessna similar to the one in which the politicians disappeared The Alaska Triangle One disappearance in Alaska has captivated the public's attention for decades. It involved a Cessna containing politicians Thomas Hale Boggs Sr, the US House Majority Leader, and Nick Begich, an Alaska Congressman, in 1972. After one of the largest search and rescue operations in US history at that time, involving 40 military aircraft and 50 civilian planes, no wreckage was found. Unlike other Alaska Triangle theories, this one also sparked a number of government conspiracy theories as well. Boggs was a member of the Warren Commission investigating the assassination of President Kennedy and was a dissenter to the 'lone assassin' theory. Some have claimed the plane was deliberately targeted, but no proof of an assassination has ever been verified. Another high-profile disappearance involved Gary Frank Sotherden, who vanished in 1976 on a trip in the Alaskan wilderness. After a skull was found in 1997, investigators were finally able to identify it as Sotherden's in 2022, concluding that he most likely died in a bear attack. A Cessna containing politicians Thomas Hale Boggs Sr and Nick Begich vanished in the Alaska Triangle in 1972 Alaska has a disappearance rate more than double the national average, leading some to theorize that electromagnetic energy here (and in Michigan) might be causing the crashes and disappearances. Others have suggested the involvement of UFOs or even aggressive Bigfoot-type creatures roaming the areas. However, more skeptical observers suggested that the high rate of disappearances in Alaska is due to missing and murdered indigenous women or due to the harsh landscape of Alaska itself. If you've been contemplating shaving your stubble, experts say it's time to put the razor down. From Brad Pitt to Prince William and Boris Johnson, many men look a lot better with a beard. However, scientific evidence shows that this isn't just a matter of personal taste. According to scientists, there is an evolutionary explanation for the 'beard glow up'. Facial hair is what scientists call a 'secondary sexual characteristic', which means that it is one of the characteristics which distinguishes males and females of the species. Just like the exaggerated antlers on a stag or the red behind of a baboon, human facial hair might have evolved to help men get more mates. In our distant past, a bushy beard might have helped men signal their strength to potential mates. And some scientists believe that the exact same process might still be at work today. From Boris Johnson (left) to Prince William (right), countless men have undergone a 'beard glow up'. Now scientists have explained why a beard makes men more attractive Do beards really make people more attractive? While the results can vary from person to person, the general rule is that facial hair improves men's appeal to the opposite sex. Dr Pech says: 'On average - with big individual and cultural variation - beards tend to increase attractiveness.' In one 2014 study, 1,453 women were shown pictures of men who had volunteered to grow out their facial hair from clean-shaven to full beards. Overall, the women rated all types of beards, including light stubble, heavy stubble, and full beards, more attractive than clean-shaven. Before you throw away the beard-trimmer for good, it's worth noting that beards don't have a uniform effect on how men are perceived. Different types of beards subtly change the way women see men. Previous research has shown that full beards make men appear more aggressive, mature, and stronger than clean-shaven men. Studies have shown that a beard, particularly heavy to light stubble, can improve men's ratings of attractiveness and approachability Why do men look better with beards? Scientists believe men look better with beards because of our evolutionary history. Beards accentuate masculine features and exaggerate angry or aggressive expressions. This might have helped bearded men ward off competitors and secure more mates. Over time, the preference for dominant males became linked with a preference for bearded men. Beards, therefore, improve attractiveness by signalling positive traits that could be desirable in a mate. Advertisement By contrast, Dr Pech's research has found that lighter beards have a strikingly different impact. Heavy stubble, for example, scored highest for attractiveness, while a clean-shaven look made men seem more approachable. The effects can also differ slightly based on your age and underlying facial shape. 'Beards typically accentuate male-typical facial structure, which pushes judgements toward older, more dominant, or higher-status,' says Dr Pech. 'That suggests that their benefit will tend to be concentrated among younger males.' So, depending on the type of impression you are trying to give off, you may need to change your beard accordingly. Full beards often boost ratings tied to long-term partnering, such as maturity and parenting ability. So for fatherly types such as Boris Johnson and Prince William, this might be the best beard to go for. Different types of facial hair had different effects on women's perceptions. Light stubble (right) increased perceptions of attractiveness, while a full beard (right) increased ratings of maturity and parenting skills But for someone like Ryan Gosling or Tom Hardy, who may simply want to be attractive and approachable, a light or heavy face of stubble will be best. Why do humans have beards? In both animals and humans, traits like beards evolve because successive generations of individuals with them survive long enough to pass on their genes. For characteristics like humans' big brains or the thick fur of a polar bear, those traits can get passed on because they help the organism survive. However, beyond trapping food, cultivating germs, and harbouring lice, beards essentially do nothing for the men that have them. While some studies have shown that beards can keep men's faces warm or even cushion incoming blows, this is certainly not why they evolved. Instead, Dr Wesley Pech, of Seton Hall University, says that beards likely evolved due to 'sexual selection'. That means, instead of helping men survive, beards evolved because they helped men find a mate. Men may have evolved to grow beards not because they offer any survival advantage, but because they help in securing a mate. Since men with beards reproduced more often in the past, those beard-growing genes are now common among modern men Essentially, the existence of human beards comes down to the fact that men with beards were more successful at finding partners than their beardless counterparts. Why are women attracted to beards? Even if beards evolved because women are attracted to them, that doesn't explain why women would be attracted to beards in the first place. According to scientists, the reason isn't necessarily about how beards look to women but about the signal that the beard sends out to other men. In one study, researchers from the University of Northumbria asked 20 men to record themselves at four different stages of growing out their beards. When women reviewed the different recordings, the beards didn't universally improve attractiveness, but they did increase how dominant the men were rated to be. Likewise, researchers at the University of Queensland have found that beards significantly increase perceived aggression in men. Men making aggressive facial expressions were rated as more aggressive when they had beards. Beards have been shown to increase perceptions of dominance and accentuate expressions of anger. That could be useful for bearded actors like Tom Hardy (left) and Jason Momoa (right) What is sexual selection? Sexual selection is an evolutionary process which selects for traits which are attractive to the opposite sex. This leads to the development of characteristics that are useful at securing mates, but not necessarily beneficial for survival. For example, a peacock's grand plumage is actually a survival handicap. However, female peacocks have evolved to prefer males with large plumage because it shows they are capable of surviving even with this disadvantage. Some sexually selected traits might help males fight or compete with other males, such as a stag's large antlers, even if they hinder their survival outside of mating season. Advertisement Likewise, beards increased the speed and accuracy with which men and women recognised displays of anger but not displays of happiness. Essentially, there are two ways in which beards could have evolved through sexual selection. Either it is through 'intersexual signalling', in which beards advertise sexual maturity and masculine traits to potential partners. Or it is through 'intrasexual signalling', which means they function as an aggressive display to ward off other men. Since beards appear to promote perceptions of dominance and speed up recognition of anger, scientists now generally think that the latter scenario is the case. That means a beard is more like the oversized claw of a male fiddler crab than the majestic plumage of a peacock. What is the best time to grow a beard? Interestingly, understanding what kind of signal a beard has evolved to show can also explain why beard fashions tend to ebb and flow so rapidly. Studies have found that the more people have beards, the less of an advantage they offer. When everyone is bearded, the attractiveness-enhancing effects are diminished. Pictured Ben Affleck (right) and Jon Bernthal (left) In crowded cities or at times when there is a greater proportion of single men, the number of beards tends to increase as men fight to stand out. In one study of facial hair fashions between 1842 and 1971, conducted by the appropriately-named Nigel Barber, the popularity of beards and moustaches was found to peak when there were fewer women in the marriage market. At the same time, research has shown that the attractiveness-boosting effects of facial hair fall off when more people sport stubble. In fact, one study conducted by researchers at the University of New South Wales found that the rarer beards are, the bigger women liked those beards to be. When women were first shown a group of men where beards were rare, they rated full beards and heavy stubble as more attractive in subsequent groups. Dr Pech says: 'Signals carry more information when few others display them.' In nature, some variations become evolutionarily successful precisely because they are rare. For example, guppies with rare colour patterns are more successful at finding mates. Beards are considered most attractive when fewer men have them. That means the best time to grow a beard is before anyone else has the same idea. Pictured: A bearded Adam Sandler (left) and clean-shaven George Clooney (right) This produces more guppies with that pattern until the colouration ceases to be rare, and the evolutionary pendulum starts to swing back another way. Some scientists believe this may be the same reason that the number of beards tends to rapidly increase towards 'peak beard' before quickly falling away again. 'When almost everyone is clean-shaven, a beard may communicate more about status, maturity, or identity than when beards are widespread,' says Dr Pech. 'The same logic applies to conspicuous consumption: if a Mercedes is used to signal wealth, the more people who own a Mercedes, the weaker that signal becomes.' So if you are thinking of growing a beard, the best time to do it is before anyone else gets the same idea. The moment that Apple fans have been waiting for is now just days away. This coming Tuesday, on September 9, Apple will unveil its next generation of iPhones to the world. And with the iPhone 17 already rumoured to be one of the tech giant's biggest upgrades in years, expectations for the launch are sky high. So, before Apple lets us take a look at its new flagship smartphone, here's everything we know so far about the upcoming device. Although we won't know for certain until the big reveal on Tuesday, rumours point to some design changes and major tech upgrades to come. Leaks suggest that Apple is looking to shake up its familiar designs with an enormous camera island, a dedicated camera button, and a new glass and metal back plate. But the most exciting change of all is the release of an entirely new iPhone model in the form of the iPhone Air - expected to be Apple's slimmest device to date. But don't expect those upgrades to come cheap, as rumours suggest American tariff disruption could see prices rising for all of the new models. Apple is set to release the next generation of iPhones at its 'awe dropping' event this coming Tuesday. Ahead of the launch, here is everything we know about the iPhone 17 Launch date Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air at a major event on September 9. Apple CEO Tim Cook teased the 'awe dropping' event on social media, sharing an invitation with a stylised version of the Apple logo. The invitation read: 'Please join us in person for a special Apple Event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park. September 9, 2025.' The Apple logo itself unusually featured what appears to be infrared-style shadings. In the past, the logo in Apple announcements has held clues for the products to come, so this could hint at possible features of the new iPhone 17. Online speculation suggests this could be a reference to the rumoured vapour chamber upgrade, which would cool the phone from the inside using water vapour. That would help the iPhone cool more efficiently and handle more computing power, but we won't know for certain until Tuesday. The iPhone 17 is expected to be one of Apple's biggest upgrades in years, with changes to the internal hardware and design. Pictured: Renders by AppleInsider based on leaked information Tim Cook (pictured), who became CEO of Apple in 2011 following the resignation of founder Steve Jobs, is expected to present the unveiling event on September 9 this year Following the reveal, if Apple follows the pattern from previous years, the new iPhone will probably be available for pre-order by Friday that same week, on September 12. The devices will then likely arrive in shops by the following week, on Friday, September 19. At the event, Apple CEO Tim Cook is also expected to reveal the Apple Watch Series 11 on September 9, potentially with improved health monitoring features and battery life. This will come alongside a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra, its highend smartwatch line first announced in 2022. The iPhone 17 Air The most anticipated reveal of the day will be the iPhone 17 Air, otherwise known as the 'iPhone Slim', expected to be a lighter, thinner version of the smartphone. Analysis and rumours don't quite agree on how thin the new smartphone will be, but it is expected to be significantly smaller than other models. In December last year, reliable leaker Mark Gurman of Bloomberg suggested that the iPhone Air would be two millimetres thinner than the current iPhone 16 Pro. Apple is expected to release the iPhone Air, a thinner version of its flagship smartphone. Apple tipster Majin Bu posted the image to X (Twitter) showing the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air (right) next to the beefier iPhone 17 Pro (left) iPhone 17: Rumoured features Material : Aluminium, glass : Aluminium, glass Display : Ranging from 6.1 inches to 6.9 inches : Ranging from 6.1 inches to 6.9 inches Expected release date : September 19, 2025 : September 19, 2025 Cheapest model : $899/899 : $899/899 Most expensive model : $1,250/1,250 : $1,250/1,250 Other features : Rectangular camera bump, A19 chip, USBC charger Advertisement With the iPhone 16 Pro coming in at 8.25mm thick, that would make the iPhone Air Apple's slimmest product at just 6.25mm. However, other leaks suggest that the iPhone Air could be as slim as 5.5mm. Leaks reported by The Information put the iPhone Air between five and six millimetres, and leaked dummy phones, models used for making phone cases, have measured 5.5mm. Price Another big change this year is likely to be the price of the new iPhone models. After Donald Trump implemented a wave of tariffs on imports from China and other countries, US firms have had to pay more to import their goods made overseas. Apple has managed to secure exemptions from most of the new tariffs, but the company has still incurred massive costs that experts expect it to pass on to consumers. During an earnings call in July, Tim Cook said that Apple paid $800 million in tariff-related costs in the June quarter and expected to pay $1.1 billion in the September quarter. These leaked images show four metal 'dummy models' - meaning they are identical to the real product except they don't actually work. Note the ultra-thin iPhone Air compared to the thicker iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Models Due to tariffs implemented by US president Donald Trump, Apple is expected to increase the price of its entire iPhone lineup by $50 (37) This makes it likely that Apple will slightly increase the cost of all models to cover their elevated costs. According to an investor note published by Jefferies analyst Edison Lee, Apple is expected to put an extra $50 (37) onto the price of its entire iPhone lineup. Likewise, reliable Chinese Apple leaker Instant Digital reported last month that Apple might increase the cost of the iPhone 17 by $50, and raise the base storage option from 128GB to 256GB. This would increase the basic price of the iPhone 17 to $849 (631) and the iPhone 17 Pro to $1,049 (780). However, these prices will likely be regionally specific, and there is, as yet, no suggestion of how much the iPhone 17 will cost in the UK. Design In addition to the big design change of iPhone 17 Air, the standard iPhone models are also expected to see some major alterations. Leaked video, reportedly taken from within an Apple manufacturing plant in China, shows what the iPhone 17 Pro Max might look like. Video supposedly leaked from an Apple manufacturing centre shows the new design of the iPhone 17 Pro As earlier rumours had suggested, this clip shows that the iPhone 17 may have a very large camera island covering most of the top of the phone. The island appears to feature three main cameras arranged in a triangle with two smaller sensors stacked on the other side. In a major departure from the all-glass design of earlier iPhone 16 Pro range, these factory models seem to sport a half-metal-half-glass design. The large glass panels are reportedly necessary since wireless charging doesn't work well through a metal frame. In July, what appeared to be an iPhone 17 Pro prototype in testing was spotted by a member of the public in San Francisco. That prototype model had a very similar design, featuring the large camera island and triple-camera arrangement. In September, veteran Apple leaker Majin Bu suggested that Apple was prototyping a new control button for the iPhone 17 Pro. That button would supposedly combine the volume and action buttons into a single control, similar to the camera button on the iPhone 16 Pro. According to the standard iPhone 17 will have two camera lenses in a vertical alignment, one on top of the other. But the other three options will have a rectangular camera bar across the back similar to Google's Pixel phones A prototype iPhone 17, complete with wide camera bar, was spotted 'in the wild' by a social media user in San Francisco In terms of broader changes, some leaks also suggest that the iPhone 17 range might change over to an all-aluminium design rather than the titanium used on the iPhone 16 Pro. According to a report published by The Information, all four new iPhone models will have aluminium frames. Colours Like previous generations of iPhones, the iPhone 17 range will come in two sets of colours: One for the standard models and one for the Pro and Pro Max range. The iPhone 17 will come in the options of black, white, and steel grey, but brighter colours are also likely. Apple is reportedly preparing a pastel green and purple finish for the iPhone 17, but only one of those colours may ultimately be available. Similarly, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will once again be available in the familiar choices of Dark Blue, Grey, Black, and Silver. However, leaks also suggest that Apple may depart from its usual muted colour-scheme to include a bold orange option for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. Alongside a bold new orange finish, the rumours suggest that the iPhone 17 Pro will be available in Dark Blue, Grey, Black, and Silver. Pictured: Apple Insider renders Other leaks suggest that the iPhone 17 could come in either a pastel green or pale purple finish, but only one of these bold options is likely to make it to production New this year will be a set of colour options exclusively for the iPhone 17 Air. Majin Bu had previously suggested that Apple was preparing a 'Sky Blue' colour for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max; however, it now appears that this colour is being reserved for the iPhone 17 Air. Performance and battery life Besides looks, the iPhone 17 is likely to see a few major technical upgrades. Most significantly, the new iPhone lineup will include Apple's latest and most powerful chipset to keep up with the increased demands of AI tools. The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air are expected to be fitted with the A19 chip, while the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are likely to have the new A19 Pro chip. In order to manage that additional power, some reports suggest that iPhone 17 models will use vapour chamber cooling technology. A vapour chamber is a metal chamber filled with liquid that becomes a vapour that draws heat away from internal components to help keep the chipset cool. The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air are expected to be fitted with the A19 chip, while the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are likely to have the new A19 Pro chip. Pictured: Apple Insider renders Multiple leaks suggest that the iPhone will feature a fairly large vapour chamber to keep cool, but this might be limited to the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. All four phones are expected to come with 12GB of RAM, which is an upgrade from the 8GB of RAM found in the iPhone 16 Pro. In terms of battery life, the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to see similar marginal improvements to previous releases. The only major update is a suggestion that Apple could be preparing to launch 'reverse wireless charging' for the iPhone 17 range. If that is the case, users would be able to charge their AirPods or Apple Watch simply by resting them on the back of the phone. This would be the first time Apple has integrated this feature, although it has been available on Android products for a few years. The iPhone 17 Air, on the other hand, could come with an even smaller battery life due to its reduced size. According to a report in The Information, the iPhone Air's battery will be so small that only 60 to 70 per cent of users are expected to make it through a full day. It is possible that the iPhone 17 may be the first to include reverse wireless charging. This means users could charge their AirPods or other accessories simply by placing them on the back of their phone. Pictured: Apple Insider render That would be quite poor performance, even compared to ultra-slim models such as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has suggested that Apple could adopt next-generation silicon-anode batteries. Apple's supplier, TDK, is expected to have started shipping the upgraded cells at the end of June, so Apple might have had time to include them. If true, this would offset the reduced battery size and reportedly give the iPhone Air battery life comparable with previous iPhone models. The pilot who almost caused a midair disaster when he tried to cut a plane's engine 'while high on magic mushrooms' has reached a plea deal with prosecutors. Joseph Emerson, 46, was off-duty and sitting in the cockpit jump seat of a Horizon Air plane to Seattle in 2023 when police said he tried to shut off the engine's fuel supply. The former Alaska Airlines pilot said he had taken psychedelic mushrooms about 48 hours beforehand, and had not slept for more than 40 hours. Midair horror: Joseph Emerson, 46, was off-duty and sitting in the jump seat in the cockpit of a Horizon Air plane to San Francisco in 2023 when he tried to shut off the engines' fuel supply. He is pictured in 2023 Disaster averted: Emerson was subdued by the flight crew and the plane was diverted to Portland, Oregon His lawyer Noah Horst said the pilot made a deal because he wants to take responsibility for his actions and hopes to avoid further time behind bars. Horst declined to discuss details of the agreements ahead of change-of-plea hearings his client faces Friday in state and federal court in Oregon. Emerson was subdued by the flight crew and the plane was diverted to Portland, Oregon, where it landed safely with more than 80 people on board. According to charging documents, Emerson told Port of Portland police following his arrest that he had been struggling with depression, that a friend had recently died and that he had taken psychedelic mushrooms about 48 hours before he attempted to cut the engines. He also said he had not slept in more than 40 hours, according to the document. Emerson was charged in federal court with interfering with a flight crew. A state indictment in Oregon separately charged him with 83 counts of endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft. Plea deal: Joseph David Emerson, back, appears in Multnomah County Circuit Court for an indictment hearing in Portland, Oregon, on Dec. 7, 2023 He previously pleaded not guilty to all the charges, but on Friday was expected to plead guilty to the federal charge and no-contest to the state charge, which carries the same legal effect as a guilty plea. Emerson was released from custody in December 2023 pending trial, with requirements that he undergo mental health services, stay off drugs and alcohol, and keep away from aircraft. In the meantime, he has founded a nonprofit focused on pilot mental health. The pilot and his wife appeared on Good Morning America, where he revealed that he was an alcoholic at the time of the flight. 'I'm better for it which is kind of a weird thing to say but I am really better for all of us,' he said, saying he's had more time with his kids, and that the event saved his marriage. The averted disaster renewed attention on cockpit safety and the mental fitness of those allowed in them. The father-of-two had taken psychedelic mushrooms days earlier while on a trip with friends to remember his best friend Scott, a pilot who died years ago. Despite not feeling himself, he accepted Flight 2059 from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco. During the flight, Emerson believed he was having a bad dream that he needed to wake up from. Aviation career: In an interview with Good Morning America, he called it the 'biggest mistake' and 'worst 30 seconds' of his life Confession: Emerson described the moment he reached for the engine shut-off controls, believing it would 'wake him up' from what he thought was a hallucination 'That's kind of where I flung off my headset, and I was fully convinced this isn't real and I'm not going home,' Emerson recounted. 'And then, as the pilots didn't react to my completely abnormal behavior in a way that I thought would be consistent with reality, that is when I was like, this isn't real. I need to wake up.' He claimed he was still experiencing the drug's effects when he boarded the flight as an off-duty pilot and became convinced his surroundings weren't real. 'There was a feeling of being trapped, like, "Am I trapped in this airplane and now I'll never go home?"' he recalled. Emerson described the moment he reached for the engine shut-off controls, believing it would 'wake him up' from what he thought was a hallucination. 'There are two red handles in front of my face,' Emerson continued. 'And thinking that I was going to wake up, thinking this is my way to get out of this non-real reality, I reached up and I grabbed them, and I pulled the levers.' Bad trip: The father-of-two had taken psychedelic mushrooms days earlier while on a trip with friends to remember his best friend Scott, a pilot who died years ago 'What I thought is, "This is going to wake me up,"' Emerson said. 'I know what those levers do in a real airplane and I need to wake up from this. You know, it's 30 seconds of my life that I wish I could change, and I can't.' He said he was brought back to reality when the crew stopped him. 'It was really the pilot's physical touch on my hand,' he said. 'Both pilots grabbed my hands where I kind of stopped and I had that moment, which I'll just say I view this moment as a gift.' The pilot's wife Sarah described her horror at learning her husband faced 83 attempted murder charges - one for each person on board. Those charges were downgraded. A revenge thriller with 'heartbreaking performances' has rocketed up the Netflix charts as viewers 'binge-watch every episode'. Two Graves, created by Agustin Martinez, landed on the popular streaming service on August 29. The new Spanish thriller follows the story of a woman called Isabel who goes looking for her missing 16-year-old granddaughter and her friend. It stars Kiti Manver as grandmother Isabel, Nadia Vilaplana as young girl Veronica, Zoe Arnao as the other missing girl Marta, Alvaro Morte as Rafael Salazar and Hovik Keuchkerian as Antonio. Netflix's official synopsis reads: 'When the disappearance of two teen girls shocks a quiet coastal town, a bereft grandmother risks everything to uncover the truth and seek revenge.' Although it has only been on the site for four days, it has managed to get into the top 10 of the most-watched programmes. A revenge thriller with 'heartbreaking performances' rockets up the Netflix charts as viewers 'binge-watch every episode' Two Graves, created by Agustin Martinez, landed on the popular streaming service on August 29 The show, which is called Dos Tumbas in Spanish, has placed at number six on the chart. There are three parts to the programme, all lasting around 40 to 50 minutes. Over the last few days many have shared their rave reviews about the programme. One wrote on IMDb: 'Quick binge with only three episodes. Nothing revolutionary but I'm trash for a Spanish crime drama so I ate this show up with a spoon anyway. There are some surprises in there but I saw the very last scene coming about a mile away. 'But the setting and pacing were great, the show doesn't waste much time on filler which was nice.' 'As stated earlier, I enjoyed the depiction of the local settings as well as the fact that the story was condensed into three rather than the usual six, eight or ten to which these stories often run.' Others took to Google reviews, with one saying: 'I loved it!' 'The plot is very good; it keeps you on the edge of your seat and wanting to know more. There are several very good twists, but my rating is negative because the ending was a huge disappointment.' The new Spanish thriller follows the story of a woman called Isabel who goes looking for her missing 16-year-old granddaughter and her friend (pictured) Many have rushed online to share their positive reviews about the three-part series - and one said that it's 'top-notch' 'Personally, I was hooked from the first episode. I watched the series in one sitting. It's very entertaining and has an unexpected ending. Excellent performances by the main characters. I recommend it.' 'I loved it!!! The actors are top-notch, you can't expect anything less, and the plot is so good, and you'll be able to watch it in 3 hours. 'The cover said a lot, and in my opinion, it did NOT disappoint. It's entertaining and very good.' 'Wow, this thriller is a pure killer. From start to finish, wow... Go for it! The story is extraordinary. Four excellent episodes. I highly recommend it. A must-watch.' 'A very good series. It gets to the point and presents everything in a very fluid manner, not fast, but at the right moment to keep the viewer engaged... and the ending... unexpected... but it was the right one. '5 points well deserved... short? Yes, but precise... not like other series that have 10 episodes and unnecessary characters and situations that end up unfinished...' The show also stars Zoe Arnao, Salva Reina, Joan Sole, Carlos Scholz, Ivan Prados and Nonna Cardoner. Two Graves is written by Jorge Diaz and Antonio Santos Mercero. The show, which was filmed in Malaga, is also directed by Kike Maillo. Earlier this week Netflix fans shared that they 'can't wait' to watch gritty new period drama House Of Guinness - as the first trailer unveiled a glittering cast and James Norton in the lead role. From the mind of Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, the eight-part series promises to be one of the streaming giant's most ambitious dramas yet. House Of Guinness tells the story of the legendary family behind the world-famous brewery, set against the backdrop of 19th-century Dublin and New York. Stream Two Graves on Netflix now. A millennial wedding trend had society snobs clutching their pearls last weekend as restaurateur Charlie Kelly tied the knot with his wife Mira in Canggu, Bali. Charlie, the owner of trendy Double Bay venue Bartiga, said 'I do' with Mira last Sunday at Arnalaya Beach House - a luxury villa famous for its waterfront views. It may sound like a standard destination wedding - but the Kellys' nuptials came with a twist: it was, in fact, a surprise wedding. Guests had been invited months prior for what they believed was an engagement party - an opportunity for the bride and groom's respective friends and family to meet. But the jig was up when the couple suddenly announced they were actually about to exchange vows - right there and then. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Double Bay restaurateur Charlie Kelly (right) and wife Mira married in a surprise wedding in Bali Guests had been invited months prior for what they believed was an engagement party This kind of wedding - disguised as a more casual gathering until the big reveal - is now all the rage among younger newlyweds. The new tradition - made famous by Meta billionaire Mark Zuckerberg whose 2012 wedding to Priscilla Chan was billed as her graduation party - is often preferred by couples who wish to avoid the months of planning, family politics, hype and pomp that often come with traditional ceremonies. It can be quite romantic - but that doesn't mean everyone has to like it. We've heard rumblings on the society grapevine that some felt the rug had been pulled out from under them. The off-the-cuff ceremony was at odds with that of fellow culinary king Chris Lucas who tied the knot with Sarah Lew in a long-planned Italian wedding two years ago. One insider was thrilled by the big reveal, telling us: 'No one guessed it, and it was such an incredible surprise - and so refreshing given the over-the-top weddings you often read about.' But inevitably these surprise weddings do tend to draw whispers from guests who miss the opportunity to really dress up - or bring the couple a wedding gift. Still, while the customer may always be right at Charlie's restaurant, it was the couple who made the rules on their wedding day. Guests unknowingly posed for wedding photos as the sun began to set. But it would soon transpire that the 'engagement party' was in fact a prelude for the couple's nuptials One insider was thrilled by the big reveal, telling us: 'No one guessed it, and it was such an incredible surprise - and so refreshing given the over-the-top weddings you often read about' But inevitably these surprise weddings do tend to draw whispers from guests who miss the opportunity to really dress up - or bring the couple a wedding gift Mira, an art dealer who also works in banking and tech, spent the first portion of the evening in an engagement party dress - a slip frock with asymmetrical sleeves. After the big moment, she slipped into her wedding gown - a show-stopping, ivory tulle number with a plunging neckline and open back. Her groom sported a camel-coloured suit and button-down white shirt throughout the night, as well as a corsage of pink flowers that matched his bride's bouquet. Of course, a corps delite of Sydneys most glamorous figures were in attendance, including model Charlie Austin and her restaurateur partner Poata Okeroa, who owns Sydney hotspots Pelicano, Gitano and Sussudio. Elsewhere, socialite Laura Csortan was spotted in the crowd, as well as Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe and former Bachelor star Monique Morley. Jay G. Lyon, a Sydney art gallery owner, also attended the exclusive party. The venue itself was a tropical wonderland, boasting waterfront views and manicured greenery bedecked with streamers and floral garlands. The couple exchanged vows beneath a canopy of fairy lights, and were showered with yellow flowers after saying 'I do' at an outdoor podium. Then came speeches, before the pair cut their extravagant, three-tiered wedding cake which was festooned with flowers. The newlyweds then danced the night away beneath the stars with their guests, only stopping to take photos in front of a wall decorated with colourful flower garlands. The couple exchanged vows beneath a canopy of fairy lights, and were showered with yellow flowers after saying 'I do' at an outdoor podium There were plenty of familiar faces in the crowd, including (from left to right) Laura Csortan, Charlie Austin, Poata Okeroa and Jay G. Lyon Bachelor star Monique Morley (second left) cosied up to other guests at the event Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe (right) posed for a photo with Laura Csortan (centre) The venue itself was a tropical wonderland, boasting waterfront views and manicured greenery bedecked with streamers and floral garlands The next day, the newlyweds and a handful of guests reunited for a recovery brunch at a beach club, enjoying cocktails and massages by the water. And, of course, it wouldn't be a Sydney high-society wedding without at least one of the guests announcing a hook-up or a break-up. Enter property developer Max Shepherd, who hard-launched his new girlfriend Hannah Waites after we first reported on their romance back in June. As DailyMail+ subscribers will know, Hannah used to date David Malouf, the same real estate agent who sold Max's Darling Point apartment - the one he co-owned with his former partner Dina Broadhurst - several months ago. Property developer Max Shepherd, the former partner of Dina Broadhurst, hard-launched his new girlfriend Hannah Waites at the Bali wedding We first reported on their romance back in June Max and Dina (right) dated for four years Meanwhile, Charlie has become Double Bay's hottest new hospitality king since opening the doors of Bartiga in January last year. The space previously housed his mother's restaurant, Cafe Perons, which she ran for four decades before giving her son the keys. When the opportunity arose to reimagine the space, Charlie partnered with executive chef Faheem Noor to launch Bartiga, a contemporary restaurant blending modern Australian cuisine with Southeast Asian influences. Charlie's vision was to honour his family's legacy while pushing culinary boundaries, creating a venue that could serve both casual diners and those seeking an elevated, design-forward experience. He proposed to Mira in December 2024 during a Christmas gathering with her family in Bali. Mira's wedding gown was a show-stopping, ivory tulle number with a plunging neckline The next day, the newlyweds and a handful of guests reunited for a recovery brunch at a beach club, enjoying cocktails and massages by the water Charlie proposed to Mira in December 2024 during a Christmas gathering with her family in Bali READ THE LATEST FROM DAILYMAIL+ Here are some great stories you may have missed: News / National by Gideon Madzikatidze/Simbarashe Sithole in Mutare Air Zimbabwe's maiden Harare-Mutare flight lifted off, marking a significant milestone in the country's aviation and tourism sectors.The flight, which was launched in conjunction with the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Travel Expo in Mutare, is expected to boost tourism and economic activities in the region.Among the passengers on board flight 148 was 72-year-old Gogo Annah Mawoneke Jambe from Bocha in Manicaland, who had always dreamed of flying. Her grandson surprised her with a promotional air ticket costing $21, making her dream a reality."I am happy that this is my first time at such an age to board an aeroplane, an experience I had always been dreaming of," Mawoneke said.Mawoneke praised President Emmerson Mnangagwa's administration for developing aviation and tourism infrastructure, saying it has made a significant difference in her life."We welcome the relaunch and establishment of this airline and route, which will enable us as a country to generate more money and venture into profitable businesses with efficiency," she added.Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development, Honourable Felix Mhona, said the launch of the Harare-Mutare route is a testament to the government's commitment to ease of doing business, inclusion, and efficiency in transport networking."We are working around the clock to ensure that every previously marginalized community and place is linked with precision and genuine commitment to transform livelihoods through affordable transport systems and comprehensive related infrastructure," Mhona said.Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Honourable Barbara Rwodzi, highlighted the importance of hosting the Sanganai/Hlanganani Kumbanayi World Travel Expo in Mutare, saying it will define Zimbabwe's tourism destination premium status while prioritizing inclusivity.The expo, themed "Devolving Sustainable Tourism Development - Our Future," is expected to have an economic multiplier impact, creating jobs and boosting demand for local services.Air Zimbabwe CEO, Edmund Makona, emphasized the airline's dedication to growth, tourism potential, and connecting people, cultures, and opportunities. The Harare-Mutare flights are part of the airline's commitment to make sure everyone is connected and make business easier. A Melbourne woman known for spending $200k on extreme body modifications has resurfaced online for the first time in months. Tara Jayne McConachy a cosmetic nurse who describes herself as a 'human Barbiedoll' gave her followers a rare glimpse at her latest look this week, uploading a photo of herself posing at Mitchelton Wines in Victoria. The plastic surgery enthusiast, 35, debuted a Wednesday Addams-inspired look, which featured a white buttondown shirt and black tie. Tara's thick black hair fell behind her shoulders, while a newlycut fringe framed her cosmeticallyaltered visage. She completed her gothic look with a black mini skirt and patterned black tights, and accessorised her look with seethrough heels and a fuchsia velvet bag. 'Bottled up but never contained,' she captioned the image. Cosmetic surgery enthusiast Tara Jayne McConachy, 35, (pictured) gave her followers a rare glimpse at her latest look this week, uploading a photo of herself posing at Mitchelton Wines in Victoria The post came as a surprise for Tara's fans, given that she has pared back her social media presence in recent months. Tara last posted to Instagram back in March during a trip to the Maldives (pictured) The post came as a surprise for Tara's fans, given that she has pared back her social media presence in recent months. Tara last posted to Instagram back in March during a trip to the Maldives, sharing two photos of herself lounging at a restaurant in skimpy summer dresses. Prior to that, she'd last updated her feed in September 2024. The Instagram model found fame in 2020 after appearing on E! reality show Botched, following extensive plastic surgery including five breast augmentations, six nose jobs and endless rounds of Botox and filler. She appeared on the LA-based program in the hope of convincing Drs Paul Nassif and Terry Dubrow to give her bigger implants. 'Everything is tiny on me except for my tatas... I'm on a quest for a bigger chest!' she told producers. 'I currently have 540 CCs [of breast implant silicone], and I'm just not happy with them at all,' she said. Prior to that, she'd last updated her feed in September 2024 (pictured) The Instagram model found fame in 2020 after appearing on E! reality show Botched, following extensive plastic surgery including five breast augmentations, six nose jobs and endless rounds of Botox and filler Tara said she'd noticed a 'rippling effect' on the skin on her breasts and hoped 'filling out the space more' would fix the issue. But she was left disappointed when the doctors said her weight was 'dangerously low' at 45kg, making her far too slim to carry larger implants. 'I'm really concerned about Tara's overall wellbeing', Dr Nassif said. 'Not just as it relates to surgery, but she really needs to get both physically and mentally healthy.' Tara said she'd stop at nothing to maintain and even enhance her 'knockout' 37inch bust, 17inch waist and 29inch hips. 'There is no limit for me when it comes to plastic surgery. It is incredibly addictive and I already want bigger breasts,' she added. 'As soon as travel is permitted, I have plans to go back overseas to visit my surgeon and get my breast size increased to 1500cc [from their current 1050cc].' 'I think in this day and age, it's very important for a woman to be able to express the way they feel and just express everything about beauty,' she told The Morning Show last year. 'Plastic surgery is how I do that and that's what makes me happy. It gives me the confidence to be the best version of myself.' In August 2021, she appeared on Todd Sampson's headline-making documentary series Mirror Mirror, which followed a group of Australians obsessed with going under the knife. In the show, Tara described herself as an 'upgraded limitededition Barbie doll', while also bemoaning the inadequacy of her Ecup breasts. 'I think I want to get my boobs bigger,' she said. Tara is pictured on the left before her transformation, and on the right after her transformation Tara said she'd noticed a 'rippling effect' on the skin on her breasts and hoped 'filling out the space more' would fix the issue. Pictured on E! series Botched Downton Abbey is back for its third and final film as fans prepare to bid a fond farewell to the stately home's beloved residents after 15 years. While the aristocratic Crawley family live upstairs, their servants downstairs keep everything on track. Ahead of the film hitting screens Ancestry have discovered many of the cast's ancestors share surprising connection to their onscreen characters, including working similar jobs, living similar lifestyles, as well as one boasting a royal relative. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale which releases September 12, is set in 1930, some 18 years after the first episode debuted on ITV. It will also be the first not to feature Dame Maggie Smith, who sadly passed away in September 2024 aged 89. The latest saga finds Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) in a public scandal as a divorcee and is forced out of social occasions in London because of her marital status. Putting into question her eligibility to inherit the Downton Abbey estate from her father Lord Grantham, played by Hugh Bonneville. Here Daily Mail looks at the cast's surprising connections to their characters.... Downton Abbey is back for its third and final film as fans prepare to bid a fond farewell to the stately home's beloved residents after 15 years Ahead of the film hitting screens Ancestry have discovered that many of the cast's ancestors share surprising connection to their onscreen characters Daily Mail looks at the cast's surprising connections to their characters (cast pictured at London premiere) Michael Fox - Footman Andy Parker Michael joined the Downton Abbey cast as loveable Andy during the fifth season, with his character falling for and eventually marrying kitchen maid Daisy (Sophie McShera). The actor, 36, also found love behind the scenes with co-star Laura Carmichael, 39, who plays the role of Lady Edith, and together welcomed son Luca in 2021. Life imitates art for Michael, whose three-times-great-grandfather Horace Walpole was a butler in the 1800s. Meanwhile his great-great-grandfather Joseph Jenks worked a chauffeur in 1920s Berkshire. Speaking about his role, Michael told Female First in 2015: 'Andy's a guy whose job is not as secure as it would have been 30 years before, so he's like, "what can Andy do to work, to live?" If the house is cutting back, he doesn't have that same type of future that [butler] Carson had when he joined the house'. Michael joined the Downton Abbey cast as loveable Andy during the fifth season His character fell for and eventually marrying kitchen maid Daisy (Sophie McShera) The actor, 36, also found love behind the scenes with co-star Laura Carmichael, 39, who plays the role of Lady Edith Life imitates art for Michael, whose three-times-great-grandfather Horace Walpole was a butler in the 1800s (Horace's marriage record pictured) Meanwhile his great-great-grandfather Joseph Jenks worked a chauffeur in 1920s Berkshire (England Census record of Joseph Jenks pictured) Lesley Nicol - Cook Mrs Patmore Manchester born Lesley, 72, has played the role of the formidable Downton cook Beryl Patmore since the show's very first episode. As well as the character's relationship with Daisy proving comedy gold, she also featured in a heartbreaking storyline that saw her battle sight loss. Lesley's ancestors were shepherds, butchers and wine merchants, showing a real-life passion for food and drink that mirrors her characters loveable role in the Downton kitchen. Her grandfather Henry Thomas Isaac was a butcher who worked for mother Elizabeth in 1911 in Glamorgan, South Wales. Lesley's ancestors were shepherds, butchers and wine merchants, showing a real-life passion for food and drink that mirrors her characters loveable role in the Downton kitchen As well as the character's relationship with Daisy (L) proving comedy gold, she also featured in a heartbreaking storyline that saw her battle sight loss Lesley's ancestors were shepherds, butchers and wine merchants, showing a real-life passion for food and drink that mirrors her characters loveable role in the Downton kitchen Her grandfather Henry Thomas Isaac was a butcher who worked for mother Elizabeth in 1911 in Glamorgan, South Wales (1911 census pictured) Harry Hadden-Paton - Herbert 'Bertie' Pelham, Marquess of Hexham Just like his aristocratic character Bertie, actor Harry comes from equally posh stock and boasts Sarah, Duchess of York as his godmother. Harry, 44, joined the cast in the final season and wed spinster sister Lady Edith and delighting fans as the marriage made her The Marchioness of Hexham following year's on the shelf. Offscreen he is the son of former cavalry officer Nigel Hadden-Paton, head of a landed gentry family and Sarah Bumble, daughter of Brigadier Frederick Mellor. Henry's three-times-great-grandfather Henry G Marquand was an American banker involved in major railroad interests, who could very well have saved the Crawley's from financial ruin. Just like his aristocratic character Bertie, actor Harry comes from equally posh stock and boasts Sarah, Duchess of York as his godmother Harry joined the cast in the final season and wed spinster sister Lady Edith (pictured) and delighting fans as the marriage made her The Marchioness of Hexham Actor Harry is the son of former cavalry officer Nigel Hadden-Paton, head of a landed gentry family and Sarah Bumble, daughter of Brigadier Frederick Mellor. Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York pictured Offscreen his three-times-great-grandfather, Henry G Marquand, a banker involved in major railroad interests (1902 death notice pictured) Allen Leech - Tom Branson Allen's character Tom went from being the family's chauffeur and outspoken Irish separatist to marrying youngest Crawley daughter Cybil. Following her tragic death in child birth, Tom worked hard to integrate himself into the family before eventually finding love again with Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton). Like Branson, Allen, 44, comes from a family of principled public servants including great-grandfather Thomas H. Leech. Thomas, who died in 1962, was an Irish peace commissioner known for his honesty and integrity, and may well have inspired one of Bransons iconic speeches. Allen's character Tom went from being the family's chauffeur and outspoken Irish separatist, to marrying youngest Crawley daughter Cybil Allen's character Tom went from being the family's chauffeur and outspoken Irish separatist, to marrying youngest Crawley daughter Cybil Like Branson, Allen, 44, comes from a family of principled public servants including great-grandfather Thomas H. Leech (pictured with co-star Michelle Dockery) Thomas, who died in 1962, was an Irish peace commissioner known for his honesty and integrity, and may well have inspired one of Bransons iconic speeches (death notice pictured) It comes after Allen has revealed the cheeky comment he made to the late Dame Maggie Smith when they were working together and her surprising reaction. The Irish actor worked with Dame Maggie for more than a decade on the period drama which has spawned six series and three movies. Ahead of the last film instalment Allen has discussed what it was like sharing the set with the famously waspish dame. He told Ryan Tubridy show on Virgin Radio UK: She was the best craic, if you were on the right side of her, and I thankfully was. 'But if you gave her too much, if you were too reverential to her, she almost hopped on it. 'She wanted to just be one of the ensemble. On one occasion while working on season two of the historical series, Dame Maggie greeted him telling him: Im glad youre back, Smiler. Leech said: I was like, oh, thanks very much. And I thought, this is your chance now not to be too reverential. So as she passed and she was in this big, you know, what they call that big bustle dress of the period. It comes after Allen has revealed the cheeky comment he made to the late Dame Maggie Smith when they were working together and her surprising reaction The Irish actor worked with Dame Maggie, who died last year aged 89, for more than a decade on the period drama which has spawned six series and three movies Dame Maggie played Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the period drama (pictured in the series in 2018) 'And I just said, Maggie? And she went, What? And I said, Your arse looks great in that. But rather than chastise him for his for his x-rated comments, she was amused by his cheeky irreverence. He added: Immediately, she did that laugh and then I was in, you know, because I was one of the gang. The actor also said that Dame Maggie was similar to her acidic character Violet Crawley, the Dowager Duchess of Grantham, whose withering remarks became legendary on the show. He said: She was [like her character]. And she used to say things after she would say something that you knew was like absolute gold, but dangerous. 'She'd turn and she'd go, "Oh, I'm wicked. I'm wicked." She knew herself. She was great fun. Pamela Anderson has firmly addressed claims that her bond with her The Naked Gun co-star Liam Neeson is a public relations stunt. While accepting the Deauville 2025 Talent Award at the Deauville American Film Festival on Friday, the 58-year-old actress said, 'I do not and will never feed into PR stunts. That would be a death sentence. I'm authentically driven.' Pamela and Liam, 73, stoked romance rumors during the press run for their film, which hit theaters on August 1. 'I'm superstitious when it comes to love. And I'm not comfortable sharing any shred of my romantic life,' the former Baywatch star said on stage. She continued: 'I know I'll fall in love again and again on screen. That is my job. If we do it well, you will feel it, a kind of projection. It is the greatest compliment. 'So please think positive. And I appreciate your good wishes. There are no silly games being played. I am sincere. Do not mistake my kindness for weakness or my boldness for bitterness.' Pamela Anderson has firmly addressed claims that her bond with her The Naked Gun co-star Liam Neeson is a public relations stunt Pamela and Liam, 73, stoked romance rumors during the press run for their film, which hit theaters on August 1; pictured July 30 Pamela, whose previous wild romances with Tommy Lee and Kid Rock made headlines, added: 'I'm here on this journey, not for money or for fame, but to see what I'm made of in truth, hard work and to leave behind an honest legacy my family can be proud of.' In late August a source told Daily Mail that the two A-listers have a 'genuine' connection and that claims that their love for each other is a PR stunt are 'ridiculous.' It was added that 'everything between them has been genuine. Neither would ever take part in a publicity stunt. They have a great time. Neither of them needs the publicity.' The person in-the-know said, 'Their relationship isn't just for show. They have a real connection. There's no incentive for either of them to stage something like this.' Pamela and Liam first sparked romance buzz when they were spotted being affectionate while promoting their comedy in New York City and London. 'Pam is very drawn to Liam because he is totally open to her way of thinking and living, and especially her approach to fame, which is impressive,' an insider told Daily Mail at the time. 'She has been telling friends he is smitten and does a lot of sweet things for her, like sending her flowers, and spending time with her sons and dogs,' the person added. The source noted that they had managed to keep the long-distance romance private by spending time at her house in Canada. While accepting the Deauville 2025 Talent Award at the Deauville American Film Festival on Friday, the 58-year-old actress said, 'I do not and will never feed into PR stunts. That would be a death sentence. I'm authentically driven' The longtime actress stunned in a simple, strapless black gown for the special occasion 'I'm superstitious when it comes to love. And I'm not comfortable sharing any shred of my romantic life,' the former Baywatch star said on stage The film festival announced Pamela as this year's honoree on August 21. A press released praised her as a figure 'who has combined her work as an actress with a passionate commitment to philanthropy and advocacy, leaving a lasting mark on the cultural imagination.' Isabelle Huppert virtually presented the star with the award. The blonde beauty said on Friday, 'I realize how lucky I am and I'm grateful to be a part of pop culture,' according to an account from People. She went on to say, 'It is a blessing and also maybe a bit of a curse. It undermines the goal. One has the cultivated mystique, which is invaluable to a film actor. It was important to me at this juncture to shake things up, twist perceptions so I can be free to paint upon a blank canvas time and again with each new undertaking.' Andy Lee has given fans a first glimpse of what his ambitious Melbourne mansion renovation will look like. The funnyman, 44, and his partner, 35, have spent the last two years restoring a 150-year-old derelict home by the Yarra River in Melbourne. As the protracted renovation continues, Andy took to Instagram on Friday to explain what he and Rebecca were trying to achieve with the ambitious build. 'A lot of people have been asking what the hell are we doing with this house,' Andy began the video. 'That's a very good question I've wondered that as well.' 'Here is a quick take. The main problem was the back of the house is its front because they used to arrive by the Yarra.' He then revealed that the solution to the problem was to build a second house at the back of the original structure with both houses connected via an underground tunnel. Andy Lee has given fans a first glimpse of what his ambitious Melbourne mansion renovation will look like As the protracted reno continues, Andy took to Instagram on Friday to explain what he and Rebecca were trying to achieve with the ambitious build. Pictured: And architect's render of the finished house 'We need to preserve that and that's where you'd normally build off for an extension,' he said. 'So, the architects had a great idea which was to build a bit further back... so we could have a new building the river house, a piazza in between, and we can look back at the heritage house. 'They've also created a tunnel between the two so it's connected.' As he spoke, Andy shared architectural renders of the finished product, while continuing to offer details about the new river house. 'We've decided we're going to clad the newer build with an oxidised copper like the Statue of Liberty, so it's kind of a greeny-blue and it will feel a lot more warmth and disappear into the sky,' Andy explained. He added that the plans had been met with his partner's approval, saying: 'Bec just lost her marbles when she saw this.' The post was met with a flurry of comments from followers, with one asking the purpose of the second house. 'So what are the plans with the existing house? Will it be an occupied house?' they asked. the architects had a great idea which was to build a bit further back... so we could have a new building the river house, a piazza in between, and we can look back at the heritage house,' he said. 'They've also created a tunnel between the two so it's connected' 'We've decided we're going to clad the newer build with an oxidised copper like the Statue of Liberty, so it's kind of a greeny-blue and it will feel a lot more warmth and disappear into the sky,' Andy explained Andy replied: 'Plans to have an office each upstairs and a guest room on the ground floor. Designed so guests can visit but also have their own space.' Some, however, took the opportunity to take a subtle dig at Andy, claiming he was 'out of touch.' 'A copper cladded house with a tunnel is supervillain level detachment from the common man,' one offered. Another chimed in with a similar: 'Video explaining your house, not very common man.' It wasn't all criticism, though, with many gushing over the stunning images. 'Will look amazing,' one fan wrote. 'You worked for it and earned the right to do what youre doing. Well done Andy and Bec.' Another echoed the sentiment with: 'Beyond brilliant architecture and design. So happy to see people living their dream. What a fabulous home you both are creating.' Andy and Rebecca have grand plans for their Italianate manor, with the planned renovation worth an estimated $5 million having begun in 2023. He added that the plans had been met with his partner's approval, saying: 'Bec just lost her marbles when she saw this' Andy and Rebecca have grand plans for their Italianate manor, with the planned renovation worth an estimated $5million having begun in 2023 The comedian has been hard at work on the derelict Melbourne mansion, called Ravenswood, he bought for $8.5million in 2021, in a Block-style rebuild. The comedian has been hard at work on the derelict Melbourne mansion, called Ravenswood, he bought for $8.5 million in 2021, in a Block-style rebuild. The couple won council approval for their development application back in June 2023. Other highlights planned for the 1,950 square metre holding include a home theatre, a gym, a swimming pool and a 'mega bedroom'. With huge plans to connect a modern build to the Italianate manor, and with years still to go, Daily Mail revealed in June that the disruptive works had divided neighbours. 'It's noisy. It's been noisy... It's frustrating because it's been going for a year and we've still got a couple more years to go,' one disgruntled person said. Though they went on to add the 'earthworks' were the noisiest portion of the build, the neighbour said nowadays it has 'actually settled down quite a bit'. 'Any building site is noisy... It's hard with parking. The parking is difficult, but any house renovation does that,' they continued. Another neighbour agreed, saying: 'There was digging every day between seven and three. That's ceased. 'At the moment it has quietened down. We've just accepted that it's happening.' Millie Court showed her ex-boyfriend Liam Reardon exactly what he's missing as she posted a new series of sexy bikini snaps following their split earlier this week. The Love Island stars - who met on the show in 2021 and have a podcast together - have called it quits for the second time after previously ending things in 2022 before getting back together. Influencer Millie, 28, has been enjoying a trip away on the Greek island of Mykonos for her mum's 60th birthday, whilst Liam, 26, has been focusing on his health and fitness. Taking to Instagram, Millie shared a dump of moments from her holiday, which included obligatory post break-up bikini pics. She looked incredible in a zebra print two-piece with red stitching, showing off her toned physique. Millie posed in the mirror before heading out for a fun-filled girls' day. Millie Court showed her ex-boyfriend Liam Reardon exactly what he's missing as she posted a new series of sexy bikini snaps following their split earlier this week The former bricklayer looked in good spirits as he snapped a quick selfie during his exercise 'Celebrating mummas 60th,' Millie penned alongside the photos. Meanwhile, Liam took himself out for a Friday morning run, later joined by his pal for another session to keep his mind at bay. The former bricklayer looked in good spirits as he snapped a quick selfie during his exercise. It's his first Instagram post in three weeks, suggesting there were signs of struggle before their unexpected break-up. But he appeared happy in his latest snap after it was announced they are no longer together. Insiders claim Welsh influencer Liam was the one to pull the plug on the romance, sparking Essex girl Millie to drown her sorrows on a girly holiday. The breakup is likely to spell the end for the pair's podcast, Liam and Millie, a collaboration with Sony Music which has aired since October 2024. A source said: 'Liam and Millie tried to make it work but eventually it just wasn't meant to be. Millie has been posting snaps on Instagram since their split as she parties in Greece with her girls The influencer looked incredible in some risque outfits as she appeared to shrug off the break-up Insiders claim Welsh influencer Liam was the one to pull the plug on the romance, sparking Essex girl Millie to drown her sorrows on a girly holiday 'Nobody thought they were going to get back together after their initial split, so they've done well lasting this long - especially as their lives are based in Wales and Essex respectively. 'But Liam just wasn't feeling it towards the end and it was he who instigated the breakup. 'Millie is gutted but is being a trouper and getting on with life, supported by her girls.' Liam and Millie split their Love Island winnings 50/50 during the 2021 live final. The pair beat fellow couples Chloe Burrows and Toby Aromolaran, Faye Winter and Teddy Soares and Kaz Kamwi and Tyler Cruickshank in the showpiece, watched by over three million viewers. They stayed together for a year until splitting, which saw Liam take part in E4 show Celebs Go Dating and Millie embark on a rumoured romance with Gogglebox star George Baggs. But the pair reconciled over Easter in 2023 after they were spotted on a romantic break in the Lake District. An insider at the time told the Daily Mail: 'Millie and Liam have been talking again, but it's early days for them. 'They weren't expecting to get back together after their breakup was so painful for them both, but months have passed, and they still couldn't stop thinking about each other. Love Island champions Millie Court and Liam Reardon have split four years after winning the series (seen in 2021) 'Coming out of Love Island was a whirlwind and now they're just looking to take things slowly and see if they can rebuild their relationship, which may take some time.' Their latest breakup comes as Millie openly 'hinted' she was ready for Liam to propose - after she showed him what type of engagement ring she would like. Speaking to the Daily Mail in June, she said: 'He's the one in control of proposing and I've gave a little hint and showed him a ring that I would like. 'Not that it means he'll do it any time soon but I thought better he knows now so when he does decide to, in the future, he knows what ring I like. 'He also knows what I would like proposal-wise as well, so where it would be and stuff.' The cause of comedian Ken Flores' unexpected death has been revealed seven months after he died at just 28. A report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined that Flores died in January 2025 of a drug overdose. The medical examiner determined that the rising stand-up star's death was accidental and was a result of cocaine toxicity, according to TMZ. Flores was also suffering from congestive heart failure at the time, which the report determined had contributed to his death. The medical examiner determined that cocaine was the only substance in Flores' body at the time of his death, as he didn't test positive for other potentially dangerous substances, including alcohol, fentanyl, meth, opiates or other drugs. It was previously reported that Flores had been concerned about his heart condition. The LA County Medical Examiner determined comedian Ken Flores' death in January 2025 at age 28 was due to cocaine toxicity In January, TMZ reported that Flores had been making an effort to improve his health shortly before his death. According to Cleveland Clinic, 'Congestive heart failure is a long-term condition that happens when your heart cant pump blood well enough to give your body a normal supply. Blood and fluids collect in your lungs and legs over time.' According to sources close to the late comedian and law enforcement, Flores had sought help multiple times at the hospital over the course of the last two years. Flores had also been losing weight and attempting to improve his health. However, he had also been using oxygen, and oxygen tanks were found yesterday at his home, according to TMZ. Home oxygen therapy can be used as a treatment for congestive heart therapy, according to Dignity Health. Ken went into cardiac arrest and was found in his home by a friend. His friend called 911 and performed CPR on him as he waited for paramedics, TMZ reported. Flores was pronounced dead at the scene. Insiders added that no drugs were found and foul play was not suspected. Flores' congestive heart failure was also a factor in his death, but he did not test positive for any other substances besides cocaine; Flores is pictured August 2024 Comedian Ken Flores was reportedly suffering from major health issues prior to his shock death at age 28; Flores is pictured August 2024 An autopsy was performed by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Officer, and the cause and manner of death were to be announced following the return of a toxicology test, TMZ added. Flores' family announced his tragic passing in January in a statement posted to his Instagram. 'It is with great sadness that we confirm the untimely passing of our friend, brother, and son, Kenyi Flores,' the family posted on his Instagram account. 'Please respect our privacy at this time as we are all shocked and devastated by this loss.' Shortly before his death, Flores revealed via X that he was making an attempt at being booze-free for his 2025 tour. 'So I started my tour a couple weeks ago and I'm proud to say I've done every single show - five in Portland, one in Albuquerque, and four in Atlanta - without a single drop of alcohol,' the Chicago-based funnyman tweeted. 'Nervous for Phoenix next weekend but I think I got it. I'm not sober just wanna chill a bit.' Indeed, Ken was scheduled to perform shortly after his death at Desert Ridge Improv in Phoenix, Arizona. Flores' family announced his tragic passing in January in a statement posted to his Instagram The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed to TMZ that Ken died from undisclosed causes while it awaited toxicology results (pictured in January) Last Sunday, Flores revealed via X that he was making an attempt at being booze-free for his 2025 tour (pictured August 10) The Chicago-based funnyman tweeted: 'So I started my tour a couple weeks ago and I'm proud to say I've done every single show - five in Portland, one in Albuquerque, and four in Atlanta - without a single drop of alcohol. Nervous for Phoenix next weekend but I think I got it. I'm not sober just wanna chill a bit' Flores had his 969K social media followers to thank for many of his bits going viral on Instagram and TikTok. The former Talkin' My S*** podcaster was also once part of a roast battle with the roastmaster general himself, Jeff Ross. The Hollywood Improv led the online tributes by posting a slideshow of snaps of Ken performing at the historic venue. 'We were honored to share your talent on our stages,' Hollywood Improv wrote. 'You were greatness, and it was only a matter of time until the whole world saw it. You were also kind and a tremendous friend to all lucky enough to know you. We love you Ken, thank you for all the laughs.' Comedian Carlos Flores Instastoried a recent snap captioned: 'Feels unreal I had just met you compa... nicest and funniest dude ever. RIP young legend.' Comedian Neema Naz wrote: F***, I was hoping this wasn't real. What a tragic and devastating loss to the world. Ken was a gem and was going to be a star one day. RIP.' The band Los Desvelados shared a snap captioned: 'Ken, thank you for all the amazing times, the laughter, the jokes. You will be missed!' Comedian Rene Vaca shared a PDA-filled slideshow captioned: 'Life will never be the same. I love you so much king.' And the comedy account Foos Gone Wild posted: 'RIP @kenflores300 We lost a super talented and funny foo. Glad to have worked with him ad the FGW Comedy Store show. Our condolences to his family. Socks up to heavens.' Kate Beckinsale shared poignant snaps from her beloved mother Judy Loe's funeral on Saturday - after her death in July aged 78. The actress, 52, took to Instagram earlier this summer to share that she had died in her arms on July 15 after 'immeasurable suffering' and admitted she is 'paralysed' with grief. Judy's cause of death wasn't confirmed however Kate previously revealed her mother been battling stage four cancer for the last two years. And this week the funeral took place, with Kate emotionally reflecting on the day as she shared a selection of images from the ceremony which took place at Chiswick House. She was joined by her daughter Lily, 26, who she shares with her ex Michael Sheen - who also attended to support her. Lily and Michael were seen sweetly hugging in one of the snaps Kate shared. Kate and Michael were a couple from the mid-1990s to 2003. In the caption Kate said she still felt 'blindsided and devastated' by her death and heartbreakingly admitted she often still goes to call her before realising that no one will answer. Kate Beckinsale shared poignant snaps from her beloved mother Judy Loe's funeral on Saturday - after her death in July aged 78 (seen together before her death) The actress, 52, took to Instagram earlier this summer to share that she had died in her arms on July 15 after 'immeasurable suffering' and admitted she is 'paralysed' with grief Kate also shared that her mother hadn't wanted people to wear black at her funeral and that she wished for a 'celebration of her life'. In her lengthy and emotional caption Kate said: 'Dearest Mama. The fact that you have had to have a funeral at all is wrong and ludicrous. You are the biggest lover of life, the most energetic, the most vital, the most joyous. 'The only mandate you gave me over the years was that you wanted a celebration of your life and that no one was to wear black so no one did. 'What I did not anticipate, particularly the night before the funeral where I got two hours sleep on a hard sofa and very much considered not being able to attend because I was afraid I couldn't handle it, was that someone would be able to have a funeral that was so full of love and happiness and joy, which is all because of you and who you are and what you brought. 'You are a bridge builder, a hoarder of love, an archiver of precious history ,of respect for years of friendship and my God that showed.. 'I think the hardest thing I have ever had to do was say goodbye to you and I haven't managed it yet, I still reach for my phone in the early hours of the morning to text you and then realise that I won't get a response. 'The funeral and the party which I will not call a wake afterwards, and which I very much feel you attended in some vaporous way blew the f***ing roof off Chiswick House. 'Everybody danced - from the age of 3 to their mid 80s. Your school friends attended, my school friends attended, Lily's school friends attended. The love you inspired, quietly and generously was awe-inspiring and still is. In the caption Kate said she still felt 'blindsided and devastated' by her death and heartbreakingly admitted she still goes to call her before realising that no one will answer She was joined by her daughter Lily, 26, who she shares with her ex Michael Sheen - who also attended to support her (Kate and Michael seen in 2010) Her daughter Lily attended the funeral with her mother (stock image) 'I will never get over the lump of cement in my stomach that I have instead of you. Hopefully, I will learn to carry it better than I am currently carrying it which is clumsily and not well. 'But what you left me was a coterie of extraordinarily brilliant people who, if and when I am ever up to it, I know will provide me a soft place to land. 'At the moment I am so blindsided and devastated that it is safer for me to be on my own but I know from your funeral that the relationships you nurtured so carefully over the years are there for me too and that is another part of your generosity that will live on. 'I love you, Mama. You are in my blood. You are in my bones, you are in my heart, broken or not you are there. I love you so much.' Her death came 18 months after the death of Judy's second husband and Kate's stepfather Roy, who died in January 2024. He was hospitalised in Los Angeles in December 2023 after suffering 'a massive stroke' while battling two forms of cancer, which he was diagnosed with in the summer prior. Tragically this wasn't the first time Judy was widowed after the shock death of her first husband Richard Beckinsale in 1979, when Kate was just five-years-old. The actor, famed for his roles in popular shows Rising Damp and Porridge, suddenly passed away on March 19, 1979 at the age of just 31, leaving behind his devastated wife Judy and Kate and her sister Samantha. Sharing the news of her mother's death back in July, Kate posted a compilation of snaps as she penned: 'I don't want to post this. I am only posting this because I have had to register my mother's death certificate and it will soon become public record. 'She died the night of July 15th in my arms after immeasurable suffering. I have not picked all the best photos, nor the best videos, because I cannot bear to go through my camera roll yet. 'I deeply apologise to any of her friends who are finding out this way or through the press, but I cannot go through her phone. 'I am paralysed. Jude was the compass of my life, the love of my life, my dearest friend. The vastness and huge heart of this tiny woman has touched so many people who love her dearly. 'She has been brave in so many ways, forgiving sometimes too much, believing in the ultimate good in people and the world is so dim without her that it is nearly impossible to bear.' She finished: 'Mama, I love you so much. This has been my greatest fear since finding my father dead at five and I am here. Oh my Mama.. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I am so sorry.' Judy's death came 18 months after the death of her second husband, and Kate's stepfather Roy (pictured), who died in January 2024 Kate didn't confirm the cause of death at the time however her mum was known to have been battling stage four cancer for the last two years Kate's post announcing her mother's death is pictured Fans and friends rushed to send their condolences in the comments as they penned: 'I'm so sorry. What a beautiful lady'; 'Sending you and Lily so much love'; 'I'm so incredibly sorry for your loss! Y'all had such an incredible bond that not a lot of mothers and daughters do'; 'Sending love. Not enough. Because NOTHING can replace your mother.'; 'Oh no. May angels lead her in'. Jess Wright added: 'Omg I am so deeply sorry'. Back in March Kate shared a tearful Mother's Day tribute to Judy amid her cancer battle. She reassured her mother that 'any journey you are on, I'm on it with you,' in an Instagram post dedicated to her, revealing just how much she idolises her mum. Describing Judy as her 'partner in crime,' Kate posted a carousel of photos from throughout her mum's cancer treatment, as well as memories that hold a special place in her heart. Kate - who revealed that her mum was sick last year - admitted they had been 'through some s**t together' and that her mum has her heart. The Fool's Paradise star further offered her advice to others who are grieving. She said: 'My heart is with you,' on a day that is 'joyful for so many and painful for so many.' Kate also asked for good wishes to be sent to her 'extraordinary' mother who she called a 'warrior' in her post. Kate penned in the caption of the post about her mother: 'I wasn't going to come back to Instagram but anyone who has a spare prayer or magic or miracle or sunbeam please send it to my mama, my most extraordinary, warrior, generous, humble, loving, unique, irreplaceable Mama. 'Thank you - Lord, keep her safe this night, secure from all her fears, may angels guard her while she sleeps till morning light appears, amen.' Kate's father Richard died when she was just five-years-old after he suffered a shock heart attack in his sleep brought on by undiagnosed coronary artery disease. At the time was in fact Judy who was the family's focus then, as she was in hospital recovering from an operation to unblock her fallopian tubes, so she could have more children. When she emerged, she learned her operation had been a success, but that her husband had died. The day before his death, Richard had taken Kate - who was just five-years-old at the time - to visit her mother in hospital and had no physical complaints, simply saying he felt tired. That evening, Richard attended a party for The Two Ronnies before returning to the family home in Sunningdale, Berks. The last anyone heard from the rising comedy star was in a phone call he made to friends before going to bed, in which he noted he had pains in his arms and chest but made light of it. Tragically, Richard never woke up. Kate, who had been looked after by a family friend who came to babysit her at home, has said she still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder 'from discovering my very young father's almost-dead body as a very young child alone in the night.' It was a trauma which was 'reactivated' by losing Roy all these years later as she revealed a year after his passing that she'll forever be 'haunted' after seeing Roy die. Roy, the director of TV greats including Inspector Morse, Cracker and A Touch Of Frost, came into Kate's life three years after her father died. Alongside a beaming snap of Roy, Kate penned: 'Finding my father's dead body alone in the middle of the night at the age of five shaped my entire life. Seeing my beloved stepfather die a year ago today will haunt me forever. She said in her post about the funeral: 'I love you, Mama. You are in my blood. You are in my bones, you are in my heart, broken or not you are there. I love you so much' 'It does seem terribly careless to have managed to be present for both deaths and unable to prevent either, the second time trying with every single thing I had. It was not enough. 'In the process of losing my beloved Roy I lost family, friendships, at some points my own health, and all the money I had due to how disgusting the American healthcare system is for those who are not insured. I would do it again. No question. 'I cannot help feeling that I dreadfully failed -but I am trying to console myself today with all the preparation that he did in the last years of his life, how deeply he studied and practised as a Jungian and how thin the veil is between the energy of this life and whatever is next, that some part of him was at peace with it. 'It does feel like a lie I am telling myself to try and feel better, however. Perhaps I am just unfortunately not enlightened enough to sell that to myself over my sense of loss, guilt and failure.' Cillian Murphy debuted a striking new look as he hit the red carpet for the world premiere of his latest film, Steve, at the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada on Friday. The Peaky Blinders star, 49, who plays an exhausted headteacher at a last-chance reform school in the new Netflix drama, showed off long curly hair as he posed for photos ahead of the screening. Looking typically dapper, Cillian opted for a classic black single-breasted blazer, crisp white shirt and tailored black trousers. He completed the ensemble with polished black leather shoes. Ahead of the premiere, the Oscar winner appeared in high spirits, smiling for selfies and greeting fans warmly on the red carpet. It comes after the trailer for Steve dropped last month, revealing Cillian's transformation into a dishevelled, sleep-deprived teacher fighting to keep his school from closing. The film unfolds over a pivotal day in Steve's life, as he struggles to uphold the school's integrity while grappling with the intense emotional toll of his work. Cillian Murphy debuted a striking new look as he hit the red carpet for the world premiere of his latest film, Steve, at the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada on Friday The Peaky Blinders star, 49, who plays an exhausted headteacher at a last-chance reform school in the new Netflix drama, showed off long curly hair as he posed for photos ahead of the screening Based on Max Porter's bestselling novel Shy, the story explores not only the inner lives of the students but also Steve's own mental battles, as he gives everything to a job he considers his duty. A powerful relationship forms between Steve and Shy, a troubled teen portrayed by Heartstopper star Jay Lycurgo, who is torn between self-destruction and the desire to be understood. Set in the mid-1990s, Steve is a reimagining of Porter's acclaimed work - and Cillian, who also serves as producer, said the book left a deep impression on him. After reading Shy for the first time, he told Deadline: 'Max gave me that book in a proof edition before he finished it, and again it just broke my heart. 'They're the sorts of things I love as a reader and as a performer, so I really wanted to do something with him.' Porter also adapted his own novel for the screen, featuring a stellar supporting cast that includes Tracey Ullman, Simbi Ajikawo, Emily Watson, and Roger Allam. It comes as Barry Keoghan revealed what acting alongside Cillian was really like, as he gears up for the release of the new and highly anticipated Peaky Blinders film, The Immortal Man. The feature film, which is likely to come out within the next year, will see the infamous Shelby family of cut-throat gangsters transition into the Second World War. Looking typically dapper, Cillian opted for a classic black single-breasted blazer, crisp white shirt and tailored black trousers. He completed the ensemble with polished black leather shoes Ahead of the premiere, the Oscar winner appeared in high spirits, smiling for selfies and greeting fans warmly on the red carpet He also posed alongside his co-stars for several photos on the red carpet (L-R Alan Moloney, Tim Mielants, Little Simz, Cillian, Jay Lycurgo, Phillip Rosedale, and Tracey Ullman) Tracey, 65, cut a stylish figure in a silk orange blazer with lilac floral detailing as she joined Cillian for a sweet snap Meanwhile, British rapper Little Simz, 31, looked sensational in a black leather dress as she beamed and greeted Cillian on the red carpet It comes after the trailer for Steve dropped last month, revealing Cillian's transformation into a dishevelled, sleep-deprived teacher fighting to keep his school from closing Described as 'one for the fans' to conclude the much-loved series, Barry is set to feature alongside Dune actress Rebecca Ferguson, Adolescence writer Stephen Graham and, of course, star of the show Cillian. And in a recent interview with The Mirror, the Saltburn actor revealed exactly what it takes to live up to Cillian's high standards. Barry said: 'There is no slacking for him. 'And it's not in an intimidating way. It is in a way that he does not settle for less. He has an athlete's approach to it. Cillian is such a legend. Barry concluded: 'He does not say anything, but you feel it.' Steve is scheduled to be released in select theatres in the United States on September 19, before being released worldwide on Netflix on October 3 2025. Alan Davies has spoken about the impact his father's abuse has had on his romantic relationships and how his ex-girlfriend Julia Sawalha branded him a 'c***' before flying home early from a trip together. The comedian, 59, who said that he has been told 'domestic disturbances are common in the lives of abuse victims', referred to the 'angry boy' who would come out as a result of dealing with his past trauma. Alan admitted he lashed out at strangers while under the influence of alcohol but also argued terribly with Julia, 56, who is best known for playing Saffy Monsoon in the hit sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, during a holiday to Australia. Alan and Julia, who co-starred in Jonathan Creek, were involved romantically during 2003 and appeared together at red carpet events, but kept their relationship private. During an interview with the Telegraph, Alan expressed regret at upsetting Julia during the getaway, where he revealed he had resumed getting 'blackout drunk' after a period of abstinence from alcohol. He told the publication they argued so severely that she left the country early to fly home but due to his drinking he can't recall why. Alan Davies has spoken about the impact his father's abuse has had on his romantic relationships and how his ex-girlfriend Julia Sawalha (pictured together in 2003) branded him a 'c***' before flying home early from a trip together The comedian, 59, who said that he has been told 'domestic disturbances are common in the lives of abuse victims', referred to the 'angry boy' who would come out as a result of dealing with his past trauma (pictured in 2025) However, he does remember her being on phone to a friend, saying: 'Ive come on holiday with a c***.' Alan is now married to his wife Katie and they share three children, Susie, 15; Bobby, 13; and Francis, nine. But he admitted that while happy married their relationship has not come without trying times as he recalled a drunken row where he locked her out. The police were called and he agreed to couples' counselling. But Alan said he was left terrified that the media would find out and expose the row. Speaking about how it felt including that information in his memoir, he said: 'It was a big call, putting that in the book. If our family, our marriage is a train, then that was me driving the whole thing off the track and into a ravine, and the reasons for that are very complex and difficult to comprehend'. 'There are a lot of people out there driving metaphorical trains and crashing them. Like me, theyll have got very close to wrecking everything losing kids they love more than anything.' The focus of the interview was around the abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of his father, where he claimed his own brother 'stopped speaking' to him after he had his father arrested for the abuse. Discussing his traumatic childhood in the interview, he admitted his family would have 'preferred he didnt say anything at all' as he detailed his fractured relationship with his siblings. Alan is now married to his wife Katie and they share three children, Susie, 15; Bobby, 13; and Francis, nine (pictured with wife Katie in 2010) Alan was sexually abused by his father between the ages of eight to 13, following the death of his mother from leukaemia when he was six years old. During his rise to fame he found himself struggling with alcohol and anger as a result of his childhood, but it was only after a therapist helped him come to terms with what had happened that he went to the police eight years ago. He has since discussed the abuse and how his childhood led him down a troublesome path in his memoir, Just Ignore Him, which was released in 2020. Alan finally reported his father, who is still alive, in 2017, but was told that he wouldn't be able to stand trial as he was in his eighties, had dementia and was in a care home. During an appearance on Lorraine in 2021, he told guest host Cat Deeley that 'secrets and shame are terrible things to carry for a child' while discussing his memoir Just Ignore Him, in which the abuse was detailed. Alan admitted that he had taken a 'long time' to find a way to discuss the 'difficult' aspects of his childhood, telling Cat that he wasn't able to share his story on stage in his stand-up comedy routines. The Jonathan Creek star told how he's had friends share their own experiences of childhood abuse after reading his words, with Alan feeling that this aspect was one of the most 'important' things to come from him penning the memoir. He explained: 'It took me a long time to kind of find a forum as it were to talk about the more difficult things in my childhood, I havent been able to do it in stand-up comedy, Ive done it in this book. 'Several people, people I know, one or two quite well known people, theyve come to me and theyve said "Ive read your book and a similar thing happened to me" or "similar things happened to me" and then weve had a conversation about it as normal as talking about having a cup of tea.' During an appearance on Lorraine in 2021, he said that 'secrets and shame are terrible things to carry for a child' while discussing his memoir Just Ignore Him He continued: 'I feel like thats the most important thing to come from the book, what I hoped would come from the book was that other people would find someone to speak to. Because secrets and shame are terrible things to carry for a child. 'But also, you start carrying them as a child and then you carry them your whole life and they taint everything you do. They taint your whole life experience, all your relationships, everything.' When asked if writing the book helps in anyway, he responded: 'It does because recurring thoughts and recurring memories are just there every day. 'It took me a couple of years to write this and it felt like kind of extracting something and made something worthwhile, I did the best words that I could.' Alan's difficult childhood was made worse by the fact that that he had lost his mum to when he was just six years old, with the physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of his father following. During the interview, Alan also spoke warmly about his mother Shirley, who sadly passed away from leukaemia aged 38, with the star suggesting that she may have influenced his future career. He said of her: 'She liked to laugh she got leukaemia, so I was 6 when she died, I dont have a lot. But I dont remember being shouted at, I just remember trying to make her laugh or other people making her laugh. 'I remember once we had someone doing some painting in the house, I mustve been 3 or 4 and he said "Engelbert Humperdinck". It was top of the hit parade at the time. 'And she really laughed at that and I thought "whats going on?" That didnt sound like a name so I went "whats your name?" and he went "Engelbert Humperdinck" again and she laughed again, she was a good audience. 'I think she was my first audience maybe and her not being around, thats what part of what made me or pushed me towards being a comedian, maybe I dont know.' It was a night for Romeo Beckhams nearest and dearest to celebrate his 23rd milestone. His beloved parents, David, 50, and Victoria, 51, were there to toast him at the lavish Japanese restaurant Aki in central London, which is so exclusive that it doesnt open until September 23. Also there was younger brother Cruz, 20, and his girlfriend Jackie Apostel, 30, who dressed in a tiny black mini dress looked remarkably like Posh - as well as little sister Harper, 14. But there was of course one of the Beckham clan missing Romeo's older sibling Brooklyn, 26. While family sources say that they dont expect him or his wife Nicola Peltz, 30, to be present at family events anymore, his absence was still notable and meant that there was an element of sadness amongst some of the guests. And he certainly missed a good night. Romeo Beckham cut a trendy figure in a black leather jacket as he celebrated his 23rd birthday with family at the lavish London venue Aki on Friday A source close to Romeo told Daily Mail: 'It was a lovely, low key night to celebrate Romeo. 'There were lots of his friends there as well as the family. They wanted to give Romeo a special night to remember, it has been a difficult year for the Beckhams. 'It went on quite late and there were a lot of people tired on Saturday morning, everyone let their hair down and it was great fun.' Given the feud between the Beckham brothers, it is unlikely that Romeo would have invited Brooklyn something that David and Victoria have now accepted is 'just how things are now.' 'They know that Brooklyn doesnt want to be part of their family,' says a source connected to the Beckhams. 'While it might seem a big deal to the outside world that Brooklyn wasnt there, amongst the family it isnt. It is sad but David and Victoria get it. Of course they would do anything to get him back in their arms but thats not possible right now.' The group dined on sushi and drank cocktails, wine and champagne before singing happy birthday to Romeo. While there was no official dress code, black was certainly the theme of the night. Posh showed who was boss when it came to the fashion stakes, opting for a sheer floor length frock. Also there was younger brother Cruz, 20, and his girlfriend Jackie Apostel, 30, who dressed in a tiny black mini dress looked remarkably like Posh Romeo teamed his black leather jacket with a black graphic T-shirt and matching wide-leg trousers He sported a pair of chunky white-and-black Nike trainers as he arrived at the hotspot in Marylebone Meanwhile, Cruz clearly missed the memo with a lairy blue and cream shirt and jeans David layered a plain white T-shirt underneath his smart ensemble and sported a pair of black leather shoes as he arrived at the venue The father of four looked ready to celebrate his son's 23rd birthday - but one person was notably missing: his son Brooklyn While her mini-me Harper also wore a long dress though appeared camera shy as she walked into the venue on Friday night. Romeo, who split from his girlfriend Kim Turnbull in June, went for a black leather bandana and matching jacket, while in keeping with the black theme, David looked dapper in a suit with a white t-shirt underneath. Jackie stunned in a black mini dress with her hair scraped back into a ponytail and sunglasses a look that Victoria has gone for in years gone by. Meanwhile, Cruz clearly missed the memo with a lairy blue and cream shirt and jeans. Romeo celebrated his birthday on Monday, and it was evident then that he is not in Brooklyn's good books. He ended the night with some fast food Victoria opted for adding inches to her frame with a pair of black open-toe heels and toted her essentials in a mini black handbag She further accessorised her look with a dainty necklace and a gold wrist watch While her mini-me Harper also wore a long dress though appeared camera shy as she walked into the venue on Friday night The influencer, who shunned all of his father's 50th birthday celebrations earlier this year, failed to wish his younger brother a happy birthday on social media while the rest of the family took to Instagram to share their love for him. David was first to celebrate Romeo's big day, sharing a childhood snap of his middle son and writing: 'You are kind, humble, polite, hard working and the most special person to everyone we love you so much.' He added: 'Have the most special day HAPPY BIRTHDAY big boy.' Former Spice Girl star Victoria uploaded a recent snap of Romeo from their summer holiday, captioning it: 'Happy birthday! You are our everything, we love you so much. Your love and kindness fills our hearts every day!' News / Regional by Staff reporter President Emmerson Mnangagwa has arrived in Eswatini ahead of the country's National Day celebrations and the official opening of the 57th International Trade Fair scheduled for Saturday.The President was welcomed at King Mswati III International Airport by Eswatini's Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Russell Mmiso Dlamini, Zimbabwe's Ambassador to Eswatini and Mozambique, Victor Matemadanda, and other embassy officials.Eswatini, which gained independence from British colonial rule in 1968, celebrates its National Day annually on September 6. The 57th edition of the celebrations features vibrant cultural festivities including traditional dances, songs, and ceremonies, alongside the ongoing International Trade Fair and the Umhlanga festival.As part of the celebrations, President Mnangagwa and King Mswati III will tour exhibition stands and officially open the trade fair at Somhlolo Stadium in Lombaba, the royal capital. The Eswatini International Trade Fair provides a platform for local and regional traders to showcase products and services while engaging in business conferences aimed at value addition and market expansion.Eswatini became a British protectorate in 1903 after the Boer War, with King Sobhuza II later playing a pivotal role in negotiating the nation's independence. In 2018, the country officially changed its name from Swaziland to the Kingdom of Eswatini, reflecting its cultural heritage and sovereignty. Rylan Clark delighted crowds as he performed a surprise duet with Michelle Visage at Radio 2 In The Park on Friday - just a week after the TV star faced backlash over immigration comments he made on This Morning. The TV presenter, 36, was in his element as he took to the stage alongside his long-time pal Michelle, 56, to belt out the Grease classic Summer Nights in front of a packed crowd. For the impromptu performance, Rylan cut a smart-casual figure in a stylish stone co-ord, featuring a bomber jacket and matching drawstring trousers. He layered the look with a simple black T-shirt underneath. Meanwhile, Michelle looked sensational in a black scoop-neck vest top paired with bold leopard print capri trousers. The pair danced across the stage and threw themselves into the energetic rendition of the 1978 hit, much to the delight of fans in the audience. Rylan seemed to have brushed off his latest controversy after he hit headlines following his comments during a discussion about Reform leader Nigel Farage's plans for mass deportations. Rylan Clark and Michelle Visage delighted crowds with a surprise duet at Radio 2 In The Park on Friday The TV presenter, 36, was in his element as he took to the stage alongside his long-time pal Michelle, 56, to belt out the Grease classic Summer Nights in front of a packed crowd He said: 'How come if I turn up at Heathrow Airport as a British citizen and I've left my passport in Spain, I've got to stand at that airport and won't be let in. 'But if I arrive on a boat from Calais, I get taken to a four-star hotel?' Rylan, who acknowledged that what he was saying was divisive, continued: 'This country is built on immigration. Legal immigration. They're in our tax system, they're helping our country thrive. 'I find it absolutely insane that all these people are, one, risking their lives to come across the Channel. And, two, when they get here, it does seem like: "Welcome. Come on in. Here's the hotel, here's the phones, here's the iPads." 'And then theres people who have lived here all their lives. They are struggling. I believe that something major needs to be done about this.' However, the comments did not go down well with many viewers, who accused the host of spreading misinformation about the asylum process in the UK. Rylan subsequently took to social media to defend himself, writing: 'You can be pro immigration and against illegal routes. 'You can support trans rights and have the utmost respect for women. For the impromptu performance, Rylan cut a smart-casual figure in a stylish stone co-ord, featuring a bomber jacket and matching drawstring trousers Meanwhile, Michelle looked sensational in a black scoop-neck vest top paired with bold leopard print capri trousers The pair danced across the stage and threw themselves into the energetic rendition of the 1978 hit, much to the delight of fans in the audience 'You can be heterosexual and still support gay rights. The list continues.' Following the announcement of Rylan's departure, fans took to social media to express their sadness that he will no longer be a regular fixture of the program. They wrote: 'Please can we keep Rylan/ Josie on here?'; 'I won't be watching come next week.'; 'I havent really watched much of This Morning for years mostly due to being at work and if I was home I would have turned it over. However I've been pleasantly surprised this week. Loving Rylan and Josie, well done both. Lovely pairing, both genuine, caring, and funny.' Last Friday he confirmed that it was his 'last day' on This Morning amid backlash to his comments about immigration earlier in the week. The host and Josie Gibson had recently been standing in as hosts on This Morning to cover for Cat Deeley and Ben Shepherd as they took their summer holidays. He said on Friday's episode: 'Last day today!', which prompted Jodie to declare: 'What a week!' This Morning airs weekdays on ITV1 from 10am and is available to stream on ITVX. Aimee Lou Wood was barely recognisable while filming scenes of Anxious People in east London on Saturday. The White Lotus favourite, 31, was a far cry from her iconic character Chelsea - instead sporting a black beanie as well as an oversized jacket and trousers. Before getting started on an action-packed chase scene, the Sex Education actress was snapped looking concerned and anxious. Aimee is set to play in the Christmas-themed movie alongside Hollywood darling Angelina Jolie. The English sensation plays Grace, 'a reluctant bank robber' in the new project directed by World War Z's Mark Foster, from the 2019 novel of the same name by Fredrik Backman (A Man Called Ove). Aimee was seen wandering around the streets during a Christmas market, visibly tense. Aimee Lou Wood, 31, was barely recognisable while filming scenes of Anxious People in east London on Saturday The White Lotus favourite was a far cry from her iconic character Chelsea - instead sporting a black beanie as well as an oversized jacket and trousers She then proceeded to sprint through the huge crowd, displaying a shocked facial expressions. The aspiring bank robber eventually wore a black balaclava, before continuing to shoot scenes as the cameras rolled. Just earlier in May, Aimee expressed how she really feels about working with Angelina, 50, in an Instagram post. Celebrating the new role, thrilled Aimee shared a snap of Angelina portraying diagnosed sociopath in 1999 thriller Girl, Interrupted, which won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, to her Story as she called the star a 'goddess'. She wrote: 'This performance rocked my whole world when I first saw it and now I get to act with my goddessssss'. The new film is set the day before Christmas Eve, when and investment banker named Zara (Angelina), 'begrudgingly finds herself mingling with a group of strangers at an open house.' Aimee, who plays the 'reluctant bank robber', inadvertently takes the strangers hostage as chaos ensues. Nothing ultimately goes to Grace's plan as secrets are revealed and oversharing ensues in the film. Before getting started on an action-packed chase scene, the Sex Education actress was snapped looking concerned and anxious Aimee is set to play in the Christmas-themed movie alongside Hollywood darling Angelina Jolie The English sensation plays Grace, 'a reluctant bank robber' in the new project directed by World War Z's Mark Foster, from the 2019 novel of the same name by Fredrik Backman (A Man Called Ove) Aimee was seen wandering around the streets during a Christmas market, visibly tense She then proceeded to sprint through the huge crowd and displaying a shocked facial expression The aspiring bank robber eventually wore a black balaclava, before continuing to shoot scenes as the cameras rolled The new film is set the day before Christmas Eve, when and investment banker named Zara (Angelina), 'begrudgingly finds herself mingling with a group of strangers at an open house' Earlier in May, Aimee revealed she thinks Hollywood legend Angeline Jolie (pictured) is a 'goddess' after watching her in Girl, Interrupted ahead of the pair working together on a new film Forster previously adapted Backman's A Man Called Ove into the 2022 film A Man Called Otto, starring Tom Hanks. The director will also reunite with David Magee, who adapted A Man Called Otto and Forster's 2004 film Finding Neverland. Alessandra Ambrosio was a vision as she stepped out for the closing ceremony of the Venice Film Festival on Saturday. The Brazilian model, 44, stunned in a sweeping gold gown embellished with silver detailing. The eye-catching ensemble featured a plunging neckline and flowed into a dramatic feathered trail. She added height to her slender frame with silver strappy heels and completed the look with a statement necklace and diamond earrings. Alessandra appeared in good spirits as posed up a storm for the cameras among the star-studded arrivals. Also spotted on the red carpet was Adele Exarchopoulos, Luna Wedler, Stephane Bak, and Andreea Cristea. Alessandra Ambrosio was a vision as she stepped out for the closing ceremony of the Venice Film Festival on Saturday The Brazilian model, 44, stunned in a sweeping gold gown embellished with silver detailing The stunner completed the look with a statement necklace and diamond earrings Earlier in the afternoon, Alessandra was seen arriving at the event by boat, where she flashed a smile for the camera. It was Jim Jarmusch who walked away with the big prize at Venice, as his family drama 'Father Mother Sister Brother' scooped the coveted Golden Lion for best film. The Silver Lion for best director went to Benny Safdie for his wrestling biopic 'The Smashing Machine.' Safdie told the audience it was a 'dream come true' and said his film was about empathy at a time when it's needed more than ever. The Grand Jury Prize was awarded to 'The Voice of Hind Rajab,' a powerful Gaza-set drama, with director Kaouther Ben Hania dedicating the award to frontline rescue workers and saying that Hind's story was one that 'the world cannot ignore.' Chinese actress Xin Zhilei claimed best actress for 'The Sun Rises on Us All,' while Italian screen legend Toni Servillo took best actor for Paolo Sorrentino's 'La Grazia.' And French filmmaker Valerie Donzelli celebrated a best screenplay win for her feature 'At Work,' calling the honour 'a promise' of films yet to come. It comes after Alessandra wowed her social media followers by posing topless while sunbathing in Ibiza. Earlier in the afternoon, Alessandra was spotted arriving at the event by boat, where she flashed a smile for the camera Her eye-catching ensemble featured a plunging neckline and flowed into a dramatic feathered trail Alessandra was helped up onto the dock by the boat crew It was Jim Jarmusch who walked away with the big prize at Venice, as his family drama 'Father Mother Sister Brother' scooped the coveted Golden Lion for best film The Silver Lion for best director went to Benny Safdie for his wrestling biopic 'The Smashing Machine' who told the audience it was a 'dream come true' Chinese actress Xin Zhilei claimed best actress for 'The Sun Rises on Us All,' while Italian screen legend Toni Servillo took best actor for Paolo Sorrentino's 'La Grazia' (pictured Xin Zhilei) Benedetta Porcaroli poses with the Orizzonti Best Actress Award for 'Il Rapimento Di Arabella' (The Kidnapping Of Arabella) at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival Wearing all black, Maryam Touzani stood proud as she posed with the Venice Spotlight Armani Beauty Audience Award Also spotted on the red carpet was Adele Exarchopoulos, who turned heads in a open back black gown Luna Wedler stunned in a colour block dress Stephane Bak cut a stylish figure in all white Andreea Cristea cut an elegant figure in a strapless black dress The star shared a carousel of sun-drenched photos with her Instagram followers. In one snapshot, the mother-of-two stripped off her bikini top while she stretched out on a poolside lounge chair. The former Victoria's Secret Angel captioned the post, 'Vacaciones en #Ibiza.' She modeled an array of swimwear, including styles from brands Akoia and FAE. Two images showed the svelte star enjoying an outdoor shower as she sported a strapless patterned top and matching bottoms. Her followers were treated to her stunning figure in outtakes taken from multiple angles. She was joined on the retreat by boyfriend Buck Palmer, whom she started dating in late 2024. The lovebirds showed their romance is going strong as they put on a cosy display in multiple photos, including a lip-locking selfie. Earlier this year the superstar told Us Weekly that she and her beau connect through their 'passion for life.' 'We just love life to the fullest,' Ambrosio told the outlet. It comes after the model flaunted her killer curves while vacationing in Ibiza She was joined on the retreat by her boyfriend Buck Palmer She added, 'We love living life and spending time together and enjoying every little thing. I guess it's the little things, sometimes, that count more. Whatever we do, we both just have this passion for life.' Ambrosio shares daughter Anja, 17, and son Noah, 13, with ex-fiance Jamie Mazur. The couple broke off their engagement in 2018, ten years after Jamie initially popped the question in 2008. In a 2023 interview with Schon! Magazine China she shared: 'I believe that positive attitude and outlook on life can change how we see life and sometimes how other people see life. 'Living in the present, enjoying each moment and spending time with people that matter to you is very important.' The ambitious runway regular also told the publication about her future hopes, following her twenty+ years in the modeling industry. 'I would love to host my own show and still work with some of the amazing up-and-coming designers, as they inspire me with their creativity and how they keep on coming up with these never-before-seen designs,' she said. Romeo Beckham beamed as he celebrated his 23rd birthday with his family and friends this week - though his eldest brother Brooklyn and his wife Nicola Peltz were noticeably absent. The model, whose birthday was September 1st, celebrated in style at the exclusive Japanese restaurant Aki in central London, which does not open to the public until later this month. Newly released family snaps from the lavish event show Romeo pose with his proud parents David, 52, and Victoria, 51. Also there to celebrate with him was younger brother Cruz, 20, and his girlfriend Jackie Apostel, 30, and sister Harper, 14. Despite Brooklyn once again missing a family event, The Mail on Sunday revealed that Victoria has put her heartache to one side and offered an olive branch to estranged son. She is refusing to cut scenes from her new docuseries that Brooklyn features in, despite having no contact with him. Romeo Beckham beamed as he celebrated his 23rd birthday with his family and friends this week However Romeo's eldest brother Brooklyn and his wife Nicola Peltz were noticeably absent from the celebrations One picture from the birthday bash showed Romeo as he cut a trendy figure in a black leather jacket while posing with his two siblings and parents, without his eldest brother present. Brooklyn, 26, and his wife Nicola, 30, were not in attendance, with sources telling Daily Mail they're now not expected at family events. He also failed to publicly wish his brother a Happy Birthday on social media, in yet another demonstration of the long-running family feud. Spice Girl Victoria cut a chic figure in a floor length sheer black gown, while David donned a navy suit paired with a white t-shirt. Harper looked all grown up in a strapless black ballgown for her big brother's birthday, though Cruz appeared to miss the memo with a lairy blue and cream shirt and jeans. Another snap showed proud dad David pull his son in for a sweet hug while boasting a huge smile. It looked like a great night, with Romeo appearing to squirm as a giant birthday cake with candles was presented to him. Despite having his party at an exclusive restaurant, Romeo grinned as he tucked into a McDonald's Big Mac during the festivities. The model, whose birthday was September 1st, celebrated in style at the exclusive Japanese restaurant Aki in central London, which does not open to the public until later this month Newly released family snaps from the lavish event show Romeo pose with his proud parents David, 52, and Victoria, 51 Spice Girl Victoria cut a chic figure in a floor length sheer black gown, while David donned a navy suit paired with a white t-shirt During the evening, Romeo gave a speech to his gathered family and friends, as his parents stood on either side of him During the evening, he gave a speech to his gathered family and friends, as his parents stood on either side of him. A source told Daily Mail of the big bash: 'It was a lovely, low key night to celebrate Romeo. 'There were lots of his friends there as well as the family. They wanted to give Romeo a special night to remember, it has been a difficult year for the Beckhams. 'It went on quite late and there were a lot of people tired on Saturday morning, everyone let their hair down and it was great fun.' Given the feud between the Beckham brothers, it is unlikely that Romeo would have invited Brooklyn something that David and Victoria have now accepted is 'just how things are now.' 'They know that Brooklyn doesnt want to be part of their family,' says a source connected to the Beckhams. 'While it might seem a big deal to the outside world that Brooklyn wasnt there, amongst the family it isnt. It is sad but David and Victoria get it. 'Of course they would do anything to get him back in their arms but thats not possible right now.' Meanwhile, Brooklyn made another thinly veiled jibe at his family during a recent video with renowned chef Michel Roux Jr. During a clip shared to his Instagram page, Brooklyn couldn't resist taking a swipe at his estranged family as he insisted the meal was the only thing he'd fly back home for. Another sweet snap showed proud dad David pull his son in for a sweet hug while boasting a huge smile Despite having his party at an exclusive restaurant, Romeo grinned as he tucked into a McDonald's Big Mac during the festivities Brooklyn, 26, and his wife Nicola, 30, were not in attendance, with sources telling Daily Mail they're now not expected at family events A source told Daily Mail of the big bash: 'It was a lovely, low key night to celebrate Romeo' At the start of the hot sauce advert with Michel Roux Jr, the chef says: 'We are always looking for new dishes here at the Wigmore, but based on great classics. So gammon, egg and chips is a great British classic.' Brooklyn doesn't specify when he is referring to, but does wistfully say: 'I used to have this every Tuesday night. I love gammon. You can't go wrong with gammon, egg and chips.' While his mother has famously eaten largely the same meal of steamed fish and vegetables for decades, his father is a dab hand in the kitchen, so the gammon and chips may be something he whipped up for the children. Last month, the Beckhams were snubbed by Brooklyn and his wife Nicola after they said 'I do' for a second time on August 2 in Westchester County in front of her family, with the Beckham clan notably absent, having not been informed of the event. Further heartache has come in the form of a leak of Brooklyn's speech, in which he reportedly opened up on his love for the Peltz family, as well as speaking 'movingly' of his wife in front of the 200 guests. A source told The Mirror: 'He spoke from the heart - and at the centre of his heart is Nicola whom he loves very dearly, but also the Peltz family who have really stuck by his side. He wanted to recognise them all, and was determined to do them all justice.' A West Point alumni event honoring Tom Hanks was scrapped on the day President Donald Trump officially changed the name of the Department of Defense back to the Department of War. Trump explained Friday that he instituted the rebrand because the Pentagon got 'very politically correct or wokey' and the U.S. was not winning wars. That day, a West Point alumni group announced the cancelation of an awards ceremony that was meant to have taken place September 25 to garland Hanks, who is a veterans advocate but never served in the the military himself. The prize he would have gotten was the Sylvanus Thayer Award, which the West Point Association of Graduates gives to non-alumni who 'draw wholesome comparison' to the military academy's motto: 'Duty, Honor, Country.' Retired Army Col. Mark Bieger, the president and CEO of the organization, announced in an email to members that they were scuttling their tribute to Hanks - who was recently slammed on social media for portraying a Trump supporter as a dimwitted racist on Saturday Night Live. 'This decision allows the Academy to continue its focus on its core mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers in the worlds most lethal force, the United States Army,' he wrote, according to the Washington Post. A West Point alumni event honoring Tom Hanks was scrapped Friday - the day President Donald Trump changed the name of the Department of Defense back to the Department of War Trump explained Friday that he launched the rebrand because the Pentagon got 'very politically correct or wokey' and the U.S. was not winning wars The president signed an executive order - his 200th - making the rebrand official on Friday afternoon, flanked by Pete Hegseth, now called the War Secretary, and the Chairman of Joint Chiefs, Gen. Dan 'Razin' Caine. The name change had been floated for weeks. 'It has to do with winning,' Trump explained. 'We should have won every war. We could have won every war. But we really chose to be very politically correct or wokey and we just fight forever.' 'We just fight to sort of tie,' the commander-in-chief continued. 'We never wanted to win wars. Every one of them we could have won easily with just a couple of little changes.' 'We just didn't fight to win. We didn't lose anything, but we didn't fight to win,' the president added. The original War Department name lasted from 1789 to 1947, with President Harry S. Truman changing the name in the aftermath of World War II when he merged the Navy, Air Force and War Departments. 'And you know we had it,' he said of the name. 'And we won World War I, we won World War II, we won everything before and as I said, we won everything in between.' As Trump was making the announcement, the department's social media pages changed - at one point with the Pentagon's X account calling it both the Department of War and the Department of Defense. As Trump made the announcement, the department's social media pages changed, at one point with the Pentagon's X account calling it both the Department of War and the Department of Defense The president was asked why bring back 'war' when he was publicly seeking a Nobel Peace Prize. 'Well I think I've gotten peace because of the fact that we're strong,' the president answered. Trump ran in 2024 on erasing 'wokeness' in the military. He's done that in some ways by changing naming conventions. In December 2020, Trump vetoed a defense spending bill because it included provisions to change all the names of U.S. bases that were named after Confederate generals. The renaming process took place during President Joe Biden's four years in office, but once Trump returned he immediately tried to get the names changed back. Hegseth announced just weeks into the administration that he Fort Liberty, a large base in eastern North Carolina, would revert back to Fort Bragg. The Department of Defense, which is headquartered in the Pentagon (pictured) will be renamed the Department of War, with President Donald Trump signing an executive order on the matter on Friday The base was originally named Fort Bragg in 1918 after Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg. That Bragg was a slaveowner - but he was also so inept that he helped the Confederacy lose the Civil War to U.S. forces. In a Pentagon release in February, Fort Bragg will now be named after Roland L. Bragg. A Pentagon spokesperson described Bragg as a World War II fighter 'who earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his exceptional courage during the Battle of the Bulge.' Kim Novak showcased her timeless complexion as she stepped out at the Deauville American Film Festival in France on Saturday evening. The screen star, 92, was in attendance at the star-studded ceremony to accept the Icon Award in recognition of her remarkable career. Looking radiant, Kim donned a white gown paired with a flowing embellished sheer shawl. Gone were her brunette locks, as she styled her blonde hair into a bob and kept accessories to a minimum. Her appearance comes just days after she returned to the spotlight to receive the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the Venice Film Festival. Both awards follow the release of her new documentary Kim Novaks Vertigo, in which she reflects on her poverty-stricken childhood. Kim Novak showcased her timeless beauty as she stepped out at the Deauville American Film Festival in France on Saturday evening The screen star, 92, was in attendance at the star-studded ceremony to accept the Icon Award in recognition of her remarkable career Looking radiant, Kim donned a white gown paired with a flowing embellished sheer shawl 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 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 appearance comes just days after she returned to the spotlight to receive the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the Venice Film Festival Both awards follow the release of her new documentary Kim Novaks Vertigo, in which she reflects on her poverty-stricken childhood (pctured in 1956 during the height of her Hollywood career) 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. 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.' 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 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. 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 truth universally acknowledged that a new father may be entitled to a statutory period of paternity leave under the Employment Act 2002. That may not have the poetry of Jane Austens original words, but producers of the latest Pride And Prejudice adaptation have been forced to tear up their filming schedule after their Mr Darcy became a father, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Jack Lowden might be playing the most eligible bachelor in literature but in reality he is married to four-time Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan, who has just given birth to their first child. That has kept him away from the set of the new star-studded six-part series currently being shot for Netflix. Producers have been forced to employ Lowden lookalikes as they film the final scenes featuring The Crown actress Emma Corrin as the feisty Elizabeth Bennet. The cast also includes Oscar and Emmy winner Olivia Colman. A source on set said: It is such lovely news that Jack has become a father and nobody would ever have an issue with him taking paternity leave. But the show must go on, and that means the producers have had to keep on filming and that has meant they have had to have some stand-ins for Mr Darcy. So it has been a case of lookalikes for Jack so that there is no disruption. Scottish actor Lowden, 35, married Ms Ronan, 31, in a private ceremony in Edinburgh last July. She was last photographed out walking with a prominent baby bump two weeks ago. Producers have been forced to employ Lowden lookalikes as they film the final scenes featuring The Crown actress Emma Corrin Jack Lowden might be playing the most eligible bachelor in literature but in reality he is married to four-time Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan Saoirse Ronan has just given birth to their first child, keeping him away from the set of the new star-studded six-part series Representatives of the pair were contacted for comment. Hand-muffs in summer... theres no Sense And Sensibility in that, Daisy By Jo Macfarlane It have been a warm day in central London but for the stars of the latest Jane Austen adaptation, it was oh so wintry on set. Cloaks and muffs were on as Normal People actress Daisy Edgar-Jones and Fiona Shaw, a star of Killing Eve, were pictured for the first time getting into character for Netflixs version of Sense And Sensibility. Despite the warm September temperatures last week, the pair filmed scenes in Whitehall, clad in period winter clothing. Ms Edgar-Jones, 27, who plays the reserved Elinor Dashwood eldest of the Dashwood sisters wore a long charcoal cloak with a grey embroidered hand-muff and a bonnet tied with a grey ribbon. She will reprise a role played by Dame Emma Thompson in Ang Lees 1995 film version, which earned her an Oscar nomination. Elinor is often described as the moral centre of the 1811 novel, whose quiet strength guides the previously wealthy family through personal and financial hardship. Looking jolly on set near Ms Edgar-Jones was Ms Shaw, 67, who stars as the irrepressible Mrs Jennings. Overbearing and meddlesome, she is nevertheless an intensely kind surrogate mother to the Dashwood sisters. Dressed in a green velvet cloak with a mustard hood over a pale green dress, Ms Shaw cracked a joke with co-star Esme Creed-Miles, 25, the daughter of Minority Report actress Samantha Morton, who is playing Marianne Dashwood. Sense And Sensibility is the second major Austen remake planned by Netflix this year to celebrate 250 years since the authors birth. The streaming services TV adaptation of Pride And Prejudice is being filmed with an all-star cast. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Fiona Shaw were pictured for the first time getting into character for Netflixs version of Sense And Sensibility Ms Edgar-Jones, 27, who plays the reserved Elinor Dashwood eldest of the Dashwood sisters wore a long charcoal cloak with a grey embroidered hand-muff Fiona Shaw, a star of Killing Eve, stars as the irrepressible Mrs Jennings in Sense and Sensibility Ms Shaw also appears in this drama as Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr Darcys haughty aunt. Another high-profile 19th Century adaptation this time of Emily Brontes novel Wuthering Heights is also in production for Warner Bros, starring Australians Margot Robbie as Catherine and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. All three of the period dramas are planned to be released next year. Critics raved about the chemistry between Michelle Pfeiffer and John Malkovich in the Oscar-winning film Dangerous Liaisons. And now Malkovich has admitted for the first time that the on-screen passion between them spilled over into real life. The 71-year-old, who played the amoral rich playboy the Vicomte de Valmont in the 1988 film, confirmed he had an affair with Pfeiffer and that it had ended both their marriages. Speaking on the Fashion Neurosis podcast, Malkovich said: 'It's not something I've ever really talked about. Put it this way, in the work I do, you make emotional bonds with people very quickly. That's part of the work. 'For me, she was someone I valued greatly as a colleague, was great fun and moving and, with me, incredibly fair. And I certainly wasn't. 'I've learned over the course of my life that a great colleague is actually rarer than anything. 'And when that relationship becomes more than collegial or more than a friendship even a profound friendship then at least in my experience, and it might be my particular psychology or stupidity or ineptness or all of the above you lose a great colleague.' Critics raved about the chemistry between Michelle Pfeiffer and John Malkovich in the Oscar-winning film Dangerous Liaisons And now Malkovich has admitted for the first time that the on-screen passion between them spilled over into real life Pfeiffer filed for divorce from her husband Peter Horton in 1988, while Malkovich's marriage to actress Glenne Headly collapsed during filming. A source who knew Headly told The Mail on Sunday: 'Glenne was no fool. She could see what was going on. 'The whole world was falling in love with Michelle Pfeiffer and so was her husband. She served him with divorce papers as soon as the movie wrapped.' Dangerous Liaisons, based on the 18th-century French novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, has become one of the most critically acclaimed costume dramas of all time because of its depiction of lust, manipulation and betrayal in aristocratic society. Glenn Close plays the villainous Marquise de Merteuil who bets the Vicomte de Valmont (Malkovich) that he cannot seduce the virtuous Madame de Tourvel, played by Pfeiffer. The real-life affair caused scandalous headlines, with the director Stephen Frears later telling The New York Times: '[Malkovich's] marriage was breaking up and during the movie he was having an affair with Michelle Pfeiffer. 'Dangerous Liaisons is about betrayal and lies and relationships unravelling. It was one of those times where reality and art intersect. It was overwhelming for John. Even for a man who delights in bad behaviour, that was a difficult time.' The movie won three Oscars for costumes, art direction and adapted screenplay and was nominated for Best Picture. Pfeiffer married TV writer David E Kelley in 1993. The couple have two children and are considered to have one of the happiest marriages in Hollywood. The actress, 67, has maintained a dignified silence about the affair. Her publicist was approached for comment. Malkovich has been with director Nicoletta Peyran since 1989. Leading economist Mark Zandi has warned that a third of the US is already in or at high risk of going into a recession. Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, revealed that states making up nearly a third of America's GDP - including Virginia, Connecticut and Delaware - are in dangerous territory. 'States experiencing recessions are spread across the country, but the broader DC area stands out due to government job cuts,' Zandi wrote on X. It comes after President Donald Trump and Elon Musk went on a firing spree earlier this year in an attempt to reduce the cost of the federal workforce. States representing another third of the economy are holding steady - such as Hawaii, New York and California - and a final third are still growing. 'Southern states are generally the strongest, but their growth is slowing,' he explained. South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky and Louisiana all made the list of states still growing economically. 'California and New York, which together account for over a fifth of US GDP, are holding their own, and their stability is crucial for the national economy to avoid a downturn,' Zandi added. Your browser does not support iframes. Zandi has made repeated warnings about the state of the US economy this year. Last month he pointed to the fact that more than half of US industries are cutting jobs as a glaring red flag that a recession is imminent. In a post on X, Zandi argued that 'far and away' the most important recession indicator is 'payroll employment.' 'If employment declines for more than a month consecutively, we are in a downturn,' he wrote. Indeed layoffs have soared 140 percent from a year ago, with Artificial Intelligence rapidly disrupting the workforce. Zandi said that, historically, it is not clear exactly when a recession starts until well after the fact. However, he added that 'in the past, if more than half the 400 industries in the payroll survey were shedding jobs, we were in a recession. In July, over 53 percent of industries were cutting jobs, and only healthcare was adding meaningfully to payrolls.' Zandi also issued a terrifying 'red flare' warning to homeowners in July. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, claims a recession is looming The housing market is a key concern for the wider economy A 'red flare' warning suggests the market is experiencing major instability and a fall is imminent. 'I sent off a yellow flare on the housing market in a post a couple of weeks ago, but I now think a red flare is more appropriate,' he wrote. It comes as construction of new homes has slowed and sellers are being forced to reduce their prices or pull their homes off the market entirely. 'Home sales are already uber depressed,' Zandi wrote, adding that the housing market could become an issue for the wider economy. 'Housing will thus soon be a full-blown headwind to broader economic growth, adding to the growing list of reasons to be worried about the economy's prospects later this year and early next,' he wrote. Las Vegas hotels have been accused of introducing surge pricing at gift shops and bars as visitor numbers drop. The controversial practice where prices change depending on supply and demand has long been used by airlines and ride-hailing apps such as Uber. Strip properties including Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, and Caesars Palace are charging more for items like water, sunscreen, and beer depending on the day and time, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal. Scott Rutledge, who was staying at the MGM Grand told the Journal he thought he 'had one too many' after buying a beer from the hotel store for '$2 or $3 more' on Saturday night than earlier in the afternoon. Rutledge described the surge pricing practice as 'maybe a bit dishonest' and said he would instead buy his beer from a nearby CVS. At Mandalay Bay, a bottle of sunscreen jumped from $36 on a Tuesday morning to $42 Friday afternoon, the Journal's research showed. Meanwhile the Paris hotel charges $8.45 for water early in the week and $8.95 on weekends. The findings come as the city sees a sharp decline in visitors July drew 12 percent fewer people than last year, roughly 420,000 fewer travelers. Las Vegas hotels have introduced surge pricing as hotel profits are hit by a decline in visitors Your browser does not support iframes. Meanwhile, Julie Brenner, 29, from Miami, was surprised when a bottle of water cost slightly less the morning after she first bought it at Paris. 'It was actually cheaper,' she said, noting the price difference was about 15 cents. 'It wasnt a big deal or anything. But there are no posted prices for drinks, so I guess they just charge whatever. Casino staff are also caught off guard by the pricing changes. They say they don't know what an item will cost until the computer at the checkout tells them. 'I've caught myself saying, 'Wow, that went up' or asking myself if the price I'm seeing is real,' an unnamed worker from one of the casino stores told the Journal. 'But the computer makes the prices, not us. We're just as surprised sometimes as the customers.' Some analysts say the practice could damage trust in Las Vegas as they are less able to budget their spending and changing prices without prior notice can feel dishonest. However, others argue that surge pricing is part of the modern economy and consumers are used to the practice from buying plane tickets, for example. 'Surge pricing, or dynamic pricing or algorithmic pricing, is now commonplace in the digital economy,' Mark Tremblay, an assistant professor of economics at UNLV's Lee Business School told the Journal. MGM is one such hotel on the world famous Strip that has introduced dynamic pricing Your browser does not support iframes. July saw 12 percent less visitors - around 420,000 less people - than the same time last year Customers have been left feeling ripped off when the price of the same item fluctuates Your browser does not support iframes. 'Given that many casinos already adjust their nightly rates based on demand, the next iteration of this is more frequent price adjustments in non-digital spaces like sundry stores or even restaurants,' he explained. 'The question really becomes, "How frequently will physical stores adjust prices?" It is clear that this is a trend we will see moving forward as physical stores begin to use digital price tags more frequently.' The hotels did not immediately respond to Daily Mail's request for comment. As well as introducing surge pricing, Las Vegas hotels have also been sending generous offers to potential guests such as casino vouchers and additional free nights. Retail expert Neil Saunders of Global Data told the Daily Mail that Las Vegas as a destination has itself to blame for the slowdown. 'What used to be a reasonable trip is now much more expensive,' Saunders explained. 'There are all kinds of fees that people have to pay at hotels and some of the service standards and generosity with things like free drinks while in casinos have tightened.' 'Some people now dont see Vegas as worth the money and that hits visitor numbers.' A visitor recently shared her shock after she was charged $26/19.11 for a bottle of Fiji water from the minibar in her room at the Aria Resort & Casino. And a British magician was also left outraged after he was billed $74.31/54.63 for two drinks at Sphere in Las Vegas. News / Regional by Staff reporter Prominent Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin'ono has dismissed suggestions that he is embroiled in a personal feud with former Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa, insisting that his differences with the opposition figure are purely political and centred on leadership style.Responding to a message from an X follower who urged him to reconcile with Chamisa, Chin'ono said he has no personal issues with the politician."I have no personal problem with Nelson Chamisa, why should I settle anything with him when we don't have a personal quarrel?" he wrote. "I simply do not agree with his style of leadership, and that can only change if that style changes. I follow ideas, not personalities."The award-winning journalist drew a distinction between his disagreements with Chamisa and his past exchanges with former Norton legislator Temba Mliswa, with whom he clashed publicly before eventually reconciling."Mliswa attacked me, I responded, and he apologised and withdrew the attack," Chin'ono explained. "How is that in any way similar to a journalist not agreeing with political ideas? There are millions who also do not agree with Chamisa's style of leadership, should they also be expected to make peace with him, and if so, how?"Chin'ono stressed that politics should be rooted in accountability and the contestation of ideas, rather than in manufacturing personal quarrels and reconciliations where none exist.His comments come amid ongoing debates within Zimbabwe's opposition about Chamisa's leadership record and the direction of the democratic movement following his surprise resignation from the CCC earlier this year. News / Regional by Staff reporter The arrest of former Foreign Affairs Minister Walter Mzembi has deepened divisions within Zimbabwe's political exiles, exposing long-simmering tensions among former Zanu-PF allies now scattered across the region.Mzembi, who returned unexpectedly to Zimbabwe in June after nearly seven years in South Africa, remains in remand prison facing charges of theft of trust property and abuse of office. His continued detention has sparked a war of words between prominent exiled figures, journalists, and political actors, highlighting the fragility of opposition to the ruling establishment from outside the country.Exiled former Zanu-PF political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere has positioned himself firmly in Mzembi's corner, calling him an "honest Zimbabwean" who has been "trapped into a dungeon." Writing on social media, Kasukuwere urged supporters to intensify efforts to secure Mzembi's release, underscoring his loyalty to his former cabinet colleague.But the unity Kasukuwere called for is far from evident. Investigative journalist Hopewell Chin'ono has accused former Norton legislator Temba Mliswa of working with state intelligence operatives to lure exiled figures such as Mzembi back to Zimbabwe. Mliswa has denied the claims, insisting Mzembi acted independently after a fallout with Kasukuwere in South Africa.The dispute has laid bare the lack of cohesion among Zimbabwe's political exiles, many of whom fled the country following the 2017 military-assisted ouster of Robert Mugabe. Kasukuwere, Mzembi, and others once held influential cabinet positions but have since found themselves navigating exile politics, where suspicion and mistrust often run deep.Analysts note that Mzembi's case could become a litmus test for other exiled figures contemplating a return. His failure to secure bail, coupled with reports of his deteriorating health, has amplified concerns that returning home carries heavy risks.Meanwhile, Mliswa has tried to frame his role as one of reconciliation, saying he has always encouraged the safe return of Zimbabweans in exile. But critics argue that his exchanges with Chin'ono and others reveal the extent to which political survival and personal rivalries continue to shape the narrative.As Mzembi awaits trial, the controversy surrounding his arrest has shifted from the courtroom to the political battlefield, with the spotlight now firmly on the fractured relationships among Zimbabwe's exiled elites a and what those divisions mean for their collective influence on the country's future. China's top legislator holds talks with president of Timor-Leste's national parliament Xinhua) 11:36, September 06, 2025 Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, holds talks with Maria Fernanda Lay, president of the National Parliament of Timor-Leste, who is in China for a visit and the 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, in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) BEIJING, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Zhao Leji on Friday held talks with Maria Fernanda Lay, president of the National Parliament of Timor-Leste, who is in China for a visit and the 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. Zhao, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said China is willing to work with Timor-Leste to accelerate the development of bilateral relations toward the goal of building a community with a shared future, and to bring more benefits to the two peoples. China firmly supports Timor-Leste in following a development path suited to its own national conditions while safeguarding its national sovereignty, security and development interests, Zhao said. He called on both sides to consolidate the foundation of political mutual trust, maintain bilateral relations with high-level strategic mutual trust, expand the space for mutually beneficial cooperation, and implement the plan for the Belt and Road cooperation. Noting that the NPC of China and the National Parliament of Timor-Leste have maintained friendly exchanges for a long time, Zhao said the NPC is willing to further enhance exchanges and cooperation among senior members of the legislative bodies and lawmakers of the two countries, deepen experience sharing on topics such as state governance, legislation and supervision, and strengthen coordination within multilateral frameworks to present a common voice of the Global South. Maria Fernanda Lay expressed gratitude to China for its long-term, significant assistance to and support for Timor-Leste to become a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). She said Timor-Leste unwaveringly adheres to the one-China principle and hopes to expand cooperation with China in areas such as infrastructure, scientific and technological innovation, renewable energy, agriculture and food security, special economic zone construction, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, holds talks with Maria Fernanda Lay, president of the National Parliament of Timor-Leste, who is in China for a visit and the 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, in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Kou Jie) News / Regional by Staff reporter The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has distanced itself from an event being advertised as the "Annual Crime Prevention Summit 2025," scheduled for September 10 in Harare.In a statement issued on Friday, national police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi dismissed any suggestion that the police service was involved in organising or participating in the event, which is reportedly being run by a private entity known as Ataraxia."The Zimbabwe Republic Police dismisses any association with Ataraxia's purported Annual Crime Prevention Summit 2025. The ZRP is not part of the organisers or participants. Therefore, any individual or company approached by the organisers for either partnership, funding or sponsorship in any form will be doing so at their own volition," Nyathi said.He stressed that the ZRP Commissioner-General and the entire Police Service had no links to the summit and urged the public not to be misled by individuals or organisations falsely claiming ties with the police."The Zimbabwe Republic Police reiterates that the Commissioner-General of Police and the entire Police Service has nothing to do with the alleged Crime Prevention Summit 2025. The ZRP warns individuals or institutions against misleading the public on purported association with the Police for financial gain or mileage," he said.The warning comes amid rising concerns over fraudulent events and the misrepresentation of national institutions to secure money or publicity. The ZRP urged members of the public and corporate sector to exercise caution when approached for partnerships or sponsorships linked to such activities. As the chaotic, incompetent, sclerotic and frankly destructive Labour Party scrambles to rearrange the deckchairs on the Titanic wreck of their shit stained government that seeks to ruin Britain Nigel Farage has different plans. The power of Farage must never be underestimated. What happened to the last people who underestimated Farage? The Coalition government with Nick Clegg and David Cameron. Remember them? Well, of course they are best forgotten. The two party system is dying. Maybe, its dead already. The good cop, bad cop days are over. The Tories are the same as Labour, there is now little or no difference. They are both incompetent cowards who do not connect to the people, and do not care. Trump connected he won. Farage connected he got the EU Referendum. Okay, Brexit was not delivered, but that was because the Tories, who are essentially Labour, pretty much reneged on their promise to properly see it through. The people have already had enough of Labour, and are willing to kick them out of government as soon as possible. Britain has been betrayed, and there is only one final chance of saving the country. Hopefully, the current shameful wreck of Labour will be bulldozed over instead of the English countryside they are trying to bulldoze over right now to build four storey town houses for millions of fake asylum seekers. The cold truth is, its either complete collapse or maybe civil war or the power of Farage putting things right. The real Britons know this. News / Regional by Staff reporter International Christian humanitarian organisation Samaritan's Purse has issued a strong cease-and-desist order against a Zimbabwean woman accused of falsely claiming to represent the US-based charity in court cases, contracts, and philanthropy activities.In a letter seen by this publication, Harare law firm Mtetwa & Nyambirai, acting on behalf of Samaritan's Purse, warned Chido Madosi to stop what it described as "fraudulent misrepresentation of authority" to act for the organisation."Our client has no presence in Zimbabwe and has not authorised you, or any person in Zimbabwe, to hold yourself out as a director or other representative of the organisation," wrote lawyer Doug Coltart.The charity, registered in the United States as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, said it was alarmed by reports that Madosi presented herself under various titles a including "Country Disciple of Samaritan Purse based in the USA," "Founder and Director," and "Managing Director" of an entity she called Samaritan Purse.According to the letter, Madosi allegedly initiated litigation and entered into contracts using the name a actions that "create or are likely to create the false impression" of affiliation with the globally recognised organisation.The charity accused her of conduct amounting to fraud, passing off, and intellectual property violations."By misrepresenting yourself as being affiliated with our client, you are engaging in conduct that in our view could amount to fraudulent misrepresentationa and violations of intellectual property rights and the reputation of our client internationally," the letter read.The legal team demanded Madosi immediately cease and desist from using the charity's name, logo, or any variation such as "Samaritan Purse." She was also warned that soliciting funds or services under the name constituted a serious offence.She has been given seven days to confirm compliance in writing, failing which Samaritan's Purse says it will pursue both civil and criminal action.The letter was also copied to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe, hinting at possible escalation into criminal proceedings.Founded in 1970 and led by Franklin Graham, son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, Samaritan's Purse operates globally, providing humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and faith-based outreach. News / Regional by Staff reporter Zimbabwe is set to strengthen agricultural productivity through a new fertiliser initiative backed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Agricultural Financial Services Group (AFSG), aimed at improving farmers' access to vital inputs and enhancing food security.The programme, unveiled on the sidelines of the Africa Food Systems Forum in Dakar, Senegal, will provide farmers with fertilisers upfront, allowing repayment after harvest to ease financial pressures.Speaking after meeting AfDB officials a Coordinator Ms Marie Clare Kalihangabo and Programme Development Specialist Mr Noel Ujeneza a Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Professor Obert Jiri said the initiative would play a transformative role in Zimbabwe's farming sector."We are committed to bridging the gap between farmers and the resources they need. With the right tools, our agricultural sector can thrive," Prof Jiri said.The current AfDB-supported programme concludes in October 2025, paving the way for the new scheme. It will distribute over 19,000 tonnes of fertiliser to commercial farmers, while also targeting smallholders who have historically struggled to access inputs due to financial constraints.Ms Kalihangabo stressed the importance of the initiative: "Farmers need access to critical resources to unlock their potential. Our new initiative will change the narrative for many."The government says the project aligns with broader efforts to boost food security, climate resilience, and sustainable farming. It includes a flagship US$6 million programme targeting Masvingo and Matabeleland South provinces, focusing on Village Business Units (VBUs) and promoting commercial farming practices. Plans are underway to extend the VBU model nationwide.Prof Jiri described the fertiliser scheme as a vital step in transforming Zimbabwe's agricultural landscape: "This is just the beginning. We envision a future where every farmer in Zimbabwe has the tools they need to succeed." Opinion / Columnist OUR country is richly blessed with natural resources, yet it is our people who continue to suffer in poverty. From diamonds to gold, platinum to lithium, our mineral wealth has been a constant source of international interest, but one cannot escape the uncomfortable truth: Ordinary Zimbabweans have seen little to no benefit.Instead, communities in resource-rich areas remain underdeveloped, while questions about where the money goes are left unanswered.Take the case of Marange's diamonds.Once hailed as a game-changer that would transform the national economy, they have now reportedly been depleted, yet the communities of Chiadzwa and Marange live in conditions no better than before.Schools remain underfunded, health facilities under-resourced and basic infrastructure neglected.The promises of prosperity never reached the villagers whose land bore the weight of these extractions.The late former President Robert Mugabe introduced the Community Development Fund, which was meant to channel part of the proceeds from resources such as diamonds into local projects.The logic was simple, if minerals are extracted from a community, that community should directly benefit.Today, Zimbabweans must ask, what happened to that fund? Where did the money go? Who is pocketing the loot?It is no secret that mineral wealth has a long history of enriching elites while bypassing citizens.We only need to look at history to see the danger.Much of the gold that once flowed from our soil ended up in Britain, a country that does not possess a single gold mine.Our nation risks repeating the same injustice, our wealth leaving our borders while we remain destitute.This is why Zimbabweans must demand answers, transparency and accountability.Government should publish clear records of mining revenues, the distribution of community development funds and the companies involved in extraction.Audits must be made public and corrupt officials prosecuted without fear or favour.We cannot afford silence. Minerals are finite resources; once they are gone, they are gone forever.If our diamonds have already vanished without benefiting our people, what will happen when our lithium or platinum reserves are exhausted?Zimbabweans must raise their voices now, before history condemns us as a nation that allowed its wealth to be stolen in broad daylight.Our minerals belong to the people. It is time government treated them as such.Wake up! 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. Read Next: PICTURES: See inside iconic Dundalk landmark as it hits the market 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. Louth councillor, Independent representative Cllr Ciaran Fisher, has questioned if new laws in relation to vapes, due to come into force next year, go far enough, and suggests that there should be an aim to limit and discourage the prevalence of vape shops in Dundalk. Sharing his views on the matter with the Dundalk Democrat, Cllr Fisher said that new vape laws, under the 'Nicotine Inhaling Products Bill', due early next year, are a "long overdue tightening of legislation on e-Cigarettes, better known as vapes". He explains that key elements of this incoming law include: "Banning all e-liquid flavors except tobacco "Limiting the concentration of nicotine allowed in a cartridge and warning labels appearing on products (like cigarettes currently have) "Prohibiting disposable (single-use) vapes due to environmental and youth appeal concerns "Restrictions on packaging, such as banning colors, imagery, or designs that make products attractive (e.g., resembling toys or sweets) "A full advertising ban in retail premises, including point-of-sale displays (however, dedicate specialty vape shops are exempt and can advertise products) "Potential on-the-spot fines for selling to minors or other violations (Across the water, The Chartered Trading Standards Institute reported that 60% of UK shops surveyed sold vapes to minors). " Cllr Fisher explained that, "the aims of these laws are to reduce youth access, limit environmental waste from disposable devices and bring vape retailing under tighter control. While Ireland has plenty of people who have quit smoking, there are as many - or more - who have taken up vaping. I'm surprised and disappointed an explicit aim is not: 'to stop people, and particularly young people, becoming addicted to a substance'. The issue of addiction is the most serious one in my view." Read also: Knockbridge gears up for a spectacular Vintage Rally He continued: "Banning flavors like bubblegum and cola is a wise move, acknowledging that these products were clearly aimed at children. However, we already have a fresh generation addicted to nicotine, with some potentially exposed to other substances like HHC, a synthetic cannabinoid only banned in July 2024 after hospitalizations and links to psychosis (this is basically the synthetic cannabinoid that elicited marches to close the infamous 'head shops' of the noughties). "The black market has exploited vaping technology, offering substances like HHC or Spice in cartridges, raising concerns about escalation to more dangerous drugs. That's right, in some cases switching to a more harmful substance is as potentially as easy as changing the ink cartridge on a fountain pen used to be. "We are playing catch-up with this legislation, and I worry that a quiet epidemic may be unfolding. There could be a creeping societal and healthcare burden from early exposure to addiction. "This new law is coming from central government. But at a local level, the influx of vape shops have had a noticeable impact on our high street and streetscapes. I hope that there may be scope to limit, or create a separate type of license or planning for vape shops in Dundalk and our other urban areas. Under the new laws, these kinds of shops are the only ones who can continue to openly advertise vapes. "If the prevalence of these shops on our main streets is something you think is negative, it's important to reach out to councilors to let them know! With the Special Planning Committee currently looking at Town Centres, and the County Development Plan coming up later this year, there are decisions about to be made which will have a knock on effect on what our towns look like for the next seven years! "It's also worth noting, that Dundalk and other towns in Louth, do have a 'Shop Front Guide' for shops. And a lot of the vape shops and new premises for one reason or the other, have not always complied with this. And this also seems to be a contributing factor to complaints made about the prevalence of these stores: A matter of aesthetics rather than the product being sold, or at least that is the case in representations made to me. "Given the popularity of vaping, it might be unpopular to criticise their availability. They have played, and likely can continue to play a role in helping people to quit smoking. But it's important to reflect on the fact that nicotine vapes are still addictive . Would you want your child, the next generation, to have such easy access to vaping? I think the answer is already there in the fact we are banning the flavours that appeal to children. "When cigarettes first became popular, their side effects were unknown, or at least very disputed. By the time their link to addiction and cancers was known, it was a worldwide health issue. It's safe to say if cigarettes were invented today, they would not (or at least should not) be legal. And yet, in a roundabout way, we are doing just that. "We have reinvented the cigarette and made it ridiculously easy to become addicted to nicotine and more, at a time the national trends were showing young people were bucking the trend in that light we need to really think if these laws go far enough, and if we should be limiting and discouraging the prevalence of these shops in our town!" When Louth man, Eoghan Woods from Dundalk, sat the ACCA Advanced Financial Management (AFM) exam earlier this year, he wasnt expecting to make headlines. However, after placing first in Ireland and third in the world, the former Bush Post Primary student, DkIT graduate and now trainee Accountant at Baker Tilly Kirk has firmly established himself as one of the brightest young accountants in the country. His journey to this point began with a simple love of numbers in schooland a decision to follow in his mums footsteps to study accounting. I loved accounting in school and felt like the DkIT course was the best for me in terms of location and what I could get out of it, said Eoghan. The three-year degree structure appealed to him, as did the strong graduate opportunities available afterwards. A recent DkIT/HEA Graduate Survey showed that 93% of graduates from the course are in employment or further study within six months of graduating a statistic that reassured Eoghan he was on the right path. If you work hard during college, you can often secure a role before finishing your degree, Eoghan explained. From his own experience, many graduate programme interviews take place toward the end of the year before graduation, giving students the security of knowing they have a role lined up and freeing them to focus on their studies. He found that interviews werent solely competency-based but also place strong emphasis on personality and overall fit for a role. Read also: Louth councillor questions if new vape laws go far enough Another factor that stood out at DkIT was the smaller class sizes. Its a much better environment to learn in because you have more engagement with classmates and lecturers, which means there is more help available for you if youre struggling with anything, he says. Friends studying in larger colleges in Dublin or Belfast were often surprised when he told them that students in DkIT were on first-name terms with their lecturers a level of support he found invaluable. That support, paired with the maximum nine ACCA exemptions offered by the course, gave him a strong foundation for his career. The lecturers really prepare you to a high standard, Eoghan says. Now that Im in the working world, I can really see the benefits of that preparation. Between his time in DkIT, his online study with Accountancy School.ie and his experience in Baker Tilly Kirk, Eoghans hard work certainly paid off! He sat the in ACCA Advanced Financial Management (AFM) in March 2025, placing an amazing first in Ireland and third in the world. With an exam pass rate of about 45% during that period, according to the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, achieving such a high ranking was a remarkable achievement for Eoghan. A lot of people go into these exams with the mentality that they just want to pass, Eoghan reflects. I always aim to do as well as I can, so it was great to get the high mark and the award in recognition of that. His success is a testament to the value of hard work, determination, and the solid foundation he built at DkITsomething he hopes will inspire other students considering a career in accountancy. For anyone interested in a career in accounting, there are still some spaces left through the CAO Available Places. Find out more here: CAO Available Places | DkIT Louth County Council is encouraging business owners across the county to sign up for the Age Friendly Business Charter - a simple, low-cost initiative designed to help businesses become more inclusive and accessible to older customers. With over a million people aged 60 and over living and shopping in Ireland, the benefits of becoming an Age Friendly Business are clear. Its easy to implement, cost-effective, and opens up new opportunities - while also being the right thing to do! In partnership with Age Friendly Ireland, Louth County Council will host Age Friendly Business Workshops in Dundalk and Drogheda this September. Facilitated by Susan L Murphy, Louth County Councils Age Friendly Business Coordinator, these workshops will arm businesses with practical guidance and information to help them achieve Age Friendly Business Accreditation. The workshops will take place on Wednesday, 17th September from 10am12.30pm at Town Hall, Crowe Street, Dundalk and on Thursday, 18th September from 10am-12.30pm at Civic Offices, Fair Street, Drogheda. Read also: Louth councillor refuses to zone more land until wastewater issue resolved The process to becoming an Age Friendly Business involves just four straightforward steps. The planning stage involves appointing a staff member to act as your Age Friendly champion who will lead the initiative and advocate for older customers. The champion acts by attending an Age Friendly Business Workshop, where theyll gain insights and begin developing ideas tailored to your business. Consultation with your older customers, to understand what they appreciate and what could be improved, is the third step before your business implements three Age Friendly actions based on this feedback. Once these steps are completed, your business will receive an official Charter and be recognised as an Age Friendly Business, demonstrating your commitment to inclusivity and excellent customer service. To attend one of the workshops, please register by Friday, 12th September via the Age Friendly Business Recognition Programme link at https://consult.louthcoco.ie Over 100k in funding has been announced for educationally disadvantaged learners in Louth. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD and Minister of State with special responsibility for Further Education, Apprenticeship, Construction and Climate Skills Marian Harkin TD have today announced over 4.5 million in funding to support over 100,000 educationally disadvantaged learners across Ireland. Over 700 local community education groups will benefit from the Reach Fund to support learners personal development and build skills while offering educational options through simplified pathways, creating further opportunities to progress to other areas of Further Education and Training (FET)) and beyond. 108k for the 2025 Reach Fund was allocated by SOLAS, and it will be administered through Louth Meath Education and Training Boards (ETBs). Announcing the funding today, Minister Lawless said: Over the past five years Reach funding has provided vital support for communities across Ireland. Originally introduced in 2020 to support the most disadvantaged learners throughout the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, this funding stream continues to play a pivotal role in supporting ETBs and community education providers to increase their capacity, ensuring that they can support the participation of disadvantaged learners within their communities. Reach funding has helped to tackle inequalities and support access to community education, whilst also addressing important topics such as climate justice education, education for sustainable development, and building climate literacy. Through this funding we remain committed to promoting access, collaboration and innovation in community education." Minister Harkin said: In recent years, we have prioritised investment in community education, which has been bolstered by Reach funding. This has led to huge growth in the demand for services with learner numbers expanding rapidly across the country. Community education is at the heart of FET and it not only benefits learners and communities but also plays an important role in supporting a democratic society. It is now more important than ever that we recognise community education for its ability to foster social cohesion and active citizenship, and that we continue to support those learners who need it most. Key target groups for Reach funding include the long-term unemployed; learners under 25 years of age; people with disabilities; and migrants and refugees. Other priority groups include lone parents; members of the Traveller and Roma communities; early school leavers; and people impacted by homelessness. Read Next: Farmers in Louth will lose out in new Mercosur proposal claims MEP Also commenting on the announcement, Interim CEO of SOLAS, Nessa White said: Community education is a critical driver of access to education and as such plays a unique role in the FET system, and in local communities across Ireland. It offers local, accessible, and welcoming learning opportunities for individuals which can support them to achieve their personal, social, and educational goals. We are delighted to continue to allocate Reach funding in 2025 to support those learners who need it the most. Since 2020, thousands of learners have been supported through Reach funding and demand is growing year on year. Its brilliant to see such huge vibrancy in the community education provision across FET, this is testament to the incredible work that is happening at local level by ETBs and community partners as they remain committed to tackling barriers that prevent learners from accessing education and support them to re-engage and participate with local provision. Fianna Fail Senator for Louth and East Meath, Alison Comyn, has joined forces with local Councillor James Byrne in a campaign calling for immediate and urgent road safety measures on a hazardous stretch of the R168 in Mell, Drogheda, amid growing concern from residents and a series of serious traffic incidents in recent weeks. During a recent visit to the area, Senator Comyn and Cllr Byrne met with residents who described the road as a race track, particularly the section between St. Josephs National School and the entrance to Riverview Estate, where traffic calming measures are completely absent. This situation is unacceptable, said Senator Comyn. Lives are at risk. I stood on this road and witnessed cars speeding past, just metres from where families live and children walk to school. Residents are living in fear, and its time for Louth County Council and the Department of Transport to step up. Cllr Byrne said he had previously submitted a formal query to Louth County Council seeking traffic calming measures for the area but received what he described as a disappointing and frustrating response. READ NEXT: Louth community expo set to take place in Dundalk next week Were constantly told that low-cost safety measures are based on collision data, Byrne said. But now were being told the Council doesnt even have access to that data because of GDPR. This is absurd. "The Department of Transport holds the data, but without access to it, the Council says it cannot proceed with implementing safety measures all while residents continue to face serious risks on a daily basis." Byrne added. "I would like to extend my thanks to my fellow Drogheda Councillors for supporting my Motion and for their valuable input to the discussion during our recent meeting". Residents shared harrowing experiences with the Senator and Councillor, citing multiple recent accidents and the destruction of several vehicles. One local parent said, I am afraid to let my children walk on the footpaths in case a car crashes into them. It shouldn't be like this. Many of us have had our cars destroyed. The R168 has some existing traffic calming measures in place along its length, but large stretches including the one through Mell remain unprotected. Comyn and Byrne are now demanding access to collision data from the Department of Transport and are calling on Louth County Council to take proactive steps, with or without the data. This cannot be a box-ticking exercise. We do not need to wait for a fatality to act, Senator Comyn added. We will be pushing at every level of government to get this data released and ensure appropriate safety interventions are implemented without delay. The Arts Council is proud to announce the return of Read Mor, its annual book-gifting initiative that celebrates Irish literature and promotes wellbeing through the joy of reading. As part of Culture Night 2025, Read Mor will see 30 free books by Irish and Irish-based authors gifted to young people across Ireland through a new partnership with Jigsaw: The National Centre for Youth Mental Health. Now in its fourth year, Read Mor was created to extend the spirit of Culture Night to those who may be unable to attend in-person events. The initiative champions Irish writing while recognising the proven benefits of reading for mental health, emotional wellbeing, and social connection. This year, Read Mor events will take place in six Jigsaw centres nationwide on Culture Night, Friday, September 19, giving young people the opportunity to connect, explore books, and celebrate reading in a welcoming environment. The event in Cork will take place at Unit 8, South Bank, Crosses Green, Wandesford Quay, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. Maura McGrath, Chair of the Arts Council, said: With Read Mor, were not only celebrating Irish literature - were also promoting inclusion, connection, and creativity. Reading has well-documented benefits for mental health, and this years partnership with Jigsaw allows us to reach more young people and highlight the important role arts and culture can play in supporting emotional wellbeing. Edel Connolly, a Youth Advocate with Jigsaw, said: Its fantastic having young people involved with Read Mor this year. As a young person, I think its so important to encourage other young people to pick up reading as a hobby for their mental wellbeing. Reading is such an amazing way to get lost in a fictional world where your worries dont exist and to inspire young people to express themselves in a healthy and creative way. Dr Joseph Duffy, CEO at Jigsaw said: Everyone at Jigsaw is really excited to partner with the Arts Council for Read Mor 2025. So many elements of Read Mor reflect our work with young people in our 14 youth mental health services across Ireland; connection, learning, imagination and more. Any initiative that seeks to promote reading is therefore hugely important in promoting overall wellbeing among our young people, and we are delighted to involved. Read Mor was launched by the Arts Council in 2022, and the books gifted as part of it are all by Irish or Irish-based authors and selected in consultation with literature experts. The Arts Council also acknowledges the support of Childrens Books Ireland, whose expertise and guidance help ensure a diverse and engaging selection of books for young readers. For more information about Culture Night 2025 on Friday, September 19, see https://culturenight.ie The event aims to celebrate all that makes up the richness and diversity of culture in Ireland today, connecting people to cultural activities locally and nationally, and aims to open up pathways to ongoing engagement. It celebrates culture, creativity and the arts and seeks to actively promote the belief that this rich and varied culture is alive, treasured and nurtured in peoples lives, today and every day. Special and unique events and workshops are specifically programmed at participating locations and, thanks to the continued support of the Arts Council and local authorities across the island of Ireland, all activities are made available to the public free of charge. About Jigsaw Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health is a leading Irish charity dedicated to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young people aged 12-25. It offers free, confidential mental health support services across Ireland, as well as expert advice, resources, and community-based initiatives. Through partnerships, advocacy, and evidence-based programmes, Jigsaw works to ensure every young person in Ireland has access to the mental health support they need. The 30 books selected for Read Mor in 2025 are: Why the moon travels, Oein DeBhairduin Fixing Mum and Dad, Sinead Moriarty Stealing Happy, Brian Conaghan Wintours Game, Brian Dungan Dialann Emily Porter: An Jailtacht, Richie Conroy & Don Conroy (Illustrator) The Brightest Star, Meg Grehan Blath Fiain, Meadhbh Ni Eadhra A Fix of Light, Kel Menton Solo, Grainne OBrien Skipshock, Caroline ODonoghue Where the Heart Should Be, Sarah Crossan The Dagger and the Flame, Catherine Doyle Wise Creatures, Deirdre Sullivan Songs for Ghosts, Clara Kumagai Four Eids and a Funeral, Adiba Jaigirdar and Faridah Abike-Iyimide Heartstopper as Gaeilge, Alice Oseman; Eoin McEvoy (Translator) Braids Take a Day, Zainab Boladale Fun and Games, John Patrick McHugh The Boy from the Sea, Garrett Carr Evenings and Weekends, Oisin, McKenna Geansaithe Mora, Gearoidin Nic Carthaigh Na Rithe Beaga, Delphine de Vigan; Mairin Nic Con Iomaire (translator) Fiche, Colm O Ceallachain Chic to be Sad, Molly Twomey Nature Boy - A Journey of Birdsong and Belonging, Sean Ronayne The Amendments, Niamh Mulvey The Paris Express, Emma Donoghue Fair Play, Louise Hegarty The Wildelings, Lisa Harding Only in New York, Melissa Hill After a week of treachery, skulduggery, and a grown man calling out for his daddy as though he was a five-year-old who got lost in Mahon Point, all three Cork contestants in The Traitors Ireland are still standing. Thats the good news. The bad news is Youghal fireman John Malone, Ballincollig beauty therapist Christine Duff, and civil servant Andrew Moloney are all skating on thin ice, in my book. I wouldnt be at all surprised if we lost one or two of those Rebels in the coming week, each of them hoist by their own petard. But first up... what the hell am I talking about? If youre one of the few who have missed it, The Traitors Ireland debuted on RTE1 last Sunday night, with the wonderful Siobhan McSweeney as host - and its got a large chunk of the nation hooked. There were 24 original contestants and three have been secretly chosen as Traitors, who are out to murder the others - the Faithful - each night. A roundtable is held nightly where the Faithful aim to banish a Traitor. Except they havent been very good at that so far - banishing one of their own each time. Doh! Andrew made the mistake of blurting out 'Daddy' at the fellow contestant who is meant to be his secret parent Thats been the story of the first week of the series - the hapless flailings of the Faithful, and the fact the three Traitors have managed to survive, despite not being very good at stabbing people in the back. Less Brutus, more brutal. Brash garda Eamon OKeeffe has a self-destructive tendency to stick out like a sore thumb and talks far too much. Since the Traitors have a habit of killing off big characters, how long before his lingering presence is exhibit A at the roundtable? Katelyn Divilly is a leadership consultant who has a perverse tendency to follow the Traitor herd, and a good few of the Faithful are on her case. The final Traitor, Paudie Moloney, is similarly on slippery ground owing to the fact he rarely makes any pronouncements... and when he does he kicks himself in the teeth. Unbeknownst to the others, Paudie is the father of the aforementioned Cork-based Faithful Andrew, whose blunder in blurting out Daddy to him during a task showed that, sadly, this apple has not fallen far from that tree at all, at all, when it comes to survival instincts. And did I tell you Andrew is 33? Daddy indeed... one more slip like that, pal, and well re-classify you as from Kilmallock, like your da (the correct usage here, surely?). In Andrews defence, he was thrown in at the deep end when the group first got together. Instantly viewed as the most trustworthy, he then had to select the three most untrustworthy (based on very little), before sending two of them home. One of these was a fellow Cork man - oh, how could you?! - 53-year-old firefighter John. However, on Tuesday night, the show followed in the footsteps of its UK version, and John was given a reprieve, and returned to the show. Normally, this would put him in with a chance of winning the 50,000 first prize. He can hardly be viewed as a Traitor (and, for that reason, would make a good recruit to that circle), and is unlikely to be viewed with suspicion by the Faithful, for a while at least. However, John is already vulnerable. Being a popular arrival will hardly endear him to the current Traitors, but his biggest mistake was to publicly align himself with the other Cork contestant, Christine. Before the series began, I thought county allegiances would play a key role in The Traitors Ireland - where youre from is far more important here than in the UK, USA, or Australia, where the show is also hugely popular. But that simply hadnt been the case, until John buddied up with Christine - thus putting both their lives in the castle in danger. Which brings me on to Christine, a mum-of-two who reportedly starred in last years The Young Offenders Christmas special and has got more than 10,000 followers on Instagram. She is in the frame to be one of the three Faithful to be murdered at the start of Sunday nights episode - but if she does get the dreaded letter, I feel the Traitors would be making a fatal mistake. Most contestants will assume Christine has received a shield (oh, do keep up) from John, which protects her from murder. But John gave it to Traitor Katelyn instead (another mistake!). If Christine is killed, surely the finger of suspicion points to the Traitors being aware of who has the shield - and silly Katelyn only went and told two of the Faithful she had it. Cork contestant Christine is in the frame to be 'murdered' in Sunday night's episode In short, the three Cork contestants have been far too visible and could be either murdered or banished in short measure. But this is a game that can turn on a sixpence - and those three Traitors surely cant survive as a trio for much longer. So, Im going to stick my neck out and say John is the Rebels best hope for glory and collecting that 50,000. My favourite contestant, though, is Patrick, a former casino manager who must know a thing or two about poker faces. But my tip to win is Ben, a member of the defence forces. You dont know him yet? Exactly. As a viewer, I tie myself in knots trying to figure out game plans, so I imagine being involved in the show is an utterly head-wrecking experience. You must think hard - but not over-think. You must be cool under pressure, but not aloof. You must be guarded yet open, and you must quiz and assess your fellow contestants while appearing above suspicion. As well as being great fun, The Traitors Ireland provides a fascinating insight into human nature, in particular into how people can make snap judgments about others and their personalities. In the UK version earlier this year, one contestant voted to banish another simply because he had spent too long browsing the books in the castle library - notions, like. Thats the sort of inverted snobbery that can get a person killed in this game. Admittedly, the early roundtables can see contestants scrabbling for any hint of suspicion - poor Diane was eliminated from the Irish show for the crimes of looking down at the floor after taking off her blindfold when the Traitors were selected, and for appearing rattled when confronted. As time goes on, it should become clearer as to who is a Faithful and who isnt - but the twists and turns, plots and sub-plots keep contestants guessing to the bitter (for 23 of the 24) end. That said, the ultimate winner of The Traitors Ireland is set to be its host, Siobhan McSweeney, whose twinkle-eyed devilment strikes the perfect chord between camp comedy (it is only a reality show after all) and the stern edge required in a show where one under-pressure contestant can accuse another of being unapproachable (ouch, poor Michele). An already busy actor and TV presenter, the Aherla woman is only going to be more in-demand when the Irish version of the hit series is shown worldwide. But what those overseas viewers will make of a 33-year-old Kilmallock (!) man shouting Daddy to his undercover father is anyones guess. Scarlet for ya. At lunchtime today, the Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign (CPSC) will hold its 100th consecutive weekly city centre rally in solidarity with the people of Gaza. There has been a rally in Cork every week since the latest and bloodiest round of the decades-long conflict in the Middle East erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-backed insurgents murdered some 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 250 hostages. Since then, the death toll caused by Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) attacks on Gaza has now passed 64,000, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry (GHM), Last month, the United Nations-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) officially declared famine in Gaza City. For more than a year, aid groups had been warning that Israels military offensive, and its restrictions of food and other aid into Gaza, were causing high levels of starvation among Palestinian civilians, particularly children. Now, according to the IPC, a quarter of all Palestinians in Gaza, more than 500,000 people, are starving, with that number expected to rise to more than 640,000 within weeks. Reacting to the IPC determination, Taoiseach Micheal Martin called Israels ongoing blockade of food and aid into Gaza a war crime, saying famine in Gaza had been both entirely predictable and preventable. In May, Mr Martin described in the Dail Israels actions in Gaza as genocide, predicting that its blockade of humanitarian aid was pushing the Gaza Strip toward a hunger crisis. As of Thursday, at least 370 people have died from starvation, including 131 children, the GHM has said. On Thursday, an Israeli military spokesman said the IDF now controls some 40% of Gaza City, with advancing forces now only kilometres from the ruined city centre. Thousands of residents, many of them starving, have defied Israeli orders to leave Gaza City, where health authorities said IDF fire had killed at least 53 people over the past two days. This weeks CPSC will assemble on the Grand Parade, outside the Terence MacSwiney City Library, at 1pm on Saturday, with people from across the county expected to attend. Corks Cotton Ball Bar has announced last call as the 151-year-old pub closes its doors. The Cotton Ball Bar was established in 1874 and has spanned four generations of the Lynch family throughout its more than a century and a half long tenure of trading. In a post shared on social media, a spokesperson for the pub said that it is with great sadness that the owners have decided to close the doors of the Cotton Ball. As you can imagine this hasnt been an easy decision, the spokesperson said. In 1874, Humphrey J Lynch returned home to Mayfield from America, where he opened The Cotton Ball. The name Cotton Ball was from his time as a foreman in the cotton mills in Massachusetts. Over those 151 years, many generations have come and gone in [Cork], but we would like to think that the bar has added to the heart of Mayfield creating friendships and relationships that will long endure. We would like to take the opportunity to thank all our incredible loyal customers, they added. We hope that many memories were made, and we would like to wish you and your families the very best. Also, a special thanks to everyone that worked in the bar throughout the years as you can imagine there is huge list, but we would like to give a special mention to Ian and Roy, who managed the Cotton Ball in the last number of years. We also want to take this opportunity to remember members of the Lynch family that are no longer with us, especially our father Jack, our aunt Sheila, uncle Don, and uncle Humphrey, who were all proud Mayfield people. The news of the Cotton Balls closure comes following the announcement that the property is up for sale earlier this year. The sale of the premises, with a price of 950,000, was announced in March, and came as its owners were retiring from licensed trade. Included in the sale is the traditional Cotton Ball Bar, which was partially renovated in 2019, and the on-site brewery, consisting of a 12-barrel brew house, six 2,000-litre conical cyclo-cylindrical conditioning tanks, and two 2,000-litre bright beer tanks. The property, being sold by agents Sherry Fitzgerald, sits on 0.5 acres and is contained in an end-of-terrace part-single, part-two-storey building. I am after nearly dying about 200 times in my young life, a 26-year-old man said in relation to his alcohol problems. Luke Cronin of St Vincents hostel, Anglesea Street, Cork, said he could stay off drink all day but by 9pm he would start drinking very heavily and getting into trouble. Most significantly, he turned up at Mercy University Hospital where he was drunk and a danger to himself or others and he was threatening and abusive. He apologised at Cork District Court by video link from prison for his behaviour at the hospital and during other incidents. He said that he had apologised in person to staff at the hospital since it happened and was ashamed of his actions. My behaviour at the Mercy Hospital was unacceptable. I understand they are people on the front line doing their job and me coming in with addiction issues causing problems, I just want to say sorry, Luke Cronin said. Luke Cronin had been doing well, saying that he was seeking employment and trying to provide for his young family. Diane Hallahan solicitor said: He wants to get out of custody so he can be there for his family. There are bouts when he goes drinking and taking softer drugs. Judge Mary Dorgan said, Softer drugs are not serving him well. Ms Hallahan agreed and added that none of the intoxicants Luke Cronin was taking were doing any good for him. Judge Dorgan imposed a total sentence of two months in prison and two months suspended. The incident at the Mercy occurred on March 11. He admitted other public order charges at various locations in Cork city between August 2024 and August this year. (Photo: REUTERS / Chris Keane)Signs in support of atheism are seen during the "Rock Beyond Belief" festival at Fort Bragg army base in North Carolina March 31, 2012. The atheist-themed festival drew hundreds of people to Fort Bragg on Saturday for what was believed to be the first-ever event held on a U.S. military base for service members who do not have religious beliefs. Organizers said they hoped the "Rock Beyond Belief" event at Fort Bragg would spur equal treatment toward nonbelievers in the armed forces. Religious identity is fading in many countries of the world. From 2010 to 2020, the share of the population affiliated with any religion dropped at least 5 percentage points in 35 countries, according to a recent Pew Research Center study. It dropped considerably more in countries such as Australia (17 points), Chile (17), Uruguay (16), and the United States (13). Pew says a new academic paper by a group of international scholars proposes that drops in religious affiliation happen in the medium and late stages of a "secular transition" process. This transition is unfolding slowly, as generations are replaced by less religious ones. The study used data from the center's surveys in 111 countries and territories. The paper says that this process is affecting countries on every populated continent, including countries in which one of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism or Hinduism is the largest religion. The paper was published in Nature Communications, a peer-reviewed academic journal. It was written by Jorg Stolz and Jean-Philippe Antonietti of the University of Lausanne, Nan Dirk de Graaf of the University of Oxford, and Pew Research Center's Conrad Hackett. The authors write that religion generally declines between generations in three steps: The first is that people participate in worship services less often. The importance of religion declines in their personal lives. Then, belonging to religion becomes less common. They call this the Participation-Importance-Belonging (P-I-B) sequence. In this sequence, generations first shed aspects of religion that require more time and resources. People are slower to discard religious identity, which is not necessarily as onerous. In the early stage of secular transition, generations differ chiefly in their religious participation. In some countries that remain highly religious today, recent surveys show that each country's share of adults under age 40 who frequently attend religious services has dropped below the share of older adults who do so. Many African countries are currently in this early stage. For example, in the West African country of Senegal, 78 percent of older adults attend worship services weekly, but younger adults are 14 percentage points less likely to do so. Yet almost all adults in Senegal both young and old still identify as Muslims and consider religion very important in their lives. In the medium stage of secular transition, generations differ in their religious participation, importance, and belonging. In countries that are moderately religious, all three steps in the P-I-B sequence are visible in recent surveys. Adults under 40 attend services less frequently than their elders, are less likely to say religion is important in their lives, and are less likely to identify with any religion. This is the case currently in the U.S., along with many other countries in the Americas and Asia. In the late stage of secular transition, generations differ primarily in religious belonging. The authors assert that this is because the first two steps have been completed. The shares of older adults who attend services and who consider religion important in their lives have already dropped to low levels, similar to those of younger adults. - AGE GROUP DIFFERENCES In the least religious countries today, the main difference between age groups is that younger adults are less likely to identify with any religion. The authors say many countries in Europe have reached this stage. For example, in Denmark, 79 percent of older adults remain religiously affiliated, but adults under 40 are 26 points less likely to say they belong to any religion. Attendance at religious services and self-assessments of the importance of religion are low among people of all ages. Countries with different religious backgrounds tend to be at different stages of the secular transition. Among countries in the medium or late stage, the largest religion is typically Christianity or Buddhism. Muslim-majority countries and Hindu-majority India are in the early stage, and it's not yet clear whether they will continue the process or stay as they are for a long time. This secular transition isn't completely uniform, and it may not be inevitable everywhere. Though the researchers argue that religion declines in this pattern in many places, a key difference between countries is when they start their secular transition. Additionally, there are some exceptions to the model. Eastern European post-communist countries with Orthodox or Muslim majorities, such as Russia, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Georgia, do not currently seem to follow the P-I-B pattern. These countries' communist regimes repressed religion, and since the collapse of the Soviet Union, they have had nationalist religious revivals. Another exception is Israel, the world's only Jewish-majority country. Israel has a large population of secular Jews, including many older people who migrated from the former Soviet Union. However, a large share of today's younger Israelis were born to Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jews. Overall, younger Israelis are similar to their elders on measures of religiosity. Final update, September 10, 2025, 11:04AM ET: Apple announced new iPhones, Apple Watch and AirPods models on September 9. The full rundown of new releases: the iPhone 17, iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max; the AirPods Pro 3 (with live translation and a heart rate sensor); and the Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3. The company also confirmed that all of its new operating system upgrades including iOS 26 will be available as free upgrades on September 15. Read the rest of this story below to see how closely the new products aligned with the weeks and months of rumors. We're now just hours away from setting our eyes on the iPhone 17 lineup. Apple will reveal the newest smartphones during its big September "Awe dropping" iPhone event this afternoon at 1PM ET. The Engadget team will be liveblogging the iPhone event from Cupertino in real-time if you want to follow along. (You can watch the iPhone 17 event on YouTube, too.) The newest phones will come equipped with the latest iOS 26 features preinstalled, along with any new features Apple reveals today. So what can we expect to see? While Apple keeps all the details under lock and key, we actually have a very strong idea as to what we'll be seeing, thanks to leaks from Asian supply chains, case manufacturers and some credible media reports. Oh, and there are plenty of more fanciful rumors, too. Here's our best bet as to what will be coming out of Cupertino next in just a few days. What are the latest iPhone 17 rumors? Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is the industry's best-known Apple whisperer, and his event preview offers a tidy overview of what to expect on Tuesday. That includes four new iPhone 17 models, with an all-new superthin model, dubbed the iPhone Air, leading the pack. We'll also likely see the baseline iPhone 17, as well as the usual Pro and big-screen Pro Max models, which will offer the line's best cameras and extras. Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, expect up to three new Apple Watch models, with the satellite-connected Apple Watch Ultra 3 and a possible new entry-level Apple Watch SE flanking the Apple Watch Series 11. Rounding out the new products should be the AirPods Pro 3 earbuds, which are said to add heart-rate monitoring and a live translation feature. While all of those reports largely jibe with earlier rumors, Gurman's report includes screen sizes and handset sizes down to the millimeter. In fact, he had previously outlined most of the same expectations in a recent appearance on the Engadget Podcast. But he's not the only one with exact measurements: Plenty of case makers, including Dbrand, have unveiled their cases for the complete iPhone 17 line (including the 17 Pro case shown above), further solidifying expectations on dimensions and screen sizes for the new models. That said, we're still treating everything as unconfirmed until Apple's official announcements hit on Tuesday. While we don't expect any big leaps forward on the Apple Intelligence front at Tuesday's event, Gurman's subsequent report notes that Apple is continuing to experiment with AI models from Google, Anthropic and OpenAI, and may license technology from one or more of them ahead of a major Siri upgrade that could arrive as soon as March 2026. Advertisement Advertisement In addition, supposed battery capacities for the iPhone 17 models have appeared in a Chinese regulatory database, as shared on X by account ShrimpApplePro (via MacRumors). If the numbers are accurate, the iPhone 17 will get a 3.7 percent increase in battery capacity versus last year's model, the 17 Pro will gain a whopping 18.7 percent and the Pro Max gets an 8.6 percent improvement over the already strong 16 Pro Max battery. Not surprisingly, the leak lists the iPhone Air at around 3,100 mAh, or about 16 percent under the capacity of the iPhone 17 number. It will be interesting to see how Apple addresses that power shortfall if and when the company shares these numbers during or after its announcement. How much will the iPhone 17 cost? Apple's announced plan to expand US-based manufacturing partners seems to give it at least some shielding from the steepest Trump administration tariffs that have already triggered price increases on everything from PlayStations to Switch consoles to high-end cameras to Sonos speakers. But given that President Trump's trade policies can change from week to week, and Apple's continuing reliance on Asia-based supply chains, price shocks remain an ongoing possibility. The bigger question is: Will Apple absorb any higher costs, or pass them on to consumers? If prices do creep up, Apple may choose to pair it with an "upgrade." Consider this recent rumor posted by MacRumors from a leaker known as "Instant Digital," suggesting that the default storage of the iPhone 17 line may start at 256GB, doubling the current 128GB baseline. While that could be accompanied by a price increase of $50, Apple could at least pitch it as a "better value." That said, the company doubled the default RAM of its Mac computers from 8GB to 16GB at no extra cost in 2024 but that was before the current Trump tariff cycle started. Now, on the eve of the iPhone announcement, a report from JPMorgan mixes and matches the rumors above. As recounted in 9to5Mac, the iPhone line's starting prices will still stretch from $799 to $1,199 just as they do now with the Air possibly getting a $50 increase versus the iPhone Plus model it's replacing, and the 17 Pro costing an additional $100, but including more storage. Advertisement Advertisement Again, these prices are only projections and haven't been confirmed by Apple. When will the iPhone 17 series be announced? As noted above, the date has been confirmed for Tuesday, September 9. That lines up with Apple's traditional schedule, and the earlier report from iphone-ticker.de (via MacRumors). This generation of Apple smartphones may be the last to be fully released in September, however. There have been hints that the introduction of the iPhone 18 collection in 2026 will be split into a pro-tier announcement in the fall and a standard model announcement the following spring. What will the new iPhone 17 lineup include? Design leaks suggest that Apple is building an ultra-thin smartphone, likely to be named the iPhone 17 Air to match Apple's ultralight laptop designation. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported in January (and reaffirmed in his September event preview) that the iPhone 17 Air will be equipped with a basic A19 chip and will only have a single camera lens. It will also supposedly use Apple's new in-house modem, which was introduced in February on the iPhone 16e. Advertisement Advertisement As a guest on the latest Engadget Podcast, Gurman told Engadget's Devindra Hardawar and Igor Bonifacic the rumored iPhone Air will be rough around the edges at first. He believes the 17 Air will "lag in both" when it comes to camera and battery performance. "The battery life is going to be subpar compared to a base-level 17 or Pro model," he says. The ultimate goal, he notes, is to get all the functionality of the Pro models into the Air models. An investor note from Apple analyst Jeff Pu indicated that the Air will have a titanium frame. If his reports are accurate, the lightweight smartphone will be the only entry in the iPhone 17 lineup to use that metal; the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max are expected to be made of aluminum, which is lighter. Other speculation had suggested that the Air would use a blend of aluminum and titanium, so the exact materials may not be known until the official announcement. Additionally, an August 4 MacRumors report said the internal battery pack of the iPhone Air is just 2.49mm thick half the thickness of the iPhone 17 Pro battery. The leak was posted on the Korean-language Naver blog, where they show the alleged batteries of the iPhone 17 Air and 17 Pro side by side. The same account claimed the 17 Air's battery capacity was a mere 2,800 mAh, MacRumors noted. (That's below the battery capacity of current iPhone 16 models.) At the very least, it sounds like the iPhone 17 Air won't take away the charging port and rely only on wireless connectivity. Bloomberg said that while Apple had investigated making the iPhone 17 Air without a single port, the company (fortunately) changed plans. He also says that the rumored phone will have a 6.6-inch screen and include the Dynamic Island and Camera Control button. Advertisement Advertisement On a similar topic, an iPhone 17 Pro production leak appears to have revealed an all-aluminum chassis, according to MacRumors. Originally posted by leaker Majin Bu, the image shows a shell that has a large round hole on the back (where the Apple logo typically is) to allow for MagSafe charging. MacRumors says this could just be a molding but notes that the aluminum frame (versus the current titanium in Pro iPhone models) would yield a significantly lower weight. That same leaker (Majin Bu), whom MacRumors classifies as a "hit-or-miss leaker," suggests the iPhone 17 Pro will have better wireless signal strength thanks to an updated antenna design. The individual posted a render on X that shows a new antenna system that wraps around the iPhone 17 Pro's supposedly wider rear camera bump. Again, this is a render, not a real-world photo. That said, we can't knock the goal of better wireless reception, so we're hoping this one has a degree of truth to it. Leaker Majin Bu also claims "TechWoven" cases could be introduced, per a MacRumors report. The cases match the rumored design on the iPhone 17 models, with the wide camera bump. The leaker noted there are two lanyard holes for "convenient and secure carrying," so it could be worn around your neck. The colors would come in grey/black, blue, green, purple and orange. Additionally, he said there will be new Liquid Silicone cases in eight colors, including Deep Orange, Pale Orange, Grass Green, Celadon, Fog Purple, Grey Blue, Dark Blue and Midnight Black. He also recently showed a clear iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max case with the large rear camera bump cutout. The case isn't fully transparent and instead has a white rectangular piece that covers the MagSafe area. The new Pro iPhones are said to have a full-width "camera island" on the rear, which would mark the first time an Apple model opted for that design. This feature can be seen in the purported iPhone 17 "spotted in the wild." The pics, highlighted on MacRumors, show a black cased iPhone (17 Pro?) with the distinct back panel. Is it the real deal? The dual angles lend a degree of credibility in a social media landscape increasingly polluted with AI-enhanced fakes, but your guess is as good as ours. Additionally, the iPhone 17 Pro models could have the brightest display yet, according to leaker "Instant Digital," MacRumors reports. The goal is to make it "more suitable for use in direct sunlight for prolonged periods." The article points out that existing 16 Pro models can double their maximum brightness while in direct sunlight, making it easier to see what's on the screen. Advertisement Advertisement We've also gotten what seems to be a reliable look at what the color lineup will be for the new smartphones. Macworld reported that the iPhone 17 will be available in black, white, steel gray, green, purple and light blue. The iPhone 17 Air will reportedly have four color options: black, white, light blue and light gold. While the Air colors will be less saturated, the visuals for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will go bold. The options for the Pro models are expected to be black, white, gray, dark blue and orange. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes there actually will be a new orange color offered for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, as well as a light blue color for the iPhone 17 Air, he confirmed in his August 24 Power On newsletter. On July 30, Tom's Guide highlighted an X post from Sonny Dickson a longtime and generally reliable leaker of unreleased iPhone information showing "dummy" iPhone 17 models in the new colors that were the source of the aforementioned Macworld story. While these are literally just mock-ups not real, leaked iPhones it's interesting to see how the design and color rumors translate into a real-world look and feel. To add the the rumors, a Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station suggests the iPhone 17e will come equipped with a new design that includes the Dynamic Island, MacRumors reports. According to the post, the new phone will have the A19 chip and could have a 6.1-inch OLED display with a front-facing 12-megapixel camera and a rear-facing 48-megapixel camera. However, it's important to note this report refers to the 17e model that would be expected to launch no earlier than February 2026, if it followed the same release pattern as the iPhone 16e. What will iOS 26 be like? Apple upended its numbering conventions with WWDC 2025, and will match the name of each new operating system to the year it's released. So when the next wave of iPhones hits, they'll be running on iOS 26. Advertisement Advertisement On the design side, the smartphone OS introduced during the big developer showcase took a contentious approach dubbed Liquid Glass. Apple has been scaling down the amount of transparency effects in the subsequent beta tests of iOS 26, but it will still have a glass-like visual. The feature list includes big and small updates. On the more impactful side, the Phone and Photos apps have been redesigned. There will be several features leveraging artificial intelligence, such as live translation capabilities coming to Phone, FaceTime and Messages. Apple is also currently testing a sensitive content warning for child accounts that will freeze FaceTime video if nudity is detected by on-device machine learning tools. And the company is also launching Visual Intelligence, which will use AI to search for elements in an image. iOS 26 also has a litany of minor, quality of life improvements. Group texts are getting support for polls. And for the slow risers out there, iOS 26 will finally let you escape the tyranny of the nine minute snooze alarm. The next iOS is now available as a public beta. Here are our initial impressions of the Liquid Glass design and other new features. iOS 26 is compatible with all models back through iPhone 11. What other products are expected to be released alongside the iPhone 17? If Apple follows its usual pattern, the iPhone 17 will be announced alongside new Apple Watch products. That would be the Apple Watch Series 11 (if Apple sticks to the same naming scheme), and maybe an Apple Watch Ultra 3 and/or an updated Apple Watch SE. (They'll all run watchOS 26, of course.) As noted above, a new version of the Apple AirPods Pro (which received its last big update in 2022) is expected, and there's a possibility we'll see new AirTags trackers (first released in 2021), though those could be announced later. Advertisement Advertisement The Apple rumor mill got a big shot in the arm in mid-August thanks to the reported inclusion of product ID numbers in recent beta software builds. Per MacRumors, it's a laundry list of new hardware, including long-rumored product updates like the Apple TV, HomePod mini, new Apple Studio Display monitor and two fresh iPads. Of course, even if that list is totally accurate, we may not see those products until 2026 if ever. So don't expect all of products to share the stage with the iPhone 17, especially since Apple likes to keep its star performer at the center of attention. That said, keep in mind that Apple has recently been having Mac-centric announcements in late October (as it did last year to debut new M4 Macs), so there's always the chance of another shoe dropping a few weeks down the road. Update, September 9, 2025: Noted the iPhone 17 event starts soon (within hours). Advertisement Advertisement Update, September 8, 2025, 12:22PM ET: Added new rumor about battery capacity in the new iPhone 17 devices. Update, September 7, 2025, 12:32PM ET: Added Mark Gurman's latest reporting on Apple's possible AI partnerships. Update, September 6, 2025, 8:45AM ET: Added Mark Gurman's latest full predictions on what's expected at the Tuesday Apple event. Update, September 4, 2025, 3:23PM ET: Added new rumors about the iPhone 17 Air battery/eSIM, and camera details for the latest lineup. Update, September 3, 2025, 3:24PM ET: Added new rumor about the increased brightness of the iPhone 17 pro models. Update, September 2, 2025, 3:56PM ET: Added new details about the potential iPhone 17 lineup prices, and a new Clear Case rumor. Update, August 30, 2025, 8:45AM ET: Added commentary from Mark Gurman's guest appearance on the Engadget Podcast about the rumored iPhone 17 Air. Update, August 27, 2025, 5:44PM ET: Added official Apple iPhone 17 event date, and a rumor about its event logo. Update, August 25, 2025, 5:15PM ET: Added new reports about the iPhone 17 Pro's orange color as well as new rumored Liquid Silicone cases. Update, August 22, 2025, 11:52AM ET: Added new details about the colors of the rumored TechWoven case. Update, August 20, 2025, 7:12PM ET: Added new rumor about potential TechWoven case for iPhone 17 series. Update, August 18, 2025, 6:23PM ET: Added new rumor about the iPhone 17e potentially having the Dynamic Island. Update, August 15, 2025, 2:05PM ET: Added new rumor about the all-aluminum chassis on the iPhone 17. Update, August 13, 2025, 10:02PM ET: Added a list of the products that are expected to be released alongside the iPhone 17s. Update, August 11, 2025, 7:27PM ET: Added a render of a rumored new antenna design for the iPhone 17 Pro. Update, August 8, 2025, 4:43PM ET: Added new speculation and reports about iPhone 17 pricing. Update, August 6, 2025, 4:05PM ET: Added latest details about the potential iPhone 17 event date. Update, August 4, 2025, 5:23PM ET: Added latest battery leaks about the iPhone 17 models. Update, August 1, 2025, 8:15AM ET: Added new photos showing potential iPhone 17 colors. Update, July 30, 2025, 11:08AM ET: Added latest leaks and rumors about the iPhone 17, and updated information on the iOS 26 public beta. Update, July 17, 2025, 4:40PM ET: Added latest information about iOS 26, possible materials for the Air, and the color options for the different models. Update, March 17, 2025, 2PM ET: Added details about the rumored price and features of the iPhone 17 Air. Update, April 11, 2025, 3:45PM ET: Added details from Front Page Tech's new video that claims to reveal details from a leaked iOS 19 build. Prince Harry may be able to live in the United States indefinitely without pursuing citizenship, according to newly revealed documents. The Duke of Sussex, 40, reportedly holds an A-1 visa, a category typically reserved for heads of state, foreign royals, and other high-ranking officials. Immigration lawyer Melissa Chavin explained that the A-1 visa has a "lower security and background check threshold." She added the prince would "not have been vetted by the U.S. Government directly for mental health ineligibility, like drug abuse or addiction, or for criminal grounds of ineligibility, like a controlled substance violation." Chavin also noted, "Mere admission to drug use in a memoir would not keep Prince Harry from staying in status and being able to renew an A-1 visa." A court confirmed in March that Harry's immigration records are private after the Heritage Foundation filed a civil lawsuit questioning whether the Biden administration had altered standard rules for him. The Heritage Foundation cited Harry's 2023 memoir, "Spare," saying his admissions of drug use might affect visa approval. Harry and Meghan Markle moved to Montecito, California, in 2020 and signed contracts with Netflix and Spotify. By April 2024, Harry listed the United States as his main residence in U.K. filings. By April 2024, Harry updated U.K. records listing the United States as his primary residence. A-1 visas actually are supposed to have limited time lines, they are not meant to be indefinite. Harrys visa is inappropriate and if people are getting deported, Harry should not be above the law. This A-1 visa needs to be revoked. pic.twitter.com/mitESvzKyS Royally Sage (@sage1411) September 3, 2025 Visa Privileges for High-Profile Individuals Chavin emphasized that Harry "would not need to become a lawful permanent resident or United States citizen to reside in the U.S." She added he can "remain on an A-1 all his titled life," though he must be periodically vetted for terrorism and national security concerns. Despite estrangement from his family, Harry remains fifth in line to the British throne. Political questions have arisen over how such privileges apply to high-profile figures. The A-1 visa, sometimes called a "golden ticket," allows holders entry regardless of standard restrictions. Even President Donald Trump weighed in. Weeks into his second term, he said, "I don't want to do that," when asked about deporting Harry. He also criticized Markle, saying, "I'll leave him alone. He's got enough problems with his wife. She's terrible." Amanda Knox is making headlines again this time for her bold entry into standup comedy. The 38-year-old, once at the center of a global murder case, surprised audiences by joking about her time in an Italian prison during a recent performance at the Tacoma Comedy Club in Washington, TMZ said. During her set, Knox compared the challenges of motherhood to her time behind bars, saying that parenting has been the hardest part of her life so far. "Four years in prison, four years making a Hulu show, and four years as a mom being a mom is the toughest," she told the audience. Knox also shared a darkly humorous story involving her daughter. She said when they go to the playground, her daughter plays a game called "Mommy goes to Italy," where she grabs onto the jungle gym and screams, "Let me out!" While some laughed, others questioned whether jokes about such a serious event the 2007 murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher were appropriate. Thanks to @tacomacomedy for letting me open for the very funny @IamChrisPorter and tell a few jokes about making the The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox on @hulu. pic.twitter.com/MK67Eqnkr3 Amanda Knox (@amandaknox) September 4, 2025 Amanda Knox Opens Up About Past, Launches Hulu Docudrama Knox was a 20-year-old college student from Seattle studying abroad in Perugia, Italy, when she and her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were accused of murdering Kercher. Both were found guilty, but after serving four years in prison, their convictions were overturned, and Knox returned to the US. According to Yahoo, Knox has since struggled with how to move forward. Speaking on "The Adam Friedland Show" earlier this week, she reflected on who she was before the trial. "I had zero perspective on the world," she admitted. "I was an annoying Amelie person who nothing bad had ever happened to." Now, almost two decades later, Knox is trying to take control of her story through comedy and storytelling. She recently produced a Hulu docudrama called "The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox," which explores her experience and the media frenzy around the case. "Becoming an anonymous person wasn't an option," she said in the interview. "As a public person, I was a pariah. I felt completely trapped." A White House representative confirmed that President Joe Biden recently had Mohs surgery to treat a skin cancer lesion on his forehead. The procedure comes just months after he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. The news surfaced after video footage showed Biden, 82, leaving a church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on September 4 with a large visible wound on his forehead. Though the exact date of the surgery has not been confirmed, the spokesperson said it was part of his ongoing medical care. According to CNN, Mohs surgery is a precise method used to remove layers of skin cancer, especially in areas like the face. During the procedure, specialists carefully study each layer of tissue under a microscope and continue removing sections until no signs of cancer are detected. It's often used for basal cell carcinoma, the most common and least aggressive form of skin cancer. Back in February 2023, during his presidency, Biden had a cancerous growth taken off his chest, which doctors later identified as basal cell carcinoma. NEW: President Biden's office announced today that he recently had Mohs surgery to remove skin-cancer lesions from his forehead. Join me in praying for President Biden as he recovers and continues to battle prostate cancer. pic.twitter.com/uG7eRNkTAA Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) September 5, 2025 Biden's Skin Cancer Removed, No Further Treatment Needed According to White House physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the procedure eliminated all cancerous tissue, and Biden required only routine follow-up checks rather than additional treatment. Although basal cell carcinoma rarely spreads to other parts of the body, it can grow and become more difficult to treat if ignored. Doctors often recommend removing it early to avoid complications. In May 2024, Biden's staff revealed that he had received a diagnosis of prostate cancer. It was described as having a Gleason score of 9, meaning it was a very aggressive form of cancer, but still treatable, People said. According to his spokesperson, the cancer had not reached his organs, and Biden started a pill-based treatment to manage it. "The expectation is we're going to be able to beat this," Biden said in a TV interview at the time. "It's not in any organ... my bones are strong, it hadn't penetrated. So, I'm feeling good." The President also spoke out on social media in May, writing, "Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places." This isn't the first time cancer has impacted Biden's family. His son Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015, and First Lady Jill Biden had two lesions removed in early 2023. A trove of government files released this week has renewed scrutiny of Jeffrey Epstein's connections and the contents of his Palm Beach mansion, including photographs, videos and other items that investigators say illuminate the scope of his alleged abuse and the network that enabled it. The disclosure, part of more than 33,000 documents and items made public by the House Oversight Committee, includes a video walkthrough of Epstein's demolished estate, flight logs spanning 2000 to 2014, interview transcripts and hundreds of photographs. The materials were released amid continued public pressure for full transparency about Epstein's activities and the identities of people he associated with. The video tour shows a 14,223-square-foot waterfront home Epstein bought in 1990 and later razed. The mansion featured six bedrooms, seven and a half bathrooms, an elevator, a private gym, a cabana and a separate staff building, according to property records and the released footage. The walls and furniture were emblazoned with photographs and erotic artwork, and multiple rooms contained framed images of young women, prosecutors said. Investigators also highlighted an unusual setup inside the house: a room outfitted with dental equipment, including drills and mirrors. Authorities have previously speculated that Epstein used dental procedures as part of a regimen he required for some of his victims, though the new records do not provide definitive evidence explaining the purpose of the equipment. Among the images found in the home were numerous photos and artworks featuring Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime associate and, at times, partner. Maxwell pleaded guilty in 2022 to charges that included transporting a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The newly released files also contain photographs of Epstein meeting public figures, including a meeting with Pope John Paul II and images of Maxwell with former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, documents show. Flight logs and travel records detail Epstein's movements across the United States and abroad for more than a decade, and seizable evidence retrieved during raids on his properties included labeled binders, hard drives, CDs, passports and a safe with cash, according to prosecutors. Federal and local authorities in multiple jurisdictions have investigated Epstein over the years. Epstein died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, a death ruled a suicide by the New York City medical examiner. The release of additional records has reignited calls from survivors, lawmakers and advocates for a comprehensive accounting of the full scope of Epstein's network and for any additional documents that might identify enablers or victims. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have demanded continued declassification of material tied to the case, saying transparency is essential to ensure accountability and support ongoing efforts to locate and assist victims. Victim advocates said the disclosures would help corroborate survivors' accounts and provide leads in outstanding inquiries. Epstein's Palm Beach property was sold after demolition for roughly $26 million, and a new house is being constructed on the site. Officials said the newly released evidence will be reviewed by prosecutors and, where appropriate, could be used to support continuing civil and criminal investigations. Ryan Reynolds drew criticism after a short interaction with a young reporter at the Toronto International Film Festival. A video of the encounter circulated online, with some viewers saying he appeared impatient. Reynolds, 48, paused for interviews at the premiere of the documentary "John Candy: I Like Me" on September 4. When a young CTV reporter greeted him with, "Hi Ryan, nice to meet you," Reynolds replied, "Nice to meet you too, let's skip to the question." There is nothing funny about this. Kids do not understand these types of jokes where the person is being rude to them. Its called being mean #ryanreynolds pic.twitter.com/aIYYDzllnq TV & Movie Addict (@TVMovieAddict) September 5, 2025 Social media users called the remark "condescending" and "mean." Yes talk about making a nervous kid feel more timid. Jerk! SaskGirl (@LLombardo77) September 5, 2025 He is soo manner less Shashwata Nova (@shashwatanova) September 5, 2025 He really is. Its one thing to joke with an adult but a kid wont get what he believes are jokes TV & Movie Addict (@TVMovieAddict) September 5, 2025 The child then asked about Reynolds' Tim Hortons breakfast, joking about the Chipotle mayo. Reynolds replied, "I wish I had some control over that. I can send a strongly-worded letter to the chef. Consider it done." He added, "What's your name? Liam? I'll make it downright vicious, but I'll say it's from you, though," before moving on down the press line. He smiled and answered, "I wish I had some control over that. I can send a strongly-worded letter to the chef. Consider it done." He asked the reporter's name and added, "I'll make it downright vicious, but I'll say it's from you." Fans React to Red Carpet Clip The clip drew mixed reactions online. "Yes, talk about making a nervous kid feel more timid. Jerk!" one person wrote. Another said, "Rude is his default setting." Others defended Reynolds, claiming he was joking and under pressure as TIFF staff were rushing him inside. A source told Page Six Reynolds had already been told no more interviews would be allowed, but he stopped for the child anyway. "He was in no way being rude. There were a lot of other reporters trying to get a question in which is why he bent down to the kid to have him ask the question," the insider said. Tension With Eugene Levy The TIFF appearance was not the only moment to draw attention. In a separate clip, Reynolds appeared to have a tense exchange with actor Eugene Levy. A lip reader claimed Reynolds said, "B******t, man." Levy allegedly replied, "Language, you don't need to speak so harsh," before Reynolds shot back, "Please don't ever tell me how I can talk to people." The two parted after Reynolds told him, "I'm done here, we're done." Social media users weighed in on the exchange, with one saying, "Eugene = Class.....Ryan = [a] joke." Reynolds then smiled and greeted another woman on the carpet. Some users were quick to judge his appearance, saying he looked tired and thin. "He has aged by 25 years," one person wrote. Legal Issues Cast a Shadow The red carpet drama comes as Reynolds and his wife, Blake Lively, continue to face public scrutiny. Lively, 38, is in an ongoing legal battle with actor and director Justin Baldoni, who accused the couple of interfering with production of "It Ends With Us." His $400 million countersuit, later dismissed, claimed they tried to seize control of the project. Baldoni also alleged Reynolds verbally berated him on set. A source close to the actor said Reynolds was "stern" but not abusive during the exchange. President Donald Trump's health has once again been called into question by social media users after a photo taken of what seemed to be a bulge beneath his jacket went viral online. Rumors ran rampant over the Labor Day weekend when unsubstantiated claims that the president had died spread like wildfire. The new viral image has served to spark rumors that the 79-year-old president is sporting a medical device. One TikTok nurse asserted the picture indicates something serious. "See this pic of Trump today. See in the cream coloured box. He's wearing either some kind of monitor or that's a medical battery pack for a device. Nurses on TikTok are speculating it could be an LVAD for heart failure,," user @jacquie_rn posted. Okay guys .. Ive done some research See this pic of Trump today See in the The cream coloured box Hes wearing either some kind of monitor Or thats a medical battery pack For a device Nurses on TikTok are speculating it could be an LVAD for heart failure. pic.twitter.com/jYccpw9q2y Jacquie_RN (@jacquie_rn) September 4, 2025 TikTok user Samantha Marti repeated the question. "Suspicious. That's weird. So, is nobody going to talk about what that is??" she posted in a quickly viral post. Others on social media also concurred, believing the bulge suggests Trump might be wearing a ventricular assist device, also known as an LVAD, which aids in pumping blood for heart failure patients. "What was under this man's suit jacket yesterday? You can see it. Can't say we're fake newsing that because it's there. What is it? I think it's an LVAD," one person commented. More commentary followed. "Trump LVAD or nah? It makes sense," wrote X user Christopher Webb. Trump LVAD or nah? It makes sense. pic.twitter.com/M2yeYP7oMk Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) September 4, 2025 Another, Ryan Shead, put in, "Trump having [heart] problems wouldn't surprise me one bit. It would explain the fluid on his legs and ankles." Not everyone bought the theory. Tech commentator Adam Cochran wasn't having it. "Hard no. The surgery for an LVAD is invasive and intensive. It requires many weeks of recovery & observation. Trump would not be up and moving around on LVAD after a week," he replied. Hard no. The surgery for an LVAD is invasive and intensive. It requires many weeks of recovery & observation. It would require almost a month in hospital for most patients - and even under careful medical observation Trump would not be up and moving around on LVAD after a week. https://t.co/UUqdN4Qo0a Adam Cochran (adamscochran.eth) (@adamscochran) September 4, 2025 Trump has previously been questioned over his health. People have pointed out his puffy ankles and bruises on his hand, which he was spotted covering up in recent outings. The White House itself has, however, continued to assure the nation that the president is healthy. Last April, Trump's doctor, Navy Cpt. Sean P. Barbabella, declared, "President Trump remains in excellent health ... [he] exhibits excellent cognitive and physical health and is fully fit to execute the duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State." For the meantime, the web speculation goes on, with detractors and supporters alike keeping a close eye on Trump's every public outing. Support Us Your Support will ensure EPWs financial viability and sustainability. The EPW produces independent and public-spirited scholarship and analyses of contemporary affairs every week. EPW is one of the few publications that keep alive the spirit of intellectual inquiry in the Indian media. Often described as a publication with a social conscience, EPW has never shied away from taking strong editorial positions. Our publication is free from political pressure, or commercial interests. Our editorial independence is our pride. We rely on your support to continue the endeavour of highlighting the challenges faced by the disadvantaged, writings from the margins, and scholarship on the most pertinent issues that concern contemporary Indian society. Every contribution is valuable for our future. UPDATE: September 5, 2025 at 5:11 p.m. The NRA released a statement on Friday morning, expressing their opposition of the DOJ's proposed restriction of transgender gun ownership. "The NRA supports the Second Amendment rights of all law abiding Americans to purchase, posses and use firearms. NRA does not, and will not, support any policy proposals that implement sweeping gun bans that arbitrarily strip law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights without due process," NRA officials stated. Gun rights groups and LGBTQ+ advocates have criticized the Department of Justice (DOJ) following reports that it was considering restricting transgender individuals from owning guns. This potential move, which arose after last month's shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, is likely to face immediate constitutional challenges. LGBTQ+ advocates emphasize that most mass shootings in the U.S. are committed by men and do not involve transgender individuals. In a statement, the DOJ stated that it is evaluating options to prevent "the pattern of violence we have seen from individuals with specific mental health challenges and substance abuse disorders." The department clarified that no specific criminal justice proposals have been advanced at this time. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release Chemicals SubCategory Select Sub-Category Apuesta a este partido aqui UEFA Champions League 1 X 2 UEFA Champions League Slavia Prague Barcelona 7.00 5.00 1.42 Fermin Lopez has been one of the most repeated names during the summer transfer market. The young midfielder from Barcelona became the subject of numerous rumors placing him outside the club, although he ultimately continues to wear the blaugrana jersey. The level displayed by Fermin Lopez in the last season drew the attention of major European teams. Chelsea, Manchester United, and Newcastle explored the possibility of acquiring his services, but none of the proposals managed to convince the Catalan club. Barcelona has always been clear that Fermin Lopez is a highly valuable asset. However, the club's financial situation requires vigilance towards any offer that may come, especially if the figure approaches 60 million euros. Fermin Lopez could leave Barcelona What seemed like a quiet summer for Fermin Lopez could be disrupted again. The Saudi Arabian league keeps its market open, and several teams from the country have set their sights on the young Spanish midfielder, willing to invest substantial amounts for his signing. Those around the player know that Fermin Lopez remains on the radar of powerful clubs. The Saudis see in him a talent capable of attracting the public and contributing quality to their competitions, which in recent years have grown thanks to renowned signings. Barcelona carefully analyzes Fermin Lopez's situation. On one hand, Hansi Flick considers him an important piece of the rotation; on the other hand, the board does not rule out considering proposals that could improve the club's finances in a delicate moment. The Barca fans observe with some concern the rumors surrounding Fermin Lopez. His youth and potential make him an ideal player for the team's future, and losing him now would be a blow both in sporting and symbolic terms. Saudi Arabia is willing to continue reshaping the market. The amounts that could arrive for Fermin Lopez hover around 60 million, a figure that, in the current context, would be hard to ignore for the board chaired by Joan Laporta. Meanwhile, Fermin Lopez remains focused on his performance on the field. The player wants to keep growing at Barcelona, although he is aware that the club's decisions and the market could determine his future at any moment. Fermin Lopez's immediate future is still open. The transfer window in Saudi Arabia remains active, and it is not ruled out that in the coming days, a formal proposal could put Barcelona in a challenging position regarding the young midfielder. This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, OJO: Arabia Saudi, el posible e inesperado destino de Fermin Lopez Critic's rating 3.0 /5 Crime thrillers in Malayalam storytelling have often leaned on atmospherecities and towns doubling as conspirators, landscapes holding secrets, and silence carrying as much weight as words. Kammattam, a six-episode series streaming on ZEE5, enters that tradition with a story inspired by the shadows of a cooperative bank scam in Thrissur. In its lean runtime, it delivers a tightly wound procedural that flirts with greatness but stops short of unearthing the deeper truths buried beneath its premise. At the centre of the story is Inspector Antonio George, played with a steady, unhurried intensity by Sudev Nair. He is introduced in deceptively simple fashion: looking into the suspicious death of Samuel Umman (Jeo Baby), dismissed at first glance as a routine accident. But as Antonio picks at the threads, the investigation pulls him into a web of small-town complicities, systemic rot, and the kind of financial corruption that often seeps unnoticed into the everyday lives of ordinary people. The structure is deceptively compact: six episodes, each running between 15 and 30 minutes. The result is a thriller that never dawdles. Every scene pushes the investigation forward, every lead introduces a new dimension. In a streaming climate where bloated episode counts often sap tension, Kammattam feels refreshingly brisk. But that sharpness is both its blessing and its curse. The narrative moves so quickly that it rarely pauses for the silences and moral reckonings that might have elevated the material from engaging to sublime. Still, theres no denying the sheer craft in the atmosphere. The town is more than a backdrop. It breathes through the show. The camera lingers on its dimly lit streets, crowded interiors, and the kind of everyday detail that makes the story feel lived-in rather than staged. The cinematography opts for mood over gloss, letting shadows and muted colours do much of the heavy lifting. You can almost feel the dampness of the citys air in the interiors, sense the moral fog that clings to every exchange. At the heart of it all is Sudev Nair, who resists the easy temptation of playing Antonio as a swaggering, omniscient cop. Instead, his investigator is subdued, patient, and often quietly conflicted. Nairs performance hinges on restraint; the kind of unshowy control that communicates volumes in the smallest glance. In a genre that often lapses into loud machismo, this turn feels refreshingly humane. He grounds the show even when the pacing threatens to unmoor it. The supporting cast is equally assured. Jeo Baby as Samuel Umman makes his brief presence felt, Vivya Santh and Akhil Kavalayoor etch convincing shades into their characters, while Sreerekha and Ajay Vasudev add texture to the world Antonio inhabits. Whats striking is how lived-in these performances feel; even when given limited screen time, the ensemble resists the trap of becoming mere plot conduits. Yet for all its craft, Kammattam reveals its limitations in what it chooses not to linger on. The themes of systemic corruption, the human cost of financial deceit, and the quiet complicity of small-town life are suggested but rarely interrogated. The series keeps its gaze firmly on the surface-level mechanics of the investigation. In doing so, it delivers a taut thriller but sacrifices the deeper excavation its subject matter deserves. The rapid production only accentuates this tension. The crew completed filming in just under two weeks, covering an impressive 40 different backdrops, a speed that seeps into the shows urgent rhythm. Scenes snap into place with little downtime, revelations stack atop each other, and the audience is rarely allowed a moment to breathe. While this keeps the show propulsive, it also means moments of introspectionAntonio wrestling with the moral cost of his duty, suspects revealing quiet flashes of guiltpass by too quickly to resonate. Still, there are standout stretches where the balance holds. The opening investigation, framed in silence and suspicion, sets the mood effectively. The final episodes, where Antonios calm veneer gives way to glimpses of internal turmoil, are compelling. And scattered throughout are visual choices that reveal the directors intent to embed the thriller in real textures rather than heightened stylisation. Ultimately, Kammattam is an earnest experiment. It doesnt reinvent the crime thriller, but it asserts that Malayalam series can carve out their own distinct space in the OTT landscape: regional in detail, morally aware, and aesthetically grounded. For ZEE5, it is a promising first step into Malayalam crime territory. For viewers, its a show that delivers intrigue and atmosphere, even if it leaves the heart of its subject matter unexplored. Kammattam is a taut, watchable crime procedural anchored by a finely controlled performance from Sudev Nair, and a fitting ensemble cast. It thrives on atmosphere and pacing but stops short of plumbing the emotional and political depths its premise hints at. As a proof of concept for Malayalam crime dramas on streaming platforms, it works. As a fully realised dissection of corruption and complicity, it remains unfinished business. Also Read: There Are No Crutches When Playing The Protagonist: Sudev Nair on Carving His Space on Screen Hemingway, like his late father, was a global citizen and lifelong adventurer NEW YORK, Sept. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Collective 222, LLC -- Patrick Hemingway, renowned writer, wildlife conservationist and second son of legendary literary icon Ernest Hemingway, died peacefully on Tuesday evening at his home in Bozeman, Montana. Mourning the loss of his grandfather, Patrick Hemingway Adams stated: "My grandfather was the real thing: a larger than life paradox from the old world; a consummate dreamer saddled with a scientific brain. He spoke half a dozen languages and solved complicated mathematical problems for fun, but his heart truly belonged to the written and visual arts." Patrick Hemingway was born in Kansas City, Missouri on June 28, 1928 and spent his youth in both Cuba and Key West, Florida. Often adventuring with his father on his boat, Pilar, they would engage in spontaneous hunts for German submarines along the Caribbean during World War II. Hemingway attended both Stanford University and Harvard University, the latter becoming his alma mater in 1950 where he received a BA in History and Literature. Hemingway began his career dedicated to wildlife instruction at the College of African Wildlife Management in Tanzania where he trained the first African rangers for the newly formed country. Moreover, he served as a forestry officer at the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) on behalf of the United Nations. After the passing of his mother, Pauline Pfeiffer, in 1951 at the age of 23, he channeled his passion for agriculture on his farm in Tanzania, later relocating there with his first wife, Henrietta Broyles. Patrick gained global recognition for his safaris and expeditions, serving as a guide, expert, and honorary game warden in British East Africa. Patrick's work managing his father's legacy began in the early 1970s and continued until his passing. His contributions include edits and the completion of his late father's notable book, True at First Light, where the manuscript is recorded in the Hemingway Archives at the John F. Kennedy Library. He provided historical and literary insight into the Hemingway Library series including Green Hills of Africa, The Sun Also Rises, A Moveable Feast, A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway on Hunting, and Hemingway on War. In 2022, Patrick, alongside his nephews Brendan Hemingway and Stephen Hemingway Adams, compiled decades of letters he exchanged with his father, released as Dear Papa: The Letters of Patrick and Ernest Hemingway. Responding to Patrick's preservation of his father's literary legacy, Angela Hemingway Charles, Founder and President of the Board of Directors for Hemingway Ltd., honored her late brother-in-law: "Patrick's life was a testament to the values he inherited from his father and made his own: integrity, adventure, and a deep respect for the natural and literary worlds. His passing marks the close of an extraordinary chapter in the Hemingway family, and his legacy will endure through the work he championed and the lives he touched." In 2023, Patrick and his second wife, Carol, established the Patrick and Carol T. Hemingway Scholar-in-Residence at the John F. Kennedy Library. Additionally, he was featured in the Library Forum in 2006, where he engaged in a dialogue about his life, the legacy of his famous father, and his contributions to wildlife conservation in Africa. He's survived by his daughter, Edwina Hemingway, four grandchildren, seven great grandchildren and multiple nieces and nephews. Plans for a public celebration of life will be announced at a later date. For additional information, press inquiries, or to request an interview with a member of the Hemingway family, please contact Bettina L. Klinger, the official family spokesperson and Founder & CEO of Collective 222, the Agency of Record and Licensing Firm for Hemingway Ltd. Bettina L. Klinger bettina@collective222.net 917-930-8654 ErnestHemingwayOfficial.com @ernest.hemingway.official Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2766262/Patrick_Hemingway_Circa_1970.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2766263/Patrick_Jack_Ernest_and_Gregory_at_Club_de_Cazadores_Cuba_Ernest_Hemingway_Collection_JFK_Presidenti.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2766264/Patrick_Hemingway_Circa_1969_Kilimanjaro_Hemingway_Family_Archive.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2766321/Hemingway_Collective_222_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/patrick-hemingway-american-writer-wildlife-conservationist-and-last-surviving-son-of-nobel-prize-winner-ernest-hemingway-97-has-passed-302548224.html TORONTO, Sept. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Altai Resources Inc. (TSXV: ATI) ("Altai" or the "Company") announced today that in connection with the Company's claim filed in the Superior Court of Quebec (the "Court") in 2022 (the "Claim") against the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (Quebec), the Government of Quebec, as represented by the Attorney General of Quebec, and the Attorney General of Quebec (collectively, the "Defendants"), seeking compensatory damages from the Defendants for the expropriation in 2022 of the Company's oil and gas exploration assets in Quebec (the "Expropriation"), the Company's legal counsel has voluntarily ceased to represent the Company in regard to the Claim and the Company has declined to appoint a new legal counsel, in view of the crippling financial burden of this litigation. Although the Company believes that it has suffered from the oppressive actions of the Defendants, the Company also believes that seeking justice in Quebec against the Defendants is futile. Notwithstanding that the Company no longer has legal representation, the Company has not received any notifications from the Court, or from the Defendants, regarding any changes to the status of the Claim. Since 2022, when the Company's case file was joined with other similar actions in which other plaintiffs were pursuing similar relief against the same Defendants, progress in this matter has been significantly delayed. Despite the considerable efforts and legal costs incurred by the Company, no hearing date has yet been set for the first phase of the proceedings. The Company has no confidence that any meaningful progress will be made in the proceedings in the foreseeable future. The Company believes that the Defendants will continue to prolong and delay the proceedings, notably with exhaustive and costly discovery requirements, thereby crippling the Company with escalating legal costs. Recognizing the challenges of a procedural timeline with no progress, no visibility, and escalating legal costs, the Company has proposed to the Defendants the possibility of advancing certain test cases excluding the Company's case (the "Test Cases"), for the first phase of the proceedings. Under this approach, most of the case files would be suspended and only the Test Cases would move forward, with only certain plaintiffs as Test Cases incurring the legal costs, thus allowing for a more efficient and cost-effective process for the Company. The Test Cases approach would allow the Company to remain engaged in the proceedings without succumbing to the significant financial pressures of the escalating legal costs. The Defendants have rejected the Test Cases approach and have refused to deviate from the status quo, which the Company believes will cripple the Company financially if continued. The Company has pleaded with the Court for support in this matter of the Test Cases, but the Court has declined to provide any such support to the Company. Given the repeated setbacks Company has endured since the Expropriation, and the significant legal costs the Company has already incurred, the Company was further shocked when the Defendants filed a motion seeking security for costs against the Company for an amount of $250,000 (meaning the Company would be required to pay these funds to the Court, or provide a bond or a guarantee for these funds, as security for the Defendants' legal costs). It is unclear to the Company why this motion was made so long after the Company's case was instituted, but the Company believes that its effect, should it be granted by the Court, would be to further exhaust the Company financially. The Company believes that the Test Cases approach was a last resort solution that would preserve the Company's fundamental right to access justice, while protecting the Company from the continued and growing financial burden of this litigation. In view of the circumstances, the Company believes that seeking justice in Quebec against the Defendants is futile, and so abandoning legal representation is the only viable option to prevent any further erosion of the Company's working capital. ABOUT THE COMPANY Altai Resources Inc. is a Toronto, Ontario based resource company with an oil property in Alberta and a Canadian investment portfolio comprised of cash and cash equivalents. Additional information about the Company is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at www.altairesources.com. CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains certain statements by the Company that constitute forward-looking statements (the "Forward-Looking Statements"). Forward-Looking Statements are based on material factors, expectations, or assumptions that have been used by the Company to develop such statements, but which may prove to be incorrect. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these Forward-Looking Statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since Forward-Looking Statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Further, events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on these Forward-Looking Statements. The Forward-Looking Statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligations to update publicly or to revise any Forward-Looking Statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. For further information, please contact: Kursat Kacira, Chairman & CEO/President T: (647) 282-8324, E: kursatkacira@altairesources.ca Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. BERLIN, Sept. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- TECNO, a global AI-driven innovative technology brand, today celebrated a remarkable achievement at IFA 2025, one of the world's largest and most influential consumer electronics trade fairs. TECNO secured three prestigious IFA Global Product Technology Innovation Awards for its cutting-edge products: TECNO Slim, TECNO MEGABOOK S14, and TECNO AI Glasses Series, reinforcing its leadership in AI-driven innovation and next-generation consumer technology. The IFA Global Product Technology Innovation Awards, co-hosted by IDG, IFA, and the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), are among the most authoritative honors in the global consumer electronics industry. Often regarded as a benchmark for technological innovation, these awards recognize pioneering products that set new industry standards, while also highlighting continuous advancements in AI-driven smart experiences and user-centric design. This recognition underscores TECNO's vision of making advanced technology accessible for users worldwide. Each awarded product represents a leap forward in design, intelligence, and user experience, reflecting the brand's dedication to combining cutting-edge AI with sleek design. Through continuous innovation, TECNO strives to empower consumers across emerging markets and beyond, ensuring that technology inspires both creativity and connectivity. TECNO Slim: World's Slimmest 3D-Curved Smartphone The TECNO Slim redefines smartphone engineering as the world's slimmest 3D-curved phone with exceptional style, performance, and endurance. It comes in two variants: the SPARK Slim, the world's slimmest curved-screen smartphone at just 5.93mm, and the POVA Slim 5G, the thinnest curved-screen 5G phone at only 5.95mm. Despite their sleek form, TECNO Slim integrates a long-lasting 5,160mAh high-density battery with 45W fast charging, a vibrant 144Hz 1.5K AMOLED screen protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, and military-grade shock resistance-proving that breathtaking slimness can coexist with uncompromising performance and rugged durability. Beyond hardware, the TECNO Slim Series brings smarter experiences through TECNO's AI-driven functions, including circle-to-search, AI writing, real-time translation, and advanced image intelligence. Its Mood Light Interactive Design on the camera module adds an expressive touch, subtly responding to user interactions. By balancing ultra-thin aesthetics with power, endurance, and intelligent features, the TECNO Slim Series sets a new benchmark for modern smartphones-delivering style without compromise. TECNO MEGABOOK S14: Industry's Lightest 14-inch OLED AI Laptop At only 899g, the MEGABOOK S14 is the world's lightest 14-inch OLED laptop. Available in two high-performance configurations-Snapdragon X Elite Compute Platform and Intel Core Ultra 9-the S14 introduces the world's first self-developed on-device large language model on Windows, enabling advanced offline AI capabilities such as AI Meeting Assistant, Personal GPT, and AI-powered PPT generation. Its 2.8K OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and DTS: X Ultra audio provides an immersive experience for creators, professionals, and gamers on the go. TECNO AI Glasses: Futuristic AI-Powered Eyewear TECNO's AI Glasses set a new standard for smart wearables with the industry's first 50MP ultra-clear imaging system integrated into eyewear. Powered by Ella AI Assistant, the glasses deliver real-time translation in over 100 languages, AI scene recognition, and AR navigation. The Pro model features a WaveGuide AR display that offers vivid MicroLED visuals and futuristic applications like live navigation and interactive AR. Crafted for comfort, the series combines lightweight durability with stylish frames for everyday use. With these three awards, TECNO joins the ranks of global innovators that have shaped the future of technology through excellence and creativity. Staying true to its brand essence of "Stop At Nothing," TECNO continues to break barriers by delivering powerful, stylish, and AI-driven intelligent solutions that resonate with consumers in global emerging markets and redefine the smartphone experience as a true global innovation leader. For any related media queries, please contact pr.tecno@tecno-mobile.com About TECNO TECNO is an innovative, AI-driven technology brand with a presence in over 70 markets across five continents. Committed to transforming the digital experience in global emerging markets, TECNO relentlessly pursues the perfect integration of contemporary aesthetic design with the latest technologies and artificial intelligence. Today, TECNO offers a comprehensive ecosystem of AI-powered products, including smartphones, smart wearables, laptops, tablets, smart gaming devices, the HiOS operating system, and smart home products. Guided by its brand essence of "Stop At Nothing," TECNO continues to pioneer the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and AI-driven experiences for forward-looking individuals, inspiring them to never stop pursuing their best selves and brightest futures. For more information, please visit TECNO's official site: www.tecno-mobile.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2764937/TECNO.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/tecno-wins-three-global-product-innovation-technology-awards-at-ifa-2025-for-tecno-slim-megabook-s14-and-ai-glasses-series-302547641.html SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub (Ehub) is set for a significant debut at IFA 2025 in Berlin. Leading four of its standout portfolio tech ventures-InnAIO, Vispek, i2Cool, and GEED-onto the global stage, Ehub marks a pivotal step in their international expansion, showcasing cutting-edge innovations from the Shenzhen-Hong Kong ecosystem. This curated mission underscores Ehub's commitment to propelling high-quality scientific innovations into the global marketplace. Beyond the exhibition, the delegation will visit leading European tech hubs to build essential industry networks, ensuring the global resonance of "Shenzhen R&D" and "Hong Kong Creativity." Four Ehub Accolade: InnAIO: Specializing in AI voice interaction, this Singapore-based firm will demo its cloned voice AI translation model. It aims to forge partnerships with European distributors to bring its language solutions to the market. Vispek: This innovator uses miniature spectral sensor technology and AI to bring lab-grade analysis to consumer electronics. At IFA, it will seek collaborations with European developers to enhance applications in home appliances and more. i2Cool: Presenting its electricity-free, nano-material-based cooling technology, i2Cool offers coatings and films that create significant temperature differentials. It aims to demonstrate its value to European construction and industrial firms for sustainability goals. GEED: A leader in high-end smart beauty devices with over 500 global patents. The company will showcase its award-winning, EU-standard-compliant products to expand its global recognition. Leveraging IFA as a springboard, Ehub intends to establish a critical launchpad for its ecosystem's internationalization. This initiative provides vital learning for understanding the European market, amplifying Ehub's profile as a premier platform for Shenzhen-Hong Kong collaboration and creating a cycle of global engagement. About Ehub: Ehub is the "first stop" for international youth entrepreneurs aiming to innovate in mainland China and the Greater Bay Area. It is an officially recognized Guangdong-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/qianhai-shenzhen-hong-kong-youth-innovation-hub-ehub-debuts-at-ifa-berlin-2025-with-four-portfolio-stars-302547639.html Award-winning smart floor washer makes its debut at IFA Berlin BERLIN, Sept. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Tineco today announced that its latest flagship innovation, the FLOOR ONE S9 Scientist, has received the All-Scenario Cleaning Innovation Gold Award at the Global Product Technology Innovation Awards 2025. Presented on the opening days of IFA 2025 in Berlin, this recognition highlights Tineco's commitment to pushing the boundaries of intelligent home cleaning technology. The FLOOR ONE S9 Scientist represents a new generation of smart floor washers, designed to address the everyday challenges of modern households. With an ultra-thin 11 cm body, it can glide under low furniture and reach tight corners with ease. Its breakthrough StreakFree Technology ensures floors are left spotless and dry within moments, eliminating the water streaks and residue that traditional cleaning devices often leave behind. For more stubborn messes, the integrated HydroBurst Technology applies a high-pressure angled water jet to loosen and remove dirt effectively. Beyond cleaning performance, the FLOOR ONE S9 Scientist is engineered for convenience and efficiency. The advanced FlashDry Self-Cleaning System combines heated water with 85C rapid drying to keep the device hygienic and ready for its next use. An extended runtime of up to 75 minutes allows users to complete whole-home cleaning on a single charge, while triple-sided edge cleaning ensures precise results along walls and baseboards. By combining design elegance with powerful, user-focused features, the FLOOR ONE S9 Scientist reflects Tineco's ongoing mission to deliver high-performance appliances that make life easier. The Gold Award at the Global Product Technology Innovation Awards 2025 underlines the brand's position as a leading innovator in the home cleaning sector. About Tineco Tineco (/'t?nko?/) was founded in 1998 with its first product launch as a vacuum cleaner and, in 2019, pioneered the first-ever smart vacuum. Today, the brand has evolved into a global leader in intelligent appliances spanning floor care, kitchen, and personal care categories. With a growing user base of over 19.5 million households and availability in approximately 30 countries worldwide, Tineco remains committed to its brand vision of making life easier through smart technology and continuous innovation. For more information, visit tineco.com. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/tineco-floor-one-s9-scientist-wins-gold-at-global-product-technology-innovation-awards-2025-302547650.html DELRAY BEACH, Fla., Sept. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The global connected motorcycle market is projected to reach USD 3.40 billion by 2032, growing from USD 0.46 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 33.1%, according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. Top OEMs like Honda, Yamaha, BMW Motorrad, and Ducati are firmly integrating sophisticated safety and connectedness technologies, such as radar-based cruising control, blind spot detection, crash notifications, and cloud-connected diagnostics, into their motorcycles, raising the level of rider protection and real-time knowledge about the vehicles. At the same time, others like Ather Energy, NIU, and Zero Motorcycles are setting the new standard by making extensive connectivity an integral aspect of their electric offerings. The change indicates an overall industry paradigm shift, as the connectedness product feature goes from the high-end add-on option to an expectation standard, particularly in the fast-growing 125-300cc electric motorcycle space. Download an Illustrative overview: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=16392581 Browse in-depth TOC on "Connected Motorcycle Market" 215 - Tables 110 - Figures 370 - Pages The scooter/moped segment is projected to account for a significant share during the forecast period. The scooter/moped segment is projected to account for a significant share of the connected motorcycle market by 2032. The growth of the market is driven by the dominance of scooters/mopeds in urban mobility and electrification trends. Globally, more than 70% of electric two-wheelers sold today are scooters/mopeds, and connectivity is now bundled as a default feature by leading OEMs, such as NIU, Ather, Ola Electric, Bajaj, and Hero MotoCorp, who integrate cloud-based diagnostics, app-linked navigation, anti-theft tracking, and smart-charging optimization even into entry-level models. This push is strongest in Asia Pacific, where India and China account for over 80% of global scooter sales, and government-backed electrification schemes (such as India's FAME II subsidies and China's EV quota policies) accelerate EV adoption and embedded telematics. In parallel, last-mile delivery operators and e-commerce fleets (e.g., Swiggy, Zomato, Grab, Go-Jek) demand real-time telematics for routing, driver scoring, and predictive maintenance, forcing OEMs to integrate connectivity into volume-selling models. As regulators mandate connected features to ensure safety, tackle congestion, and curb emissions, scooters/mopeds are set to become primary connected mobility nodes. The vehicle health & diagnostics segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. By application, the vehicle health & diagnostics segment is projected to be the fastest-growing segment during the forecast period. This growth is fueled by electrification, predictive maintenance, and the need to meet compliance. Unlike infotainment or the safety-call feature, diagnostics is fast becoming a foundation capability as motorcycles are transforming from mechanical products into data-driven platforms. The best catalyst by far is electrification. Battery health monitoring, thermal management, and charging diagnostics are now critical to electric two-wheelers, especially in Asia, which is amid large-scale EV scooter deployments. High-end OEMs, such as BMW and Harley-Davidson, are incorporating predictive diagnostics into connected dashboards and smartphones. At the same time, the Japanese majors like Yamaha and Honda concentrate on commuter motorcycles and shared mobility diagnostics. Regionally, Europe leads regulatory-driven adoption of connected motorcycles, with UNECE cybersecurity and software-update mandates pushing OEMs to integrate secure diagnostics as part of compliance. The US market is evolving through insurance-linked telematics and fleet diagnostics services. At the same time, Asia Pacific is the fastest-growing region by volume, with India and China pushing real-time fleet health monitoring for urban mobility and delivery ecosystems. Today's industry direction is transitioning from reactive fault detection to predictive analytics and OTA-enabled diagnostics so that OEMs can create recurring revenue through subscription services and lifecycle optimization. Diagnostics is no longer a mere support capability but is becoming a strategic differentiator for connected mobility OEMs competing in the space. Europe is projected to be the third-fastest-growing market during the forecast period. Europe is projected to be the third-fastest-growing market. It is projected to grow at a CAGR of 14.1% during the forecast period. Strict environmental & cybersecurity regulations and a premium rider base fuel growth in Europe. The phased roll-out of UNECE R155 (cybersecurity) and R156 (software-update management) mandates OEMs to ship secure, always-connected telematics. Low-emission zones and congestion charges in major cities further spur the demand for navigation, e-call, anti-theft tracking, and V2X-ready systems. Stringent regulations are also driving growth in Europe. For example, motorcycle-specific safety regulations like CEN/TS 17249 mandate eCall devices with automatic crash detection and SOS messaging. As a result, brands such as BMW Motorrad, Ducati, and KTM embed advanced rider-assistance features like blind-spot monitoring and lane-change alerts. As electrification progresses in France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Nordic countries, electric two-wheelers require embedded telematics to provide features like battery analytics, geofencing, smart charging, and remote diagnostics. This need is expected to drive growth in Europe. Key Market Players of Connected Motorcycle Industry: Prominent players in the Connected Motorcycle Companies include Honda (Japan), Yamaha Motor Co. (Japan), BMW Motorrad (Germany), Ducati (Italy), KTM AG (Austria), Harley-Davidson/LiveWire (US), Bosch (Germany), Continental (Germany), Qualcomm (US), NXP Semiconductors (Netherlands), Sibros (US), HERE Technologies (Netherlands), and TomTom (Netherlands). Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=16392581 This report provides insights on: Market Dynamics: Analysis of key drivers (adoption of safety & security features and growth in the two-wheeler industry), restraints (absence of connected standards & uniform platform and lack of IoT-enabled infrastructure), opportunities (growing communication technology & network innovations and integration of payment services), and challenges (cybersecurity vulnerabilities and software maintenance & OTA challenges) Analysis of key drivers (adoption of safety & security features and growth in the two-wheeler industry), restraints (absence of connected standards & uniform platform and lack of IoT-enabled infrastructure), opportunities (growing communication technology & network innovations and integration of payment services), and challenges (cybersecurity vulnerabilities and software maintenance & OTA challenges) Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights into upcoming technologies, research & development activities, and product & service launches in the connected motorcycle market Detailed insights into upcoming technologies, research & development activities, and product & service launches in the connected motorcycle market Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative markets across varied regions Comprehensive information about lucrative markets across varied regions Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products & services, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the connected motorcycle market Exhaustive information about new products & services, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the connected motorcycle market Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market share, growth strategies, and service offerings of leading players, namely Honda (Japan), Yamaha (Japan), BMW Motorrad (Germany), Harley Davidson (US), among others Related Reports: Connected Car Market Electric Scooter and Motorcycle Market Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Market Get access to the latest updates on Connected Motorcycle Companies and Connected Motorcycle Industry Growth About MarketsandMarkets: MarketsandMarkets has been recognized as one of America's Best Management Consulting Firms by Forbes, as per their recent report. MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. With the widest lens on emerging technologies, we are proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients across the globe. Today, 80% of Fortune 2000 companies rely on MarketsandMarkets, and 90 of the top 100 companies in each sector trust us to accelerate their revenue growth. With a global clientele of over 13,000 organizations, we help businesses thrive in a disruptive ecosystem. The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion in new revenue streams that are replacing existing ones within this decade. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing. Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we collaborate with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies to keep them future-ready. Our insights and strategies are powered by industry experts, cutting-edge AI, and our Market Intelligence Cloud, KnowledgeStore, which integrates research and provides ecosystem-wide visibility into revenue shifts. To find out more, visit www.MarketsandMarkets.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Contact: Mr. Rohan Salgarkar MarketsandMarkets INC. 1615 South Congress Ave. Suite 103, Delray Beach, FL 33445 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1868219/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/connected-motorcycle-market-worth-3-40-billion-by-2032--marketsandmarkets-302547744.html Vienna, Virginia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 6, 2025) - In a move to make great gifting accessible to all, Wine & Champagne Gifts has announced the launch of a new collection designed to elevate the gifting experience at every price point. The new line is a testament to the idea that a truly thoughtful gift should always look luxurious, regardless of expense. The company's new Wine Gifts line is focused on providing something for every taste and budget. It features thoughtfully assembled Wine gift baskets, sets and boxes that prove a beautiful presentation is accessible to everyone. With the pairing of wine with complementary products gifts, the brand has achieved a seamless blend of style and substance. In the latest collection, customers can enjoy the pocket-friendly Diora La Petite Grace Pinot Noir with Bon Appetit Gourmet Gift Basket, a perfect wine gift basket for casual gifting on different occasions. The brand further underscores its commitment to its customers by ensuring that every palate and preference is met with offerings that exude refinement and luxury, without stressing on their pockets. To reach a broader audience, the brand also has products that are positioned between everyday selections and the realm of luxury wine gifts. The Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Gift Set exemplifies this balance, delivering a bold red with elegance for those who appreciate distinction in every pour. "We believe that the joy of giving is in the thought, not the expense," said Charu Smith, Marketing head of the Wine & Champagne Gifts. "Our new collection was born from the idea that a high-quality, beautifully presented gift should be available to everyone. This collection is about making luxury feel approachable, so every occasion can be celebrated in style." Gracing the collection with their timeless appeal and fine bubbles are the brand's Champagne Gift baskets. This category extends the spirit with a curated range spanning renowned houses and boutique growers, from approachable bottles for an intimate toast to premium expressions for truly special moments. The Champagne Gifts collection finds its star in the Gourmet Delight Pol Roger Brut Reserve Champagne Gift Basket, a stylish tribute to the elegance of celebrating life's milestones. About Wine & Champagne Gifts Wine & Champagne Gifts is a premier online destination redefining the art of gifting across the U.S. Known for its thoughtfully curated collections, elegant presentation, and reliable nationwide delivery, the brand makes it effortless to share gifts that feel both personal and refined. From everyday gestures to life's grand milestones, every bottle and gift basket is designed to arrive as a celebration in itself-bringing together quality, style, and meaning in one seamless experience. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/264931 SOURCE: Wine & Champagne Gifts BERLIN, Sept. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- At IFA 2025, Midea debuted customer-centric solutions under the theme "Master Your Home" for European homes-comfort, energy and space with superior performance. As the No.1 Smart Home Appliances Brand, Midea also proudly unveiled its upcoming main partner sleeve sponsorship with FC Barcelona. Five Suites, One Home: The New Integrated Landscape Midea's SPACE MASTER collection minimizing footprint while delivering exceptional functionality set a new benchmark for space-efficiency, while the XPRESS MASTER range was engineered to reclaim time without compromising cooking quality. The exhibition is followed by SMART MASTER and ECOMASTER technologies, where AI automates energy management and adjusts settings proactively for optimal experiences. Comprising the Essenza, Ispira and Eleva Series, the collection of Midea Built-In Kitchen Suites balances integrated elegance of timeless Milanese design with intelligent functionality. The Scenario Touch: Enhancing Domestic Effortlessness The CHILL MASTER Refrigerator simplifies daily hydration with its OneTouch AutoFill dispenser, delivering hands-free ice and water in four options while maintaining flexible storage. Meanwhile, the Flow-In Hob 3.0 liberates more cabinet space while maintaining a sleek appearance. The One Oven combines an air fryer, microwave, steamer and oven into one versatile solution for all culinary needs. The Titan Dishwasher can effortlessly clean full sets of dishes, bowls and cutlery within spacious 16-place interior. Beyond the kitchen, the Raynor Heater delivers steady warmth even at -40C, housed in an award-winning Nordic-inspired design that balances performance and elegance. For laundry, the 28-Inch Heat Pump Washer-Dryer uses advanced heat pump technology to dry clothes with significantly less energy and gentler, fabric-friendly heat. The Multi-Brand Portfolio Leading the portfolio of Midea Group for high-end home living, the century-old German luxury kitchen brand Kuppersbusch showcased its distinctive design and ultra-luxury craftsmanship. European-born TEKA introduced its globally first Van Gogh Series kitchen appliances, seamlessly integrating European elegance into modern homes. Besides, COLMO and Eureka both launched their new flagship series to the stage. About Midea & Midea Group Midea is one of over 10 brands within the Smart Home Business of Midea Group. Established in 1968, Midea Group is a leading global technology company, ranked #246 on the 2025 Fortune Global 500 list. As one of the world's largest home appliance manufacturers, Midea streamlined its core units into six high-growth business pillars to pave the new future growth path in 2025: Smart Home, Industrial Technology, Building Technology, Robotics and Automation, Midea Healthcare and Annto Logistics. www.midea-group.com www.midea.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2766331/1.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/midea-showcases-transformative-innovations-for-master-your-home-at-ifa-2025-302548365.html Producer Pahlaj Nihalani, who collaborated with Govinda for Aankhen, Ilzaam and Shola Aur Shabnam, claimed that people within the industry have destroyed the career of the actor The Hero No. 1 of Bollywood, Govinda, dominated the 90s with his comic timing, dance moves and magnetic screen presence. However, with time, his graph went downward. Even his much hyped Partner alongside, which turned out to be a blockbuster, didnt revive his stardom. Now, producer Pahlaj Nihalani, who collaborated with Govinda in Aankhen, Ilzaam and S_hola Aur Shabnam_, claimed that people within the industry have destroyed the career of the actor. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After Partner, everything went against him. He didnt get any films after that. Many of his big films got shut down, including one with Priyanka Chopra. If someone stabs you in the back, theres not even a single mark left behind. You dont even get to know. So, he has been stabbed in the back many times," said Nihalani while talking to PinkVilla. It was the truth. Even after Rangeela Raja (2019), many big producers asked me if Govinda ever annoyed me, but I denied. He used to come and go back on time. Its a rumour that he comes late. He has shot for me at 6 am in the morning. He was never late beyond the assigned time," he added. There are no friends in Bollywood. Time par dost hai, time ke baad nahi hai (They are friends only for the moment, not afterwards). Koi kisi ka apna nahi hai. If someones film flops, people throw parties," Pahlaj shared. Pahlaj also agreed to Govindas wife Sunita Ahujas statement that people around the actor didnt allow him to grow and said, She is not wrong, she is right. These pundits destroyed his career." The producer also shared that he never intervened or gave suggestion to Govinda and added, It is wrong to advise anyone. Giving advice to someone means keeping your own self below them. Sachai bolna aur sachai sunna, bahut bada farak hai (Speaking and listening to the truth are very different things). I will never say anything wrong about Govinda as an actor and as a person. His thought process is at fault sometimes." STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Bajpayees candid words shine a light on the changing dynamics of the industry, where creative risks often clash with financial caution. The upcoming web series Inspector Zende is already building buzz with its gripping premise. The thriller explores the disturbing psyche of serial killer Carl Bhojraj, played by Jim Sarbh, and the intense cat-and-mouse chase led by Inspector Zende, essayed by Manoj Bajpayee. As the conversation around streaming versus theatrical cinema continues, an interesting point came up when Bajpayee appeared on The Right Angle With Sonal Kalra Season 2, produced by Gautam Thakker Films. When asked whether OTT actors, who enjoy popularity on par with big-screen stars, are being paid equally, he jokingly said, I dont get the money before elaborating further, However, today, actors are also not getting paid, as they are being told that its risky to put in the money and there is a budget constraint. Even the ones who are releasing films in theatres are not getting paid, everybody wants to make this a risk-free project STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Madhukar Zende ka sabse bada mission ab shuru. Interpols most wanted ko pakadna Watch Inspector Zende, starring Manoj Bajpayee and Jim Sarbh, out 5 September, only on Netflix.#InspectorZendeOnNetflix pic.twitter.com/cbv3ghjTHb manoj bajpayee (@BajpayeeManoj) August 25, 2025 Bajpayees candid words shine a light on the changing dynamics of the industry, where creative risks often clash with financial caution. Talking about his latest release _Inspector Zende_ , Firstpost gave the film 3 stars and wrote, This film will truly make you laugh till your tummy hurts. Netflixs Inspector Zende also showed the powerplay in the police force and how police officials from Delhi want to get all the credit, when in Mumbai the police force is counting every penny and struggling to get funds to survive in Goa for a few days. Its indeed a quirky comedy and a great weekend watch and the best thing is the script is sharp and the performances are brilliant. And as for Manoj Bajpayee, he truly knows his craft. And there are a lot of similarities of his character here with Srikant Tiwari from The Family Man. The humour-infused biopic is the highlight of the film. India and Pakistan fought against each other for the first time since their Independence in 1947, on September 6, 1965. The Indian forces crossed the international border into Pakistan in the Lahore sector, marking the start of one of the largest tank battles since World War II. On this day in 1966, South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, often called the architect of apartheid, was stabbed to death Pakistani soldiers take cover near a canal during the Indian invasion of Pakistan's Punjab province in September 1965. Wikimedia CommonsPakistani soldiers take cover near a canal during the Indian invasion of Pakistan's Punjab province in September 1965. Wikimedia Commons India and Pakistan were once part of the same country. But after the partition of 1947, the two nations rarely saw eye-to-eye, leading to clashes over the years. The first time that India and Pakistan clashed was on September 6, 1965. 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. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In 1966, South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, often called the architect of apartheid, was assassinated in Cape Towns Parliament. Here is all that happened on this day. India-Pakistan War of 1965 began The India-Pakistan War of 1965 officially began on September 6, 1965, when the Pakistani army launched Operation Grand Slam. With this mission, they aimed to capture Akhnoor in Jammu and Kashmir. The conflict was the culmination of rising tensions following Pakistans Operation Gibraltar, in which armed infiltrators were sent into Kashmir in August 1965 to incite rebellion against Indian rule. India responded firmly, and the conflict soon escalated into a full-scale war. On September 6, Indian forces crossed the international border into Pakistan in the Lahore sector, marking the start of one of the largest tank battles since World War II. Fierce fighting erupted in regions including Punjab, Rajasthan, and Kashmir, with both countries deploying infantry, armour, and air power. Major battles took place at Asal Uttar, Khem Karan, and Sialkot, showcasing intense military confrontations. Indian Armys officers of 4 Sikh Regiment with a Police Station in the village of Barkee at Lahore District, Pakistan during the 1965 Indo-Pak War. Wikimedia Commons The war lasted for 17 days, making it one of the shortest but most intense wars fought between the two nations. Both India and Pakistan claimed victory, but heavy casualties and economic losses were incurred on both sides. India gained an upper hand in certain strategic regions, while Pakistans initial objective of seizing Kashmir remained unfulfilled. Internationally, the conflict drew attention from both the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as the United Nations, which called for an immediate ceasefire. The war ended on September 23, 1965, following diplomatic intervention by the UN. South Africas Verwoerd stabbed to death On this day in 1966, South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, often called the architect of apartheid, was assassinated in Cape Towns Parliament. The event shocked the nation and marked a dramatic turning point in South Africas turbulent history. Verwoerd, who had been in office since 1958, was the chief designer of apartheid. Under his leadership, apartheid policies were expanded, stripping Black South Africans of political rights, enforcing forced removals, and deepening racial divisions. He was a controversial yet powerful figure, deeply admired by supporters of white supremacy and fiercely hated by opponents of apartheid. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Ian Smith (right) and his wife during a visit to South Africa in January 1964 with South African Prime Minister Dr Hendrik Verwoerd (left) and his wife Betsie. Wikimedia Commons On the day of the attack, Verwoerd was seated in Parliament when he was approached by Dimitri Tsafendas, a parliamentary messenger of mixed Greek and Mozambican descent. Tsafendas suddenly drew a knife and stabbed Verwoerd multiple times in the chest. The Prime Minister died almost instantly, before medical assistance could reach him. Tsafendas was subdued and arrested on the spot. During his trial, he was declared mentally unfit to stand trial due to schizophrenia, and instead of facing execution, he was confined to prison and later a mental institution, where he spent the rest of his life. Verwoerds assassination created a brief moment of political uncertainty in South Africa. However, the apartheid system he had entrenched remained firmly in place for decades, continuing under his successors until its dismantling in the early 1990s. This Day, That Year A funeral for Princess Diana was held on this day in 1997. In 1991, the Soviet Union recognised the independence of the Baltic states, i.e. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Germany fired the first long-range V-2 missile at an Allied target during World War II in 1944. Prince Hisahito, Japans first male royal to reach adulthood in 40 years, has been formally recognised in elaborate palace ceremonies. As second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his future reign seems likely but with no male heirs after him, the centuries-old monarchy faces an uncertain future amid calls to allow female succession Japanese Prince Hisahito is seen in ceremonial attire during his coming-of-age rites in the Imperial Palace on his 19th birthday in Tokyo on Saturday, September 6, 2025. File Image/Kyodo News via AP Japans Prince Hisahito has become the first male member of the Imperial Family to reach adulthood in four decades a milestone that has also raised concerns that he may be the last. On Saturday, elaborate palace ceremonies marked Hisahitos formal recognition as an adult. While the rituals were steeped in tradition, they also highlighted the uncertain future facing the worlds oldest hereditary monarchy, which is grappling with a dwindling pool of male heirs and its strictly male-only succession rule. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne, Hisahito is expected to one day become emperor. However, there is no male successor after him, raising the question whether to reconsider a 19th-century law that eliminated the possibility of female succession. Prince Hisahito of Akishino Currently a freshman at Tsukuba University near Tokyo, Hisahito studies biology and enjoys playing badminton, reported AP. He has a particular fascination with dragonflies and co-authored an academic paper surveying insect populations within the Akasaka estate, where he resides with his family. Japans Prince Akishino, left, and his wife Princess Kiko, carrying their son Prince Hisahito, are welcomed by the staff of an imperial ranch in Takanezawa, north of Tokyo, March 28, 2008. File Image/AP At his first official news conference in March, the young prince expressed his academic ambitions, saying he hopes to focus his studies on dragonflies and other urban insect species, exploring ways to protect their populations. Born on September 6, 2006, Hisahito is the only son of Crown Prince Akishino the current heir to the throne and Crown Princess Kiko. His two elder sisters are Princess Kako and former Princess Mako. Mako left the royal family after marrying a commoner, in line with the law that requires princesses to relinquish their royal titles upon marrying outside the Imperial Family. Hisahito delayed his coming-of-age ceremonies by a year, prioritising his university entrance exams before partaking in the traditional rituals. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How Hisahito is the solitary heir Emperor Naruhito, Hisahitos uncle, has only one child, Princess Aiko. Hisahitos father, Akishino, was the last male royal to reach adulthood back in 1985. Of the 16 current adult members of the Imperial Family, Hisahito is the youngest. Apart from him and Akishino, there are no younger male heirs. Japans Prince Hisahito, centre, accompanied by his parents Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko pose for media after his graduation ceremony of a primary school affiliated with Ochanomizu University in Tokyo, Friday, March 15, 2019. File Image/Pool via AP Prince Hitachi, the 89-year-old younger brother of former Emperor Akihito, is third in line but considered too elderly to realistically take on the role. This scarcity of male successors poses a serious challenge to a monarchy that historians say has endured for over 1,500 years. It also mirrors Japans broader demographic concerns, with a rapidly ageing population and declining birth rates. While Japans imperial tradition has historically favoured male rulers, female succession was once permitted. There have been eight reigning empresses, the last being Empress Gosakuramachi, who ruled between 1762 and 1770. However, none of them bore children during their reigns. In 1889, the prewar Constitution legally restricted succession to male heirs for the first time. The postwar 1947 Imperial House Law reinforced this restriction, maintaining the male-only rule as part of preserving conservative family traditions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Historians note that the system worked in earlier centuries largely because concubines, who were part of the Imperial Court until about 100 years ago, ensured a steady line of male heirs. Princess Aiko, though highly popular among the Japanese public, is barred by law from succeeding her father, despite strong public support for her as a potential future monarch. Why its time to revisit female succession In 2005, the government proposed allowing a female emperor to safeguard the thrones future. However, when Hisahito was born the following year, the proposal lost momentum as conservative factions and nationalists opposed the idea. A panel of conservative experts in January 2022 recommended maintaining the male-line succession while allowing female royals to retain their status after marriage and continue their official duties. They also suggested adopting male descendants from now-defunct branches of the Imperial Family to preserve the male lineage. Japanese Prince Hisahito, son of Crown Prince Akishino, wearing ancient ceremonial costume, leaves for a ceremony by a carriage at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo Saturday, September 6, 2025 as he celebrated his 19th birthday and attended the coming-of-age ceremony at the palace. File Image/Pool via AP The discussions stalled, particularly over whether non-royal husbands of princesses and their children should be granted royal status. As a result, Hisahito now bears the weight of the monarchys survival almost alone, former Imperial Household Agency chief Shingo Haketa said in an article for the Yomiuri newspaper earlier this year. The fundamental question is not whether to allow male or female succession line but how to save the monarchy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In May, the conservative Yomiuri itself called for urgent reforms, urging lawmakers to amend the Imperial House Law to allow husbands and children of princesses to gain royal status and to permit women to inherit the throne. The editorial warned that parliament must responsibly reach a conclusion on the crisis surrounding the state and the symbol of the unity of the people. How ancient traditions are meeting modern challenges Saturdays ceremonies began at Hisahitos family residence, where he appeared in a tuxedo to receive a ceremonial crown, delivered on behalf of Emperor Naruhito. At the main event inside the Imperial Palace, attended by senior royals and government officials, Hisahito wore traditional beige robes symbolising his youth. The highlight came when his headpiece was replaced with a black kanmuri an adult ceremonial crown signifying his transition to adulthood. Bowing deeply, he expressed gratitude to the Emperor for the honour and thanked his parents for organising the ceremony, pledging to uphold his responsibilities as a member of the Imperial Family. Japanese Prince Hisahito is seen in ceremonial attire during his coming-of-age rites in the Imperial Palace on his 19th birthday in Tokyo on Saturday, September 6, 2025. File Image/Kyodo News via AP Afterward, he changed into formal adult attire with a black top and rode in a royal horse-drawn carriage to offer prayers at three sacred shrines within the palace grounds. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Later in the day, Hisahito was scheduled to return to his tuxedo to greet Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako in the prestigious Matsu-no-Ma, or Pine Room. In a separate ritual, he would receive the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, a postwar tradition. He also planned to visit his grandparents, former Emperor Akihito and former Empress Michiko. That evening, Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko were set to host a private celebration for their son at a Tokyo hotel, attended by close family members. In the coming days, Hisahito will travel to Ise Grand Shrine, Japans most sacred Shinto site, and visit the mausoleum of Emperor Jinmu, the mythical first emperor, in Nara. Japanese Prince Hisahito, son of Crown Prince Akishino, wearing ancient ceremonial costume, leaves for a ceremony by a carriage at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo Saturday, September 6, 2025 as he celebrated his 19th birthday and attended the coming-of-age ceremony at the palace. File Image/Pool via AP He will also pay respects at the grave of his great-grandfather, wartime Emperor Hirohito, near Tokyo. On Wednesday, he is scheduled to have lunch with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other dignitaries. With inputs from AP India-US relations face turbulence as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump balance personal friendship with growing disagreements over tariffs. Amid talks of Modis bonhomie with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin after the SCO Summit, Trumps trade penalties, and upcoming UNGA talks, both nations are navigating one of their most challenging phases Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures during a joint press conference with US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC, US, February 13, 2025. File Image/Reuters The relationship between India and the United States is under intense scrutiny as leaders of both countries navigate one of the most turbulent periods in recent years. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Donald Trump have been pointing out their personal rapport, recent events have forced both countries to navigate one of the most turbulent periods in recent years. How US escalated tensions with India The latest point of friction came when Trump announced a sweeping new tariff package against Indian goods last month. The decision effectively doubled existing duties, raising tariffs to 50 per cent on a wide range of products shipped to the US. This unprecedented move impacts more than half of Indias exports to its single largest trade partner and marks one of the most aggressive trade actions against New Delhi in over two decades. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The US administration framed the move as a direct response to Indias continued import of Russian crude oil, which Washington has opposed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago. Trump publicly criticised India for its energy purchases, accusing the country of undermining international sanctions aimed at Moscow. His team went so far as to describe India as a massive oil money laundromat for the Kremlin, signalling the depth of his administrations frustration. How India responded with internal reform Rather than retaliate with counter-tariffs or sharp rhetoric, New Delhi has focused on strengthening Indias domestic economy to absorb the external shock. On September 22, the government will implement a landmark overhaul of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) system. The timing is deliberate, coinciding with the festive shopping season in India. The revised GST framework introduces lower tax rates across numerous essential and discretionary goods from automobiles to cooking oil while simplifying tax compliance for businesses and speeding up refund processes. Officials describe this as one of the most comprehensive tax reforms since GSTs introduction in 2017. By reducing household expenses and easing burdens on small enterprises, the Modi government hopes to boost domestic consumption. This strategy leverages a unique structural advantage: private consumption accounts for roughly 61% of Indias GDP, significantly higher than export-reliant economies like Vietnam and China. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With exports comprising just 11 per cent of Indias GDP compared to Vietnams 85 per cent, New Delhi has greater room to offset external trade disruptions through internal demand. How Modis SCO Summit turned Washington red While trade tensions were escalating, Prime Minister Modi travelled to Tianjin, China, to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit last week. The event brought together over 20 leaders from non-Western nations, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Images from the summit quickly spread across the West. Modi was seen clasping Putins hand and sharing animated exchanges with both Xi and Putin before the trio walked together for a group photograph. 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 These visuals circulated widely across international media platforms, with many interpreting the moment as a symbolic display of unity among three major powers seeking to challenge US dominance. CNN political commentator Van Jones described the image as deeply unsettling for Americans. Were going to look back on today historically as a very big deal because that image of Xi Jinping with Putin, with Modi from India, with the leader of Iran, with the leader of North Korea, that should send a chill down the spine of every American, he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Jones argued that the gathering represented the emergence of a new world order where the West finds itself increasingly isolated. It was the United States and China together and Russia by itself. Now were on the bad end of the triangle. Its everybody against us. That is not good for America, he warned. The New York Times echoed this view, observing that the friendly interactions between Xi and Putin underscored their shared vision of an alternative global order. For India, the summit was as much about optics as policy. Analysts believe Modis engagement with Xi and Putin was carefully calibrated to remind the US that India has options. How Trump reacted Trump took to social media to express frustration, posting a photograph of Modi, Xi, and Putin together with the caption, Looks like weve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together! However, Trump later sought to clarify his position during a press briefing at the White House on Friday. Speaking to reporters, he said he did not actually believe the US had lost India to China. Instead, he voiced disappointment over Indias energy purchases from Russia, saying, Ive been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil, as you know, from Russia. And I let them know that. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The US president highlighted his personal friendship with Modi, attempting to reassure observers about the broader relationship. Ill always be friends with Modi, Trump said. Hes a great prime minister. Hes great. Ill always be friends, but I just dont like what hes doing at this particular moment. But India and the United States have a special relationship. Theres nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion. On trade negotiations, Trump said talks were progressing well with multiple partners globally, though he expressed frustration with the European Union over policies affecting major US technology companies. How Modi responded to Trump Modi responded publicly to Trumps comments, posting on X to express appreciation for the US presidents remarks. Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trumps sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership, Modi wrote. Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership.@realDonaldTrump @POTUS https://t.co/4hLo9wBpeF Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 6, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also weighed in. Speaking to reporters, Jaishankar said, PM Modi attaches enormous importance to our partnership with the US. Where President Trump is concerned, he has always had a very good personal equation with President Trump. But the point is that we remain engaged with the US, and at this time, I cant say more than that. In response to US criticism of Indias Russian oil purchases, Jaishankar has previously been blunt. He argued that it was contradictory for a pro-business American administration to accuse other nations of conducting legitimate business. If you have a problem buying refined products from India, dont buy them. Nobody is forcing you, he said. India also announced changes to its participation in the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session. According to the revised list of speakers released in New York, Modi will not deliver Indias address at the high-level debate later this month. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Instead, Jaishankar will represent the country and is scheduled to speak on September 27. Also, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India later this year. Also Watch: With inputs from agencies India has revamped its Goods and Services Tax structure. From September 22, the GST slab rates will be reduced from the current four to just two. Most food and grocery items will become cheaper. No tax will be imposed on health and life insurance. Smaller cars and bikes will also face reduced levies. Heres all this and more in our weekly roundup India is rejoicing this week. The Centre has brought sweeping reforms to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) structure, which would reduce taxes on several essential goods. New Delhi sent a strong message to Washington with Prime Minister Narendra Modis trips to Japan and China, revealing the priorities of India. The visits came amid rising tensions between India and the US over Donald Trumps tariffs. India unveiled its first indigenously made Vikram 32-bit processor chip at the Semicon India 2025 conference. It is a big leap for the governments Make-in-India ambitions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Heres all this and more in our weekly wrap from India. 1. The GST Council, led by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, gave a nod to next generation reforms. Come September 22, the GST slab structure will be lowered to just two rates of five and 18 per cent from the current four rates. There will also be a 40 per cent tax for super luxury, sin and demerit goods. People buy electric goods at a roadside market in Kolkata, February 1, 2020. File Photo/Reuters The GST reforms will come into effect just before the festive season. Most daily food and grocery items will fall under the five per cent rate. Eating out will also become cheaper. Smaller cars and bikes will face reduced taxes. There will be no levy on individual life and health insurances. For the middle class, the changes are a reason to cheer. We take a look here . 2. The change in GST slabs, just days after Trump slapped 50 per cent tariffs on Indian exports, will bring some respite for consumers. Due to this, some have started wondering whether the reforms have to do with Trumps tariff war on India. However, the Central government has dismissed the moves link to the US levies on Indian goods. Then, what is behind the timing of the step? Read our story to find out. 3. PM Modis bonhomie with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping was on display this week in China. These leaders were in the city of Tianjin for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. The optics of the interaction between the three leaders rattled the US and Trump. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Indian PM also shared a car ride with Putin ahead of a bilateral meeting. Modi had reached China for the SCO summit on August 31-September 1 after concluding a successful visit to Japan. We explain what signal his trip sends to the US amid Trumps trade war. 4. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw presented Indias first homemade Vikram 32-bit processor chip to PM Modi at the Semicon India 2025 conference in New Delhi this week. Designed by the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), it is the countrys first fully indigenously made 32-bit microprocessor. #WATCH | At Semicon India 2025, Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw presents Vikram 32-bit processor and test chips of the 4 approved projects to PM Narendra Modi. Vikram 32-bit processor is the first fully Make-in-India 32-bit pic.twitter.com/8FCkbe0sve ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2025 The Vikram chip is created to survive the tough conditions of space launch vehicles. It can also perform an array of tasks. Heres our report on what makes it special . 5. Heavy showers brought Gurugram to a standstill. Videos and pictures of a seemingly unending row of vehicles stunned the internet. A massive traffic jam was reported on the Delhi-Jaipur highway, with vehicles stuck over a stretch of 7-8 kilometres for over three hours. Delhi Gurgaon traffic jam has become too normal in rains pic.twitter.com/KIuGuu5kZ4 pawan yadav (@pawanyadav8) September 1, 2025 The waterlogged roads caused the traffic snarls, throwing life out of gear for workers. More than 20 vehicles also broke down in the evening, adding to the chaos. Read our story on what happened. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 6. A report in Azerbaijani media has accused India of once again blocking Bakus application for full membership in the SCO due to its close relations with Pakistan. This coincided with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accusing New Delhi of seeking revenge against his country in global forums over its warm ties with Pakistan. These charges were made during Aliyevs meeting with Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin. Azerbaijan, Turkey and China had supported Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in May when India launched military strikes against terror sites in its neighbouring country. The backing of Islamabad had triggered social media anger in India, leading to calls for boycotting travel to these countries. How did this impact Azerbaijan? We explain here . 7. India saw an extremely rare case as a baby was born with two foetuses. Doctors in Gurugram successfully removed these foetuses growing inside the abdomen of a one-month-old baby girl. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The condition, called foetus in fetu, is reported in about one in 5,00,000 live births globally. This case is also highly extraordinary as the infant was born with two parasitic twins, which has been recorded only over 30 times across the world. Heres our story on how doctors saved the child. This is all we have for you this week. If you like our analysis of the news, you can bookmark this page . Of particular concern for India is the neighbourhood, where Chinas strategic outreach in the name of developmental initiatives has been more than irritating. Its plain and simple, alarming. Representational image Shorn of the optics and the speeches made, especially by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit, their revived interest in improving/normalising bilateral relations holds promise, if and only if they are acted upon with the same spirit and tempo. Despite the positives, the post-Galwan suspicions of India and Indians will remain for a long time to come. Diplomatically, New Delhi can be expected to follow on the cliched cautious optimism path. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD China is also not without doubts about Indias revived interest in bilateral relations, even when both have taken up an unhurried step-by-step approach to reviving ties. In particular, Beijing would doubt if the pronounced Indian intentions are real and a stand-alone affair or only a way to send out a new message to the US in the aftermath of the tariff war unleashed by President Donald Trump on an unsuspecting Prime Minister Modi, his government and people. Negated positives Remember the way Prime Minister Modi hosted Xi and later Trump in his native Gujarat State. Xi was the first foreign visitor to India under the Modi regime, circa 2014. Likewise, the twin showpieces in Namaste Trump! and Howdy Modi! in each others country were a media spectacle. If something actually had come out of it all, Galwan and the tariff war have since negated the positives from those visits. A lot of speculation surrounded Xis Doklam and Galwan attacks. A lot more speculative theories are now doing the rounds over the tariff war. Some of them are personal and personalisedand they have to be discounted. Nations and governments do not act on instincts and certainly not on the moods and methods of individual leaders forever. Global diplomacy has come a long, long way from an era of kings and their whims. Today, the institutional memory of governments directs it all, including the kind of about-turn that India and the US injected into bilateral relations post-Cold War. Even their preparation time was long and took shape only with the bilateral defence treaty in 2005, under then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. A decade earlier, the US had imposed what had become ritualistic or customary sanctions on India following Pokhran-II. If Pakistan too faced sanctions at the time for the Chagai-I nuclear tests, it could not have been otherwise. But then, the US had known about Pakistans nuclear capability all along and ignored Indias warnings that it was happening. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Ticklish issues Regardless of Trumps re-hyphenating the US India-Pakistan relations, for India and China to revive their bilateral ties, at least to pre-Galwan levels, they need to take up ticklish issues going beyond the border dispute early on. Of particular concern for India is the neighbourhood, where Chinas strategic outreach in the name of developmental initiatives has been more than irritating. Its plain and simple, alarming. If Beijing honestly desired resumption and restoration of bilateral ties with India, China would have to convince not just the Delhi rulers but the Indian nation as a whole of the reasons for the brutal Galwan massacre five years back. It has enraged Indian street opinion as none other in recent years. As an autocratic state, China is unaware of the silent pressure that the Indian democracy entails for its people to influence their rulers. But thats only the beginning. For nearly two decades and more, China has created what an American academic first described as a String of Pearls. Though Indians did not want to believe in such constructs in the early years, the more China tightened the strings noose, the greater India began feeling the geostrategic and immediate security implications for the country. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In a way, it began with Hambantota Port in the immediate Sri Lankan neighbourhood. Slowly but surely, China began adding new Pearls to the String in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) closer to the Indian shores. Seychelles, Maldives, and also Nepal, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan along the land border. Throughout, China did not give up on Sri Lanka, either. The latest on this score is China despatching three spy ships to the Indian Ocean waters, for berthing either in Sri Lanka or the Maldives. If a fourth vessel did not come this side, that was only because both Sri Lanka and the Maldives declined to accommodate Chinas request, thanks to Indias diplomatic efforts and their own perceptions that linked Indian economic aid to good neighbourly relations. That China is with and behind Pakistan, despite supposedly not subscribing to Islamabads strategy of cross-border terrorism against India, is well known. After Operation Sindoor this year, more and more Indians have come to know that much of Pakistans arsenal, munitions, missiles, fighter jets, et al, came from China. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Chinas doubts Apart from other aspects of bilateral relations, starting with border talks, Beijing has two specific concerns vis-a-vis Indias China policy. Of the two, India has never ever recognised Taiwan, which New Delhi reiterated even this time round. Yet, China has deep-seated suspicions if India would change tack. Beijing has to recognise that New Delhi would adopt such a course, if at all, only if pushed to the wall. The same cannot be said about Indias new approaches to Vietnam and the Philippines, where joint military exercises and BrahMos sales (to the latter) have become a part of New Delhis outreach on the military diplomatic front. Both Vietnam and the Philippines can do with more friends from the extended neighbourhood in fending off unresolved territorial claims from China. The logical question is if and how India would wriggle out of current commitments and relationships with Chinas adversaries in Southeast Asia if that is what Beijing expected out of New Delhi. Or, a Taiwan-like position and posturing, which may be too much and too early to expect from India just now. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But New Delhi cannot put off considering the future course, if and when it comes to that. Having some advanced strategy in mind to tackle an emerging situation would help avoid the kind of confusion and embarrassment that flowed out of la affaire tariff war by American President Trump. Conspicuous when missed In this background, for India and China to begin normalisation talks with the restoration of border trade, direct flights and all, is at best symbolic, to begin with. They run their own course, and they would be conspicuous when missed, and to a targeted population, and not necessarily when in operation. The border talks are at best unending. The two nations share nearly 4,500 km of land border, and the ruggedness of the terrain and the Himalayan peaks dictate how their respective militaries would view a give-and-takewhere not to give and where to take. This can still happen as and when the two leaders give appropriate directions and deadlines to their respective negotiation teams, setting normalisation as a collective goal. Yet, mutual doubts, suspicions and fears will remain and take time to erase. But erase they can, erase they should. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Embedded into the border talks is China-occupied Aksai Chin, which Islamabad wished away from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) years ago. Lately, Beijing was known to project the Kashmir issue as a trilateral affair for a negotiated settlement, owing to the Aksai Chin factor. However, New Delhi firmly maintains that Kashmir is an integral part of India, and the only remaining issue is when Pakistan will vacate PoK. India asserts that neither China, the US, the UN, nor any other external party has any role in the matter. Changing the perception Yet, China could begin by encouraging Pakistan to first end cross-border terrorism in India, which triggered Operation Sindoor and other military initiatives of the kind. It can then tell Pakistan to behave and settle the Kashmir issue with Indiawhere only one way is available for a permanent solution. Its about Pakistan ending the decades-long occupation. In return, yes, India will have to help Pakistan remain a united state. For this to happen, Islamabad and Rawalpindi together have to convince themselves to change their perception that externalising their internal troubles centred on India, since the Partition, alone would keep their nation together. New Delhi cannot do anything about it, but Beijing can help change that perception. All of it will mean that Beijing has to begin by going slow and ultimately wind up the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that passes through PoK and is also aimed at disturbing, though not destabilising, India. Every one of Chinas developmental inroads in Indias neighbourhood has a similar aim and goal. Toothless tiger In contemporary perspective, New Delhi especially should be clear on how to approach the US-China dichotomy, into which it has walked back all over again. There are already free-wheeling suggestions from within the country that India should walk out of Quad. In a way, there is no Quad left after New Delhi declared that it was not interested in a military alliance of the kind as intended by the US from the very beginning. For the rest of the four-nation multilateral relations, the Quad members already have the Indo-Pacific scheme alive, if not kicking. Through all this, India has to seriously evaluate where it stands in geostrategic and geopolitical terms, whatever the claims and achievements on the geo-economic front. It is becoming increasingly clear that both the US and China do want India on their side, but only as an understudy, not an equal ally, whatever the areas of cooperation. India cannot just agree to such a proposition. Going by the trilateral in China, also involving Russias Vladimir Putin, the three nations can work towards reigniting a multipolar global order, where Europe and European nations missed the bus long ago. If India succeeds in the process, then New Delhi can decide on where it stands on issues without having to be a permanent ally or adversary of any nation. That is saying a lot, yes, especially in terms of convincing other key players, namely, the US and China, Russia and Europe. However, that alone would help India retain its strategic autonomy from the post-Independence era and still play a key role in global and regional affairs. In between, India has to decide what exactly it intends to do with and for the Global South. N Sathiya Moorthy, veteran journalist and author, is a Chennai-based policy analyst & political commentator. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. Turkey has expanded in other countries in Indias neighbourhood, such as Nepal, Myanmar and the Maldives, though the imprint in these countries is much smaller compared to Pakistan or Bangladesh. Image: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Courtesy: AP While Turkey is not a part of Indias immediate neighbourhood, it has strategically expanded its influence in the past two decades. Since Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey, came to power, he has pursued a neo-Ottoman foreign policy. Turkeys engagement in South Asia is not just linear but a combination of strategic, military, economic and ideological engagements. Most recently, Turkeys support for Pakistan became a part of public discourse in India during Operation Sindoor. This was followed by the emergence of maps at Dhaka University of a Greater Bangladesh that encompassed West Bengal and the northeast region of India. Sultanate-e-Bangladesh, an NGO backed by Turkey, took responsibility for the maps. Their support for the Rohingyas has also been a matter of concern. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Furthermore, Turkey has expanded in other countries in Indias neighbourhood, such as Nepal, Myanmar and the Maldives, though the imprint in these countries is much smaller compared to Pakistan or Bangladesh. However, their strategic importance cannot be overlooked. It is these engagements that, at the outset, seem like a strengthening of diplomatic relations that have become a matter of concern for observers. Many argue that Turkey, in a concerted effort, is trying to reshape regional alliances and increase ideological influence in the Islamic world. Today, Indias neighbourhood has serious internal turmoil; whether it is Pakistan, Bangladesh or Myanmar, the fault lines can be manipulated. Therefore, it is incumbent on India as an emerging global power to ensure regional stability and ensure that Turkeys growing influence in its neighbourhood does not amount to actions of destabilisation and radicalisation. One of the deepest connections that Turkey has in Indias neighbourhood is with Pakistan. During the four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan in May 2025, Pakistan reportedly used 300400 Turkish-supplied drones to target Indian military and civilian areas. Turkey has been a major arms supplier to Pakistan, including involvement in naval shipbuilding and aircraft upgrades. In January 2025, it was reported that Turkey and Pakistan plan to establish a joint factory to produce the fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet, which would replace Pakistans ageing F-16 fleet. The two nations regularly hold joint military and counter-terrorism exercises, such as the Ataturk/Jinnah exercise. Diplomatically, Turkey, under President Erdogan, has consistently supported Pakistans position on the Kashmir issue in various international forums, including the UN General Assembly. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In February 2025, India lodged a strong protest after President Erdogan called for a UN-backed resolution on Kashmir during a visit to Pakistan. Following Indias precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in May 2025, Turkey condemned Indias unprovoked violation of Pakistans sovereignty and expressed solidarity with Pakistan. Turkey has opposed blacklisting Pakistan at international forums, including the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), despite Western pressure. In Myanmar, Turkey has been a vocal critic of the treatment of the Rohingya Muslim community in Myanmar and has consistently called for an end to the violence and atrocities in Rakhine State. As a self-proclaimed champion of Muslim rights globally, Turkey has used its state-run aid agency, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), to provide significant assistance to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and, when permitted, in Myanmar. Through President Erdogan, Turkey has elevated the Rohingya issue on the international stage, urging other Muslim-majority nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take action. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Under the Yunus-led interim government, Turkey and Bangladesh are accelerating cooperation in the defence industry, which is causing strategic concerns for India. In July 2025, Bangladesh announced plans to build two defence industrial complexes in Chittagong and Narayanganj with Turkeys support. Bangladesh is expanding its purchase of military equipment from Turkey, including Bayraktar drones, howitzers, and armoured vehicles. Some analysts interpret Turkeys expanding strategic presence in Bangladesh as a move to increase its influence in Indias neighbourhood, adding a new layer to South Asias complex security dynamics. In Nepal The Turkish NGO IHH (Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief) has extended its activities in Nepals border regions. By its alliances with indigenous groups such as Islami Sangh Nepal (ISN)a suspect for jihadist linksit is reported that IHH has sponsored the building of mosques, madrasas, orphanages, and Islamic centres aimed at minority Muslim populations. IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, or IHH, is a conservative Turkish NGO, active in more than 120 countries. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Further, intelligence sources point out that the number of mosques in Nepali provinces sharing a border with India increased from 760 in 2018 to 1,000 in 2021, and madrasas increased from 508 to 645 during the same timeframe. These institutions are not just religious establishments but have been accused of espousing anti-India feelings, especially in border areas. Turkey in the Maldives too has stepped up its use of defence exports and military aid as tools of foreign policy, pairing arms deals with donations in order to deepen ties. The latest example is the Maldives, which has both received a former Turkish Navy vessel as a gift and begun operating Turkish-made armed drones. Media reports, quoting Turkish defence ministry sources, have claimed that the Dogan-class fast-attack missile boat, TCG Volkan (P-343), has been refurbished and will be handed over to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) before June. Training for Maldivian personnel has already begun in Turkey, and there will be additional training when it arrives in Maldivian waters to be handed over. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In January 2024, the Maldives signed a $37 million deal with Turkey to acquire military drones to patrol its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The purchase followed the expulsion of Indian military personnel who had previously operated surveillance aircraft in the Maldives. There are robust relations in Indonesia and Malaysia too amongst smaller littoral states. But observers should primarily question the strategic need for not just the Maldives, a small island nation, to acquire such military hardware in addition to Turkeys interest in countries geographically distant from it. Maybe, the answer lies in Erdogans words, We neither turn our backs on the East for the West nor neglect the West for the East. With this understanding, we have taken historic steps to expand Turkeys sphere of influence. This should be a wake-up call for New Delhi. If India wants to be a global leader, it must first focus on ensuring stability in its own region. That means not only managing threats to regional peace but also preventing them from gaining ground in the first place. For India, Turkeys neo-Caliphate ambitions are alarming, especially in the Indian neighbourhood. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Rami Niranjan Desai is an anthropologist and a scholar of the northeast region of India. She is a columnist and author and presently a Distinguished Fellow at the India Foundation, New Delhi. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Firstpost. Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqis planned visit to India later this month has been put on hold after he failed to secure a UN waiver for foreign travel, officials said. The trip would have been the first ministerial visit from Kabul to New Delhi. Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was scheduled to visit India later this month, but the trip has been put off due to UN Security Council sanctions that restrict his foreign travel, PTI reported citing people familiar with the matter on Friday. The visit was postponed after he failed to obtain a waiver, they said. Had it taken place, it would have been the first ministerial visit from Kabul to New Delhi since the Taliban seized power in August 2021. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Under the UN sanctions regime, Taliban leaders are required to secure special clearance for international travel. When asked about reports of Muttaqis planned visit, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal refrained from a direct confirmation. We have longstanding ties with the people of Afghanistan. India continues to support their aspirations and developmental needs, he said. We continue to engage with Afghan authorities. If there is an update, we will share it with you. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had earlier spoken with Muttaqi on May 15, marking the highest-level contact between the two sides since the Taliban takeover. India has not recognised the Taliban administration, instead urging the formation of an inclusive government in Kabul. New Delhi has also maintained that Afghan soil must never be used for terrorist activities against any country. Meanwhile, after a series of earthquakes struck eastern Afghanistan, killing over 800 people and injuring more than 2,800, India rushed urgent humanitarian aid to support relief efforts. Following the collapse of the Ghani government, India shut its embassy in Kabul and evacuated staff from consulates in Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif. However, over the past two years, New Delhi has gradually expanded its engagements with Taliban representatives. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Since 2021, India has sent 50,000 tonnes of wheat, 350 tonnes of medicines, 40,000 litres of Malathion fertiliser, and 28 tonnes of relief material to Afghanistan, including assistance after the 2023 Herat earthquake. A government report in Canada described Khalistani extremists as terrorist entities, revealing how most of the funding for such groups originates from Canada. As the violent Khalistani movement continues to grapple with Canada, a government report revealed that the extremist group is getting financial support from within the country and using it inappropriately. The government report was released by Canadas Department of Finance, titled 2025 Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risks in Canada. The report outrightly described Khalistani violent extremists as terrorist entities, maintaining that the group have been receiving financial support originating from Canada. As per the assessment, Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federation are among the Khalistani groups that have received the majority of funding from Canada. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Several terrorist entities listed under the Criminal Code in Canada that fall under the Politically Motivated Violent Extremism (PMVE) category, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Khalistani violent extremist groups Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federation, have been observed by law enforcement and intelligence agencies to receive financial support originating from Canada," the report said. The Canadian government admits the risks of supporting such groups In the report, the government acknowledged that the Khalistani extremist groups are resorting to violent means to establish an independent state within Punjab, India". It also made it clear that the Khalistani groups mentioned in the report are barred from raising funds in various countries, including Canada. These groups previously had an extensive fundraising network in Canada but now appear to consist of smaller pockets of individuals with allegiance to the cause but seemingly no particular affiliation to a specific group," the report said. The report revealed that the Khalistani extremists are using non-profit organisations, among other means, to raise funds for their activities. The misuse of the charitable and NPO sectors has been observed as a prominent financing method used by Hamas and Hezbollah. Khalistani violent extremist groups have also been known to use networks to solicit donations from diaspora communities to raise and move funds, including through NPOs," the report stated. It also mentioned that NPOs in Canada tend to have little to no risk for money launderers and terrorist groups who are looking for funding. With only a small subset undertaking activities that are vulnerable to terrorist financing abuse. The report went on to suggest to the Canadian government that these risks should be thoroughly evaluated on a case-by-case basis. It is pertinent to note that Canadas admission of Khalistani extremism is coming amid the countrys improving ties with India. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Ever since Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's government came to power, Ottawa and New Delhi have been attempting to mend their ties. One of the signs of both nations attempt to improve strained ties is the fact that India and Canada announced new high commissioners to each others countries last month. The relations between New Delhi and Ottawa hit rock bottom after former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that agents working for the Indian government were responsible for the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey. Indias previous high commissioner had left Canada in October, and Ottawa announced that he was among six diplomats expelled" after they were linked, without proof, to Nijjars murder. Meanwhile, India also said that it had ordered the expulsion of six high-ranking Canadian diplomats. China said on Saturday its forces tracked and warned a Canadian and an Australian warship sailing through the Taiwan Strait, denouncing the passage as a provocation. Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong is seen in this screenshot taken from a video released by the Eastern Theatre Command of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Tuesday. Reuters/Representative image Chinas military on Saturday said it tracked and warned a Canadian and an Australian warship sailing through the Taiwan Strait, calling the move a provocation. The PLAs Eastern Theatre Command said the Canadian frigate Ville de Quebec and the Australian destroyer Brisbane were engaged in trouble making and provocation. It added that Chinese air and naval forces followed and warned the ships and effectively responded. The actions of the Canadians and Australians send the wrong signals and increase security risks, the command said in a statement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD There was no immediate comment from either the Canadian or Australian armed forces. Taiwans defence ministry said it was monitoring activity in the strait and dispatches appropriate air and naval forces to ensure the security and stability of the waterway. The US and its allies, including Canada, Britain and France, regularly transit the Taiwan Strait, which they view as international waters. Taiwan shares that view, while China claims the strait as its territorial waters. Beijing has stepped up military pressure on Taiwan in recent years, staging frequent drills near the island, which it regards as its own. Taipei rejects Chinas claims. British police arrested dozens more people on Saturday under antiterrorism laws for demonstrating in support of Palestine Action, a pro Palestinian group banned by the government as a terrorist organisation. British authorities arrested dozens of demonstrators on Saturday under anti-terrorism laws for showing support for Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian group recently banned as a terrorist organisation. Palestine Action was proscribed in July after some members reportedly broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged military aircraft. The group claims Britain is complicit in alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza. In recent weeks, hundreds of supporters of the group have been detained under anti-terrorism legislation, including over 500 in a single day last month. Many of those arrested were over 60 years old. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered near parliament in central London to protest against the ban on Saturday, with many holding up signs that said: I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action. Londons Metropolitan Police said officers had begun arresting those expressing support for Palestine Action. Police did not say how many arrests were made but a Reuters witness said dozens of people were detained. Palestine Actions ban, or proscription, puts the group alongside al-Qaeda and ISIS and makes it a crime to support or belong to the organisation, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. I can be unequivocal, if you show support for Palestine Action an offence under the Terrorism Act you will be arrested, Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said on Friday. We have the officer numbers, custody capacity and all other resources to process as many people as is required. Human rights groups have criticised Britains decision to ban the group as disproportionate and say it limits the freedom of expression of peaceful protesters. The government has accused Palestine Action of causing millions of pounds worth of criminal damage and says the ban does not prevent other pro-Palestinian protests. With inputs from agencies STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Militants seized 251 hostages during the massive October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, with 47 still in Gaza. The Israeli military says 25 of them are dead. Israel is seeking the return of their remains US President Donald Trump said Friday that more hostages may have died in Gaza and that the United States was in deep negotiation with Hamas amid a new Israeli offensive. There could be some that have recently died, is what Im hearing. I hope thats wrong, but you have over 30 bodies in this negotiation, Trump, a staunch ally of Israel, told reporters in the Oval Office. Militants seized 251 hostages during the massive October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, with 47 still in Gaza. The Israeli military says 25 of them are dead. Israel is seeking the return of their remains. Trump at one point said there were about 38 dead people young, beautiful dead people before giving the numbers of 20 and then 30. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump suggested that the United States remained in talks with Hamas. Were in very deep negotiation with Hamas, Trump said. On Hamas-held hostages, Trump said, We said let them all out right now, let them all out, and much better things will happen for them. But if you dont let them all out, its going to be a tough situation, its going to be nasty. Israel plans to seize Gaza City, the largest city in the territory already in rubble from the war, and has warned it will target all tall buildings it believes are used by Hamas. The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Israels retaliatory offensive has killed at least 64,300 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable. Trump aide Peter Navarro has renewed his attack on India, accusing New Delhi of imposing the highest tariffs that cost American jobs and of buying Russian oil purely for profit. He said that India cant handle truth White House trade counsellor Peter Navarro speaks with reporters at the White House, August 21, 2025, in Washington, DC, US. File Image/AP US President Donald Trumps close aide and Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing in the Trump administration, Peter Navarro, has once again launched a sharp attack on Indias trade and energy policies in a post on X. He alleged that Indias highest tariffs were costing American workers their jobs and accused New Delhi of buying Russian oil purely for profit. India highest tariffs costs US jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit/Revenues feed Russia war machine, he wrote. Ukrainians/Russians die. US taxpayers shell out more. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD FACTS: India highest tariffs costs U.S. jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit/Revenues feed Russia war machine. Ukrainians/Russians die. U.S. taxpayers shell out more. India can't handle truth/spins @washpo Leftist American fake news. QED. https://t.co/9UwdodYBEe Peter Navarro (@RealPNavarro) September 5, 2025 Just a day earlier, after Washington raised tariffs on Indian products to 50 per cent, Navarro had described the Russia-Ukraine conflict as Modis war, adding that the road to peace runs, at least partly, right through New Delhi. Critics, however, point to the double standards in such remarks, noting that both Europe and the US remain engaged in trade with Moscow. President Trump himself extended a warm welcome to Vladimir Putin at the Alaska summit, while the US continues to import fertilisers and rare earths from Russia. The European Union, meanwhile, remains heavily dependent on Russian natural gas. Navarros criticism comes against the backdrop of ongoing strains between Washington and New Delhi over tariffs and Indias energy imports from Moscow. The US has argued that Russian oil revenues are fueling the war in Ukraine, while India has maintained that its energy purchases are driven solely by economic and commercial needs. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reinforced that stance on Friday. Whether it is Russian oil or anything else, its our decision to buy from the place which suits our needs So, where we buy our oil fromwe will have to take a call which (supply source) suits us the best. So, we will undoubtedly be buying it, she told CNN-News18. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump sought to downplay tensions with New Delhi, describing ties as special, just a day after saying Washington had lost India and Russia to China. On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded by saying he deeply appreciated and fully reciprocated Trumps positive assessment of the relationship. Last month, Bloomberg reported Xi wrote a letter to Murmu, which was passed on to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to test the waters on improving ties, quoting an Indian official aware of the matter Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands during the welcome ceremony of the SCO summit in Tianjin. AFP The Ministry of External Affairs has dismissed a report of Chinese President Xi Jinping sending a secret letter to President Droupadi Murmu, which claimed to have improved India-China ties amid Trumps tariff threats. Last month, Bloomberg reported Xi wrote a letter to Murmu, which was passed on to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to test the waters on improving ties, quoting an Indian official aware of the matter. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, We have seen that report and can confirm that the story of the letter is incorrect. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Xi, in the letter, expressed concerns about any deal between India and the United States that could harm Chinas interests and named a provincial official who would steer Beijings efforts, the report said. After Xi Jinping reportedly sent the letter to Indias president in March, China followed up with a statement celebrating ties between the two nations, likening the relationship to a dragon-elephant tango, the report said. The phrase quickly gained traction among top Chinese officials, including Vice President Han Zheng, who began using it to signal a diplomatic thaw. Chinas Xinhua news agency reported in March that the president had sent a message to New Delhi on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of India-China diplomatic ties . In this letter, Xi said that the two countries should find ways to coexist peacefully and that he was ready to deepen communication and coordination in major international affairs and jointly safeguard peace in border areas. Xi further said that he remains willing to mark the anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties as a moment to enhance strategic mutual trust, strengthen exchanges, and cooperation in various fields, according to Xinhua. The military said the humanitarian zone in the south had essential infrastructure such as field hospitals, water pipelines, and desalination facilities, alongside the continued supply of food, tents, medicines, and medical equipment A view of tents sheltering Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military offensive, in Gaza City, August 23, 2025. File Image/Reuters The Israeli Army on Saturday asked Palestinians living in Gaza City to leave and move to a humanitarian zone in the southern part of the region, as the country moves ahead with a plan to capture the largest urban centre in the territory. Take this opportunity to move early to the (Al-Mawasi) humanitarian zone and join the thousands of people who have already gone there, army spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a statement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The spokesperson, however, felt short of providing details about the timing of an upcoming Israeli offensive in the region, while another spokesman has previously said it would not be announced in advance to preserve the element of surprise. Is Al-Mawasi habitable? In a separate statement Saturday, the military said the humanitarian zone in the south had essential infrastructure such as field hospitals, water pipelines, and desalination facilities, alongside the continued supply of food, tents, medicines, and medical equipment. It added the humanitarian efforts in the zone will continue on an ongoing basis in cooperation with the UN and international organisations, in parallel to the expansion of the ground operation. Israel first declared Al-Mawasi a safe zone early in the war, which was triggered by Hamass October 7, 2023 attack. However, the army has carried out numerous bombings in the area since then, saying it was targeting Hamas fighters hiding among civilians. IDF says 40% of Gaza City is now occupied Earlier this week, IDF said that Israel now controls 40 per cent of Gaza City, as air strikes in the area force more people out of their homes. We continue to damage Hamas infrastructure. Today we hold 40% of the territory of Gaza City, Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin told a news conference, naming the Zeitoun and Sheikh Radwan neighbourhoods. The operation will continue to expand and intensify in the coming days. We will continue to pursue Hamas everywhere, he said, adding that the mission will only end when Israels remaining hostages are returned and Hamas rule ends. With inputs from agencies Last month, India contacted the UN headquarters to secure a speaking slot for the Prime Minister at the UN General Assembly. Meanwhile, the foreign ministry has not confirmed who will lead Indias delegation at the UN General Assembly this month External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will travel to New York this month for the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, while Prime Minister Narendra Modis participation in the upcoming meeting has been cancelled. Last month, India contacted the UN headquarters to secure a speaking slot for the Prime Minister at the UN General Assembly. Meanwhile, the foreign ministry has not confirmed who will lead Indias delegation at the UN General Assembly this month. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Sources told Times of India that the UNGA session is not on PM Modis schedule and that his upcoming plans are not likely to change, unless there is a major breakthrough in Indias trade talks with the US. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said last month that he had discussed an in-person meeting with PM Modi during the UNGA meeting. On the other hand, White House has announced that Trump is set to address the UNGA session this month. This will be Trumps first UNGA address since his second term began in January. The US presidents speech at the UN will likely feature his America First trade war agenda, backing the punitive tariff measures as a necessary measure in view of the countrys interests. Trump addressed the UN General Assembly multiple times during his first term (20172021), each time reinforcing his combative, America First approach. His 2017 debut was especially fiery, threatening to totally destroy North Korea if provoked and mocking leader Kim Jong-un as Rocket Man. He also lashed out at Irans leadership, calling the nuclear deal an embarrassment. Jihadists killed at least 55 people in northeast Nigeria while storming a town home to residents who had been returned from a closed camp for internally displaced persons. This is an AI generated image for representational purpose At least 55 people were killed when jihadist fighters stormed a town in northeast Nigeria on Friday night, targeting residents who had only recently been resettled after the closure of a displacement camp, local sources told AFP. Gunmen on motorbikes swept into Darul Jama, a border town near Cameroon that also hosts a military base, opening fire and setting homes ablaze. Witnesses said the attack began around 8:30 pm, forcing families to flee into the bush. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD They came shouting, shooting everyone in sight, said survivor Malam Bukar, who escaped with his wife and children. When we returned at dawn, bodies were everywhere. Casualty figures remain unclear. A militia commander reported 55 dead, while an NGO worker put the toll at 64, including several soldiers. Many of the victims were among families relocated from a government-run displacement camp in Bama earlier this year. The government told us we would be safe here, said Hajja Fati, who lost her brother in the attack. Now we are burying our people again. Security officials believe Boko Haram commander Ali Ngulde led the assault. The region has long been contested between Boko Haram and its rival faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Both groups have stepped up raids despite claims that violence had ebbed since Boko Harams peak in 20132015. Recent data from Good Governance Africa points to nearly 300 jihadist incidents in the first half of 2025, leaving about 500 civilians dead and at least 17 Nigerian military bases overrun. ISWAP has expanded its reach using drones, night raids, and foreign fighters, analysts say. The resurgence is compounded by wider pressures: Nigers withdrawal from a multinational security force and Nigerias overstretched army, which is also battling rampant banditry in the northwest. Economic hardships under President Bola Tinubu have further fuelled resentment in rural areas, creating fertile ground for armed groups. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Jihadist resurgence Boko Haram has been waging a bloody insurgency to establish an Islamic caliphate in northeast Nigeria since 2009, leaving around 40,000 people dead and forcing more than two million people to flee their homes. Rival ISWAP split from the group in 2016. According to a tally by Good Governance Africa, a non-profit, the first six months of 2025 saw a resurgence in jihadist activity. There were some 300 jihadist attacks that killed some 500 civilians, mostly by ISWAP, which has gained ground in recent years over the more fractured remnants of Boko Haram. ISWAP overran at least 17 Nigerian military bases in that time period, aided by an uptick in its use of drones, night time attacks and foreign fighters, according to GGA. The resurgence in jihadist violence comes as neighbouring Niger has pulled back from a key multinational task force and the Nigerian military has become stretched by a separate banditry crisis in the northwest. A biting economic situation under President Bola Tinubu has reinforced the grievances that many armed groups feed off in rural areas, some analysts argue. With inputs from agencies Former premier Khaleda Zias Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Saturday warned that mob violence has become one of the countrys biggest problems along with the emergence of right wing forces, especially in the aftermath of last years political change. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has cautioned that mob attacks are emerging as one of the countrys most pressing problems, alongside the growing influence of right-wing groups in the wake of last years political upheaval. Speaking to The Business Standard, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said unchecked mob violence would be extremely harmful for Bangladesh. He pointed to groups and individuals who, according to him, openly declare that dissent against Shariah will not be tolerated and that women must be controlled. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Alamgir argued that such trends run counter to the BNPs vision of building an inclusive, liberal, and democratic society. He said these forces had existed earlier, but after August 5 (2024), they have become stronger, their activities and propaganda more visible. The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, installed following a massive student-led campaign, has disbanded the activities of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasinas Awami League until its leaders, including the ex-premier, were tried, particularly on charges of committing crimes against humanity. Hasina, who was ousted in a street movement on August 5, 2024, is being tried in absentia at the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal on several charges. Last month, the interim government warned media outlets against broadcasting or publicising statements by Hasina, saying that instant legal action will be taken against those violating the order. The BNP has emerged as the single largest party in Awami Leagues absence. The BNP is regarded as a centre-right political outfit, with its self-exiled acting chairman and Zias son Tarique Rahman virtually running the party activities from London while his octogenarian mother stays in Dhaka. Alamgir in recent days expressed his fear that a conspiracy was underway to replace liberal politics with extremism. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD His comments came a day after Bangladesh witnessed two chilling incidents of violence when an Islamist mob burnt the corpse of a spiritual figure desecrating his grave, while another group set on fire the central office of Jatiya Party, an ally of Hasinas Awami League. Police and media reports said a group of people claiming to be Muslim monotheistic mass burnt the body of Nura Pagla, known as a Sufi dervish, nearly two weeks after his death, desecrating his grave, exhuming the corpse and vandalising his shrine in western Rajbari district after Friday prayers. A subsequent clash between Paglas followers and the Islamists left one person dead and over 100 wounded when vehicles of police and that of the local administrative chief were set on fire. According to a nationwide survey carried out last month by the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) and Voice for Reform, around 80 per cent Bangladeshis were concerned about increasing mob violence, while significant portions also worried about womens safety. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to the Human Rights Support Society, at least 25 people were killed in 38 separate mob lynching incidents across the country in August alone. With inputs from agencies Approximately 475 workers were arrested, marking the largest single-site enforcement action in the history of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to immigration officials on Friday The photograph shows special agents with Homeland Security Investigations leading a worker away from a workplace raid in Ohio in 2018, part of a string of such operations during the first Donald Trump administration. (Photo: Immigration and Customs Enforcement)/Representational Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have raided a factory for Hyundai and Kia car batteries, leading to the detention of hundreds of workers. The factory, located in Georgia, was under construction, and the raid effectively stopped it from being built. Approximately 475 workers were arrested, marking the largest single-site enforcement action in the history of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to immigration officials on Friday. Steven Schrank, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent in Atlanta, said that the recent raids were part of a criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and serious federal crimes at the Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution joint venture plant in the town of Ellabell. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This was not an immigration operation where agents went into the premises, rounded up folks and put them on buses, he said. This has been a multi-month criminal investigation. Most workers South Korean According to a report by The Korea Economic Daily, around 560 workers were detained at facilities operated by Hyundai and LG Energy Solution (LGES), based on information from unidentified industry sources. Local media reports suggest that roughly 300 of those detained are South Korean nationals. Hyundai Motor, though based in South Korea, maintains a broad international manufacturing presence. South Korea expressed concern and regret over the raid, and urged Washington to respect the rights of its citizens. The economic activities of our investors and the legitimate rights and interests of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed in the course of US law enforcement, South Korean foreign ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said. The factory was a joint venture between South Korean battery maker LGES and Hyundai Motor, and was due to start operations by the end of this year. Illegal aliens Asked by reporters at the White House about the raid, US President Donald Trump said: I would say that they were illegal aliens, and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) was just doing its job. Schrank said some of those detained had illegally crossed the US border, others arrived with visas that prohibited them from working and others overstayed their work visas. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This operation underscores our commitment to protecting jobs for Georgians and Americans, ensuring a level playing field for businesses that comply with the law, safeguarding the integrity of our economy and protecting workers from exploitation, he said. With inputs from agencies An egg was thrown at Aleema Khan, sister of jailed Pakistani leader Imran Khan, outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Friday during a media interaction after a Toshakhana case hearing. She stayed calm, saying koi baat nahi. Pakistan: Eggs thrown at Imran Khans sister outside jail, she waves it off with koi baat nahi | Image: X An egg was hurled at Aleema Khan, sister of jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, while she was addressing reporters outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Friday after a Toshakhana case hearing, Dawn reported. Police arrested two women soon after the incident. Clips circulating on social media show Aleema jolted in shock as the egg hit her. Amid the chaos, a woman can be heard shouting, Who the hell is this? and Kisne kiya yeh (Who did this)? Aleema, though visibly taken aback, remained calm and said softly, Koi baat nahi, jaane do (Its okay, let it go). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Strongly condemn the disgraceful act of throwing an egg at Aleema Khanum, sister of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. No political disagreement should ever justify such disrespect. Pakistans politics need dialogue, not humiliation. #AleemaKhanum #StayStrongAleemaKhan pic.twitter.com/U5e2J1djPc SAQIB (@saqibhussaiinn) September 5, 2025 According to Rawalpindi police, the suspects were PTI supporters who had travelled to the city with members of the All Government Employees Grand Alliance and the All Pakistan Clerks Association to press for their demands. The egging took place when Aleema Khan did not answer the questions raised by the two women, the statement said, adding that the suspects were detained and shifted to the Adiala checkpoint. Police said the women tried to flee in their car but were stopped by PTI supporters, some of whom pelted stones at the vehicle, smashing its windshield. Aleema was speaking to the media about the Toshakhana case, in which her brother Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for the illegal sale of state gifts. This marks PM Modis first big statement on India-US ties after Trumps tariffs went into effect last month. Since then, Trump has been repeatedly slamming India for buying Russian oil and defending his 50 per cent tariffs on the country External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi attaches great importance to the India-US relationship, after he responded to US President Donald Trumps friends comment. PM Modi posted on X that he deeply appreciated Trumps assertion that India and US share a very special relationship, backtracking from his previous statement that the country lost India to China. PM Modi attaches enormous importance to our partnership with the US. Where President Trump is concerned, he (PM Modi) has always had a very good personal equation with President Trump. But the point is that we remain engaged with the US, and at this time, I cant say more than that. But thats really what I would say, Jaishankar said soon after PM Modis statement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD #WATCH | On PM Modi's response to US President Donald Trump speaking positively on India-US relationship, EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, "PM Modi attaches enormous importance to our partnership with the US. Where President Trump is concerned, he (PM Modi) has always had a very good pic.twitter.com/vvDH3yUWCN ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2025 This marks PM Modi's first big statement on India-US ties after Trumps tariffs went into effect last month. Since then, Trump has been repeatedly slamming India for buying Russian oil and defending his 50 per cent tariffs on the country. Meanwhile, Trumps comments came after PM Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the SCO Summit earlier this month, threatening the US presidents position amid his tariff war. Images of Modi, Xi, and Putin dominated headlines, sparking speculation in the West. With Trump ramping up pressure on India through an aggressive campaign, many analysts viewed the trios meeting as either a sign of India drifting toward the China-Russia axis or a strategic message to Washington that India has alternatives beyond the U.S. in its global partnerships. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD PM Modi spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, reviewing bilateral ties and exchanging views on the Ukraine conflict. French President Emmanuel Macron (R) shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a departure ceremony at Marseille Provence airport in Marignane as part of a visit in Marseille, France, February 12, 2025. (Photo by Christian Hartmann / POOL / AFP) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, where the two leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation and discussed the Ukraine conflict. Had a very good conversation with President Macron. We reviewed and positively assessed the progress in bilateral cooperation in various areas, PM Modi said on X. Exchanged views on international and regional issues, including efforts for bringing an early end to the conflict in Ukraine. The India-France Strategic Partnership will continue to play a key role in fostering global peace and stability. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Had a very good conversation with President Macron. We reviewed and positively assessed the progress in bilateral cooperation in various areas. Exchanged views on international and regional issues, including efforts for bringing an early end to the conflict in Ukraine. The Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 6, 2025 The conversation came two days after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke with PM Modi, stressing that India has a crucial role in urging Russia to end the war. We warmly welcome Indias continued engagement with President Zelenskyy. India has an important role to play in bringing Russia to end its war of aggression and helping create a path towards peace, von der Leyen said. French President Emmanuel Macron was among the European leaders who joined US President Donald Trumps talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House last month. The ModiMacron talks came just two days after Macron, at a Paris summit on Thursday, announced plans to deploy a reassurance force in Ukraine. The summit, hosted by France, was attended in person by President Zelenskyy, while leaders including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer participated remotely, according to France 24. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD During their conversation, Prime Minister Modi thanked Macron for accepting Indias invitation to attend the AI Impact Summit in February 2026 and said he looked forward to welcoming him. Both leaders agreed to stay in close touch and work together to promote peace and stability. In a post on X, PM Modi said the IndiaFrance Strategic Partnership will continue to play a key role in fostering global peace and stability. Elbit Systems UK operates as the British arm of Elbit Systems, Israels leading arms manufacturer. With annual revenues reaching $6.8 billion, the company plays a central role in supplying drones to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) A woman holds a Palestinian flag as demonstrators attend a rally organised by Defend Our Juries, challenging the British government's proscription of "Palestine Action" under anti-terrorism laws, in Parliament Square, in London, Britain. Reuters An Israeli arms manufacturing facility in the UKs Bristol has shut down operations after it was repeatedly targeted by Palestine Action, the group that has been designated as a terror organisation by the government. The Elbit Systems UK site in the Aztec West business park came under several protests led by Palestine Action, including one on July 1, days before the British government banned the group under the Terrorism Act. According to a report by The Guardian, Elbit was running its business under a lease issued in 2019 and valid till 2029. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD About the facility Elbit Systems UK operates as the British arm of Elbit Systems, Israels leading arms manufacturer. With annual revenues reaching $6.8 billion, the company plays a central role in supplying drones to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), which have been heavily relied upon in the Gaza offensive. It manufactures systems for military aircraft and helicopters, armed remote control boats, land vehicles and for command and control. While Elbit has not officially announced its closure on the site, the property wore an unexpected deserted look, according to The Guardian. Govt bans Palestine Action The United Nations rights chief has slammed Britains ban on activist group Palestine Action as a disturbing misuse of UK counter-terrorism legislation and urged the government to rescind its move. The decision appears disproportionate and unnecessary, Volker Turk said in a statement. The ban, introduced under Britains Terrorism Act 2000, took effect in July after activists from the group broke into an air force base in southern England. But the ban among other things makes it a criminal offence to be a member of Palestine Action, to express support for the group or wear items of clothing that would arouse reasonable suspicion that the person is a member or supporter of the group, Turk pointed out. Hundreds of people have been arrested by the UK police for supporting the banned group since July. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies Thirteen police officers were injured in a massive and brutal attack by the protesters and 42 people were detained, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told state-run RTS television on Saturday Police units clash with anti-government protesters in the Serbian city of Novi Sad on September 5, 2025, after several thousand rallied seeking early elections. AFP Forty-two people were detained at an anti-government protest in the Serbian city of Novi Sad where police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, the interior minister said on Saturday.Several thousand people rallied in Novi Sad late Friday seeking early elections in the latest in a series of student-led protests across Serbia sparked by the fatal collapse of the northern citys train station roof last November. The tragedy, which killed 16 people, was widely blamed on entrenched corruption, with protesters demands for a transparent investigation growing into calls for snap elections. Students have one urgent demand: Call elections, read a large banner carried by the protesters on Friday. After speeches the protesters marched towards the citys university campus where police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse them. Protesters had earlier thrown flares and bottles at the police, according to the Beta news agency. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Thirteen police officers were injured in a massive and brutal attack by the protesters and 42 people were detained, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told state-run RTS television on Saturday. The protesters attacked police in front of the faculty of philosophy throwing stones, flares and with bars, he said. Violence against police was appalling and apparently planned to be used as a political fuel to raise tensions, the minister stressed. Almost daily demonstrations, piling pressure on President Aleksandar Vucic, mainly passed off peacefully. But in mid-August they degenerated into violence that protesters blamed on heavy-handed tactics by government loyalists and police. Authorities have rejected allegations of brutality, despite videos showing officers beating unarmed protesters and accusations that activists were assaulted while in custody. Vucic late Friday accused the protesters of trying to threaten the stability and security of Serbia and occupy the university premises in Novi Sad. People in Serbia should know that the state is stronger than anyone that will always be the case, he said. Pro-government rallies will be held across Serbia on Sunday, the president added. The protests have led to the resignation of the prime minister and the collapse of his government. But Vucic has so far brushed off demands for snap elections and alleges the demonstrations, the largest of which have drawn hundreds of thousands of people, are part of a foreign plot. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD